he took the easiest route he knew how which was around the mountains rather than through them. whether or not that would save or lose them time mattered little to him, he just wanted both of them to get there in one piece. and so while he took the lead on their little adventure, he kept at her pace, not wanting to push her any further than what she was willing to give.
the trip itself took about two days, though admittedly about a quarter of that time was spent searching for the volcano itself. however once he caught sight of the fuming mountain in the distance, there was no power on earth that could have stopped him from completing his dream. "we're almost there!", he let out with obvious excitement as he turned to face his pale companion, just a few more minutes of walking between them and their goal.
the admiral stopped walking and regained her breath before continuing on after astaroth. hope so
, she laughed. ying's pregnancy was still in the early stages; she hadn't expected it to change her so much, and her spirits weren't high about the next few weeks to come.
she strolled at astaroth's side, stopping as they came to the volcano's base. an awe-filled sigh escaped from parted lips. it's so big
, ying said. how were they supposed to scale this thing?
he gave a laugh at her first comment and a nod of his head at the second. "bigger than the one back home", he let out as he took in the beast before him. it was both wider and taller than the volcano he'd grown up on, quite a sight if he'd ever seen one. his toes dug into the soil beneath them as he tilted his chin upwards to get a good look at the peak.
he was itching to start climbing already, but decided a short break from all their wandering would do them some good first. the sight of a stream from the corner of his eye caught his attention, and so after gently bumping ying's shoulder to get her attention, he made his way for the water's edge to get a much needed drink. "you up for some hiking?", he wondered with a curious glance in his companion's direction.
of course
, she replied, hiking means climbing?
ying knelt down for a drink, giving astaroth a moment to explain. when she lifted her head back up, she charged playfully in his direction, aiming the crown of her head at his chest. are you ready?
ying knew that she was fatigued, and knew how hard the journey upward would be, but she was determined to push through. this trip meant something to astaroth; by default, it meant something to her, too.
he gave a nod to her question before confirming aloud with a simple "yeah." it'd be quite the trip upwards but he was determined to reach the top, or at least go as far up as physically possible. he sucked in a breath as she asked if he was ready, one last glance towards the peak all the confirmation he needed. "so ready."
to see it for himself, and to stand atop a volcano as great as this one...he wished for nothing more. eager to get to climbing the beast before them, he took a few steps forward, one paw after the other in a steady beat that hopefully would not wear them out too quickly.
beginning their ascent, while difficult, wasn't the trying venture that ying had expected. she was mindful of each step, taking care to keep her body upright and her gaze upward. ying imagined that they were just walking up a very rocky hillside.
manageable, right?
only a few moments passed before she had her first slip. ying's paw reached for the next step, but missed by a hair. her breath hitched as she lurched forward, then unable to avoid looking down. 干
, she breathed, looking to astaroth for reassurance.
he'd been so caught up in his own excitement, he'd completely forgotten ying was not a wolf of the mountains. her first misstep had caught his attention and by her second he was already on his way to her side. "don't worry, i've got you", he immediately let out as he aimed to position his body weight to keep her from slipping any further.
he gave an encouraging bump to her shoulder as his honeyed eyes came to focus in on her cerulean ones. "i won't let you fall. promise." he'd not brought her all this way just to have her go tumbling down the volcano. no, they'd do this together, one step at a time.
although unsure, she nodded her head and prepared to continue. ying shook her head, hoping to be rid of any remaining apprehension. we are very high
, she laughed. hearing her own voice helped to keep her nerves in check; if astaroth replied, the pounding in her ears would have been too loud for the words to break through.
as they proceeded on route, ying couldn't help but admire the beauty of the world around them. she stole several glances at the scene, whispering to herself: dragons are smart things.
she continued to press onward, though truthfully he expected nothing less. she didn't seem like the type to shy away just because of a challenge or a few mistakes, and he was glad that she chose to keep going despite her obvious nervousness. in an attempt to soothe her fears he stayed near to her side, taking things slow and carefully mapping out where they should step.
he stopped for a moment to admire the sight, much like an art enthusiast appreciating a painter's piece of hard work. "i'm glad you're here with me", he let out with an affectionate smile as he turned to steal a glance in ying's direction.
walking along with someone else made the task less daunting. she smiled, nodding her head, and replied: i'm glad, too.
thinking about astaroth kept her from worrying; he got a travel partner, and she got an escape.
are we almost there?
ying asked. how much further until the top? the volcano was massive, but had she known it would be this difficult... no, she still would have come.
he'd not have anyone else with him than the pale seafarer, and was relieved that she at least was glad to be here with him. "we're close", he revealed with a glance to the peak. the fact that they'd come this far was impressive on its own, but if they could get to the crater, it'd be even more memorable.
"just a few more minutes till the top", he encouraged with a sway of his tail. at this point he was more looking forward to ying seeing the mouth of the volcano for herself, than anything else really.
few more minutes. few more minutes.
what did the top of a volcano even look like? astaroth said that they had holes; were they going to go inside? ying hoped that whatever happened, she'd be able to have a few minutes' rest in between segments.
the light at the end of their tunnel slowly began to materialize. she could see the distant turning of an edge, noticed the slight flattening of terrain. ying kept close to astaroth's, assuming he would tell her when they made it.
all the stories he'd heard, all the tales he'd told, and yet it couldn't compare to standing there and seeing the sight for himself.
as they neared the top and the ground began to turn inwards to flatten out, he felt a sudden rush of nervousness take over him. they were really here. ever he'd been a child old enough to dream of the lands beyond his home, he'd wanted to climb a volcano such as this. he wanted to conquer it.
"we're here." he could barely believe the words were leaving his mouth. they'd made it. he crept close to the crater's edge, just enough to peek over and glance inside to feel the faint warmth from the volcano's core. "woah", he let out in awe as he turned to glance at ying, speechless and in wonder from the indescribable sight.
that's beautiful.
she circled around to astaroth's side and pushed closed, using his weight for support. the warmth being pushed from the volcano's warned of what was hidden, but ying was curious; she knelt closer, taking a moment to look inside. fumes burnt her eyes and she quickly reeled back.
ying looked at astaroth and asked: now what?
had this concluded their mission? she hoped that he wasn't ready to leave because ying hadn't yet fully taken in the view and she couldn't be sure if or when another so all-encompassing would come along. the guardian drew in a deep breath and stepped closer to the outer ledge.
then, turning back to astaroth, thank you.
a smile found it's way to his maw as she investigated the mouth of the volcano for herself. "back at my homeland there was no smoke or warmth. rather it was hollow and cold like a cave", he went on to explain, hoping she'd be able to visualize the extinct volcano he'd grown up on now that she'd seen one for herself.
as for what was next? "i'm not sure", he let with a shrug. he hadn't thought of what would come after this, simply because this had been his dream for as long as he could remember. "i guess i need a new goal to chase after now." what would it be this time?
he wasn't give much time to dream up a new goal as ying's final words pulled him from his thoughts. "for what?", he wondered aloud as he strode up and gave a gentle bump to her shoulder. he should be the one thanking her, considering she'd been kind enough to join him on this little adventure of his.
hollow and cold— but how could she imagine that? this volcano was so strikingly alive; how could something so active, so awake, suddenly fall asleep? it didn't make sense, and ying did want to ask more questions, but she didn't have the energy. instead, the focused on her breathing; inhale, exhale.
astaroth came close then. ying looked at him through dreary eyes, alight from his presence. we have no more adventures
, she laughed, so, time for new lives again.
her voice had softened to something innocent and childlike, barely audible above the lingering winds.
her gaze slowly drifted upward, then away, and she drew in another deep breath. the father, he leav-ed me, and i am
— devastated, terrified, enraged,
happy.
ying looked at astaroth, remembered the name she'd given him, and applauded herself for having such keen senses. his purpose in their relationship was to act as the light, as he so often did, and ying could not thank him enough for such a favor. you did this and now, i am happy again.
how long would it last?
no more adventures now just meant all the more time for planning and daydreaming. they could climb the highest peak, go searching for the loch ness monster, maybe find bigfoot. the adventures they could go on were limitless. "what shall we be next?", he wonders at her idea for new lives once more.
at her next words he became silent, a slight frustration sealing his lips. the idea that she'd been abandoned by the father of her children angered him, but if she was happy because of this, then perhaps it was a good thing he was gone.
quietly, he shifted his weight to lean against her ever so slightly. he sucked in a breath, held it for a moment or so, and then let it out as he tipped his chin skyward. "i wish i could make you happy forever." he knew it was a child's dream to long for such a thing as eternal happiness, but he wished for it all the same.
anything
, she replied, together.
the possibilities were endless, no one dream more possible or impossible than another. ying didn't mind chasing after any of them, but she didn't want to do it alone.
astaroth's light touch was met with one more definite. ying leaned fully onto his side and closed her eyes tight, hoping to immortalize this moment. you always make me happy, whenever you are here
, she told him. and when you are not right here, you make me happy, too.
he gave a single firm nod at her first choice of words. now that they'd conquered one adventure together, he couldn't imagine completing another without her by his side. they were in this together.
he relaxed at her touch, and allowed her to lean her full weight onto him as he lowered his head to stare off in the distance. "i'm glad i make you happy." truly, there was no other compliment he would take that would bring him happiness such as this. "you make me happy too, you know." what would his life be like without ying in it? he didn't really want to imagine such a world without her, if he was being honest.
you make me happy too, you know.
and she did know, but hearing it meant something. astaroth's words validated her feelings which had seldom been done before. this time, there was someone else on her side.
ying had more things she wanted to say, but the risk of ruining the moment was too high. instead, she asked: how long you want to stay here?
hoping that he might say, forever.
silence took over for a moment, though he didn't mind it. it was strange - of all the mountain's he'd climbed or peak's he'd conquered, this was the first time he truly felt like he was on top of the world. he shut his eyes as the breeze tangled his fur and her words reached his ears.
"as long as you'd like", came his response. he had no place to be or responsibilities to worry about, and so he'd stay for however long she was willing. a minute, an hour, a day, he had all the time in the world.