While summer still embraced the north Lynvarr had decided to investigate the strange island he'd seen on his travels southward. He knew the water would be cold, summer or no summer but if he was going to do this then now was the time. He climbed out of the water, shaking first one foot and then the other before giving his whole body one mighty shake, sending water flying everywhere.

Lynvarr eyed the rocky cliffs that stretched up high above him. Getting to the top would be a difficult to climb but he had gone this far. There had to be more to this island than the strange cliffs that seemed to ring it in. Taking a deep breath Lynvarr started to climb, pausing for a moment to find the best way up while keeping himself out of the wind as much as possible. When he found a flatter area he pressed close to the mountain to take a break.

Mist shrouded the mysterious island and cast a haze about the sky. Lynvarr peered up at the sky, checking for any signs of inclement weather. He planned to keep a weather eye out since that last thing he wanted was to be stuck on this strange island when a storm hit and as far as he could tell there wasn't much shelter on the island. Thankfully, as far as he could tell the sky was still clear and sunny.

Sparrow was keen on finding a few good hideouts for the pirate band. She started by looking at only the MOST piratey of places- islands. Pros: Islands were hard to get to and difficult to get enough food to supply a pack on. Cons: Islands were hard to get to and difficult to get enough food to supply a pack on.

Sparrow pulled herself ashore and gave herself a hearty shake to disperse any water that might try to cling to her coat. The whole island was cast in a dense mist that made it hard to tell what time of day it was. The humidity in the air was palpable and Sparrow assumed that no matter how long she stayed here, her coat would never fully dry. She could see herself getting sick, damp for as long as her days were short as her lungs filled to the brim with the fine water droplets, unable to get enough oxygen to sustain her.

Yeah- no there were better islands.

Sparrow would have turned around and left there if she had not seen a figure clinging closely to the side of the rocky ridge that loomed ahead. Sparrow's curiosity got the better of her and she ran up until she could make out that the figure was a wolf. Not wanting to step on any toes, Sparrow hustled to climb a little ways up, then called out, "Hey! Uh, are you stuck? Do you need help?"

The weather was good at least, windy but decent enough. However, the climb was anything but. As Lynvarr rested there a young woman called out to him. He glanced over to her and shook his head. "No, I'm good. Just taking a rest. This is one hell of a climb." He stood and stretched, prepared to continue, climbing over towards the woman then angling his path upward once more. "Name's Lynvarr. Are you out exploring to?"

Lyn worked his way higher, being careful where he put his paws. The last thing he needed was to tumble all the way down to the bottom. At last he'd reached the top and peered down into a vast hole. The heart of the island lay cloaked in a rich green forest. Lyn whistled. "Can't say I was expecting this but its nice to see something other than more mountains."

The other wolf said he was not, in fact stuck, but that he was resting. Sparrow didn't understand until she also tried to ascend the slopes. The wind ruffled her fur and threatened to sway her the higher up she got. Lynvarr came towards her and she was able to meet his path as he ascended higher. He asked if she was also exploring and she nodded slowly, focusing on her footing. "I'm looking for a good place to put a band or a pack someday. I'm Sparrow Imperialis- part of all those and also the Destructions, if that's important."

Sparrow had no connection to the Destructions really, but she was fine being up front with her lineage. Often it sparked conversation, and if it didn't, then that was a blank slate for her. "What's your prerogative? Explorer? Death wish?" She laughed lightly to show she was simply joking.

As the two climbed higher, Sparrow felt the soreness in her paws. She wasn't entirely used to much other than the plush grasses of the Knolls and Range and she was feeling it now. At the top, however, led to a steep slope which flowed into a vast forest. He said he didn't expect to see that and Sparrow was- for a brief moment- speechless. When she finally could think again, she peered at the older man, "Uh yeah- me neither... Wanna go down?"

Lynvarr slowed his pace and glanced back as she mentioned she was looking for a place to start a pack or band. "Wow, that's ambitious. Are you checking out all possibilities or looking at islands in particular?" Not that he had much advice to offer. This was the first island he'd gotten up the courage to go out and explore though he knew of the existence of others thanks to his conversations with other explorers.

"Nice to meet you Sparrow. I'm new to Boreas. I can't say I'm familiar with either of those families." He supposed if they were a big deal here he ought to commit the names to memory. "Explorer on good days, death wish on bad ones," he chuckled.

Lynvarr eyed the path down. It was a steep climb up and it was going to be a steep climb down but they'd gone this far. "Yea, I'd hate to have gone this far just to turn back around."

He worked his way slowly down the mountainous path and into the forest below. Mist clung to the ground and snaked its way around the trees. Most of what he saw were various pine trees. There seemed to be birds and squirrels but he had yet to see any signs of larger prey. The temperature inside the island seemed warmer but he had a feeling it was because the mountains blocked much of the wind.

The man seemed impressed and Sparrow felt a little bit of pride swell in her chest. He asked if she was to look at all the lands or just the islands. Sparrow thought on it for a minute as she worked her paws over the rocky surfaces. "Hmm... I guess all of them. I grew up in a pack, so there's a lot I need to see, but some I can explore with my band probably."

He said he was new to Boreas and Sparrow found her interest piqued. Her father had lived outside of Boreas for a time, but with so much to explore here, she wondered how anyone found the time to go to another land. Lynvarr also mentioned he was and adventurer on good days and a death wish on bad ones. Sparrow found herself chuckling along with him, "Please tell me today's a good one, then," she mock-begged.

He agreed with her and the two made their way down the steep and winding path over the ridge. "So how was the great Beyone Boreas?" she asked lightly, something easy to talk about for the trip down as her eyes struggled to take in the vast change in scenery.

The towering pine trees colored nearly blue in the distance with the heavy humidity that clung to them. Sparrow figured the lack of underbrush had to be due to this area getting little sunlight except for when the sun was directly overhead. It was almost like a little sanctuary, although it was still entirely too wet for Sparrow to want to stay here long term. The pine straw felt slick underfoot and Sparrow was careful not to misstep. Every now and then there were old, fallen branches taken over by fungi and mushrooms. The dark and damp ground provided a perfect place for them to grow and Sparrow could only imagine what uses those fungi might have.

Lynvarr chuckled. "Well, so far everything is going well. Let me know if you smell any bears." It was a joke, he didn't really think there were any bears or large predators on this island. There did seem to be a rather irate squirrel though. It's bushy tail was whipping back and forth angrily as it chatted and scolded the wolves. Lyn didn't know what it was saying and he was happy not knowing.

"Well, where I was from it was cold and barren in the winter but full of lovely grasses in the spring and summer. Can't say we had much in the way of trees. Plenty of rocks though." He worked through the forest, noting that most of the trees seemed to be of a similar species but there were a few odd ones here or there. Probably some had been seeded from birds flying over and others from the older trees. Lynvarr wondered if any of the trees were truly natives here or the passengers of bird crap. He slowed his pace and eyed the position of the sun. "I should probably get ready to head back. That steep climb will take some time."

Lynvarr joked that their might be bears. Sparrow had never imagined a bear on an island, but she guessed it was possible. Bears ate berries and stuff, right? And there were.... well... some of the plants looked like they might produce berries if they tried hard enough. The trees steeples overhead, many larger than what she had seen at home, but they didn't totally block out the light- the fog seemed to have an easy enough time doing that.

With the explination of the lands from which he came, Sparrow found herself less drawn to the great beyond. Grass and rocks... huh. Well, she'd take her chances on the island over freezing to death any day. As the day grew long, Sparrow's companion mentioned he was going to head back. Was it getting late already? Sparrow had been having fun and didn't notice. "I might stay the night here, set out fresh in the morning- just to see if I find any cool secrets," she said. "But uhh, let me know if you ever feel like joining a band or going raiding sometime. I'm usually around the southern Boreas area. If you find a bunch of fruit trees- I'm probably nearby!"