@Rowan

Wanderlust would guide her on a north bound trek, following the gentle curve of the river as it trickled from the mountain. Not in ignorance, but in purpose she had followed the path leading to the source of her divergent path and her deliverance; the mountains she sought that reminded her of home only to feel its base by pain and crippled body. A deeper mind might have assumed this fall was the cause of some higher power, encouraging that the female stay away from the images that symbolized what was now gone. But she could not entertain such thoughts. Not when she believed herself the master of her path and would not allow even nature to divert her from it.

Yet was it not nature that set her on this new path; the potential course that led to the Glen and its inhabitants?

In them, she had only just found what reminded her of the place she held dear. By the smiles of youths ambitious and hopeful for the future, she was gifted with the first glimpse of her own charges now grown and undoubtedly thriving under the care of her siblings. She believed this was so… with her heart, she held this hope. Rather the image of them she had now be of that wonderful future, than the cruel possibility that it might have been the contrary. Both savage and unkind. No. Surely they were well.

Yet this did not keep her from the course towards the mountains, their peaks calling from the distance for bother her adoration and her marvel for their height. Each time she looked upon its face even from a distance, she saw herself dancing upon the forbidding rocks as well as the blurs of her siblings as they commenced a game of chase. Always when she looked to the mountain, was she gifted with the serene visage of home. And so, she could not understand how it had turned to cruel, this mountain to the east. Was she not meant to climb it? Was she not meant to recapture those fond glimpses of a life once had?

Such thoughts were unbecoming in the face of the fortune fate had brought her, yet she could not help what was felt in her heart. Yet she obliged the present by turning away from the past, and laid in a course toward northern-most grounds instead.

Having parted through the Red Fern to stretch out her sense of the land, she came upon a sound discovery apparently hidden from the world. Much like the Glen, it took a careful paw to navigate through the wily growth of nature. But even with a strong sense of direction, it was as though the earth underpaw shifted on a whim, and upon what her eyes beheld, it was with good reason that one would assume so. Water cascading from the atop the rocks and heavy roots of towering trees, as if the earth had suddenly released all the water contained within its pores. Its path was deafening, but none the less beautiful to the bi-colored eyes that observed its course in awe. For a moment, the woman found herself still upon a lower stone beneath the falls. Just watching as the water raced and fed into the streams rolling smoothly below.

@Rowan

The waters were memorizing, a distraction to the mind as it looked upon the scenery in awe at its majesty. The waters had their source, of this she was certain, but the illusion constructed by the heavy roots above their cascade made for a wondrous sight that elicited both a chill and wonder. Could nature make such happenings like this, she wondered. It must have, for it mirrored the strangeness of the unforeseen itself.

Curious, she slipped down from her observation site to better immerse herself in the stirred mist of the falls. It became a shower of sorts, not quite drenching the she-wolf as she followed the course of the river, but a light dampening to her fur in dire need or some form of cleansing. In true wanderer spirit, she let her eyes absorb what they could make of the land, cataloging by sight and smell should she wish to come upon this little haven again. Admittedly, it was a sight of tranquility… and dare she call it an ideal location for her and the young ones to visit when they were ready to learn how to fend themselves on the land. There was moss upon the stones growing steadily on one side to indicate a direction, and the ferns that lined the river were in full bloom, curling and moistened with the spray of the falls. Beneath them were small herbs, nameless to the female but known by their appearance; an option for quick healing should the young find themselves injured on their way back home.

Yes… the grounds could become a lesson in and of itself…

Smiling softly to none the female raised her muzzle to again admire the falls, then suddenly her smile faded as she caught movement from within the mist. Her hackles rose as a dark shape began to emerge from the clouded air. Not a shadow, but a living, breathing thing as she glimpsed the flesh of a dark nose peek through. For a moment, the female said nothing to its presence but watched intently for an indication of hostility…

@Rowan

The shape further drew itself from the mist taking the form of something familiar yet unknown; a lupine youth, assumed by the size of his paws as well as the lack of marring to his face. She had often seen this trait in young wolves; a sign that they had yet to endure the repeated reprimand that came with pack life, or been weathered by the elements as most of their seniors had been. But too was his size; not quite lean but respectably fit, missing only a bit of filling and definition. Yet to his credit, the voice of the youth surprised her, taking one a more grizzled quality than what she had become accustomed to. She looked to the young male with a questioning tilt, not quite ignoring, but setting aside his question for but a moment. Perhaps she had assumed wrong and this male was older than she had anticipated. Regardless, it did not discourage her presence by the falls.

“Exploring,” she answered simply, after holding a bit of time to herself to further assess the boy. Like him, she made certain that no others were in the area, keeping nostrils open and ears on a swivel should something other than the soothing ambiance of the river come forth.

“Yourself?” raising her muzzle slightly she inquired in turn. She had no qualm with the young male, this much was made clear by the relaxed manner in which she kept herself. Her shoulders drawn down and tail passively swaying, looking more at ease than in the present of a threat.

@Rowan

However benign the youth appeared, she knew better than to take him fully at face value, but as it was with most pups, it was difficult to maintain such an air. Her mind had not fully wrapped itself around the prospect that the young could be just as deceptive as the older. Their eyes could lie and their posture could be but a rouse to deceive the unsuspecting and ignorant of their true intentions. There was a time before the Glen when such doubts would not have entered her mind. But as one was made by the sum of their experiences, this female was no exception to have evolved such an outlook due to recent events. Never the less, she retained the relaxed posture of her person but kept her eyes fixed on the young male unless it proved to be offensive.

The lighten the somber mood, she offered the faintest of smiles hoping to stir something of the like from the boy; perhaps crack through his countenance to witness some youthful exuberance, however subtle. "Visit?" As there were no markers of a pack present in the area, she was inclined to inquire lest she stumbled onto newly acquired lands by mistake. Though she did not assume her senses were so lacking that such a grievous error would have been made without her knowing. At least, not again. She left the air open to further explain should the young male so choose.

Feeling the prickle of the cooling mist creep through her fur, she roughly shook out her pelt til it was a fluffed mass of umber and beige. Had she another moment, she might have attempted to smooth the wild strands with some control, but knowing her explorations were not yet over, she let it be. Another lesson she would have to share with her young pupils; grooming was a luxury of status and was not afforded in the wild.

Her ears perked up when summoned to attention by the boy once more. "Not here," she returned. "But a little ways-" she paused for a moment and lowered her muzzle to the slick surface of her ledge. Searching briefly for a drier stone, she observed the direction in which the moss upon it grew. "-south of here." She concluded while returning her head to its fullest height to look to the boy. "Are you visiting from nearby?" Surely a yearling was not wandering on his own, and if not then perhaps there were other packs in the area she could make herself aware of.