((Part 3))
"Man, it's sure dark in here...Trenzet, you've got the bag, right?" Beor raised one hand to his face, his eyes narrowing to tiny slits as he tried to peer through the darkness of the cave. "I don't like the idea of stumbling around inside a mountain in the dark, after all."
"Yeah, it's right here; one torch, coming up." Trenzet rummaged around a little bit in the knapsack he was carrying, then managed to find a torch. "Of course, I'm assuming that you've got the flint, Beor; I can't light anything with these." He holds up his paws, then chuckles as he realizes that no one can see them. "Well, good thing that none of us are afraid of the dark, right?"
"And it's a good thing that none of us are clautraphobic, either. This isn't much of a cave as far as size goes, let me tell you." Reggie, smushed against a wall, snorted to let the other two know his displeasure at the current situation.
"Hey, don't let yourself get to worried about such trivialities, Reg; after all, we came here on a mission, right? So who cares about a little discomfort?" Trenzet grinned at his companion, not really sure of his exact direction, but still making a guess.
A bright flash of light suddenly lit up the cave, causing Reggie and Trenzet to blink in the unexpected glare. Beor grinned at the two of them as he carefully held the flaming torch in one hand, shielding it from the breeze that had managed to make it through the cave opening. "Is this better, you two?"
"Well, I can't really say at this point; after all, the scenery leaves much to be desired." Reggie shook his head with a chuckle. "But it sure is great to be able to see again."
"Yeah...and what things to see!" Trenzet craned his head around, looking at the stalactites and stalagmites that thrust up and down from floor and ceiling all around. "I'd sure hate to run into one of these things..."
"Amen to that. And as much as I love to look at rock spikes, this isn't the reason that we're here, you two. If this really is the forbidden cave, then it ought to be bigger than this; so we ought to be on the lookout for a passage or tunnel or something..." Beor swung the torch around slowly, his keen eyes piercing through the shadows of the cave. "There just has to be an opening somewhere."
Reggie looked around, then, tired of being wedged against a wall, carefully worked himself between a few stalagmites, delicately picking his way along the cave in search of the tunnel...and thanksfully watching his feet. "Whoa!" eek
"What is it, Reg? You ok?" Trenzet whirled around and looked over at Reggie, who was scrabbling for footing on the pebbly floor.
After a few moments and a couple deep breaths, Reggie was able to nod at Trenzet. "Yeah, I'm fine...but I think that I found your tunnel, Beor." He gestures down at the wide chasm in the floor, just before his feet. "This kinda looks promising."
Beor hastened over with the torch, and in its light the three nikkos could see a series of ledges that led downwards from the cave entrance that they were in. "Well...let's go." Beor straightened his shoulder's resolutely and carefully lowered himself into the chasm, holding onto the torch in one hand and griping at the rock with the other.
Reggie looked at Trenzet, then followed Beor's example, slipping into the hole in the floor and gingerly starting down the long series of ledges.
"Oy...this will be interesting, at any rate." Trenzet adjusted his knapsack, then looked around the enterance cave. "It's kind of funny...compared to down there, this place actually feels kinda homey." He shakes his head, then follows his companions down into the gap.
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