She stands before the mess of tangled thorns with wide eyes. Having scrambled up the steep slope of the fjord in hopes for a short cut toward the east, she was not expecting what she saw. How had she never seen this place before? Rising far taller than herself and with no obvious opening to slip through, Gem wanders left and then right. Her nose lowers toward the ground, scenting for something to clue her in on where to go. Going around would take far too long, but risking injury in the tangles of thorns wasn't a brilliant idea either. "Shoot," she whispers under her breath as she turns to her companion, Hematite. "Hem, we really gotta go around, don't we?" Her voice is downtrodden as her mastiff gives her a stiff nod and roll of his eyes. It wasn't like he had warned her of the potential blockade or anything before they had wasted energy climbing the treacherous fjord wall. Gem Klein

Uruk was also assessing the tangled thorns as the young wolf crested her slope. His heavy hooves announced his presence before anything else as he turned to look at the wolf and her mastiff companion. Those hooves would thud against the ground as he approached her and the daunting tangle of briars.

Ghostly white eyes focused on the thorns with a sneer, his glowing white eyes flickering with impatience. "You want to go around?" His deep voice was laced with disdain, his rhino horn gleaming dangerously as he lowered his head and let his mane slide over his neck.

"There is no time for that. Follow me, if you are brave," Without waiting for a response, he charged forward with his horn held low, tossing the tangles up violently and ripping them out of their home. It took some work, but soon there was a narrow path through the thorns carved out of brute force. Blood beads on his gray hide, but he paid it no mind.

[ 1/3 Explored a new land (Gambit Briar) ]
[ 1/3 Crossed difficult terrain (Gambit Briar) ]

"Speech"

CODE BY SIN

The thud of hooves tremble the ground beneath her. Gem is quick to look over, Hem's fur bristling along his spine at the appearance of the massive horse. She presses her shoulder against her companion, quelling his protectiveness for now. Even if the equine is terrifying, Gem would not back down so quickly. Not until they knew the intention of the stranger. As the stallion approaches, his commanding tone breaking the silence, Gem looks up and nods slowly. Where else were they to go? The briar patch was much too thick to go through it. Even for a wolf as small as she was, it would still be difficult to navigate without adorning injuries by the time she reached the other side. Watching closely, her heart picking up in pace, she nearly yelps when he turns to the thorns. If you are brave... There is only a beat of silence before the sound of roots ripping forcibly from the ground send her reeling backward. The beastly horse was just smashing his way through! Blood already staining his silvery storm coat! Her heartrate picks up even faster as her heterochromatic eyes search for a different way. But all she could see was thorns and more thorns. Birds that scattered into the sky from their nesting area even troubled to escape the sudden outburst. Glancing at Hem who still bristled beside her, she knew it was now or never. If they didn't want to go around the briars, they would need to follow the horse. Without a word, Gem slinks close behind the male. Keeping out of the way of his plate sized hooves and dodging the debris that flies from his calculated movements, Gem is terrified but also thankful that someone has come to help them. "I-If we head northeast, there should be a path down to the black sand beach," she calls out hesitantly to the horse, hoping he believes her direction. Gem Klein

Blood trickled down his snout, tickling his nostrils and making him snort; that was about the most attention he paid to his pain as he continued, barely acknowledging the wolf and her companion trailing behind him. The thorns tear at his hide, but it only fuels his determination. His pace doesn't falter, each strike of his hooves and his horn sending debris flying, clearing the way with relentlessness. Her words about the path to the black sand beach caught his ear and he paused, his glowing eyes narrowing as he twisted his thick neck and glanced back to her.

"Northeast, you say?" His voice was a low rumble, filled with skepticism. He thought about it first before saying anything, turning back to the briars and smashing through another thick patch with a grunt of exertion. "I'll humor you, little wolf." He veers slightly in the direction she indicated, keeping his pace brutal and unforgiving to the land.

[ 2/3 Explored a new land (Gambit Briar) ]
[ 2/3 Crossed difficult terrain (Gambit Briar) ]

"Speech"

CODE BY SIN

The sound of birds taking flight and rodents scurrying along the vines pulls her gaze away from the trampling in front her. This briar patch was perfect for the small and unassuming. Safe from larger predators who couldn't weave their way in and out of the thorns. She wonders if she had taken the time if she could have found a small abandoned den to hide her trinkets in... But she is quickly pulled from those thoughts as the stallion stops, turning bold silver eyes to her. She nods quickly to his question, cowering slightly closer to the ground. Crossing this difficult terrain was indeed easier and faster with the horse forging an abrupt path so she didn't want to do anything to anger him. "This briar patch should not be terribly large. I've never paid it much attention in my travels until now," she comments quietly, unsure if he even heard her over the trampling of his hooves or the swinging of his head and horn. Gem Klein

Uruk's long ears flick at the wolf's quiet words, barely acknowledging her cowering form - he still had to learn the body language of the wolves. The stallion's powerful strides did not falter as he pushed forward, each swing of his horn and stomp of his hooves revealing more and more of their path. Her comment about the briar patch's size was met with a grunt as he lifted another thick set of roots, his focus unwavering on the task at hand.

"I do not worry with how large it is," he growls, smashing through another thick patch, red staining his white mane. "It will be nothing but splinters when I am done." His muscles ripple beneath his blood-streaked coat, every movement calculated and forceful.

Finally, Uruk lifted a final patch that revealed a breakthrough on the other side. The dense thorns give way to a narrow, rocky path leading down toward the black sand beach as she had promised. He snorted and tossed his head in satisfaction, his breath heavy but steady. "You weren't lying, he rumbles, glancing back at her with a bit more respect now. "This path will do nicely." Without waiting, he started down the trail, his hooves loud against the rocks that suffered his weight.

[ 3/3 Explored a new land (Gambit Briar) ]
[ 3/3 Crossed difficult terrain (Gambit Briar) ]

"Speech"

CODE BY SIN