Slippery Shadows

This was his first time being alone outside of the time he spent in his own home realm; with so many fellow bonded it was always easy to find company. There were some who were even willing to dare the active storm he lived in, following him with hardly a wince into his own lands.

This time, however, he found himself short on company. It was of course beyond easy to trot over to any bond-mate and pitch the idea of exploring hidden caverns back in their birthlands... He simply hadn't bothered this time. And nobody had run across him on his way here.

So Hybrid was alone as he reached the mouth of the cave and alone as he slid into the underground haven of darkness. The sparks of lightning that flashed off his muzzle glittered on the wet walls and, occasionally, revealed a hidden gem gleaming nearby. Salt crystals, probably.

He knew so little about the dark and none he knew would speak of it. It intrigued him; and to be honest, he wanted to understand all the elements of the alters. This one held a special interest for him, of course, but it was more than that. Lightning, storms were an active part of him. He explored the element of his alter because it was a living gift within him, but there was so much more to see... Even if he could never do more than see.

Earth he could explore by visiting bond-mates; as well as burning sands or freezing winds, cutting sun or gentle sea. He could observe all he wanted with many kinds of alters and elements, could learn and expand himself in almost countless ways.

Darkness, so far, was not one of them. And as this was more than a simple bit of restless wandering, it simply seemed right that he enter the cavern alone.

Taking a deep breath, he allowed his spark to flicker and die; shadows deepened and consumed.

OOC| Since you likes! Is soo good to have 'em stompin around somewhere outside my head again

Everyone else had a stronghold. Shamrock had his meadows, Oak his deep forest grove, Avalanche his mountain of ice and snow... She on the other hand, she didn't have any specific place. No one knew exactly where she might be most likely to be found. Shadows shifted pretty much everywhere. But here they were at their deepest. Here the shadows didn't shift and move; there was so little opportunity for the sun to interfere.

There were perks to being of the shadows, of course. Whereas her bond brothers might stumble and have trouble finding their way through the murk, she saw things just slightly dimmed. Perhaps if her vision weren't good in the dark it would be exciting. Mysterious, perhaps scary, as everyone said they were. Shadows were her specialty, not much mystery to them.

Sauntering forwards to a branching of the tunnel, she decided to take the left path. One she'd not been down before. It smelled fresher, perhaps leading to a vent or an exit. It'd been a quiet day, everyone else busy doing something. High time she shake off the stale air and snap out of it. Who knew what surprises were to be found around the next bend, right?

OOC|
*shaaaaakes off*
*watches the rust fly an settle to the ground*
Oi! That stuff is sure caked on there!
>.<
*creaks an stretches stiff joints*
*taps the brain*
Gah! I even think there's a cobweb in there! *runs for q-tips*

OOC| *cracks up* Ye Gods, woman, I love you!

BIC| Well one thing was for sure; sight was not his strongest sense. He did notice that a few others perked up as his eyes struggled to adjust and make something out of the gloom, all the same. There was a smell in here, a faintly damp, earthy smell and something else as well. For the life of him he could only describe it as a lack of sunlight. The air had a slightly crisp quality that surprised him; there must be an opening somewhere to keep it from going completely stale. Still, the stillness was there, tasted with every breath.

And his hearing - was that hooves approaching? Intrigued, he turned and lifted one clawed leg, barely moving as he turned his face blindly towards where the sounds approached. Yes, that was certainly hooves he was hearing.

His eyes had adjust slightly; vaguely, from back where he had come, he could see a very dim lightening, make out a few vague shapes that could be some of the stalagmites he had passed. Up ahead and more towards the left seemed to be another hint of brightening into dimness, yet it wasn't to the extent of being able to actually make anything out; the black simply seemed to become more gray.

Looking around he realized he had options. Continue, either towards the dim relief... Or away from it, into deeper shadow.

Or retreat towards the sound of approach.

"Not to startle you," he said, choosing a compromise of the possibilities as his voice ground out like sizzling death, "But just so we don't go tripping one another, I'm down here as well."

He would find out what path this other would take; and decide his route based on that. But would he want to accompany them or branch off on his own? He had begun this venture alone, after all...

She was enjoying the clippity-clink her hooves were making on the textured surface of the cave floor. It was a delightful mix of sandy-like rubble against the rather unforgiving ground; some might say uncomfortably hard. But the minerals felt good, spiking her interest and giving her hooves a massage of different feelings... much as a meal with much variety might do for the tastebuds.

For a moment Fancy wondered at the colors and how they would appear in daylight. She could see enough to make out shapes just fine, see the dips in the path ahead, make out the walls and cave formations nearby. Colors, however, were asking a bit much aside from the occasional odd stripe of lighter color.

So much attention was paid to the echos of her own hooves ringing on the surface that she failed to notice someone else nearby until he chose to speak. Surprise trumped attention to detail, and all she could ascertain immediately was that the speaker was male. Curious, she thought. Curious indeed. Being torn over the pros and cons of companionship over the last day or two led her to deliberate over answering and finding the speaker versus slipping away and going a new direction. Companionship didn't sound all too bad right about now, though... Hmmm. Ho, hum. Let's see if this mysterious speaker even seeks company first.

"Surprised perhaps, yet not startled my good sir. If I am to avoid tripping you, perhaps you ought to tell me how to proceed. Shall I keep going in your direction or would you have me tread elsewhere?"

A sly grin tugged at her lips, halting her progress almost teasingly and waiting for a reply.

Fancy words for a mare; proper and respectful. Pretty voice, too, with something familiar to it.

This lack of proper sight was proving to be more intriguing than frustrating, so far, although he did find that he wished for a good view of whoever this gal was. Shrugging it off he turned and faced her a bit more fully, allowing his ears to detect the information his eyes couldn't.

"It seems that depends on where you'd like to go," he replied, a slight tease in his voice as his confidence surfaced. Without a chance to see he could not be seen, either, and so couldn't be bothered with that first startled look from his drastic appearance. "I was considering going deeper; if you'd like to find a way out, however, I might suggest going up yonder ways where it seems to brighten a bit."

With that, the shrug entered his voice as he turned back towards the paths with a light scraping of claws upon the hard floor and the sharp clip of a hoof. He decided to give up on eyesight; they were fully closed now. Eyes like his had no real place in the darkness.

"You know my path, Pretty, and you're welcome to share it. How deep you go is up to you."

Without waiting for an answer he started his journey again, letting the air currents brushing over his nose alert him to open spaces he could move through. At the juncture, however, he did pause, casting a glance back towards the softer grays... And waiting for a moment just within their reach to see where this other might deign to walk.

He could continue his explorations just as easily alone, and yet he was finding that he wasn't entirely opposed to having this stranger walk beside him. He wanted to try and see someone without his sight; how would the shadows affect how their company?

And there was something entirely all too familiar about her voice. Hadn't he dreamed of that very sound just this passed night? Or did it merely sound alike... For his dreams usually involved a very specific mare that had, also, managed to capture his curious interest.

This could be fun.

At this point she held her head up high, tilting her head slightly to make out the shape of the mysterious speaker. And as he turned towards her she heard her own rather quick intake of breath. Now that's an interesting turn of events. It took a small second for her to gather her wits back up and ready an answer for him. Deeper was fine with her. She was wandering, after all. She'd never really spent much time in these shadows with companions. There were usually fires or lights of some sort when she met her bondmates after dark.

Shadows could contort the truth, could turn the harmless into something to be feared. It planted and fostered doubt in one's mind and could make the beautiful twisted and ugly. In turn the sinister and foul could be masked and remain undetected. It certainly had the potential to make things exciting.

Before she could answer he continued, the confidence in his voice unmistakable, the shrug nearly tangible. What did he want then? For her to ask him pretty please? He simply started on without even waiting for an answer! Well then.

And then he paused. It could only be to wait for her. Her pride simmered down as she took it in hoof, getting it under control. No need to jump to conclusions here. Play nice with the other serians... Perhaps Coal was rubbing off on her. In compromise, she made no remark as she stepped forward slowly. Taking her time, perhaps. It was good to take your time though, when you were trouncing through caverns with little to no light that may very well have rocks or holes or other mysterious and possibly perilous things to step on.

As she drew even with him she halted again, twitching her tuft of a tail and awaiting further reaction.