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 Posted: Wed May 02, 2012 8:44 pm
((Sounds good to me!))
Shen wasn't far behind Marleia, as close as he could get without crowding her. As soon as he got deep enough in the cave that he couldn't feel the rain lashing at him, he paused and just sat there. No sense moving around when his eyes weren't adjusted to the darkness.
The cave itself seemed pretty deep. Even after his eyes seemed well-adjusted, watching Marleia explore a little, he couldn't see an end to it.
Hopefully that wouldn't come back to bite them...
Shen shivered a little in the chill air, suddenly reminded of how wet he was. He moved towards the back of the cave, trying to get a fair distance from where Marleia had picked a resting point, and violently shook himself in an attempt to dislodge as much water from his fur as he could. He came strolling back, dark blue fur puffed up and spiking in odd places.
"I'll wake you up if anything seems to have changed," he responded to Marleia's plea of a nap. "You might want to at least shake off first, before falling asleep soaking wet on cold stone." Shen settled into a comfortable sitting position, then proceeded to groom his fur in a cat-like manner, trying to help it dry quicker. He hated getting colds...
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Posted: Wed May 02, 2012 9:41 pm
Marleia couldn't help the soft chuckle that emitted at the sight of Shen's fur after his attempt to shake out all of the water. She was no stranger to wet fur herself, but she also never felt the urge to dry off like that. Marleia loved the water, and it never bothered her the way it did normal foxes. It was probably clear from her appearance why that might be.
She nodded, glad that he didn't mind her sleeping for a bit. Despite his suggestion to dry off a bit, Marleia laid down immediately, curling up around herself. Just before drifting off to sleep, she spoke to him. "Actually, I prefer for my fur to be slightly damp most of the time," she said. With a shrug, she added, "It's just... in my nature, I suppose. Genetics would also be a good explanation."
After that, falling asleep was almost instant. The cool rock of the cave floor and the stone wall of the cave against her back made her feel surprisingly secure, despite the circumstances. Sleep was always the greatest way for Marleia to escape her all of her worries, and 'Deities know she has tons, no matter how fleeting.
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Posted: Thu May 03, 2012 9:12 am
Shen pondered over that for a moment. Of course he'd noticed Marleia's fins, and the odd, flowly appearance of her hair. She'd also seemed perfectly fine with buckets of water raining down on her, but some people just liked being out in the rain. Still seemed like laying damp on cold stone should have some effect...
His mind wandered down the path of Marleia's genetics, wondering how much fox and how much something else she was. Cold-blooded or warm? And just how were her internal workings different. Important stuff to know when you had an ocean outside threatening to swamp you, and there wasn't much else to think about that wouldn't also make him more miserable.
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DemonBoyWonderr generated a random number between
1 and 2 ...
2!
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Posted: Fri Jul 20, 2012 8:24 pm
[1: She wakes up naturally, no change in weather or safety; 2: Storm somehow gets much worse and wakes her up]
Marleia awoke under less than ideal circumstances. Evidently Shen hadn't even needed to wake her up in the case of a crisis, because the crisis in question was enough. All around her the cave began to rumble. Marleia instinctively jumped to her feet and looked around, seeking the source of her noise. "What's going on?" She asked Shen without looking at him.
Outside the entrance of the cave it was clear that the wind had picked up even more. Trees were slowly being torn from the soil at their roots began flying away, along with many other loose leaves, branches, and even some of the lighter rocks. That certainly didn't bode well. Standing just inside the cave, Marleia could see the larger boulders around them tumbling down the mountain. "Must be the cause of all this shaking," she mumbled to herself, taking a step back into the cave.
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Posted: Wed Sep 05, 2012 12:42 am
Shen looked over his shoulder from, where he sat, near the cave's entrance. Well, in sight of the cave's entrance. He wanted to be able to see what was going on outside (as much as he could see through the pouring rain, at least!), but he didn't fancy straying close enough for the rain to reach him in case the wind shifted or something.
"Wind's picking up," he responded unnecessarily, in a voice so bland he could have been commenting on the color of his fur rather than the tearing storm outside. He looked up at the cave ceiling as the rumbling began, remaining seated in his spot.
"We still haven't had the eye pass over us either. Dunno if the storm hit us dead on or if we're being grazed by the outer edge and won't see the eye," he said, tone still neutral.
He looked around for Marleia again. "Hope this cave is sound. Not sure which would be worse, dealing with a cave-in or having to jump back out into the storm with the wind speed having picked up."
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Posted: Thu Sep 06, 2012 10:47 am
Marleia's thoughts echoed much of what Shen said, though in a slightly more panicked way. Her eyes turned to examining the walls and ceiling of the cave. She couldn't see any signs of cracks or instability; then again, she couldn't see much of anything.
Feeling as though her efforts were futile, she took a step back from the cave entrance and seated herself across from Shen. "They both sound equally unappealing, if you ask me," Marleia replied. "It seems all we can do is wait."
There was an obvious edge in her tone. Marleia was stressed, and when problems like this occurred, she always felt the need to be actively doing something. She had to be the one attempting to fix everything, help everyone. But right now, there was nothing to be done but wait, and see where this storm would go. And Marleia felt useless. She turned back to Shen, examining her companion. "I don't see how you can be so... calm... about all this," she said. "Not that it's a bad thing, I guess. I think I'd like to be a little less worried."
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jinxgirl5 generated a random number between
1 and 4 ...
2!
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Posted: Thu Sep 06, 2012 2:00 pm
Shen transfered his calm silvery gaze to Marleia. Truthfully he was worried, but only someone who knew him well could have read the signs; for instance, his expression lacked the usual bored quality it would have held if he thought the situation was merely irritating rather than serious.
"Panic and restlessnss can cloud the mind," he responded simply, eyes flickering back to the cave entrance. "I could worry myself to pieces over the things out of my control, but all that would do is waste time and energy. In this situation the most productive course of action would be to watch, wait, and attempt to predict what may happen and what how to react."
A tiny crease appeared on Shen's brow, his expression minutely more worried than it had been a moment before. Well and good to speak of planning courses of action to take, but they were in a pretty bad situation. There was practically no shelter on this island, nothing they could use that freed them from the threat of wind, rain, flying debris, or rogue ocean waves, if this little cave folded under the relentless pounding of nature. And even this probably couldn't help them in the case of a mudslide, earthquake or (Deities forbid!) the chance that this storm kicked the volcano out of dormancy. The odds were very long that that would happen but Shen wanted to think of anything and everything that could go wrong, even if he had no way to plan for most of it.
((1. No change in their situation.))
((2. The eye of the storm suddenly passes over them, things become temporarily calm.))
((3. The earth trembles ominously; cause unknown.))
((4. A large crack suddenly splits up the wall of their cave, but it still holds.))
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Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2012 12:24 am
Marleia took in Shen's words, nodding in agreement. She inhaled and exhaled slowly, in an attempt to clear her mind. She could remain worried, as long as her thoughts weren't jumbled to a debilitating extent. After a few moments, she did begin to feel a little better. Her eyes turned to the outside yet again, and she watched the distant trees bend dangerously in the wind, often snapping and flying off in the direction of that unbelievably powerful wind.
Without turning away from the sight, Marleia spoke, half to Shen and half to herself. "So then, what are all of the possibilities, and what are we to do should any of them occur? Rock or mudslides blocking the exit of the cave, in which case we could try either digging ourselves out or going deeper into the cave and hoping it exits somewhere else. If it's just mud, our best bet is probably to dig, but shifting rocks is always dangerous, particularly without light and a storm raging on the other side.
"Travelling deeper into the cave system is equally risky, though. Getting ourselves completely lost in an unfamiliar and dark cave system is inevitable, and finding another exit, if there is one, is nearly impossible. However, there is technically less immediate danger than trying to shift boulders out of the way."
Marleia hardly stopped to breath throughout her speech, but now she paused for a moment in order to gather thoughts on the next subject. "You mention the eye of the storm earlier, how it had yet to pass over us and that there's a possibility it never does. If, though, we are fortunate enough for that little reprieve from the storm, what could we really do with that time? Venturing too far away from the cave entrance is dangerous, because there's really no telling how long until the storm--" Marleia was cut off by what she witnessed from beyond the shelter of the cave.
"That was a little... eerily timed," Marleia said, standing and padding over to the cave entrance. The sky above was completely clear, and the air suddenly still. She glanced back at Shen to see his reaction. "So, what were our options in this situation?"
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Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2012 2:18 am
Shen listening to Marleia's out-loud musing without comenting; most of it was stuff that had already passed through his mind at some point, even before the storm had picked up and when Marleia was still napping.
He was just as surprised as she was at the sudden arrival of the eye of the storm and the temporary calm it brought. He blinked, then went into action.
"We move," he said, also going to the cave entrance and gingerly stepping outside. "This cave was ideal for the moment, but might not be the best choice to weather out the rest of the storm. We stick nearby and keep an eye to the sky in case we have to retreat to it again, but we use this time to take stock of our situation and see if we can find more suitable shelter."
Shen's eyes traveled up and down the uneven rock slope, trying to spot a cave that they might have missed with the downpour obstructing vision. He briefly glanced at Marleia. "Maybe we should split up? Stay within calling distance of each other, but we'll cover more ground separately and time is limited."
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Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2012 10:51 pm
Marleia quickly nodded her consent to Shen's plan and, wasting no time at all, left the cave and took off along the path in one direction. There was hardly a path anymore; Marleia was either avoiding or climbing over debris with every step. Boulders and fallen trees were all over the path and each other. Had there been another entrance into the mountain from here, it was probably covered up now.
Every now and then, Marleia glanced back at Shen and their original shelter, just to make sure she hadn't wandered too far. Another quick glance up at the sky assured Marleia that she still had time before the storm returned to full force. There was no telling how much time, but for now they were safe.
Standing on top of a stable rock, Marleia used the height to scan more of the mountain side. She could see nothing promising in the immediate area. Any potential cave entrance could have easily been mistaken for a shallow crevice or a mere shadow. Having no luck, she gave up and turned back to find Shen. By her estimation, the storm would probably return soon.
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jinxgirl5 generated a random number between
1 and 4 ...
3!
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Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2012 2:26 am
Shen wasn't having any more luck than Marleia. He carefully picked his way across the ruined path, trying not to cause a rockslide. He did try to look up more than down, since higher caves might have been shallower but they were less likely to flood and less likely to be caught in a rockslide. Of course a flimsy cave at the mountaintop could well be the start of a slide, but there really wasn't any foolproof sheltering to be had. He spotted two dark pockets, but one was completely unreachable due to debris and the proved even less satisfactory than the cave they were currently sheltering in.
He only spared one or two glances for the sky, relying on wind speed, sound, and smell to let him know when the storm wall was approaching too close for comfort. From the increased breeze plucking at his fur and the dampness that came with the wind, the window of safety was fastly closing. Shen increased his speed with a slightly frantic sense of purpose, trying to make every second count.
((1. No luck, Shen has to return to their cave before the hurricane hits.))
((2. Shen suddenly vanishes, having found a hidden cave by falling into it.))
((3. At the last possible minute Shen or Marleia finds a better cave to shelter in.))
((4. At the last possible minute there's a rockslide, burying the entrance to their cave and leaving them with no shelter.))
((EDIT: If you want Shen to find the cave, you can either do a filler post and I'll have him find it with my next post, or you can have Marleia observe Shen finding the cave and calling her over.))
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Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2012 12:12 pm
Marleia bypassed the entrance to their first cave and ran to catch up with Shen. It seemed that he also hadn't found a promising place to stay yet, and if Marleia was to judge by his rather fast pace, he was feeling a little desperate. She caught up with him, and matched his stride, not bothering to say anything as she joined him in the search.
They were moving pretty far away from their original shelter. Returning would from here would be problematic if the storm picked up from again. Every instinct urged Marleia to turn back now while it was still safe. But she looked at Shen, who seemed to have no intention of stopping at the moment, and squashed the feelings.
Marleia could feel with wind begin to pick up, and with it Shen's pace. She adjusted accordingly, keeping up with him in their continued search for shelter. The rain soon returned as well, falling faster and faster until it made it difficult to see. The vixen took a moment to clear her mind of any thoughts of hopelessness. She sped up as well, looking through the rain in every direction.
Suddenly, she spotted something. It was definitely a cave entrance, not too far from them, but a little higher up. She could see the inner cave walls and ceiling, looking like a shadow on the side of the mountain. She couldn't yet see how far it went or how stable it was, but at this point it didn't matter. Marleia nudged Shen slightly in case he hadn't seen it and then began to climb up to the entrance. Said entrance was smaller than the previous one, but she was still able to squeeze into the place. Once safe inside the new shelter she immediately turned to examining the place. "Anything wrong with this cave that we should be wary about?" she asked Shen as she searched for the answer herself.
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Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2012 9:19 pm
Shen wiggled in beside Marleia, dripping wet and shivering a little. "Well the smaller entrance will keep out more of the wind and rain." He peered around in the darkness, trying to see the cave. It was smaller than their last one, and not quite as deep; he could definitely see a back to it. It wasn't too cramped though, there was room enough for a half dozen foxes.
"I'm hoping it feels more sound than the older one; there isn't really anywhere to go." To underscore his words the wind outside gave a particularly loud howl as the full force of the hurricane fell upon them yet again.
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Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2012 5:15 pm
Marleia continued her examination of the tiny cave until she was satisfied; it didn't take too long. There was, as Shen mentioned, no where to go. But it didn't seem bad. The walls of the cave were solid rock, no loose dirt that could easily be broken away by the pressure of the storm. Their new, much higher altitude was mostly a bonus as well.
She took a seat where she was and wrapped her tail around her. They were going to be stuck here for a while, so now what? Marleia's ear twitched at the sound of the impossibly strong winds outside. She was somehow calmer now, accepting the fact that there was nothing to do but wait out the situation. Her eyes turned to Shen. "If you'd like some rest now, I wouldn't mind," she offered. "It's only fair, I think, and I'll be sure to wake you if something happens." This was typically her job in the family anyways, taking care of her siblings and watching over them. It wasn't in her nature to allow someone else to care for her.
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Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2012 5:50 pm
Shen gave Marleia a small, crooked smile. "Nice of you, but I don't think I'd be able to sleep right now if I tried." He scooted as close to the entrance as he could and tenatively shook himself; he didn't want to splash Marleia, so he didn't get rid of nearly as much water as a good, hard shake would have done. He used his mouth to squeeze as much extra water out of his tail as he could, then moved farther back in the cave near Marleia and began to fluff out his fur so it would dry quicker; he was still shivering quite a bit from the cold.
The whole process only took him perhaps three or four minutes, royal blue fur sticking up comically. Shen took a moment to get control of his body. Shivering was good since it would warm him up, but he'd rather not go into convulsions because of it. His shaking visibly lessened, he looked up at Marleia.
"Why don't we talk? Keep our minds off the storm, make time pass." He shrugged. "We're stuck here together, might as well maybe get to know each other a bit. You got any family?"
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