The formidable chain of mountainside jut from the landscape like the curling digits of something long dead; trying, with great futility, to seek the dawn. Beyond that lay acres of wild-grown hills, juniper trees, low shrubs, scrubgrass far as the eye could see.
Admittedly, this eye wasn't focused on such things.
The further afield that the wolf went, ambulatory in fits and starts, the more desolate the world became. If there were trees further along, they were wreathed in a shimmer that gave the impression they were not real; the heat grew and grew as the hours passed, until the wandering corpse of a man felt the swelter and had to rest in the middle of the barren plain.
Everything gossamer, with colors bleeding mercilessly together, and the shape of something large, dark, and winged soaring above it all. This was what drew the man's focus the most - what had led him from the frozen hearth of the north and over the mountains. Even now he stared as if transfixed upon the vulture, which followed him as fixedly as he did it.
Mountains she knew. Forest, ranges, woods. The deep darkness that glittered from all sides. The millions of eyes that would look out of their bedtime rest holes, to stare at you. Boring into your very soul. But that wasn't like that here. Here it was different, and scary all at once. One paw step, after one paw step, she forced herself further from her siblings, her father. Her grandmother strong in gods favor, who had won against demons and beat the life she had lived. No here she would make her own life. So she hoped.
Ash did not like this hotness that came from the ground, the sky all around. It burned and it dug deep into her pelt, where black met tawny and further. It dipped and curled and shrouded her in light. She hated it. She pushed onward though. If this was where she would so be it, as gods foretold and saw it so.
Upon the not so distant horizon, she saw a wolf there, or perhaps it was a trick of the light. She could not be certain as it were. So with gentle steps she approached, closer, closer. Both hoping an dreading it was another.
the vulture didn't leave. its circling continued. if he cared to watch it, the bird would go counter-clockwise as if to count down the minutes. it was a gamble to wait for something to die. the walking corpse of a man had died plenty of times by now, but it never did stick.
he didn't question it any longer. heksvarrim; that's what the northerners called him - they saw the curses set in to his body, etched there in his face, his throat, his body; a triumvirate of curses set upon him with the dying of a galaxy. he was touched.
heksvarrim was alone now and had nothing - nobody, except the constant presence of that vulture.
when he finally could step no further the man stopped, and this was in time for the vulture to sweep up behind him, casting a slanting shadow over his shoulders - black-winged, until it wheeled away for another round.
Ash paw watched with curiosity when the vulture swung low and swooped the man. She saw it as a sign. Vultures were cycles of death and rebirth; prophecy. Clearly this man was special. Vultures had deep love for the mother goddess. This man was clearly touched. She loped towards the man. She knew the vulture would do what it set out to do whether she was there or not. As prophesized as would be.
When she got near the sandy colored man, she stared at him unabashed, while keeping an eye on vulture.
You are to die today or this is your rebirth. Choose wisely stranger.
Someone had died recently, if the vulture was not after him, it'self. It was there to show the path. To give the wisdom and understanding of someone's love lost.
This is what I am citing: Vulture is the cycle of death and rebirth; prophecy. Deep love of the mother Goddess; asking for understanding and wisdom concerning the death of a loved one.
Through the stirrings of the air, shimmering, splitting, coalescing again, came a figure not of the air. He saw it but immediately dismissed it, and would have continued on his way - following the vulture's silhouette or leading it, it did not matter. The shape drew boldly forward and then it's mouth opened, and words came out.
The sounds made him stop and stare. The shadow barred his way so that it could pass on a message - one that was clearer than what Heksvarrim had discerned during his transit of the area. He had tried to listen to the clouds some mornings, or stars when the clouds were gone, and from time to time in the silence he could hear the rumble of something distant and ominous - like the ocean was trapped inside his skull.
This was different.
Death. Rebirth. His choice; who could choose? Heksvarrim had never been given the option before and if he understood what faced him now, he gave no indication. Just a dull stare of his good eye.
The vulture had become distant. When the corpse-man looked up to catch its arcing body, it was not there - if it had been real at all. Further away, he spied a dark shape which could have been it, or a trio of ravens splitting apart.
A vision?
The shadow's voice reverberated in his head beneath the crashing static of the sea: Choose wisely.
He side-stepped around the shadow and ambled in pursuit of those ravens.
This sandy colored male stared at her as if he had nothing between his ears. She was unsure how to take it. Though, she supposed, she probably stared like that. Especially when ruminating on deeper things. He held only one eye, she wondered at it, what had happened to him. Had it been a fight? Was he born that way?
There were many choices throughout the lives everyone led. Though the question always became which one. This wolf clearly wasn't sure what they wanted. Were they to choose one or the other, simply stared.
Ash Paw watched him go a strange expression on his face. You have not made a choice. It will come back to you and you must do so tenfold. Remember that sandy one.
She would not bother him today. Did he wish to stop her, very well. She would stop. Speak to him of his choices. But perhaps he was a lost soul who had no choice. No direction. There were some that way, and she felt sorry for him were he one of those kind.
She would continue this way for a time, as she had been going this way, but she would stay away from the corpse walker.