Sunbeam Lair natural obsolescence

He had made it this far. Upon finding the entrance to the cavern, the only one like this he had ever known, he could rest easier knowing that indeed, these were the familiar scapes of the Teekons. Even he found certainty, especially as he had delved deeper into familiar turns within.

So, with that, he had rested. A entire day, practically motionless after a small meager hunt--it was the greatest luxury he had known in months. When he rallied himself up and out again, the pale Rikudou came to the entrance of the lair and loitered near, slow and pensive in his every move as he picked along.

The sanctity of Ryūjin's old former claim had been kind to him so far, albeit lonelier than he had ever known it. Still, he tried to rejuvenate while he was here and take advantage of it, ghosts and all, since he had nowhere pressing to be just yet. Winter was his biggest concern, but this was nothing new--and he could spare a day, or two, or three? Or he couldn't, who knew?

Temptation of another night's rest kept his paws heavy. The winds that buffeted against his coat were cold, his bones were aching, and a whole mountain range was in his next direction. He stood facing the chill and knew he had to find some more food, too. He couldn't waste all of his time, if he intended to keep going eventually.

She hadn't even meant to wander into the mountains, but now she was here and had spent most of the day exploring. Her breath came out in white puffs in front of her as she walked along the ridge. Sometimes she would stop and stare at something in the distance, thinking she had heard something, but would resume her pace when it became clear that she was still alone. She didn't mind the solitude; it was something she had taken for granted before coming to Teekon, but now pack life sometimes made her forget the difficulties of the lone wolf life, and she sometimes caught herself missing the times when she only had to worry about herself.

Her pale yellow eyes caught movement down below, and she padded down off the ridge a little to investigate. Lifting her nose, she drew in the air around her and was met with fresh scent of a stranger. A few more tentative steps and she could see the pale stranger in the distance. She froze where she was, lowering her head a little before letting out a soft chuff. She watched the male intently but stayed where she was, ensuring there was enough space still left between them that she could run way if needed.

He stayed rooted where he was for quite some time and were it not for the cold winds, he thought for a fleeting second that he might not ever budge. When he finally tired of squinting against the chill, he managed a great sigh then picked up a shred of momentum to attempt to start onward--with no choice but to do so. He only made a few minuscule steps before his eyes found her, however, and this halted him immediately once again.

Delicately, he finished his last pawstep in slow motion, and watched her carefully as he did. He came as no stranger to all shades of reactions, and always, he sought to keep them as minimal; usually, he had little business with others anyway and it did him well to try to keep it this way.