Velo en Cascada focus on the future

He had a lot to think about, and even more to do if the thought of one day becoming a leader was ever to come to a reality. The dark one had opted to head the same direction he and Chan had followed on their latest trip, deciding a few days to himself to think - and to remind himself that there was a whole world out here - were warranted. And the decision to explore did not disappoint.

Jethro had skirted around the pack territory and continued north for a short distance, and his first discovery was nothing short of magnificent. Walls of stone and ice surrounded a small cave that sat tucked away behind what was likely a waterfall during the warmer seasons. A rather comfortable and dry hideout, as well as a good place to rest for a while.

Sunlight that reflected and refracted through the ice illuminated the space in a rather unusual fashion, but this allowed him to wander around and take a good look at it. Regrettably, Jet thought, it was probably not big enough to shelter a pack. It was, however, someplace he could possibly use as a temporary shelter while he searched for something better - if he chose to leave the Cove.

Which.. he’d need to speak to Aleister and Siyet about, too, for different reasons. But this was a start. Another sign that the dream could become a reality if he searched and worked hard enough at it.

----

@Leviticus for the blind dates!

Leviticus was seeking whatever could be found in the choke of winter's grasp, eager to continue being of use to the other wolves of the Chasm. @Adelard's encouragement and understanding had done well to bolster him, but it still all felt so fragile and he was afraid that things would start to break down once again. Keeping busy, even if it took him a little farther than intended, helped keep the anxiety from overwhelming him.

He didn't expect to run into a stranger, the scent familiar to the ones Woya had come back covered in. While he could smell him, Levi didn't see him among the snow and ice. Confused, he slowed to a stop, head panning back and forth to search his surroundings more closely. Was there a den tucked away somewhere?

"Hello?"

There is a small pile of bones gathered on the ground, there might be some marrow left in them. +2 Health

Hello, a voice called from somewhere. The word echoed throughout the cavernous space Jet had found himself in, but he surmised it had to be coming from outside of his current visual range. He had not had many encounters with strangers as of late, and could not deny the slight thrill he got, at this.

The voice sounded nice enough. Could this be a possible friend, or ally, maybe? Jethro hoped so. If not, though, it was a chance to practice and brush up on social skills with folks outside of the Cove. He’d need that, too.

”In here. Behind.. uh, the wall of ice,” Jet called out, turning about to head towards the break in the ice he’d used to get in, before, to more formally greet whoever was out there.

(This post was last modified: Feb 14, 2022, 11:24 PM by Jethro.)

In here, the voice answered, and Levi's head continued to swivel to follow the fruitless panning of his eyes. It took the voice's elaboration for him to gather a guess at all. His verdant gaze stilled upon the thick ice of the frozen falls, and he realized then what the trick must be. He picked his way through the snow and leaned into the dark blue space that separated water from rock, peering into the hidden space. The light managing to filter through the mostly-opaque wall gave the makeshift shelter a curious ambiance. Levi took another tentative step, and at last set eyes on his company.

"Hi," he greeted again, tail giving a few tentative wags even if it couldn't yet be seen by the stranger.

"Um. Cool place ya got."

He could hear the crunching of steps through frozen snow coming toward him before he got too close to the entrance to this cave area. Soon enough, a man with a tawny-colored face and bright green eyes was peering through it at him. He smelled of others, like that pack he and Chan had visited not long ago - which meant a recruit for his whole future pack thing was off the table.

But, the opportunity to practice meeting strangers and making a good impression still made it worthwhile. This guy offered a polite greeting, followed by a compliment. One that seemed to suggest he thought Jethro lived here? If so, that was not too far off the mark. ”It is pretty sweet,” Jet agreed with an approving nod. ”Don’t think it’s quite what I’m lookin’ for, in the long term, though,” he mused aloud, taking a step or two back, so the other man could venture in with a comfortable distance between them if he desired.

Leviticus' head twisted again to the side, curiosity laced with his features as he considered what the other man said. Perhaps he was wrong about him being with a pack? Yet now that he stood even closer, it felt unmistakable. This guy definitely smelled the way Woya had.

"Are you looking for somewhere to live?" he decided to simply ask, without any noticeable shift to his demeanor. He took up the space offered him, and settled his haunches down upon the ice-slicked stone, ready to sit and gab a while if allowed. It wasn't that it mattered to him either way - there was simply great appeal in coming across someone who appeared fine and presented only a mild mystery. Perhaps he could actually have a conversation with a stranger that didn't involve trading away pieces of his heart, like normal wolves likely did every day, all over the world.

(This post was last modified: Mar 13, 2022, 10:29 PM by Leviticus.)

The other guy regarded him with a curious look, for a moment, as if puzzled by that response. Perhaps understandably, given the lack of detail and the realization that he could probably smell the other cove wolves on Jet, too. The other did take a few steps further in before sitting back, a positive signal, at least.

”Yea, sorta,” Jet spoke with a roll of his shoulders, before settling back in a similar posture. ”Name’s Jethro, or Jet. I'm part of the Cove, up on the mountain. But, I’m thinkin’ I wanna branch out, try my own thing, so I'm just scouting around. Seein’ what else is out there,” he explained with a note of optimism and a hopeful grin, something that’d he’d lacked far too often in years past. The world was a vast, vast place, though. And as he’d discovered over the last year, not all of it was so bad.

”If y’know any places, or got ideas, I’d be obliged,” he added. It didn’t hurt to ask. The guy might be off the table as far as any sort of recruitment went, but he still might have valuable knowledge about the landscape.

Levi was happy to listen, as he was given more than just a yes-or-no answer. It was confirmed he lived with the mountain pack, but that and his name were the only details that could be considered solid. Try my own thing could mean a lot of things. The guy didn't seem unhappy, neither did he hint at any other motives. It bemused the smaller wolf, unfamiliar with what he saw as a casual approach to departure.

If y’know any places, or got ideas, I’d be obliged, he went on to say, and Levi's own thoughts promptly went to the opposing side of the mountain. He hummed with thought a moment, temporarily unsure if he would really call the spots good or not. He supposed that ultimately they'd been very good, it had just been him that had caused issue.

"I don't know exactly how to get back to them, but... if you go north the mountain ends, and then somewhere south of there in those forests, there's fields and marshes. They were good."

He spoke resolutely, rather than elaborating.

"There's also this, like valley, where all the trees are black and they crumble when you touch them," he turned to look at Jethro once again, to gauge if he was still interested or finished with hearing him talk. That was when it occurred to him he needed to give his name, too.

"I'm Levi, by the way."

(This post was last modified: Mar 21, 2022, 03:09 AM by Leviticus.)

This man, it seemed, was a patient listener. For the moment, he did not have any other questions, though he did have a suggestion to put forth, something Jet took a keen interest in. ”Somewhere near the north of the mountains, fields and marshes. Got it,” he reiterated, storing the somewhat vague directions away in mind for later. As it turned out, in any previous exploring, Jet hadn’t gone far enough yet to reach the end of the mountains.

So that was as good of a place to start with as any. But that was not the only thing the other had in mind. The second place the other spoke of did not really sound like somewhere Jethro would want to settle in either for himself or a group in the long term, but it did intrigue him. Black trees, that crumbled when touched?

”Trees.. that crumble? That sounds interesting,” he spoke, eyes narrowing in thought. That was so wholly unlike anything he’d ever seen or heard of, that it was hard to imagine. But, it would be fun to see. Could a wolf knock a whole tree down, just by running into it, or through it, in a place like that? Jethro was tempted to ask, but also did not want to sound like an idiot if he was wrong. It would be better to find out for himself, if he could locate said area.

The stranger’s name was Levi, also. ”Levi, nice to meet ya. Thanks for the suggestions, too. Gonna have to check those places out, for sure.” Especially the second one, because now that question was going to linger in his mind.