These lands were so different than what she knew back home.  There was much, much more to see than just a tiny island and a small coast, and so many unfamiliar faces that didn't bear the last name 'Soleil' to meet.  It was all so exciting, sometimes the fae didn't think she could take it.  She hoped her cousin was enjoying herself just as much, wherever she ended up. For now, she had nowhere to go and nowhere to be.  Etoile wanted to just live her life day-by-day for a few days before asking her ancestors for further guidance.  She'd never gotten to do anything in the moment back home, and with nobody to tell her what to do directly she figured she'd capitalize on the opportunity and just see what happened from there.  Problem was that she'd grown so used to obeying orders that the girl didn't exactly know how to... not?  Which was definitely less exciting.  There had been a couple of times where the yearling had gone to ask the stars for advice, but that honestly seemed like exactly the opposite of what she was trying to accomplish.  Being free was a little frustrating. Etoile had spent the majority of the day trying not to try, wandering aimlessly in a singular direction and just waiting for something cool to happen.  That worked out really well for her, because absolutely nothing happened and now it was getting dark.  Tilting her head to the sky, the fae also noted that rain looked possible.  "Well, guess I've got something to do now.. Sleep." she sighed, slowly making her way down to what had appeared to be some sort of underground ravine.   "Talk" 'Think'

This underground cavern was quiet and peaceful, something Thalia found herself longing for more often these days - not that such a thing was terribly hard for her to find to begin with. Aerie had been quiet since she'd returned home, though she supposed that wasn't a bad thing. It left her with plenty of time to contemplate and to pray, things she felt she had largely ignored during her time in Abaven.

She moved with surprising grace for someone with such a build, slowly navigating her way further into the deluge. The dirt beneath her paws was loose and almost seemed fertile, a strange thing for an underground tunnel. Before long she caught wind of the little river that wound below the surface, which explained the strangely humid climate down here. Sniffing hard at the air, the scent of something else caught her attention. Someone else was down here, though it was hard to tell just how near or far they were with the stifling smell of dirt and vegetation.

Eventually she caught sight of her, though, a small smaller and much younger female. It was hard to tell, but if Thalia had to guess she had about as much reason for being here as she did. Clearing her throat - she didn't exactly intend to startle her, that wasn't her style - she slowly headed her way, down a steep slope to a spot down below. "You, uh, familiar with the place?" She started, in her own weird form of greeting.

There were no underground water sources where Etoile came from, at least not that she'd ever seen.  It was both beautiful and strange.  Yet another lovely little surprise blessed to her by these strange new lands she supposed.  The fae had only been admiring the river for a few brief moments before being alerted by someone else that she wasn't alone.  Turning her head, the young girl examined the woman before her and smiled.  The stranger was much larger than herself, appeared older, and quite obviously very strong.  The stranger also wasn't displaying any signs that she meant any harm.  Perhaps she too just needed a place to shelter from the incoming rain for the night. "Absolutely not." she chuckled. "I just happened upon it.  How about you, have you been here before?" "Talk" 'Think'

These lands had no shortage of interesting sights, that much Thalia had learned about living here. Boreas and Auster were all she'd ever known but she'd heard lands far beyond weren't quite as unique, but who knew how true those rumors were. Thalia moved slowly as she approached the young stranger, giving a slow half-nod that was about as friendly a gesture as she was capable of. "Same here," she admitted with a soft grunt as she made her way further down the slope. "I'm from just west of here. Never made it down here though." This was one of those places that made her feel strangely closer to her God, even though when most wolves thought of God they looked to the sky. "I'm Thalia - Abraxas," she added matter-of-factly.

"I see."  The small girl replied, standing to her feet so that she might follow the woman if she decided to traverse deeper into this strange place.  It didn't seem like the stranger was completely opposed to having company, which was something that Etoile would certainly try to capitalize on if possible.  Travelling could get lonely, who knew how long it'd be before running into the next fresh face. "That's a lovely name!" She smiled.  West form here, huh?  Being new to the continent as a whole, the child had no way of knowing what it meant, living just west of here, so the words basically meant nothing to her, at least for now.  Though if the fae ever found herself west of here, she'd be sure to think of Thalia Abraxas.  "My name is Etoile Soleil.  I'm new to these lands as a whole.  My family lives on an Island called the Veiled Sound.  It's across the ocean, way south of here.  What made you want to travel this way?" "Talk" 'Think'

Thalia was silent for a long moment as they moved together, trying to remind herself of the importance of forging ties beyond Aerie and beyond her family. Eligos's vision hadn't quite been set into motion the way she'd anticipated by now, but Thalia was nothing if not exceedingly patient; she'd strayed temporarily from the light of Abraxas though and she knew she needed to keep working to make things right. If that meant playing nice and making small talk to get to know the wolves that lived in the west, then so be it.

Etoile Soleil was her name. It wasn't a familiar surname and she admitted she was new to these parts. Thalia slowed her pace as they neared one of the streams that wound deep below the surface. Her question gave her pause and she considered it for a moment before speaking again. "I suppose I was looking for somewhere to be quiet with my thoughts. To pray," she explained. Somehow she felt more at peace in isolated places like this, though amusingly she'd run into someone here already. "And you - are you normally exploring places like this?"

"Oh.." the yearling fell silent for a moment, but continued to keep up the pace with Thalia.  Ideally a quiet place to pray probably didn't involve some kid following you around asking a bunch of questions.  Etoile honestly felt a little guilty.  She knew that if someone were interrupting time she'd set aside specifically for the ancestors then she herself would probably feel at least a little annoyed.  Whoops. "Hm, not particularly.." she paused.  To tell the truth the girl didn't quite know what it was that she normally did, outside of devote dedication to her faith.  In retrospect the girl wondered if that made her sort of.. bland?  "I only wandered in here to stay out of the rain.  I hope I'm not bothering you, by the way.  I can go, or maybe we could pray together?" was that a stupid idea? Etoile wasn't sure.  Though maybe this woman was a sign sent by the stars to tell the fae that it was time to stop lollygagging and get back to business. "Talk" 'Think'

Processing social cues wasn't her biggest strength, and neither was expressing her own emotions except the most tangible ones. She could understand anger and hurt, but discomfort? Thalia was always uncomfortable. A kid bothering her while she was trying to pray wasn't much different than someone talking to her while she was doing anything else. Overall it wasn't her favorite but she needed to get to know the wolves that lived in the west whether she liked it or not. All she did was shrug at Etoile's one-word response as the two continued to move further down into the deluge.

"I find places like this comforting. The wide open skies sometimes make me feel - I don't know. Exposed." More than usual. Thalia let out a little grunt, unsure if she cared for indulging the inner workings of her mind so candidly with someone she'd just met. Too late to take it back now though. She gave a little ear flick at the last thing she said though. It was rare she found wolves who prayed, let alone ones who considered themselves religious... and while she seriously doubted she was praying to the Fallen God, she found herself intrigued. "We can," she answered gently. "Who do you pray to?" Her interest had definitely been piqued now, and she hoped it wasn't too forward a question but she wasn't good at knowing what might and might not be socially acceptable. This time she just went with her gut instinct.

"Hmm" was all Etoile could muster as she pondered the words that Thalia had just spoken.  Exposed?  The yearling had never really thought of it that way before, though she could definitely see how someone might draw to that conclusion.  It was a big, big world after all, and not everyone in it had your best interest at heart. "The ancestors."  She blurted without missing a beat.  Back home that's who everybody preyed to, though Etoile had heard that not everybody recognized the ancestors in the same way her family did.  Was this one of those people who worshipped something different?  How interesting! "Normally I pray under a clear night sky, this'll be my first time doing it in a cave.  I wonder if they'll hear me okay in here...  How about you?"  she tried to hide her excitement.  Learning about what other kinds of faiths were out there had definitely been on the fae's bucket list ever since leaving home.  Not because her current spirituality hadn't suited her of course, because it certainly did. The topic was just kind of neat. "Talk" 'Think'

Maybe this whole opening up thing really wasn't for her. Small talk felt a bit hollow though without some level of personal introspection sprinkled in, though to Thalia most interactions always felt a little bit empty, if she was being totally honest with herself. She let out a murmur of her own in return to Etoile's single-word response, fine with not lingering on that observation for long.

She admitted she was praying to the ancestors. Well -she supposed so was Thalia. The Abraxas were the direct descendants of the Fallen God, after all, so they were praying to the ancestor. "My God always hears. Even when you hope He doesn't," Thalia mused thoughtfully. There were many moments she had shared with Theory that she wished she could've hidden from Him, but he was all-seeing and all-knowing. She'd never doubt that again. "I like the pray in the dark. Wherever." And this place was definitely dark enough to suit her needs.

"Do you intend to settle down with a pack here? Or does the life of a loner suit you best?" Thalia asked after a moment of thought, raising an eyebrow as she glanced Etoile's way. Direct and to the point - that was how Thalia preferred to be, even if talking so candidly with strangers wasn't something she was comfortable doing to begin with.

A god that hears you even if you didn't want him to.  Etoile wasn't sure she liked the idea of that even one bit.  If she was being honest with herself that aspect alone made whoever this deity was sound kind of spooky.  Did he not care for personal space?  Of course, on any given night were the stars were visible the ancestors were watching and listening to the fae and her family, but if you didn't want to be seen or heard then there were ways around it.  If you asked the ancestors to turn a blind eye, sometimes they would.  For the most part they weren't even detectable while the sun shined unless you specifically needed them to be.  You could be alone if you needed to be, something the yearling didn't realize she appreciated until just this moment.  She wondered what the name of this nosey God was. "I'm not sure yet.." she hadn't intended them to, but her words came out a little more somber than she would have liked.  When Etoile first left home with her cousin she was ecstatic.  The thought of being a 'lone wolf' who didn't have to answer to her family anymore sounded like exactly what she needed.  Truth be told, the fae wasn't so sure if this lifestyle would suite her forever.  Whether she liked it or not she'd grown quite used to being told what to do and when to do it back home.  Life alone just seemed sort of... aimless so far.  Maybe she just needed a travelling companion.  Things seemed easier when Noelie was around.  Last the Soleil saw her Cen didn't have a pack either, maybe she'd head back that way and see if the small girl was down for some sight seeing. "I think I'll settle down someday.  I've got some uh... soul searching to do, I guess.  Are you from a pack?" "Talk" 'Think'

Personally she was comforted by her omnipresent God; it was a reminder to stay on track even when she was tempted to stray. The bigger picture was more important than any one individual moment and He reminded her of that. That fact alone was why she'd returned home and she hadn't stayed in Abaven for her own personal reasons... though truly it was hard to say who's fault that had ultimately been. Theory had told her to leave but she'd been pulling away long before then, and if she'd wanted to ride out her illness she would have. But it didn't help to dwell on it now, not when even her thoughts were not fully her own.

Etoile began to speak and Thalia's pace slowed as they neared a bend in the underground river. She'd come here to pray but a brief lapse in her plans in favor of conversation wasn't the worst thing that could've happened. There was plenty of time for praying later anyway. "I understand that," Thalia lied easily. Truthfully she didn't know what it felt to not belong somewhere. She'd always had Aerie, and the Abraxas-run packs before it. She'd never not belonged somewhere. "I'm part of a pack called Aerie. We live not far from here." If she wanted to know more she could ask, but she wouldn't divulge further information unless prompted.