[Sarah]

“We should not have come here.” Feuta growled, the tick of her claws against the stone was amplified and echoes off of the bare empty stone. Her fur was on end and her breaths where short and fast. Ska flitted next to her, knowing that her mood had swung from calm to frightened. The smell of fear flooded from her and Ska was not sure whether it would bring trouble or someone who would help them. “I need to get out.” Her voice was shrill and stressed. Her paws felt like they were moving through drying tar, she felt like vomiting, and the cave walls felt too close to her.

[Sarah]

Feuta turned tail and ran away from the glowing pillars of crystal. Ripping off her herbal pouch with the carefully cut crystals. -This place is no good, demons seek revenge.- She screamed down one passage and then another, her voice echoing through the whole cave system, ricocheting from one smooth stone wall to the next, with nothing to absorbed the vibrations. Ska worriedly followed her, spreading his senses for some kind of evil. He could not pick up signals of ‘evil’ things, though as Feuta scattered through the caves he sensed the presence of many cave dwelling species.  Rumbles could be heard in the distances, rock slides, and cave fall-ins? What was going on, this of course put Feuta in an even more desperate dash to safety, but each step she took led them deeper into the endless maze of caves.

[Sarah]

 Jesper Cream

"Come on!" Jesper growled following Cream into the cave. "Doesn't master know that Feuta is unstable?" he asked exasperated. He had no need to be here, he had been at his home on his master’s property, a house he shared with the other kuhna, when Cream had bounced through the door, as usual, and claimed that they were to rescue a lost void sahound. Cringing as he stepped in a puddle of cool clear water he shook it dry and ran to catch up with cream, who was still bouncing down the path they had been sent on. “Oh don’t be such a baby.” Cream teased, bouncing around him, her tails swished happily.

[Sarah]

Jesper rolled his eyes, Cream was his best friend but sometimes he wondered how she could always be so… happy, about everything. The Kuhna house was the largest, and held the most of his master’s pets. All of the Kuhna where very loyal to their master, the most loyal of all the pets on the property, besides Saphie, but she didn’t count. –let’s just get in find the mentally unstable Sahound and get out- Jesper sulked, he was ok with most of the Kuhna, but that was because he lived in the same house as them. He had never interacted with the ones outside of the house, not directly at least.  It looked like they would have to walk for a while until they got to the entrance to the cave, but Jesper was just fine with that, he was not looking forward to going into a stuffy cave.

[Sarah]

“Yay, Adventure!”  Cream shouted, happiness lit across her face, Jesper and every other thing on Evelon could read Creams emotions like an open picture book. At least she could find light in the situation, Jesper had never been one for exploring so it was shocking that master had asked him to actually go somewhere. He went of course he would do anything master asked of him. HE would try to brighten up for Cream, but this whole thing made him feel uncomfortable. “Do you know where the cave is?” he asked, he had fallen asleep during the carried, and could not understand much human. Cream was the one he depended on as a translator. “No, master just told me to follow the path.” Cream sighed, her tails drooped a little. “I just hope we don’t end up lost like Feuta did.” She meowed, her eyes flashed a look of despair, but it was covered quickly by her excitement to get into the caves.

[Sarah]

“Don’t worry; you know master would not let us become lost. Besides Feuta didn’t know what she was doing when she came here, you’ve seen the way she acts, she is completely brain dead.” Jesper meowed bitterly; she blamed Feuta for all of the things she could be causing right now.  –How could she make master worry like that, how could master even like her when master knows Feuta only lives on the land because of the shelter and food master provides.- Jesper was taken aback by the frosty glare Cream shot him, “You be nice! Everyone is different, maybe her it’s her job that makes her so absent minded.” Cream growled. “I didn’t… I mean, I’m sorry, it’s just that I hate seeing you so upset.” Jesper stumbled over his words, embarrassed, he hadn’t… He had forgotten that Cream loved every one of masters pets no matter what, even those crazy Serraptor that master had contact with.

[Sarah]

The Jungle Closed around them, and the path got rough and narrow. “I hope we don’t come to some sort of fork in the path.” Jesper said after a long time, since Cream had yelled at him he had made sure to keep quiet. Cream look relieved that he was talking to her again, “I’m not going to say sorry, because you need to keep an open mind about masters pets.” She meowed to him, her tails swishing happily again. Jesper sighed, “I know, but that is my problem not yours.” He looked at her, his eyes searching her own. He smiled when she blushed and turned away, “But I want to help you, where friends we are supposed to help each other out.” Jesper cringes when she stressed the word friend, why couldn’t she just accept that he liked her more than that, and then accept that she felt the same about him.

[Sarah]

Moving on, they passed up many exotic looking foliage, but Jesper had to assume that in this large jungle, these plants where a common occurrence. Jesper flicked his multi colored tails, the day was just starting and already it was hot out, as would be expected of a tropical jungle. Still, in the beginning of winter he had hoped it would not get as hot as normal. “how much farther do you think?” he asked Cream who was walking just ahead of him, she had been that way since they had last talked, he blamed himself for making things awkward between them, he hadn’t wanted to make things so weird so early, or at all really.

[Sarah]

The path widened and the two Kuhna walked side by side, Excitement burned in Cream, but Jesper was cautious, he knew the stories about these caves. “Almost there I bet.”  Jesper meowed, narrowing his eyes against the blinding sun, he could feel the cool shade of the rock already, and he had to say it got his hopes up. The thick jungle did help block the sun, but the path they followed seemed to be open completely to the unforgiving sun. “Do you think there is a stream nearby?” Cream asked, her voice a whisper. She must have been thirsty. “I don’t know, I don’t hear one,” Jesper replied “Sorry.” He added seeing the pained look on her face. “We should have brought some supplies.”

[Sarah]

Cream nodded to Jesper as they walked down the path, water could not be heard, but she hoped that the deeper they went into the forest the more signs of water they would see. She would be fine for now, but her throat was burning a little bit. “Ugg, we have to be getting there soon.” Jesper complained, she knew his paw pads got hurt easily, mostly because he was used to walking lazily on carpet. Now that he was out in the wilderness on bare rock and walking at a brisk pace, he was probably feeling bad. “That’s your own fault you know.” She teased him, her tails raised and her eyes sparkled mischievously. “Oh no, what is that look for?” Jesper asked her, his eyes evaluating her stance and how far away he was from her. She shook her head at him and made a tsk tsk noise. “I hear Water.” She said happily running off of the path and into the forest.

[Sarah]

After she pushed through the thick outer shell of foliage the walking got easier. The forest floor was soft and cool on her paws and she was able to see a small creek just ahead. Still in sight of the path they had to follow. “We shouldn’t take too long in here.” Jesper warned his fur sticking up he always was too easy to spook. “Oh don’t rain on my parade.” She shot back at him, pawing the ground anxiously. She waited for him to catch up before moving ahead, the creek was so close and she was ready to dive into it if she had to. Slipping down she dunked her tongue into the creek the water was freezing cold and tasted of barriers on her tongue.

[Sarah]

Cream’s pink eyes searched the creek bed, it was sand not rocks. It didn’t look like it would be very habitable for fish or anything of that sort. The water was perfectly clear, no blue tint, no green algae. The creek’s waters ran swiftly to their unknown destination, pushing against each other to make a soothing sound that tickled the Kuhna’s ears. Jesper padded up to sit next to Cream, his fur had settled back to its normal smoothness. He bent down to take a drink beside her, his pink tongue lapped the water slowly as his eyes scanned the forest. “We should be fine.” Cream meowed, pushing his shoulder with her paw. His odd colored eyes flitted to rest on her, “I know.” He said simply his eyes made her heart flutter; she was not usually one to find someone more than a friend. But she did, and it scared the crud out of her.

[Sarah]

Jasper smiled warmly at her, “should we be heading out?” he asked, licking stray water drops from his whiskers. Cream could only nod; her breath had been taken from her. They had always been close friends and she knew the feelings Jesper had of her. At the time she had not shared them, but now she was older and she knew that Jesper would be there for her no matter what. It was shown to her time and time again, now was one of those times. Her master had told her that she could take someone with her if she wanted, but otherwise she would go alone. She had asked someone her other friends but they had said no, so when Jesper had said yes… it broke her heart the devotion he had for her. Cream promised herself that one day she would show the same devotion to him.

[Sarah]

Leaving the shade of the jungle to go back to the hard and hot stone path was a letdown. Cream felt a new wave of energy since her throat was not dying; she trotted down the path with her tails swishing happily, going together and then separating over and over. Jesper took the lead now, his tails hung just above the ground. Ears pointed forward the pair delved deeper down the pathway. Smiling Cream bounced ahead, “Adventure, Adventure.” She sang skipping next to Jesper who laughed and poked her shoulder with his paw. Cream stuck her tongue out at him grinning wildly; this was what she loved about their friendship, they were so different but fit together so well.

[Sarah]

Looking back, the forest had seemed to swallow the path, “I really hope we can find our way back out after this.” Jesper sighed, his ears pressed against his head. Cream looked at him, concern bright on her face. “Don’t worry, you will know how to get us out.” She said, resting one of her tails on his shoulder trying to be comforting. Night had fallen, and now the forest was too cold. Breathing in the crisp night air, Jesper caught a weird scent; it was not something he has ever experienced, it smelt cold and old. “You smell that?” he asked ream who was sniffing the air along with him. “Yeah, I think it means we are getting close.” She meowed, her tails flicked nervously.