Ocean's Breath Plateau that ache in your shoulders

@Laroche, set for the night of 14th

he kept coming back here, in the hopes that he'd find her. when would he accept that izel had gone away?

she had healed him; she owed him nothing more (she hadn't even owed him that). had he pried too deep into her past, perhaps? or maybe there was something else, something that itched at her paws and urged her to leave. whatever it was, she was gone. her scent had faded, her tracks disappeared.

so why was he here?

govinda wandered along the edge of the plateau, paces from the cliff that overlooked the burned forest, and the lush wood to the south. watching and waiting, thinking that she would appear at any minute, though he knew deep down that the sentiment was folly. no, she was gone, and he was chasing a ghost.

just like so many others in his life, she had emerged to play merely a small role, and then took her bow and departed. the problem was that govinda couldn't bear to see the supporting cast go, even when their lines had been given and their stories had ended.

He had met some interesting characters in that forest but didn't feel the desire to stick around anymore. At least not for the time being, not until he explored some more and had options to choose between. Grezig had been interesting enough but the male with her was a bit much for his tastes. The group of wolves they had encountered were interesting enough, dark and cold like a winter night. Even so he wasn't ready to settle, even with the threat of winter coming soon.

He wandered toward the coast where the smell of the sea drew him in. He wandered past cliffs and then toward a plateua where the waves lapped the shores in the distance. Out of the corner of his eyes he spotted a male pacing, looking bothered by something. Normally he wouldnt give a damn but he eyed the cliff that stood a few feet from the aggravated male and wondered if this was a suicide thing. That went a bit past his normally "don't wanna know" mindset and he chuffed loud enough to get the stranger's attention.

for a moment, he thought it was izel. he spun and saw the dark fur and began to walk quickly towards her, then-- no. no, a large male, silver eyes, rather than the murk of the sea queen's. not izel, but a face he hadn't seen before. a small, disappointed sigh escaped his nostrils as he finished the rest of the journey toward the stranger, stopping a few tail-lengths away.

sorry, i don't believe i know you, govinda said, thinking that perhaps this man had mistaken him for someone else, too, and that's why he had called out. can i help you with something? he tried not to sound too put out that he was speaking to someone that wasn't izel. it would be rude to brush this guy off, after all.

Laroche wasn't expecting the male to turn and begin toward him as if he was an old friend and he took a step back. The disappointment on the stranger's face was a relief to him and he assumed he had been mistaken for a friend. Then the male spoke up anf Laroche shook his head "No you don't. I saw you pacing only a few steps from the cliff, thought you were having an...internal struggle. I thought it would be immoral to leave you like that" he explained and then looked toward the cliffs and back at the male "I was incorrect wasn't I?" he asked sounding half annoyed with himself and also sort of embarrassed which was a new thing for Laroche.

one corner of his mouth lifted in an amused smile, and he shrugged, chuckling slightly. not altogether incorrect, govinda responded, able to concede that much. i am troubled, yes. . .but not in the way you might have thought. no, i'm looking for a friend. the smile faded, then, as he glanced back toward the trees. i haven't seen her in some time.

the man blinked gently at the other. i appreciate your concern, though, he added. my name is govinda. are you new to these parts? if he was a traveler, he might have seen izel on his way in--or could see her on the way out. either way, the prospect was heartening, and his ears perked up in anticipation of the reply.

He lifted a brow curiously as the male smiled in response to his explanation, a wry type of somber amusement. He could sense the heavy heart on this one and wasn't quite sure if he wanted to stick around to hear the story. Luckily the male, Govinda as he introduced himself, seemed to breeze right over his problems. A bit of respect was earned for that, that the male breezed over his problems and didn't word vomit his whole life story onto the shoulders of a stranger. It was explained that he had been looking for a lady friend who hadn't been seen in a while and Laroche gave a bitter smile and nodded "My name is Laroche. I just got to these lands a few days ago. Haven't met too many others yet, I'm not sure what I'm doing" He said with a half smile, being truthful.

pleasure to meet you, laroche, govinda said warmly. a lot of wolves come here without a plan--you're certainly not alone. which way are you traveling? he asked, tilting his head slightly to the right. his eyes drifted slightly to the horizon, the dividing line between the sea and the sky. if you're headed west, i'd be happy to travel with you for a little while. my home lies that way.

my home. it was the first time he'd really considered the grove as such. then again, what other place had that claim? once, he had thought that the plateau might take that spot in his heart. with izel's departure, though, it no longer occupied that status. the palm trees were home--and, with time, it would be home for others, too.

he hoped.

It was intriguing the knowledge that many wolves came to these parts from other lands. He wondered why that was, how so many migrated to this expanse of wilderness in particular. He had noticed a lot of scents belonging to packs and wolves around the areas he had roamed, marking it as a good place to settle. "I have no plans for where I'm heading either. I wouldn't want to hold you up, though perhaps if you tell me where you plan on heading I'll find you again in the future. I do intend on settling in a pack before the worst of winter starts" he found himself trying to be nicer than he normally would, perhaps because Govinda wasn't annoying or didn't flaunt his manliness. He was open but not overly so, he was kind but not a bleeding heart. The kind of man that Laroche could maybe work with eventually...but not now.

govinda gave an easy shrug, shaking his head slightly. no hold-up. i've only just settled there, he responded, and there the doubt was again, niggling at the back of his mind. will you ever have a home? the concept wavered, mirage-like, in his mind. anyway, though, it's to the west. the coconut grove. hard to miss, he added, grinning.

he nodded sagely at laroche's desire to settle before winter started. he, too, felt that urgency in his bones. already it had snowed some, and this was just the tip of the iceberg. wouldn't be long before they all turned into popsicles. some wolves just liked it more than others.

are you from the south? govinda asked, wondering if he had a sort of kinship with the man. or north? you seem like a southern man, to me.

Laroche noted the directions, though the word coconut went over his head. He hadn't ever seen one before or heard of them so that wouldn't help much. He assumed if he saw a Grove of plants he hadn't seen before that he would have the right spot. He nodded to show he had heard and then responded to the question "A southern forest bordering ocean. Much like this area. You?" he asked in return, not minding continuing the small talk with this male.

much the same, govinda answered. though i've done a lot of traveling. but a southern forest is where i was born, yes. he could see it now, the trees springing up before him, the warm, sweet-musk smell of his mother wreathing 'round him like an embrace. ah, rekha. . . he had hardly known her, and yet he felt as though he knew her better than anyone. perhaps because he was more comprised of her than anyone else.

he sniffed, taking a breath and shaking away the ghosts of his past. if you need a place to stay, the grove is there, he repeated for emphasis, smiling. i won't turn a southern man away from my borders. we have to stick together, especially through the long winter. the long, unforgiving winter.

He felt something akin to fondness when the man said he too came from a southern forest. This was the type of man that the pack should have held, except in his tastes perhaps not as open in information given. Laroche nodded again, returning Govinda's smile with ease "I'll be sure to do that if need be. I do have somewhere else that was offered but now I'm torn" he gave a small laugh "Stick out the winter with a Southern Brother or head back thataways and try to stick around a pair of oddballs." he spoke with a subtle hint of humor, sounding a bit sarcastic though he was actually torn. Grezig had been interesting and her man friend was odd and amusing. "I think I'll be heading off again, to decide on what to do. It was nice to meet you Govinda" he said and should he be met with a similar farewell he would turn and head off.

he chuckled, giving a small shrug in return. sometimes oddballs are good company, govinda teased. i'm quite odd myself. best of luck, whatever you do, and safe travels. he was a little sad to not have laroche for company on his journey home, but perhaps the man would turn up at the grove eventually. if it was meant to be, he would.

with a nod, govinda turned and stepped toward the edge of the plateau again, his face falling as he resumed his search for izel.