Noctisardor Bypass Sitting here underneath the bridge

the clock.
it ticked more loudly now that the cubs were older, scampering through rivenwood and learning the places that her own mother had walked. there was reason entire, over and over, to be connected to this place, and yet she was not.
etienne had been gone for quite some time. truth be told, heda didn't think he would come back. it wasn't as if she wouldn't understand that, but every time her mind crept toward contemplating this intensity of feeling between he and anselm, she avoided it — her thoughts lurched away.
in more pleasantry, she considered amadeo with a little flush, a small private smile that faded as soon as she saw anselm.
she'd been gathering medicinal plants downstream when the little rush of muddy water announced his step. he was silent now, quieter even than before.
heda could not say she had missed his acerbic words.
setting her wet foliage aside in two soaked piles, she moved closer with a friendly light to her golden eyes, but said nothing. anselm was too easy to set off and heda wanted to enjoy the day.