purple diamond in the rough

A castle… was like a cave? That was worrisome to the small woman. Caves were hard to hear in. The sound bounced so much that she could never tell where it was coming from. Her father liked to trick her whenever they spent the night in a cave. She’d almost died in one once. Following his voice, she’d slipped and fallen down a shaft. If he hadn’t helped her out, she would have starved to death and died. He used the opportunity to remind her just how much she needed him and how she would be dead without him. So the prospect of entering a giant, cave like structure… not good.

The moment that her paws touched stone, she hesitated. Steeling her nerves, Gypsy continued to follow Indigo into the strange place. She could tell that they were surrounded by stone by the way that his footfalls echoed in the large space. It was difficult to detect exactly where he was, so she moved forward until she could feel the tip of his tail against her cheek. It made traversing the strange space much easier for her. Again, she wished that he’d kept the tether.

Stairs were another story. Gypsy had climbed things, but they’d never been… the same thing? The steps were evenly placed and it was very strange at first, but the diminutive fae quickly got the hang of them. There were so many! She lost count after a while. At the top, she’d almost fallen flat on her face as she’d expected yet more steps to come, but Indigo was there to brace her. Heat filled the girl’s cheeks and she righted herself, taking a step away and nodding her thanks.

Indigo led her into a room. She could tell it was a room by the way that the sound changed. The man’s voice made her jump. She hadn’t quite expected him to speak. This new place was an overload on her senses. Everything smelled differently and sounded differently. The stone felt wrong beneath her pink pads. It would take a lot of getting used to. Already she knew that it would be hard to escape if she needed to. She’d probably break her neck going down the stairs on her own.

A second voice nearly made her heart leap from her throat. A woman. That wasn’t as reassuring as it should have been. Gypsy had been hurt and abused by women as well. Mismatched ears tucked back against her crown and she sank in on herself somewhat. White claws dug into the stone and she flinched as the woman, Duchess, she’d heard Indigo say, stepped up and touched shoulders with her. The small dame’s heart began to pound and her silver eyes widened. She’d begun to trust Indigo, but the addition of a new wolf had wound her up once more.