gonna need a spark to ignite

Mireya had taken to exploring a bit, just to distract herself and try to take her mind off her troubles. But, admittedly, that was a hard thing to do when the memory of your murdered family kept on playing and replaying in your mind. So she set out to see new sights, maybe put some new memories in her head to try to squash the old ones. Even though she knew that was something that could never be done.

Today, she had managed to stumble upon an intricate set of caves, and immediately chose one at random to explore. After all, it did not matter how she distracted herself, so long as she did. And so the fox padded inside, her little nose raised to check out her surroundings as her small black paws were met with the coolness of stone. It smelled strange in here, of minerals the woman had no experience with. And somewhere, deep inside, her large ears picked up on the sound of trickling water. Perhaps a spring inside? She ventured a bit deeper, pushing her luck in this near darkness. But hey, curiosity killed the cat. No one ever said anything about a fox.

The cold had picked up rather slightly, licking at his skin despite his fur being thick due to the winter that surrounded most of the land. His crimson orbs shifted, watching the wind smack against the last amounts of dead leaves as branches became bare, waiting for Spring to sprout new leaves and for everything to become new again. A sigh escaped the brute. He enjoyed being alone from time to time, watching the world around him without having a care in the world. However, that was until a scent of another happened to catch his interests. He stopped as a stone cave presented itself to him.

Well, there was only one way to find out who had come into this cavern. However, if he were to get into a fight again, Maria would probably have his head for being to careless as he gave a small chuckle to himself, thinking about the dame explaining how he needed to be more careful. The thought amused him, but also happy since she seemed to be the only friend he had in this land.

The sound of trickling water etched into his ear, almost seeming as if a chorus of water was beating against the stone and playing a song of their own. However, he would sit down and listen, letting the stranger come to him since he was never one to start conversation unless someone were to talk to him first.

gonna need a spark to ignite

She went a little deeper and found the source of the water, a hidden spring that was releasing its gifts nearly in vain and letting them spill down the walls of this dark cavern, the excess collecting in a shallow pool that undeniably drained to another part of the cave. It smelled like wet rock, but Mireya was not the type to complain. She leaned down and drank her fill, letting out a gentle sigh as the water seemed to run through her entire body, cooling and relaxing her. She explored a bit longer, finding another small spring and several pretty rocks, but not much else. The little fox decided to turn back, but she had only been walking about a minute when, halfway to the entrance, she saw the silhouette of a big, dark wolf standing there waiting for her.

Right away, she panicked. Her heart raced like the wingbeat of a hummingbird and she gasped softly, stepping back to catch her breath. "Jesus," she whispered reflexively under her breath. What was she supposed to make of this? Was this brute really going to stand in her way? If he was, she truly had no way of stopping him. Her only chance would be to run and count on her speed and graceful movement.

The brute had not even had to wait long for within a couple minutes, the sound of paw steps reverberated in his ears. However, they would stop abruptly it would seem, the being probably was shocked of seeing him here which was of no surprise to him. He opened his eyes to see what appeared to be a fox. He seemed to realize that she probably thought of him as intimidating or someone who was in his way. He would open his eyes, focusing on the woman's gaze trying his best to show kindness in them.

"I will not harm you unless you attack me first," He would explain, his voice staying monotone as it always had as he turned his head to focus on some of the pools that surrounded the cavern, as well as the stalagmites and stalagtites that surrounded some of the cavern as well. It was truly breathtaking to behold for the ebony brute as he took in the scenery.

gonna need a spark to ignite

The brute then spoke, reassuring the fox before him that no harm would come to her if she did not attack first, and the idea made her laugh. "Por supuesto no," she said to herself, almost sarcastically. She, very cautiously, sat back on her haunches and looked at the brute. "Why should I trust you?" she asked, the latin accent still left in her words even as she spoke English to the man. "I would have no reason to be attacking you; to do so would be foolish," Mireya added. "But you, bestia, could have many reasons to attack me. You could eat me, or simply slaughter me for sport."

Those words came from a deep place within her and therefore came with a bit of venom on her tongue. Slaughtered for sport, like her tribe and family had been. Would it not be the perfect irony for her to escape, and only now, years later, be killed in the exact same way? The cries of pain were still fresh in her head. Would she cry out in the same way if this seemingly docile brute decided to turn hostile against her?

So, she was afraid that he would attack her, possibly even do unimaginable things to her. The thought gave him a chuckle nonetheless. His crimson eyes shown kindness for the first time that he had encountered someone on these lands. He would listen to the maiden speak. He had heard the language being spoken before, but though he was a bit rusty at it, he knew some of the words that he could speak without any problems.

"Por favor, if I had any reasons to attack you, you would know. You, on the other hand, just came into my line of vision and became hostile rather quickly. I do not know if there are any issues you have toward me already, but, you seem to be afraid of me or angry for some reasons I may not know." He would look to some of the water droplets as one even landed on his nose, shaking his cranium slightly in annoyance before turning back to the dame. "Even my own kind has not shown much kindness toward me, for I have seen much bloodshed and even lost some good friends from my old alpha before I went on my own." Shadow closed his eyes, a hint of sadness was noticed in his features when he thought of his friends being killed, especially when they were only pups, especially even the alpha killing his own son when his son was weak; the alpha believing that his son held no use for him and killed him while Shadow was watching.

"My name is Shadow, may I be so bold as to ask your name, Ma'am?" He spoke, a small smile spread across his features, which shocked him since he hardly ever smiled.

gonna need a spark to ignite

Her concern apparently made the man laugh, which both surprised and irritated her. He had heard her mention slaughter, had he not? Why was that something to laugh about? Her little hackles pricked a bit but she tried to keep her own temper in check. For now she had to try and believe that this brute really had nothing against her. His words sounded sincere enough, and Mireya was pretty good at telling if someone was lying to her. She hated lies. "Fair enough," she said, flicking her fluffy tail so that it curled around her legs where she sat. "And for the record, bestia, I am not angry with you. I am angry with wolves as a whole. They are the reason I've had to spend the last couple of years alone, with no family or friends to speak of," she explained, not caring if the man knew her story. It was hers to tell, and maybe putting it out there would take the weight of it off her shoulders.

She sighed a bit and looked longingly over the silhouette of the man and through the entrance of the cave. She wished to leave some time soon. Far be it from her to insult the brute, as she had already subtly done. Mireya just really did not like to spend time around wolves. It made her feel on edge. But she faked a bit of a smile as the brute in front of her introduced himself. "Mucho gusto," she said a bit flatly, seeing as the man understood the basics of her native language. "My name is Mireya."

Shadow nodded when the woman explained how his kind had taken away her family and friends, causing her to be alone for some time it seemed. He was sorry for her, and for once he actually found someone he could understand that had the same issues as he, at least for what he thought. A look of sympathy crossed his face as he focused on her. So, her name was Mireya, rather a unique name he had to say, but it was good to finally know her name after a couple minutes of talking with no introduction in the matter.

"I apologize for my kind doing that to you. I understand it is not easy to cope with, and I can see why you took caution toward me," he would explain, closing his eyes, "Looks like we had that in common. My kind took things we held dear, that much is certain. However, I am not like that. There are a lot of kind wolves here, as well as many other species in these lands that can become good friends to you, you just have to find them," he explained, thinking of the time he had met Maria and how she helped him cope with his past, as well as the wounds that he had sustained in more ways then one.

gonna need a spark to ignite

Mireya was a bit surprised to see sympathy cross the face of the man before her. Was it sympathy? To be honest, it was quite dark in here and she couldn't be sure, but it looked like it. He then apologized, apparently on the behalf of all wolves, and Mireya let out a humorless laugh. "Thanks," she said half-heartedly. It wasn't like anything could be done about it now. For either of them. It did make her feel a little more comfortable to hear that the brute had something in common with her, as tragic as it may be. She tried to listen as he told her that not all wolves were the beasts she had come to know, and that some could be good friends to her. She wanted to scoff at that but held back, trying to give the man some credit.

Mireya supposed that, possibly, he could be right. Not all wolves could be bad. But it would take a lot for her to trust one enough to let it become her good friend, that was for sure. "I guess," she said with a small nod, looking over the man to the entrance again. "Do you think we could step outside? It is so dark in here," she said, standing slowly.

Shadow knew that it would take time for the woman to adjust to his kind, after all, he was still trying to as well. His eyes would close for a couple seconds before re-opening them. He would nod his cranium in reply, standing up and walking with the dame to the outside world that the cavern separated them from. "I know it can be rough for you, believe me, losing my friends and my family was hard on me. But, I guess you can only move forward and think of the good times you had with them." Shadow would ponder what he had just said to the woman. Why was it that he was becoming nicer? Did Maria do this?

When they stepped out into the world, the sun glistened off of the ebony man's coat. His eyes shimmered almost like a ruby itself as he turned to look back at Mireya. "I hope that things become better for you here on out. I know my words may not mean much, but if you ever need help with anything, I'd be happy to assist you," he spoke, understanding and a hint of kindness was etched into his words as he spoke to her, trying his best to show kindness and that he was not that bad of a man when he wanted to be.

gonna need a spark to ignite

Mireya nodded a bit in relief and the two stepped outside into the light, where she could see the man better. His coat was black with a few very vibrant markings, and his eyes glistened like twin rubies now that they were out of the shadows. She chuckled at that, since his name was Shadow. She was a little surprised she remembered that, to be honest. Her mismatched eyes looked up at the wolf before her as he claimed to understand how hard it was losing friends and family. And maybe he really did understand. The little fox did not know what had happened to him, but he really did seem sincere. She nodded at him, warming up a bit and becoming more friendly.

"You're right, I need to move forward," she agreed. "I'm truly sorry for my hostility, but you understand. As little as I am, I have to be wary of bigger, stronger creatures like you." She sighed softly and thought of his words. She did not need his assistance. Not his, specifically. But she did need someone to rely on. Everyone needed someone. You couldn't make it far in this world alone. "Thank you," she said, to let Shadow know she had heard and considered his offer. But for now she thought she had better remain alone. Hold out for the possibility that she might meet another of her kind in this land.