Into the Maw

[Skyler]

The cold wind whipped around the frame of a young female hybrid. The snow was almost blinding as her soft brown eyes were half closed. She was following her partially webbed paws to an area she knew so well. Her gray pelt, speckled with browns and pinks seemed to hand a little off of her ribs. Attempting to be a loner was not for her, her long journey around the areas had taken a toll on her, despite how much she learned. Now she was back...home? She suppose this land was her home, she was born here and had lived here for most her life.

Her thick tail dragged a little in the snow, her wing and a half were held tightly to her lean sides. She was attempting to be as streamlined as possible as she walked with her face to the wind. She paused to attempt to sniff the area. She was getting close to the Painted Cave. She wanted to look at it with a fresh light in her heart. After her encounter with her father, she had been rethinking a few things. She realized how much she disliked being looked down upon. Perhaps it was the close call with the dragon, or being so close to her father while they were trapped in that hole. But something new had ignited inside her. Sure she would never be the image of confidence, but she at least had forced herself to appreciate her self image.

She stepped into the gaping maw of the cave. She shook out her thin pelt, sending bits of snow and ice to the partially dry floor. She blinked in the dimness of the shelter. She could smell that other wolves had been coming and going. She glanced to the painted walls, and stared. The different colored paws....the claw marks, the nose marks...all of it meant something. All she had riddled out was that part of it had to do with her father's early years of power. Something about her past was there too...she needed to learn this language that her pack had created over three years ago. She glanced out toward the snow storm. What was keeping her from learning this? Surely another wolf in the pack...from her father's day knew what it meant.

Reynard. He was the one she would have to ask. Her brittle self confidence balked at that. Could she really approach him about it? He had worked for her father....but. Her mind flashed back to the pack meeting where Draugur had returned. Reyanrd fought him off....he had changed over the years. So had she. What would keep her from talking to him? She shook her head. Maybe she would approach him later, once she got reestablished in the pack. She needed to show that somehow she would be a good candidate to learn the language of the pack....if it was a history of the pack...she wanted to know it.

She curled up against the unpainted wall and stared across the cave to the writing. Maybe if she memorized everything....it would help her learn. Observation was the key to gaining knowledge, and she was very good at that....

[Yueh]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,63,true][atrb=style,-moz-border-radius: 15 35 20 25; background-image: url(http://i1185.photobucket.com/albums/z341/awaywithmysanity/Yueh-Table.gif);,true,] YUEH The weather was pleasant, he supposed, nothing disastrous or out of the ordinary. The snow that pelted the little hybrid was nothing more than a breeze to the enormous Chief. He loved it around here. The Valley was wild, yet tamed with subtle beauty. The foliage was abundant, even in the colder months, with many still bringing color to the white landscape even when their delicate petals were firmly closed. Perhaps the brute was just in good spirits today. He had been every other day after that night he spent with Swalleena. And he planned on having another just like it very soon. Something about sneaking around to see the elegant female among the mists of the night made his heart skip a beat. It was a forbidden affair, even though they were yet to do anything that confirmed it. Today however, Yueh had decided to venture in the other direction, making small rounds of the territory to check everything was secure and no sign of troublesome trespassers. The thought bought a guilty smile to his lips as those pearly white orbs danced within the falling snowflakes. His rounded snout twitched feverishly as it caught a familiar scent upon the wind. It caused the behemoth to pause mid-movement, tasting the scent on his tongue. It was one he hadn't smelled in a long time, and his nape bristled slightly and his breath ceased to be for but a moment. She had returned? When the Chief had learned of Skyler's leaving, he had to stop himself from deterring her from her choice. After everything he had taught the young girl, it would have been foolish to command she stay and rot in the place that had hurt her so much. To stay with the people that hurt her so much. Ears curled back tightly against his head as his mind flooded with images of that night, the night he had hurt her physically and no doubt mentally. He was almost ashamed of his actions, and had feared the worst when she decided to venture on not long after it. He had been the one to push he over the edge, and it stung at his heart like a gang of angered bee's. Putting a hesitant paw forward, the Chief allowed himself to enter the cave slightly. He peered blindly in the gaping darkness, nose and ears twitching for any signs of the small hybrid "Skyler....?" He whispered softly, causing an eerie wave of echoes to emit further into the Panted Cave. word count ;; 420 tags ;; Skyler, Swallena ooc notes ;; *Hides* musical inspiration ;; If you're gone - Matchbox Twenty.

[Skyler]

She had not realized how long she had been staring at the wall. She had zoned out, exhausted from her travels. She was cold and hungry, but she also wanted to rest and wait for the snow to lessen before going to find some food. Her lean flanks showed her ribs slightly, but malnutrition was not new to her. She had experienced it before and knew she would be fine for another few hours. She blinked and shook her head, trying to fight off the impending sleep. Yes she needed to rest, but she wanted to at least attempt to memorize part of the wall before she slept.

Her eyes scanned over the markings time and time again, attempting to commit each symbol to memory. She did notice the repeats, she could only assume those were individuals, like her father, Reynard, her mother... She yawned, surprised a little at the suddenness of it. She shifted her weight, trying to stay awake. It wasn't long before a shadow was cast toward the mouth of the cave. She twitched her ears to try to catch any sort of sound that came with it. Heavy pall falls and a deep familiar voice whispered over the walls toward her. Her heart skipped a beat and she say up quickly, her tail and paws scrapping against the hard stone.

A wealth of emotions hit her all at once. Fear, happiness, shame, confusion, relief. They all hit her so quickly she felt her chest get heavier at the thought of all of them. Being so tired, there was a chance she would become hyper emotional. She forced herself to breathe deeply and attempt to calm herself. She had to get a handle on herself. She had to remain collected. She swallowed hard and spoke back, her voice timid, but clear as a bell, "Yueh...?"

She got to her feet completely she didn't want to be impolite, but she didn't want to come across as weak like she was when she first left the lands. Sure she was not the strongest willed individual, but she had at least gained some confidence in her absence, more than she had before it was shattered on that night of the berries. She had matured and grown in the past couple months, and she needed to let that show. Yueh had been her mentor, yes he hurt her deeply, but she was trying to move past it. Perhaps she was ready to forgive herself as well.