Thinking of Elephants [Free for all!]

[Red]

Whatever you do, don't look down.

Normally, the young grey fox was not afraid of the daunting heights she could reach by climbing the tall trees she favored. But those had branches to catch your fall. This was a sheer drop, with rocks at the bottom and everything. Yet, she was standing at the edge. The breeze ruffled her fur in the direction of the cliff, making her feel even more insecure. Her heart beat noisily in her small chest.

You know, I'll so damn small that the breeze would surely knock me over. This is stupid. So stupid. Get away from the edge!

But her legs would not respond. They were frozen in place, refusing to move an inch. It was a thrilling sensation looking over the outcrop to the land of Navaria. When your a small, young being, you tend to enjoy moments like these. Red was no exception.

Okay, her scared instincts reasoned. Just don't loo, down. Whatever you do, don't look down. DON'T LOOK! I TOLD YOU NOT TO!

Again, the fox was looking straight into the ground a few stories below her. "Well you're not exactly helping," she muttered aloud. Ignoring her inner voice, she looked to the warm, morning horizon, turning bluer as her heart beat in a now steady rhythm.

[Evelynne]

A little brown form wove leisurely between the trees. Faye was enjoying her little stroll through the woods. The morning was quite windy, but the temperature was steadily climbing as the sun rose. Too bad. As an arctic fox from the frozen northern plains, Faye rather enjoyed the cold. Still, it was summer and she had wandered south of her own will, so getting used to warmer weather was a must.

After a few more minutes of strolling, the forest began to thin out, and Faye soon found herself at the edge of a cliff. She halted abruptly and gazed out toward the horizon. The landscape was absolutely beautiful. It dipped and rose in a pleasing variety of land features, and was filled with trees. What appeared to be a marsh and a lovely winding river also occupied the scene. If not for the cliff, the fox would have happily run down to begin exploring.

Somewhere off to her right, Faye heard a muttering. There was a grey fox who was also staring out over the ridge, and seemed not to have noticed Faye. She couldn't be too sure that she was undetected though, because the other fox had spoken, after all. To be safe, the arctic fox decided to introduce herself in as friendly a manner as she could and hope that the other fox would be friendly as well. Faye padded closer to the grey fox; close enough that they could speak easily to one another, but far enough that she wouldn't appear a threat. "Hello. My name is Faye. What's yours?"

[Red]

Red shuffled her feet uncomfortably, her body itching for moment. Though it was an awe-inspiring, Ultimate-Moment-Of-Revelation kind of moment, the young fox could not focus for long. The sky was bringing its A game, weaving magical patterns across its ageless depths. Red just grunted and wanted to move along and explore.

To amuse herself (and get over her fear of the long drop), she looked down and collected pool of saliva in her mouth. Without much of a lady's demeanor, she made a gargling noise and spit rather ungracefully down the dropoff. Little did she know, Red had company watching preform such an act.

The ceremony ended when the spit followed gravity to the ground and splattered against the rocks, echoing a splash in the still, morning air. Feeling successful, Red's muzzle grew a wide grin. When she was about to turn around, Faye decided to introduce herself.

As if startled by a bear roaring, Red spun around with the force of a whirlwind. Her deep brown eyes opened so wide, you could've seen their whites. And thus, with a natural reaction, the gray fox backed up towards the edge, and her back paws lost the ground beneath them. With a terrified squeak, Red dropped down, hanging onto the edge with her forelegs, only barely scrabbling with her hind to keep her from falling. Her skills at tree climbing finally paid off.

She took a moment to gather her bearings, breathing rapidly. She looked up to see the vixen who frightened her, more specifically an Arctic Fox. Well, at least that would have explained the stray, white tufts that clung to the female's pelt. Of course Faye had her summer coat, molted after the harsh winter. It was a beautiful, velvet brown and the young gray was almost jealous, already outgrown her own soft, pup fur. She seemed older than Red, which was not a surprise, most foxes were. And Faye was certainly kind and pleasant enough, not purposefully pushing the young fox over the edge of the cliff. Finally gaining the conscious to reply, Red gave a reassuring grin (mostly for herself).

"Um...hey there, Faye. Nice to meet you," the gray fox said. "The name's Red. Yes, I know, gray fox named Red, how odd. But...umm...how about we continue this conversation when I'm on solid ground? Could you...help a....friend out? Oh, and a word of advice: don't look down." Red's claws began tearing at the loose soil and she was struggling for a grip. Her breath quickened again and her heart beat faster.

[Evelynne]

Faye wasn't about to judge any fox for its actions, especially because she had her own odd quirks. When the grey fox sent a wad of spit hurtling out beyond the cliff edge to the ground below, she resolved to think upon the action no further than a subconscious recognition that such was a behavior she didn't care to try. The other fox's startling at Faye's introduction, however, garnered a bit more of a response. Jumping in surprise herself, the brown vixen realized that the other had not, in fact, detected her before the introduction.

Thankfully, Faye jumped parallel to the edge of the cliff. The grey fox was not so lucky. Hazel eyes grew wide when the other vixen was suddenly halfway over the cliff. Fear for her struck Faye for a brief moment, rendering her temporarily unable to move. As soon as she could, though, she ran over to where the fox who introduced herself as "Red" was hanging. Red remarked that she would rather chat after she was safe, and Faye agreed with a strong conviction that she was being rude for trying to talk at such an inconvenient instance.

"I'll see what I can do. Um..." Tawny paws paced quickly in front of the imperiled grey fox as Faye debated how to help. Should I grab her paw and try to hoist her up that way? No, she's using that paw to hold herself up. Besides, better not to bite someone in any form upon first meeting them... An idea hit after a moment and Faye sat squarely in front of Red. She braced herself and offered her own paw. "Take it, and I'll try to pull you up.

(Ooc: Sorry for writing a much shorter post than yours. I tend to write shorter in intense situations like this one...)

[Red]

The young fox once saw a squirrel in the same predicament. She was high in an oak, chilling after a nice meal, and the rodent lost its footing on a thinner branch. It hung on for dear life, but gravity was just too much. Let's just say that afternoon, Red had a second meal. And now she was sure she would be the highlight of some vulture's breakfast. Scared was an understatement of Red's feelings in these circumstances.

Faye offered a nice distraction, pacing in front of Red's strained paws. The gray fox prayed that the stranger would get her safely out of this predicament, even though there was no real civil duty in the wilds of Navaria. Her teeth were grinding in stress; they almost felt like they would reduce to a powder at this rate. Just barely, Red was able to open her mouth to interrupt the Arctic's thinking. "Really, you can save me anytime you like. Don't strain yourself or anything," the young fox said extremely sarcastically.

Faye offered her own paw and instructed to the hanging fox, "Take it, and I'll try to pull you up." Red scowled and made a noise something between a laugh and a grunt. Or maybe more of a gurgle. She flipped her eyes from the Arctics paw to her gaze as if Faye were asking her to eat a slug.

"You want me to grab your paw with my teeth?" Red asked in disbelief. "Are you crazy? Unless you enjoy the outcome of you without a paw or me off the edge of this dropoff, then I suggest another method." The red-furred fox took a moment to examine her statement and realized how harsh it was. She blamed the thin air and the drop below her. "Sorry, that's mean. You are helping me. If you think it's a good idea, then sure; my life's in your paw, literally. But, next time, it's okay to grab my scruff. I think we're at that point."

Without much more of a ceremony, Red gently grabbed Faye's paw in her maw, careful not to break any skin. "Awright," the young fox muttered. "I'm rea'y!"

(S'alright, I don't mind. I'm a ramble writer anyways. :3)

[Evelynne]

The arctic fox grew more and more agitated the longer she saw Red hanging for her life. As the small grey fox continued to hold herself up and still found the strength to speak, Faye grew rather impressed. She almost thought that this might not have been the first time this fox had been hanging for dear life. Faye didn't take it personally when Red was a bit rude; manners were thrown out the window when someone's life was on the line. She also decided she wouldn't mind losing a paw if that's what it came to. Even a stranger's life was worth more than a paw.

Faye found it unnecessary when the grey fox apologized for being mean, but nonetheless appreciated it anyway. Once the fox was safe, Faye would be the one apologizing for scaring Red off the cliff in the first place. As she began to pull with every ounce of her strength, the brown vixen couldn't help but marvel at the other fox's composure, especially since she was so near death. For a moment, Faye's thoughts flickered to her mother, and what it must have been going through her head as she was killed.

Adrenaline gave Faye strength that she would never have otherwise been able to achieve. It wasn't like Red was very heavy to begin with, just that the extra ability would allow her to get the vixen on solid ground before her muscles gave out. Faye remembered as she pulled a time when she found a deer carcass. Birds had eaten about half of it when she scared them off, and she ate another bit herself. After she was done, she dragged it to a different spot to cache it for later, but it was much heavier than the usual rabbit or songbird. Saving a fox's life was much more significant than dragging food around, though, so Faye focused her attention back on the task at hand and kept it there.

Faye shut her eyes and dug her claws into the ground in preparation for one giant pull. Leaning back and tightening every muscle she could, she thought she felt Red come forward a little. She managed to open an eye to see just how much progress they were making, and was relieved to see that only a few more moments of struggling, Red would be safe.

[Red]

From the start, Red knew this was not going to be easy. First off, Faye had beautiful, slender paws without much meat between the gray's teeth and the bone. Secondly, Red's teeth were still fairly cub-sharp, able to slice delicate skin with ease. And finally, it was just Faye's single appendage, which could not easily account for much of a force, even if Red was a tiny fox. Even so, the two still had a fighting chance.

As Faye pulled, Red's hind legs scrabbled quickly, trying to giver herself as much momentum as possible. Simultaneously, she used Faye for balance as her forelegs pulled herself forward inch by inch. Red could feel it: the delicacy of the situation. One false move or one hesitation on either of the foxes' ends would mean a sudden death-drop. Pulled by her tree-climbing instinct and fear, the young fox was determined not to fall.

After a few heart-wrenching seconds, the damsel in distress was able to put her chest on the ground and pull her hind legs onto the edge. On solid ground, Red quickly released Faye of the death grip and rushed away from the edge. She was heavily breathing and seeing gaps in her vision. The only words she was able to form for a whole minute (and that's saying something) were, "Oh...my...gosh."

Of course, the chatter box could not stay closed for long. As soon as she regained (most of) her wits, Red went into a full blown wave of noise, barely recognizable as speech. "Did you see how far that drop was?? By the stars, imagine if I didn't make, or let go of your paw, or just locked up and stopped moving; that would've been aaaawwwful. Those rocks, they could've cracked open a bear skull. They were ginormous! Imagine how many animals just ran off that cliff thinking there was land behind it, but then they fell to their deaths. Oh my gosh, I'm sooooo lucky. All thanks to you! And don't worry about surprising me; I probably would have ended up falling over anyways. I'm sooooo clumsy." And breathe.

Red stopped a moment to catch her breath and looked to Faye with wide, sparkling eyes. "Really, thanks," she said in a much calmer tone. Though, she quickly reverted back to hyperdrive and asked nosily, "So, you new around here? Seems like a lot of folks are. You seem too nice to be one of the locals. I'm not sure they appreciate a whole bunch of outsiders."

[Evelynne]

Finally, Red made it back over the edge and was safe. A relieved Faye allowed herself to fall over flat on her back while she rested. She lazily lifted her paw to inspect it, and was happy to see that nearly no damage was taken. After a moment, she got up and shook out her fur, then plodded over to where the grey fox had retreated, some distance from the edge of the ridge, and sat down. Faye took the opportunity to see what the fox she had just saved actually looked like while they were both catching their breath.

Although Red was a grey fox, she seemed like a rather small specimen, being only about the same size as Faye. She was also very fit, which definitely came in handy when she was hanging onto the edge of the cliff. Red was also quite young, and smelled like she had been on her own for a while. Faye hoped that she was alone of her own will, and not because of some tragedy like the one in her own family.

It was painfully apparent when Red had finished collecting herself, as Faye was suddenly berated with an almost unintelligible jumble of words. The little vixen was obviously still high on adrenaline as she spoke. Faye just sat calmly, trying her best to listen and hoping that a reply wasn't expected of her at the end of the chatter. Finally, Red paused to take a breath, then continued more slowly, thanking her and starting a conversation. "You're very welcome, although I'm terribly sorry for surprising you off the cliff anyway. Yes, I am new here. I've been wandering for a while. How about you? How long have you been in this place?"

[Red]

The young fox listened intently to Faye's short amount of speech. Quite contrary to her other traits, Red is a great listener. If she can stop her mouth, she can be a great ear for conversation. She grinned casually, shaking off Faye's apology. It really wasn't her fault anyways. Best to put the whole event behind them for giggles and snickers instead of a who-blamed-who experience.

Red was eager to answer the Arctic's own questions, given Faye provided a rather normal response. "Me neither. I'm not exactly experienced around these parts, either. I have been around a few of the places though. Met a couple of locals, too. They like to call this place Navaria. Kinda cool, isn't it?"

"There's this one forest, where the oaks are as tall as the sky! They're awesome for climbing; you should try it sometime. Well... I think there's a clan that owns it. The.... Delmares? I think that was it. But, I believe they're very accepting of loners, in fact, I think they're recruiting. Still, I would only go for the oaks," Red explained.

"I think the Delmares are at war with this other clan, the Avantgarde; even so, this place is so freaking amazing, I could stay the rest of my life." The gray paused, curious of her acquaintance's opinion. "What do you think? Are you going to stick around? I could show you the oaks sometime, well, if you were."

[Evelynne]

Faye looked back out over Navaria from where she was, a good distance from the edge of the ridge, as the grey fox began to speak again. Even though Red said she was also rather new here, she seemed to be quite knowledgeable about the land. While there really wasn't any way to confirm what she said at the moment, Faye was pretty sure she could trust the young vixen's words. Her brown tail flicked every now and then in acknowledgement of Red's little speech, and she nodded her head to agree that this place was "kinda cool."

When Red spoke about some remarkably tall trees, Faye found herself eager to visit. She was sure that she wouldn't actually climb the trees as the grey fox suggested, being an arctic fox who wasn't built for climbing and all, but it still sounded interesting. It would also be good if she could find a good friend in Red, especially if she planned to stay in Navaria; and what better way to make a new friend than to go exploring? Hearing about a clan owning the place with the tall trees deterred her, though. Even if they're recruiting, Faye wasn't sure they'd be all that friendly to a couple of foxes who came snooping around their territory without any intention of joining.

"Well, Red, you're so very friendly that I think you've convinced me to stay, if the beautiful view from this vantage point hasn't already."Here Faye paused to give Red a whimsical smile before she continued. "And I would love to see the oaks, but we'll see about climbing them. That is, if we don't scent any of these "Delmares" nearby. As for a war, though, maybe it would be good to talk to a clan member to learn more about what's going on..." Again Faye paused, this time to collect herself. "Sorry, I tend to think out loud. So, I'm ready to go see these oaks if you are!"