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Jericho knew what pulled him into the mountains. He’d been avoiding them, trying to outrun the feeling, the sharp pang in his chest every time he so much as glanced towards their dark silhouette against the horizon. It was homesickness. Eager as he was for this new adventure and as much time as he’s spent exploring these new lands, he could not help but think of the home he’d left behind. The crisp alpine air, the sweet valley grass, the rocky slopes he used to roam and spar and tumble upon with his young comrades…memories came rushing back at the mere sight of the peaks, and he found himself constantly sighing and turning away at their aching familiarity.
But today, the promise of familiarity won out over wistfulness, and he set out to survey this still-unknown corner of Novus. It was not an easy ascent, but the young stallion could not help feeling exhilarated as he climbed. Jericho had grown up scrambling amongst the rocks like this, and as a result, he was quite agile on this terrain. A loose rock here and there was nothing to worry about in his eyes; it didn’t unnerve him to walk along a narrow ledge or to watch a pebble bounce and echo down sudden steep drops. What did alarm him, however, was the rumble of the stone beneath his feet as the earth bucked unexpectedly. He’d never felt an earthquake, and he stood stock still, head thrown back and nostrils flared long after the shaking subsided. What had that been, the young warrior wondered, taken aback. Was that normal here?
He considered abandoning the climb, but when several minutes had passed and nothing happened, he shook his head softly and decided to go on. He proceeded with much more caution, creeping slowly towards the summit with careful steps. It was in this manner he came across the girl.
She’s still, so still that he guessed she must not have heard him approach. Her eyes were closed, and for a moment he hesitated, not sure if he should disturb her. In the end though, curiosity overwhelmed him, and Jericho cleared his throat softly. “Hello,” he called, voice echoing slightly off the mountain cliffs despite his attempt not to startle her, “Are you all right?”
"speech"
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