Riddle Heights honey let me be

Random Event: It's cold enough that a rare 'sun dog' has appeared in the sky! for @Mouseling

IF YOU LOVE, WELL THAT SHOULD BE ENOUGH

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Instead it turns your joy into sorrow, & i can't breathe with the dust of retreat, I'm choking

Ryder wasn't so sure he was making the smartest of choices. He had no idea where Sanguine Cove actually was, and now that he had reached the mountain and started ascending its slops, he realized just how much those peeks could really hold. What if he got lost up there, and a blizzard hit or something? Nearing the top of Riddle Heights, Serpent Pass' lowest point, the yearling was beginning to slow and reconsider.

The more the day went on, the further the sky cleared, until clouds only occasionally drifted atop the sun. Shadows came, and this time when they passed, the snow positively glistened. Had it gotten... brighter? Confused, Ryder looked up into the sky, and promptly hissed in pain while whipping his head away again.

The sun was glaring, as though it had doubled, no, tripled in size. All at once, he was pissed off. Now he was gonna be snow-blinded, too? The fuck. Why couldn't he just catch a break, just once?

on the fumes of my wayward life, 'cause love is an inkless pen, it's a tavern, it's sin

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IT'S A HORRIBLE WAY TO BEGIN

(This post was last modified: Mar 06, 2024, 06:15 AM by Ryder.)

Mouseling’s search for a pack had brought him further west than he had ever gone before in these strange lands. Climbing the foothills of the mountain had been easy, but now he trudged through snow and ice chasing the faint smells of strangers, and felt no closer to finding them. All he had found so far were spindly pine trees and sheets of rock and ice.
The thin mountain air made him shiver with each inhale. It was freezing, and the sun did little to warm him while he walked. His paws were numb from the cold at this point, and he was starting to doubt if it was worth coming all the way up here.
He pulled himself onto the next platform of barren stone and paused. He wagged his tail as he looked down at his progress. From here he could see the meadows and rolling hills he had come from. They looked so small in the distance. Something shifted to the south, and he turned his head.
His eyes shut as bright light him. He dug his claws into the ground and lowered his gaze to avoid the burning glow from the south.
Mouseling slowly peeked up to see the source of this sudden light. He was able to view it just barely over the blinding snow by keeping his eyes trained on a dark tree just next to the horizon.
“What is that?” The words fell from his mouth as he saw not one, but three suns. He had to look away after only a minute, his eyes stinging and leaking. The tawny wolf pawed at his eyes trying to clear his vision. His trick had only given him limited immunity to the sudden brightness, and now it rang behind his eyelids.
He stumbled back from the cliff and turned away to the north. With only slightly improved vision, he could make out a cream lump against the glowing snow. It seemed something else was caught by the light of these strange triple suns, though whether it was another wolf or an animal, he couldn’t tell.

IF YOU LOVE, WELL THAT SHOULD BE ENOUGH

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Instead it turns your joy into sorrow, & i can't breathe with the dust of retreat, I'm choking

Ryder tried turning and walking several different ways, but whether it was the angle or the phenomenon or a perfect storm of everything, there was nowhere he could look that wasn't stark white. Usually his anger leveled out, but this felt like the straw that broke the camels back. He felt disoriented, trapped, blocked and mocked by life itself no matter what he did. His fangs grit, his emotions building, the rivets of his protective walls groaning as they threatened to give.

More clouds drifted between, and the harsh light was doused all at once. Ryder could tell even behind tightly-closed eyes. He opened them again slowly, knowing that the sky was evermoving and that the giant sun could return at any second. When he'd gathered enough courage, he looked up and saw a thick blanket of gray wisps covering the sky.

Ryder sighed in relief, and then his eyes caught sight of another wolf facing him at a distance. He blinked with surprise, feeling as though the stranger had practically materialized there even while knowing better.

"... hi?"

on the fumes of my wayward life, 'cause love is an inkless pen, it's a tavern, it's sin

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IT'S A HORRIBLE WAY TO BEGIN

When the light faded, Mouseling raised his head to better look up the mountain. He squinted and took a step forward, his tail swinging low against the ground. The shape on the mountain wavered back and forth, then stopped to look at him. A voice carried down the snow toward him.

"Oh! Oh, hello!" He barked up at the stranger. Overwhelming joy flooded his body, and he wagged his tail with a renewed vigor. The voice was a wolf! Another wolf, after so long alone he could hardly believe it. He bowed his head but his face broke into a smile.

Mouseling found new energy suddenly. He ignored the cold in his paws and bounded up the slope. He skidded over the ice but climbed higher still.

"Hello there. Hi. Are you, do you-- I mean, do you live on this mountain?" He stumbled over his words, trying to say everything at once.

IF YOU LOVE, WELL THAT SHOULD BE ENOUGH

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Instead it turns your joy into sorrow, & i can't breathe with the dust of retreat, I'm choking

The other wolf greeted him with a kind of glee that reminded him of @Toklo, and Ryder couldn't help but already wonder how long it would take for him to chase off this guy, too. He only took a few of his own strides toward the stranger, allowing the smaller creature to put in the majority of the work. After all, he was the one all excited about closing the distance.

"No, just visiting," he answered plainly, once his company was close enough he didn't have to raise his voice.

"Why, you looking for something?"

Ryder had a feeling he was about to be telling the guy about the Cove, but also wasn't one to freely give information without at least being asked for it.

on the fumes of my wayward life, 'cause love is an inkless pen, it's a tavern, it's sin

---

IT'S A HORRIBLE WAY TO BEGIN

The wolf's answer deflated Mouseling's excitement. His smile drooped and his tail lowered, but continued to wag. He stopped a few sidelengths from him and sat down to rest. He winced at the cold ground under him.

"Oh, I see... I'm looking for the pack up here. I thought I could smell them already, but I guess that was you I was smelling," he replied. "Have you seen them at all?"

He shifted his weight around on his aching paws. He looked to the stranger with hope he'd be able to direct him, even if he was just visiting. He tilted his head and took a proper look at the stranger now that the light had dimmed. The stranger wolf was much larger than Mouseling, but he saw no immediate aggression in him. That was a small comfort on the cold mountain. Still, he kept his guard up just in case.

SO WASH YOUR PAWS, ALLEY CAT

Ah, he already knew. Ryder's head bobbed, a gesture of understanding and commiseration both rather than an answer to any question. That came in stark contrast when the stranger finished speaking. "No. But I'm looking for them too. Sanguine Cove, right?" Maybe between the two of them, they'd have heard enough to navigate the peaks and the thick forests supposedly hidden within. Ryder could hope, at least. It was his last obvious chance to delay his return home. As much as he wished to check in on his mother and sister, he was still dreading facing that part of his life again. Were he any less responsible, he'd likely be gone for good as @Finley had feared he would be.

ONCE YOU'RE DEAD YOU CAN NEVER COME BACK

Mouseling tried to hide the disappointment on his face, but his lips curled downward. "I uh, I don't know the name, actually. But you seem to know more about them at least!" His admission came with lowered ears and a sheepish smile.

"I've been climbing the mountain trying to follow the smells for the last day or so, but I think the wind got me confused. And that weird triple sun earlier. It kind of disoriented me if I'm being honest. I'm not sure where I'm supposed to be looking exactly." His tail twitched with excitement where it was tucked over his paws. He looked to the stranger with some hope he would have more clues as to the pack's whereabouts. Maybe he knew the mountains better, if he knew the pack that resided here by name.

SO WASH YOUR PAWS, ALLEY CAT

Ryder's ears lowered a touch, though he did his best not to actually look disappointed. The stranger wasn't much help it seemed, though he knew better than to discount what he could still bring to the table. Having someone else to climb and search with was still its own boon. Ryder looked back up at the sky reflexively at mention of the sun's odd trick, reminded that the cloud cover they currently enjoyed was not permanent. The sky was still a solid, deep gunmetal color, much to his relief. "Yeah... Well. Wanna look for them together? Two noses are better, and all that." The offer was thrown out casually, as though he could care less if the smaller wolf took him up on it or not.

ONCE YOU'RE DEAD YOU CAN NEVER COME BACK

His posture straightened and his face brightened. "R-really? You'd want me to help? I mean, sure, yeah. It'd be better than going it alone out here. I was getting cold." He shivered for emphasis against the wind, from which they had no protection.

Mouseling stood once more, tail wagging a little higher, though he kept his head lowered still. He tried to tamp down the excitement welling up in him, but it was hard not to feel elation at the idea of no longer being alone. And if they found the mountain pack together, then he wouldn't be alone again. He'd have a pack, if they accepted him, that is.

"Were you following any trails? I thought I'd at least be able to find the paths they use, but it's just been snow and rock so far. And the cold's made it hard to smell anything.. My nose is practically frozen," he said with a twitch of his nose.