There's Danger in Them Hills

The earth-toned wolf drew in a deep breath of cool, fresh air, fragrant with the familiar note of pine trees that grew along the base of the impressive peaks of the Fenrir mountain range. Milo gazed out across the rocky terrain with sparkling deep teal eyes, reminiscing of his time that he had spent in these lands that felt both so long ago and yet also like it had just been yesterday. Boreas had not changed much in his year spent adrift out in the wild world. Some new packs had formed, some packs had changed, but the land itself remained timeless. That was one of the many things he had learned on his ventures out through the numerous ruins and fallen civilizations of the Lost Species—no matter how much life changed, the world stayed the same. The earth was timeless, whereas they were not; leaves cast adrift in a river and helpless to fight the current or do anything but move along with its flow.He wasn't exactly the green young wanderer he had once been when he had last been in these lands. Milo was a more seasoned adventurer, a veteran explorer. His life goals had changed and his motivations had gained a new priority. He still loved his travel, but now he longed for somewhere he could call home. A constant in the maelstrom of variables and uncertainties. He desired stability.

Crossing across a ledge of craggy terrain, Milo gazed down at the forest around him. He was traveling to the northeast, up toward a pack he had heard was looking desperately for educators to pass on their knowledge to the wolves of Ardent. If there was one thing that called to him, it was a lust for the pursuit of knowledge! With all his artifacts he had collected over the years and his theories and theses on the Lost Species, perhaps he could offer his ever expanding knowledge to the pack to help inspire future thirsty minds to find a passion in anthropology and archaeology like he had! Well, he could try, at least. Rumor had it the school had only just recently been established, so he hoped that meant there would still be open slots on the faculty roster for someone like himself. All he had to do was make a good impression, show what he could do and what he knew, and not act like a blabbermouth neurotic fool. Easy!

As he walked, Milo's thoughts were abruptly cut short when he felt the ground shifting beneath him. With a gasp, the brute was quick to pull back and reassess his situation. A patch of soft earth he'd stepped on had begun to shift underfoot, wet and sludgy from what felt like too much rain. That was when Milo noticed the sound of gentle rumbling around him. The entire earth was slowly roiling, sliding like molasses down the slope of the mountains. Dark realization gripped his mind; a mudslide had occurred here recently and the ground hadn't finished settling yet. Pursing his lips, Milo looked around for a means to traverse the ground safely. This was too much work for one wolf to prevent it, but if he could make a bridge of sorts until the ground had settled, leveled, and hardened, then perhaps he could prevent anyone else from getting hurt. A glance back the way he came gave him all the answer he needed. A dead pine tree had toppled over, lying along the ridge as it dried out in the hot summer sun. Milo's eyes lit up. The bark would make a perfect means of walking above the mud!

Milo hurried back over to the tree and rummaged through his bag of artifacts, looking for something that he could use to help him. He found an old knife which he used to carve off long chunks of the solid bark from the rotting trunk, then carried them over to the mud and laid them out over the mushy ground. He had to test to make sure his theory would work first, and with a deep breath for courage and a prayer to whatever gods still looked out for him, Milo stepped onto the bark. It held steady above the mud, sinking just a fraction of an inch under his weight. Perfect! Milo raced back and forth between the mudslide and the pine tree, stripping the trunk bare and using the hardy bark to build a makeshift bridge across to the other side of the ridge. It took time, but at least he knew he'd made a temporary solution for himself and anyone else traveling this way until the mud had dried into dirt. Once he had enough pieces of bark laid out, Milo pranced across his little makeshift bridge, hopping off safe and sound on the other side. With one last parting glance to his ingenuity, Milo gave a little salute with a paw to his temple and then set off in search of the Abaven Academy once more.

WC: 836