"I know you warned me against coming here, Keira, but it seems I didn't have much choice," Icarus spoke aloud, only the wind serving as his audience.
The air here varied in its toxicity, but overall, it was inconvenient to breathe. He tore a portion of cloth, wet it with some water, and tied it around his face, effectively serving as a filter against the dust and poisoned atmosphere of the Sarchu Valley. He couldn't believe there were those that chose to dwell out here despite the fact it was a trade route connecting north to south. Icarus was now forced to travel east to west, hoping the distance would not prove too great for his recovering body.
Perhaps two days of travel and he expected he could make it safely enough. Bandits were a concern, but the predators and larger game that came at night were his real concern. If he were set upon by a group of them, it would prove problematic. He could probably hold them off, but if they chose to attack again after he became weary, there likely would not be much he could do.
The sun was scarcely visible overhead as it descended against the horizon. The particulates of dust and poisonous gasses intermingled and glowed iridescently as the sun would have brought the steadily changing night upon the world with its beautiful change of colors from red to darker shades of cobalt and violet. With all the interferece from the particles, it gave the appearance of a borealis effect, making this time one of the most beautiful he had witnessed in a long time despite the danger the land presented.
An eruption of the land ahead brought forth more gasses and Icarus was forced to divert his path and turn slightly, mentally counting in his head the number of paces he took and at what angle he had gone. He was able to correct and adjust his path well enough and the last traces of the sun aided him further in stabilizing his path. He didn't wish to travel too far off course to minimize the amount of time he was exposed to the dangers of the area.
An hour into the evening and he spotted something strange ahead. Some animal form appeared to have collapsed on the path before him and although he took a cautious approach, he still wished to investigate. As he came upon the form, he noticed it was a wolf, a rather large one to boot. Were it to stand on its paws, it would likely rise high enough to reach his chest and were it to stand on its hind legs it would probably reach his height. He was thankful he didn't have to fight it, but the animal was still alive.
Its breathing was labored, indicating it was slowly giving in to the call of death that was coming for it. Icarus, rather than choosing to kill it outright as an act of mercy, chose instead to kneel beside it, producing a spare waterskin that he likely wouldn't need in his travel across this land. With a heavy shrug, he cradled its head in one arm, opening its massive mouth haphazardly as he used his mouth to pull the cork from the waterskin. Carefully, he inspected its mouth and realized quickly the wolf's peril had resulted from an excessive amount of dust and dirt getting into its mouth, prompting dehydration.
He wasn't usually the sort to take such chances, but something about the wolf and how it seemed out of place here caused him to behave differently. In the tales he had heard of the Sarchu Valley, wolves were not known to roam here. Icarus slowly poured a small amount of water into the wolf's mouth with little reaction. Pausing for a moment, he saw the wolf take a deeper breath and its tongue move slightly, clearing dirt from it as it dragged against its teeth. Another few moments of giving water and the clearing motion and the wolf began to move more, its eyes at last snapping open.
It growled as though it were about to attack and Icarus instinctively released it, backing away slowly as it rose to its feet. Not knowing what to do, the wolf stared at him questioningly. Dropping to a knee, Icarus put his head down, indicating he did not wish to challenge him as animals often communicated with body language. Whimpering as it came up to him, the wolf licked his face, the dirt and debris sticking to him and scratching worse than a house cat.
For what it was worth, it seemed Icarus had made a companion in this wolf. Giving him the rest of the waterskin, the wolf hastily gulped it all down and turned from him, running ahead and barking once as it turned to face him again, indicating it wanted him to follow. Together, the pair set forth again to attempt to finish crossing the valley.
