Post by Pavane on Jul 6, 2011 19:20:57 GMT -5
Arroyo, a female adolescent cougar and the Chosen of Amaranth
Wiraqu, a male cougar.
Gradual Incline
Having finally pulled herself away from the warm comfort of her family, and mustered the courage and willpower to finally set out on her own, Arroyo has made her way to the northern slope - though she's hardly been in a hurry to leave behind the safe familiarity of her home. She's spent a few days just slowly wandering through the vast territory that the Amaranth lays claim to; climbing higher on the snow-tipped peak than she ever has before, visiting the sacrosanct stone formations looming above the valley, and taking in the beautiful view of the grand waterfall that crashes into the river below. The young adolescent is now finally ending her summer sight-seeing trip, tentatively taking the first steps that will lead her off the mountain she's lived on her whole life thus far. Her confidence builds with each pace nonetheless, and soon she's strolling down the slope leading to the forest with her head held high.
Amaranth's claim to the mountain grows weaker with every step downhill. Why, down here, they hardly hold any claim to it at all! The land is open to anyone - including, say, a golden-furred cougar male, lounging atop a boulder and lazily grooming one of his paws. Wiraqu pauses as he catches a hint of movement coming down the slope, his whole posture becoming more alert and interested. Is this one of the mountain cats? Well, what are they doing down here? He lifts his butt up in a stretch, then bounds down off the rock, padding closer to investigate.
A blur of golden motion catches her eye, and Arroyo comes to a quick stop as she spots the other cougar, one paw still lifted mid-stride. He's the first unrelated male she's encountered, and there's a brief moment of hesitation as she processes this new experience; she's certainly wary of the stranger, but perhaps also a little intrigued. A rounded ear swivels back at his approach, as though considering retreating to the relative safety of the mountain, but the young female stays still for now -- though she's tensed and ready to leap away at the first sign of danger. After all, she's been sent on her quest, and there's no going back now until it's done -- and, as he's the first she's met since leaving, perhaps this is part of it. "Hello," she offers in way of a quiet greeting, considering the other cougar closely.
Wiraqu grins to the younger female. His posture is relaxed and confident - almost brashly so. Noting her tension, he doesn't approach closely, though he does weave back and forth a few steps to see her from multiple angles. He stays far enough off to never be quite within a pounce's distance, though. Curious-cat, he is, but the adolescent's fear is understandable. He is rather larger than her, after all! "Why, hello," he replies. "Fancy meeting you here."
Arroyo's amber eyes follow the male as he winds his way closer to her, her tail curling by her hindpaws in a slight display of uncertainty. The way he's eyeing her is a bit unnerving, but he's at least keeping his distance. "Why is that?" she questions simply in response to his opening statement, any subtle wit in his words completely lost on the cougaress whose mentality lies far beyond her otherwise youthful state.
Wiraqu laughs, at the blunt question. He's facing the female, a modest distance away from her. "So many days. So many places. Yet here I am, today. And so are you." He casts his gaze up to the sky above, and says in a contemplative tone, "It probably means something." A beat, as he looks earnestly to the heavens - and then he grins, and shrugs as he returns his gaze to the other cougar. "Or else it doesn't."
Arroyo takes a moment to reflect upon the other cougar's speech, and at his last words, combined with his skyward glance, her breath catches for a brief moment. Could he know? How could he? Unless...maybe she /was/ meant to meet him. But it all seems so sudden...she's hardly even taken a step off the mountain before the spirits decide to send someone her way? "I think it does," the pale-furred female finally admits, daring to meet the older male's gaze as she does so. "Or else we wouldn't have met in the first place. Everything happens for a reason."
It does? Wiraqu certainly wasn't expecting that! Knowing, as he does, nothing of the spirits and mystical journeys that have brought Arroyo here, he's left with a pair of strange conclusions. Firstly, that she believed him. Nobody ever does that. Second, that she seems to be interested in him. Well, and thirdly, that she's rather seriously inclined. Still, the combination of them is enough to make him react with a moment of surprise that quickly turns back to a grin as his pale amber eyes are met by hers. "Perhaps it does. But if you follow the reasons, you'll miss the rabbits."
"Rabbits?" Arroyo repeats, her expression shifting into that of bewilderment as she stares quizzically at the strange male. If she was startled before, she's certainly confused now as well. She's not sure whether he's speaking literally or metaphorically, and eve if it's the latter, the young adolescent doesn't follow his meaning...which is rather apparent by the lingering look on her face.
Wiraqu laughs, and nods. This young cougar seems to have her head a bit lost in the clouds. He's not wholly unfamiliar with that sort; his mother was a shamaness, though of a rather different tradition than any he's heard up here. "If you go looking for reasons, sometimes you can find them, and sometimes you can't. Sometimes the reasons have other reasons behind them, or there are strange connections between them. It can be interesting, and sometimes useful. But! If you spend all day looking for reasons, you'll still be hungry at the end of it. Spend some of that time looking for rabbits... and you'll have a good meal. Sometimes, the simple practical way is best."
Arroyo's ears are cupped forward in rapt attention as the male explains his phrase, listening closely so that she might understand his meaning better than before. The birthmarked adolescent ponders over his words with a quiet little 'hmm' of thought, perhaps missing the point entirely in how deeply she appears to be considering his speech. She says nothing in response to it, however, and when she speaks up again a moment later, it's to say something else entirely. They've not yet been properly introduced, after all. "I am Arroyo, daughter of the Amaranth chieftain. Who are you?" she asks, though the way her inquiry is voiced seems to imply a want to know more than just the male's name.
Wiraqu, young male that he is, can't help but enjoy a female's close attention. Even if it does sort of miss the point he was explaining. As she introduces herself, he nods. Daughter of the chieftain, huh? Now he's even more curious as to what she's doing wandering around down here, where any rogue or scoundrel could find her! Even someone like... "Wiraqu." He grins. "From the mountains past the desert and beyond the jungle."
Arroyo makes a mental note of the offered name, associating it with the image of the cougar before her. The yearling gives a polite dip of her head, and even manages to muster a friendly enough smile, though her demeanor seems as serious as before despite the gesture. Arroyo's tailtip twitches as she finds herself at a momentary lack for words, and her gaze slips away from the male to look down at the sloping path laying before her. She takes a tentative step forward, looking to see if he moves in response as well, whether to block her path, let her pass, or else follow along with her.
Wiraqu grins, and he slips off to the side as Arroyo steps forward. Keeping about that same distance from her, as though there's an invisible circle around her he can't step inside - though he does lean slightly in that direction - he pads around to a spot alongside her, and then twists around so he's walking in the same direction as she is. He's not about to make a chieftain's daughter feel threatened. But he is rather intrigued, and so he matches his paces to hers, a short distance off. "So. Where are we going today?"
Arroyo blinks in apparent surprise as the relative stranger decides to follow her down the slope - though only mildly so, as she hadn't really expected him to be so easily turned away back to his own business...whatever that is. The pale-furred female stops again, glancing over at Wiraqu with another curiously quizzical look at his question. It's a good one, and she's not even sure she knows the full answer herself yet. "Well...down the mountain and into what lies beyond," she answers simply, but truthfully; she has little idea what comes next, until it actually occurs. Her mother followed where the winds took her, but so far she's having to find her own path. After another brief moment of hesitation, she starts forward again, resuming her descent.
Wiraqu stops when Arroyo does, and grins over to her. Truth be told, he has very little business of his own to attend to; the closest thing might be to patrol the area, and that can be done just as well - and far more pleasantly - in the company of this young female. Besides, he's never much cared for holding territory. "Ah, I see," he says, and starts into motion again. "You're nearly to the beyond."
So she can see. The young female is just about at the end of the rocky slope, now; with one last moment of hesitation, and a deep breath accompanying it, Arroyo takes her first step off the mountain and onto woodland soil. Shifting the toes of her forepaw about, she feels the unique sensation of cool dirt beneath her feet in a passing moment of childlike wonder, before her thoughts return to the present task at hand. Lifting her eyes to scan the surroundings, they eventually look back at Wiraqu. He looks as though he might be more familiar with this area; perhaps he's here to point her in the right direction? "Do you know much about these lands? Can you tell me a little about them?"
Wiraqu pads alongside, as rock turns to soil. Perhaps this isn't quite so effective as patrolling by himself - he does keep being distracted by looking over to Arroyo, catching her expressions and the way she moves. It is, however, much more pleasant. "A little?" he says, and ponders that a moment before he chuckles. "Oh, I can probably manage a little. In the forest, the trees grow tall, and the views are short. There are wolves in packs, and cougars who travel alone. There are rabbits," he says with a wide grin, then adds, "But you must find your own reasons."
Again with the rabbits and the reasons. Though Arroyo doesn't seem too flustered by the coy cougar's return to his earlier analogy; perhaps there's even the slightest of subtle smiles alluded to in her otherwise stoic expression, though it's well-hidden by the turning of her head towards the forests beyond. "Other cougars?" she inquires further, naturally intrigued by the mention of their own kind. She supposes she always knew that there were others beyond the mountain, but the mountain is all she's ever known...until now, at least. "Hmm," she softly murmurs once again, considering her options; the mountain had been easy, with a set path to guide her...here, she must find her own. But where to go from here?
Such a serious girl, this one! But Wiraqu rather enjoys a challenge, from time to time. "A few," he says, and then his voice grows serious for a moment. Wiraqu, actually being serious! What is the world coming to? "Not all of them as friendly as I. There's at least one mother with cubs I've scented nearby, and a few prowlers looking for a fight." Males are more likely to see Arroyo as a potential mate, not a threat - but she still might find their attention problematic.
Arroyo's amber gaze returns to Wiraqu, silently judging the male's intentions as best she can in the context of how short she's known him. He could be telling her of the dangerous other males out there in an attempt to make himself look better by comparison...or he could be telling her because he's genuinely concerned about her well-being. The young adolescent decides to assume the best of him without any reason yet to actually distrust the other male, however naive that may be. "Thank you for the warning, Wiraqu. I will keep it in mind." She's already meant to be aware of her surroundings for the messages it might tell her, in one way or another, but she can't lose sight of everything else in her search for the spiritual. Spying a river a short distance to the east, she decides to head that way first; perhaps she'll be able to visit the other end of the waterfall as well.
Two-River Fork
Both readings of Wiraqu's intentions have a bit of truth to them. He certainly wouldn't mind being the finest of fine cougars to a female - but he's not so egotistical as to think that if he can't have her, no male should. And the dangers are real enough, and he good-natured enough, that it's only right to warn her. He nods at her acknowledgement, and then, the serious bit done, his grin finds a place on his face again as he bounds over a small fallen log and continues. He knows this land fairly well - in fact, he's been spending a fair bit of time near that very waterfall, lately, enjoying the relief from the heat that the mist provides. Depending on what trails Arroyo chooses, she may find his scent already clinging there. He doesn't say anything, for now, just letting the distance pass in companionable silence and sidewise glances.
Arroyo's steps, by contrast, are slow and steady, the young female beginning to navigate her own path as she makes her way towards the fork. A paw recoils briefly as it sinks slightly into damp, muddy soil, the mountain lion unused to much else than solid rock beneath her feet, but she presses onwards nonetheless. Pausing in the marshy spot between the merging rivers, the pale cougaress turns to look at Wiraqu once more, addressing him with a simple statement that's somewhat open to interpretation: "I'm supposed to be doing this on my own."
An ambiguous statement, to be sure. Wiraqu laughs, and tilts his head to the side, peering over at Arroyo. "And so you are. Alone off your mountain, with neither family nor tribe." Just one persistent cougar-male, neither coming close nor turning away. He pauses a moment, his amber gaze steady. "Maybe I'm just part of what you're doing." It's mostly meant as a joke, a teasing comment to try to draw a response from the serious adolescent - but it can also be read seriously, in the context of her spirit-journey. There goes deeper meaning, sneaking in when he wasn't paying attention.
"Maybe," Arroyo responds in another ambiguously off-hand comment, with just the slightest hint of coyness in her otherwise serious tone. Her eyes slip back to the converging streams before her, considering the split in the path she's apparently chosen. "Do you know where these rivers lead?" If he's going to persist in hanging around, he can at least be of some help to her while she's getting her bearings. She certainly doesn't wish to inadvertently stumble across some overly-territorial creature's claimed lands in her lack of area knowledge.
Wiraqu steps across that invisible sphere he's maintained around Arroyo - across and through, stepping past her to stand by the riverbank, once more that safe distance away. "They meet here. One from the mountain, one from the forest. From here, they leave together." The forest-wandering cougar glances over to the one who came down off the mountain, with a teasing look in his gaze. Then he continues to answer the actual question. "There's marshlands and plains, along the river. I haven't gone far, in that direction. But there's a waterfall nearby on the south fork, and the forest extends for some distance along the north."
Arroyo shoots a glance in Wiraqu's direction as she realizes the double-entendre of his words, meeting his eyes as they're turned her way as well, and just as quickly looks away again to stare intently at the riverbank, attempting to resume focus on the quest she's been sent out to accomplish. "I have seen where the waterfall begins; I would like to see where it ends as well," she muses aloud. If she really didn't want the male to follow after her, she probably shouldn't be openly announcing her intended plans...but perhaps she hopes to simply slip away when the opportunity for such arises.
If Wiraqu's part of the quest, is he a step along the journey, or an obstacle to be overcome? That's a fascinating question. He grins when their eyes meet for a moment, and his gaze lingers on Arroyo for a moment before he glances at the river as well. "Nothing really ends. The river continues past the waterfall. It's just... not a waterfall anymore."
Whether intended or not, Wiraqu's words nonetheless instill another quiet moment of thought from the young matron-to-be as she ponders over the nature of change, and beginnings and ends, before returning to reality with a blink. "Still, I should like to see it," Arroyo states simply in response, turning towards the thunderous sound of water crashing down from above and beginning to pad in that direction.
Waterfall Pool
Wiraqu didn't exactly intend the serious thought, but he's not surprised that Arroyo takes it that way. She seems prone to such things - are all the mountain cougars like that? Certainly, most of the ones he's met have a bit of that cloud-chasing mysticism. All that thought, and it just ends up with a simple sentiment a cub could have. Wiraqu laughs, and nods. "It's still worth seeing," he agrees, and turns himself to pad alongside, leaving the occasional pawprint in the muddy ground as the roar of the falls increases and mist begins to fill the air.
The waterfall is indeed a sight, particularly at this end of its course. Young Arroyo's senses are overwhelmed as she approaches the deep pool, amber eyes wide in wonder as she takes it all in. The roaring crash of water as it pours off the cliff edge to the ground below is almost deafening; what scents aren't covered up by the damp mist hanging in the air are unusual and jumbled. "It's beautiful," she murmurs, though unless Wiraqu has remarkable hearing or is adept at reading lips, her words are likely drowned out by the very landmark she's openly admiring.
Wiraqu paces along, and then makes his way atop a series of boulders with small, careful bounds. The rock is slippery - but fortunately, he's been here often enough to learn caution and how not to send himself sprawling from a missed leap. He grins, unable to hear Arroyo's comment but seeing the expression on her face. Really, that says it all. He doesn't try to speak over the roar himself, simply letting her admire the falls - and doing much the same, himself. Even having seen it before... it's an impressive sight.
Arroyo continues to marvel at the spectacle before her, barely noticing the leaping mountain lion as he scales the large rocks lining the sides of the waterfall. A few moments later, however, an internal rumbling draws her back to the present, and she realizes she hasn't stopped anywhere along the way to find some food since she set out this morning. With the persistent puma currently perched atop a tall boulder, she takes the opportunity presented to take her leave -- even if he follows after her, she'll at least have a head-start. "I'm off to find dinner," she calls out to Wiraqu, at least attempting to explain her departure over the roar of the waterfall, though it's questionable whether or not he can actually hear her. "Perhaps we will meet again." Or perhaps not. Only time, and fate, will tell. With that, Arroyo turns on her heels, following the river as it leaves the waterfall pool.
Most of that goes unheard by Wiraqu, but he catches just one word. Dinner. It's just like he said before - too much time chasing reasons, and not enough for rabbits. He grins, and nods to her as she departs. Cougars are solitary hunters, so he doesn't attempt to follow - he'd only get in her way. And besides, he's not quite familiar enough with her yet to try to share prey. But with luck, he'll run into her again - and Wiraqu is used to making his own luck. For now, he settles down more comfortably, half-closing his eyes and resting.
Wiraqu, a male cougar.
Gradual Incline
Having finally pulled herself away from the warm comfort of her family, and mustered the courage and willpower to finally set out on her own, Arroyo has made her way to the northern slope - though she's hardly been in a hurry to leave behind the safe familiarity of her home. She's spent a few days just slowly wandering through the vast territory that the Amaranth lays claim to; climbing higher on the snow-tipped peak than she ever has before, visiting the sacrosanct stone formations looming above the valley, and taking in the beautiful view of the grand waterfall that crashes into the river below. The young adolescent is now finally ending her summer sight-seeing trip, tentatively taking the first steps that will lead her off the mountain she's lived on her whole life thus far. Her confidence builds with each pace nonetheless, and soon she's strolling down the slope leading to the forest with her head held high.
Amaranth's claim to the mountain grows weaker with every step downhill. Why, down here, they hardly hold any claim to it at all! The land is open to anyone - including, say, a golden-furred cougar male, lounging atop a boulder and lazily grooming one of his paws. Wiraqu pauses as he catches a hint of movement coming down the slope, his whole posture becoming more alert and interested. Is this one of the mountain cats? Well, what are they doing down here? He lifts his butt up in a stretch, then bounds down off the rock, padding closer to investigate.
A blur of golden motion catches her eye, and Arroyo comes to a quick stop as she spots the other cougar, one paw still lifted mid-stride. He's the first unrelated male she's encountered, and there's a brief moment of hesitation as she processes this new experience; she's certainly wary of the stranger, but perhaps also a little intrigued. A rounded ear swivels back at his approach, as though considering retreating to the relative safety of the mountain, but the young female stays still for now -- though she's tensed and ready to leap away at the first sign of danger. After all, she's been sent on her quest, and there's no going back now until it's done -- and, as he's the first she's met since leaving, perhaps this is part of it. "Hello," she offers in way of a quiet greeting, considering the other cougar closely.
Wiraqu grins to the younger female. His posture is relaxed and confident - almost brashly so. Noting her tension, he doesn't approach closely, though he does weave back and forth a few steps to see her from multiple angles. He stays far enough off to never be quite within a pounce's distance, though. Curious-cat, he is, but the adolescent's fear is understandable. He is rather larger than her, after all! "Why, hello," he replies. "Fancy meeting you here."
Arroyo's amber eyes follow the male as he winds his way closer to her, her tail curling by her hindpaws in a slight display of uncertainty. The way he's eyeing her is a bit unnerving, but he's at least keeping his distance. "Why is that?" she questions simply in response to his opening statement, any subtle wit in his words completely lost on the cougaress whose mentality lies far beyond her otherwise youthful state.
Wiraqu laughs, at the blunt question. He's facing the female, a modest distance away from her. "So many days. So many places. Yet here I am, today. And so are you." He casts his gaze up to the sky above, and says in a contemplative tone, "It probably means something." A beat, as he looks earnestly to the heavens - and then he grins, and shrugs as he returns his gaze to the other cougar. "Or else it doesn't."
Arroyo takes a moment to reflect upon the other cougar's speech, and at his last words, combined with his skyward glance, her breath catches for a brief moment. Could he know? How could he? Unless...maybe she /was/ meant to meet him. But it all seems so sudden...she's hardly even taken a step off the mountain before the spirits decide to send someone her way? "I think it does," the pale-furred female finally admits, daring to meet the older male's gaze as she does so. "Or else we wouldn't have met in the first place. Everything happens for a reason."
It does? Wiraqu certainly wasn't expecting that! Knowing, as he does, nothing of the spirits and mystical journeys that have brought Arroyo here, he's left with a pair of strange conclusions. Firstly, that she believed him. Nobody ever does that. Second, that she seems to be interested in him. Well, and thirdly, that she's rather seriously inclined. Still, the combination of them is enough to make him react with a moment of surprise that quickly turns back to a grin as his pale amber eyes are met by hers. "Perhaps it does. But if you follow the reasons, you'll miss the rabbits."
"Rabbits?" Arroyo repeats, her expression shifting into that of bewilderment as she stares quizzically at the strange male. If she was startled before, she's certainly confused now as well. She's not sure whether he's speaking literally or metaphorically, and eve if it's the latter, the young adolescent doesn't follow his meaning...which is rather apparent by the lingering look on her face.
Wiraqu laughs, and nods. This young cougar seems to have her head a bit lost in the clouds. He's not wholly unfamiliar with that sort; his mother was a shamaness, though of a rather different tradition than any he's heard up here. "If you go looking for reasons, sometimes you can find them, and sometimes you can't. Sometimes the reasons have other reasons behind them, or there are strange connections between them. It can be interesting, and sometimes useful. But! If you spend all day looking for reasons, you'll still be hungry at the end of it. Spend some of that time looking for rabbits... and you'll have a good meal. Sometimes, the simple practical way is best."
Arroyo's ears are cupped forward in rapt attention as the male explains his phrase, listening closely so that she might understand his meaning better than before. The birthmarked adolescent ponders over his words with a quiet little 'hmm' of thought, perhaps missing the point entirely in how deeply she appears to be considering his speech. She says nothing in response to it, however, and when she speaks up again a moment later, it's to say something else entirely. They've not yet been properly introduced, after all. "I am Arroyo, daughter of the Amaranth chieftain. Who are you?" she asks, though the way her inquiry is voiced seems to imply a want to know more than just the male's name.
Wiraqu, young male that he is, can't help but enjoy a female's close attention. Even if it does sort of miss the point he was explaining. As she introduces herself, he nods. Daughter of the chieftain, huh? Now he's even more curious as to what she's doing wandering around down here, where any rogue or scoundrel could find her! Even someone like... "Wiraqu." He grins. "From the mountains past the desert and beyond the jungle."
Arroyo makes a mental note of the offered name, associating it with the image of the cougar before her. The yearling gives a polite dip of her head, and even manages to muster a friendly enough smile, though her demeanor seems as serious as before despite the gesture. Arroyo's tailtip twitches as she finds herself at a momentary lack for words, and her gaze slips away from the male to look down at the sloping path laying before her. She takes a tentative step forward, looking to see if he moves in response as well, whether to block her path, let her pass, or else follow along with her.
Wiraqu grins, and he slips off to the side as Arroyo steps forward. Keeping about that same distance from her, as though there's an invisible circle around her he can't step inside - though he does lean slightly in that direction - he pads around to a spot alongside her, and then twists around so he's walking in the same direction as she is. He's not about to make a chieftain's daughter feel threatened. But he is rather intrigued, and so he matches his paces to hers, a short distance off. "So. Where are we going today?"
Arroyo blinks in apparent surprise as the relative stranger decides to follow her down the slope - though only mildly so, as she hadn't really expected him to be so easily turned away back to his own business...whatever that is. The pale-furred female stops again, glancing over at Wiraqu with another curiously quizzical look at his question. It's a good one, and she's not even sure she knows the full answer herself yet. "Well...down the mountain and into what lies beyond," she answers simply, but truthfully; she has little idea what comes next, until it actually occurs. Her mother followed where the winds took her, but so far she's having to find her own path. After another brief moment of hesitation, she starts forward again, resuming her descent.
Wiraqu stops when Arroyo does, and grins over to her. Truth be told, he has very little business of his own to attend to; the closest thing might be to patrol the area, and that can be done just as well - and far more pleasantly - in the company of this young female. Besides, he's never much cared for holding territory. "Ah, I see," he says, and starts into motion again. "You're nearly to the beyond."
So she can see. The young female is just about at the end of the rocky slope, now; with one last moment of hesitation, and a deep breath accompanying it, Arroyo takes her first step off the mountain and onto woodland soil. Shifting the toes of her forepaw about, she feels the unique sensation of cool dirt beneath her feet in a passing moment of childlike wonder, before her thoughts return to the present task at hand. Lifting her eyes to scan the surroundings, they eventually look back at Wiraqu. He looks as though he might be more familiar with this area; perhaps he's here to point her in the right direction? "Do you know much about these lands? Can you tell me a little about them?"
Wiraqu pads alongside, as rock turns to soil. Perhaps this isn't quite so effective as patrolling by himself - he does keep being distracted by looking over to Arroyo, catching her expressions and the way she moves. It is, however, much more pleasant. "A little?" he says, and ponders that a moment before he chuckles. "Oh, I can probably manage a little. In the forest, the trees grow tall, and the views are short. There are wolves in packs, and cougars who travel alone. There are rabbits," he says with a wide grin, then adds, "But you must find your own reasons."
Again with the rabbits and the reasons. Though Arroyo doesn't seem too flustered by the coy cougar's return to his earlier analogy; perhaps there's even the slightest of subtle smiles alluded to in her otherwise stoic expression, though it's well-hidden by the turning of her head towards the forests beyond. "Other cougars?" she inquires further, naturally intrigued by the mention of their own kind. She supposes she always knew that there were others beyond the mountain, but the mountain is all she's ever known...until now, at least. "Hmm," she softly murmurs once again, considering her options; the mountain had been easy, with a set path to guide her...here, she must find her own. But where to go from here?
Such a serious girl, this one! But Wiraqu rather enjoys a challenge, from time to time. "A few," he says, and then his voice grows serious for a moment. Wiraqu, actually being serious! What is the world coming to? "Not all of them as friendly as I. There's at least one mother with cubs I've scented nearby, and a few prowlers looking for a fight." Males are more likely to see Arroyo as a potential mate, not a threat - but she still might find their attention problematic.
Arroyo's amber gaze returns to Wiraqu, silently judging the male's intentions as best she can in the context of how short she's known him. He could be telling her of the dangerous other males out there in an attempt to make himself look better by comparison...or he could be telling her because he's genuinely concerned about her well-being. The young adolescent decides to assume the best of him without any reason yet to actually distrust the other male, however naive that may be. "Thank you for the warning, Wiraqu. I will keep it in mind." She's already meant to be aware of her surroundings for the messages it might tell her, in one way or another, but she can't lose sight of everything else in her search for the spiritual. Spying a river a short distance to the east, she decides to head that way first; perhaps she'll be able to visit the other end of the waterfall as well.
Two-River Fork
Both readings of Wiraqu's intentions have a bit of truth to them. He certainly wouldn't mind being the finest of fine cougars to a female - but he's not so egotistical as to think that if he can't have her, no male should. And the dangers are real enough, and he good-natured enough, that it's only right to warn her. He nods at her acknowledgement, and then, the serious bit done, his grin finds a place on his face again as he bounds over a small fallen log and continues. He knows this land fairly well - in fact, he's been spending a fair bit of time near that very waterfall, lately, enjoying the relief from the heat that the mist provides. Depending on what trails Arroyo chooses, she may find his scent already clinging there. He doesn't say anything, for now, just letting the distance pass in companionable silence and sidewise glances.
Arroyo's steps, by contrast, are slow and steady, the young female beginning to navigate her own path as she makes her way towards the fork. A paw recoils briefly as it sinks slightly into damp, muddy soil, the mountain lion unused to much else than solid rock beneath her feet, but she presses onwards nonetheless. Pausing in the marshy spot between the merging rivers, the pale cougaress turns to look at Wiraqu once more, addressing him with a simple statement that's somewhat open to interpretation: "I'm supposed to be doing this on my own."
An ambiguous statement, to be sure. Wiraqu laughs, and tilts his head to the side, peering over at Arroyo. "And so you are. Alone off your mountain, with neither family nor tribe." Just one persistent cougar-male, neither coming close nor turning away. He pauses a moment, his amber gaze steady. "Maybe I'm just part of what you're doing." It's mostly meant as a joke, a teasing comment to try to draw a response from the serious adolescent - but it can also be read seriously, in the context of her spirit-journey. There goes deeper meaning, sneaking in when he wasn't paying attention.
"Maybe," Arroyo responds in another ambiguously off-hand comment, with just the slightest hint of coyness in her otherwise serious tone. Her eyes slip back to the converging streams before her, considering the split in the path she's apparently chosen. "Do you know where these rivers lead?" If he's going to persist in hanging around, he can at least be of some help to her while she's getting her bearings. She certainly doesn't wish to inadvertently stumble across some overly-territorial creature's claimed lands in her lack of area knowledge.
Wiraqu steps across that invisible sphere he's maintained around Arroyo - across and through, stepping past her to stand by the riverbank, once more that safe distance away. "They meet here. One from the mountain, one from the forest. From here, they leave together." The forest-wandering cougar glances over to the one who came down off the mountain, with a teasing look in his gaze. Then he continues to answer the actual question. "There's marshlands and plains, along the river. I haven't gone far, in that direction. But there's a waterfall nearby on the south fork, and the forest extends for some distance along the north."
Arroyo shoots a glance in Wiraqu's direction as she realizes the double-entendre of his words, meeting his eyes as they're turned her way as well, and just as quickly looks away again to stare intently at the riverbank, attempting to resume focus on the quest she's been sent out to accomplish. "I have seen where the waterfall begins; I would like to see where it ends as well," she muses aloud. If she really didn't want the male to follow after her, she probably shouldn't be openly announcing her intended plans...but perhaps she hopes to simply slip away when the opportunity for such arises.
If Wiraqu's part of the quest, is he a step along the journey, or an obstacle to be overcome? That's a fascinating question. He grins when their eyes meet for a moment, and his gaze lingers on Arroyo for a moment before he glances at the river as well. "Nothing really ends. The river continues past the waterfall. It's just... not a waterfall anymore."
Whether intended or not, Wiraqu's words nonetheless instill another quiet moment of thought from the young matron-to-be as she ponders over the nature of change, and beginnings and ends, before returning to reality with a blink. "Still, I should like to see it," Arroyo states simply in response, turning towards the thunderous sound of water crashing down from above and beginning to pad in that direction.
Waterfall Pool
Wiraqu didn't exactly intend the serious thought, but he's not surprised that Arroyo takes it that way. She seems prone to such things - are all the mountain cougars like that? Certainly, most of the ones he's met have a bit of that cloud-chasing mysticism. All that thought, and it just ends up with a simple sentiment a cub could have. Wiraqu laughs, and nods. "It's still worth seeing," he agrees, and turns himself to pad alongside, leaving the occasional pawprint in the muddy ground as the roar of the falls increases and mist begins to fill the air.
The waterfall is indeed a sight, particularly at this end of its course. Young Arroyo's senses are overwhelmed as she approaches the deep pool, amber eyes wide in wonder as she takes it all in. The roaring crash of water as it pours off the cliff edge to the ground below is almost deafening; what scents aren't covered up by the damp mist hanging in the air are unusual and jumbled. "It's beautiful," she murmurs, though unless Wiraqu has remarkable hearing or is adept at reading lips, her words are likely drowned out by the very landmark she's openly admiring.
Wiraqu paces along, and then makes his way atop a series of boulders with small, careful bounds. The rock is slippery - but fortunately, he's been here often enough to learn caution and how not to send himself sprawling from a missed leap. He grins, unable to hear Arroyo's comment but seeing the expression on her face. Really, that says it all. He doesn't try to speak over the roar himself, simply letting her admire the falls - and doing much the same, himself. Even having seen it before... it's an impressive sight.
Arroyo continues to marvel at the spectacle before her, barely noticing the leaping mountain lion as he scales the large rocks lining the sides of the waterfall. A few moments later, however, an internal rumbling draws her back to the present, and she realizes she hasn't stopped anywhere along the way to find some food since she set out this morning. With the persistent puma currently perched atop a tall boulder, she takes the opportunity presented to take her leave -- even if he follows after her, she'll at least have a head-start. "I'm off to find dinner," she calls out to Wiraqu, at least attempting to explain her departure over the roar of the waterfall, though it's questionable whether or not he can actually hear her. "Perhaps we will meet again." Or perhaps not. Only time, and fate, will tell. With that, Arroyo turns on her heels, following the river as it leaves the waterfall pool.
Most of that goes unheard by Wiraqu, but he catches just one word. Dinner. It's just like he said before - too much time chasing reasons, and not enough for rabbits. He grins, and nods to her as she departs. Cougars are solitary hunters, so he doesn't attempt to follow - he'd only get in her way. And besides, he's not quite familiar enough with her yet to try to share prey. But with luck, he'll run into her again - and Wiraqu is used to making his own luck. For now, he settles down more comfortably, half-closing his eyes and resting.