Cedarwood Forest off the radar and into harm's way

For @Kenelm only. Hope you're alright with keeping the date fuzzy for now? 9/? - 2 AM - Heavy Cloud Coverage
Nineva has stumbled upon Swallow Swallet, a sink hole that has developed on the very edge of Cedarwood Forest, beyond where the thickets disperse. Caused by underground erosion from the plentiful veins of water that run not only through the forest but through the limestone shelving underneath, this would-be dangerous formation has now settled. Deep water has gathered at the bottom, which is some 300 feet below ground level, feeding the creeping vegetation that is beginning to overtake the disheveled rock sides. Equally fascinating to behold is the single species of swallow that has chosen to overtake the gaping space as their colonial nesting grounds, feeding on the many insects that the water attracts until the chill of late fall chases them south.

All of her fuel had run out, exhausted both by the journey she had so rashly undertaken and the emotion that had enveloped her and pushed her onward. Her strides had slow from a run, to a jog, to a crawl, each paw step heavier than the last. Still she refused to stop, unwilling to allow any extra amount of time to pass between the moments she lived in and the reunion with her beloved home. Where her heart was, as @Yuka had put it. Perhaps it should have been with her family, and the little girl couldn't deny that still a piece had been left with them, but regardless of where the Hervok patriarch took them it could never be her home if it wasn't Whisper Caverns. She had still tried for them, that couldn't be denied. Nineva had tried to find solace with her brother @Korrin, even playing nice with @Rose in hopes of achieving inner peace. But then her world had been subjected to an earthquake once again, her foundation crumbling away from her completely, and the little girl couldn't take the emotions it had set afire within her. In the throws of childish grief and anger, Nineva resisted reason and as what had been left of her family slumbered, she ran. It had been her plan to race all the way back to the caverns with a single stop, her young mind unable to comprehend just how impossible the feat would prove to be. Now, as her muscles ached from burning so much energy, she was finally beginning to understand, and that realization only threw her deeper into her depression. Mismatched eyes swimming with hot tears, the night-darkened landscape before her was blurred. Even the moon could not help her, drowned by a thick covering of clouds, and the last of Nineva's hope began to flicker out. The thickets cleared, giving way to a more spacious floor plan of thick-trunked cedars, but still this did little to help her navigation. She recalled the swamp monster, @Veho, remembering that the ultimately-helpful man's pack was somewhere within woods like these, and as she began to accept that she was in need of help. Perhaps, if she found his pack, they could help her get back home. But... where exactly were they? How could she even begin to track them down? These were the ponderings that filled her head until suddenly there was nothing beneath her front left paw and her mind was wiped clean of all thoughts. Her momentum, as little as it had been, could not be stopped in time and Nineva was suddenly sliding forward into a blackness that seemed impossibly absolute. A startled yelp launched from her chest, and echoed below her, but she couldn't even begin to consider what that might mean as all of her concentration was poured into her scrabbling limbs. Fighting for purchase, Nineva found herself turned with her front half still upon solid ground while her lower half dangled. The child tried desperately to pull herself up, but there was not enough strength left within her muscles to do so. Panic gripped her chest fiercely and at last the floodgates opened, tears pouring from her eyes as she wailed. "Help!" she howled, terrified that there was no one who could hear her. "Please, help me!" Unbeknownst to her, a colony of swallows had been slumbering beneath her within the vast swallet. As her cries for help ricocheted throughout the cave-like space, they awoke and startled from their nest, surging upward to escape. They rushed past the horrified whelp, some even clipping her with her wings and ushering several loud, anguished screams from her lips. It was bad enough to be in such helpless and dangerous situation, but now there were birds too?!

faestock @DA, Whimseystock @DA & Dawnthieves.de - Table by PuppyThief

(This post was last modified: Sep 17, 2015, 05:01 PM by Nineva.)

ooc: Sounds good to me. Hang in there, Nin!

---

Normally Kenelm would not wander so late at night; by the absolute blackness that lay beneath the cloud-covered skies, he figured it must still be a few hours yet before the first dim light of dawn streaked across the horizon line. By all rights, he ought to be asleep, especially now that he was nursing new injuries in the place of the burns he had sported when he first arrived in Relic Lore. The gash across his leg still ached with every few steps, and not for the first time since the battle at the fjord he cursed the ghostly apparition of a man who had made him fight so viciously over a carcass they could easily have shared. Still, common sense had, for the moment, gone out the window. He needed somewhere safe to rest while he healed - somewhere less out in the open than his lovely Blackberry Fields, drier than the Secluded Spring, calmer than the Wild Cherry Orchard. Beyond that, it was hard for him to sleep with such heavy, cold darkness pressing in around him; it made the images he tried to forget so much more vivid. On a night like this, it was better if he simply continued walking until he found a more suitable den. Hopefully he would wind up wearing himself out in the process-- The stillness of the night was shattered by a sudden, panicked howling. Kenelm's blood froze in his veins; that was a child's cry! The forest blurred around him as he raced towards the sound, heedless of the sting in his leg or the maze of trees he rocketed through. His mind was just as chaotic - what was a child doing out here so late at night? Where were her parents? Where was her pack? What in the world could have happened to inspire such panic in her voice? He ducked seconds before the flock of sparrows swarmed overhead, skidding to a halt several yards from where they appeared to have taken off - there was the girl! Even in this darkness, he could just make out the pup's head and forelimbs as she scrabbled for purchase at the edge of... Spirit's breath, no! She was falling into a sink hole! “Hang on!” he called, quickly closing the gap between himself and the girl. He braced his feet and snapped his head down, desperate to grab the pup before she could drop into the blackness below. His teeth met in her nape; the minute his grip was secure, he threw himself up and back, scrambling a good distance away from the edge of the swallet before releasing the girl again and plopping down between her and the death trap. His injured leg burned and shook with the sudden strain, but the rest of him trembled with the adrenalin of the moment. “Are you alright?” he asked as soon as he had caught his breath again.

With ash on the wind, I move forward...

Let's Cause Some Chaos

There is a deer that was killed by a lynx nearby. +10 Health

Eyes shut tight against the barrage of horrors, it took Nineva several moments to regain motion of her body. The minute she had registered the cacophonous sound to be the beating wings of birds her muscles had seized up, taking all motor skills away from her. As the din faded with all of its echoes, the ice melted away and she slowly peeled open her mismatched eyes to grasp whatever they could through the darkness. Her position was perilous, and could not truly hope for a way forward and out of it, but at least she wasn't sliding backwards and into what was surely the cavernous center of the earth itself. Perhaps if she were older and more inclined toward believing in things beyond the physical realm (or maybe partaking in mushrooms with @Veho), she would reflect upon this moment as being prophetic. Instead, right now, she just wanted @Ash. Her father and mother may have taken her away from what she most loved, but at least they had always kept her safe. This never would have happened under their watch, and it was clear within Nineva's mind that leaving had not been a good idea at all. In fact, it most likely was going to be the death of her now. What would they think? Would they blame her for being so foolish, or weep for her passing? Would Yuka cry? Would @Rose? The thought of her sister triggered a series of imaginings that stretched past her bodiless funeral, the girl gleefully taking the role of heir in Nineva's absence. The grayscale whelp's snout twisted with the sudden burning of fire in her chest. Rose couldn't get what was her's! She couldn't cause her family more heartache! She couldn't let the caverns go abandoned for the rest of time (as she was sure they would without her)! This couldn't be the end of it! A new wave of energy coursed through her, and Nineva strained to pull herself upward, putting everything she could muster into her muscles. Her hind legs swung, dull claws scrabbling against mossy rock to try and garner a purchase. As determined as she was, little progress was made. Yet before she could lose hope again, a voice ricocheted over her head and down into the chasm, echoing as it called to her. Ears pressing forward she heard the flurry of paw steps against the ground, and then suddenly someone was latching onto her scruff, and pulling her upward, and saving her life. As she found herself once more upon solid ground, the relief was so overwhelming that it brought tears streaming down her face once more. Her body wriggled and her vision blurred with a shaded mass of beige fur. She could barely make out her savior, but it did not matter what he looked like. Pressing herself up against him, as close as she could, Nineva showered him with puppy kisses and tiny, grateful whimpers. Even as he questioned her, she could barely find her voice to speak, but that was alright, as her flurry of motion would be enough to show that she was shaken and exhausted but just fine all the same.

faestock @DA, Whimseystock @DA & Dawnthieves.de - Table by PuppyThief

Kenelm winced as the girl rocketed against him, clearly far too relieved to have survived her terrifying brush with death to vocalize anything more coherent than a series of too-too whimpers and big, sloppy kisses. Despite her excitement, Kenelm couldn't be absolutely certain that she was uninjured until he had checked her over. As carefully as he could (and as thoroughly as he could manage while she continued raining her gratitude on him), the man sniffed and nudged at the girl, not wanting to risk missing even the tiniest cut. Pups, when loaded with even half as much adrenalin as this girl must be, could be extraordinarily bad at realizing they had been hurt until long after the excitement had worn away. Fortunately, she seemed fine - there might be a few scuffs here and there from skidding down over the edge, and she might have twisted or strained something in her mad scramble to stay out of the sink hole, but as far as Kenelm could see and smell there was nothing seriously wrong with the pup... except, of course, for the glaring reality of where she was and under what circumstances. Where in the world was her family?! He shook his head; now wasn't the time to ask her, not while she was still this caught up in the terror of what had just transpired. She needed to calm down before he could ask her anything about what she was doing out here. “Easy,” he soothed the girl. “Take some deep breaths." He waited until she seemed to settle down just a bit before adding, "My name is Kenelm; can you tell me yours?”

(This post was last modified: Sep 18, 2015, 04:41 AM by Kenelm.)

With ash on the wind, I move forward...

Let's Cause Some Chaos

He prodded and poked at her, but she didn't mind it. The inspection gave her time to calm, and the wayworn child began to feel exhaustion chase away the adrenaline from her system. Despite how much he pushed her forward so as to better see her, still she pressed as close as she could muster against the thick fur at the man's chest, finding extreme comfort in the warmth that radiated from him and the safety his solid form provided her. This little tug of war of positioning surely increased the time it took the stranger to confirm her health, but this didn't occur to her. Nineva wasn't trying to be difficult, instead reacting simply on the instinctual need to feel protected. When finally he left her alone, she curled up, easily making herself comfortable with her chin resting upon one of his thick forelimbs. Kennelm, it was a funny name to roll upon her tongue, and naturally the child sought to shorten it within her head. She had heeded his instructions and monitored her breathing, slowing it down until a yawn forced her jaws apart and she disregarded the practice so as not to fall asleep. Yet as her body calmed, her mind continued its usual path. As Kenelm's presence chased away her fears, she began to think more clearly, soon questions were flooding her mind. "m' Nineva," she murmured, another yawn quickly chasing the words. "Thank you fer savin' me, Kenny. Where'dyu come from?"

faestock @DA, Whimseystock @DA & Dawnthieves.de - Table by PuppyThief

Ah, here came the adrenalin crash. Kenelm lowered himself to the ground, stretching his forelimbs out in time for the girl - Nineva, she called herself - to use one of them as her pillow. He had been wondering when the shock would wear off for her; in varied so much from pup to pup. Calanthe had always taken hours to crash after one of her escapades, while Mateu had usually crashed immediately after too much excitement. It seemed NIneva was more like Mateu in that respect - Kenelm shoved the painful thought aside before it could darken his mood too much. “Nineva? That's a nice name.” And this time it was even a name that might have someday cropped up in Spirit's Gambol. How lucky for this little one that she was born far from the Gambol... though apparently not to a pack quite as concerned with the protection of its young as the Gambol had been. He shoved that thought away as well, and smiled at her continued mumblings, not needing to hear her clearly to easily pick out the gist of what she was trying to convey with her chin resting on his leg. “I couldn't very well leave you like that, could I? I've come from lands to the east,” he added, pausing to stretch his neck and gave his head a quick shake. “I've been in Relic Lore for quite some time, now. I was born beyond these lands, though.” He leaned down and nudged her gently. “What about you, Nineva? Where are you from, and why are you out all on your own?”

With ash on the wind, I move forward...

Let's Cause Some Chaos

His compliment caused her tail to thump weakly but happily against the ground, the girl nuzzling her head more firmly against the plush fur upon his chest. Thoroughly making herself comfortable, she sidled and wiggled until at last every inch of her was content. His sheer presence was enough to begin steadily laying down brick upon brick to form a steady foundation of trust, despite the absolute lack of knowing. He had saved her life, saved her from the cold embrace of that eternal slumber that had been waiting hungrily for her at the bottom of the swallet, and for the young girl who knew not of the true evils harbored by this world, that was more than enough to make him nothing less than a gold-gilded knight with her discolored eyes.

"Is fer my aunts," she informed him, pride clear even within her drowsy voice. Just because she had left them behind in the wake of her insurmountable emotions did not mean that family wasn't absolutely important to the Lagina princess. She simply was not processing cause, effect, and consequences properly at this time in her life, for too much of the balance she had comfortably enjoyed since birth had been viciously disrupted. It would take time and reflection, as well as the possible insight of others, to restore reasoning outside of the right now she was so focused upon.

He spoke of the east, and her thoughts turned to Namid and Desideria, the only two wolves she'd ever known to originate from that direction. Kenelm was nothing like them, however, clearly. He was not a criminal, he couldn't possibly be after doing something so valiant for her, and Nineva, who always loved to inquire, did not feel the need to interrogate him with even one question. However, the follow tidbit brought on questions that could not be stifled with such a barricade. In Nineva's small world, nothing existed beyond the Lore. Yet learning that one could be born outside of it immediately expanded the girl's perceptions, and she wondered how big the earth truly was. Before she could raise her questions up into the air, however, he was asking her some of his own.

Her ears pressed tightly against her skull and she chewed her inky black lips, hesitant in her indecisiveness over whether or not to tell him the truth. Ultimately, she decided that saving her life very much earned him honesty on her part, but it was still clear that she was afraid to say the words. What if he told her that what she had done was bad? What if he didn't understand? Worst of all, what if he dragged her back?

"You gotta promise, first," she finally piped up, turning away from him and onto her side so that she may lift her head and look into his eyes. Her blue and gray pools were firm as they searched his face for any hints that he might lie to her upon giving his answer. "You gotta promise you won't make me go back. I don't wanna go back there!" Promise me, and this will be a chain we'll never break.

(This post was last modified: Oct 07, 2015, 10:08 PM by Nineva.)

Kenelm tilted his head and waited patiently as Nineva seemed to wrestle with herself over whether or not to answer his question. Clearly, whatever the girl had run away from had been rather traumatic, although when it came to the mind of a child, sometimes what seemed traumatic instead wound up simply harsher than the child was used to. But... no. There was something disturbingly similar to fear in the way Nineva hesitated, as if either Kenelm or someone else would take her to task for telling the truth. The very notion of such a thing made the fur along Kenelm's spine stand on end. When she finally spoke, it was to request - well, demand, truly - that he promise not to send her back home. Kenelm kept his expression neutral, but at the girl's words his tail fluffed up to twice its normal size. What in the world has this child run away from?! his mind screeched. He had heard of pups running away, even helped find Calanthe on the rare occasion she had wandered off, but never had he heard a child so vehemently insist that they not be made to go back home. Maybe their failure to come out and look for their lost pup was only the least of her family's crimes, after all, because this wasn't a tantrum. Nineva must have run from something truly awful. “Nineva,” he told the girl, lowering his head so that his eyes were somewhat more level with Nineva's, “I will not force you to return to a place where you are not happy. I promise you, no matter what you've run away from, I won't make you go back.” He only hoped whatever she had run away from was something trivial and blown wildly out of proportion by her young mind. His tufted black ears flicked a bit, and it was his turn to hesitate before confiding in the girl, “You aren't the only one who left something bad behind her.”

With ash on the wind, I move forward...

Let's Cause Some Chaos

Without hesitation he reassured her, gaze and voice both firm with conviction. In no way did the logophile doubt his words, immediately giving him the trust of her heart. Her tail thumped behind her once, then twice, a weak display but evident of her gratitude none the less. The fear dissipated from her features and a small, thankful smile took up residence upon her maw before the story she now had to tell evicted the expression entirely. The whole while, she would not make eye contact, looking down and to the side as she recalled the events that had shaken her so and brought her all the way here, in the dead of the night, with not a soul to look after her.

"My pack was called Whisper Caverns. It was just me and my parents, and my brothers and sister. We had @Deacon, but he sort of... disappeared, I guess. I thought we were fine. I loved it there so much. But then my parents gathered us together and said we couldn't live there anymore, and I don't understand why." With each word her emotions were vibrantly presented, from her feelings of loss to her sadness, even a small portion of the anger she felt over the injustice that had been dealt to her by her own parents.

"So we walked all the way North. Like, a really long ways. To go live with my aunt Nina. When we got there, @Yuka told me, 'home is where the heart is.' But I feel like my heart had been left in the dust of the caverns. I... I tried to stay. To not be mad at them all, but then..." tears threatened to spill from her eyes as she recalled the straw that had broken the camel's back only hours ago, @Narimé's goodbye kiss.

"Then my mom and Yuka left. They just left and I don't know why and I just couldn't do it anymore," Nineva confessed, words shaking with soft sobs as she began to cry again. "I just want to go home. To the Caverns, I don't ever want to go to the thickets ever again."