The brute moved with painstaking care down the steep slope. What had started out as cat-like curiosity had quickly gotten him in trouble. The soil at the top was loose and rocky, and he'd made the mistake of overestimating how nimble he was. While walking the rim he'd found himself sliding. Thankfully he knew better than to try to fight it. Instead he'd walked with the sliding grit, going with the flow until the trunk of a tree was within jumping distance. He was quick to lean against the trunk and halt his descent. Leaning against the tree and looking up, the climb back looked very unappealing. Looking down, the trek to the water looked just as unpleasant, but he didn't think he had a choice. Grimly he'd begun the climb down.
As he paused to consider his next move, movement to his left caught his attention. Valen's gaze lifted from the dirt to fix with no small amount of hope on the stranger. It wasn't immediately obvious to him if she was going up or down, so he was hoping for the former. Perhaps she could give him some tips on getting down? Heck, he'd follow her up if she knew the way.
Thankfully the distance between them wasn't that great so he didn't have to raise his voice. "Excuse me, miss? I'm hoping," The hint of a smile graced his lips, "You might be able to help a poor fool out."
""
NOTE: Valentine has a female striped skunk companion named Lefty. Unless stated otherwise assume she's present.
