Porcupine Ridge Grab your passport and my hand

@Slavik :)

The trek across the mountains from the coast had not been the easiest, the wound on her shoulder aching from the strain, but Speedy paid it little attention. By this point, she had become used to the low throb of pain from the healing wound. It was in a high-motion area, so she knew it wouldn't be an easy wound to heal, but so far, it looked to be infection free and on the mend. As she moved across the mountain range, her attention was drawn to a part of the land that appeared to have crumbled inward. Upon closer inspection, Speedy could see a beautifully-colored body of water hidden deep inside the mountain. It was too far for her to jump in, or she definitely would have already done that, sore shoulder or not, so, she took a few steps back and moved her gaze around the perimeter of the sink-hole, looking for any other way in. She did not have to search long before her eyes locked on what appeared to be the opening in the rock. She eagerly trotted to the opening and found that there was a tunnel that went on for farther than she could see. Speedy briefly sniffed the inside of the tunnel, and with a shrug, began to follow the path. 

It took a few minutes of walking through the dark passageway, but she soon found herself in large cavern with earthen-red walls. The air smelled and felt moist as she made her way farther into the cave, and when her paws were flush with the bright blue water, she stopped. Lowering her head to the strange lake, she took a few tentative drinks before lifting her muzzle back up and licking any stray drops from her lips. The water tasted different that liquid that made up the rivers and lakes up above, but it wasn't a bad different. The lake was cool and the water tickled her toes as she took in the cavern around her, glad that she had taken the time to feed her curiosity and explore this place.

Slavik had been thinking a lot about where he would settle lately, and had decided that he at least wanted to try Sunspire out. He and Rannoch had hit it off great, Slavik considered him a friend and he wouldn’t mind hanging out with him more. Not to mention the other Sunspire wolf he’d encountered, Wraen. He liked them both, and from what he’d learned about the pack they were a tight knit bunch, and if they were all like Rannoch and Wraen then that was the place he wanted to be.

But still something in his soul told him to explore just a little more. He remembered his earlier mantra, walk till you drop! And that he would! He wanted to see as much as he could before he went back to the pack he’d chosen, so he’d continued past the Sunspire and through the rest of the mountain range. He found himself in a very familiar place, a spiky ridge that he’d been to a week or so ago. He smiled as he remembered the footprints he’d made, and the dust clouds that had billowed behind him. 

He followed a new path this time, one that led him down to the lower sections of the ridge. He came across a scent trail, and always curious he began to follow it. He’d expected to find a wolf at the end, but he first came to the mouth of a tunnel. He stopped and wondered whether or not he should enter, then without another cautious thought he padded forward. It was a little spooky at first, the darkness was truly blinding. But still he followed her scent, for if she could make it through then so could he.

He ended up in a large cavern, an unbelievably and otherworldly  sight. Wow, he said loudly and wonderstruck, looking around with eyes wide. Crystalline water lapped at a shoreline of earth and dirt. There was glitter and shine on the surface, from a distant sun, and it looked somehow inviting. It was like an entire lake at the end of a tunnel, he felt like he’d entered another realm. He only knew he didn’t because the wolf he’d been seeking was here too, lapping gently at the water. Surely she’d heard his exclamation upon entering, but he greeted her with a friendly chuff anyway. He could’ve waited for a response, but he was too intrigued to virtue patience at the moment.

How did you find this place? Do you live here? he asked, too excited for a real introduction. He simply had to know!

thank you!

NP! <3

The stranger's exclamation made Speedy jump a little, but when she turned and saw the beautiful, golden male, she paid the surprise no mind. She walked from the lake with a warm smile and came to stand in front of him. He was easily twice her size, but that was nothing new, as she was kind of small for a wolf. It's amazing, right? she answered first, glancing around the cavern before resting her golden yellow gaze back on the interesting male. I don't live here. I found the tunnel opening up above and was too curious about what was beneath to not follow it down, she added with a small shrug. 

Speedy turned from the handsome male to walk back and sit in front of the lake. Once seated, she looked over her shoulder at the other wolf, invitation in her gaze, and said Come over here, the water is even more beautiful up close. She turned her head back to the lake and watched the ripples move through the cyan water as she waited to see if the male would join her.

I saw that you posted in the sprees thread, I’m down to spree rn if you want!

Slavik always seemed to be surprising people, the female jumped but turned quickly and didn’t appear afraid once she did. Slavik always tried his best to look nonthreatening, for he was big and knew that could be a little off putting. This female was smaller than usual, with luminous golden eyes like his. He watched her as she spoke, but looked around again  when she’d finished, Amazing doesn’t cover it, this is crazy dude! I didn’t know they had lakes underground, he said with a awestruck expression.

His gaze shifted back to the pretty female when she began to move towards the water, and when offered a spot next to her he eagerly obliged. He moved forwards and sat down next to her, the crest of her head reached just below his chin. He bowed his head to lap at the water, and found that it tasted different than water he was used to. I wonder why it tastes like this, all rock-ish, he wondered aloud to her, rock-ish being the best adjective he could think of.

I'm totally up for a spree now if you're still available!

She chuckled a little at the word 'rock-ish.' It was, honestly, a good way to describe the way the water tasted. I noticed the taste, too. I wonder if it has to do with the lake being in this cave, she answered, fixing him with a warm smile. I'm Speedy, by the way, she offered when she realized she hadn't yet introduced herself. It happened a lot with her. She wasn't sure if it was because she was so used to meeting new wolves or because she was so comfortable around others, but whatever it was, she always had to remind herself to give a proper introduction.

Speedy stood, her tail flagging in excitement, and stepped into the intriguing water. Once in far enough that the water reached her chest, she turned back to molten male and with raise of an eyebrow, asked, Want to swim with me? She didn't usually like to swim, but the water was too inviting. It was a little cold, being that it was inside the already chilly mountains, but it wasn't too bad, and she soon found the cold water felt nice on her aching wound.

I’d love to! Also sorry that Slav is unobservant and oblivious to Speedy’s injury :’)

Slavik contemplated Speedy’s explanation for the water’s ‘rockiness’ and then decided she was probably right. And if she wasn’t, well he’d never know or need to know honestly. Cool, he agreed with a shrug and a smile. She introduced herself as Speedy next, to which Slavik raised his eyebrows. Not in a, ‘that’s weird’ kind of way, but more of a ‘no way that’s awesome’ kind of things Is that a nickname or your actual name? It’s awesome, oh and I’m Slavik, he said with a quirked lipped smile, his own name added as an afterthought.

When Speedy stood, Slavik remained seated and watched her. She looked very excited, her tail wagging happily behind her. She surprised him first with her name and then again when she enthusiastically stepped into the underground lake. He watched as she waded in until she was chest deep, and then she turned and asked him to join. He grinned and stood, his own tail waving to her above his hips. Hell yeah! he said, then followed her in quickly, making loud and frothy splashes as he bounded through the cold water.

He came closer to her, then with a mischievous look kicked a front paw at the surface of the water and splashed it in her direction. He didn’t wet her yet, he wanted to make sure she was ok with a water fight before he wholeheartedly worked to annihilate her at it. Today was for fun, he’d decided.

No worries! He's adorable. :D

She gave him an amused grin and answered, It's my actual name. Speedy got many different reactions when others learned of her name, but his was probably her favorite. No joke made about whether or not she was fast, just a genuine interest. With the grin still on her face, she bowed her head politely and said, Nice to meet you, Slavik. 

Much to her excitement, it didn't take him long to join her in the water. She giggled at the way he bounded in and when he splashed water in her direction, she gave him a teasing glare before splashing water right back at him. Excited and ready to play, she came closer and briefly stood on her rear legs before slapping both front paws on the lake's surface, splashing water at him again, this time making sure some of it actually made it onto his coat. She gave him a playful smirk then, an invitation to splash her back if he wanted to play.

thank you, I love speedy!

Her real name huh? He liked it, and he liked her too.

Slavik waited patiently to see her response to his splash, his grin still there and anticipating. She glared playfully, and sent another small splash his direction before sending an entire wave at him. He squeezed his eyes shut as it neared him, but let it wet his head fur. He was fully damp now, and decided that she should be too. With a playful growl, he gathered up all his weight and reared onto his hind legs. He crashed back down on the water’s surface, leaving his stomach tingling with the flop and a tsunami headed Speedy’s way.

<3

Soft, exhilarated laughter left Speedy as the wave came towards her and drenched her. She shook off the water and with her fur sticking out all over the place, she gave Slavi an impish look and bounded through the water towards him. With another quick splash, she jumped at him, nipping playfully at his neck. She darted back quickly, ears folding back in excitement, before splashing up to him again and delivering a another playful nip to his shoulder. She backed up slightly, attempting to go as far into a play bow as the water would let her, before resting her frisky gaze on him and waiting for his response.

Slavik started to laugh as his tidal wave drenched Speedy, but was cut off when she suddenly splashed through the water towards him and nipped at his shoulder. He yelled in surprise at first but that sound turned back into laughter a moment later, a smirk spread across his face. She backed up, looked him over and bounded towards him again. He nipped lightly at her cheek when she did so, feeling just as frisky as she. When she went into a play bow, the soggy boy did the same, his big fluffy butt swaying in the air.

He made the first move with a loud happy bark, then playfully splashed towards her and head butted her in an attempt to knock her off her feet.

The nip to her cheek made her giggle again. Touch and play were essential to Speedy's happiness, and she hadn't played like this in a while. She watched him go into a playful bow much like hers, although it appeared to be much easier for the visibly taller male. He moved towards her and his head connected with her uninjured shoulder. With an oof she fell into the water, momentarily submerged. She hopped back up, shaking the water from her coat once again and running towards him, kicking water out in every direction. When she reached Slavik, she turned and slammed into him with her hips, hoping to push him into the water and sit on him. They were still in the shallower end of the lake, so she figured with his large size, hopefully he would be able to lift his head from the water even with her top of him but would quickly get off if that wasn't the case. That was assuming she could even muster up enough force to budge him in the first place.

Speedy tumbled into the surf with a loud oof, he smiled triumphantly as she rolled through the water. When she resurfaced, she immediately moved towards him, and threw her body at him. He too oofed as he fell into the shallow water and as he scrambled to stand he found that Speedy’s butt was still on top of him. He could easily throw her off, he thought, but where would be the fun in that? Too predictable! Slavik’s head the only part of his body not submerged in the water, he turned it and reached for her tail.

He would bite down on it, gently of course but hard enough to jolt her.

they are such goofs!

I love it!

She laughed again when her plan succeeded and she found herself sitting on the enthralling male. Gotcha, she said with a suggestive smirk. When he reached over and took her tail in his mouth, she jumped up with a playful, Hey! and rush of giggles before standing back in the water. Assuming he stood up then and not wanting to give him much time to recover, she jumped up and splashed him. Her wave was much smaller than his, but would hopefully distract him enough while she sprang towards him and latched onto the extra fur on the side of his neck, her hold soft and loose. She let out a playful growl and she hung on to her mouthful and waited to see how he would get out of this one.

Speedy let out a string of cute giggles, and leapt off of him and back into the water. He smiled, thoroughly enjoying himself as he started to stand. He was once again barraged by a wave, much smaller than the one he’d sent at her. Still though, it made him close his eyes, and when he opened them again Speedy was attached to his spare neck fur. He let out a giggle of his own as he shook his mane gently, tossing the attached female about. Then he ducked his head under her chest and pushed up, hoping to knock her off and onto her back. If it worked he would stand and wait, his tail wagging ferociously behind him.

Speedy smiled at his low-pitched giggles, his ruff still in her jaws. When he reached his head under her chest and pushed her off, she fell back on her butt in the water with a splash. She hadn't been holding on very hard but even if she had, it wouldn't have taken much for him to move her. She sat for a minute, panting heavily through the happy grin that was plastered on her face. When she got back to her feet, she walked back over to Slavik and licked his cheek before gently mouthing his ruff again, trying to entice some softer play from him while she caught her breath. Her soft golden gaze found his, silently asking if he still wanted to play or needed a break.

Slavik successfully knocked Speedy into the water, back on her bum. A low rumble of laughter escaped his mouth, his chest vibrating with the sound. She stood back up, and moved towards him while catching her breath. He too was winded, but not so much it seemed as her. He would definitely give her as much time as she needed before- oop! He was shocked when she moved forwards and licked his cheek, and it was slightly evident in the way his eyes widened. The yearling had only ever been licked by his family members and his first crush, somehow it felt like a very special thing to him.

But it might not have meant the same to her. He tried to shake off the fact that he was flustered now, because he didn’t want her to think he was silly or anything. She began to mouth at his scruff, her eyes moving to his. He smiled, brushing off that surprise quickly when he saw that she was just being playful, and he bent down his head to nip at her ears.

haha slav

:D

When her gaze found his, it only caught the tail-end of the surprise in his eyes before he moved to nip at her ear. She smiled, letting go of his fur and reaching over to softly nip his ear in return. She wasn't sure what had surprised him and was never one to hold back questions, so moving back only far enough to meet his gaze again, she asked, Everything okay? She was completely oblivious to the fact that some took certain types of affection more seriously. Speedy was empathetic and overly-friendly and often forgot to ask before subjecting others to her demonstrative ways. She was also a shameless flirt, though, and he was cute, so why wouldn't she throw in a harmless kiss to the cheek in the middle of their playing? She was sneaky like that.

Speedy returned his ear nip, then backed up to meet his gaze. Darn it! She's seen his surprised look. At her question Slavik diverted his gaze, embarassed, Yeah, yeah. Nothing, he said, his voice low. He wanted to play it off, get back into the swing of their game, so his sheepish look slowly melted into a grin and he as he turned to splash her he said, You surprised me. On the word surprise he swept a mini wave it her direction. He watched her again, tail wagging to see a response.

She smiled at his admission. I'm sorry, she offered lightly. It was not the first or the last time she would take someone by surprise with her freely given affection. She giggled when he splashed her again and a mischievous grin spread across her face. She quickly jumped up to lick his cheek again (assuming he let her) before turning and splashing away through the water, throwing a coy glance over her shoulder and releasing pearls of laughter as she moved.

Speedy apologized, and let out another string of giggles as his wave crashed on her. She bounded towards him and planted another lick on his cheek before turning and giving him a coy look. He wasn't surprised this time, and he actually liked the way it felt. He loved physical contact and affection, just like her. He began to pounce towards her again, looking as if he were about to tackle her into the water, then just before he slammed into her, he halted, reached forward and gave her a quick lick on the cheek. Then another. Now we're even, he said with a coy wink of his own.

She braced for his impact as he moved towards her, but it never came. Instead, he planted a kiss on her cheek and then another after that. A quick flash of surprise filled her expression before she looked back at him and grinned. I guess we are, she replied with a suggestive raise of one eyebrow. Being kissed on the cheek by a handsome new friend just about made her whole day. Without any warning, she jumped up again and came back down with a splash in his direction before running away from him again, inviting him to chase her through the bright blue water.

Speedy flashed him with a look of surprise before smiling, and raising an eyebrow. I guess we are, she said before leaping, splashing and running. This time away from him, initiating chase. Slavik watched her for a moment, enticed by the young female who he'd met in the cave. She might've been the most fun he'd had in a while! With a playful growl and ran after her, unfortunately his size didn't aid him in the water and Speedy was much speedier than him. That didn't stop him though, and ran back towards the shore, in an attempt to corral her to shallower waters, where he could pick up the pace.

She was light on her feet and even though it was a little more difficult, she swiftly bounded through the water. When she looked to see if he was chasing her, she saw him heading for dry land and picked up her pace. She saw the problem too late as she quickly came up to the wall of the cave and wondered if that was his plan all along. Turning, she made to head in the other direction but pretty much lost her advantage in the mean time. She pushed herself to run anyway, hoping to skirt by him quickly enough to avoid his grasp, but deciding if he did catch her, she wouldn't mind it too much.

Slavik's plan panned out how he hoped, his hunter instincts telling him how to move. He was able to move a little faster in the shallower area, with the wall of the cave blocking her from going forwards. She made a sharp turn, losing a bit of her speed in the process and as she did Slavik hit the gas pedal. He lunged towards her, slowing down just as he got close to her and attempted to tackle her down. If successful he would pin her and say, Gotcha! Being so close to her then, he would  notice her faint smell of blood, and at last would realize she was injured.

As she had suspected, the dead end had given him just enough time to catch up to her. She found herself pinned beneath him, the water shallow enough there that she was only partly submerged. She looked up at him with an excited glint in her eyes, giggling a little before saying, That was a sneaky move. she hadn't even thought about her wound as they had been playing, too distracted by the fun she was having, but all the activity had angered it a little despite the fact that it had been healing pretty well. It was not too surprising, though. The shoulder was high-motion area, so a wound there was bound to take longer than normal to heal all the way.