To the disappointment of his siblings he was sure, Chord had found himself on the move once more. He truly was a restless soul in comparison to them all, and whilst it had been good to spend time around them he had known all along that it couldn't be a permanent arrangement, the world was calling to him and he would answer it obediently eager to see what adventures lay ahead. They all had Bass' pack now and he was happy for them to have found a new place to settle but he still had his own purpose and dreams to find and follow. On the boy had travelled, heading in a different direction to his previous explorations this time and had now managed to find himself a new place to explore. Before him lay the entrance to a cave. The daylight outside shone clearly into the depths of the opening though as he peered inside there was no sign of a back to the tunnel. Many perhaps would have feared entering the unknown alone for that reason though there was certainly a part of Chord that was tempted to investigate. He put his nose to work first of all, checking that no creature had claimed this place as a home, ears keeping alert to the world around him.

It seemed to be getting harder and harder to find decent den sites as creatures started getting active again, started moving about in the spring warmth. Half of the places Valeriya came upon were either occupied or the odors were fresh enough that she didn't want to risk it. As the day wore on, the young auburn-pelted fae was growing increasingly frustrated. As her mood soured, her temper grew shorter and shorter until she found herself cursing at roots and stones that obstructed her path. She kicked a stone, grumbling to herself, "Yeah, you better run." She looked up, and found herself staring not at an endless expanse of forest, but a rocky outcrop at the foot of a rather large ridge. The girl crept out from beneath the overhang of the tree limbs and found herself in the presence of monolithic mountains. "Wow, I've really got to start paying attention to where I'm going," she mused quietly. Honestly, she couldn't even tell what region of the realm she was currently in. She loped upwards, coming to find a small niche in the stone wall. Curious, her ears perked and her nose twitched. "Hello?" she called out, tentative. The smell of another wolf, male by her best guess, was incredibly strong. "Anybody in there?" "Talk" "You" Think

Chord would hear the approach of another before catching her scent or laying eyes upon her. He couldn't quite make out the words though someone was definitely saying something. He'd pause wondering if perhaps he would hear a reply from another, though instead the voice, at least he thought it could be the same one would speak louder, now calling out rather than any private conversation. The words that followed would lead him to believe that the question had in fact been aimed at himself. He would emerge to answer her question, rather than continue the shouting back and forth with neither knowing where the other was. She was rather tall, though smaller and younger than himself he'd guess. "I don't think anyone else is in there." Chord would explain. "I've not had the chance to check too much. I'm Chord Destruction by the way."

Valeriya let out a startled squeak and stumbled back a pace as a figure emerged from the inky darkness. He, for yes it had certainly been a he, was older and larger than the auburn fae. Luckily for the young girl he did not seem overly aggressive, or angry at all. In fact he seemed... pretty chill. So it was that Valeriya composed herself, allowing a nervous cough to precede her words. "I-I'm Valeriya Xanilov." It was a reflex, a knee-jerk reaction, to tack on her surname though it made her wince. His own title sank in and she very nearly let a groan out to accompany her cough and squeak. The Destruction Family was a powerful clan, also holding sway in the east, according to the very few lessons her mother had given before disappearing. She wasn't sure who exactly this male was, but if he knew anything of Ebony, he might recognize her name. And then would come the questions, the lectures, the abrassive-ness she'd received from her brother... Valeriya allowed herself a small shake, realizing that she probably seemed absolutely batty to this poor young male. In an effort to lead things along a better path she attempted to redirect the conversation. "Empty, huh? Awesome. I'm looking for somewhere to bed down for the night." Maybe it would not be so odd to him that a fae not even a year of age would be wondering around by herself? She could only hope. Valeriya paced back to the cave's mouth and inhale deeply through the nose yet again, trying now to look beyond his scent. Musty for sure. Damp and earthy. 100% cave, but beyond that... Well, she didn't have much experience with caves if she was being perfectly honest. But there was only one way to change that, right? She turned back to the male with a smile. "You know better than I do. Want to show me the best places to catch a few hours of sleep?" "Talk" "You" Think

As it stood Chord knew very little of the families in Alacritia. He knew of course his own blood currently held two packs though hadn't regarded the fact that it surely meant his last name stood a high chance of being recognised and some reaction following. Xanilov however was a completely new name to him and the Ebony pack barely known either in his mind. He himself had walked out on three family packs now seeking a life of his own, even if he did know anything of Valeriya's past he was hardly the one suitable for giving her any sort of lecture, it would be rather hypocritical. He'd met stranger wolves than Valeriya before anyway, he wouldn't think the girl as 'batty'. In fact currently he had assumed perhaps she was a little timid, she'd seemed somewhat taken by surprise when he'd suddenly appeared before her after all and her own introduction hadn't seemed all that confident when she spoke. Suddenly though she would find herself a little more at ease as she changed the conversation back to the topic of the caverns, pleased to hear that there wasn't anyone else around. It was a little strange for one so young to be wondering alone, though Chord didn't really consider her age too much or the rules for whether she should be with parents or not. She wasn't after all a tiny little pup, perhaps then he may have had a different opinion, by this point he figured she could look after herself. She would come forth to investigate the caverns for herself, and Chord would step to the side to allow her to easily do so. Once satisfied Valeriya would look back towards him and once more speaking more confidently than her first few words she'd ask if perhaps he could help her. He personally had planned on exploring the caves, though both tasks could be done together, they could travel through them and stop when they found a suitable place for Valeriya to sleep. What would happen then, well he wasn't sure but he'd just roll with it. "Yeah alright. I've not been in them before so might take a bit of searching but I'm sure we'll find somewhere for you." He cheerily declared. "Lets take a look then." And with that he would head back into the caverns pausing after a few steps to check that Valeriya was following before heading any further inside.

His words filled Valeriya with a youthful exuberance and she lunged forward into the cave, breezing past the male and allowing a bubbly sort of laughter to tinker out in her wake. She dove into the murk with reckless abandon, allowing her senses to wash over everything, to envelope her in all that they took in. The ground beneath her was hard and rocky, with no vegetation other than a few small fungi and the moss that managed to grow in the rare light that brushed the cave mouth for a short while every day. It smelled strangely alive and earthy, yet musty at the same time. Still. Untouched by the comings and going of the outside world, timeless and ancient. Valeriya drew in a deep breath through the nose, allowing the cave's spirit to infiltrate her own. It was rejuvenating in many ways. "Wow, it's amazing in here!" Though she spoke to Chord, it was a foreign voice that called back to her. Reedy and waivery and sourced somewhere deep within the caverns depths. She froze, ears perking and eyes widening as she tried to make sense of what had been said. She didn't smell anyone else in that cave, but... It hit her like a lightning bolt, that the voice was her own. She let loose another ringing peal of laughter, marveling in the way the cave reflected it back into her ears. "Hello! Helloooo!" Her joy grew, as did the mirth in her laughter. She turned back to Chord to see if he was enjoying this queer place as much as she was. "Talk" "You" Think

It was somewhat hard to believe that the girl rushing past him now eager to explore the caves was the same one he had spooked momentarily upon his initial appearance before her. Those first few moments she had seemed somewhat timid and nervous though now rushed forth with such excitement that even Chord was impressed with her sudden energy. He would grin happily, chuckle along with her laughter and increasing his pace to keep up with her as they navigated through the caves. At this speed they'd probably miss a fair amount, though she seemed to be having fun and that enjoyment was rather contagious. Chord had the distinct impression that once she wore herself out just about anywhere would do for her to have a nap anyway. She would let out an announcement of her enjoyment of the caverns. The sound would bounce through the tunnels, echoing back until it eventually faded away. The pair were silent, both listening keenly to the reverberating voice until she let out another shout, a simple hello to hear the effect again. Once more the gleeful reactions in Valeriya would spread to Chord and the man couldn't help but join in with the little game. "Hello!" His own voice would call out into the darkness now, the sounds would bounce back as Valeriya's had until also fading away to nothing once more. He would press forwards a little more now, reaching a fork in the tunnels. "Left or right?" He would question, voice still bouncing as it had before, even with the quieter volume he now spoke at. As the sound faded another noise would catch his attention. The droplets of water down one tunnel causing yet another little wave of sound to hit the walls. He would tilt his head in its direction, though as it would sound a few moments later it was the other path this time making the sound.