Velo en Cascada i gotta move my car

RE: Leander, you must escape quickly as you're caught under an air strike of falling icicles.

Leander was sick of eating snow in place of water. It was cold, and he was cold, and when he ate it too quickly it made his head hurt, so he'd set off that morning in search of a drink. You'd think with spring on the horizon there would be more thawing puddles, but alas, another storm had rolled in over night, coating the Earth with even more snow, and forcing any melted ice to refreeze.

It wasn't long before the soft lilt of flowing water drifted into Leander's ears, beckoning him through the trees. Cream-colored paws carried him haphazardly over the unfamiliar terrain, occasionally sinking into holes camouflaged by soft patches of snow, and sliding on ice he hadn't noticed. Leander wasn't ever.. particularly graceful. He'd always assumed that grace would come with age, but so far.. not so good. Of course, it didn't help that his excitement had him in a bit of a rush, and he had been paying less attention to the ground below his paws, and more to finding the water's source.

He spotted the falls first, almost completely frozen in time, save for the very middle where the current had been the strongest. The river was much the same as well, thick on the edges, and thin towards the middle. The boy worried his bottom lip as he considered his options, or lack thereof. He had no idea how deep the water might be, and he didn't want to find out by plunging into their depths. "Hmm.. Maybe if I can get close enough to the falls.." Trying a new approach, Leander walked along the riverbank hoping that a wayward drip might have made a puddle of it's own. That's when he noticed, just behind the falls there seemed to be a cave. How.. interesting.

{S} MIGHT BE SOME SWEARS UP AHEAD

For at least the hundredth time she shunned herself, she had to leave the wounds alone. Itching them would make it sooooo much worse but the tiniest scratch would feel like heaven!!! No, no she imaged nasty puss, oozing down her neck, the fever that would follow beause at that rate she'd be sick, and dying not just starving, and healing. If she could just find something to relieve it!!!!! Yet, the gash on her neck persisted along with the one on her shoulder.

Water, was her best bet. She had kept rolling in the snow, sating herself a little while but water would help clean things out. The thing was she was having the damndest luck finding a source. Mum had said she'd lived in a glen that had a creek, but Fin was quite sure it wasn't this place. It just didn't fit any description in her memories. Most likely her mother had never even been here. Maybe, she was going the wrong way and this was another stupid idea. If she met another wolf, she was positive she wouldn't win then either. They wouldn't exactly put her out of her misery.

This sucked...it was hard enough she had to leave home. Worse she had had to sneak away. Once she'd gotten away she'd gone too long between meals. Then when she thought fate was shining on her, giving her an easy kill, she met the orneriest bastard. Stole her food, ripped her up. Now she wasn't sure if she was going in the right direction.

Suck it up buttercup. That's what dad would have said. She'd made it this far, and water had to be close by. She'd noted some trails of prey and they ought to know. Sure enough, she could smell the remedy she needed. It took some walking to pin it down, but when she did what she saw dumfounded her. It was a waterfall, but it was mostly frozen much like the rest of the river. She'd never known there was such a thing.

Someone else was here. Her legs froze as her eyes zoomed in on his tawny coat. He seemed to be making his way closer to the falls. Would he notice her? Should she care if he did? From here she could tell he was young by the outline of his frame, and she was desperate for water. Quietly, she began to move forward. What was he looking at? "You must not believe in ghosts if you're gonna go in there," she couldn't help speak when she'd also noted the cave. The lone wolf stood still, keeping a safe distance between them. It was evident in her fiery stare she was adding him up if need be.

Ok! I'll add it in the title!

Leander jumped at the unexpected voice, turning on a dime to face the newcomer. Bright blue eyes were quick to find the source, landing on a greyscale woman whose stature seemed to be just under his. Though she was pretty, she was, for all intents and purposes, in rather bad shape. Her ribs and bones stuck out more than they should have, and from what he could tell—and smell—she was injured. Russet-tipped ears came to sit against his tawny crown. His dad would have been able to patch her right up, and perhaps if he could find some redcedar... No. Probably not. At the very least, he knew that if she was up, walking, and talking then the wounds were probably not infected yet.

His brow furrowed as he considered her words. "Oh, I uh.. didn't think about there being ghosts down there." And maybe he wouldn't have, but now there was no avoiding it. Huffing a sigh, the boy cast another glance at the cave's entrance, suddenly concerned with just how dark it was in there. But he really wanted to know what was down there! Bright eyes fell once more on the woman as an idea formed in his head. "Do you want to come with me? Ghosts can't get you if you're not alone." There was very little science behind his statement, but it felt right.

"And I can get us something to eat after, as a thanks if you did want to." It was a win-win really, though he would probably try to find her something to eat regardless. It just wasn't in him to let an injured wolf walk away with an empty stomach.

(This post was last modified: Mar 03, 2021, 09:31 AM by Leander.)

I'm pretty like a car crash

There was some satisfaction to be found as he startled, but she didn't hold the feeling long. As he faced her the expression on his face made her feel a little guilty. There was a soft look to his stark, blue gaze. But why should she feel bad? She brushed the odd feeling aside. "Caves always have a higher probability, though my mum told me there's woods around here that's much worse..." She almost shrugged her shoulders, but flinched at the thoughtless motion. No itching, no shrugging.  Hopefully he didn't notice as his attention was on the cave for a minute. She was curious too, she'd never actually been in a cave. This one looked like it could fit bears and moose. A light smirk formed on her dark lips at his configuration, she highly doubted it was true. Though, her face became thoughtful because when mom had talked about ghosts she had always been alone. Maybe, there was a little truth....

She was about to agree when he sweetened the deal. They could work to get something to eat afterward. Now, if these were different circumstances she would have felt insulted. A little enraged. The whole she could look after herself. Hell, who would she be kidding? She was not doing great. Maybe, it was that same softness in his look that made her instead feel grateful. A little touched by simple kindness. Or was she letting her guard down too easy? Was she not totally coherent??? No, it was better to take advantage of his kindness if that's what this was. It would be the best move.

"Ok, you've got a deal. Just tell me you ain't gonna treat me like an old lady, or baby. I bet I'm only a few moons older than you." She wore a wry grin, tease evident in her tone. And, I know I don't look capable of taking care of myself, but I can or I really would be dead. Though, she was smart enough to keep that to herself. No reason to get harsh and ruin his offer. Now, she felt he wasn't a threat she padded closer, taking careful steps to the cave's mouth. "So, you've ever been in a cave?"

Leander did not doubt the woman's words, especially after coming across that bone pile. There was no way that whatever had created it hadn't left behind a wake of angry spirits... Another shiver ran up his spine at the thought. "Remind me not to go wandering around alone then." And it certainly didn't help that he would have to walk home alone... or well, he didn't really have a home.. so it just didn't help that he had to sleep in the forest all alone. Perhaps he should have stuck himself a little closer to Landon.

Whatever motion, or lack thereof that the injured woman made went unnoticed by Leander. He was too intent on the mouth of the cave, and the darkness within. Perhaps there would be some cobwebs in there.. and if he just.. tried hard enough then maybe he could help her out a little more than.. No. No. He couldn't. He wasn't a healer. He couldn't be a healer. His dad would have known what to do, or Landon maybe, but not him.

He shook his head quickly at her insistence, having absolutely no intention of treating her like either. "Don't worry, I wouldn't dream of it." She certainly wasn't a baby, and old would have been even more than a stretch. From what he could tell, they were almost of an age.

Upon entering the cave, Leander squished himself as close to her as she would allow, taking care to avoid her bad side, while also taking advantage of the safety she might provide from ghosts. "No, but I always wanted to. What about you?" His bright blue eyes squinted through the darkness, blinking fast as his eyes tried to adjust.

(This post was last modified: Mar 09, 2021, 12:45 AM by Leander.)

I'm pretty like a car crash

"Yeah I don't recommend it, might end up looking like me." There was no playfulness or tease, just a straight forwardness on the issue. It wasn't like she'd had much choice, but she wasn't about to say more on the matter. She'd like to forget the past few months all together. Almost.

"Good," was her short reply, satisfied now. Maybe, the promise of food wasn't the only thing good about this one. But she'd take one thing at a time because why she didn't have any bad inklings on this guy didn't mean they didn't exist.

Surprise lit her face, as he maneuvered himself against her. The long hairs on her back raising, but  for the moment she doubted he had noticed either with the change of lighting. Besides he'd been smart enough to stay away from her wounds, she suppressed a laugh, and instead grinned. Though this guy must have seen something terrible if he was this worried to think her company would help him. Right now, she didn't think she wanted to know because she already felt a little creeped out.

"Same," she murmured, the outlines of the walls coming in clearer, it looked like it opened up further down. Taking a good sniff she didn't smell death, just dampness. "Think anyone has even been in here? I mean I can't smell anything..." Keeping with his steps she was minding a lot less about him pressed against her. One he was warm, and two she kept imagining there had to be something other than spiders that lived in here.

The sound of dripping water turned her ear. "Do you feel cold?" She knew she was more sensitive with her lack of muscle, but she wondered if it was her mind playing a trick on her. "I thought caves were suppose to keep ya warmer." Why the hell would anyone live in them if they didn't?

(This post was last modified: Mar 10, 2021, 10:44 PM by Finnick. Edit Reason: speech stuff )

Leander had to suppress his grimace as a jolt of empathetic pain cut across his shoulder. The wounds she had sustained seemed irritating at best, and agonizing at worst, though by the looks of them, the male had a feeling that they were teetering towards the latter. Whoever she was, she was strong. There was no denying it. Perhaps that's why he felt so safe by her side.

He was happy that she seemed satisfied with his answer, because the last thing the Stark ever wanted to do was to offend someone, or make them feel belittled.

As his eyes adjusted, and the cavern came into focus, he turned his attention back to the stranger. She was smiling, which was a good sign, both for her health and for his conscience. He certainly didn't want to make anyone do anything that they didn't want to do just for his own personal gain and if she was having any sort of fun, then he was happy.

He gave the small cavern a good sniff as she asked her question, noting only the overwhelming taste of stone and water. "I don't know. It's so hidden, I don't think I would have noticed it if I hadn't been looking for water." In some ways he hoped that they were the first to explore the cave. How cool would that have been, to be the discoverers of a brand new place? "If anyone has been here, it wasn't recent."

His brow creased as something caught her attention. "Yeah. I thought so too." He tasted the air again, curious as to what she had noticed, but there must have been dust in the air, because he couldn't help but, "A-A-Achoo." All was still for a moment, and then suddenly he heard a sickening crack above his head. Blue eyes panned upwards just in time to see an icicle crash and shatter along the floor of the cave. Shit. "RUN!"

Thanks for waiting for me <3

I'm pretty like a car crash

He made a good point. If anyone had found this place they hadn't been for awhile and there wasn't a draw to it now unless she guessed there was a bad blizzard. Making the cave cozy in such a circumstance. "You're probably right. Maybe no one has." Now in the summer this might just be the perfect spot to be, but depending on what happened she wasn't sure if she'd find out for herself.

Glad she wasn't the only one affected, she was starting to wonder how huge this place was, and maybe if that was why it was terribly cold. She about to say someone must be talking about him when he sneezed, but the thought was lost. The snap of the ice, and his command had her doing just that!

Shooting away from the icicles, trying to keep ahead of them but also with her newfound companion. She wasn't entirely self-centered. when the echo of the ice falling ended she stopped, out of breath.

"I hope.....that was all of them," she replied, between panting breaths. She'd decided not to add he better be done sneezing too. She somehow felt like he would already feel bad, and in this situation saw no point in making him feel worse. If he fretted, she figured they could blame it on ghosts or something any way.

It took a few moments but her heartbeat eased, and she drew in a long breath to satisfy her lungs. Seeing as they were stuck here as she had no want to go forward or back right this second, so she decided to see what else she could find out about him. "So you got a name? " It was her polite way of asking. She had other questions too, but wasn't fond of unhinging her mouth too quickly.

Thank you for waiting on me this time <3

Everything happened in slow motion, the running, the falling of the icicles, the sound of paw-steps against stone, and the shattering of glass. It was probably the most danger Leander had ever been in, well, at least since he'd been on his own.

By the time they stopped his lungs burned with effort. He panted, panic and exertion exiting his body with every exhale. "I.. I hope so too." Only then was he able to process what had happened. Water-blue eyes swiveled back at the shards of ice smashed across the floor before returning to his companion. She didn't look hurt, well, no more than she had when they met. Still, all that running couldn't have been good for her injuries, and it was all his fault. If he hadn't goaded her into the cave, or sneezed, or needed water then they wouldn't have almost gotten killed.

Rust-tipped ears flattened as guilt overtook him, but his head bobbed at her question. "I.. yeah, it's Leander. What about you?" At the very least he needed to know her name so that he could apologize properly.

I'm pretty like a car crash

Leander. She would be sure to keep that, not that she had a lot of names these days to keep track of. Still, he was the kindest wolf she'd met in a long while. So far.

"Finnick," she offered, now turning her own attention to him. He didn't seem to have gotten impaled, which was good. He didn't need to be in a poor state either. She didn't think she was a great caretaker by any means. But, was it fear or shame on his face? It was hard to tell under the circumstances, but her gut guessed the latter.

"So you still think ghosts only bother loners?" She had an evident smirk. "They probably had a nice laugh o'er that. I can't really believe your sneeze did it. It was loud, but that was a lot of freakin' icicles. They all shouldn't have all come down." She realized why she had always felt iffy about ghosts, she was starting to wonder if she should take her mother's stories more seriously now. "Think they want us stuck in here or something?" Did ghosts have motives of reason or as she said, just for entertainment? Did it depend on the ghost? She began to wonder if there was another way out.

(This post was last modified: May 30, 2021, 07:44 PM by Finnick.)