The soil around them stood cold and dark as Nee'la lead the way down its endless gullet. She kept her head high and her stride steady. Even still, Remi knew her well enough to recognize a seed of nervousness had taken hold. Not that he could blame her.

No one steps foot in a monster's den without at least a little fear.

Occasionally they passed by a darker patch of shadow, or he felt a whisper of a breeze against his withers from an offshoot. Once or twice his paws found something that felt like a worm. But for the most part Remi found himself surrounded by the same loamy dirt as the rest of this place.

Or maybe not. A flash of white caught his eye. He startled, whipping around to face it head on. But all that he was greeted with was the same packed dirt and musty smell as the rest of the winding tunnel. Nothing stirred.

"What's wrong?" Nee'la questioned, turning back to her companion. Her ears flicked around in an instinctive search for danger.

Remi shook his head. "Nothing, it must have been my imagination."

Little did he know Onyx was watching the duo with quiet interest. It wasn't often that you go caving and find another party doing the same thing. These two didn't seem hostile, but they were clearly looking for something. Something they may not find in their own territory. Hmmm, it surely couldn't hurt to keep an eye on them…

Remi and Nee'la made their way deeper down the tunnel with Onyx following silently behind.

The tunnel before them opened up into a wide chamber, tall enough that they could stretch the arms up and not find the ceiling. And there, nestled at the back of the room, sat a pile of what Remi first thought were oddly round rocks. But as he drew closer, he quickly realized they were something else entirely.

Remi squinted as hard as he could at the shapes in front of him. Round, smooth, about ankle-high. And if he knocked on them he bet they would sound not-quite hollow.

"Are those… the eggs?"

"I think so," Nee'la confirmed. Like a bokbok's egg, only a good bit larger. There was no question that this was what they were after.

She took a few steps closer, only to draw to a halt as something in the shadows moved. Nee'la instinctively backed up, teeth bared, shoving Remi behind her.

Only for a very tsabhua face to swim into view. The stranger grinned, yellow eyes and white stripes stark against the darkened background. "Why hello there," Onyx chirped. "We don't often get many visitors…"

"Who are you?" Nee'la asked at the same time as Remi called out "We don't want any trouble."

"Trouble?" Onyx cocked her head, admiring the duo. "There is no trouble here, I hope. Not unless y'all brought any along with you."

Secretly within her own head, Onyx was patting herself on the back for how cool and mysterious she was being. All that practicing in the mirror seemed to be paying off.

"We don't mean you or yours harm," Nee'a assured. "We've just come to collect some of these eggs and then we'll be off."

As she spoke, Remi kept a close eye on the stranger. Though tall, she didn't seem quite as muscular as the two of them. No, the curious glint in those yellow eyes reminded him too much of his own colony's thieves. Definitely keep a close eye on your pockets.

"Adventurers, huh? Well, it's lucky for you that I know the way out of here. Come, come!" With that Onyx scooped up one of the eggs, pressing past the other two as she began trotting back the way they had come.

Remi and Nee'la exchanged a glance behind the newcomer's back. "You think we can trust her?" He asked.

So far, they haven't had any real issue with running into malicious strangers on their adventures. Still, you could never be too careful.

Nee'la frowned in consideration, watching the stranger pad off. "I… think so," she admitted. "Whoever she is hasn't hurt us or tried to rob us so far. And she does seem to know a way out."

Privately, Remi wasn't certain the newcomer wasn't going to lead them into a trap to steal their gear. But he trusted Nee'la's instincts. She seemed to be a good judge of character.

The pair scooped up an egg of their own and hurried to catch up with Onyx. The black tsabhua flashed a grin as they did so.

For several long moments the odd trio walked in silence. Everyone simply stewed in their own thoughts, ears alert to any sound of trouble. So far it seemed like they were in the clear. Still, the sooner they all got out of this dark, cramped tunnel the better.

At last light streamed in from ahead in the tunnel. Bright, glorious, warm light. The sight made Remi pick up his pace, the others doing the same.

Now he could glimpse the familiar sight of gently rolling hills and splatterings of trees across the landscape. A few more strides and they would all be sinking their toes into the lush grass ahead.

Remi found himself grinning, a glance at Nee'la and Onyx revealed that both had similar expressions of relief. Finally, no more old spooky tunnel to get lost in!

Just then a deep groan came from behind them. No, not a groan, but a massive, rumbling growl. The dirt beneath their paws trembled, then again and again as unseen limbs thundered their way. As if a storm was trapped beneath the soil, thundering with rage.

"What was that?" Remi asked, fur standing on end. He glanced to Nee'la to see her with an equally unnerved expression. Onyx's confident facade faded, ears flicking back.

It didn't take much imagination to figure out what made that sound. Whatever laid those eggs had just found some of them missing. And it was not about to accept that thievery without retribution.

"It's probably a good idea to start running."