Sunbeam Lair my name's blurry face, and i care what you think

@Chaska but anyone is welcome.

The weather had gained power since her acceptance earlier in the day. Graduating from a light drizzle, the rain now fell in thick sheets, penetrating the fur along her extremeties and stinging with cold. Fortunately, the caverns lay not far from the territory boundary, and so it was towards the entrance that her paws carried her. The mouth of the caves yawned before her, revealing depths that were surprisingly brighter than the girl had anticipated. An eerie light illuminated the space within.

The dark fairy slipped silently inside, her head held parallel to her body and her periwinkle eyes wide with wonder. She had never seen anything like this place. It was beautiful. Anouke felt a swell of happiness, ever grateful that she had followed her heart to the Ryujin wolves and their spectacular lair.

Chaska found the caverns of the Ryujin territory a little...ominous. Even though he usually stayed up late in dark nights, he did not favo the darkness of caves. Something he would need to rectify if he was going to stay. Still, it did protect them from weather. And that was an upside he liked. Especially with rain just outside.

He sat in a space in the caverns, just waiting for the rain to stop. He wanted to go out, hoping to see sunshine. Instead he remained in the cavern, catching a scent, then spotting a figure of a wolf coming through. He remained still, but did give a little chuff to make his presence known. It was someone he had not yet met.

Anouke shivered. The caverns held light, but not warmth, at least not where she stood. A sound echoed against the stone walls. The wolf who had emitted the soft noise appeared, sporting various shades of gray in his pelt, and pale brown eyes. 

Assuming that he had a higher rank than she did, the inky coated female made the necessary adjustments to her posture, laying her ears back and lowering her tail. Her tail, long, flowing, and dark, began to wag hurriedly. Hello, she greeted with ashy smi le. He would be among the first Ryujin whose acquaintance she made, and she wished to make a good impression. I just arrived this morning. What is your name?

Chaska saw the posture, and immediately realised she was lower, thinking him higher. But before he could vocalise a correction, she started speaking. "Chaska" he said once she was finished. "And I got here a few days ago." He gestured with one of his forepaws toward her, as if beckoning to her for a name. She had black fur, except for one part on her back which was white and then grey further back along. Her eyes were a color that he associated with violet, but it wasn't exactly violet. It rather interested him, and that showed in his expression as he unconsciously narrowed his eyes to have a better look.

Anouke noted that while she shrunk into a submissive posture, his remained the same. He did not attempt to show dominance. It had her slightly confused, until he explained that he was fairly new to the pack, as well. In spite of their shared heirarchy, however, the shadowed she-wolf did not yield her subordinate poise. Her bright eyes  darted nervously, but she finally gave her name.

I am Anouke. It's s-so  nice to meet you, she began breathily. Aware that he was sizing her up with narrowed chocolate eyes, she continued. Have you explored m-much of the caverns, yet? This... this is my first time inside. In her stammered, awkward words was hidden an invitation to stroll the lair together, if that was how the male chose to perceive them.

Chaska felt a brow raise in confusion at first to her stammering, and then stopped staring after realising he was. "Sorry" he said after her introduction. He had not meant to, he always found interest in eyes. He thought about her question. He had explored about, but had been hesitant about delving into the caverns themselves any further. His eyes travelled down into the caverns, he felt worried in the pit of his stomach. "Well, I've never been too fond of the dark. But, I guess I can make an exception...if you want to" he added, looking back ot her with an attempt at a more relaxed expression.

Although she had felt slightly unsettled by his staring, she shook her head to the apology, speaking sweetly. No, don't be sorry. Perhaps he thought she was pretty. The girl's insecurity urged her to hope that he did. The male was quite attractive himself, a handsome beast, though she did not dare let him know. 

Well, w-we need not go far, she proposed, feeling guilty for asking him to do something that he feared. And st-stay close to one another. Does that sound all right? Her tail waved slowly at her heels and she gazed hopefully at him. A fearful creature though she was, she carried a touch of wanderlust with her. A thirst for small adventures, like this one.

Chaska stood up, looking down into the cavern. Since it was raining above and cloudy, he hadn't noticed the gaps in the roof of the cavern where light would peer through. 

He turned back to her, brow arching again. Was she afraid? Or did she think him afraid? Of course, he was. Only a little, but it was enough to make him hesitant. "May as well. Going to be living here, so may as well explore while we can." He started moving forward, deeper into the cavern. "Do you wish to lead?" he asked over his shoulder.

As she moved forward, the woman realized that the illumination from within was cast by crevices in the ceiling. The interior was darker than it may have been in different weather, but the caverns still held an eerie beauty, the earth under foot dampened by the few raindrops which penetrated through the holes in the ceiling. With a cautious bump of her snout against his shoulder, she attempted to catch his eye as a small smile carved upon her lips. Yes, I'll lead. They were words of agreement as well as assurance. The lair was, after all, where they would be living. Where they would be sleeping. If he was afraid, she would do whatever she needed to help him, including leading their little exploration. 

Let  us go... this way, she suggested, her words barely above a whisper, as she canted her small head toward a turn to the left.

Chaska nodded, letting her take the lead. He followed along behind, just now noticing the gaps as drops fell on his head. He assumed light would come through, if it weren't so cloudy. That made him feel more comfortable being down here. "I guess light would come down through there" he murmured to himself, then followed along as they went left, with Anouke in the lead.

It seemed that the male's anxieties lessened as they further traversed the caverns. Anouke took a moment to look ahead, spying even more twists and turns as the corridors wound throughout the lair. His voice echoed, causing the ear closest to him to twist in his direction. She slowed her walk and then stop, one foot lifted tentatively. Her snout pointed upwards and her eyes aimed at the crevices in the ceiling above them. Yes, she said, nodding. That would make sense. Without the light, I doubt we would be able to thrive in here. A laugh chimed like the ringing of a bell.

Does the dark frighten you? she wondered. It does me. 

Chaska didn't hold back a light smile at the laugh. She was right. Although, it was never the dark he was afraid of. "Not the dark. It's...it's the unknown." And the unknown hides within the dark. The next step, the next corner. And even though he was not afraid of the dark itself, what could lie ahead did. Unknown possibilities that he couldn't see, and yet it's all he could ever think about.

It was not night, so at least there was some light. That allowed him to see the inside of the cavern, and something he had never seen before in any sort of cave. Trees. He never thought trees could grow underground, and he stopped for a moment in awe. He had never heard of any such thing as this.

[table width=85%][tr][td]

Anouke gave a few nods of her narrow head. Yes... I share that fear. It is a difficult one to... to overcome. And it was. The Unknown was ever present and daunting. It surrounded them all, and it awaited them at the end of their lives. When she thought of it, pangs of dread and pain hit her squarely in the stomach. But her own fears extended to interactions with others, extending into almost everthing else that she encountered. She feared the next day, the next moment, the next second. By nature, the skinny wraith was full of fear and doubt. 

The heaviness of their conversation was interrupted by perhaps something equally profound -- the discovery of trees growing from the earthen floor for of the caverns. Anouke unknowingly mirrored the male's demeanor, her jaw falling agape while she paused, one foot lifted and dangling delicately above the ground as her bright eyed stare moved to the first tree in their path. She lowered her paw and began to circle the tree, eyes filled with wonder and awe. This is... amazing... so beautiful, she spoke breathily as her footsteps brought her around and back to Chaska's side. Have you ever seen anything like this?

[/tr][/td][/table]

Chaska had concerns about Anouke as she spoke of her own fear, the very same fear he had. Where he had been able to at least hold it back inside and not let it interfere qith most aspects of his life, he was unsure if she had managed to hold herbs back as well. "You may not be able to overcome it. Just never let it take control of you." It always leads to terrible ends. 

"No, never." He was starting to like this place more, now knowing this existed. He also understood why they lived in the caverns, as it reflected the world outside more than most caves or caverns. "I feel a lot more comfortable in a place like this."

[table width=85%][tr][td]

The sweet man cared enough to give her advice, much to her surprise. She lowered her ears and looked at him with a warm smile, a smile that conveyed more gratitude than words ever could. 

The forest seemed to expand far beyond, countless moderately sized trees, just as healthy and beautiful as those on the outside. She had not been aware that growth like this was even possible. Before, the girl doubted any plant life could exist in a cave, let alone an entire forest, and for this reason amongst others, she could not scrape the look of wonderment off her face. I do, too, she agreed. I love this. How had it even come to be? She wasn't sure what else to say, so she simply fell silent.

[/tr][/td][/table]

Chaska started to go on, moving ahead. "Maybe we should see what else is ahead." He stopped for a moment, looking back. "Unless you'd rather stay here and admire the trees?" He had to admit, he rather enjoyed seeing the amazement of others, mostly from the tales he tells them. But this was just as fun, and he admired the setting too. "Your choice." he waited for an answer, still facing forward.

[table width=85%][tr][td]

The inky she-wolf leaped after him when he continued forward, nearly ramming her head into his chest when he stopped to ask her if she would wished to stay or go. N-no, let's move ahead. I c-cannot imagine what else awaits us, she whispered. If there was a forest within the lair, there must be other equally or addtionally thrilling sights further down the path. She gave several waves of her long, flowing black tail and pressed on behind him, this time allowing him to take the lead without words. The pair explored throughout the afternoon, making significant progress in aquainting themselves with their new, shared home.

[/tr][/td][/table]