DISCOVERY · mottswood cenote

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Rising with the sun had become normal in Jinx's world. It suited her all the better; she was out before many of her pack mates, doing her duty as a Horizon Ridge wolf, patrolling the pack's perimeter, and most importantly, making herself look good to Akhlut. Today, however, Jinx abandoned her duty, choosing to walk along the mountain range to the north of the Ridge's claimed beach instead of through the forested outer boundary. As far as she knew, there was nothing in that direction... Imagine her surprise when she came upon a pass that took her into the heart of the Sunspires, outside Porcupine Ridge.

That was not Jinx's interesting find of the day, but nevertheless she logged it in her mental map of Teekon as an interesting way to bypass the shadow of Blacktail Deer Plateau. It wouldn't serve for reaching the wilderness in any efficient length of time, but nonetheless, would be handy for going into the mountains without Hawkeye's express permission. The arrogance of the pact, and the weakness of Akhlut's acceptance, still bothered her... but she thought nothing of it today.

In the corner of the range, where mountain clashed against mountain, Jinx had found something interesting: a limestone sink hole, easily several hundred feet across, beneath which glistened a pool of water so clear and blue one could almost consider it unreal. Nearby, a network of cave entrances attracted her attention, and by following one—the rightmost, as it turned out—she found herself down in the basin of the great cenote. Her head tilted back to gave up at the hole she had seen from above, to find great swaths of moss hanging into the cave system from its lip, no doubt home to many an amphibious and reptilian animal.

The water itself was tantalizing, and she found to her great surprise when she bent to taste it that it was pure and fresh. Water filtered up through the ground, and water falling as pure rain from the skies, contributed to this pool, and accounted for its clarity and its clean taste. The water extended deeper into the cave system, but the rocky "shore" Jinx stood upon did not go that far; it was a small haven, but it was largely for show alone, since there was only one strip of land along the southern edge of the water that one could walk on.

hewwo

Hawkeye climbed down porcupine ridge, her paws throbbing from the wild surface; but, she had been determined once she saw the view of the Northstar Vale below. The breathtaking view made her desire to see more from up close, and she wondered if this was a place she should have moved her pack to instead.

Jumping off the last small ledge, Hawkeye landed with an oof!. After walking around for an hour, scouting, the black beast happened upon a sort of sinkhole near the mountain ledge. Curious, she poked her head around the corner and the breath was taken from her once more.

She entered, entranced by the water and craggy surfaces jutting from the ceiling as she lowered herself in. The color of the water seemed almost fake, and she was intrigued when the water itself tasted so fresh. The female was completely entranced by the view, and startled herself when she noticed Jinx.

"Hey, there. What is this place?" She felt a little uneasy.

table by houkie

<style type="text/css">q {font:13px Georgia; color:#9E0853; font-weight:bold;}</style>Her eyes were fixed on the impossibly clear water, such that the skittering of rocks underfoot was her only warning. Lobes swivelled authoritatively forward as she turned about to face her assailant, but it was only Hawkeye, who greeted her with familiarity. Though she was irked by the casualty that the Blacktail Alpha employed, she bit back the acidic remark she longed to make. There was no sense rekindling that argument... Never would the pair be friends, much as her and Pied would never truly reconcile their differences, but Jinx nonetheless had settled on neutrality.

I know not, she rejoined in a hushed voice. Though she spoke hardly above a whisper, the ceiling's curvature amplified her sound ten times over, so that it served in place of speaking at a greater volume. She yearned to explore further, but the water was too deep for her to wade into the tunnel itself. Instead, she slipped her paws into it, delighted to find it a little warm despite the cool of the cave, and then proceeded to wade forward until its surface kissed her underside.

What brought you here? she wondered without turning her head back to Hawkeye. She no longer had any reason to suspect a knife in her back should her attention waver... But for good measure, she kept her ears twisted back, locked on Hawkeye's position and poised to detect movement, like twin radars.

The cave made Jinx's voice sound loud, even to her own ear, an echo wavering off of the walls and driving to her left eardrum like it was directed there in the first place. She simply nodded when the black-footed female claimed to be unaware of what this place was as well.

Not turning to her, and moving her ears back to listen, Jinx asked the black beast what had brought her here. Speaking too loudly (and then making herself cringe, lowering her voice), Hawkeye stated: "I climbed over the ragged cliff from my lands on a whim and desired to see the vale closer. After walking around for a while, I came upon the entrance to this place." She paused to enter the water as well, long legs keeping the water from her belly; the inky wolf stayed as far from Jinx as possible, though.

"That mountain is a bitch to climb. My paws are all cut up." The female paused. "What brought you here?" It was as if they were stuck in a bubble together, and the air was thick with tension and moisture.

Small talk. Jinx had little to say when it came to small talk, if only because she wasn't necessarily sociable. She had been, once... Now, she was more like her father, and more like Lecter. More reserved, and content to remain on the outskirts of her kind's social activities. More inclined to remain separated from their ilk. She wasn't aware of it, but Hawkeye was much the same way: a loner, at least in one sense of the word. Neither wolf was fool enough to brave life without pack, but both quickly grew wary of company. Perhaps that was why their combined company always felt strained.

No, she thought sharply to herself. She mustn't forget the way Hawkeye had approached her at the hot springs, throwing accusations one minute and claiming to understand Jinx's Gods the next. She sensed movement behind her in the gentle shifting of stones as Hawkeye made her way to the water as well, spurred by Jinx's action or else curious herself.

It is brave to go over the mountain, she observed, with a tone suggesting that she herself had no love of mountains. Perhaps one day she would spend more time on their slopes, and better understand their appeal... But Jinx Kesuk was a forest wolf, right to her core, and had had no reason to ever seek higher ground. Mountains may well be the backs of giants, and one shrug could send you tumbling to your death. Or mountains could be mountains; she didn't really believe in giants.

I saw fit to chart the northern edge of the range along the coast, and found myself here. It was simple enough, but devoid of Jinx's usual dishonesty. There was no reason to lie now, for there was no benefit to be had. It didn't disadvantage her for Hawkeye to know how she'd found this place.

Hawkeye held back a laugh at the mountains possibly being the backs of giants. "Yea, I had to walk terribly slow and watch myself the entire time. I won't be going back that way, it's probably worse going up."

Looking around and splashing a bit in excitement, Hawkeye pipped up. "So, what are you going to call this place, Jinx? You found it first. It can be like a secret evil lair." The 'evil' was meant as a joke, but when the black female thought about it, she actually could picture Jinx planning evil things in the cavern.

OOC: I just randomly decided to change the name of this place >_>

IC: If truth was told, Jinx didn't care very much about Hawkeye's trip over the mountains. She didn't care very much for the dark-furred wolf at all, and admittedly, would have been content if she never saw her again. Unfortunately for Jinx, the Blacktail Alpha had an inconvenient way of popping wherever she went, being as inescapable as rain or snow... And even more unfortunately, she was forced to play nice, lest the entire pack descend on Horizon Ridge and Akhlut blame her for their haste.

But if there had been any way she could have attacked the Alpha without shouldering massive consequences, she would not have hesitated, though absolutely none of this was revealed in her easy posture nor her features.

"The Dungeon," she said at once, picking up on the "evil" theme proposed. Jinx wasn't an "evil" wolf, no more than Hawkeye was a "good" wolf; she simply had different motives, most of which were selfish, than your average good samaritan. What need did she have of an evil lair, for evildoers? None. Nevertheless, she was happy to convey herself in an "evil" manner, and she had never shied from playing along with a concept, particularly one that painted her in a sinister and powerful light, and so she went along with it. "It will be the nightmare of every child in the land, and naughty children will be tossed in it to think about their behaviour."

This was probably a joke... But it might not have been. She gave no indication either way.

Hawkeye felt unease crawl up her spine. Jinx seemed to go with the 'evil' joke and named the place 'The Dungeon'. This made Hawkeye realize how alone she was with Jinx in this strange place with the bright blue water; she did not worry about a fight, she knew she could win that. She was fully confident in herself. But the black wolf pictured the white one coming up behind her and performing a dirty trick and trying to take her out.

"Well, I better get going, then. Uh, see ya Jinx." She cautiously turned, paranoia creeping up on her. You'll be fine, my child, The foolish white wolf will not cause you harm. This came from Sos, who Hawkeye figured was long gone. Panic and relief filled her body as she left the place she would probably not be returning to soon.

Though silence pressed on them both, Jinx was not worried. Whilst she could not know Hawkeye's thoughts, she nonetheless felt safe. It would never be muddied with trust—if there was any wolf Jinx did not trust, it was Hawkeye—but rather, security. Jinx was a warrior trained by her grandfather to fight in a way to take advantage of her body's unique speed and slight strength. She was a recognized Adept of her faith, a Child of Sos, and chosen by Him. On top of that, she was versed in poisons—of the mind and of the body—and wouldn't hesitate to use them. These skillsets essentially made Jinx an assassin, though she had never used them for that purpose before. It was likely the source of her confidence. Any attack on her would come back to bite the assailant.

Nor could she know what strange thoughts went through Hawkeye's mind to make her change her behaviour so suddenly. She glanced back over her shoulder at the black Alpha with a suspicious frown, but said nothing as she departed. Had she been privy to the voice in Hawkeye's mind she would have laughed aloud at the woman's belief it was Jinx's God speaking to her... Sos would never refer to her as foolish, she would have said. But she knew nothing of it, and said nothing. All she knew was that the Alpha suddenly become uncomfortable with her own joke and departed suddenly.

This suited her just as well. Her lips curled into a sneer as the other wolf slipped out of sight before her attention turned back to the warm water engulfing her legs.

As Hawkeye left the entrance, she looked back for a moment, wondering where she and Jinx lay. It had to be that Jinx just tolerated her, and solely because of the incident on the island where her key-lime eyes glowed red (in her own mind) and she had chanted some language. Otherwise, she was sure that the black-footed wolf would take up arms against her. Not that she was worried about that.

Either way, Hawkeye decided that she would not be returning to the cavern of sorts anytime soon, if ever. Maybe it could be a romantic venture at some point, but right now, the black Alpha wanted nothing to do with Jinx. She would figure out things on her own; Sos Himself spoke to her, and Hawkeye was sure that if she really needed something, that he would guide her with His voice.