Permafrost Hollows We All Float Down Here

Korei wandered about, skipping along. After what happened with Xahi, and her confseeion to Alarian, she was starting to feel a little overwhelmed so she went off one her own. But still, she was in a great mood anyway as she skipped along with no real direction. Humming to herself as she went along.

@Alarian

Laughs quietly

shifty eyes

Ali was in the mood to spend time with the only girl to ever capture his heart-- only to find she wasn't near the others. He wasn't put off by this, though. Inspired by Korei's seemingly newfound adventurousness, the boy set off after her happily.
When he caught sight of her, his tail began to wag and he rooed at her as he got closer. The girl's stark pelt sparkled under the sun, leaving him dazzled for a moment. Ali came up next to her and immediately planted a kiss on her cheek, a lovestruck smile on his face.
You look so pretty in the light. He mumbled in awe, not quite realizing he had said it out loud.

Korei Julia kept along, and jumped as someone howled. She turned her head and a wide smile appeared across her muzzle. "Ali!" She gave a little giggle at the kiss, nuzzling up to him. "Aliiiii" she said, with a shy smile at his complement. "Stop it, you're embarassing me..." She sped up a little, before sending a quick nip at Ali in an attempt tp begin a game of chase. Not hearing the crack...

dun dun dunnnnnnnnnn

Alarian wasted no time in taking off after her, but a strange sound reached his ears and he instantly felt that something was wrong. The boy opened his mouth to say something to Korei, to warn her to stop-- but then the ground beneath him seemed to disappear, and everything was so loud for a moment, and then he was covered in dirt and darkness.

Immediately when things had settled, Ali thrashed frantically, kicking and flailing in the dirt around him until he felt air. He stilled, then began to wriggle towards it until he was flopping onto cold, solid ground. A fair amount of dirt followed him, and he coughed and sneezed for a couple of minutes, shaking himself in the pauses to get the dirt off of him. He was still a little covered when he finished, but it was better at least-- that made him feel better, until he looked around.
It was dark, and all he could make out was that he stood before a mass of disrupted earth. The boy began to panic. Where was Korei?

Korei glanced back with a wide smile as she watched Alarian catch up. That was the last he saw of him as he suddenly disappeared, along with all her vision. She barely got to let out a scream before she was buried in darkness. She remained still, then when all seemed to settle...she began yelling out. Scrambling about under the dirt, panicking. "ALI! ALI!" would be all that could be heard from under the dirt as she tried to get out.

minor pp with permission

As soon as he heard the yells, Alarian began to frantically dig at the dirt. Several times his paws hit rocks and broken branches, leaving them raw and bloody when he finally touched something soft. The boy stopped and peered down, glimpsing white fur and feeling his heart quicken.
Korei! He exclaimed, digging more at the dirt around her until enough of her showed for him to grab her. Ali clenched his teeth around the skin he was able to grab, taking care not to bite hard enough to break skin, and brought his paws up to push the dirt away while he pulled. It took less force than he thought it would, and a moment later they were both launching backwards onto the ground.
The boy scrambled to his feet and covered Korei's face in desperate, worried licks. Are you okay?

She kicked about as soon as she felt something grab her and she started yelling more as she was pulled out. Korei fell onto her side, gasping for air as she felt Alarian's licks. Then she started crying, whimpering. She was too panicked and afraid to answer as she curled up on the ground, still shaking from whatever had happened to them.

The boy didn't stop licking Korei, cleaning the dirt first from her face, then her neck. His actions grew less frantic, even as his concern increased with her cries and whimpers. When he was satisfied with the job he had done of cleaning her, he tried to comfort her by nuzzling into her gently.
Alarian would have said something. He always had too much to say, it seemed, but... not now. He was in shock, perhaps. None of what had happened had processed fully yet, and all he could think about was that the girl he loved was in distress. So he stuck to quiet gestures for now, allowing himself a moment to catch up mentally with the situation. Part of him dreaded that, though-- surely he would panic too, then.

Korei felt the licking stop, then the nudges and gentle nuzzles. She slowly unfurled, peeking out her golden eyes from over her tail. "A-Ali?" As quickly as she could she jumped up at him into a wolfish hug, not wanting to ever let go. She was too scared to do so. "Ali! Ali, I'm scared! Wh-where are we?! What happened?!"

Alarian accepted the embrace without hesitation, but had to resist the urge to wince. He was sore from the fall, still unsure if he was hurt or not. Nothing externally obvious, but the boy still remembered the crushing weight on top of him as everything fell...
I don't know where we are. The boy murmured in response to her question, licking her ear gently. I think... I think...
He tried to follow the train of thought, but a sharp pain went through his head.
Ow! Ali flinched away from Korei and drew one paw up to the side of his skull. For a few moments the pain was intense, blinding-- and then it faded, leaving him panting and whimpering slightly in the aftermath.

Korei remained clinging to him, not wanting to let go. Not until he pulled away from her and she almost fell forward as she desperately tried to remain holding on, only to let go. "Ali, are you okay? Are you hurt?" She ached all over, but she didn't have any big stabbing pains, or anything that would suggest broken or sprained injuries. She looked about. "I'm scared..."

As the pain in his head faded, Alarian turned his attention back to Korei. Guilt flashed through him at the fact that he had flinched away from her. He pressed himself against her again and sought her muzzle with his own.
I'm okay. Ali assured her, though he was not certain it was the truth. We'll be okay.
The boy looked around for a moment, his eyes adjusting to the darkness now. After a few quick glances, he discerned a few things. I think we're underground. Maybe the ground was weak where we were... and it fell when we stepped on it. And now we're here. His gaze drifted to the mound of dirt blocking one side of the tunnel. No way out the way we came.

"Underground?!" She looked up to see the hole they had fallen through. What if Lennon couldn't find them? What if he worried, went looking them? What if he got attacked? or what if something fell in here with them? What if-

Her breathing quickened as she tried to relax through perhaps her first ever real panic attack. "We have to find a way...we have to find a way" she said in a very panicked voice, trying to calm herself. "What if we don't find a way? What if we are stuck down here forever! Or what if there's something in here with us?!" Just in case, she shut her mouth to quiet herself. In case there was something.

The boy immediately felt bad when his words sent Korei into a panic, and tried to fix it. I-- I didn't mean there's no way out at all. I'm sure there's an exit somewhere!
Ali nuzzled into the pale girl, attempting to calm her. Listen, we'll get out of here. Soon, too. And if anything was down here, I bet the cave-in scared it off. If we keep moving, we'll be safe.

That thought spurred him into action, and he turned away to peer into the darkness behind them. He wasn't as sure as he had tried to act-- the boy didn't truly know if they would be safe. But he knew that he wouldn't allow any harm to come to Korei. Ali beckoned for her to follow, then ghosted a few steps forward. Assuming she followed, he started leading her away from the area, into the unknown. He stayed close to her, though.
I'll keep you safe, Korei. I promise.

She was doubting too much by now. What if they never found a way out? What would they do then? She shook her head, reciling away from his nuzzle. "Alarian, I-I can't, I need...we have to..." Korei continued to breath, in and out, in and out. As Ali turned away, she continued to panic. She wanted to see the others, and while she trusted Ali, she did not feel safe. Even with him there.

She began envisioning one of the times she did not feel safe. The cougar...she could hear it's growl in her ears. The fighting. The viscious look. How she cowered...Korei now was shaking indefinitely.

He was growing a little nervous himself, worried about more shifting above them. What would they do if a second cave in buried them? But he couldn't drag Korei away, and she couldn't leave in this state. Immediately Alarian turned back, ignoring the sting of her earlier rejection of his touch.
Korei, it'll be alright. He murmured, coming near to her but not attempting to touch her again. Ali wasn't sure what to say or do to calm her, but he had to try. The boy tried to meet Korei's eyes. We'll find a way out of here-- we'll get through this, like we did with everything else. I'll make sure of it. I love you too much to let you get hurt or stuck down here.

Korei continued shaking, most words going right over her head. What were they to do? Go further into the darkness? Wait for help to arrive? What? What? Her eyes stayed fixed to the ground. Nothing seemed to be working as she tried to calm herself, still hearing the growl...picturing it coming towards her, teeth bared, claws out. Fear had taken hold and form in her mind, and there was nothing to help-

"I love you too much" 

Her ear flicked, and her breathing slowed as she finally looked up. He did...yes, she remembered when he had told her. That he would do anything to protect her. "You...you promise?"

Alarian was relieved when something he said seemed to get through to her. He leaned forward tentatively, aiming to press his nose against her cheek if allowed-- but he let a beat pass before he tried to make the contact, giving her time to move away if she wanted. Whether Korei allowed the touch or not, his response was immediate: Of course. I promise-- that will never change.
He meant that more than even he could fathom. Korei had come to be an essential part of his life. The boy couldn't imagine going through a day without her sweet, gentle presence. He didn't plan to ever have to, if he could help it.

Korei Julia this time allowed the touch, she was in less of a panic now. "Thank you, Ali...thank you..." Now that she was in more of a calm state of mind, she took a look at their surroundings. "Ali, what do we do now?" She asked, finally standing up to stand right by his side, fur mingling with his.

The boy smiled and licked Korei's cheek before he pulled away. He gestured towards the direction he had first tried to lead her.
We should start moving, and look for a way out. The earth might shift again now that it's weaker here. Ali tried not to sound too serious, and failed a little. He was beginning to grow impatient to get away from the scene of their fall. Several things about it prickled at him, and he wanted away.

Korei Julia started moving as soon as he said that. If the ground above was weakening again, she would prefer to avoid being crushed under dirt again. She started moving with Alarian, not wanting to look back. As they did, she did not think at all about what could be ahead. Though she could have sworn she heard shuffling...

[oo]c Time skip with permission [/ooc] 

Some time later, she was unsure how long they had been down here by now. She had heard things around them, but no idea what they were. And the shuffling... "Alarian...I think we're being followed by something..." Slowly she turned...then saw a flash of teeth from something and screamed as teeth met with her hind leg.