the heat was often unbearable even for him.

Benedict sought shelter from the sun's high rays, his thick fur dripping in sweat as he entered the cave without a second thought. panting quietly, he'd revel in the colder area and recline upon the earth. here he'd try to rest until the night came. that made traveling without a direction more bearable. he wondered if this land had obnoxiously hot summers all the time. it caused him to think on how long he'd remain here. the north was more agreeable to his fur, though. it was also his own fault for traveling south again. south, east, south again... he wondered if there was a place for him here.

or if it was merely drawn to it from the start? whatever the case, the young man rolled onto his side and listened to the droplets dropping from the stalagmites. it was peaceful, enough to lull him into a semi-awake slumber. Benedict was aware of his surroundings, but his mind was heavy. he had no effort or physical excursion to lift himself from the ground. there, he simply lay. his face to the cave's entrance until his eyes began to drift too. surely closing them for a bit would be... ideal? stifling a heavy yawn, the man would soon snooze idly.

Now that he had staked his claim on the south he felt more comfortable exploring the lands that stretched out before him. He traveled to the caves with a roll of vellum in his mouth along with a charcoal stick he could use to mark his progress. He would need to find a writing desk to carry with him or find a way to fashion one if he was going to take up his old hobby of map making. Perhaps he would ask his brother to make one for him. He entered the caves his ears swiveling at the strange noises he encountered even at the gaping mouth and momentarily shook out his fur attempting to regain his nerves before he proceeded. speaking Thinking  you

footfalls would jerk him awake. Benedict opened his eyes to see a pale form near the entrance and raised his head from the ground. ah, it was a wolf. not an angry bear. good to know. " 'lo there" he'd call out softly, wishing not to startle the other being. lifting himself properly from the ground, he'd rise and face the other man. he'd note the pack scent - even if it was a bit faint compared to the other areas of this realm. he knew the east and south had such communities - even if he failed to know the names of them.

he really should be learning, so he'd start with this one. hopefully, the other man was friendly. you never knew these days. he'd hesitate as he continued on. "is this yer land?" he'd ask, his deep vocals hopefully reaching the other. Benedict didn't want to trespass. the cave had been a split second idea and a good one at that, but he'd gladly leave if this person's pack claimed it. he wasn't looking to fight anyone. not over a scrap of land. "I can leave if so." he'd chuckle.

He looked down at the resting man, momentarily startled as he spoke then calmed slightly as he appeared to be nonthreatening. “No I’m simply a traveler.” He responded although it wasn’t entirely true, not anymore. “I hope I’m not intruding.” He added then gestured to the vellum at his paws. “I came here hoping to make a map of the caves, perhaps you would like to join me.” He offered politely. “My name is Pegasus Beaufort. “ The gilded prince introduced, nodding his head slightly in a mock of a bow as he spoke. “Are you new to these lands? “ He asked, momentarily forgoing pretense. speaking Thinking  you

"I see" he'd concede to the stranger's words. the other man would soon introduce himself and his intentions. Benedict's ears piqued slightly at Pegasus' ability to make a map. that was interesting, he'd never seen that before. "m' name's Benedict. nice to meet ye" though he boasted a surname, it was lost long ago. or perhaps even forgotten about. "I was just resting m'self, though." he'd go on, shaking his head at the intruding comment. there was nothing to intrude upon.

"I'll join ye, however" he'd add in with a gentle smile, accepting the invitation. it would be a good way to know how maps were made if this one was proficient enough. he'd walk to Pegasus' side, giving a nod for him to do whatever needed to be done to prepare. when posed with another question, Benedict chuckled. "is it that obvious, eh?" did he stick out like a sore thumb to the natives here? he hoped with time he'd grow to be more accustomed. "but ye, I'm new here."

He ducked his head and smiled at the man’s response. “Honestly, you just look more like a wolf from where I come from.” He said meekly stopping to unroll the vellum and mark a small formation of rocks by holding the charcoal between his toes. He was practiced in the art of penmanship, having learned to write by the time he was a pup, but no one he had met outside of his family had had a talent for writing. He picked up the vellum again, wandering deeper into the caves, his ears swiveling at the haunting, distant sounds that came from within. He refused to let the prickle of fear that ran along his back show as he pressed on, blue eyes darting to keep track of the stranger. "What's your name?" He asked, breaking the silence between them as he stopped to unroll the map in progress again to hastily sketch a group of stalagmites that looked like a set of three columns. speaking Thinking  you

"my name is Benedict" he'd repeat, less heavy and trying to sound out the words slowly but quickly enough. the man would follow after the other, his eyes on the tools they had before they were drawn to the cave itself. the deeper they went, the more understanding he had of why it would have been called The Whispering Caves. it was almost eerie the way the subtle echos bounced off the walls. he was quiet, allowing Pegasus to work and also learn a bit about map-making in the meantime. though his lips wanted to ask questions, his mind slowed him down. unfortunately, he couldn't help some words spilling out. "do ye have more maps?" Benedict asked the other man. if this was just a casual hobby or if there was a purpose behind it... he would like to know. he always liked to know more about the people he met and talked to.

“A pleasure to meet you Benedict.” He greeted with a light tip of his head now that they had exchanged courtesies. The cave grew darker and dim and Pegasus could feel his pupils widening in the low light the other man’s eyes flashing a brilliant aquamarine in the darkness as he asked if the prince had more maps. “Not as many as I would like, but then I don’t think there’s a limit to that.” He explained with a cordial chuckle. “I’d like to have maps of everywhere in Boreas but I’d need to travel more to do that.” He thought of appointing Philomena to be his Hera but the thought was oddly disquieting. She was proud and bold and exotic, but could also be flighty and nervous and was still recently mourning the loss of a child. He thought it would be best to wait. “Would you like to learn how to make one?” He asked unfurling the vellum yet again to draw two parallel lines beside the dashed mark of their passage to signify the darkness surrounding them. speaking Thinking  you

"s' nice to meet ye too, Pegasus" he'd respond politely with an even politer smile. he knew others did craft items but hadn't ever seen a map up close. Benedict wondered how one wolf could make one, or even begin to. he supposed he needed a lot of items, and also pondered if he should ask to learn from Pegasus. "ye don't travel much?" he inquired softly, tilting his head. he didn't think he met a lot of wolves that preferred the same place for long. then maybe his pack prevented him from going to a lot of places. especially if he was a high rank. Benedict mused once more asking, but felt it was impolite with Pegasus focusing on his task. but when the other man did ask, the ginger-hued man was quite eager to accept. he'd give a dip of his head. "ye, please. it could b' useful" he'd go on, accepting the man's lesson. he'd look at the vellum "first, ye prepare t' vellum, rite?" animal skin had to be, well, skinned and then prepared properly to draw on.

“I used to but now I have to stay and mind my pack.” He explained then quickly changed the subject as the man brought his attention to the vellum. “The skin is soaked in lime, easily found in the west, and dried over a rack the hair is removed with a rib bone and what’s left is what you see here.” He explained pointing to the veined paper in front of him. “Then there’s the writing instruments.” He said, lifting the piece of charcoal between his toes so the other man could see it. “This is just charcoal made from burning any given stick although willow works best.” He added with a smile. “In my home country we had inks that came in all kinds of colors, made from all kinds of things like algae, although the map makers insisted blood was the best for the job." speaking Thinking  you

he sat down before the other as Pegasus explained. his fluffy tail curled neatly around his paws, eyes focused entirely on the other man. it'd be quite rude to stand and fidget when someone was teaching you something, after all. "so" he'd stare down at the vellum "any pelt works, or s' there a specific one ye like to use?" Benedict was a hunter, so he had access to a lot of different pelts after he killed prey. he pondered if boar was better than rabbit - surely it was if it was larger and longer - or if there was just an overall good skin to use. "ink's made from algae?" he'd exclaim quietly, recalling his own parents' tools. they had used ink to mark a universal map that was now probably in tatters with their now skeletal bodies. he gave a small murmur, trying to repeat all that had been said to him and commit it to memory. if his folks had been alive still, they could have taught him this. but then again, he wouldn't have come to the Boreas. but blood too? he resisted asking if it was wolf blood. how childish. he hadn't even heard of ink being made from blood.

“Calf skin is supposedly the best but it’s harder to come by cattle here. This is made from elk.” He explained although he had found little to no difference between calf vellum and elk vellum. “Prey animals in general would be the best course.” He added. He smiled slightly as the male remarked on the algae inks used in Theodebes. “Algae and other plants, I saw one particularly remarkable ink that was metallic green in a basin but drew in the most exquisite royal violet. That one came from a cactus.” He explained, a small lilt of excitement entering his voice as he recounted the story. “I couldn’t tell you how they made that one though, I’m afraid the pigmentist who showed it to me was quite guarded on his methods.” He returned his attention to the map then rolled it and picked it up so he could continue his lesson, searching for a landmark he could use as an example. Finally he found one in a large mineral bridge that towered in a cavern above them. He looked to his companion and waited for the other man to join him so he could explain further. speaking Thinking  you

so large prey animals were better than small animals. Benedict gave a nod, waiting for Pegasus to explain. he'd listen intently to the knowledge about algae, though for the life of him he couldn't understand a need to do it any time soon. map making may not be for him when he was a bit straightforward with his goals. hunting was naturally done. he had the tools to do it already apart of him. though he didn't express this to the other man, he was just content to learn more. when Pegasus rolled up the map again, Benedict rose and followed after him. was he adding a new section to his map? going to his side but keeping distance between them, the ginger-hued man would give a nod for the other to continue. his eyes were on the formation before them. "ye think anyone lived here at one time?" he broke the silence with his question. or perhaps someone was living here now. he hadn't smelt anyone here before he came in though. maybe the scent was just stale.

He opened his mouth to speak and continue their lesson but the man spoke first and Pegasus contemplated his question. “I couldn’t say.” He muttered, looking at the bridge thoughtfully. Scattered around them were dried bones from creatures that had been trapped within the cavern’s walls or flung themselves to their death off the bridge above them, but he doubted any of them had populated the caves in earnest. “Um….To write, you simply hold the charcoal between your paws like so and…” He demonstrated with the charcoal between his toes, quickly sketching the bridge above them and then after a pause quickly added a small deer’s skull to the bottom of the marking. His attempt to break the silence had been awkward and he could feel the cold fingers of a shiver walking up his spine as the cave muttered around them. “Perhaps we should go.” He said into the silence. speaking Thinking  you

he didn't know you could hold things by your toes. hm. he wasn't sure if he'd ever try it but it was a good thing to know. his eyes expressed interest, even curiosity. "good idea" he's say once he had his fill of the demonstration. Pegasus seemed a bit nerved by the cave now, and Benedict couldn't blame him. it was a bit eerie with all the stray bones and no formal scent to let them know who lived here. the ginger man's neck fur seemed to ruffle a bit, eyes looking around them before turning back to the other. "lead t' way" he wanted to make sure the other wasn't left behind since Pegasus was carrying all that stuff. Ben'd walk at the same pace, making sure nothing crept up on them while they exited. it had been a good lesson, don't get him wrong, but he was quite eager to leave this cave far behind him. he needed to return to his travels and find somewhere to settle down. the thought of asking the other about his pack did flash in his thoughts, but Benedict refrained. Pegasus didn't seem to want to talk much about it.