Like a Stone

As soon as Vale was coherent enough to walk without stumbling forward on his face, Elias matched him in the will to leave. They needed to get out of the dunes before Vale started to suffer from possible heat stroke, as Elias' pelt was thinner but even he was beginning to feel the dizziness that usually came first from the sweltering sun. He grabbed the ram skull he had been carrying with him, holding on to it very firmly with its horn in the grasp of his teeth as he rushed after Vale. He wanted to spend more time with Lirim, and that left him with a very conflicted feeling growing within him the farther they moved away from the West.

Every so often, his neck would twist and his eyes would find the horizon behind him. He wondered if Hailey would tell Zuriel he was nearby, or if she would come looking for him again. He hoped not, as he had every intention of returning to her as soon as he could. Elias rushed ahead of the wounded brute in his company and issued a low testing growl if Vale decided to protest against him taking the lead on their journey. Elias had no time for arguing, and he knew exactly where to leave Vale for the night. The nearest caves would suffice as a place for Vale to rest, and the way these caves caught every little noise of what was outside- he knew Vale would be safe within them.

He doubted the brute would be able to keep up with him to take the lead away from him but expected Vale to be stubborn enough to try. The lean figure of the marred up gray wolf remained in fluid movement as he healthily ran in front of Vale, just out of reach as if taunting him to keep up. He would turn and stare at him, smirk plagued over his black lips from around that ram horn as he continued his little game of keep away until they neared the entrance of the caves.

He slowed down and disappeared into the shadowing light of the entrance, his nose keen and his ears upright and alert as he waited for any signs of other lifeforms within. If he had to fight for the walls of this sanctuary, he was prepared. He needed to be able to clear it and leave Vale here for the night so he could return to his matters in the West, and the look of determination radiated from every fiber of his being.