Bella strained her head upwards, trying to glimpse the sky. The ground beneath her paws sloped sharply upwards in front of her to form what was almost a sheer cliff face. She knew there was a waterfall somewhere north of here, and could imagine its splendor pouring from the top of the lip she could just about see. It was a very abrupt transition from forest into mountain, one she had not expected. Of course she would not even attempt to ascend here, that would be foolish. A few minutes' travel south would provide a much more reasonable incline, well-trodden paths, a softer gradient from the forest floor into the mountain's heights. The trees would accompany them for several hours worth of climb, and then it would be mostly rock and dust and the cool, fresh air of a great height and clear sky. She could feel it, yearned for it, ached for it, but had to deny it yet.

Glancing sideways, she looked at her son, who sat sullenly with his rear pressed against the rock. Quietly she tutted, but her patience was wearing thin, her unyielding love tested by his constant - and increasing! - hostility. He was even managing to taint this beautiful moment for her, ruin a reunion she had not even yet experienced. Did she dare try to get through to him again? Could she cope with another non-committal grunt or, worst of all, complete silence?

She was not a quitter. Especially not on her children. "I'm just going to head down the way for a few minutes, maybe see if I can find you something to eat. The river is nearby if you're thirsty. Don't go too far. I love you."

She didn't wait for a reaction before turning away, because it was easier to tell herself that he was going to say something than linger and have his lack of acknowledgement confirmed. The tawny mother sucked in her breaths, maintaining her composure, and kept the mountain to her left as she walked, hoping for some small distraction. How badly she wanted to turn left and then up, up, up until she was level with the clouds, until the world was laid beneath her again. She closed her eyes and could see it, could see the green stretching for miles and the blue, her blue, the stillness and quiet and her heart was pounding so hard in her chest she felt it might burst out.

But she did not cry out. Lifting her head, she continued onwards, counting the seconds, counting to a hundred. Maybe she would give herself until two hundred before turning back. Two hundred seconds of more silence.

"Fifty... fifty one... fifty two..."

"Hello. Why are we counting?"

She stopped with a gasp, her counting forgotten. Why was it that she was caught when most vulnerable? What was it with wolves here and knowing the exact moments when Duck was hurting her most? But it was not indignation or frustration with which she wondered this, but gratitude. As if she needed more reason to love this land. It knew when she bled, and provided care. Bella softened as she regarded this grey creature, another one sent to appease her heart. Her love for this place was being repaid, as if she needed more reason to believe in karma. Wolesh's fate had opened her eyes to that.

"Until I turn around," she said softly, finding the company of these angels easy, even before they had exchanged names or indeed any personal information at all. "It keeps my mind off... everything."

Her ears pushing forward in curiosity, her dull gold eyes on his gentle silver ones, Bella decided that this was a much better diversion. She also decided that this would not be the same as last time, when she had allowed her own problems to swallow the conversation for too long. To be the type to wallow in her own sorrow was one thing... to drag others into it was entirely another, and she felt entirely ashamed for doing so. "What are you doing out here?"

She watched him closely, drawn to him, absorbing every softly spoken word. Spirituality, while something Bella was aware of, had never been a large presence in her life - perhaps surprisingly, given her attitudes. Her connection with life was more basic, a simple, pure appreciation of the places she called home, of the landscapes and features which made her heart pound with love. Can't you see it? she had once asked her brother, as he had stared out over the world with blank eyes, as though he looked through a fog. They had never truly comprehended each other.

While she did not share this man's beliefs, indeed knew little to nothing of them, she recognised in his tone and eyes a mutual understanding, some common ground. In that moment she did not doubt that her mountain was sending her a message, was watching over her even as she had stood here, feeling so lost and alone.

This was reinforced as he spoke, talking of quick change and struggles to understand messages laid before them. She fell into his every word as though he were the first breath of air after nearly drowning. "Bella," she returned, amused and charmed in equal measure. Her normal introduction was forgotten, the offering of her full name hardly a priority. She took another step towards him, fascinated, closing the distance between them, somehow knowing that it would not be ill received. "Did they answer your questions? Did you find your peace?"

She hummed quietly in her throat, trilling like a bird at his gentlemanly attitude. He sat down, evidently as comfortable as she was, and Bella copied him, settling her haunches down. She shouldn't be resting, not really, but if she had still been counting she would not have been beyond one hundred yet... so she could indulge herself for a little longer.

Hanging on to his every word, she nodded along, understanding completely the difficulty with acting selfishly when it was so much easier to put others' needs first. This trip was not just for her, it was for all of them, Duck included. Did it make her selfish if he didn't realise that? Was this selfish just because it was somewhere she loved? If she had fled to any other place, would that have kept her intentions pure? Bella wished that she could feel as secure in her decisions as this Veho made it sound, that she had guardians to help guide her to the correct path. Would her life be different if she had encountered this man and his faith years ago? Would she have made the same mistakes?

The question took her by surprise. Ears flicking back for a moment, she averted her gaze as she digested the matter, but her gold eyes soon fixed on his again. "No," she confessed, humble. "In truth I don't know those who came before me in blood, I - I've never felt connected to them. My family is those who have come... come after me. Though... I have spoken to the wind, often. Perhaps they heard me then, and I just didn't realise it." She smiled, laid bare before this angel. "How can you tell if they are listening?"

His nose lightly brushed against her, a gentle movement of reassurance; it turned the corners of her lips up and took a little more weight from her shoulders. She had been so close to feeling utterly alone, and her mountain was saving her. Or was that her Ancestors?His clarifications did soothe her some, but she was still unsure; it wasn't merely a matter of having never met Naira and Rhysis' forebears, but more that she felt such a tenuous connection with those who had birthed her and thus with those who had come before.

As he continued, though, she wondered if that mattered at all. He made them seem eternal, and for all, so perhaps they had watched over a lost young girl despite her fractured family, not caring for names or blood ties. The thought comforted her.

So much passion spilled from his lips, so much pure faith, that she felt entranced. It was too much to take in all at once, so much detail, so Bella did not try, instead merely relishing the sentiment and the information she could absorb. Whether or not she would actively seek council with her Ancestors - her Ancestors! The mere thought made her chest flutter - was unknown, for Bella held a private faith all of her own which had borne her well enough throughout her years, but, yearning for somebody to understand her, she devoured Veho's passion like she was starving.

"Yes," she agreed eagerly, valuing these traits highly, valuing openness and honesty and love almost above all else. And then she stared at him, partly in awe, her woes temporarily forgotten. If he had been sent to find her and soothe her, then the angel had succeeded. Quietly, in the back of her mind, her practical side was processing her situation with Duck, benefiting from her calm state. The Bella who returned to him would not be the Bella who had left, counting desperately empty seconds.

Realising she was staring, Bella did not turn her head and blush, but instead smiled deeply at him, finding silence comfortable with this man. How could she not, when he was sent by those who watched over her, whether they were wolfish in spirit or not? "Do others here share your faith? Is the mountain home to those like you?" Oh, to think that she had left her lake broken, abandoning dark and sad creatures, and could be returning to it transformed in such a beautiful way...

A small, sad part of her wished that Datura was here to see it.