As they headed up the trail, Mark got the distinct impression that Sassy knew exactly where she was going. That was good, as long as they kept the horses secure, he'd be able to find his way back in case anything happened. And that eventuality was also why Mark had packed his handgun as well as a rifle. The two of them had joked before the trip to Canada that he might have to fend off bears, and as they wended their way up the mountain, Mark began to think that was more than a possibility. And who the hell knew what effect this -- whatever this would turn out to be -- would have on Jimmy.
It seemed that the sweat lodge ritual had deeply effected his friend. There was a kind of disconnect between what was said and going on around him and whatever was going on in the younger man's head. Mark just went with it. He knew from his own experiences how such spiritual tests could effect a person for quite some time, and Jimmy was only part way through his journey. "I don't know, but I appreciate it." Mark grinned back only partly suppressing a chuckle of his own. "I don't know, bruh, but as long as nothing worse than a bear or two, I'll be good." He patted the rifle. Not that he intended to kill anything, let alone a bear, but a few shots fired into the air should scare them off.
His own thoughts drifted to his vision and that he had 'spoken' with the snake on his arm. He had always hated that thing, that thing that kept him alive, but Hadrian had told him that it hated its existence as much as he did. He found that he didn't hate it quite as much. A shared sentence, perhaps? But there was something else it had said that while it didn't give hope, made him think about this curse from a different angle. He shook his head, forcing his thoughts to the present, to the mountain, and to Jimmy. His own small revelation could wait until he'd had a chance to talk to Stelios.
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It seemed that the sweat lodge ritual had deeply effected his friend. There was a kind of disconnect between what was said and going on around him and whatever was going on in the younger man's head. Mark just went with it. He knew from his own experiences how such spiritual tests could effect a person for quite some time, and Jimmy was only part way through his journey. "I don't know, but I appreciate it." Mark grinned back only partly suppressing a chuckle of his own. "I don't know, bruh, but as long as nothing worse than a bear or two, I'll be good." He patted the rifle. Not that he intended to kill anything, let alone a bear, but a few shots fired into the air should scare them off.
His own thoughts drifted to his vision and that he had 'spoken' with the snake on his arm. He had always hated that thing, that thing that kept him alive, but Hadrian had told him that it hated its existence as much as he did. He found that he didn't hate it quite as much. A shared sentence, perhaps? But there was something else it had said that while it didn't give hope, made him think about this curse from a different angle. He shook his head, forcing his thoughts to the present, to the mountain, and to Jimmy. His own small revelation could wait until he'd had a chance to talk to Stelios.