Sota couldn't remember ever feeling quite so uneasy. Currently he stood in the mouth of a large cave, set off the shore of a sandy beach. Though it was nighttime, the moon hung brightly overhead, luckily illuminating much of this unfamiliar terrain. While Sota was generally content to travel under the cover of trees as much as possible, he knew the lands here were not the forests of his youth and he'd have to adapt to survive. Currently he was quite hungry, and - as he'd been unsuccessful in finding something to sate his appetite quite yet - he was getting a bit desperate. The smell briny ocean water, followed by the smell of fish, had caught his attention as soon as he found himself near the coast. His wary paws led him to the mouth of a dark cave. Tight spaces didn't exactly settle well with the undersized male, and he hesitated for a long moment, sniffing at the air. Nobody was nearby - at least not yet - so for now he was willing to step foot into the unknown in search of food. This place smelled of fresh fish, but.. how?

Narrowing his pale eyes he tried to peer into the darkness but he decided he'd only truly know what lay inside by exploring it. Sighing softly to himself, he took a few timid steps into the cavern, watching as the light faded. Despite the dimming light, the faint bit of moonlight that snuck in reflected over the cave's floor and glimmered brilliantly. Briefly captivated by the site, he stared for a long moment before trekking even deeper into the darkness. The floor of the cave seemed to slope downward, and before long he felt his paw completely covered by water. What on earth? He noticed the sound of something flopping against his paw. So this was where the fish were. Score! He didn't quite get the logistics of it, but he was happy to have found a meal, and he wasted little time (once his eyes adjusted a bit more) in searching for a fish in the small pool that had been trapped in the cave.

Octave smiled softly as he heard Noko snoring softly from her spot between his shoulder blades. They'd both been wandering for a while and he was starting to feel the weight of his travels on his limbs and threatening to pull his eye lids closed. So he was pleased to find a temporary shelter along the coast line. He briefly wondered if the tide would flood the mouth of the cave when it was higher but was just drowzy enough the possibility wasn't registering as a potential problem so much as just possible. Nor did he notice how fresh the scent of another wolf was, assuming it was older and stale, hidden under the pungant scent of salt and fish. "Noko You need to climb off." He said shaking his pelt out as he moved into the mouth of the cave. "Hnnn-gah!" Noko's bleary response turned into a startled yell as she dug her fingers into his skin so she wouldn't be shaken off. "Rude." She grumbled, skittering down off of Octave's back. Octave chuckled and settled himself onto his side, smiling again as Noko moved snuggle up to his stomach. "Octave" "Noko" & Hidden thoughts

Briefly Sota was able to let his guard slip, just for a moment, as he focused on the task at hand. The fish flopping about against his paws felt strange, and he was thoroughly unused to the sensation, and he couldn't help but crack a slight smile at the weirdness of it all as his eyes struggled to adjust to the darkness of the cavern. He was so thoroughly engrossed in what he was doing that he didn't notice the sound of someone entering the cave until it was far too late to escape without them noticing, or so he presumed. One moment he was batting happily at the water, and the next he recoiled and swung around to face the way he'd came.

Outwardly Sota was generally rather calm, not one to wear his emotions on his face for all to see, but the sudden rush of overwhelming panic was hard to stifle. Where the hell was he supposed to go? Deeper in the cave? It seemed as though the entire back end of the cave was filled with water, and he sure as hell wasn't about to corner himself by swimming deeper. As he paused to consider his next course of action, he heard a bit of commotion echoing toward him. Talking, and two distinct voices.. were there two of them? I'm so screwed, Sota thought wearily, his hunger suddenly forgotten.

There was likely no way he could escape unnoticed, even despite his training among the Songa. Perhaps if he was dancing among the treetops he'd have a fair shot, but down here he was at an obvious disadvantage. Musing over it for a moment, he veered back the way he'd came, moving silently and cautiously... perhaps even too silently, given how quickly he spoke when he saw the silhouette of a giant stranger illuminated by the moonlight, against the edge of the cavern wall. "I'm sorry, I was just - going this way -" He didn't want to seem overly fearful, but he couldn't help but be wary as he shimmied along the cave's opposite wall, heading toward the cave's entrance.

It seemed Octave would never be given a moment of peace, or rather that he was always destined to find himself bombarded by strangers. This was almost worse however as Octave was beginning to doze, Noko already snoring again at his stomach. Everything was silent, his lids starting to droop when a voice broke through the haze of the beginning of sleep. Instantly his body tensing, his ears pulling back on his head as violet eyes widened to stare at the tiny boy before him. Octave shook his head, unable to summon his voice.   He wanted to wake Noko, slowly shifting his hind paw to try and kick at the lemur, but she simply grumbled and rolled over, out of the reach of his paw. He couldn't tear his gaze from the stranger to reach forwards and nose his companion. So instead he stared at the stranger, his eyes full of fear, silently hoping he'd just go away. Not that he was going to fall asleep soon any time now.   "Octave" "Noko" & Hidden thoughts

Slowly his eyes grew more and more accustomed to the light, and Sota became aware of exactly what he was facing inside of this cave. The stranger was definitely as big as he had originally thought, but his posture was far from threatening. Another smaller form rested beside him, though it was something entirely unknown to him. Sota squinted hard, pale eyes struggling to make out the form, but his gaze drifted back to the larger wolf, whose pale fur seemed to glimmer in the pale light that managed to filter in from the cave's mouth. Did he look.. nervous? Or were his eyes just deceiving him?

The silence that followed was deeply unnerving. Maybe this stranger needed some kind of help? Or maybe he was just feigning that strange, worried look as a sort of trap. It was honestly hard for Sota to tell. He continued to move slowly along the damp wall of the cave, pausing briefly once he was closer to the entrance than Octave was, though he still was half-cowering against the stone just as the stranger was. "Are.. you alright?" Despite his personal uncertainties, Sota was a good wolf at heart and the thought of a stranger being in need of help - and him simply walking away - didn't sit well with him.

Octave silently prayed the stranger would just go, Noko much too deep into sleep to help him. He watched the stranger, eyes wide even as he tried to pick out the stranger in the dim light, his outline only visible through the slight glow of the moonlight. A voice reached him, a question leveled his way and Octave stared at him silently for a moment then slowly he nodded. The stranger was tiny, smaller than any wolf he'd ever seen but that didn't do anything to with his nervousness. It seemed even when he knew he wasn't likely in much danger his body simply took over. The only voice he found was a soft whine pulling from his lungs without him meaning to. Noko grumbled in her sleep, but even his distressed noise wasn't quite enough to wake the sleeping lemur, his only hope at rescue now. "Octave" "Noko" & Hidden thoughts

There was no answer from the stranger. As his eyes continued to adjust to the dim light, Sota became acutely aware of just how terrified he looked... even more fearful than he had felt when he'd seen his first giant! It was hard to wrap his mind around just what might be be making him so deeply uneasy, but he couldn't seem to figure it out. He even glanced behind him a few times, wondering if there was something he was missing. How could Octave be afraid of him, of all wolves? His stance was about as far from threatening as they came, and his size wasn't something he thought might intimidate any wolves here... perhaps only back in his homelands would he be looked at with awe for his impressively tiny stature.

Finally he nodded, and Sota released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. Good. He was okay. He didn't have to worry! He couldn't stop from feeling a bit anxious still himself, deciding that he really ought to go before he caused this stranger any more distress. He couldn't help but feel slightly uncomfortable in his own body, having never elicited such a reaction from anyone before.. hurriedly he moved to shuffle along the side of the wall. Unaware to him, the water along this section of wall was slick, and as he rushed forward to make his exist he felt his back paws slip out from beneath him and send him tumbling backwards, hitting the stone floor hard and causing him to bite his tongue and go sliding backwards. Great. Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse...