Skyfall Glen they work by candlelight

Driven north in the matter of days by the pugnacious rise of mountain he didn't dare climb, the forest continued on with few gaps or tears. The smattering of stones had come about and gone in infrequent intervals as he clung to the lower altitudes, the paths more crooked and jagged as he meandered. For the times when they turned absolutely nil hardly deterred Cajun, who was just as likely to go off the beaten path as he was to stay on it.

His efforts were rewarded when he found the glen, all secluded and basked in mid-morning fog. The steepled rise of the mountains was covered as he made his way inward, drawn forth by the promise of water. He hadn't planned on meeting anyone here; a test of the air suggested no one had come knocking in quite a while. But snow had blanketed much here, not quite as tapered as it had been to the south and towards home.

A caught hare later and a shoreline view of the lake to follow, it was home that crossed his mind. He thought of it as he tore hide from flesh, then flesh from bone in tufts and haphazard tugs. How proud his family, as small as it was, would be to see him continue to flourish entirely on his own. If that truly was what it was—he had his share of struggles somewhere in there too. The hare was thin but tasted good, but only sated one of his problems for now.

(This post was last modified: May 25, 2018, 04:46 AM by Cajun. Edit Reason: fixing typos well after the fact oops )

It wasn't even a day trip to the forest below and she wouldn't push her luck by going further than the sunlight's time would allow. A small trip was all that would be needed and she figured she might stop more than she'd care for. It was obvious just by looking at her now that she carried life within. Which meant she felt that familiar hunger more often than not, her nose leading her on the freshest trails she could find. There was still goat left from when Daesamar and his friend had joined but well, she wanted something different. Where she should have been grateful she was picky.

The scarred mother thought she smelled something fresh but the scent of another told her that perhaps she had been too late. Her pale form moved around the area with ease, obviously familiar with her surroundings. They had lingered in the forest long before they had settled up on the mountain.

A bark escaped her as she stood a few yards away, not willing to risk stepping on the other's toes.

# C W T

He made messy work as he picked for the best morsels, spitting a fur tuft free of his teeth. It wasn't hard to get lost in what he was doing as much free thinking as he was accomplishing. The passage of time was neither here nor there for him as he gave the lake a glossy-eyed stare; it really was a lovely vista from stem to stern. It was the sort of place he would have considered hanging around for a while, though he hadn't given much thought to anything long term.

It was the shortcoming to his rapid departure he had made, but in a worst case scenario home wasn't too far off at least. A couple of weeks at best if he trucked in like he had out, and of course that was only if the weather permitted. Yet everything would work out like it would, whether it was by his design or someone else. He spit an errant bone then, his attention focused on the hare before him than of his surroundings.

He should have been paying attention.

The bark caught him off guard, startling him into sucking a breath in a little too noisily; his gold eyes found the scarred visage of a wolf soon thereafter. He must have looked quite a sight with his mouth hanging slack, but it turned into a smile even with the grizzly aftermath of his meal.

"Gave me a start there," he said with a wave of his tail. No point in hiding that he had missed her approach now that it was out. Beyond that scarred visage though, he found there was something about her that he couldn't quite place. He almost commented on it, but decided it was better not to. There was tact in all things, his mother had told him.

"Are you from around here?"

She didn't miss the way she startled the younger wolf. The Santoro waited patiently for a more formed reaction. Would he turn hostile or stay harmless on the ground?

It seemed it would be the latter, his words easy enough that a small chuckle rolled from her. His next question caused her to motion towards the mountain in the distance. Up that way, on the mountain just a bit. She said vaguely before her gaze returned back to the yearling. The Santoro female didn't bother explaining that it was her pack up there. It wasn't like that would change anything down here on neutral grounds.

What about you? Familiar with the area? She asked with genuine curiosity. Did he perhaps know where he was or where he was going? Or was he just another loner?

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A lynx has left behind the remains of a deer. +5 Health

She was nicer than the last fellow he had met and he found he was grateful for that without realizing it. Truth be told, Cajun hadn't encountered too many folks that fell on the side of uncomfortable. He knew there was evil in the world, but whether or not it embodied a series of prodigious events or just an individual was up to chance. He followed her gaze as she gestured to the higher climes of the mountain, and briefly studied them. It must have been interesting to live up there he thought, but also dangerous.

It had been a cliffside that took one sister away.

"Nah, I'm not from here or really familiar with a lot of stuff here. Have been following along the mountains for a while though. They're hard to miss," he said as his focus returned to her. "Thought about trying to cross them but I haven't seen a good way to do it... plus there's a lot of cool stuff to see here still." Any trace of the apprehension he really had was lost beneath the wonder in his voice.

Besides, if he had tried to cross somewhere else, he wouldn't have found this little gem tucked away in the forested foothills and rises. He continued, ever eager: "What's it like living up there though? Bet you can see for a long, long ways, even if it's just a little bit further up."

She listened intently to his explanation. It seemed he was just another wanderer. Go north enough and you can go around them, or try your luck finding a pass to cross through. She softly mused for him, eyes glancing at the large stone barrier between the east and the west. Just be careful either way. Even if she didn't know him she couldn't help herself but giving a kind word of warning. The mountains were not easy for everyone. Perhaps she had been lucky enough to have the Monadnock as a sort of training terrain prior to staking a section of the mountain.

We're well sheltered by mountain walls. Not much to see unless you plan on climbing them or leaving the territory. The Santoro informed with a kind voice as she settled her rear onto the ground. The view within our territory is certainly something to behold though. She couldn't hide the small trace of pride in her voice as she spoke of the Tarn.

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She was forthcoming with suggestions on how to make his journey easier and once again, he found himself thankful for that too. It seemed easy enough to continue a northern trek, provided the path that still lied ahead was accessible. Even if it wasn't, it would hardly deter the young Ostrega from making ends meet. A smile passed across his features; her words would be heeded.

Yet on the heels of her offered information, she spoke of her home and he found himself intrigued about it and the imagery that followed—how spectacularly odd that they would be sheltered from mountain vistas from on high—and was reminded of something else entirely.

"Your home... is like a pit or a basin, or like a valley? My father used to live in a place that was like that a long time ago. He said it was ringed with stones and ridges and even mountains I guess. Had a real weird name too." The name of such a place eluded him, though it had seemed almost morbid by memory and emotion alone. "And do you all have to travel down from there to hunt too?"

He had questions and questions and no hesitation in asking.