Being a father had turned out to be an unexpected point of pride and joy for Maverick. The dire wolf loved all of his children with all his heart and soul, but out of the four of them, his only daughter held an extra special piece of his heart. Spunky little Rebel was as much a spitfire as her sire was, and Mav saw quite a lot of himself in the small pup that mirrored his own appearance almost perfectly. She was sassy and energetic, enthusiastic and fearless. So when his little girl had asked him to take her out somewhere fun and exciting, how could a father resist those big, sweet eyes? She had her mother's eyes, the same sunset purples that he had fallen for, and with batting lashes he caved in an instant. So Maverick hoisted his small pup up onto his back and the pair set off from Ashen lands in the early afternoon. Mav had an idea of where he wanted to take Rebel to impress her with some of the natural beauty this world possessed, but it would be a bit of a hike to get there. Alternating between letting her ride his back like a horse and walking alongside him across new terrains, the father and daughter duo crossed from one end of Boreas to the other, heading from the southern coast all the way up to the rugged mountains of the north. It was a trip that would take them most of the day, but an easy one for the seasoned traveler Maverick was.

By the time they arrived in northern Boreas, it was already getting dark. Twilight had sunk into dusk, and night was almost upon them. Keeping Rebel on his back while they climbed the rocky ledges of the mountains, Maverick pricked his ears up, keeping them alert while he followed the distinct sound of nearby waterfalls to their destination. "Almost there, sweetheart!" he said over his shoulder with a smile to his little girl. "Are you ready to see the special place I was talking about?" Following the rough path up toward a plateau on the mountainside, Maverick climbed up onto the land as it leveled out, revealing their destination to the two wolves. A natural basin had been carved into the gulley between the mountains, creating a fjord inset into the range where giant conifer trees grew in abundance. A large pool of water, almost the size of a small lake, sat in the center. The plunge pool was filled by a tremendous waterfall that cascaded down the side of the mountain in white, foggy deluges, the sound of rushing water filling the otherwise quiet area.

Carrying Rebel over towards the pool, Maverick peered up through the gap in the tall trees and grinned when his eyes saw what he had been seeking. Above their heads, a perfectly clear sky glistened and dazzled with millions of stars and galaxies, uninhibited by any light or clouds. Amidst the twinkling jewels, bands of rippling, glowing lights danced through the air, lighting up the sky and the world below along with brilliant silver moonlight. "Rebel, look up!" Mav exclaimed, pointing with a navy paw up to the auroras swimming and swirling in the night sky. This had been what he had hoped to show his daughter, and boy, was nature providing a hell of a show tonight!

WC: 566
Total: 566 / 1500

"Maverick"

Rebel sat at the top of her father's shoulders with her forelegs wrapped around his neck, her head perched on top of his so she could see everything around them from the perspective of her very tall dad. She could see so much more from up here than she could ever see from the ground at her height so even just this trip alone was super fun and they hadn't even gotten to wherever her dad had decided to take her yet! When she had begged him to take her somewhere exciting there had been no particular idea in mind. She just wanted to go and get out and see some new things which he had definitely given her. They passed by a big dip in the ground with huge rocks all over the place, walked along a loooong gorge, saw some pretty willow trees, and now she heard a loud waterfall in the distance. She had never seen a waterfall before, but the sound was pretty similar to the way the waves sounded but constant and even louder than that. The further they went the colder it got, but she was plenty warm snuggled up into her dad's fur so she didn't mind! She looked around with wide eyes and an excited grin on her lips, taking it all in as they went.

When her dad declared that they were almost there she grinned even wider, wiggling a little on his back with excitement while her tail whipped back and forth. "Yeah!!" she agreed enthusiastically when he asked if she was ready to see the special place he was taking her. The trip itself had felt special on its own so she couldn't imagine what would be the finale of it all! She had to shuffle down his back a little bit to get a better hold around his neck while he climbed up the mountains, obscuring her view a bit, but with how rough all the terrain was it was probably better she do that than slip off. The sound of the rushing, crashing water got louder and louder as they got closer to their destination and she could hardly contain herself and it was hard to resist stretching her head up to see where they were going. She didn't miss much though since it wasn't long before they reached a more level spot and she was able to inch her way back up, gasping softly at the tall, tall waterfall in front of them and the clouded pool at the bottom. "Oooooo..." she whispered with awe as she took in the impossibly tall cliff side and the sheer amount of water that was rushing toward them from up above.

That apparently wasn't even the best part of this spot though because just as she was about to say how cool it was he told her to look up. She blinked with confusion as she asked, "Up? How much more up could there-" her words cut off as she did as he said and tipped her head even further back, looking up at the sky through the gap in the pine branches above them. As soon as her sunset gaze landed on the bright bands of color dancing across the night time sky she gasped even louder than she had at the waterfall, almost toppling backwards as she bounced gently on her dad's back out of pure excitement. "Woah!! What's what! It's so pretty!! Dad, what's that?! Look at all the colors!" Her tail was a blur, sometimes hitting his back in the process, but her eyes were glued on the long bands of waving, shifting colors above them.

WC: 611
Total: 1177 / 1500

"Rebel Klein"

The excitement in his little girl was palpable as the dire wolf sire carried her up to the end of the crystal clear plunge pool and impressive waterfall. But if she had been impressed by the beauty of the woods and mountains, it was nothing compared to the excitement she gushed when he pointed her attention skyward. Maverick heard her gasp while they gazed up at the Northern Lights, felt her hyperactive tail whipping against his back, and laughed aloud when a flurry of questions and exclamations poured from her mouth at a mile a minute. "Those are the Northern Lights, Rebbie," he explained while lowering his body to the mossy ground, letting Rebel hop off so she could better explore the new territory around her. "I don't exactly know what causes them, but I know they only exist up here in northern Boreas, and they only appear at night." Rebel exclaimed how pretty and bright the colors were and Maverick laughed again, a huge, fatherly grin spreading across his muzzle as his gaze shifted from sky to pup and back again. "Yep! Every color of the rainbow! They appear year round, but they're especially bright and clear in the winter. I think the cold has something to do with it, but honestly, your mother is smarter about that kind of stuff than I am." Maverick was not a dumb wolf by any standard, but he definitely did not have the scientific know-how to explain to his inquisitive child how things like aurora borealis worked.

With a stretch and a groan, the dire wolf rolled his body over so he was now lying on his back, belly up and gazing up at the stars and auroras. From this position, he did not have to crane his neck to see the celestial spectacle above his head. He could simply lie back with his daughter and watch the show until she began to tire. "Do you like them, Rebbie?" asked Mav after a few moments, turning his gaze down to his small pup at his side. "This is one of the most special places I saw when I was a traveler. I thought you might like to see it too. It can be our secret place to go to, and we can bring whoever we want when we want to show them this magical place too." Sure, they were likely not the only wolves in existence who knew the Waterfall Peak existed, but it was so out of the way for most that he had never encountered another soul around here in any of his trips past this place. He had meant to bring Venom here for a romantic night at some point, but life had gotten so hectic in the past few seasons, he simply hadn't had the opportunity. Maybe in the near future he could fix that. But now Rebel would have her own little secret place she could take her friends or boyfriends to when she got older—assuming Mav didn't have to bury any chavs for looking sideways at his daughter.

WC: 512
Total: 1689 / 1500

"Maverick"

Despite her enthusiastic excitement, Rebel did actually pay close attention while her dad explained what he knew about these things called Northern Lights. They were so cool and she wanted to know all about them! When he lowered to the ground, she hopped off, but her magenta gaze never left the sky, watching the lights move and shift with absolute awe. This whole day had been so cool and fun, but this was like the best thing ever! She only looked away from the sky when her dad rolled onto his back and she quickly did the same, flopping down onto the mossy ground beside him so that her side was right up against his, her eyes wide with wonder as she looked up at the big sky above them from this new angle.

When he asked if she liked them, she nodded enthusiastically, tipping her head to look at him with a huge grin. "They're so pretty and awesome and cool!" she gushed, absolutely smitten with the lights and her dad that had brought her all this way to show them to her. As he told her about how this was going to be their special secret place now and how they could bring whoever they wanted to hear now she smiled happily, nodding in agreement and nuzzling into his side. "Okay, dad!" She snuggled into him as she looked back up at the sky, taking in the last of the lights as her burst of energy began to fizzle out as puppies tended to do, her eye lids starting to get heavy as she got comfy beside him. "Thanks for bringing me here, dad. I love you." She peeked up at him one more time with a grin before leaning her head into him and eventually drifting off to sleep while watching the last of the Northern Lights dancing through the sky.

"Rebel Klein"

Maverick lived to see the wonder of his children as they beheld the world around them in all its splendor and mystery. Getting to watch Rebel as she took in the light show of nature above their heads in absolute astonishment was both the cutest and funniest thing he had seen! When the dire-sized sire settled into the grass and felt his little pup nestle in at his side, he was quick to stretch a foreleg out to wrap around her and hold her close, letting her snuggle up to his side for warmth while they continued to watch the Northern Lights ripple and dance in the heavens above. Rebel gushed about how amazing they were and brought a rumbling laugh from Maverick, who could only grin and nod his head assent. "Yeah, they're really something special. Just like you, little adventurer!" he replied while letting his toes wiggle across her side in playful little tickles.

The longer they laid there watching the auroras, the more Maverick began to notice Rebel's waning energy. She was a young puppy still, after all, and their energy came in spurts. It seemed like her second wind was coming to an end soon, and as she yawned and nuzzled his side, the words she said just before drifting off melted Maverick's heart like a snowball on a summer's day. He glanced back down to meet his daughter's amethyst eyes with a loving smile of his own, squeezing her in a gentle hug against his side. "I was happy to, Bel. I love you too, so very, very much." Once the only sound the sire could hear was the gentle snores of his child, Maverick began to slowly move so as not to disturb the sleeping pup, rising to his paws and scooping her up to set her on his back so he could carry her back home, his heart gushing with love for this sweet little girl every step of the way.

"Maverick"