Perilous Void get a jolt from my electrodes

Territory Discovery- Perilous Void
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South-East of Whitestone Monadnock, where the Windsong Fjord and Kingsfall intersect with the Lowlands, an unassuming crack in the earth gives way to an underground river. During the warmer months, they can become completely inaccessible due to the rising table water. When the water levels are low (during the colder months), these tunnels become home to a colony of hibernating eastern pipistrelle and more active small-footed bats.
Morganna, exploring a cave, you find yourself peering into the gaze of glowing red eyes.

The ghouls all came from their humble abodes

WHITESTONE MONADNOCK

It was little more than sheer curiosity that had sent her east when the sun reached its meagre peak for the day. She knew the lands to the south, and she knew there were packs in that direction, along with another pack to the east and she didn't much feel like mingling with other pack wolves, so she angled herself in a way that (too her knowledge) would leave her well and truely clear of encroaching on anyone elses turf. Her journey had two purposes, the first being to see just how far south the herds had wandered since the snows began to fall, the other was to try and track down another food source to sustain them through the cold months that were coming.

What she hadn't been looking for as the sun began it's hasty decent, was the crack in the earth that opened up beneath her paws as she allowed herself to be distracted by the cawing of crows in trees overhead.

The drop off had been so sudden, the lithe wolf somersaulted into the dark crevasses with a spectacular splash, her startled yelp echoing in the chamber, suddenly illuminated by the skylight she herself had installed with her fall. Claws scraped against slime covered stones, a far off sound of rushing water enough to propel her back towards the tumble of stones that marked her entrance. It wouldn't be an easy climb but she'd be damned if she was going to sit in the freezing water and die a slow death.

Thankfully, closer to the walls, the stones were stacked like steps, allowing her to haul most of her drenched body from the water. She took a moment to catch her breath, peach eyes peering into the dimly lit cave as she tried to figure out just what the fuck had caused the earth to open up under her feet like that. It was then her nose registered the acrid scent, and her eyes located the angry red pinpricks peering at her with some degree of annoyance. Breath caught in her throat as the first mouse-sized bat flew at her face and she dared to snap in warning, forgetting how horrendously out numbered she was.

Unfortunately, it seemed that was all the resident bats were willing to tolerate as they attacked with greater force, beating her with small wings as they flew past and into the night. Her startled yelp betrayed her thunderstruck state as claws scrabbled uselessly against the slick stones that should prove to be her escape. She could feel their wings beating over her head, their shrieks pierced her ears as she felt small claws cling her sodden coat... Was that one actually nuzzling into her coat?

"Nope, nopenonononope!" The dark wolf continued to chant as she sought out footholds in the failing light. Overhead she could hear the cawing of the crows, their raucous ArrrarrArrrrr only fueling her panic. "FUCK!" She was starting to shiver. She had to calm the fuck down and think!

(This post was last modified: Feb 28, 2017, 05:54 PM by Sahalie.)

Icypants has the same RE! <3

you do not know who is your friend

and who is your enemy

He didn't know where he was. Now, had you known Ice in his youth, it might not have been terribly surprising, as he had been born with his head in the clouds, but the older Ice..? Pack life had forced him to hone his not-too-terrible skills in tracking, and disaster had taught him to explore, and discover—and still know the way back. Many miles had disappeared beneath the relentless onslaught of his paws.

So he wasn't lost so much in the sense that he thought he had some exact place to return to (but inconveniently had forgotten where), he was more lost in the sense that he had no idea how far it was to the Spectral Woods. He wasn't sure if he had ever been in these northlands, if he had ever trekked beyond the Secret Falls and Secluded Springs—but here he was, having abandoned the redwood forest for the next leg of his journey, when a huge fucking lake had forced him to make a detour west. Like, why would somebody put a lake there? Right in his path? When he was just trying to get home?

It wasn't like it was a small lake either, it was bloody huge, stretching along the horizon in a way that made him think that trying to swim across was a really, really, really bad, not to mention wet, idea.

And that was how Ice found himself further west than intended, because let's face it, if he had to pick between skirting around it east or west, west was the best, because it brought him closer to his good ol' friend the Serpent, whose back he could just make out on the horizon while he trotted along on the tundra. Another forest was coming up, this one more normal and not made up out of gigantic evergreen trees, and he was quite content to just float along to the rhythm of his paws and let the motion dull his mind. There was something soothing in traveling, at least compared to the alternative, which the past few months had been "thinking". The more he did it, the more he remembered why he hated it, so it was nice to just move and to be fair, it was quite beautiful here. With the mountain range in sight he knew that he was getting closer, but as he had never before trailed it to its northern boundary, he didn't know how close.

He passed into the shadow of the trees as the sun's rays began to lengthen the shadows, and the lights turned golden and bronze. The chill of winter lurked in the oncoming darkness, and Ice raised his nose to the wind. It smelled of wolves and leaves and—something he couldn't quite pin down. Whatever it was, it made his shoulders twitch, and his head lowered as he slunk through the forest to the sound of laughing crows and—

A scream. His entire head whipped around, silver eyes roaming the surroundings but seeing absolutely nothing out of the ordinary; his ears rotated this way and that, and then—

It was an old, musty mineral smell, and the more recent one of paw pads. And it was coming from over there, so Ice set off after it, donning his shining armor without second thought because, uhm, karma? And he would very much prefer to not die alone and screaming if he had the slim chance of being rescued. (He preferred to not think about whether or not he was willing to actually risk his own life to save someone, because that just made it too depressive.)

Instead, he found a crack in the ground, and smart wolf that he is, stuck his head in. The voice was coming from down there, accompanied by the sounds of high-pitched screeches, wings, water, and—

Ice shrieked as a pair or red eyes filled up his vision; he tumbled tail over heels backwards, sprawled inelegantly on his ass as his heart did its best to run the fuck out of his chest and away from the monster—bat.

It was a fucking bat flapping in his face, indignant and upset and all sorts of angry. Ice, he just tipped his ears back and stared flatly at it. "I'm not impressed," he told it coolly, even though his heart was still gurgling in his chest and he felt nauseous with adrenaline. He couldn't even remember the last time he had been so frightened by something, and he didn't know whether to laugh or cry at it.

In the end, he did neither, because he remembered the wolf stuck below. Its haunting cries echoed up from the crevasse, and Ice pulled himself back to his feet. The bat had taken off, either gone back down below or taken off for some more peaceful resting place. Whatever the case, he was glad to be rid of it. He padded back to the edge of the void, leaned into it, and—

Crack. Another section of the disturbed ground gave way. With another shriek Ice spiraled into the void with her, into the bats, into the water—

Ice didn't like water. The seconds after his landing in it were full of flailing wolf.

until the ice breaks.

let the stars above shine in your soul

@Ice <3

Morganna Archer

WHITESTONE MONADNOCK

Perhaps if Morganna had not howling so needily, she may have been prepared for the large white head that suddenly thrust into the opening from where she had fallen. As it was, the leader was being needy and irrational, and instead sharp reflexes sent her backpedalling until her rear legs slipped off the slimy ledge with another splash and curse. Eyes narrowed as she considered that perhaps the wolf was Piety or Hecate? (but she could swear it seemed to have two ears so it couldn't possibly be the former). Front paws were still clinging on for dear life as the current began to pull at her fur and her heart pounded, the nature of the landscape and her own unfortunate position shielding her from the words the white wolf uttered.

 

She considered hollering at the pale wolf to Get the fuck back here, but before she could regain her footing and find her voice there was another crack overhead. "Fuck!" she barked again, retreating with the winged companion that had decided to cling to the back of her head to deeper water as the earth began to crumble above. She probably should have thought to warn them about that, even if it was @Hecate. Otherwise, how the fuck would her children know she hadn't just abandoned them like her brothers flaky white whores? And @Craw... Oh sure she'd told him she was going out but if she died down here it wouldn't take long for her corpse to be washed away... Unless...

Anxiety gripped her heart, unsure if the waves were being caused by the flailing wolf that had joined her or... Fuck what if there were sturgeon down here?! At least her new companion was enough to snap her out of her irrational yelping, flailing white limbs too large to be either of those women. She fought the current to get closer to the white wolf, urged on by encouraging squeaks that she tried to ignore from her tiny hitchhiker. He seemed to be just about as panicked as she had been just moments before, if not more so. She aimed a nip at what she thought should be a shoulder but the way he was thrashing it could have just as easily been his arse. "Over there!" she tried to herd him, "On the ledge, I dunno what's in 'ere other'n the squeakers." She voiced as she bumped against the large man again, her own phobia urging her on with an increasing degree of urgency.

What an exhausting expedition this had turned in to!

you do not know who is your friend

and who is your enemy

Cold darkness greeted him as he fell from the light and the firm, dry ground above. It spun around him, tugged on thick fur and long legs, rushed in to touch his face, his nose, the inside of his mouth, a gulp going down his throat and burning his lungs; he didn't know what was up, what was down, and the first time his head broke the surface, spilling coughs to echo through the cavern, the current pulled his paws out from under him and sent him back under.

Ice had never been fond of water—water fucking sucked, and he was starting to reconsider his fragile peace with it. It certainly wasn't doing a lot to keep its end of the deal.

He had more pressing matters to attend to, though. Like not fucking drowning. Countless of years of moving water had rubbed the underground river's bed fairly smooth, and his inelegant flailing wasn't doing much to right him. He thought he had somehow managed to end up sideways, but with the water pressing violently against his every sense it was hard to tell. His pulse blended with the savage rocking of the current, and his lungs pressed with the need to cough but if he did he'd just end up trying to draw breath, because it felt like they would burst from within—

A sharp nip to his lower back sent the air out in an unheard yelp anyway, and a second later he was swept tail-first into the other wolf. Briefly shored up against her he figured out the directions once and for all, and his broad white head shot up above the surface of the water, accompanied by the cacophony of his coughs and deep, relieved breaths. Finally! He could breeeeaaaatheee!

Not that it made things a whole lot better; he was still stuck in a slightly violent river, he was soggy, he was underground, he was being rescued by a wolf who still had panic lacing her voice. "Over there!" Over where? he thought as his silver eyes roamed the darkness, looking for something obvious enough to be 'there'. But a moment later she clarified, and his gaze honed in on the rocky ledges. "Right," he grunted, and braced against the power of the water as he extended his long legs, and started to force his way through.

It wasn't until he left the sanctuary of her presence that he fully realized just how bad this was: not just because it was cold and harsh, but because of the way it made his heart beat in his chest as the aging organ did its best to keep up with his body's demand. His pulse rocketed up, breath a harsh thing snorted out in the bat-laden cavern, but valiantly Ice struggled on, face set in a grim expression. A couple of times he threw a glance over his shoulder, trying to make sure the dark female was still right behind him, and if not, well, he'd just have to save her, because that was how simple it was, right?

But unless she drifted away from him, he'd finally reach the bloody ledges, and rest for a moment with his forepaws propped up on the lowest one before hauling himself out of the hungry waters.

until the ice breaks.

@Morganna <3

let the stars above shine in your soul

@Ice I am so so sorry this took so long <3

She followed the larger wolf towards the edge of the tunnel, back towards the fading light that marked their entrance. If she had to guess she would say he was far larger than her, judging by length alone. Perhaps he would even be able to hook his paws over the opening where her own had fallen short? Even if he could manage to find purchase, or if she offered herself as a foothold, it would still leave her stuck in the dark and the water and who was to say he would help her out once he was free?

A worried growl left her throat, perhaps she'd just have to trust him. She supposed an introduction would be a good start. "Morganna Archer," she finally managed despite her ragged breathing. They were running out of time before the sun set completely and she had no desire to spend the night freezing underground with these winged rats. "D'yer think yer can reach?" she asked head tilting towards the hole they had both tumbled through. "I'm too short but if yer get out yer might be able ter find a branch or somethin..." She was under no illusions that she would be able to haul the larger man out without tumbling straight back into the abyss. The lower half of the wall was lacking footholds and so she leaned against the wall for support, legs tucked tightly beneath her body as she waited for the stranger to make a move, wordlessly offering herself as a step should it be needed.

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

Wolves can apparently jump ish 12ft high so.. xD

you do not know who is your friend

and who is your enemy

The water burned in his throat, a fire set and tinged with panic; he coughed again and again, half-standing, and spat out a foul mess of water and bile. That, too, burned, and after some more coughing and hacking he drew a deep breath. Nasty. He coughed again on the exhalation, but it was just once, so he willfully sneezed and stepped over the dripping mess. Water ran in rivulets down his legs, dripping from his long fur, and the idea of spending a night soaking wet was not attractive.

Beside him, the dark female had pulled herself out of the water, too. Her claws clicked on the rock floor, and as he fell in beside her, so did his; the sound was both oddly loud and drowned out at the same time. The squeak of the irritated bats had receded but the underground river still gurgled in its strange voice, and none of them said anything until they stood below the hole leading into the void. A little sunlight slanted in through it, but it would soon be gone.

"Morganna Archer." One white ear curved on his head, tipped her way, and for a moment he didn't say anything; Morganna Archer. Archer. It brought him memories of.. something, someone, a dark lady, war.. she had been with them as they crossed the mountains to slay the rabid murderers, and her name had been.. something. Definitely something. Willows. He blinked rapidly a few times. Willow Ridge. That was the pack. And her name was—"Elettra." It was not a question, more of a sigh, and he looked from the sunlight to Morganna. "You're related to her, aren't you? I'm Ice."

Then she suggested he might be able to get out of the hole they fell in in, and.. a branch? What good would a branch be if he had to save her? Narrowing his eyes, he looked from the yawning hole and back to the female; she'd braced herself against the wall beneath it, as if she implied he should step on her. He looked down at his large, white paws, and then back to her; slim and slender, dainty, while he was thick and heavy. Being stepped on by him would probably be incredibly painful.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea," he said slowly, tick-tick-ing closer to their escape route. He rose on his hind legs next to her, front paws on the wall, and sniffed the air. He could almost reach it with his paws; surely he could jump out? Dropping down again he flexed, leaned back, and gauged the distance. Yeah. He could probably jump and, if given enough tries, get enough of his chest through the gap to be able to crawl up. "I think I can jump out. Might take a few tries. So why don't you climb up on me and hop out?" Still sopping wet and looking rather droopy for it, Ice snuggled up next to the wall and gave her a small smile.

until the ice breaks.

let the stars above shine in your soul

 

Morganna couldn't exactly be surprised at the familiarity her mother's name carried, a half-hearted smirk and a nod to confirm they were of the same blood, "M' mother." She tucked his name away in case she needed it again, all this falling and swimming, scrambling and freezing was leaving the Archer a bit short of breath. If they were down here much longer the shivers would set in and then they'd both be as good as dead unless they found another way out. The last thing she wanted to do was brave the water again.

She listened to what he had to say and she realized just how foolish she had been. For all there wasn't a lot more than snow to grab onto up there, the man could no doubt out jump her and worst case she had a pack to call on if it ended up becoming a rescue operation, a pack that would be able to hear her once she got clear of this cursed abyss. She nodded her compliance, leaning back and gathering her legs beneath her. If she could at least hook her elbows over the lip maybe her scrambling back end would be enough to propel her over the lip and spare her companion the brunt of her weight and the scrape of her claws. There was only one way to know.

She jumped, and though her front limbs made it free, the slipped straight back into the darkness as they scrabbled at snow. Back paws pushed at the rock wall as she fell back in, grazing her pads as she slipped, but she barely hit the ground before she was trying again, this time succeeding in hooking her elbows over the edge. With a fierce determination, her rear legs pushed against the jagged stone finally pulling herself free and in her relief she collapsed. But it wasn't over yet, Ice was still down there. "I'm clear." She croaked, standing clear of the opening while wondering if grabbing a hold of the man's scruff would do either of them any good. The last thing she wanted to do was be the cause of them both falling back in.

you do not know who is your friend

and who is your enemy

He should not have been surprised—

But part of him was, when it turned out Elettra was her mother. Were they that old, him and Elettra, that her children were grown up already..? (Idiot, your sons are three—) This was a wolf not one or two years old, it was a wolf with a story, a place of her own, a dream of her own, determined. The water had washed some of the scent from her fur, but not all of it. She had a confidence he wasn't sure was born simply of necessity.

He had other things to think about. More urgent matters than how old he was getting, and how the spiderweb of the world was spun these days; what use was it tracing the bloodlines and the stories if he'd freeze to death with nothing but bats for company? So he stood to the side, breath pooling into the chilly, moist air, and watched as one of Elettra's kids did her best to get out of this hellhole. Part of him felt like he owed her that, not just because he tended to be chivalrous when he could afford it, but because she had helped him—all of them. She had been too late for Rissa, but she had saved the rest when she had gone to war along Ice and Swift River. Not being too late for Morganna was the least he could do now.

His breath paused in his lungs the first time she jumped, let out in a low 'ahh' when she slid back down. Watching her gave him an idea of what he had to do—use power. Use a lot of power, and she seemed to have calibrated as well. Her paws left the ground once more, but didn't come back down again. Wriggling darkness followed, then he saw the slanting sunlight again. "I'm clear," floated down to him, and he folded his ears against his skull for a moment. Get away, he wanted to tell her, get warm, but surely, she knew that as well?

He was Ice Aesir—he'd get through anything. He'd manage. He'd be fine. It helped, though, to know that she waited, that she didn't leave him, that, even if it was just repaying a debt, she cared about him in this moment.

Ice shuffled across the rocks, until the sunlight fell on his fur, glistening in the cooling water droplets. Jumping had always been strange. The more he thought about it, the less it worked, so he shut down his brain and just did—

It kind of worked. He burst into the sunlight, stubbornly clinging to the edge which dug into his chest and had nearly knocked the wind out of him, tail flailing for balance (as if it could help) and hind paws scrabbling on the edge. A low growl escaped him before his left paw found purchase in a crack, and Ice tumbled out from Bat-Hell next to the dark Archer. Nearly drowning, being chilled, and having to jump to save his life had been more taxing than he thought, so he was content to lay for a moment with the blessed sunlight playing over his face. Ataraxia overcame him for those precious seconds, soul floating on gentle currents spun of pure light and warmth, until the chilly breeze rippling through his nearly skin-wet fur chased the daydream away. Grunting, he rolled over on his belly, and looked at the damsel he'd both rescued and been rescued by.

"I'm soaked," he said mellowly, suppressing a shiver. "I wouldn't mind finding some shelter beneath a fir, or in some moss, and snuggling up until I'm dry again. How about you?"

until the ice breaks.

let the stars above shine in your soul

no one could save me but you

Morganna Archer

When she saw the white man struggling for purchase she almost raced forward, but she had to remind herself to just wait and not risk pushing him back in or falling once again herself. An anxious whine still rang in her chest as she frantically looked around, trying to spot anything that she might be able to use to help the older wolf out, but it wouldn't be needed. She released a breath she hadn't realised she was holding and shook the final nerves from her sodden coat along with what remained of the water. She was too far from home to make it back before the sun rose and if she didn't find somewhere warm to hunker down she would be an ice block by morning. Grazed paws wouldn't mean much if she died from exposure after all.

Unlike her companion, she didn't bother to suppress the shakes that were beginning to wrack her body, her smaller size a decided disadvantage when trying to combat such cold. "Th' wind'll cut us down if I try ter drag yer all th' way home," she motioned over her shoulder back towards the tundra, "Safer bet'u'd be this way." She gestured to the east, a foreign land to her for she had never crossed the mountain or thought to explore the lands on the other side, even after Sven's friend had come to visit. Everything had moved so quickly that she never quite made it there. "Where were yer off'ter before yer decided ter join me?" Her smirk was a shaky one. Surely nobody did that sort of thing for fun.