*navigation caves of the past

Her form lay inside the caves, hidden for the most part by the small tunnel entrance she lay in. She was silent, aside from the small breaths she let out into the cooled air. A rainbow of colors graced her pelt though it was mostly on her tail. She kept the colorful appendage under her chin as she lay curled into a tight ball. This was where she had been hidden now for long enough that scents had grown days old, becoming stale in the crisp air. Her orange ears pressed back, melding into her red fur. Her scent of fear was probably the strongest. She knew at the entrance to the caves that her mother's faded scent entered with her own, but if one inspected further they would find only one of them lead to exiting the caves. She had watched as her mother disappeared beyond sight, followed by the dark figures. She had seen the bit of sorrow in her mother's eyes as she had placed her in the caves and left her.

Jewell wasn't stupid, she knew her mother wouldn't be returning. Though in some notion of childish hope she stayed where her mother had left her, hoping she might return, though there would be no such reunion between them. She shivered as winds entered the caves, though not as cold as they would be if she were outside they were still chilling to the young girl. She had only wandered far enough inside to merely find shallow puddles from dripping stalactites to satiate her thirst, though there was no relief for her growling stomach. She lifted herself, body exiting the smaller tunnel though her head looked this way and that first. She was cautious in leaving the safety of the smaller passageway for fear that the nightmares would return to hunt her. That was what she had decided were the shadows that hunted her mother. The were foul smelling and sounded horrendous to her, though she was but a child so alot was that way for her.

Her yellow dipped paws moved her to the side of the closest puddle she had found. Purple paw pads were careful not to touch the icy feeling water. Her cheeks held the darkened lines of tears that soaked her fur once. Though now they were just stained, she hadn't cried in almost a whole day. She dipped her head close to the water and lapped at the surface with her purple tongue. It's taste was gritty and earthly, nothing like the fresh stream water she enjoyed. It was foul in its taste but she choked it down anyway. As she lifted her head her eyes lifted to the colorful oddities upon the walls. They were captivating with their colors and shapes. The meaning was lost on her but nonetheless she found them to be pretty. Her haunches lowered as she studied them. Head tilted this way and that trying to figure out what it was supposed to be. Ears perked, the sound of the wind being all she heard for now.

It wasn't too often that Oleander roamed up towards the colder climates, but with the coming of spring he figured that it would be a good time to check things out. Some snow still clung to the earth in patches, the brown rotting grass letting off an odd stench. It had been frozen for so long that now exposed to the suns rays, it was quickly rotting as new sprouts grew quickly out of the decomposing blades. He didn't mind the smell, but Cedar did. The jackal was staring to lag behind, his nose wrinkled up on his snout as he tried to avoid the larger patches of dead grass. The wolf in front of him couldn't help but chuckle, his tail wagging behind him a few times. He was a silly creature. His ears were fully perked forward, alert of all his surroundings as he made his way through the unfamiliar terrain. He was very thankful for the changing of the season, he was able to get enough food that his ribs were no longer showing. He still had a few pounds to put on before he was back to his normal weight, but besides that he was feeling excellent. His limbs moved faster as he fell into an easy lope, his head turning this way and that. There wasn't much movement up here, but that was to be expected. Ollie had felt the temperature drop as soon as he entered the north; it had not yet awoken from its winter slumber. When he noticed that Cedar had fallen quite behind, he paused and turned around to gaze at his brother. There was a look of disdain on his features as he lifted a paw, shaking off some snow that had collected around his toes. He tried not to smile, he knew that he would get told off for laughing at his misery. His brother was a lot more... well more than Oleander. He was quite a reserved and awkward wolf, while Cedar was blunt and up front with everything. It helped him at times when he lagged in conversations, since coming here he had had even fewer interactions that he did back home. "Suus aquam frater uenerunt. Si vis fugere potest quiescere." He called in Latin, seeing him perk up from his words. He did grin this time, inclining his head towards the cliffs that he saw up ahead. He wouldn't mind a little bit of a break if it kept the canid happy. Once Cedar caught up, Oleander spun around and headed towards the rocks in front of them. He wasn't sure if there would be a cavern or not, but it was worth a shot. After only a few paces the looming maw of a cave came into view, and he turned towards his companion with a short burst of laughter. Perfect! The odds were in their favor on this day it seemed. Tucking themselves inside, they both blinked as their eyes adjusted to the dimmer light. It was only then that he noticed that they were not alone. Sitting not too far off was a very, very colourful wolf, a young looking one to boot. Looking towards the black backed jackal with a raised brow, he wondered if colours that bright were natural. He wasn't dreaming though, he could see her flanks rising and falling with each breath she took. She was looking up at the walls, but he was too focused on her to notice what was painted on the stone around them. Cedar cleared his throat, announcing their presence since the wolf was too stunned to do anything. It made him realize that he was staring, a heat rushing to his cheeks in embarrassment. Averting his teal eyes, he looked at the ground beside her instead of her many coloured coat. "Ignosce mihi, excuse me. I do not mean to stare, I have not seen one as laetus, colourful as yourself." Ollie said slowly, his habit of mixing Latin in with the common tongue making itself known. Even though he hadn't met anyone else who spoke his language just yet, it didn't stop his pattern of speech. "SPEAK" -- "CEDAR SPEAKS" -- "SPEAK LATIN"

Art by Katthekitkat

Her ear flicked at the sound of nails upon the ground behind her and she was quick with her movements. Her body jumped at the sound of the males and she spun to face them. Her eyes were wide, holding the fear she felt within them. These males were huge compared to her, they could just as well be some of the nightmares that had chased her mother. Her ears pressed back and her tail clung to her underside. Fear was the only emotion she knew at this moment. The what if she went on and on in her head as she watched them. The one only seemed to stare and she was staring right back. When the smaller of them cleared his throat she sacked in a sharp breath, her mouth closing and clenching shut. The words the larger released brought a shaking of her head. Whatever he said she didn't understand a word of it. Her own vocals came forth then, her French accent was thick and likely foreign to him, though she figured all wolves spoke French mainly. Her mother had so that was all she had known. "Qui es-tu? Qu'est-ce que tu veux de moi?" Her body was giving away her fear to them easily, her legs shaking and fur on end. She probably looked like a tiny ball of fluff but she was doing her best. Her stomach gave a gurgle, giving away her hunger, but she did her best to ignore it. Her eyes flicked to the smaller tunnel she had hidden in. She might be able to make it if she ran, but he was to close to it for comfort. JewellCan you see the nightmares? I see them, and they scare me