It hadn't been long since he'd been exploring new areas on his own, but now that he'd discovered this sort of independence, he was quite enjoying it. He felt so much older, so much bigger than before. His paws were still so big and clumsy... but his legs had grown. I'm gonna be taller than anyone else! he thought proudly to himself. He didn't need to be with someone all the time, there were lots of things he could do on his own. Normally he'd stick around with his siblings, or his dad, but today he wanted to get out and explore all by himself. And it was great. He had discovered the mines, and it looked like nothing he'd ever seen before. Everything in nature had uneven edges, natural curves. This cavern looked so symmetrical. It's opening was well-rounded, and the ground was flat. Ramsay approached the dark entrance, wondering what was inside, although he hadn't decided whether to go inside or not. Curiosity did pull him; maybe he should go in. I'll go in before any of my siblings do, and I'll be the one to tell them all about it! he thought, grinning to himself as he began to move toward the mine's entrance.

Enlil was little, still so very little and itty bitty. Not as a itty bitty as his sister Charm, but he was a tiny ball of fluff and innocent little balls of fluff liked to explore! Especially with spring and the pretty plants starting to grow. It was cool, but the boy didn’t mine the cool air. He was used to it because he’d been born here. The child had actually wandered pretty far from the den and surely when his mother realized he wasn’t there she’d be upset. But Enlil was oblivious to why she’d be upset... Or his father either. He didn’t understand the dangers that awaited the world. But this place smelled like home so he supposed it was okay to explore here.

Enlil caught the scent of another puppy and his tail set to wiggling. Excitement filled him, his amber eyes shining as he began to trot after the stranger right into the entrance of the mine. It was there that Enlil paused, giving a soft whine. It was... Dark in here. He hesitated, not wanting to get lost. Shifting on his paws he let out a nervous bark, calling to the other pup he assumed had to be inside. “H-Hey! Can you hear me?” Were they too far in already to hear his call?

Ramsay had entered into the darkness of the mines, exploring the smooth dirt floor, his paws occasionally scraping over flat stone. There were strange things in here, objects he couldn't recognize. They were not plants, nor trees, and they certainly weren't alive. But they didn't resemble any rock, stone or boulder he'd ever seen. Just as he was about to sniff at one of the strange, symmetrical objects, a voice called out to him, causing him to jump in startle and his tiny hackles to rise nervously. Who could that be? he wondered, the squeaky voice not registering as any one of his siblings. Whoever it was, he wasn't too happy that they'd spooked him and interrupted his explorations.

Stomping his little puppy paws, Ramsay made his way beck to the cave's entrance, where he could see light pouring in, and a small figure silhouetted against the daylight. "Who're you?!" he demanded as he approached the smaller pup. But as the features of the other pup became apparent, he stopped in his tracks for a moment, realizing it was one of Avalon's pups. He probably shouldn't talk to the boy roughly - he had to be nice to the other pup. "Oh, your mother is the Alpha, right?" he asked, wanting confirmation - if he didn't have to be nice, he wasn't going to bother faking it. But he knew he had to have respect for the pack leader and her kids, even if he thought his dad was the coolest, toughest wolf around.

Enlil stepped back once he heard the demanding voice, flicking his ears back as he caught himself. Though the boy was kind-hearted and sweet, he wouldn’t back down if whomever this other pup {judging by their voice} got into a scuffle with him! Enlil narrowed his little eyes at the stranger in the darkness, a figure who got closer. Enlil readied himself… he’d be prepared. Taking a breath the little wolf waited until the other boy spoke again.

“That’s right!” Enlil barked. His ears lifted and his tail began to wag… trying to be big and strong was too hard. He wanted to have fun! “Sorry if I startled you… I didn’t recognize your scent and well…” He frowned. “Looks pretty dark in there, isn’t it?” He cocked his head to the side, his golden eyes shinning with innocence. “My name is Enlil. What’s your name?”

The pup's little hackles prickled as he heard the other bark back at him, although as he paused outside the entrance to the big cavern, he knew who he was looking at. Definitely Avalon's kid. Even with Enlil's initial bark, the kid's tail began to wag, and it was obvious he wasn't trying to continue being tough, although he'd put up a tough front to begin with. Snorting to the other pup, Ramsay shook his head, scoffing slightly. "You didn't startle me," he ensured the other pup with a haughty tone, "I just didn't know who was there... Anyways, yea, it is really dark in there. Only the brave go inside on their own." His blonde tail swished back and forth, olive green gaze watching the other pup for a reaction.

"Hey Enlil... I'm Ramsay," he responded after hearing the other pup's introduction, "It's Ramsay Armada. Surely you've heard of the Armada's before?" Okay, so he'd gotten a little carried away with the rights of his birth name. But, as far as he knew, his bloodline was of only the finest, and he wasn't about to go around acting like he was some sort of lesser species, not even around the kid of an Alpha. One day, he and his siblings would reign over the rest of them. For now, he knew most of his limitations, yet he would still boast proudly about his lineage.

Enlil frowned as the other said that the mines were really dark, that only the brave went inside on their own. Was he brave? Could he go in there alone? One ear flicked back, though he decided to wait on answering the other boy’s challenge of sorts when Ramsay gave his own name. Armada... Of course he knew that name. Enlil perked up immediately giving a nod. “Of course I do! My dad is an Armada!” The young boy took a step closer to the golden furred pup, tail wiggling back and forth. Enlil’s naivity left him blind to why the other pup had brought up the family linage... But perhaps that was for the better right now.

“So you’re actually family of some sort, that’s so cool!” The young boy glanced back at the mine, his ears perking forward. If his... Whatever Ramsay was to him... Was able to go in there then surely he could too, right? “You said only the bravest go in there alone, huh?” Enlil was feeling a bit more confident, taking a step towards the darkness. “What if... We had a race to see who could get to the deepest part first?” Enlil shifted his golden gaze back to Ramsay with a grin, his innocence truly shining through.

“Unless that defeats the purpose of being brave...” He added, a bit of a sheepish smile on his face.

Wait, what?! They were related?? He stared wide-eyed at the other boy for several moments, in disbelief. Then his olive green eyes narrowed, and he took a step toward the boy, eyes glaring into him. Why hadn't he ever been informed that he was related to other wolves in Ivalice? He'd been certain that only he and his siblings were special. Was this little twerp really related to him? But then, if the boy was, he should probably treat him just like he would any of his own siblings. Still, he felt a little skeptical. "Huh, guess we are kinda family," he muttered, still not knowing what to think about it. When Enlil offered a little challenge to race into the darkness, to see who could go the furthest, Ramsay's little puppy hackles rose. No way was he going to lose to the younger boy!

"Fine, you're on!" he retorted, black-tipped tail waving back and forth. Maybe if Enlil put up a good race, he could really believe that they were related. He was just so thrown off by the idea that they were actually family, he couldn't believe it quite yet. "Like I said, only the brave go inside on their own," he snipped, "We'll see how far you make it.. ready? Go!" With very little warning, the boy turned and darted back into the cave, his paws carrying him back into the darkness. It wasn't like he'd gone very far on his own, but he wasn't going to let this little scamp show him up. His slightly longer legs carried him into the cave, and he didn't stop to look back and see if Enlil was following.

Soon, it was very dark, and he could feel drips of water landing on his back, trickling from the cave ceiling. It was dead quiet, and he was starting to lose his bearings. When he briefly glanced over his shoulder, somewhat nervously (although he'd never admit to it), he could still see the light from the cave's entrance, but the light was just a speck in an unknown distance now. Suddenly his paws hit something metallic. Hmmph, that was it. He must have made it very deep into the cave, since the ground beneath his paws had changed. There was a strange pattern of metal and wood beneath his paws. "I win!" he announced, placing his paws on the old mine tracks that must have once carried carts full of rock and dirt. In the back of his mind he knew he hadn't played fair, but then again, they hadn't really decided on any rules. And, being the older of the two, he had set the rules to suit himself and ensure his own victory - typical little cheater, proud and stubborn and always wanting to win at any cost! Of course, at this point he was deep into the mines, and he hoped he'd be able to make it back... it seemed fairly straight-forward, as he could see the light, but it kind of felt like he was beneath a mountainous amount of earth, and it was a rather suffocating realization... almost like there wasn't enough air down in the mine shaft. Fear started to prickle at him, but he wasn't going to show it, especially if Enlil was nearby. Now... where was the boy?

…and just like that the race began. Enlil took one look at the gaping mouth of the cave, taking a breath before plunging into the darkness. But somewhere along the way, his heavy breathing in his ears, he got lost. Suddenly it was incredibly dark and he couldn’t see back the way he came anymore… Little did Enlil know he had branched off from the main path, heading deeper into the mine and finding himself in a place where he couldn’t see immediately set the young one into a panic.

He could hear Ramsay’s voice echoing throughout the cave… and the child gave a low whimper. He didn’t know where it was coming from exactly… and he was scared. He swallowed hard, turning this way and that quickly as the cool stone clicked under his claws.

“H-hey…” Enlil called, his voice wavering though he willed it not to. “I… I t-think I’m… lost…” His ears pinned to the back of his head, starting to head off in a random direction that happened to be even deeper into the mine shaft. It was getting harder to breathe too… though whether from lack of air or his own fear he didn’t know.