Likara

The sun peaks through gaps in the ashen clouds as Likara zigzags across the rocky terrain. The agile leopard leads Starbane along the path that winds up the mountainside, the she-cat breathlessly muscling her way towards the peak. The closer they get to the summit, the slower and more cautious the pace becomes. "We're almost there," Likara promises Starbane, blue eyes hoisted to the top of the mountain. It's a bit of a trek from the lake, and Likara won't admit that her lungs are beginning to burn from their run. She tosses an encouraging smile to her companion, tail lashing with delight.

Starbane

Likara's graceful leaps and bounds were contrasted by the bulldozing stride of Starbane as he powered through snowdrifts and reached with giant paws to pull himself up steep embankments rather than coil and spring for them. His breath came in thick clouds against the cold air, growing a little heavier as their trek became more vertical. Regardless, the big hybrid grinned when she assured him they weer almost there, and returned an eager nod, "I think I can almost taste the clouds up here. Phhew, not gonna lie though... I bet I'll be feeling this tomorrow." The big cat, whose pale pelage actually matched the high peaks better than the forests below, had his gaze set for the windswept rocks high above them.

Likara

The nimble she-cat scrambles up an embankment, faltering slightly as a stone gives way under her weight. She quickly regathers her balance, propelling forward several bounds before twisting to face Starbane. The leopard's tail lashes with blissful excitement, her lungs invigorated by the thin, chilly air. "A few more paces. Shall you have the honors of being the first to the top?" Likara invites, pale blue eyes gleaming. She'd been to the peaks a dozen times now, and Likara now anticipated the breathless delight of her new companion and his first view of the Valley from the highest point. "This'll be the only time I'll let you win if race again," she announces with a sly smirk.

Starbane

'She's good.' Starbane notes to himself as Likara expertly shifts her weight on deft, knowing paws and avoids cascading down the side of the mountain alongside the loose rock. An aud tilts back, listening to the scree tumble and clang as it descends down the mountain. He briefly muses if he'd have been so quick to react, but that scenario fades from his thoughts when he finds the leopard's eyes peering back at him. A grin highlights his face, broad enough this time to show off his goofy, slightly misaligned teeth, "And miss bragging rights with my friends?"

Starbane ignores the burning in his own, unacclimated lungs as he takes the opportunity to push himself up that last few yards. Claws are unsheathed to grasp at anything they can as he fights gravity and passes by a patiently waiting Likara, until finally he crests the top and finds himself standing on a large, snow-encrusted flank of rock. Starbane stands panting for a moment before curiosity has him roving across the mostly level surface, eyes darting over the edge this way and that. "Wow." He breaths, "This must be what Stacey and Cedar see, but like, everyday."

Likara

With petite steps, Likara follows the enthusiastic liger to the peak of the mountaintop. The air up here is crisp against the leopard's lungs. She takes an adorning moment to appreciate the curve of the Valley below them, eyes sweeping across acres of forestry and the openness of the prairie beyond. She smirks, blinking at Starbane. "It's quite the marvel, huh?" Likara muses with a little purr.

A soft wind buffets at the cats. Likara leans back on her haunches quietly, still admiring the sweeping land below them. "Who are Stacey and Cedar?" Likara questions, wondering what creatures were gifted with the ability to see a scene like this on the daily.

Starbane

Starbane nods a little distractedly, still drinking up the sights that lay around him. 'There's the Prairie! And oh, that must be the Scar, and...' From the stretch of mostly treeless expanse to the north, to the blighted brown land that use to be a verdant bog, the young liger got lost in his own thoughts, and didn't quite catch Likara's first comment.

The second one reached him, to which he responded after a delayed second or two, "Huh? Oh yeah, the eagles." Star pulled his gaze away from the landscape to look back at the neatly perched Likara, "Errm, Tracey not Stacey - that was our leader's old name." He shook his head, as if to correct this mixup in his brain. "They're giant eagles, and they scout for us - I never really thought what it might be like to fly, but up here... I can't help but think this is what they experience everyday."

Likara

Likara purrs softly, tail lashing as she ponders the broad-winged creatures. She'd never met one personally, only admired them from her land-locked perch. The characteristics of Starbane's pack befuddled the she-cat, but blue eyes remain curiously kind as she listens to him. "I didn't know cats and dogs formed symbiotic relationships with the sky keepers," Likara muses with a little chuckle.

Tucking her tail around her paws, Likara expresses a tiny shiver as the frigid air lashes against her pelt. With the sky darkening and their altitude, even Likara has to admit that it's getting cold. While Starbane seems fascinated by their view, and Likara is at home at these heights, they'd be best to disembark or find a place to hunker down. "My paws are starting to freeze," Likara laughs, shaking her shoulders. She points across the valley towards the human dwelling place, the lights of the city illuminating brightly as the evening sets. "That's the human's city. You can see the lights at night, as long as its clear up here....otherwise, that's the extent of our visit. Perhaps if it was warmer, we could stay a bit longer, but even I'm starting to freeze up here." Amused blue eyes flick towards Starbane, almost expecting to see the liger chilled as well by the cold.

Starbane

He gives a thoughtful smile, all while continuing to take in the sweeping landscape below them, "Our Family has all sorts of creatures in it; you should see the River Monsters." For a young cat that grew up in the Haunters, the idea of animals not working and living together seemed a little foreign, even if he wasn't so naive as to understand that their pack was the exception and not the rule on this.

At the mention of freezing paws, Starbane pulls his eyes from the scenery and looks to Likara, finding that she's swept her plush tail about her paws. A shiver takes her frame, and the big cat himself squints his eyes against an incoming wind that sends snow skittering about their frames. He looks again to the Valley below, this time focusing on the spot where the humans lived, seeing a few clusters of lights as dusk began to fall. His curiosity only grows stronger, but he can't deny the chill is starting to get to him now too, "You're right, we'd better descend before our paws get stuck to this rock." The big cat takes in one final view before moving towards the steep path they'd originally ascended, then pauses to look over his shoulder, "Do you want to come back to our home for the night? Or... I could spend a night away from home, they won't miss me."

Likara

Keen blue eyes study the landscape for a considering moment. She glances back at Starbane, curiously mulling over his offer. While there was a creeping sense of wonder in regards to Starbane's odd some family -- composed of felines, canines and...birds?-- Likara's wary paws and better senses overcome her. The trek to the peak of the mountain was taxing enough, and to navigate it in the dark would be difficult. The she-cat flicks her tail for a moment, thinking, before mentioning, "Let's find a place for the night. I know a burrow just less than halfway down the mountainside...we can lay low there, catch a few winks." Likara rises to her paws and gives her coat a good shake. "Besides, I'm beat as is. Racing you was certainly a task," she muses with a purr. Striding towards the little slope towards the trail down, Likara bumps her shoulder against Starbane's. "Just follow me."

Starbane

The dipping sunlight caught like fire against the streams and rivers that twisted through the Valley below them, catching Starbane's insatiable curiosity, and causing him to pause to look once more before descending fully past the ledge. "Hey, that sounds perfect. I hate to admit it, but I think I could use a good nap after that run - I don't think I've ever scaled a cliff so steep. And so fast." He chuckles, and meets her shoulder bump with a full-on nuzzle of his head against her side, as he was accustom to doing with his pridemates. It was such a natural thing for the liger that he didn't consider it might be a bit awkward for a lone sole like Likara.

"Phew, boy... going down is... a bit trickier than going up, huh?" Slight anxiety aside, the big cat follows his new companion closely, his giant paws moving carefully to find good purchase during the descent.

Likara

Likara falters a bit from Starbane's nuzzle, before releasing a little purr in response. She hasn't been the one for affection, it simply wasn't in her nature or nurture. But she's fond of her newest companion. The nimble she-cat bounds over the snowy rocks, peering down at the rocky slope with keen eyes. She tries to take Starbane down a safe route -- avoiding any slips or narrow crannies. He's not the most nimble of cats, but with paws that big, Likara can't fault him on it. They've managed a good part of the journey before Likara glances back, smiling. She's wary herself, and the fatigue does very little to aid their situation. "Just a little more," she promises, a little laugh rippling through her frame. Blue eyes glimmer with amusement. "I've made that promise a lot tonight, huh?"

Hopping from a boulder into a drift of snow, Likara gives a little mrrrow of surprise as she sinks into the snow. She hadn't predicted the depth of the snow, the she-cat shoulder deep. She huffs, leaping out of the drift before whipping her gaze to Starbane. "Don't make the same mistake," she remarks dryly. She looks back down at the ground, eyes studying the landmarks with a lashing tail. They were close, she just had to remember which crag this den was wedged into. Likara bounds a few more paces before stopping. "A-ha!" She triumphantly announces. She noses towards the rocky wall, finding the sizable hole that leads into the earth. "Here it is!"

Starbane

"A few times, but I'm not complaining." Starbane chuffed in merry reply to her first comment, while his primary focus remained pinned on where his paws were going to go next. Being large had its advantages in the Valley, but traversing a steep, snowy incline was not one of those times. Fortunately, his guide was a practiced expert, and considerate enough to choose a path better suited for the novice liger. So he plodded along after her, his pawprints engulfing each of hers, while his muscles began to quiver with the exhaustion of the trek. There was one point where the she-cat suddenly half-disappeared within the snow with an utterance of surprise. Starbane had paused, wide-eyed and ready to jump in and help, until he realized she had merely been surprised. A cautious grin spread over his face after it was apparent she was unharmed, "I don't know, that almost looks fun." And he eyed the tantalizing snowdrift, as if truly considering a hardy pounce into it. But alas, his waning strength convinced him to forgo the leap, and he continued after Likara until a cry of triumph announced they'd reached their destination.

Starbane padded up towards the den, sniffing curiously with his whiskers pressed forward. "Good find! This'll definitely keep us safe from the winds." The big cat commented as he pressed inside, his eyes quickly adjusting to the dimmer light. He then plopped onto his side, rolled onto his back, and stretched his limbs with an accompanying yawn. "Perrrrfect!"

Likara

Likara gives a little shake to her body as she enters the safety of the cavern. Out of the wind and high altitude air, Likara releases a sigh of relief. She's equally exhausted as Starbane, plopping down on the stony ground with a huff. The she-cat watches Starbane also accompany her on the ground, limbs flaying, eliciting a little mrrow of amusement from her. "I'm spent," Likara chuckles. "Definitely wouldn't have made it to the base of the mountain without my paws falling off!"

Tucking her paws close to her little frame, Likara gazes at Starbane with a softening expression. She considers her new companion, thoughts returning to his aforementioned family. "You sure your family won't be fretting about you missing from the den tonight?" Likara questions. She wonders what it's liked to be missed -- she hadn't had a soul worrying about her since she was a kit. There's a fine line between freedom and loneliness, and listening to Starbane discuss his family slowly makes the she-cat wonder which end of the spectrum she tread.

Starbane

Folded paws were directed at the ceiling, front limbs angled in one direction, and hind paws leaning another as the big cat gave in to relaxation. Out of the frenzied winds, it would take little time to warm back up in this cozy mountain alcove. Bright eyes roved to an upside-down Likara, "Same here. I think I've got enough iced wedged between my toes to build another mountain out of it." Starbane lazily draped one of said paws above his head, where he half-heartedly gnawed a chunk of frozen snow from between two digits. The liger gave up after that one and rolled sluggishly to his side, deciding the rest of the ice could just melt out on its own time.

A yawn caught him, and he stretched all for limbs before slumping back against the rocky ground. At this point he notices Likara watching him, her expression far softer than it had been earlier when they'd first encountered one another. He grins at her question, "Oh, they will fret about me. Probably send an eagle or falcon to scout for me - probably get my ears chewed off when I return, too. But it's worth it for a bit of time away, and to spend it with someone new."

Likara

Likara tucks her paws close to her body, amused eyes watching her companion gnaw at the ice caked to his pads. "Tuck your paws in. You'll make your jaw sore from trying to chew it all out...let your body heat take care of melting it," Likara suggests, her tail flicking with a little smile. He'll take a few winters to get better in the cold and snow -- but, then again, he doesn't come from snowbound blood like she. She'd learned early on as a cub how to manage in high altitudes and blustery conditions. It was learn soon or suffer, and Likara preferred not aching all over. He was already leaps and bounds ahead of a number of his family members under Likara and her self-proclaimed expertise in the matter.

"Birds," Likara hums, still wrapping her mind about the birds that lived in harmony with his pack. She knew these massive, super packs were an odd menajeri of animals...but the concept and details still fascinated her. "Your pack? Is it true that you have river monsters?" A little heat of blush creeps along her flesh as she suddenly becomes aware of her prying. "Sorry...I'm probably asking confidential questions, huh?" She half-jests, tail lashing.

Starbane

He lifted a giant paw, looking with annoyance at the clumps of ice and snow still wedged between his pads and riding up the underside of the dense limb. "That... does sound a bit easier." The liger admitted, feeling a bit foolish for having not thought of that simple solution. Already comfortable sprawled on his side, and unwilling to give up this preferred position, Starbane simple drew his limbs up against himself, folding one neatly against his chest, and the other tucked up closer to his chin and neck. His heavy tail draped partly over his hind limbs. "Much simpler."

Bright eyes returned to Likara when she made the murmur of 'birds', and a grin slowly etches across his face. Had Geinah still been around, she might have taught him and the others not to share such information about the pack. Without her prior guidance, Starbane eagerly spilled the secret beans, "Sure do. Giant monsters, with rows of teeth and spikey skin. Can bite a cat's head clean off, and are strong enough to drag a horse beneath the waters. And they're poisonous." As her tail lashed and she offered an apology, Starbane's grin turns a little sheepish, and he adds, "...actually, they're really just alligators, and not full grown, but that sounded cool, huh? Before my time, I guess we had poisonous snakes and giant... seals? Whatever those are, I haven't ever met one. The gators are still pretty boss, though."