Sierra Hills Bat Country

Territory Discovery
Afternoon - Light snow, -22°C/-8°F

"My confidence is leaving me on my own, all alone
No one can save me, and you know I don't want the attention
As I adjust to my new sights
The rarely tired lights will take me to new heights
My hand is on the trigger, I'm ready to ignite
Tomorrow might not make it but everything's all right
Mental fiction, follow me; show me what it's like to be set free"
- Avenged Sevenfold

This was the farthest east she’d ever been, and she was in half a mind to just keep on going. Or at least she would have, if the landscape hadn’t changed so suddenly, blocking her path. Red rock jutted suddenly from the earth breaking up the trees, which had otherwise grown so densely. Soon enough, they completely gave way, and the fiery wolf was faced with a matching, russet wall of stone.   She tilted her head back, and back, and back, staring at the rugged barrier blocking her escape, barring her teeth in a silent snarl. A few outcrops jutted out here and there, but it was far too steep to climb in any case, and looking around, she found the cliff continuing as far as she could see in both directions; Fucking fantastic!   She did notice some dark hollows in the stone and seeing as there was no other apparent way to pass this barricade, she went to investigate. The first couple of holes were shallow, each one ramping up her irritation, until, finally, she came upon what appeared to be a proper cavern, extending beyond what she could see. Sticking her head further inside, she heard water dripping from the ceiling as well as a feint rustling that she couldn’t identify; Absolutely marvelous! If she wanted to keep going, it seemed this was the only way. ”Speech" Thoughts

dawnthieves.de, FairieGoodMother @DA & Lakela @DA

After aimless wandering, and wandering, and more wandering, Sunny thought he had finally made a breakthrough and found a way out of this place. Only to find himself once again facing the imposing familiar red rock that had plagued him weeks ago. Gods above, he was sick of this place. At least this time, the ground was more solid and less a mixture of disgusting, muddy slush. The wispy furred wolf felt his muzzle and nose twitch as his lips curled back, but instead clenched his jaw shut, as opposed to letting out another yell of frustration.

With a quiet huff, the exhale turning to a small cloud of steam as it hit the air, he took off once more. There was no casual, languid movement to his pace. He moved with an urgency, constantly checking over his shoulder, an anxiety clinging to taut muscles. If he were lucky, he'd find a way out of here yet.

Movement caught the corner of honey eyes, something that froze him in place as his head snapped to face whatever caught his attention. For a second, there was nothing, before a shape moved along the red rock, pelt blending in. Another wolf, it looked like, with the perfect camouflage against rust outcroppings and boulders. Now that he was focused, Sunny couldn't miss the stranger, and as the russet figure was poking about the holes in the wall, he couldn't help but approach.

"Uhm…. 'Scuse me?" He stopped a relatively decent distance from the stranger, not wanting to get too close. After a swift moment of silence following his greeting, Sunny lowered his head, ears facing back, to show he was no threat.

His nostrils flared, taking in the musty stink of cave as she tried to identify the unusual element. It stank sharply, not too different from rodent droppings, but still distinct. Curious, she raised one paw to move deeper into the darkness, when a sudden voice reached her from outside.   Quick as a fox, Flair pulled out of the cave opening, spinning to face the stranger who had snuck up on her. Instinctively, her ears were back, hackles raised from the shock, but the voice had seemed polite enough and as her eyes fell on the pale figure, it was clear he was no threat. Small in stature and lean in build, with a posture clearly portraying no ill intentions, Flair felt safe enough, though her voice was still a little gruff as she answered: “What’a’ y’ want?” ”Speech" Thoughts

dawnthieves.de, FairieGoodMother @DA & Lakela @DA

A little bit of swearing!

As the russet woman withdrew from the cave and turned to face him, Sunny felt himself flinch back, a familiar anxiety in the back of his mind. It took him a moment, but the wolf righted his passive stance, head still low but ears no longer back and tail no longer between his legs. No formalities here, he supposed, not that he minded.

"I'm tryin' to find a way out of… here," he gestured to the area around them with a wide swing of his muzzle to indicate what he meant. "But it feels like I've just been goin' in circles, this Is the second time I've ended up back around this fuckin' place." The annoyance in his tone wasn't directed at the woman, but instead at the fact he's gotten himself so damn lost. Sunny paused, realizing his words, and quietly muttered a "sorry" for his foul language.

"I was hoping you maybe… knew a way outta here?" Lifting his head slightly, yellow eyes gleaming at her hopefully, before looking to the cavern. He wouldn't approach until she gave him the okay, intent on keeping his pelt intact. Especially considering the gruffness in her voice, he'd do better to tread lightly.

Despite seeming initially alarmed, the blond youth was quick to follow up. In a lot of words – Way more than necessary – he explained that he was lost, gesturing at the rock wall with a jerk of his head. Flair’s eyes narrowed, trying to get a closer look at his neck without moving from where she stood; What is that? Meanwhile, the lad continued to talk, his apology just feeling like more fluff to the fiery girl, who hadn’t even noticed his half-swear. But the more he moved his head around, the more chance she got to look closer at the object seemingly stuck to his neck, obnoxiously orange against his pale coat, and definitely not natural.   Such transfixed, it took Flair awhile to realize that he had actually stopped talking, apparently hoping for her help. She finally tore her eyes away, shaking her head to try and focus on the question, though in truth she hadn’t really heard it. “I’ve no idea where this dam rock ends,” She grumbled, voice getting louder as she blurted: “What is that around your neck?” If he had some kind of freaky illness, she wasn’t about to let him any closer, no matter if he needed help or not. ”Speech" Thoughts

dawnthieves.de, FairieGoodMother @DA & Lakela @DA

After he finished speaking, his eyes finally fell back to the fiery woman, only for him to avert the gaze when he realized she was staring. His gut clenched, already knowing what was coming, and he took a few steps back. Her grumbled answer wasn’t where she stopped, as she loudly asked about his shackle. Reddish ears flicked back as Sunny continued to avert his gaze, as if he had done something he shouldn’t have. It wasn’t uncommon for strangers to bring it up, even less uncommon for them to act off-put by it. And he couldn’t blame them one bit. With a sniff, he lowered his head slightly, attempting to block her view of it from the front.

“It’s uh… well it’s,” he paused, brows furrowing. This stupid thing has been wrapped around his neck this whole time, and he still doesn’t know why it happened, especially to him, of all wolves. He was unremarkable, to say the least. Average. Smaller than most, maybe that’s why? Sunny paused a moment longer, trying to find the right words, before landing on “I don’t know,” as an answer, with a nervous smile.

Looking back to the woman with wide eyes, he hoped she wouldn’t just leave him there but couldn’t blame her if she did. “Some strange creatures put it on me, I think. I haven’t seen them in a long time, though!” He added the last part in a rush. “I don’t know what it is or why they did that, though….” Hopefully being truthful would pay off.

Well, that wasn’t very enlightening. Flair watched with suspicious, narrowed eyes as the blond wolf squirmed, clearly trying to hide the thing from her view, as if it didn’t stand out like antlers on a stag. She sneered, remaining silent, staring him down until he continued, though his explanation didn’t make her any less wary.   Brows rising high, Flair looked at the younger wolf with blatant disbelief, an al most pitying expression on her face. “Strange creatures, huh?” She asked, voice laced with sarcasm; “Let me guess, two-leggers?” Her head tilted at the question, brows lifting, if possibly, even higher; Why’s that always the go-to story? These humans sure were a popular bogy-story – the number of wolves who’d mentioned them since she returned to the Lore was staggering.   Then again, the thing was real at least, there was no denying that. If it wasn’t some kind of growth, someone had to have put it there; The bogyman…! ”Speech" Thoughts

dawnthieves.de, FairieGoodMother @DA & Lakela @DA