Salamandastron: Crater -------------- Salamandastron --------------- You are on the very top of the mountain of Salamandastron: a large, bowl- shaped crater. The crater is not smooth, quite the contrary in fact. Numerous boulders and large chunks of rock are strewn around randomly, making the crater top just as craggy as any of the mountainside. The crater provides an outstanding view of the surrounding country. The sea sprawls off to the west as far as the eye can see, and north and south along the endlessly rolling sand dunes. In the distant east, a tinge of green is just visible from this height, marking the vegetation in the foothills of the Western Mountains. ------------------------------------- Visible Exits: [N]ortheast [M]ountainside [Down] to Third Level

As you step out into the crater, your eyes come upon a very peculiar thing...a rock fort. Audri, who is still insearch of 'unken, has come to the crater, dragging a large bag behind her as she hobbles to her little fort. She sits there now, trying to stay sheltered from the wind as she sips some juice, while her claws trace over the words of her upside down book.

The rock fort is indeed an unusual sight, and so Taye approaches it with something resembling caution as he steps out into the open crater. Brow wrinkling thoughtfully, he kind of peeks inside, and, ah! There's a dibbun inside of it. That would explain things. Even more so, it's Audri. Grinning just a bit, he waves a paw. "'Llo, Auree."

Audri's ears twitch, paws holding tightly to her juice cup as she glances up from her book. The kit grins when she spots Taye, giving a tiny wave. "'ewwo! 'ave 'oo seen 'unken? 'e dispeewah."

Taye glances around as if 'unken will just naturally appear as a result, but when such does not happen, he shrugs and looks back to Audri, shaking his head. "No, sorry, I haven't seen 'unken anywhere.." He takes a look around the small fort, just to see if maybe he's hiding under a rock or something. "Where'd ya last see him?"

Audri sighs, ears falling. "Onna staiws. Ah fink." Taking another sip of juice, Audri closes her book, pushing off into the bag beside her. "Why 'oo up 'ewe?"

"Just takin' a break.. 'Tis quiet up here, n all." He shrugs, again, and then looks back towards the entrance to the mountain. "Well, maybe someone found 'unken and put em in the dibbuns dorm or the classroom by mistake, like?"

Audri nods, leaning down to grab something else from her bag, a pastry to be exact. "Oh. What oo takin a bweak fwom? And 'oo wanna pastie?" Audri asks, offering the pastry up to the hare before nibbling on it.

Taye grins as Audri nibbles at it, and shakes his head. "Nah.. 'm good." He scrambles up onto a nearby boulder so that he's looking down at Audri and the fort. "Just takin' a break from trainin'... Had us all sittin' in the infirmary learnin' how t' identify different herbs n plants n stuff." He shrugs and plucks up a couple of pebbles from the boulder's surface, when he then proceeds to toss off to the right of them. "What're you doin' up here?"

Audri scoots out some, so she can get a better view of the hare while continuing to munch on her pastry. "Why 'oo gots ta do dat? Ah's keepin watch, and weedin. Gots evewyfing in da bag Ah's needs."

"Well, m trainin t' be a runnah... I guess they think it's good fer us t' know what's what, so we know what's safe t' eat n stuff like that..." He shrugs a little bit. It's actually rather interesting, but enough's enough, once you've been sitting there listening to them drill on for two-plus hours. He props his elbows on his knees, and rests his chin in his paws, surveying her set-up. Quite a nice one, really. "Whatcha readin'?"

Audri glances down at her upside down book, claw tapping her chin thoughtful. "A stowie on...'awes. Yesh." Audri nods, thinking that was a good answer since she really can't read yet. The kit crawls back into her rock fort, grabbing another pastry from her bag, before reappearing. "It nice up 'ewe. 'ewy quiet. And 'oo can see de ocean."

Peering down at the book, he notices that it's actually upside down and merely grins, and nods as if the hares explanation is sufficient. "Ahhh, well, sounds right interestin' t' me." Nod. At mention of the ocean, he looks over towards it. "Yeeeeah. Well. 'Tis definitely pretty."

Audri nibbles on her pastry, taking another sip of juice, nodding slowly to Taye. "Tis intewestin. Ah wikes stowies wots." Setting down her cup, Audri hops out of her little rock fort off towards the edge, her right leg still wrapped in bandages. "Vewy pweddie. Ah wants ta see it gin sometime." She mumbles, glancing down over the edge curiously.

Hopping off his boulder, Taye wanders after the dibbun, peering out over the edge. "Mayhaps ya could get Dark t' take ya down t' the beach fer a swim or somethin'." He doesn't fail to notice the bandages that're still there, but he doesn't mention them.

And that squirrel, leaning over the edge, would have caught a glimpse of Tabasco the red-shouldered hawk. Curiously swinging herself on the coastal breezes tumbling off the tranquil waves of time. She takes no heed of the precariously perched brush-tail, and continues her reign of fine-touching the mountain's craggy western face with her primary wingtips.

Audri nods, glancing up at Taye. "U'uh. Ah ask 'im watah, but 'e been busy gin." Ooh. Audri leans over the edge more, eyes staring down at the hawk curiously. Having never seen a bird, the kit was a bit perplexed. "Whatta dat?"

Taye has seen a fair number of birds, and so Taye's not exactly curious at the sight of the hawk. Startled might better explain it. Reaching out to grab Audri around the waist to pull her back from the edge, he just barely manages to avoid squeaking. XD "That's a /hawk/, Auree."

Tabasco minds her own business clearly, but soon after a moment starts to ascend in circumference to the crater top. a solid backstroke of wings brings her near to the edge, while one sheer hawk eye, laden full with bronze impressiveness, lingers on the two. Not for more than a second though. Clicking her beak once, the predator settles herself for a good preen. Ignorant to whoever's widened eyes.

Audri does squeak, not expecting to be pulled back. She squirms in his hold, arms reaching to grab for the edge again. "Wet go! Ah wanna see it! It pweddie." o.o Then when the bird lands, Audri tries to go over towards it, still squirming and kicking Taye. "Wanna see!"

Eyes widening just a liiiiittle bit as the large bird lands, Taye does his best to hold onto the squirming ball of fur. "Auree, no! Hawks /eat/ little dibbuns." That said, he finally /does/ release the energetic Audri, hoping that that's enough to deter her. Then again, this /is/ Audri we're talking about.

Tabasco shifts her glossy head back behind her left wing, sliding trim and prim feathers through her beak to moisten them. Small clicking noises are given every few seconds. As for the struggling whelp and nerve-cut hare? No thought given.

Yesh. And being its Audri, she ignores the part about her being a potential meal for the bird. Eyes wide with wonder, the kit hops slowly towards the hawk, tilting her head to the side curiously. Audri stops a few feet away from Tabasco, claw tapping her chin while she stares up at her, clearly in deep thought which could mean trouble.

Agh. Taye looks skyward, what with the great hardship and all, and jogs after Audri, standing close behind her should the hawk decide to do anything that doesn't involve ignoring them. XD "Auree..."

Tabasco finally perks her head into normal position, and flicks her eye on the kidette. She wasn't ignoring them ... just taking her time to work up their more tweakable nerves. <3 Or at least the hare's. The crimson-shouldered avian passes a moment of silence to her little admirer and opens her beak slightly.

Audri ooohs, taking a few hops closer, keeping her weight off her injured leg. The kit is now within an arm's length of the huge hawk, still staring at it curiously, probably giving poor Taye a heart failure by now. Smiling, Audri reaches out a small paw, planning on giving the hawk a little pet.

Yeeeeah, easy-going Taye is not, and having a heart attack he is. "Auree... pleasecomebackherenow!" Inching after her at this point at a much slower rate, the young buck keeps a wide, wary eye on the hawk as he does so. "Please oh please oh please comebackherenow." His voice is at urgent whisper stage, and he's making rather pointless beckoning gestures - as her back is to him - with his arms.

Tabasco suddenly bursts out in maniacal cackles. Hawk cackles. a rather peculiar sound. Like a Keyrahaha keyrahaha. After a fallible end to her chuckles, the aviator meets the young one's paw with a tenderly soft primary feather; resembling a long, black finger. Keh! Yewz eh ckeriuz likkel tink, ne?;

"But Ah wants ta pet it!" Audri whines, still reaching out for the bird, ignoring Taye. o.o Audri pauses, tail poofing as the hawk cackles, unsure for a brief moment. She relaxes as the hawk talks, paw stroking the feather carefully, nodding slowly to Tabasco's words though she has no idea what she said. XD "Ah Auwee. Who 'oo?"

Well... now that it seems that the hawk's a fairly nice little hawky, Taye's free to turn and walk a bit unsteadily over to a boulder and sit down, not facing the two any longer. Because he's a nervous wreck. Silly Taye.

Tabasco squats her good eye down on the squirrelet. 'Aooee? Krah! I'z Tebazko,. frum all teh wei up Nurth, keh?'

Audri nods, plopping down on her bum, setting her paws in her lap. "Tebaaco. Nice te meetch'oo." She blinks, lips pursing together. "Is 'oo neaw de Abba?"

Tabasco cuts a neat arc through the air with a wing, exaggerating and grinning the whole while. Kurrr! Ebbeh? Bein der, yez, muni tymz. Uthur plazes tew. She clenches talons for a firm grip on the edge, the granite, quartz, and other volcanic substances grinding underneath the nickel cappings.

Audri watches the hawk with that child curiosity, grinning happily. "Whewe ewse 'oo been Tebaa?" Audri asks, while standing once more, hopping closer to the hawk so she can pet her feathers again.

Tabasco buffs up her breast feathers; the softest of all, for the fact it consists mostly of down. The tangerine markings glitter with sheen, and the hawk continues. 'Hekke! Evur hyurd uv Ruyngaite? Ur Maepelleev? I'z bein deeip Suth, tew. Keh.' Her one good eye was wreathed in a small grin, happy to have found a new dibbun companion to chitter with.

Audri pets Tabasco, being careful with her feathers. "'a was tawkin bout Runegate. A doat was visitin from dewe." Audri says quietly, looking very relaxed around the hawk. "What da Abba wike? Ah gots an n'uckwe dewe."

Tabasco churrls and chirrups at the petting, then steadies herself. 'Keh! Ebbeh's nize plaze, sluwly gattink itzelv beck tewgettur. Heik, hheik, Wuz yew Unckell?'

Audri giggles, continuing to run her paw through the soft downy feathers. "'e mah 'a's bwothah. But, Ah nevah seen 'im. To faw way to visit de abbey." Audri mumbles, nose sniffling some. "'a miss 'im wots."