Contemplation (Open)

[Emorli]

Atra;

The sound of the male's chuckle echoing through the ridges of the multiple mountains in the area causes a small smile to grow on Atra's face. The sound of laughter has always given the female a happy feeling. The fact that she knows someone is happy, bring her joy. She sends a small hum in response to her question before her words.

"I have." She leaves her response very simple, still reserving her words quite a bit, her small, quavering voice still evident, but she has relaxed enough for her stutter to not affect her last sentence.

The she-wolf's eyes glance around at the scenery around the two trying to find something interesting to distract her a bit, while also trying to keep her attention on her company, turning her head from side to side, subconsciously, causing her to look a bit funny on the outside. Eventually, she spots a shiny bug and turns to lay down in front of it with it in between her paws. She doesn't paw or try to eat the bug, instead, she just watches it crawl over pebbles.

[Meds]

Axel;

It was a short answer to his question. Short and to the point. Axel's ears flicked, having been hoping for a little something more. When had she gone? Why? What had the outcome been? Had she met a White Wolf?
"And how did that go?" He asked, tilting his head back to look at her, with the bulk of his body still angled towards the caves. He knew in the back of his mind that keeping a conversation going with a wolf who didn't want to speak could quickly prove difficult, but for the moment he was content enough.
In fact, a light breeze from within the mysterious cave had sparked his curiosity. He turned away from Atra, leaning forward and to the side slightly, peering into the shadows.
It was a deep cave, well-lit by the sun at first, but quickly losing light as it went deeper and eventually turned away. It appeared to go even deeper into the cliffside. Axel had half a mind to go in and inspect it, though he doubted Atra would be up for such an adventure.

[Emorli]

Atra;

Atra thinks for a moment, collecting her thoughts on what to say. Her ears turning back and forth in an awkward motion as she things, something that had turned into a habit for her since a young age. "I was told to return this season." Despite all the thinking she just did, her answer was extremely simple. But she did wonder, why does this wolf want to know more about the events of my life. Atra, knowing she was in fact quite boring, being that she hadn't really had anyone to make anything interesting, she grew to entertain herself with the smallest of things, shiny rocks, interesting bugs, new vegetation, all of which wouldn't be considered very interesting to most wolves.

Atra looks back into the abyss-like cave and her curiosity grows the longer she watches the darkness. Is there something in there? Her eyes travel from the void-like darkness and over to Axel. HE seemed fairly intrigued by the cave also. "Uhm- I'll go with you. Her words fly out of her mouth quickly, like she's trying to beat her natural instincts in a game of who can stop who first. The sudden words cause her to recoil a bit into a tense stance, but after a moment of realizing that she never finished her thoughts, she relaxes a bit to speak once again. In the cave. I mean. With her head tilted down a bit, she looks up at him. At least in the cave's darkness, it would be a little more relaxing for Atra.

[Meds]

Axel;

So she had met the great wolves—and been told to return? Axel's yellow eyes brightened noticeably. How very interesting. He tilted his head and considered her, wondering what it was about her that had caused the wolves to deny her in the first place, but tell her to return at a later time? It seemed rare, to him.

"Fascinating..." He murmured, then turned back to the cave. Atra spoke up again behind him as if reading his thoughts, saying she would accompany him into the cave. Axel turned and met her eyes. He hadn't even been sure he was going to go in at all; then again, if she was willing... why not? She seemed like she wanted to, though wasn't sure why she wanted to. Well, that was good enough for Axel. His tail flickered behind him gently, and he lifted his brow. "We could find anything in there..." He mused, glancing into the cave once more. It was true, he wasn't trying to scare her. "Think we're up for it?"

He took a few quick steps forward, until his paws came to rest on the mysteriously smooth stone underneath. He felt a smile pull at his lips, revealing his teeth. Perhaps they could discover just what had made them so smooth. Sudden images of massive worms burrowing their way through stone as easy as if it was dirt played in his mind, which dismayed him, but he quickly wiped his mind blank and turned once more.
"I'm game if you are."

[Emorli]

Atra;

Atra watches Axel move closer to the cave entrance, butterflies filling her stomach in anticipation of what might await the pair in the darkness of the cave. He turns back to her once more, causing her to look straight at his face, their eyes meeting for the second time this whole conversation. She sends the male a brisk nod and starts walking toward the mouth of the cave, half because her is curiosity is pushing her further, and half because it means she doesn't have to awkwardly look off to the side to avoid making eye contact.

Just like her company, the smooth floor of the cave surprised her quite a bit. How did it become so smooth? She takes one more step onto the cold, smooth floor. Her steps are slow and quiet, barely making any sound as she picks them up and puts them down once again, obviously not new to sneaking around without being caught, even though recently she had been too clumsy. She blinks a few times trying to help her eyes adjust better to the darkness of the cave, and she sniffs around in the air and on the ground for a trace of anything that might be there currently or had been inside of the cave recently.A bit scared of the darkness inhabiting the cave, she turns looking back toward the male accompanying her almost like she's looking for a kind of comfort, something to remind her that she's not alone in the intense darkness.

[Meds]

Axel;

That certainly answered his question. The female, so quiet and unsure a mere-moment before, had now stepped past Axel himself with a brisk nod. She seemed to find interest in the floors and walls, and why not, as this cave (like all the others beside it) was so smooth it demanded attention. No being that Axel knew of could do such things. Perhaps the White Wolves used to live here in days long past?
Axel smiled to himself, ever the brawny-but-quiet sort of male, and began to trot quietly after Atra. The two of them made almost no sound as they moved across the floor. There probably wasn't anything to fear within the caves; and yet, sometimes acting like there was made everything much more fun. There was nothing quite like being quiet because one was unsure if something was coming out of the darkness to get them.

Though Axel wasn't playing to their fear, he did allow himself a little bit of fun when a shadow moved strangely, or when a whisper of wind rustled against his fur and destroyed the serenity around him.
Atra looked back at him then, as if looking for comfort (though Axel knew this couldn't be the case). Axel gave her a big grin. This was fun, after all. And no real harm could come to them, two fully grown wolves, anyway. He was about to say as much and speed up into the darkness, when a great noise from behind them stole his words.

This thread has been hit by MOTHER NATURE!

#52 Mud Slide

::As the two wolves venture further into the cave, a tremor suddenly surrounds them. Behind them, in the clearing, mud loosened from the Autumn rains has slid down from up above the caves. It begins pouring down, bringing with it small to large-size trees, rocks, and other debris. Quickly, the entrance is covered and the mud begins spilling inside the mouth of the cave.::

Axel's head snapped back around from the mouth of the cave. If they didn't get moving, and soon, the mud would likely cover them up, for it was still leaking in at an alarming rate. It was quite dark in the cave now that the light had been blocked, but luckily there was a blue glow from up around the bend. It was quite faint, but enough to see by. Axel hoped it was just harmless glow worms.
"Atra, we've got to run!" Axel barked, springing forward and looking back at her to make sure she was taking the situation seriously.

[Emorli]

(OH LORD. Mother nature >.<)

Atra;

Atra was one to be scared by small birds picking on the trees, and the roaring sound of the earth above the cave they currently stood in coming down to trap them, terrified her. Her eyes widen and a shiver runs from the back of her neck all the way down her spine, her coat visibly trembling. The sound of Axel yelling didn't help her in this situation either, she jumps and tries to get her feet to move out from under her. A deep breath allows her to get her trembling legs to start moving and she runs as fast as she can, being left behind by Axel but about a foot.

As she ran so many different scenarios played in her mind, Axel and herself being trapped in the cave, her being left alone in the once comforting, but slightly creepy darkness, and the best possible scenario would be that they both escape without any injuries. Her ears fold back against her head from the fear of being trapped in the cave without any means to survive. Although she never thought she'd admit this to herself, she doesn't want to be alone. At least not alone in a cave where when there was a way to escape she wasn't comfortable in the closed off, almost suffocating feeling of the darkness. She watches as trees and rocks are pulled in front of the cave's entrance, which only caused her anxiety to be more evident and she becomes much more nervous, questioning her chance at escaping.

[Meds]

((Bwahaha))

Axel;

Hurried pawfalls behind him told Axel that Atra had sprang into action as well and was not far behind. The pair of wolves race away from the falling, and frankly deadly, mud and debris, deeper into the darkness of the cave. Axel felt Atra close at hand, a strange thing from the female who had been so frightened before—but he was thankful for the closeness. There was nothing quite like near-death to bring two previous acquaintances closer together.
They covered the distance quickly, and in a few long seconds, Axel felt they were a safe distance from the slide. He skidded to a halt on the smooth (and increasingly damp) cave floor, then turned to Atra, his chest heaving.
"Are you alright? Nothing fell on you, did it?" A crash from behind them made him guess that even more trees were being brought down from above—further blocking their escape route.

His blue-mane was darkened with mud, and his yellow eyes were wide in the darkness. The farther they went into the cave, the more the glow grew, but the darkness wasn't what had him worried in that moment. It was the thought that there may not be an escape route anymore. The entrance had been blocked. Fortunately, the cave continued on towards the glow, so he could only hope if they continued to follow it they may find a back-route out.
But there were no promises.

Axel swallowed hard, and after waiting for Atra's reply, turned his head and began walking towards the source of the glowing.

[Emorli]

Atra;

As soon as they get enough distance away from the various things blocking the exit, Atra stops and collapses. She breathes heavily, not from the running, but from the fear of being crushed by the falling debris. The smooth, rock floor cooling her nervous body. It takes her a minute to gain enough strength to lift her head back up. She nods as his first question, but instead of shaking her head she decided to answer with her own words.

Nothing did. You? She looks up at where his voice came from and the dark outline of his body, not being able to see his face. After her answer the cave fell silent, some water could be heard, but what was interesting to both Atra and Axel, was a strange glow. As Axel started walking away from Atra without warning, the darkness slightly worried her, so she hopped up hurriedly and trots quickly to Axel, the tip of her nose poking his back leg every now and then so she wouldn't lose him in the darkness.

The cave seemed to go on forever, but Atra had seemed to forget about her anxieties of other wolves due to the darkness, but instead of losing them completely, it just switched over to her having an anxiety about being trapped in a small dark area, that right now, seemed to be an endless void. She keeps her pace next to Axel until her paw suddenly comes into contact with something cold and wet. She stops in her tracks, frozen with wide eyes. The only thing that ran through her mind was What the heck is this?.

[Meds]

Axel;

Axel shook his head in reply to Atra's question, then, realizing that she probably couldn't see it well in the darkness, spoke out loud.
"No, nothing hit me, either."

As the two wolves pressed further into the darkness, every once in a while Axel would feel Atra's nose brush against his hind leg. He thought it was a mistake at first, but soon realized it was probably so she didn't lose him in the dark. That was fair. Even with being surrounded completely by it, his eyes hadn't adjusted to the gloom yet. But that didn't matter, as each second that passed, the glow before them grew.
He heard a quiet intake of breath from Atra then, and her pawfalls stopped. Axel turned and squinted into the darkness. He could just make out her form, one paw up and looking at the ground. He deduced that she had either stepped in something or stubbed her toes, but when he moved forward and pressed his paw against the ground as well, it came away wet and rather cold. He bent, and it was revealed to just be water—but it was flowing in a steady trickle from beyond the next bend.
"Come on," Axel hummed, and trotted the last few paces. The walls were still magnificently smooth, a fact that Axel could discern very easily, since when they rounded the next bend, he was dazzled by a sudden light.

A blue glow, so bright it felt like the sun after the darkness, suddenly surrounded them. From the ceiling, down the smooth walls, and to the floor. Thousands—millions—of glow worms, spinning weaving thread back and forth along the smooth surface. It was easy to see by; ridiculously easy, in fact. Axel actually had to squint.
The cave continued on in front of them, but for a moment the blue and brown wolf stood still, taking in the sights before them. He turned to glance behind him and grin at Atra. For a second, it was almost easy to forget that they were most likely trapped within the stone.

[Emorli]

Atra;

The sound of Axel's voice urging her to move forward got her to put her paw back down on the cave floor and sprung back up to where the male stood. Before she could make her way all the way to him, she should see a blue glow illuminating his front half until he turned to smile at her. A little smile spread across her face but she tried her best to make it not so noticeable. She halts her steps as she comes up beside him and gets a full vision of what he was seeing. Atra's jaw dropped at the beauty of the insane amount of glow worms. Each and every worm came together to create an extremely bright light, blinding her until her eyes adjusted enough to not hurt her eyes with the light. The smooth wall of the cave caused the glow worms to look like a wall of blue sunshine and it sparkled brilliantly. The khaki colored female nudged Axel with her shoulder and walked a bit further toward the wall. The closer she got the more she could make out each worm. Even though she had to squint her eyes because of the immense amount of light coming together, making it a little too bright for her liking.

"Wow. They're so bright." She laughs softly with her eyes still squinting. Her voice is still extremely soft and most other wolves would think she was talking to herself like she's crazy, but she was actually just sharing her amazement with her company, even if it was a little awkward for her at the moment to speak this openly to someone she's just met.

[Meds]

Axel;

Axel huffed quietly, agreeing with Atra's words. It certainly was bright. It was beautiful, really. For all of Axel's experience working the land, digging ditches and planting things—he had never seen anything quite like this.
"It almost makes this situation better, doesn't it?" His words held the slight drawl that was common in his voice, but he said in contently enough. He stood gazing at the light for another minute or so, when another distant rumbling reminded him of why they had been forced so deep in the first place.

He was about to move on, when he looked down and noticed Atra's paw. It was glowing, almost as brightly as the walls around them. Axel's brow lifted. She must have stepped on a worm or two—or perhaps their droppings glowed as well and had been in the water.

"Well look at that," He grinned, nodding at her foot. "Perhaps you've gotten a power from the white wolves after all." He chuckled, referencing the tattoos that wolves received with their powers. He had caught a glimpse of Chhaya's just before she left the water. He then sighed and looked forward. Thankfully, the cave seemed to keep going.
If they were lucky, it would eventually angle up and out, perhaps even leading to one of the other caves.

[Emorli]

Atra;

"Well look at that," Atra follows Axel's nod toward her foot and notices it glowing, causing her to jump with her paw held out in front of her body, startled by the light coming off of her paw. She started doing an awkward backing-up-limp, running into Axel on her way to back up in a circle, which also scared the living daylights out of her as she comes into contact with fur in the process falling onto her behind. She stands up slowly, avoiding eye contact with him, but follows his gaze to the continuation of the cave.

Atra tilts her head slightly around Axel to get a better look at what lies ahead and she begins walking with caution down the tunnel, looking at the walls and the floor as she continues moving forward. As she continues walking, she doesn't look back to see if Axel is even following her out of embarrassment from completely running into him and wiping out.

[Meds]

Axel;

Atra was not used to company; it was abundantly clear. That being said, Axel supposed that being locked in a dark, glowing cave with an unfamiliar wolf could put anybody off their game. He felt reasonably comfortable, but Axel prided himself on not getting into a tizzy about new or unfamiliar situations. He looked at it all as a new day, a new chance, a new opportunity.

When Atra slammed into him and then fell down in the echoing surprise, Axel stayed still, eyes widening a little bit. He couldn't win, with this one. Perhaps she was doomed to always be uncomfortable; however, that wasn't a be all and end all. Some wolves preferred the quiet. Axel knew, firsthand, that sometimes the quietest and shyest wolves were the smartest; the ones who thought things through the best.
"It's ok," Axel chuckled, his deep voice bouncing back at them from the smooth and glowing walls. He trotted forward to fall in line beside Atra, swinging his head to look sideways at her for a moment before turning his head forward again. "So tell me," He said, sensing her lingering embarrassment and wanting to smooth it over and get to calmer seas. "We're stuck in a cave together, we might as well get to know each other. Where did you grow up? What sort of things do you like to do?"

[Emorli]

Atra;

Even though it might've been a bit too late, Atra works up an apology for completely running into her new cave exploring buddy before she answeres his questions, Sorry... I grew up in the mountains with my family. It's p-probably why I'm most comfortable here. Due to talking about herself being a rare occurrence and her personality in general, it causes difficulties explaining things that have happened in her life, or things that have happened to her in general, even if it was just a question about what she has had for lunch. Atra's face heats up a bit out of embarrassment from talking about herself and it only gets worse as she continues talking, however, it's a miracle that she's even talking about herself in the first place.

It takes her a while to think of what she likes to do. She's never thought about it before, or even realized that she had things she enjoyed doing other than walking around the mountains during the spring, just after all of the snow has melted, where it's still fairly cool, but the water creates small streams in between the rocks, giving life to the vegetation around it. When all of the wildflowers covering the mountains little pathways bloom and when all of the birds play on the ground. The picture that is created in Atra's mind causes a pleasantly peaceful smile to spread across her face. "I've - uh - always liked exploring the mountains. Despite her usually being so uncomfortable as she talks about herself, the topic of nature has always put her mind at ease so much so that her voice quavers less, her tone steady. "W-what about you?" She faces forward the whole time she spoke with her neck lowering her head down as she smiles, trying to hide the emotion, happiness, that seemed so drastically different from her usually terrified expressions.