The High Bluffs have easily became one of Malachi's favorite places to be.
It was a big cliff that overlooked the woods, making it easy to see for miles. Malachi loved being able to see what was coming from above.
His Kingdom had been very quiet as of recently.
For awhile his time had been spent patrolling Duskorna's borders and marking scent trails to keep everything fresh-- but that was growing rather boring for the young wolf. In fact he was starting to become upset with his Kingdom; They called him a knight- and he did his best to uphold that title- but it felt like there was little to protect or do.
It made him feel as though he were failing at his duty- that perhaps he had made some sort of mistake in joining the kingdom. He ony found himself joining the Kingdom, because of his late father who had used the last of his will to send him to this place- to a woman named Enya- who was there to help him, but he had seen very little of her since arriving.
Rather than fall victim to his thoughts, Early in the morning once his patrolling was finished he took to the High Bluffs where he looks for a decent place to call home. The land here is neutral and unclaimed- a factor that he thought was nice; leaving him the option of saying hello to strangers, if they appeared.
The location he chooses for his den is facing outward against a large rock, so that he can see the bluffs below; but it is far enough from the edge he does not need to worry about falling. Malachi had turned to the rock and started to dig out a den around the rock; it takes him all afternoon to get the hole the correct size so that he does not have to squeeze his way inside. The den itself is very spacious once it is dug, but he still continues to dig the entrance bigger; he's so occupied with his work that he would fail to notice anyone approaching him.
Helix had left the caverns and was back to exploring the land before her. She never did like to stay in one place just yet. Or more so, she hadn't found a suitable place to call home yet.The horned wolf was climbing the steep rocky terrain of the bluffs, placing each foot carefully after the other. She dared not to go too high up, mainly out of fear of heights. However when the scent of another wolf filled his nostrils, curiosity got the better of her. She looked up to see little rocks being flung from over head and fucked her head to avoid being hit by them as they fell. Someone must have been digging. "Hello?" She called out and up, waiting for an answer. "Anyone up there?"
Digging had actually started to become a rather fun task, he lifts his head up inside his den "Hello? Anyone up there?" the strange feminine voice rolls through his ears.
Malachi is quick to poke his head out of the hole, "Yes, I am here. This is my home," he announces to the stranger, taking a moment to observe their appearance.
The horned wolf was solid black in color save for the impressive set of white horns that adorned their head. A good set of weapons to have, he thinks to himself, eyes sliding down to observe her C shaped scar on her hip. How did she come across that he wonders to himself. She also wears a sharp looking spiked collar to protect her neck-- a very smart thing, he thinks.
"Nice night for a climb, you can see everything from the bluffs here." He says, crawling out of the den to sit near-by it. He points his nose to one of the rocks that overlook the bluff.
"What brings you all the way up here?" His head tilts curiously to the other canine, wondering about what they were up to. Perhaps just enjoying the view?
The canine sits in silence for a moment and then, "My name is Malachi, what is yours?" so full of curiosity he was; but knowledge was power for those who gathered it. And the more he knew of the stranger, the better.
It wasn't long until a voice poked through the rocks, followed by a head. The voice was masculine and when Helix saw the male who the voice belong to, she took in his appearance. He was younger than her, with a white face. Well, not completely white but white enough.He had piercing, vibrant, green eyes. He said this place was his home. She offered him a soft smile. "I hope I'm not intruding." She told him, her gaze followed where he pointed. She nodded and decided to make her way to the bluff. She watched her paw steps carefully as she traversed the rocked terrain until she could hoist herself up onto the stable bluff. Now she was a bit closer to the male and could see him more fully. She was much more taller than he was, by a good bit. His pelt had various shades of blues and whites, namely white on the legs and tail. Her eyes snapped to the starry sky that was much more open and apparent now that she was on the bluff. She seemed lost in thought for a moment before snapping back to reality. "Oh! Yeah. I'm just exploring. I didn't mean to stumble up on you." She gave a soft chuckle. She dipped her head towards the younger wolf. "Malachi." She repeated out loud then repeated several times in her mind over and over to commit it to memory. "I'm Helix. Helix Blackheath." She introduced herself to the male. She sat down on her haunches, curling her tail to her side.
Malachi could feel their gaze upon him as he exited the den, they were inspecting him the same way he had done to him. So the canine made a point to outstretch his body so that the dark stranger could have a better look.
He took the moment to enjoy the view.
The stars looked wonderful on the bluffs that overlooked the woods. There were so many one could not count. His eyes studied the constellations above for a short moment.
As night starts to fall his golden skeleton markings would begin to appear all over his body, glowing softly in the dim lighting.
"Oh! Yeah. I'm just exploring. I didn't mean to stumble up on you." She explains to him. "No one owns the land here, it's neutral so you're not doing any harm here. If someone had claimed it, you would know by smell." He reassure her, but it she could probably smell Malachi's realm on himself.
As she sits down she introduced herself as Helix Blackheath. A nice name, she even gave her surname- not something most wolves had-- he did, but he just didn't mention it- not feeling the need to. "It's nice to meet you Helix" With his den dug out and finished he didn't have much left to do except perhaps find something soft for a bedding- but he has no clue where to start on that. "Do you think you could help me find something suitable for a bedding in my den? I'd be willing to help you as well, with anything, if you needed?" He asks her as she sits down, curing her tail around her paws.
"it must have been the pack I smelled on you then." Helix shrugged, assuming that was what probably threw her off guard into thinking she was intruding. "It's nice to meet you too." Her tail thumped against the stone softly. She was grateful he was friendly at least. She hasn't ran into a no friendly face yet in these lands. She didn't want to, either. She wasn't sure how she'd react. It depended on her mood, which was subject to change quite readily given her diagnosis. Her ears perked at Malachi's next string of words. Help him find bedding? "Oh sure." She readily agreed and tilted her horn head to the side slightly. "What kind of bedding do you want? Pelt bedding? Moss? Dried leaves?" She asked curiously so she knew how hard they would have to be at work. She hasn't made a den for herself yet but if she had, she would be hunting down here for their fur and eating the meat as a reward. She wasn't sure if that's what he wanted, however. She got to her paws and stretched her large body then shook her dark pelt, her collars jingled slightly with the movement. "I'm ready when you are." She flashed a grin.
"You're right, it was probably just the smell. I am a part of the Duskrona Kingdom, I'm a knight." Or so they say he was, Malachi was still looking for a way to prove he was worthy of such a title, because here recently it didn't feel like it.
The corner of his lips upturned in a wolfish smile when she spoke. "It is nice to meet you too Helix" He responds with a soft wag of his own tail; maybe this could be the start of a friendship- something he didn't have yet, but was great fun to think about.
She agrees to help him find bedding, but he had not given much thought into what kind. So he thinks,with a soft hum "maybe some leaves or moss..those should be warm enough. If we run into an animal that would be useful. I know a trader who's been asking for them in return he said he'd teach me to fly.."
He used his magic to pull his raven colored wings into view giving them a few playful flaps. "I Have not used them much, but the little I have has been.. interesting!
The canine pulled his wings back inside themselves, hiding the appendages from view. "So...what can I do for you?" he asks as he starts to search the bluffs for comfortable moss and leaves to use for bedding.
NPC Diceroll 1: Success Diceroll must be above 500 to be successful.
0 was added for Perception.
511 was added for Level 1.
0 was added for A. No Enchantment.
0 was added for A. No Buff / Penalty.
Helix listened as Malachi spoke. So he was a knight? "That's an awesome title. You must be some fighter to have earned it." She chuckled softly. At his next string of words, she simply nodded. As for the bedding, Malachi said moss or leaves would be best. Fur would be a nice addition if they could find it. "Got it." She replied with a nod and immediately went to search for the moss. She lowered her head and began to sniff around. When Malachi flapped his wings, however, her attention turned towards him and she lifted her head. She tilted it slightly. "You've never flown before?" She asked, wondering how he never had. Maybe he was late to the party. "I hope the flying lessons go well, if you receive them." She said with a warm smile. She couldn't imagine what it was like to fly. She honestly would be terrified of the idea.
Being a knight was a great title, when you had a chance to use it."yea, it's a great title when you can use it!" he agrees with her as he searches the ground. It didn't take long before his flapping turned up loose moss he could use for bedding. It was soft and warm, once dried out of course.
"So what brought you here?" he looks back at her curiously. The Akrasia magic of course seemed to be the thing to bring others here. Heck he was dumped into a crater, on his face!
"Nope, I've only recently started trying. Wings can get quite tiring when you don't use them.. But I can't wait! The view from above has to be amazing. he gives a small grin and longing sky. "There is magic in these lands you know. Who's to say you won't grow wings!" he looks to her party teasing, tail wagging with a chuckle.
"The flying lessons are great! But the teacher wants me to give him all my leather scraps and things in return. " he rolled his eyes at the thought, but it was a decent deal! If he could get in the air they could keep the scraps!
While he waits for her to reply Malachi took the moss he had found and goes to tuck it into his spacious den he'd dug out. One that still needed a small top for ventilation, now that he thought about it. "Just place the bedding in the pile inside of my den, if you don't mind.."
He continued to sift the ground looking for leaves, moss- or even a possible trail if he found one.
----Dice roll: perception
Success: he finds something for bedding
