Steredenn was rising slowly, and it would not be long before dawn appeared. They were ready to leave, they had not slept much, fearing that the Anaons would emerge from the lake. They climbed down from their makeshift shelter and set off. The criollos could feel the tension emanating from their masters without really understanding the reason for it, they just followed and squeaked, they had not had their usual breakfast. Astir and Septem knew that the walk to Aguilepia would take two days. This meant that they would have to spend the night near the lake, alone with their criordes. They were not particularly happy about this idea, but it was better than sleeping in Pratt where they were surrounded by corpses and the stench of blood that would bring predators.

The walk was no more strenuous than what they were used to doing, what made it difficult was the state of mind in which they were. Tired, disoriented, sad and definitely alone. No one was waiting for them anymore. Septem wanted to go down in direction of the ocean, she had always wanted to sail as a pirate and nothing was holding her back now. She would rather dive into her dream of the future than think about what had happened to her family. Astir had not thought about all that, he had always followed the course of events without thinking of becoming anything other than a shepherd. So he decided to follow his friend in this wobbly adventure.

They walked mechanically, without speaking, they did not want to. They had not yet accepted or digested the previous day's information. The lake was dull and surprisingly for a month of Pluto, there was no wind, bringing a supernatural aspect. This added anxiety to the hearts of the young Leontopos who were already struggling not to panic. The criordes had regained their merriment and were playing far ahead of them. This usual cheerful scene helped them to hold on and keep walking. By the time the first eclipse came, they had walked a little over ten kilometres and reached the shelter built into a cliff. They had only been there once before in the company of the village merchants. It was reassuring to arrive in a familiar place but so striking to know that no one else would use this spot anymore. They carved the date and the name of their village and those of their relatives into the rock that made up the shelter. An indelible trace of the existence of Prat and its inhabitants. They resumed their walk as soon as the eclipse was over.

Dusk was beginning to set in when they set out to hide for the night. The soil around the lake was loose enough to dig a cavity, when covered with branches and peat, would provide perfect protection from night predators. Digging a hole large enough for four people and covering it took them over an hour. Night had fallen by the time they finished and only the remnants of daylight allowed them to get into their makeshift shelter without too much damage. Kornog and Gwalarn had settled in while they covered with branches. They were already fast asleep when Septem and Astir began to swallow a few pieces of dried meat before falling into a restless sleep.
They woke up to the dampness of the morning. The dewdrops scattered over the landscape gave it a magical quality, but they did not have the capacity to appreciate what was before their eyes. They simply picked up their things and left. The aches and pains were beginning to show and the young Leontopo were starting to lose speed. The lunch break was very short as they had to get to Aguilepia before dark.

The paths and roads around the town were much less safe than in the high mountains due to the population density which attracted thieves and nocturnal carnivores. Sentries kept the inhabitants safe during the day, but even they would not risk going outside the city walls after dark.

They saw the walls of the lower town at about three o'clock, which was both good and bad news. The good news was that they would be safe in a bit. On the other hand, they still had four hours to walk and they realised that the inhabitants might not look favourably on the arrival of two criordes. They were very apprehensive about going through the gates as they feared the sentries would refuse them entry. Gwalarn and Kornog would probably have to be presented as mere dogs and their wild origins hidden.