[RO] may you get everything that you ask for

[Fiction Asylum]

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April 17th.

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Fiction often didn't want to leave.

The world was filled with beautiful and fascinating places, full of quiet sunrises and secret scenery. Old human villages overtaken entirely by Luperci and long stretches of desolate forest with only a few canines around were both charming in their own way. She could see why people stayed in each place they visited. Here there were mountains and a coast that stretched on forever with glittering waves and glorious sunsets. Their woods were abundant and luxurious, even. The cliffsides were full of birds and there were thousands of nooks and crannies to explore.

It was a lovely place, and it would be a shame when the plague came.

The area wasn't as dense as some of the communities further south along the coast, away from the strangely-shaped peninsula, though. The packs all had a decent buffer from each other. Maybe if they were lucky, the effects wouldn't be as devastating here. But Fiction had kept count of the bundles they'd sold, and she knew that it wasn't enough. They couldn't convince everyone of the threat, but that was life, too.

Even with the skeptics, the hybrid liked the limited and familiar sorts of interactions she often had with locals by day. And she loved the private comfort of her companions by night. Everything changed again every few weeks, but very much stayed the same. Their travel, warning, sales, and forage routine was one she found a lot of happiness in, even as they remained on the run from waves of death.

Maybe when enough time had passed, they could come back for a visit. Maybe by then, she'd know what some of those plants in the mountains were. Maybe they'd be able to settle, even, if the disease was one that faded away eventually, or if they were prepared with enough protection and medicine. She wasn't really sure she'd really want to, though. It was something nice to think about, to stay in place again, but it'd be different to actually do it. And maybe Capricorn and Dalibor wouldn't want to. They'd been wandering longer than she had, after all.

The merle hybrid pulled tight the cords that closed the opening of the satchel and checked again that it was secured to the saddle. On the other side of the pack horse, the first rays of sunrise were starting to color the clear sky. Fiction took a deep breath, unburdened for the moment by her mask. The air was sweet and cold, but the wind was calm.

"Ready to go?" Dalibor asked. The wolf tugged a strap securing a snack bag at the front of his saddle, then mounted his horse.

"Yeah," Fiction said. She checked one more time that the lead from the pack horse was secured to her mare, before mounting the former.

Capricorn grinned from atop his own horse. "Let's go then," he said, turning away from the sunrise over the mountains and the sea.

Dalibor followed the dog's lead. Fiction gave one final glance behind them, then fell into line behind them. In just a few hours, this place, and all of its peace and quiet and solace, would be another memory.

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