Welcome to Gaia! ::

§ He was resting, body nestled into ashes and burnt logging, sleeping peacefully and dreaming. The large back paws twitched here and there, as if he was running. Eyes squinted even while closed, as if re-focusing sight. Lips curled, as if being ready to open and launch and a deep growl was emitted from the body, as if a warning. Smoke drifted in between cracks of the plywood, escaping and dissipating into freedom. Smolders rested around paws and a large bushy tail, keeping the area warm and the beast comfortable. The beast was dreaming, of his homeland, where he was young and carefree. Running through burnt pastures, chasing a soot stained doe, ready to pounce. In the dream, the great claws flexed and were about to land into the thick body of the deer, mouth open ready to dig into the doe's flesh.

§ The beast never made it.

§ The ground shook, violently, as if a earthquake. It instantly awakened the beast, extinguished his flames. Orange eyes looked to the sky, deeply confused. "What in the world..?" His deep voice rumbled out. A annoyed growl left his chest and the beast stood up, shaking off the ashes from his colorful coat. He looked up at the sky once more, and snarled. He started to wonder who did such a thing, or what happened. Now, he was deeply annoyed for his nap was now ruined. The beast looked around the area before raising his maw to the air and released a deep and loud howl, hearing it echo across the lands. He wondered if there were any other wolves around, and any who knew what just happened. Once he was done with his song he lowered his head, looking around, before stepping off the burnt debris of the burnt down house. Shaking his large head and neck once more the beast walked, flames flowing off him and dissipating into the air before touching the ground.

§ The beast was a wolf of flame, and this pyro's name was Aethern.

Vakia's ear twitched as she heard Snowbell run beside her. "I had no idea you were still in the area!" she said as her body rocketed across the plains outside of town. Snowbell nodded in reply. "You felt it too?" she asked. no reply was necessary. Static began to crackle off of Vakia's fur, showing her anticipation. "Well", she said, "Whatever this calling is, we must get there quickly." A large smile covered her jaws. Her tail crackled with electricity that travelled in small bolts to her feet, she closed her eyes and directed the energy into her paws. A jolt shook her body, and her speed increased. She laughed, "Last one there is a rotten ...." but her words were lost as she outstripped Snowbell, throwing up dust behind her.

Snowbell shook her head and followed at an easier pace, with the wind at her back. The strange calling was pulling them towards the South, and as rolling green hills became flat yellowed plains, evidence of the evil that had emerged from the Earth became apparent. Huge fissures had opened in dry riverbeds, making treacherous ravines where several Pronghorns would be found, lying dead. Trees had been uprooted, and the already sparse plains were even more devoid of life. Snowbell felt a deep fear in her stomach. "Oh, so we're scared now?" Destruction taunted. She rolled her eyes, "shut up", and continued towards the South.

Vakia raced across the plains. It was one of her favorite places to run, so much room, so much sky. The plain became progressively dustier as she continued onward, and eventually became a rocky plateau, with huge canyons rising in the distance. She waited impatiently until Snowbell arrived, and they continued together, picking their way across the difficult terrain until they cam upon a huge plateau, the highest point in the area, and suddenly, the pull became faint. Vakia shook her head in surprise. "So we're here?" she asked Snowbell. Snowbell was dumbfounded as well. "Perhaps...we went the wrong way?" she mused. Vakia trotted over to the edge of the plateau and gazed into the gorge below. The once urgent tug in her heart had become faint and quiet. She contemplated. "We will wait here". she said decidedly.

A tiny copse of only six trees grew on the plateau and the two wolves lay in their shade, waiting for the unknown.

Vakia's ears twitched to remove a fly that had landed there. She opened one eye. Nothing had changed on the plateau. Snowbell lay next to her in the shade of the lonely trees, and Vakia could see her shoulders moving rhythmically with her breathing. The sun was bright, scorching, bathing the canyons in white yellow light. It washed the normally vibrant colors of the gorges out with its intense brightness. She blinked her eyes, dust was blowing on the far side of the plateau, and a few cirrus clouds moved almost imperceptibly across the sky. Vakia stood, thinking to herself. Nothing had moved all day, and she was becoming impatient. She rose and stretched her back, tiny sparks darting out from her claws.

She sat on her haunches, looking out across the canyon, looking for any signs of what she had been called for. She was met with nothing, but a strange scent seemed to be wafting from the canyon floor. It smelled like heat and ash. She snorted to remove the smell and walked back to where Snowbell lay. Suddenly a deep voice echoed across the plateau. "You are here for the very same reason, I'm guessing." said the voice. Vakia's gaze fell upon a large, strangely colored male. Heat seemed to radiate from his very being, but Vakia was not afraid. In fact, she felt more at ease, as if she had met this brute before. She watched him carefully. "You felt it to? The Pulling?" she responded. She nudged Snowbell before cautiously approaching.

She decided to take the polite route. Perhaps this wolf knew more about the Pull than herself and Snowbell. She bowed her head, "Vakia Thunderspeed at your service." she said, sweeping a paw in front of her. "And to whom do I owe the honor?" she asked.

"Aethern" Vakia repeated. "It seems a strange place to be called, this desolate plateau," she said. The large male had sat down, and Vakia took a place across from him, looking slightly over his shoulder. "The sleeper over there is Snowbell" she said.

She stood up impatiently after a few moments, sitting was not her thing, no matter how hard she tried. She paced to the right, surveying the canyon once again. The blinding light of midday was slowly becoming the yellow light of afternoon. No sounds but the quiet thumping of Aethern's tail and Snowbell's breathing broke the silence. But ...something else? Her body went still, and she cocked her head to listen. A rumbling, deep and very faint, almost as if there was water under their feet, reverberated in her ears.

"Do you hear that?" she asked. As quickly as the sound had reached her ears, it stopped. Confused, she trotted again to the edge of the plateau, wondering to herself.

((Hope Fox, Echo and Hell get their characters here soon lol))

Chi awoke from her deep sleep. She did not open her eyes. Instead, her ears perked up as she listened for anyone in the area. She reluctantly lifted her head up and opened her eyes. She could feel the heat of daytime as she stretched. The young she-wolf looked up and put her paws up against the side of the hole, scenting the air. She could smell at least three wolves in the area. A tiny flare of hope leaped up into her chest and her tail gave a slight wag. She sucked in a large breath and howled as loud as she could muster. She jumped up against the side of the hole excited at the thought of getting out today.

Chi could hear her howl echo around the area and she sat back down with a smirk of satasfaction. She had bot eaten in three days and she was extremely dehydrated. She gave a few quieter barks as she heard something far below her make a grinding noise. She flopped over on the groundand pressed one ear against the earth. It sounded like gears. She growled slightly. "What the..." she wondered aloud. She perked her other ear up and listened for the sound of approaching wolves.

((Sorry, I just woke up and I'm a little brain-dead. Does this mean you found my hole?))

Chi's raised ear twitched as she heard the responding howl. She stood up stiffly and stretched her limbs. She sighed, and howled again. "I need help getting out of here!" Chi howled. She laid back down on the ground again pressing her ear to the earth. Whatever the noise was had stopped. She gave a slight growl again and lifted her head up. She squinted upwards but could see nothing as usual. So it was official. Chi was blind. She tried to jump out of the hole but since she could not see, she could not judge the distance she needed to jump. She fell back to the ground with a thud and a dust cloud flew out of the hole. She sighed and sat very still.

{ Sorry I did not make that clear Echo. }

§ Aethern looked at Vakia, opening his jaws to say something but she left before his deep voice could be let out into the air. He closed his mouth, she was very fast. Very fast. He heard the other femme stir and he looked towards her, watching her run off he sighed and followed. He stopped at the beginning of the path, and growled. It was much too narrow for his great body, but it was the only way down there. He swung out his tail, keeping it up horizontally to help him keep balance and he started his descend. One paw in front of the other, small rocks fell from the path, echoing in the great gorge. Though he was much too large for the path, he kept steady and graceful and once he finally meet the gorge floor he growled pleasantly. He looked back at the path and his ears went against his head, it would be even harder heading back up.

§ He faced forward once more, watching Snowbell lay down. "Too fast, 'eh?" He chuckled, she was rally fast. He was pretty fast himself, or so he thought, he was no match to Vakia. He was more built for fighting, and that very art was what he excelled at. He walked past Snowbell before pushing himself off his legs once more, running. He went after the sparks that Vakia left, his own flame trail taking over the sparks. He saw the hole that the dust cloud came out of and he walked over to it, lowering his head and looking into it. He saw the female, "We'll get you out of there." He moved his head from the hole, it was a decent size, one that Vakia could easily slip through, but the hole was too deep and the femme in the hole would have to be lifted out of the hole, and the hole was much to fit his shoulder through. He stood, and with his strong massive paws, started to dig. His muscles rippled under his fur, and within a few minutes, the hole was large enough that he could go threw. He looked at Vakia, "Can you go see if she has any injuries? I'll lift her out when she is ready."