Sex: MaleIt had seemed like such a good idea! Avoid the mountain altogether and get to the other side without risking the climb during the spring thaw. The young man sure thought he’d caught a lucky break, venturing into the tunnels to continue his search. Of course, that was many days ago. Anyone with even the smallest lick of sense would have known what a foolish endeavor it was, venturing into the network of tunnels alone, without knowing the way to the other side. But Vasco had been so excited by the lead, he hadn’t stopped to consider the consequences; For once… And of course, that one time just happened to be the one that got him killed. He didn’t know how long he’d spend, wandering in the darkness, but it was long enough for his stomach to ache with hunger, while thirst dried out his entire throat. He could see nothing, and hear only the stir of other animals, much better attuned to this cramped, dark existence than he. His only guide through this never-ending labyrinth, were the feint gusts of wind that sometimes reached him, a quiet whisper of a way out, somewhere within his reach, yet too far for him to find. Now and then, exhaustion claimed him, and he collapsed to the hard stone floor, sleeping until his hunger and thirst awoke him once more. At this point, the only thing that kept him going was the thought of his @Sita waiting on the other side, like a fever dream, he saw her in his mind, welcoming him with tears and warmth and love beyond measure. It drove him forwards, blindly, until a new sound suddenly broke through the quiet monotony of the caves. Vasco’s ears twitched, head jerking upwards as his nostrils flared, sniffing in deeply to prove he wasn’t simply imagining it; Water! He staggered forwards, tongue drooping out the side of his mouth, dry as an autumn leaf. Then, rounding another corner, his eyes suddenly registered something, a small change from pitch black to grey, and as he pressed on it quickly grew brighter. He rounded another corner and had to narrow his eyes to slits against the bright sunlight filling the room before him. After days in the darkness, the cavern was bright as the sun itself to the young wolf, and he took his first few steps just as blind as the previous thousand. But his eyes quickly adjusted, and he saw that it was merely a few streaks of daylight, trickling down through a fissure in the rock, far, far above. But the light lost interest immediately, when he noticed what else was seeping down into the cave, cascading over the rock in a series of miniature waterfalls, to form a deep blue pond at his feet; Water! He would have cried, had there been any liquid for his body to spare at the moment. Now instead, he simply collapsed to his belly, shoving his muzzle into the lake and drinking greedily. Word Count: 501 Thoughts ”Speech” |
He was not sure why he had not moved on from this place yet. Ridge did not like to linger anywhere for long, as he preferred to keep his paws moving. He was not very social, nor was he looking to settle down somewhere. He just wanted to keep moving, and put as many miles as he could beneath his paws.
But maybe his paws were too tired to travel any further. Maybe his body needed a few days (or weeks… or months…) to rest. Maybe there was something about this place that was preventing him from moving on.
Had he been here before?
His permanent scowl deepened across his tawny features as he trekked deeper into the mountain, the cool stone soothing his weary paws. Ridge did not like dwelling on the things he couldn’t remember (which was basically everything). He had accepted, albeit frustrating, that it was unlikely he would ever get his memory back. But, did he even want it back? What if there had been something wrong with him? What if he had not been good?
A heavy sigh rolled off his tongue.
It did not matter.
It was remarkable—or was it unsettling?—how well lit the tunnels were beneath the mountain despite the lack of light sources available. Ridge was under the assumption that the tunnel would open up, eventually, on the other side of the mountain. Hopefully. If the caverns did not swallow him whole first. Curiosity fuelled his steps for now, as the fear of the unknown had not yet settled in. There was still time for him to turn back if he grew uneasy, or uncertain that there was an exit at the end of the tunnel.
The unexpected scent of another captured his attention. A lost soul among the tunnels, or an experienced caver? Ridge hoped for the latter, but his pessimistic nature prepared him for the worst.
Despite normally being anti-social, Ridge’s pace quickened as he trotted toward the stranger, his steps echoing through the caverns. The sound of water accompanied his steps—a sound of hope, perhaps? His thoughts were a mix of hazy grey; uncertainty.
The tawny stranger was gulping down water from an unexpected pool of water when Ridge approached, which was not a good sign. Nor did it give the loner hope. Been down here long? He asked in a low voice in hopes of not startling the male. He attempted to offer the male a half smile, but he did not know how successful he was. It had been a long time since he smiled.
Water had never tasted so good, every gulp seeming to wash years of dust out of his throat. Vasco drank and drank, filling his empty stomach to the brim. So engrossed was he in stilling his thirst, that he didn’t notice the stranger appearing, the noise of his claws against the rock drowned out by the splashing and slurping. Which meant, that despite the other wolf’s best efforts, the words made Vasco jump, nearly right out of his skin. Water splashed into the air as the pallid man jolted backwards, rearing up his head like a startled deer. Grey eyes swept back and forth throughout the cavern several times, before finally focusing on the strange figure, growing round with surprise. Am I… Hallucinating? After being stuck in here so long, it seemed the most likely explanation, the privation finally driving him mad. And yet, why now, when he’d finally found water; Unless it’s something IN the water… or perhaps the water wasn’t real either. But then, if it was all in his head, surely he would have imagined someone he knew coming to his rescue someone he’d been looking desperately for all spring; Not… THIS! Vasco furrowed his brows at the strange young man, unsure whether or not to respond, but finally he gave in, loosening his tensed shoulders; What do I have left to lose? His tongue slipped out to wipe water across his lips before he croaked: “Feel’s like a lifetime.” His voice was low and hoarse from disuse, more of a wheeze than anything, but at least it was still able to form the words. Now the question was just what the specter might answer. Word Count: 278 Thoughts ”Speech” |
He was not surprised that he had still startled the pale stranger, and tightened his features to prevent a smile from tugging at his permanent scowl. The male looked utterly shocked at Ridge’s arrival, almost as though he had seen a ghost. A single brow raised on his dark features as he began to feel uneasy. This was not a good sign. Had Ridge sentenced himself to death by exploring the tunnels? Would he find his way back out? Had he made a horrible mistake?
No, Ridge was confident he could find his way back out of the tunnels—and help this poor loner at the same time.
Feel’s like a lifetime, the stranger responded much to Ridge’s dismay. His frown deepened slightly as he studied the silver-eyed male. Normally he was not the type to aid strangers, unless it was to his own benefit, but Ridge couldn’t leave him down here. That was just asking for bad karma. Although he had never been to these tunnels before Ridge had an idea, or a feeling, on which way led to the exit.
He just hoped he was not wrong—for both their sakes.
Would you like some help finding your way out? He offered with a low wag of his tail to show that he was of no threat to the silver loner. The stranger appeared to be safe, from what Ridge could tell. He was a hazy mixture of grey and yellow: uncertainty and caution. Ridge was not about to let his guard down with him, but his meek demeanour paired with his forgotten voice led him to believe that this stranger was of no danger to him. He was merely lost in the underground.
The silence stretching between them could have lasted an eternity, or barely a breath, Vasco’s sense of time was so distorted, he couldn’t tell anymore. Honestly, he had enough trouble just keeping his eyes on the stranger, trying to read his body language. For the most part, the Halex was a pretty decent judge of character, good at noticing even tiny changes in expressions and behavior, which he could then use to his advantage. However, he was hardly at his peak right now, and the darker man came of as quite an enigma to him. Still, he concluded with himself that the other wolf must be real, as he hadn’t said or done anything strange or unusual, as he thought a vision might. In fact, he came of rather plain, perhaps just because Vasco’s subconscious was holding him up against those imaginings. Instead, he only spoke gently, straight forward even as he offered the one thing that, surely, a hallucination could never accomplish. Vasco let out a strangled sound, eyes growing wide. He coughed harshly, feeling each hack scratching painfully at his, somehow still too dry, throat. Finally, the cough subsided and he took a deep slow breath, before slowly testing his voice: “Please..” He paused, clearing his throat carefully to get rid of the worst hoarseness. When he continued, his voice was both clearer and louder; “Yes, thank you. I would… Be very grateful.” He didn’t know what else to say, having nothing to offer in exchange for the help, other than his thanks. At last, he decided to make the only gesture he could, waving the tip of his tail as he said: “I’m Vasco.” Word Count: 277 Thoughts ”Speech” |
Please.. the tawny male responded, his voice still hoarse despite attempting to clear it with a cough. It was in that moment that Ridge realized this stranger was going to be of no harm to him. The grey-yellow haze shifted to grey-blue; a mixture of uncertainty, but the caution had shifted to confusion and sympathy. How long had the stranger been down in these tunnels for? A lifetime, the male had originally responded -- but how long was that? A frown remained on his worried features; the male did look rather thin, and disheveled. Clearly he had been down here too long.
"Of course," he responded, his expression shifted as he attempted to offer the stranger a warm smile (it had been awhile since he had smiled). He motioned to the direction he had been heading in initially, as it was where the air seemed to shift. He hoped it was the right way, otherwise they were both going to be stuck down here for another lifetime.
I'm Vasco, the ghost introduced, with a quick wag of his tail. "Ridge," he returned with his own tail flick. "What's the last thing you remember?" Ironic, since Ridge barely had his own memories to reflect on.
It seemed luck was finally with him, as this stranger appeared to be sympathetic to his plight and willing to help despite Vasco having nothing to offer in return. At this point, he had come to the conclusion that even if the darker wolf was a hallucination, following him couldn’t make things any worse. So when he smiled – the pale lad didn’t even notice if it was a bit awkward – Vasco returned the gesture, wagging his tail a little more. Apparently, the other wolf had at least some idea of which way the exit was, which was more than Vasco, so he was perfectly happy putting his fate in his paws. Ridge, he introduced himself. Vasco bobbed his head, then titled it slightly at the question; The last thing… He pondered, brows furrowing as he tried to remember. His thoughts were sluggish, moving as if through thick mud and he had to close his eyes to focus them. “Before all this darkness…” He started, speaking the words slow and careful; “I was… In dense woods… East of the mountains. I thought these tunnels might lead to the other side.” He shook his head sadly, opening silver-grey eyes to look back up at his rescuer; “Since then… I must have turned back on myself at least a dozen times. I can barely tell my own head from my tail anymore, let alone which direction is which.” He sighed, resignedly, hanging his head again. He felt worn out, just from that bit of talking; Can I even make it out of here…? . Thoughts ”Speech” |