Horizon Ridge i've felt this way before; so insecure

So far, though still so largely untraversed, this place was proving to be very... interesting. Ira could not help but feel clouded by the images and meetings he had encountered so far. He was once again faced with the conundrum of confronting the reality that there was so much he did not know; so much he could not fathom. That there were so many wolves living in this valley. That there were so many biomes yet to explore. That, indeed, no matter how many places he went or creatures he met, there would always be more. It had a diminishing effect on him, but perhaps it was one he needed: to be insignificant for a while.
 
He was already feeling the heavy influence of Jupiter, causing him to feel changed around and dizzy, but he still stood upright. Now, as Mercury approached, the dizziness intensified. It made him feel incredibly vulnerable, unready to expose the parts of himself that were buried to the outside world, but at the same time willing to welcome the hidden truths of others into his mind – or even heart. Such was the duplicitous way of the Leo – able to appear strong when weak, able to extend compassion when his own had run dry, and not just an excellent secret keeper, but one who thirsted for those secrets.
 
Ira shook out his red coat; I am learning. I am learning. He had to repeat his mantra several times a day. Not to assure himself, but to remember what his course was. And his course, at present, was to draw nearer to the sea. He pawed delicately at the ground as it became firmer beneath him, appreciating the scrape of his nails against stone just below a thin layer of earth. The white noise grew the closer her drew, until at last he had parted from the forests into view of the ocean. It halted his breath, as it had every time he’d glimpsed it since coming here. Somehow it seemed bigger being close to it, even though he could not see as much of its reach. He inhaled deeply of the salt and a sickly sweet scent he could not place, but would have temporarily assigned the adjective decaying. Though these scents were strong, they did not mask another: a nearby wolf.
 
Stepping out onto the smooth stone which spread forward to turn into a cliff, he cast his glance up and down until he spotted her. While he did not wish to interrupt her repose, the Astoria was unwilling to give up the opportunity to learn more about who and what lived in this place, for better or worse. "Sorry to intrude," he said. Just because he chose to do so, didn’t mean he couldn’t apologize for it. "I have… never been to this place." Disobeying his instincts, he took his eyes away from the stranger to become lost once more in the allure of the waves below.