Riddle Heights take back the city

Late morning, mostly cloudy — Current Temperature: 36° F/2° C. Set at the southernmost point of Relic Lore/Riddle Heights.

Note to self: set the same day as 'slim shady', and day before 'among the flares of flowers'.

<blockquote><font style='margin-left:20px;'><i>"I'm glad you found us," she said, and Trisden stared up at her, entranced by those rich green eyes. The large, silvery wolf was naturally commanding, and yet despite that, reminded Trisden only of safety. She had spent a lot of her childhood obsessing over the face of evil, of demons, of darkness - and this leader's face made her think of her mother.

</font><font style='margin-left:20px;'>She was still very much a child. Any reminder of her parents was an instant comfort. Hocus did not seem as convinced, but Trisden was oblivious to his agitation. She was aware of many eyes on them, the young, thin siblings who had been surrounded by the very wolves they had been trying to track, but her reaction was to do nothing but lift her chin a little. She had left her demons in Cedarwood. Whatever barrier she had once constructed against her fears had been abandoned; she was determined not to need them.

</font><font style='margin-left:20px;'>Trisden cocked her head, eyes alight. "You sound like you were expecting us."

</font><font style='margin-left:20px;'>"Of course. Nobody crosses our path by accident."</i></font>

---

Slowly she stretched, her creamy paws pushing forwards until they breached the edge of the rocky ledge she had stopped to rest on. Though completely safe, for she was laid down and her balance was far from compromised, she momentarily relished the bizarre knowledge that her paws hung out over many, many feet of empty space. She was not a mountain wolf, nor had she any intentions of becoming one. She had been born in a forest, and would forever feel safest surrounded by the might of bark and leaves.

But her existence was in a state of limbo right now. She was not a Cedarwood wolf, nor was she a wolf of the Pilgrimage any longer, and she had no right to call anywhere home.

Cautiously she eyed the expanse of forest in the distance, beyond the field of red, beyond the winding rivers. <i>That</i> was her home. Whether or not her mother would allow her to live there once again was unknown, and though the thought terrified her, she was prepared for rejection. What had she been but a failure, after all? She was not worthy of her mother's respect.

But these were exactly the thoughts that she had come here to challenge - that she had come here to prove <i>wrong</i>.

Yawning, she retracted her paws and placed her head upon them, content to rest for a short while longer. She had been travelling all night, after all, and there was no need to arrive dishevelled and exhausted. There was no rush, either. Each step was a trial, but each step... it was a little easier than the last.</blockquote>

Note to myself too: This is Before Narimé meets Treena at Lost Lake.

Her paws ached, her head hurt, and her legs felt like
they would give out any time. Narimé shook off her tiredness and
continued climbing. Her silver fur was plastered against her body
as the wind pelted it. She turned her head and looked up at the
mountains looming behind her. They cast shadows upon everything
under them as the sun lowered itself in the sky. Then the yearling turned
her blue eyes to her destination.The top. She had to get to the top. Then after
that she had to get to the bottom again, and keep heading north. She had to
find her father. He was taking her north for some reason and she just had to make
sure that he was safe after he got away from the bear.
But the bear was attacking both of us. How come father didn't follow me as
I ran away. He couldn't be dead. No He isn't dead. she closed her eyes and
stopped climbing for a moment. She wouldn't give up on her strong father until
she had proof of his death.


As she began climbing again she dimly realized that once she reached the top
she would be able to see all of the land past these wretched mountains.
Perhaps she could see where her father had been trying to take her.
To a new land. She hoped that once they found eachother again she and her father
would find a new place to call home. Maybe there were nice places here like
her old home. It took her another twenty minutes to finally reach the top. As she
struggled to make it up the last boulder a wind buffetted her fur. It was filled with
the scent of a wolf who was extremely close by. Narimé flinched and stood
as still as possible. she listened for any noises from the other wolf trying to
pinpoint where it was. Finally after a few seconds she realized that the only thing
she could do now was to warn the wolf that she was coming up there where the
stranger was.
"Hello? Someone? Just letting you know that I gotto get up there." She
panted heavily as she struggled up the boulder. With a last jump she made it
to a ledge just before the flat top of the mountain. She lifted her head to look over
the stones at the stranger. Then withdrew it and uttered a "Sorry!" To the other she
wolf. The other wolf was laying down, probably resting.


"Can I come up?" She asked with a pleading voice. She didn't want to be
so close to edge like she was currently.

<blockquote>Sounds seemed magnified when up so high, which felt counter-intuitive - or perhaps it was because there were so few ambient noises that each one was more easily noticed? Birds glided about overhead, the wind whistled through the air without branches to interrupt it, and the weary steps of someone far below her...

Well, she <i>was</i> a little bit hungry... able to conjure up the strength to shuffle forwards a little, Trisden peered over the edge, and was disappointed to discover that the creature trekking up the mountain was not of an edible variety. There was no mistaking a canine shape like that.

With a sigh, she pushed herself back, forgetting about the other wolf almost instantly. It was of no relevance to her who came and went in these mountains. Smacking her lips a few times, she laid her head to rest again, and for several minutes rested without paying any heed to the steps which steadily drew closer. By the time it was really quite close, Trisden had all but zoned it out as just another atmospheric sound, the quiet hustle and bustle of mountain living. Certainly she did not think that it concerned her.

The unexpected call opened her eyes with a start, and she looked up just in time to see a stranger's head poking out over the edge at her before it vanished. Bewildered and surprised, Trisden stared at the empty space for a few moments, the soft 'sorry!' taking a few moments to register. She had thought this spot remote... was this the wolf she had seen half an hour ago?

<b>"Er. I guess. Sure?"</b> What had just happened? Not normally caught off guard so effectively, Trisden quickly she got to her paws, taking a few wary steps back just in case the stranger overshot the jump or something. She didn't like being flustered like this, and so made sure that the expression on her face and her posture were both calm and composed by the time the other would scale the ledge. The opinion of a random wolf was hardly important in the grand scheme of things, but, you know... He was everywhere. If He existed, that is. And just in case he really did, Trisden was determined to show the best side of herself at all times.</blockquote>

Her ear twitched when she heard the wolf answer back.
She crawled back over the giant rock and found herself eye to eye with
a she wolf close to her own age. At least she seemed close to her age.
Narimé was just a bit taller than the tawny colored she wolf but she couldn't
quite tell if she was older or maybe younger by her size.


Taking her eyes off of the amber eyed stranger she looked around
at their surroundings. She couldn't believe her eyes. The view from up top
was beautiful! She could see the shine of glittering water from ponds and streams.
Then the forest which covered most of the range, and a few meadows dotted the
landscape. In particular there was one pretty place even from way up the
mountain that Narimé could see the bright red flowers that made up the meadow.


"Wow it's beautiful up here! Did you see all of this?" Her tail wagged as she
glanced back at the amber eyed female with her own blue ones.

A little short but the next one should be better.

<blockquote>Trisden waited warily, her manner controlled but still distrustful. The stranger jumped up at the invitation, and Trisden took a moment to evaluate the company she had randomly found herself with. Around her age - if larger and longer-legged - Trisden did not think that the wolf would be too much of a threat, but she did not make a habit of being too comfortable around strangers. She wasn't trying to get cosy; she had somewhere to be.

But the mountains were determined to thrust upon her as much company as possible, and so she sighed lightly as the larger yearling turned away to stare out at the impressive scene before them, reluctantly accepting her fate. Well, so long as she wasn't harmed, there was no loss on her part... she had been stopping here anyway. Her ears pricked at the words, and she rolled her eyes just before the girl glanced back at her. Maybe she hadn't seen. But so what if she did?

<b>"No, I've been walking with my eyes shut this whole time,"</b> she said sarcastically, but without much real bite; it had just been a silly question which merited a silly answer. Taking a few steps towards the edge, Trisden glanced out at the admittedly spectacular view, and tilted her head a little in wonderment. <b>"Was the path up difficult? I need to get down there later."</b></blockquote>

"Oh yeah it was really hard to get up here, but I had to." She
glanced at the stranger with an exhausted look on her face.
She didn't really want to tell the other wolf her reason for having to
climb this mountain. Only if she asked would Narimé tell her. She also
wondered why the tawny coated yearling was up here. Maybe she had a reason
to be up there too. Duh, Ofcourse she had a reason. Narimé scolded herself for
thinking so dumbly.
"But maybe it's just the fact that I have never climbed a mountain before
why it was so hard for me to do it." She began to belabor why she was
so tired after climbing the whole way. It had been hard to get up there.


Narimé breathed in the scents that danced up to the wolves on the wind. It
was cool and refreshing carrying the scents of pine and water filled air. The smell
of rain. Was it going to rain? Or was it just humidout? Narimé couldn't tell yet.
When she would become an adult she would be able to tell what the weather would be.
Like all adults she would be able to scent and sense weather a storm of some sorts
would be coming.
It's just too bad that the scent of flowers can't reach up here. That would make it perfect.
She sat down still admiring the landscape. Now all she had to do was get down.
The gray she wolf stood up and looked over the route down the front of the
mountain. Large slabs of climable rocks reached to about hald way down the
mountains face. But after that it turned into slabs of shale and smaller rocks.
Narimé dreaded having to slip and slide on the rest of those heading down
to the closest water.
"Great...I'm going to kill myself on those." She looked back at the stranger and gestured
at the loose looking rocks below.
Then a thought crossed her mind.


Have you met a white wolf with gray fur down his back and tail? He would be older
about five years old."
Narimé sat straight up but kept her posture neutral. She
didn't want to seem like she was damanding an answer.

Trisden is simply amazing at small talk. /lies

<blockquote>Trisden's ears pulled back as her fears were confirmed. Oh well, wasn't that just peachy. Snorting her displeasure, the girl slumped her haunches back onto the rocky surface, still staring over the edge. She had thought it looked tricky... but she had hoped...

This larger girl didn't seem too put out about the whole thing. Though, Trisden thought sardonically, it was okay for her; she'd already <i>made</i> that journey. And going down was so much scarier than going up...

<i>I'm going to kill myself on those,</i> she said, pulling Trisden from her private fretting. The Lyall glanced behind her, her eyes following the gesture compliantly. <b>"Heh, that's about how I'm feeling,"</b> she admitted, turning again to look down at her destined path. She was about to jokingly suggest that they just both stay here, where it was safe, but such a declaration of weakness was abominable! No, this was all a part of her trial. If she couldn't overcome something as ordinary as physical danger, then she had no right going back at all.

Her attention honed in on the other again at the question. Trisden considered it for a moment, though it was unnecessary; she knew she had met nobody with that description. <b>"No, I'm sorry."</b></blockquote>

With a nod Narimé agreed with the wolf. Though it was kind of
funny how they had met up in the middle after climbing opposite sides of
the mountain. To Narimé going up was easier. Going down is where you slip and
fall down. She smirked as she looked over her side again. Maybe she should stay and
rest for an hour or so. But then she looked at the sky and realized that if she stayed
up the mountain that it would get cold and dark soon.


"Well at least we will be able to tell our friends later how we managed to climb
up to here safetly. They will all be awed!" She flicked her ears wishing she had
even had friends here. So far only a hungry bear was the only animal she had met
in this new land. But maybe the tawny wolf had friends here. Maybe she had
been dared to come all the way up here. Narimé like to think that.


Looking carefully the silvery yearling thought that she could see water just
through the trees over a taller ridge along the mountain. Was that a lake?
But the water shimmered only slightly. It was hidden from most views around
the landscape. Like it was lost among the rocks. With a yawn Narimé decided that
she would head towards that place. Maybe there was a lake there, but
most importantly the slope was less steep around the edge of that ridge there.
"Should I leave now or should I stay up here and rest for the night? Cuase night
is coming quickly." She layed down on the cool stone and continued watched where
the lake had disappeared into the shadows of the mountain.

Just as a heads up... I set this around midday! /Tris looks at Nari oddly

<blockquote>As the girl spoke of boasting to friends, Trisden kept quiet. Yeah... <i>friends</i>. Come to think of it, she had never really had many of those. Family didn't really count - they had no choice - and Kiche was... well he had been her teacher, and Kade... well, he had pretty much been her father...

Her lack of social greatness had never bothered her that much, but listening to this fellow yearling (who really couldn't be all that different from herself in many ways) Trisden wondered if her upbringing had rather lacked in certain aspects. But then again, who needed friends when you had God?

It was all far too much to worry about. She brushed it aside and continued to pay attention with a renewed air of utmost patience. Following the larger girl's gaze, Trisden looked out to towards the mountains, and wondered exactly what the other was looking at. She had not really studied the landscape in that direction; her plan had always been to get up and over this stretch as efficiently at possible. There was so much to take in - it would take hours to properly appreciate it. It was lucky, then, that Trisden had no real desire to do so, otherwise she'd be able to add yet another day onto her journey, and by now, she was tired of travelling. She wanted to reach the Hollow, but the thought terrified her... she was lost in limbo, and could only pray that she would be able to climb back out.

<b>"You've got time. The sun's still in the sky yet."</b> Just to make sure of it, she twisted her head up to find that shining beacon, and was pleased to see that her guess was not wrong. She had been walking all night, and had not yet enjoyed too many lighted hours. Hopefully she would still have time to make it most of the way back down... but oh, that's right, she had a conversation to be paying attention to. It sounded like this girl was planning on sticking around for a while, and considering that Trisden had intended on resting here, she wasn't sure how she felt about that. At least she was fairly certain that the other wolf wasn't a threat. <b>"You're not looking for someone...?"</b></blockquote>

Yeah she just meant that getting down would take so long that it would be night by the time she got to the bottom. XD Sorry bout that.

Narimé twisted her gray head around and looked at the tawny yearling
with sad blue eyes. She had to find her father whether he was in this place or not
and she hoped that this place was his destination. It seemed like a nice new place to live.


"Actually yeah I am looking for someone..." Her ears lowered giving off a depressed
look. She looked back at the landscape again and wondered how she was going to
get all the way north.
"I'm looking for my father. He was taking me north to this place I think." She gestured
to the beautiful forests, lakes, and meadows in front of her. It seemed like the perfect
place to live.
"We got seperated after a bear attacked us, and then it rained the next day so we
couldn't try back tracking our scents to each other... I haven't seen him for three days now."
She looked back at Trisden and wondered if she had a family someplace. Maybe they lived
out in that great land set before the silvery wolf.
"Do you live out there somewhere?" She asked quietlywhile she watched the she wolf.