She had desperately needed to get away. The all-consuming grief of losing her husband mixed with the ever increasing toxicity of her younger siblings had been too much to stomach. Septima had no doubt in her mind that things would settle themselves while she was gone and could only hope the best for her family, but she was tired of the messes they had made and how often it had fallen on her to clean them up. The last shred of her heart remained there in her son and daughter, two darlings she had promised to come home to one day in the next few months when they had chosen not to follow. Some may have seen it as her abandoning them, but they had made their choice and if she had any intentions on being the mother they deserved, she needed time away to heal. She may not have liked being around her siblings anymore, but she trusted them not to let her children be taken or hurt.

She wandered quietly down an unfamiliar trail, curious as to the scents she could pick up on the gentle breeze. It seemed there were a handful of familiar faces lurking around and she was quite eager to see who else might be nearby. Septima's ears drew forward attentively as she picked up her pace, jogging into the unknown with a heart thudding rapidly in her chest.

Roche