Sheepeater Cliff die young as late as possible

@Reiko

the mountains had been calling for his attention since the moment he first spotted them. curious as to what treasures they might hold, astaroth naturally felt his weight shift in their direction, his sights set on one of the peaks in the distance.

he'd only just made it past the base of the mountain when his focus was interrupted by the sight of some unknown mushrooms, their vibrant color causing him to stop in his tracks and turn to face them. scarlet red and clinging to a log he assumed had fallen during the quakes, for the bark had not yet rotted. fascinated, he took a few steps closer, nose wiggling in the breeze as he tried to pick up a scent from them.

The mountains were tall and the way they hugged the vale was breathtaking. Reiko simply could not resist the urge to go and investigate them every now and then. She didn't venture far from the lands, still within calling distance of the pack, she didn't tell anyone of her venturing away from the borders alone. Beginning her climb of the ridges and sniff around for anything new that might be useful later on. 

It was a shadowy shape that had her lightly gasping and hiding behind a large rock, peeking over one of the sides as she continued to eye the stranger suspiciously. He reminded the empress to be of that other shadowy man she had come across in the neutral lands while Uaine Gorsedd was still around - was he back?

Taking a few tentative sniffs of the air, his scent was not familiar... so he must be a different man, yes? As he investigated a redd-ish mushroom on a log, a soft call came from her lips as she stepped out of her hiding place just enough to be visible. I wouldn't eat those if I were you. Cautiously she spoke, voice faltering near the end - the pack was just a call away, she had to remind herself.

fur prickled at the sudden sound of a voice while golden eyes scanned the area around him. had he been imagining things? no! a pale figure pressed against a rock caught his attention after doubling over the area he'd just inspected. "will they kill me?" he wondered with a tilt of his head, tail giving a few easygoing sways in an attempt to coax her out of her hiding spot.

why was she hiding in the first place? ah, maybe she's ugly! honeyed gaze trailed over what part of her he could see, her feminine features anything but hideous. "i won't bite" he called out, a warm smile etching it's way onto his lips. "pinky promise" he let out after a beat, foreleg rising to outstretch an inky paw in her direction.

Keeping close to the sturdy stone, an obstacle she could possibly use if she needed a quick getaway - even if it was not the biggest obstacle to nimble wolves, every step counted if she needed to sprint down the mountain. With her lithe figure pressing up against it, the empress took in his details quickly. Taking note of the golden hues that welcomed her instead of his dull black ones. They were warm, while his were cold, welcoming as opposed to void. The way of his tail was soothing and she stepped out a little further, plush tail tick-tocking in its own rhythm.

Yes. Thinking back to one of the lessons she learned in her travels, it was a traumatic experience. His coaxing certainly worked, call her childish or naive even if she was apprehensive, he simply seemed sincere. Offering a relaxed smile, the slender woman approached just enough for them to speak comfortably. That is good to know. 

Turning her attention back onto the mushroom, eyes flickering from it and to him, she spoke softly and slow enough to him to understand just how dangerous those things were. I knew someone who ate one, long ago. Their skin turned yellow, complained of stomach pain, vomiting, confusion, abdominal swelling... It was a grizzly death. I couldn't do anything to help. Should he eat it, there was nothing she could do other than keep him company in his dying days.

his smile widened as she approached, tail giving a few cheerful flicks even as she dished out the rather grim news. what a shame, he'd been looking forward to trying them. "jeez" he let out, attention falling back to the deadly fungi. had he not been fortunate enough to have her pass by when she did, she likely would have discovered him as a corpse.

"never would have thought this tiny thing could cause such damage" he let out, paw swatting down the cluster that hung from the log. "are there any you can eat, you know, without the whole death part involved?" he wondered aloud. he could have swore he'd seen this crazy dude swallow a mouthful of them before, but now that he thought about it, maybe the mushrooms are what made him a little messed up in the head.

Me neither. It was quite the discovery she would admit. Remembering the panic she felt and complete uselessness in the stranger's situation. She wasn't even certain if they were kind or no, what mattered in the moment was that they were in pain.

Mmmmm yes, but they often have toxic counterparts. You gotta get the eye for them. She winked playfully. Never would Reiko admit that she knew all mushrooms and confidently munch on any she thought were safe without thoroughly investigating them. Knowing these things made the famine easier to live through recently, with @Sativa (tag for reference!). Do you wanna go find some?

he was curious how she knew all this. had someone taught her or had she simply learned through trial and error? he supposed it didn't matter in the long run. "yeah!" he exclaimed at her offer to go find some of the safer mushrooms, brows raising with interest as he turned to his side.

"how about we start in this direction?" he suggested with a motion to the left, though remained grounded should she recommend they head in another direction. she was the expert here, and he'd follow wherever she might go.

His exclamation was exciting, never had she had the opportunity to teach mycology to anyone who would listen! Most were uninterested in eating the fungi let alone learning which ones could save, or steal their lives one day. With a wag of her tail it only slowed a bit as he suggested a certain direction. 

Um yeah, that should be fine! They weren't going too much further from the vale, more so parallel to it at this point and so the impromptu teacher saw no wrong with the direction he chose. With a little bounce in her step, she began on her scavenger hunt in finding where something would grow.

May I ask why the interest in mushrooms? It's a curious thing to come across. Hopefully, she wasn't being too nosy with her new company's business.

his own tail gave a few cheerful sways as she agreed to head in the direction he'd suggested, his attention set on the path ahead of them while she asked her question. "i'm interested to know what they taste like, and what effects they may have should i eat them" came his response, eyes darting side to side as he kept a lookout for any fungi.

he had a habit of trying things he didn't know much about, usually out of boredom. sometimes they led to the discovery of treats, like his in learning that honey was rather sweet to the tongue. and sometimes they proved more painful than rewarding, such as his realization that bees did not taste like the nectar they produced.

What effects they might have, those words struck her just enough to pause the petite woman in her tracks briefly before continuing on their path. Eyes constantly scanning the ground and nose sniffing through the faint earthy smells that might indicate one to be nearby. Effects? Like medicinal? Or hallucinogenic?

One she was more familiar with than the other, though she was certain she knew what the later looked like - she had never tasted or tried one herself. Not much of a wild girl, it wasn't something she was interested in.

Plus, the stories she heard from them were scary. 

She wasn't fond of the thought of not being in total control of her body or senses. It was frightening, but she would guide them to him regardless of her own disinterest in them.

Maybe someday she could find a way to put them to use medicinally... for now, it was too risky.

"medicinal" he revealed with an arch of his brow, "i didn't know they could do anything else". he assumed they worked the same way as herbs. eat a few and they cure a stomachache. eat a few more and boom, no more pain. unfortunately for him, he wasn't all that well educated in the plant department to begin with.

"hallucinogenic" he began, the word foreign to his tongue. "what does that mean?" he questioned, curious as to what effects these types of fungi would have on him. depending on her answer, he may just try them.

Even if she was non-judgemental, should he have had an interest in the hallucinogen type mushrooms, she was still relieved that he was more so looking for medicinal type fungal. Mushrooms can do many things, both beneficial and not. If she was human, she could explain all the magic mushrooms had in them - instead, all she could do was go by what she saw, and the possibilities were endless!

Mmm... I've never experienced it - Pursing her lips as she thought back to how it was described to her. The last wolf who told me about it said they could taste colors, feel the air, see words, and... umm... that... She felt warm with what was next she was going to say. Sex was fantastic. Another thing that she didn't have any experience in.

Coming up to a small clearing, fallen rotten logs, and plenty of moss, the young lady padded up to them and peeked around. It didn't take long to find the sprouting yellow fungi, they stuck out like a sore thumb really. 

These are chanterells, they too have a toxic counterpart.

he couldn't deny his interest in the hallucinogenic mushrooms. while he understood if they were perhaps not for everyone, astaroth thought it would be a shame to go his entire life without trying them. and though he certainly did not need the help of magic mushrooms to have fantastic sex, the inky ghoul was interested to learn exactly how much they might enhance the pleasurable act altogether.

"they sound quite interesting" he let out after she finished explaining, his golden gaze briefly falling to the features of her face while they rounded the clearing. he followed as she lead, his sight eventually landing upon the next set of mushrooms they had discovered. these were noticeably less vibrant, though according to her words, still packed a mean punch when consumed. "are they as lethal as the previous ones?" he wondered, curious if these too would kill him if he took a bite out of them.  

I suppose. Pondering the idea, she twisted her head to focus on the dark man. If you decide on trying them one day, could you tell me your experience? I'd like to know more. He didn't seem completely opposed to the idea, even expressed how they sounded interesting. She was highly curious after all - and maybe, if they weren't horrible, she could find some use to them one day other than just some hallucinogenic nuisance. 

Hmmm no not quite. You'd get an upset tummy, nausea, some vomiting, but its completely survivable. With a paw she flipped the mushroom over to look at the gills underneath, taking a couple of sniffs to be certain it was indeed the non-toxic mushroom. The gills of the toxic ones are deeper and thinner than these - also, Her eyes lit up at the thought to come, tail wiggling as clearly what was about to be said was something that excited her.

The false chanterells gills glow at night! It's very slight, but they have a little faint glow to them if you look.

"sure", he agreed with a cheerful sway of his inky tail. he didn't mind the idea of being a guinea pig or lab rat, in fact, he found the idea mildly amusing. he'd always been open to trying new things regardless if they had nasty side effects, so if both him and another could benefit from his experiments, then the idea sounded like a pretty good one to him.

he paid attention as she went on to explain the consequences, and though they did not sound appealing, it was certainly an improvement from the last set of toxic mushrooms they'd found. perhaps the most exciting and note worthy thing to remember about these chanterells, was that they glowed.

"woah" he let out as he leaned in a bit closer, nose scrunching as he went on to examine the gills she spoke of. he wondered if the luminosity was used to ward off predators from devouring the fungi, though admittedly, the glimmering effect just made him want to take a chunk out of them even more now.

I'll be sure to take care of you if there are any lingering effects~ She sang with a wag of her tail, certain that the hallucinogen types wouldn't kill him provided he was in a safe place and watched over by someone with a clear mind. 

A howl summoned her back to the vale, plush auds twisting in its direction as she pondered who it might be. Yuudai perhaps from the sound it, wishing for her not to wander too far for long. I'm sorry, I must go now. With a dip of her head, she prepared her departure.

Go ahead and try that one, it's a chanterelle! Non-toxic, completely safe to eat. MAybe next time we can look for the "fun ones". With a playful wink she was off, down the mountain in a freefalling gallop and back into the Empire's hold.

I figured we can end this here and claim our thread?! She'd love to meet Astaroth again one day!

"i'll trust you to not let me die" he jested back with a playful wink. from the way she had described the hallucinogenic mushrooms they didn't sound like they'd kill him, just make him a tad bit crazy. either way it was comforting to know she'd offered to watch over him should he ever go and willing take a bite out of the mind-bending fungi.

the howl caused him to pull away from the chanterelle he'd been investigating, not because it had caught him off guard, but rather because the source behind it sounded vaguely familiar. "oh" he let out, slightly disappointed their hunt for mushrooms couldn't go on for a bit longer.

at her final departing words he gave only a nod, though was quick to let out a "get home safe!" before her figure completely vanished from his sight. ever curious, he glanced back down to the non-toxic mushrooms and plucked one from the ground before swallowing it after a few swift bites. not bad, not good, just bland. he let out a huff, and without so much as another glance towards the cluster of chanterelle, he set off in the direction he'd come from with the intent on finding something else to snack on.