Thick liquid would bubble in a black pit. Heat would radiate from it, the light cast by it scattering randomly about the cavern. Stalactites and stalagmites alike would block the heat and sun from the magma, as a russet wolf would explore this lit cave. The ground beneath all reddish brown paws would burn at the skin, so his pillars would work to lead him away from the cauldron of fire. Opposite of the scarred man would be a slowly falling pillar of the same liquid, emptying into the pit. Lime eyes would glint as a gas burp would bubble from the magma and burst into a small bloom of flame. Sparks of flame would ignite as gases reacted within the magma, and the man would adore it all. "Precis som helvetet sj?lvt. Alltid eld och hat." His stubbed tail would lower slightly as the man would rejoice at his discovery and lie down, head between paws to enjoy this strange source of heat. It appeared to be the same as fire, but much hotter and in the form of a liquid. Liquid fire it seemed. Lime gaze would shift between each stalagmite as he would stand back up. Reddish brown pillars would work to lead the man toward the cauldron of fire once more as he would inhale the scent. "Aska, eld, sten. En s?dan s?t harmoni f?r strid." "Speech"

Qanik

in defense of the innocent

Qanik had ventured from the north once again. Not in the hopes of finding Flamesong this time, no. She'd given up hope of that after having found no trace of him at all the whole long season. She wasn't even actively recruiting for Tortuga, content to leave that to happen on it's own now that the pack was growing. No, this time she was making her way south to see for herself the underground caverns about which rumors had been trickling north. Rivers of fire? Glowing caverns? She was curious, and she wanted to see if there was anything there that would benefit Tortuga somehow.

The dark chasm that opened at her feet was awe-inspiring, even more so than she'd thought. It had taken some time to pick her way down into it, but once she'd made it and looked around, the sight truly took her breath away - if the heat emanating out hadn't already done so. It really was a river of fire. Or rather, she saw as she looked closer, a river of molten rock running through the cavern. She wandered along it for a time to admire it. Nothing here for Tortuga, but it was amazing nonetheless.

She nearly missed seeing the wolf as she came up on him unexpectedly, her eyesight overwhelmed by the brightness of the river as compared to the dark of the cave, and with his coloring so much like a fire-reddened rock himself. She stopped abruptly, her own cool gaze flickering over him. "I was not expecting to find another wolf here of all places," she spoke with some humor.



speech.

cowardice is the only sin

As a pearlescent femme would present herself to the scene, the russet man could not help but to give his signature grin before giving a nod of respect. "Inte jag heller, vita damen." Lyrics would pour from the man's tattered inky lips as his own lime gaze would settle upon the damsel. Indeed she was of fine shape. "Where are my manners, my lady?" A thick swedish accent would roll off the man's tongue as he would stop, reddish brown pillars straightening to stop about three feet from the cauldron of fire. Lime gaze would gaze elsewhere, distracted as he awaited a reply from the pearly lady. "Speech"

Now that her eyes were adjusting Qanik could see that the male's heavy body was scruffy and battle-scarred, obviously the scars of a brawler rather than acquired through misfortune. Either a respectable warrior or a dangerous potential foe, either way she would be cautiously diplomatic in her dealings with him.

Qanik inclined her head to acknowledge the male's respectful nod of greeting, but the politely interested expression faded into puzzlement at the stream of foreign words that tumbled from his muzzle. "I'm sorry, I don't understand you." She studied him in the roiling orange light. Did he understand her any better than she did him? She took care to speak clearly in case he did have some understanding of her words. "My name is Qanik. I am from Tortuga in the northern lands."

As the femme would speak, tattered ears would swivel forth as the man would reply, his lips stretched into a grin. "Now, lass. No need to talk to me like I'm from another world. I can understand English-speak." The reddish brute would give a small chuckle to himself as the damsel would introduce herself to him. "Name is Sverige, Sverige Arcangelo, if you will." The man's lime gaze would disappear as the brute would turn away from the pearlescent woman as he would walk off a ways, turning back around to study her a bit more. She obviously was a strong and well-trained lady. "Tortuga? Never heard of it. I'm not really into pack life, if you were planning to offer." Lime gaze would briefly become halved as the warrior winked at the femme before sitting, awaiting a reply in the midst of blossoming flames. "Speech"

One of Qanik's thick ears flicked to the side, the only outward sign she would allow herself to express her irritation at his words. To be spoken to as a child by someone half her age, when she'd been attempting to be helpful... she gave a completely internal sigh and moved past it. "I try not to offer," she told him, keeping her voice smooth. "I find those who actively seek it out are more likely to stay than those who need convincing." She blinked in disquiet when he threw a wink her way, but it had been a long time since she'd been a naive young girl and she read nothing more into it than a teasing gesture - though not something she was entirely used to anymore. "So what brings you to the depths of the earth, Mr. Arcangelo?" she continued on politely.

"Alright, Miss Qanik. If you insist on that." The man would give a yawn out of playfulness then tattered ears would raise as the pearly femme would speak once more, this time inquiring why he was in the manifestation of Hell. "It's simple, really. Just wanted to find out if these 'rivers of fire' and the mini-Hell existed. Nothin' more." Lime gaze would then settle as the russet man raised a brow. "Why are you here, miss?" Stubbed tail would raise in a hilarious way as the man would first sit upon his haunches, then he would roll to his left and sprawl on his back. Lime gaze would glint at the pearly woman as he awaited an answer to his question. "Speech"

"Mini-hell?" Qanik's muzzle quirked upward in a half-smile. The strange religious quirks of some of this land's wolves, and the equally strange turns of phrase it brought, had not yet ceased to puzzle her. Though no doubt some would think the old gods of the north equally odd, not that her family had worshiped such for quite a few generations. "I suppose some might see it that way. Though maybe they should take it as it is, and not as a reflection from a fearful story," she added thoughtfully. A chuckle vibrated her chest as he rolled onto his back, an oddly silly position for someone who looked as battle-hardened as he. She seated herself on the fire-warmed rock beneath her, tail curving around to tuck over her over-sized paws. "I also came to explore this place and see if the rumors were true. For once rumor seems to have paled in comparison to the truth. It's awe-inspiring."

"Ja, miniatyr helvetet." Foreign lyrics would pour from the man's tattered lips before he would continue, this time in the English tongue. "What else would I mean by that?" The pearly woman would speak, a chuckle following him lying down. "Ye. Det ?r ung dam." Once more, the foreign lyrics would pour, this time in a shorter phrase than before. Playfully evil lime eyes would look into the femme's own blue orbs, a grin playing along his lips. "I probably should teach you some of the northern tongue." Heavy Swedish accent would slur the words into seemingly gibberish, but if the fae was listening closely, she could understand. "Speech"

It was difficult to follow, with the man shifting so swiftly from his foreign words to the heavily accented common speech. Qanik though, was patient and had no wish to antagonize the wolf any more than she had, so she listened carefully and sorted out the few words she could. He seemed to be offering to teach her the northern tongue. Qanik smiled serenely, a soft shake of her head her wry reaction to the thought. "I doubt I would be an apt pupil. I'm rather old and set in my ways to learn a new language." She cocked her head to the side thoughtfully. "But I would not turn it down if you wanted to teach me a few words." It would be a useful skill, to be bilingual as this man was, though Qanik had serious doubts about her ability to learn. She was getting rather up there in years. Still it was tempting. Long ago her family pack likely spoke a similar language though they'd slowly switched to the common tongue as they made contact with other packs, long before she'd been birthed. It felt like... a way she could feel connected to the family she'd lost. Speech,

"Alright, miss Qanik. I don't suppose I can teach you a few of the main words." Thickly accented lyrics would flow from his tattered lips as lime gaze would settle upon the pearlescent femme, his ears swiveling so they were not all the way forward, so they were in normal position, before he gives a grin and lies down. "Alright, here's a couple words." He would then speak in the foreign language, then English, making sure to slowly pronounce each word. "Hall? is a greeting, and means 'hello'." Paws would then push the man up onto his haunches as he continued. "If there ever is a wolf speaking in northern tongue, and you cannot understand them, ask them this: Kan du prata engelska? Means 'can you speak English'." The rusty brujo's lime gaze then looked at the white femme, waiting for any reply from her, likely herself pronouncing the words he had just spoken. "Speech"