Standing at the rim of a very large hole in the ground, Warja stared into its inky depths. Wave after wave of oppressive heat billowed from the void, but that was the only clue as to what was down there. As far as the sunlight reached jagged rocks and narrow pathways could be seen. The hole was deep though, and descended far beyond what the eye could see. It stretched out beneath them like the mouth of an impossibly large creature. This 'mouth' was even fitted with impressive, rocky teeth. Climbing into this living, breathing hole in the earth would be crazy--and yet, that's what she intended to do. Above them, the sun was finishing its plunge into the horizon. What little sunlight was left cast a rosy glow across Mount Volkan; an effect that would have been beautiful if not for the terrifying journey ahead. Warja, filled with nervous energy, was giddy. She'd been here before. The gaping hole had opened up during an earthquake and once the dust had settled, Warja had ventured in. She hadn't viewed the whole thing in one go, instead taking bite-sized exploratory trips until she'd come out the other side. The youngling intended to take Kismet on a tour of Hell. The path she chose came out somewhere near the base of the mountain and was easily managed in a couple of hours. There would be no rest for them this night. No, sleep would probably have to wait until the following day. Turning to Kismet, an excited grin spread across Warja's features. "Ready?" Suspecting he might try to back out, she didn't give him time to answer. Instead the grey scale wolf turned from him, tipped over the edge and jumped down, falling approximately four feet to a ledge below. A small cloud of dust wafted out of the hole, pushed by a wave of hot air. After making room for him to jump down, Warja turned around and grinned up at Kismet. "Speech"

ooc: Have to say the line following the thread title could have rather appropriate 'I could die a happy man I'm sure' - perhaps just the 'I could die' bit in Kismet's mind right now though!

Warja really didn't offer him any other hints as to where they might be going and it didn't take Kismet long to give up asking. Blindly he continued to follow the girl, his mind still fearful though heart certainly willing to trust her. There was also perhaps a part of him that remained protectively hoped that he'd be able to keep her from getting hurt on this expedition should any harm threaten them. Once he had tried to face of those howler monkeys for her, although he was becoming far more aware of it now, the urge to keep Warja safe had formed within him since their first meeting. A lot had changed since those days, though his care for his friend had only grown. At last Warja would come to a stop, it took Kismet a moment to figure out just why she had paused, though gazing down he soon caught sight of the tear in the ground. Mismatched eyes would focus upon it's depths, though he certainly couldn't see a bottom to the jagged hole and curiously he would glance up towards Warja again. She couldn't honestly be considering going down there now could she? Dangerous? They could bloody well die jumping down the seemingly bottomless pit. A smile was all she gave him though before asking if he was ready. Ready for what exactly? He still refused to believe that she was going to consider this death drop and yet before he could even speak took a step closer and jumped down into the hole. His breath caught and heart stopped in fear, he couldn't even shout, eyes widening in terror as he peered through downwards. There was a soft thud as she landed and the disturbed dust floated upwards so swiftly that even before he saw her grinning face he knew she hadn't fallen far. He hadn't noticed the ledges before, though now he certainly noticed them as his dear friend stood upon one. "You could have warned me." He called down, though he was unable to help the small grin that was forming upon his features as he shook his head slightly in disbelief. She was crazy but then again maybe he was crazier as with no further encouragement he would drop down to join her upon the ledge.

In the end her safety was her responsibility. Not her parents, not her siblings, not Kismet's. Hers. Sooner or later Kismet was going to have to come to terms with that. She was, perhaps, a bit small and impulsive, but to call her reckless would be a grossly inaccurate statement. His desire to keep her safe was a noble one, but to say the responsibility was solely his would be a lie. Should they be threatened, Warja would play as much a part of their defense as Kismet. She didn't need protecting, she needed a partner. If he was unwilling to see her as an equal in this regard then their relationship would need to be reevaluated because she wouldn't allow their friendship to fall into the piteous roles of damsel in distress/knight in shining armor. "You could have warned me." he admonished. Warja chuckled, the sound echoing off the rocks around her. "It was needed; added to the drama." Much to her surprise, Kismet jumped down without much further ado. With as cautious he had been acting Warja had been gearing up for a fight to get him to follow her. His willingness was a pleasant surprise. She couldn't yet tell if he was excited or freaked out, but how quickly he'd jumped after her spoke volumes. She would take it without question. Staring into the black, Warja began to weave through the rocky maze in her mind. This part was easy; she had it memorized from all the trips prior to this one. It got a bit tricky later on because she hadn't explored the lower levels as thoroughly, but she was confident in her ability to guide them through safely. Once she had a firm grasp on where they were going, Warja turned to Kismet with a small smile on her lips. "In the beginning its going to be a lot of climbing, but once we get to the bottom it opens up into a cavern." The ledge they stood on offered two paths to chose from. Warja chose the left; the way she was most familiar with. The other, while leading to the same place, is far more difficult to travel. The youngling walked slowly, each step tentative and careful. The path was solid, but with every step into the abyss the light above grew dimmer. The climb down was one of the more dangerous parts of the trip. The darkness plays tricks on the eyes and creates steps were there are none. It would be easy to slip over the edge and the bottom appeared unforgiving. Upon reaching the end of their ledge, Warja jumped with practiced ease to the next ledge that hangs several feet away with a solid five foot drop in between. If Kismet thought they were going to leave the way they'd come this jump should make it obvious that doing so is nearly impossible. "Speech"

It wasn't so much that he doubted her ability to care for herself, in fact never once had he really thought much on her small size. He after all had been small once himself a pup doing things that adults perhaps thought he really ought not have done, he may never have really been a particularly tiny pup but he hadn't been too keen then on being told he was too small for things and certainly didn't intend on hypocritically telling others that they were. It was still a fact of course that he didn't wish to see her hurt in any way, though if he was being overprotective perhaps it was also that he had gotten too used to Soren needing his complete care as of late. Warja really wouldn't like to hear that fact as well, not only had he held Kismet back but had relied fairly heavily upon him during their imprisonment. Warja laughed at his comment and that little grin only grew wider still. To be honest after being so cooped up and responsible even though he hadn't realised it yet, Warja was probably right. Adventure was just what he needed and maybe a subconscious part of him would realise that as well, still no longer bothering to argue with his friend. Besides, she had dove into the adventure now, it was a little late to try talk her out of it. Now as they navigated down the ledges Warja would actually explain a little more about the adventure ahead of them. She had been here before apparently, he had suspected it to be honest with various little comments and actions. She was confident though he was sure she had the sense not to dive into a hole without being aware that there were ledges to allow a safe landing. "I think I can manage the climbing." There last couple of meetings had after all been in somewhat tricky places to reach, both up mountains that had involved some climbing. Clearly living around here she was probably quite the expert at climbing now though he still felt confident he could handle it, he would have to now anyway, a point only further proven as they hit the bigger drop.

Many more ledges and drops later, Warja stopped and turned back to gaze at Kismet. His form was barely visible now, but she could still make out the colors of his mismatched eyes. She wanted to ask him a question, several, really, but wasn't sure if she should. They had to do with his family and captivity and all those unpleasant things she doubted he would want to talk about, but the questions weighed heavily on her mind. Maybe she was just nosy, but Warja genuinely wanted to understand Kismet's predicament better. So instead of outright asking them, the fae decided to try a more sensitive approach. "Can I ask you a question, Kismet? About your...about Glaciem and all that?" She would understand if he didn't want to talk about it and perhaps she was wrong in bringing it up now, but they had plenty of time to talk and surely now that he was free they could discuss his captivity and the circumstances that led to it without bringing their spirits too low. Turning back to the path ahead, Warja began to slowly make her way down the steep slope. If she remembered the path correctly, they were getting close to the bottom. "Speech"

They were silent for quite some time, simply concentrating upon the ledges as they descended further and further. Kismet still couldn't help but remain a little dubious about the whole thing still uncertain on where he was being taken and a little concerned as to how they would get back out. Clearly Warja had some method, she'd been here before he believed though it didn't ease his mind too much. Warja would finally break the silence however though her voice was rather calm and a little serious suddenly. Before she'd even finished speaking his concern had risen, wondering if perhaps something was wrong. She would finish her question though and it seemed she was simply curious more than anything else and his brief worry would cease. Glaciem wasn't really a topic he wanted to discuss but he'd give it a try for her. He initially gave gave a small nod of his head in reply, not that the action could really be seen in the darkness, it was fortunate then that words soon followed. "Yeah, ok."

After Kismet gave her permission to ask her question Warja fell silent. She needed time to gather her thoughts before asking. It wasn't a hard question to ask, but the consequences of asking it could be costly if she misjudged Kismet's feelings on the subject. She didn't want to hurt her friend or their relationship, but she desperately wanted to understand the circumstances that led to his captivity. She knew very little of it and what she did know couldn't possibly be complete. It felt like there were important pieces missing to the whole affair. Kismet seemed okay with talking about it all; he hadn't refused to talk about it in previous conversations. Sure, the topic generally had a negative impact on their moods, but as far as she could tell, that's the whole effect it had on them. Besides, she didn't want to talk about this thing forever and she assumed Kismet didn't either, so now was the time to talk about it; one last talk before it was put behind them and forgotten. Okay, fine. She was gonna ask. "How did it all get started? Do you know?" Surely he had to know. ...but what if he didn't? Warja glanced over her shoulder at him. How awful would that be? As someone who wanted to know everything about everything, the idea of not knowing the 'why' of something so important to her (if she were in his place) was horrifying. It would have been something that would have kept her up at night. "Speech"

Silence followed and to be entirely honest for a moment Kismet wasn't even certain that he had actually replied. If he was entirely honest the pause was somewhat unnerving, what on earth could Warja had to ask him that was so serious, was taking so long for her to actually get out? "Warja?" He prompted, a hint of concern in his voice. Before he could ask anything else though it seemed that she finally had found some words though, the question eventually spoken. How did it all get started? Did she mean his capture? Surely not, he'd explained that already someone from Glaciem had come to take them when his mother hadn't returned to the island for he and Soren. He'd said that Isardis was his father so that covered why they'd been taken so what exactly did she actually want to know? "What do you mean?" He wouldn't just chance it and guess, he'd get her to explain.

"What do you mean?" A lapse in discernible thought made her paused. Obviously she knew what she meant, and she thought she'd been clear on it, but apparently not. "I mean..." Warja tried to piece her question together in a different way. The results of her efforts were a plethora of questions. "How did the whole thing get started? How does Isardis know your mom? She's related to like, half of Valhalla and I assume she was raised there, right?" Sure, she could have traveled, but why would a girl from an enemy pack be so important to the king of Glaciem? "And why did that challenger want you guys? Was it to make Isardis happy? To piss off Valhalla? There's just so much I don't get." She shrugged. "Maybe it's one of those 'you had to be there' things. I suppose its not really any of my business anyway, it's all just been nagging at me." Warja's head tipped back and she stared up into the darkness, having forgotten for a moment that there was no sky to gaze into. Slowly her head lowered, gaze returning to the darkness ahead of her. She had more questions - she always had questions - but for now she'd let Kismet work on the questions she'd already asked. "Speech"

How everything had gotten started. To be honest it wasn't something Kismet had thought about whilst he'd been imprisoned, he'd been too focused on hating Glaciem, caring for Soren, worrying about Warja and Azalea and wanting a way out of the mess he'd found himself in. Despite the lack of searching however the answers had still found their way to him. He probably should have asked them anyway, though at the time they hadn't crossed his mind and now he already knew it all he still cared not to think about it much, he was free and far happier topics would take priority. "My mum was a Glaciem prisoner for a while too." Kismet responded simply, starting to recite the story that he had from his mother's friends in Glaciem. "Technically Chrysanthe's mate whoever he is was a prisoner first but she apparently made a bargain, gave up her freedom so he could have his." Waste of time that was in some ways, Kismet couldn't recall ever having seen the man. "There was a war between the two packs and she escaped then and made it back to Valhalla." Quite how she had gotten off so lightly he didn't know to be honest but perhaps that was part of the reason that Glaciem had wanted them, another trade of sorts if Isardis could have he and Soren then Azalea could be free. He hoped it wasn't the case in some ways, though it didn't matter now, all had been resolved and freedom arranged and granted. "As for why they wanted Soren and I, I guess it was probably a mixture of both, please Isardis and piss off Valhalla, this feud between the packs has been going on for a long time now." Evidently it had begun before the birth of either of them. "Isardis has a bit of an obsessive and possessive nature I think, he wanted another Valhalla member to begin with, though she didn't want to go. It's all stupid though, she's in Glaciem still now, happy and a beta." He still didn't fully understand why Liberty was happy to stay in a pack that had waged war on her former home, initially wanted her as a prisoner but he wouldn't bother with the strangeness of it all too much, all he knew was that he never wanted to go back.

Pieces of the puzzle began to slip into place. It made sense, but the drama of it all seemed unreal. Perhaps reality was like that; all dramatic and unbelievable, and somehow inescapably real. The thought was both terrifying and thrilling. Thr young wolf supposed that was life, though; much like sliding down a sleep hill with no way to stop. "I don't get that." She spoke of the other valhallan wolf. "What on earth would compel you to stay with the wolves who stole you?" Warja shook her head. She couldn't fathom the reasoning behind it. That wolf, whoever they were, wasn't just there s/he was a high ranking member. Warja shook her head again, dismissing the whole thing as something that was forever outside of her range of understanding. Before them the tunnel opened up. Unlike a normal cave where water dripped and the air was forever chilly, Hell's River, even at their current distance, was warm, the air dry. Here, the cavern was dark, but nowhere near as dark as what lay behind them. A faint glow could be seen ahead and the air was filled with an odd rumbling sound. Warja turned in the hopes of catching Kismet's reaction. The place was ominous and more than a little intimidating. She had no doubt he could handle it, none whatsoever, but she doubted he was immune to the foreboding presence that hovered almost tangibly over them. It was a mystifying, thoroughly intoxicating feeling and it made her feel very small. Warja had become accustom to the caverns, but she remained far from immune to the rush of adrenaline that came with visiting them. "Speech"

It certainly was a lot of drama, for a long period of time, even now Kismet would wish to return back to those simple days on the island, his family around him, no knowledge of Isardis and Glaciem and Warja there and ready to explore at any moment they wished for an adventure. He was free from the drama now though given his family's track record he wondered just how long it would actually last. For now though, free at last such dark thoughts wouldn't bother him, determined instead to enjoy his time with his friend. Warja however still had some questions about it all. She had a point right there, Kismet was loyal to Valhalla and to his Adravendi family there was no changing that, especially not when he was torn so swiftly from all that he had known and loved and stuck as a prisoner within strange lands. He couldn't help but smile a little this time. "I know, it was ridiculous of them to have thought it even for a second." He agreed. His mother had been a little more shocked by their loyalty, surprised that Isardis hadn't even tried to turn the two brothers against her and their old life. It didn't need to be brought up, that too was still an insane thought to have had. The air had been growing warmer and warmer the further they descended, it was a strange fact though distracted by his friend he would only think to really question it now as the warmth began to grow more and more obvious. The temperature wasn't the only strange thing however, the sound and he could swear he could see some sort of glowing light. It was dark outside, only lit by the silvery glow of the moon and he was certain they couldn't have resurfaced above the ground once more so what on earth was going on? "Where are we?" Underground obviously though what was awaiting them further ahead? Never had the boy seen or heard of lava before, but all the same knowing what Warja had said and the oddities that the cavern held had certainly put Kismet a little on edge by it all, the very reaction that Warja had been hoping to see had definitely arrived.

"Where are we?" he asked, and Warja didn't try to hide the huge grin that threatened to overwhelm her features. She was beyond tickled with his reaction, and what she liked best about it? That they weren't even to the most amazing part yet. This? This was just an empty space underground; a void where there shouldn't be one. What was coming next would blow him away, she was sure of it. "We," she stated grandly, "Are so far underground that if the earth above us caved in we'd get smashed flat, killed instantly." This, to her, was a fascinating notion. "We're so far underground that many creatures who fall in never make it out." They'd passed a couple corpses in various states of decomposition but very soon that number would double, possibly triple. "Before us is a maze that has so many possibilities I once spent four days trying to find a way out." She knew the way now, but that information, for the thrill of it, wasn't going to be shared unless he asked for it. The weight of this place, the sheer terror it could instill, the despair, it was awe-inspiring. Not because she wanted to see these emotions in others, because she didn't (okay, well, she did want to see Kismet ruffled), but because it had her respect. She respected things that scared her. Their power over her and her natural understanding of it was an amazing thing. It challenged her and she loved every second of it. Finally she would answer his question. "I don't know what it's called, but this whole thing showed up after that earthquake. You should have seen it! I saw it open up and," she shook her head in remembered awe, "It was amazing. No words I can think of do it justice." The terror that had lanced through her as the ground began to shake and scream, and then the feeling after it, when she was so beyond terrified at seeing a mouth split the ground open and belch dust were hard to explain. "This huge hole, the one we came through, suddenly appeared and then there was an awful roar followed by an enormous cloud of dust that filled the sky for hours. It was amazing," she finished breathlessly, having rushed through the words in her excitement. "Speech"

The talk of Glaciem and Kismet's screwed up lineage and family history would be left alone for now it seemed, the arrival in the cavern creating a new discussion, Warja's face lighting up, that gleeful, thrilled emotion spilling through into her voice as she spoke of the area. Any normal wolf probably would have been terrified by the list, felt foolish for following the seemingly mad girl down into the depths of the earth but it was a small smile that crept over Kismet's features as he listened to his friend. "So, you really weren't kidding about the dangerous part then." He retorted simply. He was crazy too it seemed for following her, going along with it now. He wouldn't lie the words of course would make him a little uneasy, the first he'd sort of realised himself though never thought about it, the second as well he hadn't cared to pay much attention to though it was the third fact, the one that Warja had once gotten lost under here that would grasp his attention the most. She'd dragged him down so far underground, were many creatures fell just to get lost in a maze? Well that was one stupid way for him to delay heading back to Valhalla. Warja's energy was captivating, it consumed Kismet entirely. He should have be panicking really, and whilst he far from relaxed with adrenaline pounding through him, he was put his entire trust into Warja, and that fact oddly didn't worry him at all. "Well, shall we get started on this maze now then?" He asked simply, once she had finished. He was in no hurry to escape the depths of the cavern really though certainly wished to see what else was so thrilling had captured and held his dearest friend's attention.

"Well, shall we get started on this maze now then?" The maze. The little devil on Warja's shoulder cackled menacingly. He thought that she had brought him down here to see the maze. For a second Warja just looked at Kismet, savoring the look on his face. Her own expression was an amused one, one that slowly began to morph into a cheshire grin. "Look around you! What do you see?" She gestured around for emphasis. "Something down here doesn't belong." Okay, okay. Enough with the theatrics. Before he had a chance to reply, she blurted out the answer. "The LIGHT." Her mouth snapped shut immediately after those two words for fear she'd spill the beans. No way, no how! It was going to be a surprise. Pouncing away from Kismet, the pup turned suddenly to stare at him. "Kismet Adravendi," she stated extravagantly, "I didn't bring you down here for the sole purpose of making you walk a maze." Trotting a short distance away, Warja began to scrape at a mound of debris, chipping away at the hardened dirt. She did so until several good sized rocks rolled free. Turning to Kismet, she commanded, "Grab a rock and follow me." Selecting a large stone, Warja carefully picked it up. The edges were rough and jagged, some sharp, and it took her a moment to find an angle that allowed her to carry it comfortably. Once she had it situated, the little fae turned to her friend and grinned toothily at him around the rock, letting her expression, which, frankly, was the closest to evil she could get, do the talking. This is going to be fun. "Speech"

In his defence it was what Warja had said lay ahead of them. Perhaps he shouldn't have jumped to conclusions though it was the first assumption that Kismet had made after her words and seemed like a perfectly logical one. Yes the warmth and the light ahead was rather strange though he'd figured all would be explained in the maze, and yet Warja was looking rather amused. "You know, we don't really belong down here either." He pointed out defending his case slightly. "And you were the one that said the maze lay ahead." There was still a smile upon his face though, demonstrating that he wasn't actually hurt at all by her reaction. "Well then Warja Kaname" He too used the full name, playing along with whatever game she had up her sleeve. "What did you bring me down here for?" Obviously it had something to do with that light that she had highlighted once already, but just what was that light then? It seemed he wouldn't get that answer quite so swiftly however as she simply gave him an instruction. "A rock? Why?" He frowned though Warja had already selected one and begun to pick it up, it seemed that he wasn't going to get an answer to that either, the closest response he received was a sly grin as she looked back his way with a rock held in her mouth. She didn't look evil ever in his opinion, he wouldn't say it now but he thought she currently looked a little ridiculous, grinning away as best as she could with a rock in her mouth. Giving in he would grab the nearest rock to him, a little smaller than Warja's but then she hadn't specified how big it actually needed to be.

He protested a bit, so Warja just stuck her tongue out at him and remained silent. A question followed, one she'd expected, but the young fae merely grinned at him. She wasn't going to say another word on the matter. Oh, no. He was just going to have to wait and see. He questioned the rock and Warja was about to snort at him when the boy obliged her and picked up a rock. She nodded at him approvingly and with that she was off, turning from him to the dimly lit path ahead. The light slowly grew and with it the rumbling. The air was laced with an odd, burning smell, giving it a thick and oppressive feel. Orange light bathed the rocks around and above them, casting shadows that writhed and flickered with the movement just out of sight of the pair. There was a bubbling sound too, one that, if she didn't already know what was causing it, Warja would have mistaken for babbling water. The noise was a bit thicker sounding, sure, but there was very little to compare it to. They rounded a corner and there it was: the river of fire. Grinning around the rock, Warja turned to glance back at Kismet, wanting to gauge his reaction before she got any closer. At this point the rock underfoot was warm, almost hot, and waves of heat could be seen floating off the molten river. "Speech"

Warja would offer him no further explanations and instead would silently continue on her way, dragging him along with her. The light was getting brighter, it's ominous glow filling the cavern more and more with each step they took. It was continuing to get warmer now and the boy was almost certain that even the ground was warming too, strange considering the only experience he had of the ground warming was when the sun shone upon it. Then they rounded the corner, the sight before Kismet was so shocking his mouth would open and rock fall from his mouth, the noise barely audible over the thick rumbling of the lava from the glowing river ahead of them. Well that explained the light, and he supposed the heat as well for he could certainly feel and see that it was incredibly hot. Never before had he seen lava though and he had no idea what it even was. A part of him certainly had an instinct to keep clear of the strange molten river ahead of him and he wouldn't take any steps closer for now. Mismatched eyes would remain focussed upon it though he would once more question Warja. "What is it?"

Ahahahaha! The boy's reaction was priceless. No, more than that. It was perfect, everything she'd been hoping for and more all wrapped up in a stunned, 42 inch package. Unwilling to chance smashing her toes, Warja chose to set her rock on the ground instead of dropping it. "It's great, isn't it?" She didn't expect an answer, really. With his mouth hanging wide open, Kismet was a bit busy catching flies. The seconds ticked away and then he asked the question Warja had been dying to hear. Her answer busted through her lips the moment he was done speaking. "I have no idea!" Was that not the best thing ever? A river of fire in an underground lair. How unexplainable, how magnificent! "Isn't it grand? There's a river of fire in a cave underground! 'Where does it come from? Where does it go?' I've asked myself these questions each time I've been down here and I'm no closer to an answer than I was the first time." She shook her head in awe, her gaze fixed on the lava. "It's amazing." "Speech"

To be honest the boy certainly hadn't thought of his own toes as he released his rock in shock, fortunately he received no injuries from it however though that surely would have awoken him from his daze as he stared ahead and the fiery river. To be honest he barely heard Warja at first, it wasn't until she began to answer his questions that he would tear his mismatched gaze from the lava to look to his friend. Even she was rather clueless it seemed upon the topic of the strange river. She too had so many unanswered questions of her own and would speak them now, her lively and excited manner still ringing clear in her words. She was perhaps a little too enthused by the topic he thought though she wasn't wrong, it was pretty amazing. "It's certainly something else." He remarked, gaze once more returning to the river of fire.