Nomads Pass conviction

Towering cliffs rose up on both sides of him, which the wanderer knew at some point he would have to try to climb. Thus far though, the going had been relatively easy. Jadon had taken to following a mountain stream, slowly ascending higher into the mountains.

The soft babble of the brook was peaceful, the day was calm, and the air clear.  

Some might have called him crazy, for following such notions, and perhaps he was. However, Jadon swore he could feel something calling to him, here in these mountains. A place, a hidden oasis, he’d seen once before in his visions. Not the lake he’d been at previously, either.

Doubts nagged at him, reminding Jay of what had almost happened the last time he had been here. However, this time around, with a rejuvenated spirit and the weather warming, he was sure he could find what he sought.

Smiling slightly to himself, the wanderer dipped his head down for a drink, and then cast a look back at the ground he'd covered. He'd made it a long ways, but there was still plenty to go.

The mountain was massive and Mika had developed an urge to explore as much of it as they could, in spite of the fact their paws were sore and their muscles ached. It was beautiful, they had to admit. They liked looking over the cliffs to observe the ground far below, feeling on top of the world. Feeling not-so-small.

It was northbound that they had traveled this day - far north. They were tired, but not enough to stop just yet, and the sound of a babbling brook was promising. Trotting now, more confident in their stride, Mika approached the water source with every intention to soak their paws and drink their fill.

They hadn’t expected someone to be there already, and for a moment, they paused, unsure of what to do. Other wolves were still filed under suspicious in Mika’s mind, in spite of meeting Adora and the kid. They weren’t too keen on befriending everyone they met.

But they were here now, and there wasn’t any point in pretending they didn’t see the other wolf. Mika cleared their throat and smiled a little, tail swaying easily as they approached the water. They were still behind the darker wolf, and they didn’t wanna surprise him.

“Hi there,” they greeted, so they weren’t sneaking up on him. “Room for one more?”

He still hadn’t the faintest idea of which direction he’d need to go, though. The journey ahead of him was a daunting one, but also a challenge Jay was very much looking forward to taking. The display of such devotion might be the only way for him to ever truly find his forgiveness.

Hi there, a voice called out. Friendly, non-threatening. He turned almost immediately to spot a smaller figure approaching. Of all her features though, the limp was most notable. His gaze softened a bit, showing concern.

He would nod though, in response to the inquiry, maintaining his smile to hopefully put the other at ease. ”Hel..lo,” he spoke softly, coarsely as the other grew closer. Jadon most certainly didn’t mean any harm to anyone, and given the relative lack of other wolves he’d seen over the last several months, he selfishly supposed that having a bit of company wouldn’t be all that bad.

If the other was familiar with these mountains, perhaps she could even point him in the right direction..

--hey! so Jay is likely to refer to Mika at least in his thoughts/posts as she/her until he knows otherwise

That’s completely fine!

Apprehension made their body tense, wondering if they might need to turn and run off if things went south. But the larger man seemed fine, if not a little quiet. His voice reminded them of their own, after the fire, but they doubted the coarseness was from smoke inhalation.

They took that Hel-lo, as a positive thing, tail swishing as they padded over to the waterside.

But they hadn’t gotten permission to drink just yet, and they weren’t too keen on lowering their head like that with a stranger just a few wolf-lengths away. Their guard was still up too high for that.

“So. What brings ya all th’ way up here?” they prompted, studying the other wolf. He was much bigger than them, coated in earthy tones. But there wasn’t anything to suggest he was going to lunge at them, which had at least some of the tension tensing Mika’s body ebbing away.

Though the stranger chose to approach both he and the stream, she still appeared tense. Perhaps weary, which Jadon could not fault the other for at all. She was quite small, perhaps one of the smallest wolves he had seen. He’d thought initially that maybe she was just young, and while that still seemed true, she seemed more like a yearling than a child just born of the previous spring.

What concerned him more though was the limp. Jay thought he caught a glimpse of scarring on the afflicted limb, but the other had positioned that side of her away from him to approach the stream. A defense mechanism, perhaps?

Another question first, though.

”I seek.. something. A place, I believe it is here, somewhere.” He answered again, softly, but with a little less coarseness as he went on. Each word was easier to speak as Jadon got accustomed to the sensation again. His words were marked with a hesitancy though, unsure of how much he wished to reveal.

”Water. A lake, but.. probably hard to get to. Hard to find. It is surrounded by rock, on all sides.” He explained the location as he had seen it in his dreams. It couldn’t hurt to ask, he supposed.

”And.. you?”

A place, hm? The stranger described what he was looking for - a hard-to-find lake, with rocks all around. But the way he described it sounded less like he knew for a fact what he was searching for and more like he was guessing, which Mika didn’t quite understand. There was also something in his words, like he was being careful with what he shared.

Not that Mika minded that. It wasn’t like they didn’t do the same.

“Can’t say I’ve seen a place like that,” they admitted with a half-smile, ears swiveling sheepishly to the side. “Why? ‘S it an old home or somethin’”

Their ears perked up at the question and they hummed in thought before shrugging a shoulder and offering the man a toothy smile. “Nothin’ much! Just an adventure, I guess,” they told him, tail swishing back and forth.

“What’s your name?” they prompted then, tilting their head to the side.

Can’t say I’ve seen a place like that, the other admitted. Although mildly disappointed by the news, Jadon’s only outward display of that was the softest of sigh, and a slight twitch of one ear. It really would be too easy if the stranger knew exactly the place he had spoken. He would have to search for it the hard way, but that was alright. He’d already been prepared to do exactly that.

The other had another question though. Jadon’s brow furrowed slightly at that, contemplating how best to answer without going into too much detail. ”...no. It’s..” he hesitated again, but continued after another moment. ”Something I must find. A.. quest. But.. personal.” It was easier to just to keep it a secret and hope the other respected boundaries, which they seemed to.

Just an adventure, I guess, was their reason to be here, spoken with a smile and energy. Jay couldn’t hide a look of surprise at that, although the smile was contagious, and he found himself mirroring it a tiny bit.

”..oh. See anything.. cool, or.. interesting?” He couldn’t help but to inquire. Jadon wasn’t necessarily here for sight-seeing, but it couldn’t hurt to have some sort of direction. Next though, came a question the wanderer dreaded most. His name.

A small thing, but.. exchanging names signified a connection, or a bond of sorts, between two individuals. Connection he so desperately craved, but couldn’t have beyond a superficial nature.

”Jay..” though, he answered softly.

 

Well wasn’t this guy just full of secrets? A personal quest sounded kind of fun, but Mika wasn’t one to pry when it was clear the other person didn’t want to share. If he wanted to keep his lake journey to himself, then that was just fine by Mika.

“Good luck w’ that then,” they told him, genuinely. They wouldn’t be interested in joining him on his personal quest, but they hoped that it went well for him regardless.

The little smile on his face seemed kind of like a personal victory, seeing as he’d been so neutral at the start of this. It hadn’t even sounded like he’d spoken to anyone in a while, so Mika was glad to make this encounter into something positive for the guy.

“Mm. I’ve seen some caves - one had a pool inside - and met some pretty nice wolves,” they told him, thinking of the golden boy and Adora. “‘N some of the views are pretty great. I don’t hate it as much as I thought I would when I first got here.”

It was true. The mountains weren’t as bad as they originally thought they’d be. They doubted they could live there permanently or anything like that, but it was definitely a nice little adventure.

Jay. The man’s voice was quiet when he introduced himself, so Mika would overcompensate. “Pleasure t’meet ya, Jay - a real pleasure,” they said with a grin. Then, they introduced themself in turn. “Name’s Mika.”

Despite Jadon’s unwillingness to impart details, his company was still gracious enough to genuinely wish him good luck in his endeavors. A surprising gesture, to say the least, but one that had his smile broadening just a little. The wanderer nodded once, the gesture a bit exaggerated to convey his thanks appropriately.

”Very.. kind of you.” Perhaps this was proof that there were still good wolves out there.

Caves.. a pool inside..

His eyes widened, ears turning forth with intense interest. Jadon thought he heard something about nice wolves and views, but his mind was still focused around what’d been said first. A cave with a pool inside of it? Could that be the place he was meant to get to - or, could it work?

”This cave.. where is it?” He questioned, trying not to sound too desperate, but it was hard. After so many months of wandering, would he finally be on the path towards forgiveness and freedom?

The other continued to surprise though, saying it was not just a pleasure, but a real pleasure to meet him, before introducing themself. Mika.

”R-really?” He questioned, voice squeaking up to a higher pitch midway through the word, in both surprise and curiosity. Jadon couldn’t recall the last time anyone had said something like that to him.. usually, if not outright disdain, it was just weird, judgy, or pitying looks.

Kind? Mika wouldn’t personally consider it to be - it was more a formality for them, something everyone should do. Who wouldn’t want to wish someone good luck on their travels, after all? Still, they offered the man a small smile and a wag of their tail. They genuinely did hope that he found what he was looking for.

Well apparently the cave was a good thing. Mika’s ears swiveled a little at the sudden change in Jay’s behavior, surprised and always, always a tiny bit on edge whenever someone’s expression changed so quickly. But it seemed that he was more excited than anything else, so they relaxed, a soft breath escaping them.

“Yeah. Far south, near the foot of the mountain, I think? It’s basically on the other end from where we are.” They pointed with their nose in the direction they’d come from. “If ya follow the mountain all th’ way down, ya shouldn’t miss it.”

A lopsided smile formed on Mika’s maw, eyes softening a little at the man’s reaction. “Yeah, really. Ya’ve been real nice ‘n everythin’, so why wouldn’t it be a pleasure?” they reasoned, tilting their head to the side. What an odd guy this Jay was - but it was honestly endearing.