The summer sun was taking its toll on the petite female, beating down on her soft coat and filling the air with its dry harshness. Normally Bellamy didn't mind the warmth, but this was a little to much even for her. Her tongue ached for water, throat uncomfortably dry and scratchy in the hot air. Bellamy’s mind was ticking over as she trotted along the soft grass, a headache beginning to rack her mind uncomfortably. She hadn’t hunted yet, but she wasn’t sure if she could bring herself to do so in the heat; she knew she could last for a few days before hunger set in for real. She could only hope the afternoon would bring a reprieve in the weather.

The hopeful rush of water tingling in her ears drove the young she-wolf forward, calling her like a siren as she padded along the soft grass. The terrain had become considerably steeper as he neared what she hoped was a water source, making her progress even slower as she picked her way through the trees and along the hill, determined to reach her goal. Normally, the yearling would have carelessly bounded along these steep parts, but the overwhelming heat and aching lack of water had put a damper on her usually pup-like antics.

She perked her ears up hopefully as the forest opened up somewhat, revealing a sight that made her jaw drop. From her vantage point, perched close to the top of the steep hill, she could see a waterfall rushing thinly down the slope. Small pools of shimmering and burbling water broke the cascades up into reasonably small steps, the unique terrain filling her with a renewed sense of excitement. The petite female scrambled down to the bottom of the slope, determined to get a drink before she started exploring. She dipped her muzzle into the cool water, taking long and hungry gulps of the crystalline water. It was cool and sweet on her parched tongue, spreading down her throat soothingly.

Having quenched her thirst, Bellamy slunk into the water at her own level, relishing the cool and fresh feeling of the liquid running through her warm coat. She ducked her head under the surface, paddling and splashing in the water before she plopped down in the shallows, looking up at the cascades, green eyes alight with revitalized curiosity. Something about the way the land had been carved made her think that it had once been a much bigger waterfall; maybe the dry weather had taken a toll on it as well. She also noted that, individually, the little waterfalls were only a couple meters tall at most. A dare-devilish grin played upon her lips as her eyes traced a path around mid-way up, leading to a small drop into a clear, wide pool. Could she make the jump? Probably. Was the pool deep enough to cushion her fall? Hmmh. That could be a problem. Her tail swished in the water as she mulled over her plan of action, heart-rate jittering a bit with nervous excitement.

"you aren't seriously going to jump, are you?" a voice came from behind the girl. if she turned, she'd find the frame of a young man standing a few paces to the side. he had noticed the way she had looked at the falls. his mind went to immediate disapproval mode, a soft scowl on his features. people could be so stupid. the water wasn't high enough to cushion her leap of faith. she'd break her neck quite easily. he'd walk forward to drink from the meager waters himself, judging quietly the distance and the height of the flow as he did so. his tone had been a quiet scoff to the girl. licking droplets from his muzzle, Holland would look up to the falls. "it isn't my business if you do" he'd carry on, admitting he had no control over what the other wolf did with her life. they didn't even know each other's names. "so if you wanna do it, go ahead. I'll just... sit in the splash zone." or the lack of a good splash zone.

“You aren’t seriously going to jump, are you?” The young she-wolf’s large ears pricked up as an incredulous voice rang out behind her, interrupting her absorption in her surveying of the falls.

Bellamy stood up and whirled around, droplets of water flying out of her tan coat. Curious green eyes settled on a tall, lanky male cloaked in chocolate and rust-coloured markings. The stranger’s eyes were a striking aquamarine, and her first thought was that damn, he was kinda cute. A little older than her, though. Less cute was the stern look of disapproval that twisted his features, as well as his bossy and superior tone, which immediately ticked Belle off. “You’re right, it isn’t your business.” She shot back as he continued, evidently salty at his attack on her judgement.

The yearling’s gaze returned to the falls momentarily, cocking her head slightly as her eyes considered the steps of rushing water. “I was gonna depth check it first!” She admitted contemptuously, rolling her eyes at the stranger as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Bellamy didn’t consider herself to be a rookie in this stuff, after all.

She looked back to the falls, eyes carving out the path she’d been planning to her pond of choice; it would be a pretty easy scramble up and across to the pool she was eyeing off, no jump required. Though it was around halfway up the disjointed steps of falls, the water looked calm enough to swim in without getting swept over the edge, water rushing through the cracks between rocks that lined the pool. “Look, rusty, there’s no issue in checking it out. Worst comes to worst it’ll be too shallow, I’ll still have a pool with a view.” Belle continued with a small shrug. “If you really wanna be captain safety, come up and check it out with me.” She added, a cheeky grin spreading across her maw.

With that, she stepped back out of the shallows and back onto dry land, droplets of water cascading from her paws. She began to pick her way up the steep slope running parallel to the falls in a winding path, not too bothered to check if he was following her. It wasn’t her fault if he was gonna be a killjoy, she thought. Her movements up the steep terrain were practiced and smooth, wiry form obviously no stranger to exploring this kind of tricky landscape.

what a little mouth on her. "if you want to break your neck, that's your business." Holland raised a brow, undisturbed by her ignorant words as they shot at him. it would take more to get him riled up. this was just a little yearling, some stupid girl that thought cooling off meant dangerous shit had to be done. she could easily just wade more around the shallow water instead. if she had a death wish, that was totally on her. he didn't need to be here for someone else to come along, proclaiming he had pushed her off the cliff. he'd seen enough wolves go crying after they broke or hurt something they'd done themselves. "how" he'd go on, rolling his eyes "are you going to check the depth from up there?" wouldn't it be smarter to wade further into the waters until she either touched the ground or didn't? the girl proclaimed she'd have a nice view though Holland couldn't see the logic in traveling all the way up there in this heat only to go back down the same way. he really didn't care if she fell in or not. it was her life. or lack of life soon. he remained where he was though, seeing no reason to move from his spot. Holland was a healer, not a daredevil. it was his job to worry after wolves, though his compassion for the girl was waning each second. he only made a statement and she jumped down his throat. he had tried to show concern, to show her the common sense. maybe it was his fault. a fault he wasn't going to admit. he wasn't great with words.