Her heat was in full swing and Faite felt the mood swings that came with it. Some small part of it was irritation and yet she really had nothing to be irritated about except her own heat cycle. With it came the fact that she was now four and she was having difficulties wrapping her head around it. In her mind she was still the lost little one year old still trying to find her family and get home. It didn't feel like it was that long ago that Castiel had found her and led her back home from the eastern mountains. Then she remembered a little under three years had passed and she really was four. She found herself leaving the territory. Creed's pups had been all over the place lately (she'd noticed it was mostly Fable) and she found herself staring at them wistfully before she was able to shake herself out of the feeling. It's just my heat cycle. Stupid hormones. She grumbled to herself as she pushed herself to get away. She didn't even like anyone in that way, much less know anyone well enough to have kids. Her travels brought her to a place she'd never been before. It was around noon when she pushed herself past the entrance to the cave. Sunlight filtered in through random holes in the top of the tunnel giving her a fair amount of lighting. The most fascinating thing about it all was the pretty colored stones that glinted in the streaming sunlight as it reflected around the cave. They caused her to pause and she examined them closely. Some were even the same colors as her eyes and she grinned softly. What a beautiful place! Walk, "Talk" Think

At last he'd left. As he walked away from the pack he'd been in for what felt like a long time, it felt weird being a loner again. While Abaven wasn't really that confining, he still felt different now that he was out on his own again. He left the eastern lands, heading south. He wasn't sure what to do now, except maybe go back to where it all began. He felt like he was missing something, and he figured that maybe if he went back to where he had lost his family, he might feel at least a little closure. And if not...then he'd have to figure out what to do to fill that void.

With all the pressing thoughts on his mind, he didn't realize that he had come to a stop in front of a cave. Blue eyes looked it over, searching as if it might hold some answers for him. But of course, all the world held for him was silence. Nostrils flared as he took in the scents around him, the static in the air told him that a storm might come this way. Though with any luck, hopefully it would change course. He hated when his fur was wet. To him, there was nothing worse than smelling like a wet dog. So without further hesitation, the large male shook out his pelt and walked into the cave. He didn't go far, blue eyes adjusting to the darkness before his nose picked up the smell of someone else nearby. He stopped where he was, glancing around until he spotted her. Was he so absorbed in his thoughts that he hadn't noticed her until now? And not only that, but her scent was...overwhelming. He flicked his ears with uncertainty. "Ah, pardon.."

She decided to sit and admire the pretty colors shimmering off the walls for a little while. She barely noticed that they were becoming less bright until the sun faded completely and all that was left was a gray stormy color barely filtering in through the hole above her. She glanced upwards and was surprised to see that gray storm clouds had rolled over the sky and she could even see the bright splashes of lightning followed by distant claps of thunder. She was a little disappointed by the lack of light in the cave now. The pretty sparkling stones had lost their brilliance and she let out a soft huff. Oh well. She moved away from the hole so she wouldn't get wet when it started raining. It was then that she heard a voice and her head snapped to it wildly. Her heart hammered in her chest and it took her adjusting eyes a moment to realize there was another wolf in here with her. She looked him up and down as she calmed her racing heart. He was as tall as her brother with a cream colored coat and pretty red markings. She smiled at him faintly, trying to get over the fact he'd scared the living daylights out of her, and then she realized he'd said something. "I'm sorry. I hadn't realized I had company." She paused and looked at the natural skylight before adding, "getting out of the rain?" Walk, "Talk" Think

The woman would discover his presence a lot sooner than he had discovered hers. He cleared his throat when she spoke, "Neither did I..." He mumbled almost quietly. He wasn't sure how to feel about the company quite yet. But he also wasn't sure if he wanted to be alone right now either. He was always indecisive about it. Yes, he preferred solitude...but at the same time he craved company. He couldn't have both though. Besides, how could one be alone and have company? If there was a way, he had yet to discover it.

Blue gaze looked between her and the mouth of the cave, debating on whether or not he should just leave. But as soon as he heard thunder, his fur prickled. He hated the sound of thunder...it reminded him of the way the rockslide sounded before it trapped his parents. It set his heart hammering against his chest, his veins racing with adrenaline that for some reason made him feel like he might lose control. He never understood this feeling. He just knew that he always dreaded it, often an uncontrollable fear would grip him. Her question almost went unheard as he fought to keep control of himself, his body tensed with each thunderous roar. "Yeah...I guess that's what I'm doing now." A particularly loud boom made him flinch, though he tried as best as he could to hide these things from her. Could she smell the tension and potential sense of dread on him? He needed a distraction...he needed something to keep him in control. "I'm Zell. It's...my first time around these parts. What about you?" Okay...that was a decent start.

"Neither did I..." She almost missed his words. He mumbled quietly and her ears flicked curiously. It seemed like they had surprised each other. She'd calmed down now though and instead was peering at him with an inquisitive sort of look. She could faintly smell other wolves on his pelt, but it wasn't very strong. She couldn't figure out the pack scent either and she wasn't given the chance to. Thunder cracked and her head rose again to the sky light and she flicked her ears at it. She was happy they were finally getting some rain, but the weather sure did know how to be a buzzkill. She almost didn't noticed the way he kept tensing at the thunder claps. She glanced at him curiously and she got the strange suspicion the storm was making him uncomfortable. She didn't want to make it worse by pointing it out and instead she was glad for the subject change when he introduced himself. She smiled at him politely and waved her tail softly against the ground. She certainly didn't mind the idea of company. "It's nice to meet you Zell. I'm Faite." She thought a bit about his next question before answering it. "I'm from a pack in the west, so I live pretty close by. I've never been here before though. It was beautiful when the sun was shining through that hole in the cave roof. The sunlight sparkled along the stones and made everything glow." Walk, "Talk" Think

Faite...a pretty enough name for a...decent looking girl. Though he was sure she was much prettier when it wasn't so dark. Or at least, he hoped she was unless the light was playing tricks on him. He hoped to God it wasn't one of those 'pretty in the dark, disastrous in the light' type of women, but who knew. She didn't sound ugly, whatever ugly sounded like. So he figured perhaps it was safe. He nodded a little when she introduced herself, the large man swallowing back the fear that threatened to overtake him.

Taking a deep breath, he fixed his gaze on her with curiosity. A pack in the west? He didn't know which one it might be, he had hardly been outside Abaven, so of course he didn't know what other packs there were really. "Is that so? I just left mine...Abaven was good, and still is I guess...but after a while it just...Wasn't for me." He looked up to the hole she indicated, his ears flattening when he saw just dark clouds through it. A flash could be seen in the distance, and it took all his willpower not to recoil and run like his paws were itching to do. Instead, he moved towards Faite and ambled past her, determined now to get away from the sounds that echoed so close to the mouth of the cave and the sky lights. Maybe if he went deeper, he wouldn't be able to hear the thunder. "I'm sorry, I can't keep standing around here." He said quickly as he walked by.

Faite's ears perked up with interest at the mention of Abaven. So that was the pack scent she'd smelled. Interesting. She was half tempted to ask him why he left, but she got the feeling that was a more personal question and she was a stranger. She bit her tongue instead and was thankful by the distraction of him looking at the natural sky light. She noticed how his ears flattened and how nervous he seemed to be. She gave him a concerned frown when he made to move past her and mentioned that he couldn't keep standing around. She rose to her paws and opened her mouth to say something before she clamped it shut again. Was he really afraid of lightning. That seemed to be the case. She'd never met anyone with a fear of the weather before so she would have found it amusing if she didn't feel so bad for him. She padded after him, not seeing anything better to do with her time while it was storming, and as content to see that they didn't come across any more holes in the ceiling after a while. Finally she found the courage to ask. "Is it the thunder or the lightning that bothers you?" She hoped he wouldn't take offense to the question. Walk, "Talk" Think

His breathing was a little more rapid now as he tried to get away. The farther in he went, the less he could hear the sound of the storm outside. He could hear Faite following after him, but he didn't particularly mind the company. He was sure that if someone else wasn't around, he would have probably lost it. After all, panicking in front of someone else would totally ruin his image. Not that he really has one to maintain, but having someone else around did help to keep him in control...if only a little.

Red tipped ears flicked when she spoke. His steps slowing down until he came to a complete stop. The cave was dark, but not completely. He could make out her form, her silhouette just barely separated from the surrounding darkness. He was probably easier to see considering his pelt was white. Helping to contrast against the dim lighting. His fur prickled slightly as he half turned to look at her. Blue eyes flashing with a quick bit of hostility, though it quickly went away. He had no reason to lash out at such an innocent question, it's not like anyone knew..."Thunder...I guess...the sound reminds me of the day I lost my family." His baritone voice seemed louder to his ears. This was the first time he ever mentioned his family to anyone, though he supposed that the reason he did today, was because of the storm. The sound of thunder, the irrational fear it gave him when he heard it...it all reminded him of that day.

Well there, she had done it, she'd been nosy. They delved deeper and deeper into the cave and the sounds of thunder eventually became more vague and indistinct. Eventually they were mostly just muffled and she felt better knowing that she could enjoy the male's company without him looking at the hole in the ceiling every so often as though lightning were gonna come through it and zap them all. Of course he answered her and she felt bad all over again. She frowned at it and silently chastised herself for being so nosy. "Oh. I'm sorry for prying." Her tone was apologetic and she felt slightly uncomfortable now that she thought about it. Her mind was already searching for a topic she could change the conversation to. She hadn't meant to bring up any bad memories with her question and she still regretted it. Eventually she thought of something else and was glad to be able to take her own mind off her painful mistake. "So what brings you out here?" She asked him curiously while coming to a stop. "This doesn't exactly seem to be the hub of social gatherings." She chuckled as she looked around. She couldn't hear the thunder anymore so that was good. She could faintly see the white of his pelt in the darkness. It was strange, being alone with an unknown male in a dark cave while a storm raged along outside. Walk, "Talk" Think

He shrugged his shoulders. Then realized that she probably couldn't see that so he opted to reply. "Don't worry about it. It's not your fault. Curiosity is natural, though more for some than others." He felt a little awkward now that he wasn't freaking out so much about the thunder. He let out a huff of hot air as he tried to calm himself, and as he stood there he realized his legs were shaking a little. Fuck...I'm such a big baby...get it together! He'd scream at himself, hoping that she didn't notice that part. If she did, then he certainly must look like a fool. It had been a long time since he had heard thunder or been around a storm, and the fact that it had suddenly come from nowhere had sent him into a fear that he hadn't felt in a long time. He was embarrassed, but he would try to ignore it as much as he could.

Luckily, she would ask him a question and distract him. It was a good question, and one that he had a decent enough answer to. "To be honest, I haven't been out very much since I joined Abaven. So I'm just...wandering. Decided to wander in here when I saw the storm rolling in, but I didn't think it would come around so fast." He looked at, curious as to why she was here. Like she said, this wasn't the most social place. But here they were. Riding out a storm together. "And you? I wouldn't peg you as someone to be out in a cave during a storm with a stranger."

Faite was glad that Zell accepted her curiosity without complain. She nodded softly at his words and she was just happy that he wasn't offended. That would have made it horribly awkward to wait out a storm together. Luckily for Zell, Faite didn't notice the way his legs were shaking. All in all she was content to forget about the storm and move to other things to help get his mind off of it altogether. It was the only way she could think to make him feel better. She listened to his answer as he explained he hadn't gotten the chance to get out of Abaven much. She was a little curious about that part. She found her own adventures to be a little less ... well drawn out since she'd become an alpha, but overall she'd managed to enjoy herself with adventures. She couldn't just stop, even with the amount of duties resting on her shoulders. She enjoyed exploring too much. "Oh I love exploring everything. There's hardly a place I won't go." She grinned. It was a short lived smile though. The next thing she knew a very loud clap of thunder echoed so violently through the cave that even she jumped up in surprise. It'd almost sounded as though it'd struck the very cave they were sitting in. She couldn't help but glance towards her companion to see how he was faring. Walk, "Talk" Think

Her response was simple enough. A gruff 'humph' would result in a responding answer from him, though before either of them could comment any further, the loudest thunderclap he'd ever heard seemed to shake the cave itself. That was when he'd lost it. And he was sure that had he been outside or closer to the entrance, it would have been much worse. But even this was loud enough to turn his calming fear into a one that made his heart leap into his throat and an involuntary yelp spilling from his tongue, his hackles stuck up all over his body and his eyed widened in fear. As if some sort of unseen creature were after him, the large male would turn tail and run further into the cave. His fear was irrational at this point, adrenaline pumping through him as he ran headlong and blindly through the pathways. His fear scent was overpowering now, and he didn't even realize that he might have left Faite somewhere behind him lost in his dust.

It felt like hours, but in reality it was mere minutes possibly even just the longest seconds of his life. Whatever one it was, his legs finally buckled beneath him and he dropped to the ground, his body pressing against the cave wall as if it were a lifeline. The beam of support that might keep him together. His body shook uncontrollably, his breathing coming out ragged as his eyes squeezed shut. He knew the lightning couldn't get him here. He knew thunder was just a sound. But his mind seemed to tell him otherwise.

Oh dear. The thunder clearly had gotten past Zell's exterior. One minute she heard a yelp and the next thing she knew Zell was leaving. Confused and worried she took off after him. Considering she didn't have adrenaline to keep her going her pace was a bit slower. She was doing her best not to run into or trip over anything while simultaneously keeping up with the man. His scent was the easiest to follow since his fear permeated the air like freshly sprayed perfume. Eventually she caught up to him, it'd really only been a few minutes, but already he was crouched down next to a wall. They were deeper in the cave now and she approached him hesitantly. She wasn't sure how he'd react to her presence now that he was in complete panic mode. She decided to risk it and padded right over to him before flopping down next to him and laying her head over his back in a comforting manner. She didn't care that he was a stranger. He looked like he needed help so she was going to do her best to calm him down. She even went as far as trying to lick the fur on his back to smooth it in the hopes that it'd be enough to help sooth his nerves. Walk, "Talk" Think

He was shaking like a maraca. The typical shivering chihuahua. He was a fool to be acting like this, but it wasn't something he felt he could control. Maybe he would be able to, but he hadn't been around too many storms. He always tried to avoid them as much as he could, because they would always bring on those memories. As he lied there pressing against the wall, he didn't quite notice that she had followed. He seemed lost in his own miserable world, and even when she lied down with him and put her head on his back, the man didn't budge.

It wasn't until she started trying to smooth down his fur, trying to comfort him the best she could that he felt something and froze. What was this complete stranger doing? why was she doing it? This was totally foreign to him. The only ones who had ever done this were his mother and sometimes his sisters. He missed it...that he couldn't deny. He had kept himself away from any and all physical contact unless it was a fight, but contact like this? He hadn't felt it in years.

After a few agonizingly long minutes, he would finally try to gather himself enough to turn his head slightly her way. Blue eyes searching her, a near apologetic look finding it's way. "I'm...sorry...I must seem like a fool acting like this.." He sighed, a whine slipping past his lips as his ears flicked back and forth with uncertainty. He could no longer hear the outside world. Just his own hammering heartbeat and both of them breathing. He fought to regain control of himself, but his mind still raced with irrational thoughts. He needed a distraction, and she seemed to be helping with that...

Faite was beginning to worry that she wasn't helping enough. He had seemed to barely register that she was there, but she supposed it was better than him completely rejecting her presence and snapping at her. She'd expected him to shove her off or something, but instead he just lied there trembling. She felt awful for him and yet she couldn't bring herself to pry more into his past. She was a stranger after all and didn't deserve to be asking him personal questions just yet. She stopped smoothing his fur when he spoke again and she looked up at him with sympathy on her face. "No, of course not. Everyone is scared of something and I'm sure you have a very logical explanation for not liking storms." Everyone was afraid of something. That much she was sure of. Whatever had happened to make him freak out in a thunderstorm must have been bad enough to weigh down on his conscience. She stared up at him and wondered what else she could do it make him feel better. He seemed to have gotten out of his panic at least and she couldn't hear the storm anymore which meant they were pretty deep into the cave system. It was fairly warm next to Zell despite the slight chill that hung in the air. Overall she was content to sit with him to make him feel better, assuming he didn't suddenly decide to send her away. Walk, "Talk" Think

He sighed, still hung up on the thought that he was acting like an idiot. Hell, he felt like an idiot for freaking out. Especially in front of someone else...but it was too late now, and it couldn't be helped. He was sure that if he had freaked out like that in Abaven, he probably would have been teased or something. And he knew for a fact that if that happened, he would have probably sunk his teeth into someone. He eyed her, frowning a bit after she mentioned everyone bring scared of something. Honestly, he didn't think he was afraid of anything. But today he found out he was. Subconsciously, the sound simply reminded him of the sound the rocks made when they came rumbling down the cliff side before they crashed to the ground in a pile of dust and rubble, his parents crushed beneath it.

"Yeah...I guess...it's just..." He closed his eyes, head dropping to the ground as he tried to relax. "Nothing, nevermind." He couldn't tell her yet. The more he did relax, the more he was able to calm himself down and become more aware of his surroundings. That's when he noticed her scent again, his ears twitching a bit as his nostrils flared. He totally forgot about that...it was one of the first things he had scented when he first came across her, but now she was practically snuggled up against him and her scent was closer. Stronger. And he wasn't sure what to do. "I uh...ahem...I should probably apologize...sorry for making you run deeper into this place. Though you didn't have to..I'm sure I would have managed on my own." Pfffttt...who was he kidding? He was trying to regain his macho composure, but it wasn't coming as fast as he wanted. "Anyway...is there anything you're afraid of?"

Faite was painfully aware of how close she was to him now. Her hormones were clouding her judgement tremendously and had she been out of her season she might not have remained so close to him once he'd calmed down. Instead she found herself enjoying the feel of his warm cream colored fur against her own far more than she should have. She let out an inaudible sigh as she tried to calm herself, but she couldn't quite seem to calm her mind. The distraction he provided wasn't fully enough to get her hormone-driven mind completely away from him. She had to admit she was curious about what he'd been about to say before he cut himself off, but she stopped herself before she asked too many questions that weren't any of her business. She didn't want to upset him any further, especially since it seemed like she'd made some considerable progress in making him feel better. Instead she focused on his words afterwards. She hadn't minded running deeper into the cave after him. It was that or go brave the storm outside and even she didn't want to test her luck on that. The question he posed was more entertaining and she cocked her head to the side as she looked up at him. What was she afraid of? She had to stop for a good minute to think about it. "I suppose I'm afraid of being alone..." She murmured. She could think of the time she'd went searching for her mother and Regulus. She'd been a pup, barely able to fend for herself, and then had gotten lost for over a year. It'd easily been the worst time of her life and she never wanted to feel so estranged from anyone ever again. She felt like she couldn't cope without the presence of at least one other wolf. Walk, "Talk" Think

He turned slightly to look at her, her answer something completely unexpected. Afraid of being alone? He didn't get it really. Asides from her heat smell, he could also smell the strong scent of pack and...others who seemed like they might be close. Friends? Family? Perhaps...even a mate? Maybe it was unfair of him to jump to conclusions like that, but he knew nothing about her just as she knew nothing about him. Maybe it should stay that way. Maybe it was better. He clenched his jaw, his eyes growing cold for a moment before realizing that he probably shouldn't get pissed about the assumptions running through his head. He was always so very pessimistic, always brash and hot headed. He always appeared to act before he thought, his tongue and brash attitude leading his life. But would he ever be able to change from that? "Afraid of being alone eh? I guess that makes two of us..." His jaw unclenched, his gaze finding hers as his body seemed to take turns relaxing and tensing. He wasn't sure what to do with the closeness that they were in, and it didn't help that her scent was so strong. Her touch...comforting and make his skin crawl and his fur prickle, but not in a bad way. "Since we're both...lonely...in a sense. What do you want to do about it?" There. A hint towards something that could probably relieve their loneliness, even if just temporarily. Would she get what he was getting at? He didn't peg her for someone stupid, and if she didn't like the idea he had no doubts that she would probably try to bite his face off. "Talk"

For a moment there Faite actually had the strange sensation that she'd upset him somehow. She glanced up at his face, looking for some sort of reaction to her answer, and she could have sworn his face became less friendly for a moment. As soon as she'd actually thought about it his jaw wasn't clenched and she was left wondering if she'd imagined seeing his face change at all. Either way she didn't think much of it after that. Instead she shifted nervously. Her fear wasn't something physical at all like his was. Would he think it was stupid? To her surprise he mentioned that it made two of them and she nodded absentmindedly. She made the attempt to try and picture it from his stand point, but she was failing miserably from the lack of knowledge about him. He'd left his old pack - was he lonely because of that or had he left because he was lonely. It gave her something different to think about other than herself pressed up against him as he talked. She hadn't bothered moving since he'd calmed down. Her mind felt slightly foggy as her brain once against flitted towards how warm he felt against her own short pelt. She was so deep in thought she had almost missed his question. Almost. She didn't expect his question (as she could clearly figure out what he'd been hinting at) so it took a minute to register. Had he asked her when she wasn't distracted by her own rampaging hormones she would have been appalled and the situation might not have gone as well as he'd hoped. Her temper most certainly would have flared, as it was testy if you pressed the right buttons, but this was not the case. Every nerve in her body screamed at her to go with her more primal instincts and overall she found it difficult to think clearly. It didn't take long for the primordial instincts to win out the argument going on in her brain. In the end she nodded softly, trying not to think too much, as she got to her feet. She let instinct take over as she nipped lightly at a soft spot right behind his left ear. It was an inviting sort of nip, nothing done out of malice, as she tried to coerce the situation along into something that would both get his mind off of the storm and take care of the hormonal needs she'd succumbed to. Walk, "Talk" Think

He waited. Patiently, to see if she would snap at his face in offense, or actually go along with his hint at the suggestion. Normally, he wouldn't really think about it. But her scent was overwhelming, clouding his judgment and his mind, his physical desires being drawn out. How long since he had done it? Actually...no...this would be his first time...assuming she went along with it. He was curious, though as the seconds ticked by she didn't seem to draw away nor make a motion towards his face. That was...a good thing, right? Would she...? Almost as if on cue, he caught her nod just before she stood up. His eyes widened slightly in surprise, his breath stopping for a moment. She...was agreeing? Huh...he hadn't expected that...it had been a half joke half serious question at first, but now he knew it might get serious. So he wouldn't play around. He wondered though...had she done this before? Did she know what she was getting into? He...sort of knew. He had gotten the talk from his parents at a young age, but he never actually experienced it for himself. He was half paying attention now as his thoughts began to consume him. What would he do? How would he do it? He had no idea! But...maybe he didn't need to think about it too much. The gentle nipping behind his ear made his body involuntarily shudder, his fur prickling with a feeling he had never felt before. It drew a gasp from his lips, his body tensing a little as he reveled in her touch. It was surprising, and...it felt good. He wouldn't push her away, but instead he would carefully lift himself to his paws. He easily towered over her, so her gentle nips behind his ears would fall lower. In turn, he would take his chance. The male lowered his head, drawing light nips and nibbles behind her own ear and making a light trail towards her shoulders. He made sure to pay special attention to what might set her off in both good ways and bad. Blue gaze flicked to her face for a moment, making sure he wasn't doing something that would hurt her or anything that was uncomfortable. So far, she seemed to be enjoying it...so with a pounding heart and his body racing with something he'd never felt, his fur feeling like it was on fire, he would proceed. He gently nibbled a trail down her neck to her back, his fur brushing against hers as he made his way gently towards their goal so to speak. Rarely was the man gentle, his tongue and attitude as abrasive as steel wool. But since this was something he wasn't familiar with, and the fact that he was unsure if she was familiar with it either, he made sure to make it known that he would be gentle... -fade to black- "Talk"