Walk | Talk



The gorge stretched out before her, immense and immeasurable in the twisting, winding route it took through the valley. She couldn’t see past the first twist in the smooth rock,but she knew the journey through would be long and dark. She pressed her cold nose against the wall to her right shoulder, sniffing the chill rock-face, curious by its well-worn surface. There use to be a river here, she was sure of it. Goosebumps flecked on her tail and spine, she didn’t know this land well. Did the water pool here when it rained? Surely it would take weeks worth of rain to full this immeasurable space. She took a stern breath, schooling her features as she slinked further forward.

She wouldn’t be cowed by her imagination, by ideas of what could be around the corner/ from grumpy grizzlies, to a towering wall of water that she could never avoid. She shook her coat. Foolishness. She continued forward, and turned the first corner of this maze, scratching a mark on the base of the wall here. She would not allow herself to get lost as easily as that.

There was a method to her madness, in the damp, cool surface below she might find rare herbs that winter had not yet managed to wither and destroy. Her herb supply had dwindled away to scraps already, and winter had barely begun. She cursed her bad luck, and considered the possibilities of a trade with a pack nearby. Rare herbs, or hunting, might make a pleasant trade to a pack. She was fleet-footed, and far-wondering. With that in mind, she might be able to scavenge herbs and prey that a pack might not have access to. It was with this in mind that she braved the fear wrought by her imagination and continued her weary passage through the gorge.

Two lefts, a right, and she already felt as though she was far into the belly of the earth. The light from the sun seemed to wayne, the towering figures of the walls above her cast a shadow down upon her, and occasionally blocked it out fully, as she ducked through passageways created by roots or rock falls. The river bed, once likely simple, when it was flowing with water, had become something of a mystery, weathered by time. She sniffed often, and pawed at the base of the rocks around her Occasionally she would find moss, and other such vegetation, and add it to the leaf bundle held gently in her mouth. Other times, she simply marked her passage. Every noise she made seemed to echo around her, a soft whisper in the shadows, that occasionally made her jump and set her heart racing, despite logic telling her it was only an echo, and, occasionally, the movement of a harmless rodent.

He was thoroughly cursing himself right now and an angered scowl was placed on his features. Why did he leave the comforts of the east? Why did he think getting down here in these caves was a good idea? Why hadn't he just stayed home? Many questions ate away at him, kicking himself for going in these caves in the first place. Now the older male was lost and had no idea how to get out. It was also getting chilly in here for the skinny old man and he was finding that his fur wasn't thick enough for the winter. He was hoping that these caves might actually be warmer since they were out of the elements of winter, but he was realizing he had been terribly wrong.

He wanted to be back home in his den with his companion, curled around her skinny form to keep warm. To growl and curse the weather with her and find comfort in each other's misery. How comforting that thought was and it's what drove him to continue to wander the caves instead of throwing a tantrum. Though having only one good eye and his other senses dulling with age left it rather difficult to navigate these caves. Several times he had considered calling out to see if anyone else was around, but he in fact was embarrassed that he was in this situation and really didn't want to attract attention at all.

He sighed as his scowl faded and his form stopped, back end gently swaying with unsteadiness. How would he ever get out of here? Then something promising, his ears picked up the soft click of claws against the stone and he listened carefully. The steps were to light to be a bear or a hooved creature. To heavy for a coyote and definitely was not a cat. It had to be another wolf and the sound was ahead of him, approaching him. He had been much deeper in the cave then she was.

"Hello?" he called softly, knowing it would echo.




"Talk." & 'Think'

Walk | Talk


She took her time in her carefully marked passage through the labyrinth of stone, marking each turn she made with a scratches of her claws, drawing a pattern on the aged rock. She had gathered some interesting herbs, mostly moss and things that liked the cool, dark and damp stone. She would examine her collection more carefully in the light of day once she was free of these shadowed halls. The occasional wind that howled through the cracks was bitterly cold, and she shivered whenever it rippled through her coat.

She was just considering turning back, when a voice stopped her in her tracks. The question bounced around the walls until she was uncertain where it had originated from. She stopped, paws falling still beneath her, and head tilting to the side. She wasn’t alarmed, despite the creepy-crawly feeling that traced along her spine. She had felt that sensation for as long as she had been down here. Something about this abandoned place had set her hackled up. Well, perhaps not as abandoned as all that.

“Hello?” she called out cautiously, ears pricked and swilling as they followed her own echoed word. Where was the wolf that had called out to her. Did he need her aid. “Where are you?”

He stood and listened as his voice echoed along the rock walls. It drowned out the clicking of claws, despite how quietly he had called. Ears were erect and facing forward as things quieted again. She soon called back and it echoed as well, but it was a lot louder in front of him confirming that she was indeed in front of him. He was thanking whatever gods, not really being a religious man, but he was just thankful that there was another nearby. The female asked were he was and he was already pushing forward, hoping she wasn't around a few bends before he reached her.

"I think I'm in front of you, let me head your way and see," he called out as he moved.

He moved at a steady pace, heading in the direction of where her voice came from. He prayed that she wasn't far, he prayed that she could help him get out of here. Another cold breeze ruffled his coat and he shivered, mentally cursing the cold again. His one gold eye scanning the darkness before him as he moved. Pushing himself to keep going in hopes of coming to the women. Surprisingly and thankfully she had not been around any corners and it did not take him long to reach her. His tail wagged and his stopped a few yards away, trying to show that he met no harm.

"Please tell me you know the way out of here?" he asked.

At this point he didn't care how dumb he would look being lost in here, he just wanted out!



"Talk." & 'Think'

Walk | Talk


A moment passed, and she had begun to wonder if the voice was an apparatus, a figment of her imagination, which had already been working over time since she had ventured down here. She knew she had heard the voice, and yet, it was easy to convince herself that it had not been real. When the voice spoke again, she jumped a little in surprise, and the longer sentence helped tie her to reality. The voice was real, with a male's vocal, with a tone that hinted that he was perhaps slightly aged and regal.

She stayed still to give him a chance to locate her, and was considering open her mouth to speak, to give him something to latch onto, when he moved from the shadows and into view. He was scarred and pale, his body lean and sinewy, with pale gold eyes. To find a wolf such as him in the shadows of the abandoned stone set her heart racing, just a little. She didn’t believe in the boogeyman, not truely, and the light wag of his tail indicated he was friendly.

He didn’t look like he was carrying enough fat to survive the winter, and the healer in her was already considering how she would help him if he let her. His voice pilled her from her thoughts, and she shook out her coat, shaking away the feeling of cold fingers that the darkness had left her with. “I do, but i’m not sure how far i’ve come.” she walked away from a little, and showed him a marking on the wall, clearly fresh, and left by claws. “Its an easy place to get lost in, but we can follow my markings out” she explained, no judgement at all in her tones. She was right, the man did need her help, through he perhaps wouldn’t appreciate the ideas pilling in her head to fatten him up.

"Thank goodness," he quickly replied as she stated she did.

It didn't matter how far she had come into the caves, he was thankful she knew how to get out. Relief washed over him and he physically relaxed more. The women before him looked young and full of years of life. She had to of been smarter them him, this old fool that he was. With her dark colors she almost blended into the darkness, but those eyes stood out in the darkness. She claimed she had left marks and that they should be able to fallow them out and he grinned in relief.

"I should have thought of that, I've been stuck wondering around in here for a while," he said before shaking his head. "Honestly I wonder why I thought it was a good idea to go in here in the first place."

He was an old fool, an old withering fool. Surely this young female thought so, even though she didn't sound like it so far.



"Talk." & 'Think'

The aged and scarred man, was like many she had seen in this new land - leaning more towards the side of giants. She had never felt so short until she had come here, and witnessed wolf after wolf who towered over here. For his height and size there simply seemed to be enough fat on his bones, and his coat was thinning with age. She looked up at him with respect in her eyes as she showed him the Mark's she had left, and heard the gratitude in his reply.

It sounded like he had been here for a while, and she studying him with a critical eye. He looked cold and miserable, and as she indicated the direction they should head, she made certain she walked closely beside him, offering him her own warmth as they started out on their journey from this place.

"I came here to gather herbs, I thought perhaps there might be some down here not yet destroyed by winter" she explained. As her first winter as a solo healer she hadn't done a great job in her preparations. Now she had to face winter unprepared, with a dwindling supply. Something in the older wolf's expression might have spoken of remorse over his decisions, but his mistake wasn't as dire as her own. After all, he had heard now and their way out seemed simple and easy. "I'm Riva" she introduced herself, looking up at the pale wolf with a warm smile.

His only good eye fallowed as she showed him one of the marks she had made and he nodded his head in quiet understanding. These were the marks to look for, the marks that would guide them out of this place. They began their trip to exit the caves and he noticed how she lingered close, the warmth radiating from her felt even more relieving to the older man. He was glad that he had come across a kind wolf. She explained the reason she had come down in the caves and he discovered that she was a healer. He hadn’t been around to many healers in his life, at least not close enough to know what all they truly did. Heck he wouldn’t be wondering out in this cold for some plants!

“I didn’t realize healers looked for herbs year round,” he stated looking to the young girl.

She didn’t smell of other wolves so she must be a loner. It made his heart ache, to be that young and alone. It reminded him of the emotions he went through when his first pack was destroyed and he was all alone. All though things were a lot more tragic, but the loneliness is what hurt the most. Her warm smile was contagious and he couldn’t help but smile in return as she introduced herself.

“Inverno, but call me Vern for short,” he replied.

The yearling felt her cheeks warming at the question. No, winter was not a good time to be herb-gathering, and there weren’t many healers that chosen this harsher season to be collecting the items of their trade. “I- she frowned thoughtfully, there wasn’t really an artful way to say it. “It’s my first winter as a solo-healer, and not all of my herbs survived my drying process, and then others I’ve already used to heal.” she fought the urge to shrug, her menter had always hated the gesture. “I could have done better, and now I have to scrounge about in the winter to gather enough to see me through winter. I can’t imagine much worse than finding someone in pain, and not having the resources necessary to help them” she admitted.

The company helped to chase away some of the shadows of the dark and damp space, and as she turned another corner, she checked about for her marks, confirming they were on the right direction. They hadn’t been walking for long, and she wondered how much time she had spent here already. “Vern - it’s a pleasure to meet you, i’m glad for the company” she admitted.

She went on to explain and he felt some pity. He had no clue how hard healers could have it especially if they were alone. Not realizing that herbs actually had to be picked to dry and that you couldn’t simply use them as is. To hear of her hardship was a bit heartbreaking, but he was sure she could bounce back from it. He could understand why she was trying to hard to find herbs in the winter and if he was in her shoes he could see himself doing the same. He nodded to her words, quietly showing that he understood. Looking away he let his good eye look into the darkness before them wondering how far into the cave they actually were. He didn't know how far he had come before she came along.

He smiled and turned his gaze back to her as she said she was glad for the company. She had no clue how glad he was for the company either. Any longer he was sure he would have gone nuts trying to find his way out of here.

"I'm glad for the company too you could easily go a bit crazy in here," he replied with a nod.

Walk | Talk


The older wolf gave a quiet nod, and she felt he understood her need to reach out and help those in need, that not having the necessary ingredients to help someone in pain was hidiously wrong, and she couldn’t think of a worse fate that being forced to watch someone dying, and not have the means to fix it.

Heavy thoughts for the moment, but the dark setting seemed to inspire them in her. She shook out her coat in an effort to free her mind. She wouldn’t find herself in such a predicament, that was why she fought so hard to ensure she had the herbs necessary, even in winter when most herbs where buried under a layer of snow.

“I can see why, it’s strange the way everything echos, and half the caverns look the same. It’s a labyrinth down here, and in more places than not you cant even tell if it’s night or day” they moved through the rock and the next fork in the path presented itself to them. She paused, well, froze, really. Both sides were heavily scratched, markings both light and deep gorged the surface of the wall, and when she hesitantly stepped forward and lifted her head to sniff, any scent she might have left was buried beneath another, darker tone.

She didn’t recognise what creature left a scent like that, and the heavy claws in the stone where not comforting. She looked at Vern, a slight, hesitant tilt of her head to catch his expressions side-on. The yearling felt very young just then. “Do- do you recognise what kind of creature might have done this?” she asked him. Pointedly not mentioning how it obscured the trail they where following, and if it had done so casually or on purpose.