Resignation or Liberation? …Farewell and Encounter…

Returning home from the Hallows had emboldened the young princess, who seemed to lack the capability to learn where it was and where it was not safe to roam. Already she'd escaped the watchful eye of her mother and nearly became a harpy eagle's early morning meal, and now she had exploited her intimate knowledge of Armada's tunnels to sneak south. It was all fun and games for the disabled young pup, who was rapidly taking steps toward independence and attempting to overcome her disability through real world experience and adventure. She would learn nothing stuck in the Col all day, having already memorized its many features. The true test of her and her seeing-eye-snake's partnership would be navigating a land she had no experience with, in broad daylight.

Mom and Dad had certainly chosen a crappy place to live. The Col and the surrounding woods seemed to be the only hospitable places, and the further south she walked the more mountainous the world seemed to become. Perhaps it was her familiarity with the Col that made it seem easy, but Vanta could not remember ever feeling so uncertain in her paws as walking along the ridges of this land. Around her neck her viper remained vigilant, reining her with her thin body and directing the pup onward and through the brush.

The sound of water alerted the team and all Vanta needed to do was angle her body toward it for the snake to pick up on her cues. They approached without a word, entering the forest surrounding the stone basin and pushing through until the crashing of the falls became a roar she could feel deep in her chest. Mists and moisture kicked up from the flowing water made recognizing the stranger's scent as another wolf much more difficult, and it wasn't until the pup was well within view that her short-sighted  companion brought her to an abrupt stop. The viper's head lifted, approaching Vanta's faintly flicking ear to whisper into it a soft hiss of alarm. "Who's there?" Vanta called out, suddenly aware she was not alone.