The winds, they scream your name

The farther north they traveled, the colder it seemed to get. An unearthly chill like nothing she ever knew licked her heels raw. It was tolerable for now, but she decided then that she would be journeying no further. One more spot, however, captured her attention. While Lupa cherished his beauty-rest, she found herself far too restless to sleep. Instead, she embarked on yet another expedition into the unknown. Excitement could not offer warmth, but it did strengthen her resolve against the cold. In the distance, she could make out a lush forested area. A gathering of trees for which her sight could not penetrate any further. There was one thing she noticed immediately… A god-awful squealing like a batch of tormented piglets being methodically stepped on by a flock of geese. At first, it wasn’t so bad. A simple hum that, while was unsettling, could be tolerated. However, the nearer she got, the louder the noise became.

If only she had some cotton to stuff in her ears, then. If not for the horrid sound she might have admired the enchanting landscape more. Nox tried to focus on appearances alone, more than the insistent sound. Densely packed forest gave way to a near barren center. It appeared as if someone had decisively scooped away the forest leaving naught but steep sides and a hollowed-out middle. The bitter-northern-wind had stripped the bottom clean of most plant-life. A few hardier species remained but it was mostly bare. One look into the bottom of the gorge and she thought twice about proceeding any further. Although, curiosity far outweighed any concerns she might have had. For one, she wanted to know where the banshee-like shrieks were emanating from. In addition to that, she wondered if anything of value had ‘ended up’ in the bottom: An unlucky traveler or two with some valuables that were never recovered, along with their skulls which she would find a way to turn into a candle-holder or trinket-box.

After some time, she estimated the safest route down which was a slightly slanted wall with a few shrubs for cushioning should anything go wrong. One carefully placed paw after the other and she managed to somewhat slide down with minimal injuries.  A few scrapes and nicks to remember the occasion and she was ‘safely’ at the bottom. Nox shook herself off and gave her new surroundings a thorough look. It didn’t occur to her then after she had slid down, that she might not know how to get back up. Well shit… In the name of adventure, I guess. Nox could hardly hear herself think.

She frowned and decided to push on rather than try to climb back up and risk snapping her neck in the process. As she began the trek further into the valley, she noticed how soft and lush the ground was despite the terrain above. There was not much to admire other than that: No dead adventurers, secret treasure, or trinkets, but she did find something down there that caught her eye. He stood out among the pale-ground. A mixture of earthy-hues and flecks of rust that while was aesthetically pleasing, did not match the surroundings. She could but stand and watch as he excitedly clawed the ground, seemingly thrilled at what he discovered. Her ears either numbed by cold or the terrible screeching, barely picked up his voice, though she was certain he said something. Nox raised a brow, watching with piqued curiosity. “Find something interesting, traveler?” She asked nonchalantly, raising her voice above the crying wind.