Porcupine Ridge maybe we began and maybe we didn't

Some slight PP, I can change it :)

The run of the peaks was in clear view during border patrol. They were easy to admire, Queenie had found, despite their intimidating and otherwise off-putting appearance. Normally, her days were spent with @Kratha, showing her the basics of mercenary training — mark this, fight that, blah blah blah — but Queenie thought that a trip to the ridge might be a good starting place for Kratha's scout training.

Being the first recruit, Kratha was the immediate choice for patrona, but that meant that she would have to earn her specialties, too. Scouting and marking the ridge would make for good training for the both of them, so Queenie wanted to get to it as soon as they could. Kratha, she called, eyes fixed on the range, come with me.

The journey wasn't far, but the view was amazing; from here, they could see right down into the vale. It would be the perfect place to set up camp, but they would have to do some investigating first. What do you think? she asked Kratha, wondering if she had any hesitation in exploring.

After assuming a rank among these strangers, Kratha was surprised to learn that they were leaving the area. She had joined them just in time for a great migration or something — which sounded like work. But if they were willing to feed her, she'd go wherever they wanted.

The girl was not surprised to encounter Stephanie, who had a task for her. This deal about training was no joke; soon enough the pair had marched away from the bulk of the group (and Kratha relaxed considerably because of this) and were making their way along a ridge for some reason.

Kratha could move easily enough along the mountainside; she felt a bit light-headed as the duo climbed but she didn't mention it, at least not until Stephanie motioned over the ledge and spoke. The dark girl peeked from their shared vantage point and upon seeing the rolling valley below, her ears went back and a sense of unsteadiness swept through her.

Wow, uh, cool, yep, that's the ground. The very... Far away.. Ground. She looked away quickly enough.

When they'd first met, Kratha's nonchalant and rebellious attitude had been too off-putting for Queenie, but she had gotten used to it. Listening to the recruit speak was sometimes a reminder to check herself more often than she had been, so the imp's presence was appreciated. In response to Kratha's comments, Queenie snorted and shook her head, unsure of what to make of it. I'm not staying with Tindómë into the fall. That's why I grabbed you, back in the old territory. 

There was an entire checklist of things that they needed to get through before being able to settle; this was only the tip of the iceberg. We've got to find a territory to claim, and I figured that this one would work best since we have a clear view of everything below. Beyond that, it didn't seem like there was much to this ridge, other than a few incredibly disconcerting drops. 

Turning a bit to the left, Queenie saw a well-hidden opening that she thought was worth investigating. That, I wanna see what it leads to. She turned back to Kratha and motioned with her head for the girl to follow before lowering down onto her belly and crawling through.

Honestly, Kratha wasn't so sure what she was doing here with Stephanie. When the other woman mentioned something about claiming a territory the dark girl was still in the throws of her vertigo and nothing really sank in until after, when she'd pulled back from the edge long enough to ground herself. When it was requested they go climbing through a crack in the earth she kind of gawked at Steph's retreating figure. She watched as the woman crunched herself down and began scooching in to the opening; meanwhile Kratha took one glance at the ledge and had to decide which was better. Vertigo, or getting crushed to death in some unknown cave.

Cave it is, then. Once there was space, Kratha did her best to become compact and wiggled her head and shoulders in the gap, then shuffled along; but her hips were too sharp and wide, so she ended up having to lay with them extended for the rest of her body to fit. It was quite the show.

There was an unprecedented view to be had, once one made it out from the uncomfortable hold of the tunnel. Once they'd taken a full inventory of the ridge, Queenie thought that they ought to find another entrance for next time. Turning back to see how Kratha was doing, she couldn't help but give way to a giggle, seeing how difficult the passage seemed to be. You okay in there? Queenie asked, a smile wide on her maw.

Winter was still evident within the landscape, but one could tell from the copious scents that life had managed. Queenie began a smooth stride into the heart of the opening, wondering where they might want to explore next. I want to see what's out here, she called to Kratha, Maybe we should split up and see what we can find.

Sorry about the wait! Maybe we can squish this thread and have a more up-to-date one!

She grunted and squirmed but couldn't quite get her body to conform to the dimensions of the space she was in, and thus chose to withdraw. By the time she'd figured out how to escape and right herself Kratha was thoroughly irritated; she resembled a tarry black pipe-cleaner with fur sticking every which way. Her batty ears were pinned back for a few minutes as she sucked air in to her lungs and tried to relax a bit (as if that were the problem) and then she caught the girl's eye again. I'm fine, she huffed, clearly lying. I'm too flippin' tall is the problem, I can't squish myself down enough. Maybe I can go a different route, but that was unlikely, which only made her sigh dramatically upon realization. She flipped back upon her bottom and sagged, deflating. Or maybe I just suck.

Self-loathing, while Queenie wasn't particularly experienced with it, was something that the huntress knew came in bounds these days. It seemed easier to find a wolf who despised their own existence than one who floated happuly through it, so she wasn't surprised when Kratha fell into the latter. I mean, of course she was to some extent; on one hand, Kratha seemed almost as proud and untouchable as Queenie (or Delight, even!), but it wasn't completely ridiculous that that might have been a part of a ruse.

You don't suck, Queenie cooed, kneeling down so that the two wolves were at eye-level, Get your sorry ass up and look for another way in. We don't have all day but we can't leave until you see this. So get up.