Hoshor Plains taking pages from a magazine

maybe a @Masa?

she'd taken her rounds in slower strides, their numbers enough for her to focus on the inner workings of the territory while the others set themselves to patrols. she'd taken a wax crayon to her mind and scribbled a rough draft of the plains. a sketch to the far north where the bison seemed to gaze the most. a doodle to the west for the river. a large x marked over the lake to the south.

the expanse of open fields stretching parallel to the mountains had thus far gone unbothered. they had little reason to fret with that side of the territory, the mountain itself a natural barrier against any interlopers looking to lose their head. only a fool would try to navigate the cliffside that neighbored the plains. even from the ground she could tell that was an unwise decision, and any who tried to do so would likely be found as a corpse from an unfortunate fall.

and so with time to dedicate to the inner workings of the land, nephele set out for the edge of the mountainside, eager to discover if there were any useful areas nestled in the shadow of the sunspire.

sure!!

just as he was returning from strengthening the borders and making sure the ogress of the lake hasn't crossed over the line out of spite for her neighbors, masa catches a glimpse of nephele. the plain parts just for her as she makes her way to the mountains, and masa narrows his eyes.
surely she did not mean to traverse there alone.

he makes himself known with a chuff, unsure how high up in the clouds the woman was.
where are you headed, lady nephele?

lady nephele.

her head whirled around, a snort escaping her at the title he'd attached to her name. she did not think herself so polished and respectable enough to be consider a lady in the way he'd meant. "to the eastern border," she reveals with a motion to the mountainside. "i've yet to explore that region, though find myself with the time to do so now."

unsure of when the next opportunity would arise to allow her the investigate the land within their claim, she sought to continue her advance towards her cliffside. a glance given back to the shadow man, a sway of her tail as an invitation. "care to join me?"

his brows raise every-so-slightly at the snort the pale woman let out. a glint of humor, or surprise, was barely legible in his ashen eyes.

she explains her motivations, proving his suspicions and answering his questions with one swipe. when she extends an offer, he takes it. mostly because it'd be irresponsible to leave the woman to tumble through the treacherous cliffside.

if you allow me to, yes.

her invitation was allowance enough, though she gave a brief nod to the man before sidestepping to offer him a place next to her. she did not mind the company, but would not wait for it either. a swift turn on her heels as she continued towards the mountainside, though her ears swiveled to listen for the man to follow.

it did not take long to arrive by the base of the towering sunspire, and as she drew near her neck craned upwards to take in the full view of their massive barrier. a flock of geese were migrating overhead just as they arrived, a sure-fire sign that winter was at it's end.

"it looks as if the only creatures passing the cliffside will be the birds."

there's a distance between the man and the woman, though he follows behind her steps. geese catch his eyes, and she remarks how they've been the only sign of life. perhaps that's a good thing for her, but masa would not be so sure.

still best to keep an eye on it. it's unlikely, but not impossible to cross through it. especially if one were to have a reason for it.

masa speaks a voice of logic and she was intent on listening, if it were not for the sudden commotion overhead. the rockfall started small, a few pebbles, but they quickly increased in size and she motioned for the pair of them to move a few paces back to avoid being flattened like pancakes.

once out of immediate threat of being crushed, her neck returned to it's previous position of looking upwards. there in the far heights of the cliffside, just within her eyesight's capabilities, was a chase.

a cougar set after one of the bighorn sheep, though a poor decision in attack left both creatures stumbling and falling down the rocky landscape. miraculously, the cat stood with prey in mouth after falling enough of a distance to end most other creatures.

she turned to her stalwart companion, "perhaps if the fall does not kill any trespassers, that cat will."

the mountain is more than lively.

a rockfall comes, thirsty for blood clearly, and the pair manage to survive with narry a scratch. and then, as if that isn't enough, a mountain cat makes its presence and fortitude known.
he wonders how much of a sour spot this mountain edge would be, rather than a disadvantage.

if the cat doesn't fall from it itself. he huffs, either way it'd be one less problem for yellowstone. he watches as the cat scurries away with its meal. if pups come this season, it'd be better too if it was more distracted just trying to survive the mountain than taking even a glance at the wolves.

sorry for the wait on this! i can archive with my next post!

she too watched as the cat slipped away with it's prize. she did not think it an immediate threat to them, though was not entirely dismissed either. she would use the feline for an advantage for as long as she could, a nature guardian to the plains. though if it would ever wander within the territory of yellowstone, they would aim to put it down without any hesitation.

she sucked in a breath before releasing it in a puff. "we still have some mountain left to investigate for any weak points," she motioned to the remain stretch of cliffside still yet to be discovered thoroughly. "you coming?"

you're fine! and that sounds good. last one from me!

lady nephele is quick to shift from the fleeing cat to what remains yet to be seen. masa hardens when he's referred to. he must confirm the mountain's viability as a fortitude or if it makes for yellowstone's blindspot. it could not be taken for granted.

yes, i'll lead if it's what you wish. he would prefer not to be held responsible if anything were to happen to the leading woman, even if it was her idea for wishing to play with the rocks.

masa offered to take the front and so she let him with a curt nod and motion for him to move forward. they trailed the remainder of the mountainside with no hiccups along the way. it looked secure enough from that she could decipher, with most of the cliffside being impassable due to it's natural construction.

this was good, and she was pleased with the discovery. she gave a thankful tip of her chin to the man before parting from him to go continue other responsibilities elsewhere.