The Heartwood Will you tear my skin?

Close to one another and hardly straying, the two men stand near the waters edge. Exploring is something Alduin finds himself doing often nowadays — though usually he’s always done it alone. He’s unsure how he feels about the constant company, but at least Dreven seems like fair entertainment.

And yet, as Alduin wonders if they should proceed, he fixes his gaze on his unlikely companion. They meet eyes and only a second later the scarred man is wading into the waters. Alduin doesn’t hesitate to go in after him. The water is cool, but not uncomfortably so, but surely after a long enough time, the frigid water is sure to take all feeling from limbs and body if one stays in it long enough. 

So they swim and swim, until the cavern is looming over their heads and the water becomes shallow enough to only reach the bend of the brindled beasts elbow. Droplets of water pink pink pink around them, leaving small ropes of ripples to cascade over the otherwise undisturbed lake. Even as their large bodies move through the water, everything seems fairly silent — eerily so.

Until they walk a few paces and the hellhounds foot falls out from beneath him. Slipping into what seems like an enormous sink hole or underwater tunnel, Alduin sinks until he has to kick his legs and swim again.

Releasing a frustrated grunt with a snarl of his lips, he moves back onto the shallow end where he slipped in the first place. Huffing out a breath he gazes over to Dreven.

“Well…” He starts, clearly annoyed. “it looks like it gets deeper. Unless it’s just in this spot.”

Looking around, he slowly moves along the edge of the tunnel, hardly able to see through the dark waters beneath him, but feeling around with a large paw nonetheless.