One gentle step at a time brings the average proportioned female further into the depths of the cave. She was careful though. Too cautious and aware of the ability to lose yourself in the winding of tunnels. She only goes so far. Keeping to a certain direction and never turning another. It would make finding her way back that much easier. She had to be careful though, noticing that there was a pit she had to carefully edge around. It seemed almost bottomless as she stared down into the depths of darkness it held. With a sigh she moved on. The distant sound of dripping a constant reminder that life could strive beneath the surface. It was enough to keep her pace slow and ears on high alert. Nostrils constantly inhaling the many scents that linger in the various tunnels.
The surface around her begins to change the further she explores. It gradually begins to smoothen along the walls. Her reflection becoming more and more visible. It was interesting to the two toned wolf that gazed admiringly at her surroundings. Perhaps she had found her new placement for some time.

The caves were safe. They had been his home, his lair, his refuge for the past week or so. Away from the outside world, where danger dwelled in every crack and crevice. Away from the light, exposing him to his enemies, determined to do him harm. He found comfort in the coldness, in the narrow pathways, in his own echoes that bounced along the walls. He was alone in this dark, subterranean world.

Until she arrived.

He was always alert, jittery, on the balls of his feet. He never rested, let his guard down, zoned out for even a minute. His ears had adjusted to the eerie silence of the caverns, the distant trickling of water and his own breaths. The slow patter of pawsteps were registered almost instantly, the realisation dragging him to his paws and fuelling the adrenaline in his body. He had prepared himself for such a day when they would find him, send a hunter to track him down. But he wasn't going to let them get him. He swiftly slithered through the gaps in the cavern walls and silently glided further down into the tunnels, never staying in one stone room for more than a few heartbeats.

Paws stop their shuffling over the top of the slick ground she strolled in upon. She knew not where she was, but had a good guess on how to get back out. Alas, the sound of another catches her fragile attention. Ears perk forward and nose gives a slight twitch as it tests the air that lingers stagnant around her. She can just catch a faint whiff of another near by. It causes her to go on alert. Hackles to rise and body to tense as she peers about. Eyes straining to make out any shifting in the darkness she stood in.
She failed at luck. Catching only the fleeing shadow into the many crevices. Against better judgement she bounds forward and away from the path she had so carefully been keeping to. Body must be slightly larger than the one she now gave chase to, as her sides brush snugly against the tunnel walls. She manages to squeeze through, but never close enough to get a good look at what was she after. Perhaps it was truly nothing more than her own imagination. Either way, she twisted through many corridors hoping to keep a glimpse or trail. "Hey wait!" Finally she calls out. Hoping to get a pause from the retreater.

He plunged into silence. The sound of the trickling water and the intruder's pawsteps faded from his hearing. He couldn't even hear his own breathing, his own shaky steps. He could now only rely on his sense of touch and smell. That didn't help. He felt vulnerable, helpless, an easier target when his hearing failed. However, the voice of the other, as loud as it may have been, resonated as a mere whisper to his ears. No, he wasn't going to wait. He had played that game before, where his pursuers had tricked him with false identities, luring him with make-believe. He wasn't going to fall for it this time. Taking another turn into a small, cramped cavern, he dashed towards a tight tunnel that led to the surface, or so he could recall. As he reached the tunnel, he discovered the entrance to be blocked; rocks must have fallen in the past couple days, though of course he hadn't heard them. Now he was trapped, back against the stone wall, pushed to the cave's corner. Was this how it would end?

She was beginning to figure she lost him. Especially since she knew that she was lost as well. But still she wandered, might as well. She knew not how to get back or now where she was going. But finally she caught that useful scent once more and was found turning a sharp corner and spotting its source. There stood a male with no more places to slip away to. Eyes wash over in a curious manner as she pads forward a few more steps. "Why did you run?" The cautious she wolf would ask. Her body remained tense, though tail was relaxed behind her and ears pushed forward. She was far from showing any aggression- though the irritation of the chase was surly still evident in the gleam of her usually dull eyes. "I can't be that scary." She muses out loud. Almost tempted to snarl a tooth in his direction, just to find out how he would react.

He couldn't escape. He was trapped, trapped like a rat about to be pounced upon by its feline foe. And soon enough, his pursuer followed his scent to the cavern he stood in, approaching him with curiosity. From what he could identify in the dim light, it was a woman older than himself yet slightly smaller. He was about to let down his guard, given the circumstances, but he remained on the tip of his toes. Literally. He couldn't relax. Not one bit. His attackers could be anyone. Everyone was his enemy; he could trust no-one. Sweat trickled down his forehead as he watched the female with a widened, bicoloured gaze, still pressing his body against the stone wall. Her lips moved, though the words she uttered were slightly inaudible to his ears. She didn't seem to bear a threatening stance, though he had learnt long ago that looks could deceive. "You're o-one of them, a-aren't you?" he stammered, eyes flickering from the cave entrance to the female. Maybe, just maybe, he could make his run through the side of the room when she was least expecting it.

She is not a frightful creature. Especially in the gaze of one who is so. She stands solid with posture straightened. The only thing off was the gentle curve of her cranium to the side as she watched him with amusement obvious in her mischievous eyes. She pays careful attention to the shifting of his own. Noting how he kept looking for a way to slip past her. She would not of stopped him, but was glad that he had yet decided to do such. His voice shakes loose and her own ears perk forward once more. Confusion evident on her feminine facade. "One of who?" She questions without hesitation. Paws daring a step closer and toward the younger boy. What was the matter with him anyways? "Look kid, I'm not sure what you are talking about." But she was beginning to piece it together. The fact that he ran away from her and assume she was out to get him. It dawned on her in an instant and had her recoiling a paw step or two. "Something after ya' boy?" A brow arches as she remains steadfast in place. Hoping to swell herself to appear as if there was little to no room to inch around her.

Her words grew quieter to his ears, or at least that was what it seemed like. Was she speaking quieter on purpose, knowing that his hearing was his weakest sense, his disadvantage, his underbelly? Or was his hearing failing, like it always did? They were almost inaudible, soft, whispery sounds. Though in the dim light, he managed to read her lips, picking up a few words here and there. Who? Something after you? Perhaps she didn't know about his deafness; unlikely if she had been recruited by his former pack-mates, but he couldn't risk it. He had to act normal. "Them," he replied in an ominous whisper, pulling his lips into a crooked grin. "Could be my pack, could be trained assassins or spies hired by them." And she could be one of them, which only reminded to him to remain alert, muscles tense, ready to spring and make his run when the opportunity came.