Whisper Caverns just a phantom passing by

@Felix || Late Morning, Overcast, 18 ° F, -8 ° C

He was kind of tired of running about through the snowy fields. It had been fun but it was starting to get repetitive and Mathuin had come here looking for excitement. The large yearling figured it was time to head somewhere so he set off north. The trip held no real views with the gray skies and slushy snow. He hoped that darn crow he saw the other day would come back but he hadn't even seen any other kind of wildlife.

Just for one last go, he tried to run through the mucky snow. It felt kinda gross as his legs and underside became wet. An overdramatic sigh left his lips as he kept moving on. He wished Savvy was back to play or even Enoki to chat with. This trip felt long as it was eating away at his morning. The Whitebark certainly hoped that this little adventure would be worth it at the end.

Once his early morning shifted into the later morning, Mathuin found himself a bit confused. The grounds had raised up and there was this cave. "HELLOOOOO!" He called into the cave but was met with nothing besides his own echo. "Might as well explore it." The large male carefully tiptoed in as his head swung around to try and better see. This place gave him the total heebee-jeebees. What was in here? At least it was more exciting than the snow fields.

Astrid & Mathuin
The Adventuring Peanuts

He was out and about! Finally, striking out on his own – like an adult – or a hopeful adult, at least. He really should be more excited than he felt; the on and off drizzle of the morning seemed to mirror just how he really felt. He had hoped his departure wouldn’t be on such a sour note, and yet… Things were really very topsy turvey at Grizzly Hollow right now. He could only hope things would settle down by the time he returned later this year!

(That the pack might not be there, or key members might be missing never crossing the young boy’s mind.)

But before he could get too melancholy (or worse, change his mind and turn around altogether), a voice echoed from nearby. Curiosity had always overruled any of his better senses, and he found himself loping towards the sound of a wolf without any alarm, or notion this other soul might not actually want company. “Hello?” he called, ears straining as he came upon the strange geological structure. There was nothing like a cavern in the cedar wood forests! Small feet danced as he circled around towards the mouth, neck straining as he took the entire feature in. “This is amazing,” he murmured before his eyes finally fell on the other wolf. “Uh, hi! Is this…yours?”

Mathuin could have sworn he heard something but brushed it off for another echo somewhere. The cave looked more like a whole tunnel system. His green eyes lit up with excitement. Where to go first? How far was each one and could he make it out before nightfall? He shifted his weight and his tail swayed eagerly behind him.

When he was about to bound forward a voice peeped from behind him. The large yearling ungraciously turned around with a wide grin. "Hey!! I didn't think I was gonna find anyone here." He chuckled softly before shaking his head. "Nah, but it doesn't seem like it belongs to anyone else. When I showed up I called out and it was just echoing." Mathuin let his tail sway lazily behind him as he admired the boy before him. They didn't seem to be far apart in age but Mathuin was certainly the beefier of the two. Maybe this boy was good at chase! The Whitebark figured that the male didn't come snooping around the cavern in search of a game of chase, though. Mathuin wondered if he could convince the boy to partake in something else...

"Hey, you wanna explore this place with me?" He asked with a wide smile. "We could also play with the echoes or find something to climb." The darker yearling was feeling positive about there having to be a big rock or two in this place that they could climb.

Astrid & Mathuin
The Adventuring Peanuts

“Oh. Sorry,” Felix replied sheepishly, not quite realizing the other boy might have come to the interesting caverns because he wanted to be alone. Solitude was not a concept often applied to the young Hollow wolf – wait, could he still call himself a Hollow wolf? He was born there. Had every intention of returning there (given he would be having siblings sometime in the spring), he was simply…exploring a bit first.

But the other yearling hadn’t asked, so he shrugged it off, focusing instead on the delightful offer the larger wolf had made. His tail began to beat behind him furiously, ears pricked forward – no one at home ever wanted to explore with him! he hummed, smile growing across his fine features. “I’ve never seen anything like this before…I love exploring.” The last admission was made a bit sheepishly as he stepped further inside the caverns, glancing up at the ceiling with a soft sigh. It occurred to him then that he’d completely forgotten all manners in the excitement of the discovery. He glanced back over at the large boy. “I’m Felix. Felix Macieo. It’s nice to meet you,” he hummed, tail waving behind him happily.

Mathuin couldn't stop the giggle that bubbled forward. "No need to be sorry." Neither of them had done anything wrong as far as the large yearling knew. His tail kept the even beat sway as he eagerly looked around the caverns and back to the gray toned boy in front of him.

"I haven't either." The Whitebark announced. He had seen tunnels before and even a cave but he had never really seen the two of them together like this. Not to mention it's placement and features was unique. Mathuin thought that rocky things belonged on mountains, not meadows. His ears perked and he let out a little happy yip. He took the love of exploring as a yes to his question. The yearling turned around to move a bit deeper into the cavern. Eye eagerly scanning everywhere possible. This place was huge! How long would it take to see every nook and cranny? Would they get lost in their adventure? Mathuin assumed getting lost with a somewhat friend was better than being lost alone.

He looked over at his company when they introduced themselves. So formal with first and last names. Mathuin smiled as his tail mimicked @Felix's "I'm Mathuin. It's nice to meet you too, Felix." He nudged the boy kindly before beginning to move further. "So, uh, where should we look first?" The large boy turned his green gaze back over to the Macieo.

Astrid & Mathuin
The Adventuring Peanuts

“Mathuin,” he hummed, intent on committing the name of his new friend to memory. They were friends, right? No one else even shared an interest in exploring – especially not his sisters. He supposed Flair might be an option, but he’d gone in the wrong direction to find himself at Secret Woodlands. If he went to the northern thickets again, he’d have to ask the redhead girl if they were friends. If she wanted to go exploring, too.

Felix shook out his coat and tried to free himself from his thoughts, lest he ruin his new little adventure by wandering off into his own mind. “Let’s go further inside,” he suggested, breaking into a steady jog. The caverns seemed to go quite a ways back – perhaps they were tunnels? But they would probably smell it, and instead of fresh air, it smelled a bit…stale. Old? That was fine, though. An adventure was still an adventure, after all.

Eventually, he came to a halt as the cavern seemed to narrow, coming to a fork. His tail swished, and he glanced back over at Mathuin. “What do you think? Left or right?” he asked, mismatched eyes bright as he waited for a suggestion.

A grin spread on his face as the silver boy repeated his name. He nodded his head as if to confirm that was indeed his name. The one and the only Mathuin. At least he thought he was the only one. The large yearling hadn't crossed anyone else with the name Mathuin so far. He hadn't really crossed anyone who shared names with another wolf.

Consumed by his thoughts he trailed a bit behind Felix. Mathuin was content to let him lead for a bit. This strange place wasn't the nicest place the Whitebark had been to but he assumed that not everywhere could be grand. His nose twitched as he tried to detect anything worthwhile. Everything in here smelt old. "Can things really smell an age?" He thought to himself as he looked around. It was kind of strange. Mathuin felt like they were walking through some sacred place. Maybe there was a reason no one was here. A shiver ran down his spine. This was the excitement he had been looking for!

He bumped into Felix's flank when they stopped. His head still consumed with spooky thoughts. "Uhhh," His head turned back and forth to look at the two different directions. "left." Mathuin nodded his head with confidence at his choice. If it turned out to be a dull path they could just turn around and head down the other one.

Astrid & Mathuin
The Adventuring Peanuts

The silence… Well, if he was honest, the silence was a bit strange. Ophelia, on the rare occasions she deemed him worthy of her princessly presence, would all but chatter his ear off (no matter what she might be scaring away). Even Joan wasn’t exactly the quiet type; it was quite possible that outside of Pip, he was the quietest animal in the entire pack. All the same, he was quite content to enjoy it a little longer, giving a small nod when Mathuin answered the question easily.

Eventually, though, the click of nails against stone started to wear on the nerves, and Felix cleared his throat. “So, uh…where are you from?” he finally asked, keeping mismatched eyes keenly on the strange rock surrounding them. “Do you have a pack around here, or something?”

He could have continued, but the path came to an abrupt halt where a pile of rocks reached almost to the ceiling of the natural tunnel. His tail stopped and Felix sniffed, creeping forward to touch the mound curiously. When nothing happened, he put both feet on the stones and craned his neck, wondering idly if the where stable enough to climb – or if there was anything on the other side. Curiosity won out.

“I’ll race you to the top.”

As the silence engulfed them Mathuin let his brain think of more strange things. What if this had once held something? What if something was living in here but this wasn't the right tunnel? He looked around the walls and ground. This place, despite a few tight spots, seemed big enough to house a large animal or a few small ones. Mathuin figured if his large bum could fit in here with some company then about anything could fit in here.

His ears perked at Felix's question. "I'm from a place a bit away from here. Crooked Stream." He offered with a smile. Mathuin doubted the boy would know it but he had asked. "No, actually." A soft frown tugged on his features. He carefully trailed by Felix's flank. He missed the comfort that came with being in a pack but he couldn't go on a grand search for adventure if some place had him tied down. "I left home to try and find some adventure. Home was kind of strict and things were getting bad so I left to find something better." He shrugged his shoulders. Mathuin hadn't really talked about the whole scenario but with the silver boy being close in age, and perhaps even personality, he didn't see a reason not to share.

Before the yearling could return the question it seemed Felix had something else in mind. Without hesitation, Mathuin quickly followed after. His awkwardly large paws making some of the climbing a bit hard. He tried his best though even if he wasn't going to win because it was all about the fun.

Astrid & Mathuin
The Adventuring Peanuts

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