Nocturne Summit Bodhyanga

They had come much too far to simply visit for a few hours then immediately head home. After making sure it was all right with @Gavriel, Wildfire decided to stick around for another day or two, fetch some rest and visit her family members another couple of times before they began the trek home. She had not forgotten her side mission either, although it was not time-sensitive as far as she knew.

Although she had absolutely no desire to go anywhere near Moonspear, it would be disrespectful to loiter too close to the caldera's borders. With her companion in tow, she retreated to the west, skirting around the lake and settling among the foothills of Nocturne Summit. She had missed these quiet, shadowy slopes. She just hoped @Floki or any other former comrades wouldn't wander this far south in the next few days. She let Gavriel know to keep an eye out even as they made a sort of base camp beneath a small overhang.

A refreshing rainstorm passed through the area this morning and Wildfire waited for it to taper off before venturing out into the world. She stretched her legs, lapped from a fresh puddle, then tried to decide whether she wanted to get some breakfast first, then swing by the caldera, or do it in the reverse order.

Tags for reference. ;)

Ooh...

He hadn't planned to leave Moonspear until his leg was fully healed, but Charon was out for Lazarus' blood, and Floki couldn't just stand by and watch while his brother searched for him. He knew he wouldn't be going far; although his endurance was slowly returning, he still couldn't travel long distances without growing winded, and his pace was often slow. Aware that Charon had departed to the north, he resigned himself to combing the territories surrounding Moonspear.

The scout worked his way south gradually, until he came face to face with the slope of Nocturne Summit. He angled his chin upward, glaring at it as if it was the terrain's fault that he had fallen. Truthfully, it had been a combination of factors -- the storm, the chaos driven by the hunger of many wolves, his own reckless lack of judgement. But he gave the peak the stink eye as he worked his way around its northern foothills, disappointed when there was no immediate sign of Lazarus.

It was still early in the day, but he had pushed himself further than he had in over a month, so despite the fact that he wanted to keep going he rewarded himself with a break. He sat down, holding his left forepaw a few inches off the ground as he gazed speculatively at the woven foliage of the nearby Bramblepoint. Perhaps Lazarus was hiding there; he pondered the odds, completely unaware of the presence of two wolves just around the curve of the mountain range.

Gavriel had begun to get antsy and when Wildfire wanted to stay a little longer, he’d been reluctant to give in but he didn’t fight it or express his concerns. A strained nod had been all he gave for the moment and continued on until they settled for the night. In the morning, Wildfire is up early, stretching herself out as Gavriel rolls from his position to stand. He follows behind her, mimicking most of her actions, and then bumps her shoulder.

“You’ve got a big family,” he observes their similarity, “but you also are not with them.”

Although Charon wanted nothing more than to find Lazarus, he was also fearful of letting Floki leave alone too often. His leg was still healing and he would be damned if he let another one of his friends or family get hurt in this ordeal. Besides, Floki was still his little brother, and always would be in a way. So when Floki had set out that day and Charon caught his trail during a patrol around the borders he had rushed after his brother.

Just as he was about to go round a corner in their neighbouring territory, Charon caught up with his brother. "Flóks, wait up!" he called out to his brother and, presuming his brother would halt, he caught up with him and nudged his shoulder in greeting. "Figured I'd join you -- two pairs of eyes see more than one, so --" That's when he heard a voice and he looked at Floki in silent question to see if he had heard it, too. Were there others nearby?

She turned at the familiar nudge, her lips beginning to twitch into a smile as she prepared to explain herself and possibly consult with him about her morning plans. A voice interrupted her, however, shouting from elsewhere along the foot of the mountain. Wildfire's amber eyes immediately pinned themselves on Gavriel's face as they mutually stilled, listening. The voice cut off abruptly, as if the speaker had heard something—perhaps her guardian's own voice—and the silence that fell was palpable as the two parties seemed to be listening for each other.

It took a moment or two for the yearling to parse out what she'd heard but when she did, her jaw dropped slightly. That had been Charon calling out to Floki. She made a motion that could only be called the wolfish equivalent of flailing, then emphatically gestured for Gavriel to follow her. Be quiet, she mouthed silently, then began to creep up the mountainside, partly to afford themselves a better view but mostly to totally avoid interacting with the wolves she knew were standing just on the other side of these crags.

He hadn't expected to hear Charon's voice echoing off the rocks, so he turned sharply at the sound. Normally, he would have greeted his brother joyfully, but the task at hand left him feeling quite the opposite. He had known that Lazarus was trouble from the start; rather than make his concerns known to Charon and Amekaze, however, he had simply avoided the troublemaker, hoping that the problem would resolve itself.

It hadn't, and he was left with guilt in the pit of his stomach.

He still managed to give Charon an affectionate shoulder bump, but any further conversation was put on hold when the brothers heard a murmuring nearby. Charon interrupted himself mid-sentence and Floki's hackles prickled even as his ears swiveled on his head. It was a male intonation, and he exchanged a glance with Charon, before mouthing the one name that swam to the forefront of his mind: "Lazarus?"

His questions go unanswered by the sudden change of events. The curiosity about Wildfire is gone, temporarily, as he watches her react in a progression of emotions that leave him confused. She mouths something to him and then moves to follow the disturbance they’d heard and Gavriel follows along. After a moment, however, he pushes ahead of her in case they are getting close to whatever they heard and keeps himself between whatever potential danger there is and his charge.

From the moment he fell silent, the voice disappeared, and Charon couldn't tell if it was because they knew they were caught or if they'd simply stopped talking. He wasn't sure if Lazarus was in any state to be talking to anyone, but this could well be where he had fallen. He felt his hackles prick up and scaled around the corner, only to see nothing. He picked up scents he did not recognise, but they had been here, a male and a female, and while he did not think it was Lazarus he had to follow the trail to make absolutely sure it wasn't.

"It's fresh. Let's follow this," Charon said and he started up the mountainside, nose to the ground as he followed the scent. So much had it changed over time he did not realise he was sniffing up his old friend's scent, and he pressed on, intending to catch up with them.

Her heart thumped against her ribs and her hackles prickled as she climbed. Originally, she intended to slither up on a ledge somewhere to look down and evaluate their positions. But as her pulse ticked higher and higher and she sensed the potential of rivals' eyes on the back of her neck, Wildfire realized she just wanted to find shelter and hide. She and Gavriel could let Floki and Charon pass, avoiding any type of interaction.

The guardian slipped ahead of her, so as soon as the yearling spotted a small crack in the rock wall, she tugged on his tail to stop him and then motioned silently at the crevice. In here, she mouthed just to make sure he understood the game plan, then hurriedly wedged herself into the small fissure. It was a tight squeeze but both she and Gavriel should fit into the space, as long as they didn't mind being practically on top of one another.

What do you think of rolling to see if Floki and Charon spot them? :D

Evens they see 'em, odds they don't? Roll: 7

Let me know if that's not okay with everyone and I can revise my post if necessary!

Floki remained rooted to the spot as Charon began to creep away, nose to the ground. It wasn't until he heard his brother speak, claiming that he had found a fresh scent trail, that he moved forward. A little thrill of excitement and fear rushed through him, but he quickly assured himself that if it was Lazarus they were about to happen upon, they were more than equipped to handle him. He would be battered from his fall, and while Charon and Floki were not quite in peak physical condition, he had faith in the outcome of two versus one.

The apparent trail led them up the slope, and Floki moved carefully, his pace slowed by his left foreleg. Although he limped, the ache was dull and he was able to keep focused on following Charon. He lowered his own head and inhaled; he didn't smell Lazarus -- for he was sure he would recognize the bastard's odor -- but there was something strangely familiar about what he did smell. Something tugged at the back of his mind but he couldn't place a finger on it.

"I don't think it's him," he said in a low voice, his gaze scanning their rocky surroundings. He paused momentarily, eyeing a dark fissure in the mountainside, but he looked harmlessly away, sparing the two wolves that had just huddled inside seconds before.

Wildfire does not let him get too far in front of her before she tugs on his tail and a flash of frustration crosses his features. His entire purpose for following the girl to the ends of the earth is to keep her safe and putting himself in the crossfire is what he's meant to do. However, when he realizes her intention, he smooths out his reaction and slinks back a step or two with burning cheeks she can't see. Where she forces herself in to, Gavriel has to twist a little awkwardly to fit and hopefully be away from view. He remains silent, ears forward as he listens for any nearby disruption, but keeps himself closer to the opening than the bandrona.

Nose to the ground, Charon scaled around the corner. He turned his head, popping around, holding his breath, and... Just as he pushed around the corner to see whoever was out there — just as the last bit of Gavriel's tail vanished into the crevice — and...

Nothing.

"Hm, guess I misheard," Charon said, although he doubted that he really had misheard. He trusted his senses. But he was pretty sure it couldn't have been Lazarus, because he wouldn't have been able to get away that quick after Charon had heard the voice. Maybe they'd gone away, for whatever reason.

He didn't place the scents that he did find, either. "Nah, Lazarus wouldn't have been able to get away that quick. Let's go." He turned away, standing right in front of the crevice, before turning around and putting his nose to the ground once more to search for Lazarus.

Only when the two of them were crammed into the small space did Wildfire realize she hadn't been this close to anybody (except Thuringwethil, albeit always briefly) in a long time, particularly a man. Oh, yeah, and she hated caves. She sucked in a loud breath and held it, trying to force down the anxiety that crept through her nervous system like poison. She felt a sudden impulse to shove Gavriel away from her, right out of the hiding place, and then jump out herself. Wildfire bit her tongue, trying to distract herself and be still, reminding herself that they were in real, actual danger and that Gavriel and this pitiful excuse for a cave should be the least of her damn worries.

While she was still holding her breath, she heard voices come closer, then seemingly drift away again. Her breath exploded from her noisily again, right into her guard's ear, and she couldn't help but push at him. "I think," she said in an odd, gasping voice, "the coast is clear. We should get out." Wildfire pushed again, more urgently this time, trying and failing not to sound so bossy. She knew it was irrational but she would almost rather risk confronting Floki and Charon than spend one more second smashed behind Gavriel in this claustrophobic space. "Nothing personal," she muttered under her breath.

That was a close one! :') Thanks for the thread!

After a moment, Charon agreed with Floki. This path was a dead end -- it wouldn't lead them to Lazarus. Frustration welled within him; how could Lazarus be evading them after a fall from such a height? When Floki had slipped off this very slope, he had been rendered unable to move, at least for a short time -- dizziness coupled with his injured leg had kept him from getting back on his feet.

He shook his head, giving a soft growl, then followed his brother back down towards the foothills and out of earshot of his former mate and her traveling companion.

When the coast is clear, and Wildfire barges out into the open, Gavriel looks around to see if he can determine who they were. Questions about the seriousness of avoiding these wolves in particular came to mind but with her stressed breathing keeps his mouth shut. He stretches out his legs a little before he directions back to the girl and lets her lead the way for the day’s direction.