Path

"Come on, you two! The sun is about to rise!", a young, excited girl ran from the top of a hill.

The two were not far behind, but Diana still shouted between her shallow breaths.

"Don't you know balance?! There's no point in arriving at the camp dead."

"We're going deeper into the forest, so I think she's half right."

"Inside... It's an eight-hour walk, isn't it?"

"Haha. It's more like twelve. Didn't you see the map? There's a beautiful, hidden place, but no one goes that way, because it's too far..."

Diana staggered to a tree, taking a breath to comment.

"Uh. You sound like you're cursing the trip. Nothing bad will happen, you know."

Carla shook her head.

"I think that's worse than mine."

"Wait...", Diana finally realized something. "Why are you so well? That climb kills."

She shrugged.

"I controlled my breathing and my steps, that's it. I didn't try to chase that hare like you..."

Diana realized she was right. Carla had been the last one in the group for half an hour.

"It's not just that." Diana looked at those thick thighs and the curves under the jacket. "You've been exercising... and that ponytail. It suits you."

Carla smiled. It was nice to be complimented. It made up for her hard work, but still, hearing it from someone who ate so much and had such a beautiful body...

"Well. I have to take care of myself if I 'want to get a boyfriend'."

Diana swallowed hard. Her friend was very good with words. She was thinking about something when she realized. The beautiful secretary didn't need an answer.

Her soft expression, her neat bangs and the beads of sweat under her clear, well-groomed skin... for some reason it said a lot about how much she cared about her appearance and how much she worked for it.

Diana realized there was a story behind that beauty. It was like seeing a statue or sculpture at its best.

There was a charm that gave up on perfect beauty but still achieved perfection.

She smiled.

"At this rate, it won't be long before you get a boyfriend. Come on, we have to beat that rabbit up."

"Haha... I'll try."

It took a few more minutes and a lot of breathing to reach the top, but the view made up for all the effort.

"Finally... Are we going to stop here?"

"Look... It's beautiful, isn't it?"

"Huuf. You have to stop answering questions with other questions. Only idiots do that, and yes, it is beautiful."

"I'm going to make lunch."

"I'll prepare the snack."

The sun reached their feet, with a softness that chased away the cold with a warm embrace.

Finally they could take a deep breath and live that moment completely.

...

..

.

"They'll die if you leave them like this."

Hearing Erin's simple and confident tone, Nero couldn't say much to oppose.

So he did what he could, took a deep breath to clear his thoughts and intentions. He waited, maybe it would be better to listen instead of asking.

"The three of them are safe for now. They'll continue the trail just fine, but near the end a mother bear appears...", Erin smiled, apathetic, even she thought she was a bit mediocre at telling stories.

Especially the story of someone's death.

But what could she do?

She could count on her fingers the deaths she remembered, and she would need millions of fingers for the ones she predicted.

"... she tries to protect her cubs. Well...", she closed one eye. "... one of them dies, maybe. If they're lucky, they'll run away, injured and tired. But in the end, all I can see is them falling off a hill."

Nero took a second deep breath. When his heartbeat slowed, one could say he was dead or on death's door.

"Thank you."

It was a simple gesture, but it had great value. Erin shook her head. When he stood up and left, she smiled to herself.

"He's grown up, huh... I don't know whether to be excited or jealous. That kid was cute too." Line by line, her expression saddened, her heart ached a little.

The urge to complain about time and how quickly it passed was there. But just like her son, just like she taught him, Erin was a noblewoman who faced her problems head on.

With her eyes dull and unfocused, she breathed deeply as her body felt heavy, her mind chaotic and her heart racing. She felt every part of her body, limb by limb, down to the smallest parts. Every movement in her veins, the sound of her organs and the flow of energy. It was wonderful. After a long time... she was present.

And so time had never been so sweet and yet so bitter.

Every moment was a heavy blessing. Not on her body, but on her mind.

Her proud nature told her that there was nothing in the world worth her attention, worth her time...

The sad, childish face came to her memory, the expression softened, time stopped. That child seemed to grow, mature and smile.

Everything in front of her eyes and far from her arms. She repeated her breathing and focused on the present.

'One moment at a time... I will not lose my son again, not even to time.'