~ ADELAIDE LAZURITE ~ The snowy figure moved cautiously into the caves, blue eyes darting every which way. It was dark in here, and eerily silent, but curiosity had gotten the best of her. Besides, she thought she had smelled some rare herbs in these depths. So her white paws moved gracefully across the ground, not disturbing a thing as she passed through. These walls seemed to be painted with images of the past, drawn by mysterious paws. Perhaps not drawn by paws at all, but by the will of some other strange creatures. Adelaide would squint at one particular picture, interested in its strokes of color. This one looked distinctly like a flower. And another, she noticed, looked like a rabbit. Most of these paintings were related to nature, as if the caves themselves desired to hold these things within. But no sunlight ever shone here, and no wolf in their right mind would ever think to come inside. The woman twitched a bit as a sound made itself known behind her. Crystalline eyes swept through the darkness. "Is someone there?" she called out, husky voice careful and unsure. Who knew what sort of dangers could lurk in these shadows? Walk. "Talk." Think.

It was his second trip to the caves, and this time he fully intended upon venturing farther into the caves than before. The last time he had been here, he had run into the golden girl and had thoroughly frightened her to the core. Some sadistic part of him had enjoyed seeing her intimidated by him - even if it hadn't lasted forever. The familiar scent of female drifted toward him, and instinctively he found himself drawn to it. This scent was stronger, muskier, and was distinctively 'older' than some other scents he'd taken in. This was an adult female. He could not approach her as he had the golden girl, and so he would instead streak through the shadows, slithering among them until he was close enough to get a decent view of her. Her back was turned to him, and she was an ivory color. She was not an exceptionally large woman, not as large as his mother or many of the women in Glaciem - but she wasn't a tiny thing either. Her voice rang out, and it genuinely startled him. He backed quickly - so quickly, in fact - that he ran into a nearby jagged rock which promptly cut into his back right leg. With an unintentional yip and subsequent growl he made himself known, ears pinning back over his skull. From here, he doubted she could see the entirety of his form, and so he felt somewhat secure in the knowledge that she would perhaps be taken aback by his very existence and not come any closer. ?speak,?

~ ADELAIDE LAZURITE ~ As her voice bounced against the stone, another series of sounds echoed through the darkness. First there was a rapid shuffling sound which chilled Adelaide to the bone and caused her to whirl about in shock. Then the shuffling cut off abruptly with a childlike yip and an irritated growl. The woman would splay her ears a bit in confusion, peering into the shadows of the cave. And there she would see a pair of glowing green eyes staring back at her. Before she could truly be frightened by this, she noticed the height at which they stood. This wolf was very young. Her fear began to dissolve immediately, and she spoke again. "I'm sorry, you startled me. But perhaps I startled you, too." Her light laugh entered the air between them. "Don't worry, I won't hurt you. You can go ahead and show yourself." As she spoke the words, however, she could only hope that the height was not a trick. After all, a massive wolf could have lowered his head to that level. She could only pray that the yip had been issued from a young adult male, and that the one who stood across from her in this close darkness was not prone to violence. She wasn't looking forward to another fight anytime soon. Not after losing part of her ear to a Ludicael warrior. Walk. "Talk." Think.

There was a stinging sensation in his thigh, but it was nothing he couldn't handle. The more pressing situation was that, unless this woman was deaf, she was sure to have taken note of his presence. Sure enough, her cerulean gaze drifted toward him, meeting his own - though on a higher plane. She quickly apologized, her voice calming - much like his mother's. She assured him she would not hurt him, and he didn't believe she would, but his pride had already taken severe damage. ?Perhaps you did, or perhaps my reaction was entirely intentional.? His tenor voice likely gave away his size, and so he figured it wise to step forth and show himself. He did so stiffly, tail flickering behind him. ?I am Kyarst." He had long since learned - in his short nine months of life - that his surname could be taken as offensive, and while he was endlessly proud of it he was in no position to defend it just yet. ?Who are you?? ?speak,?

~ ADELAIDE LAZURITE ~ Adelaide kept her eyes locked on the figure as a voice came from its depths. The tone was high and youthful, confirming her initial assumption that this wolf was young and harmless. She breathed a silent sigh of relief and returned the smile to her lips as he spoke. His words were arrogant and mighty, despite the tenor chords they were packaged in. Perhaps his reaction was entirely intentional... The woman felt a very strong urge to laugh at him, and yet she kept it bottled up for his sake. No need to damage his pride further. Instead she masked her amusement in a short fit of coughing and continued to smile innocently as the boy stepped from the shadows. He was indeed as small as he had looked, hard to see in his cloak of black fur. But those verdant eyes were still clear as day. He stood with a proud stature, one that matched his voice and suggested that he was royalty. Her smile twitched and widened a bit as he introduced himself. Finally Adelaide gave in and bowed deeply in respect, surely the boy would be blinded by honor and would interpret the gesture as one that was entirely genuine. Her laughter was hidden as she bowed her head, and she composed herself before looking up again. "It is my pleasure to meet you, Kyarst. My name is Adelaide." Walk. "Talk." Think.

She would cough, and for a moment he thought her to be ill, but she quickly composed herself and seemed no worse for the wear. He knew the irks of respiratory problems, and decided not to read into the situation any further. Her smile glittered despite the lack of light, accompanied by the gentle twinkling of her cerulean gaze. Her lighter fur shone brighter than his, allowing him to view all of her figure. She wore curves in all the places he suspected they were supposed to be, and she looked regal though didn't stand as royalty. She was pretty, he noted, but far, far too old. Then she did something he hadn't suspected. She bowed to him. A great sensation welled up in his chest, pride amplified to a level he'd never felt before. He drew in a long, silent breath for the extent of her bow - and only breathed out when she lifted her gaze to him once more. Her name came, Adelaide, and he recorded it in the confines of his mind. ?Adelaide,? he voiced back in confirmation that he'd heard her name clearly. ?Come here often?? he queried with a chuckle. ?speak,?

~ ADELAIDE LAZURITE ~ As the woman returned to her previous posture, the boy seemed to puff his chest a bit further. Yes, he definitely enjoyed her bowing to him. She chuckled quietly and acknowledged his next words with a wink. "No, not really. I tend to stay away from dark, scary caves." Her voice brightened at the end, accenting the fact that she meant this as a joke. Her tail flipped a bit behind her as she settled back on her haunches. Adelaide was no longer on edge. The shadows lost their eerie quality now that she had some company to enjoy. "How about you, little prince? Scary caves seem to be your thing, huh?" She was, of course, referring to the fact that he had been slinking about before she'd noticed him. His ebony fur helped him to blend in, and by the way he held himself she was sure that playful trickery and deceit were some of his better skills. And he was obviously proud of that fact. Walk. "Talk." Think.

'No, not really. I tend to stay away from dark, scary caves.' Ha, that was typical of a woman. Still, her tone indicated that she was most likely joking, and so he offered a small laugh. She seemed calmer now, as did he. Funny how quickly the shadows lost their mystery when one was no longer alone. 'How about you, little prince? Scary caves seem to be your thing, huh?' Little prince? How did she know he was practically a prince? He wore no crown, and had not given her his surname. He had done everything right, how had she figured him out? Eyes narrowed a centimeter skeptically, curiosity brimming in the emerald pools. ?I've been here before. I'm not afraid.? He wasn't truthfully afraid of much, it just wasn't in his nature. He lifted his haunches from the ground, padding effortlessly to the cave drawing she'd been admiring earlier. ?What do you suppose made this?? he queried with faux interest. He truthfully didn't care - but perhaps it would help him get more information out of her. It looked too perfect to be natural, and so he assumed that something had scrawled it there - but what? It didn't seem like anything a wolf could do, even a talented wolf. Perhaps a bird? But how could they have managed such a feat? ?speak,?

~ ADELAIDE LAZURITE ~ Kyarst would seem to laugh politely at her joke, his posture loosening as well. They both seemed more comfortable now that pleasantries had been exchanged. Adelaide sighed absently and had begun to examine another wall painting when a change in the boy's expression gave her pause. His bright green eyes tightened with suspicion, but as to what had brought on such a change the woman did not know. He seemed to have a question hanging on his lips, but instead he spoke of his bravery once more. The young man had been here before. At last his dubious glance released Adelaide, letting up for a moment as he trailed over to the stone wall of the cave. He addressed one of the drawings - the flower Adelaide had noticed earlier - with feigned interest. His inquiry was the same as the one that had been cycling through her mind. Who was responsible for these strange works of art? The snowy maiden stepped a bit closer, staring at the strokes intently. "I'm not sure," she whispered, the tension of the previous moment still not forgotten. Why had he looked at her that way? Was it something she said? The woman decided to let it go as she smiled once more at the ebony child. "Surely no creatures like us could think up such a creation. Do you have any thoughts as to what it might have been? Or who it might have been?" Walk. "Talk." Think.

He sensed her body nearing his own, but did not react or shy away. He'd grown to appreciate a woman nearby, and this one was no exception. Her scent drifted toward him and he breathed it in greedily, making no indication that he was particularly enthused by her presence (though he certainly was). She voiced that she was not sure about what could have made the cave drawing. He pondered creatures with the ability to do such a thing, but came up short of an answer. 'Surely no creatures like us could think up such a creation. Do you have any thoughts as to what it might have been? Or who it might have been?' ?I don't know, but I've heard some older wolves talk about two legged creatures with amazing abilities... but those are only stories.? He didn't believe the tales of two legged creatures, it had to just be a myth. He twisted his gaze back to her, trying to judge whether or not she was a believer in such stories, or if she too cast those ideas aside as a fallacy. ?speak,?