Alpine Lake and so it begins

His ear flickered at the sudden silence that spanned between the two – though he did not find discomfort in such a moment. Instead, he relished it, if only that he had managed to find a companion to place him at such ease. He could not recall the last time he held such a friendship.
 
“Only for a moment – I thought to look for them there on my return, and it was abandoned. I consider myself lucky that I found my way to the coast.”