The autumn rain is what drew him into the cave, though he didn't expect at all for it to run as deep underground as it did. It seemed that there had been generations of vermin huddling within, free of the presence of wolves choosing to reside here permanently. It surprised him, but.. he was appreciative as they seemed to be plentiful. One mouse scurrying along the cave wall, trying desperately to get back to the coverage of shrubbery growing deeper within, didn't make it.. as Elias lunged and trapped it beneath his own paw.

He would have snapped at it and made a snack out of it right then had it not been for the ram horn occupying his jaws, so, for now, he settled with the satisfying crunch of bones breaking beneath his weight. Just ahead of him was a ray of light, reaching through the rock that made up the cave roof. Behind him, there was still enough light from the entrance to see anything that made its way toward him. He took advantage of the first pocket of shade that he seemed to find, the one he was currently in- pinched between these two light sources. He felt like this was the safest place for him to choose to rest and dry off from the heavy rain beating down on the sands outside, so.. beside his crushed mouse corpse, he chose to lay.

The sound of the bone of the horn scraping against his teeth could be heard echoing off the walls, though it felt more satisfying than its sound. He let it drop out of his mouth and in between his well-muscled forelimbs long enough to swallow the mouse, and then his attention was solely back on it. His teeth lodged themselves tightly at its base as he began to drag the curve of it along the rock wall beside him. He did not allow himself to scrape it backward- if he wanted it sharp, it was very important that he only allow it to be filed one way. A crack of lightning ripped through the air and lit up the cave, revealing the evidence of his strikes on the wall and silhouetting the shape of his body with the horn sticking out of his teeth. He admired the look, admired the hard evidence of his work so far as he continued to work the muscles of his neck in the same repetitive movements.

He could feel the horn getting smaller as time went on, and every so often he would stop and drop it on the ground, test its blade against the pad of his paw. It was still dull. He would flip it and test its weight: did it need more shaved off on the right or the left? Paying precise attention to these details, he would continue his work and wait out the storm.

Seabound and Aimless at Best

Muddy paws scrambled along the terrain as the cool rain fell in sheets. Dómari's ears pinned to his head as his eyes hunted for some place to take shelter. He'd slipped across the walls of Celestial intent on hunting for his family again. He'd enjoyed running into Sindre again and after doing some thinking he was wondering if any of his other family members had been hanging around. He wanted to know what their future plans were and while he doubted they'd want to join a pack he wanted to at least extend the offer. That was the dream he supposed, to get the whole family back together again.

A shape of darkness winked out at him. A cave! Dómari swiftly dove into the opening and into the deep, dark dank of a… cave? He blinked in surprise at the plant life within and the narrow bands of light that lit the interior of the shelter. His ears flicked forward at the sound of teeth on bone and the fur along his back stood on end at the sound.

As he moved deeper in he found the source of the noise. A large man was chewing dutifully on a bone. Dómari's head tilted to the side. "Seeking shelter from the storm as well? What's that you're working on?"

His ears had begun to deafen the sound of the rain outside of the cave, and the steady dripping as it rolled through the cracks above him and dropped against the soil of the cavern floor. When the sound of another coming into the cave echoed off the walls apart from the white noise sound of the rain, he was attentive once again. He'd been dutifully working on his knife, and though he slowed the rate at which he would strike it against the rock wall, he didn't stop in favor of greeting this newcomer.

He wasn't sure what to suspect, angling himself against the wall so that his watchful red gaze could be upon the stranger as they came around the bend of cavern walls that revealed Elias. When he did, Elias ceased moving the ram horn, clenching it in his jaws as he prepared himself mentally for literally anything. He didn't know this man, but one quick draw of breath and he could smell the thick scent of a pack all across him. It wasn't Lirim, but he recognized it from his time in the West. Elias dropped the knife at his forepaws and lifted his head to look at the stranger, assessing him. Elias himself was manipulative at times, using his charm to get closer to unsuspecting opponents- but.. he read kindness and curiosity in the eyes of Domari.

"Yes, if I must put my plans on hold for the night- I must. You're welcome to wait it out here with me if you don't mind the noise." He pushed his weight up with his forelimbs, forcing himself to sit up and be more presentable as he looked down to the knife.

"It'll be a weapon when I'm done with it. It will be sharper than any teeth you've ever felt, sharp enough that whoever it wounds won't even detect it until the blade is already firmly hilted." A crack of thunder broke his train of thought, lighting up the cavern for a brief moment so that Elias could catch the faint tint of red beneath each of Domari's eyes. He canted his head, curious- red had a way of speaking to him, but he did his best to remain in his.. sanest state of mind and not dive into his fantasies.

"My name is Elias Praetor, and you?"

Seabound and Aimless at Best

Dómari gazed curiously at the item the stranger seemed to be working on. It was clear that what ever he was doing was being done with purpose. This was not a man simple sating his urge to gnaw. The man spoke and Dómari was pleased to find that he wouldn't be chased out. He could handle a little rain but with the deluge coming down he's much rather wait for it to cease. It would not do him or his pack any good to come down with a cold do to wandering about in the rain.

"Thank you, don't mind if I do." Dómari moved to sit, wrapping his tail around his paws as the man explained that he was making a weapon and it certainly sounded impressive. "Wow, I've never heard of such a thing." He tried to imagine what it would be like to wield it. He supposed the item had to be held in one's teeth and the slashing would be done with the motion of the head. He wasn't quite sure he believed the man's claim but he was fascinated none-the-less. He could certainly see how it could increase the range of attack.

"Dómari Xanilov. Good to meet you. Is this knowledge free to share? I don't mean to pry I'm just really curious about your weapon. Is this a custom of your people?"