(Using liquid time, this takes place between 2 weeks to a month before Pnuma meets Circe)

The young man walked deep within the cave, darkness smothering him like a childless mother. He did not expect the caves to go down this far. He was just looking for some shelter from the rain. He had gone deep enough that stalagmites rose from the ground, towering above him like the teeth of a hungry wolf. It unnerved him and the spirits, they whispered anxious thoughts, asking him to turn around or to listen closer.

He took careful steps, his eyesight worsened in the dark. Every patter of droplets hitting the ground caused his head to twist towards the sound. He obeyed every command a spirit told him, looking behind him or stopping suddenly.

Normally, any wolf seeling anxiety about a place would just leave. However, Pnuma came upon a problem. He was very, very lost. Every stalagmite and stalactite looked the same. Very puddle and underground stream looked the same. No cave wall had distinctive markings or holes that he could keep track of. He had no way of knowing which way was a dead end or the tunnel out. The spirits knew as well and didn't hesitate to belittle him for it.

He was lost and had no way out.

He wandered through the caverns with practiced ease, having journeyed to them frequently when his initial pack had claimed the north. Even so far from Ruina’s former territory he could feel the faint tug of the demons and hear the cadence of a voice as the wind whistled through the caverns, although with his father gone it was hard to say if he truly felt the demons or if they were only his imagination. His father had taken his mother by force at the behest of the demons, he was certain of that. They had driven him to her, for the express purpose of his conception, perhaps now they had driven him away from Ruina so he could rise again and lead the family he had sworn his life to. He turned into a cavern and his wandering thoughts came to a halt as he came across a ruddy male who appeared to be in some distress. “Do you need help?“ He asked softly, trying to avoid startling the young male. He carried the confidence of a leader, his head raised, ears pointed forward, and a neutral expression. Speech, Thought, You

After what possibly felt like the fifth time he had looped around what felt like the same chamber, he was ready to give up. He had come to terms with his death in the damp caves, surrounded by hardened stone walls. He was stupid to have gone down so deep, but curiosity had brung him down deeper and deeper. However, a voice sounded behind him.

At first, he wasn't sure if it was a real voice, or if the spirits were asking him themselves. He turned his head and jumped at the sight of a real, material wolf behind him. At first, the man was intimidating, considering he was a bit taller than Pnuma, but once he really registered what the man has said, Pnuma calmed down.

"Y-Yes." Her murmured shyly, but quickly became unsatisfied with his response, he promptly straightened and restarted. "Yes. I'm a tad lost at the moment. We- I mean I came down here for shelter from the rain and I got a bit... caught up in exploring..." He said, putting on a stronger voice. It quickly faltered again once he confessed to the reason he got lost, slightly embarrassed by his childish actions. The spirits were right, how foolish he was.

“It seems you are in luck. I happen to know my way around these caverns.” He turned and paced toward the mouth of a cavern then looked over his shoulder at the boy. “Follow me.” He instructed and paced calmly into the darkness, glancing more than once to make sure the boy was following him. They walked in silence at first. He noted with some unease that the boy seemed less confident, moving in the pitch darkness and stopped considering how to remedy the situation. “What’s your name by the way?” He asked, loudly enough for the boy to detect where he was standing. If it had been Astraios he would have simply let the pup hold onto his tail, just as they had done for the summer festival his father had held, but the young male was a stranger and there was no telling what he would or wouldn’t be comfortable with. Speech, Thought, You

Pnuma's anxiety about getting lost dissipated immediately when the man offered to show him the way back to the surface, however, the underlying fear of following a stranger through an unknown place still remained. He followed obediently when told to, he would make no more progress if he stayed.

His ears pricked, trying his best to track the man's movement's in the dark. The light tapping sound of his nails hitting the stone ground was enough for him to get a basic understanding of where the man was and where he was going. Their sudden stop worried Pnuma a bit, did he do something wrong? Was he actually malicious? In preparation, he took a single step back, bracing himself to run.

He felt silly when the man only asked for his name. Worrying so much over such a small action. "My name is Pnuma. Pnuma Aadhya." He replied, also loud enough that the man would be able to know Pnuma's location, only a foot or two behind him. He didn't dare allow to much space to grow between them for fear of losing the man. "What's your name?" He inquired, tilting his head slightly.

“Tyranis Praetor.” He said calmly, then turned to continue walking, satisfied that he could lead him successfully. “What were you hoping to find in the caverns? If you don’t mind me asking.” He thought little of his question, hoping only to keep the boy calm as they walked through the caverns together, and ensuring that he would follow him through any necessary turns they made. “Not much grows here, it’s too far north, and there’s no sunlight here.” He said idly, as if he were speaking to himself rather than Pnuma. “Or were you just exploring?” He felt the faint tug of a smile at that, his tail waving slightly behind him as he looked the boy over. He wasn’t much younger than himself, but Tyranis had always appeared wise beyond his years. Even from a young age he had shown an understanding of the world that his sisters could never quite keep up with, not as far as he knew or even cared. Perhaps that was what truly made him a Praetor, and not a Wreckage, like his sisters so clearly were. Speech, Thought, You

Now more comfortable knowing the name of the older man, he continued following right behind Tyranis. None of the cave walls looked familiar to him, though that was most likely because he was so deeply lost. It was much a too common sight for the boy to be lost, although he didn't have any real location he was trying to go to. He wasn't sure if that could even be categorized as lost anymore.

The man's question was a hard one, or rather he knew the answer but didn't know how to put it into words. "I originally just wanted to rest here out of the elements, but then I realized how deep they went. I didn't even really think about what I was doing till when I wanted to get out... and I couldn't. I guess I wanted to see if it lead anywhere? I like to explore, it keeps my mind occupied but... quiet at the same time, if that makes any sense... If I focus on exploring and learning new things, I don't focus on what they say, they drown out almost..." He rambled, allowing his mouth to say everything that came into his head to fill the silence. Talking was comfy, silence made him feel alone with the spirits, especially if he was just sitting there, forced to listen.

It took him a second to realize he had mentioned the voices, though vaguely, in his rambles. "By them I mean thoughts! I don't like to be alone with my thoughts." He corrected quickly, trying to focus on Tyranis' reaction as much as he could being unable to see the man's exact facial expression. Most people felt unease when he mentioned the spirits. They often told him they were hallucinations or his imagination gone wild. He didn't believe them, he just knew they were ghosts here to lead him on the right path, even if they were a bit vulgar or aggressive towards him. It was just tough love, in the end it will be worth it, then they will stop invading his brain. At the very least they will be nicer to him...

Tyranis froze and wheeled sharply to look at Pnuma wide eyed in the pitch darkness. He felt as though all the air in his lungs had been knocked out of him and for a wild moment he almost asked if the boy if he heard demons, just like his father, and just like his brother. Then the boy clarified that he had only meant his own thoughts and the lightning king’s disappointment could not have been greater. “I see.” He said tightly, then slowly turned his head and continued to walk. A tense silence mounted between them as Tyranis continued to walk, grasping for something to say so the boy could keep track of his movements but far too distracted by his own discontent. He looked at the boy, barely visible in the darkness and narrowed his eyes sharply. He would take a gamble. “My father…He didn’t like to be alone with his thoughts either. He said he heard demons when he was alone; demons that lived in these lands, and demons that lived in my bloodline.” He said then turned his head slowly to look at the young male, speaking to him directly. “They gave him power” He said tentatively. If he was wrong the boy would surely think he was mad but if he was right… Speech, Thought, You

Pnuma shrunk under the man's gaze, his heart falling into his stomach. He couldn't breathe. He had done something wrong. The spirits yelled at him for his foolishness, cried for retreat, but the boy held his ground. You don't flee if you don't have a reason to flee. If he ran it would prove his guiltiness. However, after he clarified, Tyranis seemed more disappointed than relieved, a reaction he was not prepared for. He was prepared for a lecture about how hearing spirits were bad and if he heard them, go visit a healer, he even expected the man to quicken his pace to escape from the conversation, deeming Pnuma crazy. The man did neither.

As the two male's walked in silence, Pnuma felt more confused then stiff. He got the reason for the man's opinions when Tyranis stopped again to speak. He confessed his father heard spirits as well, but called them demons. Pnuma stood ridges once the man's serious expression locked onto him. He could tell he was trying to get a confession out of him, for him to admit his connection to the spirits. He hesitated, mental conflict pulling him two different directions. He didn't want to scare the man away, but he also seemed like he wanted Pnuma to hear them. He kneaded the ground nervously, unsure what to do. The voices were no help, seemingly split, mentioning the cons of each side. It took the boy a minute to cave under the pressure.

"I-I mean. I think I speak to spirits, not demons. If your father and I have the same ghosts speaking to us, I can understand how they would think that. They're good people! Maybe they were hurt and that's why they think so negatively, but their good people and they're real! I'm not crazy!" He cried, more venting his desperation than just confessing. He had this conversation more than he would like to admit and was labeled crazy before he could get two words in. He would have continued spilling into an anxious ramble but the fear of what he was saying clamped his throat shut, preventing him from saying more. Memories of his family avoiding him floated back to the surface of his mind and he started to worry what the man would do with this information.

“Pnuma” He called softly, his heart racing as the boy confessed to hearing spirits, and more importantly, confessed that he believed they were good people. “I don’t think you’re crazy.” He said then stepped closer to the male to rest his chin on top of his neck in a comforting gesture. “You have a gift.” He explained, his tone still gentle, to ease the boy’s wracked nerves. “In my father’s pack such a gift would have marked you to become the Cerberus, the second in command, every bit as powerful as the Alpha.” He explained. “I don’t have such a skill myself; my brother does, although not as strongly as you. He can pass on the knowledge our father gave him to control them and use their strength. “ He said, then slowly stepped away from the boy to let him contemplate his words. “We are almost to the entrance.” He muttered, his tone becoming neutral. “Come.” He said, then continued to lead the boy out of the caverns, well aware that Pnuma might disregard his words entirely and simply write their conversation off as a strange experience. Tyranis at least was satisfied that the rust colored male knew his stance on those who heard the spirits. Speech, Thought, You

as the man stepped forward, it took all of Pnuma's willpower not to back away. He saw the man's face soften and he knew he had good intentions, but there was an underlying fear that it was all a ploy. He didn't expect the sudden pressure on the back of his neck, a kind, soothing gesture. He instantly melted into the touch, pressing his head against the other's neck and calming down. He forgot how nice it felt to get things off his chest as he normally bottled things up until he opened the cap and spilled everything.

Tyranis' words surprised him. He never saw his connection to the spirits a gift. Well, he once did, but that time had pasted a while ago. He never thought his "gift" would land him a high position in a pack. The spirits rarely told him important information. The only one he listened to regardless of what he was doing was an anxious one, telling him to look behind him or listen closely. Perhaps he was not listening close enough, perhaps they spoke in riddles. Tyranis did say his kin that heard the spirits had to control them and use them. At first, it sounded a bit selfish, to use a spirit for your own gain, but maybe that's why they were here. Perhaps he would have to find another wolf able to speak to spirits and learn from them.

Eventually, the older man pulled back. They continued their walk closer to the surface. Pnuma knew they were getting close as he could smell the fresh air flowing into the cavern. His tail started to wag and excitement showed on his face. Just a few minutes before he had thought he would never see the sky again, now he knew he was just being dramatic. Now that he thought about it, he did find something in the caverns, a friend and some useful information.

He watched the sky with bold golden eyes, a determined smile crossing his features. “As of now I have no pack, but should you need a place to call your own I will accommodate you.” He said proudly, his chest swelling with satisfaction in a way that looked every bit as his father’s had the day they met. “Should you need me, simply call for me and I shall answer.” He told the boy. “Or you can find my son and I in the south.” Satisfied with the information he had passed along Tyranis returned his attention to the horizon. “Let no one tell you your gift is anything other than what it is. The spirits guide you and should you join me I will see to it you are given the skills to control them.” Speech, Thought, You

Treat!

Tyranis gets a treat!

Tyranis is fortunate enough to find a kindred soul, and hopefully his presence is comforting to the young Pnuma. Not only has he found a potential friend, but also stumbles across a cluster of shiny gemstones near the entrance to the caverns. Tyranis gains 16 gems

Pnuma looked up to the older man as he spoke, eyes wide with surprise, appreciation, and a little bit of admiration. This stranger had just met him but had already helped him so much. Pnuma didn't know how to voice his gratitude, much less repay him for his deeds. For the first time for as long as Pnuma could remember, the spirits spoke positively, actual positivity! They talked of appreciation and repayment among their normal nonsense and words about debt. A rush of emotions washed over him as the man talked of his 'gifts.' He took the words to heart and kept note of the man's location. He was interested in what the man meant by 'controlling' the spirits. He made sure to take up on the man's offer once he was capable of offering the man something in return for his kindness.

"Thank you so much, sir! I don't know how I could repay you if I even can repay you!" He spoke excitedly, a large grin on his face. "I'm in your debt completely. I tend to wander around, but if you ever need help, come find me and I'll offer some assistance. I don't expect this to be the last time we meet so I'll keep my eye out for you." He looked back out onto the surface world and he knew there were many other placed he had to explore. He couldn't settle down, not yet. "Thank you again, but I must go. I look forward to seeing you again." After he finished, he nodded his goodbye with a smile before making his way down the mountain. He would never go into another cave again as long as he could help it.

{Exit Pnuma unless stopped}