Ursa shied. Erik felt like an idiot for a heartbeat, a little tug. Right, she's not any of the others that were always around. She's not family, or sorta-family, something he's grateful for. He can't be annoying like tha-- oh no, she was smiling now. Phew. Maybe he could be at least a little annoying like that. He's grateful for the inky darkness of his coat and maybe even his resting bitch face... one that breaks as he offers a little smile as well. Shoot, can't look... soft.
He takes it all in-- the smell of the air, damp and soggy. The way the earth beneath his paws feels. It's different here, silty. Not like the rocky soil of the mountain, not the deep and well-drained soil that the bamboo liked. This is different, though the lush greenery speaks volumes. The land here was good, as far as Erik could tell. He'd picked up enough things, especially with the amount that dad had been talking about good land. Erik doesn't understand his father's desire to have good land beneath his feet. Maybe he would, in time.
Kotori? Erik's head cocked to the side. "Da'says's Aslatiel. Monument Rapids." The boy's brow knit, furrowed. He sniffed at the sandy earth for a moment, trying to sort out quite which way they were going. With Ursa looking at him for a sense of leadership, the boy had to make a choice. In a direction that was decidedly not east and not west, he tossed his head. Forward. They were going forward, and he could only hope forward was north. With the river on their left side, Erik began to lead the way forward, gaze bright on the world around them.
"Speech"
Warning: posts from this character often involve body horror.
Erik has a Norwegian forest cat that is assumed with him at all times.
