Now... this was quite a bit further north than she usually went. Caelia wasn't even sure she could remember the last time she'd traveled so far from home. She'd been much younger, that was certain. Rarely did she find reason to go far from home at all - finding a reason to stray far from lands she was familiar with would no doubt take some effort. It was hardly that she didn't want to see the world beyond her immediate surroundings, it was just that... well, she wasn't really sure. Her family was in Valhalla, and that mattered more to her than anything else in this world. Maybe a wiser wolf would want to be more well-traveled, and part of her knew that learning about the world beyond would be beneficial to her in the path she wanted to walk, but... Caelia wasn't quite sure where to begin.

Today she was merely going wherever her paws took her. How long she had been walking she wasn't quite sure, but the sun was beginning its descent in the sky and evening was rapidly approaching. The imminent arrival of nighttime told her she ought to seek shelter, and when she found a suspicious crack in the surface of the ground she couldn't help but think it was worth checking out.

Quickly she decided this was likely no place to settle down for the night. As she trekked down deeper into the cavern, she noticed something quite unusual - that instead of growing colder she was beginning to feel quite hot, unusually so. It wasn't much longer after that realization that she noticed an ebbing glow up ahead, and while she was quite wary of the unknown she was equally curious. And so she headed deeper down into the cave, wondering what she might find.

Adventures had been the highlight of these strange lands. The lands she’d come from had been regular in the dullest sense, though it had allowed her to focus on her job. In the short time she’d been on the continent, she had seen many strange things, and it continued the more she searched. She’d found a vast cave system, her eyes widening as Carlys gave her a look that screamed ‘please don’t make me go down there’. Car was not a fan of caves as Rhae was, as it made it more difficult to fly.

Still, Rhaegara pushed her way further through the cave system, feeling the heat burn under her fur as confusion laced her features. “How is this possible?” Car’s voice broke the comfortable silence between the two. She went further when she started to notice a glow towards the end of the cavern, and beyond that, another form deep in the cave whose reflection was faint against the glowing background. Her head cocked to the side in confusion, a small woof in greeting to get the girl’s attention.

“Hello? Who’s there?” She asked, her eyes narrowing. It was curious, to see another wolf as intrigued as she was about the strange lands she found herself in. When would the lands stop being strange, she wondered. When would it become the new normal? She hoped it was soon, though she adored the adventures.

"Rhae"  "Carlys"

Exploring was hardly one of Caelia's pasttimes; an adventure like this was a far cry from a usual day for her. Though she didn't necessarily regret her trip up to the north, part of her wondered why she'd come at all. She had so much to learn, but what could she possible gain by traipsing through a cave? Maybe more than she expected, but she found herself doubting she'd get much use out of this trip at all. Maybe staying home and pulling Aurielle aside for another lesson would do her more good...

At least, that was what she assumed. Only the sound of a stranger behind her broke that train of thought, and - after being startled slightly - she wondered if she would get something out of this little journey after all. Her nose wrinkled as she spun around, brows furrowing as she attempted to make out the stranger's silhouette in the darkness. The other girl no doubt had the upper hand, thanks to the faint glow of whatever was up ahead, likely illuminating her form, but it was much harder to make out the stranger's features behind her. Caelia was hardly used to meeting strangers, and she felt defensive right away. Had she been followed? Was she about to be ambushed?

Her wariness was outweighed by curiosity, and she had to admit the stranger's voice didn't sound terribly threatening. Her voice had an air of youthfulness that told Caelia she was likely younger than her, though by how much she wasn't sure. "Hello!" She called back, surprised at the way her voice seemed to dissipate rather than bounce off the cavern's walls. Slowly she took a few careful strides forward, still squinting and trying to make out her figure. "Are you familiar with this place?" Caelia inquired once she was within earshot, her own head tilting slightly. "It's not quite what I expected," she admitted, sounding friendly enough, that she hadn't quite managed to force a smile yet.

She saw the woman turn, her eyes tracking the other wolf as she slowly made her way forward so the other might get a good view of both herself and Carlys. The greeting seemed surprised, but not unwelcoming which made Rhae confident that she had made the right choice in greeting her, a soft smile sliding across her maw as the question reached her ears. She shook her head. “I’m afraid I am not.” She explained once they were in earshot of each other, taking in the woman’s form now that they were closer… a lighter build than Rhaegara, meaning she was faster.

She’d been doing her best to analyze each and every wolf she had met since her spar with Cairo, never certain of when she’d need her skills once more. “It’s exciting; a light within a cave is a rare gift by the Gods. This place must be special.” She said, her fur bristling with excitement; the woman seemed hesitant, and Rhaegara noticed that the smile she carried did not necessarily reflect on the girl’s face. It was fair enough, Rhaegara herself was usually hesitant around strangers, seeking to know whether or not they were friend or foe before she showed any emotion, just the situation was too exciting for her.

“I’m Rhaegara, and this is Carlys.” She introduced herself and her companion who had fluttered off of Rhae’s shoulder and onto the ground next to her. “What do you think is causing the light?” She knew it was some kind of nature, likely one that she had not encountered before. She once heard a story of caves swallowing flame from the sun to allow light under darkness, but she had always assumed it to be a myth. Perhaps there was truth hidden in myths after all.

"Rhae"  "Carlys"

Not only was there another wolf here, but apparently this stranger had a companion as well. A raven was apparently accompanying her, something Caelia would've found peculiar under more.. well, typical circumstances. This entire place was quite strange, and made her less likely to be critical of others around her, something she tended to do more often than not. Instead her focus was on their unusual surroundings, and trying to get a grasp of what sort of place she'd wandered into. "Can't say I've seen anything quite like it," Caelia admitted, letting her muzzle swing around to face the faint glow up ahead. She was interested in exploring it, even more so with company. While she was the independent type, well, this place was quite strange... and if the glow proved to be something more dangerous than she could face on her own, at least she'd have backup, right? Something like that.

Her mention of Gods though made Caelia less certain. She was by no means a spiritual wolf, let alone a religious one; she couldn't imagine ever entertaining the idea of a single god, let alone multiple. She was far too practical for ideas like that. Instead of questioning her on it, knowing her disbelief was her own and didn't necessarily need to be shared, Caelia simply skimmed past that thought and focused on her introduction. "Pleasure to meet you both. Caelia Adravendi," she introduced herself promptly, with a slight dip of her head. "I'm not quite sure, but think it's worth checking out. What do you say?" Having a companion of sorts, even for a very brief journey, wasn't something she was accustomed to and Caelia found herself desperately hoping that she wasn't making a mistake.

The woman’s agreement brought a gentle hum from her lips, trying to piece together the puzzle in front of her and figure out just what made the cave tick the way it did. There was that familiar feeling of euphoria that accompanied her adventures, Carlys as well wide-eyed, though chances are that was because the bird was less of a fan of caves than Rhaegara herself was.

The woman’s silence on her original comment was noted, and Rhaegara did not push it. While everyone had been spiritual from where she was from, she was quickly learning many wolves had different beliefs, and she did her best to respect all of them unless they involved slave trading… there were certain things she would never stand for. “I think it’s a marvelous idea.” She wanted to know more about the light inside, eager to pursue her quest for knowledge as any intellectual would.

Her only concern was that there was danger buried deep within the cave, but with the training she and Carlys had been doing, she was confident that they could handle anything that was thrown their way. “I can lead the way… if you’d like, that is.” She didn’t want to step on any paws.

"Rhae"  "Carlys"

Though she was hardly an adventurer herself, she knew there was something to be said about being familiar with different types of terrain. In general, being independent was a valuable skill to have - whether that came to handling oneself around other wolves, or in dangerous lands. Or at the very least, in unfamiliar ones. Caelia was hardly scared of the glow up ahead, but that didn't mean she wasn't at least a bit wary of it. It was something worth checking out regardless, and she was glad that she wasn't alone in her little upcoming adventure, however short-lived it might be.

"Perfect. Feel free to lead," she responded politely enough. Caelia wasn't very skilled in small-talk; her experience in talking to wolves outside her family was limited at best. Being polite wasn't hard, but being friendly was a different thing entirely. "So," she started, clearing her throat as they began to walk together, keeping a distance that couldn't be misconstrued as anything but safe. "You... aren't a pack wolf then?" Her coat bore no scent of a pack, though she hadn't gotten terribly close to her to be completely certain, but it was a safe guess anyway.

She was approved to lead the way, and instantly her paws started to carry her farther into the cave, approaching the light source so they might finally learn what it was, eyes perpetually on a swivel to watch their surroundings for any signs of danger whether they be predators, other wolves, or natural occurrences. Carlys remained perched on the girl’s shoulder, letting her lead the way.

She offered a soft smile and a shake of her head. “Yes, I am currently unaffiliated with any pack.” She had been training herself over the past couple of weeks to stop saying ‘tribe’, instead replacing it with the colloquial term of the region. She liked to think she had been doing well. She could smell the familiar scents of wolves she had previously run into. “You’re from Valhalla?” She asked, recalling the particular combination before on both Aurielle and Cairo. “I’ve met your Spirit, Aurielle… and Cairo as well.” She explained, knowing it might sound, well, off for her to know such information right off the bat. Cairo had helped her learn of the land, and Aurielle had given her wisdom on how to proceed when her world had come crashing down.

"Rhae"  "Carlys"

Caelia  knew that this little journey of theirs could be dangerous, but hopefully between the two of them - as well as Rhaegara's companion - they could handle any issues that arose. Truthfully she was more worried about being cornered here than she was about what might lie up ahead. The glow seemed to grow stronger as they walked together, thankfully illuminating the sides of the cave so that they could begin to see that there were no hidden dangers here. It was hard to imagine that they'd really encounter any wolves deeper inside the cavern, though she supposed

Rhaegara admitted she was indeed unaffiliated with any pack. Caelia nodded in acknowledgement, though was surprised when she recognized the name Valhalla. She'd met Aurielle and Cairo - that was definitely interesting. "Cairo's my brother," she explained carefully. What had she thought of him, she wondered? Nothing in her tone hinted that her interactions with them had gone poorly, but she expected little in terms of bad impressions from either Aurielle or Cairo. Admittedly she was surprised they hadn't tried to recruit Rhaegara to Valhalla's ranks - she seemed a decent wolf so far, but that didn't mean she was necessarily a good fit, nor did it mean she even wanted to join a pack. "What'd you think of the two of them?" It wasn't a trick question, but she was curious nonetheless, casting her traveling companion an inquisitive look with a quirked brow.

Her attention shifted back ahead of her as the two of them passed a bend in the cave path, and what lay ahead of them was an awe-inspiring sight as the source of the glow became apparently. A river of molten fire up ahead seemed to stretch on for as far as she could see, looking as beautiful as it was dangerous. It was nothing like she'd ever seen before; her jaw unhinged slightly as she took in the sight of the lava rivers ahead of them, slowly turning to gauge Rhaegara's reaction, expecting that she'd been as stunned as she felt.