Moonspear slippery slopes

Weeks had passed, and the newcomer remained confined to the area of the hollowed tree. This was bound to change. Taking a deep breath, she decided to get to know her packmates, one ulaq at a time. The mountain would be a great place to start.

Chenoa focused on each step, calculating her footing as to not stumble. As her confidence grew, so did her elevation. She permitted herself to peer into the forests below as she climbed, looking to spot other wolves.

Chenoa's luck ran out. As she stepped onto a loose ledge, it crumbled from under her. She hadn't noticed the cracks that betrayed weakness. She failed to regain her footing, her cry stopped as she landed on a larger outcrop.

She never felt her leg break under the weight of her body. Darkness claimed her as soon as she hit the stone. Unconscious. Not dead, but almost.

AW!, feel free to skip or PP Chenoa

Moonspear was lively with the birth of Sialuk and Elentari’s pups. One each—a boy and a girl. It seemed fate had given them the perfect gift, and while Argent allowed the women to rest, he was a consistent presence outside the Ulaq. 

When he was not there, the silver wolf had taken to hunting—feeding the hungry and fatigued mothers as they adjusted to their life now—nourishing their pups. 

A hunt was exactly what he was partaking in—jaws clicking on empty air as goat kid he aimed for offered a perfect maneuver to not just kick his side and steal his breath a moment, but to propel away from him. 

The chase would be fruitless, and he groaned as he straightened himself, knowing the bruise to already be forming. 

When he looked up, he saw a dark wolf,  traipsing upon the edges of the ridge. And then, she was gone. 

Uttering a howl of alarm to garner his packs attention, Argent’s own discomfort was pushed aside as he leapt to action, eyes cast over the edge as he maneuvered his way down the slope and carefully to her.

A cry of alarm rang across Moonspear from one of their most trusted and decorated guardians. Njord dropped was he was doing and sprinted through the territory to heed the man’s urgent call. There was almost no time to even ponder what was wrong – an intruder? A problem with Sialuk or Elentari? Whatever the case, Njord was prepared to face it.

He arrived at the location but saw no wolf. It was only the sounds of a few rocks tumbling that clued Njord into what was happening. He peered over a slope and saw Argent descending through precarious terrain. On an outcrop lay one of their newest members, sprawled out and unconscious. Was she dead?

It was a bad situation. Njord watched Argent carefully maneuver through the rubble, worried that he, too, might succumb to the treacherous mountainside. “Be careful, Argent,” Njord urged, fearing for the other man’s life. “Ah’ll be back with help.”

If she wasn’t dead, then time was of the essence. It would take a team to extract Chenoa. Quickly, he turned to go find @Meerkat, @Tullik, and @Ukulele.

The mountainwalker was nearby.

Her head snapped up at the call from the nearby peaks, focusing sharply on the sound of it. One of her ears twisted, then she cursed. Mountains were treacherous any time of year, but she hadn’t walked the peaks this late in the season yet. Someone had found a pitfall.

Someone who could have died in the process. It made her irrationally angry, as she raised her voice in a response, then came racing.

Tullik can be skipped for a round!

His descent had already begun—the familiar brogue of Njord filtered down to him, but he dare not risk looking up as he maneuvered carefully. The slip of stones and grit was an unnerving noise as they shifted under his weight, some of them tumbling down before him.

But he found the shadow female, his nose grazing over her, assessing. Alive—the rise and fall of her chest—but a limb that looks amiss from what it should have.

“Hey,” he smoothed, though his tone was gruff with worry. He nosed to her cheek, wondering if she would wake—before his icy gaze traveled up the steep slope to the safety of flatter terrain. “Njord—I think I have to carry her up,” he called—not even sure if the man was still there or if he was still gone to find help.

Carry her up.

Njord returned just in time to hear Argent’s words. “She breathes?” he wanted to confirm. “How bad is it?” he called down to Argent below. At this point, it was important to gather any information he could about Chenoa’s wounds… it would not be in their best interest to risk Argent’s life, too.

“@Tullik is on tha way,” he assured the silver warrior. The young woman was known to be an exceptional mountain climber. There would be no one more capable to guide them out of this pickle.

Njord was a familiar sight on the horizon, and she pressed forward into a faster run to stop by his side, peering across the edge down below. Her eyes scoured the sides of the deadfall, then back to the one she recognized as Argent.

Have caution! She would call a second later.

This part of the mountain has many instabilities, look for any cracks in your footholds!

There was a swell of worry that verged upon panic within his chest—pale eyes stared down at the she-wolf who did not move—Njord and Tullik calling to him. “She breathes,” he called up—but there was uncertainty within him—perhaps that faltered his voice.

Wasn’t there something to be said about moving an injured wolf who had fallen from such heights? He was no healer—perfectly out of his element. Resolve filtered him—his eyes glancing up to the cliff’s edge from where she had fallen, scanning a path for them both should he lift her.

“I fear I’ll hurt her more if I move her,” he admitted. But did they have a choice?

Tullik arrived in the nick of time. As Njord anticipated, the young she-wolf had plenty of expertise and insight to guide Argent’s path. She announced her instructions which prompted the Elder to take a closer look at the terrain. The loose rock and fragmented cracks promised to be treacherous.

Argent announced his worries, but the Envoy and Njord were of one mind.

If they were in any other location, Njord would not want to risk Argent’s life. He would have let Chenoa wake on her own, even if injured. At least, then, she could have assisted in her own egress. However, the location was too perilous and no other wolf could descend, out of fear that the stone plinth might crumble.

“She cannae stay down there,” Njord replied. “Dinna fash, Argent. We’ll get ‘er tae Sialuk or Alaric once she’s up.”

Hope you all don’t mind if I wrap this one up! Happy to revisit it, just PM/DM me.

In the end, the trio was able to extract Chenoa from the cliffside. Together, they shepherded her toward the healer’s ulaq. Njord discovered a new appreciation for his packmates. Argent for his bravery and courage. Tullik for her know-how and cooperation. It reaffirmed that Mooonspear’s ranks were strong and ready to face any challenge.