Rogue Outcrop On The Edge

For @Reyes <3 - Being hella vague about what's going on in her life rn cu I have no clue >.>

Snow fell in dense lumps, too heavy and awkward to be called flakes by any measure, covering the already dangerous mountain paths in a slick blanket. Still, a dark figure was making its way up the winding trail, carefully maneuvering the slopes with fierce determination. Why was she here? Honestly she didn't know. The mountain had always fascinated her, its looming silhouette drawing her out if the shadow it cast on the falls, and up into the light. In her childhood she'd climbed it many times. Now there was no more Pines, not that she really cared, the pack had never felt like home to her, even if she couldn't remember the short time she'd lived without it. She didn't mourn the death of Iopah or how it let to the fall of Broken Timbers. She didn't even miss @Eek or @Eirian, though they had shaped her life while they shared a home, they'd had no true ties to one another, and she wasn't sad to see them go north, while she turned south.

But the mountain remained a constant in her life, looming above wherever she went in Relic Lore. And she would climb it again, just to enjoy the feeling of being just as high above it all. @Arion would no doubt frown at her attempt to ascend the pass in this weather, in all respects it was a truly ludicrous idea, yet here she was. The snow had actually made the slopes even more irresistible to Nalda, the added challenge spurring the daredevil inside of her. And as long as she focused on not slipping and dropping to her death, she was distracted from any other thoughts.

So, eyes on her paws, head bowed against the wind, she continued on her way, determined not to stop until she'd reached the very top.

Word count: 305

Thoughts ”Speech”

Sometimes, Reyes had to wonder if he was completely insane, staying on the mountain like he had for the past two months and some. Many a day he sat in his makeshift den; the weather outside was frightful. A meal would not be amiss. Hell, he wouldn’t even mind Cottongrass and his nonstop chatter if it meant having someone to cuddle up with in the awful weather. It was so much easier to keep warm with another body pressed against your own, and beggars couldn’t be choosers in times like this.

And now, now he was wishing mightily for that den. He’d gone out to find himself a meal before the wind kicked up, and stubborn Reyes was certain he could find a himself a kill before the weather got truly foul. But no, mother nature had another thing in mind. This is what naughty wolves get, he thought with a sigh, eyes narrowed to mere slits as he powered against the wind. Maybe it was time to hunker down and wait the storm out—

Wait.

A scent caught his nose and Reyes abruptly changed direction, tracking the foreign entity. Another wolf, out here in this!? “Hey! Kid!” What was this elf thinking!? “What’re ya doin’?”