It was hours since he got lost in the caverns of Mardouf ravine. A trully huge maze was endlessly stretching and ramify into smaller passeges that ended up nowhere. Wherever he went he was stumbling into a dead end or a huge gulf that seemed to be born from abyss itself. It was trully grinding his nerves and it was taking way too much time to get around when you have to constantly check your every move just to not fell down into your death.

     So when he finally noticed small changes in surroundings he felt excitement growing in his chest. He lifted his head, taking a deep breath. A breeze of cool, fresh air hit his nostrils, bringing a scent of mouldering plant matter. It was a nice change from a stale, unmoving air. It also meant he was close to the surface now. Maybe this was finally his ticket to freedom! He stepped closer, climbing rocks and jumping between tight places till finally he felt slick of putrescent leaves. He cringed, flicking his paw and arched his neck to look up, his whiskers twitching constantly. Somewhere there was a way out.

     He chattered softly and flicked his ears, picking at sounds. He could hear the world high above. Far too far away for him to climb out, the walls were steap and wet, getting a good grip on them was impossible... At least without a help of another canine. He scrunched his nose thinking. Maybe he was close enough to be heard. Maybe someone is out there. Acoustics in the cavern would give a great echo, implifying the sound of his voice. After all he had nothing to loose for trying, right?

     He took a deep breath and gave a long, pitiful howl. A distress call he hoped someone would hear.

[Quin is joining in, if it's okay? If not, feel free to scream at me xD!] 

She was in Mardouf, again, but this time at the bottom. She still remembered the last time she was here, when she and the red male had built a bridge down to the bottom, two adventurous youngsters in need of an adrenaline kick. That was long ago now and she didn't have it in mind while she let the earth flow and build its way down before her; in fact she had nothing in mind, and she was bored out of her wits. The bells on her ears were ringing excitedly as she moved forward, farther down her self-made bridge of earth, and although it cracked under her paws, her face was expressionless. She trusted this bridge, her power, with her life. If it broke, there was nothing she could do anyway but falling to her death. So, logically, she walked. There was nothing else to her. She had been walking through her life since she was born — it was the only thing she'd ever done, and quite possibly the only thing she'd ever know. 

Quin reached the bottom of the ravine, and her bridge fell and crumbled behind her, although she didn't turn. Keeping the bridge up would mean she had a safe way up, but it would drain her energy when it was so much easier just to leave it on the ground and, if needed, rebuild it again later. Her eyes, green and blue, wandered around the surroundings, watched it with cold interest. A cavern caught her eye, and bored as she was, she decided to walk towards it. Then, almost as if it was staged, a long howl emerged from the cavern. There was somebody there! And judging by the sound, whoever it was, needed some help. She wasn't sure what she would be able to do about it, but at least it was something to take away her boredom. Quin shook her head — the bells ringing, a soft, light sound, the sound of her arrival, her own opening tune — and barked back at whoever had made the sound the first time, saying I'm here, I'm coming. 

She only hesitated a bit by the entrance of the cavern, but she was not afraid of the dark and her curiosity wildly triumphed her hesitation. So, she took a step inside, and then another one, and then more until the entrance was gone. The sensation of fear, or rather worry, began to tickle her back but she pushed it away. It's fine, you're not lost, just turn around and go back. It's not worth it if you can't find your way back, that's not going to help anyone. Quin was about to turn around just as something caught her attention — a movement. A wolf? She frowned and took a step closer, determined not to show her worry. “Hey!” she blurted out, hoping to catch the stranger’s attention and maybe ask if they knew the way back. Getting herself lost in a cavern at the bottom of Mardouf really wasn't on her bucket list.

Hak stopped howling, suddenly drawn to a soft sounds of bells. He twisted his neck towards the sound, ears standing up. Someone was approaching, he could hear it. Soft paws, short breath and most of all quickened heart beat. Steps grew closer and the jingling was louder, annoucing the arrival of someone new. He stretched his neck even further, nostrils were flaring to pick up a scent. Faint smell of an unfamilair wolf confirmed he was hearing right - he was no longer alone. He was stupidly lucky and someone actually responded to his call!

     Then they called, and a sharp, female voice filled the cavern with echo. She was here and she noticed him, perfect! He turned towards her taking a step forward and series of quick clicks rumbled from his throat. They gave him all information he needed. She was about the same size as he was, soft or at least softer than him, longer fur, small ears, she is not a cave wolf, not at all. What is she doing here didn't matter. She IS and that was all he needed at the moment. He smiled and rasped out. "Finally! I mean..." He cleared his throat to sound a bit more... uh... friendlier. "I didn't expect anyone to be here. I am glad to have a company!" Yes, that sounded better.

     What she saw was indeed a male wolf. Small but rubust, with strong front paws ending with a bit longer and wider claws. They somewhat resembled claws of a mole more than a wolf... He had a short, dark fur, which barely covered his ashen skin. Fresh scabs litterred his back side, a reminder of some kind of injury he received recently that already healed.

     The head gave the biggest clue of who he was - definietly a cave dwelling specie. Prominent, bat like ears flicked at the smallest sound, now facing towards the newly arrived wolf. Long, thick whiskers twitched lightly with each breath, constantly sampling their surrounding. Both nose and ears were ridged, giving him even more of a bat appearance. The most unusual though were his eyes or rather lack of them. Not only there was no sign that he ever had eyes, there was no sign of eyelids either. Just fur and whiskers on the brow line and nothing more, as if someone made a mask and forgot to drill holes for eyes.

     He made another step forward, arching his neck sideways from right to left in weirdly snake like fashion, waiting for her approach.

Quin wasn't easily scared, but there was something about this, about this cave and this place at the bottom of Mardouf, that didn't feel right. It was dark and she couldn't see much, but there were sounds; her own quiet steps, muffled against the cold ground, water dripping down the walls somewhere nearby. She really should turn around now. But still, for a little longer, her curiosity overcame her fear and she continued, because she could feel that this was not quite the end, there was still something ahead of her, deeper into this godforsaken cavern. After all, there had been a wolf in here, she had heard it, and she hadn't found it yet. Whoever it was must still be in here somewhere.

“Finally! I mean …” Quin frowned at the sound of a hoarse voice. Its owner cleared his throat and continued, “I didn't expect anyone to be here. I'm glad to have a company!” Quin forgot to listen to his words, too busy watching him; it was truly an unusual figure who stood before her, half disguised by the darkness of the cavern, but perhaps one ought to be unusual to seek their way into a cavern like this one. He wasn't like anything she had ever seen before; small, short fur over dark skin, covered in scars on his back side, wide claws that didn't look like wolf claws were supposed to look. Quin’s eyes wandered across the stranger’s body to settle at his face, and that was maybe the strangest thing of all. Thick whiskers, bat like ears and a ridged nose. And the eyes. Or, rather, the lack of such. Quin had quite an imagination and had no problems imagining what one could look like without eyes, but this one didn't even have hollows for them, or eyelids. It was just plain skin all the way, covering the area where his eyes would have been located, if he had had any. Why did he look like that? Was he born blind? Yeah, Quin, obviously he's blind; he's got no eyes! But even blind wolves had eyes, right? Only they didn't work? Quin had to admit, she was a bit intrigued by this stranger's appearance. She valued few things higher than uniqueness, and he surely was.

“What are you doing down here? Don't say I've missed the party,” she said, although she was still a little too distracted by his lack of eyes to properly care about the answer. It felt weird, constantly trying to get eye contact but then finding herself staring at nothing. He moved in an odd way as well, almost like a snake. Is this what creatures at the bottom of the world look like? she found herself wondering. Quin couldn't help but let out a short chuckle, a one-second-sound of fascination and interest. “What's up with your eyes?” she asked with a nod in their general direction, even though he couldn't see it. Now that she knew she wasn't alone, she felt relaxed and curious. She didn't care if the question was too personal, or whatever people used to say when they didn't feel like answering. She couldn't be bothered with such things, never had. In her world, questions were made to be asked, and answered as well.

"You mean 'up here'. I've never been so close to the surface before and I will not stop here." Hak scrunched his nose, pressing lips into thin line. His "party" was gone and they could bite him. Oh yes, they already did just that, scabs on his rear were a good evidence. But it wasn't important, he bit them back and he was strong enough to be on his own. Almost. "Would be easier if I wasn't lost. I've never been here before..."

     He always kept his head low with neck extended to front. It wasn't a sign of respect, no, not for a wolf that wasn't gifted with sight. It was simply a way to not hit your head against low ceiling or small passages. But at the moment he lifted it with confusion, ears standing up with an attention. Eyes? What eyes?... He recalled hearing of them before. Something that surface dwellers had, according to stories told between wolves. Thanks to eyes they could "see" whatever that meant. And they were able to "see" things like "colours and light". He had no idea what were those and thinking of it gave him a headache. All he knew was that somehow "seeing" allowed to feel shapes wihout a touch, even if the shapes were far away. It was a concept he couldn't comprehend. How someone could know what are the shapes without feeling them? Were eyes like whiskers that could reach from afar?...

     Another question boggled his mind. If she was asking about his eyes - which he had none, that he was sure of - would that mean she was one of those wolves with "eyes"? Was she "seeing" his shapes now? Huh, she was few steps away and he was certain that he couldn't sense touch on his skin. Creepy. "I am not sure what are those but I'm pretty sure I don't have them."

     He tilted his head stepping closer, sniffing the air around her, bumping his nose against her fur unceremonially. He sneezed and shook himself off. "You don't smell like anyone else I ever met. You are talking about downs and eyes... you are not from here, are you? You are from the surface, right?" He circled her and bopped his nose against her side. Well built, thick hide. She had to be strong, no wonder she survived. That meant she could take him up. "Do you know where it is? The way up? I need to go there."

He had never been this close to the surface before, and he wouldn't stop here. Where was he from, then? The underground? The only creatures from the underground that Quin had ever seen were worms and the occasional rat, but never a whole wolf. Maybe that was why he looked so strange - in the darkness of the underground tunnels, eyes were probably useless anyway, and looking beautiful was definitely a waste when it was pitch black all the time. He continued by saying that he was lost. “Well, I am lost too, conveniently,” she said. Nonchalantly she turned her head and looked around at the cave walls, from which she received no help to orientate herself. Quite frankly, she was glad she wasn't from the underground like this guy. He had never been this close to the surface, meaning he came from even darker places, but Quin already felt her skin crawl in here. 

His response to her question about his eyes surprised her, probably more than it should have. Eyes were useless in the dark, but she had reckoned he must have at least heard the word ‘eyes’. It now became apparent that he had, in fact, not. He was pretty sure he didn't have them, and Quin scoffed quietly. “Me too.” This place gave her bad feelings and she heard her own voice, sharper than it normally was, but she supposed it was because she wanted to get out of here. Then he surprised her again by stepping close to her and bumping his nose into her fur. The sudden movement paralysed her for a second, but then she took a step backwards, frowning at him, looking and sounding almost offended. Her privacy was very important to her, more important than to most people, and even if it simply was because he needed a way to “see” her in the dark, she wouldn't really want him to touch her. 

“Hey!” she said, “ever heard of a thing called personal space?” Then he began to circle her and started talking, cutting off her thoughts. You don't smell like anyone else I've ever met. You are talking about downs and eyes … you are not from here, are you? You're from the surface, right? There was his nose again, softly bumping into her side. Do you know where it is? The way up? I need to go there. “I'm down here because I heard you and thought you could use some help,” she explained. “I don't really know where we are. We might follow this tunnel where I came from, perhaps. I mean, I'm not a map, but logically, the only way to go should be up. But yeah, let's get out of here, this place gives me weird vibes. And … sorry, but do you have to bump your nose into me all the time? We don't do that where I'm from. It's considered impolite. What's your business up there anyway? Not to be a buzzkill, but if you can't see anything, then what's the point of going up there?”

[Oops Harly woke up on the wrong side of her bed apparently :O]