OOC: liquid time is great because what is muse and how to I not lose it every other week

Honestly, Cael had thought tracking down the hogs would be at least like relatively easy. Of course, she wasn't really a tracker. It also might not have helped that the pair had been a bit rowdy and loud after they'd met up again today, being ridiculous and having way too much fun. Hanging out with the celestial girl was actually super cool, and as Cael cackled good-naturedly with her new friend she once again found herself feeling glad that they hadn't ruined a good thing over the previous conversation with Shaye. So far as Cael was concerned this was the best Abraxas and she was just going to steer clear of the others.

It was probably longer than it ought to have been before they came to realize that in the escalating series of dares and laughing that had ensued, they'd managed to not find one single hog. Unacceptable. How could Cael prove she was the best buckin hog rider in the land if there were none around? The tracking had begun in earnest then, the pair searching every last inch around the falls.

Eventually they made it to the bottom of the roaring waterfall and Cael hunted around through the mud for signs of the elusive swine. There had to be tracks or something, right?

These hogs were absolutely being a pain. Granted, Asharya felt content just roaming around, but then she'd gone and set her mind on it. Now, damn it all if she wasn't going to find herself a hog. How hard could it be? I mean, really? Yet there they were, rooting about and turning up squat. This was just about where she'd seen them last, but it seemed like they must have moved farther than she'd expected in the time between. Oh well, the joy ought to be in the hunt after all. She sighed and shook out her coat, trying to shake the frustration away as well. She turned and caught up to Cael in a few moments. "No sign at all on the pool's far side. None for you either?" The look of frustration in her bi-colored told Asha all she needed to know. Well, how hard could a herd of swine really be to track down anyways. She was no star hunter, but that didn't mean she couldn't use her wits for something. "Want to follow the stream down? Bound to be a mudpit or two to draw their eye. At the least we might find some tracks." It was the best she could offer. To be quite honest, finding the boar had been a total excuse in the first place, but it sounded fun enough in theory. The practice was starting to lose its glimmer for her, but at least it meant Asha got to hang more around Cael. She'd been wracking her brain over what to do about that too. Caelestis was a big old bag of feels that Asha didn't feel terribly compelled to upend. It wasn't every day she found another wolf as driven towards horizons as she was, and it wasn't a companionship she felt all too keen to disrupt. Why poke an anthill when she could flirt harmlessly in peace? That was her plan anyways, but sometimes, it was awfully hard to remember... "Talk" "Listen" Think

Shaking her head automatically in response to the question even before she looked at the fiery woman who'd returned with empty paws, Cael huffed and frowned at the lack of tracks in the mud. Stupid swine. Where could they have gone? Surely they'd stay near the water though where they could mess around in the mud. Pigs liked mud, right?

Asharya apparently read her mind. "Yeah, guess that's the best option. Not having any luck here." Striking off, she lead the way alongside the rushing water towards hopefully.... what was the mud equivalent of greener pastures? Muddier mud pits? Something like that, Cael knew what she meant. The river that flowed out from the falls changed as she followed it, sometimes frothing and becoming more like the rapids back home and other times widening and slowing down a bit. It took some time to find a good muddy spot.

Once she finally found a large, muddy spot beside a slow section of river Cael set to work looking for tracks and sniffing for any piggy scents. There was... a very faint scent. Glancing at Asharya, Caelestis frowned. "Should we keep walking? I don't know if there's anything here. This is lame."

The two shewolves set off along the stream's edge. It was almost painfully picturesque, but Asha chose to focus instead on the frustration driving her forward. They walked quietly for a time, and she might boast later that it was her prowess and strategy at play, so they didn't scare any potential menu options they might happen across, but in truth it was just sort of comfortable. They happened upon a few okayish spots, but none seemed fit to investigate further. Finally, Cael stopped them where a broad swath of lowlands bordered the creek's edge. Asha wondered if maybe it was some sort of flood plain or something, but whatever it's origin it certainly looked muddy. She watched Cael lift her nose to the air, and Asha did the same. The scent was faint, but it was the first trace they'd come across so far. She wasn't really keen on being outsmarted by a bunch of hogs, but... An alternate idea occurred to her, and quickly took hold. Lame, she says? Oh ho. Oh no. They'd see about that. She rolled her eyes and laughed, and then darted her eyes towards a fixed spot near the water's edge. "Did you hear that?" she whispered to Cael. Asha sniffed, and then dropped into a crouch, moving forward slowly. Creeping a pace, and then freezing again. She turned back over her shoulder to whisper again, "There's something here!" She leaned forward and sniffed, pawing at the earth. Was something buried? She certainly hoped it seemed so. "Talk" "Listen" Think

Asharya didn't say much for a while as they searched, which was totally okay with Caelestis because it was actually kind of a nice day and she was happy just to have Asha's company. Normally she preferred to talk but with Asha is was always fun whether they talked a lot or a little. Oh, yes, also they were looking for boars so talking was a no go anyway. Right.

Instead of answering Cael's question, Asharya hunkered down and whispered, causing Cael quiet herself and stand very still, looking around for whatever Asha was looking for. "Huh? Uhm, no, what'd you hear?" she mumbled back, keeping close to her fiery friend. Watching as the red girl began digging, Cael gave her a confused look, pausing before approaching. "What kind of something?" she asked, a little louder. Hogs weren't supposed to bury themselves in mud where they? She honestly didn't know what they did, so she cautiously approached to see what exactly they were digging for.