Lucifers Gorge Hope In a World So Cold

For @Nova

Camio had stuck close to Nova wandering no more than four feet from her side. Though when they came across a gourgue with a river of rapids he chose to stay extra close to her. He chose to stand between her and the river rapids though. The Zamora male wasn't wanting to lose her anytime soon. Especially after just loosing Mapplethorpe not too long ago. The image of him still drifting through his mind not going anywhere anytime soon. He occasionally found himself shaking his head as if that would shake the image away. Letting his side brush against Nova's for a moment he stole a glance at her. "This is the way, right? It seems a bit sketchy ya know. Sharp river rapids, narrow path." His eyes looked over the pathway momentarily. He wasn't doubting Nova more as he was doubting this path. This most certainly wouldn't be his personal first choice in a path, but if it was the path Nova wanted to lead the two of them on then Camio would follow her every step. Keeping his eyes trained on the ground he made sure to watch his every move. Placing his paws in the right places, avoiding slippery or lose steps, he didn't wish to fall into the river today. Nor did he ever really. Letting his mind wonder for the moment he wondered all things possible. Why what happened to Mapplethorpe happen? Who would do such a thing to him? Although there was one thing that kept biting at his mind. What came after this? As tempting as it was to ask Nova some of his questions Camio wanted to keep the mood light. Forcing a small smile to grace itself on his face he tried to catch her topaz colored gaze. "Do you know of any fun games to play while on our little adventure?" "Speech."

table by Grey / 2014

and all the love lost was the love that i kept
in coffins and boxes, a museum of the dead

Nova found traveling with Camio rather pleasant. They hadn't talked much, but it was a personable silence. The quiet companionship was a comfort that allowed her to think about the shock of the past days without crawling into the back of a cave and never coming out. With someome to experience it with her, it wasn't as overwhelming as it could have been. Nova imagined having to make the discovery of her empty home, possibly finding Mapplethorpe in such a state alone, and then trying to keep moving forward all on her own; it all seemed impossible.

Nova was just about as skeptical as Camio when she saw that Aponi's directions lead them into a rough hewn crevasse split in two by raging rapids. Her nose wrinkled as she considered it, "Well, it could be my sister's idea of a joke. Not a very funny one. But I think this is the right way." She unconvincingly assured him.

Black and tan fur mingled as Nova kept herself pinned to Camio's side, keeping as wide a berth she could between herself and the river. She had the coordination of a newborn fawn, which is to say none at all, and it would be all to easy for her to misstep and go tumbling into the water. Realizing it would be even worse if she tripped and took Camio down with her, she gave a couple inches of space between them.

Nova caught his glance towards her, and his smile was contagious. Nova couldn't help but giggle as he asked about games. It had been a long time since she'd had someone who would even entertain any sort of fun. After Aponi, Mercy, and Karpos had left, all her agemates, there was no one else to play with... Unless she wanted to play with her youngest siblings, which sounded about as fun as getting a porcupine quill to the eye.

"Oh, I don't know." She said at first, looking upward as she thought. Then her eyes brightened and she grinned, clearly noticing something before she fixed her gaze back on Camio. "I see something yellow, can you guess what it is?"

Something yellow, eh? He looked around the path not even bothering to look to the sky. Spotting some small weeds, dandelions to be exact, growing on the edge of the pathway between the cracks. "Is it those dandelions growing over there?" He moved his muzzle to point towards the weeds. Perhaps those were it, or maybe he was missing something. Looking around for all things yellow his eyes weren't catching many things. Perhaps the beak of a bird every now and then but not much that. His brown eyes looked up to the sky though. The sun beating down on them. That was it! Surely if it wasn't the weeds then it must be the sun! "If it's not the dandelions then is it the sun?" His tail wagged behind him at a fairly rapid speed. Waiting for the girl to reject or accept his guesses. Although he was confident in his tries he wouldn't be surprised if there was something his gaze missed that her topaz gaze managed to see. Continuing to let his eyes wander he smirked softly. Purposely bumping his shoulder into her he looked right into her eyes. "Perhaps the yellow isn't either of those things. Maybe it's your stunning eyes, because that's something yellow that I see." Letting a small chuckle pass through his lips. Unsure if she was gonna play along with it his eyes fell back to the ground. He could only hope she wouldn't think of him as weird for letting a little flirting slide by every now and then. It was just something he was use to doing with any pretty females he stumbled across. Nova just so happened to be one of them. "Speech."

table by Grey / 2014

and all the love lost was the love that i kept
in coffins and boxes, a museum of the dead

A sly grin snuck onto Nova's face as he pointed out the dandelions on the side of the path. He had the right answer, in a way, but not quite. But she held her tongue, wanting to see what else Camio would guess. His guess of the sun took her by surprise, and she was surprised even further by his mention of her eyes. Stunning, he'd called them. She never received compliments, and her mom reassuring her that she was pretty didn't count. Nova always compared herself to her sister who she would never hold a candle to, perfectly portioned and with icey eyes much more striking than her own. Nova thought that she looked like an awkward gangly moose in comparison. She couldn't help but worry that her much more dashing sister would steal away all the attention Nova was suddenly receiving, though she would never admit those fears out loud. Nova ducked her head down bashfully, slightly flustered as she glanced away, feeling her face warm not unpleasantly.

Composing herself, Nova turned her head back to Camio, the sly look returned with a quirk at the corners of her mouth. "I can't see my own eyes, now can I?" She laughed, her tail swinging. "You were close though, with the first one." Her eyes trailed up the side of the cliff, pointedly looking at the few scraggly dandelions clinging to the ledge at the top, their cheery yellow heads drooping down over the gulch.

"That's all I got, though. Besides a game of tag, which... Might not go over so well, with, you know, rapids and all. Do you know anything fun?" Nova asked him.

The male was happy when she played along with his compliment. "Well Miss Nova, I know you can't see them but I can. And I quite like them." Letting his eyes follow her eyes to the dandelions up top he barked a small bit excited that he was right. "I'm not too much of a fun guy I'd like to think. Maybe we can ask each other questions though. Get to know each other," He paused to brush against her again. Flicking his tail in hopes it would lightly graze her haunches or leg. "I would like to know some things, at least the basics about my new friend and traveling companion." After he finished his sentence he looked down to the rapids. Every now and then his eyes would catch sight of a fish who perhaps wasn't too lucky to get trapped in there. As tempting as the thought of fish, mostly just food in general, he wasn't going to risk his life for just a nibble of something. He would gladly wait till they came upon more reasonable hunting grounds to catch something for himself or the two of them. His jaws opened releasing a large yawn exposing his teeth tongue and everything else one most likely wouldn't want to see. "You can start if you would like. Feel free to ask me any question and I'll answer as honest as possible." This was a once in a lifetime type of thing for Camio do be doing. But due to the recent events of things he was willing to open up to someone. It couldn't be as bad as he mind made it out to be. Could it? "Speech."

table by Grey / 2014

and all the love lost was the love that i kept
in coffins and boxes, a museum of the dead

Nova nodded as he mentioned they should get to know each other. She was indeed curious about him, but she was surprised to hear that he was curious about her, too. "I don't know that there's much interesting to hear about me, I'm very boring," She nervously chattered.

Nova noticed his tail brushing past her flank. Probably an accident, she told herself, though the fleeting touch was pleasant enough that she couldn't help but drift closer. It was mildly intoxicating to finally have someone paying attention to her, accident or not, that she silently soaked up every bit of it she could get.

Nova kept her eyes focused on the wet pebbly path, partly trying to make sure she didn't slip but also trying not to stare at Camio too much. However she did notice him yawning, which made her hope that she wasn't boring him to death. Oh, who was she kidding, she thought, she was probably the most boring wolf to be stuck hiking over a mountain with. Especially if their entertainment of choice was getting to know one another. Nova just figured he was too polite to leave her and go his own way after asking to come along with.

Ask him any question? Nova didn't quite know where to start. Besides his name and the fact that he had been a member of her pack, she knew nothing else about him. The basics were probably a good place to begin. "So, where are you from? Were you born here? And, how'd you end up... With the Keep, I guess?" Nova asked, trying to keep the tightness out of her voice at the mention of their disbanded pack. It was a sore spot for her, though she tried not to let it show.

Simple questions to answer. Nothing to personal. This would be easy. "I wasn't born here. I was born and mostly raised outside of the Lore." He started out with a simple little sentence to start. "I was born many many miles from here. I had two brothers. Sadly one passed away at a young age from a waterfall accident." Camio paused cringing. He knew that accident had been his own fault but he would keep that to himself. Nova didn't need to know. Besides, it was by an accident. He had no idea that his brother would be swiped away with the current. "Anyways," He brought himself on topic again. "I ended up with the Keep rather easily. I had found the woods with the scent lurking in it. I liked the woods and the woods seemingly liked me as they drew me in. When Naira found me she obviously saw something in me to take me in. Other then that I don't know exactly how I ended up with the Keep." His voice was full of honesty. Camio had nothing to lie about, at least not at the moment, so he saw it perfectly fine to be truthful with the female. Especially since she had asked easy simple questions. Guessing that it was his time to work with questions now he tapped around in his mind for a question or two to ask. When one stood out among the others he took that questions for her to answer. "How come you allowed me to come along with you? I am practically a stranger to you." The male shot her a quick glance with a small smirk. She knew nothing about him and yet so willing allowed him to travel with her. Somewhere in that dark heart of his was a candle being lit. A warmness spreading slowly through him. "Speech."

table by Grey / 2014

and all the love lost was the love that i kept
in coffins and boxes, a museum of the dead

castlegraphics . deviantart
burtn . deviantart

If Nova had known of his deceased brother, she might have skirted the question of Camio's origins. The visceral feeling of loss so close and familiar already, Nova sympathetically lowered her large ears and softly whined. She was afraid that he might not continue and was already cursing herself for her accidental bluntness. But Camio seemed to not let it bother him, at least not enough to interrupt the flow of conversation. His story of how he had joined the pack wasn't anything surprising, which she probably should have expected. She found it amusing that he had actually been drawn to the Ghastly Woods. As much as she loved her pack, if Nova had to pick the nastiest place on earth, the Ghastly Woods would be her first choice.

She smiled back at his smirk, the warm look spreading to the crinkled corners of her eyes as she considered his question of her. "Well, you were there for me." She said honestly. "By chance, yes, but you didn't have to tell me what happened. And you didn't have to help me bury Mapplethorpe, either. If I had to do that all on my own..." Nova shrugged and shook her head, her eyes focusing back on the trail ahead of them, trying to imagine having to make those discoveries and deal with the aftermath all on her own. Even she herself didn't know what she would have done.

"It just meant a lot to me, especially because you are... Were a stranger. I feel like I owed you for that." Nova let a few beats of silence carry on. She contemplated whether or not she should say what she was about to next, if it would be too revealing. She hoped that he wouldn't laugh at her. "But also, I didn't want to be alone either." Nova's brows furrowed and she quickly added, "Please, just don't tell my sister that, okay?"

There are several fresh rabbit tracks in the mud. Hunt Opportunity

Camio couldn't help but let his eyes wander around nervous. Nova was giving him the warm feeling he never felt before. At least he couldn't remember ever having this feeling. He liked the feeling but it made him feel a bit strange. The Zamora wouldn't dare tell Nova, at least not if he could help, about this feeling. It would be a whole lot different if it slipped out from his mouth. Thought most of the things he says have no filter on them. So who knew what he might say. "Please, just don't tell my sister that, okay?" That smirk on his face faded and his face grew rather serious. Bumping her shoulder with his nose lightly he looked back to their trail. "Nova, I wouldn't tell her anything that you didn't want me to. I didn't want to be alone either so I guess we fix each other's problems." He kept a rather serious face and let his mind wander. Why didn't she want him telling her sister? What was so bad about Nova's sister? Of course Camio hadn't met her yet so he couldn't assume anything about the other that was good or bad. He was just curious as to why Nova was seemingly wanting to hide things from her. They were sisters so shouldn't they be open with one another? The male was obviously missing the bigger picture. In time it would be reviled though. He was sure of it. "I like you Nova. You're sort of perfect in your own way." His brown eyes shot a look over to her waiting to see her expression to his small statement. "Speech."

table by Grey / 2014

and all the love lost was the love that i kept
in coffins and boxes, a museum of the dead