Blackfoot Forest take heart, arise, he is calling for you

exploring blue springs cave

after waking and being kindly tended by the ghostly woman, hosannah lingered for only moments around the den which had been lent to her that night. she blinked away the remainder of her sleep, deep though it was, and thanked liri for her aid - casting a wide sweep of her gaze across the hanging plants that still needed drying - and then slipped away. something called to her, but not with words, not even with feeling. hosannah felt it deep in her very soul and knew, somehow, that her lord wished for her to go forth.

she moved between the trees with great purpose despite the weariness of her body, taking care not to move too aggressively lest she damage some part of her, or ruin what work the white woman had done. the shadows dragged across her and she felt their lingering chill - and then there was a gasp, not from her, but from the world around her. a distant, deep wave of whistling air. it thrust itself from the deepness of the forest and she was awash with strange scents; like the minerals of the soil, but crisp and wet like a river.

though hosannah feared the darkness, she trusted her lord far more. if He wished for her to brave her fears, to test herself and prove her worth in this place, then she would do it. so, though her head bowed and her agile body shivered with uncertainty, the woman moved beyond the forest in to the veiled opening alongside the mountain, creeping through the corridor of the cave in search of -- well, she did not know, but it would be revealed to her.

In an attempt to integrate himself with the pack, Goober sought out company today. He had, for all intents and purposes, been scarce the past few weeks (perhaps even as long as a month). Nightmares kept him from sleeping, and so he had taken to wandering around in a half-asleep state for much of the time. Today, though, he had felt slightly more like himself, and in better spirits. Nobody had come for him, and a sense of security began to envelope him.

His nose guided him with ease to a striking girl who could not have been terribly old. Her tail, for whatever reason, seemed to be mostly missing. "How odd," Goober thought, though he did not linger on it for long. There were any number of reasons that it could have been gone, and he knew that pointing out obvious flaws was a quick way to make the other party uncomfortable.

He watched as she slipped silently into a cave, disappearing into the darkness in the blink of an eye. Goober paused, then followed after her, his feet crunching loudly and echoing off the walls. "Hello?" he asked, unable to see how far she had gone. His voice bounced off the cave's boundaries louder than he would have liked, but it wasn't as if he could take that back now.

the darkness was not new to her. it was not welcome, either. hosannah would come to understand it. it was an unavoidable aspect of this dreary place -- oh! but this cave was quite expansive. the room adjoining the entry was like a set of lungs - wide, arching, and the deeper she went the more air she could hear within. there was a very dull howling in the back of the cave; had she any sense, hosannah would have understood this to be the pressure difference being constantly corrected between the surface and whatever lay below — but she was mindless, especially about earthly things. this was the first cave she had ever visited. not even the holy places of the priests spoke to her like this!

as she crept deeper, inquisitive to the extreme, a voice carried to her through the stale breeze; she thought someone was greeting her. the woman paused, her head tilting one way, then the other, and back again. her ears barely moved. when no further sound came to her, she drummed up some courage and called out herself: hello -- is someone there? but of course someone was there! perhaps it was the daystar made corporeal? if only she were so blessed!

Silent moments passed, and he wondered if she had somehow gone far enough that his voice wouldn't reach her. Goober was about to give up and turn around when she replied, her own voice softer and quieter than his own. "Yeah," he replied, "Can't see much in here. You okay?" Goober was always happy to help somebody who needed it.

He shuffled forward, careful not to move too quickly or stub his toe on a stray rock.

it was very dark indeed. hosannah was so focused on the sound of the voice that she didn't pay attention to where she moved, only that she did. it took all of her will not to turn tail and run from the voice - and instead, by striding towards it, she was met with a solid body. her quick steps came to an abrupt halt as something thudded against her; with haste she turned, bumping her blunted tail-end upon one of the cave walls, and this further disoriented her. i cannot see -- where are you? oh, but what a foolish question! she pursed her lips momentarily and struggled along the wall, reaching with her paw and feeling in silence before taking her next steps. who are you? for hosannah was mystified that something could dwell here in the dark. as she questioned the shadows, her body contacted something else once more — but this time it was warm and soft, inviting among the chill of the dark.

"Here," Goober replied softly, sensing her tension and hoping to put her at ease. He was no threat. Not to her. "I'm Goober, a pack-mate." She touched him, and Goober found himself elated at the contact, no matter how small. He blinked, though it made no difference if his eyes were open or closed. The pitch black of the room made it impossible to discern eyelids from the shadows.

goober, she mimicked, tasting the name and finding it odd upon her tongue. i am hosannah. she gave a small nod, then concluded that the darkness would obscure her; how foolish of her. she touched upon him again, nosing at his body with her snout for her own comfort. she wondered what he looked like - what he was doing here - but perhaps they were both here by the will of raas. perhaps they were meant to meet within the darkness. goober, sir, can i ask... what do you look like? she felt embarrassed and her tone reflected that, sounding coy and a little giddy. may as well make a game of it.

Hosannah. A pretty name. Probably just another girl to reject him. Goober shook the thought from his head. The silence wasn't long-lasting, and soon she was asking him what he looked like. Now there was an interesting question. "Grey," he replied, "Not taller than most, but not terribly small, either. I've been told my eyes are the color of earth." He'd never seen his own eyes, of course. "I've got four legs and a tail, too," Goober added, wondering if his goofy grin would come through in his voice.

"I saw you when you went into the cave," he added, "You're little and red. You were too far away for me to see your eyes, though." Goober opened his eyes wider, wondering if he'd be able to see anything at all that way. Nothing appeared to him, of course.

this was likely the oddest blind date in the history of the world; the blind part was accurate though the date part was hardly true. more like a blind encounter than a date. but anyway.

hosannah listened as he described himself, and found her face creasing with a smile. until he mentioned seeing her before - had he been lurking here in the cave? no, that made no sense. he wouldn't have been able to see her from behind if he was in here. so he had followed her? that unsettled her a little, but she said nothing to that affect.

they're the color of the sun, my father said. it warmed her heart to think of him, though it was brief. i have the four legs, but not the tail anymore. unfortunately... her tone was a bit sad at this point, but she would not let the memory of her beautiful tail's removal make the conversation lag. she reached for him again, brushing at him with her snout and wondering many things. how long have you been with these rose-wolves? her head tilts slightly as she withdraws her touch, and hosannah settles back to listen, though she does not sit back or fully relax just in case he is someone to fear.

Had he been able to see her reaction, Goober likely would have picked up on her unease with him seeing her earlier. Thankfully, they had the darkness of the cave to keep things from being awkward... at least on his side. He had seen her missing tail prior, but had forgotten the omission until she mentioned it for him. He winced, hoping he hadn't made her self-conscious by mentioning his own tail.

"About a month," he replied. "I haven't been particularly useful, but meeting the other members of Rosings will hopefully help out with that." Goober had sulked for the month that he'd been here, and he hoped to turn things around sooner rather than later. If that meant creeping on pack-mates in order to meet and chat with them, so be it!

she hummed softly, thoughtfully, and nodded - then remembered the darkness. it was far more pleasant with company. hm, i am the same. they are.. very different. very quiet.

the priesthood had been a quiet place too, of course. often her lessons had been enough to satiate her need for company. it was different here though, with the forest sucking away the sound, and the darkness hiding fellow pack members from view. everyone was very subdued here. the lack of ritualistic behavior, of prayer and supplication, made hosannah feel as if something important was lacking.

she surmised her thoughts with a slight bow of her head, and as she turned to regard the light just outside of the cave, felt her hip lightly touch something warm and furred - probably the young man. as she felt him she trembled just a touch, and covered that awkward blunder with a hastily worded, but there is always room for adjustment. time, for it, i mean. with enough time we will surely integrate. hrm. she felt very strange now, and would have idly tucked her tail had she any sort of appendage to control.

Goober nodded in agreement, knowing that it wouldn't be seen, but hoping it would be understood in silence. She touched him gently, though likely not on purpose, and Goober felt a ripple pulse through his veins. "Yes," he replied curtly, suddenly wanting very much to get out of the darkness, lest he do something drastic. A moment's pause was given before he made his parting remark. "I should leave," he stated bluntly, and slipped past her and out into the bright light without another word.

Once outside, he sprinted off as quickly as his feet and legs would take him, trying to force the thoughts and feelings out.

perhaps he had been aware of her blundering, because soon enough he was choosing to leave her in the dark, alone. a part of hosannah was contented by this; she did not know how to feel with his company. yet another more primal part of her, the part afraid of the darkness, felt overwhelmingly drawn to him. he was santuary among the dark, after all. another living and breathing entity to keep her fears at bay. but he was leaving, and she hastily followed - not wanting to be abandoned here - and before she could look upon him properly or speak, he was vaulting off through the forest, the light bouncing across his body and obscuring him in waves. hosannah watched him go and stared curiously at the last spot she had seen him, then went off on her own way, silent and listless.