Sunbeam Lair Passing by all the monsters in my head

@Siqsa @Sorin this seemed like a good place for a traveling thread :) unsure if Siqsa would be injured yet from the elk hunt or where exactly Sorin was talking about hunting but let me know if I need to edit anything!

It was to the east they would next stop, their tiny trio, once more in the mountains that had been her home for the past several months. The ghost brushed against the unforgiving stone with familiarity, a sense of homecoming underlying the action. 

They had given the borders of the Creek pack a wide berth. Despite herself, Liri felt her cinnamon gaze drawn in the direction of the tangled wood more than once - thoughts of the Tonrar brought to the forefront of her mind as they trekked the elevated terrain in amiable silence. 

She'd thought of Kavik often lately, it was almost impossible not to with the knowledge that she would again be scaling the Sunspear. The Vale was not quite her previous home but it was close enough to fill the former Alpha's mind with echos of the past. 

Her gaze flickered to Sorin of its own accord, lingering there. It had not been her intention to spill her sob stories about Kavik at the raven's dark paws but it had been revealed nonetheless. He had been vulnerable and Liri had told him the tale if only to reveal just how much she understood the male's plight, just how similar they truly were. It was somewhat freeing, that another both knew and understood the hurt that had left such a mar on her soul. Sorin too seemed to have suffered many losses in his young life. The tundrian would like to see him at peace, happy and recovered from the nightmares of his past. 

A hint of a smile played at the ice nymph's lips, grateful she had found such a friend. Hope bloomed in her chest, its warmth spreading through her, for the two of them.  

The narrow pass was one Liri and Ruenna had used often when delegating with the officials of other packs and it was with a stab of pain that Liri guided the two shadows at her back through it - for she missed the silver who had been like a sister as much as Kavik, if not more for the Redfern had never once betrayed the northron. 

The serpentine trail guided the nomads to the wide, gaping maw of a cavern. It was an injustice to call the opening a cave as it was clear that the shelter was deep - the dark void within seemed to swallow all light. To any other wolf it might have seemed a welcoming sight, particularly in late winter at such elevations. 

Liri's pale paws halted as her eyes lighted upon the depths and a jolt of anxiety pierced her heart - setting it to thrumming like a hummingbird within the cage of her chest. She swallowed heavily around the sudden tightness in her throat, ears twitching as if they might have flattened apprehensively were she alone. Her gaze was locked on the entrance to Sunbeam Lair and try as she might, the sylph simply couldn't stop staring at the darkness within.

Rats darted in the peripherals of her vision, their claws scrabbling across the broken stone audibly. Once, the grating sound might have flattened the healer's ears, set her to clawing at them at the harsh noise. Now, Liri was far too focused straining to hear the sound of soft footfalls beyond the confines of her cell. 

The northron was a ghost, a skeleton, curled into the darkest corner amidst the stone teeth of the great beast like a piece of food caught in the incisors of a predator. Crimson flowed freely from the newest wounds, fire streaking across her limbs at the slightest movement - for it caused older scabs to split and festered sores to run. 

Dark eyes locked on the faint light trickling across the floor, ears wavering as her breath caught in fright. 

The soft thud of a paw against stone could be heard as a shadow crossed the threshold and the healer curled further into the stone as if it could swallow her whole. 

She shivered, waiting in silence as her eyes squinted shut, waiting for the pain that was sure to come. 

Liri was not kept waiting long. 

The fae's peppered crown turned, her woodland optics not quite meeting the gaze of the two with her. "You two should rest, " the fae rasped in her husky, low tones - still a bit shaken by the memory. 

"I'm going to check the area out a bit, make sure things are safe, " Liri murmured, glancing to them then to wait for a reaction as she began to edge slowly towards the treeline. Long-forgotten fear prickled beneath her skin and the sprite felt the need to escape, to find solace in the forests of the mountainside. 

She was loath to admit her learned hatred of the cave, of all caves, to the duo. Someone did need to check the perimeter, scope things out so to speak, anyhow. 

Sorin had followed Liri and Siqsa back into the mountains, the trio twisting their way through along rocky trails. He was versed in traveling in such terrain, having lived among the mountains in Viggo's pack. It had been a while however, since he had spent any great length of time among the heights of the world. In some ways, being in the mountains, even unfamiliar ones, felt like returning home.

His gaze turned briefly to Liri, as it often had during their trip. When he looked back on the exchange of their past a few nights prior, Sorin couldn't help but feel a sense of concern. The event had created an irrevocable connection, and Sorin was still not without fear of creating such ties with others. He trusted her, knew that she had been through hell like himself, but one did not just let go of a guard that had been thrown up due to a betrayal like Livia's. If he was honest with himself, it concerned him somewhat with how easily she had gotten under his fur, with how easily his story had come spilling out. Still, it was done and there was no taking it back. The only thing to do now was go forward.

They continued their trek through a narrow pass before coming to the entrance of a large cavern. Liri stopped rather suddenly, and Sorin glanced at her, immediately concerned. The signals she was giving off were of fear and anxiety, and she seemed to be frozen in contemplation, or perhaps recollection. He remembered her telling him she had become lost in a cave system in her old territory; maybe she was recalling those events. As she turned, not quite meeting the eyes of him and Siqsa, he was almost certain that was the case.

"No," he said softly, but with a degree of confidence. He could see that she was shaken, and was probably in no condition to be roving about. "You rest, I'll scout, make sure we won't be disturbed." He was the fittest out of the three, so it only made sense that he would be the one to scope the area. Still, he didn't want her to suffer in the fear he suspected lay beneath her thin bravado.

"Don't stay near the cave if you don't want to, but let me scout around, alright." he whispered, for her ears alone. He didn't know if Siqsa knew of her fears, and he didn't want to be the one to reveal them if his suspicions were true. However, he didn't want her pushing herself too hard either.

He was still weakened from the hunt, but he kept up. He kept in his labored pants, held fast his grunts and agony. He wouldn't let Liri or Sorin see him hurting. He didn't need either of them looking down on him, either. But he stuck close to Liri, regardless of his weak sway, brute body a clear and distinct overshadow to the white fae's body. She was mental and emotional support for him, but she wouldn't know it. He had admitted it to her when they had first crossed eah other- and of course they had much more conversations to hold...but that would have to wait. They needed to bunk down. 

Once they come the stop they needed, Siqsa had all the oppertunity to catch his breath, bruised ribs trying to warn him he needed much more than a simple sit down. But once Liri had given her words to the pair, Sorin protested. Something stupid (as always) riled up in Siqsa, and he pulled himself together. "If she wants to patrol, let her. Don't tell her what -" his breath fought to fuel his words, the only thing fighting to his finishline was the never ending fire that kept his temper lit. "-what to do." The Devil's Spawn didn't want to start problems or even fight, especially with such low numbers that they had, right now. But he would defend the artic girl from anyone and everyone, whether he was on his last legs or not. Even over something as small and unworthy of a fight dire as Liri's freedom. He was in obvious terrible shape, but he stood to thick limbs, ever more prepared to throw himself out there just as quick.

so this is completely unrelated to the thread but I recently rewatched the owls of ga'hoole and I realized @Sorin shares a name with the protagonist. I was curious if that was coincidental or if Sorin's character was possibly inspired by that movie?

Escape was so close, the pallid fae need only hold onto the here and now for a few heartbeats longer. The undergrowth brushed at her hocks, at the phantom limb on her left. The solace of the peaceful wooded mountainside waited. The healer longed for the icy loam beneath her feet, the cold azure of the winter sky peeking through bare tree limbs overhead. The forest seemed the only safe place with its open spaces and the light of day to belie the claustrophobia tightening around her chest. 

Her tentative hopes were dashed by the soft but firm refusal that slipped from Sorin's jaws. The northron's ivory crown lifted, her coffee optics clouded with confusion. She remained silent, unsure what might escape her maw - a plea for him to grant her this privacy, another opaque excuse? The woman shifted on her sore paws, dark gaze flickering to Siqsa before falling to the ground. Sorin was the healthiest of them as the healer was still gaunt with pneumonia and injured from her travels while the dark dragon was injured on account of their failed elk hunt. It made more sense for the raven to patrol than Liri and the former Alpha silently conceded to the logic of his words. 

Her optics flickered upwards curiously as the shadow approached, ears rising attentively as her head tilted to catch his low words - whispered in soft rumbles for the tundrian's ears alone. 

The Blackfoot began to nod, lips parting to agree, to thank him somehow for the subtle understanding he had offered. 

A dark cloud loomed in her peripherals as the dark beast to the side rose unsteadily, rasping a retort aggressively in the titan's direction. The sylph's eyes widened a tic in surprise as her form tensed instinctively - for she had not expected such a vehement defense from the crimson-eyed demon. It was a slightly disorientating notion to find herself in the presence of two people who cared enough about her well-being to argue over her. After leaving Kavik behind, she had resigned herself to the solace of wandering as a rogue. The healer wasn't sure she enjoyed the notion as embarrassment flushed over her. Her pale auds flattened as her gaze averted, sensing the tension that suddenly filled the air. Suppressed panic still hummed in her veins but the spry woman forced it down with a deep breath in order to confront the storm brewing before her.

Ever the peacekeeper, the fae approached Siqsa slowly, settling on her haunches at his side. "It's alright, " she murmured soothingly, bumping gently against his inky shoulder in companionship. " Sorin is right, " she continued, gaze lifting to the dark male's bottle green optics with a slight nod. " He's the fittest of our group, he's less likely to be seriously injured if he finds himself in danger." 

"Should that happen, howl for help, " the fae urged Sorin, concern pooling in her dark gaze. Even in her weakened state, the northron could still be of some help. 

" I'll try to find you some herbs and get you patched up, " Liri promised Siqsa, discouraged eyes scanning the wintry surroundings. It was unlikely that she would find floral life of any kind but it was worth a shot. Siqsa had been quiet about his pain, not complaining even once, but the healer knew he had to be in agony - she had worried whether or not he would even be able to make the trip but somehow her pack mate prevailed. She was feeling a bit protective of him as well, they were all that remained of the Plateau, and wanted to do whatever she could to abate his discomfort. 

Liri nudged Siqsa once more as she rose to her paws, shooting him a slight smile. Her eyes drifted between the two males, hoping she had quelled any conflict that might be forming between them. 

She padded towards the treeline, gaze not on the trees but on Sorin. I won't go far, her mahogany orbs seemed to silently promise as she approached. 

She slowed as she reached the dark wraith's shoulder, brushing her temple against the ebony of his ruff gently as she passed. 

" Be safe, " the soft words were carried to him on the wind as the healer disappeared into the timberland - whispered for the raven to hear alone. 

As the stark forest engulfed her, Liri tried very hard not to think of a dark cave shared with pain and fear, of a stone labyrinth she had once wandered amidst the delusions of illness. 

Haha, no, Soren from ga'hoole has no influence on my character. 

The air rippled with tension as Siqsa challenged Sorin's statement. The shadow turned his gaze to the other man, his expression calculating and confident in his position on this issue. An issue, which quite frankly, should not be one to begin with. Liri was still weakened, and the man receiving Sorin's gaze was not faring much better. The elk hunt had left Siqsa injured, and while he had earned Sorin's respect for bearing his pain well, the shadow was not going to back down on this. There was too much at stake. The other two would be more likely to get injured, or make a reckless decision on account of injury driven desperation. While Sorin was not in top condition himself, he was in better shape than his companions.

The shadow opened his maw to point out the strength in his argument, but Liri beat him to it, essentially taking all the words from his mouth. He nodded slightly as she spoke, somewhat relieved that she had stepped into to mediate. Sorin certainly did not want to start any sort of conflict with the other man, for he seemed a fair soul, if a little angry at the world. But then, all of them were in there own ways.  

"Of course," Sorin replied to Liri's request. If there was anything worth noting, Sorin would send up a call, for he wanted everyone's involvement. He turned his gaze towards Siqsa again, a more relaxed expression on his face now that the tension had presumably passed. "Listen, I'm not trying to step on anyone's authority or ability. I'm just trying to keep everyone as healthy as possible." He hoped the man would understand.

With that, he turned away towards the treeline, ready to be off. It had been a while since he had done a patrol like this, and the shadow was eager to recapture the experience. Before he could go though, Liri approached him, brushing up against him and whispering 'be safe'. Sorin bowed his head slightly, brushing his nose against her shoulder. "I will be," he said softly to her, his eyes holding her gaze for a moment. Then he turned off, allowing the shadowed trees to consume him, until he vanished from sight.

I can fade or keep him in this, whichever you think would make more sense.