The Alpha of Mountains

[Anvil]

Lyall watched Tumainii for only a few minutes. That other wolf looked so young her eyes. Then, she looked away from the younger wolf and focused on their surroundings. The mountains were beautiful. They were almost near the top and she knew that there was a cave at the top. Lyall did not know whether or not there was another wolf or some other animal. Either way, she was determined to reach there. Still, the further they got, the less air there would be to breathe. She did not want to put either female's life in danger. She decided that she would ask Tumainii once she woke up.
Lyall was surrounded by a fresh scent. She breathed it in deeply. Flowers sprout here and there, but they were wilting away slowly. It had been so long since she saw fresh flowers and she would ever see them again. Surely, she would, so she was not too worried about it. Lyall had a feeling that no danger could come across the two wolves, but she had promised that she would keep watch. She did not mind staying awake, though. She rather enjoyed sitting by herself. More importantly, she enjoyed watching over someone. She had not had a pack in a long time since the others had died, but she knew that it was not her fault and she could not have done anything about it.

[Tumainii]

Nightmare after nightmare swarmed in Tumainii's mind like angry bees. Her paws twitched and she growled deeply, her mind constantly reminded her that she was alone in the world and continually showed her friends, family, lover, leaving her in the darkness. She cried out for them and begged, pleaded for them not to go. But no matter how fast she ran in her own personal hell they were always faster.

She was in complete darkness, and overcome with the fear she curled in a ball hiding her eyes in her paws. The scent of moisture hit her and she lifted her head to see fog all around"It's your fault you know." came a deep voice. She snapped her head around to see a black wolf with bright blue, almost ice like eyes. Terry. Her mate.
"N-no..." But he only smiled at her showing off every white tooth "Oh yes, it's your fault I left you. All alone now. You weren't good enough." He growled stepping closer and circling her. She bared her own teeth but her voice still faltered "N-no! I-I didn't...I just...I did everythi-"
"Everything?" the black wolf cut off laughing deeply, laughing soon turned into cackling, the laugh of a hyena his eyes glowing "Your everything wasn't enough. It's your fault." Her claws dug into the dark nothingness while he laughed at her, she couldn't say anything else he suddenly turned and left but for some reason this jolted her away.

Her eyes shot open to see her claw marks in the dirt, the sky was lightly colored with pinks and pastel blues, morning. The sun was just about to come up over the mountains. Her muscles, like always, were stiff as she first woke up and looked to her new friend.
"Did you sleep well?" she asked stretching out each muscle carefully wincing every now and then while hearing a faint crack of her joints.

[Anvil]

Lyall looked up at Tumainii to notice that she was awake. "Yes, I did, thank you," she said, with a smile on her face. "How about you?" She paused for a moment, and then frowned. "You didn't seem like you slept very well. You kept tossing and turning. Your claws scratched the ground. Did you have a nightmare?"

[Tumainii]

She looked back down at the deep groves her own claws made in the hard mountain dirt "Oh, ya, just a bad dream is all." she brushed it aside, after all nightmares were common for her and although they scared her it was something that was normal now. She let out a yawn stretching her lips over her teeth before shaking her fur out to try and calm down the wild sprigs from her tossing.
"Well then, I saw we head out while it's still early. You lead, I haven't a clue where we are going."

[Anvil]

Lyall smiled when Tumainii told her to lead. She still was not sure if the younger wolf would be okay with going to the cave. "Well, there's a cave at the top of the mountains. Obviously, it will be much harder to breathe up there. Still, I've heard that there is a hidden passageway in the back of the cave. I can't be for sure, but it could possibly be true. Are you up for going there?" Lyall asked with a smile.

[Tumainii]

'She wants to go to a cave?' She questioned to herself, 'shouldn't Paradise be in an open field or even maybe a forest.' She looked up at the top of the mountain with calculating eyes, she had heard of this cave and even some rebellious teenagers in her pack liked to hike it for the thrills. They would always be in big trouble though since from her old territory to up there wasn't exactly a hour away but it was a good spot and challenge for the wolves of her pack and since it was only the next mountain over, it was in a good location too. But at least Lyall and her were more then half way there, it shouldn't take to long so long as they moved fast.
"That's fine." she commented simply and started up the way. Tumainii was comfortable with just about any altitude the land could provide so it shouldn't be a problem, but she still had no idea if Lyall could take it. But if not Tumainii had also stored away a few altitude sickness remedies in the back of her mind. She had been taught them as a kid, and really had never used them except on traveling wolves who were not use to real mountains.

[Anvil]

Lyall smiled at Tumainii. "That's good. So, I'm going to be completely honest with you. I'm not the mountains kind of type. By that, I mean, I'm not good with the altitude thing. I'm fine with the rough land, but I haven't much experience with getting so high. The times that I have tried going high, I was never able to get to the top because I couldn't breathe very well. But I think it'll be fine. We'll just have to see." Lyall started up the mountains. She didn't want to bother Tumainii with her problems. After all, she was the one who asked her to go all the way up there. But she decided to move on instead. Lyall did not intend on embarrassing herself in front of a younger wolf.

[Tumainii]

'Ah, well there was her answer.' Tumainii thought. Not a mountain wolf, Preferring to stay in the low altitude, closer to flat ground.
"Don't worry about it, just tell me if you start to feel sick, or dizzy and we will stop for a second for you to acclimate." She assured softly, she didn't want to make her feel useless or like dead weight because she wasn't. Not everyone could climb a mountain and that was a fact that no wolf could get past. It wouldn't be fair of her to judge Lyall just for not being able to do something.
"And if it gets to bad, I know some quick remedies. Just remember slow deep breaths."
She hadn't climbed a mountain in a few months and it reminded her of home. She smiled a little as the trail got steeper and steeper, eventually turning into lose rock. She carefully placed each large paw down to not make it slide while her tail switched from side to side for balance.

[Anvil]

Lyall smiled at the wolf. "Thanks, but maybe it won't get too bad," she said as she walked carefully around the various sized rocks. "But I'll tell you if I feel bad. I may be a good leader and strong wolf, but I'm not stupid enough to not tell someone if I'm at risk." She continued walking slowly. It was only getting slightly harder to breathe, but not bad enough to where she felt dizzy. "So, you're used to the mountains?" she asked, trying to keep her mind off the altitude.

[Tumainii]

Tumainii flicked her amethyst colored eyes at her before looking back at the ground to concentrate.
"Yes, born and raised. I guess you could say I know this area pretty well. Over to the west of us, is the mountain where my former pack lives." she repeated, she knew she had said this before but shrugged it off as forgotten knowledge. She wasn't to sure why she was so close to home this times around in her travels, perhaps subconsciously she was home sick.
"And you?"

[Anvil]

Lyall shrugged. "Like I said, I'm not really into mountains. I have tried to walk up mountains many times before. Each time, I tried to get higher and higher. Of course, it was not these mountains. My pack traveled a lot. One time, we lived near mountains. I would try to go up them all the time. It was always my goal to go up to the top. When I was off on my own, I decided to never go up any more mountains because every time I tried, I would be sick, I guess you could say. So, it's been a while since I've been up mountains. But one day, not too long from today, I saw these mountains and I could sense the lunar flowers. I knew that I had to get up here. But the closer we get to the top, the less flowers I see and the flowers that we do see are wilting away. Of course, that's because of the little air up here. It's strange, though. You would think that if the flowers are dying here, there aren't any up there. Still, I have this feeling that there's a back passageway where Paradise might be. I don't really think that once we go through there, we'll find Paradise. I think we'll have to go through different lands first. It may sound strange, but I can still sense that it's near." She looked at Tumainii to see her reaction.

[Tumainii]

Tumainii glanced up at the top of the mountain before looking forward and easily jumping over a small riff in the mountain side.
"Well," she sighed out as her paws skidded a little on the landing "You are right about the flowers dying the higher up we go. Eventually we will reach something we called the tree line. And then after that it's usually just grass that can survive. But sometimes I see small flowers, usually yellow, I don't know what color lunar flowers are, but I don't see it as impossible for them to be there." She assured. In some small way she wanted to give Lyall some hope of this magical land, even if she didn't believe in it that didn't mean she had to bash someone elses dreams. But she didn't want to get to carried away with it either, while she wanted to encourage the journey she also didn't want to get her hopes to high up there, then again they might already be.

[Anvil]

Lyall smiled at Tumainii. "We'll just have to see. For all we know, Paradise might not be up there, but if even if it isn't, we can still search other places. I'm willing to search as long as I can to find it. I know I'll get there someday. And if you stay with me long enough, you will, too." Lyall too jumped over the riff and continued walking with the wolf. "Yes, I don't like the flowers dying up here. I wouldn't think that to happen, but I guess it's supposed to be that way. But I'm not really sure."

[Tumainii]

Tumainii looked down at the wilting flowers "Yes, it is just meant to be. As you said not enough oxygen and," to prove her point she scratched the mountain dirt once "the soil is to hard, it's difficult for the flowers to spread their roots." She continued at a slow pace making sure to watch each step carefully.
The rocks became bigger and the face of the mountain steeper until they reached a cliff face with a narrow path around it, She 'tsked' flicking her tail in annoyance "We will just have to follow the narrow path and hope the other side of the mountain is climbable." Other wolves had gotten to the top before and they could do it to.
The path was obviously worn but still uneven and lose in some areas. Tumainii started, placing each paw directly in front of the other while placing her side on the mountain wall.

[Anvil]

Lyall too walked slowly. "Maybe there's still a chance that there's something awaiting us at the top. I sure hope so. I wouldn't want to bring you somewhere where there's nothing for us to see. Either way, I think we can make it there and find something valuable." She paused for a moment. "Tumainii, I know it might be hard to believe that Paradise is somewhere here, but I have faith that it's here. I'm really sure that we will find it. I would hate to be wrong, though." Lyall continued walking carefully, hoping not to fall.