The sun is raising and, with it, the young Fatalis litter is stirring. Andromeda stretches amidst the pile of puppy bodies, inevitably hitting her siblings and poking her mommy’s belly. Grumbling can be heard but the small purple pup doesn’t mind, she has been jostled countless times and she knows it is bound to happen with so many small bodies being entwined in sleep. As the pups unwind themselves, Andy extracts herself the pile, spying her brother Charlie doing the same.

Once free, Andy moves to her brother and gently pokes him to get his attention. Pale blue eyes catch his bright cyan gaze and the quiet girl tilts her head toward the den’s mouth in silent invitation for him to join her. As the pups get up and moving, Andromeda stealthily slips out the entrance and into the wide antechamber beyond. She does not spare a glance backward, trusting Charlie will follow her if he so wishes.

Paws swiftly carry her out into the col where the wolves are beginning to stir and go about their morning chores. The sunlight touches her strangely colored coat and Andy pauses to drink in the warmth. Looking behind her, the small pup checks to make sure Charlie is following her and allows him to catch up with her before she whispers, “Lets go explore. What do you say?” Eyes dance with happiness as she tosses her brother a wink before leading the pair toward some caves she had found.

Her father’s snow leopard follows after the pups, making sure they do not find any trouble along the way and ready to intervene if needed.


"Andromeda Falatis"

A poke from Andy was enough to get Charlie's attention. The boy lifted his head, ears swiveling forward, as she motioned for him to follow. He scrambled to his paws and raced after his sister without a word. He wasn't sure where they were going, if they'd stay in the Armada or not, but he was sure his sister had a plan. "I'm always up for exploring if you are." He had already gotten a hunting lesson from his dad, raced his mom… now it was time to spend some time with his siblings.

Their father's snow leopard followed after the two children as they made their way to the caves of the past. At first glance it looked like an ordinary cave. Darn gray-brown rock rose up from the earth while a large, gaping mouth seemed to welcome the children.

Charlie stepped inside curiosity. The stone beneath his paws was lumpy and uneven but not sharp - much like the caves of the Col. The scent coming from within the cave was damp and musty…

"What cave is this? It doesn't smell like it belongs to the Armada." He glanced toward Andy. "We should look inside. I mean… we have dad's snow leopard with us… and we're children of the Armada! I don't think anyone would hurt us, you know?" He sniffed at the cave again, ears quivering.

"How big do you think it is compared to the Col?"

Andromeda leads her brother out to the black sand of the cove, eager to show Charlie the cave she had found the other day. While the purple pup may not say a lot, she shows her care and love through her actions which is why she wants to share the cave with her brother; since he seems to like exploring. It appears like any of the other caves that dot the land, the dark, yawning mouth beckoning the curious children forward.

Charlie’s words have a smile appearing on her purple lips as she giggles and nods in agreement, hiding the fact that she has already explored out this way. Puffing out her chest to show her confidence in them, Andy chirps, “Well, then lets go!” but paws pauses at his next words. Looking back at the opening, Andromeda tilts her head in quiet contemplation, trying, and failing, to draw a comparison between the two. With a huge shrug, she says, “I don’t know but there is only one way to find out!”

With that the confident purple pup trots inside, searching the walls for the familiar paintings that seem to have been placed her so long ago.


"Andromeda Falatis"

Andy wasn’t sure how big this cave was compared to the Col but that was okay. They could figure it out through exploration. Charlie watched Andromeda head in first, his blue eyes shining with curiosity. It wasn’t long before the boy stepped onto the cool, rocky floor of the cave. His claws lightly clicked against the stone with each step he took, his eyes slowly but surely adjusting to the darkness of the cave. He was glad that Andy was with him - her presence made him feel comfortable despite being out of the Armada’s lands. That and their father’s companion. They were still young enough that he wanted to carefully abide by their parent’s rules.

The two pups did not have to go in far before the boy noticed the first of the cave paintings. His eyes widened as he made out what appeared to be open plains that lead into the mountains with strange, two-legged figures making their way across those plains. Was this supposed to represent the North, he wondered? Charlton paused, staring for a moment longer before he padded over to the wall and rested his paw upon it. “Andy,” He called to Andromeda. “Look at this! There are mini lands on this wall! I think it’s supposed to represent where we live, at least these mountains anyway.” His tail started to wag behind him.

“I wonder who put these here? It looks like someone added them, rather than these things being part of the cave itself. Maybe they used berry juice or something? I know that can leave a stain for a while.” The boy was fascinated as he looked at his sister, his blue eyes flickering with curiosity.

Explored a new land (Caves of the Past) - 2 / 3

"Speech," 'Thought.'

The curiosity and excitement that Charlie has about the cave brings a warm smile to Andy’s lips. She had hoped that her brother would like it and it seems he does! With confidence in her stride, the purple girl leads her brother inside, allowing her eyes to roam the walls for the familiar drawings. Charlie calls her name and she looks back to where he is, which isn’t too far since she doesn’t want to worry him. His words pull her lips upward and she dips her head in agreement, looking at the paintings she had found that shows two legged beings alongside wolves.

Eyebrows lift at his next series of question and Andy leans in toward the dark red stain that marks a wolf’s body. After a moment she says, “Doesn’t look like berry juice. Notice the way the stuff stays in place when you press your paw against it?” She demonstrates by lifting a paw and gently passing it over the stained area. Nothing lifts at her paws passing and she turns to show Charlie her pad. No ink stains the black there. Lowering it, she says, “There are lots of different animals here. Some I know but lots I don’t. Think whoever made this was trying to say something?” Eyes turn to her brother as she poses her question to him.


"Andromeda Falatis"

Andromeda moved closer and pressed her paw to the stained area, yet nothing seems to stick to her paw when she removed it. It was definitely not berry juice if it was staying put like that. His brow furrows at this and he looks back at the wall. Whoever had put the things here had used something stronger, and longer lasting than mere berry juice. “Whatever they used was strong. They wanted it to last.” The boy said, musing partly to himself. He was curious what the stuff was… he wanted to work with it himself! Maybe he could make pictures on the walls of the Col? Hmm, maybe… though he wasn’t too sure his older brother would be amused with that.

“Yeah, I don’t recognize some of these things either. But…” Charlie furrowed his brow. “I’m pretty sure whoever made this here is telling us something. Notice how it starts with the lands, then there are the two-legged things… I think it's saying that at one point there was just land, then these guys came, and they met the other creatures… At least for a start.” The boy’s gaze shifted away from the paintings to his sister and he grins.

“Maybe I should read more of the paintings? They seem like they go in pretty far. This has to be some story of whoever lived here before.”

Explored a new land (Caves of the Past) - 3 / 3
Taught a lesson not related to other skills (“History” of the Caves of the Past) - 1 / 3

"Speech," 'Thought.'