Elohim was gone. The winter had been too much for the old primate, and one cold night during the late winter he had slipped away. Novel was still distraught over his loss. Soon after his passing she had developed a harsh cough that still lingered with her now. The old Destruction woman had been glad to see the spring though, and she felt better today than she had since winter started.

The day was blustery, but the breeze was warm. The sun was out and it reflected brightly off the newly blooming flowers. Novel lingered outside, with the warmth she didn’t think the weather would affect her cough much. The new grass was soft under her feet, and as the day wore into afternoon she ceased her aimless wandering and decided to lay down under the willows. The leaves on the weeping trees were really starting to grow, but the sun easily penetrated the branches to warm her white pelt.

She lowered herself slowly and gently on to the ground. The winter hadn’t been kind to her joints either. A pained groan left her as she finally managed to arrange herself beneath the trees. She tried to think happy thoughts, but Elohim dominated her conscious. She had been very close with her companion, they had been together for close to eight years. Longer than many wolves managed to make it to. She sighed softly and put her head on her paws, quiet mournful tears quickly followed.

Ara was having a tough time these days, though perhaps she wasn't struggling quite as much as Novel was. While her own mortality wasn't necessarily something she feared, losing those close to her.. well, that was far more terrifying, and thoughts of this variety seemed reluctant to leave her head these days. Losing Elohim had struck her particularly hard, though Novel was no doubt taking it even harder. As a healer she fully understood the temporal nature of their existence; she'd lost her parents when she'd still been fairly young and though the pain still stuck with her now, after so many years had passed, she'd never felt as though she'd be wronged. Death was a part of existence and none of them could cheat it, even Novel's sweet friend Elohim. Novel had developed a cough not long after and Ara was doing what she could to tend to her and keep her comfortable. Not that she was in much better shape. Though life within Lirim was comfortable, perhaps more comfortable than she could've ever hoped for, she too was a victim to the cruel passage of time and she moved more slowly now than ever before. Arthritis had crept into all her limbs, and pain relievers could only help so much. But the warmth of spring was a welcome relief and made moving easier, regardless of how she felt. Moving was uncomfortable at first (to say the least) but working out her stiff joints was worth it to simply feel the soft grasses beneath the pads of her paws. After a slow few moments of wandering she caught hint of Novel's scent and redirected herself to follow it. She was lying beneath the willow trees, basking in the sunlight, and the picture earned a slow smile from Ara. It only wilted when she got closer and saw the fresh tears that painted her cheeks. Ara didn't bother her approach, though she moved quietly to lie beside her, sighing softly at the effort it took to lower herself down to the earth beside her mate. Part of her wished she could ask what was wrong, but she knew fully well what was troubling her - likewise, she was tempted to tell her the day was far too lovely to spend crying, but her feelings were valid and important. Instead she would simply sigh and wrap her head around Novel's neck. "This place.. it reminds me of where we met," she spoke quietly, smiling faintly at the distant memory. That day felt a lifetime ago, when her parents had still been alive, when she'd been surrounded by them and her siblings and those tall willow trees. Those same trees felt much smaller to her now, but still she felt insignificant beneath them, and the feeling was a comforting one.

Ara was carefully caring for her as the season blossomed with the plants around them. She was comforted knowing her mate was there to depend on, but she didn't miss how the cold was affecting her as well.Their bodies were getting old and frail, and she knew deep down they wouldn’t be able to be used for much longer. Elohim’s death had made that fact all too clear to Novel, but she was glad she was able to see the spring once more. She wasn’t giving up, but depression and old age took their toll.

She didn’t want to continue to mourn, but not having that familiar weight upon her back always threw her into a spiral of sadness. She cried in her dreams, she cried when she was just trying to relax. She had cried into a couple of meals. Her sorrow would have been overwhelming were it not for Ara.

Even now. She heard the familiar footsteps as she appeared beside her and settled down just as painfully as Novel. She welcomed her mate’s presence and her affection, appreciating that she hadn’t commented on the tears. She tried to smile at the memories Ara tried to invoke. Years and years ago they had met. So long ago now that Novel hardly remembered the day. Silent led Ara and her brother to meet with her and her mother. They had been so young. She sighed softly, feeling her tears dry just little as she leaned in to her mate.

”It was, though if i remember correct it was late summer or early fall. A fitting place to be now, at the end of our lives.” She said softly, unable to ignore the hard truth they faced. The two of them wouldn’t be on the earth much longer.

It was strange to wrestle with the thought of losing Novel, now that they'd been reunited; it had taken her years to come to terms with her loss before and now it was feeling considerably harder. Despite the inevitability of what would come - whether it be tomorrow, or next week, or even next season - the thought of Novel slipping away from her didn't settle well with her. Already she knew what she would do if her mate passed before her, a plan that had been laid out in her own mind, but she hadn't yet discussed it with her either. Who knew if she would. Today she was trying to keep her mind on living rather than dying, though with recent life events she knew it was hard for them both to keep that train of thought. Her own sorrow was of a different type; quiet and contemplative rather than weepy, though she didn't blame Novel whatsoever for their differences. Crying was a rarity for her, though seeing the depths of Novel's pain made it far easier to tears to fall without any warning. She felt them prick at her eyes now, a soft burning that was hard for her to ignore, even as Novel's own tears began to slow when she approached. "Was it?" Her question was a genuine one, not rhetorical or teasing; her own memories were fading, some far more hazy now than they had once been. Some memories she knew would never fade, but only the finer details. The day she'd professed her love for Novel, she couldn't remember now what season it had been, let alone if it'd been rainy or sunny or blistering cold. Those things didn't matter much though and she wouldn't dwell on it for long, as much as she wished the picture was clearer in her mind's eye. "There's really nowhere I'd rather be." Could she think of a better place? Probably not. There were wolves she longed for - what she wouldn't give to see her siblings again, if they were still alive, let alone some of her grandchildren, but she was truly content here with Novel. "What about you? Perhaps we could be on a tropical island somewhere?" The thought of them having the energy to make such a swim was almost laughable, but imagining warm sand under their paws was a pleasant thought. She nudged Novel gently, wondering what she was thinking.

Novel coughed heavily, though she tried to suppress the action so as not to disturb Ara beside her. The old woman gasped for breath quietly, slowly gaining control back over her lungs. Only once had she found blood in the after effects, and she kept it from her mate then. Thankfully there was no red staining her paw as she focused on Ara beside her.

"We met when we were so young. Our mothers were good friends." She let herself dwell on Song and Silent for a long moment. Song had been younger when she and her siblings were born, but Silent had been much older when Ara and her siblings were born. Novel hadn't thought about her own siblings in a long time, though Canta and Mercury's brood was just coming of age when Novel returned to Boreas.

"I'd like to be taken back to Ludicael. To be young again." She mused, not trying to deflate the perfect place the two of them were in now, but back when she didnt have so many years weighing on her. "Wherever you are is perfect." Novel recovered, maybe a tropical island would have been nice. Here though, with the warmth of the spring sun and the green of the budding leaves Novel was content.

There were certain things she could never forget, though briefly her attention was pulled away from her nostalgic memories and were planted firmly in the present, as Novel coughed. She was quiet, though made no big show of being attentive to her - instead her ears merely flicked as she listened for signs that her cough was worsening or needed more urgent attention. Luckily it was just a cough, albeit not a good one, but one she was growing used to lately. She remembered how they'd met. She remembered the willow trees. She remembered the few times afterwards that she'd met Novel, before she and her family had gone to live with the Destructions. She remembered being a shoulder for Novel to cry on when she talked about her father - the same day she'd met Elohim for the first time, if she was remembering correctly. It'd been the first time they'd really spent alone and though she doubted she'd started to fall in love that day, she knew it had been the start of what often felt like a fated cycle of events for them. Their relationship had always felt natural, like they'd been born to be together; perhaps the thought was a foolish one but it made her smile gently as the thought crossed her mind.  "What I wouldn't give to be young again," she mused thoughtfully. Neither of the women were ones to really dwell on the past, nor on their regrets, so the thought was a whimsical one and not one she'd take too seriously. Wherever you are is perfect, Novel added, and Ara felt a familiar rush of warmth rush through her. How could Novel still make her feel like this after so many years? The pleasant warmth was a nice reprieve from her darker thoughts, from thoughts of how many years had passed between them.  "I don't want to live without you," Ara said quietly, somberly, after a moment of careful thought. As much as she didn't want to weigh down the mood, she felt the conversation was a necessary one.  "I spent too many years without you. I can't do it again." It was no secret Novel's health was failing her, and though she felt her voice wavering slightly she maintained control of it - for now.  "When the time comes, if the time comes..." How could she say this in a straightforward way? Ara wasn't one for being elusive but this topic was heavier than most they'd spoken of.  "I'd like to go with you. If that's how things happen." If you die first, was what she was trying to say, but she couldn't bring herself to be quite so frank about it yet.

Ara didn’t push about the severity of her cough, she could hear it just as well as Novel. The sad truth she was coming to accept was that she would have the affliction for the rest of her life. These were some of her last days, the thought was troubling but also comforting. She was old and lived a long full life. But she was tired, and she always felt pain. Worse now it seemed without Elohim. Life was hard, and waking up each day grew more difficult. "What I wouldn't give to be young again," Ara’s sweet words drew her from the looming darkness.

Novel managed a smile on her features as her mate’s words echoed her thoughts. To be young, without pain. There was pain in her younger years, but it was different. This felt like her heart was growing too heavy to beat. "I don't want to live without you…” Novel shifted herself to look into Ara’s bright eyes, still beautiful to behold all these years later. She could feel the emotion and the determination within her mate as she spoke of hard truths. Novel understood what she said comepletely.

She nodded softly, not being able to blame her mate for coming to such a decision. In fact, ”I.. I would do the same for you.” Not that Novel really thought that she had more days left than Ara. her cough was worsening, her time was limited. ”Even if I feel I.. will be first.” mismatched ears fell to her skull as she became more blunt than her mate had been. She attempted to reach up and glean some supportive affection from her love. It was all she had left now.

Ara adjusted her position as best as she could, content to spend a long moment gazing into Novel's eyes. Even after being apart for years, falling back into her love with her had felt effortless - and truthfully Ara wasn't sure she'd ever fallen out of love with her to begin with. Despite all they had gone through she had already decided she'd live her life a thousand times over, if only it meant seeing Novel for the rest of time. However, she knew they were talking about the somber truth of reality now, rather than whimsical fancies. She was comforted by her mate's admission and nodded slowly, understanding. "I'm glad you agree," Ara said quietly. If Novel pressed her to live the rest of her natural days even after she had passed, Novel would do just that, no matter how hard the burden of grief was to carry.. but she understood, and said she'd do the same. She breathed a quiet sigh of relief, feeling tears prick at her eyes that she'd been struggling to hold back, finding it much harder now. Being strong for Novel always seemed so important to her, but then all at once it felt like too much to bear, and she breathed a quiet sob as she felt the tears fall. "Let's rest here for awhile, my love," she suggested, shifting yet again to curl her head against Novel's side and bury her nose in her fur, focusing on the scent of budding plants that enveloped them, washed over them by the warm spring winds. - exit Ara via sleep?-