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Beneath the tree was icy cold and near-perfect blackness; though the season was turning from winter, the frost had not yet faded at this depth beneath the ground. The chill temperature did mean that the tunnel was dry, however, which was a positive note. For several paces the tunnel was narrow even for the young Jivvins. The oppressive darkness of the smooth, chill walls was enough to ignite claustrophobia in even the bravest of the youngsters. Fortunately, after only ten or so paces the tunnel broadened into a large hollow, which stretched to either side in a girth that easily encompassed the entirety of the tree above, and reached above into the trunk itself. The cavern was supported by thick roots, which twined down at intervals from ceiling to floor, a dense streak of darkness among the ruddy light. What faint light there was streamed from cracks and knots in the trunk above, touching the cavern floor as confined circles of light, with little light escaping to brighten the surrounding area.

The room was oppressive enough to dampen even Harley's behavior, and the little Ust quieted, leading the way through the roots with slow, cautious steps. The sound did not echo, but was strangely muted, absorbed by the cold dirt of the floor and walls. Not ten feet from the wall, she paused, and turned to face the short line behind her--not that she could see them, well, at all. "Someone needs to stay by the tunnel," she ordered matter-of-factly, her voice nonetheless unusually quiet for the typically boisterous Ust. "To make sure we can find it again. We can yell and they can call so we can follow the sound. You stay," she added, when no one leapt to volunteer, then turned and continued on into the room.

The choice was a good one, though Harley would never know how wise. The walls were peppered with additional tunnels of varying sizes, from those marginally smaller to the one through which they had entered to many that were considerably larger. As it was, all such entrances were invisible in the cavern's darkness, and went totally unnoticed by the little group that trekked through the center. Harley hadn't a clue where she was going or what she was looking for, only that she preferred the vast emptiness of the cavern's center to the pressing darkness of the walls. She zigzagged from spot of light to spot of light, using them as a trail and hoping some clearer direction would make itself known.

Harley wasn't especially bothered when Molly walked into her--nor by the murmured complaints and curses that came with everyone else running into the Jivvin ahead of them. It was good to know that everyone else was there; if she couldn't see them, she certainly wanted to be able to hear them, even if it did give away their position. "I don' think anything's gonna attack us in here. It's awfully cold and it doesn't smell like anything but dirt... I think we'd smell something bad if it was here." She tried to sound more confident than she felt, but she was being honest...for the most part. The tunnel seemed uninhabited. She was more worried about getting lost than being eaten by something.

She began moving once more, on towards the next beam of light, when, rounding an exceptionally thick root, she noticed a ray of light slanting across an opening in the wall. Making a sudden decision, she turned and proceeded towards the tunnel. It was likely to be dark and awful inside again, but at least it was more of a goal. The tunnel's size, she soon noticed, was deceptive; this one was actually much larger than the previous, its size disguised by the distance they had to travel to reach it. The tunnel's ceiling towered above the little Jivvins and gave them plenty of space to pass within, though, as before, it was rather poorly lit. Harley led the way with feigned confidence, pacing along with a measured step until her foot settled upon something utterly unlike the dirt floor before.

It was dry and cold and smooth and elevated, a step a good foot above the ground at the very least. She pressed a bit more firmly, and the something gave, squishing in a bit. It unsettled her, but she could not say why--until the step lifted ever so slightly and slowly sank again. It was breathing. There was a rasp of dry scales as Harley yanked her paw back, fighting panic. "Everyone...back the way we came," she whispered with false-calm, even as a low hiss echoed through the narrow chamber from before them.

"'Course we've seen a dragon, Molly," Harley countered quietly, unable to resist the topic even given the dire situation. "We got sent out to find this book by a Dragon, remember? But this one seems different than our dragon... All scaley and cold." She really hadn't wanted the knowledge spread around, but it was too late for that.

The 'Dragon' hissed again, and Harley sensed more than felt the stretch of tail whip by her paw as it was drawn further into the cavern. "Um, we should go," she repeated, then yelped and leaped back into Molly as rows of pointed teeth appeared in the ruddy darkness before her face, snapping closed as hairsbreadth from where she had been moments before. She shrieked, "Run!"