Even from this seemingly low (at least to me) ledge of the world, all that sprawled out before us was utterly beautiful. From here you could see the contours of the snow that blanketed the foothills below, and it seemed almost as if you could reach out and brush the tops of the trees with your paw. It is important to appreciate the simple things in life, the beauty of the world that surrounded you, and in those moments of silence when I stood next to Rollo I was reminded of that. I turned then to him, to make him an offer, an invitation to take residence upon the mountain for the winter, so that perhaps in spring he might get the chance to view the world from truly on high. The spectacle that was Moladion unfurling before your very eyes as the sun rose on a new day was something unmatched, and I believed it to be one of Spirane's greatest glories. I just knew in my gut that Rollo would well and truly appreciate such a thing.

The words that follow were spoken in a somewhat morose tone, and my ears flicked to the sides momentarily before pricking towards him once more. During the time that Sven had spent here I had not had much of a chance to get to know him, but there was something about this wolf that stood before me that distinctly reminded me of him. The troubled look in his eyes, the longing for something, though what was a mystery. I nodded sagely at his words, acknowledging his acceptance of my offer. My gaze shifted back out over the horizon that spread before us once more, waiting for him to take his fill of it before we continued onward. If he was to remain within the mountains for the winter, I wanted him to know where he could find me if he required me, though a howl would always suffice as well. But before any motion was made to move ever upwards into the mountainous realm of my home, he spoke again.

Those serious eyes looked towards me again, locking onto my mahogany gaze as he asked after his brother. I took a deep breath, the hint of a frown edging at my lips, but I never looked away from him. "Sven lived here for almost three years, under the care of the wolf who brought him. It is my understanding that they became very close. But, things happened that tore her away from the pack," I paused, for this was a most delicate issue. I did not wish to lay the blame upon any one wolf for what had happened, for I was as much to blame as Natu. If I had not been so prideful with Fenrir, would he have remained and become the servant to the pack he had swore he would? Would Sven still roam the mountains? There were so many ifs, but what had happened could not be changed. But I would not hide the truth from Rollo, I would not lie to him and tell him Sven had fallen, that it had been some accident. He deserved to know. "This past spring, Sven jumped from a cliff. We searched for him, but he was never found." It was harsh, a reality that I sometimes wished I could deny the truth of. There was still some small glimmer of hope that he had survived, against the odds. But the fall had been so great, and the current of the waters below so strong. The likelihood that he had walked away from such a thing was minimal at best. Unblinking I stared into the deep golden eyes of the guest of my pack, wondering how he would take this news, after all this time.