Whitewater Gorge the journey of a thousand miles begins with...well, you know

first scouting thread! this is for @Dawn and @Pema but if anybody wants to make a random appearance I can't stop ya. let me know if i assumed anything wrong.

they had followed the river leaving morningside's territory, traveling south along its western bank. he was told its name was "whitefish," and it was aptly called so: the fishing was plentiful, better than anything he had seen before. they had feasted quite well so far.

now, after an uphill climb, they stood atop a gorge with jagged sides, plummeting steeply into the rolling river below. adi had no desire to try and scale down those cliffs, and said so out loud, hoping his companions would agree with this logic. after all, they would do the pack no good if one--or more--of them were to break their neck on the first leg of the trip.

aditya stood quietly near the edge of the cliff, the wind ruffling his silken agouti pelt. the weather was growing colder by the day, and he found himself wanting to sleep closer to dawn, to find comfort and warmth nestled against her thick fur. at the same time, he did not want to appear too forward, and thus always kept a slight distance--regretting it when the nights grew freezing.

from the gorge, he could see another mountain range ahead. they told him there was another pack there, homed on a fairly accessible crag. he deduced they were a little less than halfway there, but all that rested between them was a large, flat glen. it would not be so difficult, then, to make it to the mountains in the next couple of days.

Just as she had done when she first entered Teekon Wilds they had followed water, South to be percice. But their jouney became a bit rough when they came upon the gorge. Multiple cliffs with raging water below made Pema wary of the edges. She had fallen off a cliff before, luckily not one with such a deadly bottom. 

It had only been a few days since they had left, but she was already starting to miss home, and at nights she missed her den the most. The nights were much colder in the open then in her cozy den. At nights she saw Adi and Dawn sleeping close together. Adi's coat was thinner then most and so she knew that he would need the company of another at night, and it seemed Dawn fit that role well. During the quiet nights before they all ended up resting for the night or times during the day she thought she could see something between the two, but she couldn't be sure and she didn't think to ask when it was only the three of them for however long their journey lasted. 

"So where are we heading first? Do you know Dawn?" she asked thinking that out of all of them she would be the one to know, being a scout and all. 

The yearling padded to where Aditya stood, falling in beside him soundlessly. Her gaze scoured the sharp cliffs and steep drops, the wind pushing through her fur. She knew it was getting colder, but she hardly felt it; if anything, the temperature seemed more comfortable than it had during the summer, when her thick pelt made the heat especially unbearable. Her gaze fell to Aditya, briefly. She wasn't sure what to think of the male; her feelings were odd, to say the least. She was no naive blushing princess, and knew of attraction. But then again, look where attraction and love had left her father. 

Pema pulled her quickly from her thoughts, and she peered at the woman over her shoulder. "I say we keep heading south. Da said there was a pack down there, and if we make a loose loop through the valley, we can hope to find the others." Her plan was a little more detailed than that; her own travels in the north-eastern part of the valley filled in some of the vast unknown that made up most of this place.

the mountains! it had been such a long time since adi had been amidst the rocky crags. and the ranges of his youth were no match for these impressive specimens, looming large and gray, extending into even the clouds on gloomy days.

he looked at dawn, who had come to stand beside him, looking out as well. unconsciously, he drew closer to her, so that their pelts brushed but their skin was not yet joined. she was warm, and soft, and she had a nice, wild scent to her that drew him in.

"are we on good terms with these packs?" adi asked, looking back and scanning the horizon with sharp golden eyes. "or are we unfamiliar with them altogether? it would be useful to make some allies while we're out here," he added, looking at pema and dawn in turn.

As Dawn went to Adi's side she could see the two drawing close. It wasn't super obvious and it was almost not there, but Pema had seen the two from the first time that they had meet and ever since was keenly aware of their connection. They weren't together, at least not to Pema's knowledge, but she thought she could see something between them, something that maybe they didn't even know about. 

Pema nodded her head as Dawn went to on describe their general direction. They didn't need to visity every pack in the Teekon Wilds, but the valley was a good start. Especially since thats the general region their pack resided in. Then Adi purposed a few questions to which Pema replied "I know that we don't have the best relationship with the Vale if we choose to head that way eventually. But they aren't to the south. Other then them I think we are ok with the other packs, or we just don't know anything about eachother. I don't think we have any allies, making some would be a great idea." she said looking at Dawn to see if their was anything she knew having been part of the pack prior to Pema joining. 

The girl did not notice Aditya draw close to her, but she registered somewhere that she was glad to have the male at her side. His question was an easy one to answer, but she was silent as Pema rambled in the slightest, canting her head to the side thoughtfully. "allies makes it sound as if we plan on starting a war." She said with grin, hardly imagining that Morningside would ever fight another pack, even if her father's tensions were strained with the Vale. "but yes, if possible, it would be good to ensure that we're on good terms with other packs. we don't know much about them; we've only been on the plateau for a couple months. this is a good chance to get to know our neighbours." She finished, adding a moment later, "and know if any pose a threat." 

his ear twitched in response, taking in the pair's words. "war waits for no wolf," he said after a beat of silence. "reasonable as grayday might be, there are those out there who are remarkably less so." his eyes raked the horizon again. "better to have allies now than to find ourselves surrounded by strangers--or enemies--later."

for a long time, he had only had to worry about himself. but it was different, now. the welfare of an entire pack was at stake, and the tactician and diplomat had begun to emerge within aditya, blossoming from a seed in his soul to fill his entire being with a newfound wisdom, and respect for the natural order of things.

he had no idea what was out there. it could very well be that these other packs were hostile, not receptive to strangers. but if they did indeed receive morningside's scouting party, bonds could be forged that could benefit them in troubled times. vital information could be gleaned.

"we can deal with the vale in time," he continued. he pointed his muzzle toward the mountains. "for now, i'm most interested in them."

I'm actually gonna fade here