Arrow Lake Jol

The woman’s answer was swift and knowing. Mountain goat, she said.

Cad grinned, cheeks warming. He had never tasted a mountain goat. The young wolf wasn’t certain if he had even seen one. Following the mountain from the shore, he had seen a number of creatures that traveled the slopes and the high rocks. Their skill had been unrivaled. Would River run along the snowy peaks with the same surefooted grace?

The medic followed her, charmed. She could have led him to the bottom of the sea with her sharpness, with her moments of surprising warmth. Cad could feel his limbs tingle. He kept pace at her side and didn’t dare to pry his mossy eyes from her features.

She asked about his home.

It’s very different, he answered her with a cracking voice. Red stones and sand. Hot winds that blow smells from far away. Not mountains but there are great rocks that rise from the ground and deep canyons with rivers that have the bluest water. Homesickness churned in his belly.