Heads will turn...[Art]

[Fortissimo]

Fortissimo lugged himself up to the next rock shelf, his muscles adept to rock climbing since he shared his mind with a ram. The ram in question was now offering him advice on proper footing, to which Forte was answering hotly back that 'he knew what he was doing.'

Don't step there, the rock is unstable. The ram spoke in his head, his voice gruff. The ram whom Forte called, Morris.

"Would you just shut the hell up!" Forte growled, his mood darkening more and more. He stepped exactly were Morris told hims not to, and the hard rock immediately gave way to open air. Forte tumbled after it in a spray of red rock. He fell about 15 yards until he hit another rock shelf which promptly fell away upon impact. He fell another 10 yards and landed on the rocky bank of a shallow twisting river with a loud 'oof.'

Forte laid still, mentally assessing his injuries, ignoring the smugness that radiated from the ram spirit. Forte barred his fangs and shoved Morris hard with his mind. The ram went to sulk in the corner.

Forte cautiously stood, and was relieved to find that he hadn't broken his legs, but he might have cracked a rib or two, judging for his sore side. His snow white coat was dusted with rock, and blood. He had a scrape on his thigh, and one of his paws were bloodied, but otherwise he seemed fine. He tried to cut his eyes from side to side to see if his horns had been broken, but they seemed fine.

He went to the slowly churning water, that was brown with mud. He slid his pink tongue in and lapped up the cool water, his mood lighted and he straightened his slumped shoulders, happy that there was no one to witness that fiasco.

[RHIANNON !]

Rhia hadn't been there for long when a disturbance caught her eye. She stood up, giving her small body a shake, and then peered over the edge of the cliff. Red dust was forming just a little ways away to her left. Apparently something was tumbling down the side of the canyon. Quirking a bemused brow, Rhiannon began to make her way towards the small 'staircase' she had found in the rock. It wasn't perfectly carved out, and it was fairly obscure to the naked eye. But none the less, all the rocks were solid, and it made a clear path from the top of the canyon to the bottom.

Finally after a few unlucky tries, Rhia got herself on the right steps, mapping out the route in her mind. It was by pure luck she had found it the night before, and she almost didn't think she'd be able to find it again. Surely though, she did, and by following her scent she hopped from the top to the first ledge. Her legs were too small to reach down to the step below, so she made small bounces to each one. The site would have been a strange one indeed - a red and black female bouncing down the side of a cliff.

'You're an idiot, eh?' The voice rang through her head like a gong, causing her to mis step, the rock underneath her foot crumbling. She quickly recoiled, pulling her body weight back onto the solid back of the step. She growled, giving her head a shake. "Because you'd do much better, eh?" she murred, bouncing to the next step below. 'How do you know it isn't some beast that will rip your throat out?' Rhiannon shrugged, her ears flicking back and forth. She was half way down the cliff side now, and she could make out the form of a white blotch. It looked small enough to be a wolf, so Rhia was pretty sure she was fine.

"Hush now, so I don't look like an idiot. It would be quite a lovely scene if I make a first impression by talking to myself like a crazy wolf, nyeh?" Her voice, though sharp, was somewhat joking. As much as the red panda soul that lived inside her caused her much turmoil, she did care for it. 'Yes... ma'am.' Caedmon knew the moment the words came out of his... well mind, the reaction he'd get. Rhiannon spun around to face... the rock, snarling loudly. "Watch your tongue, fool," she hissed, pushing him back until she felt a block between them. Shaking slightly, she took a deep breath to calm herself, and continued down the side of the canyon.

Finally, she was about ten feet above the form, which she now concluded was a male yagi. Yawning a little, she took her paw, scraping her claws along the surface of the rock to create an annoying, high pitched noise. Well that would catch his attention.

"Nice fall," she said, her voice slathered with sarcasm. She grinned though, staring down at him with wide hazel eyes. "How badly are you hurt?"

[Fortissimo]

A loud screeching wail, left Forte with ringing ears. He whipped around, to be faced with nothing but air, but then a voice spoke above him, and he turned his eyes up. A stocky little female stood there and he realized that the sound was claws being drug across the surface of rock.

Forte felt his entire body tense, but he grimaced with pain as his sore muscles screamed in protest. His body was no longer the only thing wounded, but his pride was too. This, this female had just seen him taken a nasty spill.

If you would have just-- Morris began, but Forte cut him off with a rumbling growl.

Forte didn't know what to say, as his gloomy mood turned for dark gray, to pitch black. He wasn't stupid, he heard the biting sarcasm in her voice. So he just answered her in a flat voice. "I cracked my ribs." He stared up at her, unblinking, a scowl on his face. "Are you done here?" He said with impatience, he just wanted her to leave, so he could carry on with his miserable and lonely life.

You aint lonely. You have me.

[RHIANNON !]

Just the reaction she wanted. What an entrance. Rhia would have purred with delight, had she been a cat. Instead she merely smirked, sweeping her body to the ground in a graceful maneuver. Once her hind end was firmly planted on the red rocked ground, she curled her tail neatly around her form. The male seemed to take her intrusion quickly negatively... but how couldn't you? His words hit like daggers in her mind, but she merely shrugged them off, lifting up a single forepaw. She began to groom her tiny paw, almost like a cat would.

She took her time grooming her paw, and after a sufficient time had passed after his question, she finally set it down. Satisfied with her job, she lifted her eyes to him, staring at him with a 'Oh, you said something?' kind of look. The same caustic smirk sliding across her face.

"Me? Done? I only just got here," she replied, her voice thick with her accent. She rose from where she sat, pouncing down onto a step below her, until she was on a step that leveled her height with his. 'Idiot, Rhia. Yes, let's just antagonize the big bad wolf. He has horns for god sakes,' the voice of the red panda blared through her mind, causing her to take a step back. Scowling, she regained her composure and, flicking her ears back, looked at him.

"Cracked ribs isn't very fun, eh? You might want to see a healer 'bout that so they don't get worse." It was about the nicest thing she could think of saying to him at this time. She reached out with her paws, aiming to thwap at his horns. "Nice horns. Making up for something?" She snorted lightly, raising her eyebrows something. Maybe he was a poor fighter, so he used his horns instead. Either way, it was pretty cool.

She didn't exactly feel like bouncing down to his level - then she'd have to look up at him. So she stayed where she was. "Name's Rhiannon."

[Eastern]

Forte's lip curled as the female got settled for a chat. She had no clue what hell he could raise. He watched furious eyes as she got nearer and nearer. He didn't show his annoyance, or his fatigue. Dealing with people always wore him down, especially difficult ones like she was proving to be.

He ignored all her prodding, and gave her a flat expressionless stare. He just stared and stared at her, barely moving. Then he snorted, and gave a haughty smile, still staring evenly at her. "That's some mouth you got there." He said, his voice deceptively friendly. "You trying to distract me from your complete lack of wit, charm, or grace? Cause I must say, you had me fooled there for a second. I actually thought you were worth my time. Ah, oh well." He shrugged and sighed, turning away from her and back to the water.

He waded in to his knees to get further away from her, and continued to lap up water.

Oh snap. Morris bleated.

'Eh. She'll leave me alone now. She brought it upon her self. Saying needless things. Was she trying to provoke me?'

Her saying needless things, what about you?!

'Eh.'

[AVALON !]

Nothing. No reaction. His face hardly changed with all her poking and prodding at him. She was almost about to sigh and leave him alone. But then he opened his mouth and Rhia's eyes danced with delight. Masochistic, much? His smile sent a shiver down her spine - in a good way - and she watched him with cocked eyebrows. Lack of wit, charm and grace? Well, she wasn't altogether that funny, but she could be rather... graceful when she wanted to. And charm? She could slather it on like honey if she wanted to. Who didn't like the ones who snapped back?

She watched him wade into the water. "I honestly wouldn't do that if I were you. Unless you intend to go for a little swim," she purred, completely ignoring his verbal insults. She leapt down the few steps left, wandering to the waters edge and staring at the raging current. It wasn't too bad near the edges, but the further you got out, the more likely you were to be swept away. She couldn't hear him speak due to his distance and the roar of the water.

She stepped daintily in the water, only letting its surface cover her paws as she stared back at him. "Maybe you're stupider than I thought though. Just be fore warned, if you get swept away, I am NOT going after you. I don't have a death wish," she shouted out to him, splashing the water slightly with her paw. She was definitely quite a bit smaller than he, but either way she didn't really care at this point. If he came out of the water, she'd probably hop back up on the ledges.

[Eastern]

He sighed, didn't this female...this Rhiannon, ever give up? He turned toward her slowly, he stance uneven on the slippery rocks.

"One, obviously I want to go for a swim, I'm standing in the water." He said slowly, and loudly, like he was talking to a pup. "Two, you're as stupid as I thought, because you are continuing to badger me, and you refuse to take a hint. And three, I will have a death wish as long as you are around." He got closer to her, and skimmed his paw on the surface, so it created a spray of water, flying over to Rhiannon. He moved down the bank a little, and came on sure a couple of yards down river from her.

'What is with this girl?!' He yelled at Morris mentally.

It must be you people skills that attracted her to you.

[RHIANNON !]

Rhia had no intention of giving up on the male who was just a little ways away from her in the water. He intrigued her in a slightly morbid way, arousing her interest. Plus, her words seemed to cut him pretty deep, something that she found quite fascinating and pleasurable. When he turned towards her, Rhia merely batted her eyes, her long black eyelashes flicking slightly as she did so. She knew she appeared to be the epitome off innocence and cuteness - all the better to hide her true personality.

"I didn't realise you were suicidal," her voice was soft and demure, but loud enough to be heard over the water, carrying itself to him. She grinned at his insult, wading out a little bit more until most of her black fur was covered by the water. "Well if you really want, I could give you a little push." He came towards her, splashing her. The water mostly went onto her back, and as it came towards her, she closed her eyes, ducking her head down to avoid the spray in her face.

'Great first impression, doll,' the voice of the red panda hissed through her mind as she watched him move away from her. She snorted lightly, her tail flicking the water's surface. She didn't say anything, pivoting on her heel. She moved up shore a bit, so that her paws were the only thing in the water. Her fur was dripping, but she paid it little notice. She was facing the direction in which the male had wandered off to, and she began to prance through the water, sending up a spray around her until she finally reached his side. Pivoting again, she bounced right in front of him, aiming to cut him off and spray him with the splash she created in the process.

"Soooo, where're you going?" She let her regular smirk turn into a demeaning smile as she looked up at him, her chest puffed out and her tail held high in a dominant stance. Her neck was tucked, despite her confidence, just in case he felt like thrashing out at her.

[Fortissimo]

Forte heard her sloppy approach. He sighed, but didn't turn, or slow down. He was sprayed with water, the red dust that still clung to his pelt turned to a red stain. She cut him off, standing boldly in front of him. He stared down at her, and her proud stance. This girl had spunk.

Fortissimo had to hand it to the girl, not many would stick around after those scathing remarks. She was either very brave, or really stupid. Forte was leaning toward the latter. He was still staring down at her, he realized. He blinked slowly, and looked over her head. His shoulders slumped slightly, and he let out a long sigh.

I'm going somewhere far away from you. He thought about saying, but for some reason those words didn't pass his lips. His interest in the girl, however much he hated to admit, had been piqued. He turned his yellow eyes down on her once more, and a slow, cocky smile stretched across his face.

"Well why not found out, little chick." He said, his voice a low rumble. "I mean, if it so suits you." He dipped his head in a mocking manor, and veered to the left, away from the river, and toward the cliff face. He leaped up to a rock shelf, and stared down at her, his tail curled with important, and his chin up in a superior stance. "Fortissimo." He called down. "They call me Fortissimo."

With that he leapt to the next rock shelf over, and was bounding along it's length. He wanted to see if this little chick was as brave as she played herself to be. And there was only one way of that. The Crevice. He was leading her to the Crevice.

He didn't look back, mad at himself for basically inviting the little female along. So he made it up to himself by ignoring her. Ahead of him the canyon curved, so that he could see the next cliff face, running almost perpendicular to the one he raced on now.

He could see a break in the craggy surface, about 10 yard across, stretching from top to bottom. With the sun's position, one could only see a few yard into it before the light fell away to a dark and oppressive wall. Polished white bones were littered all around the entrance. The entrance to the Crevice.

The river was pushed up against the opposite wall, so nothing but bare rock and bones stood infont of it. Forte leapt from the rook at it's bend, and started to navigate his way toward it. He was forced to watch his feet, careful for any sharp rocks, or bone. The red rocks had been soaking up the sun all day, and burned the pads of his feet. He didnt voice or show any of his discomfort though, and soon he stood at the ominous entrance of the Crevice. It loomed over him, like a dead thing. Only then did he turn to see it Rhia was following behind.

Throughout the whole journey, Morris had stayed silent, brooding about what Forte had planned. He made a noise as if he was about to speak, but then decided against it, and settled down to watch.

[RHIANNON !]

The red dust that coated his fur was now slick with the water Rhia had splashed him with. She rolled her shoulders back slightly, still standing before him to see his reaction. He just stared at her. Well THAT wasn't exciting. 'What do you expect him to do? Bow down to your might? Throttle you? Don't be so foolish Rhia,' the red panda's voice was strong, and held a sharp warning to it. Like most other times Rhia ignored the urging voice in her mind, watching him blink and move his gaze. Where was he staring now. Finally though he looked back down at her.

His smile, though cocky, made Rhia's knees wobble slightly, and she scowled, tensing up her body to make herself stand straight. "Well why not found out, little chick." Little chick? She hissed a little, her ears pinning back against her skulls for a second, and then snorted indignantly. "Don't call me that," she growled lightly, her tail tip flicking in annoyance. As much as she didn't want to comply to what he wanted, she desperately wanted to find out where he was going and bother him some more. She ignored the mocked nod, and pivoted on her heel to face the direction he was now going. Her eyes followed him as he leapt up onto the rocks, his body language an obvious show of dominance. She puffed out her chest, her tail still held high. Then he spoke his name, and she grinned a wide, toothy grin, leaping out of the water and towards him.

"Mkay Moe," she purred, springing her haunches down and then leaping onto the rock shelf. She followed after him, her pace much quicker than his to keep up with him. She didn't exactly recognize where they were going at first. She ignored the fact that he never turned to see if she was behind him, but she assumed the noise of her claws on the rocks said it all.

A shiver ran down her spine when she saw the crevice. She had noticed it before - the stench of decay and blood rising up to the top of the canyon. She wrinkled her nose slightly in distaste, following Forte. She stepped where he stepped, her steps light to avoid burning her paw pads. The ground was so hot from the sun. Finally he turned to look at her. Staring back at him with bright hazel eyes, she grinned, her tail thrashing about in what could be considered a wag. Caedmon was shaking his figurative head, but didn't say anything. Rhia knew he completely disagreed with the situation they were now in but he said nothing.

"So you are suicidal, eh, Moe?" she purred, walking towards him and brushing her side right up against him. "We going to visit the Griffins? I hear they just loooooove company," she said, staring down at what appeared to be a canine skull.

[Fortissimo]

Forte kept his yellow eyes on Rhia as she approached. He cringed at the nickname she had given him. Moe?!! He growled as she rubbed against him. "Don't call me that, lil itty bitty." He said, his nickname for her came out comical with his deep stony voice. "And I thought we have already discovered my suicidal tendencies." He looked down at the little female, and had the instinct to protect her, which was weird for him. He was perfectly happy letting others fend for themselves, but standing there at the mouth of the crevice, Forte wanted to just pick her up and whisk her away.

Morris was laughing as Forte thought of this.
'Would you stop your insane cackling!' Forte growled at him in his head.
The thought of you whisking her away. he forced out then continued laughing.
Forte stabbed him with his mind, but Morris still carried on laughing. Finally he got out, Looks like you have a crush.
Forte balked. 'That is ridiculous!' He shouted at him, and shuddered inwardly.

Forte realized that he had just been standing there having a silent conversation with Morris while staring at Rhia. Well, he wasn’t staring at her, through her was more like it. Either way, it was still creepy. How long had he been staring?

He blinked, and looked over at the crevice. "Uh, The griffins know me." Forte said as if he hadn't been staring creepily at her. "I hunt them for sport....Well not hunt them. Mostly I get them to come after me, and I evade them. Hunting them alone would be crazy." He shrugged one shoulder. "Wanna try?" He looked back at her, and smiled a handsome devilish smile, his yellow eyes bright with excitement.

[RHIANNON !]

As much as she didn't exactly prefer Itty Bitty, it was much better than chick. Chick implied she was a female, and as much as Rhia's... feminine apparatus boasted her double x chromosomes, her mind was convinced she bore a different set of genitalia. She just grinned, looking up at him with a bright, mischievous twinkle in her eyes. "Whatever you say, Moe," she purred, chuckling lightly at his next sentence. "We did, of course. But I figured I should restate the fact," she said, moving away from him, and bending down. She picked up the wolf's skull, balancing it on her snout and then, jerked her head. She tossed the skull to her left, watching it smash as it hit the hard rock.

She only realised when she looked back up that he was staring at her. Caedmon had been wonderfully quiet for most of this time, and so she didn't have the same struggle Forte was going on with in her mind. But the fact that he was staring at her so intently made her squirm a little and she pulled her shoulders up, staring back at him with a hardened gaze. Finally though he blinked, pulling his eyes from her and looking towards the crevice. Oh yeah, Griffins.

The Griffins knew him? The way he said it made it sound as if he went to visit them for tea every Sunday. She almost snorted at the absurdity of Griffins and wolves getting along. Maybe they did... at least, after the wolves had stopped squirming. The bones strewn about the rock before them only attested to the fact that the griffins were just as happy to devour a wolf, as she was to call Forte, Moe.

His next sentence clarified things though, and she nodded, her eyes brightening. Why did this make her so excited? It definitely sounded like something fun. She could hear the red panda soul inside of her screaming at her to not say yes. She ignored him, pressing the figurative mute button in her mind, and turned towards Forte with a wide grin, her tail picking up a light wag behind her.

"Duh," she said, her tone rather matter-of-factly. She tightened her shoulders and pounced towards him, landing just at his side. "So what's the plan, Moe?"

[Fortissimo]

“Stop calling me Moe.” Forte said absentmindedly, and started toward the crevice, his docked tail twitching with excitement. He stopped just before the wall of shadow and turned back to her. “Plan? Who said anything about a plan, chickadee.” He stuck his pink tongue out at her, and slipped into the shadows.
It was dusk inside the crevice. The smell of death, urine and feces was overwhelming. Feathers and carcasses littered the cool cavern floor. Sheer cliff walls rose on either side off him, leaving only a sliver of blue sky to be seen up above. The crevice was eerily silent. Nothing moved. Are you sure this is such a good idea? Morris said worriedly. ‘I haven’t been killed yet.’ Forte answered him lightly.

The smell of death grew stronger as Forte ventured further in. The walls narrowed, so that the wolves had to go single file. Dried bones crunched loudly under Forte’s heavy paws. A shadow passed over head, making the murky light darker for a split second, before the shadow passed. By the time Forte looked up, it was gone.

Forte suppressed a shiver, as every hair on his body stood on end, the feeling of being watched was overwhelming. Suddenly, the walls swung apart, and they were in sort of an opening, with a pool of collected rain water in the middle. The water was muddy, and had a layer of scum built up on the top. It smelled horrible. Past here is where most of the griffins nested. Forte turned to Rhia. “Watch yourself, itty bitty.”

Forte continued across the circular opening to the other side were the walls narrowed again. Nor far in, Forte saw the first Griffin. He was perched on a rock self about 10 feet up from the ground, half hidden by shadow cast by the wall. He was sort of diseased looking, with ruffled feathers, and tattered wings. It was picking at a recent kill, what looked like a fox. It hadn’t noticed him yet. Forte pushed himself up against the wall and inched along until he was able to duck being a large rock. The Griffin was only about 20 yards away now, but he was still above them. Forte waited for Rhia, moving over so she could hide with him. "What is your power?" Forte rumbled, assuming she was a lupus.

[The Creature Account]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,438,true]

[atrb=background,http://i36.tinypic.com/16gwqr6.png] The grisly, elderly griffin ripped at his kill with vehemence. He resembled a kestrel of sorts, with the reds blues and whites on his feathers. Though his youthful splendor was lost a few years ago. Now his monthly molts just made him look dead rather then distinguished. His yellow beak tore through the fur and flesh. He stopped though. Something seemed off. His sharp eyes did a cursory scan on the cave. He shifted his large hind paws enough to turn himself partway to look over the chasm. It did not cross his mind to look down. Plus, there was a bit of rock in the way. He snorted, shrugging off his creeping paranoia. He was hungry and determined to eat before the younger ones arrive to beg for a meal.

[RHIANNON !]

"Okay Moe," she replied, her hazel eyes veering around the crevice. It looked rather ominous, and though Rhia had convinced herself she was not afraid, Caedmon had other ideas. He was screaming at her in her mind, his voice a frantic array of warnings and insults. Rhia merely pushed his thoughts out of her mind, continuing to ignore him as she looked up at Forte. "Suicidal and impulsive. Awesome," she said, returning the gesture by sticking her tongue back out at him, ears flicking slightly.

She followed right after him, taking two steps for his every one until she was jogging quietly beside him. She was purposely stepping on her toes, muffling the sound of her rapid footsteps. Rhia's eyes were wide and quickly adjusted to the dark. She kept her eyes on Forte beside her, and the ground. It would be quite stupid of her to step on a bone and alert all the griffins to their presence.

The wafting smell of decaying flesh and death wafted into her nose. Scrunching her nostrils up, she followed him, falling behind him as the crevice narrowed. Forte didn't seem to care how much noise he was making, but Rhia stepped carefully amongst the bones, making sure her paws only hit rock. The little light they had was blocked out for a moment, and Rhia jerked her head up at the same time as Forte, missing whatever had flown above them. It was only then did Rhia notice she was shaking slightly. Snorting lightly, she tightened her muscles, forcing herself to stop shaking.

As much as she was excited to see the inside of the crevice, she couldn't force herself to ignore her instincts. Her hackles were standing on end, her neck tucked close to her body. Her jaws were open slightly, her lips curled. When the walls sprung apart the scent of stagnant water hit her immediately, and she hissed in distaste. Gross. She nodded as Forte spoke to her, saying nothing back to him. She followed him, her body crouched, looking around warily with bright hazel eyes. She saw the Griffin too, narrowing her gaze slightly as she strained to take in every detail about him in the dark. He seemed to be old, and not quite as menacing as Rhia had imagined a griffin to look. She slid in beside Forte, sheltered from the sight of the griffins by the rock.

What was her power? She blinked, scowling a little bit. What WAS her power? She couldn't exactly lie, could she? But she didn't have a power, and there was no way for her to prove this to him. What was something she could... ice. That's when it hit her - there was no way there would be ice around the canyons, EVER. It was too damn hot. Purring a little at her own genius, she glanced up at him. "Ice, though I can't say I'm very good at it," she said, for once not being arrogant. She of course, wasn't very good at it. Or rather... couldn't do anything with ice to save her life. Except maybe walk on it.