Ghosts of yesterday
After his last trip north, into the small mountain range that backed the volcano, he wondered if it was all that safe for him to be wandering around in the dark like that. However, curiosity outweighed self preservation in most instances. One of those instances was today's venture into another cave, though he was not armed with a bulky lantern or a big bag of supplies. Instead, he was relying on his own senses and skills to make it back out in one piece. The entrance to the caverns he'd caught wind of was supposedly a tight squeeze for large wolves, but someone of his stature and minimal bulk should have an easier time crawling through. Which he did, after doffing his mask and pushing it ahead with his forepaws through the tunnel, he emerged on the other side. Or.. he supposed he did. The cool stone pressing against his shoulders and hips fell away, but the pitch black shadow didn't lighten in the least. The faintest circle of dim light illuminated the tunnel he had just emerged from, once he stepped away. He self consciously fumbled for his mask, and slipped the sturdy muntjac skull over his face. Tall auds flickered warily, picking up sounds of movement all around. He wasn't used to the hard substrate catching and reflecting every tiny sound, from the rats' claws skittering about to the dripping of water from above his head. The stone walls did allow him to pick up the sounds of a much larger animal echoing from further in, and his nose told him there was another wolf nearby. Irritable bats chirped discouragingly overhead when he started to slowly pick his way across the cavern, bumping into a few stalagmites here and there, and stubbing his toe only once before he figured out the trick to keep his nails from being torn off. Pick up the paw, curl inward, let the wrist bump into stuff. It was slow going, but he did find some mushrooms that he wanted to investigate. A few gentle taps with the pad of his forepaw, and the resounding, hollow thwack signalled it was healthy and perfect for harvesting. He'd swing back to this later. He thought that perhaps he could hear breathing nearby, and the wolf that was sharing the space might be closer than he thought. "Any chance ya know a thing or two about mushrooms?" he drawled quietly, knowing fully well that even a whisper would carry across the cavernous room. |