Curiosity was what had drawn him from the bright, sunlit mountainside into the damp darkness of the cave system. Valentine was a sucker for adventure. He simply couldn't resist the opportunity to experience something new. While he'd explored a few caves he'd never been in this one and while most had several things in common they were each wildly different in other aspects. The land above and below them shaped each and every one of them differently. Some were stuffed to the gills with gems, others shone with the fiery light of lava. The narrow cave opened up suddenly into what sounded like a huge room. Each breath he took echoed back to him in hushed whispers; the chorus of ethereal voices giving him gooseflesh. He could only imagine what lay stretched out before him. There was something exhilarating about being in a place like this. The darkness and the mystery sent his imagination into overdrive. Were there creatures born in the darkness slinking around him, watching him from a distance? He felt small and vulnerable in what must have been a cathedral-like space. This, he mused, must be what prey experienced. His lips quirked at the thought. Unlike a deer he was unafraid of a fight. ""

Now that he had settled in Fiori, it seemed only right to Xephyris that he get acquainted with the surrounding territory. He really wasn't much of an adventurer, taking little interest in exploring new places. He liked having one place to call home, and he preferred to spend his time conditioning his body, eating well and always testing himself. However, today he was away from home with only the intention to traverse new land and then head back home. As he climbed a vague path up the mountainside, his claws scraping against rock, his nostrils flared at the sudden scent of a wolf. Although the individual was not familiar to him, something about the wolf's scent resonated with him and brought about a burning anger. Then it occurred to him - the scent that struck something in him was a pack scent. Imperium. The pack that had helped Abaven to destroy Hellstrom. It had been many seasons since the siege now, but it felt as though only a few sunrises had passed since he'd been forced to abandon his home. His opponent had left him with deep scars upon his muzzle, a perpetual reminder of that battle. His hackles rose as he began to follow the scent trail left behind by the lone wolf - what was he going to do when he found the being at the end of this trail? He wasn't sure yet, but he couldn't just walk away right now, he had to find out who it was. Besides, he was supposed to explore new places, right? Following the mountain path, he soon found himself at the mouth of a dark cave. Quickly taking note of his surroundings, Xephyris entered into the blackness of the cave. At first the cave was narrow, the floor dotted with treacherous dips and pit falls, which he avoided carefully with thougthful paw steps. Until at last he reached a wide cavern, realized only by the vast, hollow fealing. When he breathed, the echoes were not returned to him instantly. His whiskers didn't brush the walls, so he knew that the space aroud him had expanded. Knowing someone was already here, but unable to spot them in the darkness, caused him to rumble a low growl, ears perked as he listened for any signs giving away the location of the wolf he had stalked into the cavern. "Talk" "You" Think

His shoulder barely brushing against something gave the brute pause. Valentine turned to investigate. He gently brushed his nose along the foreign object, tracing the imperfections in its gritty surface. Stalagmite? The brute held the end of his nose to it and stretched up on the tips of his toes in the hopes of reaching the tip of the rock. He was unable to and even completely in the dark he still got the feeling that the tip of the formation was far beyond his reach. Quickly he abandoned it for other curiosities and once more resumed his cautious exploration. A low rumble sounded from somewhere in the cavern; the sound ricocheting off the walls and rushing at him from all sides, making it impossible to pinpoint its origin. Upon hearing it Valentine stilled and lifted his head as his hackles slowly prickled. His whiskers and ears pricked forward, lips curling slightly as he issued a deep growl of his own. He didn't know who was out there, but if they had the gall to growl at him, by god, he was going to growl back. ""

His ears swiveled as he paused to listen for any sign of movement, or any returning noise. As a growl rumbled back at him, he knew for certain there was someone close by, but the echoes of the cave made it impossible to tell exactly where. His tail flicked irritably, eyes searching the darkness futilely. He took several pawsteps, only to brush against a stalagmite, causing his hackles to bristle and lips to curl back - for a moment he thought he might have bumped directly into the wolf he'd been trailing. He wasn't going to find the wolf like this, and even if he did, there would be no use in the pitch black of this cave. Determining that it was best to stay in one spot for now, he kept close to the stalagmite formation, another growl escaping him in frustration. It would have been better to meet this wolf in broad daylight, but that was not the case, so he'd have to make due. "Imperium wolf..." Xephyris rumbled into the darkness, knowing the man could hear him, "What brings you to the East? A little far from your kingdom, aren't you?" Again, his ears would swivel, his head turning slowly as he tried to figure out where the other man was. Would his eyes ever adjust to the gloom of this cave? Was it even possible? He hoped so, for he wished to see who he was talking to, so he could look him in the eyes. Although Imperium might have suited him well at one time, Xephyris could not shake the hatred he held for them, and the wolves that had enlisted their help to lay siege to his home. He would not let go of it. And he did not want to see them roaming so confidently, like they could go anywhere they pleased. This was a free land, but Xephyris felt like this man didn't belong, but maybe he was just a little biased. "Talk" "You" Think