Falls

It seemed he was making some kind of impression cause the mare admitted she was curious enough to meet his father some day and he grinned. "He'd like that, I'm sure. My father didn't have the best past, but he's come a long way and his herd adores him. Seems that way to me, anyway." He didn't want Vesna to think he'd only started talking to her as a way to get her to come to Salem. He truly wanted her as a friend, no matter where she went from here. She was intriguing and knew so much about life outside of the islands. He felt he could learn a lot from her. She at least chuckled when he offered to be an escort, saying he was proving as much now and he puffed her chest out a little with pride. "Lots of practice." He said with a cheeky smirk. As they continued up the path, he told her what he knew of the other islands and could see her face sober up as she processed the information.

Vesna asked where Atlantis was and Akello scowled thoughtfully as he thought about it before shaking his head. "No, she didn't. But I know there's an island of herds to each corner of the crossing so there's only so many choices. I know where Salem is so that leaves three more islands." She mentioned knowing a good escort and he chuckled. "You sure do. I can find out. My mother is from Luthien and she spends a lot of time there so she can point out where that island is. She might even know the other two islands so shouldn't take much to find out." He was proud of his investigator skills. When he teased her about napping on top fo the mountain, she asked where better to nap and he smirked. "As long as you don't roll off the edge." The mare stepped lightly to the side to let him lead and he moved past her, giving her room while being careful of where he stepped. He didn't know how much he trusted any of these paths.

When he asked what destinations she had in mind, he kept an ear flicked back to hear her answer. She admitted she didn't want to stay on the crossing too long and he nodded in understanding. "It is beautiful here on the crossing. I've heard of horses that live here, but I don't think it's for herd animals, at least not long term." She confessed that she wanted to see other islands and see how much of the stories she heard was true. He perked up, turning his head a little as he kept walking. "So you've heard stories of the islands? Anything juicy?" He said with a little smirk as his eyes twinkled with curiosity. She then asked what made him so curious and he shrugged a little. "Probably just a coming-of-age sort of thing. I'm not chained to Salem or anything so I want to see what else there is to see. Maybe I'll find a reason to call some other place home and I know my father would understand. He doesn't expect me to take over the desert from him or anything. I'm free to choose my own path so when I settle for something, I want no doubt or regret to come back to haunt me later."

The path started to widen up ahead and he smiled to himself as the mare stepped more to his side. He easily adapted his pace to match hers so they could walk side by side. Vesna grew more quiet and thoughtful as they got closer to the peak. Not wanting to intrude on her personal thoughts, he took the time to look around and really appreciate the beauty of the surroundings as they moved along. He wasn't in a rush for this interaction to end but he didn't want to push his company on the mare anymore than she wanted it. He had no idea where he would go from here, but he felt like the possibilities were endless.