R Tennessee Whiskey

[Zahrah]

The night was growing longer, it felt. Even with the time she'd burned behind her it felt as if many more hours lay in store. Moonlight was scattered from the trees around her, dappling the ground in a mis-matched pools of light. It somehow made the shadows deeper. Enough so to have her eye rolling about in an attempt to discern if there was truly danger waiting within. Her head swiveled with the movement as well, trying to ensure that nothing would come at her from her blind side. Atop her head, her fluffy white ears could be seen twitching and attuning to every sound. So far the journey had been peaceful. Yet the voluptuous woman had not stopped glancing back now and again as if there were phantoms at her heels.

Distantly could be heard the tin of the falls crashing into the basin below. She'd seen the basin from far, far up in the mountains when she'd crossed them. Good, then, that whatever she had left on the other side had not followed her here. Whatever monsters she left in her wake could remain there, forgotten like so many sorrows.

Time passed and soon enough she was pushing out of the trees and to a place where she could see the edges of the waterfall. She was approaching it from the top of the falls and she strolled out under the moonlight onto the moss-covered stones to stare at the myriad of flows that cascaded into the water below. Effervescent waves and rivulets danced on either side of her and she watched as sparkling water sprang up in a mist, some of it decorating her muzzle and her face.

At least the white noise of the water was cathartic. It bid her to finally settle, to relax her stiffened stance and close her eye and breathe in the petrichor of water and earth combined. So unbothered was she by the wet and the cold that she simply lay on the exposed surface of rock she had strode out on, letting the jewel-like froth alight on her topcoat. This time of year, it would never make it deep enough to chill her.

For a moment, an anxious woman found reprieve.

[Lincoln]

Lincoln's legs moved in a rhythmic lope beneath him, the air of the incoming night cool against his face. To his left gushed a river, swollen beyond its banks by the season's precipitation. And to his right, through the quickly-passing silhouettes of the trees, loomed a great mountain range that he dare not challenge. But the river — that was a different story. He'd set out to follow its current long before the sun's warmth had dissipated, because rivers always ended up somewhere, and he needed that. Somewhere.

He heard the falls before he saw them. Normally he would have been prime to rush to the edge and peer over it, but this time he stopped. For a moment he caught his breath and observed a white figure on the rocks, obscured by the spray of the falls. They seemed at peace, ghostly in the vapor, and he didn't blame them for choosing this spot to rest. But alas, curiosity called to him and he reciprocated, letting out a boof that was hopefully loud enough to be heard over the water.

[Valentina]

There was a biting chill in the air brought about by the impending onset of winter. Not that Valentina minded. She performed best in the winter; it was certainly a Zima trait.

She approached the falls with a healthy dose of trepidation and a sense of splendor at nature’s beauty. At this time, she had not been far from home on her first solo expedition long; she knew there was still much for her to learn of the world, much to discover in the way of interacting with others.

Wolves outside of her natal clan certainly behaved differently. As she caught scent of strangers nearby, Valya perked up. She didn’t know what to expect, or even what to ask of them, really, but she knew she wanted to approach. Just… cautiously, until she could get her bearings.

She uttered a low boof of her own.

[Mauti]

So, maybe she'd followed after all.

If asked, she'd have said she didn't care, didn't care at all and was perhaps grateful to be alone again after the other dark woman had left. But as they'd gone their separate ways, and Mauti hadn't received the venom she thought to expect.. it piqued her interest.

And besides, she was tired of running. There was no way her previous suitor could find her up here, nestled so tightly in the bosom of the mountains — she could afford to relax, if only a little bit.

She'd followed the woman around the edges of the basin, careful to stay out of sight and trail her by scent alone.

// a round out

[Zahrah]

Peace. The falls. The gentle white-noise tin of sound that settled in her eardrums. Her eyes were closed and she relaxed into the feeling of a moment of serenity. Mist hung on her coat and along her whiskers and she didn't seem to notice the world for a little while.

Until BOOF was heard nearby. Just enough to be heard over the water. Just enough to send her hackles straight into the air. She rose, her head snapping to and fro. In her panic, she did not see him. Even if she had, her reaction would have been the same.

Immediately she stood to leave, sinking into the mists the falls stirred up and diving towards unfamiliar brush. Her pace hurried as a second boof answered the first.

Either she'd been found by them or by someone else. Either way it didn't matter.

[attempted exit, she spoop]

[Lincoln]

Regret encompassed him the moment the breath had left his lungs. Like a flipped switch, the woman that had been so peacefully at rest went suddenly haywire, and Lincoln watched in guilty horror as she panicked and fled. She quickly disappeared on the other side of the quickly flowing river, leaving him to watch silently, hopeful that she might return, or that he might at least see a streak of white as she truly left. But there was nothing, only him, the water, and an answering boof from somewhere behind him.

While he did glance over his shoulder to look, he didn't see them immediately. And, completely unbothered by the incoming presence of another, he decided to switch his attention back to the river — or, more specifically, where the white woman had been resting. Despite feeling terrible about having spooked her off, he couldn't deny that it did take on the appearance of a marvelous look-out spot. And if the woman had no intentions to return... what was holding him back from taking it for himself?

His tail twitched once at his hocks, then he leapt, attempting to pick a path out over the water and to the large boulder that would serve as the perfect perch.

Agility roll[roll=1d20+3]

[Valentina]

She arrived, and just int ime to see a light-furred woman bolt and a man much more appealing to the eye attempt to take her spot, it seemed, and subsequently fall into the river.

She trotted up to the edge to look at where he'd fallen, ears cupped forward. Was he going to resurface?

[Mauti]

Like a shadow she slunk through the trees, eyes bright and directed towards where the scent led her. Eventually the roaring of a river reached her ears; a few minutes after that, the woman's dark shape came into view.

Mauti ducked quickly, lowering herself to the soil to peer out from behind some shrubs. What the hell was she up to, then?

// skippable for now! she just watchin'

[Lincoln]

Unfortunately for him, the stones were coated in slime and not at all dry enough for his paws to find purchase should he mess up on his foot placement. So when he did slip on only his second jump, it was with a rush of fear and grasping limbs that he fell, finding quickly that the water here was just deep enough to fully submerge him.

The river's current tugged gently on him beneath the waves, but eventually he felt his paws brush along the bottom. After only a few moments of struggling he managed to break the surface, heaving a great gasp of air into his lungs as he tried to find his bearings — and caught sight of a dark wolf up on the bank, staring at him. In his surprise he stopped his attempts to free himself of the water, instead floating along as he called out. "Oh, hey there," he said, his grin wide and friendly.

Then, well. The river took the opportunity to grab him in his distractedness, the current suddenly strengthening as it dove over the edge of the waterfall — taking him along with it.

[Valentina]

It wasn't cold enough for the water to shock him to death, but Val still cocked her head at him as he paused his struggle to say, Oh, hey there. Raised her brows playfully but said nothing back, almost playing hard to get despite the subtle twitching of her tail as her eyes followed him.

And then, over the edge he went.

Val followed the river to the falls and peeked down into the rolling foam below. Had she just watched a man die? Had he spent his last few moments trying to be cool for her?

That was... a little bit charming, she had to admit.