The festival was over, dawn was approaching as he weaved his way through the thick tropical forest. The moist forest floor was soft against his paws, leaving distinct tracks in his wake but he didn’t take notice of it. He’d heard of a cave on this island and the dwarf was searching for it…it was his best shot at finding somewhere truly dark to rest in while the sun made its journey across the sky. Thoren frequently lifted his gaze from the terrain around him to the sky, if bats lived in the cave as they were rumored to, then they would be headed home too…he just had to stay vigilant long enough to see them fly across the sky. For now, he kept walking, tired legs and sore muscles keeping his pace slow and more than a bit sloppy. His trail would be easy enough for a pup to follow, but once he was in the cave he would be safe from unwanted attention. Yawning tiredly he continued walking. "1/3 for navigation"

Now that the festival was over, she took the time to explore the land before returning to Lirim territory. Truthfully, the whole vent had worn her out. She was still surprised that she'd managed to place in the race, but she supposed that the beach had been so crowded it was easy enough to wriggle her way to the front. Now that dawn was rising, the foliage was easier to identify. Most wolves had left the island or were finally resting after a night of revelry.

Trudging onward, Rags noted the different trees and bushes that populated the island. Everything smelled lush, even though there was a hint of autumn's frost in the air. Smiling to herself, she caught the scent of a stranger. He also seemed to be heading inland, so Rags trailed after him. Now that she had found her place in Lirim, she found herself wanting to branch out a little bit. It would be good to make friends. Noting how the sand shifted to pebbled soil as she moved inland, Rags caught his scent again. It was stronger now.

Cocking her head to the side, she thought she heard a rustling up ahead. "Hello?" She called out softly, ambled awkwardly through the undergrowth.

1/3 navigation - exploring territory
1/3 intellect - meeting new wolf

Groggy as he was, Thoren wasn’t exactly paying attention to others walking near him or to the scents on the wind. He wanted to find that cave before the sun got too high and started hurting his eyes. As dawn crested the horizon, the sky brightened, shaded by the canopy still, Thoren wasn’t in too much discomfort from the sun…for now. Ears twitched when a voice called out behind him. Paws would slow, as he looked over his shoulder. “Hello?” He called back; heavy accented tones rang out a bit louder than her own. The scenery seemed to the same to him, tall tropical trees and tropical plants kept the ground soft and sponge-like. Glancing up, Thoren saw a few bats making there way somewhere, ears perked as he looked to his left. The cave had to be that way. As the other wolf broke free from the foliage, he turned back to her, he recognized her from the race. Long legged with lean muscles and far taller than he was. “Congrats on placing in the race.” He offered, pointing out that he too had been in the race…or at the very least just watching. "2/3 for navigation"

His accent sounded vaguely familiar, like something she'd heard in a dream once. Or an echo from the past. Memories from before her accident were scrambled, and she couldn't place where she'd heard it before... but she had. Disregarding the feeling for now, she approached him, awkwardly navigating through the undergrowth. "Oh, gee, thanks," Rags said bashfully as he thanked her, blushing hotly underneath her fur. It was embarrassing, really. How had she even placed? Perhaps the males had smelled the thick scent of her heat and just removed themselves from her presence, giving her a clear pathway to the finish line.

"Did you run?" She asked pleasantly, walking by his side and heading deeper into the forest. He seemed intent on a destination while Rags had none. It seemed easy enough to fall in line with him and walk for now. "My name is Ragnheiðr, pleased to meet you." Hopefully he was the kind of male to just politely ignore things like a female's time of the year. She hadn't really given this interaction much thought. He seemed pleasant enough and somewhat disoriented, for one reason or another. If things went south, she could just shuffle away.

2/3 navigation - exploring territory
2/3 intellect - meeting new wolf

Thoren was more than a bit confused by her awkward approach, but he summed it up to difficulty navigating the terrain and not because of him. Her bashful response made him smile and nod slightly in response. As she got closer, the scent of her heat touched his nostrils, he was not immune to its effects muscles tensed at the smell before he shook himself, letting his muscles relax. He had a mate, he didn’t need another. At least…that’s what he was telling himself. Of course…he actually had to get back to him home land to have that mate but he’d return soon enough.

Her question brought him back to the present and he nodded. “Yes, but finished in the middle.” He answered, pleased that he actually knew all the words this time- his accent was still there but his speech was not as choppy as it usually was. Sometimes it took a moment to get the words to come to mind in the common tongue. As they continued walking, he was pleased, mostly because it meant he could follow the bats to their cave. Ragnheiõr. Interesting name. “Thoren…well met, Ragnheiõr.” He replied, using his own form of ‘pleased to meet you’. “I’m looking for the bat cave…I was told it was in this island." Well, at least she knew what he was looking for now, maybe it made it less awkward if she knew he had a destination in mind? Maybe it made it more awkward…

"That's very respectable," she replied. Participating at all was commendable in her book; she was still stunned that she had placed. "Running" in the race at all had been a strange experience, but she had enjoyed it nonetheless. Thoren. The name didn't ring a bell, but unlike most wolves, he didn't have any problems pronouncing her name. It drew forth another smile. He was polite about her current condition, which she appreciated.

"Bat cave? I think I saw some bats last night, headed this way," she added, padding off into the undergrowth. The light in the sky was beginning to brighten, and she could understand why someone might want a dark refuge after the delights of the festival. Rags herself was beat, but she was able to stay on her paws as they made their way through the tropical plants. "Just a bit further..." The sandy soil was growing loamy and more compact as they made their way towards the center of the island. Just as she remembered, the cave lay a few hundred yards from where she'd seen the bats heading last night. It was craggy and deep with an imposing, dark mouth. Hardly any light penetrated past the entrance of the cave.

Rags tilted her head to the side, then cast Thoren an inquiring glance before entering. Above her head, she heard the quiet noises of bats settling in to sleep. Their wings brushed against each other in a soft, articulate shuffle. Within the confined space, Rags' scent was amplified. She became ever more aware of the smell of her heat and shifted uncomfortably on her paws.

He raised a brow when she noted his placement in the race. “Not a great runner.” He admitted, the tunnels he was used to were not meant to be ran through- that was a good way to cause a cave in. He wasn’t surprised by his placement because of this, but he still felt he should have done better than some children. Regardless, it had been fun, that was all that mattered to him. His mention of the bat cave seemed to spark her interest and she led him off into the undergrowth in the direction the bats had come from earlier. Thoren followed happily, easily falling into place behind her so that they could travel quicker without getting tangled or tripped up in the undergrowth. Her encouragement of being near made him all the happier, with the sun coming up his head was beginning to hurt, his eyes beginning to instinctively narrow. The foliage broke and then there it was. Thoren paused for a moment, coming up to Rag’s shoulder to offer a grin in response to her curious gaze. They entered and were almost immediately swallowed by deep shadows. His eyes widened once more to normal size and he sighed a heavy sigh of relief. Thoren looked up to see the bats huddling together on the roof of the cave. If they were quiet, they wouldn’t disturb them. Breathing in the cave air, he became even more aware of her heat, glancing at her as she shifted uncomfortably. Thoren offered a reassuring nudge with his shoulder, she had nothing to fear from him. He was not immune to the urges that sparked at the scent, but he had been around it enough in confined spaces to know how to act without embarrassing him or her. “Lets explore…” He spoke softly, as if it was the most natural thing to talk quietly in the cave. So quietly that his voice barely echoed. As an after thought he would mention, "careful, lots of bat shit and bugs." Perhaps a little...odd, but the bugs could bite. Using his tail as a way to stay connected to her in the dark, he would move along the side of the cavern. The bats did not occupy the entire cave, they stayed near the mouth where it was easier to get in and out. Once they were far enough in, the bats were gone and thus the biting bugs. It was a relief that his time out on the surface had not dulled his cave vision (as he called it), while he could not see perfectly Thoren could make out shapes in the cave and could tell where the walls were. It was better than being totally blind. "3/3 for navigation"