Now What?

[rayne]

Rayne's maw dropped wide open as Athabasca left. The Arctic fae couldn't believe that she would actually leave the pack. This is too much, Rayne thought sadly. She only wished she could have healed Athabasca before she left. Too late now. Turning her attention back to Abyss, Rayne knew she had made the femme mad. Rayne was only trying to help, but who wouldn't be mad if a stranger was trying to feed you. Rayne only prayed that she would be able to get along with these wolves.

Rayne then turned her brown gaze on Exodus. She wondered how the brute would take the sudden change. Rayne only hoped that this wouldn't affect her new leader. He seemed so strong so proud when she had met him. He was kind and nice. Now she didn't know what to expect.

The scent of the meat drifted back into Rayne's nose. Then suddenly Rayne caught the scent of a new wolf. A brute. She moved her head to see a large white male padding into the cave. Is that Taurus, she thought remembering Exodus speak of him. Eyeing the male Rayne could already sense his tiredness and hunger. Rayne didn't have an herb at the moment for strength, but she did have food.

Picking up the hunk of meat she held it in her maw and made her way over to the brutes. Bowing her head once approaching them she kept her head low and her tail down. She pushed the meat toward Taurus and glanced up at him. "Here." she said kindly. "I've had my full, you seem hungry. You should eat."

Then bowing her head again Rayne padded over to the spot she had once been sitting. Then she laid her body down tucking her legs under her body. Rayne's off white fur began to take in the darkness of the cave. Soon enough she looked like one of the rocks.

Her ears pricked up Rayne felt a cold chill run down her spine. The den seemed a little off to the fae. She knew the wolves couldn't have created it. Then what had?

[thalia]

The white male's flattery fell on deaf ears. Kudos to him, she thought numbly. His words were so natural, had the articulated flow of emotion. She faltered in believing he too was empty, like her. But she could always be wrong. She'd been wrong plenty of times before, icy clear voices in her head were always reminding her about her memories. How pleasant they were now, as she could view them with a unbiased intensity.

She saw everything like that now. She was passive to the rhetorical demons that had taken space in her mind, mutely surveying things and not taking opinion. She could easily see that Koli and Athabasca were normal, Koli with his quiet passion and Athabasca's rebellious intensity. But Taurus.... she could not pinpoint any distinct quirks, nothing that made him tick. She would have to watch out for him.

Presently, though Taurus left the cave, pledging a quiet oath to return and exiting lithely through the opening. And then Koli, with a dark intensity present on his features stormed out of the cave, leaving her alone with Athabasca. She didn't say anything to the other wolf, no words of comfort, nothing. She just took her place next to a large boulder and tried to sleep. She never got around to it.

--

She smelled the wolves even before they entered the cave. There were two of them, that she knew. One was farther ahead than the other, a femme by the scent, and weak too. She lifted her small form up nimbly to greet the wolf, who promptly collapsed at the mouth of the cave. Thalia's help did not extend to injuries of which her own fault was not responsible. With a dark scowl present on her face she remained standing to meet the other wolf.

But the next wolf was a big, dark, hulking figure who seemed too lithe for his size entered, and at once she knew he was the alpha. Too late for a bath, she guessed, but she straightened her posture respectfully at his entrance. He murmured few words to Athabasca, pinned Thalia with a darkly intense gaze and left. A minute later a silver wolf appeared through the hole and promptly attended to the other wolf who had fallen, left, and returned with some herbs.

And then the big wolf returned carrying an elk, tearing and giving each a chunk of the animal. The oily smell of blood quickly condensed and filled the cavern. To her, it was heaven. Game blood, she could take. It was the wolfstuff that roiled her stomach.

Suddenly the big dark wolf directed his attentions solely on her, addressing her with the formal rumble of an alpha.

“Welcome to my pack. My name is Exodus and I am alpha of the land of Acerbus. What happened to them and what business do you have here, femme?”

She listened to his words and stared him straight in the eyes, her own glinting like shards of frigid gold, darkly defiant.

"Well, sir, Athabasca is obviously injured. This mine caved in on her while she was wandering. There were two others, Koli and Taurus I believe. The former left without a word and the latter needed to greet someone on Acerban terrain. My purpose, well, I originally just wandered into this place but extended a paw to Athabasca when the accident happened." she said quietly. Her voice was void of emotion, but the softness of it was interlayered with sharp intensity. But a disturbance caught her eye and she promptly flicked her gaze to the cavern's entrance.

Taurus reentered the cave, and she was glad for the familiar scent and face. He exchanged a word with the alpha, but Thalia didn't hear what they said. She was concentrating on the meat below her, calculating when it was proper and polite to eat it. In front of Exodus, no, certainly not. She'd probably drag it into a corner once her conversation with the alpha ended.

So many new faces...it was dizzying. She didn't have time to remember how to pretend, how to formulate prosthetic emotion. How had she done it before so seamlessly? It was surely impossible now, though. She'd be pinned as the introverted wolf who didn't talk. And all because she didn't take the time to study. She made the best of her broken time limit and did so now, watching wolves go through the motions of a tragedy. Act mournful, be respectful. It should do for now. Her mind smirked. Maybe she didn't lose all of her skill in the end.

[silver]

Abyss stirred and Exodus’ shimmering silver eyes turned upon her and her malnourished black form. She must have been beautiful once, but hard times had turned not only her heart tattered and torn. Moments later, Athabasca announced her departure from the Salen pack. Grimacing, the brute could only stand by and watch as she limped out of the den. Shaking his head, he half pitied her. “Aye, I guess some are just better suited for a life of loneliness.” Still, Exodus knew nothing of the brute named Koli who had entered this den and had fallen in love with Athabasca. He knew not that it was him who drew away a member from his own pack. What, exactly, would be his feelings towards both when he had learned of each other’s secret love and how it had drawn away not one, but two wolves who would have made good pack members? Surely, his infamous rage might rise within the pit of his belly once more and take hold of his mind and actions. No. No. Exodus needed to learn more self control, however, if things kept going on the way they were, trespasser for example or those who come and then suddenly leave, Exodus should not have to hold back his temper. If others had no respect for him, then he should hold absolutely no respect for them. Yes, that was how it was in this world, was it not? An eye for and eye, as some say.

“Hmmm.” The beast’s throat rumbled as he was once again lost within himself. Was he really one who thought the phrase ‘an eye for an eye’ to be true? He had, indeed, killed his father for the reason that the brute was a tyrant to his own people, Exodus included. Was that an eye for an eye? The brute had taught and trained Exodus, had even gone so far as to be just a little more rough than needed. Because of what his father did to his pack, Exodus killed him. Murdered. Destroyed. In. Cold. Hard. Blood. With his own fangs. Fangs now tainted with the blood of his father. Maybe Exodus did believe in the phrase after all? Or, perhaps, Exodus simply believed that his father was no longer fit to rule the land. A pack is not run by fear and torture. It is run by leadership, a willingness to listen to your pack mates, and a love for those who support you. “Hmmm.” He rumbled again as his mind changed to other subject about himself.

Shaking his head to clear his twisted mind, Exodus’ eyes caught the flicker of white from their very corners. Twisting his cranium to see what it was, the brute watched as Taurus approached and spoke a short greeting. Raising a brow, the black one gave a half smirk and dipped his head. Though he may not show it, as if he ever showed anything at all, Exodus held a deep admiration and had such respect for the white one before him. With the two, it was either respect or hate that would keep them together or keep them fighting. What a tangled web they might weave with such a complicated relationship they might share. Taurus went on to welcome him back and he had hoped Exodus’ trip was a pleasant one.

Giving a rather sudden snort, Exodus grunted. “Oh, yes, a pleasant one.” Was his first reply in an obvious sarcastic tone. “One pack has an alpha that cares nothing of this land. The other is young and probably foolish lad. I do not know how those two pups have come about to become alphas in this world. I feel sorry for the members under the two. Being led by a mere pup, one who’s decisions might not always be for the best. However, not everyone always makes the right decisions.” Exodus replied slightly contradicting himself. Even the black brute found himself facing wrong decisions when they could have so easily been avoided. He would admit his faults if they were to take place. What gain would he make to blame another when it was clear the problem had been because of him.

Speaking in a voice only Taurus would be able to hear, Exodus became a little more serious. “Ah, Taurus, I’m greatly pleased with your work that you have done for Salen. I am sorry that I had to dump such things upon you at such a sudden time and leave you with nothing more than a small threat then not return until quite some time later. I was curious, though, if you were actually interested in joining Salen? You have, after all, put a great deal into helping things run a little more smoothly and it would be an awful waste if you just decided to up and leave. If you did happen to join, I would be honored if you would take the position of Beta. I think you have proven yourself and more by what you have done. Now, if you do decide not to join Salen, then I suppose it is our loss. I will, however, give allow you to stay here and do as you please as long as it does not come to harm any of my members or myself. In other words, you could be around the pack and yet not be apart of it. So, Taurus, what say you?”

With his little speech done, Exodus gave another nod of his head hoping that Taurus would indeed join the pack. Maybe moving straight to Beta would better influence him, though; it was not the reason the alpha threw that out there. Taurus had indeed proven more than necessary for himself to be eligible for the Beta position. Exodus even already thought of the white one as his Beta. Now, it was only a matter of that becoming official. If Taurus decided not to join, well, then Exodus would have to find someone who could match the brute’s skills and that would be quite the tough job.

Moments later, soft and concerned words flowed through Exodus’ ear and he turned to see Rayne offer Taurus some meat from the elk he had managed to take down earlier. Nodding, Exodus also said, “Yes, you look famished. Feel free to ravage the poor carcass if you are in need of more meat. I'll try another pack hunt later so we can gather more meat if and when it is needed.” Again, Exodus would be thought of as a cruel and unjust wolf who ruled his pack like his father by fear, yet that was not the case. Exodus’ looks gave others reason to think he was unfit to care about another’s life.

Other words rang out in the alpha’s ear and the dark one turned to face the other white femme. Interesting. Two white, one silver, and two black. Such interesting color combinations for the pack. I guess the world really is in black and white. Giving a quick chuckle at his small joke, Exodus tuned into what Thalia was actually saying. Koli? Ah, maybe that is the brute whose scent is strongest where Athabasca once lay. “Well then, I thank you… Hmm, I do not yet know your name, femme. I would like to know your name so I can properly thank you for your great service. Even if the one whom you healed has seemingly walked out on us.”

[rayne]

The only sound within the mines were the soft, hard, and smooth voices of the wolves. Rayne heard every grunt, every breath, every bark. The mine was filled with the echos of the brutes and femmes. Her off white fur still taking in the color of the rocks began to lie flat against her body. She still seemed a bit worried inside this cave. It's eeriness made her cringe a little, but she didn't want the other wolves to think that she was weak. Glancing around with her brown eyes Rayne had quickly become adjusted to the lighting, and felt more familiar with the wolves.

There was Thalia, Abyss, Taurus and Exodus. Athabasca had left, to join Koli. Who ever that was. She still didn't know most of their names but she would learn. And then there was Rayne. Silently she thanked the spirits for leading her to such a noble brute. Rayne still did not know of Exodus's dark past, and at the moment it was fine not knowing. She didn't want her view of Exodus to change. She admired the Marked One for some reason, something she couldn't pin point. Ah well, she thought.

Focusing her attention back on Exodus and Taurus, Rayne smiled as Exodus praised the white brute. Then he had asked Taurus to be his Beta. What in the world was a Beta? These wolves are very odd, she giggled in her mind. They had such strange customs and behaviors. Then again, Rayne never met a pack just like hers. In her old pack they use to come out only at night. A Shaman was their leader, and Mother Nature was their soul. Rayne loved her old pack and the thought of it mad her fall into a deep sadness.

Her brother, Atka, had destroyed his own pack. He had killed every wolf including his and Rayne's own sibling Melody. He even killed their mother Zeena. The thought of her betraying brother sent a new fire into her soft brown eyes. She hated him, and would hate him until her last breath, and maybe even in death. Rayne tried hard to push the memory of her brother away but it found a way of haunting her.

Trying to get away from the thought Rayne slowly remembered what Exodus had said to her and Taurus once she offered up the meat. He stated that the pack needed more food, and if they needed food Rayne would be glad to help. She could even sniff out some herbs on the way. Then Exodus spoke kindly to Thalia thanking her for her services to the pack. Exodus then asked for her name and on instinct Rayne was interested as well. She wanted to learn every wolfs name as soon as possible.

Smiling Rayne thought about how silent she was when Exodus had asked for her name. The moment seemed to linger in the air until Rayne stood up. She stood waiting for a answer from both Thalia and Taurus to her leader, then she would hunt.

[athaza]

Like putty in his hands the Alpha asked what he was hoping to hear. The alpha made a big mistake letting him into the ranks so quickly and so easily. He might have not taken the pack yet, but somehow he believed he could ‘trust’ Taurus. Fool. Inside he laugh hysterically, nearly falling over and chuckling till his ribs hurt. He gave him the rank of Beta with the snap of his fingers. It did appear that the male needed others assistance if the pack would survive. Couldn’t the male at least test him more? Give Taurus a challenge or let him manipulate a few more hearts before handing this power on a silver dish? Whatever. He wasn’t going to complain. He wouldn’t hurt the male yet, he’d wait till the pack was more established and it wasn’t just a bunch of undisciplined whelps running around the land. It was more likely they’d rebel against his charge, but that could easily be resolved with time. If he let more members come in it would be easier to get followers and allies. No one would question him if he had the majority of the members on his side.

On the outside he masked his emotions with a large grin, acting half-truthfully. He’d be as amazed as he felt; yet he wouldn’t dare give this male any reason to distrust him. With a small gentle laugh he replied, “Of course! Like you state yourself, I wouldn’t have been running around just for the hell of it. Plus, I’ve gotten too close to these lands to just get up and leave.” If he had wanted to remain a loner he would have just ran out of the territory without hesitation. Exodus threat had to been to keep the land safe. Most likely though the black male wouldn’t take the time to track down a loner and kill him for disobeying his ‘order’. With all this chaos it wouldn’t have been worth the effort. “And I’m truly flattered, Exodus. I, myself, would be honored to be your Beta.” Gratefully he bowed his head in appreciation, which wasn’t false. Even his other dark side was happy to be given this position, even if it had different intentions with it.

“These other packs sound very intriguing. Either I’ll have to pay them a visit myself, with your permission, or you just have to inform me more about them. After all, I think it’s important for me to know some information about our kind neighbors.” He added, curiously. If they became Exodus’s rivals someday – no matter what Taurus planned – they would as well be his enemies. Hungry for knowledge the male couldn’t help but add that small request to visit them himself. His own examination of them might help in the long run and find something Exodus missed…

Eyes strayed towards the new female and watched as she offered him some meat. The scent of blood was even closer now and he felt his muscles tense even more as his claws silently dug into the ground. “Um-“ he began, for once losing his focus. Blood did this to him. He could be such a perfect actor, but once meat or a kill got in his way he quickly lost control. “No… no thank you. I’m really not as hungry as I look.” If they went for a hunt he wouldn’t be as bad. When he hunted he wouldn’t lose his train of thought like this. Just when he tasted blood in his mouth or smelled it did he have to wake himself up from a bloodthirsty trance. “I might get something later on my own.” Yeah, when no one was looking…

In order to turn his attention away from the bleeding carcass he put his mind on a hunt. It wasn’t a great substitute to focus on, but it was somewhat better. “A hunt sounds like an excellent idea. Soon there won’t be much to pick off this carcass,” he imputed, frowning lightly at the dead elk. Maybe within that time he could grab a rabbit or another piece of prey when the other’s backs were turned and dispose of it elsewhere… He had to do it soon though. Before he’d know it, he’d be on the ground passed out from starvation.

[silver]

Turning back to the speaking Taurus, Exodus listened to what the brute had to say. Finally, there was some resemblance of order in his pack. He would have to be careful though. If his own mate could stab him in the back, what was stopping these wolves from doing so? What if Taurus had other intentions? What if Rayne was not as innocent as she played out to be? Even that other white femme could have some other hidden desire for being here. One could never truly and honestly know. Until then, it was best to keep an eye on everyone. How long could they keep their hidden intensions from his eye? Exodus’ pulled from his thoughts and looked to Taurus once more who had begun to speak again. “Yes, visit them if you must. One if desert, the other lush forests. You can go scouting or whatever you intend just as soon as the pack hunt is over. As soon as I finish speaking with this femme before us,” The black wolf nodded over to Thalia, “Then I shall begin the planning for the hunt. As soon as the actual hunt’s over, you can go off and see them. Maybe I’ll send a word with you, maybe not.” He said with a grunt.

Rayne had thoughtfully given Taurus a piece of meat which the white brute had turned down. Raising a brow, Exodus couldn’t help but wonder what it was that kept the wolf from eating the meat. It was good meat, maybe a little fat or not very juicy, but still eatable. Taurus couldn’t possibly think that Rayne had done something to it, could he? Was he paranoid or was there another reason. Again, Exodus wondered what everyone’s intentions for being here were. Was there even an intention at all?

A strong howl rang out and bounced down the walls of the mine until it reached Exodus and the wolves around him. Lifting his cranium, the black brute turned toward the outside light. “Duty calls. I’ll be back shortly.” He said and set off down the mine out towards the outside world to see what this Sasuke Kawa wanted. At least he had the balls to actually make a howl to alert Exodus to his presence upon his land unlike most other wolves who passed by.

[thalia]

“Well then, I thank you… Hmm, I do not yet know your name, femme. I would like to know your name so I can properly thank you for your great service. Even if the one whom you healed has seemingly walked out on us.”

Thalia cringed. Great service? Hardly. There would be no need of such ‘great service’ had the white femme simply stayed put. If anything she had just neutralized the injuries of the wolf, theoretically, of course, by healing her after she had caused the harm. It was a balance, she supposed. A twisted sort of balance.

She dusted the thought away with a sour frown, knowing that Exodus would not have been as willing to give his thanks if he’d known the cause of it all. So she held her head high, but not too high as to be disrespectful to the alpha, and began to speak.

“Thalia, sir.” she began softly. “And as for your gratitude, I do not think that I should be one to receive it. I was simply doing what my instincts called me to do. Any other wolf would have done the same had the situation befallen them.” She nodded curtly, and after a too-long pause she offered a shy smile.

It was certainly getting to be easier, she realized. She just needed to stop fighting it. She needed to let herself be sucked in to the currents of emotion, no matter how false it was, and the rest would unwind by itself. But I mustn’t get too carried away. she thought calmly. She still needed to be deliberate and thoughtful, but not overcautious.

No sooner had her train of thought been exercised than it was shattered by a howl lifting itself through the cavern’s entrance and bouncing off the dark walls in loud, unfamiliar echoes. She flicked her white head, now grayed with dust and muddy water, to Exodus, who appeared to be deep in thought. And then he left, much too graceful for his size, through the cave's entrance.

Newcomers. she thought, with a twinge of annoyance. She disregarded the fact that she'd been a newcomer herself (and still technically was) only a short time ago. She guessed it was because Exodus was the one who could secure her place in the pack.

Her eyes narrowed sharply at the idea and her mind became a swirl of different thoughts. Since when had she wanted to be part of the pack? Hadn't she wanted to live on her lonesome after this was over? Her head began to spin and she leaned against a wall to steady it. Within her self she silently realized that she did want the company of other wolves. Not for the friendship, or secretly she hoped not, but for...for....what for? Or was it her instinct, that a group of wolves to attach to would be more stable than her on her own? Yes. Stability, protection. That was why. Enough of this friendship nonsense. Thalia didn't need friendship, or compassion. She never had and she never would.

The wolf breathed out a long stream of air and steadied herself, lifting her body from the side of the wall and stepping into a patch of sunlight from the entrance.

Stability. Protection. Nothing else.

[/size]

[abyss]

Abyss lifted her weak head, sighing lightly. These wolves were waltzing in and out of the dens like crazy. She hadn't gotten any decent rest, and she likely wasn't going to. She slowly stood back up, glancing at the other wolves warily. Taurus, the wolf that had been here since she'd first arrived, had been named Beta. This was something that she wasn't exactly scared of for once. She was going to get out of the dens to wander. Hopefully, she could hone her hunting skills. She looked sharply at the other wolves. Exodus wasn't in the dens right now, so she couldn't be told to stay put.

"I'm going out for a bit," the femme announced quietly before heading out of the mines. They were quite a unique den site; she had never seen something quite like it before in her life. There was something special about this place; she had never really been a wolf that wished to settle down, but this territory was something that she had known for quite some time, even before Exodus had shown up. What had happened to the old packs of this land, she would never know.

There had been another wolf that had ruled here when she had lasted visited. Now was his name again? Dyndra... Dyndyr... That was it! Dyndyr! That brute had been a terrible wolf. She had nearly been killed by his scouts when she had accidently wandered across the borders onto his territory. Exodus was a much better alpha than Dyndyr ever was. He was definitely kinder, even though he still had the stern attitude that was necessary for a good alpha. She approved. The femme smiled slightly, wandering off to Drarynough in hopes of catching some fish to curve her hunger.

((OOC: Grr... wimpy post x.x))

[thalia]

The last one. The only one.

Everyone had left her. Not that she cared, but it sincerely hindered her options at that moment. She had no way of asking the alpha permission to join the pack, no way of letting him know she was interested in it. No one to pass her message on to the alpha in any case. Bottom line; there was no one. A growl tumbled deep in her chest and a sour expression crossed her gold eyes, turning them hard and bleak like shards of frozen amber. No one. they'd left her. Another growl formed, stronger this time, ripping from her jaws as feral snarl. It echoed threateningly through the cavern, bouncing from the dark, dusty walls. Steady... her mind cautioned gently.

She breathed deeply, evenly, but the dust layered so thickly in the air coated the walls of her throat. A harsh cough attacked her lungs as she breathed, and upon sucking in another breath it was repeated. She pined for the open air and ran, ungraceful and disoriented, to the entrance. She kept her head down and tried not to breathe, but the cough continued, pounding her chest until she was safely outside. The dust here was, though not as concentrated, still present to a degree.

After a few minutes of a hacking cough that shook her bones Thalia picked herself up from the ground and looked to the dark green horizon. “I’ll leave. And maybe come back. I need a break.” she said aloud. Her voice had an odd quality to it when it wasn’t reverberating off walls, she noted.

So carefully, evenly, she picked her way through the rubble surrounding the mines, passed through the charred remains of the forest and left Salen to search for an object intangible, one that was close to her lips but far from her mind. She wandered.

[silver]

Padding along at a steady, effective pace, Exodus yawned several times along the way. He desperately needed rest. There was no telling how long exactly he had taken to do all that he had needed to do thus far. Of course he had taken several naps along the way, yet it wasn’t enough. The black brute needed a deep, long and satisfying sleep to counteract the exhaustion that currently plagued him, causing him to stumble once or twice and to have a slightly blurred vision. If they were to be attacked, ambushed, Exodus and the females behind him would be in trouble. If it was just one, they would be fine. Two would be a nuisance and anything more would be a serious problem. Perhaps these two females could handle their own, though, in a fight. A fight was unlikely though… Exodus would surely be able to scent the wolves way before they attacked. The brute sighed heavily realizing just how much he worried. Worry wart. He grunted inwardly with a not so pleased frown. Sparing a glance behind, he noticed how Machi followed. Kimiko was in tow, though her form was slightly obscured from the silver gaze of the Alpha.

The change was sudden and unpredicted. First, the wind became far cooler than it had been just a moment ago. Even the slight change in temperature which gradually became lower and lower was notable. Scowling, Exodus came to a stop to look around, confused as to what was happening. This was not normal. The sky was as blue as ever which made absolutely no sense. If this was a storm, then why was there no dark sky or clouds? The wind blew again, harder this time which had the Alpha looking over in the direction it came from. Bad idea. “Agh!” He snarled and bowed his head, pawing at his eyes desperately. Sand. Sand blew into his eyes! Blinking far more than normal, he opened his optics to look forward, pleased he could see. The dirt had been removed. Growling, he shook his pelt surprised to see that sand had collected upon his black coat turning it into a mixture of reddish orange dirt and black. “Sand storm…” He spoke softly not fully aware what was happening. Calling back, his voice was urgent. It would not be good to be caught out in this. If it became too strong, it would do serious damage. “Hey! You two, listen up!” He called over the howling wind which had only picked up since the sand in his eyes.

“We need to hurry! Don’t lose track of me in the sand storm!” He called thunderously to ensure his voice carried. Remembering Taurus was out still, with a possible new member, the black Alpha threw back his head. Taurus! If you want to get back to the den before the sand storm gets worse, it might be a good idea to come back now! To any other being within my territory, I apologize for this set back. Sand storms are not very common. It would be just his luck for some wolves looking for a pack to come by but leave because they had some phobia of sand storms or something. Yep, just his luck. By now, Exodus had almost arrived at the den. Thalia’s scent filled his nostrils and the brute gave a gruff and very heavy sigh. She had left, or so it smelled like it. Perhaps she had simply gone out for water or a meal seeing as the hunt had yet to happen. At that thought, ivory teeth grinded against each other sounded. Mentally, Exodus bit himself for not having organized this better. If it weren’t for Taurus, Exodus would be without a single members. He owed a lot to the white brute.

Travelling inside, Exodus shook off his heavy coat filled with dust and dirt. With an unsatisfied grunt, his silver orbs looked around. Thalia had indeed left, though her whereabouts were unknown. Perhaps she would return. Perhaps. Sighing heavily, Exodus padded over to a corner and slowly laid his body down weariness creeping over his entire body now. “Forgive me for being so rude, but I must sleep. Alert me when a white brute returns or if something happens.” He said speaking to whoever entered the den behind him. Exodus’ body or mind could not be pushed any further. It was best to sleep now, while he could, or else he would be nothing during the hunt. A heavy sigh escaped the chest of the Alpha as his eyes slipped close. It took only seconds for his chest to rise and fall deeply showing that he was honestly asleep. This was no act. Even his thoughts could not penetrate the tired mind of Exodus. There was no dream to be had today…

[thalia]

((perhaps we should make a new thread? you know. new plot, new thread....I dunno. Just an idea. n_n'' Ahaha, and I kind of improvised with the mines a bit here, but its just my imagination. :3))

Everything looked the same. It seemed that every hole in the faces of rock was a repeat of the last, every rock a replica of the last. She had been wandering for so long her senses were dulled and numb and her fur had grown hard from the whipping sands. Hours of this endless circle had soured her mood, blackened her expression. There was a high chance that she would starve here, she reasoned internally. As if on cue the voice of her stomach let out a knotted string of growls, wracking her body with the pain of hunger, followed by a rapid stream of curses to escape from her maw.

But a sudden sense of unease, a sickly, pale yellow-green color framed the blackness of her mood, poisoning the edges and growing in on it until the dark was replaced by it. Something was wrong with the picture here. It was angry, gusts of air bringing up swirls of sand and dust. She frowned, deep in the recesses of her mind, but her thoughts were suddenly shattered as burst of wind carried dust and sand into her eyes. She let out an audible yelp and a knot of snarling growls to follow, blinking furiously to clear her lids of the gritty texture. By now the winds were harsh, and every breath she took was a screaming, burning rash of pain in her throat. Her eyes were only open a sliver and still the sand scraped against the insides of her eyelids. Never before had Thalia heard of a sandstorm. She was about to experience one.

Blindly, numbly she ran into an opening in the rock. Another collapsed mine, but not the one she was looking for. Sharp rocks jutting out of the floor and walls cut many shallow abrasions into her legs, and body. It didn’t matter now, and she kept moving forward at an erratic, fluctuating pace. The wind in the mines was calmer, but still present, a hollow, echoing chill.

All at once she toppled from the shallow tube into a large, wide, airy cavern, the main artery of the mining system. It was shaped, for the most part, in a rough circle, with tunnels leading off into every direction, winding down into deep, unknown crevices. The air here was stale, as if not breathed for many long years. Every intake was like a cool, wet cloth to her throat. After a few gulps of the air she turned to find the cavern from before. It wasn’t hard to pinpoint the scent, even with her dulled nose.

And she was there. She walked a few paces to her left and it was there, the scent was strong. The only problem was, she was completely blocked off by a wall of crumbling rocks. There was no way she could dig herself through. She bit her lip and looked to the next hole over, finding that it was open and led off into the dark. She’d have to face the whipping, stinging winds again, but not for long. Unwilling to leave the open space, she walked slowly and hesitantly into the small tube, along its duration, until she came to the entrance. The dens, she hoped would be right next door. She breathed a loud, controlled sigh, and darted quickly outside.

She was lost in the dust, the sand, the wind. Every breath she took was like daggers in her throat, and sand stung the fresh cuts on her legs. She coughed and sputtered, heading against the wind at a pace debilitated by the wind, constantly pushing her back. She walked further, pushing back against it, and toppled into the dens. She could see Exodus with two females through her blurred vision. She was breathing hard, but she managed to sputter a few words through her fevered pants.

"It's really..." She paused to swallow her breath "bad out there."