The scent of salty water was strong, but it was a scent he was growing accustomed to having spent several days now in the east along the coast or on an island. Paws gripped the rocky terrain as he made his way carefully towards the coastline. He’d been told the waters here were crystal blue, but it was the beached animals that were most fascinating. Unfortunately for him, it didn’t seem he would be in luck for a beached creature of the sea. Even more unfortunate, the sea was most definitely not crystal clear today. The wind had already picked up and clouds were churning overhead, dark and angry they threatened to spill their contents right then and there. He could scent the moisture on the air, mixed with the salty seawater, telling him rain would fall soon and he needed to find shelter…fast. Thoren would turn from the shoreline and begin to travel northward, towards the cliff; maybe he could find a nice cave up that way…away from the impending midnight storm. As the storm approached, the little bit of light would fade, but that did not seem to unsettle the earth toned wolf, he was perfectly at ease in the dark and with each passing moment his eyes would open more and more, allowing the small amounts of light in. He’d be able to see, even as the moon was left hidden behind clouds…not great, mind you but he would be able to see better than others of his species. He’d be able to spot shelter and that was what mattered most. "1/3 for navigation skills" NOTE: Thoren is extremely sensitive to light, he can see better at night than most wolves (not perfectly however). He also speaks with a heavy, Scandinavian accent.

Their little game of hide and seek enabled Dova to wander far from where she was accustomed to exploring, and soon enough she found herself wandering the sandy shores of a bay the pup had never before seen. Familiar with the smell of salt in the air, she followed her nose to the shoreline, briefly dipping her head to taste a hint of the saline waters. Unlike any river or pond, the sea spread out endlessly before her, reaching to the horizon where it fell away, presumably marking where the world simply ceased to exist. To know that the world was so vast was incomprehensible to the little puppy, who had yet to develop any sense of distance or time. There was far, and father still, which summed up the total of what she understood.

Yet Dova was still learning, and she was quick to pick up on things. She could see dark grey clouds brewing in the distance, and knew that it meant that a storm was coming. Sooner or later, she would have to go back to where she was safe from turbulent weather, but as long as no one was dragging her back home, she figured that she was safe to venture onward just a little longer. Besides, she had yet to find Sinclair, who was nowhere to be seen.

Realizing this, she resumed her search once again, leaving behind her the dark blue tide. The winds seemed to pick up just as she turned about, the chilly gusts buffeting her as she tried to hold a straight line, marching back towards the cliffs as quickly as she could without being blown over. An obscured shadow moved ahead, and erroneously assuming it was her companion, Dova scampered up to greet it. "Found you!" She yapped, gleefully turning her cheek as she barreled towards the back of the stranger's legs.

The only issue was that the legs did not belong to Sinclair. Instead, Dova very quickly realized that the canine was much larger, and much older than her companion. Issuing a hasty alarm bark, she skittered back, lowering herself so that her stomach nearly grazed the ground. "Hey! You're not my friend!" She stated, surprised rather than accusing. If this wasn't Sinclair, then where was he?

The goddess had decided to head south for the coming winter by traveling near the coast. She figured it couldn’t hurt to put some new lands under her belt rather than retrace her steps from a few weeks ago. She’d spent the last day or so in Sunset Falls, and decided to take a slight detour to see the ocean. She’d nearly made it to the water: the woman had followed a sandy trail from the falls to the main beach, reaching it just after sunset, hoping to have her first glance at the ocean under the silvery light of the moon. Alas, it didn’t seem like she’d be doing much glancing tonight. Clouds hovered like dark reapers above the ocean, roiling with divine anger. The smell of coming rain hit Deity’s nose like a blow. Her fur prickled with electricity, raising her hackles. The sky was readying itself to hammer the earth with its godly wrath. Shelter. She had to find shelter, and soon. This was gonna be a rough one. Deity swiveled her head, trying to make out the shape of a den in the brush, or... or something. She turned the other way, to her left, and saw a massive cliff rising from the sands at the far end of the beach. There. Maybe there was a cave, or a rock she could hunker under for a couple hours. The goddess took off at a trot, ears pinned to her head. The wind pounded into her side, carrying with it icy sea spray. She had to actively work to stay upright. Then, the first drops fell. They pounded onto the top of her head and along her back, sparse at first, then with increasing frequency and intensity. The wind blew, and suddenly her right side was being pelted with stinging pebbles. Deity broke into a sprint— she was close to the rocks now, and there must be a cave, there had to be— there. A thin black semicircle, only slightly darker than the rocks, caught her eye. The woman could hardly see by now— the moon was entirely covered by clouds and the world looked like it had been coated in tar. She prayed to every star in the sky that her night-fuzzed vision wasn’t betraying her and that it was indeed a cave she saw... And the heavens answered her. Deity wormed her way through the crack in the rock— it wasn’t hard, she had more than a couple spare inches on either side of her— and into the safety of the cave. She was dripping with icy water, and her body shook with cold. Her breaths were heavy and they echoed in the space. Deity couldn’t see anything, not even the tip of her own muzzle, but based off the volume of the echo, the cave was rather small. Maybe big enough for five, six wolves to squeeze together. Three could fit comfortably. The entrance of the cave was angled so that the rain hit the first tail-length or so of the leftmost wall as opposed to landing in the center. The goddess could see the entrance of the cave fairly well, as it was the only source of light (however minimal). She decided to keep an eye on it, in case some hostile creature had the same thought; to take shelter in a cave. Deity, huffing and shivering, tentatively took a few steps right, traveling along the front side of the cave, the side with the entrance. After a body length or so, she felt a change in the air: the coolness of a stone wall, just before her nose. She’d reached the right-front corner of the cave. The auburn-furred woman laid down, curling into a ball, trying to conserve body heat. The cave wasn’t warm, but it was dry, and that was enough. She kept her eyes open, focused on the entrance, not daring to let her guard down. She couldn’t see a thing except the thin strip of faint light that lay across the floor. ”Speech”

In his world, pups were special, important even. Rarely were they left to simply wander about due to the possibility of cave-ins and tunnels collapsing. It was better that they were with an adult so that they could not run into a dangerous tunnel and be lost forever. Even with such precautions some pups did manage to slip away, there weren’t enough adults to go around at times and pups would be pups. Thus, he was surprised when a voice from behind caught his attention, and just before she ran into him, she back pedaled quickly. Ears came forward as he turned to face her, her excitement quickly shifted to nervousness and he smiled softly. Her surprised tones had him looking around, searching for her friend but seeing nothing readily. “Not safe for pup in storm.” He’d reply, head nodding towards the clouds that were coming in fast. Once more Thoren would look around in the growing dark, rain would begin to fall, lazily, just a bit of a sprinkle but he could smell the rain in the air and feel the electric charge of the storm. It wouldn’t stay gentle for long. “I’m Thoren…Let’s find shelter..storm will be bad.” His heavy accent probably didn’t make it easy for her to understand him, but he hoped his relaxed posture and the way he shifted to help block the rain from hitting her would be enough to get her to trust him. As if on cue the rain would pick up tempo, slapping into his side. “Come.” He rumbled softly, moving towards the cliff edge, perhaps there was a cave…but if not, the stones would at least provide some shelter form the rain. It didn’t take long for the rain to beat down on him, little pebbles falling from the sky. At first it was just startling, but then it began to hurt “Run, pup!” He yelled, doing his best to shield the pup but also push her fast enough to get out of the rain and hail. Sharp, night keen eyes would see the darker spot in the stone- he knew what that meant. A cave. Relief would flood through him as he altered the course and headed for it without breaking stride. There was confidence in his steps even as he neared what looked like nothing more than hard rock. His pace didn’t slow until he was nearly running into the stone, instead of stone, his form would slip inside the crevice. Ears immediately came forward and nostrils flared. The fresh scent of another wolf hit his nose and his eyes searched, snapping to the wolf quickly. “No harm meant.” He spoke quickly, before glancing over his shoulder, hoping the pup had followed him in. "2/3 for navigation skills" Permission given to assume Dova follows Thoren NOTE: Thoren is extremely sensitive to light, he can see better at night than most wolves (not perfectly however). He also speaks with a heavy, Scandinavian accent.

Deity saw a dark shadow flash across the dim light of the cave entrance as the stranger came barreling in. The sounds of heavy pants echoed around the cave, and the aggressive stench of wet dog bombarded her nose as they blasted inside. She leaped to her feet, fur standing on end, opening her mouth to bark a threat or a warning when a deep, heavily accented voice stated it meant no harm. She paused, frozen, the accent tickling a memory. Odd. She took a moment to regain her composure, sniffing the air. There was something familiar about his scent, too, though she was positive she’d never met this male. Next, under the overpowering stench of wet fur, Deity noticed another, more familiar scent— Dova! She’d met the pup only days ago— what an odd coincidence that they should see each other again so soon. Though, she supposed, there wasn’t much seeing going on. The thought brought her back to herself— perhaps she should make a proper introduction? Since they couldn’t see each other, she figured they could compensate by voice. She believed the stranger when he said he meant no harm, and the strange familiarity of his presence along with the faint scent of Dova put her at peace. There was room in this cave for the three of them, she supposed. ”Hello,” she began, for she didn’t know where else to start. ”I was hoping to greet the moon tonight. I doubt that’s going to happen now.” She glanced towards the dim cave entrance, forlorn. She was just beginning to warm up, and that paired with the cave’s darkness and the mad dash to shelter made her very weary indeed. The adrenaline rush from the stranger’s entrance kept her tiredness at bay— her heart was only just beginning to slow and she remained standing, wide-eyed— but she knew that before long it would be hard to keep her eyes open. 1/3 Met New Wolf ”Speech”

Dova turned her head in an exaggerated manner, looking from the stranger to the storm brewing on the horizon. It took her another minute to realize that he was talking to her, and that the inclement weather would soon be upon them. Even as she lingered, processing her thoughts, drops of rain began to fall, splattering the ground with dark speckles. "Well..." She wanted to protest, worried about being separated from her friend, but when the rain began to come down hard, it did not take much longer for her to make up her mind. She followed along, bold as any friendly whelp might be, introducing herself as she followed Thoren, finding her place at his flank, still small enough to be somewhat sheltered from the wind and rain. It was not enough to fully protect her, but she appreciated the gesture, and felt she was capable to standing up to the weather, until it truly began to pelt them.

The fat globes of rain that burst upon impact had shrunken in size, flying into her with sharp stings that she could not avoid. It crashed into the ground, bouncing away as little balls of hail, far too dangerous to be caught out in. Thoren did not have to tell her to run twice. Dova turned her cheek against the wind, trying not to lose sight of the older wolf as he scampered on ahead, leading the way into the narrow passage of a cave. Instantly the cacophony of the storm died down, muted by stone walls. She lingered at the mouth, turning back to look through the sheet of rain that poured over the entrance. Hopefully Sinclair had made it to safety as well, wherever he had gone.

Finally, she took the time to look around, noticing that she and Thoren were not the only ones who had taken shelter in the dark, cavern crevice. "Oh!" Her eyebrows shot up in surprise as her gaze fell upon a familiar wolf. "Friend!" She greeted cheerfully, before moseying over to the center of the cramped space, and in the typical puppy fashion of ignoring everything else, she promptly sat down and began to dry her thick fur with her tongue.

Adonis was well aware that his young charge went exploring on a daily basis, yet he had always had one little rule. She had to return by nightfall. She didn't tonight though and that set the tiger to looking for her. He'd destroy anything that harmed her and she well knew it. He tucked Sinclair away in their den and after he made certain the pup wouldnt follow set out to find Dova. He inhaled her scent and began to track her. Even with a storm on the horizon the tiger would track her.

He didn't stop even as the rains came. The rain pelted him but he didn't care for it. His mind was set and his massive paws were leading him towards Dova. The rain would wash her scent away if he didn't hurry. A grumbling was heard from him as he closed in on the cave she had taken refuge in. His tail whipped and he strode in without a care for those inside. His green eyes looked for her in the darkness and as soon as they landed on her he strode forward. His body was soaked but he only had returning Dova to her place in the den on his mind. He didn't care that there were wolves here with her. Egan had been left behind to watch over Sinclair. The tigers tail lashed as he moved for his charge. She was soaked and he came to be beside her with whiff of air he relinced on his side. Now his eyes turned to the locals. A warning in them. Come close to his charge and he would use his entire being to protect her. He'd already seen how locals reacted to outsiders and he would not tolerate it with his children.

action"truths"

To his relief, the pup was into the cave right on his heels, once the other wolf relaxed, realizing by his words that he meant no harm, Thoren turned to the pup to make sure she was alright. She lingered by the mouth of the cave for a bit before going into the center, greeting the other wolf as a friend. Perhaps this was who she had been looking for? His head cocked to the side at her childish innocence before he turned his gaze to Deity. Her words caused a grin to pull on his lips as he shook his head. “I don’t think it will.” He agreed. “I’m Thoren.” He offered, whether they gave names in return was…well that was up to them, he wouldn’t think differently of them if they chose to remain nameless. Thoren turned as another figure strode into the cave. Ears fell back as he stepped away from the tiger as he moved purposefully to the pup before plopping down. Ears pricked forward as the cat gave them all a steady glare. Thoren returned the gaze at first before he shook himself and turned to the mouth of the cave. Brow furrowing as he watched the storm rage outside. “Hopefully storm wont push water into cave.” He grumbled, more to himself than anything but he spoke loud enough for all to hear in the echoing cavern. Outside the wind tore at the sand, hail continued falling, the waves crashed viciously into the shore. He’d keep a steady eye on the weather, but for now- they were out of danger. "3/3 for navigation skills" Permission given to assume Dova follows Thoren NOTE: Thoren is extremely sensitive to light, he can see better at night than most wolves (not perfectly however). He also speaks with a heavy, Scandinavian accent.

Deity allowed a light smile to grace her maw at the male’s introduction. He seemed nice enough. Good thing Dova had him to guide her to the cave. She was about to offer her own name in return when an unfamiliar scent hit her nose. Her hair stood on end, and she straightened up in alarm, pushing her ears forward and straining her eyes against the darkness. Something unsettled her about this shape, perhaps the fluidity of the creature’s movement as its shadow briefly passed through the strip of light by the entrance. Its figure, from what she had seen, was far too rectangular to be that of a wolf; the shoulders raised and pointed, and the snout too short. ”Who’s there?” She barked, unnerved by the unfamiliarity of the scent. It wasn’t wolf. She had no idea what sort of predator lingered in the opening of the cave, nor what its intentions were. All she could see was the tip of a... a rounded tail, it seemed, barely visible in the dim light streaming from the cave entrance. It could hurt her, or Dova, or Thoren. 2/3 Met Someone New 1/3 Met Someone New”Speech”

The best way to overcome stranger danger was, of course, to make friends! Smiling brightly, Dova turned to the male who introduced himself as Thoren. "I'm Dova!" She chirped, wagging her stump tail merrily as she looked from him to Deity. By her puppy logic, they would all spend time together until the storm passed, thus becoming the very best of friends. Her only regret was that Sinclair would not be able to join in on the adventure. He would undoubtedly be jealous of her cavern visit, where she would have the chance to uncover all the most interesting invertebrates that rarely ventured out into the sun.

There was, however, a worry that penetrated her skull, worming it's way into her mind, gently rousing her from joyous daydreams. Thoren hoped out loud that the water would not come into their space and flood the rocky room; a prospect that she had not yet bothered to consider. The concern was at the forefront of her thoughts in an instant, as she observed the edge to the solid oak wolf's tone. If the cave flooded, they could be trapped, and drowning was a very real risk for a pup who had not yet learned how to swim.

Frowning, Dova peered past Thoren's face, deep into the pitch black depths of the cavern. In some places, the shadows were so dark that she felt the voids went on endlessly, infinite tunnels spanning lengths the child could not even begin to imagine. It was possible that there were tunnels that they could escape into, but the pup was not so keen on getting lost in them, knowing how risky it could be. She might not be so fortunate of she got lost in the underground a second time. She began to tremble, slowly gravitating towards the more familiar of the two adults; Deity, however, was frozen in fear, her alarm bark echoing through the craggy space.

The sound of her heart hammering in her ears was loud enough that she would not have been able to hear anyone speak, but no words were needed to assuage her apprehensions. A familiar glint of green was all that was necessary to tell her that it was only Adonis, just around the corner, as always. Knowing that he was there was all Dova needed to be reassured that everything was going to be alright. The flood of emotions was too much to bear, and teary eyed, she ran full tilt into the tiger, crying all the while. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to get lost." Terrified that she could have been in true danger, she now simply wanted to be reassured that she was safe now.

He wasn't concerned with the adult wolves here like he was Dova. They were adults and could care for themselves, obviously since they were adults. But Dova could not, she'd yet to learn some of the more necessary things for life, but he was in no rush to make her grow up. He eyed each wolf as he was rushed to, his body beginning to vibrate with his monstrous purrs. He didn't trust the wolves. He turned his eyes to Dova then, she was soaked and crying. With the hail outside she'd likely have bruises in the morning. He didnt miss the look he received in return from the Male wolf. He fixed him with a steady gaze. If it wanted to fight him he would. Tigers were no joke in a fight though, the wolf must know that. Would it be so stupid? He doubted it. There was no other to back the wolf so there was no reason he would think he'd win.

The female was more alarmed with his presence at least. Shed obviously never seen a tiger he figured, that or she was sight impaired. "Adonis, Guardian to Dova." he looked to the female. Perhaps she would find comfort in that. Though if she were sight impaired he should probably allow her the knowledge of what he was. "A tiger." he then turned his attention completely to Dova. He wrapped a massive paw around her and held her to his chest. His tongue lapped at her back to try his best to dry her more. Egan would of been useful right now. He was useful for making small fires with his front feet being able to grasp things. At least for now though he could share his body heat with Dova.

"All is fine Dova, once the storm settles we will go home to Egan and Sinclair." he quietly reassured his charge while he continued to purr. It was one of his ways of comforting children. Sometimes it even lulled them to sleep.

action"truths"