High Bluffs — The Risen

The sunrise was beautiful and the great beast had recently awoke from his slumber just in time to be greeted by the first delightful rays of them morning sun. Exiting his den with a stretch blue eyes scanned the part of the Highland Bluffs he called home. Moving out farther away from his den but still within view he laid down on a large boulder to sun bath. One that looked over the Mesa that was in view of the river. The wind blew through his mane as he gave a lazy yawn."Such a lovely morning." He mused to himself as he laid there.

ART BY MOOGLE, CODE BY DEE, MODIFIED BY GUNNER

Huckleberry had been up just before dawn and made his way out to the bluffs, getting an early start for a day of exploring. The sky had began to come alight with the sunrise, turning from a soft gray to a light golden with hues of pink mixed in where the sun caught the clouds. Huck moved along the rocks, his footsteps kicking tiny pebbles here and there as he passed. It wasn't long before something caught his eye: a rodent! A weasel! No no... not a weasel. A Pine Marten! It's little brown body froze as the dog and it stood staring at each other. But not for long, as it quickly darted away, going up over a steep hill of rocks and dirt and roots. "Wait!" Huckleberry shouted, his tail wagging in excitement just before he darted after it. He didn't really expect it to wait, but the command just popped out. Without hesitation, he scampered up over the hill - but he'd lost sight of the marten. His nose began sniffing furiously and his head dipped down to the ground, trying to pick up the scent. Did it go this way? he jumped over to the left, his head still down at the ground. Maybe this way? he was walking blindly, jumping through the shrubs quickly as he tried to catch the trail. "Such a lovely morning." A voice broke Huck's concentration and he froze. His ears pricked forward. Someone else was here? His tail wagged and he moved closer, making no attempt to hide his presence. It was a lion with a thick dark mane, with rosy accents around the face. "Hello there!" Huck greeted, moving closer with his tail waving back and forth. "Did you see a marten run by here?"