Come down, come down sweet reverence

While Jynn still couldn't make out all of the symbols that ran across the page she was starting to get some ideas based on the frequency of symbols. She also realized that a bunch of pages were missing from the journal. This had put her in a bit of a down mood but she tried not to let it damper her plans. She was still going to try and figure out what the location was that this page was referring to. There was one symbol in particular that looked familiar to something she'd seen in Auster but she was struggling to remember where.

Oh well it was high time she paid Auster another visit. She packed up her things and started the journey, wandering through a number of territories before settling at the lake at the base of Aspen Dam. She stretched out her paws into the water, splashing a little to cool her aching feet.

Nami had never felt quite so aimless. Originally she'd left home to break free from obligation, to live freely and to be true to herself; but lately her lack of direction felt alienating rather than freeing. She feared that the Long Night had taken more from her than she realized until recently. The thought struck her that she was merely a shell of who she once was - and she wasn't content with that thought. It was time to find a sense of purpose. Whatever that might be she wasn't sure, but she was eager to find out. She journeyed farther south than she'd ever gone before, feeling reinvigorated. Auster's autumnal weather helped in her mood, a slight reprieve from the warmer spring temperatures that had begun to creep into Boreas. Wandering through the grove of aspen trees, her brisk pace slowed when she caught the scent of another creature not far off from her. Interesting in exploring further she pressed on, finally catching sight of the maned wolf wading at the base of the dam. A wide smile broke out across her features, entirely genuine, as she called out to her. "Afternoon!" Came her exuberant greeting, her nub of a tail beginning to wiggle behind her as she made to close the distance between the two of them. "How's the water today?" No matter how cold, it was always a good day for a swim, Nami knew that much.

Come down, come down sweet reverence

Jynn patted the water with her paws, watching the ripples and listening to the birds as they sang and flitted about, preparing for the eventual winter. It always surprised her the way the seasons between Auster and Boreas were flipped. That was something to keep in mind. Her large ears swiveled and she turned her head to see what was headed her way only to see Nami. Her tail started to wag and she scrambled to her feet. "Hey there, Nami! It's good to see you again! It's a bit cold but it feels good on my feet. It's taken me awhile to get back down here. How have you been?"

Embarrassingly, she had to admit that at first she hadn't recognized Jynn, but as soon as she got closer it all came flooding back to her. It'd been years since she'd seen the maned wolf but they'd spent a fair amount of time together, exploring some of the islands around the region. And what an adventure they'd had! Already smiling, her expression only brightened further as she drew closer, pausing as she got closer to the dam. "Jynn!" She exclaimed, sounding surprised but clearly delighted at the surprise reunion. Maybe seeing an old friend was exactly what she needed to get her head screwed on straight. There'd been enough sulking around for a lifetime; even though it was just a simple reunion, everything suddenly seemed so much brighter. "I've been better, but I can't complain. Life's been a bit stagnant these days, but no worry, things are getting better," she added hurriedly, shaking her head. The last thing she wanted to do was make someone worry about her, especially if they didn't need to. Maybe heading back south to Auster had been a good idea after all. "How about you? Have you been well? I'm so glad to see you again!

Come down, come down sweet reverence

Nami explained that her life had been a bit stagnant lately but that things were getting better. Jynn could understand that feeling. It was part of what lead her to constantly wander. She couldn't stand boredom or the idea of a static life. Jynn grinned. "Doing good all things consider. Had my fair share of aimless wandering, but you're never going to guess what I found!" Her tail started wagging rapidly as she bounded over to a rock where she kept a piece of hide that held her sparse belongings. Jynn made a quick mental note to find a proper pack before grabbing the parchment and racing back to Nami.

Jynn dropped the parchment and used her paws to flip through the few pages to the one that seemed to be a piece of a map. "I think it's a treasure map!"

Nami was happy to move on and talk about other things, not the type to dwell on bad feelings for long at all. Just because she felt restless and a little down about it didn't mean anyone else needed to hear about it. Her ears swiveled forward when Jynn spoke, implying that she'd found something interesting. Now that really piqued her interest. Her eyes widened as she watched Jynn go to retrieve something, returning back to her with the parchment and unraveling it. A treasure map? Now that was something she'd never seen before! Even if Jynn was just messing with her, Nami was immediately drawn in, eyes scouring the map and trying to make sense of it. It didn't look like much of anything at a glance but she supposed that was how maps worked. It'd take awhile to start making sense of it and figuring out where the landmarks were. "You think it really leads to treasure?" The interest in her voice was obvious. Even if Jynn wasn't inviting her to help find it, and it didn't seem like she necessarily was, Nami was already invested in this little (or maybe it was a big) adventure. She had no way of knowing.

Come down, come down sweet reverence

Jynn beamed at Nami proudly. It was the find of her lifetime and even if it didn't lead to even a hill of beans she was eager for the journey. Nami asked if she really thought it lead to treasure. Jynn simply shrugged. "No idea! It probably leads to a bunch of human artifacts but some of those might be cool. One of my companions said his grandfather was on the expedition the map was based on. Supposedly the leader of the expedition, Stalwart Paw, studied humans and was gathering up objects to take back but he never returned. So there might be some interesting things to uncover. But honestly? I'm most excited for the journey and adventure. My life's been feeling stale of late."

After finishing her goal of exploring all the lands of Auster and Boreas she'd become a bit aimless. She had friends here and there but they'd all seemed to have their own things going on. Things which involved packs she wasn't interested in joining. "What do you think? Would you want to come along?"

There was more to it then it just being a map, then. Jynn said she knew someone who's grandfather was on the expedition the map was based on. Cool! Already her interest had been piqued but suddenly it was solidified entirely. "Fascinating," she breathed, sounding awestruck at the idea. She agreed with Jynn's sentiments completely. "Mine has been too. AN adventure sounds great," Nami said, a little wistfully, since the map was not her own. But she didn't have to feel envious for long, not when Jynn was inviting her along. It was an offer she had hoped for but hadn't exactly expected. Her features light up, and she nodded enthusiastically. "I'd love to! Do you have anyone else who'd be joining us?" Nami had met plenty of wolves in Boreas but none she really considered good friends, not enough to invite anyone along with them.

Come down, come down sweet reverence

Jynn watched Nami's expression change, her grin growing wider as Nami explained that an adventure sounded good to her and she was up to tag along. "Yay! Yes, adventures are always more fun with friends and whether we find something or not it's a good excuse to travel and get more familiar with the lands around here." If there was one thing Jynn had learned it was that there was always more to see.

Nami asked about others to join them. Her ears dipped down as she looked sheepishly at the other woman. "Well, I'd really like to find more explorers to join us, I just haven't been able to get much traction yet. There are a few who are thinking about it but I haven't got a solid yes or no. Do you know of anyone that might be interested?"

Jynn was completely right, adventures were more fun with friends. And while she wouldn't be disappointed if the treasure proved to not be real, at the same time she felt hopeful about it, sure there had to be something to Jynn's map. If not she wouldn't be upset with the journey but she was willing to bet that the treasure was real, or at least wouldn't be a complete waste of time. There had to be something to it! "I don't know anyone who'd be interested but I'll keep an eye out!" Nami wished she could say she had no idea how someone wouldn't want to go treasure hunting, but she knew a lot of wolves preferred a much more rigid, structured life like the one she'd grown up in and had consequently ran away from. "Think you'll be hanging around here awhile? So I know where to find you?" Hopefully she wouldn't have to look too far to find Jynn once they had a group read to get going on this little treasure hunting journey.

Come down, come down sweet reverence

Jynn was pleased that Nami would keep an eye out for anyone interested. It was proving difficult to find interested parties but Jynn was sure they'd get there eventually. Maybe she was just coming on to strong and others thought she was trying to con them? It was hard to say but she'd speak with Tahmores and Sævor about her approach and maybe they could get something worked out. There had to be more explorers in these lands, they probably just kept to themselves most of the time.

"I don't really hang around in one spot for long, especially as I'm trying to recruit some others. However, I'll make a point to stop back at the cove at the start of each season and give you an update."