Whisper Caverns They say there's no comfort in the dark

All welcome. ;D

Elias could handle the snow, the ice and the dropping temperatures, but really did it have to get dark so soon? It felt as though the day had barely gotten started before the sun began to dip beneath the horizon. If he'd been in the mountains it wouldn't have been such a big deal, he knew them like the back of his paw and-at least in the good old days-there had always someone willing to keep him company.

But now? Elias couldn't help but wonder if he'd made the wrong call, whether Morganna had the right idea all along. Being alone in the dark was no fun at all, and though he wouldn't admit it, he was lonely. He'd always thrived in the company of others, doing their bidding and making them happy. But now that he was alone, he soon realised that whilst he could make others smile with ease the same couldn't be said about himself.

Just like the night, his worries crept ever closer till they loomed over his shoulder, reached into his chest and held his heart in a vice like grip. Not only was he a walking mistake(a fact he'd been reminded of time and time again by his 'real family')but it felt as though he was destined to make them over and over till he left nothing but ruin and despair in his wake.

Padding to a stop, Elias glanced up at the gaping cavern before him.Icicles hung from it's roof like fangs, it sort of  reminded him of a bear, with it's mouth open wide, ready to swallow him whole.He wasn't super fond of the imagery, or of the prospect of being eaten alive, but he needed somewhere to hunker down for the night and this was the best he could find at such a short notice.

Steeling himself, Elias pulled in a big lungful of air and entered the cave, hoping it would serve as a semi-decent place to get a full nights sleep.

Ravenna was near the caverns again, a piece of land which she was beginning two find more and more familiar to her. She walked this pathway between the borders of her home and all the way to the meadows quite a few times in her life and figured that her sister would be settling within the Lagoon would make this trail many more times to come. It wasn't like home was all that far, not really at all actually, though now nightfall had decend and after her hunt she found herself growing weary. She needed some rest, if only for a few hours, before she dragged the remainder of this kill back home. Sven and the other two adults within the ranks could surely hold down the fort for awhile....

She drug the marmot, a large and fluffy rodent, between her forelegs and into the opening the the Whisper den site. The chilly night causing a shiver up her spine which she shook off. This place was as good enough at any and so long as she didn't go deep within the caverns tunnels, she would be fine she figured from being unsettled in here.

Having been far too occupied dragging her kill and with the smell of blood thick in nose, she did not yet take notice to the other wolf there with her in the darkness. Her silver gaze still needed to adjust and as they did so, she situated herself and her food along one of the various large rocks here for the night.

A young deer has been separated from the rest of its herd. Hunt Opportunity

Once he stepped into the darkness Elias couldn't help but feel as though the hard part was over. Nothing leapt out of the shadows, not did a booming voice tell him to leave, or face dire consequences.  Aside from the odd pitter patter of his footsteps the cavern was quiet, as though the sounds of the night didn't dare venture into the it's depths. Elias couldn't blame them really as he didn't plan to go too far, just enough to be hidden from sight and out of the cold.

Travelling meant Elias couldn't afford to be fussy, still he couldn't help but miss the luxuries of home. Several den sites dotted the Selwyn territory, and in Elias' humble opinion they were all homely as heck. With no exception, their floors were lined with soft furs, pelts and even had a little bit of moss sprinkled about to make it even more comfy. As impressive as this cave was...well, the floor was bare, covered with rocks and pebbles he had to brush aside before he could even think of settling down.

But settle down he did. He turned, around and around before he tucked himself into a neat little ball, his tail covering his snout. His eyes flickered closed as he puffed out a long breath, tomorrow would be a new day and maybe, just maybe he would find Thuban!

It seemed he wasn't alone.

Elias stiffened as his ears perked and his nose twitched. There was no denying it, he had company. But the question was, were they friend or foe? Even with his dodgy feet Elias was more than capable of looking after himself, nonetheless he felt a sharp pang of nervousness as the strange dragging sound drew ever closer.

Pushing himself to his feet, Elias squared his shoulders and decided to face the source of that weird, almost creepy sound.

"Um, hi?"

Ravenna had managed to situate herself somewhat close to the opening of the cavern. The rays of moonlight just barely could not reach her tones, leaving her in the darkness, though even just out of reach of the rays she was not completely under cover. Ravenna had wondered deeper into the caverns before, enough to see the different branches and corridors. She didn't like it. It was suffocating. But here just inside the cave, it could remind her if a larger various of her own pack's communal den, though outside this former pack's shelter was a small fall of water. It soothed her to listen to and she figured soon enough she would be able to get herself some good rest.

Then she heard something else stirring within the cavern. Taken off guard, her body tensed, hairs along her back raising and she scrambled back to her feet quickly. She stood just behind her kill, the night lighting bathing over her silver coat in a glow. Looking into the mouth of the cave and into the darkness, Ravenna could not tell what was coming had way, so prepared herself by lowering her head and ears and baring her fangs in warning.

And then the creature spoke. It was another wolf and Ravenna's body relaxed ever slightly, not baring her fangs anymore though she remained in defensive posture and she waited to see if he would be friendly or not. "...Hi?" Her greeting to him was just as questionable at his was to her. Her eyes still struggled to see him in the darkness, though her nose made work to scent him out over the smell of the kill at her feet.

Elias waited with baited breath. Would they respond? Or would they lunge from the darkness, like a creature from the realm of nightmares? He hoped it was the former, but with each passing second he couldn't help but fear for the worst. Not again. He didn't want to have to hurt someone again, not now and not ever. But if they forced his paw then he didn't really have much of a choice. It was either him or them and honestly, he had a family to get back to, a promise to keep.

But then, to his relief, they responded and the weight was lifted from his shoulders as though it had never been there at all. There was a hint of caution in their tone but Elias thought little of it, they had every right to be wary if anything they were being smart. After all, only fools rushed in.

"Hey. Sorry if I freaked you out."It hadn't been his intention but he apologised nonetheless."My name's Elias, Elly, whichever you prefer."

Slowly but surely, so that he didn't startle them, he inched ever closer, his nose leading the way. The smell of a fresh kill lingered in the air, but behind that was the scent of a pack wolf. Which made sense, this land couldn't be inhabited by just loners after all. His eyes continued to adjust to the darkness but after a handful of steps a white shape came into view. She was tall and broad, with eyes as bright as a full moon. A wonderful contrast for this darkest of nights.

Now that they were face to face, Elias' tail began to wag as he offered her a beaming smile. He hoped that there were no hard feelings between them, he hadn't intended to impose upon her privacy but...these caverns were clearly unclaimed. If he wasn't allowed to be here then someone should have made that clear from the start.

"I'll admit for a moment you had me a bit worried, but boy I'm glad to see a friendly face... If that's not too bold of me to say, of course."

He spoke before she could see him within the shadow of the cavern, Ravenna having backed up enough to the opening that the moonlight offered a glow at her backside, however dim. The sky outside was cloudy, seeming to try and engulf the world in pure black. Perhaps a storm was coming. The chilly air outside made her think such. He apologized freely, a polite aspect which she caught onto quickly. And then he introduced himself.

Elly. Elly was his nickname. It was a nickname she never planned on using for the male, whether this be their first and only interaction, whether they became friends, packmates, lovers.... Ravenna didn't plan on passing that title around. After all, her mother's name was Elettra and her nickname sometimes spoken by very few as Ele. When @Adeltra was born, partially named after her mother, Ravenna had enjoyed the idea of calling her El or Ele until Eksil brought that little lone pup to their doorstep and she, ironically, had been called Ele too by her mother. Now this. It seemed like reminders of her mother were everywhere and although she enjoyed them, they were equally painful.

"Elias..." She spoke his name aloud as a confirmation she would call him such. It would be hard to forget his name now after what he has said. As he came forward slowly and cautiously, she could see him now. A very large wolf, muscular in a manner fitting of great potential as a Guardian. He was larger then herself, larger then Sven even which was saying something. His size would rival that if Eskil's, her packmate which seemed long gone now, though his coloration and eyes of a very odd, pale blue hue, was far different.

Once now that they were in full view of one another, his tail began to wag, his smile seemingly genuine. She found her own self relaxing now, a small smirk toying at her features as she stood before him, her tail otherwise remained lax behind her as she looked him over. "Not too bold at all... " She allows, "After my walk here and the hunt the last thing I need is a scrap for food and shelter." After all, being a bit tired and further from home then would he safe, getting into a fight over an oversized rodent simply was not worth it. Even more so now, with her Newly added responsabilities. "My name is Ravenna Archer-Lyall, nice to meet you." She spoke pleasantly and confidently, her silver eyes never leaving the male before her.

Whenever Elias offered out his nickname he did so as a show of trust, an offer of friendship. So when she refused to say it, or acknowledge the little piece of himself he'd presented to her...Well, it hurt. A little. Like she'd thrown it right back in his face. He tried not to take it too personally, he knew she probably didn't mean it like that. That she probably wasn't the sort who'd go out of her way to hurt his feelings. But heck, Elias was a gentle soul, it was difficult for him to shrug it off like it was nothing. Not when it meant so much to him.

Relief began to trickle into his system as she returned his smile with one of her own. And such a pretty smile it was, everyone looked better when they smiled, or so Elias thought. Thankfully, she didn't find his remark too bold or intrusive. She soon went onto introduce herself and...Archer, he recognised that name!

Not wanting to jump too far ahead he reigned in his enthusiasm and dipped his head in reverence. He'd get to it soon enough.

"The pleasure's all mine, Ravenna. But um... You're an Archer too? I met @Morganna the other day in the Marsh, she led me back to dry land after I slipped."

He looked down at his front paw, the mangled bird foot of his. It certainly was a source of trouble for him but without it he wouldn't have met her.

"Glad to meet another friendly face, for a while I thought, well worried this place wouldn't be so good."

He was most certainly a polite fellow. Ravenna knew herself a handful of quite friendly wolves, though none which she could recall displaying themselves in such a chivalrous manner. It reminded her of how wolves acted towards her mother, when she was just a pup, hiding behind Elettra's ankle. He dipped his head to her, stating that the pleasure was his own. She remembered many wolves doing that before Elettra and Ravenna couldn't help but wave her tail to the thought, holding herself a little higher. It was the comfort she needed if she was going to take over Enoki's mantle and follow in the footsteps of her mother and sister.

Her sister. He knew her sister, had met with her recently. It seemed nearly everyone knew Morganna, who bounded about these lands without a fear in the world. At his words, her silver eyes followed his own down to his foot, which was missing a collection of toes. It definitely looked like a fight gone wrong or perhaps they had been torn off during a slip down a rocky slope. Ether way, it ain't a pretty sight, but who was caught up staring at someone's feet anyhow unless you were a Lowest?

"Different parts of the Lore have their ups and downs..." She admitted casually. "And yes, Morganna is my sister." She confirmed the relation to the male and just how they were related. "What happened you your foot, anyhow, if you don't mind sharing the story?" Her eyes fluttered down to the space of his footing where there was a lack of toes. If anything, he would be easy to track, not that she planned on stalking him anytime soon. She shifted on her own footing as she remained standing at the opening of the cavern. By now, the moon and stars had been fully ingulfed by darkness, the light no longer shining on her backside. A thunder rolled through the clouds in the distance, breaking the silence of the night.

Elias had learnt a while back that averting his gaze was a sure way of bolstering someone's self-esteem and mood. Yeah, it made him seem pretty meek and mild, but he'd never given a hoot about his reputation. Actions spoke a whole lot louder than words, and he only wanted to make Ravenna comfortable around him.  Not because he was being weird or nothing, everyone deserved to be comfortable, or at least that's how he saw it.

She was Morganna's sister? It was a small world after all! They didn't look a like, at all. Morganna had been dark with those-scary- orange eyes, whilst Ravenna was the furthest from it. Light and dark, like too opposing halves. Interesting. As far as he knew, Elias didn't have any siblings, but his cousins had all looked alike. So maybe they were from a different litter? Different Mother or Father perhaps?

He should have seen it coming, but even so Elias couldn't help but cringe a little at her question. It wasn't that he minded her asking, he wasn't going to lie or brush it off, he was simply a little self-conscious about it. Wounds could scab over and mend, but toes? He was never going to be able to grow them back, even if he tried. And oh man, had he tried.

"I don't mind."He told her, as a slight frown tugged at his lips."It's um...Not a very nice story, but uh- in essence some bad wolves came and hurt my family so I tried to stop them and...Well, this is what I got for it."He shrugged, then lifted up his back leg a little so she could see."Missing one here too. Walking is-was tough, before I got used to it. Used to fall over all the time, sometimes still do, if the ground is slippy. That's how Morganna found me."