Quinten Log 156

Salamandastron: Crater

• -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* Salamandastron *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

You are on the very top of the mountain of Salamandastron: a large, bowl-

shaped crater. The crater is not smooth, quite the contrary in fact.

Numerous boulders and large chunks of rock are strewn around randomly,

making the crater top just as craggy as any of the mountainside. The

crater provides an outstanding view of the surrounding country. The sea

sprawls off to the west as far as the eye can see, and north and south

along the endlessly rolling sand dunes. In the distant east, a tinge of

green is just visible from this height, marking the vegetation in the

foothills of the Western Mountains.

• -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

A small stone bounces it's way across the rock floor of the crater, clattering off of the stones and then tumbling down the face of the mountain. Jakk wouldn't be aware of Darklett as he moves into view, examining another pebble, before sending it clattering on its way down the drop-off. It's almost like the alternative to skipping stones without water present.

Darklett watches the ocean, almost entranced by it, nothing really reaching his conscious except for what he focuses on. Eventually, though, he catches movement in his peripheral vision, and turns his head slowly to see Jakk. Smiling to himself, he just sits and watches the recruit as he tosses rocks over the edge.

Quinten comes walking up the steps from down below, a clipboard in his paw and a brocken javelin in the other, he's still black furred from his experiemtns the day before and it seems to be holding quite well. The private moves towards a rock muttering over the numbers on his list.

Jakk glances behind him when Quinten's movements and muttering are heard. The recruit scowls in confusion, then skips another rock off the edge, this time making it ricochet upward, arching higher before plummeting. "Why're you black..." Blunt enough.

Darklett blinks at the two younger hares, not trying to be overtly watching them, but glancing at them often, listening in. Footpaws dangle off the ledge, twitching occasionally as he watches.

Quinten looks up and stares at Jakk, "Experiment Jakk, with a type of fur dye tthat is easy to put on and easy to take off. That is why."

"Oh." With that 'conversation' over, Jakk returns to tossing the rocks off the ledge, though this is finished soon and he just sits down to look up at Quinten, ears dipping back. One of the young buck's footpaws dangle off into open air as he eyes Quint every now and then, before starting to observe his surroundings. "My mom was here yesterday.. didja -" And suddenly he stops, looking in Dark's direction. This makes both ears perk suddenly.

Darklett's brows do a slight raise as he lifts his paw, waving to Jakk and then Quinten. Hm. Can't interrupt /that,/ now, can we? So he turns back to the ocean, staring over the watery expanse.

Quinten nods to the Major and turns back to Jakk. "Did i what? See your mother?"

Jakk tilts his head as he gives Dark an inquisitive look, before half waving back and sideways glimpsing Quinten again. "Uh.. Yeah." Thought pattern was broken there for a minute. He begins to draw in the natural dust and grit with his finger.

Darklett isn't looking anymore, but he's definitely listening. Ho hum. Seagulls fly above, and they seem to be quarreling over something. So, Dark watches this for amusement while he essentially eavesdrops.

Quinten shakes his head, "No...i did not, but i saw alot of hares about, maybe i did, i don't exactly know what she looks like Jakk. And i remember you said she was sandy coloured and not black furred."

Jakk shakes his head. "Not really.. 'sandy'. Just.. brown. Normal." The hare has gone to scraping at the grit to make soft grooves with his fingers, before dipping one ears down, to examine it, right before pointing out the lighter coloration on the tip. "Kinda like that." This seems to not matter at all. It returns to a normal position. "Anyway... yeah. But she didn't leave last night.."

Quinten nods his head and looks at the coloUration on Jakk's fingertip. "Ahhh well if she is still here you should introduce me later. Would be grand to meet her."

Jakk nods, squinting with a curious expression. "Yes. She usually goes back to Halyard though. Saw her this morning.. she was actin' weird." The buck tucks his muzzle against his arms, trying to figure /something/ out.

Quinten frowns and walks over to sit on the edge of Jakk's rock. "Weird about what Jakk? Did you ask her what was bothering her?"

"Well.. might not have been a bad weird. Just.. weird." Jakk lifts a brow while looking to Quinten, one ear swiveling to flick in Darklett's general direction. "She wasn't actin' the same. And told me we'd talk later.. or somethin' like that."

Darklett still isn't making it obvious that he's listening, but he gives a slow nod towards thin air at this last comment from Jakk. "Hm," comes a quiet, thoughtful grunt.

Quinten turns his head to look in the direction of Jakk's ear and then looks back. "Well maybe you should go speak to her now then? I'll come with you if you like?"

Jakk sighs, turning his attention towards the sea. "Maybe. But.. I don't know if I wanna hear it.." His ear goes stiff fully and he glances to Dark again, having to lift a little to see him better from his seated position. Finally he settles down again.

Quinten turns back to look at Darklett again and frowns, "What do you see? Is there something beyond Dark?" he stands up and peers past the Major at the seagulls. He shakes his head and turns back to Jakk. "Well you shouldn't hide from it Jakk, it sounds important. Lets go see her now ok, if its bad news at least ye won't be alone."

Jakk is giving Quinten a skeptical look, then starts to raise. "I don't know, Quin.. And.. don't know where she is.." The youngster seems a little unsure of course, tucking his paws into his pockets.

Quinten pats Jakk's arm and turns towards the crater. "Well only so many places she can be inside the mountain Jakk, we'll find her easily come on best to do it now."

Darklett turns toward the two younger bucks, his head going up and down regarding them. Slowly, he slips up onto the precipice, and stands, walking back towards the safe part of the crater.

Jakk stands at the edge of the crater, eyeing Quinten as he turns towards the mountain, ears flattened to his skull as he tucks both paws further into his pockets. That is right before he goes to finally follow the other recruit.

Quinten watches Darklett moving back towards the main part of the crater and raises a paw to him and heads down towards the stairs. "We'll just check each floor in turn Jakk, nice and simple like." he smiles back at the younger buck. "It'll be ok, am sure iti s good news."

"Why do ya care so much?" Is the short recruit's question to Quinten, seeming rather confused about the whole thing. Jakk knows /he/ wouldn't go after the other buck's mom if she needed to talk to him later on - like this.

Darklett takes a big breath, and raises his paw up to try and halt the recruit and private... "Erm, actually, Jakk? I think I know what your mom's gonna say."

Quinten turns around to smile at JUakk and flick his ears forwards. "You are a friend Jakk and i like to he..." he pauses and turns to look at Darklett and smiles at him. "Major?" he smiles at Jakk. "There we go that certainly saves us searching the whole mountain."

Oh Lord. Jakk turns his attention towards Dark, seeming even more reluctant now. "She's takin' me out of the Patrol isn't she?" Is his first outburst, seeming dejected and a little angry too. They used to not live in Halyard when he was very young. "We're leavin' again..?"

Darklett blinks at Jakk, stopping his walk for a second before continuing it. "No, no, neither of those things... Quinten, um..." Dark smiles at the private. "Do you think you could give me and Jakk a second or two?"

Quinten looks puzzled but nods his head, "Of course sir...i'll be just down the steps." he nods towards them and smiles encouragingly at Jakk. "I'm just down there...if ye need me." He salutes and pads down the steps, looking back over his shoulder in confusion before taking up guard at the bottom of the stairs. No one is getting up past him to interupt whatever all this is.

Jakk seems worried, head snapping towards Quinten, then staring up at Darklett. "Why does he..?" But the private is already gone and - where before the recruit hadn't wanted to follow after him to find his mother - he now wants the other young buck with him. However he just stands there patiently staring at Darklett. This should be... interesting?

"Erm. Wanna have a seat?" Darklett doesn't look for anything in particular to rest himself on, just choosing the ground of the crater.

Is stood at the halfway down the stairs, ears cocked back and now doing what Darklett was

doing earlier. Eavesdropping in case he needs to go back up to be there for Jakk.

Oh great. Jakk watches Dark lower himself with a less than fascinated expression and then a glance towards the stairs, right before settling down upon the ground as well. "Al.. right..." Immediately he is 'Indian-style' and fidgeting with whatever his fingers get a hold of. Pant leg, pebbles, end of his tunic, etc. Maybe he's expecting a scolding.

"Jakk..." Darklett hms to himself. "Your mom, she, uh. She raised you by herself, right?"

Quinten sits down on a step, keeping an eye on the corridor below and listening intently to Darklett's voice.

Jakk nods, scowling somewhat. "Yes.. She did." What the? Why is he bringing /that/ up? He bites the inside of his cheek to not say anything else, looking at Dark only cause he's confused.

"Do... You know anything about your dad, Jakk?" Darklett tries to keep his voice as calm and neutral as possible.

Quinten sits up straighter and turns his head to look back up the stares, now this is unexpected.

"Only that he left us." Jakk has further bitten onto his cheek, attention turning away from the Major. "Though... already.. talked about this.." Sigh. Right now he wishes he weren't alone. This seems to be something he is bothered about a lot. His voice is kind of strained cause of the pain and awkward positioning of biting his cheek like that.

Already talked about this? Oh, that's /right./ "Yeah... Yeah, I know, but I just wanted to make sure. Jakk, the reason your mom's been acting weird today is because last night she ran into your dad."

Quinten stands back up at this point this is something he shouldn't be listening to maybe...but he doesn't want to walk off and abandon Jakk... he stays stood still, one paw resting on the wall of the stairs.

Oh no. That makes Jakk chomp down all the way, brows shooting upward in pain and surprise as his head snaps up to stare unbelievingly at Darklett. "She what?!" The recruit is starting up to his footpaws immediately. "Who? Where?" Unsteady voice pattern gone slightly rasped at the top of his new register when the last word is demanded out. C'mon Jakk. Can't go that high anymore. Even if you're upset.

Darklett is taken aback by the jump from Jakk, and he, too, gets to his footpaws. "She ran into him here... Uh." The major looks down and sideways slightly, taking a big breath and letting it out in a sigh. Pause. "It's me, Jakk."

Quinten stares towards the top of the stairs in shock, ears stood on end and eyes wide in surprise. Now that...he wasn't expecting definatly...new. Quinten uhms over whether to go on up or stay down...and retreats down. Taking up station at the bottom of the steps...figuring sooner or later one of them will come down.

"I can'-" Pause. Wait. What did he say? Jakk blinks a few times, the scowls at Darklett, starting to back off a little. "That's not funny." He seems reluctant, but is almost acting as if he's going to turn and leave, looking hurt.

"Jakk..." Darklett follows the steps backward with steps forward. "I'm not joking. I wouldn't do that." The major doesn't like how this is going at all, but he sighs and tries to smile through it. "I'm your dad, Jakk."

Quinten has started to pace back and forth at the bottom of the stairs now, chewing on the tip of his right ear, the left being too short now to reach his mouth.

Jakk stops again, then frowns and backs away a few more times, unsure what to make of this. "You..." Pause. The buck is staring at the other unbelievingly, though there is no trace of 'joke' present upon Darklett's face. That scares him. Finally he restarts... ".. You.. didn't /tell/ me.. before?" His paws are balling into fists as he bumps up against a large rock, then looks towards the entrance and stairs. He was so certain what he'd do if he ever met his dad. But what now? "Where's my mom..." Almost like a little kid again.

"I didn't know before..." Darklett bites at his lip, stopping his advances after a while. "I know, it's weird, but your mom and I met again last night, and," Darklett takes a long pause, trying to look assuring, "I think we're gonna try and make things right."

Quinten settles down, the lack of enraged Jakk storming down the stairs at least bodes that things are going well.. Unless he tried to go down the outside...Quinten starts back up the stairs.

Oh.. my.. God.. Jakk looks up to.. his /DAD/?! and has a mixture of emotions present in his expression. Confusion, sadness, fright.... "You're gonna... make things..." Finally anger shows up, flaring within his hazel eyes. "/Right/?!" He lunges forward to shove Darklett backward as hard as he can, right before going to ditch for the stairs as fast as he can. It's finally hit him and he can't believe it. At least he didn't punch him. Quinten will probably get in his way and perhaps stop him? If Dark doesn't get to him first.

Darklett is shoved backward a step or so, but... The point gets across, and he doesn't give chase. Instead, he just watches as his son runs away from him. Biting his lip. Hard. Nodding to himself and sighing, he goes back to that outcrop, and sits, staring out over the ocean againg.

Quinten is indeed in Jakk's way as the recruit comes charging down the stairs and goes to try and get hold of his arm. "Jakk...wait...don't run...."

Jakk is indeed caught by the arm, and turns to lash out a little, more trying to jerk away though. He doesn't know what else to do other than.. run away. His mother?! /She's/ trying to 'make it right'?! The recruit has sent a couple of punches to Quinten's back, arm, and shoulder in anger, before he gives up and drops onto his knees, just caught by his bicep. No other sound comes from him.

Quinten stares down at Jakk and tugs on him trying to pull him upright. "Come on Jakk...this is no....time to run off...i heard....some of it anyway..come on...lets go...back down stairs." There that'll do for now...take him downstairs, get him a drink and find his mother." He shoots a glare towards the top of the stairs, a few choice words he'd like to throw at that monster upstairs, all those months that Jakk had been here and he'd never said.

Darklett keeps himself removed from the situation, pulling his knees close to his chest and wrapping his arms around his shins, just watching over the sea and the beach.

Jakk is pretty much leaned against Quinten, breathing heavier but still not making any of the normal sounds you'd expect - except for a soft. "Leave... me alone..." The young buck's face isn't seen, sounding much more serious yet shaky than he has in a while.

Quinten nods his head but doesn't say anything as he leads Jakk down the stairs. "Sure..." he says at last. "As soon as we get downstairs." And with that he tries to lead the younger buck downstairs and if he can manage it into the rec room.

Jakk isn't being so cooperative as far as the 'using his legs' goes. His thigh and rump hit a few of the stairs before he begins to slowly get up instead of having a bruised backside. He's stubborn.. but only to a point right now. Sigh.

- End Log