[Akida]

(Hollow) and Xa' Quaen

"Come along Hollow. Akida said we'd learn alot from this place."
The Temple Hollowheart only grunted and dived into the entrance of the caverns. The Xing Yun followed behind him. Their eyes adjusted to the darkening surroundings quickly. Hollow's makings glowed in the dark and Xa' Quaen's little baubles gave off their own dim glows also. The pair landed at the bottom of the large cavern. They paused and looked around at the different sections they could explore.

It was Hollow who chose an entrance.
"How about over there? There's some sort of symbol on the wall."
"Good choice there buddy."
Xa'Quaen walked slowly, taking all the sights and taking notes of where they had been already.

[7][8]

[Akida]

The Hollowheart walked a few paces ahead of his companion. They were somewhat like close friends. The Xing Yun was the only one who could give the Hollowheart a nickname and get away with it, even if he himself did not like it..
"So.. how long do you think we've been walking?"
"Quite a while. I haven't seen anything that could probably teach us anything..
..and nothing to lead me to my one true name...
"Are you sure? You can be a fool at times.
He grinned slyly at the hollowheart as he recieved a blank glare and silence.
Hollow only snorted and continued on in silence.

[8][9]

[HunnyBun]

(can I join???)

[center]
Temple Draculi

Torn


Trail

Torn walked next to the giant structure that was Trail. Why was it again that they were here? Oh yeah, their owner sent them out to look for Akail. Torn really didn't want to, but Trail talked him into it.

"Do we really have to do this?" Torn asked, looking to Trail.

"Yes Torn, you will also learn a thing or to while we're here." He answered.

The caverns were huge, they may never find anything. Torn didn't want to be here. He wanted to be home, in his room, on his bed. But he couldn't and he was here, so he just sucked it up and walked on.

[SweetDisaster]

Back here again. Rilari chewed on her lower lip, leaning against the entrance of the Caverns. She had chosen to come in an anthro form; her ears flicked uneasily. She had to thank the Caverns for several things, so she wasn't sure why she was so uneasy. Rilari sighed, running her hands through her hair. Where was the entrance she had chosen last time? Ah, here it was. It seemed to be the shortest way to the center, but she couldn't be sure, never having explored the entire Criass Caverns before.

The Lucain-anthro sighed, pushing herself from her position against the wall and ducking as she entered. Claustrophobia choked her momentarily, but the size of the Caverns soon reassured her. The sounds of dripping water seemed to be odd to her. Rilari frowned, her eyebrows knitting together in surprise. Oh--voices! Of course.

Rilari flicked her tail irritably. Was she really in the mood for people? Sure. Why not? She trotted along quietly until the source of voices became apparent: A Hollowheart and a Xing Yun. Large creatures, to be in a cavern. For them it was probably small. A small smile flickered across Rilari's face.

She was in a happy mood right now, what with the lack of claustrophobia and with the wonder of the Caverns. "Hello," she said steadily, stepping towards them so the shadows didn't cover her entirely. "What brings you to the Caverns?"

{6}

[HunnyBun]

Torn looked at the gigantic hole in the wall that Trailn had chose out of all the different ones. His fur stood on ends as he peered into the blackness. A sorta moun escaped his throat.

"Oh, come on now." Trail said, trying to cheer him up.

Trail walked into the caverns, and after a moment, Torn followed after. This place was huge, they were never going top find anything. Why even try? As the two walked on, Torn started to hear some. It sounded like people walking, and some voices. He pricked his ears up as they seemed to get louder.

Trail stopped, they were in a big open area, with four different directions to go.

"Which one?" Trail said to himself.

Torn ran up to one.

"This way!" He shouted.

The voices were coming from this one, he wanted to see what they were. He ran fast, so fast that Trail couldn't keep up.

"Slow down." Trail yelled to him.

Torn looked back to see how far Trail was. When bump, he had ran into someone else. He backed up to see a female Lucain-anthro.

"Oh! S-sorry...." He apologized nerviously.

[Akida]

Hollow and Xa'Quaen both turned at the same time. Xa'Quaen only twisting his neck to see the stranger, and Hollow fully turning around. Xa'Quaen's whiskers twitched and told him the story of this stranger which came from the shadows.
"Well it seems we have some company Hollow."
The Hollowheart grunted before deciding to say something. He bowed his head as he finally greeted the Lucain.
"Hello  to you, too stranger. We have come in search of knowledge and maybe these creatures called Akail."
He turned and continued his slow pace through the maze that was Craiss Caverns.
"Would you like..."
He cut the question short when he heard a voice calling out just before a Temple Draculi bumped into the Lucain. He tilted his head some, like the manner of a dog.
"Well hello there."
At this point, even though he was walking slowly, Hollow had put quite some distance between himself and the others.

[9][10]

[SweetDisaster]

Rilari flicked her ears impatiently as they seemed to debate about whether or not to acknowledge her existance. "Knowledge. I'm sure you can find that here; I've already found it. Akail, on the other hand...I'm here looking for them as well. Do they exist? I'm not sure." She turned towards the other as he began to speak.

And then something hit her hard. Spinning, Rilari hissed in annoyance. "What the...?" She bit back her sharp response to his apology. Did the Draculi think that sorry could make it all go away? Pfft. Pinning her ears back, she growled slightly. "Watch where you're walking, can't you?" she spat. "I didn't come to the Caverns to be knocked over by a blind cat." The Lucain-anthro sighed, and her mood swing put her subject to yet another difference.

"Sorry I snapped," she said sheepishly. "You startled me, and I...I don't like being bumped into. I'm Rilari. You are?" She turned her head slightly, raising her eyes to include the other two in the question as well.

{7}

[HunnyBun]

Torn, by the harsh tone the Lucain used, also pinned hhis ears back and drooped his head. He didn't like being yelled at.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry." Said Trail, walking up to the group. "He didn't mean to bump into you, we were walking in the caverns and I guess he must have gotten excited." He finished, patting Torn on the head. "Oh, and I am Trail, also, this is Torn." He answered her question and pointing to Torn.

Torn ran behind one of Trails massive horns that grew from his body. The Lucain had scared him. The glow from the Temple marking on his body faded a little as he was upset by this.

[Akida]

Xa'Quaen bowed his head quickly and apologized.
"Oh, forgive my rudeness. I am known as Xa'Quaen. Let us continue walking as we talk before my companion separates himself from the rest of us."
The Xing Yun did not introduce Hollow because he knew his companion would not like to be called by a name he did not deem worthy.

The Hollowheart had already managed a vast amount of space between himself and the group. His bright glowing runes seemed dim because of the distance. He was usually kind toward all, but he needed to find what he sought.. Not Akail.. but knowledge that will lead to his true name. The runes upon the walls of the cave seemed to glow as he passed.

[10][11]

[HunnyBun]

Torn looked past one of Trails horns to see Xa' Quaen walking away.

"Trail, should we follow him?" He asked, still hiding from the Lucain.

Trail nodded to his question. Then waving his arm to the Lucain.

"After you, m'lady." He said politly, smiling to her. He then looked towards  Xa' Quaen. "Will it be alright if we joined your group?" He asked, not wanting to intrude.

[SweetDisaster]

Xa'Quaen, Torn, and Trail. Strange names, rather, but nice. Or, to put it more precisely, not bad. And did the Hollowheart not have a name? His companion hadn't introduced him as anything more than 'my companion.' Which was an accurate description, of course, but still...Rilari cocked her head, considering briefly. Well, maybe he was ashamed of his name. Some people were, like a Lucain named Fluffy or Furball. She couldn't blame them.

Rilari pulled from her thoughts in time to see Trail speaking to her. M'lady. M'lady? Well, maybe. She was the only female here and she wasn't exactly a shy, modest, demure type. But it was a false title. "Please, my name's Rilari." She smiled, inclining her head slightly at the huge creature. It was nice to be regarded highly, anyway.

She bit her lip when she realized that Torn was still hiding from her. Well, if he wanted to be scared of her, there was nothing she could do to help that. There was no way that she was going to play the maternal, sweet, have-a-cookie type of female Lucain. Just absolutely NO WAY. Rilari shrugged, and ran after both Xa'Quaen and the purportedly nameless Hollowheart.

[HunnyBun]

Trail nodded as he had waited for the Lucain to go ahead, and for him to take the rear. Once that had been accomplished, he started after them. Torn jumped onto his bumpy back instead of walking by his self this time.

"Are all of you here to look for a Akail?" Trail asked, hopping someonne heard him. "And have any of you been here before?" he also asked, wanting to become more friendly with his new companions.

Trail didn't go as fast as thhe other because he still didn't get an answer from Xa'Quaen about if they were allowed to join. And he did not want to intrude. And if they were to say they couldn't join, he would then turn off on the nearest path. So he just seemed to lazily walk through the path.

[SweetDisaster]

Quite suddenly remembering Trail's last question, which hadn't been directed at her, Rilari grimly said, "I wasn't aware there was a 'group,' actually. The Caverns are free to all, and if the paths that you take happen to be the paths that I, or Xa'Quaen and his companion take, I don't see how that's illegal. That's all." She shrugged, and then went on, "I'm here for an Akail. I was actually here before, yes, but that time..." She hesitated, unsure if she wanted to tell anybody, much less a virtual stranger, what had happened that time.

She hadn't even told Sweet, only murmured indistinctly that she hadn't found any Akail in the Caverns and then ran. Rilari wrapped her arms around herself, hugging herself slightly as if from the cold. Her tails twitched in thought. Well, a virtual stranger might be more open to suggestions than one of her friends who knew her well, right? She shrugged.

"Last time I was here, I found myself," she said abruptly, and didn't elaborate. If they wanted something more, they'd have to ask her. Rilari wasn't going to force any information on anyone, especially if she didn't know them that well.

"I suppose your owners sent you all here?" she added heavily. "Bothersome, aren't they?" Flicking back her ears, Rilari bit her tongue, stopping the words she wanted to say: That Sweet was obsessed with getting her arranged with male Lucain to meet and produce pups with. As if she wanted to so much as look at any male, much less become a mother. But these creatures probably didn't know about that kind of stuff. Unless Rilari was mistaken, it didn't happen to them. Lucky.

{9}

[HunnyBun]

Trail had been nodding to the whole time Rilari had spoke. He agreed and understood it all. But when she talked about her last time here, thats when he became more open to what had all happened. But if she didn't want to finish it, then that was her right to not tell.

"Yes, we were sent here by our owner." He said, answering her question. "But I do not have anger towards her, if she wants us to explore these parts, them I'm willing. But I do not feel that our owner is bothersome. yes, others might be, but I feel ours is right for us." He finished.

He had now walked closer to the other, after what Rilari had kinda said in a way that he was allowed to.

"And since you have experiance, may I ask, is hunting for the Akail a hard and treterous one?" He then asked, wanting some insight.

[SweetDisaster]

]((Since Akida's like, stopped posting, I guess this is over? I'll draw Rilari out. =[))

Rilari shrugged. "Not hard," she replied. "If you can tunnel through stone and figure out exactly where in Evelon the Akail are." She shrugged, grinning, a slightly sarcastic touch on the smile. "Anyway, I think I'll probably head back." She glanced at the ceiling, biting her lip as she remembered that one couldn't see the sun in the Caverns. "I've been away just long enough to get away with it."

She turned, slipping back into her natural Lucain form, and exposed her teeth in something vaguely like a smile. "Well, then. Good-bye." She almost bolted for the light, a new sense of claustrophobia coming on. Seriously, it seemed to grow when she was a Lucain, and when she was in a hurry to leave. That was bad. Very bad. A headache throbbed at her temples as Rilari pushed her way out of the cave.

{10}