Hush Meadow Secret Caverns

With her words of panic hanging in the air, Cali waited to see what the others would do. She would find Elettra, if need be, but a pack mate would likely locate her faster. She breathed a huge sigh of relief when the newest wolf took off to find the leadess. Then she heard Narime's voice from below, asking if it was her. Another weight was lifted off of her shoulders. The young wolf had recognized her voice. That had to be a good sign, right? "Yes, Narime', it is me. I'm not going anywhere, OK?" Her pack duties would have to wait for a bit, for the soft-hearted wolf would not be able to abandon her friend.

They chatted nonsense off and on, but eventually the girl gave in to sleep and the cavern below them went silent. Cali would have been more worried had the girl not previously shown that though her head hurt, her mind was still thinking right and she was lucid. Hours passed in silence and she and the enormous male simply ignored one another in favor of worrying over their mutual friend. She heard movement below and surmised that Narime' had awoken and was exploring. She couldn't understand her as she moved around underground tunnels, but she guessed that she was talking to herself more than anything. When the brute rose to his feet and turned to go, reluctance evident in ever fiber of his being, she gave him a brief nod. It was enough to tell him that she would stay by Narime' and he could do what he must. Maybe he thought that the other male was taking too long and was going after Elettra himself?

Keeping her sentry by the hole in the ice, Cali listened intently for Narime' to report anything, but was met with mostly silence. When the silent male returned with a rabbit and dropped it down the hole, the white fae felt better. At least Narime' would have a bit of food to eat and she could pick out the sound of water, so she had water to drink. That would certainly help the young woman. The snowy wolf was no healer, but she was an accomplished huntress. Her emerald eyes turned to meet the golden amber ones of the male. "I'm Cali. I will find more food for her later, so you can stay with her." Perhaps that would ease his mind a bit. She could tell that he had hated leaving her, especially with a wolf that he didn't know personally, even if she was a friend of the young silver fae below them.

Never Underestimate a Heart of Fire...

She came as swiftly as the urgent call demanded it of her, killing the distance between her and the wolf whom called out for her. Phineas was at the boarder, seemingly a place he had taken up. Though she had seen him doing boarder patrol as a guardian, she had known of him hunting as well, not to mention, with the information he gave her now, scouting beyond the lands of the Drooping Willows. Panic took hold of Elettra, eager for Phineas to show her the way. They ran and ran, yin and yang as they remained side by side, her dark pelt clashing with the light of his own. When she arrived, grey eyes scanned the group around her, catching the attention of Guiness, of Cali or Swift River and of a Grizzly Hollow wolf which she had nearly scared the piss out of previously. This woman of the Hollow had sent false information to Jaysyek in mention of Kiche's 'death'. Her lips twitching only in her direction, her attention then turned to the more important manner at hand - Narime. Taking a deep breath, Elettra dipped her head over the edge, poking her nose into the dim lighting of the underground opening. "Narime...?"

(This post was last modified: Jan 07, 2013, 02:41 AM by Elettra.)

Elettra was fast when he beckoned her – seemingly grasping the urgency in his howl and coming to his side with swift reassurance. He took her to the silver girl, the fleet of their paws intertwined with the desperation to reach their fallen member as soon as possible, and as they came upon the small gathering once more, a low huff escaped the large male, who’s breath came in sharp pants that spiraled a wisp of smoky condensation to the air.

He prowled forward, his shoulder grazing the red figure of Guiness with a silent gratitude for the male’s fortitude and watchful eye upon Narimé. The ebony queen called down to the girl, and the ivory male waited in silence, concern stirring with his fiery eyes as he stole a glance to the ivory she-wolf who had also diligently stayed by their pack member.

Without another word, the Argyris wolf padded closer to the edge of the opening, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the darkness below. Could he fit too? She had not been seemingly injured from her fall – what would await him down there should he jump in after her? Certain death? Or the aid she needed to get out?

Before Nari left for her second venture into the tunnels Guiness barked down for her to stay. Cocking her head and blinking back a wave of pain and dizzyness Narimé watched something dark fall from the cieling where the hole was. Padding forward her nose told her that it was food before she even got to the rabbit. Jumping on the meal the gray wolf ravenously ate the furry thing until nothing but bones were left. Glad for the meal the young wolf picked her head up.

"Thanks Guiness!" Turning around she looked down the last tunnel to search. With a small meal in her stomach the dizzyness seemed to go away now. She was glad for that. Nari didn't want to see herself slipping and falling into some hole in the ground a second time because she lost her balance being all dizzy.

Just then she heard two more voices speak up. Cali was first giving her a worried greeting. Then a few minutes later a second voice echoed down which made her ears perk. Elettra. Scenting the air and listening to the hole she waited for more words from the alpha but none came.

"Yes ma'am its me! Look.. Don't worry about it, I already found one tunnel that had a way out even if I couldn't fit through, so there has to be another exit. I'm going to look around tthis last tunnel and see if I can find another way out okay? Just one question though.. Is it cold enough for snow out? Or is the rain scent that I'm smelling from here mean that its gonna start raining soon?" She asked hiding her worry with a calm voice. Listening for an answer she nodded slowly. "Rain might be really dangerous down here. If the tunnels fill with water then.." Once more she shook herself of those dark thoughts.

Having her answer Nari flattened her ears to her skull slightly afraid. It was about time she get out to the tunnels again. Turning around she began padding towards the last unexplored tunnel. Standing at its entrance for another few minutes letting her eyes adjust from the previous rooms light filtering through the cieling to the deep tunnels dark. Then she began her journey through the final tunnel. There was no sense sticking around where she could hear her pack mates when she couldn't get out from there to see them.

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As she padded through the third tunnel the she wolf glanced around nervously at the low cieling unwilling to accidentally bump her head again. More stactites and stalagmites were speckled along through the thin tunnel. It was not near as wide as the previous tunnel had been. No, at most you could fit maybe four wolves side by side in this tunnel. She dodged around thinner columns unsure if the spikes hanging from the ceiling were firmly rooted or not. The young woman did NOT want those falling on top of her. They would probably spear the wolf right through if the hanging pointed stones fell.

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A few minutes later Nari ws plagued by indecision. There was a split in the tunnel. She could either go to the right or to the left. Sitting there thinking for another five minutes the silver wolf trained her ears quietly listening into each tunnel. She could hear water running through the tunnel to her left. Whereas to her right she only heard dripping. "Well.. water runs downhill, sooo... I shouldn't go to the running water one right? Cause then I would onlybe going deeper into the ground, and I want to get above ground." Her thoughts made the girl take the sandy tunnel to the right instead of the wet hard stone floored tunnel to the left.

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Rounding the corner she gazed around at more of the tunnel. The stalactites and stalagmites were beinning to decrease in number and large stone formations replaced them along the walls of the cave. The width and height of the room greatly increased and Nari wondered how all this space was holding up whatever land was above her. As she walked around that room for about two hours the she wolf continually missed an opening behind one of the pillars leading into another tunnel. he only found it after needing to relieve herself by the same pillar.

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There was no doubt the young she wolf was getting tired. Nari wasn't really sure how much time was passing during her travel through the cavern. She might have to end this journey soon just to take some time to rest.

As soon as she started padding along into the new tunnel a second opening in the wall appeared. Taking a moment to decide on which way to go Nari reluctantly padded off of the straight tunnel into this new one. Once more the sound of moving water filled her ears. It wasn't a rushing fast water sound, but the soft trickling of slowly moving water. At first Nari didn't even see the water as it was relfecting the ceiling of the mid sized room. The stactites and stagmites were in high numbers again as she padded down towards the water. Surprise filtered onto her face when the she wolf stepped right into water upt to her belly. Pulling back sharply Nari sat on the cold stone with a half soaked pelt. At least she hadn't fallen in.

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Licking her fur clean and dry Nari rested for some time in this area looking around at the scenery as she dried. A fallen column caught her eye at the far end of the room. Picking herself up Nari trotted over and looked at the column. It was arched almost fully across the water to the other side. Crossing over the water via the fallen stone Narimé searched around the back of the room. There were no other tunnels and no exits there either. Suppressing an annoyed and anxious feeling the woman back tracked to the main tunnel once more.

Turning to the right she followed the main tunnel back further. More sounds of water prodded her silver ears as she found yet another tunnel trailing off of this main one. Taking a few steps into yet another dead end al she found was walls of stone and water flowing seemingly out of nowhere heading seemingly no place into a wall at the far back of the small space. Tiredness crept at her limbs and pulled at her body as the blue eyed wolf traveled back to the main tunnel. It seemed as though she would have to continue down this tunnel exploring it later. With a small breeze catching her fur Nari was too tired to realize that the draft of fresh air was from outside. She turned around half asleep and began heading back to the room with the hole in the ceiling and her pack mates looking in above her.

When she got back to her sleeping area Nari lay herself upon her small dip that she'd scraped into the grit and sand. Taking the skull of the rabbit into her jaws she chewed on it getting whatever was left of the nutrients out. Then the girl called out to anyone above.

"If anyone's there.. I don't know what the time outside is but I'm really tired. This one tunnel is really long and I'm not done looking through it yet. But man.. You guys should see some of the stuff down here.. Its..well..beautiful in its own way." She called up tiredly then listened for an answer. Her eyes drooped almost unable to keep herself awake as she listened for the others.

OOC: Her next post will be 12/12/2012 lol. It will be on that day that she finds the exit and gets out.

She could hear Narime' enjoying the small meal. She must have been ravenous, poor thing. When the white male, Phineas, showed back up with Elettra, Cali was relieved beyond measure. Once Narime' answered Elettra's concern and mentioned exploring some more, Cali gave the black and grey wolf a small smile of greeting and waved her white plume behind her. She was glad to see the woman again, but she wished that it were under different circumstances. "Elettra. was all that she offered in simple greeting. The lady had much more pressing matters to worry about than a visit right now.

When Narime' returned from her exploration and gave her tire report, Cali made the call to return home to check in. She'd been gone a couple of days now and that was certainly not something that the white wolf made a habit of. She was reassured by the presence of Elettra, Phineas and the massive Guiness, knowing that Narime' was of course, in excellent hands. She looked tiredly at Elettra, worry plastered all over her white countenance. "Elettra, I must check in with my pack, but please tell Narime' that I will be back." With that the snowy fae turned away and soon melted into the pristine white backdrop that covered the land.

Never Underestimate a Heart of Fire...

With a disheartened face the old wolf trotted towards the meadow looking for food. His pack was glad to have him back at first, and the old wolf had been getting the medical help he had needed. However now he purposefully kept himself away from Grizzly Hollow. The dark wolf thought that he would be able to rejoin them and help out with the pups as he had promised the white leader, but it seemed his health was not up for it. A loud cough would escape his lips every once in a while as the wolf trotted into the snowy field. He would not stay in Grizzly Hollow just to get his pack mates sick. Follko especially did not want to get the pups sick.

The scents of wolves jostled his nose. Swinging his dark head to the side he tested the scents. He was pretty sure other pack wolves were converged upon a single place, but th elder did not know the names of these different pack scents. His ears dd not detect any sounds of fighting so with a tired sigh he decided to go and see what the fuss was about. If they weren't fighting over land than why were two packs wolves in the same place?

Follko reached the scene after Cali had left. He caught her scent of water, tree, and of family pack on hi way towards the other wolves. He logged the scent in his mind so that he could figure out what pack she was from later. Then Follko continued forward slowly taking on a nuetral lower stance. A dark female, a rusty male, and a white male all with the same family scent of willows and water stood bunched around looking down at the ground.

Dipping his head in greeting to each wolf and stifling a cough the older man cocked his head wondering what they were all looking at. As he padded cautiously closer making sure not to offend the three wolves the dark wolf finally saw the gaping hole in the ground. It was about three feet long and a foot in width at it's widest point. Nosing around not daring to go too close to the edges Follko also picked up two other scents. One of his former pack mate Sibyl, and another that pulled at his memory. The scent belonged to a young female, almost an adult, and her scent held the same willow and water smell that the other three wolves across from the hole had. Follko suddenly realized why they were all there. These wolves pack mate must have fallen in.

Piecing together the story on his own Follko backed away from the hole and sat down (head still held submissively low) and closed his eyes trying to remember the scent that he somehow knew. The big russet fella was also tugging on his memory. As if he had been there at the same time Follko had learned of the young wolfs scent. "But when was it?" He thought quietly.

"Excuse me for my lack of talk.. you see. I have a sore throat nowadays..." He opened his orange eyes and dipped his head to the three other wolves. Stifling a second bout of coughing Follko turned himself away so that he would not cough in their direction. "My name is Follko Theizkei." He appropriately spoke his name first to the small family of wolves across the hole from him then looked at the ground again. Poor kid. Follko felt bad for her. There was no way she would get out of there, and all her family could do was watch as she died a slow and lonely death. The thought almost made a snarl come upon his face, but he held it back afraid that the others might attack him for it.

Laying down parallel to the other three wolves Follko sat there with them for almost an hour until a voice burst forth out of the gloom. The voice further jogged the males memory and the image of a silver yearling loped through his head. He did know this female. "What was her name though.. Narima? Naroé? Narim-something..Lagina. Narimé Lagina?" He faught to find the answer as he listened to her voice chime away. He listened hearing the awe in her voice, but was sure that she was hiding her fear from her pack mates. "I don't think I wuld wanna go dow there just for the scenery..." He joked to himself quietly while craning his head to look down the hole. It seemed as though she had lost her sense of time down there. The night wouldn't be coming for a few hours yet.

"Take the advice of an old timer.. Get lots of rest and recover.." He thought hard looking through his memories. He had been in a cave only once, and from the echoes he could hear below there were many tunnels in this cave. So the dark wolf was at a loss. The cave he'd seen was a short one tunnel cave that a bear had once lived in. "That was along time ago oo, back when I was a pup..." He looked back on his memory with a smile then brought his attention back to the trapped female. "If at any point you travel the tunnels and feel wind, or can feel the slope and earth under your feet rising as you walk, head in that direction... You might just find a way out..." That was all he could really say to the girl and Follko wasn't even sure if she'd heard it. Of course he could have also said "Go towards the light!" But that's kind of obvious. If there's light then there's an exit.

Nght was falling and the dark male sighed long and hard coughing at the end as his sigh turned to a wheeze. The girl had gone quiet down below once more and Follko looked apologetically towards her pack mates. "I'll just be over there till morning..." The dark man told the others. He had no choice but to sleep out here in the cold for the night. Turning tail the dark wolf began padding closer to the treeline. Searching for good pine to dig a snowy nest next to the base of its trunk. He would check back on the silver hunter when he woke up in the morning.

“Never to suffer would never to have been blessed.”
--Edgar Allan Poe  

The amount of wolves that came and disappeared was starting to make Guiness’s nerves go haywire. He wasn’t used to so much of a crowd, much more preferring being in the back ground and scoping out the area for any dangers. The more things got out of hand, the tension within the red male would increase. The Cali girl soon left, but not before other arrived. He silently bared his fangs at the other male that arrived, of whom he did not know, though kind of smelt like the smaller coward that had come earlier, though he wasn’t sure if he had been passing by the area or not, the female had obviously had the stronger scent.

He wasn’t meaning to do so, but he started unconsciously, drifting away from the gathered, his large form going to blend into the shadows of the night once again. The situation they were dealing with was just too awkward for him…there were too many wolves around for his liking. He didn’t leave though, just silently listened in the shadows. When Narime’s voice graced his ears, he was glad to hear that she was alright. She had needed to stay away from death’s door for them and she had done so much. Now it was just a matter of getting her out of the caverns. He then breathed, ready to know the next shape of action.

Pillar of Strength

Narime's voice reassured the woman that she was well and from what she could see of her in the dim lighting, she was up and about and seemingly looking well, too. Whatever blood she might have gained from hitting her head was faint from here to which Elettra did not take to worry. She listened to the youth, nodding all the while even if the gesture of understanding could not be seen from here. "It's been a light snow for a time now, Narime. The scent is there, but I am uncertain. Be cautious, Narime..if it rains...." Elettra trails off, a frown touching her expression but with a deep breath and a sigh, she continues on again. "If you can't find a way out, we'll try digging out the smaller opening if only you can try to pin-point the area in might be from up here." And with that, Narime leaves, heading off to find her exit for which Elettra was left to only sit and wait and wish her luck.
Pulling her attention over to Cali, her expression pulled into a tight line over her greying lips, she nods to her in agreement. Yet another joins the group, as strangers came and went to see the 'thing in the hole'. It was a man, a vague scent of the Hollow upon him, but so much Elettra could not be certain if he was a newly arrived member, had left, or had merely passed through the lands not long ago. He approached slow, cautious and submissive to which Guiness replied with his presence with a growl. Elettra's stance lifted, eyes narrowing with a warning, though did not attack outright by his low stance of respect and allowed his curiosity to be known, for he would likely find out now that he was here, one way or another.
His greeting, with coughs, was set to memory for Elettra and she dips her muzzle then slowly. "Elettra Archer, Ruler of Willow Ridge." She speaks and from there, all is silent, savor the breaths of her fellow member at her side, Guiness stalking in the background and the male across from her, huffing his coughs away.
Soon then, returned Narime. Elettra is silent long enough for the older male to speak his bit to Narime, his kind words doing what he can to help sooth the girl whom was inside, before he went to relax at the treeline for the right. His willingness to stay here all night could only allow Elettra to assume that he was, indeed, rogue. His cough, too, turning deeper and more harsh, might only suggest having gained sickness throughout the winter. Elettra frowns, watching him go, though remains silent for the time being. Though certainly she could try and help him if he asked and he gaze her reason to, she would be willing, though spoke not of the deed 'out of the kindness of her heart'. There was too much going on within her own pack, at the moment.
Alas, dipping her muzzle back into the opening, she speaks to her silvery youth. "Rest now, Narime. If this tunnel proves promising in the morning, and a safe exit, perhaps we may venture in together and you can show me?" She speaks, hoping to give any kind of incentive to the girl she could muster. "Phineas and Guiness will be here for you, but I must return for the night. Don't push yourself, okay?" Elettra knew Koda had not been in the pack lands when she had left, but to where she was uncertain. Soon enough, she would return home with the news that Koda had fallen in a hunting trip, leaving Elettra to pull the weight of leadership on her own. And with that, Elettra turns to return home.

I'm going to have Nari coming back towards you guys. If anyone wants to respond to her howl and head on over that would be awesome!

12/12/2012

Finally done!

Morning. Or at least she thought it was morning.

Lifting her silver muzzle off the floor Narimé shook her mane and yawned. The throbbing in her head hurting just a little less than it was the day before. However her ankle had frozen up stiff from laying still for so long. It didn't hurt which was a relief to the young she wolf, but it took her a little while to stretch and work it until she could put weight on her ankle.

Light once more filtered down from the ceiling as a new day dawned outside her spacious room. In the quiet morning it almost seemed as if she were alone, but Nari knew that her pack mates were still above her waiting. But when will they stop waiting?... I don't want to find out.. I have to get out..Today. She stood up on all fours and stretched once more allowing her tail to curl upwards and her neck to tense for a few moments. Then released feeling the aching of her chilled joints vanish.

After saying good night to her friends and family above last night Nari had a fitful night of sleep. Dreams haunted, of her father and the bear, her adopted siblings of the past, and lastly of a tidal wave washing through the tunnels towards her. Though somehow that last dream had not woken her up. Instead after the drowning dream she just slept in an inky blackness. Not dreaming anything or feeling anything. Waking up allowed the young wolf to cast aside her troubling dreams and look to the present. I guess it's back to the tunnels to where I last left off. She didn't even bother looking up and trying to call out to anyone above. Why should she when they couldn't help her from their places in the daylight?

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Turning to the familiar sight of the long crystalline tunnel Narimé began her journey. It would take her a while to traverse the previously explored tunnel in order to get to the newer unexplored portion of the caverns. It did not immediately occur to the gray wolf that her previous journey through the tunnels almost led to her finding an exit. However today, if the wind would blow hard enough, she might notice that slight breeze near the end of the longest tunnel.

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Carefully she made her way through the first passageway avoiding stag-mites and stactites along her older trail. She was fairly sure the spikes were dangerous but only if pushed or hit by something else. They would not fall just by her walking under them.

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She made her way back through the cave remembering how the pillars of stone from the floor and ceiling would decrease in number but increase in size. She ignored the other unexplored room to the left which only led downhill among the endless noise of running water. Nari was pretty sure she didn't want to go any further down hill deeper into the earth. Soon she could see the huge pillars outlining the dark room of the large cave. It was here where the she wolf had gotten lost for hours during her last exploratory mission. This time she knew where to go to find the hidden tunnels.

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Instead of ignoring the second tunnel that showed itself on her left the she wolf padded down it to the water that sat like a mirror reflecting the ceiling perfectly. Thirst drove her there. Though she was surprised to see that the water had risen since her last visit. Must be raining outside and the water is coming in down here. She thought with worry plastered onto her face. The she wolfs silvery head dipped as Nari drank her fill glad that the water was so refreshing down in this murky dark place. If anything the young wolf would have thought that the water down here was muddy, but instead it tasted even cleaner than the water from the Lagoon. With a huff she turned back around and traversed the little tunnel back to the straight main one.

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Today the wind would not help her. For outside of the cave and its entrances the air was still and warm. Luckily for her there was no rain yet. However even the silver she wolf could tell that the noise of flowing water among the deeper area's of the cave was louder. The runoff from melting snow was flowing through many parts of the cave and partially flooding the lower tunnels. She hoped that the higher elevated tunnels of the cave would help her stay away from water if it decided to flood. However so far the tunnels were much the same spare for the amount of water flowing through some of them.

The young female was safe for now, but depending on which tunnels she explored her safety might not be ensured by the higher ground.

In all her travel back through the cave had taken less time than her previous day long journey. It only took the silver creature just over an hour to get to the unexplored area of the cavern. She still continued along the winding tunnel until what looked like a dead end stopped her. Gazing around the smooth bubble-like rock formations the she wolf, nose to the ground, began searching for any hidden tunnels. Narimé lucked out this time. She found both the tunnels right next to each other separated by a thick glittering stone wall. Now which way?

Both passages had an upward slope to them, meaning that if she took either direction left or right Narimé would be going uphill hopefully towards the surface. As her pale eyes looked through each passageway she noted that the tunnel to her right immediately led to a larger room in the cave, whereas the room to the left was another thin tunnel. Despite not realizing that she could actually see the far end of the room to the right instead of unending darkness; Nari decided to travel down the left route.

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About twenty minutes later she had to turn back aggravated at yet another dead end. The tunnel had led to nothing but a sandy area where the roof and floor slowly compressed into tiny jagged spaces no bigger than her two paws.

Once she made it back to the fork in the road Narimé gazed into the right passageway. Her mind was not registering the very low light that was filtering through the far away entrance of the cave. Though she did know that anywhere that the ground was sloping upwards could be a way out. So excitedly she passed through the opening and gazed around at the large room. It wasn't quite as big and tall as the huge pillar room far behind her, but this place held its own majesty.

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As much as the view was pretty Nari was not happy to see the numerous spikes attached to the ceiling again. Something told her it was dangerous even though she logically thought of them not being able to fall. They won't fall so long as nothing touches them I think. She told herself while cautiously padding into the large room.

For three hours the silvery female padded around searching for other entrances somehow missing the two tunnels leading off of the spacious place. In fact what she was doing was accidentally circling the same huge pillar. At least until Nari noticed her own scent circling around in the place. It was then that she realized that the middle of the room was a giant pillar almost like a wall, and that there was open space with smaller pillars scattered around the main big one. That was the reason she kept getting confused and lost. It was almost like a big maze, however now Narimé knew to use her sense of smell not sight in this place to find some other exit.

Circling the room a few more times the gray wolf purposely avoided her old trails in order to find area's where she had not traveled. It was soon after this that she found the first tunnel. It was also around this time that the wolf realized the tunnel was lit. Stopping and staring at the next step in her journey Narimé began to piece together the clues that she had not noticed until now as she looked into the darker room behind her.

Light here... she looked ahead of her into the dimly lit room. and dark back there... realization dawned on her as Nari did a double take looking at both rooms. Light means that there is an opening somewhere... The old wolfs rough voice from the night before popped into her head. Head up hill and follow the breeze.

Excited now the young Willow wolf began running, as she didn't have to be so cautious anymore in the lit area. She glanced around at the stone spires and glittering pillars that sparkled reflecting the light from the not far off entrance.

However when the ground began to slope downwards again the silver wolf slowed to a walk growing wary. She didn't like the fact that she was going downwards again. Though the increasingly sandy floor was a great relief from the sharp stones and pebbles that littered the rest of the cave.

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Taking her time now not letting the excitement in her chest bubble over Narimé padded forward noting how the cave slanted to the right. Following the curve of the room she heard the spill of water again to her left. Looking past the few spikes sticking up from the ground Nari saw a tunnel leading off downwards into the earth. The sound of water echoing from its depths. That's obviously not a place I want to go... She continued along the lit path wincing as the light became stronger and harsher.

Following the light and keeping with the shiny wall of the cave as it turned further to the right Narimé heard more running water and once more it was to her left. Her bluish eyes gazed narrowly into another very small tunnel only about as wide as she. The sound of even closer water came from just inside the tunnel. She could see the walls of that tunnel shining as they reflected light off the wet stone. Once more she decided to ignore the new tunnel and continue on her path.

A few more minutes and the earth underpaw began to slope upwards again. This thrilled the young hunter making a series of yips and excited whines filter out of her throat. Silver tail wagging happily Narimé gazed at the final room that lay before her.

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Blinding sunlight filtered through the pillars and struck her dusty fur turning it into a tan granite color. Shaking her head and closing her eyes Nari took a number of deep breaths. Fresh air finally reached her nose. Fresh air that she had failed to notice before. I'm a failure of a hunter if I didn't notice that.. She opened her eyes only barely letting them adjust to the light of day.

Slowly she padded forward taking a renewed look at the columns that speckled the room. From far away they all looked tan in color, but up close a mix of reds, oranges, yellows, and white colors splattered their thick stone bodies. Then she pulled her eyes to the color she missed most.

Green.

The green of trees. She could see tree's green leaves ahead.

"I'M FINALLY OUT!" She yelped a series of barks and short howls while dancing around in a circle. Yes! Now I can get back to the pack! Her thoughts screamed for a moment until the increased activity made her head pound causing the girl to become dizzy. Without tipping over sideways Nari paused standing still as the columns behind her and let her head rest for a bit. Then after a few minutes she padded cautiously forward, out into the light; through the cave mouth opening like a yawning bear.

http://fc00.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2012/353/4/0/adfabdshabkjsdbkajbsjdkaskjdnd_by_terra_anne-d5ojtqw.jpg

"I just have to get back to them by the other hole..but.. where am I exactly?" She glanced around at her surroundings. The cave entrance was set into the hill covered in some mixed forest. She would have to get to higher ground perhaps on top of the cave entrance to see the rest of her surroundings.

P.S. That last picture is the official cave photo if you need to know.

(This post was last modified: Jan 30, 2013, 01:15 AM by Narimé.)

Sloane was in a panic. The white she wolf, Cali, had told him that Narime' had fallen through the ice and was trapped below ground in some kind of cavern. She hadn't even known that it would matter to him, not knowing who he was, but she had clearly been concerned about something when they'd bumped into each other. He'd asked and when she'd told him, everything became a blur. He thought that he'd mumbled some excuses to the two faes, but he couldn't be sure. He'd run full tilt to get to his mate as fast as he could.

Now, his lungs were burning and his long legs were trembling with exhaustion, but he kept on, fearing the worst. He didn't know what he'd do if she was hurt or somehow died in a cold and lonely tomb. His thoughts raced and the scenarios were all bad, making him nearly hysterical when he heard her voice. Fearing that he had imagined it, the big wolf came to a stop, panting harshly as he drew in deep breathes of cold air.

Once his ears could hear more than the sound of his own pounding blood, he heard her voice again and she sounded joyous! Her barks and howls of elation were far away, but she was alive and by the sound of it, above ground. It seemed that she was somehow free and he felt the weight of the world lift off of his shoulders with the realization. Now, he just needed to find her. Continuing in the same basic direction, he kept his eyes and ears on high alert and gradually made his way into an area to the northeast of the lagoon that he and Narime' loved so much.

He hadn't been here before, but he was sure that this was the direction that her voice had come from. Strangely, the ground seemed to gradually rise up from the surrounding area, resulting in thicker, heavier trees as they were not as subject to the flooding of the lower lying areas. He couldn't really hear her anymore and he guessed that she was surely tired from her experience and couldn't keep up the sounds forever. He lifted his head and howled his love and encouragement to his mate, letting her know that he was near and on his way.

Then he surveyed the area with a discerning eye, picking out the highest vantage point. Hopefully, she would call out to him and he could find her easily. But to speed things along (and because he truly couldn't just sit back and wait!) he headed for what appeared to be the highest ground, sloping upwards sharply from the rest. He made his way to the top of the hill and scanned the area again with not one glimpse of beautiful silver fur. Worry creased his brow, but he forcefully calmed himself, lifted his head once more howling for his lady love. Then he waited...

Knight of Honor