Underground Sea lesser oceans

Greer has found the Underground Lake :-) @Celandine <3!

It did not take the slender male long to return back to the rocky terrain he where he had encountered the russet-coloured loner. The stone terrain reminded him of the Ridge, and although his dark pelt made it difficult to blend in, he felt at home among the rocks. He moved effortlessly over the rocks, his body moving almost snake-like as he slithered forward. This time, there was no stranger to follow – he had to make his own adventure.

His usual grimace fell onto his slim maw as he continued forward, stone-coloured pools surveying his surroundings for signs of another. Although stalking others was kind of fun, Greer still preferred to be on his own. He craved solitude and isolation, especially since his brother Deacon had left the Ridge and Castiel was MIA. The Archer-Lyall boys seemed to have troubles staying within the back boundaries – they had all taken their turns disappearing from the safety of the Willows. The thought left a sour taste in his mouth. He, too, had thought of leaving his mother’s pack to search for his own calling, but he was conflicted. As much as he wanted to follow Deacon and search for something else, he also wanted to stay with his family and help Willow Ridge flourish. He was an introvert; he was not fond on making friends, or conversing with others.

Due to Greer’s lack of conversation, his speech was broken and often extremely blunt and straight-forward. It made him incredibly self-conscious, which was part of the reason why he rarely spoke. Greer did not like “small talk” and avoided it as much as possible – mainly because he did not know how to engage in small talk.

As he continued forward Greer noticed a large hole in the ground; puzzled, he stepped forward with cautious steps. As he neared the unexpected hole, he discovered that there was a turquoise-coloured lake down below. Excitement fueled his steps as he searched for a path down, his silver orbs dancing around the area. The deer-legged boy hopped forward once he found the path, his movements uncharacteristically chipper as he began his descent down below. As he stepped toward the edge of the lake Greer could not help but wish that this was his home – it possessed a serene atmosphere that Willow Ridge could never obtain. Lowering himself into a sitting position Greer settled his gaze on the smooth surface of the lake as he contemplated going for a swim. 

Making her way toward the rocky edges of their little plateau, Celandine located the cliffs with practical ease. Not unlike today, her pale form could often be seen slipping away whenever she felt like she wouldn't be missed. Although danger lurked just over the precipice the youth had already learned the placement of every sturdy boulder, and treacherous drop. They were familiar, like old friends welcoming her home, but they offered her little in the way of advice. Had they been any help, they would have stopped her, or ceased to exist. They needed to force her to stay within the borders, to befriend her pack mates, to set her plans in motion, and become the princess she would inevitably have to be. Sighing, the future queen looked out upon the lore, her bright eyes taking in the jarring heights, and breathtaking views with little consideration. They no longer held any sense of awe, or mystique. She saw them each morning, covered in dew-induced mist. Then again each night as the moonlight painted the setting silver, and black. A constant in her life to be sure, so finding herself enamored with them each time she strayed towards the end of their territory would have been problematic.

Starting down the stony terrain, the lithe girl felt the familiar barrage of wind as it swept up from the mountainsides. While it pushed, and prodded at her fur, doing it's best to throw her from the heights, her paws remained steady. Just another benign danger in the life of the mountain's future queen.

Not long after she began her descent, did Celandine come upon the scent of another. It was a ridge wolf to be sure, the perfume reminding her of Deacon. Vaguely disappointed that it wasn't, she followed the trail, curious what a wolf of the willows was doing so far from home. The trail deviated from her usual route, toward an area she had yet to explore. When it led her to a hole in the ground she froze. Something was off, though she couldn't place it. Swiveling a pale crown from side to side, she wondered if it was some kind of trap. Uneasily, the princess moved forward, stepping into the Earth with a little reckless abandon. Danger was a call she was inclined to answer.

Moving quietly, she followed him deeper into the abyss. 

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 The world was muted down by the lake – it offered a strange comfort, one that the Ridge could never offer. There was always so much happening; whether it was patrols coming and going, or strangers stopping at the border, there was always something going on. Greer preferred to remain in the shadows; he would observe, hidden behind a boulder or a shrub, but never would he engage. The slender prince was trying to figure out his place within the pack. He wasn’t particularly good at anything, nor did he want to do something that required him being social. An irritated sigh exhaled loudly from his nostrils, breaking the silence that had blanketed him. As much as being an introvert frustrated him, it was how he preferred it. Greer could not stand being surrounded by other wolves or spitting out meaningless words. He craved solitude; he chased it. It was only when he was alone that the deer-legged prince felt truly at peace.

His silver orbs did not waver from the water’s smooth surface. As much as he desperately wanted to sink his body into the water, Greer remained where he was. For now, he was content just observing the water; he would take a dip later. If only he could just stay here… the lake was secluded, tucked away from the rest of the Lore. It was the perfect hideaway, a place he could venture to whenever he wanted to disappear for a few hours.

His peace was soon disturbed. The scent of another reached his nostrils and instantly an irritated grimace made its way onto his slender maw. It was a young female, roughly around the same age as him, and carried a scent that was intertwined with the scents of others – a pack wolf. It was not the same pack that belonged to Narime – this was one that made their home in the mountains. Curious, his ear twitched toward the unfamiliar scent as the female crept down toward where he was seated. He did not offer a greeting or acknowledge her presence; instead, he remained where he was, with his stone-coloured eyes still focused on the water. 

Merely six tail lengths from the opening, Celandine noticed the light begin to falter. A myriad of long shadows awaited her, leading the youth into an inevitable blackness eager to swallow her whole. Knowing little more than the boys age and affiliations, tracking him into such a place should have been alarming, but it only appeared to encourage her further. Rounded ears perched higher atop a pale crown, as life returned to amber eyes. Even her maw seemed to be graced with the hint of a smile. A second thought was never given, as the princess immersed herself in the darkness.

Shadows consumed the fae quickly, as the cave itself seemed to mute her senses. One by one, they failed, leaving the predator more like prey. Sight had been the first to go, with the levels of usable light diminishing almost immediately. For a time she was able to make due with blurred shapes to guide her steps, but those soon turned into hallucinations. Rocks feigned movement, shades danced across her path. It was terrifying, and thrilling all in the same. Once vision ceased entirely, her ears began to play up. Although Celandine thought she was stepping lightly, the barely audible sound of her paw pads echoing off of the stone became more like crashing. Deprivation of sight, and sound was odd to say the least. Her eyes did not work but still she could see abstract images, caused by her mind's desperate need to make sense of everything. Her ears were useless, the only sounds they could catch being her steps and the constant pounding of adrenaline into her drums.  Yet, she did not consider turning back. The youth had already made it too far for that.

Eventually, she came upon a pillar of light which stood the height of the cave. Passing under it, Celandine was able to feel her senses returning, albeit, a tad duller than before. A few steps from the first, she found another pillar, and another, until the whole cave seemed to open up. A strange lake was revealed, it's waters much more still than she was used to. Sweeping over the cavern, her eyes finally landed on a figure too solid to be a figment of her imagination. He was still, his gaze giving no indication that he even knew she was there. Perplexed, the youth stepped forward, and called out to him. "Hello?"

Have you seen my OOC preferences?

There is a moose carcass that has been scavenged by coyotes nearby. +15 Health

It was strange to actually be alone after pursuing solitude for so long. He still had his parents, but with the absence of both of his littermates Greer was feeling uncharacteristically lonely. He did not like this strange feeling; it felt as though there was a large, empty pit in his stomach. Greer was desperate to know what became of his brothers – what had they found in the world outside of Willow Ridge? They had both begun to forge their own path in the Lore, and the little smudge was left feeling stuck. He loved his parents dearly, but he, too, wanted to see if there was something else for him. Was his birth pack really where he belonged?

Plagued by unfamiliar emotions, Greer cast them to the side as the stranger entered the darkness that he had found solace in. At first, he was irritated that she had taken it upon herself to join him – was it not apparent that he wanted to be alone, consumed by his thoughts? Then, as his initial thoughts simmered, he realized that she was doing no harm by being curious. As much as he liked being alone, he would have done something similar if he was in her paws. Greer just hoped that she was at least somewhat normal; he was not in the mood to amuse. Her voice broke the silence that had enveloped him, causing one of his silver orbs to twitch instinctively. He did not move, nor did his gaze waver; instead, he quietly woofed a response to let her know that he had heard her. Conversation was not his strong suit, and speaking was something he liked to avoid all together. 

I'm sorry she's a butt.

Amber eyes narrowed at his response, though it could hardly be called such. A response would have been more along the lines of a 'hello' or a 'yes?', but courtesies clearly held little importance to the male. How did this boy, who was clearly from the Ridge, come to be so disrespectful?  It was a conundrum to be sure. Deacon had been so sweet, and Skoll so eloquent. No. Something was wrong. He was toying with her, vying for a reaction. If that's what he wanted, then she would sure as hell give it  him. Not one to be taken lightly, the future queen took a bolder step toward him. Pale ears moved high atop her crown, while her plume of a tail lifted above her spine. If he chose to ignore her, then she would make it impossible. "Are you not afraid?" She wanted him to be.

"I'm a stranger." She spoke, her tongue caked in malice. It was a tone she had never used before, yet it felt so right on her tongue. "What if I had come here to kill you? You're awfully far from home, and you're alone." Her eyes darkened. "You didn't even try to size me up." And then, what she needed to know. "Why?" Was there something wrong with him, with her? Had he been so sheltered that he was naive to the dangers the world held? Running through the possibilities would get her nowhere. The male held the answer to her questions, though getting him to talk might prove to be more difficult than she had hoped. 

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She seemed irritated by his lack of response to her arrival and made it apparent by the question that spat off her tongue. His lips tightened as she continued without giving him a chance to answer (not that he would’ve anyway). As she spoke, her tone only increasing in distain as the words dripped from her lips, Greer listened patiently with an uninterested expression. The pale girl spoke too much. She was asking far too many questions; questions that he did not want to answer. A laugh almost escaped him at her comment about coming here to kill him – as threatening as she was attempting to be, the Ridge prince knew that she would not be able to muster the courage to kill him.

Why? Her final question hung in the air, swallowed by the silence that the smudge had sought out. Through a narrowed gaze, he observed her now that she had finally fallen silent. An unknown pack scent hugged her pelt, one that he had smelt on his way to the hidden lake. Unlike him, she had not strayed too far from home… she was being cautious, why? Perplexed, he remained silent for a few moments longer – he needed to savour the still air before she erupted once more, bombarding him with questions he did not want to answer.

“Not afraid,” he responded after he felt a necessary amount of time passed, his silver orbs glued to her pale figure. She was pretty, but she would be prettier if she did not ramble so much. Interacting with others was never his strong suit; conversation was something foreign to him and something he preferred to avoid all together. “I am stranger,” he pointed out with a soft roll of his shoulders before he added: “Girl not afraid?” 

Dismayed by his lack of a reaction once again, Celandine cast another sweeping glance over his form. She found it odd that he did not tremble in fear, or shy away from the blatant show of dominance. At the very least she had expected him to turn on her with his own display of superiority, but he did nothing. Maybe he wasn't all there. Resisting the urge to sigh, the princess allowed her rear to fall against the stony ground. She might have thought to try again, but the youth feared her attempts would be all for naught. It was odd finally hearing his penetrate the air between them, harshly echoing off of the stone. Few, and broken, his words left her with more questions than answers. 

"So you are." He was a stranger, certainly, but a threat? Hardly. He might have been larger than her, stronger even, but she was confident that he was no more than a gentle giant. After all, it seemed that he entered the caves not to hunt, but to stare at the water. Biting back a giggle, the future queen allowed her tail to sweep across the cave floor.

"Fear is for the weak." Fear, emotions, love. Everything was a weakness in her eyes. "And I am not weak." Whether it was a statement, or something she needed to hear to reassure herself, the youngest Argyris fixated on the water. It was a bold move, allowing her gaze to fall from the enemy, but she was pretty sure that the boy wasn't going anywhere. He'd already had his chance.

Have you seen my OOC preferences?

If the female before him had been older, and far more threatening in appearance, Greer would have been cautious of her presence. However, despite her ‘tough girl’ act, the silver-eyed prince was not frightened by her. Rather, he was amused by her demeanor and the way she spoke. It was apparent that the pale, yellow-eyed girl thought of herself as some sort of royalty – Alpha’s daughter, he thought absently to himself – and was not used to someone not answering her. He continued to observe her, his pale orbs never wavering from her slender figure, as she lowered her hindquarters to the ground.

The words that came next from the pretty girl were peculiar to the smudge – why had caused her to think that way? His brows narrowed as the girl’s gaze shifted to the water behind him. She was strange; Greer was not sure what to think of her yet as his initial thoughts had shifted since her last words were spoken. The Ridge prince was not one to wear his emotions, or even acknowledge them, but it was bizarre for him to encounter another who thought the same. At first he had been annoyed by her chatter and the array of questions that spewed from her maw, but now he wasn’t sure what to think.

“You sure?” He asked absently before he could stop himself, a soft frown creasing his dark lips as watched her. He mentally braced himself for her reaction, his grip tightening against the cold ground as he prepared to lunge out of the way if needed. 

(This post was last modified: May 01, 2015, 03:37 AM by Greer.)