Moonstone Quarry For of sugar and ice, I am made

"Wow."

Sumac's shimmering golden-sun eyes were wide with a childlike wonder as he stood at the edge of the natural bowl and gazed down at the formation before him. He'd heard someone mention the Quarry in passing, and since then, he'd felt a sort of insatiable need to see it for himself. So, in the middle of the morning while Easy and Dutch were catching up, 'Mac bid them a cheerful farewell and decided to set out on his own for a bit to explore the areas around the Moonsong's lands. 

But this... This was more than he could have asked for. The cavern - could one call it that? - was a maze of walls and ledges that led down to what was obviously water at the bottom - he could smell it. What did that water taste like? What else waited at the bottom?

The Mackenzie bit his lower lip contemplatively, assessing the risks. This was no easy jaunt. One could easily fall and break a leg, or there could be something malicious that made its lair at the bottom. Let alone the question of how to get back out. Hmm... well, maybe he could just scope it out a bit, and not go too far in?

Sumac walked the outside perimeter with determined, but cautious steps until he found a suitable opening to begin his descent. He hesitated, studying the limestone walls again. Maybe he could be satisfied with the view from up here...

Towhee headed back toward Moontide feeling slightly resigned. Rather than drag her feet, she took the scenic route, wandering much further south than was necessary. She was hungry, so she searched for trails in the weald, though Towhee didn’t have the energy to actually pursue any of them.

She found herself at the southwestern corner of the woods, where the trees were thin enough to see the plateau off to her right and… a strange man venturing into the quarry on her left. Towhee did a double take, watching him pad around the perimeter whilst gazing down into the chasm. He began to descend, then appeared to hesitate.

I wouldn’t do that if I were you, Towhee rumbled to herself, unaware that her voice was loud enough to carry.

To say the man - boy?? - startled would have been a bit of an understatement. Sumac's form jerked forward a bit, sending him nearly careening off the edge of the gargantuan natural bowl he'd been examining. Managing a graceless turn and digging his claws into the rough surface, he was able to catch himself before he sustained a potentially devastating fall. Phew!

Panting, his amber eyes wide, his brain finally registered that it had been an unexpected voice that had sent his adrenaline spiking. The dark figure was still a distance away, but he'd certainly been spotted. Great, 'Mac, just great! Way to make a first impression...

He cleared his throat, trying to straighten up a bit, but failing to stop himself from lowering his head and tail shyly. Unable to resist nervously rubbing the back of one front paw with the other, he forced an amiable grin on his maw.

"Ah, uhm, s-sorry! D-Didn't see you there!" he called, "D-don't mind m-me."

Yep, there was the stutter. Predictable. He winced.

She must’ve said that a lot louder than she intended because not only did he hear it, it startled him. Towhee’s eyes widened as the stranger very nearly pitched forward into the quarry. She made an abortive movement in his direction, one foreleg reaching toward him, though she was entirely too far away to help.

Fortunately, he managed to find his equilibrium. He turned to look at her and Towhee stared back, still processing the sight of the other wolf nearly plunging to his death merely because she couldn’t grasp a concept like volume control. Her paw balled into a fist, then sank back to the ground.

She could see the distant movement of his lips, though there was no reading them from all the way back here. Still reeling a little, Towhee walked over to him. He didn’t look angry with her. If anything, he looked apologetic and sheepish. It made her feel worse.

In her haste to apologize and make sure he was okay, Towhee blurted, Are you fucking sorry?

Sumac gaped, dumbstruck. His jaw fell open, air uselessly passing through his larynx without producing any meaningful sounds. He seemed frozen, unsure of how to respond. Had… had he offended them?

After a few moments, he managed to remember to close his mouth before it dried out. He blinked.

“Uhm… yes?” He replied tentatively, the rest of his frame still stiff with uncertainty.

Fine ol’ mess you’ve made, ‘Mac.

“Should… s-should I leave?” He asked dumbly, gesturing over his shoulder with his maw yet not taking his eyes off the stranger.

That, she tried to say right when the stranger replied in the affirmative, didn’t come out right. Towhee paused to give him a bit of a strange look, then added, I meant to say, ‘I’m sorry’ and ‘are you alright?’ But hang on, that didn’t explain the, F-bombs sort of sneak into everything I say.

She took a breath. Hopefully that cleared the air, so she didn’t bother replying to his silly question. Why should he leave? He hadn’t done anything wrong. And it wasn’t like the quarry belonged to Towhee.

"Oh!" the male nodded amiably, some of the rigidness seeming to dissipate from his taut posture. Tightly wound a bit, perhaps?

"That's okay. I-I, uh, wasn't sure if I'd done something to o-offend... or... something," he finished lamely, before continuing, "I'm new, here, you s-see. Still getting used to how things are 'round here. My name's 'Mac, which is short for Sumac."

There was one thing Ma always said - when you meet someone new, give 'em your name. So, he defaulted to that habit when he didn't know what else to say.

"I heard there were things called 'moonstones' down there. N-never s-seen something like this before, so I d-decided to check it out," he explained, before snapping his jaw shut with a soft click. Was he talking too much? He was talking too much, wasn't he? His yellow eyes darted from side to side as if he was seeking a magic explanation of how to act from thin air.

Although his stutter made it difficult for Towhee to catch every word, she caught enough to find him both curious and strangely endearing. That he thought he’d somehow offended her was absurd enough that it tugged a snort through her nose. Her orange eyes danced with good humor.

Look, if your feet are anything like your tongue, you’re gonna trip and fall and die, Mac, Towhee pointed out. There are plenty of pretty rocks around that don’t require climbing down into a pit of doom, you know? I mean, you look like a grown man who can make his own judgment calls but something tells me you’re not the type to yell ‘YOLO!’

Sumac frowned, tilting his head as the stranger passively berated - and knocked some common sense - into his head. Perhaps she was right, and he'd forgotten one of the most important tenants of scouting that his father had taught him: don't take unnecessary risks. A dead scout was a useless scout.

"Hmm... perhaps you're right," he muttered to himself, glancing over his shoulder to eye the gaping chasm behind him, "Th-thanks. I guess it would have been a pretty dumb move, huh? Plenty of other areas to explore."

Head and tail lowered, he slowly padded away from the quarry on careful steps, keeping his gaze on the intimidating elder but not daring to meet her gaze. She was pretty scary, actually. Somehow, he had the feeling that if he lingered, she might lose patience and decide to give him a swift kick in the ass.

"Th-thanks again," he said softly, and paused. Would he dare? Curiosity won out. Yeah, he dared. "S-sorry, I didn't catch your name."

Very dumb, Mac, Towhee agreed, nodding sagely as they stepped away from the quarry’s lip. I’m just teasing you, she added in the next breath, suddenly certain he wouldn’t cotton on to that bit. It’s just that you have to weigh the risks and the rewards. Rocks are probably not worth plunging to your death. But maybe that’s just me.

He wondered about her name. Oh, right, she should probably introduce herself. Towhee snorted at her own faux pas. She should be the one apologizing and thanking Sumac for putting up with her shenanigans today.

My name is Towhee. I reside in Moontide… currently, she tagged on with a twist to her lips. Where do you live, Mac?

“Oh, well, then… ah-haha,” Sumac laughed uneasily, a tinge of embarrassment expressing itself on his face as he rubbed the back of his head with a forepaw. Apt to take things literally, he had yet to learn the fine arts of subtlety and sarcasm in conversation. As such, Towhee’s teasing had flown right over his head like a terrified ptarmigan. 

“It’s nice to meet you, Towhee,” he replied, turning to fully face her now. Some of his submissive posture softened, and he no longer resembled a giant house cat slinking away from a threat.

“Live? Well… nowhere right now. My home is… well, gone,” he explained, “So I’m learning the area with my dearest friend, Easy. I’ve heard of Moontide, but I’m not too familiar with it. Right now, we’re visiting with Moonsong. I reckon we’ll be moving off soon. From there, who knows?”

His home was gone. Towhee frowned, though she decided not to press for details, especially with how briefly he touched on it. It sounded like he and his friend Easy shared Towhee’s taste for a nomadic lifestyle, orbiting around the various Moon villages.

I’m usually a wanderer, myself. On that note, I was headed back to the plateau before I saw you about to yeet yourself into the quarry. Now that you’re safe and sensible, I need to get going. Maybe we’ll cross paths again sometime, Mac. Take care of yourself.

With a fleeting smile and a cant of her head, Towhee’s attention drifted to the nearby plateau. She huffed a sigh, rolled her shoulders and shuffled toward it with one last parting glance at Sumac.

'Mac nodded, understanding all too well that Towhee wanted to get moving. Truthfully, he was grateful - while he enjoyed having someone else to speak to, he found making small talk to be exhausting. 

"Thanks again, Towhee. Regardless, I'm glad we met," he replied, offering a genuinely warm smile.

He watched her make her way toward the plateau. After a few breaths, with one last glance over his shoulder at the gaping chasm of the quarry, 'Mac headed along his way, too.

Fade