Plunging Down

It was a stretch to patrol this far out, but Cairo made the circuit regardless, partly to explore, and partly to map the area better. He really should have been doing this from the start, but he’d been distracted by Nolan’s death, Lia’s disappearance…. Everything.

When he found the ravine, it was mostly by accident. He’d made the mistake of not watching his feet and the ground just ahead of his paws, having spotted an elderly looking buck a ways off scrounging for bark. Then, the next thing he knew he was stepping into air, and his gut did a sickening flip as he tumbled headlong down into the ravine.

He barely had a moment to even curse before he luckily plunged into water, rather than a bone shattering crash onto rocks.

The milk and dark chocolate splotched Adravendi floundered to the shore a good twenty feet down stream, shivering not from the cold water, but the crash of an adrenaline high he had not enjoyed on his way down.

He quickly shook out his waterlogged coat, squeezing water from his cloak with twists of the fabric in his teeth, until Enito caught up and finished the process for him. The mandrill checked the contents of Cairo’s pouches, and luckily, nothing had gotten too wet from the plunge.

For several minutes after, Cai sat hunched, shaking, and working through the grip of irrational fear while Enito kept watch. He was fine, no legs were broken, no ribs were cracked. At most, he reassured himself, he had a scrape on one paw from clambering onto the dry land. You’re fine. Not falling.

Finally, he rose, shaking himself again with a rattle of leather and various oddments in his pouches, and took stock of his surroundings.

It was actually quite pretty in here, if winter-dormant. During the warmer months this must be quite a cozy, warm place, and he knew Paladin would probably visit this spot in search of herbs.

Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think