My shirt and cheeks were getting wet

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Once more the pale girl had left the mountain to find peace amongst the flowering meadow. As things stood, it was the one constant she could count on in life. She knew what to expect when she visited and it always remained the same, even as other trees would start to lose their leaves and prepare for the icy cold of winter.

Well...she had been right about all of that aside from those who wandered to the garden. Every now and then she would cross paths with another in her small paradise, but this time someone had been calling for her. Hotaru froze in her tracks, listening as she made out a...somewhat familiar voice.

Curiosity would get the best of her as she followed the cries until a girl came into view, though this time a grin swept her face, “Sachiko!” She wasted no time as she quickly bounded to her friend's side, a quick wide swept circle given just to make sure she was ok before she found herself staring at her lost friend “What happened— how are you here?”

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Of course the other wouldn't sit still, all too excited for their reunion to display anything of concern. Her inspection would have to do for now, plus if Sachiko was hurt, why wouldn't she just say so? The pale princess would let her grin fall to a simple smile as she too stood with a wagging tail, though she couldn't help but turn her head in confusion.

“You were following us? I'm sorry— we left so quickly we never had the chance to say goodbye. After my mother— well, we just couldn't stay.” Of course...what she meant to say was after they had injured Noboru they were forced to flee, little did she know it might mean something different to her friend. “Ah...well, we were separated...”

“I guess it's common here. I don't know how we got here I just know one night I fell asleep with my family and the next I woke up in some...desert.” She wasn't sure which way even led to the old empire, something she originally felt comfort in given the chase that was sure to ensue. Could she be so sure though now that Sachiko was here?

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Together until the end...it felt silly looking back given their age, though she never expected Sachiko to actually stick to that word. What about her family? She had more to lose than they did. “Well, yeah...I just never expected you to leave your own family for me.” The pack had been a mess and left in disarray when they fled, maybe it wasn't so shocking that her friend would want to flee as well.

At the mentions of her mother she couldn't help but notice the way Sachiko's ears dropped, an expression hidden but all too plain along her features to go completely unnoticed, though she couldn't fathom why. Hotaru shook her head to her friend's question. “No, I wish. It was so sandy and hot. I could feel my skin being scorched for days, even with the fur. Someone told me it was a desert, though i'd never heard of one like that until I...well, randomly awoke there.” It was still all so strange, though she did not fear how crazed she might sound. Sachiko would learn with time that was just a norm here.

“I was alone for some time just wandering. Eventually, my mother found me and we made our way north. We have restarted what we left behind here atop Tsukiishi.” Somewhere along her tale she had begun to frown, though realization would soon hit her with a wag to her tail that now that Sachiko was here she could join them. “I can show you around if you'd like! It's just beyond the glacier and I'm sure Okāsan would be happy to see you too!”

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wrap here?

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“Oh— I'm so sorry. They just left you?” How awful! She didn't think things were bad between her friend and mother, but she still couldn't imagine just leaving behind your family. A mother no less. She would try not to dwell on it though. Sachiko didn't appear that bothered at least so why should she be for her?

The pale girl only sighed as she recounted the miserable days she spent wandering hungry and thirsty until the sand finally gave way. “It was. Luckily it's pretty far from here so I doubt there will ever be a reason to see that place again.” Now that she thought about it, that seemed so long ago. More time had passed than she realized since they settled here, it was a wonder Sachiko found them at all.

At the mention of her mother, her friend looked like her eyes might just pop out of her skull earning a confused look as she tilted her head with question before continuing. “If you say so—” Something seemed...off, but if Sachiko wouldn't tell her then there was no real use prying. She was already an open book, if it was important it would come up later. “Come on, if we leave now we can make it before dark!” Hotaru wouldn't bother waiting, chances were Sachiko could out leg her anyways given how tall she had gotten.

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