and may my soul be soothed

Winter in this new land was as unforgiving as it was unappealing. The bitter cold, the thick snow, the lack of...well, anything. Cicero had never seen the fascination with the slumber of warmth. The cold was the type he could feel in his bones, the kind that stuck. It made his leg ache, pains that he could not soothe, no matter how many crude salves or elixir's he would craft. That within itself was a burden; the land and fauna was dead, and so were the herbs necessary to ease the ache. It was obvious in his trek, how affected he was. His pace was slower, his limp more noticeable. Perhaps a twisted expression of annoyance would grace his dawny features.

Cicero had been traveling for what felt like ages. He was tired, restless, eager to find something or perhaps someone to ease his addled mind. Reading scrolls and tomes he'd came across on the journey could only entertain him for so long. The landscape was bleak, and it started to feel as if he was just walking himself in circles. It was maddening, truly.

But then there was a break in the snowy monotony. From where Cicero stepped out from the dense tree line and into the open, the distant sound of babbling water that, in the moment, sounded heavenly. The man begun to hobble toward the sound, his tired eyes seemingly a bit brighter. It felt foolish—to be so excited over water. But he had hopes that perhaps, if he waded for just a little while, it'd help sooth his leg. Down he shuffled, the shifting snow beneath dark paws treacherous, forcing him to move even slower despite his haste. Down, down, down...until finally, he found a nearly frozen stream.

Cicero limped closer, until the ice cooled his aching paws, nipping at his skin but this time, it was a welcome sensation. The ice near the shore was thicker, though with each step, it began to sound beneath his lightweight. A crack there, an echoed groan beneath, until he'd nearly fallen face-first into the shallows. The water rushed where it was now exposed, and greedily, he leaned down to savor it. And perhaps it was just placebo, but the ache in his leg already felt as if it was beginning to soothe.

@Harlow

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