Though the waterfall itself was visible for miles, it had taken Zaynab nearly all day to find the wide pool nestled below. Was it worth the trouble? Not likely, but it had been something to fill her day and keep her mind and body occupied so she didn’t go sniffing out trouble for herself. Of course, if trouble found her there was not much she could do, and she couldn’t say there wasn’t some part of her that hoped it would. Running from her enemies had caused her a great deal of stress, but now that they were gone, she found that life on her own was unbearably boring.

She walked carefully over the moss coated pebbles, approaching the waters edge silently, mismatched gaze sweeping the dark shadows for any other signs of life, any hint that she was not alone. The air was humid, the ground wet from recent rain, masking most of the scents she would normally be able to pick up. With the sun long since set, the shadows were deep, an undeniable chill in the air, making the assassin feel quite at home at the base of the falls.

@Raizel
"Speech"

It was dark. The moon hidden in the shadows of the night as the clouds shift in the sky above. Pink gaze glanced around as the oddly colored lioness made her way up the peak. While she wouldn't normally put herself in an area where she couldn't easily blend, she was still eager to explore. Seeing some fresh lion prints etched in the ground, they seemed to lead up to the falls. Raizel decided to follow them for a little bit. There was lightness to them. A sense of purpose behind each step that she studied. There was someone who recently came down these paths. Maybe this place was a special one.

Thinking to herself, this area would also be good to make some caches. While her time as a rogue had been a long one, she hadn't really thought of making caches to help her in the future. Finding a good spot by a group of trees, the pink lioness dug a nice, deep hole. Her pink paws turning into a grimy brown from the mud. Looking off to the side, she saw some moss covered rocks and went to go grab some. Taking one in her mouth, she brought it back to the hole and dropped it in. There was a small thump as it landed before turning to go get another one. Stepping away from the hole, Raizel looked off into the distance and saw someone but couldn't quite grasp who or what it was.


Master: Ranger
+5 Study and track footprints (1/2)
+5 Create or tend to a hidden food cache in neutral territory (1/2)

@Zaynab

table by twesh

The sound of paws scraping dirt almost escaped her notice at first. Too faint, too far off for her to give it much thought. It could just have been one of the creatures that resided near the falls, perhaps a goat or a wild pig. It wasn’t until she heard the sound of rocks being shifted that her attention was truly grasped. She looked up in time to see a figure moving in the distance, smaller than her, but certainly larger than any pig or goat she’d seen.

She stayed put at first, tuning in now to the sounds enough to hear the faint thump of what she assumed to be the rock hitting the ground. Watching the spot, she wondered who, or what, was over there. Eventually a head lifted, and though in the dark it was hard to tell, she felt a set of eyes on her and knew she had been noticed. Rising slowly, she began to move towards the figure, keeping her gait even and casual. She’d been in enough fights recently, and while she wasn’t opposed to more, she wasn’t exactly looking for one this evening. "What have you got there?" She asked once she was close enough to recognize the other creature as another lion.

@Raizel
"Speech"

The paw prints going towards the edge of the water were definitely lion. With the confirmation of the bright pink lioness studying them some more as she looked off into the distance. Raizel wondered how many trekked up into this area and since it was a peaceful place, she wouldn't be surprised if a lot came up here to think. As she went to gather another moss covered rock from the water's edge, there were tracks of deer who once came here for a cool drink. Interesting as it was an open area. Picking up the rock, Raz could taste the moss against her tongue and flicked her ears in distaste.

Heading back to the hole that she dug, she dropped the rock with a clunk as it landed on top of the other one. Hearing the sound of someone's voice, Raizel turned to surprisingly see another lioness that was pink! Although, she was quite toned down to a dull pink versus her own bright pink pelt. This stranger also had two different colored eyes, a pink and a blue while Raz only had dull pink eyes. They both looked so similar yet so different in the same strokes. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she fully turned to face the stranger. "I'm making a cache. Can't have too many hide-y holes for storing food and medicines." Smiling lightly, she actually quite liked making her caches.

Master: Ranger
+5 Study and track footprints (2/2)
+5 Create or tend to a hidden food cache in neutral territory (2/2)

@Zaynab

table by twesh

The smaller lioness looked her over, and Zaynab took the opportunity to do the same. Both pink and spotted, they could have been sisters. The assassin knew nothing of her family, having been taken from them when she was barely weaned, but despite that, she wasn’t naïve enough to think there was any legitimate possibility of blood relation between the two, yet she couldn’t shake the thought that wormed into her mind any time she saw a resemblance in some stranger. An annoying reminder that despite what she told herself, she wasn’t exactly over her own traumas.

An ear twitched as the woman spoke again, surprised that the rouge would be so open with that information. Zaynab wasn’t a thief for the most part, finding herself more than capable of getting her own supplies, but she also wasn’t so proud that she wouldn’t take full advantage of the knowledge if she was ever in need. She took note of the spot, figuring that if she ever found herself in a position where she couldn’t get a meal for herself, knowing where this particular hidey hole was couldn’t be a bad thing. "You’re not worried about others taking from them?" A brow lifted, curious what the woman’s thoughts were about that. There was a benefit to having hidden caches, but in neutral lands there was no guarantee that others wouldn’t stumble upon them.

@Raizel
"Speech"

Unlike the pink stranger in front of her, Raizel knew who her family was but she looking nothing like them. The pink hued felines who were born in Gaia were ones who usually sought to become soul searchers and she had preferred to become a Ranger instead. Despite her bright pink colored pelt, she thrived at the challenge and often covered herself in mud to help disguise her look and scent. As each lioness thought their own thoughts, Raizel wondered if pink was a common color here. As the Ranger spoke of her new hidden hole for the cache that she was making, @Zaynab made a comment about her being worried about someone else finding it. "Well, that's kind of the point. Growing up in Gaia, each Clan had members who took Journeys. Often visiting other Clans and learning new arts from them. I was taught that caches made in neutral territories were done to help those on their Journeys be able to find food and medicine." It took her own time and energy to make the caches and fill them but she was taught it was a way to honor the Great Mother.

table by twesh