Phoenix Maplewood How to disappear completely and never be found

For @Tavi

It was glorious; a perfect gift and nearly intact.

Reek had stumbled upon his find without intention, but upon seeing the prize that lay half buried in the earth and snow, the raggedy alpha couldn't help but stop his patrol mid-step to take the time to unearth the spoils of his watchful eye. It was the long decayed skull of a moose, ravaged by the wrath of time and thick with a dark green patina of something unknown. The skull was missing a few teeth here and there, but Reek thought it only brought the cranial bone a level of character. There was no telling how long it had been buried, lying in wait for the unnoticing wolves of the maplewood to find.

Initially, Reek wished to keep it for himself. It would be a fine thing to adorn the whelping den, and once his eventual children got to a certain age, he was sure they would love to use it as a play thing. After a moment of deliberation however, Reek decided against it. There were enough trinkets around his den, and with his herb cache, there was little room for much else.

His second thought, however, had been to give it to Tavi as a housewarming present for her new home (that they had broken in together days prior). Ultimately, Reek decided to pursue this interest, so he took the skull awkwardly in his jaws and set out into the deeper portions of the maplewood towards Tavi's freshly dug den. After their interlude, Reek tried not to think about the implications of his confusion, and perhaps subconsciously, this gift was simply a manifestiation of his lingering affection.

"Tav?" Voiced Reek after drawing near to the narrow opening of her den -- skull having been dropped a few meters away. "I, uh— I brought you a thing."

so. cute. *-*

After her night of hedonism and debauchery sleeplessness and confusion in the Tangle, Tavi had eventually found her way out -- and since that thread is ongoing Java is going to skip ahead a little. She dragged her sorry ass back over that invisible line and hiked to her den, where she promptly tucked herself in for some much needed sleep; she was so tired that the entire situation with Ukko hadn't fully processed yet. A couple of hours later, Tavi was awakened to the idyllic chirping of spring birds, and the midday sun glowing pleasantly down upon a patch of still present snow.

She looked out of the darkness of her den like a thoroughly hung-over miscreant who had one too many bottles of Southern Comfort; with a glower that could have probably melted that same snow patch, Tavi groaned and tried to adjust herself, preparing to sleep the rest of the day away. But there was a voice just out of view of her eyes -- and so she, sighing heavily, dragged herself in to the light and squint-glared at whoever it was out in the daylight. Seeing that it was Reek, Tavi was less inclined to snap his neck and use his pelt as a blanket.

Wha--? Blink, blink. It took a second for her to adjust to the light, and when she did, she saw the skull. Somehow that invigorated the girl; her face lit up, and she charged straight for it. Oh my goddddd, what is that?! She stumbled up the incline towards it, and nearly tripped on her own feet, unable to take her tired eyes off of it. Its so big! I've never seen anything like it before, holy shit! Tavi was so elated by this weird, macabre offering that she began to skip around the skull, intent on looking at every inch even if her body wasn't inclined to co-operate; and then she looked at Reek, grinning like a huge nerd, Where did you find this fabulous thing?

Patiently, Reek watched on with a proud smile while Tavi tiredly withdrew from the comfort of her den. Her expression was wrought with the signs of sleep; eyes blinked wildly and face layed slack, but immediately after noticing her gift, Reek noticed a wonderful transition. Seeing her face light up with joy was enough payment for his gift alone— Reek no longer wished to keep his find for himself. Responding to her own changed expression, Reek's smile widened into a large and genuine grin.

"It's your housewarming gift," he answered. "Your den was pretty barren, so I figured I'd be the first to help you out with making it feel more like home." A small part of Reek had worried that she would not like his offering, perhaps finding it too morbid for her living space, but Tavi's elation gave her away. She practically rushed her gift in excitement. A wave of relief washed over the alpha before he admitted , "I'm just glad you like it."

Reek took a few steps toward the skull and Tavi's circling form. "I was just out on my morning patrol— and boom... there it was! Staring me in the face!" he continued excitedly, recounting his triumph on the border with wild inflection. "I think it's old... who knows how many times I've passed it before without noticing, but uh, I figured you should have it!" Like a metronome, Reek's tail waived behind him in a steady, contented rhythm.

He'd brought her a present. Nobody had done that for her since -- well, she couldn't remember. Her siblings had probably brought her all kinds of goodies at some point, or her parents, but... This was so strange. Nobody had ever really brought her anything she'd like. Maybe Reek was trying to gross her out? While Reek explained where he'd found it, Tavi did listen, but she was so enthralled with studying the surface of the bone and the curve of the various fused parts, she was uncharacteristically quiet.

And then, almost out of nowhere, she launched herself at him. Not in a bad way -- but that could've been misconstrued considering the calm before the storm. Her gray body collided with his as she wrapped him up in a big, warm, somewhat aggressive hug. Or a tackle - there was no way to tell the difference. Thank you Reek! Thank you so much. It's perfect. I'll... i'll find a place for it, she flooded him with praise, her words falling over themselves just as she was practically falling over him (or for him, who knew). She pulled herself away (granted he was still standing, but if not she'd find a way to detangle) and then grabbed the closest portion of the old moose head.

She tugged, and tugged, and while it moved it was not moving fast enough. From around her clenched teeth she mumbled, How th' fnnk did yer move 'ths? It was heavy, but not that heavy. Maybe she was being too careful with it?

Aggressively ships Taveek

After he spoke, Tavi fell silent. Reek hardly knew what to expect as he watched her inspect his gift— her excitement, however, wasn't particularly suprising to him. It was the fact that Reek had rendered her speechless that made Reek raise a brow. Tavi's gratitude was evident without words, but Reek hardly expected the reaction that came next.

From out of the blue, she rushed him. He did not worry; it was playful thing in nature, however, Reek couldn't help his eyes from opening wide with surprise. His mouth, however, betrayed his expression. Slipping from deep in his belly came a jovial laugh. His knees buckled under her added weight and he dooped downward, but somehow the rawboned alpha kept his feet. Finally finding her voice, Tavi's praise felt as if it had no end and Reek felt a strange tug in his chest, centered around his heart— a warmth that was difficult to explain. After a moment, this warmth became a nervous fluttering, and like Tavi before, Reek was at a loss for words.

She climbed off his back and Reek was allowed the room to finally straighten himself back out. His attention then turned back on Tavi as she went to move the skull. Of course, it was hard work to get drag it all this way. It had been an awkward shuffle: Reek walked backwards the entire way, dragging the large and heavy skull in the snow until he finally reached his destination. The whole trip had taken him upwards of an hour with several breaks in between, but seeing Tavi's reaction, the exhaustion Reek felt was completely worth it.  

How'd he move it? "Difficultly," he answered with a smile, effectively downplaying how hard it actually was to get it here. Seeing she was struggling with her gift, Reek rounded Tavi's side, allowing himself to brush lightly against her. "Here, we'll share the load," he continued before bending down to drag the skull into Tavi's den in tandem.

With his aid, the pair managed to get the head inside of the den. Tavi side-stepped as she gave the last tiny pull and squeezed out of the entrance, turning to inspect the placement and make sure it was right. One of the large antlers curved off in to the darkness of the den, while the other was crooked and lopsided, spanning the top portion of the opposite side. There was no way for a wolf to get inside now, but Tavi didn't care. I guess I do need to make it bigger. Now that she had a house guest (a dead one still counted). The skull looked amazing to her, settled there. The slight green of the patina across the surface was complimented by the raw dirt, and the darkness from inside the den made every nook and cranny of the moose's jawline look even more pronounced. It looked even bigger this way.

Again she turned upon Reek. This time she was more controlled and avoided tackling him in to the dirt, and only brushed her shoulder against his, leaning lightly against where he stood. This is the best way to wake up ever, for someone who wasn't particularly good at mornings, Tavi had decided that they couldn't be all bad. I think I'll name him... Mortimer. Because he's dead, see? Pffft. Worst joke ever - but can you blame her? She did just wake up.

Together, they made short work of getting the massive skull, antlers and all, into the den. Reek, however, differed the work to Tavi once it was inside so she would have free control over where she wanted to place it. He stood outside the den's entryway and briefly admired their handiwork.  He had preiously made the promise that he would help her expand the den, and now looking inward, Reek could see that the skull left little room for sleeping. "Mhm," he agreed.

"The offer still stands," he continued, recalling the night they had spent pressed together. "I can help you dig if you want." Reek was no stranger to getting dirty. To be frank, digging was one of his favorite hobbies. Nevertheless, despite his intention of helping out, fitting two wolves in the tiny den along with the massive moose skull would be nearly impossible, yet still, Reek offered.

Spurred by a light touch from Tavi's shoulder and her kind words, Reek felt his face flush with blood. If a wolf could blush, Reek's would have appeared redder than a tomatoe. "Mortimer," He repeated, brow scrunching a bit as he spoke. "Morty. Morty the Moose!" The corners of Reek's mouth pulled upward into wide grin. "I love it."

Okay, so we can either move Morty, or -- she pulled away from him and zeroed-in on the den, first inspecting the moose skull and then trying to observe the areas around it, positing the best way to get around the head, We could dig around it. That might be the best way to compensate for the size.

But clearly Tavi had already figured out what she wanted to do, as she began to dig her toes through the soil around the moose head. Her efforts were swiftly rewarded; the opening to the den grew wider by a few inches at a time, and soon enough Tavi's tail was wagging. After a handful of minutes at work, she stopped and turned to regard Reek, dirt and mud already dark upon her paws. What d'you think? she asked over her shoulder, breathing a bit irregularly from the exertion of digging.

He lifted a brow in silent thought. Moving Morty after spending so much time getting him in the den seemed an improper use of time, because they'd only have to do it all agian if they followed that plan through. Reek quickly racked his brain for ways they could both shimmy their way inside together, but Tavi entered the den alone with her own plan of expansion. Before he could respond, she was already inside and out of sight.

Well... almost. Reek settled to his haunches as soon as she left his side and watched on. The only part of her remaining visable was her bare ass that swayed ever sligly beyond the confines of her den, topped with Tavi's waving tail. Reek found himself in a familiar position once more and began to stare. He gulped; if wolves could sweat, he would have been soaked to the core.

Dirt flew in his direction through the gap of Tavi's hind legs as she worked. However, once the steady stream of sediment stopped, Reek's ears cupped forward. He heard stillness inside, signalling Tavi's work and ceased. Reek rose back to his feet.. She craned her neck around, and Reek was soon met with a beautifully filthy face, inviting him to take a look inside.

The opening of the den was now wide enough to fit his head through, along with Tavi's body. He looked around, noting the slight expansion with a smile. "It looks great Tav! Maybe eventually there'll be room for two," he let it linger, almost unsure of why he said it despite a deep, subconsious yearning that he had yet to admit to himself. "Uh, tag me in!" he continued after a beat, outstrecting one of his forepaws in Tavi's direction. Tavi wouldn't be the only one getting her paws dirty today.

Still oblivious to Reeks attention, Tavi was not put off by the eager look on his face when she turned to regard him. What she saw was a friend, someone who enjoyed getting dirty as much as she did. His offer to swap places was met with a smile, but Tavi did not tag out - she just squished herself towards Mortimer and waited for Reek to wiggle in beside her.


(Phone posts suck!)

Ugh. I can't bring myself to do it... unless I have some serious muse, I need a proper keyboard to write.

Reek kept his paw outstretched for a moment like a dog who'd been asked to shake, but upon seeing he would not recieve a tag from Tavi, he brought it back down to the earth with a tad bit of playful disapointment. "Or nah," he said as soon as the pad of his foot met the ground. Without a word, she inched further into the den, allowing just enough birth for two wolves to squeeze tightly together. Reek matched her smile with a wide grin of his own before taking her up on her implied invitation.

Down he went into the hole to accompany Tavi and their new friend Mortimer. Facing inward, Reek had to practically scramble over Tavi in a mess of limbs to flip his body around. But, once he had situated himself, Reek settled himself against her. Truthfully, he couldn't tell if it was the cramped conditions or these confusing feelings that made Reek lean against her, but he did so in silence. Completly content, a smile played across his face.

Ye man, phone posts are the bane of my existence. Especially if I wanna include an ooc tidbit -- coding sucks with phones.

The best way to figure out how much to dig to accommodate two wolves - at least for her - was to wedge two wolves in the den. When Reek was finally in place beside her, she began to cut away at the dirt with careful swipes of her paws; there wasn't enough room for much else, lest she elbow him or give him a nice hip-check. Before long though, her section was growing deep enough and wide enough for her hefty self to stand properly. The dirt stained her paws all the way up to the elbow, while her chest and head were covered in fine powder and bits of rock, so when she finally backed out of the den - leaving Reek on his own to do as he pleased - her removal caused a bit of an avalanche. S

he reclined on her haunches, still facing the gaping wide den, and sneezed loudly. The sound hit the back wall of the den while the dirt across her face trembled, raining off her snout. For a minute or two Tavi was blind due to all the dirt on her face, and she didn't think to shake off, but rather.. Began to laugh at herself. I feel like a used pipe-cleaner, not that any wolf would recognize such an object, but really, that was the closest thing Tavi resembled right now. With a shake, she managed to remove some of the dirt, but it still stained her cheeks and throat. But I think its working.

Reek settled in, and to his surprise, Tavi resumed her digging. He stole a quick glance with Morty the Moose and was soon enveloped in a shower of dirt by Tavi's paw. Had he been another wolf, perhaps he would have taken issue with this great deluge of dirt, but Reek was Reek; a strange man who typically carried with him a dusty patina dirt intermingling with his coat wherever he went. He simply responded to Tavi's efforts with a smile. Now that she could finally stand, Tavi withdrew from the den and Reek quickly filled the empty space with a long reaching stretch.

He brushed up agianst Mortimer the Moose, and shot it a nod as if to say:Sup. The skull stared back and despite how cool his gift had been, Reek was slightly unnerved. He pulled his attention away from his new dead friend and heard a sneeze on the outside of the den. Reek poked his head out of the entry way and he laughed along with Tavi.

His understanding of what a pipe-cleaner was was certainly lacking, but Reek assumed it must have been right hilarious. Unwilling to let it be known he didn't get the joke, but he laughed along despite his misunderstanding. Drawing his paws to the bridge of his muzzle and wiping downwards, Reek said, "You've gotta smudge," between wheezes. She was filthy, but so was he.

When he mentioned she missed a spot, Tavi looked a bit like a deer in the headlights; eyes big, ears shooting straight up and then splaying to either side of her head. She mimed the motion that Reek was doing, and tried to get the dirt off of her snout. However, her efforts only added more soil smudges to her face. Oh well. There were worse things to be than dirty. Did I get it? she asked in a light tone, assuming she'd missed it completely (which she had). Regardless of his answer, Tavi tried again and again, only spreading the dirt around instead of cleaning it off, since her legs were crusted with too much to be of use when cleaning.

Pfft, whatever, she finally conceded, letting it be known that she had been bested by the dirt. Then, with nothing to do but wait and watch as Reek dug, Tavi grew bored. She paced just outside of the range of Reek's digging throws, swiping at a few piles of dirt as they whizzed out from behind him, and then plunged back in to the den without warning, squishing up beside him. How much more? I wanna help - but her zeal probably got in the way.

"Mhm," he managed hum between fits of laughter.  Her efforts only served to dirty her face more, and with each passing stroke, Reek couldn't help chortle to himself as Tavi's paws gave way to several dirty streaks across her face. When she finally conceded, Reek withdrew back into the den; plopping his head down much like a prairie dog moving in and out of it's burrow hole.  

He settled in deep and began to dig himself. By the time he was done, Tavi would have the Taj Mahal of wolf dens. Reek would make sure of it. Her home would be lavish, luxurious, a primarily made of dirt. By now, he was just as dirty as Tavi; if not more.

Reek nearly jumped when she returned unannounced to the den, but the pitch of the ceiling would hardly allow such movements. Bumping his shoulder with Tavi's playfully, Reek briefly stopped his digging. "How much more?" he repeated incredulously. "Oh... Tavi. There's gonna be rooms! Do you want a boudoir? How 'bout a parlor? Have you ever had a parlor?" Of course, Reek had no such skill in den making, nor did he have the skill to do anything but dig a deeper hole. "Fuck it, I'm digging you a parlor!" he exclaimed, tail wagging behind him excitedly.

oh  my gosh cute

The fuck is a parlor? she responded swiftly, brow furrowing, but her expression did not remain befuddled for long. Instead the girl began to laugh again, and she pulled out (phrasing) just enough so she could make mad little snaps at his wagging tail. In between these playful antics, Tavi was enthusiastically commenting on precisely what the den should look like. I want an atrium, snap! and a big storeroom, snap snap! and maybe a tower, snap! oh, she missed really badly that time, and a dungeon! As soon as that idea popped in to her mind, she stopped going after his tail and sank back against the nearest wall, grinning stupidly. A big sex dungeon. No, wait, just a normal one, ew. In sticking out her tongue, Tavi licked up a pile of dust which had been rustled free by her movement; there was no time for the dirt to settle, so she got a nice mouthful, and began to gag.

These two are officially my favorite.

"It's uh... like, another empty room, but with a fancy name!" Reek explained in exuberance. In fact, that's what all the rooms were... well, until he could fill them with more gifts life pelts and bones and other neat assorted trinkets. Like Tavi, Reek was excited.... there was something about creating a marvelous thing from scratch that brought the raggedy alpha joy. Perhaps it was why he led in the first place.

Her antics behind him only served to fuel Reek's jovial demeanor. It had been so long since it had come out in full force, but like the snake charmer Tavi was, she had coaxed it from hiding.

With every snap at his tail she made, she rattled off another suggestion. An  Atrium. "Done," he replied. A big storeroom. "Mhm," came his response. A tower. He craned his neck back and furrowed a brow. "Pushing it." After all, there was only so much one wolf could do.

A giant sex dungeon. Reek's eyes shot wide when he looked to Tavi, but he was pretty sure he could make that too. However, her statement was quickly redacted. "Why not both?" he prodded lightly. "I mean, if your into kink... I'm not judging."

It was Tavi's turn to go beet-red, given the ability. She didn't know what prompted her response (unless you consider "being back to her normal self" a good reason), but she was instantly regretting the words that fell from her mouth. His reply made things worse, and she shook her head quickly. Gross! No way! Ew! Do not want, which was a half-truth. Having a dungeon would be badass, just not... A sex dungeon... For sex... Okay moving on.

Once she stopped gagging on dirt (and the thought of a kinky hole in the ground) she got back up and settled in beside Reek. She was deftly aware of their proximity now, maybe because of how sideways the conversation had gone. There was flirting, and then there was -- whatever had just happened. She could handle being a little silly with a stranger (such as when she met Ukko) however, being silly with Reek seemed.. Extra inappropriate.

I think we can stop once its big enough for the two of us, she says hastily, thinking more about how long the work would take and how tired they'd both be, building room after room. It took a solid minute - during which she began to dig - before Tavi realized what that had sounded like. I mean, crap, what did she mean? Bigger. Big enough -- but size doesn't really matter. Jeeze, just stop talking.

Had Reek known Tavi would have found his comment so inappropriate, he would have held his tongue. He had meant it in jest, at least, he had thought so— but deep down, there was a wanting lurking behind his words that Reek wished to hide. Not knowing exactly how to proceed, Reek stammered, "Uh, well— I— You know..." before finishing with a quipped, "gotta admit, it still sounds rad as hell." It was a lame defense for what he had said, but it was all Reek could think to say. "It's your subterranian dream home though. You just tell me where to dig, and I'll dig."

He settled down to his haunches and pressed himself against Morty the Moose. A more serious air had settled through the room and the playful wag of Reek's tail slowed, but did not stop completely. Still, despite everything, Tavi settled in beside him and Reek, perhaps hastily, jumped to the conclusion that he hadn't made things too awkward by walking the borderline borderline of flirtation.

Reek turned his face to her as she spoke. The two of us, she said. Immediately, Reek thought of the night they had shared within the den (albeit, much smaller then) and of how fulfilled he felt while she slept against him— like she was some how the bandage that covered the wounds and imperfections in his own relationship. He wondered briefly if she meant to share that sort of moment again, to which Reek would not object.

He raised an inquisitive brow, but Tavi continued to awkwardly spout unintentional innuendos. Reek fought the urge to joke further with a well placed, thats what she said, but instead responded with a slight smile and a calming "Shhhhhh," before letting out a barely audible chuckle.

She swallowed a lump in her throat and muttered a soft, heh.. as she was shushed, then resumed digging. A lengthy silence spanned between them then, broken only by the occasional huff or puff of Tavi as she worked on expanding the den backwards. It was a lot deeper now, and could probably handle two, maybe even three wolves. It was almost big enough to be a whelping den -- a thought which made Tavi pause, stop, and ask a bizarre question.

Where is Saena having her babies? If it wasn't too awkward before, maybe it was now. But Tavi was genuinely curious. Before Reek could answer she tacked on a bit more of an explanation. This den is becoming a monstrosity, so maybe she should take it. It'd be big enough for her and... Well, however many little beans she poops out. At that, she looked to Reek for confirmation. Maybe it was a good idea? Or maybe Tavi was just bringing up Saena out of some subconscious desire to test the waters.

Come to think of it, she hadn't seen Saena since returning from the raid. Maybe she already had a den made up and was settled in to it?

Deflects for the sake of being vague!

Tavi's meantion of Saena felt stiff in Reek's breast. He sucked in breath, unsure of how to even respond. Of course, Reek was sure Saena would give birth in the den he had dug as soon as they claimed the Maplewood for themselves, but the thought made him uncomfortable. Especially next to Tavi with all these feelings swirling in his gut. "It's your den," he replied. "I'd rather not move Morty a second time... he's not an easy traveler."

He cracked a thin smile, but it was shortlived, for Reek knew he would have to confront the issues between him and Saena eventually. Like Tavi, he hadn't seen her since the raid; with her pregnancy compounded with a lack of communication, Reek felt slightly heartbroken.

"About Saena..." he began with a sigh, but his attention soon found itself drifting behind him. A sound had caught his attention; the low creak of earth buckeling under it's own weight. The main chamber of the den remained intact, thus sheilding Reek and Tavi from it's impending doom, but the mouth of the den, having been weakened by their massive expansion, gave way, leaving Reek and Tavi in an enveloping blackness.

"—Shit," cursed Reek, not allowing himself to descend into panic.

He could still feel Tavi against him and he retained his orientation, but otherwise Reek was totally blind. Their air they shared would fade fast if they did not dig their way out soon.

He had a point. Morty's home was here with her, and moving him - not to mention finding a new den all over again - would be time consuming. It was a nice thought maybe, but not worth the effort. Tavi didn't know why she had bothered asking. The answer was enough to satisfy her, until Reek seemed to go off on his own tangent -- or rather, he was about to start another line of the conversation, and Tavi felt her breath hitch in her throat with the way he said the Alpha's name. There was little time between that and the slight groan of the earth, though, before a sizeable whomp removed the den's mouth. It shut so suddenly (and with an immense rise of dust) that Tavi forgot all about the conversation.

In the dark, she heard Reek's muffled, Shit, and while it was quite a squeeze, not to mention very dark and subterranean, Tavi couldn't help but let out a peal of laughter. She jostled around so that she could face the once-wide entrance, bumping and prodding Reek in the process, and used up a nice portion of their air supply with her ridiculous giggling. I can't believe this, she muttered, wheezing in a dusty breath. With a small sigh, she set about digging once again - this time through the freshly packed front door that hadn't been there a moment prior.

Dry and dusty air filled Reek's lungs, causing him to cough and sputter in the darkness as he wheezed for wasteful breath. The pace of his heartbeat increased slightly with worry, but he had yet to give in fully to fear. This was ony a minor inconvenience; one of life's typical ironies levied at them in response to their hard work and happiness. In a way, Reek was even thankful that the enterance came tumbling down— no longer did he have to regard Saena in such an uncomfortable setting. Now, Like Tavi, Reek would work along side her without a thought of the alpha female in his head.

While it didn't really seem the time to laugh, Reek couldn't help but expel an ironic snort along with Tavi's fit of giggles.

She scrambled over him and in the darkness they became a tangle of limbs. Reek kept himself low to allow Tavi wide enough birth to crawl over to the collapsed enterance. Once he no longer felt her against him, Reek rose, inching himself along the wall of the den - guided by touch - to find her once more to help dig their way to safety.

"Think we over did it?" he asked, clinging to the dusty walls of the den as he inched forward. "I guess this means I won't be digging you a parlor... let alone the ballroom I was starting to plan." Thankfully, the main structure of the den remained sound; their work could be salvaged, but further expansion needed to be ceased, lest they find themselves buried along with Morty the Moose.

In fact, as Reek inched forward, he had forgotten about the placement of the gift he had brought. Completely blind, Reek felt the bridge of his snout lightly thwap against an outstrethed antler. Recoiling and rubbing his throbbing nose with a forepaw, he muttered a pained, "Ow," before seeking Tavi for a second time.

Guess so, she breathed in response, her laughter finally devolving. While there wasn't much time - or air - for chit chat, she wanted to keep his spirits up. What if they dug in the wrong direction and were trapped? Tavi wanted to be serious about this; it was a potentially life-stealing event, being buried alive. Yet she couldn't help but find it so funny that the'd been trapped like this. With Reek's stifled, Ow, catching in the dark, Tavi turned her head as if doing so would allow her to see him properly. She inadvertently thrust her nose against some part of him, and gave a honk of surprise. In ducking to avoid him, her forehead conked part of the den wall, and she stumbled haphazardly sideways. 

Okay, so best thing to do -- dig. I think we dig this way -- but he couldn't see her, so how does that help? Over here, can you -- can you feel that? she tried to nudge at him with her paw, similar to how he tried to tag-in earlier on. If they got properly aligned then digging out would be easier, provided they had good aim. You found Morty so I'm guessing the entrance was this way. She squared her shoulders and without waiting for an answer, resumed digging.

Reek's nose continued to throb as he fumbled around in the darkness in confusion. His bearing on location had been completely lost after he recoiled back from inadvertently allowing his snout and one of Morty's stray antlers to be painfully wed. No longer did Reek know which direction he faced. He was completely lost in the darkness.

He had tried to keep his spirts up, but only now did he allow the graveness of the situation finally settle in and take effect. A knot formed in Reek's throat and he briefly wondered if this den would become his grave. Reek remained perfectly still: he would never see his children born, he would never see Saena again (it was curious that now, that in the face of death, he thought of her), and he would bear the fault of Tavi's death should they succumb thanks to his childish goading to expand. All was lost.

Thankfully, Tavi's touch brought Reek back into the moment, tearing him from his fearful spell. If she knew where to dig, perhaps all wasn't lost after all. Which way?" he shot back, whipping his head around in the darkness to no avail. Tavi, howver, seemed to have a hunch and she guided Reek forward with the touch of her paw. Reek reached out with a forepaw and felt the loosely packed dirt that had trapped them in.

He could feel it. "Mhm," he responded, judging from touch alone that this had to be the area that had collapsed. Tavi had already begun to dig their escape route; Reek settled in close beside her as to not lose his position again and he blindly set his paws to work on soft soil before him. Her guess was as good as any— and if they had any luck, they would break free before the air began to thin.