A cave and tunnel system that cuts through the mountains. Deep underground, glowing minerals along the ceiling provide a dim light source that looks like stars in the darkness. Huge pools of clear water and strange plants grow within the caves.
She lurked through the caverns, placing each paw strategically to avoid tripping over the stones. She was walking along the edge of the water, her head low as her yellow eyes scanned the surface of the water. She bent down, her maws touching the water surface as she drank. She drank quietly, enjoying the cool water down her throat. That's when she heard the sound of echoing, a new presence within the darkish caverns. She raised her horned head towards the the sound and watched the shadows with a ready gaze. "Hello?" She called out, tilting her head to the left slightly. The spiked collar around her neck moved and shifted with the motion. "Anyone there?" She followed with another question. 'Or am I just crazy?? Probably crazy.' She thought to herself with a dismissive mental scoff and rolling of her eyes.
Eon was a curious creature. He should have stayed in the territory the kingdom had established, but he did not like being chained down to one place. No, a little peek beyond the borders wouldn’t hurt. Well, a little peak turned into an hours-long venture. Even on wings, he didn’t seem to get far, and it occurred to him how vast these lands truly were.
Eventually, what appeared to be a cave system piqued his interest. With a quiet thud, the canid's paws graced the earth. Below him was smooth stone, an interesting difference from the grassy terrains covering everything else until this point. Lifting his head, Eon would peer into the darkness. The vast cave system stared back at him. He had no idea what exactly awaited inside. Perhaps he should find out some another time… head back?
Despite the nagging in his head telling him to turn around, the canid pressed on. The sun's light vanished behind him, revealing the sparkle of luminescent gems decorating the cave walls. Instantly, those thoughts begging him to turn around were silenced. He stared in awe for a moment before flittering his wings to get high enough to touch one with his nose. The azure glow it emitted matched his own gaze, and everything in his being told him now to snatch it… but how?
He’d push on the crystal, but it was well embedded into the rock and didn’t seem to budge. Frustrated, Eon decided to kick it with his back legs full force. A chip broke off, breaking the silence as it smashed against the cave floor. “Shit.”
He’d land down beside it. How could such a small chip create a noise that echoed so loudly? He hoped the noise hadn’t given away his location; the last thing he wanted now was trouble… He’d wince as a loud ‘hello?’ responded. “Shit… shit,” he’d mutter softly. If he hadn’t already been spotted, he sure would be soon. His glowing pelt radiated throughout the darkness. Perhaps he could use magic to turn himself invisible…
“I’m here,” he’d call out, again ignoring the thoughts that nagged inside his brain. There could be an enemy lurking in the shadows - or - there could be a new friendly face he could persuade to join the kingdom. As if he wasn’t bright enough already, Eon would use his light magic to create a bright wisp, allowing him to peer further into the cave.
It wasn't long before luminescent figure cut through the darkness of the caverns and called back out to the she wolf. It was followed by a glowing small orb that floated through the darkness, illuminating even more of the cavern. Helix took a step closer. "Oh." She stated simply, calmly. "Who are you?" She asked curiously, tilting her head slightly again. "I'm Helix. Helix Blackheath." She told her politely with a soft smile on her lips. Her voice was quiet, friendly, despite her large and intimidating appearance. She moved closer to the floating orb, observing it closely. She reached out and booped it with her nose, her smile twisting to a puplike grin. She stepped back from the orb and looked closely at the strange wolf before her. They were colored like the sky. Radiant like the sun. She found them quiet pretty. She waited patiently for answer form the wolf.
Strangely, the size of the much larger wolf before him didn’t phase him. He was used to being smaller than those he met and had gotten used to such. He could use it to his advantage. It meant he was quick and agile and could hide in small crevices where larger animals couldn’t fit. He assumed these caverns offered many such places. Though this wolf seemed friendly enough, he’d make a mental note of any such areas he could escape to, just in case.
“It's nice to meet you, Helix.” He watched as the larger wolf gently bumped his orb with her snout. Any lingering fears were washed away. She clearly had no ill intentions. Like him, she seemed more curious than anything. “My name is Eon,” he’d reply with friendly a bark. “I come from a kingdom not far from here, and I just came to scout the surrounding lands; what about yourself? What brings you to these caves?” He’d inquire.
"Nice to meet you too, Eon." Helix smiled softly. In the back of her mind, she was wondering if she was coming off weird in any way. Was she speaking odd? Coming off as not genuine? Anxiety filled her mind briefly before she banished it away with a shake of her head. She swallowed quietly, trying to force any lingering anxiety down. She could also swear she forgot what it was like to wolf sometimes. She refocused on Eon, catching what he was saying last minute. "Oh ok!" She felt her tail wag softly. "I'm just wandering. I don't really have a kingdom to go to. Plus, I like caves." She replied honestly, giving a briefly look around the caverns. They were comfortable enough. "What kingdom are you from?" She asked curiously, tilting her head once more. It seemed to be habitual motion for her to do, more than other wolves.
Eon mimicked the same smile on Helix’s face, giving a quick nod to indicate he was listening. “Ah, I do like caves too.” They might of restricted the amount of flying he could do within their walls, but they offered him other advantages—small crevices to hide in, shelter from bad weather, lots of hidden treasures… He was happy to have found this place. He would have to tell others about it when he got home, maybe grab a group to head back this way to mine some of those glimmering crystals. Even now, he found it hard to keep his gaze off them and concentrate on Helix.
His smile widened as she inquired about his kingdom. Home… it also felt good to have a home finally, after all the moons upon moons of traveling. “I come from Duskorna,” he spoke, a hint of pride behind his voice. “We recently came here from another land and plan to build the kingdom in honor of the goddess Tsillah."
There it was, right on queue. That flittering in his stomach every time he spoke the goddess's name or thought of her… what could it mean? He couldn’t tell if the feeling was comforting or nerve-wracking. Never mind, it wasn’t worth dwelling on that now, not when he was here with a stranger. Helix would have no insight on the matter. If he wanted answers, he would have to seek out someone else.
His eyes flickered back upwards, climbing the cave walls and gazing at the colorful, glowing crystals that flickered like night sky stars. “Say…” he began to ponder an idea for a moment. Perhaps he didn’t need to return to his kingdom to start mining this place. He had a friendly companion right here in front of him, and there were plenty of treasures to go around. “Would you like to help me mine some of these crystals?” he’d ask. “They seem to be calling my name, and I’d love the company.” He could then return his findings as proof of what these caves held. If more members from his kingdom wanted to return, he would be more than happy to lead the way and explore these caverns a second time.
"Duskorna..." Helix mumbled outloud, committing the name to memory. And a Goddess, Tsillah. "That's cool." She chirped as she looked around the caverns. It seemed the smaller wolf was also captivated by the crystals that grew and stuck out the cavern walls. "I've worshipped a few gods here and there, but none have ever stuck." She confessed with a shrug of her shoulders. She seemed to have a semi bad luck with religion. It never seemed to give back what she put in. When Eon asked if she wanted to help him mine some of the crystals, she perked up. "Sure! I don't mind to help." She said as she started looking for a good place to begin. "How big of crystals do you want?" She asked curiously as she looked around. She could easily dig out some of the smaller crystallites, but the larger ones would require some type of tools. "Any specific-colored ones?" She asked again, wanting to make sure she got the job done right. She didn't mind helping others; it gave her something to do. It helped keep the voices at bay and grounded her a little bit, so she wasn't stuck in her mind so much.
Eons ears perked at Helix’s response. No gods ever sticking sounded familiar. He had never been interested in religion, even repulsed by the idea, but Tsillah felt different. The idea fluttered in his mind that he might converse with Enya to learn more about the goddess. Still, he felt the fluttering in his gut. He did his best to push it to the back of his brain and distract himself with the task at hand. Mining.
When Helix asked about the size and color he wanted, he seemed to be snapped back to reality. Whatever the weird anxiety was had faded. He looked down at the pouch he carried. It wasn’t very big. Gesturing to it, he’d respond. “Any colors, but they need to fit in here” He wanted to get a mix of different gems. Each color gave off a different vibration, and the thought crossed his mind that he could use them for talismans. The idea of gems radiating magic energy would have sounded silly to him just a few moons ago, but now he was intrigued by the idea.
He began to imagine what else he would need to make the talismans. He would need some metal to hold the crystals together and some wire so they would be wearable. Where would he be able to find those materials? Maybe he would need to explore more territories. Realizing he had been so caught up in his thoughts, Eon would begin digging up some crystals himself. He began to dig up a pink one, then a purple one, and add them to his bag. Looking back towards Helix, he'd begin to speak, hoping to keep the conversation going. "I've never seen gems before that glowed like this, have you?
Helix's paws churned at the dirt and crust of the caverns as she began harvesting crystals from the caverns. She paused to look at the bag that Eon said the crystals had to fit in. "Got it." She told him before going right back to work. She dug until the faint glow of orange hit her line of sight. An orange crystal! She dug feverishly, trying to free the crystal until it was successfully dislodged from the ground. She blew on it, blowing off the dust and residue dirt. She rolled over to Eon with her nose. "Is this ok?" She asked, tilting her horned head. Then she heard his question. She shook her head. "No, I haven't." She told him honestly. "They're pretty cool." Her lips pulled back into a brief grin before folding back down into her more neutral facial expression. "I'll keep digging." She excused herself, turning and going back to her excavation site. She began digging once more before her paws found themselves touching a brighter, redder colored gem this time. She dug and dug until the crystal was free and rolled over towards Eon once more. "How many have you gotten so far?" She asked curiously.
The caves were eerily silent except for the two canines' chatter and the rustle of the nearby water. The silence, however, would not last as a strange screeching came echoing from further within. Just moments later, a swarm of bats came hurling toward the pair. Their eyes glistened in the low light, and their wings flapped frantically, propelling them toward the cave's exit at high speeds. It seemed never-ending as more and more bats came from the depths. It seemed they were spooked by something, but looking deeper into the caves revealed only darkness.
