Blackfeather Woods i am the end of all things;

for @Tundra || location: fellglow keep

wintersbane does not venture often into mephala's web, despite that mephala has become his patron daedra. the last he'd seen of these intricate cave and tunnels had been while he stood sentry to wolfskull cave and it is a sour reminder of how the flame kissed redhawk woman had slipped from betwixt his threatening jaws like smoke. in truth, he hadn't expected her to risk the tunnels. the fact that she managed to find her way out instead of getting lost and starving to death in the labyrinth was ...impressive. beginner's luck, surely.

yet, with his most recent patrol wrapped up, the enokian takes to the darkness of the cave, allowing the shadows to embrace him and swallow him whole. it has been a long time since he's taken to exploring them and though some of the passages are thinner than he remembers ( or, perhaps, it is he, all broad shoulders and bronze cut muscles that has thickened and filled out? ) but he navigates them with only slight trepidation, pausing when he reaches fellglow keep.

the light isn't great but there is light: hundreds upon hundreds of glowworms and fluorescent mushrooms light the cavern floor and ceiling. it's glow is green and blue and both magical and eerie. a trickle of a stream draws a flick of his ear. it is wise, he feels, to familiarize himself with the tunnels and caves once more. they are the best way to slip in and out of the territory without detection and on his plight to claw and earn his way up the spy ranks of the dark brotherhood it is high past time he's begun embracing all of the tools mephala's gifted them with.

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285 words

it had come to her knowledge that blackfeather's claim on their territory ventured down beneath the earth's surface via several caves and tunnels. a wariness had held her back from venturing too far into the inky darkness for not only had her last aimless wandering into a cave landed her in that awkward situation with the drugged boy but also a deep fear of getting lost and trapped in the blinding darkness but even worse that suffocating silence. it still followed her, like a constant shadow- nipping at her heels and tugging tauntingly at her fur as she moved with a phantom like grace through the trees. occasionally it would get too instense and she would been seen spinning around and snapping furious jaws at god only knows what, afterwards glancing about warily before continuing on at a hurried pace. 

however today, dark eyes catch sight of another slipping into a gaping wound in the earth that suggested an entrance to the maze beneath during quite the aimless ramble. a slight moment of hesitation passes and then without even really making a concious decision the woman follows- taking a moment to reach the entrance and then letting her small body slip in with ease. the gloom engulfs her, pale form getting the rare chance to become dark as night as eyes narrow to try and adjust to the extreme shift in lighting. her heart beat increases slightly at the mere prospect of doing something even if she was simply following another deep into the belly of the beast. was this really what she'd come to? her jaw clenches uneasily as she mentally curses herself whilst moving silently across the smooth floor. 

really what the fuck was her problem? her goal had always been to get to a place like where she was now- safe and free but really it had come with little to no relief. her body was still stuck in a constant state of on edge waiting but the fact that nothing ever came simply resulted in the frustrated feeling of losing her mind. was there ever going to be a solution or would she be stuck in this awful limbo forever? the mere thought sent a slight shiver creeping up her spine.

it was easy to follow the other's scent as there was really nothing else much down here to invade her senses but she payed little attention to any personal factors of the smell lying under the fact it was a blackfeather wolf- not expecting it to be anyone she'd know simply down to the fact she hadn't exactly acquainted herself with many of the pack's residents. 

after- how long? it's impossible to tell as if time itself is even suspended down here, a very dim light presents itself in the nearing distance. and eventually it seems she arrives to a destination she hadn't been aware even existed. the smallest of noises escapes her in an exhale of what- awe? surprise? it is quite the scene and she lets her focus be completely captivated by the unique light sources before realising if she'd followed someone here it obviously meant she wouldn't be alone. dark eyes drop and scan the cave in one smooth swoop- annoyed at her stupidity to get distracted, that never happened with her. however she allows her form to relax very slightly upon recognizing her company. 

still alert for although the brute was the one who'd escorted her to the pack's borders in the first place she knew literally nothing about him- not even a name come to think about it. "well hello you" her soft, cool toned voice echos strangely in this land of silence however it is a relief to hear a trickle of water somewhere in the shadows. as long as that remained the silence would too have to remain broken. already dark eyes would appear like little pieces of coal as they rested casually on the larger boy, quite ready for the questioning to come as to why she'd felt the need to follow him. although technically speaking he couldn't prove that could he, she could've simply been going the same way at the same time- the world did love its coincidences. a slight smile graces her features, appearing almost eerily disconnected from the stoic expression the rest of her face wore, something about the luminescent cave left her feeling oddly....buzzed.

it is hard to mask the sound of footfalls in a cavern, in the tunnels even: sound carries in the dark and though it echoes off of the rocks walls and distorts it until wintersbane cannot be sure which exact direction the other approaches from he nevertheless knows he is about to get company. the soft gasp alerts him to her proximity first and his glacial gaze is quick to seek her out in the shadows of the keep.

she greets him, addressing him as you and it occurs to him that he probably did not share his name with her during their initial meeting. creating an elusive persona was second nature to him — much like breathing; it required no conscious thought from him, no actual effort — and he'd taken her to relmyna when he'd realized that she was serious in joining them and there hadn't been time to slip his name in.

wintersbane, he supplies her with in a quiet rasp that carries along the roof of the cavern. my name is wintersbane.