Haji adjusts his pack with a nervous paw.

In the cleared-out area circling the twisted, blackened ruins, an excavation crew is setting to work, studying the area, and taking notes of everything before they make any serious disturbances.

A nervous-looking fox is fidgeting with his costume, next to a cheetah kit who is almost as tall as he is.

A poodle marches past the workers. "Where is that – Ah! There you are." He is dressed in fine attire that marks him as some sort of officer in the service of the Temple of Rephidim. "I am Eustace Kah Leftomanus, and I am hereby taking command of the first expedition crew heading into the ruins." He snorts self-importantly, looking down his muzzle at the fox and cheetah.

The fox fidgets, looking back up to the poodle, then to the cheetah kit, and to the larger cheetah and snake nearby. "Uhm … but I'm supposed to be 'Titus', you see, I – "

Kaela swallows nervously. She's not at all happy about going back in there, but she doesn't seem to have much of a choice…

The poodle yanks a hat off the fox's head. "That is MY role now. The mind mage can do his editing later. We can't have an incompetent like you messing about in there." He gives the fox a rough boot, sending the pathetic creature scurrying away.

Eustace-turned-Titus marches up to the snake. "You! What's your name? And what are the names of these two cheetahs here? Are you ready to go in?"

Haji perks his ears slightly at the sound of the poodle's voice. He bows his head humbly.

The green-and-brown Boomslang turns to the poodle. "Raysse, ssir. Thesse are Haji and Kaela. And I am ready, yess."

The poodle wrinkles his nose at the snake for a bit, then nods. "Very good. You – " He says, pointing to the male cheetah. "Carry my things." He indicates a hefty pack with various tools latched to the sides.

The poodle slaps a sketchboard into Kaela's hands. "You will take notes and rubbings of any inscriptions we find."

Haji bows and pads over to the poodle's items.

"And you – " the poodle points to the snake. "You will be the lantern-bearer and forward scout. After all, THEY can't talk."

Kaela nods quietly…

The Savanite lifts the pack onto his shoulders with effort, and lashes his tail in readiness.

Raysse nods to the poodle, face showing no trace of emotion. "I had notissed that."

Raysse begins to slither towards the doorway, bearing the lantern in a taloned hand.

Eustace surveys the scene, frowning. "What a mess." That seems to describe it well enough. The stones are twisted and contorted in such a way that looks simply unnatural. There are hints of what might have once been columns and supporting structures and maybe some more sculpted hands, but they look as if they have taken on fluidity, then solidified in place once more. The only order about this site would be in the form of the multiple stone monuments, each bearing a stone hand, alternating between facing inward or outward, in a cupped gesture.

A looping arch forms the doorway – though whether it was originally a doorway, or merely a chance hole in the wall cannot be discerned.

The poodle marches along behind the snake, his nose held high.

Haji files in after the the poodle, looking at the ruins with nervous eyes.

Through the archway, more twisted stonework can be seen … but past the outer, warped wall, things are abruptly different. Suddenly, the lines are more well-defined. For certain, that's a column there. There are some inscriptions in the stone. Here are some steps. An oasis of sanity in the midst of this twisted ruin.

Kaela stays close behind Haji, swallowing.

However, it looks as if the building in the center has sagged downward, as if into a sinkhole. The lines may be better defined here, but they certainly aren't straight.

Raysse slithers along, leading the way. His lidless eyes flicker along the walls and floor.

If a giant were to pick up the center of the ruin with its fingers and force it upward, perhaps it would look like a grand palace or temple, with a bit of dusting off and cleaning up. Before, some steps lead "up" (actually, at this angle, they move along, fairly level) to another archway, and into a darker corridor.

Kaela moves along, trying to keep up with the group. And totally forgets about copying down inscriptions as she goes.

Past the steps, the corridor begins to descend gradually and irregularly, at points levelling out, and then curving and dipping downward again. There are no cracks to be seen in the walls – at least, not exactly. Here and there, are what look like gashes or tears in the stonework, but they look more like what had been the clay on a potter's wheel, which had been shaped and molded, but then hit, the wet clay broken, but then fired in the kiln regardless.

Eustace snorts, "Naga, your ancestors must have felt possessed to make their buildings curl and coil as much as THEY did."

Ahead, the stonework becomes less smooth – more jagged, even ribbed.

Raysse keeps in the lead, lantern showing the ruins clearly. "I sshall take that asss a compliment, ssir." .o( You speciest cretin. )

The lantern light shines upon the more irregular forms of the stone. If it did not before, now it certainly has a more organic look, like the interior of some great sea serpent … or, suggesting such, remotely, if a sea serpent would ever have a squared-off gullet. The stone forms segments and joints that suggest ribs.

Haji jingles the pack items as he shifts the load on his shoulders nervously, keeping in step with Eustace. His neckfur stands out a little despite the damp air.

Eustace snorts, "Dreadful. Simply dreadful. It was only just that the empire that built this collapsed. Ghastly."

Kaela presses close against Haji's side, shivering softly. She really doesn't want to be here…

Here and there, the lantern's light reflects off of something shiny in the walls. Veins of glass or molten crystal that dance across the stonework.

The poodle touches some of the glass, running his fingers along its slick, unbroken surface.

"Odd," the poodle comments. "It feels warm."

Raysse says, "Warm, Lord Titusss?"

The poodle looks as if he's about to correct the snake with a bark, but then smiles and nods. "Yes. Or, at least, I expected it to feel cold to the touch. But it doesn't."

Haji touches the walls with a hand, as if to see if they are real. He flicks his ears in a nervous smile of reassurance at Kaela.

The stonework is quite solid, quite real. As the poodle noted, the glass doesn't feel as cold as the stone. It is not warm, either. Just lukewarm.

Raysse slithers over, and feels the glass. "Sstrange… perhapss jusst the heat of the day, trapped. Like a glass building warmss."

There are some inscriptions on the walls … but they are broken and disrupted by the "veins" and "ribs", to the point of being illegible, and offering little to a rubbing or transcription.

Raysse slithers onward, down the corridor.

Eustace/Titus nods. "Yes. Quite probably so. Well. No sense in tarrying… " He follows after the snake.

The poodle reaches down, patting the sword at his side, as he glances around nervously.

Kaela follows along. Her mind is on things other than looking for and making copies of inscriptions, anyway.

Haji almost bumps into the poodle while hurrying after him. He wiggles his ears in the equivelent of a nervous laugh as Eustace scowls at him.

The corridor widens, and opens into a large, high-ceilinged chamber. The floor tilts forward, making the footing uneven, especially with the irregular bumps, grooves and "ribs".

More veins of glass run along the walls. They seem to glow red in the reflected lantern light. No. They glow faintly with their own light, little points of light moving slowly along, inside them … spreading off into the branches, rushing, then pausing with a regular rhythm.

Raysse makes quick progress, the uneven floor only slightly hampering his slithering gait.

Kaela ducks her head low between her shoulders, biting down on her lower lip.

There are some stone tables here … very oddly structured, with thin stretches of stone reaching up to them, as if someone had intended to suggest vines. Some of the thicknesses are so flimsy as to wonder how anyone could have carved this without it breaking in the process.

The poodle marches up to one of the pulsating veins of glass. "Mercy… " He stands back, frowning at it. He lifts up his blade, looking at its edge, then back to the glass.

Raysse feels some of the glass along the side walls as he goes, noting temperature…

The glass is warmer here. The pulsating orbs can be seen moving underneath, their pulses in rhythm with the bursts of movement.

Kaela's eyes widen as she watches the poodle. He isn't really going to…

Haji stops behind Eustace, looking with wide eyes over his shoulder.

The poodle swings his sword at the glassy vein.

Kaela cringes and covers her head with her arms as the poodle attacks the vein.

*crash* *tinkle*

Fragments of glass fall to the floor. The lights pulsate more brightly, as multiple little red orbs pour out of the glass, tinkling and rolling onto the ground. Little red rubies, which glow and pulsate faintly, then slowly fade.

More spill out, but suddenly the flow of red baubles ceases. The poodle stoops down, scooping some up. "Rubies! RUBIES! The city DOES flow with precious gems!"

The poodle laughs, scooping up more of the baubles, filling his pouches and pockets, then stuffing some into his clothes.

Kaela slowly straightens and looks up at Haji worriedly.

Raysse's eyes go wide at the gems, and he sinuously moves over to inspect them… scooping a few surreptitiously into his belt-pouch.

The poodle tries to grab some more, but he simply hasn't anywhere to put them. He looks to the cheetahs. "Here. Put these in the pack."

Haji swishes his tail in relief and stoops down with effort to lower the pack. He sets it on the ground, then motions to Kaela to help him fill the pack with the red baubles.

Eustace yanks open the pack, and throws out a few tools whch clatter to the floor. He pours in the baubles. He looks like he's ready to smash another vein, but then pauses. "No … no … there … there might be BETTER things further on!" With that, he charges down the passageway. His silhouette can be seen in the lights cast by the red veins as he charges onward.

Kaela swallows worriedly. She doesn't like this at all…

Kaela looks up at Haji helplessly.

Raysse inspects a ruby with intense precision, before moving after the poodle.

There's a panicked YELP that echoes from deep down the passageway.

Raysse stops, lower body coiling in a sudden fright. "Lord Titus?"

Haji looks around with wide eyes and twitching ears as he scoops up the tools and attaches what he can to the outside of the pack. He touches Kaela's shoulder gently in reassurance that the poodle can't be as crazy as he seems. He hurries after the yelp.

Kaela follows. But slowly. She remains a short distance behind the others, treading with trepidation.

The poodle is in another chamber that has widened out. In the pulsating red lights can be seen a number of shapes in the walls and floor. They look like faces – feline faces, frozen in terrified screams, their features contorted, looking as if they are melting into the stone.

The poodle quickly regains his composure as the others arrive. "I – Ah … Most peculiar… " he comments, adjusting his collar.

Haji almost knocks Eustace flat as he sprints into the room, panting heavily from the pack. His ears lay flat as he gazes at his surroundings.

Bony claws stick out from the stone as well, as if imprisoned spirits had tried to tear their way free.

Raysse follows along, not to be left behind. He gazes at the trapped figures… and speaks in a nervous hiss. "Sssir… perhapsss we sssshould report back to the othersss what we have found… "

"What?" snorts the poodle. "And turn back immediately?" He straightens up, looking emboldened. "Never! There is more to be seen, and I REFUSE, I say, REFUSE to be frightened by a few perverted statues."

Kaela's eyes widen into large saucers. Shuddering softly, she slowly stumbles back several steps into the passageway and squeezes her eyes tightly shut.

Haji looks at Kaela with fear. He glances at the poodle then back at her, taking back what he thought of the poodle before. He's blooming nuts.

"But, this time," says the poodle, "I shall wait for the lantern. There is no sense stumbling about in the dark."

Raysse says, "Of courssse, brave Lord Tituss. "

Raysse slithers forward, unnerved by the statues. But the thoughts of more rubies and stones press him onward…

"Well? No sense standing around gawking. I see some more light down that tunnel. In fact, I think it's brighter in there. Ohhhhh." His gaze turns toward a nearby vein.

In the glass, amidst the pulsating red can be seen some bright white light. Little diamonds are moving along through the veins, working their way down the corridor the explorers came in through.

Haji shakes himself, grabs a small, dull hand pick from the side of the pack. He flicks his tail to Kaela, motioning her onward. He hefts the tool with mock bravery, shaking slightly, and follows after the others.

The poodle looks as if he's about to follow the diamond back, but shakes his head. "They must be coming from somewhere … and there will be MORE there. Onward!" He points down the corridor.

Kaela could care less about rubies or stones. She's motivated to move by the thoughts of the punishments she'll receive if she doesn't. She keeps her eyes clamped tightly shut to blot out the images of the statues, and does her best to follow Haji merely by scent and sound…

The poodle marches along, restraining himself this time from running ahead of the snake. Or at least, when he does, he remembers himself and slows down, motioning for the snake to hurry up.

Haji tightens the pack to his shoulders as he walks to give himself more room to move. He taps the small pick in the other palm, letting the sound reverberate off the walls for something familiar in these intimidating ruins. Even that is twisted a little by the shape of the walls.

Raysse slithers forward, trying to match pace with the poodle, and yet keep a sense of direction and distance.

A rise in the stone forces Haji to sidestep – It looks like a sculpture of a humanoid – a feline – or the back of one, frozen as if falling forward onto its knees, and then sinking into the stone. Its jaw is stretched open far too wide, to the point of elongation.

The "ribs" and "vines" stretch up from the stone, as if they are jealously clutching their victim in an eternal embrace.

Kaela grips at Haji's hand with both of hers… Her fur is standing on end, and her tailtip flicks wildly.

The corridor comes to an abrupt stop at a strange door. The corridor loses its squared-off angularity, rounding into a tube, reaching a circular "door" that is comprised of three triangles, twirled in a clockwise direction, which join together at the center.

Eustace snorts when he reaches the door. "Well. I wonder how one opens this." There are pulsating glass veins on the door itself, glowing red. The poodle reaches toward them.

Haji wraps an arms around Kaela's shoulders and gives her a hug. At least the snake hasn't lost it, and it has the lantern. He motions to the poodle and tells her he's just nuts, not entirely ignorant. Right?

Suddenly, the three triangular pieces split from each other, with the sound of rushing air, sinking into the walls of the tubular tunnel. The poodle jerks back. "I … Aha. I opened it."

The light coming from beyond the door is much brighter … and pulsates, accompanied by an audible, droning throb.

The poodle steps through. He gasps. "By the First Ones!"

The snake's voice turns actor-dronish. "Amazssing, Lord Titusss. We are sso lucky you are here to lead uss." He gestures to the Savanites to hurry up.

The poodle laughs out loud. "By the FIRST Ones!" he says again, this time his voice almost squeaking, and then he laughs again. "Rich! RICH! I'm going to be filthy RICH! Ha ha! Ohhhh! My! Where to START?"

Kaela remains pressed close against Haji's side, trying to absorb some of his assurance. If he happens to follow, then she does as well.

Raysse moves carefully through the door, gazing about…

Haji grasps the handle of the small pick in one hand and Kaela in the other and urges her on by walking her with him.

Beyond the circular door is a vast chamber, irregularly shaped. One has to step over tumbling "ribs" and snaking tendrils of glassy black stone to get about, and the walls blend into the floor and ceiling. All about, glowing veins of glass, with multitudes of rubies, pulsate and drift along.

Toward the center is a great column that stretches from floor to ceiling. Tubes of glass run along its length, filled with a rainbow of pulsating orbs of all colors, some flowing up, some down, some branching off into other arms which shoot out to the walls.

Here and there are thin traces of gold and silver running along the walls. And more veins. More diamonds flow by. And emeralds.

Haji looks at the column in awe. His tail droops to the ground and he nearly drops the hand pick.

The column has a number of ribs going around it. In fact, it looks like a gigantic, elongated skeleton, its vast rib-cage enclosing the bulk of the flowing tubes. At the top, something suggesting a feline skull is reared back, as the glowing tubes continue onward and up to the ceiling.

Raysse hissses in amazement. "First Ones… "

Kaela bites her lower lip, watching silently.

The poodle is scrambling over the tumble of obsidian tubes that run up to the base of the "backbone" and "ribcage", laughing all the way. "Gold! Silver! Diamonds! Rubies! Emeralds! Sapphires! And – I don't know WHAT that is, but it must be worth a lot!"

Haji looks to the poodle, whether he's insane or not, for orders. He hopes Eustace will send him back to get other workers to move all those gems; his pack is already half-full.

The poodle pulls out his blade, aiming for a tube filled with all manners of precious gems. He swings.

Kaela remains near the back of the chamber, every muscle in her body tensed.

The glass shatters, spilling glowing gems outward, the tinkling and crashing overwhelming the poodle's cries of unbridled joy. The lights within the chamber flicker and pulsate more violently and erratically.

There are other circular doors visible at various points around the chamber. They all close.

*SHOONK*

Haji gives the poodle a very hard look.

The black obsidian cords around the poodle begin to twitch in a way that is unbecoming of solid stone. The poodle doesn't even noticed, so wrapped up is he in grabbing the gems.

Raysse coils in fear at the closing of the doors. He suddenly realizesx the danger… and looks for a way out. Any way out.

Kaela spins about to look at the door that just shut behind her. She tentatively presses at it.

The door does not open. Other openings can be seen far higher in the chamber … but there might they lead? And reaching them looks like quite a treacherous undertaking.

Some more of the black tendrils begin to twitch, closer to the snake and cheetahs.

Haji drops the pack and quickly motions for Kaela to climb the walls. NOW.

Suddenly, several of the black tendrils whip up and around the poodle. He shrieks, clasping onto his handful of gems, even as they pour through his fingers.

Raysse begins to slither and climb upwards as quickly as he can. Dangerous as getting to the exit might be, if he can escape, the gems he has now will give him a good life…

The black tendrils pull the poodle down. They contort and twist. The poodle's screams turn to a gurgle. The tendrils shake and squeeze even more. Fortunately, no one else is looking to see just what happens after this point.

Kaela hesitates only a second, then begins to scale the walls of the cavern, those climbing skills from her childhood vaguely coming back to her…

The rough ribbing and "veins" actually provide some fairly available hand-holds, jutting out from the walls. It's just that the odd angles mean that the walls lean IN at certain points. But as the black tendrils below move about more, it certainly looks like a much better alternative than staying below…

Haji dodges around some of the tendrils as he tries to race up the wall in utter terror. At the least there are some nooks and handholds to grab onto.

The tendrils where the poodle once stood, now stained red, begin to relax, sinking back down into the floor. The gems no longer spill out of the fractured tube. The glass seems to melt and reshape, sealing itself. But the lights still pulse angrily.

Kaela scales the wall as quickly as she's able, trying not to look at the black tendrils…

Raysse makes progress that might seem surprising to those that do not know he is descended from a line of tree-dwelling snakes. His coils and hands grasp at the protuberances as he scales upwards…

The fleeing explorers reach what must have once been a balcony overlooking this chamber. It has since taken a much more organic look … but at least no sign of the black tendrils can be seen there.

There is a loud crackling sound, as flashes like lightning dance between the central column and the walls, scouring the lower surfaces.

Haji looks to Raysse and motions to put the lantern out!

A low rumble echoes about the chamber, from no known source. It sounds like a guttural growl of a wild beast. A feline wild beast.

Kaela presses into the deepest nook of the balcony, shivering.

Raysse says, "What, put it out? Are you mad, slave? How will we find our way out?"

Suddenly, the entire room darkens to pitch black, except for the light of the lantern, and faint glows running through the "veins" on the walls … and a few spots running up and down the central tubes.

The display of lightning ceases. Even the "droning throb" has gone quiet.

Haji circles about with his arm, pointing out the rumble. Now that the lights are gone it would be a good time, indeed. We can feel our way out.

There is a rapid series of flashes coming from the central column. They seem focused in beams, toward the balcony.

Kaela ducks, again wrapping her arms over her head protectively.

The beams of light begin to separate, curling and drifting, looking like tentacles, but fashioned of multi-colored, glowing energy. They begin to coalesce toward the center again, forming some sort of shapes.

Raysse looks at the sudden beams of light… and realizes this might be a good suggestion after all. He darkens the lantern and drops to silence, only a soft hissing breathing and the sound of his heart making any noise.

The forms coalesce further … taking on the form of a couple of ghostly, disembodied hands hovering in empty space.

Haji motions to Raysse in the dim light cast by the column that now would also be a good time to get to those exits above us!

The hands, so reminiscent of the stone shapes outside, begin to gesticulate, forming a message – in Savanite.

Raysse readies to climb… but pauses, stunned, at the hands.

The hands spell out, "The heathen has been consumed, the one who knows not the working of words. You too have intruded."

"Who disturbs my slumber?" the hands sign.

"Who robs me of my life's blood?" the hands demand, almost too quickly to follow.

Kaela swallows hard, looking to Haji.

Haji's eyes are as wide as milk saucers. He looks at Raysse wondering what to do. Climb, or talk to this . . .

Kaela makes a few hesitant handsignals.

Raysse's lower body coils… and he begins to sign nervously… and to speak as well, words matching the hands. "We are explorers. We seek to harm you not."

"Wretched serpent," the hands reply. "As ever, your tongue is forked. Shall you speak before your betters?"

Raysse pauses, absolutely stunned, indignance at the insult pushed back under a wave of fear.

Kaela signs, worriedly, "We did not wish to harm you." She fidgets, trying to work out what to say to this… well… whatever it is.

"Insolence!" the hands sign, flaring to glow red. "A child and a female speaks next! You!" A hand points at Haji. "Who are you? Dare you claim to be one of my descendants, or are you but a mere pretender?"

Haji cowers. "We were ordered by that insane poodle, we are but humble servants. We had no choice but to follow him; it is our way."

The images of the hands flare into bright intensity, their forms breaking up and shifting about, crackles of lightning shoot across the room. This display continues for a few moments before the hands form themselves once more.

Kaela moves over behind Haji, shivering.

"I am the Priest-King," the hands sign. "I am ruler of all I survey, ageless and master of the forces which bind the universe together! Behold my empire! Behold my works! Behold them and tremble!"

Raysse waits, glancing nervously at Haji and the hands. His body coils and uncoils beneath him, involuntarily.

Kaela has been trembling for several minutes already. So she just stays half-hidden behind Haji – only peering out to watch the Priest-King hands.

"I alone have unlocked the secrets of the Ones Before. I alone have become like unto the builders of this world," the hands continue.

Haji shifts his feet, unconsciously preparing to run, no matter where. "Great One, we are servants, and our masters change with the wind. We are but Savanite, and we will follow your command. What will you have us do, Master-of-the-Ruins-That-Live?"

"But Savanite?" the hands shake violently, with the effect of adding several exclamation points. "We are the rulers of the world! All races bow before our will! You shall have only one master, and that is your Priest-King. So it has been, so it shall always be! Insolence!"

Bolts of energy shoot across the room, striking the male cheetah, causing his body shake violently and painfully.

Kaela leaps backwards, pressing back against the far wall, fearfully.

Raysse moves away from Haji, to the balcony's far edge.

The energy releases the male Savanite abruptly, allowing him to collapse to the balcony's floor. He's still alive, but there is a smell of singed fur.

Haji shakes himself, singed and smoking, and looks to the others, "CLIMB! GO!"

Raysse coils and uncoils fervently, looking up, looking at the hands, looking up…

Kaela doesn't need to be told twice. She begins scrabbling her way up the walls, towards those higher exits…

An audible roar echoes through the chamber. More blasts of blue energy shoot around the room, these striking randomly and furiously.

Haji scrambles to the wall in pain and begins climbing. Patches of his fur are burnt and he grimaces with the effort.

Kaela redoubles her efforts, climbing hand over hand upwards…

The smallest cheetah reaches the top. The hole isn't as large as the door. But at least there's no door to block the way.

The little cheetah is having trouble grappling at the handholds around the hole. They're so slick and cold!

Raysse begins signing desperately, staying on the platform… "Please, Priest-King, do not harm me! I will do as you say, whatever you say!"

Kaela keeps trying to work her way to and through the hole…

The hands sign in response, "Yes. You shall obey me well. My command you shall follow without error."

Raysse signs. "Yes! Yes, Master! Yes!"

The hands sign, "Die."

Haji finally reaches the hole, in great pain. He climbs in after Kaela, and pauses to watch Raysse.

With that, several bolts of electricity shoot across the chamber, centering on the snake.

Kaela moves very slowly on the other side of the hole, trying to work out the shape of the new area she's in.

Raysse screams in agony as the electricity passes through him, turning his body straight as a nail, burning yellow and red. His eyes bulge, then burst, and venom runs acid hot from his fangs. His scream drops to nothingness… and only ash and smoking bone remains.

Kaela moves more quickly, spurred on by the noises behind her. She runs in no particular direction, just going 'away' as quickly as she can. Her vision is clouded by tears welling up in her eyes.

Haji shakes his head at the snake and ducks back in the tight reccesses of the small tunnel.

Bolts of blue energy strike against the mouth of the tight tunnel, which snakes and twists along into the darkness. There are no "veins" here, nothing to light the way. Only lumpy, cold stone.

Somewhere far behind, a loud, bestial roar echoes about the great chamber.

Haji bites at Kaela's tail, trying to get her to move as fast as she can.

The tunnel opens up a little more now … and branches off in three directions.

Kaela selects a tunnel at random… the leftmost one… and just keeps running.

The tunnel dives and lifts, turning this way and that. In the darkness, the cheetah occasionally slips and falls, bruising her legs.

After much running, there's a faint light ahead. It doesn't pulsate.

The tunnel is now sloping downward, at a steeper angle.

Kaela is silently crying in earnest now. She runs through the interminable darkness for what seems to her like hours… and almost thinks it's a trick of her eyes when she spots that faint light.

The stone is more slippery here. It's damp.

Haji loses Kaela's tail after a few moments but he manages to keep up with her speed. The tunnels's footing is hard to follow, and the darkness makes it hard to keep up with the faster female. Thank the First Ones she's fallen once or twice.

Kaela doesn't let up her pace, running downhill with as much speed as she can manage… but she slips and tumbles a good stretch of the descent before she manages to stop herself and painfully get back to her feet.

Ahead can be heard … rushing water.

Kaela pushes ahead, though not quite so quickly as before. Her limbs ache with each step, but she keeps up a fairly quick pace.

Haji perks his ears at a distant sound ahead of him, echoing down the tunnel. He can barely hear Kaela's near-silent footfalls a short distance ahead of him. Trying to run becomes harder with the footing and the pain. He falls farther behind her.

The footing is too uneven, too slick, too wet. The male cheetah falls … and slides down the steep incline!

Kaela continues running down the incline as fast as she's able, her hands at the walls to either side, stabilizing herself.

Haji silently curses and tries to keep himself going feet first down the incline. He thinks he can hear something ahead as he tries to steady himself.

The larger cheetah plows right into the smaller one! They're now sliding down the slick stone at an alarming pace. The rushing and rumbling grows louder ahead, as the light gets closer.

Kaela clings to Haji's fur as best she's able, shuddering and squeezing her eyes shut.

The two cheetahs hurtle downward, and bump against a broken protrusion of stone. A fragment of stone breaks loose, hurtling downward, down further into the canyon, into the river rushing below.

They are at the opening of this tunnel – which is in the face of the sheer canyon wall.

Haji folds back his ears and tries to push the pain out of his mind. If it wasn't for the fact that half the expedition was dead, and he himself was half-way there, this might be fun. The cheetahs hold on as they manage to claw to a stop at the opening of the tunnel.

Kaela carefully moves off of Haji's chest and looks down into the canyon.

Kaela mops at her eyes with the back of a paw to clear her vision.

Haji flips onto all fours with effort and looks over at the canyon. "I think we're going to have to jump." His eyes are wide with shock and pain.

It doesn't look like a very safe jump. Possible … but considering the alternative…

Kaela looks up at Haji fearfully, biting her lower lip.

He looks at Kaela, "Ready? I'll be right by you."

Kaela nods a little bit, squeezing her eyes tightly shut and briefly knotting her fingers into a patch of Haji's fur.

Haji grabs Kaela with one hand and jumps out over the edge taking her with him!

The two cheetahs hurtle downward into the canyon, toward the swiftly-rushing waters so far below … but getting much closer very quickly!

Haji looks at Kaela and manages to sign "I hate water" before hitting the river.

Kaela is unwilling to look… she just shudders, and tries to curl into a ball…

The twosome strike the water with a heavy crash. All goes dark, then upside down and up and down.

Haji loses his grip on Kaela as they hit and gets tumbled in the current. Which way is up?

The two cheetahs are borne along, bobbing in the wild waters, sweeping past the jagged rocks to each side.

Kaela struggles to remain conscious and at the surface, but her limbs protest each move…

With a sudden jolt that knocks out her breath, the cheetah kit runs into something hard and moss-covered. Stone. It's a large stone hand, fallen into the river. The other cheetah impacts nearby.

Kaela chokes on the water, and clings to the hand weakly.

Nearby, a rock shelf slopes into the river – just on the other side of the large stone hand. It looks as if Haji could reach it … but how much longer can the kit hold on?

Haji hangs onto the hand like it's poison. He expects it to come alive any moment and crush them both, but he struggles over to the kit and hefts her up into it's palm. His grip isn't too good, and his wounds have made him very weak. He tries to struggle up after her.

It's too much. All that energy, the shock of hitting the water … the male cheetah's strength drains away, and he finds his fingers slipping, unable to grasp the stone.

Kaela collapses into the palm. She weakly reaches a hand towards Haji to help him up…

It looks as if the male cheetah is about to go under for the last time, but that helping hand – however weak – is just enough. He manages to scrabble for a better hold, finding a crack in the stone.

Haji hefts himself onto the stone and collapses, panting. "I really hate that poodle."

The cheetah's hands are shaking so badly, though, that it's rather hard to make out his signing.

Kaela lies limply in the palm of the hand, utterly exhausted and only just managing to keep herself conscious.

Kaela pants shallowly, her chest rising and falling in rapid succession.

The rock shelf nearby is at the base of a tumble of collapsed rocks and broken pillars. Above can be seen more ruined buildings. But no glowing veins, no twisted rocks, no screaming statues.

The cheetahs collapse there, exhausted, as the waters rush by. …

… Some long time later, the little cheetah kit awakens, finding herself in a bedroll in a tent. It's dark. Through the fabric of the tent, though, she can see the leaping flames of a campfire. There are voices outside.

There's also some music, too. It must be that musician bat again, and her drummer Vykarin.

Haji pokes his head through the tent, wiggling his ears. "You're up?"

Kaela smiles up at the larger cheetah weakly and nods a little bit. With aching arms, she lifts her hands enough to sign a soft "thank you".

Haji signs, "We're having a little something to eat, so if you're hungry. . ."

Kaela nods slowly. She slowly gets up and crawls towards the tentflap slowly. She carefully avoids using her left arm.

Outside, Kaela can see the other expedition team members. Many of them are wearing bandages. Some are laughing over their meals and drink, but others look somber and fretful.

The brown bat is playing a double-flute, while the brown-shelled Vykarin plays some drums. A few wolves nearby talk in low tones, and quiet when they see the little cheetah, but soon resume, ignoring her.

The older cheetah eats a slice of pala-fruit and motions to the campfire. He signs, "We weren't the only ones to get some of . . . whatever it was." He hands her a slice.

Kaela stands slowly, but winces visibly as she accidentally places a bit of pressure on her arm. She takes the slice of fruit in her other hand and gnaws on it numbly, nodding. Slowly she pads over towards the campfire, slightly favoring one leg. She's really been battered around a good deal.

Haji stretches, trying not to move the bandages on his sides and legs. His burns ache a great deal, and his head still throbs from hitting that stone in the river. In fact, he feels like a Gooshurm has dragged him to meet the First Ones and back the hard way. But at least he's alive.

Kaela settles next to the fire and just numbly eats.

Haji sits down in a makeshift chair next to Kaela and yawns. . o O ( If I ever meet another demi-god, it'll be too much for this lifetime. Or a poodle with a deathwish. )

Kaela curls slightly on her right side, near the fire. In the warm glow, she slowly drifts into another slumber.