[Azura Rayume]

Tiny claws clicked over the stone floor of the caverns, two sets of four feet. The owner of one had no clue how he'd wound up there, except the fact that his brother was walking in front of him, his almost molten appearing pelt casting a strange glow on the walls.

His large eyes scanned those walls again, glazing over the eerie runes that were carved into the stone, searching for some clue as to their destination. A shiver ran up his spine as he thought of the hands that must have gashed the rock to make them. Everything about this place seemed so strange.

"B-Brother?" His voice cracked as he spoke out of his fright. "Where are we going, brother?"

[Azura Rayume]

The Magma Creeper stopped and turned, an aggrivated expression on his face. He'd explained this before they'd left home. Why didn't his little brother ever pay attention?

"We're gonna find an Akail," he said simply, spinning back to face ahead, lost again in fantasies of having some large cave lizard to play with. "We're gonna train it by ourselves, remember?"

His haunches bobbed and his tail swayed as he began walking again, his pace faster than before.

[Azura Rayume]

The young Kodile loosed a cry as the glow from his brother's pelt faded. The little one was easily panicked on any given day, but his current surroundings had him on edge even more than usual. With a slight whimper, he hurried off after the other.

"Icor!" he called, sumbling over a rock in his rush. "Icor, wait up!"

[Azura Rayume]

Icor paused for a moment, grinning over his shoulder. He'd dragged his brother into this by leaving without him in the beginning, and he was going to make the most of every moment he had away from home. It wasn't that it was fun to watch the Kodile trip and hit his nose on the stone, but the note of despiration in the little one's voice was strangly satisfying.

"Hurry up then!" he shouted, that malicious grin still on his face. "Why do you have to be so slow, Slait?"

[Azura Rayume]

"I'm not slow," Slait responded, catching up to Icor's pace. "You're just bigger, that's all." Which was true. The Magma Creeper was a good three inches taller than the Kodile, and most of that was in his legs.

Slait's pale sky blue gaze wandered over the walls again. Someone had drawn a picture of a large lizard thing there, the image surrounded by more of those creepy runes. "Hey, Icor," he asked, stopping again and pointing to the drawing. "Is that an Akail?"

[Azura Rayume]

Icor paused to look at the drawing as well. Taloned feet, a long snout, many many pointed teeth, and four eyes. It certianly didn't look like what he'd been imagining, which was something similar to a Placid Paragon without the wings, so he shook his head.

"I don't think so." he said, confirming his own suspicions with a nod. "That thing looks really mean. Not to mention angry. Akails aren't like that. At least, I don't think they are."

[Azura Rayume]

Slait cast Icor a doubtful glance. He'd heard stories about Akails back home, and they never sounded like nice things to have around. They were always attacking people or tricking them into going down the wrong tunnel in the caves. Mean stuff like that.

But his brother insisted that they were nice cave dwelling beings that loved playing with little children and helping lost travelers. Slait continues to believe that they would rather eat him than play tag.

[Azura Rayume]

Icor started off again at his brisk pace, resolutely ignoring the pictographs and runes on the surrounding walls. It wasn't that he could read them; he just felt better if her wasn't looking at them.

It took him a moment to realize that his brother had failed to follow. He spun around quickly, smoldering golden eyes peering back at the Kodile. "Come on, Slait!" he called back. "This place an be dangerous if I leave you here alone. You don't want to get eaten by that monster before we find the Akail, do you?"

[Azura Rayume]

Slait, who had been staring at the carving, abruptly snapped back to reality as his brother shouted something about getting eaten. That was the last thing he wanted, but there was something about that picture that he should remember... Oh, whatever.

He rose to his feet and trotted off after the Creeper. "I'd rather not get eaten after we find an Akail either, if it's all the same to you," he muttered, gaze trained on the floor of the cavers so he wouldn't see another frightening monster picture.

[Azura Rayume]

"Huh?" Icor sounded rather confused by Slait's statement, taking a moment to remember what might have prompted such a responce. "Oh! Well, I don't want you to get eaten either. I just wanted to get going again." He nodded, sure that was why he'd said that. "Anyway, once we find an Akail, we won't have to worry about cave monsters or bullies or anything. It'll protect us; I'm sure of it."

[Azura Rayume]

Slait case a doubtful glance at his brother, not yet convinced that an Akail was all his brother dreamed it would be.

"What if that picture back there wasn't just a cave monster?" he asked, trying to keep himself from staring at the runes on the walls. "What if that was an Akail?"

[Azura Rayume]

"What?!" Icor shouted, appauled at the idea. Akails weren't monsters, that he was sure of. "No, that wasn't an Akail. Promise. Akails are nice cave lizards like I told you before. Now stop trying to find away out of this and hurry up!" He deliberately began walking faster just so his brother would have to do more walking than thinking or talking.

[Azura Rayume]

Slait blinked at the Magma Creeper in front of him, then swallowed hard. His brother was always so sure of what was going on, he often got snippy when doubted. Still... he couldn't shake the feeling that this wasn't just some walk like the larger reptile was making it out to be.

"W-Wait up!" he cried as the darkness closed around him, skittering to make up the distance his brother was making between them.

[Azura Rayume]

Icor glanced over his shoulder quickly, then grinned at his brother's nervous quaver. Serves him right for saying nasty things about his soon to be best friend. Why he would think that creepy monster thing was an Akail was beyond him.

"No~!" he called back in response to the whimper. "Not until you say I was right!" A devilish way to get what he wanted, but whatever worked.

[Azura Rayume]

Normally Slait would have taken a moment to pout on the apparent trickery his brother was trying to employ. Making him say what he knew was wrong... Ha! He might have done that when he was little, but not now. Now he was old enough to do things on his own... Right? Yes, of course he was. He didn't need that stupid, pompous glowing brat ahead of him to tell him where to go. He was just afraid of the dark was all. But he didn't have time to pout. His brother was getting farther and farther away as he dallied. So he kept running as fast as his little legs would carry him.