Arodion,
Lion of Ithilien
Played by Naboo
It could be that when he looked towards Abe, staring at his large red eyes, that what resonated deeply within him was something earnest, something that he could only feel with his gut versus put into words. His smile once more reached his eyes tenderly, crinkling the edges and his voice picked up an almost joking undertone, the ridges of his brows furrowing slightly as a small laugh escaped his lips. "Maybe they know something we don't know." He knew the stories of ghosts and the whispers that had long plagued this land sounded like blasphemy, and he didn't know why he himself believed them. It was something almost endearing for him to look forward to, something that could be tangible and also never exist in the same breath; the mystery kept him on his toes just enough.

As he picked up stride alongside Abe he felt the waters wax and wane at his ankles, sometimes rising above and sometimes barely existing beneath his paws, he began to talk and lose track of where they were heading. The sound of his own voice began to lull him into a false sense of security, and deep within the mountain unbeknownst to them something was brewing. "I grew up on the ghost stories. To be honest I don't know if they were meant to scare me as a child into being good, or if there was any truth behind them." A strange fondness and warmth overcame his voice, and though they were walking forward down an uneven and murky path, occasionally he looked towards his companion in full. "They say that there is a mischievous being who roams Aesseldar, those blessed enough to have experienced his meddling usually come out unscathed," Emphasis was gently placed on 'usually' "though sometimes they are not as lucky, as though the lands themselves turn against you and nothing will stop the inevitable."

How silly he sounded like some wide-eyed child, but that mystery and that love of those tales was still evident in his voice now. Little did he know what would await them in a few steps, within a few minutes, but before the end of their journey here. But not yet... not yet... still he walked on at Abe's side, his pace beginning to slow though only because the waters were beginning to thicken into more of a mud than the murky water that it had been up to now. "I guess it's too late to turn back and see those crocs hm?"

@Abraham
ooc: no worries mine fluctuate! I think yours are actually still long some just look shorter bc of the font styling lol
art by munk, code by naboo