Comfortable in the blankets of the dark shadows, being nearly a part of the shadows himself, Avtandil laid comfortably in the spot he had found. His dark body blended smoothly with the rocks around him. All to be seen by strangers were his blue eyes and the single visible paw his head rested upon. A wolf stepped forward into the space and he watched quietly from his corner.

Liquid Amber’s white body stood out against the dark of the grottos. She almost glowed against the shadows that embraced him. Her body approached the water that seemed to flow freely through the stones. His head moved only just, so he could keep her in his curious gaze. She came close to the clear water and the boy held his breath. This stranger seemed oblivious to the dangers of what could lurk just below an unassuming surface. The ripples of a calm water could have teeth just below waiting for their flesh.

As a child of Iromar he had been raised in an environment where he could not always trust his sense of sight. The mists and murk curled around dark forms and hid them from the world. Both dangers and dreams always seemed to be kept just out of sight and forever out of reach. For all he knew the danger and false sense of what was real and true was just as valid in this dark place as it was in the moors.

To Avtandil’s surprise the woman slid into the water. Gaze narrowed suspiciously. Adults were supposed to know better.

Before he could stop himself. Will the monsters not get you? The pup’s voice was that of a child; high and pure. But the dry sarcastic purr his parents bred into him was still clear; just as everything, lurking just below the surface. From the safety of his den he had seen animals slip into the swamps and be consumed by the ancient creatures that ruled there. Long scaly noses snapped entire deer in half and sent herds in a panic. Most wolves feared the dangers that dwelled on the land with them. Walking along the dirt, confident they would see or smell the dangers that would attack them on a level plain. Stepping into the arena of the water beasts was unheard of to the pup. He was not yet in a place where he could issue that challenge with a hope of survival.