Greatwater Lake drive it like you stole it

(P - Koontz)

"CANNONBALL!" Rainier sprang from the rock he was perched on and crashed into the water, sinking down until his feet touched the silty bottom. He pushed against the lake bed and surfaced with a grin beaming from cheek to cheek. Carolina had finally, finally agreed to a "day-cation" and indulged his boyish urge to splash around in the water like an idiot.

He pivoted and paddled over to the shore where she was sunning herself in the midday heat. Rainier hauled himself out, water sloughing off his coat in a torrent. He refrained from shaking, and he saw that Carolina realized too late just what his plan was. With a shriek, she tried to bound away, but he caught her full in the face with a spray of droplets as he shook the water from his fur.

The sight of her damp from his prank brought on a bought of laughter that he couldn't quite quell, even when she snipped out something about rooting out some lunch. He jumped to his feet as he watched her go, and returned to the rock that served as his diving board once she was out of sight. He peered over the edge at the water lapping against the base with a wave of his damp tail.

I wasn't sure if Koo would recognize Carolina too or just Rainier, so let me know if I should change anything.

The sight of the lake—which she could see all the way from the plateau—eventually drew Koontz away from Dragonwatchers territory, though only after she'd finished a thorough patrol. Ignoring the dull ache in her paws and a slight feeling of reluctance, she headed toward the great lake, certain that it would be a hunting hotspot.

General curiosity drew her initially, but when Koontz neared the lake, the sound of laughter made her feet move even faster. Closing the gap between herself and the sprawling shore, she spotted two ashen figures standing out against the blue backdrop. She slowed somewhat, studying them from a distance, then started when she suddenly realized she recognized one of them.

"Rainier?" she called, loping nearer. At first, she sounded slightly uncertain, yet as she reached the water's edge and saw his familiar features, she smiled. "It is you," she said a bit wonderingly. She turned her gray snout toward his companion, acknowledging her with a dip of her head. "Hello. I'm Koontz. I know Rainier from back in the Seahawk Valley," she said, ice-water eyes returning to her old friend's face. Her hoary tail swept the air in a slow, sweeping wag.

Everything's solid! Carolina never visited Seahawk. ^^ I'll just PP her as an NPC in this thread.

Before he could make another jump, a voice called his name. At first he assumed it was Carolina, but when he looked up he saw someone he never thought he'd see so far away from Seahawk. Blinking dumbly, he gaped for a few seconds before realizing he was staring. Thankfully, Carolina had already stepped up to intercept the other female, and he was able to make his way safely down the rock face while they introduced one another.

Carolina perked her ears and glanced back towards Rainier for a split-second, only to return her attention to this Koontz. "Well, this is a surprise." She remarked noncommittally. "I'm Carolina." She'd never stepped foot in Seahawk, so she saw little harm in revealing her name to this friend of a friend.

Rainier was polite enough to shake off any excess water before coming in range of the two females. He flashed Koontz a grin, though it was restrained a little; how much did she know? Did his father come looking for them in Seahawk? "Hey Koontz, been a while. How you been?" He queried with an equally amiable wave of his own soggy mess of a tail.

Not particularly gifted at small talk, Koontz merely smiled at Carolina's remark and said, "Nice to meet you," when given the other female's name. Much of her attention remained focused on Rainier, who moved closer after shaking out his wet fur. He smelled a bit like wet dog at the moment, but Koontz picked up on his all-too-familiar personal scent beneath the layers of damp.

Keeping her posture friendly but neutral, Koontz briefly touched noses with Rainier. "I've been great. I left Seahawk Valley, which is probably fairly obvious." She smiled. "I wandered for a while. Ray too," she added. "The two of us and another friend, Ariston, just decided to settle here and found our own pack. We claimed the plateau over yonder." As she spoke, she looked over her shoulder for Rainier's and Carolina's benefit, indicating the distant rock table in the distance northwest of their current position.

Facing forward again, she glanced between the two and asked, "What brings you here? Do you live here too?" Were they part of a pack? Koontz wondered. Or were they, like Teklar and Key, nomads who might take interest in the Dragonwatchers?

Carolina, content with the way things were progressing, dipped her head at the formalities but remained otherwise silent. His smile grew when Koontz touched her nose to his, and he inhaled the familiar scent of wolf, Falcons, and the underlying hint of family. He never bothered with hazarding out the precise titles of their relation to one another, because he didn't really care about all that. Koontz was cool in his book.

When she revealed what had happened between then and now, Rainier felt a wash of relief. He was internally glad that he could relate to her own story about striking out on the road. He was shocked to learn that she had founded a pack alongside a friend, and dragged her brother along with her. The distant image of the flat plateau imprinted itself on his brain, and he made a mental note to visit soon.

He laughed a little breathlessly, in awe of her accomplishments. Why hadn't he and Carolina been so ambitious? "Ah ha... wow, no kiddin'. Congrats all around." He said. "We left the Basin to find our own fortunes, like you and Ray. But we haven't settled anywhere yet. Still kinda scoping it out, y'know?" Rainier shifted his weight from his right to his left foot; an old, idle habit.

Rainier seemed mildly surprised, though Koontz didn't take any offense. "I know," she said, "I never expected to be the one to end up leading a pack. I'm not an Eagle." She hoped he would remember the reference to her parents' badging system. Even though they'd only met on a few occasions, Rainier knew she was an introvert. "Ariston's the Alpha and I'm the Beta. Maybe I'll step up one day but, for now, I sort of fit into a supporting role, you know?"

Rainier reported a similar story, which didn't surprise her at all. He had traveled to Seahawk Valley, so it didn't seem strange that he'd traveled to other places, including this one. As he spoke, Koontz's eyes drifted to Carolina. The Redleaf-DiSarinno gave her another silent smile, then returned her attention to Rainier, an inquisitive look on her youthful face.

"You two would be welcome to join us at Dragonwatchers," she invited openly. She knew Rainier well enough to know he would be an asset. She trusted he could vouch for Carolina. "There's no obligation, of course, but I'd love to have you there if you're ready to lay down some roots." Her tail quivered and she glanced between the two, though she quickly added, "You don't have to make any decisions now, of course, but you should definitely come visit the plateau no matter what. You have to check out the amazing views."

Rainier nodded along in agreement with her own conclusions. He knew Koontz to be a sort of quiet, thoughtful type which, in his opinion, fit the bill for a subleader. Not that he was assuming anything about Ariston; he didn't even know the guy. But if he saw potential in Koontz, then that had to say a lot about this fellow. Carolina, however, doubted this, but kept her thoughts to herself until she could express them in private. She smiled back, but Rainier could sense her unease.

The offer wasn't unwarranted; he half expected it, in truth. A young pack could use young bodies but, more importantly, trustworthy bodies. And he had to admit: the thought was extremely tempting. They were so far removed from the Basin now that he had little to worry about being found out. But he knew better than to speak for Carolina. They would have to discuss it first.

The gray boy lowered his head, reached forward and touched his nose with Koontz once again, this time out of mutual respect and gratitude. "We will come visit. I'm not sure what our plans are yet, but you'll be the first to know." He promised with a smile. "Tell me about Ariston. He a young dude like us?" He said, before Carolina could even think of interrogating Koontz about Dragonwatchers.

Rainier seemed to expect and even appreciate the offer, yet Koontz knew he would not simply drop everything and follow her. He would have to consider it, as well as discuss it with his companion. Carolina did not seem as taken with the offer, though the Redleaf-DiSarinno did not read anything into this. They'd only just met and didn't know the first thing about one another. Of course the unfamiliar she-wolf would not blindly accept the offer, even with Rainier's influence.

At Rainier's question, a small grin touched Koontz's lips. "Ariston's older than us but still pretty young. He's really goofy and sometimes I wonder if he knows what he's doing—what he got himself into. He's a good guy, though, with a good heart. With me backing him up, I think we'll be okay." A single fang protruded from beneath a black lip as she continued to smile, trying not to beam like a fool at her accomplishments. She maintained a sense of casual humility. "When you come to visit, I'll make sure you meet him," she finished.

Turning sideways, Koontz's strikingly pale eyes scanned the lake. "So, how's the water?" she asked, eyes flicking to Rainier's coat, which was darkened with moisture. Despite growing up by the seaside, Koontz did not much like swimming and she knew Rainier likely remembered that. Deep water intimidated her; who knew what lurked beneath the dark surface? Back home, sharks and other large predators had been a very real risk. Here, she probably needn't worry about being eaten alive, yet still she did not much enjoy the idea of going out there. She might stick her feet in the water to cool off, yet she wouldn't do more than wade.

Something about the fact that Ariston was goofy and light-hearted warmed Rainier to the idea of throwing his loyalties in with Koontz and the Dragonwatchers. He'd grown up under his father's own benevolent leadership and found the demanding nature of Carolina's father too close to abuse for his tastes. Rainier waved his tail to show his agreement of Koontz own confidence; two level heads were better than one bad-tempered leader any day.

He cocked his head and followed her gaze to the lake; his previous swim was almost forgotten with Koontz unexpected arrival. "Oh! The lake, uh, is cold? I mean, cold in a good way. Refreshing." Rainier was, sadly, not blessed with his mother's gilded tongue. "You, uh, thinking of swimming?" He queried haltingly, expression screwed up into a uncertain smile. "I thought you hated water."

"I don't hate it," Koontz replied, appreciative that he indeed remembered. "See?" she said, moving closer to the water's edge and dipping in a silver paw. She glanced at Rainier to make sure he was watching, then strode into the shallows, enjoying the cool swirl of liquid around her silver heels. "I just don't like going any further than right about... here," she said, stopping when the water reached about halfway to her elbow joint. "It's the deep water I'm not fond of." She squinted toward the depths, a small shiver making her bottlebrush tail wriggle.

Koontz stood there a moment, letting the lake water lap against her legs, when her mind flashed back to an instance where she'd been wading in the sea, only to have one of her brothers—Radio, if memory served—dash up behind her and tackle her into the surf. She'd hollered at him for what seemed like hours after that, just as soon as she'd shakily clawed her way to dry land. That experience had just fed into her dislike of water deeper than her heels. Stupid Radio, she thought, albeit with a twinge of fondness.

Returning back to present day, Koontz arched her neck around and glared playfully at Rainier and even Carolina. "Don't you dare think about trying to dunk me," she warned, tail lashing to punctuate her words.