[Moyra]

Listening in silence as usual, Veritas nodded as Rotew finished. He had assumed there might be a trap, after all they didn't really know what they were dealing with. He wasn't an overly watchful animal though, so something of the like might have easily slipped through his gaze. It was overall a better idea to let Rotew lead. Shortly after they continued to travel, Veritas leaned against one of the crystals near by, needing a bit of a break. They'd been in the caverns for a while now, and he really wasn't sure how long. Was it night, was it day? He had no clue, but he knew he was starting to feel as if it were way too late to be awake. Just as he leaned on the crystal, it cracked loudly and shifted slightly, scaring Veritas back awake. "I'm all good." He looked from side to side with a few nervous glances. He would have to be more careful about the walls in this place.

[Moyra]

The cracking crystal had apparently done nothing to jar him, and was very nearly asleep when Rotew spoke. After walking the last few steps with his head slightly fallen and his music near silent, Veritas jumped slightly at the sound of the Hollowheart's voice. "Huh?!... Oh, yeah. Sorry." He scooted his feet a bit faster and got close enough to feel the heat coming off him. That should be close enough. He just had to stay awake a bit longer. He was sure they would stop soon...

He looked to the area Rotew was pointing in, and could see the light as well. What would be making light down here? His muddled mind didn't quite grasp that it may be something they might want to avoid. "We're going to stop soon right? I'm going to fall into some giant crack soon at this rate." He mumbled slightly as he spoke, the wear on his energy showing through his words.  He didn't really realize that he sounded like a blithering idiot, but then at this point he also didn't care.

[Moyra]

Veritas let his body relax as he was hoisted onto the back of Rotew, his eyes falling closed as he let his face rest on the warm body beneath him. He let out a slight mumble as the Hollowheart took off even deeper into the caves, "I am sorry I'm such a bother at the moment Rotew, I'm not normally awake this long and it seems to have taken a toll on me." He let his paws fall to the sides, trying to grip the smooth skin underneath. Grasping as tightly as he could, he let himself drift slightly, letting his music grow in volume to sweep him away. He knew he must stay awake till they found a place to rest, so he kept the music at a volume that wouldn't let him sleep and kept to an erratic, upbeat tune.

[Moyra]

Veritas barely noticed the movements of the one behind him as he seemed to be passing in and out of consciousness, catching glimpses of cavern walls streaming past them. The heat of the one beneath him was lulling him to sleep despite his efforts to remain awake. He was glad Rotew had taken him on his back, even though it hadn't been expected. The Hollowheart hardly seemed like one who would take passengers often, but he took one right now, and for that he was thankful. He might well have passed out in the caverns, getting left behind in the dark if he hadn't.

He felt them slow and come to a stop, so he forced his eyes open wider than they had been in a bit, and at seeing a bit of light, lifted his head. "How..." he mumbled slightly, not sure how there was light in such a deep, dark cavern. His eyes followed the light and he glanced toward the ceiling of the caves, the blue glow seemingly raining down on them. It was a boon on his senses, and as Rotew spoke and said that this was their spot, he let himself fall from his back to hit the ground with a light step. "Oh good, we can fish too." A smile broke out as he heard the water rushing by, and thought of food once again. Without much more ado, he found a neat little corner in the space, and curled up into it. "I could use a snooze. Will you be resting Rotew?"

[Moyra]

Nodding slightly in response, Veritas tucked his head into his paws, his music gaining volume as he did so. He needed a good rest, and the music drowning out any sound there might be was a good way to ensure it. Somehow he just knew that he would be safe for a few hours of rest while Rotew was around, it seemed as if he really had made a friend in the warm Hollowheart. It didn't take long till he was fast asleep, his limbs all twitching slightly to the music as it always crept into his dreams. They never held anything of seeming importance, but they always held his music.

He wasn't sure how long it was before he opened his eyes once again. The difference in how he felt was substantial. Energetic once more and full of life, he popped his head up and looked about the cavern they'd made their own for the time being. Not seeing Rotew, he cranked the music down and listened. He thought he could hear breathing off to the side of him, and assumed it was him. Getting up from his cramped little position, he stretched out his legs and back, a few of the joints cracking. The sound of water rushing near by had stirred his hunger so he took a few ginger steps toward the water and then waited for his body to fully wake up. Last thing he needed was to fall into the water and be swept away. Rotew wouldn't be able to follow him if that happened.

Glancing once more around the cavern, he knelt down beside the water and slipped a paw into the icy depths. Shifting his claws slightly he brushed across a few fish before he was quick enough to grab hold of one. He slipped the thing out of the water, smacking it a few times on the rock to either knock it out or kill it, he didn't care which so long as it wasn't moving. Once it's wiggle subsided, he worked on fishing out another one, his paw getting chilled in the ice water.

[Moyra]

Smacking his lips as he started to devour the few fish he'd grabbed, Veritas hoped his companion didn't want any of them again as he planned on finishing them all. He hadn't realized how starved he was until he'd woken and felt the grumble deep in his belly. So rather than search for Rotew first, as he normally would have, the river and it's inhabitants had pulled him first. Once he'd polished off the un-wriggly fish, he cleaned his paws and face in the river, not wanting fish guts and scales all over him for the remainder of the trip. Standing up with a bit of a stretch, he yawned one last time before venturing toward the sounds that he assumed were Rotew's.

It didn't take him long to find the slumbering form of his new friend. He smiled slightly as he stepped very quietly up to the Hollowheart and took a seat next to him to await his waking. He must have been more tired than he imagined after all. Laying down, he laid his head on his front paws, closing his eyes and just listening to his music while he waited.

[Moyra]

Stretching his paws out in front of him while still laying down in an almost feline like motion, Veritas smiled before he stood. "No need to yell friend, my poor ears are right here." He laughed slightly at his companion, one who had obviously not fallen asleep on purpose. Maybe he hadn't realized how worn out he'd gotten, that burst of power the day before surely needed some kind of recharging. As he looked to his friends eyes, he knew he was correct as he could indeed see the heat in that gaze. "Feeling a bit...warmer there?"

Stepping away from Rotew, he moved toward the river and glanced into the icy depths, "I'm hoping you didn't want any of the fish I had caught, as I didn't save any. I assumed you would go without my slimy fare once more. Not your type of food, eh?" He could always catch more, but he thought he was right in his assumption. Rotew had looked almost disgusted the first time he'd eaten from the river, and the thought had made him laugh internally.

[Moyra]

Smiling as Rotew broke out his rations, he wondered what kind of foods he did eat, if live wasn't one of them. Vertias was very open minded as far as food went. He'd fed on grubs, small animals, leaves, berries, and the gods knew whatever else might be edible in the Lands. You make do with what you find sometimes. Truth be told he loved all sorts of food, they were all interesting in their own right. Even the grubs.

"Sounds like a plan, where are we going to head off this time. Any idea where the sneaky Akail might be hiding?" The smile was still present on his face as he said it, his music turning up slightly. He was ready to be off and hunt the beasty down. Sadly it looked as if they're search might end with no results, but he still had fun, so it didn't matter. But then, who knew? They might just trip and fall upon the beast, and then they'd have thought bad thoughts for no reason. Shrugging slightly, he kept his mind open like he normally did and waited for Rotew to lead the way. The outcome of Veritas in the lead would undoubtedly be a bad one.

[Moyra]

Veritas smiled at the question, knowing he didn't have much to offer. "I'm afraid I can't help much. Really all I know is a game called I Spy. Though I think in our current location that would get really redundant very quickly. 'I spy with my little eye, something that is black' and the answer every time would "Oh, oh! Cavern walls!'. I fear I'm short on stories as well. This is the most excitement I've seen in a very long time." He took a few steps toward one of the tunnels leading away from where they had rested, wondering which of the many they should take. "I think we should figure out which of these to go down first. How about, eeny meeny, miny moe?" He laughed as he said it, not sure if Rotew would go for such a haphazard way of plotting their course. Oddly enough, that phrase was a major one in Veritas' life. It had lead him on many treks across the lands, and had only failed him a time or two. He couldn't really remember the bad as he chose to only remember the enjoyable times.

[Moyra]

Veritas wiggled his butt in his excitement. He hadn't had a go at eeny meeny since he was little. It really was a kids thing, but when you had decisions like this it really did come in handy. Staring at the options, he held up a paw and started saying quietly, his paw shifting to another tunnel with each word, "Eeny, meeny, miny, moe. Catch a tiger by the toe, if he hollers let him go. Eeny, meeny, miny moe." He let his paw stop on the last word. "That's the one we're going with."

Smiling up at his friend, he hoped he wouldn't look at him like he was crazy, though he wouldn't surprised if he did. It really was a foolish way to do things, but then what better option did they have. There was no telling which tunnel would be the one they needed. This guess was as good as any really. "Well, shall we?" He took a step forward to start into the tunnel, and stopped, waiting to see if Rotew would actually follow his hair brained decision.

[Moyra]

Smiling as he walked, Veritas let himself fall behind Rotew. He may have picked the tunnel, but it was still best for him to follow again, he wasn't vigilant enough to be in the lead with something like this. He let his music drop in volume and spoke slowly, remembering a time when he was small, "I don't remember a lot of it. I know I was raised by kind beings, laid back just like I am. It's likely where I got the personality from. It's been so long that I don't remember their faces, just the love they showed. They might have been my parents, but somehow I know they weren't. At one point in life I set off on my own and just never saw them again and even with all my travels they are yet a mystery to me." He paused for a second, almost sad that he couldn't remember his adoptive parents, but he moved on quickly. "These games I speak of I thought were ones that were fairly common, but I suppose not. Eeeny meeny is just a way of making decisions without much thought needed. I thought it fitting in our current 'Get lost in the caverns' situation. And I spy is a game where someone says 'I spy with my little eye something that is...' and they say a colour. The other people are supposed to guess what they are seeing. Like I said, it would be very boring for us I think. Everything here seems to be black." Looking at the back of his friend, he couldn't help but ask the obvious question, "How have you not heard of these things? I assume there wasn't much play in your childhood."

[Moyra]

Veritas nodded and said a quiet, "Of course" at Rotew's request to drop the subject. He didn't want to of course, but out of respect he did. His curiosity would have to go without easing for now. He couldn't imagine what it may have been like to have no one while growing up, no joy, no laughter...

He walked on in silence, unsure of what to do or say to break the tension that hung thick in the air now. Veritas wanted to ease the mind of his new friend, but he didn't want to intrude on something he wasn't meant to. All he could really think to do was walk a bit faster so that he was beside Rotew. He didn't want him to feel as if he was alone, so he accidentally on purpose bumped into his side as he got close. "Sorry, just kind of clumsy you know." He stifled a grin and kept walking, side by side with Rotew.

[Moyra]

If it kept Rotew company and kept him from being bored, Veritas was glad he had come along. He had wondered about being a hindrance when he'd broken the crystal. "So keeping me from breaking my neck has helped?" he laughed as he finished, the smile widening. "Glad I could be of some assistance, even if purely on an entertainment level." He kept walking ahead as well, his eyes on the way ahead of them rather than on the ground. You'd think he would have noticed the cracks under his feet and the sloping of the floor.

Not too far into the cave, he heard a great crack and felt the ground shift beneath him. There was only a split second for him to think before a large chunk of the ground fell out from under him, falling into some unknown cavern below. He hung with his paws grasping the edge of the hole for a moment before he lost his grip, falling however many feet it was to the bottom. With a loud thump, he hit the ground, his side landing flat. Luckily he didn't land on his legs and that the fall wasn't very far. Shaking his head slightly, he looked around the darker cavern he'd just... found. "Rotew... I think we should try down here... for a while."

[Moyra]

Groaning slightly as he moved to stand, Veritas noticed a few sore spots on his body where he had landed. They would likely be tender for a while, but at least it seemed as if he hadn't broken anything. Looking after his friend, he stood fully and stretched out before continuing to walk. "Ok, so apparently I'm just full of all sorts of bad luck. Maybe I shouldn't be the one to make the path choices?" Watching where Rotew was stepping, he followed his path, not daring to move over and possibly find another weak spot in the floor. It was becoming clearer to him that this place was more dangerous than he'd thought and he was starting to hope that he would make it out ok. He was exceptionally lucky in that fall, it would have been easy to break a leg or some other bone, even if it was a short fall.

[Moyra]

Veritas smiled at the last words said, an amendment forming in his head and slipping out of his mouth, "All things lead to somewhere...even if it is a dead end, or our doom." He laughed slightly as he finished, preferring to not think about the doom he mentioned and thought instead of what might lay ahead. His eyes constantly rose to the sharpness of the rocks above and below his head. Saying a tiny prayer to whatever gods might be listening, he hoped his luck would do him better against these more dangerous formations. So far he'd fallen into a hole, and nearly been crushed by a large crystal... he didn't need to be impaled either.

Veritas was starting to wish he'd brought some kind of light source as they rounded that bend. He was an outdoorsy type and the dank darkness was going to start getting to him soon. Vaguely he wondered how much battery life the music had and also gave a quick prayer that that wouldn't cut out. He would have to get outside and quickly if that where the case. "How come you're looking for the Akail creature anyways?" He needed something to get his mind off the few worries that had begun to creep into his mind.