*Navigation - Crystallum Cliffs

Hold on tight, this ride is a wild one. He had made the mistake of wandering away from the lake, a bold choice without Phantom at his side. The prince was tired with staying hidden in the reeds like a weak child, his act of defiance only proving that perhaps he was one. A snort left his nose as he wandered through the rain, it was only a drizzle and not the downpour that had happened the days before. Before he knew it, Eniko was heading up a hint of an incline. His ears perked as he looked up, seeing the peak of a cliff up there. He was curious, his need to explore could no longer be pushed aside. He knew that it wasn’t wise with his asthma, but he hoped that the deceased temperature and rain would help keep his lungs happy. Wide yellow eyes glanced over the sparse grassed that grew, clinging to the rock face. The higher he got, the more his lungs struggled to draw in a deep breath. His paws faltered, causing him to nearly slip. Coughing slightly, he tried to suck in a deep breath as he righted himself. It got caught in his throat, making him nearly choke on the very air that he needed. He shook his half-sized tail, he needed to at least make it to the top. His fawn coloured fur clung to his sides as he struggled to find the right place to put his paws, but he knew that he needed a small break. Pausing, the prince stood there with his nose pointed towards the sky, eyes shutting against the gentle drill of rain against his face. He let the cool water soothe him, working on his breathing as he silently counted in his head. He would do this, he would prove that he wasn’t useless. Make no mistake, the day will come when you can't cover up what you've done. "SPEAK"

The farther away from home she got the more anxious and excited she became. She had completely left the west portion of Boreas now and she slowly made her way through a thicket while she pondered where she might stop for the day. The chilling rains that had come with the winter were an unexpected set back so she was taking advantage of this light drizzle. It wasn't the most pleasant weather to walk through, but it wasn't the worst either. She still wished she had a bag of some kind she could use to carry some of the herbs she had seen along the way so far, but she hadn't had much luck in finding one just yet. It was a good thing that she had been looking down as she walked so that she noticed the sudden drop off at the edge of the thicket. Her ears perked and she carefully approached the edge of the cliff, looking out over the empty space in front of it. "Wow..." she breathed, blinking with surprise. Everything in the west was so flat that she had never really experienced cliffs or mountains before. Her amazement at the sudden drop off in the land was interrupted though when she heard an echo off a cough. Her ears twitched at the noise and she quickly glanced around to find the source of it. It wasn't until a slight breeze coming off the cliff brought a male's scent to her that she realized the cough had come from below her. Her two-toned gaze darted down and she spotted the brown, white speckled man standing on the rocky cliff face with his eyes closed and heard turned up toward her. What would he be doing there of all places?! "Hello? Are you okay?" she called down to him, fixing him with a worried gaze. "Talk" "You" Think

Hold on tight, this ride is a wild one. The pattern of rain striking his face and running down his neck was helping a lot more than he had thought it would. With it's rhythmic beat it gave him something to match his breathing to besides his erratic heart beat. He was so busy counting that he hadn't picked up on the woman's scent before the winds shifted, and now she was upwind of him. Steadily he regained his breathing, not a moment too soon as a woman's voice called out to him. Opening his eyes, he spotted a gray female standing above him, a pretty blue gem glittering at her throat. He paused for a moment, his golden gaze locking on the stone. His sister had worn something much like that, generally only the royals decorated themselves with such things. Shaking his head, realizing that he was being quite rude for staring, he fixed his stoic features on hers, dipping his head as his right front leg lifted. Eniko lowered the upper half of his body in a bow before rising, his chin tipped upwards to focus on the girl. "Quite alright Miss, but thank you for your concern," he called to her softly, his voice a touch hoarse as his lungs caught up from the lack of oxygen. Clearing his throat, he took a few small steps towards her before he looked at the ground, nearly falling once more. The prince frowned, but there was no way that he could pick his way up the long way. There was a ramp of earth that led up to where she was standing, but it was rather close to the sudden drop off. He either had to risk falling on the path ahead, or falling into the gorge below. Either way he would end up getting hurt, which was not really on the agenda for today. Glancing back at the stranger, he knew that he was probably best standing here, no matter how unseemly it was for him not to greet his sudden guest. Make no mistake, the day will come when you can't cover up what you've done. "SPEAK"

For a moment he didn’t give her an answer, appearing a bit distracted as he stared at her. When he did finally snap out of whatever thoughts were distracting him, he insisted that he was alright. She watched him skeptically, especially when he tried to walk toward her and almost fell. She frowned and decided that no matter if he insisted that he was alright he wasn’t truly okay there. He seemed quite stuck from where she was standing. She couldn’t just leave him there. She didn’t have it in her healer heart to do that. Her eyes traced the cliff side, spotting the thin pathway that lead down to the bottom. "I’m gonna come help!” she insisted, darting off before she got an answer. She was a slender thing so as she started making her way down the path it was a bit easier for her to fit on the thin pathway than it might have been for him. She placed her paws one in front of the other, her two-toned eyes watching her own paws to make sure she was placing them properly. She leaned her body against the rocky surface next to her for a bit more stability. What felt like an eternity later she finally looked up and saw the brown, spotted man in front of her. She gave him a reassuring smile, much the same expression she gave her patients when she needed to assure them that it would be fine when she was giving them a medicine that wasn’t so pleasant. "Okay! So we have two options. Either we can try to head back up this path and you can hold onto my tail for more support if you need to or we can start picking our way down the way you came. What do you think?” Perhaps it wasn’t the wisest thing for her to get down here with him, but she’d rather do that than leave him stranded. "Talk" "You" Think

Hold on tight, this ride is a wild one. With careful eyes he watched as she eyed the slope and then him, nearly seeing the gears turn in her head. Oh no, he really was quite alright. He wasn't so keen on getting to the top anyways, even if he felt the need to explore. Exhaling slowly, he pushed away the uncomfortable tightness in his chest and shook his head slowly when she said that she would come to him. There was no time to argue with her as she made her way over, making the spotted man sigh. Well, as long as she was okay with this. Staying where he was, he simply turned to watcher her descent down. It was obviously a narrow ledge she had to walk across, making his heartbeat pick up in his chest. While he outwardly showed no signs of worrying over the woman, his lips were drawn down in a tight frown. If she slipped and fell to her death just to come help him... he would never forgive himself for that. He would be holding his breath if he could, but that meant he risked his asthma acting up. None of that, not this time. He wouldn't show these unknown wolves that he was weak, no matter what. Before too long she was before him again, and it allowed Eniko to properly bow at the lady before him. He lifted his right front leg as he lowered his upper half, his nose nearly brushing the ground. Rising up again, he planted his paw firmly on the damp earth before a hint of a smile touched his lips. "Greetings, miss. You really didn't need to trouble yourself with all of this, but I thank you for that. I am Einko Vaska, it's a pleasure to meet you," he said in his prim and proper manner. She told him that they had two options, and he couldn't help but smile a bit wider at her words. Holding onto her tail on that rail-thin ledge? "And drag you to your death if I fall? I think not, I'd rather not end anyone's life," Eniko's half tail lifted to the side, as if showing her the shorter length. "Either that or I would snap your tail in two, there is no point marring that pretty gray appendage of yours. Having half the tail of others isn't as fun as it may seem." Even though his words were humorous in their context, there was hardly any emotion in his stoic voice. It was how he had been trained, showing feelings like that to an unknown wolf wasn't becoming of him. His father had told him that it would make him seem weak; open up opportunities for wolves to see his weak points. He was pretty sure that a woman who just risked her life to come and help him wouldn't do something like that, but it was too ingrained in his mind to change it. So that left the other option, going down. He sighed softly, his breath slightly catching in his throat. All that effort and he had to go back down. Flicking his tail behind him, he turned his head slightly to eye the decline. It was awash in mud, small streams cutting through the earth until they reached the bottom. It was awfully slippery looking, yet another risk. Slowly his eyes gazed around them, searching for some place where they could get dry. Catching a cold wouldn't help his current state at all, and it was one more reason for Phantom to kill him. Turning back to the gray woman, he knew that she would have to lead the way here. He wasn't opposed to following others, it took a strong leader to see the value of others knowledge. "Unfortunatly I don't see much better things happening if we slid down the slope. You wouldn't have happened to see a burrow or den of some sort? Perhaps a badger hutch that we could expand? Until this rain let's up I doubt a safer option will open up." Make no mistake, the day will come when you can't cover up what you've done. "SPEAK"

She blinked with surprise as he so politely introduced himself with a bow and the whole nine yards. It brought a smile to her face though and she gave him a small bow in response. She had never seen someone behave so properly before, especially not while standing on the side of a cliff. "It's nice to meet you, Eniko! I'm Zuriel Adravendi." She appreciated his concern for her and not wanting to cause some sort of additional accident by holding on to her on the way back up. She chuckled softly at his statement about living with half of a tail, her two-toned gaze glancing toward his tail when he lifted it for her to see. Okay, he had a good point on both accounts. She still wasn't going to just let him stand here in the rain on a rocky cliff facing though. If nothing else she'd sit right here with him so at least he wouldn't be alone. She followed his gaze when he turned to look down the incline. The steady rain had really done a number to it, covering the area in mud. Hm, that wasn't going to be easy to get down, that was for sure. His voice made her ears perk a bit and pulled her gaze back up to his own. She hummed softly at his question and glanced back over her shoulder the way she came. She really hadn't been paying attention on the way down, but... "I think so! Hang on just a second." She carefully turned in a circle and went back up the narrow path a couple of feet, her eyes scanning the wall beside her. Her tail wagged when she spotted the den in question. The entrance looked like it might be just big enough for her to slip into. She wasn't sure why some animal would want to have a den in such an inconvenient place, but she wasn't going to complain now. She pulled herself into the den head first and wriggled her way through the mildly narrow tunnel into the main den area. She'd have to open it up a bit before he could join her, but they could make this work. She started digging at the walls of the den and kicking dirt and smaller rocks out of the den. Her dark paws were coated in dirt by the time she poked her head back own of the den, looking toward Eniko with a smile. "Here we go! Can you make it over that little bit of the path there?" "Talk" "You" Think

Hold on tight, this ride is a wild one. Her little bow back made him let out a soft chuckle, his half a tail swishing behind him twice before it stilled. He wasn't used to showing so much emotion, but he had to admit that the strange woman was rather charming. She had risked her life just to come here and check on him, making him more relaxed in her presence. "Well Miss Zuriel Adravendi, you must have some royalty in your blood. There is hardly a wolf out there to risk their safety just to check on a stranger," he said with a soft hum, giving her a nod of approval. She would have made a good lady-in-waiting back in his kingdom, it was clear to see that she was a good companion to have. Eniko's shoulders relaxed a bit, his posture still slightly stiff but at least a little more neutral looking. His head tilted to the side somewhat as she looked at the incline with him, they were rather stuck here. He was thankful that he had her here though, he wasn't used to being alone. Usually Phantom was glued at his side, but for now he had to handle himself the best that he could. The male was well trained in it of course, but it was still an odd feeling. He almost felt... colder, without the canine guard at his flank. Swallowing it all back though, he gave her his full attention when she spoke again. Zuriel told him to wait here, but he took a few steps after her before he finally paused. It still hadn't stopped raining, and he knew that taking the thin ledge again was a huge risk. His chest contracted painfully as he watched her through narrowed yellow eyes, ready to dive and catch her if anything transpired. His breath caught when her tail wagged and she turned towards the wall, through the sheet of rain it looked like she was trying to catch her balance. He jumped closer to the edge of the cliff, but soon enough she ducked into a den. Letting out a small breath, he took a seat as he watched her kick out rocks and dirt, following them with his eyes as they bounced down into the water below. Wow, that really was quite the drop. Counting the seconds until he could see a splash, he tried to calculate just how far down it was until she poked her head back out again. Turning towards her, a small smile was offered as he nodded his head. He was fine, he wasn't a child. Ignoring the constricting feeling in his lungs, he stepped on the tiny walkway and moved paw over paw, leaning against the cliff face beside him. His balance was still fine with his half-tail, and poise was something that was practiced often back at home. Moving as carefully as he could, he nearly held his breath until he was able to turn quickly into the little burrow that Zuriel had worked hard to clean out for them. Blinking a few times to adjust his eyes to the darkness, he turned to the kind lady that would be sharing this cramped quarters with him. "Thank you so much, Miss Zuriel. For everything. Is there some way that I can repay you for your kindness?" Eniko was used to making trades, and he felt like this was a gift that shouldn't go unreciprocated. Make no mistake, the day will come when you can't cover up what you've done. "SPEAK"

Zuriel watched Eniko as he made his way over toward the den, a bit nervous for him as he hugged the wall till he finally got to the entrance she had found. She stepped back out of the way so he could join her inside. It was a pretty temporary solution, but at least they would be out of the rain for a moment. She settled down against one side of the small den and gave Eniko another gentle smile. She was never the most social of wolves, so she wasn't sure what they would do to pass the time. Small talk was surely not a strength of hers. She shook her head when he asked if there was something he could do to repay her. "Nonsense, you don't owe me anything. I couldn't just leave you down there on your own. I've always been like that- having to help anyone that needs it. I guess that's why I became a healer." Well, that and her obsession over herbs and everything they can do for wolves. Even as a pup when Erani would show her the most basic of herbs she would be completely spell bound by the idea of such tiny plants and leaves being able to change so much about how a sick wolf was feeling. "If it makes you feel any better you can just consider it an 'I owe you' for later in case we cross paths again." She honestly didn't know if she'd ever see him again, but he seemed like the type to feel honor bound to repay her so she hoped that helped ease that need for him. Zuriel relaxed against the den wall and looked out toward the rain. She honestly couldn't complain too much since she was going to have to find shelter for the night away from the rain anyway, but this was certainly an odd place to do it. "Talk" "You" Think

Hold on tight, this ride is a wild one. His chin tucked towards his chest slightly as he observed the gray woman, his yellow eyes never leaving her face as she spoke. He hummed softly, he was right to think that she was like one of his sisters. Kind, too kind for their own good at times. If Eniko had not been the gentleman that he was, if he was a wolf with more ill intentions, he would have her cornered her here in this tight den. An escape would be impossible to do quickly, she would face her death in here or fall instead. He swallowed at the thought, a sad note in his gaze as a sigh passed in the air between him. The spotted male shuffled closer to her slightly, unsure of how to word himself without accidentally wounding her pride. It was something he had shared with his younger sister as well, and he found that he could not keep it inside any longer. "You have a kind heart, Miss Zuriel, perhaps too kind for your own good. Be careful with those you seek to help, not everyone walks around with their heart on their sleeve. Look around us, at the situation that you have gotten yourself in. What if it was my plan all along to single you out like this, what if I sought to seek you harm? You'd be trapped, and I would hate to see something like that happen to you." While they were hardly more than strangers, she reminded him so much of Callisha that he couldn't help himself. Obviously he wasn't going to hurt her, but maybe his words were. He had watched his sister spiral into darkness after she helped the wrong man, after he took advantage of her and defiled the princess. Thankfully she had not been in heat, bastard babies were not taken well in his kingdom. They would have been slain, even though Callisha was the daughter of the king. She would have been sent away to hide the pregnancy, not seen until the lives of the pups were taken by her guard. He looked out at the rain as the painful memory filled him, his chest contracting as a soft breath hissed from his weak lungs. He smiled ever so slightly as she spoke about having an 'I owe you', it was a power that could be dangerous in the wrong hands. To have a favor owed from the prince put you in rather high regards. He had been taught to avoid them at all costs, to make sure that all deeds went with some sort of payment. As he watched the weather whistling outside of their safe spot, he glanced at the woman out of the corner of his right eye. He could tell that she was too gentle a soul to pin the favor against him, but he still found it difficult to agree to her terms. Once something was nailed into you at that young of an age, it was almost painful to go against them. His outward appearance showed nothing of his inner struggles, but it had been silent for nearly a minute now. "Alright, Miss Zuriel. I can agree to your terms if you agree to not hold it against me," There was a hint of a jest in his tone, something so rare for the stoic, royal man. A soft chuckle followed, his face turning to fully look at the dame again. "You remind me so much of my sister, it's uncanny. It's nice to feel familiar with someone in these strange lands. Once again I must thank you, Lady Zuriel." Make no mistake, the day will come when you can't cover up what you've done. "SPEAK"

Zuriel's expression grew a bit more thoughtful and serious at Eniko's words. She was sure there had been plenty of times when her helpful nature had gotten her into situations that most would deem risky. He was right of course, if he hadn't been a more kind soul this could have gone in a much worse direction. She liked to think she was a pretty good judge of character though. Her gut hadn't steered her wrong yet. She appreciated what he was saying though and knew that he was only saying it out of a place of worry. His gaze drifted off and she wondered what it was that he was thinking about, but she didn't want to ask. She hardly knew him and she didn't want to pry. It took a while for him to reply to her offer since he seemed to be considering it very carefully. She hadn't meant it to be as serious of a proposition as he seemed to make it out to be. She did see a bit of humor in his reply though so that brought a smile back to her lips. "Deal." She probably wouldn't ever try to cash in this 'I owe you', but he had wanted to do something for her so she hoped it was enough to make him feel like some deal had been struck. She never liked to use others for any reason, even if it was repayment for something. Her brows lifted with a little bit of surprise when he mentioned that she reminded him of his sister. She took it as a compliment and smiled again when he said it made him feel familiar with her. "You're welcome, Eniko. I'm glad I was able to help." She glanced out at the rain before she let her head settle down on her paws. The sound of the rain was soothing now that they were safely out of it. She wished she was better at conversation, but hopefully Eniko wouldn't mind the silence. Or he would strike up conversation again. Either way she would be happy. "Talk" "You" Think

Hold on tight, this ride is a wild one. With the deal struck, he felt a lot better. He didn't like to leave things open ended, and while this wasn't exactly a closed door, it was better than nothing. He settled into his seat more, wiggling his rump slightly as he found a more comfortable spot. Zuriel only said a few more words before she settled down and rested her head on her paws, eying the rain. He let himself look her over now that she wasn't watching, even though his cheeks heated slightly. He wasn't exactly looking at her in a sexual matter, more so just appreciating the complex markings that claimed her coat. It was only for a moment or two, but it still made him feel flush. If observed, it would most likely look like he was being a normal, greedy male. That's not what Eniko was like, and he quickly lifted his head and looked at the storm outside. If she squinted hard enough, he could see the white tops of the waves below the cliff. It looked like the rain would let up soon if he could see a bit further out. Good. While he was enjoying his time with Zuriel, he was also itching to find Phantom again. It wasn't like him to not come searching for him after this long, making the prince worry that he was lost out in the storm trying to follow his fading scent. The spotted man reached his front paws out as he stretched, a yawn parting his jaws as his body quivered slightly. He didn't mind the silence in the least, it was actually quite nice. There weren't many wolves that were comfortable with just being in each others presence, but it would seem that Zuriel was one of them. More and more she began to remind him of Callisha, a sharp pang of homesickness twisting in his gut. Flinching slightly, he tore his gaze away from the rains and looked at the wall of the dug out cave. An earthen scent was pretty predominate through it, which made sense because the lady had had to dig it out enough for the both of them to fit. Other than being on the side of a steep, narrow cliff, it was rather nice. Only a few roots stretched through the ground, and he tried to keep himself busy by following their twisting patterns through the hollow. He tired his best not to think of his sisters, of what would become of them under his brothers paw. Another stabbing pain filled his chest, but it was the protest of his lungs. His emotions were running on high, at least on the inside, the panic, fear, and worry. It was enough to stir up his asthma, his breath catching in his throat. The deer-marked wolf coughed to cover up the squeak that made it's way out of his maw, hiding his feelings with ease. His face was a cool and calm mask, the only sign of his small attack was the slight uneven pattern of his breath. It was subtle enough that one could think that it was from emotions, and he watched Zuriel out of his peripherals. Would she notice? He hoped not, even though he felt familiar with the female that didn't meant that he wanted her to know his deepest secret. His weakness. Focusing on counting each beat of his heart, Eniko sat in silence as he waited for things to calm down. At least for a moment. "Looks like the storm will pass soon." It was a simple sentence, short enough that he could get it out in one breath before his mouth gaped, drawing in a deep breath in the most quiet of matters. After this long trying to hide his asthma, he had had a lot of practice keeping it under wraps. Quickly closing his mouth, he turned to her with a gentle smile, his ears flicking slightly as he went back to counting his heart beats, praying that she didn't notice. Make no mistake, the day will come when you can't cover up what you've done. "SPEAK"