Redsand Canyon as the building continues to burn

82F, 3pm, clear skies. territory #2 - devil's chalice
@Finley Grebe

the chalice fit the saints like a glove. fit its name, too. another place renard doubted any other pack would bother with, as thoroughly fucking uninhabitable as the rest of the canyon. no need to question the line of reasoning that had led donovan to this as an alternative to a forest that bled red sap from the trees.

they complained. that was just good sport.

less sand here. the ground sloped up into sharp, rocky hills thick with cacti of every possible form. before joining the saints, they'd never seen anything like them. they were growing fond, though; they had thick enough fur that it couldn't hurt too badly, and winding their way around without getting poked was good practice -- practice that continued on for what felt like miles, hill after hill. didn't seem likely anyone would try to intrude here, either, but the same could be said of the rest of the place -- they'd still need to know it.

the next hill descended into a tiny clearing, cacti trailing off into rocky sand, a tiny oasis. with the sun beating down like it was, like it did day after day with no cover but the canyon walls, the sky clear and cloudless and glittering blue, it was no surprise it was little more than a puddle. no swimming here like they'd done in the plains but they bent down to drink, at least. what rocks and plants this area had to provide offered a bare fraction of the shadow they were used to, and nobody born in the ice could possibly be used to this after a week, not even renard.