Porcupine Ridge but they're weird and they're wonderful

let me know if anything needs editing <3

for my reference, territory desc.
Jutting out haphazardly from the ground, the Porcupine Ridge is most known for its treacherous peaks and uneven surfaces. It appears a place of danger, but among its tumultuous rises are forested glens and hollows and hill side pastures, which shelter and provide for predator and prey alike. Spring-fed mountain lakes hold glacial, exceptionally clear drinking water, and the southeast overlook offers a breathtaking view of the Northstar Vale below, and the peaks of mountains that mark the vale's boundary.

Athens did not think he would ever be grateful to see a bird.

Tawodi returned with a series of sounds to announce his arrival, settling on a perch not too far. He supposed the right thing to do was find some kind of return for sending the flyer ahead. Whatever remained of his caught fish was offered up freely.

His own appetite was hardly there after all, far too nervous about what would prove to be a hard journey — path found or not.

He imagined @Losi was already well aware of the bird's arrival and Athens preparations to set out. A wash in the brisk waters was all he allowed himself before they would set out. It was not the cleansing of his looks that mattered to him, but the alertness he felt once the cold water lapped over him. That might be what kept him alive on the journey upwards.

Tawodi could lead while the canines followed.

He did not voice an ounce of concern he had when these lands seemed terrible. Jutted stones and dangerous paths. The one thing he made sure to do was never look behind him or down below. It might have been a poetic moment if he did not feel the heavy smack of his heart against his breastbone like a rattle. A thing that proved far more distracting.

He could not have fathomed the thought that the landscape might soon become more bearable.

Tawodi had returned to the pair shortly after they had finished fishing. Athens had offered the last of his fish, which Tawodi gulped greedily, and Losi found herself surprised at the gesture. Not many thought much of her hawk companion, let alone give him a prize, and she fought the aww that threatened to escape her lips. 

Instead, she showed her gratitude in a smile, though not letting herself tarry too long in his eyes. If the glance his way had been any longer and she would have forced him into a hug. It was the small things that got to her the most, the things that many people might not care too much about in others. Little gestures spoke loud of a person. And, Athens was practically screaming at her. He may appear sullen, but there was something else underneath there; the livered female could truly only guess, but, maybe, someday she would be right.

Maybe.

As for the area around them, she felt unease in her bones, and her own heart hammered against her ribs. She was not inclined to heights, they made her feel slightly lightheaded and dizzy. It may very well be a reason the mountains had not called to her—or, rather, she ignored them, if they did. But, she agreed to see Athens through, and wanted nothing more than this, so she would call upon her ancestors for safety and guidance to push through.

And, if he allowed, she would inch herself closer to the man, almost to the point of bumping shoulders as they traveled up…and up, and up. 

“This is—how you say—treacherous. I do not know if Tawodi’s idea of safe is the same as ours.” The bird squawked in indignation. He was a bird, a traveler of air, and paths were nothing more than weird bits of terrain that held no significance to his kind, but he did the best he could her them. “Calm, Tawodi, it will be alright. Right, Athens?”

Just this once, he swore, it was good that someone stayed so close to him. Mainly because he feared that if she fell behind or if something happened he might not be brave enough to steal a glance.

Treacherous, indeed. His voice had grown thick. Heavy with the thinning air and the tiredness that threatened to grip his limbs. He had not wanted to voice his uncertainty about the bird's decisions to her but...if she started it. The privilege of eyes above. Words meant to be a whispered thing towards Losi.

Athens would not admit it but perhaps he was nervous he might offend the bird.

Yet he thought he spotted glimpses of color up ahead. Something other than the drab grey tones of all these rocks. It would be nice to find something closer to grass again. Maybe there was a valley or at least a creek to break alongside.

Look, He encouraged with a motion of his chin forward. Did she see it too? The potential for this land to have some kind of relief if they just went a bit further?

This was also a kind way for him to figure out if the mountain air had begun deprive his brain or not.

The hint to send the bird into the skies again was not missed, and so she did with a gesture upwards, a gentle command after his fleeting form to scout for dangers. His call in return was short and quick.

They traveled ahead, skirting around large boulders, slipping on loose rocks that ended up tumbling down into the depths below, finding new spots to settle. The further they climbed, the hope that there was relief soon to come became greater, and, at the gentle encouragement from Athens, the hope had been answered as the path ahead opened into shades of greens, and soon the sound of running waters filled her ears.

She bumped his shoulder, happy to have found some respite coming their way. It would be too early to tell if their journey crossing the mountains would prove uneventful. Losi knew that was not the ways of life; it ebbs and flows haphazardly, unpredictable but ever present. 

“I see! Let’s continue on further and rest when we get there. I am only two suns, but my hips think they belong to an Elder.” Her hip problems had not always been an issue, but lately they would ache something fierce if she overused them, or, stressed them too hard. She did not feel embarrassed by the needs of her body; she only has one body in this lifetime, and if it tells her it needs rest, she will unapologetically give it what it needs.

For the first time, he stole a glance away from the path ahead of him.

Her hips? He looked as if he might see an issue with them. Yet unless she limped or struggled visibly, he could see nothing. Not that he was any kind of caretaker or healer. It made him wonder what he was.

He thought himself no true hunter or guardian — certainly no Hound for his inability to hunt down those he missed — and seemed to lack as medic.

His gaze was eager to return back to the trail and see the grounds roll into the glen. Somewhere here must be a place that she could bed for the day. He would have been hard pressed to make her travel a mile more if she truly thought her hips were like an elder's.

Find somewhere you like, He encouraged even if his tone mellowed into something distant. I might stretch myself further ahead to see if anything of note is nearby.

Even if he tired and hardly fancied the idea of one step more. He would not leave them vulnerable in a new place — and perhaps it would give him time to process her kindness even more.