Lost in Forever

@Kalvin

After travelling south and then looping her way back north again, Keyni turned west, inching closer to the coast. While she had indeed met up with other wolves in the mountainous region, she remained a wanderer. Unattached. She was never one to rush any of her decisions. And why should she? With so many options before her, she was free to do as she pleased. She wasn't even sure if she was quite ready to settle down with a pack or a group just yet. A large part of her still felt it prudent to comb more of the land and sort through its residents first. Then, she would decide.

A long but productive day of traveling found the sun at the Tundrian's back. Hunger had driven her to hunt in the late hours of the afternoon. Clutched between lightly stained ivory jaws were the fruits of her labors. A fat rabbit, whose brown coat was just starting to transition to white, in preparation for the winter ahead. It would get her by for another day.

Unwilling to chance being harassed by greedy scavengers such as coyotes, she spent the next hour in search of a suitable place to dine in peace. By chance, she came upon the gleaming entrance to the tunnels, momentarily mesmerized by the blue glow from within. Shaking her head to clear the spell, she stepped inside, cautiously. Gleaming jade eyes darted to each side, surveying the immediate area before deeming it safe whether or not to proceed.
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^^The best way to get his mind off the things that were bothering him was to run. He liked to run, and he was good at running. So he ran until there was something to chase, and then he’d pounced on it and went to play with it like he always used to play with things back at home.

Only this time, he had the weight of an adult, and teeth that were larger and more powerful. The little rabbit had squeaked once and then fell still, but Kalvin hadn’t noticed, because he was shaking the thing in his mouth with a playful growl.

And then there was the taste of blood in his mouth, and Kalvin wasn’t sure what it was, or what to do about it, but when he spotted the grotto - and it’s beautiful colors, Kalvin couldn’t help but to get distracted and decided that he’d go on an adventure with his new friend, the dead rabbit.

He had no idea that he wasn’t alone or that he'd killed the rabbit that he was holding.

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Deeming it safe to enter further, Keyni edged inwards on soft paws. Her breathing was muffled by the clumps of mottled brown and white fur in her mouth. The limp body of the rabbit was still warm, but here in these icy chambers, that would not last long. Pausing only a little ways from the mouth, far enough so she could still catch a glimpse of the outside world, she lounged down to relax.

Releasing her hold from what was to be her small dinner, she looked up, contemplating the crisp evening and the hours to come. A noise outside made her stop before she could take a bite. The sound of paws against the snow. She wasn't alone. Far from alarmed but cautious, the Tundrian got up to make herself known. The shape of another adult wolf zipped past, beyond the tunnels. They seemed...playful? A soft brow rose curiously. She chuffed to them, a harmless noise.
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^^The boy didn’t quite know where he was, but it was very pretty! It made him think of his mother, and how much he missed her. He whined softly, ears falling backward as he explored the caves, or whatever this place truly was.

He wasn’t alone, though Kalvin was blind to this. He did not take notice of his surroundings, or notice the sounds around him. He paid no mind to the other female, and was much too curious about these tunnels to even glance into her direction.

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Her soft ears flitted back, brows pinching slightly as she watched the wolf move past. Had he not heard her, or seen her? She was going to let him approach on his own accord, but it was apparent that wasn't going to happen tonight. Clearing her throat softly, leaving her rabbit behind on a small rock, she turned to follow him further in through the tunnels.

She spoke up, in a soft voice so as not to startle him. "It is an amazing place isn't it? Quite mystifying." She remarked, green eyes trailing up towards the ceiling. Her dark tail tip twitched with some anxiousness, but that was it. Even with plenty of space between them, Keyni remained guarded until she could get a better read of his personality.
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^^He could live here forever, in this labyrinth of pretty colors and tunnels. Perhaps one day, his mother would come upon them and he would finally be reunited with her. Oh, what a dream. He sat down, to release his rabbit friend, placing the rabbit down and giving it a nudge.

Only, the rabbit was dead and instead of hoping away, it fell over. His ears flickered forward and then back, head tilting as his brows came together. He didn’t understand. Was it tired, and in need of nap nap?

And then a voice! Could rabbits talk? He blinked a few times, giving the rabbit another nudge. Nothing. How.. how strange! And then he glanced up with large eyes and found another here. “D-did you hear that?” He whispered softly, blinking down at the rabbit with the tilt of his head.

Never once did it occur to him that it had been her that spoke and not actually a dead rabbit.

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Ah, now she got it. The fellow seemed to be under the impression that his catch, as well as hers, had been the one's that spoke. Briefly, her eyes landed on the dual scars on his head. She wondered if he was suffering any sort of trauma from whatever had caused those injuries. Keyni took in a slow breath, but it was by no means an exasperated one. Kalvin was lucky. He was in the presence of one extraordinarily patient wolf. "No. I am afraid it was neither of them."

"Here." She clarified, moving with purpose ahead of him. She circled, planting herself directly in his view. Giving him no other choice but to see her. Her shoulder muscles tensed briefly. He was an unknown, still. In case he went for her, she edged back a few feet. "I'm afraid those rabbits won't make for very good company as they are..."
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^^Perhaps if Kalvin had been anything but what he was right now, he would have noticed that the woman’s voice matched the voice of the rabbits, or that the rabbits were dead and could not talk to him.

He glanced from the rather patient lady, back to the rabbits, then back towards her as she moved in front of him for some reason. He blinked at her as his brows came together, and Kalvin sat back to watch his very still little rabbit.

It had been neither of them? No, Kalvin was certain that they had spoken to him, but she thought they wouldn’t make good company? He blinked up at her with curious, innocent eyes. “...they won’t make good company? Why not?”

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Inside, as much as she would like to try and wrap her mind around the reason why he seemed so confused, that would have to be put on hold. For now, Keyni felt it a little more important to try and get him to understand. Her eyes fell to the rabbit at their paws. "They can't." She began softly. For emphasis, she placed one silvery white paw gently atop the ribcage of the rabbit. She nodded once, slightly. Encouraging him to do the same.

"They're dead. See how his side no longer moves. How even now, the warmth is slipping from his body." Slowly, she slipped her paw away. It was replaced with the gentle touch of her nose along the frail neck. There she gently parted the fur, to expose the teeth marks. She looked up at the nameless wolf again, to see if he understood what she had shown him.
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^^The boy watched the silver woman with big, curious eyes; eyes that would have filled with tears of extreme sadness if he had been human. She was able to touch the rabbits, and they did not move; Kalvin remembered how hard he had to work to catch his rabbit friend.

She wanted him to touch their cold, stiff body, and she made mention that they were not breathing; they were cold. No warmth, or rather, the warmth was slipping from their body. And the dead could not talk. And then, she showed him the teeth marks in the neck of the rabbit and Kalvin couldn’t help himself.

He whimpered and took several steps back. They were dead. One killed by her; one killed by him. Oh no! He was a killer! “I… I.. didn’t..mean to.. we.. I- I'ma.. I’m a killer??” Kalvin whined and whimpered, eyes large and quivering, and while he could not cry like a human, he threw his head back and cried in the only way he knew how to.

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As the realization set in, slowly creeping onto the grown boys face, Keyni sat before him, silent. Watching, absorbing and listening. The look on her soft features was not cold or indifferent. Rather, it was etched with a soft understanding. Acceptance of the truth. But then, as he broke down, moving back and cried out his anguish, she couldn't help herself. Brows pinching worriedly, regret and concern washing over her, she stepped closer.

Circling to his side, she brushed her shoulder against his, in an attempt to soothe. "I can tell you did not mean to kill him..." She gestured slightly to the rabbit, who would never again breathe life. She frowned softly, dark tipped ears pivoting back. "But I will not lie to you. It is in our nature, who we are as a species. In order for us to thrive, others must sacrifice their lives." She nudged him under the chin, a gesture to try and lift his spirit. She was no longer quite as on guard with him, now. He seemed quite harmless, in fact. "It is not good or bad. Just the way it has always been." Her soft voice was low, thick with acceptance and wisdom beyond her years. Rich with an understanding that he was lacking.
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^^Kalvin cried until there was a touch on his shoulder, and he blinked towards her with the tilt of his head. He did not understand why she would be so calm about this. And then, she explained it to him; that they were all killers, as it was the way of life. It didn’t quite make sense to him, how she could be okay with killing others, or why they would be okay with the sacrifice -- whatever that was.

She lifted his chin and Kalvin blinked up at her as a boy might look to their mother. “And you’re okay with this? With being a killer, knowing that everyone you know is also a killer? What’s to stop your friends and family from killing you, then?” What’s to stop anyone?

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The Tundrian sighed now, soft brows pinching together. Not so much in frustration, but as in how to go about explaining the matter to the distraught wolf. She looked away, to one side, thinking quietly. "When we are born into this world, we don't have a choice, as wolves." She began. "Our bodies cannot thrive on plants or fruits alone. We need meat to survive."

She looked back at him again, finally. "Just because we kill our food for nourishment does not mean we are mindless killers. I for one, respect them, for giving their lives. Without them, we could not live. It is an endless cycle we are both caught up in." Now, how to explain to him about friends and family. For Keyni, it was simple enough. "Our allies, our loved ones, or kin...it is not our way to turn against one another. Only in extreme, rare circumstances in times of conflict or war. Those of a stable mind would only do that as a last resort, or were it justified. Further, those who are truly family and care for us would never turn on us in that way. We are more valuable than that."
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^^Kalvin was a child. A very easily distracted child with a very short attention span. He simply didn’t have it in him to sit still and listen to all of that. Well, that, and he still felt very bad, and embarrassed that he’d cried in front of a total stranger.

It didn’t make sense how or why he’d kill to eat, but eating other wolves was bad? His ears flattened, and he shook his head. No, he didn’t like this at all. He huffed and got up and stormed out of the cave. “No, no, no.. ”

Exit kalvin unless stopped

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