It seemed to her as if miles upon miles of mountain terrain had been trekked upon the recent days and still there remained so much unseen. Amekaze was nowhere near entirely familiar with everything there was to see, yet day by day, she was learning more. Now that they were officially a claim, she could not quite devote all of her hours to explorations as they had borders to maintain and neighbors to keep an eye on, but she would always be sure to leave time for plenty of what really soothed her soul.

She had arisen late in the afternoon, as was usually in her nature as a late-night sort of creature recently, and casually hunted for herself before scaling towards the upper reaches. On her way, she picked out Ferdie's trail and began following. It didn't take long before she realized where it was heading, so she picked up speed.

The lithe wolf wove through the paths and soon, the steep face of rock rose to greet her, which spurred mixed feelings. She was still impressed by the imposing wall, but frustrated that it rendered the paths impossible while she knew it blocked the way to something great.

Landscape aside, she soon spied Ferdie.. in a curious act from what she could tell. She tilted her head and watched this, unsure as she strode closer. Her tail was kept low and her head mindfully dipped far more than she did in the presence of others now. While she did not yet know what sort of alpha he would be in times to come, she had accepted his rule without issue. What did that tree do to you? she chuffed, with a smirk curving her expression ever so subtly as her tail switched, happy to have found him.

It seemed that she distracted him from his tree-task and she watched with a keenly curious look. He greeted her in an unexpected way and then moved to her, and she had prepared to sink herself lower in deference should his signals dictate it, but instead she was left stilled.

He acted in a mixed way, like he could not decide what to make of her.. which she reasoned was not surprising. Ferdie was a curious wolf and while she was coming to suspect that she lured out an extra element of it in him, she knew there was something to be said without words here. In his company she was at ease and in smoothly good spirits.

In his nearness, with his muzzle at her shoulder blades, she snaked her neck against his and pressed her dark fur against his agouti shades. She nipped at his chest mischievously -- fondly, in her way, that he was probably coming to realize. She was not always particularly gentle in her contact, however brief, although did not mean it in an aggressive way. Tenderness was not a strong quality of hers.

Amekaze settled back with her weight mostly on her hind paws to listen. Hm, well if you could not budge it, she looked around him to the tree. It looked pretty set in its ways despite his efforts. It is probably not yielding. I was going to suggest trying to swing wide then looping back, to see if a path further around was better if I could not spot one here with daylight's help. It is similar to what you say, and I do agree, going with the mountain will always be easier. They were notoriously unshakable and she took the moment to look at the wall and then its edges; no paths were obvious from here despite how furiously she narrowed her eyes at it.

Eventually she huffed and settled her focus back onto Ferdie. We should try traveling higher then back down, as you say. It should work the best, and the mountain may.. be a bit more hospitable if we go with its flow, she concluded as she had taken to the idea from the first mention of it. If it comes to it, we can try approaching from the other side and up a ways, too. We will not know until we trek though, Ame added, which was in the event of the paths up further being blocked somehow. With more daylight on their side this time and a tactic in mind, she had more confidence that they would make progress. Last time had been wholly on a whim and dark to boot. This time she felt much more prepared.

She shifted forward and nudged her muzzle against the underside of his, then stepped aside to get turn her focus towards trailblazing.

She watched him abuse the tree further over her shoulder, insulting the injury all he wanted, with a vaguely interested smirk. His frustration was evident and Ame said nothing, more than content to let him get it out. Peeing on the tree was a nice extra touch and she laughed softly. It was important his scent be prevalent here upon the mountain, and its features as well. As reigning alpha, it was practically part of his job description.

Her tail waved slowly against her heels. Mm, suppose that would be wisest. It would make a good landmark to tell others to start from, and I do not mind passing the waterfall again. I like it, she exhaled, but such was true for much of this mountain. Amekaze was only peeved she had not come to explore it sooner. Instead she had always stayed near Gryfalcon's Keep and Silvertip, before its claim. This more inland range had hardly been touched by her before they had moved in.

So with that in mind and a quick nod, she adjusted her path accordingly and headed for the waterfall. Before long she could smell it, then hear the waters and she sped up to reach it before taking time to go a little slower when it was in sight. On the hot summer days, she had a feeling this would be a place to find her.. especially with the soft mist off the waterfall to consider.

This time, after a tail-waving look in Ferdie's direction, she took to a path leading up from there. The foliage was fairly thick in places, making it difficult for her to gain much speed, and then in another stretch of mountain the terrain underfoot was frustratingly uneven and dotted with rocks. She navigated it carefully until it straightened and she found what was probably a deer trail through the brush. Amekaze then kicked up her heels to a bouncy loping gait that invited Ferdie to overtake her, or press her to go faster, or whatever else he could come up with. He probably couldn't see the look of quiet mischief in her eyes, although she tried not to be obvious. Ferdie made her less stoic than usual, after all..

She hoped to see these paths take them to where they wanted to go. All the while, she was listening to the mountain itself -- or trying, anyway, on the fly like this, in hopes that it would reveal its secrets. Somehow, these paths eventually had to give way to one that would go to the springs; she wanted to see their efforts find success.

Then, Ferdie took her focus and she growled playfully at him as his strides lengthened. She wondered what he intended as he overtook her with relative ease and watched sharply, even yipping at him when he sunk down to make her think she would have a good chance to pounce him, but just as quickly as he had assumed that position, he sprung away into the brush. Ame followed.

She may not have understood why, but it was easy for her to do. In times like these, alone and romping (with the underlying tone of purpose, eventually) with Ferdie across the mountain -- his mountain, with a little of her help, too, she felt.. well, good. Amekaze liked her home here and wanted to see them able to keep it this way, for many more days like these to come.

But she was not gaining ground on him easily. He pulled away and for a moment, she could no longer see him. But with the rest of her senses keened in and her body flattened out to a full sprint, she fixed this.

When she could spot him, her determination lent her a new surge of speed and she worked hard to close in. He may have had the longer legs to give him a better stride, but she would not let him have the easy victory over her -- not without exhausting all of her speed in the process.

She drew steadily nearer and when the time was right, pounced forward towards Ferdie's hips and aimed to nip at his rump. Or, if it was all she could get, perhaps his tail. Either way she was just looking to proclaim that she had caught him -- even if just barely, and then the second contact was made, she darted away abruptly. The paths were changing again and this time it was more subtle. Her burst of fleeing speed downgraded to a bouncing canter with her ears quivering, standing as tall as she could make them.

While outrunning Ferdie was still a priority, and why she threw a few extra zig-zags into her run to keep it unpredictable, she did not want to find a wrong path too. She was looking for the sulfuric tint of the hot springs to reveal itself to her soon, and growing impatience to finally meet their destination was difficult to reign in. Ame breathed deep and kept speeding down the trails that curved across the mountainside.

She romped with her nose up, wild fur in the breeze, and lungs full of mountain air in good company -- after all, Ferdie had become.. something to her. She may not have known what, exactly, their bond may be but she didn't need to know right now anyway. It just.. was.

She had followed him without much thought, fell into step beneath his claim yet did not feel pressured by the weight of his rank. In fact, she was realizing he was curiously lax on the rules of rank when it was just the two of them. Ame had yet to decipher why exactly but this was not to say she was complaining. All the more reason to enjoy time with him.

As per usual, she just went with the flow and it was ideal, if she were one to judge. But the only issue was that their destination remained out of reach for the time. Ame could feel them getting closer, and the anticipation was just about to boil over. At least she was thankful for the cool mist to quell it, if only just some.

When the paths changed as they did, she paused to observe and hopefully hunt out the right way to go. Ferdie caught her eye when he glanced her way, too. She wiggled her tail anxiously and chuffed at him, then hopped over closer with a subtle shift in her expression; she appreciated his sentiment, and purled lowly. Ah, but I do want to share it with you, she poked his shoulder with her muzzle before moving on to trek the incline. So you better keep up, she smirked. These paths were odd underfoot, and she was careful when she looked over her shoulder to ensure he'd be coming alongside her.

But with every step further, the humidity in the air deepened and the mist hung heavier. She hiked on and on still, even while not fully understanding this landscape under her paws. It was bizarre, and soon, ahead she could plainly see steam rising up from somewhere very nearby. She quickened her steps until the drop off was reached -- a.. pit? Her eyes narrowed in question although her breath was sharp as realization had sprung. Was the spring far more hidden than she had anticipated? So it seemed...

Startled, she sharpened and whipped her head towards Ferdie's yelp. What she saw was him having slipped, and what she didn't know was the case cause of it all.. She yipped back, looking anxiously down to see the outcome of this and fidgeting accordingly until his head came above the water -- a relief, sure, but she was still not able to relax.

There had to be a way down besides a descent like his. Ame tore her eyes from his sodden form, having breathed another sigh of relief when he pulled himself onto a rock. His unbelievably bad luck with water never ceased to amaze her. Are you alright? she called to him first and foremost so that she could ease that worry, assuming all was fine.

Gesturing with her muzzle, she pointed towards one edge. The rocks look maybe passable over there from here? But they are probably slick.. she said as she trotted over to where they reached the top. Up here, they were passable and covered in grassy weeds even. Down there? Perhaps not...

He mentioned a cave and Ame's head tilted. I want to see, she yipped, eager to hear back. If he was fine, and something interesting was on the other side, she'd make sure to find a way there. Perhaps if she found a decent path down, it could make for a passageway out.. assuming the route worked both ways. Ame didn't want to have to fall her way in and possibly get stuck, too.. She tested the top rocks with careful paws, and then paused on a sizable slab. Her furs were already wet from the mists and she was looking for spots where she could use plants to help make the path more navigable. However, a lot of it would be trial and error.

Ame tried to wait patiently to hear back. There was little she could do from up here besides look around and attempt to pick out a path. It was not being able to see him any longer that was really inspiring a deep worry. She paced, not that she had much room on the rock she was situated on presently, and whined quietly.

She wanted to follow. Desperately. But, it did not seem wise. She was more useful here on the other side. She hopped from rock to rock and jogged across the edge, all while her ears were keened to hear back from Ferdie.

When she could barely hear her name, she stopped dead in her tracks where she was. Ferdie! Heyy! she called back, with a question lilting the simple words. Are you okay? She trotted carefully towards what she thought was closer to where he was, her paws slipping on occasion but thankfully, she was skilled at navigating slippery situations. What is down there? Do you see a way out? if he could hear her, that was. She tried to aim her voice in what she thought was his direction, wanting him to answer back so that she may track him better without sight or smell here. All she could smell was water and all she could see was.. more water, and the rocks and roots comprising the edges.

Anxiousness and worry began to give one another strength, which in her, was swift to turn towards a shade of frustration. Ferdie couldn't just.. get lost and stuck here! This mountain wouldn't do that.. so she liked to believe. Everything had a way and if she just.. listened, and found the rhythm, something should work itself out.

Nodding to herself, she strained to listen to him and followed his voice with a few springing steps towards where she thought the best place to start was. He sounded close to here. Closer than it had been.. over there, she thought, looking over her shoulder then back to the spot in the earth where she thought some rocks might part to make a hole.

Alright, tell me if you see anything happening from your end, she whuffed before she began to pull the rocks aside with scrabbling paws. She hoped he would watch out.. because she didn't know what she was going to cause to fall in doing this. Hopefully nothing too major. But she had no idea what was just underneath here and what was on the other side.

Then she put her paws to digging as viciously as she could, trying and willing the earth to bend for her and open a passageway. Hopefully soon he would be able to tell exactly where she was coming from, either by light breaking through the dirt and stone or just by sound alone. Out here, this seemed like the best part to start at, so she went by what she could.

So she dug and dug and dug a little more, approaching a larger rocky part from a different side now and again to loosen it up best. I am working on it! she called back as he whined her name, and even she was annoyed with how this was going so far. The effort poured into it was not equaling the result just yet. Eventually, she felt them shifting and dug with new fervor. A hole opened up more and more, and as she dug, she peered in, hoping to see Ferdie on the other side. She kept working despite tiring, dirty paws and feeling quite steamed from all the warm mist sticking to her fur as she continued.

When the earth gave way, there was a mixed reaction. First was the satisfaction in progress, then a quickly-following dread as too much earth shifted and her paws couldn't back her up fast enough. She had nowhere else to go except right where this little rockslide was heading, and not for lack of trying.

The seconds to follow were a rush. She tried to keep herself guarded, but from what exactly, it was hard to say. Rocks crumbled below, her paws had nothing to hold onto and while she fell with them, they came from her new overhead. She braced accordingly and before it could even settle entirely, she pulled her legs underneath herself to press up in escape -- instinctively scared of being trapped.

She strained her legs and pulled herself free with every ounce of might she would muster. Thankfully, the rocks gave way and many of the largest pieces ended up underneath her instead of above, but she knew she would feel it tomorrow..

Frustrated, now-sore, covered in dust and debris and all soggy from the mist, she looked half a disaster and arose from the mess (or rather, the brand new entrance, but she was faster to call it a mess right now) to head towards Ferdie. Seeing him safe was some great relief that soothed the ache of all else some. She rumbled fondly to him but her ears stayed pinned, indicative of how massively unimpressed she was with this turn of events. All had been great until this and she was left feeling blindsided by bad luck. At least there's a path now.. she groaned. It had only taken both of them to find their own unfavorable situations.. but here in the end, all was okay.

She set her nose against his shoulder, sighed heavily, and stayed there -- she was worn out from the worrying, digging, trek here, and all else. At least the hot spring was found, but that didn't mean she was very happy with all that had come with it. Ame was ready to be done with it for now..

Time and its passing was of little concern to her, and she eventually refocused when he spoke. Her ears finally shifted from their flattened-out position, although remained splayed in her vague dismay. You are the unluckiest wolf I know when it comes to water, she replied softly and poked his side with her snout. Amazingly unlucky, and she shook her head, offering a small laugh of her own.

She nodded and once he had stepped away from her, she shook her fur. Dirty, damp and uncomfortable, she was done. Dry would be a good feeling right now, and this was coming from a wolf who liked being wet usually. She'd had enough though. I do not have one, she replied. Formally denning did not occur to her often. She curled up wherever it appealed or wherever it was she happened to get tired. But I do know some good trees... with big roots, all mossy, well-hidden.. they are my beds, she smirked tiredly as she offered this alternative. Ame would show him if it seemed to appeal any. However, the dark Rikudou would not fault him if not. They weren't quite a den, after all, but were certainly better than nothing. She too was looking forward to curling up and resting up.

It was where she was headed, and without another look back towards the small rockslide and the new entrance to the spring, she picked up a slow trot towards much more familiar paths.