first thread of her lil trip away from the sunspire~
After reinforcing the mountain's borders as viciously as one wolf could, taking care to eat a good meal, then a quick word to Jace, she had left the mountain behind for her journey abroad. The spring was mild, the days warm, nights just cool enough, and her itch to get out far too strong to ignore any longer -- she selfishly gave in, and loped across the flatlands towards the river that would guide her path towards the sea.
It had been far too long. The mountain had consumed most of her time over the span of recent months. Even now, it was still ever-present to some degree but she needed to get out. Even if only for a while. She had been a wandering wolf for so long, and those habits were impossible to erase entirely.. especially in one like her with such an eager thirst for knowledge. While the motives may have been for herself first, she would be studying and observing. There was much to learn and perhaps she may find gain for the mountain in the meantime.
She reveled in the openness, and of course, the churn of her muscles as she traveled. The months of the mountain had given her strength and now here in the open, she felt like a breeze over the new spring grasses. Certainly, her travels would be made in good time.
Her mountain sunk further into the horizon as time passed. She lingered in interesting places she encountered, flushed out a rabbit for a quick snack, rested when appropriate, and passed just along the buffer zones of both the Plateau and the pack she did not know much of -- Silvertip, not that she could call it by name exactly. All the dark alpha knew was that here, along the river she had traveled up and down so many times, the pressure of nearby packs was stronger than it had been many moons ago. She slipped on through and headed for the cover of Ravensblood's towering sequoias.
By the time this afternoon began to draw towards an end, she had made her way to where the forest climbed upward to give way to Horizon Ridge. This would be her base for a while, at least until she decided to move on again. Already she was thinking northward, possibly alongside the coast. But first, she could use a breather and the cloudy skies over the distance seemed to hint towards rain. She moseyed slowly, and carefully mapped the landscape underfoot.
Tonravik was back and forth, from the Coast to the Wilds. Figuring out a place to settle was quite difficult for the (currently temperamental) wolf, who was traveling these lengths to find a place to raise her future cubs. Leadership came naturally to the dark wolf, who would fall into her place with ease when she found the location she would settle herself, for good. Tonravik had half a mind to head toward the Glacier again, usurp their leader truly, and settle there. Her mother had come to rule in the wake of a bloodless battle against the Valley; it seemed fitting she have a battle of her own.
The Ridge, she recalled, was a place that offered a good vantage point. At least when she climbed, she might be able to see spots she truly wished to scope out and ignore anything else. It seemed like a smart move to the tactician, who trotted at a brisk pace. Echelon was surely nearby, knowing now that Tonravik surely sought to lead again. In time, she would.
Tonravik, too, moved upward, exiting a different clearing than Amekaze. Her eyes had not yet traveled skyward, but her nose noted the promise of rain, also. The other dark woman was not yet in her line of sight, but soon, no doubt, she would be.
While the openness of the flatlands was refreshing, there was always a familiarity when she scaled up. The ridge was inviting for many reasons, always had been, and its seaside view gave it personal appeal. She had not seen the sea in so many moons and was eager to be reacquainted. It was part of the inspiration for traveling out this way. The only touch of the briny scent she'd felt was secondhand through others. Until now, and she drew a deep lungful to savor it.
She could see the skies so well here too, so it came naturally to keep an eye on them as they darkened -- with both storm and night. But she couldn't focus on it fully. She dug deep for a series of surging strides to get considerable distance beneath her, and she realized along the way was not alone. Her nostrils flared accordingly.
There was something remembered there too, albeit hazy, and she couldn't place it right away.
Amekaze readily set her sights on the black, bear-like female, who appeared to be scaling the ridge much like herself. One look at her steps across the terrain seemed to suggest that she too was used to them, even though her stature was practically one of a mountain itself. Ame chuffed, then strode nearer with poise and curiosity.
Tonravik knew the sea plenty through experience. In her youth, her mother had taken her there to train. Even now, Tonravik would find occasion to go to the shores and learn to move in the waters and press against their force. It was an exhausting endeavor, but no wolf was like the sea. The Sea could not be beaten, could not be exhausted. Wolves could. The Sea had humbled her greatly in her training.
She, too, noted familiarity in the others scent; but she had passed and seen many in her time. Her head swung when she heard the others approach, and at the others chuffing Tonravik rumbled her own greeting, inviting the other nearer with the sound. So long as the other did not mind silence, Tonravik would not mind climbing with her. The woman was never one for talking, and today was no different. Her eyes lingered on Amekaze, assessing the other. The dark wolf looked sure of herself, and sure-footed, too. Mountain-dwellers looked that way, and to find another was not a bad thing when they approached as Amekaze had.
This scent that she now matched to an appearance was one that dotted her history in the Teekon, yet it had not been this direct so far that allowed her to get full sight of the other. She could see she was at the utmost of ease here, and despite her sizable stature, there was a precise grace to her every motion as she moved across the terrain. While unlike what Ame herself possessed, it was all designed for a similar strength.
She regarded the larger female with curious calmness, and gestured her muzzle vaguely upwards -- the destination, despite the looming weather, while she stepped a handful of paces closer to the other. Perhaps their goals here were similar, and she seemed to get the sense that they were at least alike in some way. Amekaze sought the horizon, and with half a pivot, took to the path anew. She glided forward, stretched out her stride, and let the landscape show her the way.
At the others gesture, Tonravik shifted herself. The lone wolf had no qualms in journeying onward, and even though this wolf was not of her ilk, she felt that in some way the other might be a kindred spirit. Those that knew the mountain were always on the precipice of one terrible fall that could end it all. Even still, they climbed. It attested to their character. Hardy creatures lived on mountains. Even the prey were stronger the higher one climbed. The meat, Tonravik felt, was far better.
Tonravik moved with the other easily, muscles rippling beneath jet black fur. There was little that was lovely about the bearish wolf, but her furs were easy to envy. A black darker than the night sky, with no other hue to it. Large paws flexed and pressed against the earth as her eyes looked around her, eager for the advantageous view the place would surely give them. One ear flicked, listening to the footfalls of Amekaze.