running from something deep inside

One moment, they were asleep after Golde had found his temporary den at the Northfall tournament. They had...slept close, gold and charcoal fur intermingling as he sought to keep her from roaming off again and getting herself into trouble. Protecting her would be a much more difficult task with his wounded leg, so he would protect her by keeping her close to him. 

In the morning when he awoke, Hexx slowly unraveled himself from her; from where his nose was tucked into the sunshine of her fur awkwardly and stiffly as the realization of their proximity made his stomach do foreign flips ─ maybe he was sick. Silver eyes blinked as his gaze immediately latched onto the world beyond the den and realizing immediately that this was not Northfall. It was not snow that clung to the trees and the distant mountains could not be seen even from this angle they should have been. The towering giants that they were. 

The man unfurled slowly, trying not to wake her a new focus drawing him from how he felt ─ he was thankful for the distraction. He moved to the dens entrance still limping on a wounded hock, blinking at the unfamiliar scape. They were on a rocky forested ledge, and he could hear the sounds of the waves crashing on the rocks in the distance. He tried to grasp this reality as a single ear turned backwards, “Golde” he rumbled, a poor attempt to stir her but maybe she had already begun to wake with his absence. 

@Golde

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Fermented berries clouding her mind, Golde slept so deeply that it appeared as though she'd left a young corpse. The undulating flank beneath the blanket of blonde spoke otherwise.

The den was warm with the bodies of her and Hexx both. His broad frame shielded her away from the boisterous winds, filling her frame with warmth and comfort. Yet, at one point or another, the barrier had departed, leaving her bare against the cold wind that whisked into the den. 

A soft groan rumbled in her throat, her ears twisting back and pinning against her nape. Her body twisted and a shudder trickled down her spine against the cold that filled the air. 

'Golde.'

Whatever slumber remained was torn away by the sonorous call, and the woman raised her head with a grunt. “Hexx?” Her timbre was rasped with fatigue. “Was ist los? — What's going on?” She rose onto her feet and shook away the drowsy haze, whipping her head back to smooth out the ruffled fur along her back.

Something was off. The scents of the wolves at the Tourney had all disappeared. The frigidity of alpine winter was gone, replaced with something more tepid. Immediately, she was terse. “Where are we?” She approached behind him cautiously, gazing out the entrance of the den.

The wasteland of pure porcelain was gone. Replaced by a hill of towering conifers, accompanied by the scent of seawater and the rolling sound of tidal waves. This was not Northfall. This was not Mythris. Golde's eyes narrowed. Her hackles began to raise.

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“Hexx?” a distant beckon from within the den, but the soldier stayed stock still as he gaze out into the unknown. Her voice suggested the plague her previous nights ventures had put on her and it made him stiffen a bit more. He was injured and she still affected by last night and now they were in an unfamiliar place; more than likely alone.

It was not completely impossible Dawnbreak had been transported here as well, but he couldn't hold onto such a feeble hope. Thoughts drifted to Tiberii, one of the only friends next to Golde he had made in a lifetime. The idea of never seeing her again made his chest tighten and ache. But he couldn't linger on that now. 

“Was ist los?” his gaze flitted over his shoulder as his companion climbed to her feet. “Where are we?” both dark ears pitched back. “I don't know; far from home I bet” he rumbled blankly. “How are you feeling?” he mused, silver eyes inspecting her; she appeared well enough and more alert as she came to realize their predicament. 

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'Far from home, I bet.' Her breath hitched. Golde gingerly crawled out from the as if it were a young whelp's first emergence. 'How are you feeling?' Really, how could she feel? She was lost. Her cohorts had been ousted from her grasp, and they were alone again. “I'm... fine.” Whatever tipsiness was there prior was gone. At least Hexx was still here. Golde let out a quiet huff.

Her nose twitched against the air, yet there was nothing. “The others...” she trailed off. Whatever phrase could come after those words, she couldn't bear it. 'They're gone. That, or we're gone.' Another few steps forward, and she halted. “...we should find something to eat.” 

Soft hazel eyes drifted over the landscape. Yet, there was nothing familiar, as if she'd been dropped into a foreign planet. Her brows furrowed together. How ironic. The sensation of deja vu was infuriating.

Acutely aware that Hexx remained injured, Golde took the lead with a small wave of her tail, inviting him to follow.
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He wasn't expecting her to be fine...not anything more than physically at least. “I'm... fine.”  it was followed by a dissatisfied huff. And he didn't have to say what they were both thinking, Tiberii, Aurelia, Solvi, Nottin... “The others...”  he didn't want to tell her that they could be here, because frankly he didn't know. And he didn't think the odds were in their favor. “I'm not going to leave you” not unless some unseen force ripped him from her. He had still made a promise to Golde. It was one he'd take to his grave. 

There was of course the idea too that this was some sick dream and they'd wake up back in Mythris. But he didn't think he was asleep either, his body felt alive, the pain in his hock throbbed and he didn't assume he would be feeling pain or hunger if he were dreaming.

He watched her move forward, then stop. “...we should find something to eat.”  he nodded, the distraction would be good. Keep them from dwelling too much on things they couldn't control. Hexx followed in tow, determined to aid even if it meant agitating his injury. 

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Golde's lips turned into a slight frown. “...you need to rest,” she pointed out, glancing at his injured limb, “trust me, I'll be fine.” Her pink nose gently nudged his cheek.

Her head lowered, nose hovering over the ground and twitching at the scents. The smell of coastal waters was overwhelming—something entirely unfamiliar to Golde. She moseyed forward with her tail coiled high over her hips, an innate habit that she'd already given up shedding.

The wolfdog continued, eventually coming to a halt. She turned to see if her companion followed—and while the rational part of her brain wanted nothing more than for him to remain at rest, deep down, alone was the last thing she wanted to be. Her ears fell against her skull and she turned forward with a small huff.

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