Stavanger Bay how far you'll go

For any! Olo is out looking for Lote.

There was a great many which the Greek had missed, all those which had come and gone from his life. Some, even if only known for a short while, left memories in his mind unforgotten even as more time passed between them then the length he had known them for.

He thought of their names now, spoke them aloud as he pointed to the stars in the open dark sky with his muzzle, naming them- @Drifter, @Natshana, @Jaime, @Ying... Some from his life while in Yuelong. Then of those who had become family to him there. @Hua, @Ruo... And of course, @Huojin. Whispered on his breath with hope that speaking his name aloud might call his son back to him. Then further, to Olo's life within Courtfall. @Tundra, @Andraste, @Gracious... And to the island he had long now grown out from. @Kalika, @Ovid...

After naming as many he could by the stars he could see in the sky this night, his gaze turns back to the sea out before him. The dark waves rolled over golden sands, splashing over his legs and rump as he sat. The seafarer closes his eyes and breathes in deeply the salty cold air. Lote's scent was not here.

Seighard continued his trek through the night. With no particular destination in mind, he couldn't predict when his voyage would be over. The rhythmic ebb and flow of the ocean waves was new to him, and he found its sound to be strangely soothing as he trod along the beach. He would never admit it to anyone, but he had initially felt a jolt of trepidation when he'd first glimpsed the ocean and its vastness... But it's not half-bad, is it? he mused, contemplating the smoothness of the water-tossed stones and how it contrasted with the grittiness of the sand. This was so different from where he'd grown up.

He knew what he was abandoning, but what would he discover here? Still, being confronted by the unknown was more appealing than what he was leaving behind. Despite the bidding that he had done in the last year - the orders that he had followed with barely any resistance, and the consequences that he had wrought - he had been able to catch glimpses of lives so disparate from his own, and, against all odds, he had begun to develop the notion that perhaps he, too, could secure such a life... His thoughts hit a wall and he sighed, suddenly feeling a fool. Did he even deserve it?

He paused, a shallow pain originating from his front left paw. He briefly lifted it and scented his own blood - just a few small drops from where his pad had cracked open. Placing it back down, the very end of a far-reaching wave seeped underneath. Sieghard's head whipped to the side and he glared at the ocean in an accusatory manner. The salt had made his minor annoyance flare; he hadn't expected the ocean to have such a bite when touched.

Up ahead, he sighted a wolf who was partially sitting in the water. Sieghard started. Was this fellow some sort of masochist, or was he doing penance? Some would argue I have much to atone for, but... No one would find him willingly subjecting himself to the ocean's touch, not when it was so fiery! He couldn't tell whether the other's eyes were open or closed. "Ho!" he called by way of greeting. "Are you well?" he then asked, confidence already draining from his voice, sounding as uncertain as he felt.

@Aiolos

Eyes shot open, the sound of another wolf's voice and scent invading his senses. The red Greek turns his head to the source of the question, to meet the gaze of a rather large grey wolf. The two large scars on his face obvious and those which marred his back, leaving patches of fur not grown back properly (as along one side of Aiolos neck was) became more noticeable as the stranger drew nearer. A warrior, or at least once was. Now just to determine what kind of man lie behind that battered body.

Well enough, I think? A furrowed brow lifts to the man's question, wondering now, if he was well. Why do you ask?

The question hung between them, suspended for a few seconds as Sieghard formulated his response. "You're sitting in the water." He felt like he was grasping at straws, trying to determine what he should say. "Doesn't seem like it would be a comfortable thing to do." This fellow to whom he was speaking seemed solemn, almost regal - like he had sprung up from this landscape and belonged here. Sieghard, however, felt quite out of place. This was a far cry from the distant marshes where he'd spent most of his time. Had he misjudged the burning quality of this water? Upon closer inspection, Aiolos did indeed seem like he was fine...

The ocean dominated his peripheral vision. He supposed that he should speak plainly. After all, it was just the two of them in the cover of night. "I've never seen so much water before," he admitted, turning his nose in the direction of the waves, breathing in the unusual but alluring salt-coated air. "It smells and feels entirely different from what I'm used to." 

Returning his gaze to Aiolos, he spotted the sparseness of fur alongside his neck. Sieghard gave a subtle nod of acknowledgement, and then sought to keep silence at bay by asking another question. "Could you tell me of these lands? I'm not after secrets," he added. "The most general, harmless information would interest me." I know nothing, as I'm sure you can tell.

@Aiolos

'You're sitting in the water.' Aiolos head tilts, a brow lifted. Though unspoken, 'And?' was written on his expression. He needed elaboration, the stranger would soon give it. It takes some getting used to. Aiolos says then, a shrug given and a small half-smile played over his creamy mug. Maybe he had never been to the coast before- the water here was much different then any other river, lake, waterfall or bog.

It didn't take long. The stranger admitting he had never seen so much water before. Salt water, which set wounds and lungs on fire, stung the nose and eyes. Now the other man was starting to make more sense and Aiolos acknowledged this with a nodding as the other spoke.

Though water still, the ocean holds far more challenges then any other body of water I've been in. Many can agree to its beauty, but not many can handle calling it home. He tips his head to the side, looking over the man who in exchanged examined him. And its not at all forgiving with open wounds... Another small smirk.

Well... He began, willing to fill in what was an obvious newcomer not only to the coast, but of the Wilds here in general. You've made it to Stavanger Bay, so far. He turns his head round, gutting his muzzle to the plains just beyond the sands. That would be your best route inland and towards the more central populated area of the Wilds. There are a number of packs, including my own. On either side of the region are two great mountain chains. I've not traveled much beyond either. Not a mountain man much myself... Hence him being happily here now- in the water.

Sieghard listened attentively, like a well-disciplined student receiving a lesson from a sage teacher. In his mind's eye, he formulated images of the mountains that were described to him. He imagined sweeping vistas, icy impasses, rockslides and avalanches where rubble slid and gouged the earth as it careened out of control. "Yes, mountains are best-suited for the birds, and maybe for hermits," he agreed. "They're no place for me, either. I suppose I haven't lost all faith in my fellow wolf yet, so I shan't be running off to hide in the hills." How lonely it would be to live in the mountains, yet how peaceful. However, wouldn't that amount of quiet and solitude make each day drag out? Would too much safety and predictability feel stifling?

"There are a number of packs, including my own." Sieghard recalled that Aiolos had uttered these words a mere moment ago. He returned his gaze to him, his curiosity evident. What exactly had Aiolos meant? Sieghard thought it was possible that he was a leader based on the overall impression that he'd made on him, but he wasn't sure. Besides, he wasn't his king, so no need to bow his head to him, right? "When you referred to your own pack, did you mean that you run with one, or that you're in charge of one?" he asked.

@Aiolos

Aiolos couldn't help the chuckle that came there after the man's words. He too didn't seem to take much to the mountains. Aiolos had been one to enjoy much more temperate climates and openness where he could both see and run for miles without restriction.

Both. Aiolos then answers to the scarred young man's questioning and then after a pause, elaborates a bit further. I am Leader of Moonglow. The land is not far, a woodland with much water. Though they planned to leave this home of theirs soon, so leave it to anyone's desire while the pack traveled for the winter season. This, he kept to himself, lest this fellow here decided to become one of their own.

Is it a home you seek, wanderer? Aiolos asks with a curious raised brow. Or is adventure still itching your paws?

Seighard contemplated how to answer Aiolos. The wheels in his mind weren't only turning, they were grinding and whining as they struggled along, desperately trying to find their rhythm. "I don't know," he finally said, each word falling heavily and his voice trailing off as if he were going to say more. He thought of Wendigo and Klava, how each one had seemed to derive strength from the other's poison and gall, how they had each enacted their vision with the destructive force of a tornado, not caring who or what was razed to the ground only so long as they obtained the result that they had sought. It seemed to Sieghard that those who were in power were least likely to deserve to wield that power, but... Not everyone could be a clone of those two. A world filled with Wendigo's and Klava's - now, there was a dreary thought.

Should he have congratulated Aiolos for his role as leader? Well, it seemed a bit late to add that now, like an insincere afterthought, so Sieghard instead asked, "How did you become their leader, and what do you seek to do - for your people, and for yourself?" 

@Aiolos

@Sieghard

It was heavy on his heart, these three words and Aiolos could see it in the scarred man's expression as the silence lingered there. His road here had been a hard one and he seemed hesitant about settlement. It was likely the marring he wore was not out of wanting. Like Aiolos own, this young man's home in the marshes had not been kind to him.

I became leader because they chose me to be. Because they trust me to guide and protect them. He had never striven for such, had never asked it of him. Even the first time, it had almost been begged of him where Aiolos had forever and always did not believe a placement above others were something he, the bastard, deserved. I seek nothing for myself... He pauses, his eyes narrowing with a smile as he looks back to the waters. Well, maybe I'd like myself to be successful... To be all what they need me to be.