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Description
This time, he was alone. The Ridge of Elders was his focus, that icy ridge that was sacred space. He had admired it before, in the distance, but have never gone on its icy heights. He had heard too many stories of those who were not "worthy" of the Elders, those who had made the wrong path and had slipped to their deaths. He was determined to not let that happen on his watch. He had heard of the wonders those who survived had experienced. Dreams like none other - dreams that one could only imagine, that happened when their waking eyes were open. Dreams that were dreams, but reality. Real examples of the spirits. Those who had experienced things like these often spoke of them with clear awe in their eyes. Even the lady Spice, who Sea Salt would never have guessed to be a religious tokota, admitted that she had experienced something fantastic. Not there, though, she had said. In the Soul Pool.

Well, he wasn't about to go swimming for a chance at seeing the spirits, but even a heathen could seek the gods.

Up the rocks he climbed, feeling the chill in the air grow as he moved through the fog, knowing he was getting closer with every paw step. Sometimes, he could feel his paws sink into long-forgotten placed where paws had smoothed once-rough rock into slick glass. These times, he would focus on his claws, digging them in and scouring the rock beneath them without a care for history or sanctity. As he did so, every time he would huff, seeing his own breath spread from his body.

Even a heathen could mock the gods.

His voyage took him further up the mountain, and he noticed that while the sky began to darken, the earth beneath him remained a steady colour. Soon, he could sense the sun fading away behind the distant mountains. The cold was palpable now. Any weaker tokota, any tokota used to the comforts of domestic living, any non-wild-born tokota would have needed to find shelter. Not Sea Salt. He strode on, bitter wind cutting into him but not even causing a sigh. Something was changing, he could sense it. The ground seemed to glow the higher he got into the icy ridges. The shadows became darker, more stark against the glow.

Even a heathen could feel the gods.

But this was no god. Its teeth gleamed brilliantly and it swept out of the shadows, jaws agape. Sea Salt sidestepped it and threw his paw into its side, his own fangs bared. It was furry and pure white, with yellow eyes that glared up at the fanged beast. It stumbled before righting itself, scurrying onto the overhang that topped at Sea Salt's shoulder-height. He stiffened, ready to grab at it if it leaped, but instead it stopped and sat, surveying him evenly. He noticed now that it was a wolf, a heavyset creature whose tail had clearly been ripped off and whose ears were tattered.

It grinned at him. He grinned back.

(510 words)

Import link and name (including ID) of Tokota:
Chosen soul animal: Wolf
Prompt (copy pasted from this journal): 10. Your tokota has their first brush with their animal companion. The experience is unforgettable, but the way your tokota interprets this new-found connection is up to you.
Link to HP confirmation: comments.deviantart.com/1/6133… + comments.deviantart.com/1/6133…
Previous tasks:

Description
This time, he was alone. The Ridge of Elders was his focus, that icy ridge that was sacred space. He had admired it before, in the distance, but have never gone on its icy heights. He had heard too many stories of those who were not "worthy" of the Elders, those who had made the wrong path and had slipped to their deaths. He was determined to not let that happen on his watch. He had heard of the wonders those who survived had experienced. Dreams like none other - dreams that one could only imagine, that happened when their waking eyes were open. Dreams that were dreams, but reality. Real examples of the spirits. Those who had experienced things like these often spoke of them with clear awe in their eyes. Even the lady Spice, who Sea Salt would never have guessed to be a religious tokota, admitted that she had experienced something fantastic. Not there, though, she had said. In the Soul Pool.

Well, he wasn't about to go swimming for a chance at seeing the spirits, but even a heathen could seek the gods.

Up the rocks he climbed, feeling the chill in the air grow as he moved through the fog, knowing he was getting closer with every paw step. Sometimes, he could feel his paws sink into long-forgotten placed where paws had smoothed once-rough rock into slick glass. These times, he would focus on his claws, digging them in and scouring the rock beneath them without a care for history or sanctity. As he did so, every time he would huff, seeing his own breath spread from his body.

Even a heathen could mock the gods.

His voyage took him further up the mountain, and he noticed that while the sky began to darken, the earth beneath him remained a steady colour. Soon, he could sense the sun fading away behind the distant mountains. The cold was palpable now. Any weaker tokota, any tokota used to the comforts of domestic living, any non-wild-born tokota would have needed to find shelter. Not Sea Salt. He strode on, bitter wind cutting into him but not even causing a sigh. Something was changing, he could sense it. The ground seemed to glow the higher he got into the icy ridges. The shadows became darker, more stark against the glow.

Even a heathen could feel the gods.

But this was no god. Its teeth gleamed brilliantly and it swept out of the shadows, jaws agape. Sea Salt sidestepped it and threw his paw into its side, his own fangs bared. It was furry and pure white, with yellow eyes that glared up at the fanged beast. It stumbled before righting itself, scurrying onto the overhang that topped at Sea Salt's shoulder-height. He stiffened, ready to grab at it if it leaped, but instead it stopped and sat, surveying him evenly. He noticed now that it was a wolf, a heavyset creature whose tail had clearly been ripped off and whose ears were tattered.

It grinned at him. He grinned back.

(510 words)

Import link and name (including ID) of Tokota:
Chosen soul animal: Wolf
Prompt (copy pasted from this journal): 10. Your tokota has their first brush with their animal companion. The experience is unforgettable, but the way your tokota interprets this new-found connection is up to you.
Link to HP confirmation: comments.deviantart.com/1/6133… + comments.deviantart.com/1/6133…
Previous tasks: