Horizon Ridge see ya later alligator... or never again crocodile

@Saarthal @Max

A few days in the ridge is all she needs to familiarize herself with the best and necessary parts. She doesn’t know how long they’ll stay here but something keeps her rooted (she knows what that something is but she is refusing to acknowledge it in any way, shape, or form) and she’s found a spot high up on the rubble that offers a glimpse of the glamorous view the ridge once had.  
 
“Come on, a little higher,” she says, turning over her shoulder down at the roman. “I promise, it’s worth it.” Mallaidh takes a careful step, rubble falling from beneath her and dropping a few meters down the way. It’s not so much as steep as the loose rocks beneath her feet are unsteady and she doesn’t want to be the victim of an endless tumble lest she now capture her footing. Eventually, she’s able to veer off to the side where she makes her way to a small ridge, untouched by the dangers that befell some time ago. Still, what is left offers a wide view of the remaining ridge and a peek at the ocean in the distance.

feline’s disappearance affected her more than she’d like to admit. the fact that she departed as soon as she arrived left her an emotional mess. they had been separated not once, but twice now, only this time she wasn’t forced to. she left on her own. no, it wasn’t like that.it couldn’t be like that. she wouldn’t just leave for no reason. max repeated this to soothe her nerves, but it only left her feeling worse. what if fell down a cliff, what if she drowned, what if she was eaten, what if, what if-... no, she’d never go down like that. maybe she did just leave.

when they left the plateau, max kept her distance between the others to drown in her own drama silently. she couldn’t be seen like this, she didn’t want to be confronted by either of them. bottling up those feelings were the best way to go yessir. she would stay miles away from the two to look for any signs of feline and eveventually broke from the trail. she told malliadh that she was going to search for varinril but in all honesty that wasn’t the case. well at first it was but then it just morphed into one last search party for the firey woman, which was all for not. it was like she dropped off the face of the earth. no scent, no tracks, nothing. max felt more defeated than ever.

her first instinct was to go back to find her friends. going off on her own again crossed her mind, she couldn’t stand them seeing her like this, but decided against it. mallaidh and saarthal were the only people she had left, she would never forgive herself if she just up and left. they were still forest, their scents were strong. that’s a relief. max slowly followed their scent to a sketchy looking ridge. she was reluctant to go on, but all she wanted to do was see her friends again and forget about the past few weeks. her hearts beats faster with ever inelegant step she takes. valleys and forests were easy to traverse. this? not so much. one wrong move and it was game over. she was relieved when she got her barings on some flat ground and even more so when she spotted her companions. “hey!” she called out to them.

She had never been on the ridge before but had passed it many times on her trips down the coast. The wound on her shoulder ached a little after the climb, but she ignored it as she moved slowly through the rubble. Occasionally, a jagged piece of stone would be knocked loose by one of her steps and tumble down the narrow ridge to disappear beneath the trees below; a clear warning to trek carefully. 

She hadn't been exploring the area long before she picked up three familiar scents. The black tip of her tail wagged a little with the recognition, and she didn't hesitate to follow the scent trail. She soon found all three females and moved towards them, greeting them with a, Hey guys! once she was close enough.

"it'll be worth it if i get a reward," saarthal grumbled as she followed mallaidh. she was no stranger to these precarious structures but she was definitely not a fan of them, "you know, like a kiss. or more," she continued, raising her voice to make sure her friend could hear her, a cheeky smile plastered over her flushed face. ugh. this exercise...it was a bloody miracle she hadn't tripped and died given how clumsy she was. she really deserved a reward for doing this. 

"mallaid-" saarthal was cut off when a familiar voice rang sharply through the air. no way. no fucking way. "max?!" the roman called, her voice rising in pitch and yes it was her, holy shit. instantly, saarth was off, barreling towards the girl, hoping to tackle her 'lightly' on to the ground and shower her with a well-deserved barrage of hugs and kisses. "i missed you, idiot. i thought you left for good," saarth adopted a teasing tone, now, "and we haven't even gone on a date yet."

in her excitement, saarthal did not realise another familiar wolf had arrived.

She rolls her eyes when Saarthal requires a reward and she throws her head over her shoulder, watching her. “You get a lot of those, you know,” she tells her as she settles in, turning around. Whether or not she’d cave to the kiss doesn’t matter, as Saarthal is interrupted by none other than Max. Eyes widen in surprise and she squirms, tail wagging. It does not make them whole but they are together again. Mallaidh opens her mouth to say something but Saarthal beats her to punch, demanding a date out of Max.
 
Her ears fall back for the briefest of seconds and—hopefully before anyone notices—perk right up.
 
Another wolf beats her to the punch to speak and she turns immediately to Speedy, surprised to see the other girl here of all places.
 
“Speedy!” she blurts, pauses, and then hesitantly, “right? What're you doing here?”

her heart jumps when they see her. it was hard to contain the happiness and relief at the sight of her friends and it’s shown with a big smile and a skip in her step. she toppled over easily when saarthal tackles her, which was no surprise, she was smaller than most. “i’d never do that,” she laughed through the barrage of kisses. she snickered when a date was mentioned. “well we’re gonna have to change that aren’t we? it was good to see the two after that long period of solitude. well, it wasn’t that long, but it sure did feel like it. her woes were pushed aside for the moment.

she barks a greeting to speedy, someone who she hasn’t seen in awhile nor expected to see. it was a pleasent surprise.

Speedy watched as Saarthal and Max excitedly greeted each other. She hadn't seen the three of them in while and had actually forgotten that they all knew each other. She turned to Mallaidh to answer her question. Yep! Speedy. I hadn't explored this place yet and decided now was a good time. Even better decision now that I found you guys, she said with a friendly grin. She gave Max an equally excited greeting bark paired with a few wags of her black-tipped tail. What are you guys doing here? she asked, addressing all of them now and taking seat while she waited for their answer.