Terran pumped all six of his legs, accelerating to higher and higher speeds deep beneath the rich soil. He pressed his feet against the solid tunnels walls, clawing forward, walls he himself had dug a day earlier. Roots and small rocks jutted out of the ceiling and floor, leaving nasty scratches in soft wet scales as the large pink radill raced over them. Terran noted his lazy craftsmanship and vowed to fix the tunnel later, if he came back again at all, which he undoubtedly would. After a sudden incline, Terran's bright green mane poked out of the wide entrance, followed by a long neck. He gazed out over the perfectly named vast plains, pieces of earth tumbling down his face. As vast as it was, the plains were also quite unpopulated. Save the vegetation, not a living thing was in sight. Terran sighed. Not in his poor, underground vision, anyway. I'll bet there's a party going on ten feet away from my nose, he thought glumly. He was quite sensitive about his poor sight, even at a young age as an Onpachu variety he could never see a thing. He bayed in frustration and heaved the rest of his worm-like self out of the hole. The fully grown radill flicked his long mane out of his eyes and squinted at the horizon. This time, his eyes were not to blame. There was, literally, no one there. Vast, he thought bitterly, means utterly empty. I hate this place, above and below. Terran reared into a walking position, with his front legs dangling into space, and headed toward nothing in particular. A sunny walk would do him good, he thought, since he was underground all week without photosynthesizing.
