Indigo
In the chilling weather reaching the Valley, Indigo is overtly relieved to be trekking out to the Ashen Domes. But the relief is replaced by the troublesome burden of the lost pup following his heels. Indigo reaches the first footholds of the Domes, the plentiful grass switching for dust and pebbles. The brute halts, drawing in a deep breath of the sulfur and heat. His nose twitches as he keeps sniffing, desperately trying to locate Tempest amongst this mass of burning earth and dust. "Give me a minute," Indigo promises Raven. His blue eyes flick over to the dark pup, considering her for a moment. When he was young, Indigo's mother never brought them here for the fact of how dangerous the Domes actually were. Indigo's ear twitch, as he adds, "Just sit down...it's not very safe here. Your mother wouldn't be too happy that you are here."
Raven
Raven followed him, feeling like there was no other choice but to follow him. She sits down. OkayShe says.
Indigo & Tempest
Indigo sights a small array of boulders a few paces away, deciding that being above ground would provide a better view of the land and, hopefully, of Tempest. He springs up onto the boulders, taking on final glance at the obedient Raven. Blue eyes sweep across the smoldering hills of the Domes, catching only sight of little rodents dashing about and a pair of crows picking at the carcass of...something. Frustration boils in his blood as he keeps scanning, his mind clouding as he becomes lost in his own thoughts.
Indigo doesn't see him coming, not until there's a sudden collision against his side. A white blur catches in his eyesight all too late. Indigo goes flying off the side of the rocks, landing in the dirt with a surprised yelp. For a moment, Indigo's teeth snap until he recognizes the face in his own. "Tempest?" He snarls, peeved by his friend's assault. "What the hell was that?"
"Stay down!" Tempest snarls, his eyes flitting over to Raven. ",B>Get your...pup? We need to hide. They're here."
"They?" Indigo echoes.
Tempest growls, green eyes squinting as he glances about warily. "Humans. You have impeccable timing, friend."
Raven
Raven glances around her as she sit where he had told her to sit. Her nostrils twitch and then she sees him get knocked off the boulder and she then crouchs low warily her ears going back.
Indigo & Tempest
The hair along Indigo's back stands up as Tempest speaks, the brute turning his gaze over to Raven. For a fleeting second, Indigo considers that he didn't ask to be in charge of this pup's well-being, but he already jumped on that commitment hours ago. There wasn't opportunity to turn back. Indigo scrambles to his paws, springing over towards Raven. "We're going to play a game, Raven," Indigo urgently explains, ",B>We have to find the best hiding spot. Can you do that?" The truth is, if anyone had the best eye for hiding spots, it was a pup. Additionally, he hoped it put her focus less on the fear and more on the task of finding the best "hiding spot."
Tempest bristles as he sniffs the air, the brute growling. "You go hide. I'll head in the opposite direction and try to divert them," Tempest commands, his body tense and voice coarse. Without another word, Tempest bolts off out onto the smoky territory.
Raven
The White pup with silver on her sides and paws and golden eyes look up at the one she had traveled with and then her eyes look around them. She spots a boulder with a divet in the ground near it and raced to it. why do we need to hide?She asks . But hwen they get to it she can see its only big enough for her. She gets in it and lays low.
Indigo
Indigo tenses, unsure if he should unravel the truth to Raven, or shelter her. But she's not a newborn, and the reality of the danger of humans will never go away. "The big scary humans are nearby," Indigo hastily explains, his heart hammering against his rib cage. "And they might take us or hurt us..." Indigo follows the little pup as she slides under the boulder, the brute's gaze flying about to hopefully find his own spot. Unfortunately, there's nothing adult-wolf-sized within sight. Indigo hunches down to face Raven, touching his nose to hers. "Look, I have to find my own spot. You stay here and stay very, very, quiet, okay Raven?" His blue eyes blink once as he sends a mute prayer to the powers that be for this pup, Indigo peeling himself away and bounding across the Domes. He, himself, finds a thicket where he crashes into, twigs jabbing into his sides. It isn't comfortable, but it's a safe haven. He's still within ears of Raven, though not close enough to be of immediate help if something happened.
Raven
Raven knew they had been searching for humans but in all honesty she didn't believe she'd find any so when he said humans she hunkered down more and just nodded to him. Her ears were back as she laid there quiet as a mouse.
*Humans* & *Dog*
Wolf #A42 was out near the volcanic domes. Since releasing him seven months ago, his tracking signal honed in on this area. As of this morning, when the last live signal was caught, he was here. Now that the team had reached the Domes, their cellular service was all but dead and they relied on the keen nose of their hound.
Unfortunately for them, Wolf #A42 was elusive. For over two hours, the team and their dog found and lost his scent. The yearly round-up of this section of tracked wolves was important for their data collection, and leaving without him wasn't much of an option.
Just as the team is contemplating their options with Wolf #A42, the tracking hound catches a scent. The dog bolts off, her team following intently. But she's misconstrued the present scents, her nose getting ahold of Raven and Indigo's instead. She leads them over the rocky terrain and comes to a stuttering halt at the small boulder Raven had taken refuge under. She barks, tail wagging as she keeps a distance so that her humans could see what she found.
Raven
Raven hid hunkered down in her little crevice. Her ears back. One wouldn't see her if just looking at the boulder but if they got close enough and locked at the side of it on the ground her white would stand out. She heard the barking and she hunkered even more down. She whined a little.
*Humans* & *Dog*
Raven
She trys to hunker down even more as the human reachs down and scoops her up she tries to bite him growling now.
*Human*
Raven's little teeth sink into the man's hand. He gives a grunting yelp, shifting his grip so that a hand rests on her neck. His knuckles, ideally, keep Raven's chin elevated and away from digging back into his skin. "She's abandoned or lost," the man calls, "We would've seen mom while tracking A42. Let's take her back, she'll die out here alone." With a disappointing attempt to track A42, there wasn't much more for the team to do out here. Deciding to take the lost pup back to their truck, the man begins to stride away from the spot in which Raven had hidden.
Raven
Raven didn't like this. She hadn't seen the humans who had collared her parents but this was a human none the less. She struggled till his hand was on the back of her neck.
*Human* & Indigo
Bringing Raven to their truck parked on the outskirts of the Dome territory, the man lowers the hatch of the back of the truck. While the cage secured in the back was made for an adult wolf, it'll secure Raven. Gently placing the pup inside, the man closes and latches the cage. The men, along with their canine companion, climb into the backseat of the truck.
---
Wedged away in his hiding place, Indigo is unaware of Raven's spotting. It isn't until a strange sense of dread suddenly overcomes the brute that he springs from his hiding place, dashing towards the place in which he had left Raven. By then, she's already been taken from her spot. The panicked Indigo rushes to the now-vacated boulders, fear pulsing through him. The brute lifts his muzzle, a mournful howl piercing the air; in his howl, he promises Raven that he will find her and bring her back to her family.
Whether or not that was honesty, Indigo wasn't entirely sure.
Raven
Raven tried to run out but found the cage shut before she could get out. She jug at the edges to no avial before moving to the back of the cage and curling up.