Whisper Caverns rise of the kings

All welcome but maybe a surprise visit from @Kagehide? >o>

The girl struck out on her own - no surprise - in order to learn a bit more. She had made her presence known to her parent's and anyone else a part of the pack. Her lithe form worked east into a meadow. It was an open blank expanse with snow piled high. She would have blended in with the place had her limbs and face not been so dark. Needless to say, it frustrated her to be so exposed in the evening light. It was time to find somewhere to hide.

Tilly noted as the earth seemed to dip in some places to expose the burrows of creatures who were sleeping or perhaps long gone. Occasionally she dipped her dark face into the snow, smelling and searching for something worthwhile. She kept coming up empty. It was frustrating, to say the least.

She found an opening in the earth and took it. Breaking through the snow to find the caverns. A quick look around told her not all the passages were open but there was enough room for her to stay for at least a few hours.

Hammering the nails

Into a sacred coffin

Thus far, Kagehide had skirted the nearby pack. While asking for a little direction likely would have been helpful, the silver male wasn't feeling particularly sociable. Walking up to a random territory to ask for Morganna Archer seemed a far fetched scheme and unlikely to be fruitful. How well known could she possibly be in these parts? Nothing about her had struck Kage as unique enough to draw the attention of many. True, she was domineering and had a stubborn streak a mile long, but wolves like that were a dime a dozen where he came from.

So why did he feel like he was following the path of a female who blazed a trail like fire through a forest?

Annoyed with himself, the herbalist trudged across the meadow. The past few nights had been mild enough that Kagehide hadn't felt the need to seek out shelter, but the wind tonight was beginning to pick up and he didn't care to be caught out in the open with it. He paused on top of the snowy knoll to frown at a wolf down below. That coat...

Tilly?

His darker ears perked forward as he watched the female slip through the snow and disappear. That had to be Tilly. She was bigger than he remembered, but her coat was remarkable and hard to forget. With narrowed eyes, the poison master trotted down to sniff with interest at the swath she left behind. He breathed in her scent and felt his tail give a single wag as he confirmed it was indeed one of Morganna's pups.

Boldly, Kage approached the snow-covered caverns with no concern for being attacked. It was hard to feel intimidated by a pup he'd been around since before she could speak. "Ring, ring," he called softly, tenor voice filled with amusement. "Have room for an old friend, little pup?"

She was not expecting any company mentioning that the fields had been so devoided of life when she has just been out there. Yet there was a voice. Her fur raised as she turned to face the voice. The icy Archer-Lyall quickly found her pelt smoothing out as a smile took over her features. It would have been hard to forget that peppered figure. The man may not have held either of her last names but he was family as much as her own siblings and parents.

"'Course I do." She rumbled warmly, tail swaying slowly behind her. Perhaps it had been her brother, Jayseden, that took up this man's time back in Torbine but that didn't stop Tilly from appreciating him. Kagehide was a smart fellow. Even the dimmest of wolves could tell that. "I ain't so little, though." She wasn't as big as some of her siblings from the lithe girl was filling out her childish frame as the months went by.

Tilly moved towards a corner that was further away from the opening. She didn't plan on freezing in this place even if there was a friendly face towards the opening. The motion of her tail beckoned the older wolf to follow. There was plenty to talk about.

Slowly she settled down onto her stomach taking on a sphinx-like position. "What draws ya out here?" A dark brow raising over orange eyes. It wasn't as though she really needed to ask. It seemed like everyone here was either in the know or looking for her mother. Tilly could only assume that he was here for her too.

Hammering the nails

Into a sacred coffin

The silver male's lips curled into a pleased smile. That she accepted his presence so readily was encouraging; he was happy to know the growing girl hadn't forgotten him in their time apart. When he had traveled with Morganna before, Kage had never been the one to get in the heart of the group, preferring to stay on the fringes. But he always had a fondness for the pups that did not exist for the others.

"You'll always be little to me, runt" he teased lightly as he came in from the cold, following her deeper into the caverns to settle nearby with back legs kicked out comfortably. Immediately at ease with the familiar company, Kage took her in with a critical eye. She was healthy for all he could see. There'd been no limp when he watched her outside, and her face was bright, filled with vigor. It was good to know she'd been well cared for in his absence.

He nearly laughed to hear her mother's drawl in her words. The apple didn't fall far, did it? And she was just as cutting as her mother, too. Straight to the point. That, at least, was one thing he had appreciated about Morganna. She didn't beat around the bush and tended to bulldoze right through it.

"Looking to collect on a debt. I guess your mother is nearby?"

Tilly didn't mind him settling nearby because if anything it made it easier to communicate with him. The lean girl didn't know if anyone else might have been present in the cavern network. Most of the scents had been stale enough to ease her mind upon entrance.

"Not too far." The ice kissed Archer-Lyall hummed in response. "I could take ya right to 'er." But Matilda Archer-Lyall didn't work for free. Not even the man who she considered family got a free-pass. "Might cost ya, though." A smirk tugged on her dark face. He would understand, wouldn't he? Especially if he was in the business of debts.

Which made her wonder if there was a correlation between her mother and the debt or if he was just asking. "We could always discuss that later, though. Once the weather calms." Her shoulders gave a gentle shrug as her position relaxed a bit. "I'm sure we have some catching up to do anyway." A toothy grin broke once stoic features.

Hammering the nails

Into a sacred coffin

The sweet escape is always laced
with a familiar taste of poison

Kagehide

Why the little... The silver male bit back a laugh. "Enterprising little whelp, aren't you?" Kage asked without heat, tail thumping from amusement. She certainly was her mother's daughter. "Alright, then," he relented. "What'll it cost me, my lady?" Truly, he could find Morganna on his own. Just following Tilly's scent back would no doubt lead him to where she had settled. But call him a sucker, Kage didn't mind allowing himself to be swindled by the youngster. She couldn't ask for too much for a bit of information.

Could she...?

As Tilly continued on, Kagehide nodded in agreement. It would be nice, he supposed, to hear what the little ones had been up to since they'd parted ways. He'd never really taken such an active interest in the life of another aside from whether they were in need of healing - or otherwise. The poison master stretched his forelegs, toes spreading wide as he yawned widely. "By all means, Tilly. Regale me with tales of your adventures." He smiled kindly, but offered no information about himself and his own comings and goings since the last they'd seen each other.