White stops singing and half-listens to the music as it slowly peters out, changing to a softer song as he glances at the small tripod supported sphere sitting above the radio system. Focusing back on the road, he realizes how firmly he holds Racheria's paw as she moves her paw within his, easing the pressure he's applying with his fingers. She sighs softly as her paw rotates within his, the sound soothing to his ears as she curls her fingers around the edges of his paw.

'... And to think that the same paw that feels so gentle, can become so... Wait a minute.'

He thinks, remembering back to when they were just leaving his home. "Rach, how long have you been able to make armors from the elements?" He asks curiously, though relieved.

She shifts in her seat after a few wordless moments, his right ear turning towards her as he continues to watch the road ahead. She slides the pads of her fingers against the back of his paw absentmindedly. White simply waits, letting her gather her thoughts as the subtle tension he feels in her grip slowly starts to fade.

"... Ever since I had to start my arm on fire to melt through the chains I was caught in."

She says, scratching at her left shoulder.

"Chains? What the hell?"

White says, glancing over at her for a moment then facing the road again. "...Is that part of how you got that scar on your head?"

-----------------------------

'Damn, he did notice it.' Racheria thinks as she places her paw from her left shoulder to her right thigh, forcing her jolt from his question into a different movement. 'Now he's probing.'

"That scar is from when I accidentally blew up an unmarked fuel barrel and a piece of shrapnel scraped over my head as I dove for cover. I doubt that it is connected to me melting away chains wrapped around my arms." She lies in a blunt tone, turning her head to look out the passenger window and watching as the thick, densely packed forest starts to transition into scattered and wind-battered foothills growth.

"..... What made you think of melting the chains?" White asks, seeming to accept her lie and returning to his previous question.

"I didn't actually think of melting the chains at first." She says softly, focusing on a solitary tree in the distance. "My first thought was more along the lines of 'Fuckfuckfuckedyfuck!' once I got caught. In hindsight, running through an unused industrial building wasn't the best idea."

A light but deep chuckle vibrates from White down into her paw, forcing her into clicking her tongue as she turns her head back to glare at White's quietly laughing form. "Sorry that most people seem to believe warehouses that should have something left inside, are actually cleared out entirely!" She growls out, eliciting more, louder chuckling from him.

"Sorry Rach, couldn't help it." He replies, his amused chuckle dying out. "Carry on."

"..... Anyway, I manage to sprint down into what must have been a spray-wash for whatever was being manufactured there previously, turn at the end and slam into a mess of overhanging chains. I don't know if someone just forgot them there after removing the equipment there or something, but they were there and I got gnarled up into the bundle." She slowly removes her left paw from White's and holds it in the air in front of her, staring at the palm as she focuses on the heat rising within it.

"My left arm, part of my head, and some of my chest are tangled up in this hanging shit. I'm using my free paw to unwrap what I can from me and seem to get free, but I get jolted backwards when I start to run. A giant knot of smaller ones that seemed loose are still coiled around my arm, and I can hear the heavy thumping sound of boots running closer to me as I pull my arm against the metal."

A small flicker of flame starts within her lifted paw as she speaks, the fire growing and coiling around itself in various swirling patterns within her paw as if dancing to an unheard song.

"In my rush, I thought 'Fuck it, they want a piece of me, I'll leave it in ashes for them.'" She says, slowly waving her digits as the flame flows between the gaps like a small feral snake. "Every time prior to then, whenever I touched the flames I called my fur would be burned. I figured that I could at least burn off my arm while freeing myself from the chains. Would rather live with a stump than suffer whatever would happen to me within that group's attentions."

"So I called fire onto my paw, thinking all the while to destroy what is restraining me then flicking my paw down towards the underside of my arm. To my surprise though, it billows out within my fur and starts to slowly encase my forearm in a gentle warmth, never harming me while the flame makes the chains glow red-hot and partially molten."

She snaps her paw closed around the flame and it flares out, slowly growing out of her palm and flowing down over her forearm to the elbow as the flames compress into a single detailed gauntlet. Articulation is defined at key movement points while keeping a vicious presence, adding to the intimidating sight.

If the flames were steel, a long singular piece would cover most of her forearm before changing into five wide rings around the wrist, sliding underneath the seamless piece of armor covering the back and base of her palm. The fingers are covered by three sharp plates, Each folds over the top starting from the tip of the finger, with the last covering the knuckle when the finger is extended straight.

Racheria gazes at the armor with something close to gentleness as she slowly rotates her arm, studying the swirling flames that dance within the physically solid gauntlet, gliding her sight from one rushing curl to another as they move.

-----------------------------

White glances over at Racheria in the space of her pause, noting how almost peaceful she seems compared to what she must have felt during the event. Returning his sight back to the ever-continuing road ahead, he thumbs the cruise control button on the steering wheel and shifts his right foot away from the accelerator, easing the ache starting to pulse within that leg.

"So even the metal couldn't burn you while the flame was covering your arm? Sounds like a damn strong armor to my ears."

He says in a rough, low voice, the tone dropping even more through lack of use.

"..... Strong enough to melt through the chains in seconds and burn a hole through the rest of the walls in my way."

She ends the story while opening her palm up, the fire armor breaking apart and returning back into her palm.

"Eventually I lost them, but by then I was in fields miles away from where I was living. The sun was starting to rise over the grains, painting them with the colors of the morning, but I couldn't give a shit. Running throughout a night with adrenaline coursing through your veins from panic is draining."

White nods his head, knowing something similar as he parts his lips slightly, then closes them.

".....And then?"

"I needed somewhere safe, somewhere I could control everything for my protection. So I did." She nods towards the sphere on the dashboard. "little things like that are nothing compared to making steps down into the earth and creating an earthen cavern at the end. I hid there for a while before moving on again."

".... You made your own underground hide." He says in a vibrating monotone, chuckling softly at the end. "Damn woman. Not only can you make armors out of fire, but you can reshape the earth to your needs... Sounds like something out of a Pagan legend."

"Fire isn't the only thing I can make armors from. All of the elements I use can."

She says, forcing him to glance at her with an incredulous look then shake his head and face front again.

'Perfect,' He drags out within his mind, looking over the skyline ahead of them as the crest a rising hill. As day starts turning to night, a town forms out of the wild fields miles away, barely defined due to distance. "That gives me a bit more peace of mind, know that you have some way to protect yourself."

She nods, but looks him over carefully as he stares at the town ahead, slight tension within his arms as he grips the steering wheel tighter.

"Don't we all?"

-----------------------------

"Va'hael, what are you doing?"

A quiet but mystical soprano voice calls out within a large light-filled stone room, originating from a slim figure standing within the shadows of a doorless frame. Various rays of light dance within the center of the smooth floor, gently shining down from a massive stain-glass window upon the back of a large winged figure sitting motionless in a long but fitting robe.

Short ink black hair covers much of the person's head, with a single strand that drapes down over the left side of hardened facial features to the strong chin. A narrow nose bridge opens into firm brows, shrouding closed eyes that slowly open up and reveal striking silver eyes radiating wisdom within as they slowly sweep the room. Locking onto the entryway to the left, the person blinks once then starts to stand, legs partially hidden by the robe's bottom strips upon his body.

Rising to his full height, he stretches out his arms above his head while flaring his wings out to the sides, the massive length of each leaving about a foot of space between the furthest ink black feathers and the walls. Noticeable cracking sounds echo softly within the room as he sighs and lowers his arms, his wings retracting behind his back and folding at the joint.

"Nothing more than check on that feather with White. It seemed a bit.... Perturbed."

He replies in a soothing baritone voice, each rise and low of his words mixing together with a musical notation.

"Hmmm. Did you see why?"

The other figure asks as it passes through the entryway and into the variously colored light, revealing the slim and streamlined figure of a human woman with a similar pair of wings forming from her back. A simple white robe flows along the lines of her figure as she approaches him, looking up and presenting over a foot difference in height between them.

"Of course. You remember when I mentioned some of the history he has with a certain Dire Wolfess?"

He questions her while reaching out his right arm, opening his flank to her. She steps in and wraps her left arm around his back, standing close to his refined body as he gently curls his arm around her shoulders.

"Yes. Racheria, I believe her name is."

She says with detectable curiosity in her voice. "What about her?"

A wiry grin crosses over his firm lips as he looks out the stain-glass window, turning his upper body slightly to glance out better. Quietly he chuckles as a wave of motion rustles the feathers on his wings, starting from the shoulder base and rippling each feather then shuddering back into place.

"Well Aria, she is with him now...."

He says, then turns his head back and leans down over her head, placing a soft kiss to the top of it then rising up. "And I've seen that she has drawn that recluse out of his solemnity and back into the world he wishes to fade away from."

"..... I don't know whether to be happy for him.... or worried."

-----------------------------

Racheria studies White as he starts to slow the vehicle down, scattered roads emerging from the overgrowth on either side as the town comes increasingly closer. Turning her head away from him, she watches out the passenger window as they pass a gas station on the outskirts of the town. Only two vehicles were parked within the sizable location, but the few scattered individuals she could see stop and stare as they pass on.

'Okay...'

She thinks as they follow the one lane road along the main street, the seemingly calm town slowly becoming frozen as most people stop to gawk from the sidewalks and through business windows. 'This is more than just curiosity.'

"Aren't you popular around here." She says, turning her gaze back to him and tilting her head slightly in curiosity at the sight. His entire body seems to radiate an unusual pressure even as he seems calm. "Hey. You alright?" She asks, reaching out and tapping his shoulder with her paw.

A soft sigh passes through his lips as he nods once, quickly glancing over to her and drawing a questioning gaze from her. "Your eyes... They're almost gray now." She states, leaning slightly closer to see.

He quickly returns his focus to the road as the reach a four-way intersection, slowing to a stop as the light turns red. Several other vehicles pass in front of them for the duration of the light, the traffic slowing as the lights start to change. Proceeding on their way straight, they escape through the town's industrial portion into the surrounding outskirts, eventually speeding up as they leave the town limits with a low rumble.

A bored yawn passes through Racheria's mouth as she stretches her arms behind her head, shaking her head to dispell the feeling of fatigue on her mind. Lowering her paws back down into her lap, she looks up towards the sky through the windshield and relaxes within the seat, knowing that he is right there beside her.

-----------------------------

A soft sound perks his attention as the night steadily encompasses the sky, something separate from the gentle music of the radio system. Glancing over to Racheria, he blinks as he sees her asleep within the seat, arms crossed at the wrists and her head leaning on a shoulder. A soft snort and a slight but gentle smile form on his face as he focuses back on the road, pressing down on the accelerator to reach the destination ahead quicker.

"Be at peace Rach..." He says in a quiet rumble while reaching out to the radio and shutting it down with a touch. "Dream of when it was simpler."

With a sigh, he returns his gaze to the road while listening to the sound of her sleeping peacefully beside him. A soft ache grows within his chest as he absorbs the ambience, forcing him to rub the spot. Moments later he pauses, realizing the ache is not physical...... but within his heart.

-----------------------------

The different, increasingly rich scent of buried earth draws her attention first, followed by the soft trickles and drips reverberating within a large room. Opening her eyes slightly, she slowly glances around the immediate area then rises off the ground, feeling something seeping into her fur.

'Ack, what in the hell?' She thinks, brushing dark dirt off her uncovered fur then pausing. "..... I'm dreaming again. Aren't I?"

A chuckle rumbles out from behind her as small crystals embedded in the walls and ceiling starting to fill with a soft, golden light. She crosses her arms against her chest while turning around, looking at the huge feral wolf turning its' gaze around the cavern from its' own, smaller cave. Sighing, she lowers her arms and begins to walk closer towards it as voices start to whisper around her head, their murmurs making it difficult to focus. The closer she gets the more voices start to filter in, nearly drowning out her thoughts as she stops on a large smooth stone buried into the floor.

The wolf focuses its' gaze around her head and the voices cease to exist, leaving only the steady drip of water from somewhere else inside the cavern to dispell the silence.

"So every time I fall asleep, I'm going to be here?"

She questions, gesturing to the cavern behind her.

"No. You decide that. I merely maintain the channel."

It replies, its' ear flicking slightly as the voice sounds in her head. "But you'll keep returning here, simply because you feel..... Weak, Fearful, in your heart."

Racheria growls slightly, hating the sting that came with realizing its' words. "In that case then, we'd best get started. Some things don't have eternity to develop."

The wolf locks its' eyes with hers, small amounts of gold mixing with the soft blue inside its' gaze.

"Yes, I assume we should."