Gyrfalcon's Keep At the Base of the Mountain

Majesty stared upwards at the rather small mountain before him, wondering if he dared to climb it. Normally, whether or not to climb a mountain was not a question he would ask himself. Normally, he would just do it. His innate curiosity about the world around him pushed him to be adventurous and try things out. But this time… he was more cautious.

He had heard of this place: Gyrfalcon's Keep. And he knew why it was called that. Up on the top of the mountain, dozens and dozens of the birds of prey made their nests, and would do anything to protect their eggs and their young. Majesty had absolutely no intention of getting pooped on - or having his eyes gouged out by talons, for that matter. And so, he stared up at the mountain, his body locked in a state of non-moving. And he wondered: Should he climb or shouldn't he?

hello!

They saw that in order to believe one must see. Charlemagne was the type of individual that would not believe in anything unless he saw it or it was proven to him. That's why when a little bird told him that beyond the mountains and plaind there was a lake greater than any other with waves that crashed against a sandy shore and tasted like salt, the little fox could not believe it.

He thought the bird was mad, and decided to go see for himself instead of taking the bird's word. He had set out a couple of days ago, leaving his burrow in Waspun Meadow unattended. He had never travelled so far before, the furthest he had even gone was the White Fish River.He'd sleep in abandoned burrows overnight or under a bushed, tighlty tucked under the prickly branches.

Charlemagne had walked all day long, his little paw pads were sore and his throat dry. He sniffed around looking for prey, suddenly a black figure in the sky called his attention, a prey bird flew above him looking for a meal just like the little fox.

Charlemagne pricked his ears and ran for cover in a shrub, near where a brown wolf stood motionless staring at the sky. Even if he knew wolves could be dangerous too, he'd rather deal with fangs and claws than with the talons of the bird. Still if anything went badly he could easily outrun the wolf.

Majesty watched worriedly as the little red fox dived for cover, pushing himself under the shrub with the speed of someone about to be eaten. He wondered if the little thing was worried about him, but then - if he had been worried about him - he would not have chosen a shrub so close to the wolf. He looked around, wondering what could have spooked him, and saw the gyrfalcon circling above them. Without thinking, Majesty placed his body directly in front of the shrub, glaring up at the gyrfalcon and daring it to try. He would not let this fox die today.

Eventually, the falcon gave up and flew away, back to the mountain, letting out a shrill cry as it went. Majesty breathed a sigh of relief, and stepped back from the shrub. "You can come out now, little friend," he said gently to the fox. "The falcon is gone. But what are you doing out here? It's dangerous to be so close to so many birds of prey. You should get away from the mountain."

The little fox buried his nose in his shoulder as he patiently waited for the bird to get bored and leave, suddenly the wolf that was standing near by, approached the shrub Charlemagne had taken as cover, it's heavy pawsteps shaking the ground.

The fox waited anxiously for the wolf to stick its snout in the shrub in an attempt to catch him but instead he hovered over his hideaway creating a barrier between him and the prey bird. After a few minutes the wolf leaned over and with soothing words invited the fox to come out.

Charlemagne stuck out his face, sniffing curiously at the wolf, then he stepped out with confidence. Even if wolves tended to react badly to his presence he had met wolves who liked to have him around. Like the pretty female that had raced him one day.

"Thanks" he barked, with a swish of his bushy tail, "I must cross the mountain you see, I'm looking for something" he explained, his yellow eyes held a glint of excitement.

For some reason, Majesty seemed to get along well with foxes. Perhaps because they were both canids? Well, no matter the reason, this was the second fox he had met who he had befriended somehow. And he was not complaining about that. He was going to have to remember not to eat foxes from then on. He was becoming too friendly with their species to consider eating them anymore.

This one fascinated him, just as Pan had. "Looking for something?" he asked. "What are you looking for, friend?" He stepped back to allow the creature room to come out from under the shrub fully. "Food, perhaps? Or… maybe a new den?"

The fox responded by crawling out of the shrub and giving the brown giant a graceful bow to show his gratitude. He didn't need to hear another word to decide he was a decent wolf and he would not hurt him. The same way he had done with the pretty female in the flat lands he swished his tail attempting to tickle the wolf's nose.

Then when he asked about his motives to wander so far, Charlemagne broke into laughter and shook his head, "No! I wouldn't choose this place like this for a den!" he chuckled, "I'd be be covered in bird poop every morning, besides I already have a home in Waspun Meadow," he barked, crossing his fingers his den would be intact when he returned. Honestly he saw nothing wrong in telling the wolf where he lived, if he had wanted to kill him he'd already done it right?

He swished his tail once more, brushing its tip against the ground, "I came here to test something" he went on, "A bird told me there's something incredible in the other side of this mountain and I want to see it for myself" he yapped,motioning his snout to the mountain range.

Majesty yanked his face back when the fox's tail brushed over, trying to hold back a giggle and a sneeze at the same time. He scrunched up his nose in an attempt to get rid of the tickle, all the while smiling down at the little fellow to let him know he wasn't angry at the gesture. On the contrary, he thought the fox very brave - if not a little foolish also - to have done what he had. He listened quietly as the little canid explained what he was doing here, and then became curious. He looked in the direction of the mountain range that the fox spoke of.

"What did the bird tell you was there," he asked, "that would cause you to travel so far from home? The Wapun Meadow is a long way away from here. You must be brave to be traveling through wolf territory just to prove a bird right or wrong. That - or very foolish. But tell me: what did the bird say?"

The little creature clenched his jaws at the mention of the word foolish. Charlemagne could be a lot of things, but foolish wasn't one of them -at least not to his concern. He lashed his tail with annoyance, rolling his eyes at the gesture but quickly recovered from his anger, he met his eyes again with the wolf and grinned sheepishly.

"You see, I've never been to the other side of this mountain, so what lies beyond is a mystery to me.." he shrugged, listening intently at the faint sound of the ocean waves crashing against the sand. "The bird told me there's a lake, that runs infinitely to the horizon, its shore filled with sand and a salty taste unlike any other." he barked repeating almost by memory what the bird had told him.

Majesty smiled down at the fox as he explained. "The bird told me there's a lake, that runs infinitely to the horizon, its shore filled with sand and a salty taste unlike any other."

He laughed when the fox was done speaking. "The bird was right, friend. And what it was describing was a great expanse of water called an ocean. If you make it, you will find many strange things there. There are birds with white and grey bodies, and bright orange beaks, called Seagulls. And there are creatures called turtles with giant, hard shells on their backs. They like to lay their eggs in the sand, so if you fancy a meal, I would suggest digging around their nesting sites. Oh - and don't drink the water. It's not good for drinking, but it's fun to play in. You'll see when you get there!"

Majesty bowed his head to the little fox. "I hope you make it friend. I'll be forming a pack on an island off the shore of the ocean in a few days' time, I'm hoping. It's a short swim, especially considering there's a sandbar that sort of bridges the mainland and island together. I would be delighted if you would come and visit me there sometime. I promise I will tell the other wolves not to eat you." He laughed. "What do you say?"

Charlemagne's tiny eyes stretched wide open, as he listened at every word the great wolf had to say. He wondered if the wolf was trying to pull his leg, but quickly discarded the thought, maybe the bird was actually right! The wolf went on describing the place with such eloquence that the fox could almost feel the sand under his paws and the sound of the waves crashing against the shore.

"Oh it sounds splendid!" he yapped with a graceful swish of his tail, then he returned into his seating position, listening intently as what his new friend had to say."Of course I'd visit you! As long as you keep your promise" he called with a playful box to the male's chest. Winking as he said the last part.

"But you'll have to show me how to get there!" he barked motioning to the mountain with his snout, "After you" he dipped his snout, leaving no room for the wolf to decline.

I love Charlemagne!

Majesty smiled in amusement as the little fox spoke of his wonder for the ocean, and the fact that he would love to visit him once he had his pack established. He was really warming up to Charlemagne, and hoped he would be true to his word about visiting. It was nice to talk to animals other than wolves sometimes. He was about to issue a reply when the creature interrupted him with, "But you'll have to show me how to get there! After you."

Majesty was taken aback for a moment, not expecting to suddenly be forced into a chaperoning situation. But he shrugged it off. He didn't really need to be anywhere at the moment, so why not? With a smile to the fox, he said, "My legs are much longer than yours, friend. Be sure and keep up." And with that, he began a trot around the mountain, in the direction of the Sea Lion Shores.

Exit Majesty.

thank you :) I enjoy Majesty too
shall we have another thread where he shows him the way?
exit - thanks for the thread :3

"My legs are much longer than yours, friend. Be sure and keep up".

Charlemagne raised his eyebrow at the wolf's remark, he huffed and accompanied this gesture with a smirk, "Oh but I am much faster than you" he teased, jogging lightly to be at his side, his lush tail flicking back and forth. "I once won a race with a wolf you know" he gloated as he increased his pace to leave Majesty just a tail lenght behind.