Despite his role as temporary leader, Akutan's mate seemed to be the one taking charge.  While Akutan wandered about, more on a stroll than a mission, Kyra quickly became all business.  Her role as a guard came as naturally as breathing, giving Akutan little choice but to follow her.  Her glance not only reached her father, but she momentarily caught Mercury's gaze as well.  Mercury inclined her head only slightly, but Kyra's shrug made it clear that neither of them really had any idea what he was up to.  Akutan could see that the interior of the crescent Vienna and Kyra continued to leapfrog along the trail, back the way they had come.  The beach on the edge of the meadow was a wide, gentle slope, perfect for wading.  Then there would be a short walk under a canopy of willows before they reached the old stone ruin they had passed on the way in.

Kastra's call was immediately answered, and so he moved forward with his route.  At the northernmost point of the lake, more hills rolled up over each other until they became mountains.  While not impassible, this north shore was steep, and the incline a sharp angle.  Several seated boulders, similar to Aylie's hidden titan, were embedded in the ground.  Unlike the boulder further down the bank, these were firmly rooted in solid ground, with no water to erode their foundations.  Kastra was proceeding cautiously, but seemed to have mostly ignored Shimmah scampering along at his heels for a little while.  But then the blue youngster struck off on her own, climbing up into the heights of the hills.  A pass that lead into the higher peaks wound out of sight around a peak above her.  Below her, Kastra and his route around the lake was still open to her.  Would she strike out on her own?

Tallulah had found a pass, small and narrow as it was. Clear lines of different sediments banded the walls as the water level had reduced into the nothingness it was now.  Ferns, grasses and ivy were already reclaiming the space, clinging to chips in the walls and nesting in the riverbed. The feeble creek collected in between the stones it had once worn smooth, forming small pools that hosted the occasional batch of tadpoles or sunbathing toads.  The canyon was tall and mostly narrow.  One of the litters that Kastra and the other Nardirians had pulled on their way here would fit, but probably no more than two Nardirians could walk abreast here.  Above her, the birds were perched and singing in the overhanging canopies, adding to the hushed, peaceful feel of this place.

Kodiak had climbed up the hills and was now standing at the edge of a cliff.  Below him, tiered balconies of stone, much like the other side where the pack had taken up residence.  This area, however, was missing the comfortable caves, and the tiers suddenly dropped vertically down to the ground below, easily 5 times his height.  He wouldn't want to walk straight off this one.  Could he jump down the cliff-side most of the way? That drop at the bottom would certainly be dangerous.  North and east of him was Tallulah, still standing in her pass, contemplating her own route.

Ayliyra was no worse for wear from her tumble, but her caution after the experience was evident.  She was able to climb back up onto the bank without trouble, and would emerge dripping and a little muddy, but not injured. The tiny sapling bobbed along in the water, carrying on to it's watery fate. The brisk dip seemed to have taken the wind out of Aylie's sails, as she remained on the bank.  Now that she was looking at it, it was pretty obvious how she had ended up in the lake.  It wasn't a hollow area, it was just the bank itself.  Several areas showed signs of old landslides, like the hill was losing it's fight with the water's edge.  There had been nothing for Aylie to sense, and it was her own misstep that had dunked her in the lake. She was going to have to study her surroundings closely.  This wasn't like the mountains they had come from, there was a lot more water here.

A character's Influence tokens  are spent to overcome challenges, find out information, or otherwise put your skills to use.  Influence situations will be assigned, but you can also ask to use an influence token at any point.  If the situation will yield anything useful, Mother Moon will grant your request and tell you additional information to aid you. In the event that no information can further be gleaned about the situation, an influence token will not be spent.

Rest is used to recover lost tokens. You must preform a round of rest to recover 1 spent token .  If your character is missing multiple tokens, you must state which token you want to recover. A character cannot rest during any type of Event.  In the future, you will skip a turn if you rest, even if you have not spent any tokens.  (But since I forgot to tell you guys, this one doesn't count)

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Movement: Rest Effect: This character skips the Movement phase of next round. Influence: -1 Effect: Tallulah can tell that this small canyon is the result of water erosion over time. There is a small creek that trickles along a floor, of river rock with a bit of moss and the occasional foliage. In certain places the creek forms little pools, but these are more puddles than anything. The walls, also overgrown with moss and a few ferns, rise up to at least three times her height. She cannot see what is above her, except for the occasional tree canopy. There is no immediate danger.

Movement: Rest Effect: This character has not lost any tokens.  Character does not skip Movement next round.  [this time only] Influence: No further information can be provided.  Influence token not spent.

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Just before moving on Kyra gave Akutan a nuzzle as he came near, always an affectionate type. Give her an inch and she'll take a mile. She took bearings and shrugged her head south and east . "I know you wanted to head west, Aku, but I think we should meet with Kas on the other side of the lake." She was actually trying to be gentle here but it might have come across as a little more brash than she actually wanted. She was never as soft spoken or companionable as her sister and father. She continued to talk to Vienna and Akutan as she continued. "On the other side of the lake we could compare notes. From there we could make more plans about exploring further in or changing directions or swapping partners. Sound good?" She'd hope Kastra and the others would have the same idea, she could barely see the others already. She could see the brown kid shout at someone and head north, she really should figure out names honestly that "kid" was probably her age she was just small, but couldn't really make out anyone else too clearly from here. If they didn't meet up on the other side in due time they could either keep exploring and patrolling or see if they could hunt the down to make sure they weren't in any kind of trouble. She was open to suggestions. Was she taking command? How would her Aku respond? Was he okay that she was changing things up on him? The rising anxiety about how he would respond made her stomach flutter, or was that the babies she hadn't told him about deciding to move about. Ugh made her queasy again.

ooc Down, Down, East

Bi-colored eyes stared down the cliff face to the drop below and he snorted an irritated breath through his nostrils. Cool, great, wonderful. The wolfdog could feel the tension in his shoulders, twinging at the back of his neck and making him growl as he sat for a moment to consider his options. You can jump down this way, straight ahead and probably get really hurt, you can go to your left, but there's probably nothing of note there just more mountains and trees, you can go to the right, but eeeeh??? Is it really worth it?? No.

Welp, just gotta go back the way you came then? He'd already settled on the idea. It was easier getting down this way, no harsh drops, just one hill like incline that allowed him to pick up speed and JUMP. Sometimes you overestimate things, and hell, sometimes you even forget that oh yeah there's a den here. Kodi was opting for the easiest and fastest route down, agile enough and gaining a good bit of speed to jump the switchbacks with relative ease and safety. HOWEVER, it's at this time he remembers the den, bi colored eyes catching sight of a rather dark blob laying on a bit of an overhang. What the?? Ohh, that had to be Merc's big ass, he could tell from all the way back here.

Crashing their meeting as he reached her ledge, he'd spring over her. "Don'tmindmekeepingthepacksafe byeeeeeeeee!!!" It was a flash of a moment, his gruff monotone voice calling out to them as his paws finally hit the ground and he stumbled just a bit. God, don't even look back just keep going. It'd be something he'd have to probably explain later. Have fun with your old geezers, Merc.


Briskly, he'd run to catch up with Kastra, a rather odd thing to do even for him, but he knew it'd be easier to pair up even in a small group, than to be on his own. Since climbing that cliff face was a waste of time, uggggh.

Vienna's quiet enthusiasm with the whole affair made her appear youthful, more like a child along the beach than a warrior mapping the realm.  However, her brief escapade into the waters of the lake revealed not only tiny, darting silver fish and freshwater prawns, but a few snapping turtles sunning themselves on the banks and partially submerged logs or stones.  With this much going on this close to the water's edge, it was easy to assume that there was richer fare in the depths.  Lost in their own thoughts and following in silence, Akutan and Kyra seemed a couple on a leisurely stroll on the lakeside.  Perhaps, once this mission was over and their worries cast aside, they would be able to properly replay the scene in the correct genre.

Kastra continued to follow the lakeside, making quick and sure-footed progress around the water.  From his point along the opposite bank, Kastra would be able to see Kyra and her party moving, and would be able to just hear them if they were to call.  Opposite to the water was the ever-darkening forest that lead further beyond.  If he were to continue to follow the bank, he would probably reach the far side of the waterfall they had passed on their route inwards.  It was a shame that the young prince's heart was so heavy, for the land around him was beautiful and full of life.  Birds sang in the trees, and down the hill, waterfowl nested in the reeds.  A fish jumped in the lake, making a splash.  Shimmah was no longer behind him, but Kodiak came racing up, slightly panting with the effort of fast-tracking around the lake.

Shimmah's climb had brought her to a narrow cave, which opened into a small series of gullies, banded here and there with land bridges and wide tunnels with waterworn porous ceilings.  As the light poured down through the gaps and into these caves, rainbows glinted off the walls and in the waters.  Upon closer examination, the rainbows in the walls were opals!  Bands and fractals of the stuff speckled the stone, silica deposited little by little as the water dripped through small cracks over time.  The smoother and less vibrant rainbows in the water were moonstones, tumbled out of their underground seats by trickling springs, and deposited in these pools as the water came to rest before it continued onward.  The little blue girl had stumbled across quite the find! Like streetlights, light dotted down the tunnels, leading onward.

Tallulah appeared frozen in her tracks.  Was she contemplating the way forward? Going back?  Was she afraid? Excited? Nervous?  Nothing about the area was threatening, in fact, aside from the canyon being narrow, it was quite pleasant.  She could hear Kodiak as he rustled around at first, but his sounds quickly faded away as he made his rapid decent further off.  Now, she was utterly alone.  Ayliyra was moving away from her as well, following Kastra behind Kodiak, although much more slowly.

Guild Actions are actions or perks A characte can make using Influence tokens  .  These actions will vary from guild to guild, and may be presented to the GM at any point.  If your action fits into the overall story and makes sense for the advancement of the game, it will be taken into consideration.  Think of these types of actions as "bonus" actions to your movement: Dash, Group Up, Jump, etc.   Guild Actions can also be used to produce items you need (Torches, pouches, etc) or additional knowledge.

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Movement: Guild Specialty Movement Influence: -1 [Guild Action: Group Up] Effect: Kodiak has dashed to catch up to Kastra, taking a rather fast route down the side of the castle (and through the council meeting)

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