roll the chariot along

Things changed, and things stayed the same.  Erik needs to get a better lay of the land, needs to get a better idea of what goes on up here.  Though he was familiar enough with some of the neighbors, certainly not all of them.  Was he still the same boy that had wandered the mountains as a kid, the same boy as only a year ago?  The same, different, the same. 

There are too many heavy  thoughts, too many heavy things.  Things that drive him from bed, though the moon hangs high in the sky.  Stepping down from the steep mountain, well-concealed by the starry night.  The climb down is one he knows well, even on the less-used north side of the mountain.  The mines up this way were dangerous, but his vision is already adjusted to the nighttime darkness anyway. 

Carefully, Erik picks his way around the outer tunnels.  Not wanting to jump in just yet, but curious as he wanders.  Aimless.  Maybe if he wills his head clear, it'll be so. 


"Speech"