Firestone Hot Springs Nightmares

@Tryphon :) backdated to whenever works in everyone's timeline XD

He went further and further, his feet taking him wherever. With no leads, no scents to tell him where to go, he went completely on intuition. It was as if the wind was leading him, like the stars that were hiding now were telling him where he could find the rapist and bring him to justice. Only, the smell of the place he had landed was truly breathtaking. No, really, it took his breath away and made him cough. Still, he had to go through, and he kind of liked the warmth that lingered around this place. He couldn't help but notice tiny, well, baths littered all over the place like this was a spa. 

But he had no time to bath. He had to find Judas, no matter what.

Sorry for the wait!

With a place for him solidified alongside Saena and her ally Warbone, Tryphon chose to take some time and look around the area one last time for Saghani. He had not said this to his new friend - he'd been more careful - but a part of him was eager to find her and bring her to the mountains. His path led away from the stonescape and towards the rolling hills nearby, the same ones he had been watching from the plateau; as he went, Tryphon kept his attention on any signs of life. There were many hints that there was a herd nearby, a few clues towards rabbits being in the area or rodents, but he did not care for food right now — and then he reached the river, and realized he'd been searching for hours. There had been no sign at all of Saghani, unfortunately.

Unwilling to give up (despite how much time had elapsed, and how much energy he'd wasted), Tryphon picked his way across the river and continued his search. He stopped being so obsessive about it by this point. It didn't help that the air was fogged with a thick sulfuric stench - it was sickening, and heavy. When the young man finally chose to stop for a few minutes and take a breather, there was no clean air to inhale. He lingeded on the edge of a strange steaming pool, wary of it. And then, out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw the movement of a dark figure — Saghani?! he called out, equal parts tired and elated.

No probs! 200th post! :OO

Silently he lingered near one of the many baths, his feet almost begging him to stick them into the probably warm water. It would soak out his pain, but perhaps also the fire that kept him going on this time-wasting journey. Honestly, he was having second thoughts about the direction he was going in. He was closer to the sea, and Avannon had not told about the male smelling like salt. Still, it might've been just something she had forgotten in her panic. He bit his lip, softly nibbling on his own skin until he realized he had almost bitten through it. He sighed, his breath, as a sprayer, sparing the blood everywhere. He licked it again, the iron taste quite pleasant and somewhat familiar. It made him want to kill again, just to taste this liquid from someone else - but he knew better. He was not a murderer. Vector was, but not him.

As if the mist grew a mask, a darker form appeared, and Jolon held his breath. The stuff in the air here had been so intoxicating that even perhaps a heat could not be smelled - let alone a loner. Jolon towered over the younger man, he could already tell, but he wasn't looking for conflict or even the slightest events that would need him to be dominant to protect himself, his mission and his home. 

"Saghani?"

The other called out a name the brute did not recognize, and he cleared his throat loudly. I'm afraid not, my friend. He said in a serious voice, turning to the other though he was still well-hidden by the mist the water created. Jolon cursed himself for having such a dark pallet now, but was sure that it was a feature that would make him look a little more common. He did not like standing out for the wrong reasons.

His hopes were sucked away by the mist as soon as he heard the stranger's voice. Whatever the dark figment was, it was not the wolf that Tryphon so desperately sought after. This deflated him further; yet he did not retreat, not even when the obscured silhouette seemed to grow large and overbearing. He stood his ground in a rare moment of courage (or curiosity perhaps) and saw with his own pale eyes - no, this was a man. Saghani was not here. 

Alas, his last hope had been vanquished. Now all that Tryphon could do was decide on where to go next — back to the cliffs and the mountains, where Saena waited? Or further, just to test his luck one last time? For now Tryphon lingered on the pool's edge and watched as the smog cleared, at least in part, to reveal the stranger. Oh, the boy sighed, head ducking a bit and ears folding back, I'm sorry, I... Lost someone.

At this rate, Tryphon figured he had lost her for good.

The other did not retreat, yet did not come closer, and so Jolon stayed in place. He did not like intimidating young, capable males - not if they displayed no signs of aggression. For a moment he thought this might be the Judas he was looking for, but he really couldn't smell with all these gasses and awful things to scent. He found it worse than the smell of a corpse, and that was already pretty bad. 

We all lose someone from time to time. Jolon sighed, shrugging sadly. Of course he was talking about Ezimette, but the boy did not have to know this. And Noctura - he had also lost him. Actually, his former family as a whole had left the mountains, and he had lost so many friends that it was hard for his brain to keep up with how many there were. I'm seeking someone too. May I ask you some questions and inform you with what I know before you return to your quest? 

He had never met another with the same issue as himself. Perhaps they were kindred spirits? Both cursed to stalk the earth for aeons, lonely and filled to the brim with an ocean of sadness? Ah, but this stranger seemed more enigmatic; they were well spoken, and the road had yet to hollow them the way it had Tryphon. He could tell by listening to the stranger's words. To the tone, to the hope he tasted in the air.

Although they were not quite on the same level of loss, Tryphon would not burden the stranger with his dramatic thoughts. He simply turned his ears expectantly, and upon hearing silence after the question, he gave a grave little nod — yes, please share what you can, except that there was no hope; once you were alone, you were alone forever. This stranger just did not know that yet.

While most hope had been lost when he had lost control, much if not all had returned to his lonely vessel. Besides, he was not lonely anymore. He had Avannon, and she was all he needed. Ezimette was long gone, and Jolon did not count on her return soon or late. Hell, he did not care - he was as the wind now. He could only carry this message for the future, before he could return to his tribe.

I seek a man named Judas. He has wronged my tribe, my... lover in particular. My quest is to find him and to bring him the justice he deserves. Judas was looking for another named "Mordecai", but the rest of his intentions were not revealed. He said slowly. I do not know where he has gone or where he calls home.... Please- help me find him.