Wraith couldn't decide if he was annoyed or amused that @Morganna insisted on him taking @Piety out on patrol with him. The Northerner relished his alone time on said patrols, but wondered if her reasoning really was as simple as concern for all the time he spent alone while traveling back and forth in the mountains. As it was hardly the female's fault, he resigned himself to polite conversation.

It wasn't all bad. She was a packmate, after all, and Wraith knew he had to reintegrate himself back into the ranks rather than holding himself off to the side. A Second couldn't function well from the outside looking in. He sighed. Perhaps Morganna had a point there.

The pair had been trotting in silence for some time, though his companion didn't seem affected by it. While Wraith would have been content to continue the patrol in silence, guilt nagged at him. Finally, he relented and looked down at her with a smile while they moved."You know, I never did ask how you came to join Whitestone. Was it the area that drew you?" he wondered, clueless to the fact that his Alpha knew of her before this. It still had not clicked that the female with the missing ear was the very same as the one he'd heard of in Morganna's tales.

Already, the pair were angled south on the eastern side of the lowlands, hovering somewhere between Whitestone and their ally pack, Hearthwood River. Wraith couldn't count the number of times he'd walked this same path, so it came as a surprise when the land beneath his paws seemed to give way.

"Move!" he called out in warning too late. He had only the time to tense in preparation to run when the hard, pebbly soil beneath him sifted down and carried the pair of them with it. Wraith landed hard on his side, the breath knocked from him when Piety fell on top of him. Light filtered from above from the depths of a cavern.

The revelation left Wraith thinking again of the white wolf @Morganna had torn an ear from for some affront he couldn't recall. The conversation had been so long ago and it had only captured his interest because it was the first insight he received into how vengeful Morganna could be when she wished. Again, the northerner had to believe it was coincidence that she knew her. What sane wolf would willingly join the pack of someone who had committed such a vicious act against them? And @Piety didn't strike him as loopy. Though, of course, competition for the loopiest wolf would always go to Sylva in his opinion.

Anything further he would have said on the subject was quickly dashed against the rocks as their pair of them fell. Wraith hardly heard her apologies as he struggled to his feet and coughed in an attempt to recapture his escaped breath. The momentary panic eased when his lungs filled with air. Belatedly, his mind processed what it was she'd said.

"Not your fault," he assured, blinking about dazedly. "Are you alright?" From what he could see, she was sound. Sensing her mood, he licked at her crown and rubbed shoulders with her in comfort before turning to peer around their new prison.

Layered limestone walls were stacked around them while light filtered down like a waterfall, bathing the cavern in a soft light. Wraith sneezed as tiny dust particles continued to filter down from above and tickle his nose. Beneath his paws was a later of silty sand, soft and yielding unlike the harsh, prickly terrain of the lowlands. Relieved to see the caverns were fairly large and readily traveled, he sighed. No way were they getting out the same way they'd fallen in.

"Forward or back? Your choice," he invited with a lifted brow and an ironic smile. Nothing about their current situation should be lending a smile, but he preferred to see it as an adventure when there was still a chance for them to get back home in one piece.

"I'll manage," he murmured, golden eyes casting about for any clue as to which way to go. Settling on going with Piety's decision, he bit back a laugh at her observation. It took great effort, but Wraith thought he managed to pull off a neutral voice when he told her, "So when we go the wrong way, I can blame you." Of course, the merriment in his eyes was harder to hide, though perhaps the limited lighting would help him in that matter. No matter what his face said, he had little doubt she would catch his humor.

He had to admire her confidence. The way she didn't question herself was refreshing. So many others would waffle at such a decision, complaining on how there was no clear cut answer. Piety just went with her gut and stuck with it. Despite himself, he grinned, satisfied enough to follow along. For being a Second, Wraith wasn't especially stern on ranks, preferring to let his packmates explore opportunities to learn their limits. Perhaps it was the teacher in him that enjoyed watching them discover themselves. Or perhaps it was just the asshole in him that took amusement out of watching them grow frustrated when they reached said limits. At least he didn't let them flounder.

When the white wolf led on ahead, her question floated back, echoing around the caverns in a musical way that had Wraith tilted his head to better enjoy the sound. He snorted. "Why do you think you're in the lead? When we come across a bear, I'll at least have a head start." He wasn't often so verbally playful, but found he enjoyed trading barbs with her. Was that why Morganna had continually thrust her at him? Not a bad choice if she wanted him to become sociable to more than just Craw and herself.

As the pair traveled through the tunnels, Wraith had no feeling of unease. He doubted it was just the enjoyable company that left him feeling so comfortable. These tunnels felt barren. As if it had been ages since any set paw down here. Any scents were as stale as the dust that still threatened to have him sneezing again. Even thinking of it sent him into another short fit.

Recovering, Wraith laughed outright at her pluck. "'She jumped right into its mouth. There really wasn't anything I could do. I barely escaped with my own life. We should keep the pups away from those caverns for sure. It's a death trap.'" He babbled on with amusement, the story growing with the telling. "'Not sure what she got in her head, taking on a bear like that. Must have been for love.'" He was grinning like a cheshire cat now, delighted with his teasing as his tail wagged behind him.

He didn't point out that even if Wraith had the mind to kill her himself, Craw and Morganna would be the first to help him hide her body. Not that it was ever a possibility. The man's morals wouldn't even let him entertain that as a joke to bring up.

"Can you see anything up ahead?" he wondered. All he could get from his position was a startlingly fine view of her backside.

"The bear's, clearly," Wraith pointed out as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Though difficult to see in the failing light, his eyes did nothing to hide the amusement written so plainly there. @Piety was alright, he decided. Even if he tried, the northerner doubted he could dislike her. She had a sharp wit, sharp tongue, and a keen mind for seriousness when required. There was little more he could ask for in a packmate.

"I was thinking the same," he murmured, muzzle turning back behind them to peer down the tunnels curiously. Even after they found their way out, he intended to back track to see just how far they could go before the caverns became too slim to continue forward. Ahead, he spotted another ray of light that drizzled in from above through a small crack in the terrain. It was a wonder that these tunnels didn't collapse in on themselves from rain or the movement of herds. He supposed this part of the lowlands saw fewer movements from larger herds, but they certainly weren't impervious. A puzzle for sure.

Easing back into teasing form readily, he laughed. "You sure about your decision to go this way?" For some reason, the brute felt no concern that the pair could be trapped down here indefinitely. Even if they had to figure a way out through one of the cracks above that allowed light to drip down, he'd damn well figure it out. Of all the ways he'd imagined dying, getting lost and stuck in some dark hole did not rank anywhere in the realm of possibilities.