Firefly Ravine the rabbit hole never to be found
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#1
All Welcome 
The ravine sprawled out before him, and he liked to think there was the faintest tinge of sea salt in the air. The day was warm and humid, the chill of the outer edge of the taiga relenting mile by mile. Once distant mountains loomed close now and the land was cast in late morning shade as he descended a rocky path towards the rushing rapids below. If things panned out, he thought he could clear the region by nightfall and take those first fresh steps onto the coastal realm in a world very much suited to his desires.

Though still not quite aware he had made his way back into familiar—though not quite noticeable—locales, Dirge moved easily and without much recall to the winter that had bored down on the area. He had cut a jagged path weeks ago that had bypassed this area altogether, more focused on travel and brief exploration than anything. But the harsher elements of the north had beckoned him to turn south and so he did, and so to some degree he had bobbled in a course that followed the natural curvature of the earth to funnel him back towards the sea.

Pausing to drink from a runoff point, his ears turned this way and that as he listened in to his surroundings. It was quiet here past the din of what should have been; the ravine lurched and roared as it tore away from the deep crevases of the interior mountains, but the birds sang from boughs on high where the trees stood sparse. His thirst put to rest, he moved along to follow the cut of the ravine, and more importantly where it would prove safest to cross.
let sleeping dogs lie
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#2
For a while it had been convenient to haunt the lush shield of Raven's Watch. It was from the mountain's dusky skirts that Atomsk watched the passing of mild storms and ceaseless drizzles, and it was from the forests and river-vein at the heart of that territory that he captured his fair share of fresh meat and had his fill of alpine water. He was want for nothing there except company— and the need for this came too strongly after he'd gone a third week without encountering another soul.

The vandal trudged on, abandoning his peace for now.

And he did not regret it immediately. At the ravine, the first junction of his renewed venture, the vagrant came across another lone wolf— a sharper, golden-eyed agouti-kin— and he approached at an amiable clip. Stopping just a few wolflengths back, Atomsk gave a small incline of his broad head, relaxed his ears, and wiggled the tip of his tail.
so lay your hands across
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#3
He was not alone for long, much to his liking. As the incline of his descent slowly evened out once more, he did not miss sight of the wolf all stately. A pale figure in an otherwise world of green at present, his formidable size along the narrowed trail was enough to give Dirge pause; a curious cant of his head regarded his find as if all intentions could have been read in a single once over. It acted doubly as a hello of sorts.

"How's the path ahead?" he queried, gaze moving past to study that slope—at least what he could make of it. There was nothing in the wind there to suggest he was moving headlong towards claimed ground; he doubted he had come across someone belonging to someone, or sowhere nearby. These nooks and crannies were quiet for good reason.

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let sleeping dogs lie
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"It's fair if you're used to such things," the traveler responded in kind, adjusting his posture from I will retaliate to I trust you without consequence. He gave what he got in most situations, and because he was supremely confident in his own ability to repel an attack, Atomsk was quick to put his faith in strangers. "And if you're not, I could show you the way." He continued in his low, sonorous voice, sounding older than he was. There was no judgement in his tone, only genuine indifference; no cheer to suggest he'd be offended by a refusal, and no acidity to suggest his offer was false.

He looked down the way the stranger had come. "Nothing of interest further in?"
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#5
So more of the same then, he could deal with that. While the ravine itself could prove to be hazardous, it hadn't been too difficult to navigate so far. He figured crossing it would be the real challenge to come, assuming it didn't morph into something less commanding at the valley bottom. Even then he was sure he would find a way to cross it in time.

"Depends on what your interests are," he said. "If you're the sort looking to explore, there's plenty to find along the rocky walls. The valley below has its share as well I've discovered." None of it had held his interest for more than a day at best once he had decided to head back towards the coast. What it was he hoped to find there was as good as anyone's guess; Dirge would know it when he saw it.

"But I give you my thanks, I'm certain I can imagine the way down. The path behind me is a little testy, but as long as you stay close to the wall you should be fine. Might find some small game up there too if you're looking to hunt."
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None of what the stranger described appealed to Atomsk in the slightest. It sounded slim and lonely up ahead, and the prospect of small prey felt useless to the titan unless they also happened to be dead or dying. In desperate times he'd been known to run down even a sharp rabbit, but he was never satisfied by such meager meals, and the odds for success lessened dramatically in more bountiful seasons, given his tendency to put on weight. Atomsk shook his large head, deciding not to head that way, and licked his chops as he processed other choices. "I was more on the hunt for company," he admitted after a beat. "Know of any packs from the way you've come?"
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#7
"Unfortunately I don't know of any here," though he did understand the hunt for company, "I do my best to stay well out of their way. The last packs I'm aware of are well to our east," he concluded with a gesture outward. Where Lily came from crossed his mind, but he did not know where she stayed, and he was not so easily tamed into discovering such places. Necessity was one thing, but the seasons were full and days long; Dirge had no intentions of seeking a pack out until things turned unfavorable.

"But if it's just company you want, you're welcome to join me for a spell. I'm headed for the coast." And as it were, company often made the journey more exciting if not helped to pass the time. Though no stranger to going solo, he did not sense harm in offering to string someone else along for his venture.
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#8
Over time Atomsk had come to learn that the months of green warmth and beatific natality— when he could most afford to be sedate and impartial— signified to him the best time to wedge himself into the ranks of others. The harsher seasons promised a different wolf entirely; and the longer he had to acclimate, the less offended his mates would be later on when he became savage. He was disappointed to hear there was no certainty ahead, only behind him, but there was just a flick of his ear to indicate a faint annoyance. It was a topic dispelled briefly as the vagabond offered his own company.

"That suits me fine," the hound perked up, turning so that they might take off at one another's side. "I'm not much for sand, though, so we'll part ways if it comes to that," he added noncommittally. "I'm called Atomsk."
so lay your hands across
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#9
If it were certainties that his companion wished to find, it would have been remiss to suggest his present company would have them. It wasn't a matter of if they came to the sand to Dirge, it would have been a matter of when, or so he thought. Drawing himself alongside the brutish canine as he supplied an introduction, he took the moment to meet his gaze by means to affirm their decision before slipping along to the wandering descent to pause again.

"Suits me as well. You can call me Dirge," and now that was out of the way and his summary of what lied ahead at some standard of completion, he was ready to forge ahead as he was wont to do. "Shall we?" Daylight was burning, however unchecked as it was; he had made good time thus far along the arbitrary path he walked however directionless it really was. The ocean was only a goal for the present.
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#10
Atomsk bobbed his broad head in soundless agreement, taking the helm if only because they were going the way he'd just come. He was a companionable sort -- easy to get along with as long as he didn't feel threatened in any way -- but conversation didn't appear to be his strong suit. He didn't ask after his temporary partner's life, like an adept conversationalist might, or wonder what it was on the coast that drew Dirge in; for these weren't things Atomsk thought he should concern himself with. Instead he moved along in relative silence, keeping his senses ranging for something they might accomplish together.

He kept an ear turned towards Dirge, lest his temperament change abruptly or he found himself curious about him. He expected more of the latter from his company, but one could never be too careful.
so lay your hands across
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#11
Companionable silence—if it could be called that—took no time to envelope them. Where he had thought to take the lead it had been usurped by the passing of Atomsk; this hardly phased him as he fell in step to follow. For now he was content to take stock of what lay ahead of them as the minutes were left to unfold. The rest would fall into place where it deemed best, however randomly that may be.

But as it were, he enjoyed conversation and it was not long into their venture he found his wonders coming to life off his lips—his mouth opened to say something when a pungent aroma prompted him to close it again. The rush of the ravine was louder here, the tattered strand of earth they walked rough and weary from decades of weathering the test of time.

"Smell that?" Surely his companion did. "I'd venture a guess something had a nasty spill off the side." It was a distinct sort, the smell of decay and a certain staleness he could not place. Instinct alone suggested it had been left for dead for some time, and Dirge stopped to peer curiously off the edge with unabashed interest. It was a long drop; he would have whistled if he had been able to.

But the pair moved on shortly thereafter, and onward along their northern course.