Riddle Heights in this place

She marched steadily up the path until she hit a plateau, the flat ground easier to rest on. Sides heaving, she lowered onto her haunches, maw agape and tongue lolling in a lazy pant. She was in no hurry, and had no interest in pressing too far. If she could scout out the area over a period of days, that would be just fine for her.

Pointing her muzzle upwind, she narrowed her eyes against the breeze, heavy lidded and relaxed. There was nothing more pleasant than the cool mountain breeze, the cool mountain air thin and familiar to breathe in. She had spent some time by the sea, at one point, and disliked how heavy the air felt, how tangible it seemed within her lungs. Up on her perch, she was happy.

Though she could see over to the west, she longed to find what lay in the east. There was a whole wide world that she had never explored. She had, hopefully, an entire life to live. That being said, she knew she had to be patient. One step at a time she reminded herself, slowly rolling her shoulders, a ghost of a smile crossing her maw.

(This post was last modified: Sep 01, 2017, 11:51 PM by Muses.)

Things were…were they improving? She still hadn’t found hide nor hair of Heigen or Iyes, but Pyriel and Tinley seemed to be settling in okay. The former was even helping her fill the caches! And Abbadon seemed to be settling in well. That left Eiran. She didn’t know the older wolf very well, but he led once, and it left the strawberry blond female wondering if he wouldn’t want to again. Of course, she didn’t doubt Greer and his abilities, but—

Well, a wolf could never be too careful.

So she patrolled. And when she didn’t patrol, she went on little hunts, so there were always caches for hungry wolves – her daughter included. She hoped to take Revon on her first hunts soon. Soon. When she was just a little bigger.

The thoughts soon vanished from her mind, a stranger appearing up on a perch – it wasn’t the same male she’d run into before. This was a pale wolf, a female even, and curiosity quickly took over. Ember!? Kyna chuffed as she loped forward, ears strained forward. “Ember?” she called for her friend, tail wagging eagerly – her second had come home! Her second had—

Oh.

Oh.

“I’m sorry! You look-- Very much like my friend!”

A wild dissertation appears!

She turned her head sharply, ears swiveling to the sound of a voice calling out. It was not indended for her – the name wss unfamiliar – but the wolf ran to her nonethess, banner waving wildly. Her eyes widened, and she shirked back, pinning her copper ears to hee crown. It was then they locked eyes, and a look of shock crossing her face.

Muses gave a soft yelp, and took a step back, hackles raised, but it quickly became apparent that the stranger was not going in for an attack. Instead, she stopped abruptly, apologizing and trying to explain. The pale canine offered a small, awkward but understanding smile. "I get that a lot." She was honest, for all her full sisters looked remarkably similar.

“Oh…really? I’ve only ever met one wolf that looked like that. Like you.”

Only Ember… If they were at all related, the woman would have assumed the stranger to speak up. Her second had left to find a missing sister, but this couldn’t be here. (Which was probably for the best, for Kyna had no idea what she’d do if she found the missing Renier, and not the one she wanted.) She sighed softly, shaking her head at her own wishful thinking. Wasn’t she trying to be more of an adult now? Ember would come back when her affairs were settled and she was ready. Until then, it was Kyna’s job to keep Aurora Heights together.

“So – what are you doing up here? Not many wolves venture so far up my mountain.”

And indeed, it was her mountain. Maybe the Aurora pack wasn’t able to maintain the territory that spread across the plateau and the slopes, but in Kyna’s mind, it was her mountain. It was the moment she’d stepped off it all those seasons ago, after Phineas died, it was when she lived among the trees, and it was even now, now that she was finally home.

But that was true. Not many wolves came up here without a reason.

A wild dissertation appears!

She blinked, trying to process a world without snowy wolves. It completely bewildered her that such a thing could exist, yet here she was, obviously the alien. Worse still, she was trespassing! Muses flattened her ears further still, her smile thinning out into a tense line of worry. It seemed that she had missed the scent markings completely, although in hindsight, it did make sense that one would rule over an entire mountain. Her father had done it.

"I beg your forgiveness, it was my mistake to trespass." She bowed her head meekly, worried and apologetic. If it came to a fight, she dare not think of what would become of her. Despite a natrual athleticism, she was clumsy, and utterly uneducated in self defense. "I meant only to admire a place that reminds me so strongly of my birthland." Indeed, she felt nostalgic, and perhaps even a little homesick from time to time.

The possibility of having to turn away so soon sent a pang of guilt through her chest. If only she could pay homage to a place she once loved! Her tail dipped, pressing tightly against her body. The very idea broke her heart.

“Oh! Oh, you’re quite alright. My pack is further up, yet.”

They weren’t quite at the top, after all, because that was where Aurora Heights lay – but it was close, wasn’t it? The thin air, the scent of ozone, the pine trees lining the heights, it was everything that made up her home. It was the only home she ever wanted – and so she could understand whatever nostalgia had taken the smaller female. They even seemed to be close in age, and considering how often she found herself caught between her puppyhood wishes and her new responsibilities, she assumed it was the truth.

So the alpha gave a friendly wag of her tail before she sat, content to enjoy the mountain with someone who could clearly appreciate it.

“You’re welcome to stay here, if you want. As I said, my pack is a bit further up. We aren’t very large, so another wolf in the area won’t put any stress on us.” Her tail swept across the ground, sweeping stones and dust. Greer didn’t love the mountain like she did. He respected it, and that was good enough. But the mountain was special. “What’s your name? I’m Kyna Argyris Archer, and my pack is Aurora Heights.”

(This post was last modified: Sep 02, 2017, 02:04 AM by Kyna.)

A wild dissertation appears!

A sigh of relief slipped past her ebony lips, shoulders relaxing. "It is still taking me some time to adjust to this area." She apologized by way of explanation, giving her heavy tail a gentle shake. All mountain wolves, she assumed, seemed to have the same passion and healthy respect for the land. It lent itself to a sense of familiarity that warmed her heart, reminding her to hold tight to all those small joys. "My name is Muses Synesthesia," She offered with a dip of her maw, finding it easier and easier to attach a surname to her name. By now, the name 'Muses' almost fit her like a second skin. "My birthplace, where I have traveled from, was one of the biggest mountains along the range. I could never imagine myself living far away from them." And so she had returned, obeying the invisible force that drew her in.

"Mount Olympia, my father had called it, although when I left, I had heard others call it something else." She explained in her odd lilt, not quite understanding what that implied. The secrets of her family were, perhaps, better left uncovered. It was a past she could no longer return to, so she could not focus too much on it. Every day, she strove to live for the present, in only so that one day, she might be able to look towards a more certain future.

"Aurora Heights is a good name, I think." It reminded her of staring out at the black night sky, watching shimmering ribbons of the northern lights dance overhead, snaking and shimmering in minutes, sometimes hours, of magic. Briefly, she wondered if it would look the same at the top of that mountain, too. "Is there anything that lays on the other side of the mountain." She piped up suddenly, looking up towards its towering tip.

“It’s nice to meet you, Muses.”

At least manners had never been difficult for the young redhead, not once she’d gotten over her shyness in approaching strangers. It was, perhaps, still not her favorite activity, but she’d grown a far way from the little ginger puppy that Greer had found tucked underneath the lonely stump. So she allowed the girl to talk, suddenly all chatter, now that they shared their mutual love for the mountain air. On some level, it was nice to know that there were other mountain packs out their somewhere – it wasn’t just her father or their familial love for cold ozone and rocks beneath their paws.

“We named the pack for the lights. We saw them, founding it. When we found the plateau again, too. This is where I grew up.”

Would Phineas be proud to know his last-born child, his bastard child, was the one to return to Riddle Heights and raise a pack in the memory of what he’d created under the silent moon? She certainly hoped so. “Oh, the other side? The forest continues. There are several more packs. My mother’s is in the oak forest, my best friend has a pack just south of that.” Orange eyes twinkled. Never let anyone accuse Kyna of failing to make connections. “Planning on exploring instead of sticking around?”

A wild dissertation appears!

Her eyes glittered with awe as she listened to Kyna summarize the origin story of her pack. Copper ears leaned forward with clear interest, her focus solely on her company. Having the strength to found a pack was amazing, she thought. Unlike the memebers of her family, these wolves had taken control of their own fate. Even the packs were different; smaller, yet more diverse.

Somewhat surprised to hear that the world continued on along the other side of the mountain, she remained silent, processing this new tidbit of information. How vast the earth was! She could not believe that she had been confined to a single area all her life. "You know so many wolves outside of your own pack!" She commented, clearly impressed.

At the wolf's next question, Muses shook her head, a rueful smile crossing her lips. "As much as I would love to continue exploring, I must return home." She was not required to immediately head back, but she knew her time spent beyond her own pack borders would be limited. "I've traveled a very long way to get here, so I'm unfamiliar with this area. My alpha has graciously granted me permission to familiarize myself with this place." Discovering that wolves lives within a short traveling distance was rather exciting. There was enough resources that they need not remain weeks away from each other. "I wish I could go everywhere and see everything all at once." The pale canine revealed, a dreamy expression crossing her face. Everything was so different from what she knew, she felt like an alien that had landed on another planet.

“Ah, I grew up in a couple of different packs. Some of them still exist now.” The one her mother was currently leading, for example. If Aponi had never taken the lead, there was a distinct possibility that the fiery blonde might still be down amongst the trees, instead of on the mountain she so loved. She might not have reunited with Greer – and if she was still down there, then she was quite certain she’d not have little Revon. Life would certainly be quite different, and she could confidently say she could not call the life she might have had ‘better’.

It was nice not to wonder ‘what if’, for once.

“Ah, your alpha is very generous!” Travelling as a brand new member? Kyna wasn’t sure she’d have granted someone those same permissions. “Do you mind me asking which pack you are from? Is it the one down at the lake? I haven’t had the chance to familiarize with the wolves down there yet. My daughter is still quite young, and my mate has done the most of the…socializing since she was born.”

Heh. Greer, socializing? Wasn’t that a hilarious thought. She’d have to run it by him once she’d returned to the grounds of Aurora Heights proper.

A wild dissertation appears!