It was hard to find a Xunari who had not at least heard of Mount Ahnakim. For one thing, it was only the tallest mountain to grace the face of their planet. For another it was because of the intricately crafted statues and carvings dotting its flanks. Each one proudly captured the likeliness of a great hero or a Monster of Olde.

But the real reason for the mountain's infamy had to be the orbs.

Immortality in exchange for stealing an orb? Oh, yes please! Now that was a ball Onyx just had to get her hands on.

Which was how she found herself standing in front of the looming entrance to the depths of this massive mountain. The cavern before her stood imposing and dark, flanked on either side by the towering figures of two long-dead tsabhuas.

Massive faces emerged from the stone, cracked and weathered with time yet still as imposing as ever. Unseeing eyes seemed to stare down straight through her. Judging her every movement. As if one unworthy move and they would leap from their stone prisons to swallow her whole.

Onyx shook herself out, chasing the grim thoughts from her mind. She had nothing to fear from old statues- beautifully sculpted or otherwise. Besides, she had a mission to accomplish. With one last deep breath Onyx steeled her nerves and stepped forward into the mountain's cavernous mouth.

Shade spilled over her back and immediately the air felt cooler. A soft breeze blew in from somewhere, smelling faintly of stone and water.

Unsurprisingly, the carvings from outside seemed to follow her in. They sprawled across the walls in grand displays of artistry. Onyx let her eyes rove over the carvings until she could no longer recognize the heroes and beasts, quickly growing bored.

Instead she plunged further into the dark. With every step forward the light faded more and more until Onyx could only see the faintest of shapes around her. Even still, she found herself relying more so on touch than sight. Eyes were near useless in pitch darkness, after all.

As she walked she idly noticed the walls coming closer on either side. For the most part she filed away the observation in the back of her mind. Until "closer" suddenly became very close, which started becoming tight.

The stone kept catching on the latches on her backpack so she shrugged it off without a thought. She could always come back and get it later on her way out.

A few steps further and the dark stone now pressed snugly against her flanks. Onyx instinctively tried to back up, only to find that she somehow couldn't. All she could do was pad steadily forward through the darkness as stone pressed in close on either side.

Fortunately it soon came to an end. The stone quietly fell away and Onyx was able to slip through a crevice in the rock, out into freedom.

Or, she should have. Abruptly, her hindquarters found themselves stuck, just a smidge too wide to squeeze through the crevice. Unfortunate. Onyx instinctively tried to surge forward, only for it to be no use. The stone remained clamped tight on either side just before her hips. Her stupid pelvis refusing to do the considerate thing and let her free herself.

Alright, a little bit of leverage then. Onyx planted all four front paws against the stone and pulled with all her might. Grunting, groaning, clawing at the stone, all seemingly to no avail. But Onyx knew she was close. All she needed was just… a little… more… there!

At last she was able to rip herself free, stumbling a few strides forward. Her hips felt bruised and her breath came in tired pants. But at least she was finally free from that stone vice.

See, no problem for a mighty adventurer like her!

Suddenly the ground in front of her paws vanished. Onyx bit back a yelp, stomach jumping up into her throat. She managed to hit the brakes just in time to avoid careening over the edge of an unseen cliff. But that did nothing to stop the heart attack she had just received.

Onyx hauled her front half up, backing away from the nightmare hole of imminent death.

Creeping forward, Onyx roamed her paws along the ground before her. It was hard to see in here, but maybe she could feel around for- there it is.

Sure enough, there was a distinctive, jagged cut in the rock where the trail just… ended. Onyx mapped it from one end of the hallway to another. Yep, there was no doubt about it; the trail ended here.

Which was really inconvenient. How were people supposed to find these immortal orbs if the path along the way up and disappeared on them? Maybe she missed a detour that was the actual main path.

Unless… maybe the trail didn't stop here. Perhaps it continued onwards beyond the gap. And all you needed to do was take a leap of faith onto the other side.

It was a crazy idea. Absolutely bonkers, no one would simply assume that there would be something on the other side to land on and be magically ok. But Onyx knew she hadn't missed any split-off paths on her way here. And the trail ended here.

Onyx took a few steps backwards, trying to guess how much of a running start she would need.

Finally, she took a deep breath, trying to force herself to calm down.

Well, here goes nothing. Onyx bolted straight for the edge, keeping careful count in her head. One stride, two strides, jump!

For a long, heart-stopping moment Onyx found herself sailing through the unending void. No clue what may or may not lay beneath her paws. Or what lay ahead of her.

Onyx had a few seconds of wondering if she really was wrong before her claws scraped against something hard below them. The black tsabhua barely had time to yelp before she was suddenly pitched forward onto her front. Head over heels she tumbled before colliding against a conveniently placed stalagmite.

Ouch. Double ouch as she felt a headache start to form against the back of her skull. But hey, at least she was still alive.

Onyx gingerly got back to her feet, shaking the dust from her fur.

A faint glow from around the corner caught Onyx's eye. It was a soft, becoming pink that leaked into the room from an unseen chamber. And Onyx found herself surrendering to its call. She cautiously approached, following the soft glow as it beckoned her further on around unseen corners.

Until there, mounted in the wall, sat a collection of pearlescent orbs. Each one glowed with an internal light that shone from their sides and pooled like iridescent water on the floor.

Onyx reached out and gingerly tugged one of the glowing lights from its socket. The orb slipped out easily, almost seeming to rest contently in her arms. The sphere felt oddly light for an object of such grand importance. Oddly warm.

Just as she removed it, something deep within the mountain rumbled. The floor shook as the walls trembled and dust kicked down from the ceiling. Onyx didn't need to be warned twice. She turned and bolted back the way she had come, prize clutched tightly to her chest.

This thing must be as valuable as the folktales claim.