Áki hadn't meant to end up here. Especially not at this time of day, and most certainly not in this weather. He'd wandered through the thicket for some time today, eager to explore the dense grasses and to weave amongst the varying shrubbery here. It was unfamiliar to him and easily piqued his interest - though he knew when the sun disappeared behind the clouds that rain would come soon.

Moving swiftly on his paws, he traversed through the dense underbrush, searching for a way out of the thicket. It wouldn't be devastating to be caught out in the rain, but it wasn't the most ideal of situations. Lifting his head to the sky, he caught a slight whiff of ocean air. Since he was too far to leave the thicket the way he'd entered it, he figured the coast was his best bet. He wasn't feeling the idea of being rained on, and he figured the only real shelter he could find here would be digging down below a shrub of sorts. Grumbling softly to himself, he continued onward, acutely aware of the gradual increase in clouds overhead and the slowly darkening skies.

It wasn't until he nearly stumbled off the side of the cliff that he realized it was there, in a sudden moment of dizzying realization, as the earth stopped nearly perpendicular to the ground below. The drop seemed huge, though not impossible.. just dangerous. Taking a deep breath and regaining his composure, the massive brute would stare down below, considering his next move carefully. There were some wide trees near the shoreline he could likely seek shelter under, and quite a few rocks that might provide a good place to retreat to.

There was alarmingly little hesitation as he begin to trek down the dangerously steep cliffside, perched precariously on each step as he moved downward to the shore. Despite his size, he was used to travel and navigating treacherous terrain, and he moved with gracefulness that not all could muster. Only when he was near the bottom did the rain begin to pour, a downpour from the heavens above, coming down with no mercy as he made his way to solid ground. What a wonderful evening this is turning out to be, he thought to himself, though his mood hadn't been dampened entirely yet - that was a feat that was difficult even in the worst of situations.

While his main concern was the immediate area around Imperium, Nagendra still thought it important to know all of Alacritia. He did not plan on staying cooped up in just the south, after all. Thinking that Valentine should not mind too much, or worry that he had disappeared again, he decided to take a little day trip out in one direction. Heading towards the east, he gorged himself on new sights. The grass felt different here, the air of rivers and countless trees. It also smelled a bit like rain, although Nagendra mostly disregarded this.

He carried on through a dense sea of grass and shrubs, enjoying the sounds of the birds and bugs in the evening. The farther he went (or rather, the longer he stayed out), the quieter they got though. The smell in the air became more substantial – the smell of water hanging heavy in the sky, ready to drop. ”Hmm,” the man frowned a little to himself, wondering if he should turn back. Bushes and grass would offer little shelter from rain. Maybe he could go just a bit farther, to see what was at the end here, and then hurry back to find some trees to hide under.

Letting his curiosity (and his mind’s promise of something at the end of this thicket) get the best of him, Nagendra continued walking for another minute. Then the thicket stopped. He was suddenly out in the open again, feeling abandoned by the dense foliage he had trekked through. Not but a few yards ahead of him, the ground was gone [Crystallum Cliffs]. Open air was a stunning sight. He stepped forward, feeling immersed in greatness as a breeze picked up in the humid air around him and twirled his curly fur this way and that. His eyes opened wider with awe as he took in the sight ahead of him. The sky was beautiful, dark and brooding. The vastness of the nothing ahead of him accentuated the greatness of this little piece of the world that he had found.

He inhaled deeply, loving the saturated taste of the breath he had caught. Maybe there wouldn’t be anything he could do to avoid being caught in the rain. Hopefully it wouldn’t be too cold then. He stepped a smidge closer to the edge, gripping the earth with his toenails two centimeters away from the drop. Then he peered down. It was mostly a sheer drop. He heard a far-reaching hissing sound, and then the rain descended upon him in its entirety. He did not move, for seconds after, he noticed a figure near the bottom of the cliff. Their shape was the only thing particularly apparent to him. His brow crinkled as he leaned forward a bit more, squinting and trying to make out exactly what they were doing. Rain trickled down between his eyes and dripped off of his cheeks. ”Hello?!” he called through the static sound of the rain. ”Are you alright down there?” What if it started not just raining, but storming? That looked like a very bad place to be, and the body of water below looked daunting and unforgiving.

Not the one to shy away from a good challenge, Áki hadn't felt like he'd had a choice other than to trek down this cliffside. Yes, even in the sudden torrential rain that had begun to fall, and even though he knew these were horrible conditions to be climbing down rocks in. He wanted to find somewhere dry, and he wouldn't find what he was looking for in the thicket behind him. He would narrow his eyes against the rain that had begun to fall, squinting as he focused on the shoreline. His gaze periodically would return to his forepaws, ensuring he had good traction on the rocks below him. When he was nearly on solid ground, and fully soaked now, he heard a voice calling out through the rain - it was muffled, but audible nonetheless.

Pulling his brows together, his head would snap sharply to the side as he sought to make out the figure of a stranger standing near where he had begun his descent. The voice was largely unfamiliar, muddled by the sound of the rain and the roaring of the ocean waves in the near distance, but he caught a hint of concern and question. "I'm good!" he'd call back, a bit louder, hoping he could be heard over the rain. "Come down!" He didn't know the man, as far as he could recognize, but he was in a particularly good mood despite the weather and the possibility of meeting someone new was tempting to him.

The more he looked at him, the more he swore he might know him but it was difficult to tell with the rain clinging to his face and falling without care from the sky. He would finish his descent finally, turning and facing the base of the cliff, hoping the man at the top might be daring enough to join him. The journey back up, for some reason, seemed significantly more dangerous.. but he supposed that would be something to figure out later, not now, and hopefully with some company at his side.

He blinked the gathering droplets from his lashes and squinted through the rising mist as he looked down. A reply traveled up to him, assuring him that the stranger was fine. The voice, a little muffled through the sound of the rain, seemed… familiar. Nagendra’s brow crinkled as he dug through his brain. But before he could spend too long figuring out, the invitation came. He lifted his head, ears perking as his expression filled with curiosity and apprehension. ”Uhm…” They wouldn’t be able to hear his soft hesitation, but it was perceivable in that quiet and inaction that followed in the next few seconds.

Nagendra stared at the cliffside, assessing with all the yearning and fear of a teenager trying to decide whether or not to mimic the daring feat of a friend. On one hand… he was afraid. He wasn’t much for risky, athletic stunts or climbing. But… he very much wanted to meet the stranger at the bottom. What a lovely experience it would be, to wait out the rain nestled in the cliffside, talking with someone. His heart beat quickly. It seemed dangerous, and he wasn’t exactly a risk taker. But… ”Alright!” he called down.

One step. His foot was a little shaky. Slowly, slowly, he began to edge down the steep face of the cliffs, his claws gripping tightly in the moistening ground. He breathed shallowly, his heart pounding faster and faster. Oh, this was the scariest thing he’d done in a while. The rain was getting heavier, making it harder to see, making the ground slicker. After what seemed like forever of pausing, proceeding, and growing terror, he saw where he wanted to get off. He didn’t look for the wolf, only that one ledge he had identified where he knew the stranger was. He focused intensely on that patch of safe ground, and… He slipped. A horrified yelp left his jaws, shock coursing through his veins.

He didn’t see exactly what had happened, but some divine power must have been looking out for him. In the next second, he landed in heap at his destination (which thankfully hadn’t been more than a few feet below where he was) with a thud. ”Oof!” It hurt. Not... terribly, but... a lot. Or maybe he was just kind of a wuss. He opened his eyes, realizing they had squeezed shut, and noticed that he wasn’t dead. When he looked up, wincing and trying to ignore the blossoming pain in his breathless chest, he noticed something else. ”Aki?” Wide eyes focused upon the familiar face with surprise, both at his tumble and at finding Aki here.

A storm was not at all a terrible thing. It simple was a prospect for adventure and newness. For now he could seek shelter by the shoreline, hopefully with some new company at his side, and search for some place to hide out from the storm. The idea of waiting out a storm at the sea sounded quite appealing to him.. though perhaps a bit reckless, but he wasn't one to fear and certainly not one to worry much. A grin adorned his face, despite the rain that dripped freely from his pelt now, as he gazed up at the one he assumed was a stranger. Rather than bounding down quickly, he paused, and even his posture seemed uncertain. Perhaps with good reason. A soft chuckle left his lips as he watched the man's hesitation, and final decision - as he called out his agreement and began his descent.

Quickly he would move closer to the cliff, knocking the rocks were quite slick now, and he would feel terrible if the wolf fell. But he hadn't really expected him to fall, and he swore time slowed down as he watched Nagendra briefly lose his footing on the rocks. His expression shifted into something more akin to worry - eyes widening, and mouth unhinging slightly -  as he reached forward, as though he might catch him, but in the rain that seemed to pour down his forehead and impede his vision, he mostly just collided with him.  

"Ankeeksi!" he would say quickly, moving back to eye the wolf better. Before recognition kicked in, he leaned in close to make sure his limbs were intact, and that he could smell no blood. It seemed he was okay, if not a bit shaken up, and it was partially his fault. And, he thought to himself, I know him! The recognition would flash suddenly across his face as he squinted his eyes, worry fading from his face as a grin took over.  "Nagendra!"  he would exclaim, his tail beginning to wag behind him in a wide arch.  "Are you okay? Hurting you was not my intention. Not that I realized it was you at all." If he had, he probably would have been a bit less reckless in his invitation.