Shiro didn't really put any thought into what Zavenlora was telling him. Sure, maybe he'd get used to his magic sometime, but at the moment it seemed like it was nothing but an annoyance. Why explore further when all he could do was make himself wet? Looking into the past would be a lot more useful. But, then again, why would he need that, either?

He glanced up at Zavenlora from his place on the ground, tilting his head to the side so he didn't strain his eyes. Eridanus sounded...okay. In fact, it sounded like a much more intense version of where they were right now. Was that a good thing or a bad thing? He didn't like the damp grass underneath, but maybe it wouldn't be like that everywhere. He thought about it for a moment, his eyes narrowed, before he came to a decision. "Yeah. I guess I'll check it out. Doesn't sound too bad."

He eyed the mouse that had been pushed a little ways away and stretched his head forward, dragging it back by its tail so he could finish it. He paused, just as he was about to take a bite, realizing that it might be kind of rude. He glanced up at his friend. "Do you want a bite?"

@Zavenlora

Zavenlora was ecstatic to hear that her new best friend would come to her to Eridanus! She hoped he would like it enough to even join the kingdom! Zavenlora would show Shiro how much fun the Kingdom of Eridanus was. When Shiro offered her a bite of his mouse, the pup shook her head. She was sated for now, and would hunt her own stuff if she was hungry. "No, you can keep it. I'm not hungry right now, but thanks." She wagged her tail thinking of all the fun stuff they could do in the Kingdom. "Trust me Shiro, you're gonna have a lot of fun in Eridanus. I even have my own nest under the roots of a huge tree, called The Home Tree. Don't know why they call the tree that though, except it's an important part of the kingdom." The pup would wait for Shiro to finish eating before setting out to Eridanus.

@Shiro

Shiro shrugged and dipped his head down, finishing off the mouse in a few more bites, his stomach now warm and comfortably full. He carefully raised a paw, sweeping the remains of the rat carcass away and shaking himself out a little more, still uncomfortably aware that his fur was starting to clump. It wasn't drying very quickly...

He wasn't so sure about how much fun he was going to have (nothing, yet, in his life had been particularly "fun") but he didn't feel the need to have so much stimulation. To be honest, he was a little nervous - he'd never been around more then one other gembound at a time. He raised one of his hind legs, scratching lazily at the underside of his chin when a silence fell over them. He expected Zavenlora to sit down or maybe walk away to find a place to sit down, but she was still there. Standing. Waiting.

Shiro paused. "Wait, right now? We're going now?"

@Zavenlora

Zavenlora gave a little chuckle at Shiro's question, almost laughing, but she held it in. "Well of course silly! The sooner we get there, the better." But she was understanding that Shiro was kinda new to all of this. Well, so was she, but it seemed she knew a lot more. "I mean we can wait a little if you like. Don't want to sound like I'm rushing you." Zavenlora was excited to head back to Eridanus. In fact, she was excited to explore with her new best friend. She wanted to show him the rest of the caves, but it seemed he wouldn't be to interested in exploring. Though, the pup was sure to show Shiro a great time after they settled in Eridanus. She waited to see what Shiro wanted to do now.

@Shiro

Shiro blinked at Zavenlora, feeling a sense of heaviness weigh down on his chest. He wanted to go with her to see Eridanus...but at the same time he totally didn't. He just kind of wanted to stay where he was. Walking all that way sounded exhausting. He hadn't found the exit to whatever this cave was yet so it must be far. Too far.

So that was the choice now. Stay here, be wet, and take a nap or actually walk around and perhaps be a little more dry. It was kind of a hard decision.

Eventually, Shiro pushed himself to his feet, a grumbling sound rising in his chest. "Alright, I'll go now I guess." It felt like it took every bit of energy just to get to his feet, but he eventually managed it, jaws stretching open in a wide, long yawn. He shook his fur out again, trying to get rid of the last bit of wetness, glancing back at his clumping fur with disdain, before giving himself a small stretch. "Lead the way," he mumbled while he shook out his back leg.

@Zavenlora

Zavenlora could see that Shiro wasn't that keen on going, but Zavenlora would help him. After all, friends helped friends. She gave him a warm smile as she spoke. "Don't worry, you'll make it. If I'm going too fast just let me know, and I'll slow down." Though she would be walking at a slow pace anyways, for it looked like Shiro was tired. She was careful not to overwhelm him with a lot. "Come on, follow me!" With that the pup started to walk, looking behind her every now and then to make sure Shiro was ok.

-Exit Zavenlora

@Shiro

Once Shiro was all done with his stretches, he followed the wolf pup, his pace about as slow as anyone would expect. He'd probably make the journey even longer, avoiding every puddle and wet spot in his field of vision, but he wasn't impatient. He hadn't left this cave yet so it made sense to him that all the others would be similar, with small differences. He was, obviously, quite wrong in this assumption.

He kept up with Zavenlora at least, occasionally chatting with the pup as they went - small comments and questions and all that. By the time they were leaving the waterfall behind, through a tunnel he didn't know was there, Shiro was feeling a little better about all of this.

*exit