There was just so much to the Col. From wide open spaces, to narrow caverns that even made Levi feel a little claustrophobic. Beyond the well organised tunnels and sheer cliff faces, Levi wandered along the territories edge and furrowed his brows when a dark pit came into view. Unlike any he'd seen the Armada put to use. He took a moment to breathe deep, nostrils flaring as he noticed a strange scent, one he decided shouldn't be here. In all honesty, he wasn't sure if this counted as Armada land or not. From what he could tell Sirius hadn't made a claim to it, but it was within the Col and thus by extension it was theirs, right?

Surely that was how it worked.

Stepping into the darkness, his eyes took a moment to adjust to the sudden shift in lighting. From day to...dusk on fire. In the distance the walls shone and flickered red and orange, drawing him close as his ears flicked forwards, listening and waiting. Just like the rest of the Col the ground beneath his paws was hard and uneven, slanted with the erosion of time, and yet none of the other rocks he'd seen shone like this. Smouldered, like he ought to be feeling some sort of heat. A refuge from the winter storms outside. Maybe that's why the intruder had slipped inside, couldn't scent the border beyond the howling wind.

He scanned his surroundings once more. Where were they?

_________________________________________________________________ It was absolutely frigid up in the north. How she had gotten turned around and made it this far was beyond her. She had been attempting to make it to Abaven, but the storm howling outside of the caverns was at its peak. Snow drifted off the mountain's face as gusts of wind pelted her. Body wracking shivers continued and proved to be a sure sign that she needed to leave the elements and stay somewhere until the monstrous force subsided. With her one good eye barely open and her trusty bobcat companion, Mack, on her other side, the duo slipped in off the ridge's path into quiet and calm darkness. Ahead, a faint glow lit their path. Almost beckoning them to draw closer. A faint scent of someone else alerted her and Mack, but there was something else that also drew them in. Unable to place it, the duo glanced at each other before continuing. Careful not to slip on the uneven stone beneath their paws, Audra and Mack rounded the corner to see a long hallway lined with smoldering and flickering veins of light. Lit up by who knew what, they continued to follow the path toward the refreshing scent of forestry and someone else. Closer to the end, hidden among the shadows, Mack finally noticed the small boy. The fur along his spine bristled as his lips pulled back to reveal crystal encased fangs. Audra's nose wrinkled as her shoulder leaned into his. "He-he hasn't d-done anything y-yet," she murmured quietly to Mack before stepping forward toward the boy. The pack scent on him was a pack she hadn't met yet except for a tinge of someone... Hanako. Yes, the fiery girl that had raced her back in the day. Smiling gently, Audra let her gaze wander over toward the end of the hallway. "I-I'm Audra a-and th-this is Mack," the petite russet female introduced them first before she glanced back over. "C-care if w-we explore with you?" Truthfully, there was nowhere else to go until the storm subsided. If the boy was kind enough, he would be okay with the two of them joining. If not, Mack was always there to protect her. _________________________________________________________________ A  U  D  R  A

Levi's eyes settled on the stranger as she called out to him, soft and demure with an unseeing dark eye. She didn't look like much of a threat, like she was trying to weasel her way past the Armada's borders, but he wasn't sure whether looks meant anything or not. He eyed the creature companion with a wrinkled nose, it seemed to have more fire than its owner and was willing to bare its teeth. Even if had no right to. She was quick to offer to explore and Levi's brows furrowed, lips twisting at the corners. Was that code for something? Was she really a spy? He knew he couldn't drag her to Sirius without proof, so the only thing to do was to keep an eye on her for now.

"If you want." He agreed with a flick of his ear, would have folded his arms across his chest if he had any.

Stepping further in, his head tipped upwards as he looked at the shaft of descending light. Flecks of snow drifted down, one landing on his nose before it swiftly melted. It should have been cold in here, since the outside air was seeping in, but something about the insulated rocks kept this place warm enough. A suitable shelter from the cold, almost enough to feel cosy. To his surprise foliage grew all around, thick and flourishing despite the odd conditions. He couldn't name the plants but they didn't look like anything that grew outside and so he concluded they must not like the cold very much. From the corner of his eye he watched the stranger, just in case.

_________________________________________________________________ She didn't blame the youngster for being apprehensive. The way he peered at her wasn't surprising, but she was pleased all the same when he agreed. Maybe he always had this sort of standoffish attitude or he had been taught to be wary of strangers. Either way, Audra thought nothing much of it as she followed the obsidian boy with Mack in tow. It wouldn't take long for them to step through an opening where the ceiling opened up above them. Trickles of snow dusted around them as she took in the sight. Before them, there was a myriad of different plants she didn't expect to see this far north. Typically preferring a warmer environment, she wondered how they even got to such a place. "Fascinating," was all she could say as she reached out to touch a few leaves. _________________________________________________________________ A  U  D  R  A

Fascinating. I mean-he guessed? It wasn't like anything he'd seen before, didn't really know how to put it all into words. Moving up to one of the surrounding walls he reached out with a paw and pushed, as though he expected it to give. It was hard and stoney, with jagged edges that caught the light making it appear to be flickering depending on which way he moved his head. At which angle he approached.

Aside from being pretty he couldn't say this place held too much to interest him. He liked the dark and quiet, so he supposed it had that going for it, but what else? The fact it was secluded? Though not enough, clearly, since this lady had wandered on in too.

_________________________________________________________________ The boy's silence was questioning Audra. Or maybe he was one of few words. It didn't bother her that much as she continued to examine the leaves that grew along the wall. As her paw stroked a few leaves, she noticed how delicate and soft the texture was. With the minimal light that streamed in through the cracks above, she wondered how it even survived. From the corner of her gaze, she noticed him push on the wall. Was he expecting it to move? As if the stone would bend beneath his paw? A little silly from her perspective but she also supposed that if you didn't try, how would one know. Lifting her own paw from the leaves to reach out toward the wall, she noticed how cool it was to the touch and smooth as well. _________________________________________________________________ A  U  D  R  A