smoke led them west through thinning pines and hard winter ground, their breaths rising pale in the cold air. @Adela walked close, the quiet between them easy now, shaped by miles rather than words. the sun dipped low behind the ridge by the time the trees broke open.
the lake waited there — wide, steel-blue, crusted at the edges where the frost clung thick. smoke slowed first, nose lifting to the chill coming off the water. good place to stop. quiet. nothing hunting them but the wind.
he padded to the shoreline and stood there, broad shoulders still, watching the ripples move under the dim light. didn’t say anything at first. just let the calm settle.
then he glanced her way, tail giving one slow flick. rest, drink, breathe.
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