Mountains and hills of England the land rises to form the Cheviot Hills, which extend into Scotland and could probably be considered part of the Southern Uplands. They are included in Northumberland National Park, along with Kielder Water and the Kielder Forest. The North Pennines (an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, or AONB) lie south of Hadrian's Wall, and east of the Lake District, from which they are separated by the Eden Valley. These are younger rocks, mostly Carboniferous limestone, and the mountains are characterised by shallower slopes covered with moorland vegetation, culminating in Cross Fell at . South of this, the main line of
The Dark Hills Divide has the ability to talk to animals. Darius, a wolf separated from his family, leads her to a tunnel under the walled road between Lathbury and Bridewell. At the end of the tunnel, Alexa discovers that the convicts of Ainsworth inhabit The Dark Hills. Once she is back outside, a rabbit named Malcolm takes her to the forest king Ander, a grizzly bear. Ander tells Alexa that she can talk to animals as long as she has the green stone with her and is outside the walls. He also tells her that the convicts living in The Dark Hills are