Grizzly Hollow open up your eager eyes

And there's an old man sitting on the throne

The more information she gave, the more it seemed to relax him. She was grateful for that; if he had stayed agitated, she would have feared a scuffle and that was not something he could afford currently. She had to admit, she was shocked to hear he was also travelling alone. It felt like every wolf she ran into between home and here had been travelling with a group. She supposed there was safety in numbers, a safety that she had yearned for but never managed to find.

He had chosen not to? She tipped her head to the side, ears perking in interest as she settled her tail to curl around her body. Curiosity lingered on her features as the question fell as second nature. “May I ask why?” This time, it was her hoping that the question was not intrusive. His own question fell and she found herself following his gaze out towards the sun-kissed glades with a soft hum. “I had no direction in mind, truthfully, but east sounds as good a direction as any.” She answered carefully, getting a sinking feeling in her stomach that perhaps she had found a travelling companion after all, though she dared not ask the question herself for fear of a rejection.

that's saying that i probably shouldn't be so mean

"May I ask why?"

In the time it had taken for him to reveal that he was alone and for her to tell him where she was headed, Adelard had thought back to Aubine more than once. Her smile, the ever-burning eagerness in her sun-gold eyes, and the now gnawing feeling of her absence at his back. He steeled himself from within; he could not allow himself to succumb to the regret and guilt now. It had been decided hours after his departure: he was leaving for the betterment of his own self and to allow room for Aubine to broaden her horizons in their pack as one of the eldest in their generation.

Why Adelard specifically asked if she was headed east was anyone's guess. He had been going that way for so long, he figured he was bound to find something of interest if he kept forging a path towards the place where the sun rose each morning. If and when, he hit a mountain or the edge of a gorge, only then did he suppose it was a cue to pick a different direction.

His smile touched his eyes again as he came to take her all back in. Two was always better than one (as he knew well by now); and, for the both of them to be in decent shape (no detectible ailments) and in good spirits, perhaps it was worth the risk to ask... "You wouldn't have use for an escort, would you? Maybe a sidekick?" He could feel the hopefulness pull and tug at his face but he did his best to try and not look desperate. Even if for only a day, as they traveled towards the distant mountaintops that he could only see when he was out under the open skies, her companionship would be well-appreciated.

         

ADELARD

heat stroke, bring the fire black smoke, I take it higher

And there's an old man sitting on the throne

He let a smile on his features and she tilted her head precariously to the other side, a burning curiosity as her tail lightly dragged through the snow the laced over the ground, waiting for him to reveal his intentions to her. The question had felt loaded, and why he wanted to know her direction of travel was beyond her so she was left to wait until he saw fit to clue her in on whatever was in his mind, and if he never did, then he never did. East seemed like a good direction to head, but if there was some ulterior motive, perhaps she would head west, north or south instead. It was whatever suited her fancy.

She wasn’t entirely sure what his angle was, but she would admit that his company was nice after being without for so long, and of course there was the fact that there was a safety in numbers, especially in these harsh winter territories. Being by herself hadn’t done her any favors in that regard. The question came, and she couldn’t help the soft smile on her maw, a friendly nod before she found the words to actually accompany it. “That sounds lovely, an escort, perhaps a friend?” She didn’t have many of those; the one person she’d thought to be her friend had helped with the systematic execution of her family, but after so long she’d put aside her wariness when it came to trust, recognizing that she no longer had anything for others to covet, and thus her friendship meant nothing more than the pleasure of her company.

“Do you have a destination in mind?” She wondered if he had an end goal to his travels, and perhaps she might find the same one, or perhaps their interests lied in different directions. She couldn’t be certain, not until he told her.

that's saying that i probably shouldn't be so mean

(This post was last modified: Jan 12, 2021, 07:03 AM by Rhaegara.)

Good. He had managed to dodge her question. Maybe one day he would come to terms with it all, the why's and how's and the guilt over figuratively leaving his twin sister the keys to their kingdom. For now, it was something, a selfish secret, he held close; and, it was a burden only he wanted to carry.

"That sounds lovely," she replied, and it was apparent on his face how thrilled he was, "an escort, perhaps a friend?"

An escort and guard. Yes. Friend. Even more so... Another nod in return and he took the small development in stride. A band of two.

"Nowhere in particular," he drew closer to her now, to learn more of the places she had been and decipher any telltale clues to where she had come from. From what he could tell, they were simply a duo of wayfarers, waiting for directions. "But, maybe we could follow the rivers and go from there?" It was a traveler's tip he had kept in mind for the better part of a year after a lone rogue became apart of his familial pack; and, so far, it had served him well. He had only clambered down into this mess of a red-barked forest some few days ago because it seemed like a good idea at the time. In turn, the Cedarwood Forest proved to be a decent place for rabbit hunting and scavenging for raven-picked leftovers. Not bad at all... but, he had a feeling that there was so much more to see, smell, and revel in if he and Rhaegara broke free of the evergreens and into the heart of Relic Lore.

         

ADELARD

heat stroke, bring the fire black smoke, I take it higher

And there's an old man sitting on the throne

She didn’t want to pry, and she could take his lack of answer to her question as answer enough. He didn’t want to talk about it. She’d prefer to avoid the intimate details of her own missteps along the way as well. It felt too personal. The most she’d ever feel comfortable saying in the presence of another was that she had fled the lands from whence she came and hoped they wouldn’t pry any further. She couldn’t help but let her smile grow into a soft grin at the obvious delight that lingered on his features as he moved closer to her. Company would be nice; it would help keep her sane. She’d had a bad habit of attempting to talk to the birds flying high in the sky when she was lacking for conversation with another, and so perhaps there were habits she could break after all.

Nowhere in particular. Oddly enough, it sounded like the perfect locale, ever changing and never boring she was certain. The suggestion quickly followed and she allowed a soft nod before her words pierced the soft silence that had lingered for only a few seconds. “That sounds like an excellent idea.” Stay close to water, and you stay close to the prey that would have to quench their thirst in even the coldest of climates. She recalled it as a lesson for her parents, skills she would taught in case she ever needed them, and it was a good thing too though she was certain they had not imagined the way they had met their went. “I came from just north of here. There’s a barren field there. I followed the creek through to this forest, if we trace back up that way, we could follow it east.”

that's saying that i probably shouldn't be so mean

His ears eased up as she agreed and delighted in his suggestion, a sign that he was starting to become comfortable with her. If they were to be traveling companions, he was going to offer her the best version of himself. Once his twin sister's keeper, he was an excellent confidant and advisor, a buffer and fair mediator. He was determined to be a second set of eyes, another nose and a lookout for Rhaegara; and, all they had to do was trust one another. To be open just enough to see the other's strengths and support them, and to look past the weaknesses and supplement for the sake of survival. In light of it all, it awakened in Adelard an old, ardent sentinel, and with it came a renewed sense of purpose.

To learn of where she had been and what exactly had been up all that way was useful and enlightening. The way Adelard had come had even swampy, then dusty, then dry and arid... despite the lingering snowbanks and ever-present ice along the waterlines of rivers, lakes, and ponds.

"Let us go then," he declared, his tone warming by the moment. "I'll follow your lead."

         

ADELARD

heat stroke, bring the fire black smoke, I take it higher

And there's an old man sitting on the throne

Rhaegara was grateful for the company, and it was truthfully a dual edged sword. She didn’t know how to trust after everything, but she knew to have a travelling companion meant to trust them. She hoped perhaps she would come around more to the idea of trusting once they had started to travel. At the very least, he seemed to be letting her take the lead which put her at ease some. It gave her a sense of control over the situation, over where she was going to go. This could work. This would work, and he seemed nice enough.

She nodded with a grin and a light flick of her tail, starting them along the path, trailing along the creek to the river that led north east and split Wild Cherry Orchard and Heartleaf Creek. She found herself excited, eager to see what would happen next and where their paws might take them.

-fade-

that's saying that i probably shouldn't be so mean