[SpringsSong]

[center]
Fleur

The Lucain silently stepped into the Falls, her ears perked for any noises.  She had heard that her mother had found some secret caves here, but that one could only find them through listening to the Falls and distinguishing some difference in the sound in different areas.  As she strained to find this difference, she sighed in frustration as she could not distinguish it.

Why was she here anyways?

EarthSong, the new Organic Fenling at the Arena and Fire's lifemate, had told her to come out here to "rid her mind of stress".  What stress?  Her son was a wannabe killer, her mother was off at war, her brother was half-blind, her numerous half0siblings were just... well, just "there", it seemed.

So why had she come out here?  To try and meet someone?  She hoped someone would come...

{47}

[Becca]

Vetinari

The big lucain stalked through the trees, his greenish pelt blending with his surroundings. The only thing that gave him away were the red splotches on his back. "Why did I have to get that part of Mother's genes?" he mumbled. A scent drifted on the breeze. It smelled faintly of flowers and of rain. The male inhaled deeply. It was a very sweet scent. He followed it down to the Falls. Just before he stepped into the open he froze. A very beautiful female lucain entered his field of vision. The male's heart quickened and he found himself walking towards her. "Excuse me? Are you lost?" he drawled.

[SpringsSong]

Fleur looked up, her ears pricked and her fur bristling slightly.  "No, I'm not lost... I'm looking for a place that only my mother could find and she passed on the secret to me, but..." She sighed in frustration again.  "I can't seem to find what it was she said I had to find in order to find this place." She said, looking over the male's green coat and darker green Warrior markings and his Splotched markings.  Her trio of tails swished around, the malamute and Ringed markings dancing as she said, "I am known as Fleur, daughter of Tali?±a and Famfrit.  Who might you be?" She asked.

{48}

[Becca]

"I am Vetinari, son of Hallow and Madelk." the male said, watching Fleur's markings move. "There is no particular reason for my being here except to see the sights." 'They've improved I admit...', he thought. Fleur was very pretty indeed. "Perhaps you would let me join you in your search?" said Vetinari, a slight tinge of hopefulness in his voice.

[SpringsSong]

Fleur's head inclined ever so slightly as she looked over Vetinari again before speaking.  "It is a pleasure to meet you, Vetinari." Looking around to make sure no one else was around, she said, "I would not at all mind it if you wanted to join me in my search." She continued looking around, ears perked and eyes trying to discern any difference in the falls.  Her tails continued to swish from side to side, their golden rings dancing.

{49}

[Becca]

Vetinari smiled pleasantly. "Then I most definitely will." he said. He watched her looking around. "What are we looking for exactly?" he asked. Vetinari had pretty good eyesight, and he thought that he could be a big help at searching. "A certain kind of plant? An opening in some obscure stone?" the only experience with hidden things Vet had was stuff he read in books, so just recited some of the more popular.

[SpringsSong]

Fleur's eyes closed for a minute as she recalled her mother's words.  Taking in a breath, she said, "What we are looking for is indeed an obscure opening in the stone; but there are actually four or five openings that lead to that same number of caves.  There is one that is already claimed; you'll be able to tell because there are some furnishings in it, but the other three or four are free for the taking.  Those are the exact words my mother said when I asked her about her new home for... after the war." She shuddered slightly; it unnerved her that her mother was so darned determined to fight in this blasted war.  "She also said that it's somewhere by this particular waterfall." She added.

{50--level up}

[Becca]

Vet nodded slowly. "I see. So they could be anywhere near this waterfall." he mused. He scanned the cliffs. "Up near the top, along the shore, behind the falls.... There's any number of places that it could be."  Vet returned his gaze to Fleur. "Is there anything else your mother said that could give us a clue?" he asked.

[SpringsSong]

Fleur nodded.  "She said that they were behind the waterfalls... I remember that." She said, looking around at the area behind the waterfalls.  "I don't know exactly where behind the falls they would be, but since they are behind the falls, only those that know where they are to begin with can find them.  Since I don't entirely know where exactly they are..." She sighed.  "We can only hope that what my mother told me would be enough to find these caves." She said.

{51}

[Becca]

Vetinari stood silent for a moment. Then he shook himself. "Well I guess we should look from the bottom up." he said. "It looks like the rocks are climbable, if a bit wet. It shouldn't be too hard to look." Smiling, he turned. "With two sets of eyes, it shouldn't be too hard to find that cave." It looked like he would have some fun.

[SpringsSong]

Fleur nodded.  "Yes, the rocks are climbable..." She said, looking around for a moment before stepping towards the water.  Her feet gently stepped into the cold water, the mist of the waterfall seeming to make Fleur look like an ethereal being.  Turning back around to look at Vetinari, she said, "Shall we go?"  Her wingblades were now glistening with the mist of the water, her eyes soft and kind.

{52}

[Becca]

Vetinari's cheeks reddened. "Uh, yes. Lets go." he mumbled. Vet couldn't help but stare at her. She looked so very pretty.... Vet blinked. Stay focused, your supposed to be helping her look for a cave. He took a few steps towards the wall. "Perhaps I should go first. Just in case there are sharp rocks or unstable footing."

[SpringsSong]

Fleur did not seem to notice the reddening of Vet's cheeks as she nodded.  "Maybe you should..." She said, peering through the water as best she could.  She could see a faint darker area in the rock; but maybe that was just a natural occurance and not one of the caves... "I think there might be something over there." She said, indicating the dark spot in the rock.

{53}

[Becca]

Vetinari padded carefully over to the darker patch. His ears were pricked, listening for anything out of the ordinary. It was a small depression in the rock. Vet sniffed around the edges. It smelled of old scents. "Looks like this was an old nest or something!" Vetinari called back over his shoulder. He sniffed around the edges again. "But it smells a bit like the soil is...-Wah!!" Vetinari disappeared into the small hole. He hit the sandy floor, wincing with the impact even when it was cushioned by the sand. "Well, I think we might've found it..."

[SpringsSong]

Fleur followed gently after Vetinari, almost crying out when she saw him fall.  She dashed over to the area where he'd last been, and that's when she, too, fell beneath the surface.  "Eek!" She cried, falling down and landing on top of Vet.  "Ouch..." She said quietly, and then, realizing she had landed on top of him, she quickly scrambled up and said, "E-er... I-I'm sorry..." She began to blush slightly as she looked around, noticing how there were no furnishings in this cave.  "I do indeed believe we've found it..." She said.

{54}