ooc;; I figure we can go through the earthquake, you can finish it in your post if you want or carry on with it. surprise me ;D The first tremor shook her awake, jolting her from her dreams despite it being minor and disappearing almost as soon as it had come. She blinked hazily, large ears folding back against her skull as she looked around at the forest to see where the strange feeling had come from. The only time she had felt something like that before was when she had seen a stampede but it had never come and gone before. Maybe she had just imagined it? The girl let out a soft sigh and turned her gaze down to Talon who lay sleeping beside her and she couldn't help but smile. She was flopped with her hips so the side so her back and shoulder were pressed comfortably up against him but she didn't move just in case she woke him. Slowly she would lower her head back to her forepaws, leaning more into Talon as she let her eyes slip closed. A yawn stretched her jaws open before they fell shut again and she tried to go back to sleep. It was another 10 minutes before the next tremor hit, this time stronger, enough for her to snap her head up and look around quickly. "Talon? Did you feel that?" She asked, voice a soft whisper as she pushed her forepaws up and herself into a seated position, hips still pressed against Talon's side. She was starting to get scared, was a stampede coming? Everything came flooding back, all those memories of her mother getting impaled by that bull elk and the sadness and fear that had followed. Were they coming for her? Her haunches unfurled underneath her as she stood, dainty paws taking tentative steps foreword as wide eyes darted too and fro. She was maybe only 10 steps away from him when the ground really started to shake, immediately her paws splayed to brace herself knees bending to absorb some of the shock. Eyes darted to and fro as she watched the world start to collapse around her, trees quivering around them and the larger ones beginning to splinter and crack. The noise was almost as bad as the feeling of her insides ping ponging around against her ribs and her bones creaking in her legs. "Talon! What's happening?!?!" She asked, unable to move from where she had planted herself or even turn around to see what was happening to Talon. Tears were forming in her eyes now, tail tucked completely between her legs and ears pinned to her skull in fear. CRACK! The sound was harsh and thunderous, overwhelming almost and she looked around to find the source of the sound. Somehow her eyes managed to widen further, her orbs almost engulfing her whole skull as she spotted the tear in the earth, no more then 50 meters away from her and spreading. It slithered and slipped towards her and the ground began to shudder more and more. She dropped to the ground, trying desperately to curl up in a ball and make it all go away but it was mere moments before the crack reached her. Then she was falling, tumbling and spiralling only a short distance but she hit one wall then the other and her head was thrown violently against a a rock. The ground was sloped slightly and she hit it at a tumble. Kangi wasn't sure how long she fell but she ended up in a heap at the bottom. She felt dizzy, nauseous and everything was still shaking and spinning. Where was she? Where was Talon? "? Talon? ? T- Talon?" She mumbled, once again trying to shuffle herself up into a seated position and casting her gaze around. Dust and pebbles were cascading down around her but she wasn't really sure what was happening. Did things look different? Where was Talon? Everything about herself was forgotten suddenly, adrenaline hitting her like a slap across the face as she stumbled to her paws. "Where are you?!?! TALON!" She cried, realizing that he wasn't in her immediate vicinity and panic hitting her immediately. Gaze was thrown around desperately, the world was still shaking but all of that seemed minor now. Head arched back as she looked upwards. Though she couldn't see the sky through the dust that continued to pour in she was deep within the earth now. But where was Talon?

In a matter of moments, his entire life changed. The earth's gentle rumbling did not alarm him. It felt distant, like something within a dream. He felt his body vibrating gently, and instinctively he pressed closer into Talon. They had decided to stay here, for now, until he felt ready to swim to the island. It was a long swim, and he wanted to eat and rest before they made the journey. The skies hadn't looked clear, anyway, and he feared getting caught in a storm before making it across. Kangi's warmth was beyond comforting, and he found himself, drifting deeper to sleep as she stirred beside him. He was oblivious that something was wrong, for everything felt so right. But she seemed restless, and slowly he would rouse from sleep. It seemed to be quite the struggle, and he blinked his eyes open groggily. "What's wrong?" he asked softly, voice heavy with sleep. Slowly his eyes closed again, as though they had a mind of their own. But quickly, as more tremors began to shake the earth, he realized something was going horribly wrong. Something akin to panic flooded his body as he pulled himself unsteadily to his paws. It was difficult to stand as the earth quaked beneath him, having only three limbs, and quite quickly he found himself crumpling to the ground. He was not strong to force himself upright in such powerful quakes of the ground; all he could do was brace himself, pressing close to the earth. A whine left his lips as he heard the horrible sound, as though the earth were splitting in too. Trees began to buckle and crack all around them, as helpless as blades of grass, and he thought for certain that today would be his last. At least he had been with Kangi... His pale silver gaze searched so desperately for her. She had been right beside him, and suddenly his vision had been obscured by debris and dust and fear. He watched in terror as the ground itself split, opening towards him as though threatening to devour him. Talon clung desperately to the earth, but he found himself quickly tumbling, helpless against the forces that pulled him downward. All he could do was keep his limbs pressed into his body and hope for the best. All he saw was darkness as he tumbled into the earth. He felt his head collide with something solid and slowly his vision grew foggy. A pain radiated from his side. A cry left his lips as he struggled to pull himself upright, but his limbs did not seem willing to work. But Kangi's voice was audible even through the chaos. And slowly it seemed to subside, though he was dreadfully afraid it might start again. He closed his eyes to protect them from the dust as it continued to fall. "I'm here!" he called out, voice quivering with fear he didn't bother to contain. "Are you okay?!"

Everything trembled and shook, pebbles and dust falling down around her. Above there was the thunderous sound of trees cracking and splintering as they bowed beneath the force and crashed to the ground. Some small part of her was relieved to be below it all, below the chaos and destruction but where was Talon in all this? Was he up there trapped beneath a tree or worse yet wounded? Was he stuck or hurt? her mind raced through the possibilities as she cast her gaze frantically around. None of her senses were working, she could't seen anything through the dust and it clogged her nose just as bad. The sound of clattering stones and trees falling like twigs were all around to the point where she could hear nothing, barely even her own voice as she called out for him in dismay. But then his voice would cut through it all, closer then she had thought and slowly she would shuffle one paw in front of the other in the direction of his voice. She had given up on her vision, eyes screwed shut as pain radiated through them and tears blurred her eyes in an attempt to rid them of the debris. The tremors began to die down but she didn't dare open her eyes. "I? I think so? Are you okay? What happened?" She called out, not quite sure of his vicinity to her just yet. Then she hit him, walking almost straight into him and smacking her head into his shoulder. "Ah shit, sorry." She cursed, it was the first time a swear had dropped from her lips ever but it came easily as the panic and fear that swarmed her mind. Eyes would blink rapidly, only opening slightly at first as she tried to blink away the dust. Her eyes felt itchy and her head was pounding but other then that she felt fine? As she opened her eyes she realized the dust was continuing to fall around them but at a slower rate then before. Beyond that everything looked weird. Wait? Slowly she lifted her head, looking directly at Talon at first and turning her head to the right to look at him through one eye then to the left to look at him through the other. Except as she started turning to the right instead of being able to see him he slowly faded into darkness. Taking an uncertain step back she blinked, shaking her head before looking at Talon once more. Closing her right eye first she made sure she could see before opening it and closing her other. Complete darkness. Blinking a few times with that eye alone to make sure this wasn't just going to go away she started to breath quicker. She couldn't see. She was blind. Only in the one eye yes but on top of everything else it was all settling in heavily around her. Where were they? What was happening? "I can't see through my eye?" She said quietly, voice trembling almost as much as her legs were. Slowly she looked up, the surface seemed so far away and though there was ledges leading down to where they had fallen there was nothing they could scale. "What do we? what do we do?" She asked, voice sounding breathless as she struggled to find it. The walls felt like they were closing in around her, like they were stretching up and she was falling again. Ears pressed against her skull as she lowered herself closer to the ground. Were they going to die here?

Talon was not a particularly brave creature, but even now, he felt especially terrified. Not just for himself, but mostly for Kangi. He had told her -- he loved her. Right now, she was his entire life, and the thought of her being hurt was far too painful for him. Even as he lay pressed to the earth, frozen to the spot, he felt his limbs quivering beneath him. "I.. I think so," he answered timidly. His limbs ached terribly, and he couldn't help but pray that nothing was broken. He would be useless if one of his legs was broken. Could he even walk then? A whimper escaped his throat involuntarily as he struggled to pull himself upright. He was surprised when Kangi walked into him, as he continued to keep his eyes closed, unsure if the dust and debris had settled. When he finally opened his eyes, he noted that Kangi looked just as afraid as he did. Her words made him gasp softly. She couldn't see? Another whine left his lips as he struggled to pull himself upright. Slowly he rose, despite the pain in all of his limbs, watching her carefully. "Kangi..." His words were soft and frail. Was she truly blind in that eye? He swore he saw debris there, her eye filled with dust, but what if it had damaged her eye permanently? He pulled himself closer to her, not wanting her to be afraid. "We'll be fine. We'll find our way out." He didn't sound as confident as he had hoped he would, but he would do anything to get them to safety. Slowly he glanced around. There was an eerie glow in the distance, and though it was sign of something in the darkness, he couldn't help but feel wary about exploring this area below the earth's surface.

She had always been the brave one, the one to force a smile even when Talon was nervous or scared but right now everything was going wrong all at once and she was freaking out. Her breath was coming in gasps and eyes fluttered in an attempt to clear whatever might be blocking her vision. She was starting to panic and freak out, a small voice in her head telling her to stay calm and stop freaking out else she scare Talon. But she couldn't help it, couldn't relax. They were below the world and above them everything seemed to be getting destroyed and broken. Even the trees were being destroyed! What if they hadn't fallen, what if they had gotten trapped under a tree? So many bad things could have happened, so many things worse then getting trapped underground. That thought was what started the calming down process, along with some deep breathing and hearing Talon's voice as uncertain as it was. He scrambled to his paws before her and she could see her fears and uncertainties mirrored in his own face as he stared at her. Her name dropped from his lips softly, just as scared as she was. She was trembling almost as violently as the ground had a moment ago despite the fact that it lay still beneath her paws now. Talon moved closer to her and she closed her eyes and attempted to press her forehead against his. She needed an anchor, a support to keep her sane in these uncertain times and she always found that when she was near Talon, the physical contact helped. He tried to sooth her, words slipping from his tongue and she tried to further anchor herself to them, trying to find comfort in them. Yes? They would find their way out?"Okay? Lets see if theres another way out?" She said softly though her voice still trembled. She attempted to clear her throat, pulling away from Talon enough to shake her head in an attempt to clear her head further. First she looked around, trying to look at the crack in the east they had fallen through, though it took a while to do this to since she really only had one eye to use. In her 360 scan she saw the same something Talon did, a bit of an eerie glow off in the distance further beneath the earth surface. "Do you see that too?" She asked quietly, though there was some awe and wonder in her tone replacing the fear there was still a quiver in her tone. For a moment she looked back at Talon to see if she could find some confirmation in his face before turning around so she was facing the same way as Talon and looking into the darkness. Some of that adventure and imagination seemed to return all at once, eyes continuing to blink debris from her eyes and maybe if this was a hallucination then it would go away too. "Lets go see, maybe theres a way out..." Though her voice was a whisper it echoed eerily off the stone walls surrounding them. Her ears folded against the sound and for a moment she would look around before starting off towards the glowy things. She lowered her head to feel along the ground for any major debris she would have to hop over, staying close to Talon as well in case the uneven ground gave him trouble.

Talon knew he would take care of Kangi, despite what happened to her. He knew she would do the same. Even if she went totally blind, he would be her eyes and guide her. He had told her that he loved her, and since being back with her, his feelings had only grown. Seeing her so distraught made his chest tighten, an invisible pain up welling deep inside him at seeing her like this. He tried so hard to keep a brave demeanor for her, but it was so obvious he was terrified. It was as though the earth had swallowed them whole, and all around them was rubble and darkness. For a long moment he stood there before her, afraid to leave, as though the world would crumble into nothing if he dared step away from her. They decided they would find a way out. He didn't know how long it might take, but they could do it -- together. And if not? At least he would die here, with her, the only way he ever wanted to be at such a moment. These thoughts would not linger for long, though, and he watched her carefully as she pulled away. He didn't think about death much, and around her, all he wanted to focus on was living each day to its fullest. Even now, however many feet they were underground, somehow he found hope in her fearful stare. A deliberate smile would cross his lips, though his voice quivered, even as he leaned to lap gently at her cheek. "Okay." They moved alongside one another. Never had anyone been so aware of how difficult moving could be for him -- she stood so close that he felt her fur brushing along his own pelt. The feeling continued to send chills down his spine, even though he had been with her now for many weeks, even though they had shared so many nights pressed close to one another in the comfort of whatever den they had found that night. His gaze was wide as they wandered slowly. He felt soreness in his limbs, but nothing that a good nights sleep wouldn't cure. The walls themselves seemed to glow as they drew closer to the chamber. It was filled with brilliant light, blue and purple. The light was not at all overwhelming, but so much brighter than the darkness that had enveloped them. It was mesmerizing, and he directed them slowly toward the light. As they drew near, the source of light became clearer. Mushrooms? How odd.. he sniffed at the things, finding the scent rather intriguing, if not strange. "What are these?" he turned to ask her softly. It seemed the earth had ceased its rumbling, and they were no longer in direct danger. Anyway, both of their interests had been piqued. Gingerly he lapped at one of them, cringing a bit at the strange bitter taste. It didn't seem edible, so he shrugged a bit and pulled away from it. It seemed reasonable to try to find some food here -- what if they were stuck here for awhile? But these things certainly were not edible...

She honestly didn?t know what she would have done in this situation if she hadn?t had Talon there with her, probably would have freaked out and curled up in a ball. But something about the mixture of needing to get back to the surface and to get Talon to safety so she could drag him back to the island and away from all this drove her onwards. His brave front was what was keeping her together, the rock that she was grounding herself on. Even if he was panicking just as much as she was she didn?t let herself come to terms with that, didn?t let herself look past what he was currently saying and doing. She just wanted to get out of here, wanted to get back to the surface and figured out if this whole blindness thing was permanent. Unlike him her thoughts did not wander to death or what would happen to them if they didn?t find a way out of here. All she knew was that she was extremely glad he was here with her, especially as he leaned forward to lap at her cheek reassuringly. Carefully he agreed that they needed to find their way out and slowly she would nod her head, casting her gaze around once more. Slowly they would begin their trek, first in a dull light from the crack they had fallen through then into slowly deepening darkness as they drifted further into the caverns. As it got darker she moved slower, making sure never to loose contact with Talon for more then a second, taking comfort in the feel of his body against her own. The all of a sudden everything seemed to brighten again and Talon moved ahead slightly to direct their path towards whatever it was that was glowing. She was curious but also hesitant, she had never seen anything like this before. For a moment she hesitated as he moved forward but as he slipped alongside her now blind side, loosing contact with him for a short moment, she gasp and scuttled forward to press her shoulder into his flank once more. He didn?t seem to worried though, more interested in the glowing things. His curiosity seemed to ignite her own as he questioned what they were. She stepped along beside him, sniffing at the odd things and nosing at them gently. They were kind of slimy. Was it a coating on them that was glowing or did the mushrooms themselves glow? She heard him speak but didn?t respond right away, instead doing some investigating of her own. Unknowingly she would do the same as Talon was doing on her blind side and pink tongue would dart out to swipe along the mushroom. Her face contorted into a sneer of disgust as she pulled back, drawing her tongue along her teeth as if she could scrape off the flavor. ?I don?t know but defiantly not dinner?? She mumbled as she stepped back from the mushrooms and continued to gaze around. There were mushrooms almost everywhere, as well the cavern seemed to be lined in a soft spongy moss. Slowly she would move away from Talon, not too far, allowing paws to investigate the odd flooring. It felt good on her toes and slowly she would flex and relax claws to feel the moss beneath her pads. Skull would sift around awkwardly, trying to take in everything around them with only one eye, a smile beginning to grow on her lips. Was it just her or were things kinda weird? ?It?s so sooooofffftttt?? She moaned, suddenly dropping for forequarters down to press her face into the spongy moss before flopping her hips to the side and rolling onto her back. Body would twist and wiggle as she rubbed against the moss, enjoying the feel of it against her fur. ?What is this place? It?s beautiful!? She exclaimed, laying on her back with hind legs splayed every which way as forepaws reached towards the ceiling. Though she wasn?t tripping yet it was probably coming soon, already things were starting to feel like they were moving slower, her senses a bit more heightened as she zoned out on the feel of the moss against her spine. ?Come lay in the moss!? She exclaimed suddenly, as if all their worries and troubles were suddenly tossed aside. Body would flop to the side so her blind side was pressed against the moss, a grin spreading across her lips as she reached out to pat the moss beside her in an invitation for Talon to join her on the spongy surface. They could figure out how to get out in a few minutes, for now? They had been through some crazy shiznit and laying in the moss seemed like the most amazing idea in her mind. She was still a bit sore but she was starting to feel a bit floaty and whether it was the moss of the drugs (not that she knew she was high) she didn't really know.

If she was really blind, he would guide her -- she would keep him upright. Talon would never wish something like that on her, nor on anyone, but he couldn't help but feel as though they would truly complete one another then. They had not been together for long, and were still growing accustomed to one another's constant company, but he couldn't help but feel as though he might be a burden sometimes. It wasn't something he had admitted to Kangi, nor did he ever want to; he knew that she would deny it. But now, he could help her, and it made him feel happy that he would do something for her in a time of need. Not that he would ever wish something like this to happen again. As they moved toward and slipped into the bright cavern, the fear that had found its way into his stomach, turning it into painful knots, seemed to slowly ebb away. The enclosed space was comforting, which was strange considering they had just gone through an earthquake. He found his own paws flexing as they padded along the moss-covered earth. A gentle laugh escaped his lips as Kangi rolled onto her back. Such a terrifying moment had changed into a much more light-hearted one surprisingly quickly. Eager to join her, after tasting of of the mushrooms, he plopped down near her, close to one of the sides of the cavern. His movements were awkward as he shuffled to the ground, lowering himself onto his front limbs before letting his hind leg give out beneath him. The world seemed to begin to swirl and waver before him. The colors of the glowing mushrooms on the wall shifted, changing colors before his eyes, like the glimmering of stars in the night sky. "What kind of place is this?" he asked, his voice brimming with awe and delight as he rolled happily onto his back to press against Kangi's own body. They had both calmed down quickly from the fright of the earthquake earlier, but suddenly he felt inexplicably happy. "Let's stay here forever," he suggested with a childish giggle. "We can live here, right?" Gingerly he leaned over to nudge the side of her neck.