"Crows are more the type to swipe shiny things if they can lift them, but yes racoons also like them." She clarified, shrugging, "It's possible that a hiker could come across it, but you were off the trail a ways, and I don't think any would venture out that far…I hope no one in my pack found it either…or at least if they did they don't go straight to Alpha." Most of the wolves in the pack would go to her before they went right to Alpha, but if she hadn't been around all day, they might have gone to him.
”Yeah. That could be a slight problem.” he agreed. Knowing what he did now… well, it's not like he could go and apologize to the Alpha for trespassing. Something told him that Selina was one of the few in her pack who didn't dislike humans.
Selina shrugged again, "It'll be fine, I'll find it or convince Alpha to give it to me so I can get it back to you. She didn't seem terribly worried about her pack finding it, but inside she was actually quite worried since it meant she would get chewed out for not chasing away Frankie completely. That wasn't something she would look forward to, even if it wasn't that bad. The Alpha was the leader of the pack for a reason, and he was known to not be the nicest pack member.
”I don't want you to get in trouble because of me.” Frankie told her gently but seriously. ”If your Alpha has it, then just forget about it. I can always get a new phone. Either when I get home or when I go into the city.” he said assuringly. ”People lose their phones all the time.”
"I'm going to get it back for you Frankie," She persisted, though smiled gently as she looked around for anything to clean up before they began the hike back down the rock field. The fire ring could say she decided, knowing that she would probably use it again in the future if she spent the night up there again. Besides that, there wasn't much, just Frankie's pack that he already had picked up. They had traveled light, that's for sure.
Frankie shook his head with a small chuckle. ”Well, you're stubborn.” he smiled good-naturedly. ”I do appreciate that you would still try but… Is there nothing I can say to change your mind? Or would it help if I told you, I’ll still give you those swimming lessons I promised even if someone else in your pack found it?” he offered as he looked down at the cliff they had climbed last night.
Selina laughed and looked over at him, shrugging, "I'm sure I'm going to find it, but sure, that sounds fine with me." She started to pick her way down the cliff path, finding ways that Frankie could easily follow her down. It made her slightly sad that she would have to say goodbye to him in a little bit, but she knew she would be able to see him again if she did find his phone.
His smile grew as he carefully stepped down the same way she did. ”Ok then.” he agreed. He certainly wasn't going to doubt her abilities to track something down. If she actually finds it… I just might be tempted to kiss her. he blushed at the thought, since it was still early in their friendship but… He hoped that this wouldn't be the last time they saw each other once they got to his camp. Oh, wait! The city. We’re still going to the city together soon.
The rock path was a lot less dangerous in the morning sun, easier to see than in the sunset sky when they had climbed it last time. Selina smiled at Frankie when she reached the bottom, watching as he followed her back onto the soft dirt of the deer trail to find their way back to the river. "What do you think of this park so far, Frankie?" She asked to break the silence, adding some noise to the forest besides the birds chirping.
Feeling a bit more adventurous now that the sun was out, Frankie grinned before jumping down the last foot or so and landing beside Selina and following her down the trail. ”I’d have to say this park has quickly become my number one favorite.” he said, looking at her but a little hesitant to say that she was the main reason for the park's high ranking.
"That's good, what has been the best part so far?" She asked, glancing over her shoulder at him and smiling. She was happy that he was having a good time and liked the park, especially since it was her homeland and a place she wished everyone would like.
He felt his face turn pink at the question but gave a small shrug. ”Well, for one thing, it's very beautiful here and I love the lake and cliffs. Not to mention how much closer to nature all of this makes me feel.” he told her truthfully.
Selina nodded, still smiling brightly, "It definitely brings you closer to nature when you stay in it and just enjoy spending time surrounded by it." The lakes were one of her absolute favorite things about this park, even if she wan't the best swimmer in either form.
”Yeah. It really does.” Frankie nodded, smiling back. ”Though it almost seems closer when you get to stay in a cave instead of just a tent.” he pointed out with a light chuckle. ”I’m not sure if I would have thought to try that before I met you.”
She laughed, shrugging as she led the path down the trail, "Well staying in caves isn't usually appealing, especially when you could just set up a tent and call it good." The trail was slowly widening, going from a small deer path to an unmarked but well-used and worn trail.
He smiled at her laugh and shook his head slightly. ”Setting up a tent isn't always easy unless you're especially skilled or have done it a hundred times before.” he shrugged. ”Caves, on the other hand, are naturally occurring and can be readily used as a shelter at any time for just about anything.”
"That's very true, caves are much easier than tents." She agreed, "Less setup, usually more room, occasionally you have a roommate." Selina looked back at him, laughing at her own joke and stopped for a second once they reached the river again.
Frankie chuckled with her, figuring that by ”roommate” she meant finding the wild animal who claimed the cave first, but he wasn't certain. ”Yeah. That's a possibility.” he agreed, admiring the river in front of them before taking off his socks and shoes again to cross. ”There are some pretty big tents but they're still smaller than most caves, I think.”
She rolled up her pants legs and stepped into the water, sucking in a small breath and smiling, "It's freezing cold." Slowly, she started to wade across the river, surprised by just how cold it was, even for her. Normally cold didn't bother her that much. If this was cold to her, it would probably be worse for Frankie. She turned to look back at him once she got halfway, smiling, "I'm glad we went swimming yesterday, this would be not as fun."
Frankie nodded at her warning and bit his tongue to keep from yelping as he stepped in the water. ”P-probably helped that it had closer to the middle of the day then too.” he stammered. With it still being so early in the morning, not everything had been warmed up by the sun yet. ”It feels like ice.” he chuckled.
Selina nodded, agreeing that it felt like ice water as she finished wading across and leaned against a tree with a happy sigh once on the other side. "Well, that's the only time we have to cross the river thankfully," She said with a laugh, curling her toes to try to get the blood flowing and not let her feet turn into icicles.
Frankie wasn't sure if his feel felt colder in the water or now that he was standing on the other bank. He leaned against the same tree Selina was and used his socks to dry his feet before putting his shoes back on. ”Only time today and at least I didn't slip and take another cold bath this time.” he chuckled, still planning to keep his word about the swimming lessons.
(Sorry it's so short)
"I would've felt bad if you had fallen in this," She admitted, smiling and waiting as he started putting his shoes and socks back on. Her feet were still cold, but she knew they would warm up when they started walking again.
(It's ok. … Mine’s pretty short too.)
He smiled at her as he stood up. ”We would just have to hurry back to my camp and start a fire. But I probably would have been ok.” he assured her. ”Ready to get going again?”
Selina nodded, standing up straight as she looked up the river where they needed to go. "I'm ready when you are," She replied, making sure he was ready before starting to lead them back upstream to the next trail they would have to take to get back to his cave. Then from there, she would head to his original campsite to look for his phone.
