A small mountain range known for its black colored rocks and mineral ore deposits. Many mining caves have been dug through the mountain but not all of these are safe. Bears and mountain lions guard the hills and many unsafe tunnels collapse without warning.
After his talk with Enya, Eon had immediately settled down to sleep. His journey to and from the crystal caverns the day prior had exhausted him, and he hadn’t given himself a chance to catch up. When he finally woke, he realized he had slept nearly the entire day. Not that this was unusual for him. Eon could be a night owl. He'd patrol the borders tonight to make up for sleeping late.
He’d watch the shadows of the afternoon dance on the walls of his den, beckoning him awake. “Alright,” he’d grunt. With a yawn, the small canid would stretch his front legs out in front of him, allowing his spine to give a slight ‘crack’. On the ground beside him was the small leather pouch he had stuffed with crystals on his journey to the crystal caverns.
It dawned on him that he had wanted to show one of the monarchs what he had found. It might be useful information that there was a good mining spot just east of their territory. He had been so caught up in his ponderings that he had completely forgotten to tell Enya about it. Well, he might as well tell one of them now, whoever he ran into first.
He’d pick the pouch up, swing it around his frame, and take off into the sunlight. He had made his den on the edge of a cliff, which would have been quite hard to get to if he didn’t have wings. He felt safest in such places. It meant predators would have a more challenging time trying to get to get at him. It also meant it was harder for others to steal any valuables he might decide to stash away.
With a few flaps, Eon would lift himself higher, scouting the lands for any movement below. Dark brown fur caught his attention, and assuming he had spotted Caedwyn, he dove down to perch on one of the nearby tree branches.
After the gathering at the beach a few days before, Caedwyn once again had began to make a journey through their territories. He had heard many of the Kingdom members had claimed dens high up in the mountains and he figured he'd need to go see some of these for himself. These sorts of dens were mostly claimed by those who could fly. For a wolf like him, it was slow and tedious moving up the mountain to search for them. He had always been a little envious of creatures that could fly. Sure, having magic allowed most creatures to have an equal footing if there was to be an altercation, but even so - that didn't replace the experience of flying. The wind flowing through ones fur or the brisk cold air biting as it struck his face. And the sight of the mist and clouds above and below. Those were things that walking on the ground didn't imitate. He had heard the the mountains farther to the south were surrounded by a magic that could allow those who entered to fly and walk amongst the stars, but that area had been claimed by those dirty worshippers of Ohr. Thinking about this, his nose wrinkled in annoyance. Verdantis was spitting in Tsillah's face by rejecting her, and it infuriated him. Despite the truce among the gods, sometimes Caedwyn wished Tsillah would once again return to the lands and lay them asunder, if only to punish the canids and felids that worshipped Ohr. Wouldn't that be a day!
As his thoughts wandered, a shadow passed overhead. It was faint, like a bird passing in front of the sun, and just enough to draw his attention. His steps slowed as he looked skyward, searching for the source of the movement. It was then that he heard the rustling of leaves in a tree near him. His gaze turned, catching sight of a familiar form. "Eon," he greeted, changing his direction to move toward the tree where Eon had perched. "Nice weather for a flight today?" He glanced back overhead, making casual conversation. The summer sun was warm and the sky clear, aside from a few puffy white clouds scattered throughout. "I take it you are doing well?" He turned back to Eon, lowering himself into a comfortable sitting position in the grass just below the tree.
It seemed the evening was just arriving as more colors began illuminating the sky. It had only been about a minute or two since he had left his den, but he could already see the sky becoming slightly darker. As he observed the shadows painting the world below, he couldn’t help thinking of the constant rainfall that had occurred just months prior in the realm. It was so bad they were forced to flee. He, too, had been grounded then. His wings were quite useless in the rain. He was relieved when he heard Caedwyn and Enya planned to leave; finding a more suitable home for the kingdom was for the best, and he wasn't sure he would have lasted much longer in those conditions.
“Compared to the weather in the realm, it's perfect.” He had no complaints about this place. " I’m doing well, yes. I went off exploring the other day, that's why I came looking for you.” Eon swung the pouch off of him as he jumped off the branch. It landed with a soft thud in front of Caedwyn. “I found these not too far from here, just a little to the southeast. There were bunches of them. I grabbed what I could fit, but I think getting more is a good idea. I’d bet there's more stuff hiding in the caves, too."
The bag held an array of crystals, all different colors and sizes. “I’d never seen ones that glow like this.” He began to ponder how they were able to do so. His antennae glowed by absorbing light from around them, but these were found deep in a cave, hidden from outside light. That meant that the crystals were producing their own light. He could make his own light, too, but that was because he had been blessed with magic. If these crystals produced light on their own, did that mean they held magic, too? He'd make a note to himself to study them more. Maybe he could create something useful with them.
