Stormy Roads (Aello, and Alenias)

[Aello]

"No, that's alright Alenias," Aello replied. "Yune will come back when she finishes eating and playing with the other birds." There was a slight pause, "besides, you should stick close to the two of us. You wouldn't want to get lost out here on your own, now would you?" Aello inquired with a small smile. "Or miss out on exploring the cave Nex found, right? After all, there is bound to something interesting in those caves, an adventure to be had." As the word's left Aello's lips her eyes seemed to sparkle, perhaps she was really enjoying the notion of exploring a cave with two of her friends. As she finished speaking, Aello turned back to Nex, as though inviting him to start moving. After all, neither she or Alenias knew where they were going. "Whenever you are ready Nex, Alenias and I should be following close behind," Aello said, her smile widening. As soon as Nex started moving, Aello followed in silence. She kept her eyes mainly on the Kelvic's back, although from time to time, when they were traveling upon more even terrain, she would glance up at the trees, and the light that trickled down to earth from between the branches. Sometimes, she would spot a bird perching on one of their branches, taking a rest from their flight; their search for food, and a small shooting pain would shoot through her chest. Where is Yune? And why does Aello miss her far more than she should? It felt like the group had been walking for a long time before they finally reached Nex's cave. The young spiritist, having followed no more than a few feet behind Nex the entire time, stopped about a foot to his right. "Well would you look at that, a cave right outside the city's door..." Aello began, her voice trailing off as she tilted her head slightly to the side. "It seems as dark inside there as it is within the city streets, doesn't it? So fitting, really, instead of seeming out of place..." Aello's voice trailed off as she glanced into the darkness. Well this is going to be fun, she thought, as she took several steps closer to the cave, and then stopped at its mouth. She glanced over her shoulder, and with a mischievous grin, called to anyone who may still be too afraid to enter. "Well are you coming or not?" As soon as the words had left her lips, Aello turned her head back around, and walked deeper into the cave. Into the dark.

[Alenias]

Alenias nodded in response to Aello's words. If Aello said it was fine then it was fine. Yune was smart too, so she'd be fine with the other birds. Added up with the fear of losing Aello in the forest, and Aello's excitement to go the little Kelvic was more than happy to follow along behind Aello and Nex.

They walked in silence, Alenias' dark eyes going back and forth as she watched the various things they passed. Every now and again she would glance at Aello, to make sure the woman was alright, but she seemed to be fine.

Eventually they reached the steep rocky area, and Alenias carefully picked her way up to loose rocks. Not only making sure not to step on something that would hurt, as the rocks looked like they could cut her bare feet, but also to try and keep from making any noise as she stepped from one smooth piece of rock to another. Aello had said there might be bad things out here, and Alenias didn't want to draw their attention.

Finally they all stood in front of the cave, and Alenias nervously peered at the darkness it contained. It was like an alley that had been covered over and went into the ground. Curious what might be interesting within Alenias followed closely behind Aello as the woman made her way into the darkness.

[Nex Paciscor]

As Aello walked up in line with him, he turned back again facing the gaping cavernous mouth of the cave, and he took a deep breath. He couldn't help but feel a tingle of excitement as he imagined what might be inside the cave and his heart started to slowly beat harder in his chest. The sound of his pulse thrumming in his ears partially distorted Aello's words, and his vision seemed to detach itself from his body, the eyes of his mind probing deeper into the cave witnessing wondrous sights his imagination constructed in crystal clarity. His eyelids coming down eclipsed the vision, and his daydream broke right there, and he sighed as the image faded from his mind. Perhaps the cave would be all that and more he thought and a wry grin wound its way to his face. We shall see what tales this cave speaks of, even if only in a whisper

His eyes found Aello suddenly standing much farther in front of him. He almost stumbled as his reflexes came into action all at once, every fiber of his body pressing him to walk further and follow Aello. Recovering his balance from the slight miss communication with his legs, he worked his way after the pair of girls who had disappeared into the darkness. His hasty steps brought him completely into the darkness, and even his keen eyes had trouble seeing in the inky blackness that possessed the inside of the cave. " Aello? " he called out into the dark, his words breaking the silence in the depth of the cave. " Alenias? " he called again, his words spoken a bit louder this time, and a slight smile came to his face as he felt his eye's adjust to the low light within the cave. There we go, now I'm not completely blind he thought a bit upbeat. However he made the mistake of continuing to walk while his eyes where adjusting to the light, something he noticed when his foot met a relatively slick patch of rock, wet from the water trickling down from a underground spring that ran parallel to the caves walls.

With one less foot underneath him, he overbalanced and toppled face forward into a yawing opening that he hadn't noticed before, and he felt his stomach leap to his throat as he fell downwards, doing a complete flip before he met the ground. The wind knocked out of his chest as his back met solidly with the ground after falling twenty feet downwards into the pit where no light shone, and a shuddering racked Nex's frame as he tried to draw breath. Every time he tried to speak, it sent him into a wheezing fit of coughing forcing him to eventually stop trying until he had more breath in him. It felt like a eternity laying down in the dark hole, but finally after just simply staring into nothing, he felt like he had his breath about him, and he slowly raised up on his elbows, head turned upwards to see the slight images he could see beyond the opening, still graced with light from outside the cave, even if a bit faint. " I seemed to have fallen " he called out loudly and silently he hoped that they could hear him.

[Aello]

As Aello took a few steps deeper, into the mouth of the cave; she only found it growing darker and darker. Her eyes never seemed to adjust, to get used to the lack of sunlight. But how could this be? How could the darkness that lingers here effect a person's very being? A being who does not fear it? What may lurk here? Aello wondered, as she stopped dead in her tracks, waiting. Maybe it will simply take a little longer than usual simply because it is so dark here, no light reaches the inner portions. Maybe if we only wait another few seconds, we will be able to see. As Aello waited, she glanced around the cave walls, wondering how close her friends were, and if she would ever be able to see. His voice cut across her like a newly-sharpened blade. "Right here Nex," Aello called, as she glanced over her shoulder again. She could see him framed in the mouth of the cave. His body a large black blob, as the sun reached for him, trying to draw him back; trying to bathe him in light. It seemed to cast the edges of the man's body in a bright yellow glow, which reminded Aello of the auras she so often read. Yellows, so typical of Alenias, she thought with a small smile. "Just a few paces farther in," Aello called again, as she waited for him to try following her voice; determining just where she was. Aello thought she saw Nex lift one of his feet off the ground, so that he may head in her general direction. She smiled weakly, and then thud! "Nex, are you alright? Did you fall?" Aello called, her voice bouncing off the cave walls, growing weaker each time it did. Did you fall? Did you fall? Did... fall... Aello turned herself around, and glanced down at the rocky cave floor. She thought she could hear Nex groaning, or perhaps moving ever so slightly back and forth, trying to get himself up. But she could not see him; the light did not follow him anymore. "Nex," she whispered, as she took a step closer to the mouth of the cave, hoping that if he couldn't get himself up, she could go retrieve him. But it was so very difficult to see. Aello knew how slippery the floor had been, but had grown used to such things when she had visited Avanthal. Nex was probably not used to this, and maybe, he was having just as much trouble adjusting to the cave as she was. But he's part wolf, her mind whispered, as she took a moment to breath in through the nose and out through her mouth. Her grip was tightening on her bow, he should have the eyes of a wolf, his eyes should have adjusted this, Aello thought, as his aura came into view. It was simple, a deep red line surrounding his body, casting it in a bloody shroud. It was as though he was already dead... Nex must be in a lot of pain, Aello thought, or rather embarrassed. He had only just entered the cave when he fell. Aello took a step closer to the entrance, when Alenias' aura came into view, a mist that surrounded her entire body, a light yellow that matched the color of the sun's rays. It seemed to dance around the girl, swaying about her body as though the mist were the waves of the sea. And she is simply happy to explore, Aello thought, although she may be a little nervous. Aello smiled, so you were not the only one who may have struggled with the dark at that age... she thought, as she passed Alenias to get to Nex, the Kelvic having been in-between the two of them. The cave floor was coming into view now, as were the walls. Glowing a deep green that denoted it being of nature. Everything seemed so uneven, so very jagged. The inside of the cave seemed to wind around, turning this way and that as it went on. Aello could see it, even if she didn't have eyes at the back of her head. Even if she could not see without the use of her magic. Aello's pupils dilated as she slowly began to make her way back to Nex. She reached him within a matter of seconds, and extended her right hand towards him. "Grab my hand Nex, if you would like some help up," Aello began before pausing for a moment. "The cave floor seems both uneven, and slippery, you may want to be careful, and walk slowly. You wouldn't want to slip again, when you could so easily crack your head on the rock, rip your clothes, and break the skin." There was another slight pause, as Aello's heart began to beat faster and faster. She could hear it pounding like a drum in her tiny rib cage. She could feel it beating against its confines, begging to be let out. "And if you need more time for your eyes to adjust, you may feel free to ask," Aello went on, "considering it's so very dark in here, it may take awhile," she added, as she turned back towards Alenias. "How are you faring over there?" she asked. OOCThe part about Alenias being afraid of the dark doesn't necessarily have to be true. I want to rp Aello being wrong sometimes... if she honestly is not afraid. Also... human eyes can never adjust to the lack of light in a cave. Aello will need to use her magic for the duration of the thread if she expects to be able to see... I don't think it would be the case for a wolf or a bluejay though...

[Alenias]

Alenias followed Aello quietly into the cave, her eyes going wide as the opening drew closer. She hadn't noticed it before, but now they were walking inside it kind of looked like some huge beast trying to swallow them up. Shuddering at the thought Alenias moved closer to Aello, trailing right behind the woman as they entered the shadows within.

It didn't take them long to be completely swallowed by the darkness, and in a burst of panic Alenias reached out with her left hand and took hold of a bit of Aello's cloak before it was completely swallowed by the dark. Alenias didn't like the dark, bad things happened in the dark a lot, but Aello seemed to be excited by this cave. If Aello was excited then there had to be something good in here.

Nex's call drew Alenias' attention back to the entrance of the cave, and she squinted at the light that was there. She was glad Aello called out, because Alenias didn't feel comfortable making any noise in such a dark place. Even with her feet she was trying to step as softly as possible so as to not make any more noise as she moved around Aello as the woman turned around. Something was going on, Nex had fallen?

Feeling more nervous now Alenias followed close behind Aello, still holding to the woman's cloak, and looked around. Nex was gone, Alenias couldn't see him framed by the light anymore, and that set the Kelvic's heart to pounding. What if it was bad men, like those that had tried to catch Alenias before? She knew Aello would protect her, but Alenias didn't want the woman hurt anymore protecting her.

Before her thoughts could wander further down that path Aello had walked forward a little and was talking to Nex. Alenias squinted, trying to see Nex herself, but all she saw was darkness. Did Aello have a special ability to see in the dark? Curious again, and feeling more confident now, Alenias smiled as Aello talked to her, "I'm ok Aello. Is Nex hurt?"

[Nex Paciscor]

A flare of pain spider webbed across his back as he attempted to sit up, a dull ache radiating in the center of his chest where previously there had been none. Shifting to his elbows he felt something slide in his back, and he lurched forward as a wave of sickening pain washed over him. It felt like he had cracked a rib or two, though he was no medical type. He was starting to wonder if it would be good to have some skill in the healing arts what with his hand, and now this dreadful pain in his back. Worse yet, he couldn't see a blasted thing in front of him and it struck him as odd since he usually could see in the cave by now. Only his eyes saw inky darkness before his eyes, and could scarcely see vague giant shapes that looked like rocks. The fall must have messed with my eyes he thought, and he simply continued to stare forward into the blackness waiting, hoping his eyes would adjust soon. Faintly off to his side he could hear Aello, and Alenias approaching, they would be here soon. He hoped to have adjusted by then so he wouldn't stumble and bring them down to the ground with him. Being a hindrance was definitely wasn't something he wanted to do.

The pupils of his eyes slowly widened to accommodate for the lack of light, and slowly he could distinguish more than the vague shapes in the colorless light, and could see more individual rocks and other stones besides a mass of featureless rock. The sight made him smile as he realized his eyes weren’t forever messed up, and he breathed out a deep sigh of relief which in turn caused him to sputter as pain crackled within his chest. Oh yea forgot about the broken ribs my blundering caused he thought sourly, and could imagine he looked like quite the fool running into the cave like that and falling flat on his back only moments within the subterranean passage. Long, smooth rocks began to appear before his eyes and he figured those where like the ones he slipped on above him, and also noticed more jagged ones littering the ground around him, and he was thankful that he hadn't landed on one of those ones. They looked like they where purposely put there to punish any would be trespassers into the cave that didn't give it the proper respect it deserved, like Nex hadn't done.

A warm presence was now to the left side of him, and he looked sideways at her, turning his neck slowly to not disturb his fractured ribs. It was reassuring to have such people around that could help him, and keep him safe when he got himself into a tangle, which was often. " Ah, glad you found me " he said softly, not wanting to betray his pain, and he grabbed her hand in a strong grip, and pulled himself up slowly, trying to put much of his weight on his legs, and not much on her to make it easier. He took a moment to catch his breath before slowly straightening up, rolling back his shoulders slightly, and even putting on a little hint of a smile. " Ah, sorry about making you come down and help me, seems my eyes take a bit longer to adjust than I thought " he said awkwardly, and he reached up his hand carefully to scratch the back of his head. His aching ribs where causing him to take shorter breaths just to maintain this look of health, but inwardly it hurt quite a bit even though he was sure they were only slightly cracked. His eyes flickered to hers briefly, and it hit him that he wondered how she found him in the dark when he barely could see himself. Shouldn't I be able to see better in the dark than her? he wondered, and it wasn't out of pride or anything, just based on basic knowledge that he thought was true. Maybe she was simply used to these things he thought again after a short pause his eyes staring intently at hers wondering if she could see him just as easily. " Quite the vision you got down here though, perhaps I should follow you? " he said, trying to cast off the curiosity that filled him, and just accept things as they were. With a sweeping motion of his hand he would gesture in the air forwards while he remained rigidly standing, determined not to make himself look weak in front of her.

[Aello]

"Hmm... perhaps we should ask him," Aello whispered as Nex's aura continued to glow. She was waiting for him to get up, waiting for him to show her his strength once more. A second later, she felt his palm wrap around hers. It felt so very cold to the touch, but she ignored the feeling, the small shiver it sent up his spine; how it caused her head to shake back and forth, causing his aura to swim alongside her mind. Aello was silent as Nex made his way back onto his feet. "Well you weren't exactly difficult to find," Aello commented, her voice relatively neutral. "You were still framed by the late that trickles through the entrance..." she added, her voice trailing off.Why did she feel as though she needed to explain herself to him? "Anyway, you should be more careful," the girl went on after a moment. "You wouldn't want to fall again, or hurt yourself. Perhaps you should give yourself another moment to adjust to the darkness." Aello fell silent after that, as she simply stared at the outline of her companion's body. It seemed to be growing stronger, and in certain places, darker. Why is the area around his ribs lighting up so intensely? Aello wondered, as she took another moment to stare at him, before turning around, so that she may once more, face the inner portion of the cave. The auras were still glowing, flickering like the light of the sun, even in the darkness. Is it possible that he injured them in the fall? Aello wondered, not truly believing it possible. After all, he hadn't fallen down THAT hard. When he seemed to hesitate, Aello glanced back over her shoulder. "Are you alright?" she asked. "You didn't hurt yourself did you?" Hopefully he didn't break something, Aello thought, knowing there was nothing she could do about it should that be the case. After all, she wasn't a doctor like Roman. She didn't know a darned thing about medicine. Aello turned her head back around, and noticed that Alenias' aura was also growing in intensity. It seemed to be getting larger, all the more vibrant. Perhaps she is busy worrying about Nex, Aello thought, suddenly unsure of what to do. Should she walk deeper into the cave, or turn back before the Kelvics got themselves hurt? Aello glanced down at the ground, giving herself a moment to think. What if they can't see? What if the use of magic is the only way to navigate in this cave? Is it truly safe to ask them to come along? Or should they be asked to turn around, and wait outside? Or should we all leave together? Aello wondered as she looked back up. The green glow of the cave seemed to loom ahead of her; without end. It was flickering like the light of a candle, beckoning for her to come closer; to delve deeper. Aello took a step forward, away from the entrance. "Just follow close behind, listen to the sound of my voice," Aello called out to her companions, "and perhaps, you will not fall. But should you need to rest, we could always turn around," she finished, as she continued moving forward, slowly winding her way around the cave; her heart rate quickening as several beads of sweat poured down her face. She could hear raindrops falling from the ceiling of the cave, onto the cold, uneven rock. Her breath caught in her throat, there was always a light side and a dark side to magic. You always gained something, but had something taken away. But Aello did not care about that right now; she simply wanted to dive into the dark; be surrounded by shadow for a short while.

[Alenias]

It seemed that Nex wasn't hurt, and there were no bad people about. Maybe bad things didn't happen in the wilderness when it was dark? So far the wilderness was seeming a lot nicer than the city as the only bad thing that'd happened in it was that one time Aello killed that wolf, and the worst part about that had been when she realized she disobeyed Aello.

Though she was now feeling a little calmer Alenias didn't release her hold of Aello's cloak as she followed the woman deeper into the cave. Her eyes had adjusted a little to the darkness finally, and she could make out the vague shape of Aello moving in front of her now. Still it felt uncomfortable to make much noise here, and so she kept her steps soft and quiet.

"I'm ok Aello," Alenias said softly as Aello spoke to the two of them, "I won't need to rest anytime soon," Aello seemed so excited about going into the cave that there was no way Alenias would have said she was tired even if she was.

Not wanting to spoil Aello's fun at all Alenias followed along behind the woman, occasionally glancing over to the vague form of Nex in the darkness. Remembering how he had fallen because he was walking by himself Alenias smiled, though she wasn't sure if he could see it, and offered her free hand to Nex, "Here Nex, you can hold my hand if you want."

[Nex Paciscor]

The cave seemed lighter now that his eyes had adjusted but his vision had its limits, the area more than a few feet in any direction dissolving into a shapeless blackness once more. It relieved him that Aello seemed to have passable vision in the cave, but at the same time confused him, his eyes more than once darting over to stare at Aello's back curiously rather then watch his own foot work. Did she carry something on her that allowed for night sight he wondered, staring intently at her while his mind roamed with wild delusions, and outrageous tales on how might she manage such a thing. Still all the wild tales gradually dissipated in his mind in face of the prospect of exploring the cave further.

Soft words, and movement in front of him made him jump slightly in surprise, and his eyes settled on Alenias, and slowly drifted down to see her offered hand and he smiled, and accepted her hand, his eyes wandering a ways ahead of them once more as they slowly progressed through the cave. The deeper they went, the slicker the stones became it seemed, and he could notice more, and more 'teeth' framing the side of the cave acting like some living beast, and more than a few large pointed stones pointing down at them, stones that he knew not the name of. Alenias's offered hand served to catch him on a slide more than once, and he was glad for not having any more unneeded jarring on his hurt ribs than was necessary. It was already more than a little bit uncomfortable walking, but his interest in things unknown and his loyalty to these people he had come to know as friends pressed him onwards, seeking to unravel the mysteries of the cave, and lending him strength to go on without complaint.

As they progressed deeper within the cave, it slowly became darker and harder to see for him till he could barely see Aello, only Alenias remaining clear in his sight, and he took extra care with his steps over the slick ground as they made their way, paying mind to the sharp rocks that littered the ground. Where once he had lost sight of the walls though, he could now see them winding closer together as they progressed until the only way they could progress was single file through a particularly narrow natural corridor, and Nex had to do a little bit of careful body placement as he gingerly slid through some of the tighter areas. His neck had begun to hurt as well from the strain of having to dip his head in the low passage ways, but soon to his surprise the hallway opened up more to where the ceiling now vaulted high above them, and the walls spreading out wide enough to form a roughly circular chamber of which there seemed to be no way of continuing on.

Perhaps there was a way of continuing on that relied not on the walls, but without sufficient light, Nex could not see the sloping hole and the end of the chamber that seemed to tunnel down a few feet before sloping off gradually to a comfortable horizontal angle. The mouth of the hole, around five feet across, loomed in the darkness ready to swallow up any that didn't watch where they placed their feet, but it was good fortune that Nex remained holding Alenias's hand, and stayed behind her, ever wary of falling down on these stones that where slicker than they should be. Almost consumed by the lack of light in this chamber that permitted him to barely see the ground in front of him, and Alenias's hand, and he tried to peer forth into the darkness to better see Alenias, or catch sight of Aello. " Can you see anything? "

[Aello]

"Alright Alenias, but tell us if you change your mind," Aello replied, as she continued to walk deeper and deeper into the cave. At first, it seemed to wind itself around and around, like a whirlpool stranded upon the shore. At first, it seemed as though the tunnel was wide, but as the group kept on moving deeper and deeper inside, it narrowed. "Mind your step," Aello muttered, "there isn't much room left around here." There was the soft dripping of water from the top of the ceiling onto the floor off in the distance, the gentle echo of their footsteps; their hurried breathing. If only there were a light down here, and we didn't have to depend so heavily on our magic, Aello thought, as several sharp shooting pains began to course through her head. They were most heavily concentrated around her temples, and at the back of her head. For the mind cannot last forever on this, it will break... make way for madness. As Aello kept on walking through the narrow passage, she began to realize that it was opening up again, into a narrow, circular room. A small smile crossed her lips as she stepped into it, just far enough for her companions to fan out around her. "It looks like the cave is opening up again," she commented, as she glanced around the room. The ceiling was far higher than in other portions of the cave, where at times, she had been forced to duck to pass through. The sides of the cave had fanned out some, and at first glance, this seemed to be the end. The cave's aura glowed a dismal green, no where near as inviting as it had appeared in the beginning of all things... "We are in some sort of circular portion of the cave... everything seems to wind back around the way we came," Aello went on as she looked around once more, and then, she noticed it, a far stronger glow than anywhere else, in the deepest of greens. It shined almost as brightly as an emerald, "well, wait a minute. Can you see it Nex? All the way in the back of the cave? There is a hole, or something... a break in the rock." There was a slight pause, as Aello took a few cautious steps forward, towards the opening. While she wanted to investigate, she did not want to slip on the jagged rocks, or fall down the hole by mistake. When she reached the edge of the hole, Aello glanced down. But all she saw was a row of dark green, shining brightly into the darkness. "It is difficult to say just how far down it goes," Aello went on, as she straightened herself back up, and looked back at her friends. "How narrow the hole is... the tunnel that leads away from wherever we are now to wherever it is we can go..." her voice trailed off as she looked back at them... still yellow, and still red. Both struggling to see, they need you to show them the way, Aello thought, as she turned back to the hole. It looked like such a long way down... "Well we didn't come all this way for nothing, did we?" Aello asked, as she turned her body from the waist up, roughly to her right side. It should have been enough to get Alenias to let go, she thought, as she turned back into her original position, and lowered herself onto the cave floor. Her feet dangled over the hole, "feel free to follow if you're not afraid," she called, before she gave herself a small push off the ground with her free hand. A second later, there was air whooshing all around her, and long green lines, so very misty now; the auras were fading. And then a moment after that, thud, the girl had landed on the ground and everything was pitch black. She glanced back up at the ceiling, ignoring her now sore backside. That wasn't too bad, Aello thought. That was hardly a fall. "Nex? Alenias?" she called, uncertain as to where they were. "Are you around?" Aello glanced back down at where she thought her feet would be as she pulled herself off of the ground. All of her muscles ached, and her head felt as though someone had lit it on fire, and then there was her heart... drumming away. And for the time being, her magic was gone. She was just as blind as those she led into the dark...