Started from the bottom

It had taken a couple of days to get here, but he certainly wouldn't complain after traveling through the north. Perhaps the extended winter they had all endured had made him even more sensitive to the cold, but seeing the ice and snow again had not been something he enjoyed. After meeting with Fireside, he and Artorias stayed the night in the Whistling Willows before beginning to make their way further into the west. He certainly didn't want to pass through the heart of the desert, so he opted to take the extra time to go through Whisper's Gorge, down to Traveler's Lake, skirting around the edge between Sand River and Illusions Oasis. That leg of the trip had taken them a full day and part of the way into the next and he set up camp for them at the oasis so that they could reach Valhalla in the morning.

Now into the eighth day of their travels, he led the way to the border around Valhalla. It was one of the only packs that he was actually certain of who they would meet and a little smirk pulled across his lips when they stopped along the markers. "Why don't you do the honors this time, Artorias?" he asked, giving his Baron a nod toward the pack in front of them. "Aurielle might recognize my voice so at least this way it'll be a surprise." He chuckled softly, clearly in better spirits now that he knew they were in the final stretch of their trip and simply because he was more certain about seeing a friendly face.

Ulric Adravendi