Steredenn was rising slowly, and it would not be long before dawn appeared. They were ready to leave. They didn’t slept much, fearing that the Anaons would emerge from the lake again. They climbed down from their makeshift shelter and set off. The criollos could feel the tension emanating from their masters without really understanding the reason for it. They just followed and squeaked since they didn’t have their usual breakfast. Astir and Septem knew that the walk to Aguilepia would take two days. This meant that they would have to spend the night near the lake, alone with their criordes. They were not particularly happy about this idea, but it was better than sleeping in Pratt where they were surrounded by corpses and the stench of blood that would bring about predators.
The walk was no more strenuous than what they were used to doing, what made it difficult was the state of mind in which they were. Tired, disoriented, sad and definitely alone. No one was waiting for them anymore. Septem wanted to go down in the direction of the ocean, she had always wanted to sail as a free spirit and nothing was holding her back now. She would rather dive into her dream of the future than think about what had happened to her family. Astir had not thought about all that, he had always followed the course of events without thinking of becoming anything other than a shepherd. So he decided to follow his friend in this wobbly adventure. They walked mechanically, without speaking, they didn’t want to.
They have neither digested nor accepted the previous day's information. The lake was dull and surprisingly for a month of Pluto, there was no wind, bringing a supernatural aspect. This added anxiety to the hearts of the young Leontopos who were already struggling to not panic. The criordes had regained their cheerfulness and were playing far ahead of them. This usual cheerful scene helped them to hold on and keep walking. By the time the first eclipse came, they had walked a little over ten kilometers and reached the shelter built into a cliff. They had only been there once before in the company of the village merchants. It was reassuring to arrive in a familiar place but so striking to know that no one else would use this spot anymore. They carved the date and the name of their village and those of their relatives into the rock that made up the shelter. An indelible trace of the existence of Prat and its inhabitants. They resumed their walk as soon as the eclipse was over.
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