She climbed slowly, determinedly up the rather minimal incline, flat rocks jutting out from the surface to provide a series of steps for her. After a few minutes, the Tainn girl paused, looking down at Riddle Heights a little anxiously. Was this really the best of ideas? Aw, nevermind that, it hardly mattered! This would make her stronger and she needed to be stronger as opposed to constantly relying on her elder siblings. Though, maybe she should have held off, gotten a bit of lunch first or something... No, no that was just plain stupid—now she was just being a scaredy-cat. <b style="color:#125d7c;">“I just gotta stop bein' a baby,” she told herself resolutely, brows furrowing as she turned her back to the forest below and aimed her sights for something more, something greater. Instead of a destination, however, hooved animals dominated her vision, making their way most elegantly up the mountain. The seemed to have little trouble finding good footing or moving quickly at the peculiar angle, and Junai's ears pulled back most childishly, leaving her to pout, <b style="color:#125d7c;">“That ain't faaaair.” She remained still for the moment, envying their prowess at simply walking and at the same time admiring the odd grace they possessed.

Straightening most indignantly at his words, Junai looked back to the small herd most stubbornly. <b style="color:#125d7c;">“No. Why, don’t you think I can?” she retorted stiffly, though she was uncertain she really wanted an answer to the question… Of course, the monochromatic male seemed hardly the sort to dish out insults, which was certainly a relief. Not to mention, he wasn’t part of Swift River, so he couldn’t walk around like he owned the place like her brothers. (Not that she didn’t love them, but she had noticed that the two highest rankings in the pack were given to men—sexism at it’s finest, in her childish opinion.) Either way, looking back to him, she replied lightly, <b style="color:#125d7c;">“I bet I could catch one, though; my brother’s gave me hunting tips just the other day. I mean, they can’t be much stronger or faster than a deer, can they?” Leave it to Junai to look at something entirely ridiculous as a perfectly plausible goal. She gave the goats a sideways glance before looking back to him, looking as if she wished to bolt after them but being respectful enough to wait and hear his thoughts on the matter.

Whatever—her attention shifted to the mountain goats, which were far more interesting than him, whether he was bathing or not! While she asked for his advice on the matter of perhaps hunting the beasties, Junai didn't really care for his advice. Perhaps if he were Indru or Ruiko... But, nope, he was just some random stranger—what did he know about hunting, huh? Giving a dismissive flick of her tail, Junai started her slow ascent up the mountain. She paused upon finding what she believed to be steady ground and looked back to him, saying most confidently, <b style="color:#125d7c;">“You a scaredy-cat? I think a baby lynx has more courage than you!” She paused, grinning down at him most jeeringly, secretly hoping he'd follow. Yeah, he was annoying, but Junai had always found verbally harassing others to be fun... Not to mention, she was curious, though she hardly cared to admit this fact, so she kept it to herself. <b style="color:#125d7c;">“C'mon, Weldering Darksidy, I wanna go kick one of those mocking jerks' butts!” She turned then, following the path the creatures had made, glancing back every now and again to make sure her new acquaintance was keeping up.

In any case, she paused and took a single step back, narrowing the distance between them to little more than a foot. <b style="color:#125d7c;">“I'd surprise them, sneak up on 'em; they wouldn't know what hit him. See, we'd be havin' nice conversation and theeennn..” One of her hind legs lifted and she jerked it back quickly, her paw kicking (more like tapping), his foreleg. It hardly painful, but she hoped it did, for she amended, <b style="color:#125d7c;">“Bam! I've showed them who's the head honcho around here. Understand?” Perhaps he could use the move to his advantage on the goats, because he didn't seem capable of fighting—he seemed more the "grin stupidly while tagging along" type, which wasn't exactly an insult but was hardly a compliment, either. Moving forward confidently, dismissing his doubts and insults entirely, pale eyes seeking out goats that seemed to have disappeared thanks to someone taking forever to get his tushie in gear. Puzzled, she remarked aloud, <b style="color:#125d7c;">“Well, hmm... They ran off. I guess they were afraid, huh? What now, though?” She turned slowly so as to face him, uncertain as to what to do after so epically failing at their mission.

It was only when she turned around and looked for the goats that she realized that, oops, Weldering had been right. She turned back around, appearing more willing to listen to his advice while he appeared... distracted. <b style="color:#125d7c;">“Eh?” She turned her head back around, trying to understand what he was talking about. It was then that she spotted the dark indent within the rock wall and, puzzled, she stepped closer to it. That wasn't familiar—that wasn't familiar at all! It was not often that she even bothered to venture past Riddle Heights, but one would think that she would have seen the place before or perhaps heard of it. Hmm... <b style="color:#125d7c;">“I wonder if there are any bears in there...” It seemed a big cave as she took another couple steps closer, big enough for a grizzly... Did they like caves? Black bears liked trees, she knew, but Junai had never had any real desire to figure out where a grizzly bear might dwell and for good reason. In spite of herself, even Junai Tainn sounded uncertain at the idea of encountering a grizzly bear. <b style="color:#125d7c;">“Uh... Be a man, Weldering, you go first!”