Horizon Ridge Where you'll keep it

Despite what he’d been told in the past, the boy hadn’t been able to keep his curiosity from driving him over the border. Against the word of every adult he’d met thus far he’d acted, yet the consequences were not something he’d stopped to consider. Hvitserk had allowed himself to be tempted beyond refusal, and then into the unknown he’d ventured. Truth be told, it was not his first time leaving the mountain, but it was the first time that he’d exited the immediate surroundings. His journey had taken him as far as the river, and then around it as his hunger for something new grew. Without having truly realized what was happening, he’d successfully managed to lose himself in the adventure, unknowingly having gone entirely too far away from the pack. What he’d done and what might happen once he returned were things that he couldn’t bring himself to think about, however, his mind having been clouded by each and every new sight he’d set his gaze on.

The days that had passed since his departure had all run together, leaving him without a clear idea of just how long he’d been away. There’d been moments when he’d considered turning around and heading back towards home but, somehow, he’d always end up going in the opposite direction. Whether it was an unconscious decision or just the result of his inability to properly navigate the world, he might never know, nor did he have the time to contemplate it. And for as mystified as he’d been about his situation, everything had been washed away the moment he’d climbed the ridge and felt the rubble underfoot; the sensation was familiar to him, and so he enjoyed the roughness. For several long seconds, he’d stood perfectly still, spreading his toes over the rocks and breathing in the air. Then, at last, the effects of his travels had caught up with the boy and he’d gone searching for a source of water, only to be disappointed by his eventual findings. As soon as his tongue had skimmed over the surface of a pool, he’d jerked his head back and let his jaw fall open, releasing whatever liquid might have been pulled into it. A few coughs were forced out as he turned away from the pool and, once he’d finished, he began walking once again to search for a suitable watering hole.

After several hours of aimless wandering, his fascination with the coast had been lost. And without that interest, he could find no reason to hang around any longer. Turning away from the sea, he'd started moving in the direction he'd originally come from, hoping to find his way back to the mountain without too much trouble.