Moonstone Quarry Am I handing you mine?

It had taken her some time to maneuver her way down into the quarry with her shoulder as painful as it was, but she was stubborn and determined to investigate the depths and the sparkles of light she could see coming from the darkness. By the time she reached the bottom, her shoulder was sending jolts of of pain out in all directions, and the wound seeped watery, blood-tinged liquid down her leg. The large pool of water that greeted her there was calling for her to get in, and the thought of the cool liquid soothing her injury had her moving forward without any hesitation. 

The water was quite chilly, but she didn't mind; her coat was thick enough that it wasn't uncomfortable. She slowly waded in, relief washing over her face once she was deep enough that her shoulder wasn't tasked with supporting her weight anymore. And the chill hugged her angry wound and calmed the inflamed flesh there. She released a long, soft sigh and let herself float around. She might have fallen asleep if she felt safer there, but she was more than happy with the relief provided.

Tahoe had travelled a far way from the sea, enjoying a short excursion. He didn't plan to be gone a considerable amount of time; barely a day or two. This was not a scapegoat to escape his responsibilities by any means, but rather a trip to scout much beyond the borders. In truth, the scent of an elk herd had led him farther off than anticipated. Might as well explore, while he had the chance. Perhaps he might even find someone worthy of recruitment. He would prefer not to though, if he could control anything. 

The quarry had caught his eye before, but he had never chosen to investigate it. He now stood at the lip of the decline, peering down into the dark stone basin; the gleam of a pool catching his eye. He was parched from all his travels and desired a drink. McBride found it ironic that he lived by the ocean—such an enormous collection of water—and was unable to drink any of it; as he had learned through trial, and subsequent error. With cautious ease, the man navigated down the hard terrain. 

The gentle plash of water made him pause on his descent, stance rigid as he listened closer—ears perked. His eyes found a pale, half-submerged being below. He observed them for a bit before letting out a gentle woof to announce his presence.

She was surprised to hear the sound made by the stranger, especially since she hadn't noticed anyone climbing down. Of course, she hadn't been paying attention like she should have been, and she knew better. Pain and then relief from that pain and distracted her, and now she was down here with a stranger. 

She stiffened and turned to face him, her fiery gaze taking him in, all the while, her suspicion hidden behind a blank mask. Deciding she wanted to have more sure-footing, she swam to the shallow part of the pool, and shook out her snowy coat, her gaze never leaving him. She didn't trust him yet. Yes? She asked, remaining where she was. She tried not to let the fear from her past invade her mind, keeping her senses sharp and her emotions hidden until she knew whether this stranger was friend or foe.

Apologies, short post!

He watched her reaction with curiosity. She nearly exited the water now, but not completely. Tahoe stood in place, flicking an ear as she delivered her terse reply.

Didn' wanna scare you, is all. He answered plainly, taking a seat. The female seemed capable of taking a chunk out of him if he were to so brazenly intrude. He'd gauge her reaction further before coming down for a drink.

no need to apologize! <3

She watched him suspiciously. He claimed to not have wanted to scare her, but how could she know it wasn't just an act to get her to let her guard down?

At first she said nothing, just met his gaze with her own fiery one. She was tense and wary, but she moved fully out of the water. She was careful not to actually move any closer to him but just to the shore. She gave another shake of her coat and took a seat. When she was settled, her wariness shifted just a little into curiosity. She inspected his scent and found it was mixed with others, telling her he was with a pack. Are you with one of the packs around here? she asked. She knew he wasn't from the glen or Moonspear; she would recognize those scents. She also knew he wasn't with Yuelong or Kaistleoki, but she kept all of that to herself in case he was trying to play games and lie about where he was from.

The woman’s mannerisms clearly portrayed her overall suspicion. This made him feel a better about his position, considering he was not the one on defense. Tahoe thought about simply leaving rather than go through such trouble, but the quarry’s ascent was much more difficult than the descent. It was worth seeing if she’d budge before giving up so soon.

“Are you with one of the packs around here?” Came her inquisition.

Ironclan, while new, he considered fit such parameters. Though, he did not want to reveal more than was necessary. He hadn’t known Wintersbane a whole lot, nor did he know the man’s enemies. An enemy of his was an enemy to the pack—therefore an enemy to Tahoe himself. He could not risk divulging information without proper cause. The woman’s question made him wonder the same thing of she herself; where was she from? Based on the information he could gather from her scent, she was most likely in a pack of her own. The only pack he knew existed in the area was Moonspear—otherwise he had no clue to where from which she came.

Tahoe could tell he wasn’t going anywhere soon. With a hollow sigh, he lowered himself to his underbelly, remaining glued in place. Yeah. An’ you?

At least he was smart enough to stay where he was. Point for him. She watched him settle down on the ground, her gaze never leaving him. When she was sure he was done, she followed suit and settled down herself, shifting more to one side and still watching him to make sure he didn't take advantage of her moment of distraction. 

She started to lick the water from her front legs as he answered. He offered her no information, just confirmed that he was from a pack around here. She couldn't tell if he was being deliberately vague or not. She answered his question with a nod at first, then she paused her task. Yeah, she repeated his answer. Then she began to groom what she could reach of the fur on her chest, promptly ignoring him, or appearing to be. If he wasn't going to offer anymore information, than neither was she.

Just like their conversation, they both didn't seem to be going anywhere—instead watching each other at a distance. Almost sassily so, she switched her attention to cleaning her fur rather than speaking to him more. Lucky for her, Tahoe wasn't the talkative type either. But, maybe in this scenario, a little somewhat clarifying chat would've been appreciated. Though she now seemed disinterested, he still wasn't sure if she'd suddenly snap and go mad on him. It wouldn't be the first time, if something like that were to happen to him. At least he learned from that mistake.

He continued to watch her with a furrowed brow as he contemplated what to do. If she wanted to be left alone, fine, he wouldn't put up a fight. He was too tired to protest. 

Mind if I come down? He asked.

She paused her grooming to glance over at him. She considered his words for a few moments before finally answering. Go ahead, she told him. I won't bite if you don't. He seemed cautious enough, at least for now, that she would allow him to come closer. Maybe she could learn something interesting from him. 

She returned to her grooming, relaxing a little more to show him that she truly didn't mind so long as his intentions were not to cause her harm. Her guard remained up for now; she might trust him to come closer, but that was about it.