This collection of caves nearby pack territory had fascinated her since they arrived. No matter how many times she entered them, she always seemed to pop out somewhere else and managed to get lost along the way. She was kind of obsessed with them. Makara tightened the laces on her booties and stepped out of the sunshine into the dim cave, wrinkling her nose as the air immediately grew stale. "HELLLOOO!" she shouted into the depths, giggling as the expected echo reverberated back. HELLO - O - O - O! She cocked her head to the side, waiting for the echo to fade entirely. Once it was quiet she strode deeper into the cave system, her paw steps muffled by her footwear.

Exploring a new land 1/3

ooc: if you like I can do 3 posts for just meeting someone new and then they can race. I'm good either way.

Come down, come down sweet reverence

There were many territories to consider while living in Boreas for the summer and fall. Jynn liked a number of territories in the west and south but that area was brutally hot. She decided to narrow things down to the east and north and as such she went northward to investigate a few territories. It was a good thing she had for there were packs in the north where there hadn't been any before. She was working her way through the Caves of the Past when she heard someone call out. Oh? Who was that? Jynn followed the source of the sound. "Hello? Who's there?" She turned a corner and spied a pale colored girl with red markings. "Oh! Hello, who might you be?"

Oh no! This was the first time anyone had ever called back to her! Hello-o-o? Who's there-ere-ere? echoed back around the corner. Makara stopped in her tracks, mouth gaping. Well, this was certainly a surprise. A leggy female stepped out from around the corner and Makara breathed a sigh of relief. At least she didn't look like too much of a threat, but looks could be deceiving. Better to lay everything out straight and see what was what. "Oh! Wow, wow, wow - I can't tell you how many times I've done that since we moved here and I've never found anyone else in the caves before!" she laughed. The merry sound was dampened by the winding tunnels. Makara peered over Jynn's shoulder, deeper into the darkness. Some mushrooms were growing out of cracks in the ceiling above and soft moss crept along the walls. Somewhere she could hear water dripping. "My name's Makara! Are you friend or foe?" she challenged, but a little grin was on her face.

Exploring a new land 2/3

Come down, come down sweet reverence

Jynn smiled at the yearlings enthusiasm, her tail wagging lightly as the other talked and introduced herself as Makara. "Friend I should hope! I'm just exploring and trying to decide where I want to settle down for a few seasons. My name is Jynn." She dipped her head in a more formal greeting. "What brings you down into the caves?" She'd assume exploring like she always did but it never hurt to ask to be sure. Jynn had marked her way in with white ash on the walls so if the yearling was lost she'd be more than happy to help the younger wolf find her way back out into the light. Jynn truthfully hadn't meant to go to far into the caves. If she ever lived in one she'd stay closer to the entrance.

"Nice to meet ya, Jynn!" Good, good, threat out of the way! Makara was too young to really be suspicious of much. She was apt to take most everything at face value - the rules of her life so far had been very clear, with little room for ambiguity. Perhaps one day that might come back to bite her, but for now, things were coming up roses. "Well, my pack moved up here and ever since I've found these caves fascinating! I come here every now and then, just to see if I can get lost again and beat my best time getting out! I try and get real good and turned around, then race to leave!" Makara shifted back and forth on her paws, suddenly aware of how foolish that might sound. Well, it was a good game! A practice in tactics! What if she got lost in enemy territory somewhere and had to flee with just her wits?! The caves were confusing, but she had come to discover they had a sort of logic to them. The hard packed dirt floor was typically smooth and free of debris, although sometimes there were fallen rocks from above that surprised her. The moss and lichen had a growth pattern that keyed her in to the cave system's exits, so that certainly helped as well. Makara glanced along the smooth walls of the cave, noting the line of ash that curved around the bend. She stored that little trick away for future use.

Exploring a new land 3/3

Come down, come down sweet reverence

Jynn cocked her head to the side as the yearling explained that she'd get purposely lost and then try to get back out again. Well, at least she was a pack wolf so if she did go missing someone was bound to go looking for her. As a loner if Jynn got so lost she couldn't find her way out she was dead, plain and simple. "Well, I don't know about the getting lost thing but racing to find your way out sounds like a lot of fun to me. Care to race me back out or did you have more to do here?" Jynn had already decided living deep in a cave just wasn't for her and if she could get a bit of exercise and a fun race on her way back to more northern territories then that would be fantastic.

Jynn vs Makara for Race
Round 0/?
Age: Over 1 year
Size: Large
Build: Light
Skills: Master Navigator & Master Fighter
Specialty: Scout

Yes, yes, yes~! A race! This Jynn really spoke her language. "Oh, you're on!" Mak grinned. She leaned down and tightened the laces on her booties again just to be sure they didn't fling off. Sometimes they did, and it was a pain to find them in a snow drift, but at least they'd be easily found here. They weren't quite deep enough into the caves that she'd lost her way yet, and either way, Jynn had cleverly marked the way out. The cave was just wide enough for them to race side by side without bumping shoulders every few strides. Actually, in many ways, Makara could see it making a great race track. "Okay, I'm going to count us down and I'll even count fairly!" she chirped, lining up next to Jynn's side. "Three, two, one - go!" She shouted, and the echo chased them out of the cave together - Go - o - o - o! Mak leaped into action, her little booties kicking up dust and shards of rock as she tore off down the tunnel and narrowing edged around the first turn without eating a face full of wall.

Makara vs Jynn for Race
Round 1/2
Age: Over 1 yr
Size: Large
Build: Light
Skills: Intermediate Fighter & Beginner Navigator

Come down, come down sweet reverence

Jynn watched as Makara adjusted the laces on her footwear. She might have to ask the girl about her shoes some day, it looked like they were well crafted, far better than Jynn's makeshift hide shoes when exploring the north in winter. "Great!" Jynn chirped as the girl agreed to race her. She lined up next to Makara, facing towards the exit and tensed her limbs, ready to run the moment the girl said go. The countdown seemed to rush by and at the word go Jynn sprang forward into the dark, her senses focused as she attempted to maneuver her way through the dark cave. She relied on her ears and nose the most.

Jynn vs Makara for Race
Round 1/2
Age: Over 1 year
Size: Large
Build: Light
Skills: Master Navigator & Master Fighter
Specialty: Scout

She might not be one hundred percent confident where she was headed, but as the walls of the cave began to get just a little bit brighter, she was sure she was headed in the right direction! Jynn was a formidable opponent, those long legs of hers easily eating up ground. Makara ground her teeth and tried not to focus so much on her opponent. She jumped neatly over a larger rock that lay in her path, skidding as she came to land on the other side. "WOOO!" She shouted, grinning as the sound again came up behind them: WOO - O - O! The walls of the cave were whooshing by now and as she turned the last sharp corner, the mouth of the cave loomed ahead. Mak ducked her head down and focused on her breathing as she stretched towards the exit. Her heart was beating so hard that she could feel it in her ears.

Makara vs Jynn for Race
Round 2/2
Age: Over 1 yr
Size: Large
Build: Light
Skills: Intermediate Fighter & Beginner Navigator

Come down, come down sweet reverence

Jynn kept up the pace as best she could til she turned and almost immediately hit a dead end. "Whoops! Not this way!" She quickly turned and headed back on the main trail, starting to recognize some of the rock formations she'd seen heading in. As they raced on she noticed the darkness growing lighter and lighter. Excellent, they were getting near the entrance. Jynn's claws dug into the dirt and rock as she propelled herself farther on toward the entrance. Soon she saw daylight and she put on an extra kick of speed hoping she could barrel out into the open air before the younger girl. It would be a clsoe race, the girl was incredibly fast.

Jynn vs Makara for Race
Round 2/2
Age: Over 1 year
Size: Large
Build: Light
Skills: Master Navigator & Master Fighter
Specialty: Scout

And the winner is...

JYNN

MAKARA must give up by submitting, fleeing or passing out. Totals: Makara: Speed Roll: 7 Stamina Roll: 21 Balance Roll: 2 Total: 30 Speed[7] + 5% Bonus[0.35]: 7.35 Stamina[21] + 5% Bonus[1.05]: 22.05 Balance[2] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 2.00 Total[31.40] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 31.40 Jynn: Speed Roll: 57 Stamina Roll: 4 Balance Roll: 31 Total: 92 Speed[57] + 5% Bonus[2.85]: 59.85 Stamina[4] + 5% Bonus[0.20]: 4.20 Balance[31] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 31.00 Total[95.05] + 25% Bonus[23.76]: 118.81