IT'S NOT TOO LATE
IT'S NEVER TOO LATE!

All these years, and she still couldn't swim.

She never took the time to learn how, even when she had witnessed the momentary death of someone. Someone she had considered herself close to. The lioness halted at the docks, eeriely quiet with the coming night. People huddling into their homes for warmth as it got colder and colder. So it seemed she was the only one there. Which suited her fine. It let her cry in peace.

The tears fell on the wooden dock silently, and a shaking sigh left her. She felt close to several beings -- Aesior, the more she thought about him, was a father figure. Lucinder was her brother, adopted of course, but still her brother. Then, there was Arrow, Elsweyr, Aurum. Parental figures. She coughed out a sob. She wanted to go back -- change everything that happened. Maybe it would have been different.

She choked out another sob, sniffling as she rubbed her nose. Fire flicked on her paw, and she sat down, watching the yellow baby fire flicker and curl around in the air. Tears still fell, but she hardly noticed.