Panorama Peak a molecular rift you can't fix

@Eclypse ^^

He'd been traveling with Eclypse for a few weeks now, and it was nice to have a companion. Morven felt lighter, felt like he could accomplish more and travel further with a buddy than he could on his own. Hunting was easier too, and in general he felt more motivated and happier than he had in a long, long time.

Morven rarely strayed too far from the girl these days, but he had found a smaller mountain to climb and he'd gotten distracted. It wasn't a difficult trek, and soon he found himself at the top, looking out over a vast field as far as the eye could see.

Giving in to a childish urge, Morven tipped his head back and howled. It was unlikely that he would get a response, but he wasn't expecting one anyway. It was just fun to hear it echo off into silence.

She was a few trails down below.

Admittedly Eclypse felt hesitant to reach the peak but she was content to scout the lower levels while Morven went above. What she had not anticipated was the sound that was made. For a moment her heart had leapt into her throat, worried that he had seen something worth alerting her to.

Yet as she steadied herself and listened, she realized there was hardly anything to it. It seemed almost more...leisurely. How odd.

She wanted to humor him though and so she answered back with a howl of her own. They were not far apart by any means but she figured it would make him feel...connected. He deserved that much at least.

He hadn't been expecting a howl back, so when he got one, he nearly tumbled right off the peak he'd perched himself on. Amber eyes rounded and he looked around from his vantage point until he spotted a black shape below, small in perspective. His tail started to wag of its own accord and a laugh escaped him as he made to make his way back down to her.

She still seemed sad. Morven wondered if it was something that would ever go away, or if it was going to hang over her forever.

"You followed me," he said once he was sure he was in earshot, eager to rejoin her. It hadn't been his intention to put much distance between them in the first place. "I wasn't expecting anyone to answer."

Why did he seem...surprised? Her cheeks felt warm now and she was not sure what to do with this emotion that hovered in a grey zone. It was not terrible, it was not great.

Why wouldn't I? To both statements, truly! And while she tried to hide the soft straining of a blush, she was still just a girl after all. Not trained in the abilities to hide her emotions terribly well. Did you mean to be alone? Perhaps she had pushed his boundaries and had stuck too close.

Yet she found she did not want to separate from him even if he was a radiant sunshine to her rainy moods. Eclypse was not made to be a lone wolf. She had been raised around others, she had known company forever. To have someone she could be near was like a little piece of home.

Of course he didn't mean to be alone - Morven rarely, if ever, would choose to do so. He had, for a while, after his parents had passed, but that was only out of fear and not something he genuinely wanted. Having company, even if she seemed so upset, was infinitely better than the alternative.

"No! No, not at all," he said hastily, amber eyes wide. "I like having you around! Like a lot. I just..." he trailed off, his own cheeks warming a bit, "...didn't expect you to wanna come up here, s'all. Isn't it boring?"

It wasn't like he was doing anything interesting. Morv hadn't really experienced anyone following him around like this, outside of his aunt's kids, but they were family so it didn't really count.

Eclypse had not grown up with any agemates, related or not. She had no sense of friendship or best friends, certainly not crushes. Perhaps that had stunted her some and showed now in the way she struggled with these positive feelings he had planted within her.

I like it. She already knew she was biased though. I'm...I used to be high up all the time. This reminds me of it. If she returned, would he ever want to come with? Did he find all the heights and stones boring? She hated to think of him miserable and then hated that she was thinking about him that much.

If you can't handle the rocks, that's okay. The faintest hint of a smile on her features as she kicked a pebble down the slope.

Used to be high up? Morven peeked over at the mountain in the distance. He'd met her near there, but he hadn't really put two and two together and figured out that she might've come down from the heights.

"Oh! Well, that's good. Right?" he asked with a smile, tail waving. "It's good to be reminded of back home and stuff, I think." There wasn't much around here to remind him of the tundra where he'd been born, but he'd wager that once winter came around he'd have plenty of snow to bound around in.

He shook his head quickly at her next statement. "No, I can handle it! I like seeing everything from up here," he amended quickly. "I just wanted to make sure you were havin' fun too."

Fun might've been an overstatement, but she didn't look miserable, so he figured things were fine. She looked much better than when he'd found her, after all.

"Did you come from the mountain over there?" he questioned, gesturing at the peaks.