Moonspear someday my pain will mark you

this one's for @Cerne

It took little time for the mountain to become familiar again.

Atlas climbed the slope until he had found a natural shelf. It was there that he paused to assess the land below him. High on the rocks, a mountain goat bleated and leapt to a precariously wobbling stone. The inkjet beast watched the prey animal with a frown, brows knitted tightly into a furrowed line. The goat leaned and then bounded another great distance to a safer footing. Atlas lost his interest in the animal.

The swarthy figure prowled forward, leaping down from his perch to a flatter surface. The ground was damp from rainfall. His coat was thick with the humidity on the air. The fiery gold of his eyes shifted toward the mountains in the distance – Moonglow. He frowned.

Another leap took him down further. There were fresh deer tracks in the muddied earth. Atlas began to track them.

Today, Cerne strayed from the village. He had not seen Keyni since their coupling. Perhaps she had lost interest in him. The soothsayer frowned, but thought no more on this as his burnished gaze was drawn to a mountain goat, climbing the sheer mountain face before him. More movement, and Cerne spotted a dark wolf, high above, but coming lower. A quick call came from Cerne, and he began to climb, his things clinking in his hareskin bag.

A call from a stranger halted the inkjet hunter’s trek. The swarthy figure drew himself to a stopping place and waited to see the figure who approached. Clinking noises perked his ears. The Ostrega had not heard something like that before and he was curious what the stranger could carry that would make that sound. His sunset gaze burned over the figure of the unknown wolf.

Hello, traveler.

The roughness of his voice was surprising. Atlas shifted his stance, tail swaying once. The approaching wolf did not appear to be a threat to him. It was likely that the wolf was on a journey and had cut across the mountain to find his course. The swarthy hunter waited to see if his greeting would be returned.

"Greetings. I am Cerne, of Natigvik, visiting Moonglow and Winterglade." As ever, he introduced himself politely, friendly, his tail waving once or twice. His gaze turned to the goat. "Are you looking to hunt that?" He would be slower under the weight of his toolkit, but he could not part with it, either.