Birna stared at the opening in the side of the mountain she had laboriously climbed up. There was one question on her mind. Would she fit? It was a small opening that smelt strongly of dirt and clay. There was likely a larger entrance somewhere but this was the one she had found and thus it was the one she had to decide on. Sniffing lightly she stuck her head into the dark and damp before she cautiously stepped inside, the dew-stained walls rubbing off on her fur before she finally broke through into a larger cavern. It was strange in here and she wasn't quite sure how to feel about. Her ears flicked forward as a heavy sigh left her maw. She was growing tired of wandering and once again felt the pull to settle down. The question though was where. Packs were shifting again and she wasn't quite sure where she would fit in best. Maybe she ought to return to Fiori? Yet at the same time she felt that pack was to tame for her ambitions. She needed to fight, needed to be challenged. She found herself dearly missing Imperium. "SPEAK"

Aki's breathing slowed as he rounded another corner in the caverns. He'd marked his scent on the cave walls - just in case he couldn't find his wya back to the entrance, which was a very real possibility. This place was dank and rather lifeless, hence its name, and the silence here was deafening. Each twist and turn in the caverns seemed to bring him deeper into nothingness. The stone beneath his paws was slick with moisture, and cool to the touch. A brief shiver passed through him, though the feeling passed quickly enough. It was a decent enough place to be alone with his thoughts, and his mind strayed as the beast moved aimlessly through the caverns. The sound of a stranger's arrival made his ears perk. At least he assumed it was a stranger. Curious, he'd head toward the sound, feeling as though he was suddenly filled with warmth. This place seemed full of spirits to him, brimming to the top with life; beaming, he headed onward, tail whipping behind him. "Anyone out there?" his voice would boom out rather joyfully, wondering who might join him here today.

Exploring the caverns Birna couldn't help but be reminded of stories of dragons from her childhood. She could remember imagining herself as a brave night going to rescue her imaginary friends from great and wicked serpents and all kinds of monsters. Once again her heart ached for her brother. If only she could see him again and know that he was well and safe. It was almost funny now, her imaginings that they'd always be together. The two of them against the world. Two years later and that was gone. She felt a stain of bitterness in her heart towards her beloved brother for separating them like this but she quickly quieted it. She didn't want to allow those feelings to rise. Birna froze as she thought she heard sounds of movement before a voice called out asking if anyone was there. She hesitated for a moment then decided to answer. "There is indeed one within these caverns. Who calls out in the darkness?" Birna would wait for the mysterious owner of the voice to appear, secretly wondering if it was another wolf or a ghost. "SPEAK"

Though more fond of wide-open spaces, of vast canyons and looming mountain peaks, he could appreciate this place just the same. He couldn't help but feel vaguely cramped in here, surrounded by walls on all sides, hearing his voice echo back to him like the call of a stranger. Though not totally anxiety-producing he could see how some might feel overwhelmed in such a space. He received a reply not long after he spoke, and a grin brightened his features at the sound. He had no fear of being trapped here with a stranger - he rarely had anything but positive encounters with those he met, and he had no doubts he could assuage most any situation if it came down to it. He was not one who fought often, though he was confident in his skills if he ended up having to defend himself. "My name is Aki Jarvela," he called out openly, his paws pulling him toward the sound of the stranger. He didn't expect to face such a massive woman as he rounded a dark corner - she was about his size, though perhaps a bit slimmer. There was no doubt in his mind that her build was of a fighter, and his jaws parted slightly as he nodded in greeting, keeping a safe distance. "Forgive me if I intrude on.. whatever you were doing here." What was there to do in these caverns, other than wander aimlessly, he wondered?

Birna didn't really believe in ghosts or the supernatural but something about the shifting dark of the cave made her question her beliefs. Was it wise to call out to disembodied voices? What would her mother say? Birna froze. She could barely remember her parents… shaking the thought from her head the voice would reply that his name was Aki Jarvela. The man would move forward into the fleeting light and she would see that he was indeed a wolf though a rather strange looking one. Large, like herself, with strange red markings and odd… fangs growing out of his mouth. She was no stranger to the oddities Boreas seemed to be plagued with and the large fangs were less disconcerting than Dione's horns. "Nice to meet you Aki. I am Birna Volkov and fear not you were intruding on nothing. To be honest I am not sure what it is I am doing down here. Curiosity perhaps? What of you? Why do you venture so far into the deep?" "SPEAK"

The woman seemed nice at first glance, and eagerly Aki would flash her a wide smile, dipping his head in slow greeting as he took a wide step closer to her. The darkness was more comforting to him than frightening; he didn't mind meeting in close quarters, though he could understand it might make some feel claustrophobic. "It's a pleasure, Birna Volkov," he greeted her, testing the name on his tongue. It sounded like a strong name - a northern name, even. His grin appeared again. "Sometimes I admit that my paws bring me places I don't expect," he admitted, his tail waving in a wide arc behind him. "Like these caves. Won't deny I'm curious about this place either, though." Curious, but wary too - this place was strange. From the earthy, dank smell to the near-darkness he found himself engulfed in, it was difficult to grow too comfortable here. If not, he could very well find himself falling into some kind of trap.. the stone was slick with moisture and the darkness made any paths ahead of him almost invisible until he grew close enough to enter them.

It seemed the man was simply wandering where he would and Birna could understand the sentiment. Though, it was a sensation she was fond of. Birna preferred to have direction and purpose in her life it just seemed some things she was unable to hang on to. Now the question was if she would actively seek out that purpose again, if she would wait for it to fall out of the sky or if she'd simply give up on the thought altogether. Any more she was tempted to just leave the lands of Boreas and try to search for her brother no matter how futile it might be. She nodded at the man's words. "I am curious as well though I can't say I've found much to endure me to them." She moved carefully forward, eyeing a crack in the cavern ceiling that allowed a sliver of light to pierce down to the cavern floor. "I doubt there are any prey here and the low light is disconcerting. I suppose the caverns are adequate shelter though I don't think I care to stray to far from the entrance again. I prefer the open sky." "SPEAK"

He could sense a sort of kinship with her that he didn't bother questioning; she was no soft-willed wolf of the southern lands, like so many he had met on his journey thus far. Something about her was comforting, and he relaxing in her presence, despite her being a stranger in relatively tight quarters. "No?" he'd reply in light response to her opinion. He didn't love the place much, either. "I prefer the open sky myself. Something about these sort of places is quite interesting though, too," Aki offered conversationally with a gentle shrug of his wide shoulders. He knew little of her - where she was from, what sort of things she enjoyed. But it didn't stop him from talking, his head tipping let him examine the ceiling of the cave for a moment in the darkness. "It does feel a bit spiritual to be surrounded by the earth," he admitted gingerly, a faint sigh falling from his lips. He could feel the life emanating from the stone itself, and he smiled lightly as he considered it. "If not rather claustrophobic at times." The strangeness of this place was only further accentuated by the sound of water in the distance; a slow, echoing drip somewhere deeper in the caverns.

Birna would slowly nod at the man's words.  She couldn't deny that the place was interesting in its own merits. "I suppose so.  It remind me of stories I was told as a pup of dragons and dark things that lurk with in the deep of the earth." Part of her still longed for the more innocent times before the coup, before she learned what it was like to spend her formative years growing up in fear and paranoia.  Before she began to loose connections with her family.  Her thoughts drifted to Karabela again, a wolf she was apparently connected to through blood.  She was the girls aunt?  Cousin?  It was a strange think to think though it wasn't the first time.  She had joined forces with Kassander when his pack sieged Arcanum and their family connection couldn't be denied but even so she'd felt distant from them.  Whereever her brother was she was sure he was fine.  Should she not stay and try and offer what little wisdom she'd gleaned over the years to the younger wolves?  Did she have a right to? "Spiritual?  Hmm…. I suppose.  Though it makes me think of darker spirits.  What do your people say of places such as these?" "Talk"

Aki's wide grin reappeared at Birna's words. Yes, she was right.. this place definitely was something from children's tales. The unknown had always intrigued him to an extent, though he was more apt to explore that which was above ground, it was still quite interesting.  "It makes me wonder how deep these caves might go," he mused aloud, squinting as he stared into the darkness. Perhaps if one went deep enough they could speak to Jabme-Akka, the ruler of the underworld. Perhaps they might die before they ever reached her. He felt a shiver crawl down his spine at the thought. Thoughts of the afterlife were somewhat unsettling, though not downright horrible - he felt he had quite a bit of time left to live on the physical earth to truly begin contemplating such things. He hummed softly under his breath, thinking over Birna's question.  "It definitely makes me think of darker spirits, though spirits just the same. Some are dark and some are more lightly-aligned.. but all are necessary." There could be no life without death; they were both necessary evils, and to be worshiped just the same.  "This place reminds of Rotaimo, the land of the dead, a place from a tale told to young children to keep them from misbehaving." Though the rules of his childhood had been far and few between, and they had been different from the rules of many wolves. He'd been taught to respect the world and the reindeer, to live fully and deeply. Anything that went against these ways was seen as abhorrent.  "I don't know much of the story other than the basics. But this place certainly seems like a place such a spirit might hide," he offered with a shrug and a soft chuckle.

Birna gazed down into the inky blackness finding that she wondered much the same. How far did these caves go? Well, she was content with never finding out. She'd heard plenty of stories of wolves wandering in to networks of caves, getting lost and never coming out again and if she were to die she would prefer to do it with the sky above her. Aki spoke of darker spirits but also that all were necessary and she would nod slowly. She was not really spiritual herself but she did believe there was a greater balance to nature. Everything in its place, everything in its time, some good some bad. Darkness was needed to show the light. Birna cocked her head to the side at the mention of Rotaimo. The word meant nothing to her but Aki would elaborate that it was the land of the dead. A tale told to frighten children. She could not remember if she'd ever been told any such tales as a child. Really her childhood had been stripped from her far to soon. Now the only things she believed in were what she could see and feel. She had never given death much thought, never supposed there might be something after. "Well, I don't fancy on finding out if such a spirit does dwell down here. I think it's time I return to the surface. It was a pleasure meeting you Aki. Perhaps our paths will cross again?" "Talk"

Aki really wasn't sure if he'd go much deeper, either. Perhaps someday he might find himself condemned to such a place, though he hoped the afterlife would be far brighter than this.  This seemed like a good enough exploration of the underworld for one day. Though he couldn't help but wonder how deep these caves went, and what might really lie beyond. His smile softened at the thought - and at the fact that there would always be things he didn't know, or understand. He was content with that. A soft chuckle fell from his lips, echoing between the tight cavern walls that surrounded them.  "Nor do I, if I'm being honest," his eyes shone with earnest.  "It was a pleasure meeting you too, Birna. I wish you luck, in this life and the next." If she believed in such things - if not, it wasn't an offensive sentiment, he didn't think. They could very well never meet again, though perhaps their paths might very cross someday. With a dip of his head, he'd turn back the way he came, grateful for a new friend, even if they may never see one another again.