my favorite mistake (territory discovery)

Today we'll be trying to discover a new place for Sunspire! Located on it's northern hemisphere (so that little space between Sunspire and Sheepeater) we're hoping to snag a piece of the map and call it Razorback Ridge. Details of the territory will follow in posts and be summarized on the final reply!

For Xi'nuata (AGAIN MWHAHAHA)

A quick climb up Sunspire Ridge mere days after recovering from a traumatic chest infection? Sure! Why not? At least that was the thought process in Ariston's mind after he woke for the seventh time in bacterial solitude. His strength was not entirely lent back to him but he was well enough to convince himself that everything would be fine...a foolishness he cursed himself for not one hour into his hike.

His heart palpitated as a thin, brittle sheet of granite sloughed away beneath his feet. His afflicted forearm made only a minor motion with the ground's betrayal but it was an unwarranted movement nonetheless; he felt his insides give churning into queasy knots as his eyes wandered ahead to the steep drop off where the loosened gravel now tumbled. They went overboard after a few seconds...the temporary silence of their freefall interrupted by the sharp clatter of rock on rock in the final moments of impact.

"Oh eff this," he voiced in panicky chagrin as he looked in every direction manageable without involving any direct change of where his paws were firmly planted. He was locked into place like a frigid little statue...held hostage by the honest fear that any step could result in disaster.

It was suddenly obvious to him why he'd never tiptoed around the peaks all that much. It was friggin' DANGEROUS.

set by Emy

OOC: Still vague on the ranks, but it should play out naturally :3 The Vale was not just a place one called a refuge. Gradually it was becoming what one would call ‘home’. It still took some getting used to, having a place to return each time she ventured out. But as the days drifted by, she was beginning to take notice of her lacking adventurous spirit and more of the time she spent within the borders seeing to its security. She hadn’t noticed the change until a few weeks had well passed, and even then it was an afterthought- no striking revelation. However when she took notice of it, how deeply her coat smelled of the Vale and her shadow, she decided it was time to reclaim the mountains she had been so proud of, and reap from their stretches the wonders of nature nestled within. Having departed in the early hour, she had near the whole day to explore untouched reaches of the land. From ragged face to sparsely bushed bluff, she climbed from sight of this place now hope to fight the bitter cold to touch low lying clouds. And there was one in particular, a pale cloud literally pressed against the dark of the earth. Unmoving as a drifting thing would almost as if it were stuck against the rocks; stranded. Curiously she crept forward from stable ledge to more daring ground. Her paws worked in practiced rhythm to steady her progress while both tail and weight shifted in time to keep her balanced and upright. She could almost just make out the fur of this cloud- “Ariston?” Surely she was mistaken.

Not only was the terrain shiftier than a stick shift but it wasn't exactly a place with a mild climate on top of that. He abstained from shuddering himself right off the edge of the bluff and elicited a miserable little whine beneath his breath as a chill trickled down his spine...a cold slap of wind to his face made his eyes water involuntarily. He could see Kinta Flatlands spread out before him though it was blurred by both distance and his temporary blindness; the slight shift of wind to the south brought to his attention a very familiar scent - the leaders of the Vale - though he wasn't able to accurately categorize their faces to the smell.

His name being called above the howl of the gale was not expected. He stiffened and twisted his neck to peer down the little gravel slope to his left...the sight of a dearly beloved coppery mane making his heart shriek with a mixture of both delight and embarrassment.

"Ah! Nuata!" he answered with a casual expression scrawled into his features (his eyes however screamed of unspoken terror). "Fancy meeting you in a place like this!"

SAVE ME his inner mind wailed.

set by Emy

Her tail swayed with mirth at seeing her companion again, however odd his position when compared to her own. Indeed he was a puff of cloud clinging to the rocks, but from her angle he looked more like a billy ready to jump. One certain step forward, and it was off to another peak by which to gaze from. Perhaps he had taken a liking to the mountains. “I live nearest to these mountains,” she claimed with an excited howl, her voice echoing from the peaks into the chasm depths yet unseen. Skillfully she bound closer, taking one sturdy stone underpaw then another til she was just beneath her companion on the impressive bluff. She fixed her claws between the crevices of softer earth to steady herself as she leaned out a little ways then peered upward below him. "Are you alright up there?” she inquired innocently. “There is a pathway down,” though as the words left her muzzle, she was certain he must have known this fact already. How else would he have gotten to such a precarious position?