Water thundered as it dropped fifty feet, crashing down into the pools below in an explosion of cool spray. It was quite scenic, but it was also quite dangerous. Any wolf who slipped on the wet rocks along the edge of the cliff could topple to their deaths—but they, hopefully, would meet a quick death with necks broken by the impact with the earth. The unluckiest souls would be washed underwater, heads unable to break the surface, until their battered lungs could not resist the surge of cold water.
To die by drowning would be the cruelest of fates.
Vesper shivered as this scenario danced through her mind. She sat in the shade of the cliff a safe distance from the cascade, her ears flattened and her body partially hunched. The thought of drowning was one of the few things that could get to her, though if anyone else were around, she would snap out of it instantly. Alone, she had only her waking nightmares as companions, and so her pulse raced and her stomach twisted as she watched the tall waterfall.
Thirst won out over fear, however. The coywolf sighed and rose onto all fours, stepping cautiously to the edge of one of the basins formed by the Pictou Falls. The pool was lined with rock and grass, swollen with the rivers that ran above it. It looked refreshing, though Vesper didn’t want to find out how deep it was. She had no problem standing and even rolling around in the shallows, in small streams and puddles, but anything that could cover her head was regarded with extreme caution and fear.
Vesper frowned and crouched at the edge of the pool, dipping her head and lapping the cold water up. It soothed her throat, refreshing in contrast with the sunlight falling on her back, and she closed her eyes to better taste the crispness.
When she opened her eyes again, she paused, dragging her tongue over dripping whiskers as she noticed a figure at the other side of the large pool. It was another canine, light brown and oddly shaped.
Immediately, the hybrid was curious. While she had seen luperci before around ’Souls, none had been this small, this young. She frowned then made up her mind, trotting around the edge of the water before pausing a polite distance from the girl.
“Hello there,” Vesper greeted, somewhat awkwardly. It had been too long since she’d spoken to someone much younger than her. “The water feels great, doesn’t it?”
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