Sheepeater Cliff i keep diggin' myself down deeper

Afternoon, rain clouds overhead, 5°C. Tag for @Akavir

The cliff face which towered before him reminded Maksim of home. The dark slate rock, the long shadow which loomed before it, and the jagged peaks of the mountain range which he could glimpse behind it, were familiar sights to him. Except this rock face did not belong to Frostfell Bluff, and the musky odour of his family's pack was not present here. Instead the land smelt new and foreign to the male, still yet to be explored. 

Maksim approached the foot of the cliff face with interest, curious to see what treasures lay in its rubble. The skeletal remains of big horn sheep lay partially exposed in their shallow grave of rocks and boulders, an enticing sight for the young male. He clambered across the rubble to tug at a skull which still had some of the skin clinging onto it, and pulled it free with one hard yank. Carrying his prize to a flatter area of rubble, he placed it on the ground to admire it for a moment, sniffling and licking at the few scraps of flesh which still remained on it.

He hadn’t left since his arrival within the Empire’s ranks, and so when the dark wolf skirted past the borders to stretch his legs and clear his head, he had given a quick howl to notify his pack mates—he would only be gone for a day, at most.

He was still grappling with Ibis’ news of pregnancy—he was going to be a dad! What business did he have, being a father? He was still trying to figure himself out in this world… How was he supposed to be responsible for tiny living things that would depend on him for the best part of a year?

Yet he couldn’t bring himself to regret his time with her, nor what had come about from it. He simply had to come up with a plan.

When the Mayfair’s champagne eyes fell upon the disappearing form of an ivory wolf, a frown pulled at his features, his stocky form making quick work to get closer to the ledge the other had gone. Nerves abated—he had almost thought the stranger had fallen over the side, but it appeared the rogue sought the remains below. Watching him with curiosity, the dark wolf blinked, uttering a low bark to garner the stranger’s attention.

There wasn't much left on the bones except a few scraps of meat and leathery skin, but it satiated the male for the moment. Maksim grasped a fold of the tough skin between his back teeth and began chewing and gnawing on it, low satisfied growls rumbling up from his chest as he did so. 

The bark which echoed down from the lip of the cliff above caused Maksim to pause and tilt his head up sharply, ears pricked. Glancing up, his maroon-brown eyes met the curious gaze of another male, a wolf dark in pelt with bright gold eyes. "Join me, if you like." Maksim offered with a friendly sway of his tail, though he did wander how the stranger would make it down the cliff-face safely. He assumed there must be an easier path somewhere nearby, known by the locals. "Though, there's nothing but bones down here." There was hardly anything worth fighting over.

The frost-tipped wolf considered it for a moment. The idea of socializing with another that held no knowledge of his current whirlwind of emotions and thoughts, nor of his pack was a tempting offer. His eyes surveyed the means to reach the other--and with a knowing grin, he gave his muzzle a swing. "Next time," he called out, not wishing to be rude... and yet also determined to not break a bone only to steal a few moments of conversation.

Pulling from the ridge, the Frostfur-Mayfair loped further, not yet returning to his Queen, but also not straying very far.