Surprise Adventure

Novis felt a strange sense of unease as he wandered the sandy soil. He had been feeling a bit under the weather ever since he entered the desert, unwelcomed memories invading his mind. He hated dwelling on the past, especially the parts including his birth band, but the oh so familiar scenery brought back recollections of his childhood — the days of walking, the tough training, the siege. All these thoughts were harsh contrasts to his default, optimistic outlook. He had many days, even months before winter set in if he remembered correctly, but the man didn't want to stay in the desert more than he needed. However, he could not teleport, so he would have to occupy his mind until he reached The Bifrost, a place he wasn't sure was even real.

Among his travels, he came across a gorge. Steep cliffs and winding tunnels hiding whatever mysteries they held inside. Though the gorge's walls were nowhere as dangerous as he had seen at The Polar Sound, a plunging drop could still result in injury if a wolf fell the wrong way. Novis did not keep this in mind as he neared the edge of the cliffs. He stood on a shorter portion of the canyon, staring down in an attempt to see what was down at the bottom. All he could see was shelves and tunnels and perhaps the occasional bush. He was a bit underwhelmed by the sight, but curiosity and a childish sense of anticipation brought him closer to the edge. He had a naive hope something could crawl out of one of the tunnels, something, anything other than the infinite amount the sand he had been forced to look at for hours. Though Novis was not stupid, he had his moments. Standing close to an edge of a cliff with unstable, sandy soil was one of them.

It took Novis a moment to realize the ground below him was slowly shifting downward, only noticing when the earth gave way entirely and sent him rolling down the gorge head first. He yelped in surprise as his body bounced and tumbled down the edge of the ravine only to come at a sudden, crumpled stop. A dull pain engulfed the entirety of his body, but after forcing himself to stand, he found nothing seemed to be broken, nothing other than his pride. He had not fallen far, so he would only add bruises and small scratches to his already scarred skin. He shook his pelt of the mixture of sand and stones and started assessing his situation.

He surveyed his surroundings, coming to find that he was on some sort of shelf. He did not fall completely to the bottom, but he fell far enough that he couldn't climb back up the side of the cliff if he tried. Thankfully, one of the many tunnels was situated on the shelf, winding in unpredictable ways under the ground. How convenient.