Leaping Cholla

Would like her back when she finishes her last heat.

---------- Lore by Proxy ----------

Leaping Cholla sprang nimbly from stone to stone, as she navigated the rocky cliffside. Many wolves were afraid of heights, but Leaping Cholla was an expert. She could navigate the narrows and the canyons as easily as any goat or mountain lion. There was so much freedom up here.

"Cholla! Please, wait – I can't keep up."

Leaping Cholla growled in frustration, and glanced backwards.

Of course, things would be much easier if she didn't have a damn tenderpaw for a partner, who dragged her down like a vulture strung around her neck.

Leaping Cholla watched over her shoulder, flicking her tail impatiently. A few moments later, she could hear her partner Dusty Rose scrambling up the cliffside behind her. The rose-colored wolf moved with about as much grace as an oversized beaver – sending small stones and bits of sand tumbling behind him with every step. No doubt scaring off every scrap of prey in a ten-mile radius.

At last, Dusty Rose managed to heave his front paws onto the cliff's edge. But he couldn't seem to haul himself up the rest of the way. He hopped, and scrabbled at the earth with his front paws, but couldn't seem to find purchase. Dusty Rose gave Leaping Cholla a helpless look.

Leaping Cholla sighed. She leaned over, and grabbed Dusty Rose by the scruff, and helped drag him up the rest of the way.

"Thanks," Dusty Rose said, panting for breath, and looked up at Leaping Cholla gratefully. Leaping Cholla just shook her head, and kept moving.

For some reason, Lone Star had always insisted that wolves hunted in pairs. Even though he knew that Leaping Cholla was more than capable of working on her own. After her last partner had died, Leaping Cholla specifically said she didn't want a new partner. Nobody could ever have replaced him. He respected her decision, at first. /c/
Then, a few months later, they found Dusty Rose – this little scrap of a prairie wolf, who came to them, begging for help and protection. Before Lone Star took over, the pack would have likely robbed the wolf for all he was worth, and sent him on his way. Let him live, but teach him a valuable lesson. But not any more.

Leaping Cholla couldn't fathom why Lone Star had partnered her with him at all. He acted as though it was supposed to be some kind of honor, but she couldn't see it as anything more than a punishment. For daring to insist she was better off on her own.

Suddenly, there was a loud crumbling noise, and a startled yelp from behind her. Leaping Cholla whirled – and saw Dusty Rose scrambling backwards, as a small part of the eroded earth came away, and tumbled into the canyon front of him. She narrowed her eyes. Dusty Rose wagged his tail sheepishly, and pawed at the dirt in front of him.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. The earth just crumbled away right in front of me!"

Leaping Cholla rolled her eyes. "Yeah, it does that. You really should watch your step."

She did another leap, and a hop – they were nearly at the top of the cliffs now, which would be the perfect place for hunting mountain goats. Dusty Rose hurried behind her, trying to keep up. Of course, like always, he kept insisting on making conversation.

"Wow, we sure are high up aren't we?" "Do you think any eagles or condors like to nest here?" "I bet the water tastes cleaner up here. Do you think we could stop and grab a drink?"

At the last question, Leaping Cholla finally whirled around, nearly stopping him in his tracks.

"Does it look like there's any water up here? This is a desert. Stop whining, and maybe eventually you'll get used to it."

Dusty Rose licked his lips, and said nothing.

After this, Leaping Cholla began climbing again – but this time, she decided she was not going to follow her usual, more easygoing hunting trail. If Dusty Rose thought that was difficult, he was never going to make it in the Desert Stars.

Leaping Cholla couldn't help but grin. Perhaps this could be a bit of a trial by fire. Her own mentor had done that for her, back in the day. She was sick of how the other wolves constantly coddled Desert Rose. No wonder he never seemed to learn or get any better, if everyone kept telling him he was fine just how he was.

"Cholla, wait up, you're going too fast."

Leaping Cholla ignored him. She figured this way, he would either actually pick up some real climbing skills on the fly (unlikely) or he would sit down, and give up. Much more likely, and equally palatable.

Perhaps then Leaping Cholla could put in a complaint about her partner to Lone Star, and explain they were simply incomparable. It really was the best solution for everyone. Dusty Rose could go back to chasing rabbits, and Leaping Cholla would finally be permitted to hunt alone again. And wouldn't have to listen to Dusty Rose's constant, needy questions, or hear him wheezing like a wounded elk.

"Cholla, please. I can't keep --" /c/
In the midst of her daydream, Leaping Cholla was interrupted by a loud crack, and a startled yelp. She whirled around to scold him for Dusty Rose for his clumsiness. But the white wolf was gone.

Panicked jaws closed around Leaping Cholla's heart.

She ran to the cliff's edge. Leaping Cholla hadn't even seen him fall. There was only dust – still suspended – and a few falling stones indicating the place where he used to be.

Leaping Cholla carefully jumped from stone to stone, eyes wide and searching, as she descended deeper into the canyon. Surely, this just had to be some mistake. It had to be. She had told him to be careful, surely he had just gotten himself stuck, or fallen into a bush somewhere.

Leaping Cholla stopped when she reached the bottom, and stared down into the rushing water. Waiting for a paw or head to emerge. Or perhaps for Dusty Rose to pop up from behind some nearby bushes.
Announcing it had all been a prank, to get back at her for being so rude to him. Leaping Cholla would be so angry at him – but so relieved that he was alive, that she would laugh with him. And all would be forgiven.

But nothing came.

Leaping Cholla waded into the river, searching above and beneath for any trace of him. Splashing about in the water, until her limbs were too weak too swim. Leaping Cholla dragged herself into the shallows, and stared down into the river, unable to close her eyes.

What had she done? This couldn't be happening. All she had wanted was to teach Dusty Rose a lesson. Give him a bit of tough love, that was all. But this… she never wanted this.

Leaping Cholla backed away, and closed her eyes. She needed to think quickly.

If Lone Star found out what she had done, this might be nothing short of murder. Wolves were supposed to be their partner's bond – the one who kept the other safe in their travels. And in the event of their partner's death, they were supposed to be the one to ferry their body home. But Leaping Cholla had failed in both.

Even if Lone Star did forgive her, Leaping Cholla didn't know if she could ever face that look in their eyes. That cold sympathy. Of having to live with what she had done every day with the rest of her life, and her packmates having to share their den with the wolf who had let two of their partners die.
So she fled.

Deeper and deeper into the mountains. Not bothering to return for any herbs or supplies.

A few nights later, she heard her pack's Finding howls – but she did not return them. A few more nights later, the Finding howls stopped. Replaced by calls for mourning, of her and Dusty Rose's names. Part of her felt guilty that her pack might never know the truth. But it was better this way.

Perhaps they'd believe the two of them simply ran off together – two unlikely lovers, gone to start a pack of their own. Or perhaps they'd assume that the two of them died together – defending one another in battle, as any decent partner should.

Her pack would write them a much better story.

Either way, all Leaping Cholla knew was that she couldn't go back home. Not now. Perhaps not ever again.

---------- Lore by Albae ----------

Months had passed, months of loneliness and wandering around, months filled with nightmares and regret. In the end, a scout had found her, sleep deprived and starving. Facing that large female, Leaping Cholla's first thought was that she'd die now, she wasn't strong enough to fight or run anymore.

But instead, the scout had carried her all the way to a pack and dropped her off at the herbalist, who carefully nursed her back to health. When she was back on her feet, Ailyn - the leader of the pack - approached her, offering her to stay.

And Lepaing Cholla had taken the opportunity. As much as she had always thought she'd be good on her own, being without a pack wasn't all that easy. Nobody helped fill your belly after a failed hunt, nobody kept you warm at night and nobody looked out for you on days you weren't feeling well. All of that, she had learned by now.

Ailyn didn't ask many questions. She had other things to be concerned about with an enemy pack at her borders and far too many refugees to take care of. In fact, nobody here asked many questions. They simply assigned her to a den and to a task, scouting, as she had asked for, thinking of it as the only task that would allow her to work on her own.

Well, she had been wrong there. The scout who saved her, named Arya, was Leaping Cholla's assigned denmate and partner now, and Ailyn had refused any discussions about that matter. "Until you finish your training, I won't let you go out there alone.", that was all she had said.

Still fuming from anger, Cholla huffed as she trotted behind Arya. The scout heard it and chuckled.
"Let's pick up some speed. You seem ready to blow of some steam, and if you're really as experienced as you said you were, this will be easy to you."

Running at a quick pace, Arya led Leapind Cholla deeper into the woods. Cholla still wasn't used to the soft grounds here, they muffled all sounds and ground that looked steady to her turned out to be slippery. Damn, she missed the desert. But if Arya was trying to make her complain, she would fail. Speeding up, Leaping Cholla was now running right next to her.

Damn trees! They blocked so much of her sight, she didn't see the boulders coming until it was nearly too late. Arya jumped, and Cholla couldn't help but admire how her muscles worked under the ebony fur. She would have made a formidable partner back with the Desert Stars.

Cholla leaped up at the rocks herself. This was something she was truly good at, a master even! After this, nobody would question her abilities as scout again!

But as soon as she felt the rough, hard surface under her paws, her body didn't listen to her anymore. She froze, sliding to a sudden stop, feeling like giant jaws clenched her throat. Dusty Rose's face passed before her inner eye, moments before he fell.

"Hey there, newbie, you okay?" Arya called from above. Leaping Cholla couldn't answer, her whole body started shaking.

"Stop this!", she thought to herself. "This is nothing compared to the climbs at home!"


"A home you'll never see again. Because you're a murderer. And a coward.", a tiny voice replied.

Next thing she remebered, she was lying on soft ground, the boulders nowhere in sight.

"Good you're awake, I already thought I'd have to carry you to the den." Arya's watched Leaping Cholla scramble back on her feet, looking slightly concerned.

"What happened?", Leaping Cholla asked her.

The ebnoy female huffed. "You tell me. You ran as if your life depends on it and then you passed out in the middle of a stream. You should have told me you're afraid of heights. I thought you're from the desert, with all the rocks there I expected that to be a crucial skill for you."

"I am not afraid of heights!", Cholla snapped. "And I'm one of the best climbers out there!"

"Is that so? Didn't look like it to me. But I can teach you. If you really want to be a good scout, you need to be able to climb."

"Oh, is that so? I say a good scout doesn't bring murderers to their pack." Once again, Leaping Cholla's anger grew so much it took control of her. She wouldn't let anyone lecture her on what a scout had to be like. "I killed my partner. And I could do the same with you."

Arya chuckled. "Darling, you're not strong enough to take me on. But tell me your story, and maybe I forget to tell Ailyn what happened at the rocks today. She'd put you on pupsitter duty for the rest of your life since you told her you'd be an experienced scout. She doesn't like being lied to."

If Cholla had tried to get any reaction, this surely wasn't it. Arya didn't seem fased at all, she took it like that would be a daily conversation to her. Suddenly feeling exhausted, Leaping Cholla sat down. "He was a newbie. I was supposed to teach him and to take care of him. But instead, I chose a path he wasn't ready for, just because I wanted to prove that he's not skilled enough to be my partner. He was... suddenly gone. He fell into the river, and I couldn't find him anymore. I killed him. And then I ran away, because I was too scared of what my leader would say if they found out."

Arya softly touched her paw. "If you believe it or not, I'm from the desert just like you. My family was part of the pack living close to the Red Rocks. I guess you've heard of them?"

Leaping Cholla shuddered. She had heard of them indeed, probably everyone in the desert did. The Red Rocks where taboo zone for a reason. No stranger crossing the boundary to the oasis there ever made it back. No names were known from the wolves who made their home there, because you couldn't trade with them, you couldn't bond with them, anyone who went to them was gone forever.

"Needless to say our leader wasn't exactly friendly. We lived in a strong hierarchy, and the lead and his family were free to do whatever they want. Their oldest son, their heir, used my sister like a toy. So I went after him, beat him up and threatened I'd kill if he'd ever touch her again. A few hours later, his father and some warriors came for my family. My youngest sister and I were the only ones to get away, because we went to get food just before it happened. I took her and ran as fast as I could before they could see us, but they sent hunters after us. My sister wasn't strong enough to survive a hunt like that, we could never rest, had no time to hunt or look for water. When she was too weak to run, I didn't have the strength to carry her. I killed her, strangled her when she was asleep so they wouldn't get her. I am responsible for the death of my whole family. I told Ailyn when she wanted to take me here and make me part of her pack. You know how she reacted? She simply asked me "And have you learned from it?" So that's what I ask you now. Have you learned from your mistakes?"

Leaping Cholla tried to swallow the lump in her throat, but she couldn't keep her voice from shaking a bit when she replied: "Of course I have."

"Then let's go on. Your past doesn't define you. We'll get you climbing again, and you will be my partner."

They walked in silence for a minute before Leaping Cholla asked: "Did you ever think about going after him? Acting on your threat?"

With a grin, Arya replied:"Sure I did. But that's nothing I could do without a damn good partner."