You Set Your Sights so High

its time this guy actually meets some people

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He could feel it now, he was certain. Every week that passed he felt stronger, more solid on his paws. It was common for him to spend his time straying from the den when he was allowed. Now they were getting older and the strict rules they had been bound to now slacked, their leash long enough to wander the inner depths of the territory. Even still though, they must go no further. Dangers lurked beyond their borders, monsters and madness that could easily end his life, but there were wonders too. He had been told of glistening lakes or towering trees, some with roots thicker than he.

One day he would see it all...

For now, he caught what he could, a newly solid gold gaze drifting through the gaps in the trees to peer at the dots of colors below. Raiden had drifted from the rendezvous, more than capable of returning by his lonesome, and found an outcropping just beyond the thin river he had crossed with his family. He knew he'd likely be yelled at if he wandered too close to the edge...if someone caught him that far, but he wouldn't push his luck. He had seen some of the drops that suddenly dipped off jagged edges. He wanted to see the world, not leave it.

Still...he couldn't help but huff and long to be older.

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Vaguely he followed the river back down, though did not obey its every turn, and sometimes where the path was easier he strayed. The end point was all eventually the same, though: the rendezvous. Jarilo liked to stop by, see who was around, and maybe stave off some cold if anyone was around for a nap. But until then, he was still very much on the move and fresh from prowling around hunting higher on the slopes. At least as far as the deep freeze would allow, which really.. was not much at this time of year. Higher in the elevations, he preferred not to push it when he didn't have a need. To him, it seemed like winter still had them in a good firm grip.

It didn't always feel like it, since it seemed this mountain was made with them in mind, but it was their first winter here.. so he was paying extra attention. Good reminder of why this vigilance was important came when he got a whiff of one of the pups possibly not too far away--close enough to get him to go hone in, climbing up onto the outcropping too to find out what Raiden was up to. At least it seemed the mountain was keeping them well-fed, if the growing alpha's brood was any indication.

Every time he saw them, he could swear they were bigger. He, naturally, took this as a good sign.

Jarilo gently swayed his tail on his open approach, wondering what had lured Raiden out here in the first place with a few small sniffs in his direction. He didn't seem to be in any harm, so he was relaxed about finding the boy out here--so far. “See anything good?” he asked, jerking his muzzle towards the view beyond.

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By now he was used to the constant eyes that hovered over him and his siblings. As pawsteps approached he didn't even bother to look knowing already it wasn't his sister. She would try to be sneaky and the footfalls were too heavy to belong to any of them. He recognized the voice as he was addressed, and briefly his eyes would hover to the side though they never quite made it to the darkened figure.

“No.” The boy huffed, “It's all small and the tree branches block a lot.” He sunk to his belly, front paws pushed out before him to rest his head atop of. “Better than other spots I guess.” Better indeed. Maybe he couldn't make out what was on the ground but the distant mountains rose above it in faded blues and purples with the distance. Unfortunately, his one-track mind seemed to forget the beauty in his quest to go down and see the rest up close.

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Gently, he tilted his head. No? Not a thing? He listened on attentively, nodding slowly as he soaked up this new understanding. “Yeah, that's true,” he answered, looking off towards the offending branches for a moment. The scene was still, and the winds didn't spark anything notably either. “Nothing much interesting going on above the trees right now, either,” he observed as well with a new squint into that horizon. Just a skyline, a few clouds--colors, but he already knew that got a little abstract for a puppy-sized attention span sometimes. Jarilo still glanced Raiden's way, just curious if it might've sparked any actual interest... just in case.

“It was quiet further up the mountain, too,” he gestured with his nose in the direction he had come from, up the elevations. “Too cold still,” he shook his head. Soon, spring would open new pathways, and even the youngest Empyrean could climb higher, too, but that was not today's bait. “So I was heading down roughly that way. Maybe it's worth a closer look?” he supposed, regarding the swatch of woods there just below.

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Raiden would listen idly, his gaze drifting upwards at the mention of the sky. The boy wasn't sure why there would ever be something interesting up there. Maybe a storm cloud or @The Eagle but he saw neither. The only way the sky interested him was if he could float above the clouds and soar like the birds, but that would never happen. He would never cast his gaze down unobstructed...or perhaps that's just how he felt due to his puppy stature.

“Is it interesting up there?” Up the mountain? His gaze flashed to his uncle with eager ears. Maybe it was quiet but it was ground untouched by his paws. He and his kin were too unsteady to travel so far on uneven ground, but that would not stop him from imagining the views from the highest peaks. Maybe there was no view. Some spiraled into the clouds like titanous sentinels, but maybe there it felt like you could fly.

The boy's mouth twisted at the thought of heading down. He had already explored a large amount of the lower reaches, but he supposed there were the spots near the borders he wasn't allowed to venture near yet. Not alone at least... “Do you know a cool spot?” Maybe Uncle Jarilo could show him somewhere that even Ara wouldn't know about! He would brag, but then she'd surely sniff it out so it would just have to stay his secret.

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With time, his horizons would expand and so with it would his outlook evolve--possibly. By this point, Jarilo felt like no stranger to ushering up the younger Ostregas and time and time again he had seen it in some. A few more so than others, but such was the nature of things.

As for up there, he could surely appeal just a bit more. He wanted to frame it nicely. “Yeah, it can be.” But he had learned to appreciate a lot of the finer details, even in their desolation. Wherever he went, he could probably find something worth a moment's interest. “Sometimes the trails are tough, and there's different plants and rocks along the way,” he mentioned, not even getting into the caves he knew spindled into the peaks. “But tough it out long enough and you can touch the clouds--or see for miles past the mountain if it's clear,” Jarilo added, a small smirk to leave off on there. Raiden could imagine the rest if he wanted.

“I know lots of cool spots. There are even more yet undiscovered,” he answered knowingly. “You'll get to see them one day.” He trusted this much, and knew it would just take time--and summer would only make it all even better. Again, he just had to tough it out. It would be worth it.

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For so long now (as if his days as a pup were truly long) he had believed to have seen it all. Every nook and cranny of the lower reaches of the mountain, but how could he? Perhaps the only barrier had been himself in the end...blinded by what bore him only following the trails set by others days before. Raiden followed along with newfound interest as his ears perked forward looking to take in every detail.

A place where he could touch the clouds

His heart yearned to see it with his own eyes though he was fairly certain his mother would deny him until he was older. Maybe though...“Could you take me—?” Maybe not today since he was traveling down, but soon perhaps. Maybe with his Uncle present Mother would be more willing to let him go. He could be safe, careful with his steps just as she had taught him. He could keep his paws in line away from the edge if it meant venturing to somewhere new where the air flowed fresh.

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Though he knew the young ones suffered impatiently over their narrow boundaries now, he appreciated that they yearned for greater things--as young Ostregas should. Their scope would expand one day and he was pleased to hear him at all interested in the mountain's towering heights. Raiden would get to walk among the clouds one day. “Sure,” he agreed readily on a quick nod. “As summer gets closer, there will be more paths to chose from hopefully.” he baited further, again, mirth in his green eyes.

“But for now, want to come with me and see what's along the way further down a bit?” he offered, though it was the opposite direction of the sky's features. It was motion all the same and perhaps a good distraction for the juvenile. Jarilo could try to help keep him busy in the meantime until something greater came along.

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i'm cool with a fade/something more up to date soon!!

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A broad grin quickly spread across his lips as his uncle agreed without hesitance. With such confidence, he'd hold his word to a promise, though Jarilo still held his adventure just out of reach. The boy had never seen a summer though he had heard much about it by now. Life was more comfortable on warm days when the herds grazed and lazed about. Now another joy could be tacked on to those days of comfort, even if they were still months away.

He was offered an invitation though Raiden would find it hard to drag his gaze away from cloud-laden peaks. One day he would reach heights few dared to reach and perhaps see a sight even fewer could claim to know of aside from tales. One day...but that day was not today. Wistfully the boy would nod to his uncle allowing him to guide to lower paths in search of something else to fill his time.

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Yeah we can end here and do something more present!

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