He had always been testing. His father had given such a quality to him and yet, his mother's quietness had lended itself to him too. In response, he had been a gentle kind of push whereas his father had always been direct and abrupt in his efforts to discern the inner quality of another. Elohim, however, tested in subtle ways, ways that only he would understand completely. It had been the same with the unusual woman of white and russet - tease and toy, submit and then discover their true inner workings. This woman was no different just because she had found him on the brink of his own discovery. Her arrival had not changed his plans but rather, it had enchanced them. He much preferred exploring this realm with the quiet breathing of another and the subtle clicking of a stranger's claws against the cold stone.

He heard her sigh and he felt his lip curl up in amusement at the sound, curious as to what part of this seemed to exasperate her. For a moment, he considered querying her as to why she followed if she seemed so disinterested in it all and yet, he quickly dismissed the idea. Let her follow. It was better off that way. Perhaps her curiosity would be piqued in due time.

He paused then as she spoke; his body stiffened slightly, his head twisting back to gaze towards her. In the darkness, only the slihers of light that broke through the cracked and weary stone above illuminated the path; a beam fell nearby, illuminating he and her in deep shades of grey. "No fear of the unknown? He inquired with a small shrug before he paused, clicking his tongue the once before he continued. "Don't you think the quiet things are the greatest threat?" His head tilted as he moved forward another pace; he stopped then, stiff again, as his claw brushed across the nothingness below. He could feel the abyss open beneath him, a darkness unlike any other as the sound of water and stench of old and must breathed up at them. Quiet, he thought, despite the rushing of water deep within.

"We are quiet when he hunt," he mused, lowering his nose to the abyss with a curious sniff, "and even quieter when we scheme." With his other paw, he swiped at the floor, brushing several small stones along until they toppled from the edge of the ravine. They tumbled down in silence before they clattered against stone spikes and pillars in the dark, plunging into the water after some moments with a muffled bang. It echoed through the cave, his ears twisting to listen to it vanish into the nothingness. "I've never met a wolf who did not fear the quietness of others." Even the woman of white and russet had despised his quietness and hate... was hate not a product of fear? He wondered, then, if he had met a wolf unlike any other: a wolf who feared nothing beyond what her instincts told her to fear.