Secret Falls lift your bony fists

@Hecate, dated for the 12th?

He had slipped away from the grasps of that seemingly haunted forest and had found himself in a much more reasonable place. The fog didn't seem to spread across the lands here. Nor did that ghastly blue tint follow. The large Artemieva felt both relieved and curious. What else had lurked amongst those woods that he hadn't encountered in his passing through? He was almost positive he'd find himself circling around to go see the place again. It was a mysterious wonder, to say the least.

The sound of rushing, crashing water had grown louder the further he went into these strange woods. Laike liked to consider everything here strange since he wasn't familiar with most of the features he had come across so far. He hadn't expected to have a keen sense of where to go right off the bat, it wasn't a realistic expectation but that didn't mean he couldn't wish for it.

Laike felt as though going near the water wouldn't be such a good idea. It would be cold and sounded rather dangerous from here. He looked around and wondered if he'd be better off going in a direction away from the water. If only he knew which direction that would be.

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Wandering through the woods aimlessly wasn't something Hecate found herself doing often. Not being dosed with the poison of wanderlust, like many young souls she had met along the way, this was a foreign practice. She didn't get the thrill factor of finding new places- or she thought. All through this damned forest, the sound of water echoed. Obviously not finding herself preoccupied for the next few hours, Hecate had made it her duty to find the source of water. Each time she thought it was just around the bend, the sound seemed to change location like a thrown voice. Cussing and groaning, she was beginning to think there wasn't any water at all and she was just going batshit. But apparently, someone else seemed to be perplexed by the phenomenon. "Hey, you!" She shouted bluntly, not wasting any time with the niceties. A grayish man about her age seemed to be looking around for where to go next. Hecate wasn't exactly sure if he was looking for the same thing, but maybe he knew these woods a little better than her. "Y'know where all this fuckin' racket is comin' from?" Stopping roughly ten yards away from the guy to give him a large girth of space.

the armed queen

It was a surprise that someone even bothered calling out over the sound of the crashing falls. His head turned as fiery eyes laid upon a lightweight female with a pale coat and peculiar green eyes. Her mouth was as foul as a spoiled meal. He raised his brows and eyed her. "Afraid I can't give you the specifics of where it's at." His voice was loud but still held its deep tones. Did she really feel like messing with the falls? In the winter? Wasn't any of his business.

"I'll help you look if you'd like, though." Laike offered only for the reason that he didn't have much better to do. He wasn't tied down to anywhere and he wasn't going to turn down some socialization. Perhaps he also felt a slight obligation to make sure she didn't injure or even risk death if she found the falls. The sound was loud but he was positive they were still some bit away. He wondered if they were really here or if some magical spell was laid out across the lands. First a foggy woodland and now hidden falls. It all seemed rather fantasy like to him. He took a slow step forward to see if she'd be okay with that. With it being this time of year he wasn't going to test many boundaries around females.

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why was this so shitty? idk

Under his own speculation, she two quickly sized him up. Yet again, another wolf with scars on their face. Hecate was feeling somehow gypped, all of her scars were small and covered with fur. Did she seem like less of a fighter if she had no visible scars? Or was it the other way around?
He said he didn't know exactly the coordinates of the falls, but offered to help find them. "Sure yer not busy?" She prodded, using a tone in which suggested the job would be time-consuming. Flicking her tail as to reassure him she doesn't bite, she went to offer her name. "Hecate." She chuffed loosely.

the armed queen

Laike Artemieva

When your mourning has a sound
And you hesitate to laugh

He offered a very small smile at her question. "Positive. Otherwise, I wouldn't have offered." Laike snorted softly before turning around for her to follow. His original plan was to move away from the falls but if they were to find them they would need to get closer. The large male would keep his eyes peeled for any sign of the source and hopefully, his company would do the same.

"Nice to meet you Hecate." He offered the kind greeting as he led the way. Laike figured she would be close if she truly wanted his help. "Laike." The Artemieva male tossed his name out there for her. It was simply kind of him to do so since she had done the same thing.

His eyes occasionally glanced to make sure she was still nearby and hadn't slipped off or gotten any bad ideas. While he had offered his help he wasn't giving her his trust. They were two loners simply passing by for all Laike was concerned. "You heading anywhere special?" He asked in a neutral tone. Maybe he could snag some more directions from this female. If he could push his luck he might be able to tag along till he found somewhere more of interest. That was if he still had a, more or less, positive opinion of this Hecate woman.

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She assumed as much, meeting his smile with one of her own. She turned in tune with him, walking side by side with enough of a girthy space in between. He offered his name, Laike. "Likewise." She chuffed and gave him a quick glance over. What an interesting character this man was. He didn't have the certain gruffness of someone curt as he. But, Laike definitely exhibited a law-like demeanor. In all seriousness, it reminded her somewhat of Angier. Hm, what a bittersweet memory. Hecate wondered if her favorite old man was still kicking. 

"Mm, not yet necessarily. See, I got an ol' friend up at Fur Notch, funny story actually.." She was going to go on rambling and she could tell this man wasn't one for nonsense. She chuckled to herself and summarized. "S'a place to stay for the meantime." She nodded on. Hecate was trying to stall her acceptance into the Notch. She was desperate to see her daughter but too fearful to go anywhere near the Ridge. What she needed was a spy*. She wondered if Laike had any plans for a pack. She might be able to offer directions or even a one-way ticket. "You?" Wondering if he would indulge her.

*FORESHADOW UP TH E ASS

the armed queen

He noted her little "likewise" but didn't mention anything about it. She was a strange little thing, wasn't she? Foul mouth but well put together for the most part. It wasn't that the large male couldn't handle or even dislike strong language, it was more the fact that he hadn't been expecting it from someone who appeared so clean. Her daisy white fur and almost electric green eyes made her seem like she was royal. If she was royal she wouldn't be out here, though. Laike figured she would be attending business somewhere better than here.

His ears flicked momentarily as she answered his question. The Artemieva didn't find her supposed funny story all the funny. He huffed softly as his orange eyes looked over to here. "The meantime? Sounds like someone has bigger and better plans." Laike couldn't blame her. Didn't everyone wanna do something outstanding? Wasn't everything simply a meantime until you had things figured out? He didn't push on it, though. "You don't have to explain it by the way. I was just kind of poking fun." Not really but he wasn't gonna admit that he was trying to figure her out.

"Me?" Laike partially echoed back. "Nope. Just trying to survive till something good comes along." He shrugged his shoulders partially as they strolled along. The sound of the falls had become more like a white noise to him. As long as they were talking he could tune it out some.

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There is a deer that was killed by a lynx nearby. +10 Health

She chuckled at his utterance, he had the right idea. I mean as much as Hecate would like to say she had some sort of plan to reunite herself with her daughter, there was nothing. She still perhaps wanted to pursue a position of some power but she was losing interest in the thought of a dictatorship. She was studying the formula of what a good leader displayed. Most of the qualities currently out of her reach. "Nah yer right." She offered, peeking around the next corner to expect the water. Dud. "I got some unfinished business with some folks out west." The rough voice showing very little fondness of the task. She hoped he would keep it at a bare minimum after this, but she couldn't blame him if he asked.

Laike apparently didn't seem to show any solid plans of where to go next, explaining his duel for survival. "Hmm.." She mused. She wouldn't mind a partner to travel with, especially one with such a large mass. If he complied, she would have a body guard of some sorts. I mean, @Gent was never quite fond of strangers, but with the voucher of an old friend, Laike could slip right in. She kept her rue concealed, for now. She needed to know a little bit more about this wallflower before inviting him as a carry-on. She paused briefly, stopping to listen to the falls. They seemed louder now, almost at a dull roar instead of a hiss. It seemed to be coming from the left of the pair, but everything looked the same. She turned to her companion for consultation. "Left?"

the armed queen

Unfinished business was usually never good so Laike drew the line there. "Best of luck to you then." He spoke with a soft smile. While every inch of him wanted to know exactly what she had gotten herself wrapped up with over in the west, Laike was polite and knew better than to go sticking his nose where it didn't belong. Hecate's business would certainly be one of those places.

He kept looking around for a glimpse of water but wasn't successful. The large man was growing a tad bit frustrated but he had offered his help. Once he was finished helping out the pale female then he could busy himself with something more important. His head nodded softly at her suggestion of left. "Sounds good." He moved to the left and proceeded to walk at a smooth pace. Laike had noticed how the sound of the falls had changed. That had to bee a good sound, right?

"Hopefully, we're just about there." He looked over at her wondering if she'd want him around once they reached the destination. The large male knew he wasn't much more than a helpful strange so if she ushered him along he'd disappear. He could use some extra time to get away from this place. The loud roar of the falls wasn't exactly his kind of thing.

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