A New Home for New Friends

[Rafael]

Rafael moved throughout the forest like landscape that Zadora, Lolth and him had been traveling through for the last few hours. They had met Lolth little more than two days ago and in that time the small group of Beasts had continued to get along well enough together that actually staying together in order to protect one another didn't seem any less difficult than it had when Rafael had first suggested the idea. The only thing that was a constant worry for the large panther was the fact that Lolth was covered in her small spiders and Zadora didn't seem to relaxed with them around her.

Rafael was still sore and wounded from the battle he had experienced against that strange creature in the swamp that he and the others had been near yesterday. That creature had been a little bit bigger than him and it had known how to fight. It caused quite a bit of damage to his body and even with his ability that he was still trying to get a hold of even after using it twice now he was still hurt. He could feel a slight pain in his waist and on his left arm along with various other places of his body, but the pain only served to keep his motivation high in regards to finding a suitable home. "I don't know about you guys, but I love the scent of this forest. The trees and air it just smells so . . natural ya know?" Rafael turned and asked both of his friends with a smile on his face.

Lolth had been living in a cave when they had come across her and Rafael knew that some spiders preferred dark environments as opposed to being outside in the light. He didn't mind the idea of living inside of something that only problem with that idea was the simple fact that he didn't know how to build anything. He wasn't the best at that sort of thing or really he just didn't know how. His father had never taught him anything when he had been human and with no one else around to teach him anything outside the norm for a high school kid he had learned basically only the basic of living.

They had been walking for a few hours now and as he looked ahead Rafael could see a few ridges section where the forest seemed to rise up rather high and he could see stone blocking the passage leading higher up. One such stone wall was actually fairly high. So high in fact that even if Rafael extended his arms upwards he couldn't be able to touch the top and pull himself up. It was over fifteen feet high easily. The forest area was revealing to Rafael that it was actually a mountain that they had been hiking without even knowing it. "Hmmm I wonder if they're any caves around here. Would you guys be ok staying in a cave if we can find one around here?"

[Zadora]

Zadora walked next to Rafael, concerned of the wounds he had gotten after returning to her and Lolth after they started their journey for a new home. Though when he left wasn't very fun for her. Being left with a bunch of spiders wasn't something she wanted but she keep quiet and stayed near the female the whole time Rafael was gone. But when he came back, she was right at his side in an instant looking him over.

She looked around the forest, observing their surrounds as they walked. Not used all the traveling that they were doing until she meet Rafael, so the forest was new to her. Her small rounded ears twitched at the sound of Rafael's voice as he spoke to them. She turned her head to look at him well nodding her head. "Its different from the grassy plains that I stayed at before I met you but I like it out here." She said with a smile.

"We just need a place with a pond or river nearby." She said. Being more concerned for Rafael since his fur was all black. She didn't want him to over heat but also for herself since she also had black on her as well it was also providing something fun to do when they need a break from everything. But that also provided a source to drink from too."Where there is water, there will be always be something to hunt." She added.

Keep pace with Rafael as they continued there walk. Slowly she was getting tired after all their walking. She notice that ridge they were near. She seemed interested him them as she paused for a moment to look at them. She wasn't sure if Lolth travel a lot but this was all new to her so she was sight seeing a little bit. When she was done, she was back at Rafael's side. "I don't mind. She said ass he looked between Lolth and Rafael.

[Rafael]

Rafael was interested to hear what Zadora and Lolth had to say about the idea of making this new area a home where all of them could live together so that they could stay safe and not have to continue moving when there was always the possibility that another of the insects could find them. Although Rafael liked the idea of finding a place on this mountain that was starting to reveal to them that it had a good amount of hills that were either incredibly steep or just something that anyone would be able to walk up.

Trees were all over the place with leaves covering much of the ground, but there seemed to be just as many boulders scattered about as trees on this mountain. Zadora seemed to be fine with the idea of living in this area, but also made a very wise addition that they should scout out the area and try to find some source of water. She was right of course the three of them were creatures that not only needed to eat, but needed water even more so and living in an area without a source of water wouldn't work for them.

Lolth didn't seem to have anything to add as she actually was quite a silent individual Rafael took it to mean that she didn't mind the idea of settling down here nor did she prefer it. So taking what Zadora said into mind Rafael smiled. "Alright then so lets find some water." Rafael would turn facing back up the mountain and bend his legs. He'd then jump forwards over the rock wall that was in front of them all and higher up onto the mountain. He wasn't really sure if either of his friends were going to follow him, but Rafael figured that the best way to find a source of water would be to get to the top of the mountain and then look out over the area from there.

[Lolth Orbweaver]

Lolth walked in the back of the group keeping a little distance between her and Zadora and Rafael. She was still getting used to being in the presence of other individuals, with the exception of her swarm of little ones. She walked with the swarm all around her. Some even riding on her arms and shoulders. The feeling of their little feet against her skin was comforting. She knew that the stress of moving locations were just as hard for them as it was for her. There was one other reason she walked farther way from the other two beastmen, it was to give some space for Zadora, who Lolth could tell didn't enjoy the little one's company near as much as Lolth did.

As they walked, Lolth could tell the subtle change in the terrain indicating that they were heading for the foot hills. The smell of the trees mixed with the cooler air meant that the area was still pretty forested, so they were not that high yet. Lolth could feel the muscles in her legs starting to tire. Her legs burned slightly with each step, and her heart was beating quickly trying to push blood through her constantly active body. Yes she was fairly active, even though she didn't stray far from her cave home most of the time, but the amount of walking that they were doing, and now going up hill, was starting to take a toll on her. She was not as strong as other beastmen. None the less she pushed on without complaint not wanting to worry her new friends. 

"I don't know about you guys, but I love the scent of this forest. The trees and air it just smells so . . natural ya know?" Lolth really didn't know how to respond. She had met a few of the people in black that carry their metal claws around. She knew that they, and other spirits like them, lived in a big gathering called the Roku....something. She never went to that area herself. She never wanted to risk putting herself in danger or her little ones. She has known nothing else but the smells of nature. It was her main way of discerning what was around her being blind and all. She had nothing to compare it to, so she just kept silent and nodded slightly even if either of them couldn't see it. 

Lolth preferred to live in dark environments, like most spiders do, and liked the idea of finding another cave to settle in. Though if that were the case, why didn't they just stay in the cave she was already living in, if safety in numbers was a concern? She knew that the insect man they fought was tough, but they have shown that they could take them down when working together. Zadora made the observation that they would need to find a place with water nearby. Since water is essential to their survival, as well as a good hunting ground, that made sense. Rafael was all for it. He started to bound up the ridge urging them to come along. Lolth followed suit using her multiple arms to find the hand holds and quickly climb after him 

[Zadora]

Zadora glanced back to Lolth and her little one. Glad that the spiders weren't as close to her they were when she first meet Lolth back in the swamp. After a long glance, she turned back to Rafael who agreed with the water. She smiled and nodded her head to him. Blinking as he turned to the mountain and bent his knees. He wasn't gonna jump his way up? As she finished her thought, he leaped up. She sighed, shaking her head.

She turned to the mountain, following him up but she was climbing in the same fashion as Lolth. Quickly she scaled up the mountain following close behind Rafael. Her large paws finding placed to grip and step on as she climbed. Making sure not to go near any of the spiders. If she was near one, she made sure not to crush it with her paws so she didn't have to face the motherly wraith that Lolth possessed for the small spiders.

She was excited about living near water. Rafael knew her love her swimming but Lolth didn't. With her excitement, she accidentally climbed pass Rafael. She blinked as she realized that he was no longer in front of her. She paused, making sure she had a good grip before turning her head to look down. She didn't look down for long, the height making her uneasy as she quickly turned to face the mountain, gripping the holds tighter.

[Rafael]

Rafael continued to jump from one spot to another getting higher and higher up on the mountain that he and his friends had found. It was actually quite surprising how high it seemed to be yet Rafael could tell the further that he went up that the terrain actually got steeper and steeper until it was no longer a hill with some boulders or walls of earth, but a virtually cliff side that he kept trying to jump above. He looked down as he grabbed a hold of an outlying rock. He could see Zadora and Lolth down a few hundred feet climbing up behind him. He wanted to help them get up faster so that they could all see what was at the top together and see if there was no water in the area, but another part really wasn't sure if he could help them at all.

So flexing his arm Rafael pushed downwards with his arm sending his body upwards against the outlying rock propelling him further up a few feet so that he could smash his hand through the side of the cliff. Rafael no longer had any place to jump off of to get high faster so he had no other choice, but to climb like Zadora and Lolth now. Although he figured this was actually for the best. Not only would the both of them be able to reach him faster if he was moving slower, but he'd actually be giving the both of them deep holes in the cliff to place their hands and feet so that it was easier for each of them to climb. So that's what he continued to do for the next few minutes as he climb his way up to the top.

As he reached the top of the climb Rafael pulled himself up to his feet and could feel grass as he did so. Looking out at everything Rafael was actually quite surprised everything that he could really see was grass with the exception of another large stone pillar like formation roughly fifteen hundred feet away from him. He looked back down and although he got that uneasy feeling from the height that he was looking down at he could see both Zadora and Lolth not that far behind him. It would take the both of them a few more minutes to reach the top, but Rafael had no doubt they'd both be able to do it.

So he started to walk over towards the stone pillar like structure. As he got about half way to it he swore that he could hear the sound of water splashing against something. Everywhere that he looked though all he could see was grass and stone and of course slopes and hills. So running over to one of the edges of a hill where it started to descend downwards Rafael looked out and was awe he was delighted by what he saw. There was a river down a few hundred meters that went through a small hidden valley of grass and a single large tree. One side of the river went down and Rafael could see that it dropped off turning into a waterfall that lend downwards where he couldn't see. The other side also came from a waterfall though that was actually hidden behind the stone pillar that he had first seen. This new place it was like another section of the world higher up untainted by anything and it could give them all peace.

[Lolth Orbweaver]

Lolth followed Zadora and Rafael the best she could. The muscles in her arms and legs were screaming from the exertion. Her lungs felt like they were full of glass from climbing at an altitude that she was unaccustomed to. Still at this point it would only make her more tired to stop now. She pushed herself onward using the sound of Zadora, and Rafael climbing, as well as her own sense of touch to scale the cliff. She could hear the sound of roaring water far sooner than the others would have. She would quicken her pace closing the gap a bit with Zadora. She was sure that they were at least close to a place they could rest. She finally pulled herself up over the edge laying on the ground to catch her breath. 

The sound of water filled her ears, but there was something off about it. The way it sounded seemed like there was a slight echo. She was curios. Usually the only things that echo were caves, at least in her experience. She would get up and walk along the river heading to the water fall. Unlike Rafael or Zadora, she didn't have sight in order to marvel at what was around them. None the less she moved matter of factually along the rocky turrain near the water fall. The sound nearly drowning out all others. "Hey there is a cave behind the water fall!" She called out to her friends. She looked down an smiled at her little ones. "Come my little ones, we are home at last." Lolth really didn't have any intention of traveling any farther. At least not for a while. 

The swarm of little spiders would scurry around Rafael and Zadora, keeping more distance around the former. Like children summoned by their mother's call, they followed Lolth into the small cave system that was hidden behind the water fall. Keria lead the swarm as deep as they could go in the back of the cave system. It was a little damper than they were used to, but they would adapt. At last, they had found a place that they could call home. She waited for her friends to either summon her out or come in. The cave wasn't as dark as her former one, but it was sufficient none the less. She was just glad to get off her feet for a while. 

[Zadora]

Once Zadora made it to the top, she didn't even look yet. She just flopped down on the ground, panting. She turned her head to glare half-heartily at Rafael with a scowl. She let out a small growl as she slowly forced herself to stand up ignoring the protest of her feet. "Lets never... climb this mountain side again." She panted out towards him. She moved to his side and reached out to flick his arm gently like she was playfully punishing him.

She turned to look at Lolth how looked just as tired as she was. Watching the female lay on the ground after climbing all the way up the mountain. She blinked as the female stand up and walk. Her glaze followed her movement until she got a look of were they were. Her eyes widen at the beauty of the area. And at the sight of the water made her want to go and jump in. She turned her head to the waterfall and smiled. The sight of the waterfall brought out more of the beauty of the place.

She had enough of the sight seeing and quickly moved down towards the river. She wasn't gonna go any farther than this beautiful clearing. She turned to look at Lolth once more as the female moved to water fall. Her head tilted to the side for the moment before the female called out to her and Rafael about a cave being behind the waterfall. She looked to all the spiders that come to the females call, and trembled slightly.

She had gotten used to the females spiders but that didn't mean that she was still tremble or shiver at the sight of them moving. She turned her head to look up at Rafael for the moment before she moved to sit at the rivers edge. Dipping her feet down into the water. She completely relaxed at the feeling of the water rush pass her feet. "I think this is the perfect place to live Rafael. And I think Lolth likes this place as well" She called out to him well looking around.

[Rafael]

Amazed at how beautiful everything looked in this secluded area Rafael didn't even notice that both of the girls that had followed him up the side of the mountain were both tired from the climb. He hadn't even noticed how both of them were reacting to the new area until Zadora approached him and told him that she thought this area was a perfect place to live and that Lolth liked the idea of staying here as well. Rafael looked down over by the waterfall and could see the figure of Lolth with a mass of blackness following around her into the waterfall. He had barely heard her tell him that there was a cave behind the waterfall.

It wasn't surprising that Lolth would want to find a place that was dark to stay with her children however Rafael was surprised that she wouldn't be put off by how wet all of them would possibly be due to the constant water falling down in front of the cave. If they weren't constantly wet they'd always be damp at least. Although perhaps he was simply overthinking it though as nobody ever really died from being damp. Rafael wanted to look around this area a bit more before relaxing and because of that he turned a grinned at Zadora before rushing down the slope towards the small river from the waterfall.

It would take him only about ten seconds to get down by the river and when he did he'd look around and breath in the fresh air along with the pleasant scent of the grass. "This is somewhere I can definitely call home. Somewhere beautiful that'd be safe for all of us." Dropping down to the grass Rafael would hit the ground with a slam as his back made an indent. Putting his hands behind his head Rafael looked to the sky and smiled thinking over how for the first time throughout all of his existence he actually had a home that he was happy to call home and wouldn't be afraid to return to and stay in every night. This was the home of the new pack formed by him and his friends and the ebony panther was happier than he'd ever been.