Redhawk Caldera Though persistence of transliminal circumpenetration does not seem to be the case.

Weeks since she'd run from the bison hunt; days since she'd last spoken to @Ponyboy, who she had been avoiding in the aftermath. Anathema wondered more than once if she ought to leave Brecheliant. She hadn't sought him, it was true, but neither had he come to her!

She'd thought she was important to him.

Her agitation increased daily, hourly, until finally it was too much. Finally she decided to go looking for him, if only to tell him that she was leaving. Would he even care? Would he care that it was his fault? Suddenly Ana doubted that he would.

Some days, the grief poked through only in moments; on others, it weighed down on him like a heavy blanket and he succumbed, finding himself with no will to do anything at all aside from wallow. What else was he supposed to do, anyway? He didn't want to go out and explore, and hunting interested him very little as well. His apatite had been scarce, in spite of his most recent growth spurt. 

He lay in a small cavern near the lake, his hind end sheltered in the shade, while he allowed himself to get a bit of sunshine by sprawling so that from the shoulders up, he was in the light. His limbs spread before him, he rested with his chin against the ground, unblinking. The lake glittered; he watched the sunlight dance on its surface, as if it might serve to be enough distraction.

She rehearsed what she would say as she went; how she would tell him about the way he had hurt her, that she regretted ever following him to Brecheliant, that she was going back home even if home was empty save the ghosts of her past. Then she would turn and walk away. She would go back to the sea.

But when she found Ponyboy, the first thing that struck her was how sad he looked. Ana's heart dropped into her stomach and she fell into guilty silence for a moment. She was being selfish, wasn't she?

She clicked rapidly as she reached for something to say. Hey, A few tentative steps brought her closer. The... the bison hunt was lame. You didn't miss much of anything. Except me running away like a coward. Ana wasn't sure it would actually make him feel any better, but it was all she could think to say.

His ear flicked toward her before his gaze did, and when he moved his eyes he realized how dry they were from staring. He blinked a few times, and licked his lips; his mouth was dry, and his tongue like sandpaper. Had he been asleep with his eyes open? It felt like it. 

"Hey," He responded quietly, though his voice was a bit hoarse. He cleared his throat, hoping that might help, and pushed himself up into a seated position, though his movements were slow, as though his muscles had grown weak. 

She, like the others, had gone out to hunt. He was disappointed to hear that the experience had been a letdown. "Oh....That kinda sucks," He said. She had likely wanted adventure, and a thrill- but it seemed as though it had not lived up to her expectations. "Didn't end up catching anything?" He asked, then.

Suddenly she didn't want to talk about the bison hunt. Ana shook her head, eyes trailing over Ponyboy. Not me. I got scared. Ran off, She could have lied — but what was the point?

I'm going to take a trip to the coast, Anathema announced next, though her tone was uncertain; almost questioning. Do you... would you come with me? Maybe that was what Ponyboy needed: a trip. Something to get him away from all this monotony. Ana certainly didn't want to linger in Brecheliant, not now. She was still hurt.

But she understood now that she could not tell Ponyboy that. He was battling his own demons, that much was clear by looking at him. And maybe — maybe if she could help, he would value her the way she wanted.

He was surprised that Anathema might have run off- but then again, the thought of hunting something big made him feel uneasy, too. He shrugged. ”I’ve never seen one but from what I was told, they sound terrifying.” Huge, hulking bovines with great, humped shoulders- and a pair of curved horns. Cloven hooves that were heavy and sharp- and that it would take many wolves to bring one down. He imagined a beast bigger than an elk, and elk were already a bit *too much* for his tastes.

His features fell. She was leaving again, heading for the coast. He couldn’t help but feel that he was being a bad friend, spending so much time moping. No wonder she wanted to go away- he was no fun. He was about to wish her well and settle his chin back down onto the ground when he received a surprising invitation.

”Oh,” He blurted softly. ”Oh, uhm…Are you…Sure you want me to come?” He asked. He didn’t want a pity invite- though he felt a light stirring in his chest that surprised him; and recognized that it was hope.

He seemed surprised. Ana tilted her head, just for a moment — but when he spoke she quickly righted it. Of course I do, Was that the truth? She wanted Ponyboy with her, yes, but did she want him on the island? He would see where she had come from, the ruins of it.

But there was no taking it back. I used to live there, She explained quietly. On an island. I don't think anyone is still there. But I want to see it again. It would be a long trip, perhaps dangerous for two lone youths. Part of her feared it. But she knew that she needed to go, whether Ponyboy came with her or not.

There was conviction in her voice, but it didn't spread at once to his spirit. He chose to believe her, and sat up so that he might seem a bit more convinced, though his heart wasn't in it. Questions raced through his mind alongside doubts, greyhounds chasing after the illusive white hard that was always just out of reach. 

Going out to the seashore was one thing- he'd never been that far, and had little to no experience keeping himself oriented. If the sky was cloudy, he'd have no hope of figuring out which direction was which- and the only consolation was that they would be funneled toward the ocean by two mountain ranges. So long as they remained on flat ground, they should make it. But the suggestion of getting to an island made him tilt his head. 

"An island?" He asked. "But those are like..." There was an island in the lake; he knew the only way to get to it was "We'd have to swim, right? Isn't it....Kinda cold?" Very cold. Not to mention, contending with waves, something he rarely ever had to consider when swimming in the lake.

Ponyboy didn't quite seem roused by the idea, but she could tell that he was trying. The way everyone tried. Ana wished sometimes that they didn't have to; she wished it would just come naturally. It never did with her.

Still, she had answers for his doubts, and there was relief in that. There's a bridge, Anathema explained, pausing with a few anxious clicks as she pictured it. When the tide is low, you can walk across the sand right to the island. Your feet will get wet, but that's all. Ana wasn't sure if there would be snow, or if the sea itself might have frozen over. Could it even do that?

I know the way, She added. She still remembered; she thought she would always remember, if only for the way her mother had left her behind at the start of that fateful trip inland.

He couldn't picture what she meant at first- until she described an extension of land that would appear and disappear with the tide. That still seemed a bit dangerous to him- although tides were supposed to be regular and predictable, what would happen if the temperature dropped and the bridge became icy while the tide was low? What if there was a storm surge, and it kept them there on the island, stranded? 

He would have to put his trust in her. She assured him that she knew the way, and he took that to mean that she would go- with or without him. 

"Are you...Hoping to find your family over there?" He asked timidly.

I don't know, She confessed quietly, a little dismayed by Ponyboy's question. Still, Anathema tried to give an honest answer. I don't think they're still there. I just want to see it one more time. And then... well, I don't know. She supposed she would come back here.

Wouldn't she?

I want to try to say bye to everyone first. It'll be a few days before I'm ready to leave, Her gaze was hopeful as she watched Ponyboy. Maybe we can bring back souvenirs for everyone. We; tentative, for she was not certain yet that he would come.

What if-

it was the first thing to come to mind. A little voice that repeated itself over and over as if from a broken record player. Her family wasn't likely there but what if they were? Was this just an excuse to go and find them? Doubt seeped in, bleeding through all the little assurances he tried to utter to himself as he listened to her speak, though some of the focus drifted from his gaze. 

He blinked when she mentioned saying goodbye, and his ears flicked back momentarily. He was about to interrupt and ask her if there was any chance this was a one-way voyage when she mentioned bringing things back. His swiftly-beating heart finally began to settle. He offered a faint smile. "Yeah, that'd be nice." He said softly. "I'll need to check in with my Mom first," He said. Somehow, he wasn't sure whether or not she would give him leave; Bronte had been permitted to go to the big hunt, but that was an event where there were lots of adults, and the promise of food. This adventure would be something different- but just the thought of it was beginning to lift his spirits.