The pack had been disbanded. She’d stuck with her parents for a little while - and she was glad her mother was safe - but now she felt completely adrift. It was terrifying but also… exciting. Sio hadn’t ever had this much freedom before. Torin had gently suggested they venture to Valhalla, but she’d split off just before they’d gotten there. Tearful goodbyes had been exchanged, but she knew that she’d come back and visit soon. There was just too much to explore. Siobhan was fully in control of her emotions now and had come into her own. Unless she was completely taken by surprise, there was little risk of sudden collapse. Assuring her father that she’d be totally, completely careful, she took to the wilds.

This place was unlike anything she’d ever seen! The perfect spot to begin her adventure. A light breeze ruffled her fur and as she picked her carefully down the descent. It was steeper than she’d expected but not impossible to navigate. Grinning, Sio reached the floor of the drop and allowed her eyes to adjust to the light. What would she find here? Visions of glitter, sparkle, and dramatic color danced in her head. Surely something to add to her painting repertoire was lurking within. Ducking to avoid some hanging moss, she traipsed further into the unknown.

The young woman was travelling away from her family, taking some time to explore the world, and savour the bright sparks of it. She found the entrance to the cave almost by accident, chasing a rabbit until the large entrance caught her unawares. Pausing at the descent into darkness, the rabbit escaped her, tumbling through the undergrowth and out of sight in a few blinks.

Forgetting the chase, the young Aracari stuck her head through the entrance, looking down the steep incline and into the darkness below. She began to walk, and slowly her eyes adjusted. The space only seemed to grow, the scent of dampness and mildew, as well as insects and little scavengers. She lowered her nose, taking a deep whiff of the newness. The sound of her paws clicking echoed, and she grinned. She lifted her head upwards this time.

“Echo!”

she cried.

Echo… Echo… Echo…

"Speech"

Luckily, Siobhan heard the sound of claws upon stone before the loud noise laid her flat from surprise. This condition was still difficult to manage, but she had it mostly under control. She turned and peered over her shoulder, surprised to find a new - blue - face. "Oh, hello!" She said, her voice chipper. Hello... hello... Siobhan grinned lopsidedly. "This echo is pretty wild. I wonder how deep this cavern goes! Have you been here before?" All her words came out in one torrent. It had been a while since she'd interacted with anyone outside of her immediate family. It was exciting to meet a stranger! There were so many possibilities. It occurred to her, vaguely, to be on alert. Sio was trusting by nature but the dissolution of Lirim had made her weary. Plus, this blue gal was blocking the only exit. Hopefully she was inclined to be kind!

She wasn’t expecting another voice to answer her echo. She looked down in surprise, only to find the brilliant lavender eyes looking back at her. Keetie answered her grin with one of her own, taking a few more steps down. Her feline claws continued to click. “I haven’t, I’m guessing neither have you?” she asked curiously, settling to a stop not far from the stranger.

“I’m Lorikeet, but you can call me Keetie. Want to explore this place together?” Keetie was always down for exploring, especially when she had beautiful company beside her. She gave the grey-silver wolf a brilliant grin.

"Speech"

Okay... yes! This was good. Siobhan tried to pick up any hint of threat and she found none. Finally fully relaxing, Sio returned the blue female's bright smile with an earnest one of her own. Kindness was a rare thing to come by, she was slowly learning. At least true kindness. "I'd love to explore with you!" she gushed, her laughter echoing again through the cave. "Do you collect anything? Or have any hobbies? I'm a bit of an artist myself." The petite grey wolf turned and ventured deeper into the cave, pausing to sniff the stone occasionally. It didn't smell any different than regular stone, but she figured it was a good idea to check everything out. Overall, it was a fairly regular damp cave. The deeper they traveled the more sound seemed to morph into different and interesting patterns. Their claws stopped echoing and instead began to sound strangely muffled. "Wild. It almost sounds like we're... underwater, but we're underground!"

The woman appraised her a moment, and then accepted her presence. For it, Keetie rewarded her with a brilliant smile. Her eyes crinkling at the corners, and she moved down the steps a little closer, close enough to brush against the other woman if she reached out. “Perfect” Keetie said. She would rather explore with company than alone.

“I collect herbs, and friends. Healing and company, can’t go wrong with that, right?” she teased. Of course, healing had a lot of benefits. Like learning which muscles to massage, and knowing which herbs heighten a few certain sensors.

As her new companion moved, Keetie moved with her. The sounds of their combined steps echoing softly in front of them, leading the way. The sound shifting and changing further into the tunnel. Like the walls had pillows. “It is indeed! What did you say your name was, sorry?” she hadn’t given it, but Keetie wasn’t about to call her out for it.

"Speech"

Siobhan laughed, biting her lip when Keetie prompted her for her name. She was still getting used to striking out on her own - to be perfectly honest, she hadn't made very many friends. All the wolves she'd known were back in Lirim, which didn't even exist any more. Her father and some of the pack had headed to Valhalla, but many more had been scattered to the four corners of Boreas. She supposed there was no time to learn about making friends like the present! "Sorry, sorry - I'm Siobhan! I haven't really had to introduce myself much..." she mused, laughing at the absurdity of it. Her laughter echoed against the slick cave walls, returning back to her tenfold. "Before my family split up, I really only spent time with them. Is that weird?" Was it weird to ask strangers if things were weird? Oh well! She moved along at a steady pace, her shoulder occasionally bumping companionably with Lorikeet's. It was a narrow passageway, after all.

Siobhan was just too sweet, the kind of sweet she wanted to roll up and cuddle at night. There was a greater innocence to her, despite the closeness in their age. A naive, too, shown in her embarrassed introduction. At least she could laugh at it, and Keetie grinned back at her. “Siobhan, a beautiful name, but a bit of a mouthful, how would you like me to shorten it, sweetheart, Si?” she asked, walking close enough to her new friend to bump shoulders.

She knew the feeling of split family, and a lot of time passing between seeing them. But for Keetie, that was natural, and she saw those goofballs she called siblings often enough to appease her need for them. It sounded like with Si it was a great deal harder. “Not at all love! Personally, I like to stick my nose in every new face with a greeting, but I get some people are more secluded.” She paused for a moment, the sound of their steps filling the silence, and then. “Does that mean you’ve never had a kiss before?”

"Speech"