Ludicael was quiet, as it had been for most of the winter. Her parents had disappeared with Steel; she didn't know if they had escaped somehow or if Jupiter had let them go, but she wasn't surprised either way. They wouldn't want Steel to know life as a prisoner, just as she didn't want Psalm and Hymn to know such a life either. As badly as she wanted to follow after her parents and her baby brother, she had two children to look after -- and Novel, the love of her life, as well as Novel's family. They could not just leave.
A sigh left Ara's lips as she drew nearer to the hot springs. Imagining a life without her parents was painful, though she would rather them be free to do as they pleased in their last days. Slowly she let her limbs carry her close to the refreshingly hot water, nostrils flaring as she took in a whiff of steamy air. She longed for days when things had been easier; she craved the closeness she had once shared with Novel and she hoped that the taking of Ludicael had not torn them apart entirely. Eyes would close as she let her forepaws slip into the spring, slowly lowering herself to her belly on the cool earth, grateful to relax for a moment and let everything slip away.
