Come down, come down sweet reverence

Jynn scooted closer and closer to the north, curious to see the harshness of the winter there despite her more sensible side urging her to wait til spring. She would have continued due north if it hadn't been for an odd opening in the ground. Curiosity drove her forward and down into the depths of the strange cave. One of the first things she noticed was that it seemed much warmer down here and up ahead was a strange glow. Did someone live here? Her ears flicked forward but she couldn't quite describe what she was hearing. It sounded almost like a low wind and cracking rock. As she rounded the corner she froze in shock as she saw a river of lava eating its way through the cavern.

The lava was dark but full of brilliant yellow and orange cracks as it rolled along. Columns of rock supported the roof of the cave but here and there she saw falls of lava, of all sizes, oozing down into the main river. Sparks flew into the air and it was positively sweltering. A v-like crack in the rock wall ahead of her revealed more lava falls dripping down into another flow. How vast was this place?

He had asked the Spirit for permission to take a few days to travel around the west so that he could become more familiar with the land and she thought it was a great idea and sent him on his way as long as he was back in a few days time. Drachen set out on his trip just after he had talked to Aurielle and began to head north, staying to the west so that he could follow the shoreline back home, carefully memorizing the different landmarks. He was about to head back south to return home when he felt a strange warmth to the air as he passed by a large cave. He couldn't deny that the warmth felt good in his pelt compared to the frigid northern air and he paused for a moment to let the heat seep into his skin and muscles. As he stood there with his oceanic blue eyes closed in pleasure, his dark ears twitched as he heard Enzi land on a branch above him and true to her sassy nature the Hawk remarked "What are you? A lizard now?" A chuckle rumbled in his chest as he opened his eyes to look at his companion and make a face at her playfully and turned his attention on the cave. I wonder why there is warm air coming from there?" he asked mostly to himself but he heard Enzi ruffle her feathers and mumble "Maybe a dragon to eat you up." He rolled his eyes and scoffed "Please, you would miss my handsome face." The raptor only laughed at him, but the creaking of the wood beneath her talons told him that she was worried about him entering the cave.

"I'll be back." he called over his muscular shoulder before he padded into the cave, leaving the Red-Tailed Hawk on her perch at the mouth of the cave with a flick of his obsidian tail to signal her to stay. He could already smell the hint of sulfur in the air and he knew birds were extra sensitive to noxious gas. His paws steps echoes softly as he padded deeper into the cave but soon another sound was growing louder as the darkness started to give way to an orange light. A tan brow rose over a deep blue eyes as he slowed down and took more care to where he stepped and his surroundings. The once pleasant warmth was starting to become uncomfortably hot and soon his jaws parted as he began panting. Maybe I should turn around he thought to himself as the stench of sulfur was beginning to burn his nose but as he rounded the corner a massive cavern opened up and he would have sworn that he had been swallowed up by hell itself. Streams of lava oozed from crevices in the walls, pooling into molten rivers on the floor, glowing and bubbling as it slowly moved along. The sight of it had him standing star-struck in awe as he took in the lava filled cavern until a movement caught his attention out of the corner of his eye and he turned his face to see a long legged wolf-like creature also exploring the cavern. He had never seen such a canine before but also his Alphess had a mane and sabre teeth with a brilliant glowing pelt so he wasn't too shocked by the other canine's appearence. But he grew worried as she traveled deeper in the cavern and another lava flow began to ooze in her direction and he called out "Hey! Watch out!" his voice echoed in the chamber.

Come down, come down sweet reverence

Jynn wrinkled her nose at the foul smell in the air. Sulfur permeated the cave and between the smell and the heat it was almost unbearable down here. Still, she couldn't quite pull herself away, not yet. She opted to linger for a bit longer and then she would continue her exploration of the north or other nearby lands. Come to think of it, it had been awhile since she'd been to the battlefield. Perhaps she plan a stop there.

Jynn looked back the way she came as she picked up the sound of claws on stone. Oh boy, who else was coming down here? It was a man, similar in height that called out to her. She glanced at a lava flow that had shifted course toward her and she deftly stepped aside. "Don't worry, I see it!" She trotted over toward the man. "What brings you down here?"

The other canine looked back towards him when he called out to warn her about the lava flowing her away and he released a breath that he didn't know he was holding when the maned wolf danced out of its path. He watched as the other canine trotted over to him, his body relaxed and loose as she neared. His tan tipped tail even gave a few wags as she stopped near him. She seemed friendly enough and he did not come down here for a fight. "Curiosity. I passed by the mouth of the cave and wondered what would have caused the warmth coming from it." He replied and a smile nodding his black face towards the lava and continued "I'm not sure what I was expecting but this certainly was not it. Though it certainly is spectacular." his blue eyes scanned the rivers of lava once more, trying to find the source of the lava but it seemed to be coming from everywhere.

"How about you? What bring you down here?" he asked her, a tan brow raised above a blue eye handsomely. However his attention on the other canine quickly wavered to his paws as he noticed the pads of his paws were starting to get unbearably hot and he shifted his weight so each one a brief time to cool off, but he knew he wouldn't be able to stand still on the hot floor much longer. "Would you like to explore it further together? Probably safer to have a partner to explore with incase something happens?" he offered as he lifted his eyes off the floor to the female canine's purple gaze. Of course she could say no and he would go his separate way but it would be nice to have someone else to explore this piece of hell with.

Come down, come down sweet reverence

Jynn nodded as the other man spoke. "Honestly, pretty much the same thing. I was headed north to explore when I saw this cave and noticed how warm it seemed. I just had to take a look." It probably wasn't the wisest thing to just go walking into a random cave but since it was winter she felt pretty sure she could spot a bear before is spotted her. Hopefully, all the bears in this region were deep in hibernation and wouldn't wake from the wanderings of a stray wolf.

He offered to explore with her and she nodded. "That would be great! Don't worry I don't want to stay long, I just wanted to peek around that bend up there then get the heck out of here. My name's Jynn by the way." With that she headed back toward the bend and deeper into the cave. She moved carefully, making sure not to get to close to the lava floes. When she turned the bend she found herself in yet another chamber, this one housing a lake of lava. "Oof… that's a lot of molten rock."

It seemed they were both curious by nature, her reasoning the same as his and he chuckled softly. The other canine was quick to accept his offer to explore and he nodded in agreement when she assured him that she did not want to stay long. Honestly he did not want to either as he was certain that not only that his paw pads might soon burn off but that the sulfur that filled the air couldn't be all that healthy to breath in. "A pleasure to meet you Jynn. I'm Drachen." he replied as he fell into step beside her as they walked. He was nearly mesmerized by how the lava moved, its glowing surface a contrast between bright orange and black. It honestly reminded him slightly of Ardyn and how the boy nearly glowed in the same way when air touched the boy's dark fur. Drachen swiped his tongue over his lips once as they walked deeper into the cave and rounded another corner and another, even larger, cavern opened up before the pair of canines. His jaw would have parted if it had not already been open from his soft panting. All he could so was nod in agreement at first when Jynn commented on the amount of lava that stretched before them.

"I wonder how many of these lava filled caverns there are in Boreas and we just don't know..." his hushed tones rumbled in  his throat as his eyes took in both magnificent and terrifying sight. Large pillars of rock somehow survived the unbearable intensity of the heat and touch of the lava, holding up the roof of the cave. Massive lava flows ran down the sides of the caverns to pool thickly in the lake before them. Despite knowing better, Drachen glanced around the cavern looking for any signs of life that may have somehow made some sort of life down here, but all he saw was a darkened scorched rock and dried lava mounds. "Only the gods could have created such a thing..." he found himself saying, his oceanic blue gaze turning to find Jynn's. He did not particularly believe in any one god or gods but it was times like this, that make him think that there had to be some sort of divine being or beings out there

Come down, come down sweet reverence

The man introduced himself as Drachen and the duo continued their exploration. However, these deeper caverns seemed even hotter. It was getting to the point that Jynn was feeling really uncomfortable. It was hot, difficult to breathe and she felt sweat starting to collect between her toes as she panted.

"I have no idea. It looks like it goes back pretty far, maybe all the way to Mount Volkan." It was disconcerting to say the least. If anything these chambers meant that there was still plenty of volcanic activity in Boreas and the chance that the mountain could erupt again. She let Drachen's comment about gods pass by her. In truth she wasn't for sure what she believed in as far as the supernatural. "Oof, I don't know about you but I'm ready to get out of here. I think I'm going to head farther north. How about you?"

A dark ear twisted towards the maned wolf as she replied to his comment, using a name for what must have been a nearby volcano and he committed the name to his memory. Mount Volkan must have been the massive mountain he had seen in the distance when he was heading west to find Aurielle. Slowly, a map of Boreas was starting to form in his mind, slowly filling in as he explored more areas. He licked the tip of his nose, now completely dry from the increasing heat and he started to feel a bit light headed as the dry air began to suck the moisture from his body. He was glad when Jynn said she was ready to leave and he nodded in agreement, perhaps a bit more vigorously than he intended. "I must say, I will be vary glad to be in the winter air after this." He turned his body and started heading the way they came after he was sure that his exploration companion was following.  His oceanic blue eyes glanced at her as she stated she was going to head further north and with it being winter, he hoped that she would fair well in the harsher winter in the north. "I must be heading back south. I told my pack I would be returning after a few days after exploring the surrounding area. They will be expecting me soon." He replied to her, gently aiming to nudge her shoulder when he caught sight of a lava flow starting to head in their direction. Once they had passed it he spoke again. "What sends you northward in the Winter?" Perhaps it was too nosy of a question and he would not push the issue of she did not answer him but at least the conversation kept his mind off of the heat that was thankfully becoming less intense the closer they got where they had started. At least now he felt like he could breath a bit easier. Soon they rounded another corner and came back to the cavern they had started at and he sighed a breath of relief as the light headedness he felt in the other cavern lessened. It was still uncomfortably hot but he felt like he could stand this a little while longer.

Come down, come down sweet reverence

Jynn nodded at Drachen's words. After being in this sweltering heat the cool chill of the winter air would be a relief though she knew she'd regret it soon after. Especially as her paws were starting to sweat from the heat of the rock beneath her paws. The sweat would mean bitterly cold paws once she was back on the surface but it would be worth it for the fresh, clean smelling air of the surface.

Jynn turned around and started heading back, deciding she'd had enough of this. The man stated that he would be heading south again. This was probably the wise thing to do but she was determined to see the northern ocean so she'd continue on her way. "Oh, I'm just out exploring. I wanted to see what winter in the north is like for myself and I also want to see the northern ocean."

He was grateful that the woman beside him did not linger longer in the other cavern and continued making her way towards the mouth of the cave, but he kept the relief from his dark face as his long strides fell into step with her. Jynn answered his question without any aversion and he found himself smiling at her reasoning. This woman wanted to brave the severe winter just because she wanted to see what it was like? In the past he had seen battle harden warrior whine like little pups about the winter air and snow but here is this strange long-legged wolf going up north in winter for funsies. He for one was grateful that Valhalla was in the southern region and the winters were not as back...Or at least this one. From what he had gathered, this had been a rather strong winter than usual. "You are much braver than I." his hushed toned voice rumbled in admittance. The further they traveled, the rock below his paws was growing cooler with each step and his pace slowed ever so slightly out of response of his paws nearly burning before. "If you ever find yourself this way again, you must tell me what the north sea is like. I have yet to travel that far. One day, maybe I will." he continued, a blue eye glancing in her direction.

Finally he could make out the mouth of the cave and feel the chilled air drafting in, causing a large shiver to run down his spine in response. He closed his eyes for a moment as he found relief as his body began to cool but he soon stopped just inside the cave. "Might be a good idea to wait a moment for our bodies to adjust to the difference in temperature. Im sure the sudden change would not be very healthy. Certainly now is not a good time to get sick" he rumbled, his face turning to find hers. Of course the strange wolf could go her separate way if she so wished but he would wait a few minutes before he moved on. Already, his heavy pants had eased into a lighter, more relaxed pace. Still, he knew he would have to drink water or eat some snow to replenish the water he had lost in the lava chamber.