Above, the skies were the same hazy gray as the mists that permeated the forest. Clouds as far as the eye could see, rich with moisture to the point that the air was thick with the dripping of a rain that hovered somewhere between a heavy misting and a light drizzle. Definitions aside, it still was quite efficient at making everything quite damp, including the almost lonely soul that stood out in the wet. Almost lonely, because the grulla who stood nigh on near the edge of a south-facing cliff could never be really alone again.

While she had chosen this out of the way location in order to be away from the hustle and bustle that had erupted in the wake of the wall's construction, seeking peace and quiet even in the face of being out in the elements, a true reaching of that goal was beyond her. For, huddled between her hind legs where the accumulated moisture on her coat wouldn't drip on him, crouched a kitsune who could almost pass for a swell of mist or a particularly lumpy mass of the stone the pair rested on. Almost, for the foggy gray was broken by lavender bands on the five tails that were coiled around paws and body for warmth, broken again on his face by a white mask and a pair of slitted eyes that were also lavender. His black nose was currently buried in the depth of one furry tail.

Wet, he muttered in the back of her mind, young voice grumpy at the indignity of it all. Shouldn't they be back in the trees, where he could snuggle into a cozy tree hollow to wait out the damp? Or at least contriving to get some other horse wet with a clever if childish prank? Or even...

The muttered complaint and the series of suggested scenarios that played out for her mind's eye were ignored by his bonded, who knew he was perfectly capable of going back to find more comfortable shelter whenever he cared to. But he wouldn't, and was just complaining to complain at her, doing his best to try to guilt her into doing what he thought was best for her. And for him.

But what the kitsune thought was best was not what the young mare wanted. In fact, she wasn't entirely sure what that desire was. There was a restlessness in her, leading to these walks to the cliff's edge where she could cast her gaze out over the waters, trace the line of the shore into the distance. Watch the waves toss, storms rage, sea creatures play and hunt, birds coast and dive and travel. Some part of her wanted to do all the things she saw the world doing, but couldn't decide on what. There was a pressure building up, a drive to do. A held back wave fed, trickle by trickle, by the knowledge that she still needed to finish the Earth God's quest. By the desire to learn how to better defend herself and her loved ones, a desire currently being unfed by her superiors within the herd. Sure, she hadn't actively sought someone out, but she hadn't really seen anyone to dog their tail until they agreed to teach her.

What was a girl to do?

((For Aaron, possibly Azale, and whoever else decides to crash the thread later on))