Of Crags and Crevices

The call of gulls echoed through the cool air as they soared along the coast.  Their beady eyes and yellow bills closed slightly at the stinging slash of salt carried on the wind as waves crashed against the steep cliffside.  One young bird rose an updraft that carried it within a few  inches of the worn outcrop without paying attention to its surroundings.  A mistake it would never repeat.

   With a short, indignant squawk the bird barely managed to avoid flying into the side of a short, yet well built tokota.  Head jerking around instinctively the albino female snapped her jaws, just missing the gull as it dashed up, smacking the blonde youth on the tokota’s back with its wings.  Letting out a quick yelp of his own the boy raised his hands to defend his face as the bird clumsily flew off, letting out a few shrieking cries at the duo below before soaring off across the open water.

   Jerry, blue eyes narrowed at the retreating bird quickly patted his clothing and hair back into some semblance of order in an attempt to retain his pride.  His efforts were quickly ruined however when a hand roughly yet playfully ruffled his blonde hair.

   “Hey! Stop it Dag!” Jerry protested as he lightly smacked at the arm above him.

   Teeth flashing in a coy grin Dag retracted his hand and teased: “Smile kid, your friend is watching.”  Easily avoiding a light jab from Jerry, Dag urged his own tokota, named Hali, forward.  One hand ran through the teen’s own mussed blonde hair as the pair pulled alongside another tokota and rider duo.

   Blue eyes glowing Jerry glanced over his shoulder to look at the sphinx tokota Redd, and the young girl seated atop his back.  Ellie, another youth around the same age as Jerry was indeed watching him.  With a subtle signal she had Redd pick up his pace just enough to pull alongside Jerry and Illi.  The albino barbary raised her tail proudly although it waved in excitement as she looked out at the ocean yet again.  Although she was a solid 25cm shorter than the tall male, Illi outranked him in the hierarchy of tokotas, although with her cheerful personality and incessant desire to befriend everyone no-one could tell from a distance.

   Green eyes dancing Ellie tossed her head in the direction of Dag’s back and asked: “You seem to be on good terms.  You know him well?”

   Smiling, Jerry shifted slightly in his seat and replied: “Yeah, I’ve travelled with these guys a few times.  I’m glad you were able to come today.”

   Teeth flashing in a smile Ellie ran her eyes along the edge of the cliffside that lay a couple of yards to their left before responding: “No, thank you for asking me to tag along.  I wonder if the rumors we’ve heard so far are true.  Do you really think there could be some kind of strange creature living in the waters around here?”  Running a hand along Redd’s neck Ellie pulled her gaze up to watch the three tokotas and their riders that rode ahead of them.

   “Well, that’s why we’re here, isn’t it?” Jerry stated, voice filled with confidence as he followed Ellie’s gaze.  Pointing with a gloved head he continued: “By the way, that’s Dag, the one with the blonde hair.  The melanistic toko he’s riding is Hali.  He’s a bit like your Redd, although Hali can be a bit stranger.  Next to him seated on top of Tutela, the golden dire, is Veng.  She can be a bit rough at times but means well… I think.  Aleu is the girl on Titania, the tawny female.”  As he shifted his hand to point at each duo in turn, Jerry’s eyes continued to glow in excitement and he shifted a little in his saddle again.  Illi, feeling her rider move shifted her gaze to look up at him before letting out a short, inquiring bark.  Smiling Jerry quickly said: “Sorry, girl, just excited.”

   A small smile on her own face Ellie urged Redd forward and chuckled: “Come on Jerry, let’s catch up and see if they’ll let us go ahead to scout out the area.”  Breaking into an easy lope Redd quickly closed the gap between them and the three tokotas at the head of the group.  Illi immediately followed close to Redd’s heals, the albino female’s eyes glowing in excitement akin to her rider’s as she kept pace with the taller male.

   Aleu easily checked Titania’s pace as the kids and their tokotas ran by her on their way to Dag and Veng.  Tilting her head in curiosity, Aleu’s gray eyes were filled with easily recognized curiosity.  She had wanted to take the time to meet and get to know Redd and Illi earlier, but since the group had taken off on their trip as soon as the two youth had arrived and rounded out the exploration party, she hadn’t had the chance.  Titania’s deep blue eyes filled with a soft kindness as she watched the others run by, but obediently followed her rider’s commands.  Aleu was shy by nature, and was more comfortable at the moment trailing a few meters behind the rest of the group.  Shaking out her light colored mane Titania let out a content sigh before edging forward just enough to fall within earshot of the two youth’s pleading attempts.

   Veng, eyes locked straight ahead paid no attention to the two kids.  Her silver gaze was unreadable as Illi wedged herself between Hali and Tutela, allowing Jerry to pester both trainers simultaneously.  Redd, a bit too big to try and force his way between the two tokotas paced alongside Hali instead.  The sphinx male playfully pulled the melanistic tokota’s mane in an attempt to draw him into play.  Although Hali gave Redd an affectionate nudge with his head in response, the older male shook out his fur and shifted his attention to the ocean to their left, clearly interested in something although exactly what had drawn his focus was unclear to anyone else.  Letting out a sigh Redd flicked his ears and locked his golden eyes on Dag, a hopeful gleam there as he waited for Ellie to work things out with the blonde teen.

   “Come on Dag, it could take us ages to find anything at this rate!  Why not let Jerry and I go ahead?  Besides, Redd could use something to entertain him, and we’d be careful!”

   “Plus, we’d be out of your hair,” Jerry cut in, sitting proudly atop Illi, who let out her own joyful bark in agreement.

   “I don’t know, what d’you say Veng?” Dag asked while trying not to smile and running a hand through his hair.  But when his green eyes met her reluctant silver gaze a grin flashed across his face.

   Letting out a deep sigh Veng looked down at her own mount.  Tutela, feeling her rider’s gaze glanced back over her shoulder before shrugging in answer to the woman’s unspoken question.  The dire female didn’t care what the younger tokotas did as long as they were within range for her to help if needed.  Eyebrows pulling together in a frown Veng looked down at Jerry, whose blue eyes were filled with pleading and hope.  Giving up, Veng lazily waved a hand at the blonde youth.  Instantly he and Illi shot forward with a gleeful cry of: “Awesome, let’s go Ellie!”

   Redd quickly shot after them, Ellie balanced easily atop his powerful back as the red male effortlessly caught up with the smaller barbary.  Both tokotas’ tails waved in the air as they ran side by side, enjoying the sensation of running as their muscles bunched and stretched to carry them across the worn earth.

   Titania, moving at a relaxed lope behind them eased alongside Hali and Dag, while Aleu stared after the shrinking figures of the kids.  Looking up at the teenager she asked: “Was that really wise, letting them run off like that?”

   “Oh they’ll be fine, Ellie knows how to take care of herself and Redd, while Jerry has Illi to look after him.  And we’re close enough to help if anything happens.” Dag replied with a chuckle.  Aleu, not satisfied tried to look at Veng, but the woman’s attention was fixed on the small feathered body of a chickadee that had landed on her shoulder.  The resilient bird had dropped a small piece of fur in Veng’s hand, and had its chest puffed out proudly.  Eyes narrowed Veng was rolling the hair through her fingers before holding them down for Tutela to sniff at.  Ears flicking in thought the dire female felt some twinge of familiarity in the faint scent of the fur, although it was too diluted from its time in the sea for her to be certain.  Shaking her head Tutela turned her violet gaze to Hali’s spot alongside her, but the melanistic male was gone.

   Blinking once Tutela looked at Titania, whose own deep blue eyes were also slightly confused.  Both tokotas and their trainers had only looked away for a moment, and yet the large male had managed to disappear.  Veng and Aleu, both noticing their mounts’ confusion turned in their saddles to look for the missing duo.  When they finally found the melanistic tokota, he was standing a couple short feet from the edge of the cliff.

   Muscles relaxed Hali was staring at the waters down below with both ears perked.  Dag was leaning forward with forearms braced against his mount’s shoulders.  Eyes closed in pleasure at the feeling of water and wind brushing his face the teen seemed to be just as relaxed as his mount, although there was a subtle feeling that he was ready to react to any change in the situation.  Grumbling to herself about the courage of fools Veng pulled Tutela to a halt and was about to call out to Dag when a sudden, frantic call for help reached their ears.

   Instantly Tutela raised her head, eyes focused and commanding as she turned to look in the direction Illi and Redd had ran off in earlier.  A deep, rumbling growl rippled through her massive body as the dire female surged forward into a run.  Her powerful and heavy paws thudded against the ground with each stride as her violet gaze sought out the forms of the missing kids.  It didn’t take long for her to latch onto the silhouette of a tokota on the horizon, although the distinct lack of a second toko and rider made a sliver of concern flick through her eyes as she drew closer.  Veng, eyes cold and sharp in their focus rode in perfect harmony with her mount’s movements, but as they drew closer to the distinctive pair of Ellie and Redd the woman slowly drew Tutela to a brisk walk to avoid rushing into any unseen danger.

   Titania, eyes concerned followed a few strides behind Tutela.  Aleu’s gaze was serious as she tried to consider what she and Titania could do to help depending on what the kids had gotten themselves into.  Scowling slightly in confusion she slowed Titania to a halt a dozen meters back from where Tutela and Redd seemed to be gazing down into a hidden gap in the earth.  Flinching slightly as Hali and Dag rushed forward, Aleu watched with concern as the blonde teen dismounted from the male tokota’s back before approaching the crevice in the ground.

   Ellie, speaking swiftly, was running a reassuring hand over Redd’s shoulder and neck as the sphinx shifted his weight back and forth with nervous energy.  Moving a little closer Aleu dismounted and ran her own hand through Hali’s and Titania’s manes as she listened to the young girl explain to Veng what had happened.

   “We were running along when we thought there was something down there in the water.  Jerry had started to pull ahead when I heard him and Illi cry out in surprise, and when I looked up they were gone.  Redd was able to turn and stop just in time to avoid falling down after them, but I don’t know if they’re hurt or not, I can’t see them but didn’t want to get too close without backup.”

   Veng had backed Tutela away from the gap when the dire female edged her paws within a few inches of the drop, a deep, inquiring bark escaping her maw.  Ears perked forward as she waited for a response, Tutela turned her violet gaze to Dag, who had stretched out on his stomach to lean over the gap and was scanning the depths below.  Face calm and expressionless the bonde teen chuckled slightly when a short, confused bark radiated up to his and the rest of the group’s ears.  Narrowing his eyes Dag was finally able to make out the muddy forms of Illi and Jerry below.

   Precariously balanced on a narrow ledge on their side of the crevice, Jerry was clutching Illi’s thick mane.  The normally white coated female was completely covered in mud and soil, making it hard to distinguish her from the shadows of the gap they were now stuck in.  Jerry gave Dag a shaky smile as he waved up to him.  Coughing through the dirt he weakly called: “Well, I think we found something interesting here.  Care to help us out?”

“Don’t worry kid, we’ll get yah out of there soon, just relax.”  Looking around, Dag slowly moved away from the edge before standing and moving back to Hali’s saddle.  Grabbing a rope and a few leather straps he always kept handy the blonde teen secured one end to Hali’s saddle before tossing it down the gap.  Before he could begin to rappel down the side however, Dag felt a strong hand grip his shoulder.  Veng, silver eyes unreadable slung her own emergency satchel across the teen’s torso.  Nodding once, the woman released her grip and Dag began his descent.

Slowly and carefully stepping onto the ledge where Illi and Jerry were trapped Dag gave the barbary female a gentle pat on the shoulder before asking: “You two alright?”  Rather than standing and waiting for an answer, Dag listened as he secured the rope around Illi’s body, using the spare leather straps to help disperse the pull to her saddle, shoulder, and back before wrapping the last bit around Jerry’s waist.

“A couple bruises but nothing major I don’t think.” Jerry responded to Dag’s question.  Then, confusion on his face as Dag finished he continued: “What about you?  Don’t you need some rope too?  Or are you going to ride with me?”

Shaking his head Dag gave a short, brief tug on the rope as he replied: “Nah, once you two are safe Veng will send the rope back down for me.  Besides, if this ledge was able to support you two it should be more than safe enough for me in the meanwhile.”  Flashing a teasing smile he reached up to ruffle Jerry’s hair before continuing: “Why?  You starting to worry about me kid?  How cute.”

Feeling the pressure of the rope on her shoulders and across her saddle straps Illi stood and carefully braced her forepaws against the steep side of the crevice.  Giving Dag a soft nudge with her head Illi began to pull herself up as much as she could to help those above.  Paws slipping occasionally she let out a short whine of apology as dust lightly rained around Dag’s shoulders.  Jerry, somewhat nervous, clung on tightly to Illi’s back, but kept glancing down to check on Dag.

While the teen had been working on securing the rope to the trapped tokota-rider duo Veng had ran another from Tutela and Titania to help alleviate the pressure on Hali as they worked together to pull them up. Once Illi’s paws were able to grip the edge she heaved herself up with powerful shoulders, and as her head was clear of the edge Redd, paws firmly planted, reached forward and with a gentle grip on her scruff helped drag Illi fully up and over.  Hind paws scrabbling as she pushed clear Jerry stiffened and called out a warning to Dag as a fair sized piece of earth and rock was dislodged.

Drawing in a hissing breath Dag avoided the falling earth, but as it struck the ledge, which had been weakened by Illi’s and Jerry’s fall, it collapsed beneath his feet.  Cursing Dag barely managed to draw his limbs in to reduce the risk of breaking them before dropping from sight.  The sound of a body hitting water echoed up the narrow gap to the rest of the group. With the wind knocked out of his body Dag fought the urge to gasp and avoid inhaling any water in the moment, but a wave drew out and carried his body away from the walls before slamming him back in with a sickening thud.  Lights flashing through his vision Dag dizzily fought to keep his head above water as it began to pull him away again.  Bleeding slightly from a cut in his scalp caused by the blow he was in a daze as the calls of the others above barely registered in his ears.  Coughing as water entered his eyes and throat he could barely make out the silhouette of something moving through the water before a second impact against the rocks knocked him unconscious.

Every tokota at the top of the cliff-face above froze when the echo of a howl reached their ears.  Looking down at the water below, the trainers all fought to keep themselves and their mounts calm.  Tutela, eyes unreadable kept an anxious Illi away from the ledge while Veng took a firm grip on Hali’s reins.  The melanistic male had immediately began to pace off along the edge of the crevice in search of a way down to water.  Speaking in a calm, soothing tone Veng managed to convince him to wait for the rest of the group to finish collecting their supplies before moving off together.  Illi and Redd led the way with Titania a few paces to their side, making sure they stayed a safe distance away from the crevice and then the open cliffside after they finished circumnavigating the formation.  Behind them,  head lowered dejectedly was Hali, with Veng seated in his saddle.  The woman had decided it would be better for her to ride with the melanistic male so she could keep him calm.

At the rear of the group again Titania’s ears strained to pick up any sign from the source of the howl, but all she could pick up was the continuous slap of water against rock.  Looking down whenever she could Titania glanced back at her trainer to see if Aleu had seen any signs of the missing teen.  But the woman was still and silent, her gaze transfixed on the sea below.  Somewhat ironically the closer to the cliff-face the water was, the harder it was to see any details due to the shadow the earth cast over the waves.  Aleu jerked her head up however when she heard Jerry call to her from ahead.

Illi and Redd were staring down a steep path cut along the edge of the cliff, where it disappeared somewhere near the bottom.  All three trainers had dismounted and were debating their next move when Aleu and Titania pulled up.  As she lightly landed on the ground Aleu noted that Hali was not paying any attention to the trainers or any of the other tokotas.  Blinking, the woman turned to listen to the conversation.

“It’s the only path we’ve found so far, do you honestly think we’re going to find another?” Ellie stated, her voice flat with a slight tinge of impatience.

Veng began to reply with a shake of her head: “We need to make sure it’s the best option before we-”

“We don’t have time!” Jerry cut in, his green eyes blazing with a mixture of worry and irritation.  “Who knows where Dag is and what condition he’s in!”

“Umm, guys..” Aleu started to say, eyes flicking towards the path.  When everyone turned to look at her, she continued: “I think we have a problem, Hali’s gone.”

Instantly all three riders turned, having to both confirm Aleu’s words as well as to check on their own mounts.  Veng, cursing beneath her breath began to move towards the path.  Silver eyes sharp she looked down the slope just in time to see Hali pull out of sight beneath the cliffs.

“We go one by one, everyone leads their tokota behind them.  Understand?” Veng snapped, voice cold and precise.  Then, without waiting for a response from any of them she lightly grasped Titania’s reins and began to lead the dire female down.  The path was just wide enough to accompany the dire’s considerable size, although Titania moved with a determined and unwavering stride that showed she held no concern for its ability to support her weight.

This time Titania and Aleu followed the Dire and Veng.  The somewhat clumsy Titania tucked her head beneath her trainer's arm in a search for reassurance as they slowly maneuvered their way down.  Aleu whispered words of comfort and encouragement into Titania’s ear while maintaining a careful watch on the path.  Eyes focused Aleu took deep, deliberate breaths to keep herself calm.  If she panicked, it would be a problem not only for her, but also Titania.

Ellie lightly pat Jerry’s shoulder to get his attention and gesture for him to travel down the path ahead of her.  At first the youth opened his mouth to protest, but when Ellie gave Illi and Redd a reassuring pat to comfort them the words died in his throat.  Shaking his head a look of determination settled over his face as Jerry grasped Illi’s reins and began to lead her after the others.  Illi’s ears swivelled in a brief show of unease before she picked up her trainer’s determined attitude.  Then, tail and head raising as she resumed her dominant pose she briskly and precisely followed Jerry.

Redd, golden eyes uncharacteristically serious, carefully placed his large paws in a deliberate and straight line as he followed Ellie down the path.  Ears pinned back all signs of his normally puppish personality were gone.  When Ellie slipped he firmly supported her with his head until she was able to regain her feet.  Letting out a deep breath she hadn’t known she had been holding, Ellie finally led Redd into a shallow cavern that rested at the base of the path.  Glancing around, her eyes were drawn from tokota to tokota as each stood, bodies tense as they all stared at something.

Standing in the entrance to a tunnel leading from the back of the cavern was Tavrani.  The long-maned female stood with head and tail raised.  A pool of water formed around her feet and body as it dripped from her long fur.  A mixture of sticks and mud coated her coat but blue eyes glowed with pride and content as she let out a short, commanding bark before spinning and trotting off down the tunnel, as if telling them all: “Good, you’re all here, let us go.”

   Hali, stubbornly keeping his reins out of Veng’s reach dashed off after the “starter” female.  Silver eyes slits Veng muttered to herself beneath her breath as she broke into a jog, Tutela towering above her.  The dire’s violet eyes seemed to glow in the shadows as she faded into the shadows despite her light gold coat.

   Titania glanced back at Illi and Redd to make sure they had all reached the cavern safely before following Aleu into the tunnel.  The tawny female’s eyes were kinds as she followed the scent of the tokotas ahead of her to stay on the right track.  To her surprise and unease, the path sloped down for a while, and she could feel breezes coming from a myriad of directions, and she knew they were travelling down one path of many that must run through the cliffs.  Shivering as she imagined being lost beneath the earth forever, Titania brushed her shoulder against Aleu for a moment before continuing onward.

   Red and Illi glanced down at their riders as Ellie and Jerry both moved down the path together.  Luckily it was just wide enough for the red sphinx and albino barbary to side-by-side, like their trainers.  Ears flicking back both tokotas were uncomfortable with the sensation of tons of earth weighing down above them.  Both mounts would adjust their riders’ course when the scent trail led down a passage that slightly deviated from the main path they were following.  Then, as the tunnel began to widen and light began to shine ahead of them Jerry laughed and commented: “Oh no Ellie, “Don’t go into the light.”

   Smiling slightly Ellie retorted: “I think that only applies to dead people Jerry, we’re still alive… I think.”  Jerry chuckled as they both shielded their eyes and left the darkness of the tunnel behind.  Illi and Redd pushing forward in their own excitement to being open air again.  

Steep walls on all sides rose to a large hole in the ceiling of a cavern.  The gap let in enough light and the cavern was large enough that it truly felt as if they were outside and not below ground.  To their surprise Ellie and Jerry saw a thick growth of grass covering the floor starting a few feet ahead of them.  Running forward their mounts both took off at a run across the greenery playing a game of tag.

Ellie and Jerry slowed their pace a bit as they watched their mounts run, but shifted their attention to one of the walls when they heard Aleu call their names.  Crouched next to Aleu, Veng was examining a form that was laid out on a bed of moss and tall grass.  Gasping, both youth dashed forward, Jerry quickly taking the lead as he called out Dag’s name in relief.

Green eyes cracked, and blonde hair plastered to the side of his head with blood, Dag managed to crack a smile and said in a voice hoarse from too much salt water: “Not so loud kid, you’re making my head hurt.”  Veng lightly shoved his shoulder, making Dag protest with a gasp of pain as Jerry skidded to a halt next to him.

“Serves you right, scaring us like that.” Jerry replied, lightly punching Dag’s shoulder with a smile.  Dag winced and roughly grabbed Jerry’s shirt with one hand before dragging him down to ruffle his hair.

Ellie stopped a short ways away from the group.  As Aleu walked by she gave a light shove to the younger girl’s back in a gesture of encouragement before walking off to finally meet Illi and Redd, not to mention Tavrani.  Ellie stepped forward, but instead of checking on Dag she edged around the teenager to next to Hali, who was curled up next to his rider.  With the side of his face pressed against Dag’s thigh Hali looked like an over-sized lapdog, although the look in his dark colored gaze was one of contained relief.  Gently running her fingers through the melanistic male’s mane Ellie looked out over the clearing where Redd, Illi, and now Tavrani were playing.  Their game of tag had quickly turned into a wrestling match of sorts as Tavrani pulled the taller, stronger Redd over with a tricky timing of pulling on his shoulders and destabilizing his legs.

Tutela lay a few feet from Hali and the rest of the group around Dag.  The dire’s large head was raised with ears perked, her entire body on alert as she sat in a defensive position.  Titania was lightly curled up against Tutela’s side as the tawny female slowly dozed off, the excitement of the day making her tired.  Aleu was laying against her mount’s side, a similar look of sleepiness hanging about her own frame as the woman drifted off into sleep.  Smiling slightly Ellie nimbly stepped around Dag and Hali again when Veng firmly shooed Jerry away, her silver eyes tired as she deftly and efficiently treated Dag’s wounds.  Despite his protests, the teen was soon losing consciousness, exhaustion draining his temporary burst of energy.

We’re gonna be here for a while.  Ellie thought to herself, but as she ran by Jerry and ran in the direction of the playing tokotas she was content and happy to have joined the exploration team.  Blinking at Tavrani it dawned on Elli that the strange “creature” people had been talking about recently was most likely the long-maned female, just with seaweed, driftwood, and an assortment of other random items sticking in her long coat as she swam along the coast.