Hinder

The darkness of the cave was alluring to Áki. The familiar cold and starkness of winter had begun to slowly fade from the world, and with the arrival of warmer weather he found himself drawn to those lands which had retained the slight chill of winter. Large paws would collide with the earth as he paced near the cave's entrance, thoroughly intrigued. His nose would twitch as he tasted the scents that swirled about the opening. Someone had come by here recently, it seemed. And a stranger too.

Quietly the massive brute would slink into the near darkness, feeling the sounds of the world slip away as silence engulfed him. Only when he drew deeper into the cavern would the sounds shift. Here, he could hear the gentle patter of water falling from the cave's roof to the floor before, and the gentle shuffling of wind creeping through from behind him. Slowly his eyes adjusted to the darkness, and his pawsteps would grow a bit more certain as he found solid footing in the stone cavern.

What he didn't expect, though, was the soft cry of a stranger in the distance at the sound of rock and debris coming loose and falling to the ground. He had suspected another might be near him, for her scent had lingered but he didn't know she was quite so close. Brows furrowed in slight concern as he moved toward the sound, searching for her in the distance. "Hello? Are you okay?" his voice rang out, tinged with the hint of a northern accent, laced with gentle worry.