A pink spattering of light drifted across the skies overhead and danced into the softening haze of an orange sunset. The shadows of winter were upon Helovia despite the autumn breeze that sailed through the barren wood. The chatter of nighttime creatures, both small and large, sifted eerily along the vacant pathways that made up the heart of the Deep Forest. As we trailed easily along those very pathways, our footfall disturbed a hare that darted quickly in and out of the brush until the bright, white fangs of an arctic wolf brought it down from just behind. I’d always hated the hunting and the blood that accompanied calling Romul my companion, and yet I couldn’t imagine a life without him. He was my soul when I could not feel and my strength when I could not thrive.

Where once the thought of meandering aimlessly between the shadows of the night would set my heart ablaze with fear, it did not anymore. Where once I felt alone and bereft in a world with too many unknown faces, I was no longer by myself. His presence calmed even the worst of my frustrations… I’d been lucky to find him so long ago in the Edge. Perhaps it was the last thing I remembered fondly of the land by the sea now that my memory was so overtaken by war and defeat and loss.

I watched brazenly as the wolf drug his kill into the underbrush where I studied the flashes of white fur as he tore away flesh from bone. Romul seemed unperturbed by my sudden need to observe him and instead snarled, low and deliberate, to ward off any other threats that might present themselves in the night. He was always taking care of me, even when I felt I didn’t need him to. He was the one true love I’d always known.

Evening was just passing when we’d found our way to the forest, but with dusk now hours behind us, Romul and I wandered side by side only to enjoy the company of one another. “You are quiet,” he noted with concern.

“Do you ever think about what would have happened if we’d stayed?” I asked softly. The wolf paused, his head hanging low, and grunted. “You know what I think” he bit irritably.

I’d always known how he’d received my need to run, that much was certain, but I’d always been unable to do the right thing. Romul had just been kind enough to respect my desires… even if they were so often misdirected. “I’m sorry…” I breathed hoarsely.

I’d always been sorry.

For leaving… for staying… for everything. I was sorry for losing the Falls, sorry for not seeing the clues before the Basin and the Edge had taken everything away… Just… sorry.


Essetia & Romul