Riddle Heights I sing a song so pretty that I terrify myself.

A small rock slipped from beneath the beauty’s leather pads and tumbled down the rock face. The ledge was getting narrower with each step the female took and it wasn’t long before her path was too treacherous, even for her to navigate. It appeared the maze of twists and turns had eluded her and she didn’t remember the route back into Relic Lore as well as she had hoped; she’d been away longer then she had thought. They said time was a healer though, maybe now was going to be the right time to return. With any luck Ruiko would be dead and she’d be welcome back with open arms- after all, their family was nothing but loyal. The truth was she had to return, whether she wanted to or not. Winter had not been kind to her and even as she made her way back down the path she had just taken, her stomach was growling audibly.

Life hadn’t been so bad until the snow came and things got cold. Although she was a proud female, she wasn’t stupid and she knew her best bet would be to return home if she wanted to see another winter. Ioni was large for a female, that was a given but with the lack of food these past few weeks her bones had begun to jut out from beneath her skin, even her thick winter coat was unable to hide the damage her solitude was causing.

A familiar rock crossed her path, she recognised it by its shape, she’d said once before it looked a little like a beaver, standing short and round, with a flat rock at it’s side like the beavers tail. At least she was going the right way this time and before long, her paws found the flat ground that she remember so well, though the last time she had touched them they’d been lush and green, the air had been warm and life had been fruitful… now she was returning, a skeleton of her glorious self and the weather seemed to reflect just that about her, cold and empty like the terrain around her.

She had to decide what to do now; unsure of whether to head straight home or scout the area first, it was a choice she must make carefully. Yet with a weary sigh she found herself sitting at the base of the heights… just sitting and staring; cold and hungry, numb and a little lost. Then a flurry of snow began to fall.

(This post was last modified: Feb 02, 2012, 03:49 PM by Ioni.)

<blockquote>She had been trying to navigate her way down the cliffs for hours. She heard a crashing of tumbling rocks ahead and her ears pricked forward with interest. Could it be there was somebody else up here?

In a moment of dreaming she thought it may be Kanosak, or her little sister Aniu. Clearing the boulder that was blocking her view she was torn back to reality. In front of her was another large female, slightly paler in her tawniness, possessing much more creamy tones than Naira's own shades of brown. They were both of similar height and build, she was impressed used to towering over all other females she met.

It was clear they were both trying to reach the valley below. An extra pair of eyes never went astray. <b>"What about over here?"</b> she questioned, nimbly leaping across to a boulder and down onto a smaller before reaching solid ground again. She knew she had been rude but it mattered little to her who the other female may have been in a past life. They were both loners now.</blockquote>

Ioni had been starring out at the terrain before her for some time now, but from behind came the movement of rocks. In a flash she was looking over her shoulder and her bright yellow eyes landed on another female who wasn't too far from her, trying to navigate the last few feet it seemed. She wasn't sure if she was talking to herself or to Ioni, for her paws were already on the solid ground. Though it didn't seem to matter as the other female drew closer she turned to face her head on; with a slight tilt of her head, she finally spoke.

"Quite a trek, isn't it?" she said, not really waiting for an answer from the female. With a sniff of her upon the wind, she noted she had only one scent; a fellow loner it seemed. She was very long haired, a pretty colour indeed but Ioni wasn't worried her looks were on the line here, she was a beautiful female and she knew it. Elegant despite her large frame and her jutting bones and to emphasis her thoughts, her stomach growled. "Especially on an empty stomach..." she then muttered allowed.

She paused then and simply watched the female grace the last of the heights to land on the solid ground not too far from her.

(This post was last modified: Feb 08, 2012, 02:16 PM by Ioni.)

<blockquote>It was a habit she had picked up since she lost her sister, if she didn't stop it soon, other wolves might think her strange... almost bashfully she looked at her paws and muttered <b>"Oh, sorry... Yes it is... I've been travelling for months."</b> It was evident she had been travelling by the matts in her fur and the thinness of her frame.

Her own stomach growled in agreement with the other females comment. <b>"Is there anything worth hunting around here?"</b> she questioned the stranger. She was very new to the area and hadn't seen sign of anything larger than a rabbit for days.</blockquote>

Ioni could only wonder how much the lands had changed since she was last here. Hunting had always been good, good enough to sustain two packs at least but with winter upon them it was going to be slim pickings no matter which way they went. Usually, Ioni would have been up for the thrill of the hunt but with her time away she had found she no longer had it within her to get excited; she felt numb, inside and out and with a half smiled she shrugged to the other female. "I don't really know... I haven't been here for a long time." she said with her silky tones.

She cast a glance over her shoulder once more and looked at the winter kissed world before her. It no longer felt like her home and had she not been so desperate she would have kept her distance. She had resigned herself to living alone, away from the family which she had cared for... well, for most of them. She missed their faces, their voices. She missed her home and despite the emptiness she felt inside she found her paws walking this way a few weeks back. She had thought to herself that she would change her mind the closer she got, but with each step towards home the pulling feeling grew stronger until it led her here, at the base of the lore.

There were many she wanted to avoid; Ruiko for one. She had no idea how the rest of her family would react to her return but she could only hope it would be with open arms. She debated whether to hunt, perhaps they would feel more pity for her should she remain the scrap of a wolf she was. It might be a good idea... her return wasn't going to be easy. "Do you know much about this place?"

(This post was last modified: Feb 29, 2012, 10:51 AM by Ioni.)