Luvena
It had been only a day since she’d visited the portal full of stars. Since she’d seen what wonder sit held, what mysteries lay beneath its surface. She hungered for more. For the thrill of discovering life not seen before. For the wonder that had come down to her as she gazed at the stars, more vivid than they were anywhere else in Novus. And so, though the tremble of the body was more visible that day, she found herself back in that shadowed path, wandering towards the ring of adventures once more.
This time it was the crash of waves that caught her attention. A sound that had so often accompanied the brightest moments of her life. Maybe she could find happiness again. She stepped through - Yara and Mithra running at her side this time around - and found herself on a golden shoreline, with waves lapping at her hooves.
She watched the now grown leonbergers charge into the foam, barking and snapping at each other's heels. It seemed her own sort of euphoria took over as she followed them in. trotting awkwardly over the waves, her legs stiff through the motions. Overtaken by the feeling of seaspray and wind and joy she pushed herself into a slow canter, ignoring the jolt of pain that moved through her shoulder. Letting the water splash up around her, her mane floating over the surfa-
“Luvena stop”
There was tension in Picoros voice. It was a voice she hardly ever heard these days, and only ever to scold her. So she did, her breath rasping as she tried to calm her rapidly beating heart. For just a moment she had forgotten. It could have been longer. She stood just deep enough that her hooves didn’t lift off the sand. Staring off to the horizon. She didn’t answer the sloth, instead letting the tension simmer between them.
It had been that day for months now. Since Kodarki had visited. And then the winter had made it worse. He still braided her hair, and curled up beside her. He never left her side. That was part of the problem. Before they had each gone on their own journeys. They didn’t speak to each other. The dogs and the sloth tossed glares between each other.
What a mess of a group they were.
Table © Camy
