Pumpernickel was trying very hard to keep up with Cacao, twiddling his short whelp legs. It was not easy, looking that the older Tsabhua was a giant not only in a whelp’s eyes, but in the eyes of others of her species as well. He noticed that she peeked at him and slowed down a bit, her white feet softly tapping against the leaf litter. She noticed that he had problems keeping up with her and his ears flattened in the response. He was doing just fine - he did not want to seem whiny by asking her to slow down. It seemed like he appeared whiny without saying a word - the only way to cover that up was by redirecting the doe’s attention. 

„What do you think is inside the bunker?” He asked, pushing a small branch away from his path. „I have heard that some who passed by have heard… scratches and some strange noises. Do you think that maybe there are some monsters locked up inside?…”

„Monsters?” Cacao lifted up her eyebrows with a half-smile. „There are no monsters here, sweetheart. Monsters are made up to scare little whelps like yourself and to make sure that they do not go to dangerous places. But I think that you are too old and too smart to believe in monsters anymore. And even if there were monsters, I am here to protect you and our colony.”

She reached out with her hand to pat and ruffle up the fur on Pumpernickel's head. She was right - there were no monsters in the bunker. Whoever told him about that was probably trying to scare him. He felt a bit embarrassed about believing in that story… But should he fully discard the monster theory? As the older Tsabhua was patting his head, he couldn’t help but notice a small twinge of worry on her face, as if she was not fully sure if what she was talking about was correct. Still, to stay calm, he was going to believe in her words. 

„Are you tired?” She suddenly asked. „We’ve been walking for a while and I couldn’t help but notice that you’re dragging your feet through the leaves. We can rest for a while if you want”

„I can walk more - I’m not tired!” He protested, looking up at her with his tail standing up. „I’m big now, I can walk longer than that! When we arrive at the entrance we can have a break.”

Cacao lifted her eyebrow up, clearly not believing any word coming from him. Without an answer, she plopped down and laid down on the ground, crossing her arms on her chest. 

„Do you want to ride on my back for a while?”

„You’re already carrying the heavy bag - I’m not going to put any more weight on your back,” Pumpernickel pouted in response, his white-tipped tail brushing against the dried leaves. 

„Come on - I’m not that old to experience back pain from one extra whelp on my back” she rolled her eyes. „Besides, if you rest now then you will be able to come back home on your own feet rather than carried by me” 

He looked at Cacao for a moment, scrunching up his nose. In the end, he gave up. She always had the keenest eye and seemed to know whenever someone was not feeling well - there was no escaping. Silently, he crawled up onto her back and grabbed her by the mane with his small hands to make sure he did not fall off. Slowly and gracefully like a camel, she rose up from the ground and started walking. After a moment of resting, he could feel just how sore his feet were from walking. Once again, the brick Tsabhua was right about everything. It just meant that he still needed to get tougher.

Pumpernickel breathed in the refreshing air, scented by rotten leaves of the forest floor as well as the chilly air coming from the mountains. Rekes’ environment was very different from L’hatzif where he was born. The tall conifers rustled and swayed under the wind. These trees were tall - one stronger gust of wind and they could crush even as strong Tsabhua as Cacao was. He decided to focus on something else than the looming coniferous giants and instead observed the moss covered stones near the path they were traversing. While everything seemed cooled and sharp in Rekes, these stones seemed to be cozy under the green mossy blankets.

When observing the forest around them started to get boring, he decided to check out what was in the bag Cacao took with herself. He opened it slightly and put his head inside to check the contents. His eyes opened wide as he noticed only a notebook, magnifying glass, some empty baggies for collecting small things and tools to write notes down. The bag was closed and he made sure that the bag did not have any holes in it.

„Um… Cacao?” He asked. „Are you sure you didn’t lose anything? I remember that Mx Researcher told you to bring the crowbar but it’s not in the bag…”

„Hm?” She moved her ears back to listen to him. „Well yes, I was supposed to bring the crowbar but I left it back at the base. I think that it’s best to not open up the bunker with force - we do not know what is inside and I am not risking anyone’s safety. We can just take some notes and check how the entrance looks. And check if the monsters there are real”

„Won’t they get upset about us not breaking in?…” Pumpernickel tilted his head.

„Probably” She shrugged in response. „I am still not taking the risk. If they want to break in, they will take the crowbar themselves and attempt to get in without us knowing.”

„You’re probably right” he nodded. From what he knew about Mx Researcher (he kept forgetting their name), they liked breaking things. A bunker entrance was possibly included and not even Cocoa could stop them.

After a little bit more walking, the entrance to the bunker in Rekes has shown itself. Overgrown with grass and moss, the dark maw of the entrance seemed to lead into the unknown. Cacao stopped to peek into the darkness, while Pumpernickel attempted to get off her back. As he felt the ground underneath, he stumbled a bit only for the doe’s tail to save him from tripping. 

„Careful” she warned him. He nodded softly in response.

He took three steps towards the bunker, each of them a bit unsteady. He was a little afraid that what was waiting for him in the darkness was going to swallow him up like a little snack. Still, Cacao was behind him - he was safe. Slowly, he walked further, only to be stabbed by the metal bars reflecting the light from the outside coldly. This was as far as they could get. He did not even have the courage to try and put his hand between the bars. 

„See? There are no monsters” the doe reassured him, herself taking a peek into the darkness.

He couldn’t stare inside anymore - the gloom inside was somehow hurting his eyes by now. Or was it just the fear of being potentially dragged inside through the bars? Whatever the reason was, Pumpernickel looked away and instead focused on everything else that was worthy of notice. As he analyzed the yellowish walls of the entrance leading into the depths, he noticed something etched on them. And these were no random claw marks. Unfortunately he was too short to really see what it was, but it seemed important. Looking up at his older companion, who was still trying to notice anything behind the bars, he tapped at her leg.

„Could you give me a notebook and a pencil? And lift me up?” He asked, pointing at the mysterious marks. „I’ve noticed something there and I think it might be important… I want to maybe copy it”

Cacao followed his eyes and her ears twitched as she noticed the code. Instantly, she reached out for her bag and started searching for the things the whelp asked for.

„You’ve got a sharp eye - it definitely does look important”