Blackfrost, Vhaerau, Kennik, & Night Star

Three shadows slipped through the sewers, moving steadily towards their central chamber, tucked down into the earth and away from the prying eyes of the prowling cats and the rest of the world above. It was their safe haven, and they were eager to return to it after seeing such bloodshed unfold at their door.

Blackfrost lead her clan into the sprawling control room, where shafts of light cut through the thick, cool air, and would offer Cael and War Dance just enough light to comfortably make out their surroundings. It was here that the mother wolfdog stopped and turned to face the others.

"You two are safe now, you're with the Delvers." The ebony canine explained, "I'm Blackfrost, and alongside my mate Rook, we lead this pack." Well, she wasn't officially the leader, but in her companion's absence, she'd filled in that role. In either case, it wasn't information that these strangers needed to worry about. "If I heard right, you're Shadow Lurkers? Cael, and War Dance, right?"

With a coat as dark as the shadows that surrounded her, Vhaerau had no trouble keeping stealthy in this environment, and took up position off to the side of the interlopers. Her gaze was hard and judgemental, but she remained silent while their mother did the questioning.

The opposite of his sister, Kennik's white coat made him easier to spot, not that he was trying to hide. He sat down beside his mother, with an expression that offered sympathy rather than suspicion. Quietly, he offered his name to the pair, "I'm Kennik, and that's my sister Vhaerau. You might not have seen her, but Night Star was in that tunnel there, that we just left."

War Dance & Cael

Compared to the artificial light that always kept the Alleys at least partially bathed in yellow, the darkness down here was intense. There was no flickering glow of man-made light bulbs, no dazzling car beams, not even moonlight to cut the inky umbra that surrounded them. There was only the occasional grate that allowed some of the sun preciously rays to illuminate this subterranean world, and it wasn't enough to stop the pair of Lurkers from stumbling against unseen objects and uneven patches of ground.

On they trudged though, for at least they were in the company of other canines, and away from those awful cats above. By the time they'd entered the control room and found themselves stopping before Blackfrost, War Dance's unbridled fury had subsided. The reality of what had occurred had begun to sink in, and the grief threatened to numb her throat. "Yes." She answered, and her brindle muzzle dropped a little. "We didn't know there was a territory occupied out this way, we were just exploring."

Beside her, Cael's ears were pasted against his dark skull. A few whimpers escaped him, and he glanced back on occasion, as if hoping to see Equiss, Skylit, or his sister dashing down the tunnel. Neither of the three met his waiting gaze, and deep down, he knew they never would again.

But something else did. Kennik's words came to Cael almost as an after thought until he saw something glimmering in the shadows. A pair of large eyes, low to the ground... perched atop what he'd thought was a large branch. Words failed to form, but his honey-hued eyes grew wide and his jaw dropped slightly. What was that?!

Blackfrost, Vhaerau, Kennik, Night Star

Blackfrost allowed her tail to rest lower, holding a calm, relaxed posed now that she could see these two young canines were of no threat to her or the Delvers. They were lost and traumatized, and didn't seem interested in vying for dominance. "We try to remain discreet, so it's no surprise you and your pack were unaware of our existence." Alphess sighed and looked upward, gaze roaming towards one of the grates at the far end of the room. Numerous thoughts swirled in her mind, and at length, she spoke on them, "You and Cael are welcome to stay here and recover. When you're ready to travel again, we'll locate the closest exit to the Alleys and escort you back. Vhaerau can help with that."

Vhae raised her dial and looked sharply to her mother, "I don't think it's wise to go showing off all of our secret tunnels. We barely know who these two or the Lurkers are. They could be enemies. Besides, I doubt dad will approve of it."

Blackfrost held a stern look on her daughter, "The Shadow Lurkers are honorable. I come from them, and they will not only hold our secrets, they will be our allies."

Even Kennik looked up at this, pausing in his response to Cael's reaction. Unlike his sister though, a spark of excitement lit the hueless youngster. They'd have more friends! His tail twitched. "I could talk with them?"

Cael & War Dance

Slowly, her eyes were beginning to adjust to the dimness of this new environment, bringing detail to the dark shadows around her. A metal table here, rusted railing stretching along a platform over there, and numerous large, metal... things that she couldn't wrap her mind around. She'd never seen a water pump before, or any of the other machinery that went with underground station. And yet, it reminded her a bit like home, in the Aegis Den. There was something familiar and comforting about being surrounded by these obsolete structures of humanity.

War's haunted gaze fixed upon Blackfrost again. "Thank you." She replied quietly, then listened to the protest from Black's daughter. War Dance hung her head a little, and let her tail slip a little lower. A glance in Cael's direction found her young packmate equally as forlorn, though panic and fear also accentuated his features.

Turning to Blackfrost, the brindle hybrid ventured to speak, "My parents, Gwen and Honz - alphas of the Lurkers - have been talking of securing more alliances. After what happened today..." War trailed off, her mind briefly taken by the images that had been freshly implanted less than a half-hour before. She mentally shook them away and soldiered on, her duty to the pack compelling her, "..and the fact that you saved Cael and myself, I have no doubt they'd honor an alliance."

If Cael weren't so consumed by the strange creature lurking back in the tunnel, and fearing an ambush by any of those big cats, he might have caught on to what the others were talking about, or been curious of Blackfrost's connection to his family. Instead, the young wolfdog stepped mincingly closer to War Dance, his body trembling, and his mind working through the shock of the attack.

Blackfrost, Vhaerau, Kennik, Night Star

Vhaerau went quiet after getting that stern look form her mother, grudgingly relenting to this new alliance deal Black was pursuing. She also had to stop her eyes from rolling when she noticed her brother's excitement over it all, not at all sharing his enthusiasm for the pact - what if these Shadow Lurkers were a huge pack? Would they be allowed into their underground home, ruining the tranquility and peace of the Sewers? Vhae groaned inwardly at the thought, and turned away from the group, "I'm going to scout the tunnels, make sure no one followed us."

Blackfrost merely nodded to her daughter, and watched her disappear into the shadows. The soft splash of her paws quickly faded away into the distance. She looked once more to War Dance, "I'm hopeful of the same thing. We can also discuss the issue of these cats with them. For now though;" Seeing both young creatures were still reeling from the loss of their packmates, the alphess softened her voice a little, "Rest here for an hour, then we'll discuss returning to the Alleys. Kennik, stay with them until then." She gave a nod to Kennik before turning away herself, marching off in the opposite direction of Vhaerau as she attempted to locate other members of her pack.

Kennik sat back on his haunches, plopping his hindquarters on an elevated bit of ground that was drier than the damp tunnels. "It's safe here, you two can get a rest in without worrying about an attack." He tried to assure, though he doubted either would be able to nap. He then noticed the direction of Cael's gaze, and followed it to the reptile lurking at the edge of the tunnel. His tail wagged, "That's Night Star. Daughter of Orinoco. They are added security against those big cats and anyone else that doesn't belong here. Don't worry about her, she won't harm you as long as your friends with us. Right Night?"

In the darkness, those bold yellow eyes blinked.

Kennik chuckled, a bit of mirth that was quickly stifled away when he realized his two new companions were likely not in the mood for such things. Sobering some, the pale-coated Kennik nodded, "Anyway, I'll let you two get some rest, and when my mom comes back, we'll travel back to the surface." So saying, the hybrid eased down onto his chest. He wouldn't nap, but he'd remain with the two until it was time again to leave.

War Dance & Cael

War Dance returned an acknowledging nod to Blackfrost, unable to find any other words to offer the alphess who had helped rescue and house them, saving her and Cael from certain death. A similar gesture was given to Kennik before she sank to the ground, not caring about the dampness seeping into her bloodied fur. She dropped her head to her forelegs and lay there, eyes open but unseeing.

A nearly inaudible whine was drawn from Cael's throat. He glanced furtively between Kennik and Night Star, not at all assured by the stranger's blase reaction to the toothy, cold-blooded monster lurking in the background. That slow blink did nothing to ease the youngster's fears, either. He scooted closer against War Dance and hunkered down, though he kept his head up and his ears cautiously perked. "Th-thanks." Was all he could muster. Cael would be getting no sleep between now and their journey back to the Alleys.