Sawtooth Spire A Little Push

@Iqniq

They moved side-by-side to one another, ear-to-ear, shoulder to shoulder. Tonravik recalled the water and how relaxed it had caused her muscles to become... and foreshadowed how cramped she would again feel should they stay in that den again. Tonravik paused and wrinkled her muzzle. "We should not sleep there," came the ever-eloquent wolf, and, as an explanation, Tonravik mimicked his favored yoga poses in a stretch that helped ease premature soreness before speaking again... They were not so old to be feeling stiff quite yet... she blamed the boys. And it was true; they had delayed in this task for as long as they could.

"They grow too big." Coupled with their size, soon they'd suffocate in one another. They no longer needed her body-warmth, and so she no longer desired to coddle them in any case... it was just a mothers worry, this time around (coupled with a fathers, she and her mate on the same page), that caused her to linger there, as opposed to her typical legitimate compulsions. Her ears twitched, wondering what he thought of that. Perhaps the days fieldtrip could last a little while longer after all.

Ever eloquent his mate was. He longed for her words, but often went he got them he was playing a game to try to align his thoughts with her own. We should not sleep there... Was she talking about the location where they now strolled or something else. They grow too big. Ahh. Context clues. Tonravik was lucky Iqniq was quick of mind and capable of keeping up with her crypticness.

She spoke truth. The whelping den had exhausted its purposes. Those children were old enough and large enough to not be total targets to local predators or the stalking eagles which flew overhead. They were still young and naive, but they wouldn't be good parents if they sheltered them forever. The children needed room to grow. They needed the space to do so. That den no longer served any value to them.

"What do you have in mind?" he questioned. He had his own ideas for such a place; his own requirements. Certainly she had her own set of needs and wants out of the area. Then again this home was new to all of them. Perhaps wherever they moved the pups to would be an appropriate home for all the wolves within their company.

LMAO. She really is lucky he's got a quick-mind LMAO.

He did not disagree, which caused her to believe he agreed with her. Tonravik had no doubts her own mate was as cramped as she; they were both massive wolves, after all. As for what she had in mind...? Tonravik truthfully didn't have any preference there. She had everything she wanted in this home... anywhere would do within it.

So she shrugged, to show that she hadn't thought much about it beyond wanting to move. "More space," she offered lamely... but really, anything that offered them that sounded like paradise. That was the whole mountain, of course. But this was their domain. Whatever they wanted to choose as the rendezvous site they could. It was clear she was open to his suggestion and his ideas, given her lack of creativity hindered her from thinking of anything too visually brilliant that could come to the forefront of her mind. If it had the basic necessities nearby—food cache's, water—that was perfect to her.

Their paws carried them across their mountain home. Here and there, he would pause to examine a lingering scent and would either cover it up or replace it with his own. He kept pace with her, resuming their patrol of the inner territories as they prowled this area together. Her a shadow. Him a blaze. They were a curious pair.

Her words were noncommittal and vague. More space was a given. Their current location was too small for their quaint brood and themselves, but if they were to inspect alternative realestate, he had a few more suggestions to add to the list. "Someplace warm," he offered, hoping to spark a little more creativity to her thought process. "Sheltered from the winter winds and snow... Large enough for all of us..." Not just the pups, but the pack too. They were all sleeping mostly under makeshift trees and temporary nooks. It would be nice for their entire pack to have the option of sleeping in a space that could hold them all.

Tonravik flicked her ears as he continued on, speaking of things that she had only assumed were naturally desired and went unsaid. Then again, so too did "no space". They were verbalizing. Whatever for, she wasn't sure; sometimes, he did these things, and Tonravik struggled, knowing he wanted more from her in this way. Ideas? Well, what was better than all of that? ...Nothing. He had done it all.

"Near water," she said at last. That did not matter so much come Winter, but in the Summer, cool water was always welcome. She herself could scout out snow when she wanted to, that was no problem here as the whelping den, elevated as it was, proved. She continued walking, eyeing a rocky, unexplored path (except, perhaps, for in passing) and heading in that direction. Who knew what they might find?

His opinions were left on the wind. It was met with one more addition from her. "Near water." He nodded his agreement. Water was a life source. Their new home was filled with rivers and streams, but the addition of just a little more closer to their main location couldn't hurt. He turned his nose into the wind, listening for a moment as they travelled. They'd covered this mountain a number of times. Now it was only a matter of looking at areas they'd once covered with fresh eyes and new intention.

They traversed a little higher. The trees thinned, but were still present. The earth became more ragged as the soft patches of soil were replaced by rough stone. Iqniq hopped up on a stone and relieved himself on a bush nestled between crannies. Feeling better, he turned his nose to the ground. She wanted water. Funny. He felt like he was almost on top of it. He snorted to catch her attention and called her over. Something was hiding here. It was just a matter of finding it.

They continued to travel using an alternate path. He paused to relieve himself, and seconds later something in that area seemed to interest him enough to call to her. Not at all bothered by the fact that he had just released his bladder seconds ago near the area (they were wolves, after all), Tonravik moved toward him. Beyond the strong scent of him, there was something else there. The rocks seemed to mask it.

She attempted to trail it. It was strange... and it was warm. Tonravik lifted her paws to check if any dribbling piss had descended in her walk, it having the likelihood to be still warm... but, no. Not at all. What was this...? It was her turn to call to her mate, the ground not overbearingly hot but pleasantly warm as she moved forward. And it was not simply this little narrow path... it had a relatively wide reach, it seemed. But how wide? How long? What was it?

Dripping dry, he pressed forward. Nose to the ground, he noted its temperature. The stones were warm to the touch. To his paws. To his nose. The heat wasn't unbearable, but it was noticeable. Comfortable. As if the sun had warmed the stone, but something told him that was not the case. There was a hint of moisture to the air that spoke of something else. He had his thoughts, but he'd not speak of them until his suspicions were confirmed.

She called to him this time. It seemed as though they were to play hopscotch in this discovery. He'd find something. She'd build on whatever he originally found. He'd find something more after that. The trading off made for an equal discovery. Eager he traveled a few paces ahead of here. Here the rocks dropped into a crevice with a trail large enough for a wolf of their size. He called out to her before he tucked himself within it and followed as the path wove downwards between the shadows of the stones.

Eventually the rocks piled atop one another to lure him into a cave of sorts. This hollow soon met his ears with a sound that was familiar. Water. And steam. It appeared the stones from above were warmed by this underground river. To drink of it, would not be so much of a refreshing thing, but it would make for a pleasant place to lounge in the winter. He glanced to his mate, curious of her thoughts.

Did he note it? He must have, with his equal level of intrigue. What it could be she could not begin to guess. She had little to no experience with hot springs at all that they would come to her mind off the bat. He called to her again, and she moseyed through the wide-enough space to his location, and when she entered the same cave he had, she was hit in the face with a sudden, surprising wave of warmth. It was not so offensive now as it would have been in the Summer... and at present, she welcomed it. Comfortable was right.

Her eyes shifted to his as his did to hers. Ears flipped as she looked beyond... the cave seemed limitless, and the water supply, too. Where did this end and begin? It was not something she really needed to explore, just know of... and then, she also had her answer as to why the earth above was so warm. She doubted the place made for good fishing, but Tonravik saw it would give them more use than that when their bones were too chilled. A difficult feat for one so thickly-furred as her, fashioned for the season... but she could always appreciate extra warmth when the earth offered it. Her tail waved, before she turned back to explore the upper reach of this place again... more extensively, this time, having the basic understanding that it offered more than the eye could tell. She invited him along with a whuff, but would not fault him if he wanted to observe the river moreso than they had.

It pleased him to know the warm places existed in numerous portions of their territory. His mate was a creature born for snow. He tolerated them, but if he had to choose, he preferred the summer months. A location like this offered the best of both worlds. A place for them to stay warm while also providing space for them escape the heat and usher themselves into the full embrace of the wind. For the winter, this place seemed perfect, but he was not yet convinced. What else did this area offer them that might satisfy their year-round needs?

He'd seen enough of the steamy underground river. When Tonravik turned towards the surface, he was right behind her. There would be time to explore each area more fully, but for now there were still other mysteries to unveil. Where would they sleep here? Where would they drink in the summers. The sauna below was certainly a treat, but he was curious as to what more this place had to offer.

The alpha females ears flit backward and she heard her mate following. They rose upward, and Tonravik herself did so as a goat might. Her muscles flexed as she jumped upward and hoisted herself to the opening. The descent in this case was easier than the ascent into the warm area. 

Upon her exit, Tonravik looked around. Her ear shifted as she heard water ahead... Different than the hollow sound of the water underground. She was of the same mind of her mate, so she headed in the direction the sound came from. More hot water? Or would this be cooler in temperature?

Leaving the underground river in the same way from which they'd come was not so easy of a task. He watched as Tonravik leapt, forcing her body out of the cranny they'd originally descended. Surely there was an alternative exist with a more subtle incline elsewhere. They'd not found it yet, but then again they had not been looking. Another time they might find an easier escape from that place. For now, he simply waited for her to shuffle away from the landing so he could follow suit and removed himself from that crevice.

He hopped up and landed on the stone surface. His eyes immediately moved to swivel and seek any visual information of the area he could not learn through scent or sound alone. Tonravik was intently on the move. He followed after her and soon caught on to what she'd found. More rushing water. A quick taste of the air this time was considerably drier than before. This living source was above ground this time and as they moved towards it the river came into view.

The trip to reach this water was downward again. It seemed the rocks at their backs were mostly elevated and the river below had cut into the stone. Iqniq wanted to see for himself out easy the slope here would be to travel, but it soon became evident that the weary game trails of prey and previous residents of their home had carved a gentle, winding path within the rock. This pleased him as he traveled it. There would be no fear of accidentally skipping or plunging to ones demise of they were to access this above ground river in the winter.

He reached the riverbank and lowered his muzzle to the stream. He sniffed the water and then he drank. Crisp. Cool. Refreshing. His tongue cleared the dribble from his chin as he looked to her. This area was suitable to his requirements. Had it met all of hers?

Together they found the source of the sound, and Tonravik eagerly moved with her mate toward it. Like her mate, she noted how the terrain worked here... in the immediate area, there was no abrupt drops or ridges her inexperienced cubs could fall off the face of the earth on, nor any crevices that were cause for concern. The area consisted of dirt, shrubs, and rock, with some deciduous trees that had survived a test of time. One in particular caught her attention, but she would go back to it after investigating the water with her mate.

It was cool, drinkable, refreshing. No doubt it was an extension of their massive water source. The place seemed sheltered and comfortable... and she noted overhangs that promised shade for the Summertime, as well. More likely than not she would roam in the snowy areas of her home in that season, but it was an added bonus, and meant that the place was suitable for their unified desire.

Tonravik had one last thing to investigate. She moved to that fallen tree, which was actually still alive and rooted, simply lain to its side due to it having no room to rest. The large roots of the tree perked up a stony slab and she sniffed the area to check no predators or wolverines had taken residence here. Once satisfied, she turned back to her mate and nodded. This area would do, stable and comfortable as well as safe.

This place did not match his idyllic thoughts on what he had in mind for a permanent den site, but it had all of the discernible features he required. The pieces were there, and while it did not match the vision he held in his mind, he realized the potential and was all the more optimistic for it. And glance in Tonravik's direction told him she was almost sold on this spot. Almost, but not quite. He followed her back up the gentle slopes to see what else she needed to explore in order to feel comfortable and confident in this place.

She turned toward the large, twisting roots of a tree that curled over several large boulders. Between its roots rest the hollow opening of another nook. Was it large enough to house a wolf or two? He glanced towards her as she decided the area was clear enough. When she retreated, he poked his head inside and looked at the space. Roomy. Fair size. Enough room for at the very least the both of them. He looked back at her before he closed the distance between them. A click of his tongue and he tipped his head back towards the hollow in the tangle of roots before he lifted to wrap an arm around her neck and wrestle her back there.

She watched as he investigated, a short distance away from him. An ear flicked when he was done examining and she cocked her head at the click of his tongue. Had he found something? He moved toward her to wrangle her back that way, but he would not have too much of a struggle. Tonravik snorted and nosed him before moving with him toward the space.

Again she sniffed around the general mouth of the place, then glanced to her mate. What had he wanted her to see in particular...? Her head turned back to the entrance, noting the ample amount of room in there.

...A thought occurred to her, and she slid inside the place to lay. She could certainly stretch her legs in here... and so too could her mate, she'd bet. Tonravik whuffed from within, curling into a loose ball, tail thumping. A quick nap without the cubs sounded appealing, especially with all the legroom.

It didn't take much to convince her. Tonravik's thoughts were right in line with his own. She snorted at him and slipped off her shoulders as she made a bee-line for the space. He was quick to follow, his form occupying the entrance as she slipped inside, examined it for a moment, and then lay down. There was no need to call him. He was already inside, brushing his pelt around the earthy walls to more completely lay claim to this space. It was theirs.

He flopped to the ground beside her and rolled over, tangling his limbs with her own before he wiggled nearer her and pressed his nose against her own. Expecting a sneeze, he did not linger for long. Instead, he rose and resettled himself at her back so he might lay his chin across her nape. Content with their closeness, he pressed his eyes closed and settled in for a quick nap. He knew now not to deny sleep when the moments for it were offered.