Fireweed Rise I found my heart and broke it here

Thunderstorms RE

I still remember these old country lanes

Attica Grace Archer

Attica had picked a bad day to descend from the mountain, the rumble of thunder threatening a downpour to come, but it was time wasn't it? That she ventured away of her new refuge. She didn't like her chances of hunting on the steep and slippery slopes when goats were so surefooted, and her stomach growled in tandem with the angry clouds. She would have far better odds on the rise, and the rain might even mask her scent.

As the ground levelled out beneath her paws, brown stems where blood red flowers had once bloomed, she couldn't help but glance to the north wondering how the willows fared and if her brother had returned home yet? She pushed her curiosity down. On another day, under other circumstances she would stop by, but survival outranked her curiosity for now, and the fear that they would try to make her stay was enough to stay her paws.

 

Even from here, she almost thought she could even make out the lone willow, set apart from the rest... but bile rose in the back of her throat and she turned back to the west. Food. She needed to find something to eat and then she could retreat to the tunnels under the serpent until the weather eased. She wasn't sure how long she had until the clouds overhead would break.

Attica was not the only Archer who had picked a bad day to escape the mountain top.

The roll of thunder purred overhead as she clambered down the mountain, moving with expert precision as she launched herself down the slippery boulders. The rain had started soft at first, nothing but a gentle drizzle, but a flash of lightning caused the sky to open up and a relentless downpour began. By that time the girl had landed in the rise, the ground shifting from smooth stone to soft, spongey grass as rain cascaded around her. Oops, she thought meekly to herself as she glanced over her shoulder, her brows narrowed as she struggled to make out the mountains through the low-hanging clouds. She would have to wait until the storm settled before she returned home.

Her parents were going to kill her.

A sigh escaped her as she padded forward, her scarlet fur brushing against wilting wildflowers. The knoll was nothing like the willows she had visited with her other—it was more vibrant and welcoming than the dark canopy of leaves. Like the heights… if the heights had grass and flowers… and wasn’t situated on the mountain.

A dark figure in the distance caught her attention and her pace quickened, a hopeful smile falling onto her lips as she loped forward. “Da—“ she stopped herself, both verbally and physically as she skidded to a halt. “Wait, you’re not my dad. Who’re you?” She called out to the dark stranger, a single brow arched. 

Here I stand, staring at the sun

Attica Grace Archer

Before she even had a chance to find something worth hunting a clap of thunder opened the clouds overhead, sheets of rain obscuring her view of the last place she had seen her grandmother and finally breaking her from the melancholy spell the vision had cast. So wrapped up in her memories was the yearling Archer that she hadn't realised she was being followed until a voice reached across the distance between them.

Da... Pale eyes turned in the direction of the sound, a silver dotted brow quirking just in time to catch sight of the pup as she stop in her tracks. The question was almost an accusation and Attica answered with a small wave of her tail, ears slanted to the side to try and stop the water from getting into her ears. She recognised the girl of course, she was Greer's daughter... which would make her Attica's... "I'm your cousin, Attica." She shook her fur for all the good it would do in this foul weather and walked back towards the pup. "My brother showed me some caves near here, we should get out of this rain." She motioned with a tip of her head just north of the path from where they had left the mountain. Maybe there would be a break in the weather soon.

Cousin, huh? The girl’s head fell to the side at the statement, her brows narrowed cautiously. She had seen the dark-furred female around the mountain top but had not gotten the opportunity to approach her until now. The wolf standing before her was strikingly similar to her father, aside from her pelt. It was more peppered than her father’s, carrying hues of silver and brown. The eyes—they were nearly identical to the mercury pools in Greer’s skull. But they weren’t the same.

A frown creased her damp features as Attica mentioned some nearby caves. As rain continued to fall from overhead it did not make sense for the scarlet Archer to refuse her cousin’s offer. If she caught a cold Revon knew she would never hear the end of it from her parents. Ooooh, boy, would they ever scold her. She blinked some droplets of water from her eyes and nodded, her lips curling softly. “M’kay cousin, lead the way!” She waited for the darker Archer to take the lead as she snorted water out of her nose, her forehead wrinkled. 

Here I stand, staring at the sun

Attica Grace Archer

She managed the edge of a nervous smile as Revon so easily trusted her. Had she been like that once? She couldn't quite remember. "Sure! This way then!" She tried to sound a little more chipper than she was feeling, the gesture standing out in sharp contrast to the weather that pelted them with freezing rain while the sky growled overhead. She was travelling on memory, and had been approaching the caves from the opposite angle when last she had been here, so it was no surprise when she almost overshot the entrance, slipping in the mud as she tried to rapidly change her course so they could get out of the rain. She paused for good measure, her nose telling her that nobody else was taking shelter here just yet before she finally entered, shaking herself dry just within the entrance before proceeding deeper.

The wolf before him looked and smelled like an Archer—there was no reason not to trust her. She was not as dark as her father, for her pelt was peppered with shades of grey and brown, but the eyes… the eyes were the same. Which meant Revon had nothing to worry about. Plus, she carried the Aurora scent, which meant she was both pack and family. Without hesitation the little fox followed behind the older Archer. She, too, slipped several times on the way to the caves. The tip of her tongue poked between her teeth as she continued, determined to keep up with her older cousin. The rain had not been bad in the beginning. Most days she did not mind the falling water. But this—this was too much. A sigh of relief escaped her as she noticed the cave in the distance, a small smile overtaking her previous frown. Her pace quickened as she sprinted into the entrance of the cave, her paw colliding with a small rock and sending the scarlet fox somersaulting past the peppered Archer. Flopping onto her stomach Revon gave her head a quick shake, water droplets hitting the cave walls as she glanced around, wide-eyed and slack-jawed. “Whoa…”

what are you doin’ to my head?

Attica Grace Archer

Whoa the girl might have said, but Attica's hear was hammering in her chest, what if she'd broken Greer's daughter? What if Kyna came after her for it? "Ohgodohgod are you okay?" She muttered as she closed the distance between them, poking and prodding the girl with her nose to check that nothing was broken. She wasn't wailing, but that didn't mean she was fine and the Archer could feel her chest constricting as her movements became more frantic. It didn't seem like there was anything wrong, but that didn't settle the worry that was quickly building itself up into a raging fire. She didn't want to go to the Willows, least of all to ask Ravenna to clean up her messes. Maybe she shouldn't have come back at all.

… are you okay? Of course she was! They had found shelter from the storm and it was somewhere cool! There was an abundance of caves atop the mountain but this was one was different. It seemed almost unnatural for the cavern to be placed in the middle of the rise, amongst trees and lush foliage. Which made it even more interesting.

She scrambled to her paws in an attempt to distance herself from her cousin’s prodding, a disgruntled expression pulling at her russet features. Yeah, yeah, I’m fine! She managed as she waved a creamy paw in the peppered Archer’s direction, dismissing her concern. She was fine. The tumble had temporarily knocked the wind out of her but she had suffered no injuries. Aside from being wet and cold the scarlet Archer was perfectly fine, just a little dazed. This is so cool!! She chirped as she glanced around the cave, her fiery eyes wide with wonder.

what are you doin’ to my head?

Attica Grace Archer

The initial step away wasn't enough to calm the Archer's thundering heart but when a paw was waved in her face she allowed a long held breath to leave her chest. "Oh gosh, I'm so glad." It was in her nature to worry, after all her life had been little short of a disaster to date, she couldn't help but to expect the worst in any situation. When the cave was declared cool she allowed a shy smile to tug at the corner of her mouth. "It get's even better, come down here a bit." As she continued down the tunnel muted light began to filter through the hole in the ceiling over the pool of crystal clear water. "Apparently one of these tunnels goes to the other side of the mountain, but I can't... quite remember which one it is." She looked towards the tunnels with a tilt of her head, far too timid to attempt the journey on her own.

There is a moose carcass that has been scavenged by coyotes nearby. +15 Health