Beru had fallen asleep comfortably last night soaking in spring's cool night air on the edge of the whistling willows under the comfort of one of the many trees.  His dreams were welcomed and sweet until they... well, until they weren't.  The last of which he could remember being something about his paws staying wet for too long and becoming fish.  It was only a dream, but it gave the male enough clarity to note that one of the worst possible things that could ever happen to him would be for him to have trout feet, and it was enough to shake him wide awake.  

He supposed the dream probably came with the rain that had made it's way into the willows, thoroughly saturating every inch of his body while he snoozed and causing him extreme irritation now that he was awake.  Wanting relief, Beru found his way to the gorge and clambered his way inside with a shiver and slowly but carefully started to explore.  He wondered if Wari had found her way here and that's why he hadn't seen her in a couple of days.  The thought was troublesome and only added mental discomfort to his physical discomfort.  Would he ever even see his sister again if that were the case?  This place seemed huge.  She'd definitely get lost travelling all alone somewhere like this.

No, not even Wari was stupid enough to think she could navigate a gorge without help, right?  Surely she wasn't anywhere near here.  But the fact that it had been a couple of days since they parted did make the boy wish he'd of listened to what she was talking about for once the last time they were together.  Admittedly he was starting to worry.

”Speech”  ’Thought’

Start carvin' darlin'

After their raid on Valhalla, the girl hadn't been in any rush to get back to the cove. She had won her first fights, and regardless of the outcome, she could hold her head high knowing she had done her part. The rain was refreshing after the heat of the sand, even under the moon to save her delicate nose from the suns burning rays. Her coat still glowed softly with her movements as the sky began to lighten, signifying the start of another day.

The teenager sighed as she approached the edge of the gorge, amber eyes raking across the bolder riddled gorge-sides, clear cave openings, hungry and gaping like mouths. Well, at least they might give her some cover from the sun, if it ever chose to break through the clouds... and what were the chances of the ground water rising and trapping her underground? Her muzzle wrinkled. She didn't think it was worth it... But did he?

Silently, she watched the boy, knowing it wasn't Sakana from the height he carried well over and above the young pirate. She spoke without thinking. "Lost somethin?"

"Speech"

The sound of her voice made Beru perk up for a fleeting moment, only to then be replaced with a heavy feeling of disappointment as the crystalline male realized it hadn't been the voice that belonged to his sister.  He tried his best to hide how dispirited he was as he turned to greet the female standing at the mouth of the gorge, and fuck, it probably wouldn't take much convincing either given how that too was only but an ephemeral state of mind to the lad.  This girl.. She was cute, wasn't she?

Lost something... He had, hadn't he?  What was it.... Beru stared at the stranger for a second, blinking.   Oh, shit, Wari.  That's right. He lost Wari.  "Less of a something and more of a someone."  he responded, absentmindedly kicking at a rock near his feat.  He was reluctant to tell a stranger about the existence of his sister and the fact that they had been separated, but maybe she'd seen Wari around somewhere.  "I don't think they're here though. I just got sick of soggy paws so I.. came down... into this damp gorge..."  Fish feet... ugh.. "Why, you lose something too?" Beru could feel a bit of heat rise to his cheeks.  Normally he was a lot smoother than this, but then again normally he wasn't caught off guard.  

”Speech”  ’Thought’

Start carvin' darlin'

Deluge canted her head to the side, "Well, they aren't south of here if that helps. Nobody between here and the plains with the purple flowers, other than Valhalla wolves..." and they were probably all feeling down in the dumps and licking their wounds or something. "An' nah, I didn't lose, just won my raid fights though, two of 'em! That's what pirates do, right? Raid n' stuff." Her short tail gave a wave as her chest puffed up with pride. This guy was alright... which was kinda a surprise because in all her (one) year of wandering off to places she shouldn't be, she hadn't really run into that many other wolves.

"So do you think your someone wandered down in there? With all this rain, the water will be up. They could be caught in an air pocket..." She didn't let the alternative leave her lips, but she wanted to be helpful. "I reckon anyone with any sense would have gone looking for higher ground. There's a cool cave full of glowing mushrooms not too far away, do you think your someone is the sort to go chasing fireflies to somewhere like that?"

"Speech"

'

"Mmmm" the yearling grumbled quietly.  He wasn't sure who the Valhalla wolves were, but unless she found herself kidnapped he doubted Wari was intermingling among them.  That was another train of thought the male didn't want to find himself on, however, so he wasn't going to explore that avenue just yet.  Beru's eyes widened a touch at the mention of the fae having won some sort of raid fight.  Impressive.  Being in a raid sounded like a ton of fun.  What was this about pirates though?  She seemed too pretty to be a pirate.  Beru grinned.  Perhaps there was more than meets the eye here.  How exciting.

"I think they're far more likely to go chasing fireflies into some cave filled with glowing fungi than they are to wander aimlessly through a place like this."  He kept his voice smooth, though the prospect of his kin having stumbled upon this strange alleged fairytale cave had the bleach-spotted male feeling more than just a little relieved.  There was finally an option that didn't involve Wari being stolen, or eaten, or mad at him so she ran away forever, or lost and completely helpless in pitch darkness somewhere.  

Welp, that settled that.  No sense in worrying any further for now.  They had yet to be separated for too long, just a couple of days.  He'd give Wari another day or two to find him before he really started to worry.  Give her the benefit of the doubt before kicking her ass.  He was sure she'd appreciate the show of faith in the end, or whatever.  He really should have listened to her when she told him where she was going though.. Next time he'd make sure he did, that way he'd never find himself in this situation again. Nope.  No more worrying... Or, he'd try not to worry.. Or maybe just a little bit of worry was fine and healthy.. Damn it, Wari.  This sucked.

"So you're a pirate, huh?  Tell me about that.... And where did you say this cave was?"

”Speech”  ’Thought’

Start carvin' darlin'

Deluge couldn't say she would disagree, the glowshroom cavern was a sight to behold, and it snuck up on you if you didn't know it was there. You maybe had to have a nose for trouble, or a desire to stick your nose in places it wasn't welcome to really get there, but it was far better than any alternative she could come up with.

When he asked her to tell him about being a pirate, she grinned, but deigned to answer his second question first, gesturing with a tip of her head as she started to stroll back towards the willows. It was pretty obvious he had come this way already. "Back this way, on th' other side of the willows." She wondered if he made a habit of going the opposite direction to what he should, of if their meeting was more than just coincidence. "An' yeah, bein' a Pirate is about bein' free. There aren't many rules, raid when the pirate king says to raid, which is great fun by the way... Sort out yer differences among yerselves, love who you want to, or don't. There's not a lot of responsibility. Once yer a yearling you can drink an' come to parties. We have sins and saints t'try an' keep things in order but... well, chaos is usually the order o' th' day." She really couldn't imagine being anywhere else. "Y'do things cos you want to, y'know? Not cos someone is makin' you."

"Speech"

'

The yearling climbed out of the slippery wet gorge as gracefully as he possibly could, which admittedly wasn't as gracefully as he would have liked.  A series of profanities swam around his head as the girl explained to him where the cave resided.  The exact opposite direction.  It was back into the willows for him, though frankly perhaps he shouldn't have left the last place he and his sister had seen each other anyways.  Whatever, keep a cool head.  Don't freak the cute girl out with your short fuse just yet.  He followed the lady, listening to her explanation of a pirate's life with almost all of his undivided attention.  

"Sounds pretty liberating.  Not so sure how long I'd last with chaos replacing order though.. Unless it's not as bad as I'm imagining.  You like it then, living like that?"  He raised a brow at the stranger.  The drinking and partying sounded pretty fun, and there were definitely more than just a few aspects that intrigued the young male enough to kind of want to check it out, but so far pirating sounded like something he'd only be able to handle temporarily.  Lands ruled without order sounded like nothing more than lands ruled by idiots who didn't know what they were doing.  He'd never allow anarchy on his lands if he ruled.  Wouldn't stop him from getting to know the sea-fae currently keeping him company though.  If anything this strange feral background of hers only made her more alluring.

”Speech”  ’Thought’

Start carvin' darlin'

The chocolate boys question gave her pause. Did she like living in chaos? It was really all she had ever known, but looking at the way other people did things, they all seemed perfectly happy with their order and rules. It sounded stifling, but maybe it wouldn't be that bad? "It's all I've ever known I guess, a bunch o' rules sounds a bit suffocating if I'm honest. I guess at least y'd know whats expected of you?" A bit less ambiguity would probably go a long way.

As they continued to make their way to the glowshroom cavern she bumped her shoulder into the crystaline fur of her companion, it wasn't that much different than her mother's quills. "So this someone yer lookin' for must be pretty important to be out in this." She questioned with an arched brow.

"Speech"