Silent Cave

The trio padded again across the soft, muddy floor of the jungle- well, 2 padded. Snowshoe walked carefully, keeping her wings close to her side. Even after growing up in the jungle, she never really got used to the mud and dangerous plants. 

Flurry stomped around behind her, the white albertosaurus having an even harder time with the uneven and slippery terrain. Already she had almost slipped and fell flat on her face multiple times.

Said slips had caused Bassoon to take off from her back, the purple tapejara now fluttering around their heads like a large bug (of which the trio had already ran into plenty of in the jungle).

The reason for their travel was the herbivore leading them- Mamba, a black and white speckles euoplocephalus, had insisted on taking them this way. They had been introduced through each other by Mambas sister, who had been the one they had to impress to get into the jungle. The sisters were seemingly helping them out- but Flurry was unable to tell if this was a good thing or a bad thing. Snowshoe had already alluded that other guards may not nearly be as kind, so all she could do was hope Mamba was not planning on introducing them to other guards.

“Tah-dah!” Mamba slowed to a stop, causing Flurry to almost trip (again). The albertosaurus looked up, taking in the view- they had made it to some kind of secluded part of the jungle, a lovely waterfall and river washing past them. “What do you think.”

“It's nice.” Bassoon chirped, landing by the river to dip his beak in to check for fish. None were spotted, so he pulled back out. “But why are we here? What's so special? We passed this river several times already.”

Mamba smirked, before nudging at Snowshoe. “Walk through the water!” She instructed. Snowshoe shot a nervous look back at the other two before sighing and walking forward. Flurry watched nervously as the oviraptor vanished behind the water, any sound washed away by the sound of pouring water.

Finally, Snowshoe poked her head back out. “A tunnel?” She asked Mamba. “Where does this go?”

Mamba grinned. “Close to the court's palace.” She thudded her tail on the ground. “Its a way that should help you avoid all the guards.” The herbivore turned to Bassoon. “When you reach the exit, fly towards the far side of the dome. You'll find the structure if you do.” Bassoon puffed his chest out.

“This-this…” Flurry stammered. This was the best case scenario- a way to make their way over to the palace without attracting the attention of the guards until it was too late. “Thank you.”

Mamba bowed her head, winking. “Don’t tell them I helped you! Or about the tunnel. Its a nice place to avoid them… anyways! Good luck!” With one last wave of her tail she turned around, returning to duty.

“Let's do this.” Bassoon fluttered his way onto Flurry's back as she made her way into the cave. Flurry didn't protest, even when his claws tightened to the point of pain. She knew Bassoon was remembering the journey down through the tunnels- a bad experience for him especially.

However, they shouldn't have worried. Flurry let out a small gasp as they entered the cave. It was huge, the ceiling far above even her head. Sharp rocks hung down, dripping water onto their feathers. The chill was a nice escape from the heat of the jungle- but the most noticeable part was the glowing mushrooms and moss in many shades of colors- green, blue, pink. It lit the cave up with soft, subtle lights that allowed them to see even deep into it. “Wow…” Flurry muttered, walking forward and brushing her feathers across a patch of moss. It clung to her feathers a bit, leaving them with a faint glow.

Bassoon detached himself from her feathers, allowing himself to flap around the floor of the cave. He felt like a bat, and he suddenly understood why they loved caves so much. This one was not nearly as bad as the tunnel they had taken to get here.

Snowshoe was a bit ahead already, sniffing at a particularly large patch of mushrooms and moss. “Fascinating…” she muttered, poking at a patch of pink moss with her finger. Some of the glow came away, and before Flurry could stop her she licked it off. The albertosaurus cringed, but the oviraptor did not drop dead. That was good. “I wonder if they make the warpaint with this…”

Bassoon finally took into the air, flying around a bit. “Come on!” He called, shrill voice echoing. “We need to get there! We can always come back later and take samples, weirdo!” Snowshoe scoffed at that, but obliged, resuming the walk down the path. Flurry followed up, carefully making sure nothing would approach them from behind.

The journey through the cave was… oddly calm, compared to the rest of the adventure so far. For the first time, the trio could finally allow themselves the time to relax and just chat. About themselves, about the adventure, anything that came to their mind. The silence was filled by them.

As they reached the end, the fit slowly became tighter and tighter for Flurry. The hanging rocks became more and more common, some even sheering off bits of her feathers. At some points she had to crouch, and she couldn't help but curse her larger size. Snowshoe and Bassoon were unbothered, and even seemed to find some enjoyment from her situation.

Finally, the exit yawned. Bassoon poked his head out first, scanning the area before chirping. “All clear!” As soon as they left the cave, Flurry sagged as the heat soaked back onto them near instantly.

“Ugh.” Snowshoe groaned, shaking her head. “I hate this place.” She sent a longing glance back towards the cave before ruffling her feathers. Flurry and Bassoon followed suit, shaking off the last of the calm the cave had given them. “Alright. It's go time.”