Shadow Mountain It's ephemeral style

TM thread @Stigmata @Mahler @Finch @Thorn @Redshank @Ketzia @Piper @Damien @Nocturnal @Aries @Sterling @Vonn @Winterbourne but also AW!

The peak south of the territory beckoned her this morning; she could see it's snowy top from the lake as she woke, and careful, hopefully, not to wake anyone that might be sleeping near her, Taki rose and answered the call to explore.

She decided almost immediately that she liked it here; already it felt colder than where she had woken this morning, and a shiver of excitement moved through her body as she made her way through the snow. Her wanderings lead her to a quickly-moving stream that was frozen in random areas. She stopped just before her paws touched the thin layer of ice, watching the water move in the places not hardened by winter. Another shiver made her shake out her thick northern coat, and a frisky smile crossed her face as she studied the snow-covered opening in the other side of the water. 

Taki trotted down stream a little until she found a spot shallow enough to allow her to cross safely. She sprinted through the frigid water and leaped onto the other bank before taking off through the deep snow, completely unperturbed by the cold. She wasn't sure how long she ran, time passing without her notice as she urged her legs to carry her faster. With her zoomies sufficiently worked out, she stopped and plopped down into the snow to roll around, releasing a playful grunt as she wallowed back and forth. Covered in snow, she rolled back over, panting large white puffs as she looked around hoping no one saw her rare moment of carefree behavior.

she had followed taki out, considerably farther behind but interested nonetheless. stigmata had assigned her to some place called shadow moutain, with a name like that she was expecting something large, dark, intimidating; what she got, however, seemed to be the exact opposite. with her packmate far ahead, finch took the time to explore the broader sections of the area. it was barren here, some rocks more shaky than others, making her more wary and careful in her steps.

wandering around the borders, examining the size, it would make a nice home, she thinks. it doesn't seem all too difficult to mark and although her current home near the lake was lovely, diaspora was about the changing of the seasons, the changing of the scenery. one day, eventually, they'll have been everywhere. she's sure of it. the fae trots up the mountain, sniffing the air for taki's scent. her tread continues, paws slushing in the snow... plant life was scarce however there seemed to be much of it-- surely, this place would flourish beautifully in the spring. she comes across a small stream, frozed over from winter's harshness, and follows it down. the more downstream she goes, the more the ice gently breaks and cracks up. it was like magic, it was beautiful to her.
yeah, she was prety sure she liked it here.

thorn had passed through shadow mountain's range twice now; first, when he and his siblings had come to the wild -- and now, following the trail of the two females set to trailblaze for diaspora's next territory range.

he himself had little opinion of the heap of rock he found himself upon -- but the same could be said of arrow lake, and of redsand canyon. his one reservation with leaving arrow lake was that he would be leaving the bountiful moose cache he and stigmata had labored to harvest behind -- a fault with their own storage system over the present territory they were scouting.

he stood not so far from the two females, scenting the air. the mountain did afford them a vantage that redsand canyon didn't -- naturally, the young stag sought a tall perch in which to stand on, inspecting their domain with quiet approval.

Damn, sorry I let this go for so long!

Taki stood and shook the snow from her when she scented Finch near. She trotted up to the female, releasing a chuff as she moved. She stopped a few steps from the golden wolf and took a seat. She nodded her greeting, and noticing Thorn's arrival just then, she looked to him and offered him a nod as well. Taki glanced around them before settling her citrine gaze back on the packmate in front of her. She saw nothing to hunt and wondered what they should do with their time. Deciding she wanted to explore a little more, she stood, looking to both Diaspora members in invitation to join her, and then turned to walk towards the water, set on following it for a bit to see what path it took through the mountains here.

the pair before him said nothing; it was not a detractor to thorn, who often preferred to observe the world in silence. he would be their wing; the guardian as they scoped for new land (not that either woman needed his help, both being equally capable in their own right). he would offer neither criticism nor favor, instead deferring to the opinions of his betters.

content to follow behind them, the trio made north -- another successful expedition in the books.