Aruna hadn’t noticed the other falling, occupied with getting herself back up from the ground and getting the dirt out of her eyes. She shook off her fur, getting any debris out of it as she did so only to feel one last twig poking into her skin through her fur. Her head curled into her chest and she used her front teeth to nibble at the area, pulling the twig out before going in for another itch. The female then lifted her head to see where her friend had gotten to, seeing them only a few metres away, showing he had clearly fallen from the impact. She was ready to go play with them again but paused in her tracks when she watched them vigorously shake their coat out, debris flying off of it in every angle.

Though before she could even take a step towards them, they leaped forward and closed the distance they had between them both. The excitement in her tail grew back and she bowed her head a little, parting her maw ever so slightly in what could be described as a grin. Their play bow was returned as she dropped to her elbows, front paws extended out as she lowered her chin to the ground. As different as it was, she couldn’t help but enjoy their springiness, they were so bouncy and it seemed they showed the energy she had. It was different to playing with her siblings and that's what she liked so much about it. Her head snapped up as the other pup sprung away, creating some space between them. She was ready to chase again but there was no need to as they crouched down again.

The young female gave a playful bark to her friend, doing a little hop forward to get a little closer before crouching back into her play bow. Her whole head following the movements her little friend was making, an amused gleam in her eyes as she did. The slight stumble in his balance was her opportunity so she flopped herself over, rolling so she was on her back. Aruna wiggled upwards a little, almost underneath the smaller pup. She reached her front paw up and out at the other, gently batting her paw at his maw only to also get startled at the loud snap. With their sensitive hearing it seemed to sound like something big caused the snap, definitely something bigger than them. She could tell her friend’s playful manner had left completely, they seemed so focused on the sound. Aruna rolled herself back over, getting up onto her paws and moving to stand beside her friend. Lifting her nose into the air, she closed her eyes and sniffed at the air, trying to find any familiar scents. Her parents would bring a lot of different scents home on their fur when out hunting so there was a lot she had smelt before, even if she didn’t have a name for those creatures most of the time.

This one though, there was a foul smell in the air. It was a scent unlike any of the others and she had never smelt it before. As much as that should scare her and she should take that as a time to leave, she couldn’t help but grow curious. Opening her eyes, she took the moment to look around before taking a hesitant step forward, moving back away from her friend to try and find where the scent was coming from. One thing she did notice was that it was growing stronger, whatever it was, was getting closer. The female hadn’t noticed the movement, focused on looking in a different direction. That was until the smaller pup skidded up to her, their words confusing her slightly until she looked where he was looking. Such a strange creature. Walking on two legs like any other bird but then again she hadn’t ever seen a bird like this, they were so tall, taller than any other creature she had seen and they definitely didn’t wear the feathers birds wore. Aruna took a careful step back, creating some more distance between them and this creature. “They smell really weird too,” she replied to the other.

Aruna clearly wasn’t as scared as her smaller counterpart, their voice was laced with fear and from a small glance over to them, their body was showing this fear just as much. Sure she was nervous of this giant creature but she was also curious, she wanted to figure them out. Not even thinking just how dangerous this thing could be. Only when it seemed to be heading their way did she crouch down to the ground, pressing her side into the smaller pup for comfort. She was so used to dealing with new things with her siblings that having her friend there and so scared gave her the confidence she needed to stay put instead of heading in the other direction. There was strength in numbers and she felt as though as long as they were there together they would be safe.

The tightening in her chest eased as the creature turned away from them, about to get up from her crouched position only for her head to snap towards her friend as they whined. Cowering down closer to the ground. Being quiet was something she had learnt at such a young age, making any sound when threatened was always bound to make things worse. She didn’t blame them though, sometimes when you were so scared it just escaped. A quiet whimper left her maw as the creature turned back to them and spotted the two straight away. She was frozen in her spot as he stalked closer, the looming figure slowly taking up the light above them, making everything seem so dark. In mere seconds her friend was off in a flash, the fear bubbling so much that she couldn’t even hear him tell her to run. She wanted to, in this moment she just prayed upon her mother or father finding her and saving her. Neither fight or flight kicked in, she was just there, pushing herself further and further into the ground as the creature grew closer.

All Aruna knew was she was alone, the warmth of the smaller pup's body left and the fear made her body tremble, a cold shiver running up her spine as the sense of dread filled within her. The creature was making noises she couldn’t understand and soon they were essentially over the top of her, she tried to move, to run, to do anything but it was like her body was frozen into the ground. Their giant paw came over her head and she cried out, whining and screeching as loud as she could. At the feeling of pressure around her neck she suddenly felt herself try to run, her legs kicking out. She was too late, the ground was soon gone from beneath her paws and she was held up in the air by the skin on the back of her neck, the tight feeling of discomfort in these creatures' claws, it was far from gentle like it was when her mother picked her up.

The female’s tail tucked so far between her legs that it clung to her stomach, kicking and squirming against the hold to try and get free. She made as much noise as she could muster but nothing was working, this beast had a firm hold on her and it began to hurt, feeling the grip tighten and pinch at her skin. She whimpered and whined, turning her head in awkward angles while snapping her jaws to try and bite the creature, they didn’t have any fur and felt as though if she bit them, they would let go from the pain. Her neck was too short and she quickly grew tired of struggling. It did nothing to help her and the creature that had her had already begun walking somewhere else entirely. Not once were they gentle and didn’t once look down to her or hold her more appropriately. They kept making noises as if they were talking but she didn’t understand a thing and it only made her small body tremble more.

Soon enough they had stopped moving completely and she looked around a little. This was a part of the forest that she didn’t even know existed and there was a weird looking den in across from them, an assortment of weird looking silver teeth hanging down from the trees that held up the den. They didn’t head towards that though, to the left there was a fallen log and next to that was this rusted silver thing that she hadn’t seen before. It was different to the teeth that seemed like they could really hurt someone and didn’t look so dangerous but still, she started trying to struggle again. Aruna in this moment wanted to be at home with her siblings and family, she was so scared she would never see them again and hoped her new friend wasn’t meeting the same fate.

The creature crouched to the ground, keeping a firm grip on her scruff as they reached towards the object they came up to, opening the front of it only to throw Aruna in. She yelped loudly, hitting her head against the back of it. It was much harder than anything she had hit her head against before and she could feel it throbbing slightly but that didn’t stop her spinning around and trying to bolt out through where she was thrown in. Before the female could, it was shut and latched, keeping her trapped. Aruna whined, pawing at the front while trying to push her face through the bars. At least there was no pinching at the back of her neck anymore but she was just as trapped and there was nowhere to go.

Solaris was running, and running fast, the fear that had him gripped in a chokehold didn't let him hear or process the telling sound of only one little creature running. Himself, and that he was missing the heavier strides of the other kit. And so he would have kept on at the pace he had set until he collapsed from exhaustion. Fortunately for him, as he jumped high to clear a low bush, there was a dip in the earth right after the foliage and he hit that. Instead of finding more or less flat ground like he had been running on, his paws met an uneven surface, and the unstability of the slanted ground combined with the speed he had been going at when he had jumped, made for a ungainly tumble. As his body started to slide down after almost bouncing off of the dirt, driving some of the air out of his lungs in a gasp, the kit twisted around and dug his front paws into the dirt. The earth almost gave way under the force of it, his small nails scratching long grooves into the softness as he slid the rest of the way down, which wasn't very far, it just seemed like it to him.

At the bottom of the natural hole, the brownish-orange kit blinked up at the slanting wall in front of him, then slowly removed his paws from the wall, shaking them in an attempt to get rid of the moist dirt clinging to the nails and caked onto his pawpads. Then he just layed there and caught his breath for a few minutes, sides heaving as he panted for air and twisted his head around to look up. His fur was still bristling from the intense fear he had experienced, and at the memory of that large creature he had encountered. In the midst of breathing, he suddenly remembered his friend, and he wondered if they were around somewhere. And if so, then why did they not come over when he had fallen into the dip?

"Friend?" The fox called up, sounding quite breathless as the simply inquiry left his mouth. Then he went quiet and listened hard, he did not hear the sound of another breathing, nor did he hear anything walking towards his location or the responding call back to him. He swallowed, a knot forming in his stomach as only the idle sounds of the forest replied, the birds and littler animals moving around about their lives. He tilted his head up and gave a shrill yap, perhaps they were farther away? And then fell silent and cocked his head, trying to gather more sound into his ears with the motion. But as the other call had went, nothing of significance came to his hearing. The forming knot of dread only tightened, an unwelcome thought forming in his mind; had his friend not run? He thought that he had said the word loud enough to be heard, but maybe not. Maybe they didn't hear him, maybe they thought he abandoned them. And he did.

That made a pitiful whine rise in his tightening throat, but remembering how the noise had attracted attention before, he shoved the sound down. He didn't want to get out of his little spot he had quite literally stumbled upon, but at the same time, he knew he had to look for his friend. Maybe they got out and were somewhere near, maybe not within earshot, he didn't really know how well they could hear anyways, but he hoped that they had made it. Then he looked up at the tree branches above him his vision rimmed by the dirt, and his next object of focus was the hole itself. He looked at the slanting wall of the thing, and found that it wasn't as steep or tall as he had originally thought it when he had fallen into it. He could climb it. And with that in mind, the young fox, crouched and leapt up, his paws dislodging loose dirt and nearly sending him tumbling back down. But he kept moving and kept himself low, trying to keep in that medium of not too slow and not too fast. Then he was up, pulling himself up onto the higher ground again, and sitting back on his haunces, sweeping his gaze around the forest.

He didn't see them. That alone made him cringe. He never should have ran like he did, he should have stayed there with his friend no matter what, and only run when they decided it was time to go. His head turned, once again sweeping the visible forest, seeing the little prey animals and the flutter of small birds in the trees and the growing light, but no shape or scent that resembled a canine, much less the friend he had been with. Taking a step forward, he lifted his head and opened his jaws, releasing a sharp bark, a call usually reserved for danger at longer distances; but it loud and would carry. He had once heard it from his father when he had not even beeni in sight, so he knew it could be heard from a ways away. He just didn't know how far.

"You didn't run." Solaris whispered to himself, his voice confused and guilty and sure all at the same time; confusion for why they hadn't run when he had taken off, guilty for being the one to run without making sure they were following, and sure that they were not even around. He didn't catch their scent, and he stopped himself from giving distress call after distress call, they weren't around and his parents weren't near.

The young fox got up briefly to turn in a complete circle, still looking, and the sitting again once the circle was fully turned. He felt helpless and angry and guilty, and he knew why. He had abandoned a friend, he had not stopped to check that they were with him, and if he had, he would have tried his very best to get them to follow him into the forest. Their absence was telling, who knows what that creature did with them; he didn't know if it would have attacked for being in its territory, or being close to it. He didn't know if it would, like some animals, let them be around it just because they were young. And he refused to think of the last option, he steered his thoughts away from that as best he could, though as with all worst case thoughts, he kept inadvertantly returning to the possibility that his friend may have been eaten.

He licked his lips in a nervous gesture, and sighed, dropping his head to stare down at his faintly black paws. His ears went back a little, and he couldn't help the shiver of guilt and fear that ran down his spine. The fox felt the urge to lay down, the fear that had drove him on so far had receeded and he felt worn out from the event, but he refused, and in a moment he forced himself to stand squarely on his paws. He was going to go back. See what had happened, and see if they were alive. No matter what. He knew he could track his own scent, he could probably even track his path, he had been so careless in his flight that anything could see that a smaller animal had come tearing through. It would be easy to find his way back, he didn't know about the rest though, it seemed like it would be harder to do the rest. But he would do it.

With that determination growing, and the thought fixed in his mind, the young fox set out again. He easily found his trail, would have found it quickly even if he could not smell anything; and he followed it. Going the opposite way he had been when he made the trail, and he ignored the nervousness as he grew closer to where the whole thing had happened. He did however, slow his pace and become more careful as he went, eventually sinking down low and slinking with the cat-like grace of his find. Sometimes he fumbled and made some noise, always freezing in place when he did, but nothing came and he did not hear anything coming, so he simply continued on his mission. He could tell the forest was getting lighter, whether it was because of the rising sun or that he was drawing near to the treeline, he didn't know, maybe it was a combination of both, but it helped to serve as a marker for him.

Soon he was edging into the place where he and his friend had played, the same place they had seen that strange creature. He was so nervous that he could have bolted right there if not for he determination to stay where he was. Then he stopped and looked out to the visible field, wondering if he should go back and get the adults to help out. But they were cautious, and might not decide to do anything when told about the two-legged creature, and they would probably not let him out of their sight until he was old enough to disperse. So that plan was disgarded after he thought about it for a few minutes, and the original one was back on track. Find, and investigate.

Solaris came out into the middle of the area hesitantly, and he sniffed the ground for any signs of anything. To his relief, he did not even smell a trace of blood, or the scent of death setting in. Nor did he see anything that would indicate an attack. So where had they gone? The creature and his friend. A walk around the place revealed a scent trail leading away, the two-legged creature's scent, and a faint smell of his friend that seemed to be interwoven. His heart sank at at, they were taken? He could track them, as he had been doing, but did he want to find a creature in its home? Did he want to take that risk? The answer was immediately forming in his mind, yes, he did, he was going to see what had happened. Even though the younger part of him recoiled at the prospect, of not even having his skulk around him and helping. He was going to do this, or he would forever be carrying the guilt and what would have beens in his mind.

The young fox swallowed hard again, steeling himself to go, and he did. Finding the trail was easy, it was one of the first things about hunting he had been taught, and such a distinctive creature's scent made it very easy. If he ignored his emotions and thought about it, it felt like tracking a mouse or vole, in a way. Usually hunting did not have the same sense of urgency in it, he didn't think so at least, maybe he was wrong about that. He grew slower with every step, and started to look around frequently as the scent trail grew fresher and stronger, he couldn't tell if his friend's scent was still there, though.

It took a while at the current pace Solaris was going at, but there was a point where he stopped completely, the scent being almost overwhelming, and he thought about what he to. He was nearly there, and he could be seen easily if he just popped out there and went around, so he would have to use the stealth that came more naturally to foxes than other animals, and creep around the area to scout it out. He could have sworn he was told to do that when entering a new place, see what dangers were there and what advantages. So he diverged from his path, and slunk around, keeping low to the ground and moving so that his brownish coat could blend into the ground more easily, beelining for a bush to hide under or behind and observe from there. The only visible part of him was the tip of the tail, that little white spot flashing as he moved. His head to kept turned to the inside of the area, and he spotted a kind of silver thing, with a rusty color. And that nearly made him pause, but he kept going and finally reached the bush, flattening himself under it and curling his body around so that he fit into the contour of the foliage. His head lifted slightly and amber eyes scanning the area for any sign of the creature or his friend.

Fear was newer to the young pup but right now, it ruled every fibre of her being. Aruna’s whole body trembled as she cornered herself into the back of the cage, her eyes wide and her chest heaving. Her maw was parted and her tongue hung out as she panted heavily. All the struggling and fear, making her exhausted. This is what her parents meant, they warned her it would be dangerous to go out on her own and not listen to them but she didn’t listen and now, she was trapped by a creature only nightmares could have brought about. Maybe that was it, maybe this was just one big nightmare. With that thought Aruna squeezed her eyes shut, repeatedly telling herself to wake up. She stayed like that for a few moments before slowly opening her eyes, hoping to see her siblings.

A whimper left her as she was still alone, the cage bars still there and clearly very real. Aruna shifted her paws a little, the wire digging into the pads of her paws and making them ache a little. Another whine emitted from the wolf pup and she awkwardly laid herself down. It was uncomfortable and cold compared to her den but there was no use in struggling anymore, it would only make her more tired and she figured it would be best to conserve her energy. For whatever would happen. She just hoped the creature wouldn’t come back out, she hadn’t noticed before but they seemed to have left or gone into the large den that looked like it was built out of trees. It was a structure she hadn’t seen before and despite it looking like it was made out of trees and such, it just didn’t seem normal and stuck out like a sore thumb.

Taking the moment to look around, she took in every little feature she could just in case there was an opportunity of escape, as doubtful of that happening as she was, it was better than just sitting there and doing nothing. They were barely on the tree line, or at least there was definitely less trees, they were more spaced out with several bushes hovering around, perfect places for little creatures to hide if need be. Then again Aruna felt like anything would be too scared to hang around here with those two legged monsters lurking around. A creature no one had ever told her about. They didn’t match the description of bears or any other predator that she had been told about. Aruna blinked to rid herself of those thoughts, trying to stop herself from getting distracted. This wasn’t the time.

Paying attention to her ears, she lifted her head a little at the faint side of trickling water. Aruna turned her head, spotting a very small stream of water that disappeared off into the trees at either side. It was definitely shallow enough to walk or run through, seeing all the little stones at the bottom. There weren’t any fish that she could see or hear so she figured this was the shallowest point. What intrigued her the most was the clear opening on the other side. It looked so free and the grass was so green from the light. The pup couldn’t help but think how perfect of a place it would be to play and wrestle. It was that thought that made her think of her friend again. Aruna’s ears pinned back, flattening against her head as she let out a whine. She should have run with them, she should have listened but she didn’t. Here she was stuck in a cage while her friend got away. Aruna was upset with herself, not an ounce of anger directed towards the other pup for leaving. If anything she looked up to them for being able to do what she couldn’t do.

Curling up into a tight ball, her tail sitting over her front paws before her chin followed suit, she stared off into the open grass. She wondered if she would see the smaller pup again, or any of her family for that matter. It had been such a good day and now she might not see anyone she loved ever again. In an instant, Aruna flung herself up out of her curled up position, spinning herself around to face the creatures home. A large bang of wood against wood had startled her and had the fear rising back up her throat, her small body trembling once again as she looked for the source of the noise while backing herself up as far as she could, making as much space between herself and the weird structuring as she possibly could. Her eyes followed the movement that started coming from the monster's den, it being a blurry mess from that far away.

At a certain point she could tell it was another one of those creatures and she pushed herself into the bars further, trying to make herself seem as small as possible. They grew clearer the closer they got and she noticed they were considerably smaller than what grabbed her. They looked the same and were definitely another one of those creatures, maybe this was just one of their pups. That's all she could think of anyway, she could be completely wrong for all she knew but that wasn’t something she could focus on right now. The fear Aruna felt was almost overwhelming, she kept pushing herself into the bars, quiet whines emitting from her the closer they got. They were heading for her and she had no idea what they were going to do. Her neck still hurt from her last encounter with these things and didn’t want that to happen again. Although, she kept an open mind as best as she could, prepared to bolt if given the chance.

The sounds they made were different, they were softer and calmer and yet, it did nothing to soothe the wolf pup. Aruna whimpered, watching as the smaller creature picked up a stick, pushing it through the bars to poke at her. She tried to avoid it, spinning around and pressing herself back up against the bars, trying to ignore the irritating feeling of the stick poking at her skin. Just as Aruna’s back was turned, she felt a familiar feeling brush against her fur. Sure this things paws were smaller and gentler than the larger creatures were but her mind had been made up, she wasn’t going to let them grab her again. The female growled from the deepest part of her chest, spinning around in an instant and biting down hard onto the creature's paw, digging her sharp teeth in the best as she could.

Their cry of pain rang through her ears and she could feel them trying to tug paw away. They hadn’t listened to her cries so she didn’t let go. That was until another sound filled her ears, it was faint and clearly quite a while away but it was familiar in a way. It didn’t sound like any of her family but it did sound a little like her friend. She wasn’t sure if it was or not but that hope bubbled within her. Aruna just hoped they would come find her. She would do anything to see their strange little face right now. The thoughts of her friend were rudely interrupted by a loud bashing on her cage bars, causing her to help and snap her attention onto whatever did it. The much larger creature stood there, looming over the cage she was in with the smaller one holding onto them. They seemed to say something to her, not that she understood a word before storming off back into their home, blood dripping from the little one's hand.

Aruna licked the small amount of blood that was on her maw off and watched where they had left for a few moments, making sure she was alone before looking away again, her attention in the direction of what she heard the sound. “Maybe I was just hearing things,” she whispered to herself, a huff of air leaving her chest as she laid down again. Aruna rested her chin on her paws and simply waited. For whatever was to happen. There was simply nothing else she could do. After a while of simply watching, her head lifted from her paws and her head tilted slightly. She could have sworn she saw the familiar white tip of a tail rush past towards a bush. Aruna blinked, trying to focus on if her eyes were playing tricks on her or not but even if she had, she couldn’t see it anymore and that slight flicker of hope died down.

Solaris' ears flattened as he watched the two creatures return to what he suspected was their den, he had not been able to see much of what had happened from where he was huddled under the bush. But something had happened, the smaller two-legged creature had cried out in pain and the scent of blood had reached his nose. He guessed that his friend, because that was his friend in the silver-rusted thing, had managed to bite one of them. He could be wrong, but the reactions were too like a kit biting down much too roughly and then one of the adults comes to put a stop to it.

But even as he winced from the cry and the following reaction from the larger one, he felt hope rise as he waited a few minutes, eyes practically glued to the entrance of the den. Maybe they wouldn't come out for a little bit, maybe they were in there, but the smaller one, who might have been a kit, had gotten an injury. It would make sense for them to check the wound, and that might take a little bit. After all, even if foxes in a skulk hunted alone, wounded members would still be taken care of if they returned with an injury. As these thoughts popped into his head, his ears still twitched at every little noise, but he didn't move from his position.

It felt like forever, like it would soon be nighttime by the time he decided that he'd spent enough time waiting. But it probably hadn't been that long, and he had been staring at the strange den for a little bit enough, he was sure that if any of the creatures would come out, they already would have by now. And so he slowly rose to his paws, every motion careful and slow, eyes still on the fallen-wood den. Stretching his neck out, he moved his gaze to the thing on the ground, and he could see movement inside. Then it was back to the den, ears pricking up for a moment before going back again. He was tempted to call out before he stepped from the safety of his bush, but he shook his head, that wasn't a good idea and he knew it. Never make noise before you strike.

Before he had any temptation of hesitating, the young fox stepped out into the open and took a brief glance around to make sure that nothing was lurking within eyesight, then he set his sights on the cage and went straight for it. His gait was smooth and quick, his body was low to the ground with his head lowered down so that it was nearly in line with his back. Everything about him screamed 'stealth' as he went to his friend, the cantering motion carrying him pretty quickly over the ground. Then once he got within a few meters of the cage, he slowed down to a walk while lowering himself into a stalking position, ears lowered to decrease chance of detection. Once he was a bit closer, he stopped and lifted his head up slightly, orange and white face hitting the sunlight a bit.

"We're going to have to run. Quickly." Solaris said in a low but audible tone, cutting straight to the point and uncaring if his friend had or hadn't noticed him before he started coming up on the cage. Then he took a quick glance over to the den, and had to circle the silver object before finding the entrance to it. He had to stop and examine it for a moment, trying to figure out how the device worked. He couldn't waste too much time, he knew that, his fur was prickling with the feeling that he was too exposed, vulnerable to attack, and he wanted to be out of the place as soon as possible. But first he had to open the cage, it had to have an opening, after all his friend was in it.

He paced slightly, peering at the hinges before coming back and staring at the latch, head tilted to the side and eyes narrowed in concentration. He had never seen something like this before, and he hadn't encountered anything like it either. If he looked at the front of the thing, he could see places where seemed like it would open, or was able to move, but the whole thing looked very sturdy. If his friend hadn't been able to get it open, then he definitely wouldn't, brute force was not one of his kind's strengths, and he was no different. As he examined the cage door, he thought he heard movement somewhere, coming in the direction of the enclosed den, and his pulse sped to thundering as his head snapped around for just a moment, before swiveling back just a quick. He had to get this thing open, fast.

That little odd thing, enclosed by a wire over it, might be the thing to open the container. His eyes found it again and he went for it, small sharp teeth closing over the looped part closest to him, and pulling back. It resisted his tug, but he could swear that it had a little give, so he doubled his efforts and dug his paws into the ground, bracing himself and trying to gain more leverage. It didn't work, and he gave a growl of frustration and urgency, his mind flying through many ideas and outcomes so fast that he couldn't keep up with his thoughts. He had no choice but to try again, and he did, twisting his head downwards as he pulled, putting his neck and head at an awkward angle, but he didn't care at the moment. The latch moved but didn't release, and he once again let go, looking at the thing to try and discern what made it move properly. Not that he had any reference point for properly.

An idea presented itself, since it had moved when he pulled down and back, maybe it went up? It wouldn't hurt to try, and so he gave opening the cage another frantic attempt. He was so nervous that he missed the latch entirely and his teeth snapped down on air, he drew back and managed to grab the latch between his teeth. He stood there for a second, trying to work it out. Then he arched his neck and reared up onto his hind legs, a paw landing on a bar to keep his steadied, and he yanked the latch up, hearing a satisfying clicking-clank as it gave. Next thing was simple, all he had to do was pull back as he turned off to the side to return to having four paws on the ground. It went easily now, and with a metallic sound the latch slid back and the door swung open, smacking the young fox in the side and forcing him to take a quick step to avoid losing his balance entirely.

"Okay, I think it's time to go now." Solaris said, his head twisting about as he heard more sounds from inside the den, he glanced at his friend and then back at the den entrance, body as tense as a drawn back tree branch, hackles raised. He spun around and stared off into the forest and saw nothing dangerous, at least nothing that was in his current line of sight, and the breeze brought harmless scents on it, so he thought it was clear to run without having to be careful of what may jump out at them. Then he added, upon remembering what had happened originally. "You first, I'll follow."

The little female shifted in the spot she laid in, her head coming down to rest on her paws once more as her gazed focused on the spot she swore she could have seen something, even if it was nothing, there was nothing else for her to do and this was the quietest she had been without sleeping in a long time. Yet, she wasn’t even fidgeting or having that over excitement she usually had about her. It was a strange feeling and yet, she didn’t feel like doing anything, feeling rather sorry for herself. Aruna wasn’t sure what was going to happen to her but the last time the creature came over, they didn’t seem happy with her and she could still taste the blood in her mouth. Maybe it was a mistake but it came naturally and she was only protecting herself. They started it.

With a small huff, Aruna turned her attention to her paws and began cleaning them, nibbling gently at her paw pads. It was just something to do, they weren’t necessarily dirty but her head was on top of them and she hoped it would at least make time go quicker. That was until her ear twitched upon hearing a quiet rustle from where she was looking previously. Curiously, Aruna looked up from her paws, shifting so the one she was cleaning was no longer facing up, making it so if she needed to get up quickly she could. Not that she expected it to be another one of those creatures, they were still in that weird den and was sure they would at least be a little while longer with the bite she had given the smaller one. Her teeth were considerably sharp still and as much as she didn’t have much power behind her bite, she felt the things skin tear quite easily.

There was a little body moving rather quickly yet stealthily towards her and at first it looked like any other wolf pup. That was until their face hit the sunlight and she automatically knew it was her friend from earlier. The familiar orange face being a sight she was more than happy to see. “You came back for me,” she said under her breath, more to herself than anything. Them finding her wasn’t something she was exactly hopeful for but here they were. Aruna sprung up to her paws as they grew closer, her tail swishing from side to side. It took everything in her to keep quiet, wanting nothing more than to voice her excitement but it would just put them both in more danger. She didn’t want to ruin this when her new friend were putting themselves in so much danger coming back for her.

Hearing them say they would have to run she nodded. Aruna knew she should have run in the first place and this was all her fault for not doing so. At first she thought her friend was cowardly but now she just knew they were simply smarter than her, they definitely had more courage that's for sure. Otherwise they just wouldn’t have come back. Watching as they circled the cage she was in, Aruna followed them, spinning around in a circle just to meet them back at the front. Pawing at the door that she had been thrown through in the first place. She wasn’t completely sure if they would be able to open it but now they were here, she had so much hope and wanted nothing more to be free. Aruna took a small step back to give them more room to work, her gaze continuously flicking from the smaller pup then back up to the den, prepared to tell them to run again if any of the creatures started coming. The last thing she wanted was for them both to be trapped, even if it meant she didn’t get out.

They were trying so hard and she wished she could help but after her previous attempts she knew she would be useless so just kept a look out instead. That familiar clunking sound from when she was put inside the cage had her snapping her head back to the other pup, watching as the front of the cage swung open. She couldn’t believe her eyes and just stood there in shock for a few moments before hearing her friend's words. Aruna shook her head to wake herself up a bit, her eyes meeting the den one more time before slowly creeping her way out of the cage. The feeling of the ground on her paws being a feeling she missed even if it hadn’t been that long since she last touched it. Then again, time went by very slowly for pups and to her it felt like an eternity.

Aruna knew they needed to run and get out of there quickly but first she quickly nuzzled her face with theirs, clearly happy to see them again. “Thank you,” she said softly, keeping her voice quiet so she didn’t give them away. “Let's get out of here,” she said and just as she did, the other pup told her to go first this time. Maybe because they knew they were faster than her or maybe because she didn’t run last time but either way Aruna gave a sharp nod and quickly headed for the deeper part of the forest, her pace speeding up into a run the further she got. This was no time to mess around and they needed to get as far away as possible so the creatures didn’t find them again.

Glancing back to make sure her friend was on her trail, Aruna pushed herself to run faster, swerving around some of the trees that started to grow denser the further they ran. Her parent’s hadn’t quite taught her to run from dangers or the strategies behind it. Wolves weren’t the kind of animal to run from things most of the time, they always had their pack there and were more fight out of fight or flight. However, with this encounter Aruna had definitely learnt that running was better. It was definitely the safer option. Afterall, there she was in a cage while her friend was free. She was lucky they had come back. Her chest heaved as she ran and her legs were quickly growing tired. This had been the most eventful day of this pup's life and there was still daylight left.

After a little while of running, Aruna had to stop. Her tongue hung out of her maw as she panted heavily, clearly tired from all of the running and struggling she had been doing. Stopping near a fallen tree she leaned against it a little, turning to see if her friend was still there with her while trying to catch her breath. “Do you think we are far enough?” she asked, glancing in the direction they had come from. The last thing she wanted was those creatures finding them again. As much as she hoped she would run next time, they got lucky this time and luck was rare. At least that's what she had been told. Managing to have caught her breath she let out a whine, looking over to the smaller pup. “I’m sorry I didn’t run with you, I didn’t expect you to come back for me,” she said honestly. Filled with nothing but appreciation for her smaller friend.

For a few moments after the cage door opened, he was worried about the possibility of the creatures coming out again, and his friend standing there. After he spoke, they seemed to snap out of it however, and to his relief they had slowly come out of the strange object. However he was expecting the larger of the two to immediately run afterwards, it could not have been pleasant to be stuck in something like that, something inescapable like that would have driven him crazy. He was not expecting them to come up to him and nuzzle him, but despite the surprise, he instinctively relaxed into the gesture and rubbed his face back in reciprocation, his relief both intensifying and calming at the affectionate greeting.

He quietly responded to the 'thank you' in the usual manner, and his eyes strayed from the larger kit to watch for anything, even though he knew that he would hear one of those creatures before he saw them. But he still caught the nod from the other kit, and once they were moving at a quick pace, he followed close behind. They were able to take larger strides due to the size difference between the two of them, and so he was forced to speed up into a run faster than what he was used to, he was not used to following another and having to speed up his pace as quick as he had; considering his littermates were all around the same size as he, and his parents wouldn't run ahead of them if they were on a hunting trip. But he understood the urgency of the situation, and pace-wise it wasn't too bad, he was able to run quick and could maintain his pace for a little bit. He was actually running slower than he typically did, to keep a step or two behind his friend.

The young fox could practically feel eyes on the back on his neck, the hackles raised and fur bristling from agitation, however it was just his imagination. Nothing behind them was actually watching the two flee. The anxiety and tension of the situation combined to create the phantion sensation of gazes settling upon his form, heavy like a cloak or blanket, but not truly there. But the feeling was still present, and he refused to look behind himself as he ran, knowing that if he were to look he would either falter in his pace or his gait would speed up to his more usual running pace. He was not going to lag behind the larger kit, but he wouldn't speed ahead either, the memory of that horrible, choking guilt that he had been the one to run and left his friend behind. It had been instinct driven, foxes were not the kind of creature to stand and fight against other, larger creatures, even in a skulk. Unless they had something to protect, and even then they didn't fight in the usual way of pack animals. It was more scattered but still cohesive, using their often surperior speed and agility to fend off predators to kits and the wounded members of the skulk.

But he had still run, even when he had someone worth standing with and who he would have easily put his life and wellbeing into jeopardy to fight alongside or to protect. And he felt horrible about running without checking that they were following, it was one thing to run in the face of a danger he could not hope to fend against, but it was another thing to bolt without making sure that they had been also running with him. He could not let those feelings get to him now however, they had to escape and get far enough away that they could rest without worrying about the creatures chasing and catching them, or until one or both of them was so tired they had stop going at the current pace.

When he saw that his friend glanced back at him, he wanted to tell them that he was fine, to say that he was sticking close to them was an unneccessary thing to utter. But he held his tongue and reserved his breath to keep him running longer, it would be a waste of air to speak right now. The talking part could come later, and he could feel a small knot of dread form at the idea; they seemed happy to see him again after he had come back and gotten them out of that thing, but how long would be last? Their feelings could change once they were out of danger. These thoughts starting forming in his mind, and he quickly shook his head in a sharp motion, not enough to throw him off balance but enough to jar his mind onto the proper thoughts. He could think later, and he would, but now was a time for escape.

After a bit, his jaws were open and he was breathing quite hard, the muscles in his legs straining as he ran on. He was faster but also had to put in more effort to keep at a sustained pace, he was more of the type of creature that used speed and ambush or clever tactics to hunt and fight, instead of endurance. He was tiring but yet he did not want to call an end to the pace, he still wanted to keep running, but he would have to stop soon or he would not have a choice in where they rested. He would probably simply collapse in a heap on the ground. Looking specifically at his friend, he thought that he saw signs of them tiring too, but he was not focused enough to be quite sure of that. But he got his answer a few minutes later after the thought popped into his mind.

"Yeah, I think we are." Solaris panted out, gasping in harsh breaths in between the words. He didn't have it in him to take the few more steps to the fallen tree his friend was now leaning against, he used his remaining reserves to simply lower himself to the ground and sprawl out on his side to catch his breath. He was still panting when his friend spoke and the ear not pressing against the ground twitching in their direction, his eyes moving to watch the other kit as he processed the words. Then he blinked in disbelief once they sunk in.

"What? You don't...you don't have to apologize," he managed to get out, mind trying to find a way to phrase what he wanted to say, and still a bit surprised at the words spoken and too tired at the moment to compose himself. "I, I shouldn't have run without checking you were behind me."

Then he seemed to realize what the last part of that sentence meant, he and gave them a look that was more disbelieving than the initial one. What kind of skulk was his friend born to? One that wouldn't come back for them? He knew that foxes could be skittish in the face of large dangers, but if one of their own were taken, they would at least make a good attempt to find out where they had gone. Considering a would often consist of the two parents and their adult and younger offspring, and could also include the parents' older parents as well, they weren;t too willing to just let another member go so easily. Finally he asked "What do mean, you didn't expect me to come back?" as he looked at his friend, he tilted his head slightly to the side, eyes narrowed a bit, then he added as he looked around, "Where is your skulk, by the way?"

Seeing her friend flop onto the ground as they stopped, Aruna pushed herself from the fallen tree, wobbling her way towards him before flopping down onto her stomach next to them. She was still nervous about the creatures finding her and wanted to be close to another pup, especially the one that had saved her. "I hope so, I don't think I can run any longer," she huffed, her breathing only just evening out ever so slightly. It was clear to her that the smaller pup had spent more of their energy than she had but this was a lot of exercise for such small legs, she couldn't remember a time when she ran so fast, with so much panic. Then again she was always around her family and usually didn't have a care in the world for anything.

So much had happened and the youngling couldn’t help but want to be with her family, to curl up into the den with her siblings and sleep with the peace of knowing her mother or father was guarding the den. Though she also wanted to be near her new friend, with the little time they had known each other she had grown rather fond of the smaller pup. They were clearly very different in a multitude of ways which she saw more and more of but there was nothing to make her think they were anything but a wolf pup, from a different pack for sure but the same thing as her nevertheless. Looking at her friend, she realised they didn’t even know each other's name. They had been so caught up with playing and then the whole creature situation that they hadn’t really spoken at all. “My name is Aruna, by the way.”

Aruna’s gaze lifted to look up at her friend, tilting her head ever so slightly as he spoke. “I just froze, I should have ran. Then neither of us would have been in danger and I wouldn’t have been thrown into that thing, it was so cold and uncomfortable,” she said with a whine as she remembered it, placing her head down onto her paws. Aruna felt like she had put the other in danger by just freezing and with them risking their life to come find her was something she felt deserved an apology. Even if they said she didn’t need to, she felt the need to and wanted them to know it was appreciated. They were both considerably young and shouldn’t be out so far alone, it was crazy to her that they even managed to find her instead of going back to find their family.

Shaking her head a little in disagreement, she glanced up at them with her chin still upon her paws. “Running was the smart thing to do, you staying with me wouldn’t have helped either of us,” she replied. Despite the other pup being a bit smaller than her, they seemed to know more and be a bit smarter so she figured they could be older, or maybe their parents had just taught them more. She wasn’t quite sure but there was definitely something different in the way their minds worked which was actually quite interesting to see, her curiosity only making her like her friend that much more. Aruna huffed once more, rolling onto her side while still looking at her friend, her ears open to anything that sounded out of the ordinary, she was rather tired and wanted nothing more than to take a nap but she couldn’t, not out in the open like this with those creatures out there.

“I just mean it was dangerous and I wouldn’t have blamed you if you didn’t come back,” she said, pausing for a moment before adding, “I’m sure my pack would have come looking for me eventually.” It was more of a hope that they would, wolves were loyal to their pack but they also did what was best for everyone rather than just an individual, if something was deemed too dangerous, they would put the lives of the whole pack first. Then again, they were fiercely protective of their own pups. Aruna just wasn’t sure and with the fear of being trapped and the amount she struggled she didn’t think she was ever going to get out of there. It was the smaller pup's next question that perked her up a bit, confusion written all over her.

They had used a word she had never heard of before and the context it was used in only made her more confused. “Skulk?” she questioned with a tilt of her head. “What is that?” she asked without a clue on what it could be. As much as she had heard the distaste of foxes from everyone, she didn’t really know anything about the species. Only that they were cat-like canines that everyone seemed to hate. Other than that and a little bit of their scent she knew nothing. Not that, that mattered. She had never seen one and still believed she hadn’t. To her, she was almost certain that her friend was simply a smaller wolf pup.

He was too tired to react to much at the moment, still out of breath. He did not do any more than twitch an ear as heard his friend coming towards him, the sound of their tread unsteady, before the sound of something heavier going down next to him. His eyes that had slipped closed for a brief moment popped open, and he managed to tilt his head over to view the larger kit who was now next to where he lay, a deep inhale and then a slow exhale escaped his agape jaws, and he managed a breathless huff at their remark. He felt the same, he felt like he wouldn't be able to even lift his head for a while now, much less keep running. He had been doing a lot of running since he woke up, and it felt more tiring than usual, since he typically ran and played hard with his littermates, this kind of exercise was not new to him. Maybe it was because he had woken so much earlier than he was supposed to wake, earlier than his kind where supposed to be up and about.

The experience of everything had made the young fox grow fond of the other kit, they both were quite different but not. He was not sure what the deal was with his friend, they were larger than he and it made him think they were older, but their reactions were strange. Any fox whether old or young knew to keep still when in the presence of a more powerful creature, or if they deemed it so, to outright run off. Of course, had also been taught to be quiet but he had broken that rule very quickly, the thought of that made him cringe. But even despite that strange behavior which could be easily considered a part of the unknown, like how he had so easily gave voice to his fear instead of stifling it in his throat, and the odd appearance for a fellow kit, he still liked them. Even though he was not as familiar with them as with his family, he still thought of them as a friend, and he hoped they thought the same of him.

What caught his attention though, was the offering of his friend's name. That made him lift his head slightly off the ground in surprise, blinking for just a moment as he processed the name. Aruna. It wasn't familiar to him, the sound of it was a bit different and kind of thicker than the sharper pronunciations and slight hissing of the names of his skulk, but maybe different skulks had different name-sounds they liked. He couldn't say that he disliked his friend's name, he had to get into the habit of calling them Aruna now, but it was not something he was too familiar with. It would be easier once he started using it more, the softer and meatier sound of it would come more readily to him.

"My name's Solaris." He replied, putting his head on the ground and looking at Aruna. His name was that of the sun in the sky, he had been told, his namesake was bright but fierce in its intensity; able to scorch lands and take the water out of the forests alike. While being noticeable was not a trait that was considered good, his kind's fiery coats often did attract attention; and the similarity to the sun was still an admirable name to be given. It started with a softer hiss than normal, but it could be drawn out and made noticeable quite easily, and from what he gathered, it was an unusual name but considered a good one for fox. Different, for while many were named for fire and alike themes, the sun was not a namesake many foxes could claim.

The thought made a pang of something twinge in his chest, bringing his attention back to his siblings. The quick thought of names among his kind bringing theirs to mind: Tamesis, named for the night that his black coat brought to mind; Pyralis, named for the fire in her already bright fur; Shiva, name for her lighter, almost pale gold coat, the name of a vixen who had lived and died a long time ago; and Nishtar who bore the name of cleverness and quick thinking, the traits that she practically embodied. It felt like such a long time since he had left them sleeping in a pile together, even though it was far from nightfall, he felt a pang of a special kind of longing; he missed them. His parents names were also brought to mind as well, as well as the instinctual want to be with them and be assured of his safety. His ears flicked back for a moment at the thought of them: his father Lazarus, the name that was often adopted by a wandering dog-fox, the name of stealth and disappearances and reappearances; and his mother Avis, named for swiftness and waiting, such as the hunting birds would circle and then strike.

He was knocked out of his thoughts at the sound of his friend's- Aruna's voice, making him prick up his ears and give them his attention. He listened to the words they spoke, but it didn't mean that he really agreed with the sentiment of the words; well, most of it anyways. He privately did agree that it was not a good thing that they had froze, and it still struck him as a little odd that him running had not broken them out of the freezing instinct. But he had the feeling that Aruna already knew about what they should have but didn't do, and he was not the type to add to that, so he kept quiet and kept his opinions to himself.

At some point during the interaction, he righted himself so that the lay on his belly with his forelegs stretched out in front of him, and he tilted his head down slightly to keep Aruna's gaze, even as they rolled onto her side to continue. There was a flash of more interest as they kept speaking, now addressing his comment on him coming back. The thing that snagged his attention more was the term "Pack", and the context of it being used made him think that it was a group, but he had no point of reference for that. His ears went back a little and he tilted his head to the side for a moment in confusion, a question on the tip of his tongue but held back for speaking would interrupt Aruna.

And just as he was confused by "pack", he saw his friend give signs of confusion at his words. But he was not sure what he had said that had sounded strange to them, it was soon answered though; as they questioned about what a skulk was. That made him shoot the other kit a disbelieving look, and he took several long moments to think of a response to such a basic thing of his kind; even if they were from an earth in which case would only be their mother and any littermates, any kit would know what to call a group of foxes that hunted and lived together. Even as he thought, he has not too sure on what to say in response.

"I...do you call it something different?" Solaris said in puzzlement, tilting his head once again at a more noticeable angle as he spoke. Adding on to his original question to answer Aruna's inquiry "'Skulk' is the term for a group of our kind, when they live and hunt together."

He didn't think that his friend was from a different kind. And so the word "our" made it into his sentence, that while confused on why a fellow kit would not know the meaning of skulk in the context he had used, he simply accepted that it was yet another difference. That their skulk or whatever they called it simpy used a different term for a group. After all, he had caught snippets of other terms for foxes in a group, such as leash or lead, although he lacked the knowledge of why those other words existed. Now that he thought about it, he could have sworn he heard the word pack being used before in the same context. Maybe that was it, maybe foxes that had a family could choose the name to describe their group. Maybe that was why the other names existed for them, even though skulk maintained its place as the commonly used term.

"Is that why you said pack before? Is that the term your..." he hesitated on the descriptor, almost saying skulk again but stopping himself just in time. It took a moment to locate the right word, torn between skulk, group, or pack to use at the moment. "uh, skulk uses?" He felt a bit useless about having to think on the proper term, and then going with the original word anyways.