Hige cursed lightly as he felt his foot slip on the floor. It was darker than black the farther down he went and he was ultimately regretting his decision.
"I'll go get him." He mocked himself as he inched forwards in the darkness. "He couldn't have gone too far." He continued bitterly, aware of the air around him growing damp, along with the stone walls surrounding him.
"You try to be the mature one for once, and this is where it gets you." Hige griped to himself, shaking his head slightly in disapproval.
"Kiba! - Kiba, come on!" His voice echoed for what seemed like ages. Every step he took felt like it was taking him farther from reality and closer to insanity. His keen ears picked up every sound, even as scarce as they were. The soft sound of water dripping from the moist rock was the only sound that remained consistent the whole way down.
A low growl split the dead silence of the tunnel and Hige stopped in his tracks, recalling the tumultuous rattle of the cave before it had hindered. The sound moments ago had been nowhere near as powerful in bass but just as fierce. His hand slid up to his stomach in recognition to the gut twisting emptiness that had caused such a noise and he let out an dissatisfied breath of air, "What I would give to find something half-way qualified as edible." He complained, taking a moment to recover from the hole in his gut that never quite seemed to be satisfied.
Hige stopped to compose himself for the rest of the way down when something caught his eye. It seemed as though the tunnel split off into two other paths. "You've gotta be kidding." He barked in frustration, cuffing the ground with his heel.
He slowly stalked over to each entrance, trying to smell for Kiba's scent, but all he got was the aroma of mildew and wet stone. When he reached the farthest one on the left, he paused, his eyes narrowing as he felt a sligh draft of cool air brush against his face. It was subtle but it was coming from the tunnel. Slowly, Hige began to move forward, and after a few minutes of tireless shuffling, he just managed to pick up the faint scent of their alpha's presence.
"Alright, Kiba, when I find you, I'll teach you a thing or two about sticking together." He murmured as he was enveloped in darkness.

. . . . . .

Tsume looked down at the mess of the pup's arm. It wasn't anything too urgent, but if it wasn't tended to, he would gradually bleed out. Tsume bent over and tried to get a better look but the blood concealed most of the boy's flesh.
Tsume, dropping his human mirage, leaned over until his head was hovering just above the deep gash and exposed flesh. The sharp, pungent smell of copper overwhelmed the grey wolf's senses and he hesitated momentarily to make sure the boy was asleep before he gingerly trailed his tongue up the boy's forearm.
Toboe's eyelid fluttered slightly but he remained still otherwise.
The blood made its way over the back of his tongue, surprisingly sweet as he continued to clean the wound. A different sensation began to emerge in the pit of his chest and Tsume felt his skin prickle.
As he lapped at the remaining blood, Tsume thought back to the time the boy had done the same for him, only a short while after they had first met. He thought of this as merely returning the favor.
When he was satisfied with his work, he then proceeded to take off his shirt, taking his mind off of the lingering tang of the blood. He could then observe the boy's arm clearly and despite it being fairly well beaten and the large gash that trailed down from his shoulder, it did not appear broken. Within three easy rips, he had three strips of white cloth. He used the bottom rim of the fabric as a tourniquet and he entwined the other two into a make-shift sling which he then slid the injured limb into.
When he was finished, Tsume sat back, adjusting his weight slightly. Though he was glad Toboe was okay, he was still frustrated at the pup. He wouldn't let his feelings get the best of him, no matter how much he really cared for the runt's well-being.
Every now and then, Toboe would shift slightly in his sleep, muttering inaudibly under his breath.
Tsume watched in silence as the boy began to shiver and whimper, squirming relentlessly. With an annoyed sigh, Tsume walked over and laid down next to the boy without a sound. He flipped over onto his side, his body curled around the back of Toboe's smaller frame, enveloping him within his body-heat.
Toboe instantly settled into silence, and Tsume draped his arm around the boy's waist, drawing him closer, deciding to savor the closeness of their skin, if only for a couple of hours...