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 Posted: Mon Apr 25, 2011 8:54 pm
 He kicked his paws forward, back dipping as he stretched in the early gloom. The bird calls had just begun, the sky lightening as the sun peeked over the horizon. The pack slumbered back in the den, a few dream induced yips echoing back at him as he crept from the warmth of bodies out to the cliff's edge, staring out at the forest below. Silvery fog crept through the trees, causing an eerie glow.
Adrastos had always wondered what lay down there, beyond the packlands. He knew that an old pack enemy had fallen from the cliff's edge, but body had ever been found by his alpha. Which meant they had searched, which meant that there was a way down.
His paws itched to search for the way, but he knew he had to wait for his companion, that she would be sad if he left without her.
Sitting on his haunches, the young male turned his nose to the rising sun for its warmth, waiting to hear the noise of his accomplice from the direction of the den.
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Posted: Mon Apr 25, 2011 9:06 pm
 She was late. Late. Late. Late. Late. Always late. She kept her head low, just where she wanted it. Not for the status in the pack, she liked her head low so she can see the nice things that breached the earth's surface. Each bloom had different smells, different colors, different appearances and all of them were simply beautiful to her. She smiled as she neared her brother, eyes watching closely to a budding tarragon. "Adrastos, you left early?" she spoke meekly as she came up beside her brother, tilting her head in question as Mae's tail wagged behind her. No, Adrastos wasn't early, he probably woke up his normal time and wandered off during normal hours and what not. Since growing up, the two stuck to one another like tree sap to the back of bees. Father probably found that amusing. Then again, what are the chances of them finding partners if things carried out like this for... well, ever. "Oh! I should find some ajwain seeds for Mister Ehrek. He's eaten some bad meat, should help his digestion..."
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Posted: Mon Apr 25, 2011 9:16 pm
Adrastos rolled his eyes with a snort. "You and your flowers." He eyed the trees beyond the drop off, contemplating which direction to go first along the cliff edge. "You'll probably find plenty of flowers down there," he said mysteriously, as he hadn't actually told her where they were going this time. He stared back over his shoulder at her.
"Adventure time!" he said excitedly, unaware that his father had told their mother those same words so long ago. Such a happy world they lived in, this pack of there's. The Acropolis pack thrived, with plenty of happy mates and family. It was a good place to live.
But the forest beckoned to him every day....
He just had to check it out.
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Posted: Mon Apr 25, 2011 9:23 pm
"H-hey! Dun you forget that I made you better with that honeysuckle!!!" Maera explained as she watched her older brother sway his head around. What was he looking for? He commented on the area over the ridge, saying that there would be more herbs down there. She was almost certain that someone said something about this ridge.
A warning?
Mae pouted at her brother. "They're not 'flowers', Adras, they're herbs!" She cried - not that he heard as his loud, boisterous voice drowned out her meek voice. Just like father... Loud.
Mae trotted after her brother, being careful where she stepped. Stopping momentarily to bend the stems of herbs she would later use to retrace their steps and collect, apologizing for hurting them.
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Posted: Mon Apr 25, 2011 9:34 pm
"Herbs," he corrected, "sorry." Adrastos smiled at her as he trotted along the path beside the cliff. The grasses here were shorter, some bare batches of soil peeking through, as well as his sister's precious herbs. It was well on its way to becoming a well worn path, as the alphas used it on their territorial patrols.
But now it served to guide them to the river on the eastern edge of their land. He had thought on it often, finally deciding that the falls would be the best bet in finding a path to the bottom of the cliff.
As they drew nearer, the siblings could hear the roaring of the water as it tumbled over the cliff to the river below.
"Time to channel your inner goat, Mae," he told her, peeking over the edge. He noticed some flowers near the water's edge, and made a self-bet that she would find them in an instant or less.
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Posted: Mon Apr 25, 2011 9:42 pm
She watched her paws as they made their steps upon the dirt and pebbles on the beaten path. The higher order members of the pack must have used these paths to patrol or something. Mae's eyes wandered above as they slowly descended below the ridge. The scent of familiar herbs were mingling with new fresh, unfamiliar ones. Some were bright, some were dull, some even gave off an odor she could not describe. Certainly, she'll need to come back to have a better look and see what they did.
Noticing that Adras had pattered off further than she had thought, she quickly trotted behind.
Looking down at the falls, the mist clinging to her fur, weighing it down. She tried her best to speak loud for her brother to hear. "Whaaaaaat? You want us to climb that?" She questioned, looking at the rock face that framed the falls. Her brother was insane, this would probably be the craziest thing he's gotten them into.
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Posted: Mon Apr 25, 2011 9:58 pm
He wrinkled his nose, staring down at the wet rocks framing the falls, picking the best path from them. It would be a dangerous climb down, especially since they weren't exactly made to play mountain goat. But both of them were agile, and light, not huge like their father and grandfather. Just long legged.
"We'll be fine. I think."
Adrastos tentatively stepped down, choosing the closest rock to the top of the cliff to start their climb. Taking a deep breath, he started the descent, picking his way carefully from rock to rock, holding his breath whenever his paws slipped on the misted surfaces. The falls roared to their left, coating them in water.
At least it was starting to be a warm day!
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Posted: Mon Apr 25, 2011 10:03 pm
Maera watched her brother carefully as he descended. Pacing the cliff side, calculating each step. However, her eyes always lingered off whenever she glimpsed at the herbs that grew by the water side. Perhaps they grew there because of the constant water exposure. Perhaps because of the shade that the waterfall gave off. The ecology of the herbs fascinated her. Why they were there. What they did. When did they grow. When do they stop growing.
Shaking her head, she turned her attention back to her brother whom was nearing the end of his descent. Leave it to big brother to make it to the bottom. If he had fallen, she would have to get father. Her ears fell back at the mere thought of what their father may say.
Scampering, she hurried down to meet her brother safely at the bottom, making her track markers on the plants she happened to come across on the way down to find their way up.
How did the alphas get their way around? Did they descend the cliff face as well?...
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Posted: Mon Apr 25, 2011 10:16 pm
They reached the bottom with no issues, which surprised him really. Yes, they were agile. But the cliff face was hazardous by itself, and then there was the added bonus of the mist coating everything. Shaking his wet fur, he stared up, and up, and finally realized just how tall the plateau rose above the forest. It awed him, and his ears went back.
"I can't believe we just climbed down that," he murmured, forgetting that he was supposed to be instilling confidence in this adventure.
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Posted: Mon Apr 25, 2011 10:21 pm
"You better, brother, you're sleeping next to me tonight to keep me warm," she grumbled as she stood by his side as her fur sagged around her frame and even her eyes. For added revenge, she shook her fur beside him before heading off deeper into the forest.
The smell of the waterfall was still thick in the air, but the scent of the earthy forest was rich and vibrant. The smell of dirt and prey was all about, as well as some that made her cringe at to what she imagined them to belong to. The world below the plateau was a mystery to her and it was a place she may have to get used to.
"Adras, do you think Ehrek and Deimos and Dad come down here?" she queried, putting her muzzle to the ground. There wasn't a trace of lupine scent around, perhaps the waterfall's mist is covering it up. It was hard to say. Was this new territory for the pack?
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Posted: Mon Apr 25, 2011 10:31 pm
Looking along the base of the plateau, he spotted a tree some distance off, cocking his head. His father had told him a story once of something having to do with a tree...
Shaking his head, he trotted after his sister into the trees, catching up to her with a small sprint. "Nope. This isn't pack land, so I doubt they've ever ventured past the base of the falls."
Nearly quivering with excitement, he trotted ahead, sniffing everything. Animal scents were thick here, filling his nose in a sensory overload. Deer, rabbits, badgers, even a wolverine and bear, and various other creatures, some scents not registering in his memory.
"I'll help you pick flowers, if you want," he said between sniffs, moving deeper and deeper into the trees. One of the scents he didn't recognize had grown stronger, and his nose led him even deeper.
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Posted: Mon Apr 25, 2011 10:38 pm
His sister watched with intense fascination at the surrounding, her eyes glancing everywhere, taking in the ocular paradise. Such strange things she hasn't seen before. The birds that sat upon the trees, the songs they sang, the mushrooms that littered the forest floor, the way the ground pressed against her paws.
This place must be studied and ventured more.
"Don't be silly, Adras, picking these would be crazy. I don't know what they do yet and I am not sure if they're poisonous or not. Need I remind you that one time you decided to help me and you were rolling in the dirt for moons because of it?" She jabbed at him for times long ago when they were young and his adventurous nature got the best of him. Still, he was her brother and she appreciated the offer.
Keeping up with him, she watched out into the forest while he kept his face to the ground.
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Posted: Mon Apr 25, 2011 10:43 pm
"Not my fault! I didn't know that plant itched," he said with a scowl, nose still pressed to the dirt. The scent was entirely too intriguing, but it also made his fur bristle. Tangy, musky...coated with the sickly sweet smell of rotten flesh. A growl slipped from him, but he didn't seem to notice, nosing aside ferns and branches as he followed the trail. There were no marks here, no prints. The ground was too springy with moss and leaves, the soil completely hidden.
But the scent was getting stronger, and so was the smell of rotting meat.
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Posted: Mon Apr 25, 2011 10:46 pm
Mae kept close, her eyes ever wandering but her ears and tail have tucked back instinctively. Her body did not like the situation but her inquisitive mind kept pressing it forward. The moss underneath her paws made her stop to look, testing it with a press. A weird texture to walk upon, that was certain.
She kept close to her brother as he growled. Something was ahead and they both knew it. The smell had diluted the rich smell of the forest and the falls long behind them. Worried, she whispered to the male.
"D-do you smell that, too?"
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Posted: Mon Apr 25, 2011 11:02 pm
"Yeah." The trees were so thick now, that all sound was muffled. The birds in the area had vanished, except for the muted sound of raucous crows, cawing annoyingly at each other as if their only desire was to infuriate whatever was around them. It made Adrastos grit his teeth, and he pricked his ears forward.
Snarling could be heard now, and furious jaw snapping. He heard the sound of ripping flesh, and muffled yaps and growls. The sounds were something he didn't recognize: too high pitched to be made by wolves, but yet too low to be foxes. Suddenly his ears went back, and he lowered himself, belly pressing to the springy earth. He peeked between some ferns and blinked in surprise.
Although he didn't know what they were, a small pack of coyotes tore at a rotting deer carcass half buried in the ground, no doubt left by a bear interested in finishing its catch at a later time. They were larger then foxes, but smaller then him, and it perplexed him.
Were they stunted wolves?
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