Kingsfall is this it?

-possible sub territory discovery. can't seem to get tags to work right on mobile but anyone, or some of the other lake residents welcome!

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With the drought seemingly over and autumn upon them, there were things that needed to be attended to. Sooner, rather than later. So, the dark one had begun his explorations once more, in search of a possible location to settle the group in permanently.

And now, he was pretty sure he’d found it. He had been following a smaller stream through the forest and the hilly terrain east of turtleback lake, to a place that, to him, at least, seemed nearly perfect. Here, the water had been cutting through a hill for many years and had carved a small canyon of sorts through the rock. The stone walls grew higher the further he ventured in and were laden with moss and plant life.

The layers of exposed stone also seemed to feature a number of small nooks and caves for wolves to shelter in if they so chose, at least, more than was typical of the surrounding forest. The small valley was shaded by trees, yet enough light still filtered through the forest canopy to make it seem open and welcoming. The stream was clean and clear, with a constant flow, but not too fast or terribly deep. It barely reached his elbows at its deepest point - so there was not much danger for little ones.

But the best part of all was a waterfall that was tucked away at the end of the canyon. It was not especially large, not like the one where he’d met Scully, but that did not detract from its beauty. A couple of slick but conveniently placed stones allowed him to carefully maneuver up the first part of the falls, and to a shallow but open pool where he could relax and enjoy the spray. It was perfect. A small paradise tucked away amidst an expansive prey-filled forest.

And if the others decided they liked this too, that was what he’d call it. Paradise Falls. Maybe.. not the most creative name, but that’s what it was, and what he intended it to be. A good, safe place for any lost individual that wanted a home.

In a couple of days, he’d call them here to find out. But for now, the dark one was going to enjoy its serenity alone.

(This post was last modified: Oct 03, 2022, 05:20 AM by Jethro.)

Reika had remained close to the others despite the fact that Chan had left them. The truth was she didn't really have a plan for herself so sticking with the others seemed like the best idea for now. Besides Colette was still there and she just couldn't leave her behind. So the Archer girl helped were she could the best that she could. However, there was a worry in the back of her mind that she needed to speak to someone about.

Since it seemed that Jethro had kind of taken over Reika thought it best to speak with him. She wanted to do it away from the others as well. The last thing she wanted to do was scare the others with her concerns. Admittedly to her it was a scary thing.

So when the dark man had set out Reika wasn't too far behind him. She followed his trail most of the day but hadn't caught up to him. Once he stopped she woukd take that time to approach him with her concerns. She wasn't expecting him to lead her to such a beautiful place though. Looking around she felt like it had everything they wpukd need.

For a long moment she stood there just taking it all in. Finally she remembered she was there for a reason. Reika cleared her throat to announce she was there. "Jethro, I'd like to speak with you," she finally said.

The cold spray misting up from the waterfall felt good even in the absence of the summer heat, a feeling Jethro didn’t think he’d ever grow tired of experiencing. While the water pooling around his paws was nowhere near deep enough for a swim, it was enough to lounge about and splash around in, and as such, he had no issue rolling about and submerging himself in it, too. He could even foresee present and future children having fun playing in it, their giggles and laughs echoing through the small canyon.

As long as they were careful not to slip on any rocks….

A literal voice caught his attention just then, and a familiar one, at that. Reika’s greeting reminded him a little bit of Flair. Straightforward, but polite.

”Was hoping to see you too, actually,” the dark one spoke, gathering his limbs beneath him to stand as he addressed the other. Maybe not so soon, but he’d meant to seek out the pretty blue-eyed Archer eventually. Now it was one less thing to worry about. Gently, Jet inclined his head, silently inviting the other to join him at the slightly elevated section so he didn’t have to look down on her. ”All ears, though. What’s up?”

The place that she'd followed Jethro to was a beautiful place for sure. She wondered what had been his motivation for coming there or if maybe he hadn't had any motivation at all. She had to admit that it was quite a surprise to find herself in such a place. Looking around she could see why it might appeal to someone but her eyes landed on the waterfall. The sound of it entering her ears and helping her to feel more relaxed in such a new place. After a few moments she returned her attention to Jethro. She'd come on a mission and needed to complete it.

However, he caught her a little off guard when she spoke and he responded.

"You were?" She asked clearly surprised. "You've got my curiosity," she stated after recovering from her surprise. She wondered what it was that had caused him to hope to see her. That thought qas put aside as he asked what was bothering her. "Well, I was thinking. Winter is coming and we need a good shelter and plenty of food. I only bring these concerns up because I'm worried about the others. Now that Chan is gone I think we should start making plans.

The other appeared briefly surprised to hear that he had also intended to seek her out. And apparently, Jet had her curiosity, the statement earning a wry grin. It wouldn’t remain that way for long, though, for as Reika elaborated, it seemed her thoughts and concerns were more or less along the same wavelength as his own. He took close note of her use of the words ‘we’, and ‘worried about the others’. It sure sounded like the Archer meant to stick around with them for a while.

Once she’d finished, Jethro offered a nod. ”Couldn’t agree more. Pretty much what I was hopin’ to ask you about, too. Was actually wondering how viable this place could be, as a home? We got water and shelter. Plenty of food around and not much competition for it. Think it’d work?” The dark one inquired, genuinely curious to hear Reika’s opinion. As well as that of the others, eventually. This was a group venture, after all.

”I am real glad to have ya stickin’ around with us, too. That means a lot.” Maybe more than she or the others would know. Even more so considering Reika’s ghostly, one-eyed friend Colette seemed to have all but faded away without so much as a word to anyone, as far as he knew.

Her caring nature and the fact that she'd grown attached to the wolves she now lived over the months had her concerned. They had all survived a drought but her father had warned her of the harshness of the winters in the lore. She worried for each of them and especially rhe young ones. Could they make it through the Winter as well without proper shelter and preparations? She didn't want to find out the hard way that they couldn't.

It seemed that she hadn't been the only one to be consoderi g the future of their little group. Jethro expressed that he had the same thoughts and was looking for her opinion. Well she could provide that. Giving the place another once over she smiled. "I think it would be a prefect place for us to make a more permanent home. Some of the cold and weather might be kept out by the stone walls. It the falls the water might not freeze. We'd just need to build up a store of food." All in all she felt the man had found a really nice place for them.

"It means a lot for you to say that," she said with a smile, "I'm really glad to have found you all and I'd like to stay as long as I can." She meant every word. The Archer girl had no intentions of leaving the pack anytime soon.

Thankfully, Reika, too, seemed to believe this little valley could offer their group a place to gather permanently. He could see some of them not wanting to be trapped in such a place, with walls of stone surrounding them and where the sun might not reach as deeply, but… at least one of their group agreed. That was as good of a start as Jet could’ve hoped for.

”Glad you think so too. Guess all that’s left is to call everyone else, n’see what they think of it.” Jet mused aloud. He was still hopeful. And even if someone did protest, he didn’t doubt they’d find somewhere else. They could make it.

The dark one felt his own smile grow as Reika mirrored the expression, voicing her own appreciation and that she truly did wish to stay. ”Yah. We’re a kinda random bunch, some of us. Wouldn’t trade that for anythin’ though.”

As nice as this moment was, it almost hurt to have to ask the next question, but Jet surmised he would regret it if he did not. One way or the other, Jethro hoped to know for sure whether or not he could count on her being around. As certainly as he could know, anyway. ”You.. haven’t heard anythin’ from your friend, have ya? Colette? Seems like she just kinda.. vanished.”  

Thinking of the place she now stood in with Jethro as a home was easy. It would provide them with plenty of shelter and water. If there was another drought they might be fortunate enough to not lose too much. Winters might not be so harsh because of the walls. They could figure out places to keep food and such. Yes, it did seem like a good place to settle.

"It seems so," she agreed, "I don't think they'll disagree. Sure they too can see the value of such a place." At least she hoped so but the reality of it was that she didn't really know. She didn't want Jethro to become discouraged though, not when he had a good idea and wanted to keep them all together.

Reika smiled at the sentiment Jethro expressed next. They were a hodgepodge of a group but maybe that was what made them special. "I wouldn't have it any other way either. We've made it work and thats whats important." Theyd all grown to care about each other she felt and bringing everyone to a place that could really be their home made the most sense to her.

A frown did cross her features at the mention of Colette. Reika shook her head. "Not as of late. I know she had some things to take care of so she might have gone to do that." The silver woman truly hoped her friend was okay and that maybe one day she'd see her again.

Reika didn’t think the others would disagree with their assessment of this place, something the dark one decided he would hope was true. ”Even if they do, though.. we’ll find somethin’ else. And a way to make it work.” That much he was confident of. Jethro liked this place - could see the value in it. But if the others decided they didn’t want to settle here for some reason, a small part of him wouldn’t mind keeping it to himself, for little excursions, and breaks when he needed them.

The other expressing a similar sentiment about their group brought a smile to Jet’s face, and a warmth to his heart as he offered a nod, for there wasn’t much else he could say to that. They really were growing close - like a family, in spite of their differences in background. That was exactly what he had wanted, too, though he hadn’t expected it to fall into place quite like this.

His smile faded though, as Reika stated she’d not heard from Colette lately. Jethro hadn’t seen much of her, didn’t know much of her either. But if Reika had trusted her, and based on what little he’d seen.. it was slightly disappointing for her to have left. But.. if she had things to take care of… ”I see,” Jet murmured with a nod. ”If you do hear from her, and she seems at all interested in staying.. let her know she’d be welcome. Though, I'm sure you already have.”

That was about all he could say or offer. The decision was ultimately up to each individual.  

The Archer girl really felt that this was a place that they could all come together. Here they could become closer and more of a family than what they had been. She felt it was the perfect place for them and she hoped that the others did as well. Jethro spoke of what would happen if they didn't all agree. "I feel making it work is what we are good at so I know your right we can find something else that will work for us." Though she agreed with Jethro's words she was still quite confident that this would be the place.

Reika thought that it didn't matter where they'd come from or what had happened in their lives. What did matter is that they cared about each other and looked after each other. Everyone seemed to have a sense of what was best for all of them was best for the individual. That was the kind of thinking they needed in their group.

When asked about Colette she'd been a little sad to have to tell Jethro she hadn't seen her friend. It was sad but Reika was also happy in that Colette had reached a point that she could take care of herself again. "If I do see her again I will definitely let her know that she's welcome. I didn't get the chance before." Though she wished she had so that the other woman would know she could return to them.