Sunbeam Lair tippy taps

Tagging @Wraen, but all welcome!

Deep within the mountain range lies a cavern whose reach extend far beneath one of the more shallow ridges. Large and spacious, the cavern seems to support its very own ecosystem, certain types of plants and animal life thriving here. Some plant-forms here are hard to find elsewhere, making this location a healer's dream. In some places the ceiling became weak and caved in, allowing for the sun to shine through in the middle of the day and even the light of the moon on particularly clear nights.

Well, this place certainly wouldn't do for a permanent location, but it did look pretty neat. Cyclone tip-toed down into the cavern, which was littered with all kinds of strange flora and fauna. She had never seen anything like it, and it seemed somehow protected from the outside world... at least as far as inclement weather went. Neasa continued to walk deeper into the cave, letting her curiosity take her this way and that as she sniffed at the myriad of strange plants and other smells that littered the mostly enclosed cave.

When she looked up, she realized that pieces of the ceiling were missing, which was what had allowed her to see while she was in here. Completely whacky.

Wraen had been to these caverns only one, following a trail left by a wolf she had not known, feeling concerned for it's safety. Because as solid as mountain caves looked, they could be very tricky and dangerous. Her worst nightmare was being trapped inside one and not being able to get out. 

Therefore, when she caught scent of yet another curious traveller, she retraced it's footprints with the best intentions in mind. After a short trek in complete darkness, she found a circle of light, where the stranger in question stood, looking up in awe. She let the other enjoy the sight just for a while longer and then made her presence known. "Hi," she began with a simple greeting.

The voice echoed off the walls in every direction, startling Cyclone as she whipped her head around looking for the source of the single-word greeting. You nearly gave me a flippin' heart attack, she said, eyes wide and heart still beating quickly. Still, she liked to think that nobody was actually trying to kill her with a single word, so Cyclone shook her coat, waved her tail, and eyeballed the stranger a bit longer. She was a typical grey and white wolf with green eyes, but beyond that nothing terribly remarkable. That was a compliment, in Cyclone's mind.

This place is pretty whacky, innit? she said, giving her surroundings another sweeping glance. I'm no expert, but I don't think I've seen some of these plants anywhere else.

"That was not my intention - I am sorry," Wraen was taken aback by the other's reaction and expressed her apology in words and also by retreating few steps. Dying of heart-attack was probably just as bad as being buried by rocks. 'cause no matter the means, the result was the same. And here she was thinking herself as a rescuer.

"Not much of a plant person myself, I am afraid," she said, looking around and seeing no difference between the greenery here and greenery outside. "I am surprised, however, that they have remained pretty lively, given the fact that there is very little light at the moment and it is pretty cold too," she added to keep the conversation going.

Although Cyclone's initial reaction had been flustered, she felt her heart return to its normal pace. No big, she replied when the other apologized. Cyclone wasn't about to ream the stranger for something she hadn't even known would startle her. She nodded along and hmm'd as Wraen mirrored her own thoughts on how odd this place was. Even though it was out here in nature, it did seem somehow unnatural.

Warmer than outside, I suppose. There was a certain advantage to being away from the wind and precipitation. Cyclone figured enough water got through from other sources to keep them alive. You ever seen anything like it? she asked. Perhaps this weird cave thing was a common occurrence around here.

"Like this - no," Wraen shook her head, suddenly recalling a lesson in botany that a wolf-dog Elixir had given her during summer months. It had happened in a place that had been ravaged by fire a very long time ago. And the reason you could tell this was because... everything was brand new? Well, Wraen had done her best to pay attention then, but plants were just plants to her. 

"Though, up North there is a forest, which looks as if every tree is bleeding red," she recounted all the peculiar places she had seen. "And then there was this cave on the other side of the mountains, laid with shiny stones and there was a ghost of a nasty weasel living inside."

"What about you?"

The other wolf explained a couple of other strange places. With the world as vast as it was, Cyclone wasn't entirely surprised. It seemed that lurking around every corner was something just a bit weirder than the last weird thing she'd come across. Life was full of surprises, as they say.

Nothing quite like this, she replied. I was over here exploring, looking for a place to settle down, and I just happened to stumble into it. Although she kept coming back to the quiet forest nestled between the mountains, that didn't mean she was going to plant herself there one hundred percent of the time. Cyclone was an explorer at heart, and being tied to one place wasn't really her jam. So she ventured out almost daily, setting her sights on nearby territories and seeing what they had to offer.

"Oh," Wraen nodded, listening to the she-wolf's story with a polite interest. She was the second or the third wolf she had encountered, who intended to found their own pack. Made her wonder, if she should be doing the same, but recalling all the trials and tribulations of being a leader, nipped the idea at the bud. 

"Have you decided on a certain place yet or you keep your options open?" she asked.

Like most, the other wolf seemed at least mildly interested. Cyclone was waiting for the day when she would eventually encounter a wolf who reacted in some other way, but it appeared it would have to wait another sleep. Unless, of course, she crossed paths with another wolf before bedding down for the night. At least this wolf hadn't gotten territorial or otherwise aggressive when she mentioned it. That was the last thing Cyclone wanted to deal with.

There's a little place nestled in the mountains to the south that I've taken a liking to, she replied, but nothing's for certain until I've got a few more who want to tag along for the ride. Cyclone wouldn't push anybody unless they wanted to be pushed, and she figured she had laid out all the information for the other wolf if she was interested in joining her.

"Alright," Wraen nodded again. "I lived in the mountains for the better part of the last and this year. It's nice there, has it's remarkable qualities," she remarked and sighed. Sunspire had been a great home, until they had over-populated it and depleted the resources. She did not want to tell about this part, because this was something she and her packmates were to blame. A failure that she was not proud of.
"I did not introduce myself - I am Wraen," she said, realizing that they had talked for a while now, without exchanging their names.

The corners of Cyclone's lips upturned at the nice things the other wolf said about the mountains. There were plenty of good places to live around here, but something about being protected on all sides by tall walls was comforting. They wouldn't have the high ground in the unlikely event of an attack, but Cyclone didn't think they would need to worry. She had no intentions of pissing off anybody in the wilds any more than she already had (sup, Addison and Takiyok).

Nice t'meet you, Wraen. I'm Cyclone Blackthorn. A little name-dropping never hurt, especially if Wraen had been around here for any amount of time. The Blackthorn name was well-known, although Neasa still wasn't sure how well it was liked in the Teekon Wilds. Who knew what terrible things her sister had done while she was away.

Well, Wraen was not aware of, what horrible things Finley had done to taint her shining reputation, but she had met other Blackthorns - Elwood, Liffey and another one (Eljay had been one of the first people she had run into the valley, but his name had escaped her) - and all were associated with rather pleasant memories. Then again - she hadn't had many unpleasant encounters to begin with. 

"I've met some of your folk," she remarked. "I guess you are a vast family then?"

Surprise, surprise. Finley continued to attract (and produce) more Blackthorns. To the question, Cyclone nodded. I think Finley has been here the longest. I only met her once briefly, since she left before I was born, but we didn't chat long. She vaguely recalled that meeting had not gone well for one reason or another. Probably all Fern's fault. Her older sister always tried to keep Neasa out of trouble, which was a lost cause. Sooner or later, Cyclone always managed to dig herself into another hole.

You got a big family, too? Cyclone asked.

"There is a little pocket of Blackthorns living over there," Wraen beckoned in the general, not too particular direction of Lost Creek hollow. At least one - Liffey. "And then there was a larger group of Blackthorns living in a place called Redhawk caldera, but it has been a long time since I met any of them, therefore I cannot tell, if you can still find them there," she then realized that Cyclone had not asked for this information and perhaps was not on good terms with her family.

"Medium, I guess..." Wraen shrugged, because her family tree was long and very complicated. She had relatives that she did not even have a term for. "But only a few reside here," she quickly added, which was closer to the truth. "I don't know about you, but being in caves for too long makes me uncomfortable - would you like to continue the conversation outside?" she asked. If Cyclone did not want that, then Wraen would leave her be.

She had known about the Redhawk Caldera wolves, but she hadn't known that more lived nearby. Cyclone had no intention of seeking out either group, but it was good to know who lived around here. Wraen mentioned that the cave made her uncomfortable and she was going to skedaddle, but Cyclone wasn't quite done. I think I'm gonna explore a little while longer, but don't let me stop ya from getting some fresh air. She didn't want to pressure Wraen into staying in the cave, but she also didn't want the other wolf to think she was kicking her out. The Blackthorn simply wanted more time to see what was down here.

"Very well then - it was nice meeting you and I wish you all the best in your future endeavours," Wraen told Cyclone, dipped her head in farewell and headed to the exit of the caves. The dark pelted wolf seemed confident of her own safety enough for her not to worry about her too much. 

Last one from me. Good luck!

Thanks! she called after Wraen, wagging her tail as she watched the other wolf leave. It didn't seem as though her new acquaintance would be joining her, but that was not worrisome to Cyclone. There were plenty of wolves in the Teekon Wilds who would be willing to flesh out the rest of the ranks—Cyclone was sure of it. Turning back to the task at hand, Neasa continued to explore the cave for a long while, navigating around it with relative ease before she finally emerged from where she had entered and headed back to the hollow.