Contemplation (Open)

[Meds]

Axel;

Axel had been told about this mountain by an unpleasant-yet-powered wolf he had met by a river, earlier in the season. He hadn't exactly taken to her, and she certainly hadn't taken to him, but the information she had given him, albeit grudgingly, had stuck in his mind. There was power to be had in this land, and if not by him, he at least wanted to know about it. She hadn't really explained how to go about receiving such gifts, but she had mentioned the mountain, as well as some caves.
Well, Axel had climbed the mountain, and he had found a bunch of caves—but though they were plenty beautiful, he wasn't exactly sure he was in the right place. He circled around for a little while, looking into a handful of them, but eventually determined that no, this wasn't the place wolves went to get gifts like Invisibility.
It was all the same to Axel, really, as he wasn't interested in becoming a powered wolf, anyway—but he had decided that it would be a good idea to find out what he was up against. If he intended to stay in this curiously well-supplied valley, it couldn't hurt to learn a little bit more about his neighbors. As Chhaya had pointed out, there were many evil-hearted wolves around too—and if Axel could help it, he didn't want to be surprised.

As such, however, it didn't look like he was going to learn very much sitting in front of a bunch of empty caves. They were very strange, though. Axel's yellow eyes traced the outlines of the closest few, noting how detailed and smooth the walls were. He knew of hard work—he knew of almost nothing but hard work—but the amount of time and care it would have taken to make such caves as these out of pure rock was unfathomable to him; in fact, he didn't even know if it was possible.

He sat in front of those caves for a long while, with a silly little smile quirking his lips. It seemed there was quite a lot of secrets in this valley that he would discover if he stuck around long enough.

[Emorli]

Atra;

The peaceful mountains, becoming cooler in the autumn, are something Atra would prefer to explore, rather than being around a group of other wolves. The quiet, secluded feel of the mountains bring comfort to the she-wolf's mind, allowing her to feel at peace and relax. The refreshing, autumn breeze that, oftentimes, blow over the rocks of the mountain and through any vegetation that reside on the rocky floor of the territory, give a feel of refreshment to combat the sun, although, because of the clouds that scatter across the sky, the sun isn't as brutal as it would be in the summer.

Unknown to Atra, she'd accidentally stumbled further out of the vast area the mountains cover, and close to the mystic caves. The female, being too focused on the surrounding scenery her, be it the birds who fly away from her as she approaches them, or the plants that seem alive when the wind decides to roll over the mountainous terrain, she is completely oblivious to what area she has entered. The small adventure turns into a problem as she spots the caves, not knowing how to get back to where she currently resides from where she stands, but what causes her the most panic is spotting another wolf. Her legs slightly shake due to nervousness and her tail falls. She slowly turns to try to retrace her steps all the while not making any noise, but being herself, she isn't the most graceful, and trips up, creating more noise than she anticipated.

[Meds]

Axel;

Blue ears flicked. The breeze was whistling over the mountains and getting caught in the crags of rock surrounding the caves (though not on the caves themselves, as they were so curiously smooth), but suddenly a sound that was not the wind came to Axel's ears. He was well-acquainted with the different sounds of the more organic side of the world, and paw-falls were not one of them. He even heard the small intake of breath, which indicated that he had been seen, and probably that the seer was either surprised or dismayed.
However, Axel, not being a wolf to bend to what others would like, quickly turned in the direction of the sound. His yellow-eyes fell across a wolf, obviously female with long legs and a thin frame, with a largely brown coat (though with markings of grey and white as well). His own deeply brown and blue coat was quite at odds with the more-natural coloured wolf, but he barely paid that any mind.

"Well hello there," He said, lifting his brow slightly and making no move towards her. He didn't want to frighten her. His lips tilted in a small smile, welcoming, and not assuming. "I'm afraid you've caught me in a rather deep moment of contemplation—such that it is." His smile widened, and his blue tail moved softly across the autumn-ground behind him. "I thought perhaps these caves were the fabled White Wolf caves—" He glanced towards her once more to see if she knew of what he spoke. "But I think they're just caves, after all."

[Emorli]

Atra;

The voice of another wolf noticing her presence startled the female to the point of not being able to move a muscle. One of her paws floating above the ground waiting to take a step with a few grains of dirt falling toward the ground where they were picked up. She opens her mouth trying to speak but her words refuse to leave her throat and she looks back and forth looking for an escape.

Every idea she had would be shut down by her own mind, fearing the outcome might be negative. Not being able to find another option to get out of her current situation, she finally manages to get any form of speech to emerge.

"I- Uhm- I'm not sure and hello." Her words come out awkwardly and her voice is soft and cautious with her head tilted down, looking up at the wolf with a spooked look. To Atra, the wolf doesn't seem like he'd do anything to her, but the confrontation of another wolf was what caused her turmoil. Her extreme insecurity caused her to fear other wolves, not because she was scared of them as a whole, but scared of what they thought of her. Scared they would dislike her, or be 'inconvenienced' by her. That insecure feeling causes her eyes begin wandering back and forth, purposely avoiding making eye contact with the one standing before the she-wolf.

[Meds]

Axel;

The female was terrified, it was plain to see. Simply terrified. Axel's ears flicked once more and his welcoming-smile faltered slightly. She was literally shaking. Axel's brow raised and he looked around himself, unsure of whether or not there was something else that was causing her so much discomfort. Surely it wasn't his simple hello that had set her to shaking?

He cleared his throat, eyes now flicking side to side a little bit awkwardly. Finally though, she answered. Axel almost exhaled in relief. He wasn't great in awkward situations. He always talked too much, trying to make up for the other wolf's lack, or trying over-hard to make them comfortable, which usually ended up having the opposite effect.
In any case, she stuttered out that she didn't know where they were, either. He nodded along slowly, his tail flicking slightly as she managed a hello, at the very least.

"I'm not all that fearsome, am I?" He asked, still staying in his seated position so as not to intimidate her anymore than he already had. His yellow eyes danced. "I'm on my best behavior, I promise."

[Emorli]

Atra;

Atra relaxed a bit in response to his successful attempt at calming her. Her shaking settled down since she'd seen him first, and her tail, rather than being tucked between her legs, was slightly handing in a more relaxed manner.

"Oh- I- Forgive me. I just- I'm sorry if I'm coming across as rude." She forces her eyes to meet his and bear the uncomfortableness for a moment if it meant at least making sure he doesn't think she's being rude or too awkward toward him, even though deep down, she knows that there is no way to get around her awkwardness, no matter how hard she tried. The air was heavy and weighed down her emotions like an anchor, twice her body weight, pulling her down into the unknown depths of the ocean. She moved her ears forward as if she's trying to say, [i"I'm comfortable with listening.' Of course, listening was never a problem with Atra, but speaking always was. She repeats a sentence in her head to make sure she won't stutter as much, and she finally answers the, still nameless male's question from before.

"N-No. You aren't fearsome." Afterall, it wasn't a lie. The wolf himself wasn't fearsome, but his thoughts, being unknown, were what was terrifying to her.

[Meds]

Axel;

Slowly, and in pieces, the female relaxed (well, at least got a little bit less frightened). She apologized if she was coming off as rude, to which Axel scoffed and shook his head. It wasn't rude—it was clearly fear, he just hadn't known why. He shook his head once more to reassure her.
She met his eyes for the briefest of moments, but quickly her eyes had darted away again. Axel didn't mind so much, as he wasn't in the business of putting others out of their comfort zone—but he was glad she was at least relaxing a little bit. He'd hate to cause her any large sort of discomfort. The female nodded her head slightly, as if steeling herself or rehearsing lines, and then managed to get a halting sentence out.

Axel's ears flicked again and he smiled, still seated, and turned to look at the caves again. Good, at least she had said out loud that he wasn't fearsome. Maybe if she said ti a few more times, she might believe it. Axel turned back and met her flitting eyes with his own steady gaze.
"My name is Axel. And I'm glad we've gotten to the crucial point in our relationship where you've decided that I'm not terrifying." A quiet, gentle chuckle broke from his mouth and he gave his blue mane a slight toss.

The wind whistled again through the trees around them, but Axel noticed once more how quiet it was when it reached the caves; after all, there were no crags or sharp pieces for the wind to snag on. It was perilously interesting.
"Have you ever seen natural caves like these?" He certainly hadn't. Even if these weren't the fabled White Wolf caves, perhaps some of their magic had wound its way to this side of the mountain. He supposed anything was possible in a land like what the valley was proving to be.

[Emorli]

Atra;

She wanted to laugh along with him, at his silly comment, but she couldn't commit to allowing the joyful noise to escape her dry throat. Instead, she's only able to stutter out her own name in response to his own little introduction.

"I-Uh," Her eyes dart around once again before looking at her feet, the feeling of her insecurities washing over her once again,"My name is Atra." Also taking notice to the calming sound of the wind, she gets slightly distracted and becomes less focused on the presence of the wolf in front of her, and more focused on the calming sound of leaves rustling and the slight whistling sound that the wind produced. Due to the distraction from the male, her stance is less defensive, her ears relax, and her legs straighten out a bit, raising her body further from the ground.

This time she speaks, looking into the direction the wind blew from watching the branches sway long with the force, I spend a lot of my time in the mountains. Her eyes move slowly back over to the male, losing her composure once again.

So- Uh, Yeah. I g-guess I've seen some.

[Meds]

Axel;

So her name was Atra. Axel smiled. It wasn’t so different from his own name—though their personalities were far from similar. He was about to comment thusly, when the sound of the wind seemed to speak to his company as well. She became less frightened, clearly, and her head almost nodding along in time with the wind as it poured and whispered through the caves before them. So she could go through life without stuttering and shaking. Axel put two and two together, and decided that it was him—another wolf—that made Atra so unsure.
While distracted, she told him in a clear voice that she spent most of her time up here in the mountains. Axel nodded slowly, not wanting to speak and break the trance. It was broken anyway though, for when she turned to look at him she fell apart again. Axel didn’t comment, but a very small smile was pulling at the corner of his lips.

”Must be rather lonely, spending so much of one’s time up here among the rocks...” His eyes twinkled. He wanted her to explain why she had so much fear, or at least to acknowledge it. Then again, perhaps doing such a thing else make everything much worse, which is why he hasn’t asked her about it outright. There was no sense in making her fall apart further. Axel searched his mind for another avenue she could turn down if his first comment made her more uncomfortable. ”Ah, so there are more like this?” Somehow he doubted that, but he had to say something. ”I’m new to this valley, and admittedly spent my adolescence in fields, rather than mountains.”
There we go. A gentle ease into light conversation. He wasn’t forcing her to hear about his past, but he was giving her a slight taste of who he was. Axel hoped, in this way, she would gradually get more comfortable. If not, no harm, but he wanted to try.

[Emorli]

Atra;

She could almost see the gears turning in his head, trying to figure out what's up with her, but don't think that him talking about himself a little didn't calm her a little. Well, it at least calmed her enough to answer his first question.

"Yeah," Thinking of her answer, rather than being so afraid, a sad feeling washes over her and causes her to pause a little after her first word, "I don't have many f-friends." Atra wasn't one you would usually catch lying, but she isn't really ever around other wolves, let alone being around them enough to make friends. The mountains became her escape from her awkwardness and lack of social skills, her safe place. To be honest, the small animals amongst the rocks and few trees were who she was comfortable to be around, but they don't talk to her so it's sort of a lost cause.

Going back to what's currently happening, Atra unconsciously moves pebbles around beneath her paw. She nodded slightly in response to the little snidbit of his life that he spoke about. "I-I see. In the recent years, I've been coming up h-here." A small smile spreads across her face and she looks up at the male in front of her in an attempt to calm herself down more than anything else.

[Meds]

Axel;

She was sharp, Axel could see at least that much. Even as he considered what she said and the way she reacted to him, he could feel her eyes on him; sizing him up and conducting her own analysis. Interesting.
Then, to Axel's surprise, her voice suddenly echoed with the unmistakable sound of sadness. His blue ears perked forward, and his eyes widened slightly. Atra said she didn't have many friends. Well, frankly, Axel could have guessed as much, if this was the way she acted around other wolves as well; then again, it was also rather sad that she hadn't found her niche yet. Stranger animals than her found their places in the world, and even their own type of companions. It wasn't unreasonable. Axel tried a bolstering smile.

"In the recent years, I've been coming up h-here."

Axel blinked, the slight shock he was feeling reflected on his face. Years? Years of such solitude? Suddenly, he wondered if half the problem wasn't created by the lack of social interaction. Of course she would be awkward around others if she didn't speak to anybody for years on end. He nodded though, trying to remain casual yet distant so as to make her as comfortable as possible.

"Years, eh? So I guess you know all about the White Wolves and their magic." He coughed slightly, then glanced upwards, straining his neck to gaze at the peak of the side of the mountain that they were on. "Are they around the other end? Or have I picked the wrong mountain completely?" He asked, in reference to the magical goddesses.

[Emorli]

Atra;

"Years, eh? So I guess you know all about the White Wolves and their magic." Atra sent a small nod toward him, confirming the first part, however, her being that interested in the White Wolves wasn't something she was agreeing with. She does end up around the caves due to subconscious wandering every now and then, but she does have her own reason for being in the isolated mountains: The peacefulness, lack of judgment, and beauty of the terrain. She often sits, not really having anything else to do, and wonders how these particular mountains were formed, how the vegetation got here, why other animals come to live here. She might see a wolf going up to meet one of the white wolves every now and then, but she usually doesn't trip up and catch their attention and can slip away unnoticed.

Once he turns his head away from her she feels a little more comfortable without eyes on her which allows her to muster up enough courage to (Sorta) correct him. "Not exactly.." Her words cause her to look off to the side a bit, her eyes trying to catch a distraction to keep her relaxed from any attention she drew with her quiet words. "And- Uhm- Sorry, I usually wander s-ubconciously. I'm not sure..." Her voice is sweet and caring, but it frequently quavers and a small hiccup when she spoke the word 'subconsiously'. Her attempts at straightening her voice out are futile, in fact, it makes it slightly worse the more she strains her vocal chords. (This is the most she's said in a while)

Finally distracting herself with a few pebbles on the rocky ground she'd able to distract herself enough to ask a simple question. "C-Could I ask who you're hoping to see? Just as she's finished her question she stops almost like she's turned into a statue with things like, Now I've done it. I've crossed my boundaries. I'm prying into his life now cluttering her mind.

[Meds]

Axel;

Axel's eye brightened as she answered him, corrected him even, but he didn't turn to look at it. If looking away caused her to speak, he figured that perhaps with this individual, avoiding eye-contact wasn't an awful thing. He felt a small smile tug at his lips at having (somewhat) solved the situation.
"Ah, subconsciously," Axel nodded along, springing lightly to his feet and trotting to the closest cave. He had almost been at its mouth already, so walking to it wasn't that far off from Atra anyway. He glanced back at her once, just a fleeting thing, to show her he wasn't just ending their conversation. "I, too, let my mind wander." He heard the scrape of a few rocks behind him, and then, lo and behold, she actually asked him a question!
He fought not to spin around and give her one of his most genuine smiles. If they weren't careful, this was going to turn into a real and fully-fledged conversation! Her question, however surprising, was a smart one. She didn't ask what alliance he was, and nor did she ask what power he wished to gain (for indeed there was none, he just wanted to see what all the fuss was about). He turned back to her and leaned his shoulders on the smooth walls of the cave behind him.

"Sheba, I believe." He cast his memory backwards, trying to remember if Sheba was the neutral goddess that Chhaya had told him about. It was not surprising that Geist had been the main topic of that conversation, with a wolf like Chhaya, but as Axel was neutral, Sheba was the goddess for him. "But it isn't in search of a power that I go. I hear that's why many make the trek to their caves. But me? Nah... I just want to take a look."

[Emorli]

Atra;

A quiet sigh of relief escaped her mouth, letting her body let go of the tense feeling. The male trying to continue the conversation made the she-wolf feel a little happy, rather than being as taciturn as she's been up until this point. As a way of showing him that she's listening, she gives a small hum and slowly takes small steps, inching her way a little closer to where the male stands while still keeping a bit of a distance. Her curiosity about the world that she had never introduced herself into, bring her to want to question more about this wolf. Another contributor to encouraging her to further speak to this male was the cheery way he moved, the friendly aura that she could almost see emanating off and around his body, in turn, making her feel a bit happier

W-What made you so curious about them, if you don't mind me asking. Also becoming a little interested in the cave moves around like she's following an invisible circle in front of the cave entrance, still keeping a bit of distance, but close enough to stretch her neck around and peek inside but, her attempt at seeing anything didn't prove useful because of the pitch black that consumed the inside of the cave.

[Meds]

Axel;

Axel could see Atra in the edges of his vision. It seemed that she wanted to get closer and keep her distance at the same time. Well, he supposed that was a positive change, as in the beginning she had just wanted to run the other way. He shared a private smile with himself, happy that he was able to (somewhat) put her at ease. She then asked another question, surprising him again and for all the world, making it appear as though she was truly interested in continuing the conversation.
Axel lifted a paw and brushed it across the smooth stones, then turned gently (slowly) to answer her.
"I went to have a drink in the river and came face to face with a wolf that hadn't been there before." He thought back, remembering his shock when Chhaya had appeared as if from nowhere. "Though, as I said, I wasn't interested in gaining such powers for myself—my mind became enamored by the idea that such gifts existed." And, frankly, knowing what sort of powers evil wolves could come at him with didn't seem like a half-way bad idea, either. He chuckled in the back of his throat, an easy and somewhat calming sound.

"Have you been to the White Wolf's caves?" He didn't think so, as she didn't have a glowing tattoo like he had seen on Chhaya, but one could never be sure. He assumed that not every wolf got a gift when they went in search; so for all he knew, Atra had already tried and been denied. He was curious though, and while she was talking to him, he figured he might as well try to capitalize. He could get two birds with one stone in this scenario, if he was careful. He could learn information about the White Wolves and what sort of powers they gave, and he might even make a friend.