FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The sun hung low in the late evening sky, almost ready to set. The weather had been rather nice this month, and Archan felt it was a fine enough day to go and do some exploring. Of course, he wasn't talking about some boring above-ground hike. Or having a picnic, or doing some rock climbing. He was here to explore a rather interesting cave formation.

His equipment rustled about in the back of his car, being jarred by the rough, unpaved road. People that owned this property didn't even bother to put down some gravel. It was just packed dirt, and a somewhat cleared path to drive through. Even then, it had been a long time since they'd been out to tidy up the road. Nice enough couple that had settled down on this property when they'd inherited it from their parents, and their parents inherited it and so on. Still, they were getting old, and the allure of the cave system had its' draw. They couldn't explore it themselves, nor would they risk their own children should something go wrong.

That's where Archan came in, of course.

They had lax requirements for him to explore the system. He didn't even need to sign any paperwork. All they wanted was a few simple enough scans. As well as a mineral composition test should they want to sell the mineral rights off in the future. Of course, it didn't take much for him to agree at all, they were even providing the scanner and equipment. All-in-all, a rather nice side job for him to take on for the weekend. He even had a bit of an altruistic bent to the venture as well. He smiled as the car shook with the rough road, recalling the look on their otter kits' face. Kid had a fascination with rare metals and crystals. And Archan promised he'd snap a few photos or video clips if he found any. And, if it wasn't too difficult, he'd bring back a sample too. Now, it wouldn't be too difficult of a venture, and fun too!

The path grew even more blocked in as the trip wore on. Branches had encroached closely enough to be scraping against his car as he rolled onwards. If he had a nicer vehicle, he might have been upset, but a few more scratches on the paint would make no difference. If anything, it'd accentuate the time some thug keyed both sides of his car. It'd be easy enough to turn the car in to a mechanic and have the cosmetic damage fixed. But he simply didn't care enough to bother. Well, he might have bothered if it were something obscene, but it wasn't, and so he didn't.

The path opened up into a small clearing, just large enough for him to pull his car off to the side. Unlike the path, this bit of area had been cleared out rather recently. Grass had been trimmed to a decent enough height, and the trees had been cut and hauled away. Perfect for a camp site. The car shuddered as it came to a stop, and he shifted gears to park. After he had finished, he took a moment to adjust his rear-view mirror. Poor thing had been jostled far too much, and was at a rather useless angle. Even if it was just going to be shifted about again, it was a habit he'd picked up over the years.

His door creaked as he stepped out into the cool evening air. Sitting in a car for even such a short trip made his muscles ache, and he was glad for the clean air. While Mianka was nice enough, there was something to be said for being able to see the stars at night. The peaceful quiet of the backwoods was another plus. The door shut firmly, and his paw pressed against it just to make sure. The trunk popped open, and his pack almost spilled out. It had been a pain to get this stuffed in here, and it would be a pain to put it back. Unfortunately, he simply couldn't do without most of the equipment in here.

The vast majority of it was rock climbing equipment, and safety gear. He had stowed his camping equipment in the back seat. It was an odd mixture of high-tech, and really low-tech gear. Shiny, almost futuristic looking pair of scanners sat right next to a set of climbing spikes, rope, and climbing axes. Of course, the one the couple had bought him was far nicer than his old model, and much less bulky, but his own scanner had been with him through thick and thin. As had his high-tech walkie-talkie, with built in CB radio. He'd dropped another, just like it, back with the couple, and promised to let them know when he got here. So, since now was as good a time as any...

"Hey, just checking in to let you guys know I'm at the clearing now." A familiar burst of static cut off his transmission.

Beep Boop. Someone was fumbling with the talk button.

"Gotta hold it down." He grimaced. Hopefully he wouldn't be doing tech support too.

"There we gooo." It was the husband, an otter old enough to have more than a few strands of grey fur.

"Yeah. Anyway, you said the cave entrance was a ways past the clearing, right?" He held onto the walkie-talkie as he fished through his equipment. He laid hands on every thing he brought, and took note of each.

"It's uh, about a five minutes' walk from there, but you won't be able to get your car any closer. You should see a path that's been tied off with yellow and black ribbons."

His eyes looked through the area, before spotting one of the ribbons swaying in the breeze.

"Going with the radiation pattern ones, huh?" He smirked a bit.

"They work, and are hi-vis enough that people can follow them. Anyway, there's no way you can miss the entrance, they lead right to it. I've personally only been about twenty feet in, but it seems to be quite the system. Be forewarned though, it's a bit of a squeeze getting in, and it's rather eerie once inside. So quiet..." He mumbled until the button wasn't held any more.

"Yeah, caves are like that. Anywho, I'm going to set up camp here, you might be able to see my campfires' smoke from your house once I get it going. I'll keep the walkie-talkie on me at all times, but know that sometimes the rock is too dense to get a good signal. And, as we agreed, if I don't check in for three days, you'll hire some extras to come in after me." His pack flopped onto the ground as he reminded them of one of the few conditions he had.

"Yeah, yeah. I already got some quotes and a few crews on call if you do end up getting lost or something. You should be fine though, from what I saw, it wasn't that bad inside." He had a fit of coughing before finishing. "Of course, I was only so far in..."

"It's fine. I'll check in between expeditions into the cave. I'll also be putting in some climbing equipment into the cave itself. Climbing spikes and rope, mostly. So, it wouldn't be too difficult for someone to just follow where I've been."

"Thanks for doing this, by the way. Even if it's just a dinky little system with nothing inside, I'll pay you all the same."

"It's nothing. I quite -hff-" He practically threw the camping gear where he wanted it. "-enjoy exploring caves. The scanner and the pay are nice extras. But, you're welcome."

"Alright, I'll let you get to it. Should also be a nice fire pit nearby, if you'd like to build your campfire in that."

"Yeah, I see it." Rather plain circle of large rocks, but it'd do.

"I've got to get to bed, but I'll keep this in the bedroom with us in case anything happens. Good evening Archan."

"Enjoy your rest, Mr. Fredia." He clipped the walkie-talkie to his belt, and finished hauling all his gear into a nice stack next to the camping equipment.

It was quite the pile, but most of it would stay right here. But, from the way he was huffing and puffing, he figured he should take a break. A rather convenient tree stump was as good a place as any, and quite close to the fire pit too. While he knew he shouldn't have even brought them, he had a pack of cigarettes in his backpack. He had a brief debate with himself.

He could enjoy the cancer sticks some other time. Having one while he was wheezing from exertion would only exacerbate the problem anyway. The lighter, however, he set on one of the rocks making up the fire pit. That would come in handy for lighting a fire. He glanced over to his car, eyes settling on the pair of gas cans he'd brought. Really didn't recall why he'd thought that he would need that much gasoline. It wasn't a cross-country trip.

It didn't take long to get a sizable pile of firewood set next to the fire pit, and less time yet to set up his tent. Though, it did end up taking him quite a bit of huffing and wheezing to get his inflatable mattress pumped up. Afterward, the glare he gave the broken pump could have bored a hole through the earth, right into the cave system he was supposed to be exploring. All the same, he stickied a note to it, and put it back in the car. He'd get a new one later, after the excursion. Probably with the payment, actually.

He screwed the cap shut on the air mattress. It was as full as it was going to get with his lungs. It'd do well enough at keeping him off the ground, either way. He tossed it into the tent like an over-sized pool toy. His blankets followed suit immediately after. Even with the cool evening air, he had worked up a bit of a sweat with all this prep work. But, it was done at least, and he wouldn't need to bother with it much, if at all between trips. Though security around the camp would be a bit... lax if any hooligans came out and decided to loot an unoccupied camp. No matter, he scoffed at the idea. It was far enough out in the country that it'd be unlikely for anyone else to stumble upon his camp. Even less likely that your average ne'er do well would find it.

It was growing rather dark as he fumbled about with the firewood. Even with the quickly approaching nightfall, he had a campfire going in no time. Smoke billowed up, and dissipated on the evening wind. The campfire itself cast ominous shadows across the camp site. And, try as he might to shake the evening grogginess inherent in taking a long road trip, Archan let out a long yawn. Maybe it would be best to hit the cave tomorrow morning. He stowed all the gear inside his tent, and zipped it shut for the night. Even with the only three-quarters inflated mattress, sleep came to him easily. Even more so with the campfires added crackling ambiance all through the night.

While Archan might have slept through the night, and well into the early morning, he sure didn't feel like it. Every bone and muscle in his body protested as he woke up. He didn't even need to crack his knuckles, they did that of their own accord. And so did his spine, and shoulders, too. When he felt sufficiently awake, he threw the blankets off of his sleeping bag, and wormed his way out. The chilly morning air woke him up better than any coffee ever could. He was as ready to explore as he was going to be. The air outside his tent was still somehow even colder, and the fire had long since gone out. More firewood was gathered, and stacked onto the ever-growing pile of sticks, twigs, and the occasional small log. Plenty to burn.

His car had a shiny bit of morning dew collecting on the hood. It refracted the sunlight into a barrage of color and overly bright light.

"Yeah, you can wait right there for now." Archan had no qualms with talking to himself, and even fewer when it came to talking to his car. Still, he was a bit surprised when his walkie-talkie hissed to life.

"I don't know if you packed food, or if you're even up right now. But the missus told me to tell you that she'll be cooking some extra soup and storing it for you until you're done up there."

One clip, and the device was held easily in one paw.

"That's nice of you guys. I was just waking up and getting ready to head out." He leaned back into the tent and began to stuff things into his caving backpack. "Any particular kind of soup?"

"Your usual fare, some beef stock, some chunks of burger, bits of veggies. That sort of deal."

"Sounds pretty tasty, I'll definitely have some when I come back." Home-cooked soup did sound rather nice.

"Probably mentioned it last night, but be careful in there." The concern was audible even over the poor wireless connection.

"I will. I have no intentions of being stuck in a cave for any longer than I want to be."

"Aight, enjoy your exploration trip or whatever it's called."

"And you don't worry! I'll be fine, honest!" Archan felt like it was impossible to dampen his mood this morning.

He didn't wait for a response, and he wasn't expecting one, either. The yellow and black pattern ribbons stuck out against the dark bark of the trees. And they fluttered about in the light breeze blowing through the wooded area. They would lead the way towards his destination adequately, if not winning any points for style. The gear in his backpack rustled about as he hefted it onto one shoulder, it was light enough that he could jog for miles with it. His camp looked almost lonely as he left it behind in the clearing, disappearing into the woods.

And, almost immediately, he regretted not hitting the gym regularly. The markers led up one steep incline, and right down another, only to be at the base of yet another steep hill. So much so, Archan almost wondered if it was intentionally difficult to follow them. Sweat rolled down his face, and into the cracks between his scales, irritating his skin. He was almost considering turning around when the tell-tale grey-ish white rock started appearing along the walls of the valley he was in. The path leveled out at the bottom, and led towards a barren-looking hole in the wall.

The markers confirmed that this was the cave he was to explore, a trio of them hammered into the rock on all sides. Still, the entrance was rather large, and he doubted he'd have any trouble getting in. All the same, he put paws onto his important gear, and mentally counted all of it. A pair of torches, one on his hat, and the other on his vest, as well as a backup in his pack. Another hand-held one on his belt as well. Both scanners, a bit of food, and quite the stack of climbing and caving gear. Enough rope spikes to weigh the pack down a bit, and a trio of climbing axes. Enough redundancy to cover any lost gear, and then some.

After a quick lights test on all his torches, he decided to check in again with the owner.

"Aight, I'm here. It's the cave in the wall of one of these valleys, and with the trio of markers, one on each side, right?"

He scowled at the heavy static.

"Yeah... that's... Go.. On." He could barely tell which of the family members it was, the static was so bad.

"I don't know if you can actually hear this through all the static, but I'm gonna go on in. I think that's what you said, anyway. I'll touch base with you once I'm out! Probably be later this evening." That was a mouthful, and he stopped to catch his breath.

A few minutes later, and with the imposing cave entrance not going anywhere, he made a note of the surrounding area. Any rainfall would pool at the bottom of this valley, so if he was inside and didn't notice a rainstorm, he'd get quite soaked once he came out of the cave. Or, if it got bad enough, might have difficulty getting a hand grip. Heh, good thing he wasn't going to be using hand grips if he could at all help it. That's what the climbing axes were for, after all. Still, he'd be pounding in some rope spikes to help him climb back out anyway.

The tree he was leaning against seemingly swayed in the breeze. He took out a piece of chalk, and marked it with a large white X. If nothing else, it'd note where he'd been. Or, rather, had last radio'd anyone. Zipping shut his backpack, he slung it over his shoulders properly, and tightened the straps until they were almost painfully snug. Slinging it over one arm while he was climbing just wouldn't do. Especially if he lost it.

Leaves collected around the cave entrance, crunching underfoot as he toggled on his lights.

"Welp, here goes nothing."

The interior of the cave was oddly smooth, and jagged in some places, though Archan definitely saw what the otter meant. The walls were shaped in such a way that it almost felt claustrophobic. And his backpack was rubbing up against the wall. The air inside was stale, even just a few feet in. As was typical. What wasn't typical, was how quickly the tunnel of a cave entrance got much smaller. There was barely enough room for him to walk normally, and the ceiling curved downwards until it disappeared into a small hole. Incidentally, it was just large enough to fit Archan, after he'd taken off his pack. All the same, he dragged his pack with him as he was crawling through the tight space.

It was several minutes of crawling through the small, cramped tunnel before he glimpsed the inside of the cave system. His lights flooded the area with illumination. However even their light failed to pierce the large, seemingly endless void of the large cave he was inside. Or rather, would be inside once he was out of this damn hole. It took him a few moments more to heave himself to the edge of the hole, and poke his head out. Rather conveniently, there was, indeed, a floor, and not too far down. First went the pack, landing with a rather loud clunk, and then Archan followed suit. It couldn't have been that long of a fall, maybe five feet at most.

All the same, he took out a different piece of chalk, this time a green one, and scribbled a crude arrow pointing at the hole, and just a single word.

"Out!" It wouldn't do to forget where he came in at, and get completely lost down here.

Still, it was exhilarating. He was inside a place no person had been in years, maybe even decades! Centuries if he was lucky! Of course, to balance his enthusiasm, he was already beginning to miss the fresh outside air. His nostrils burned at the old, stale air, and he almost gagged. It smelled absolutely awful in here. His eyes lit up for a moment, and then he began to rummage through his pack for something.

"Breath mints! That'd help at least a bit with this godawful smell." He popped a pair of them into his muzzle. Spearmint and icy mint made a great combo.

Rolling them around a bit, he pondered his options as he looked around a bit. The ceiling itself was perhaps a few dozen feet up, with some small stalactites beginning to form. The cave floor disappeared off into the distance, rather smooth with the occasional bump. No stalagmites, though. Made a rather odd-looking floor. Almost made him look like he was a giant walking on a sandy desert. A really rough one, he supposed, scuffing a boot along the floor.

His ear flicked as he felt a droplet land against his eartip. Reaching a paw up to examine, it was just water. Still, he could have sworn he heard something just before the water droplet hit his ear. No matter, he was just being paranoid. It was just a cave system, more than likely completely unoccupied for centuries. At least, by people anyway.

Even with the breath mints, he could almost taste the air in here. It was a rather thick smell, and he was sure that he was going to smell awful by the end of the expedition. But hey, at least he'd have decent breath. All the same, he began walking, piercing the inky darkness with the dual beams of light from his helmet and vest lights. While he had a few surplus flares he'd picked up a while ago, it was best to save those for emergencies. Batteries for the flashlights were much cheaper, too. After several long minutes of walking with only the sound of his footfalls to keep him company, he took a bit of a break.

"This cave is so empty, if emptiness were condensed into a place, this would be it." Archan spat.

The smooth floor offered little in the way of a seat as he sat down. His pack shifted a bit on his shoulders, before he flopped it onto the floor. It only took a moment to grab another mouthful of mints, and a candy bar he'd brought only for this purpose. Still, even after devouring the candy bar, he was left bored, and a bit tired. He hummed idly while he stored the now-empty wrapper back into the backpack. Again, it seemed like there was a sound, almost a sort of tone that happened once every few minutes. Almost inaudible, even.

Out of sheer curiosity, he unclipped his third flashlight, and turned off his head lamp. It got much darker, and he aimed the torch towards where it felt like the sound was coming from.

Click.

The flashlight illuminated the area in a bright flash of light, and it took Archan a moment to adjust his eyes to it. Still, there was absolutely nothing there. Wait, that wasn't quite right. There was a small, damp spot on the cave floor. The area around it was entirely dry, even. Some rocks shifted above him, and he was quick to swing the flashlight towards the sound. A bit of dust, dirt, and a few pebbles fell onto him. But there was something of note, another damp spot.

He took a few deep breaths, and took a moment to calm himself down. It was just a bit of rain or groundwater seeping through the earth, and there was probably a small pool above the damp spot. There was nothing to panic about, and no reason to be afraid. Still, he pulled out the scanner, and a red piece of chalk. This was definitely going to be a point of interest either way. And, while it was a pointless, almost primitive reaction, he felt a lot better when he had his paws wrapped around one of his caving axes.

He marked the area he set the scanner up at, drawing a large circle around the tripod. While he could just hold it in his hands, these sorts of machines worked a lot better if you set them up properly. And he certainly wasn't going to be holding such an expensive toy in his hands for long enough for it to scan. He might drop it! And that was something he wouldn't let himself risk. It took a minute or two for it to warm up, and the cold blue screen to flicker on. He tapped around a bit, and set it to doing its' job.

A few more taps, and it was humming away contentedly. Well, as much as a machine could be content scanning what was probably the most boring cave in existence, anyway. It was certainly up there on Archans' list of boring trips. There wasn't even that much to look at! Just cave walls to one side, inky blackness on the other three, and hardly anything on the ceiling. He was starting to feel silly for holding his axe, when there was nothing to climb.

He laughed.

It reverberated off the cave walls, and came back to him a moment later. Hah, that was it. This cave was so immensely boring, his mind was playing tricks on him. The scanner dinged, indicating it was about halfway done. Of course, he still had to scan with his own scanner as well, just to make sure the new one was calibrated. He was just pulling out his own, much more bulky scanner when he saw it.

It was a moving, almost pulsing glow further along the cave wall. Just like the new scanners' screen, it was a cold blue. He rubbed his eyes, and it was gone. Huh. That was strange.

"Maybe some sort of crystal refracting the light from the scanner?" He mumbled to himself.

The light was gone, but he dimmed the screen on the scanner, and set it to a 'quiet' mode. As quiet as a scanner could be, anyway. Still, the odd glow wasn't there any more, and while it was moving, it seemed to be moving away. Whatever it was, Archan wanted it to stay right where it was, or go away. He was already unsettled enough as it was. A static-y hiss came through his radio, and then cut out.

By now, he just wanted to set up his scanner, let it scan, and then get out. Too many strange things happening at once for him to be at all comfortable with. Conveniently, the new scanner softly chirped its' completion beep. As soon as it did, Archan pushed it aside, and set up his own scanner on the same spot. While his scanner didn't have the fancy screen, or even an onboard readout, it did go quite a bit faster.

Still, even with his much noisier personal scanner going, he couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. Wasn't much for his mind to be occupied with, so instead it whirled about with tangents of fear and terror. Even if there were data to check on either scanner, he had no intentions of looking down at them. His chest torch flickered a bit, but remained stable afterwards. His ears flicked when he heard the scanner switch cycles. Of course, that meant there was only one more cycle to go. And that news was joyous enough for Archan.

Grr. Archan jumped when he heard the noise. It came from so close by, it may as well have been behind him. Wait a minute. The only thing behind him was the cave wall, and the only thing underneath him... What a time for his stomach to announce to the world that he was hungry, again! While he was still tense, he managed to calm himself enough to dismiss his fears. And munch on another candy bar. It was no wonder he was a little pudgy around the waist.

"Just you freaking out because you're hungry, not the end of the world. Good thing I'm the only one that saw that." He murmured to no one in particular.

But what was that light? His curiosity welled up inside him until it was eating at him as much as his hungry stomach had been. The way he had seen it may have just been a trick of the eyes. Might have just been the screen reflecting oddly somewhere in the complex machines that were his eyeballs. Still, the cave sloped downwards in the direction it had been, and that was the only change in the otherwise dreadfully dull cave. Though, to be sure, this cave had room, and lots of it. If it weren't for the crawl to get in, he'd figured most smaller dragons would be able to walk around in here easily. The scanner dinged, and Archan wasted no time putting it away. Adventure was afoot! Or something to that effect.

After stuffing the hefty scanners back into his backpack, he made an arrow pointing back towards the cave entrance. And another one pointing which way he was heading next. One in red, one in green. Chalk came in rather handy last time he'd gotten lost, and he'd made it a point to pack it every time since then. Back in the bag they went, and he meandered downwards.

The ceiling become a lot more visible as he walked, as it sloped downwards towards the floor. Instead of the high, vault-like ceiling of the room before, this one was a much more typical cave ceiling. Just close enough to his head to cause him to duck down some. There was some scrabbling of rocks after he nudged a pebble downwards. It almost felt like he was descending a gradual mineshaft of sorts, but this had no man-made marks. Just smooth rock, like a river had flowed through here thousands, if not millions of years ago. And in doing so, had carved out just large enough a path for him to walk through.

Well, half-walk, and half crouch walk through, but walk nonetheless. Still, it was a bit of a slope downwards. After a few more minutes of walking, though, the ground began to level out, and the tunnel opened up to another large room of the cave system. It was like the previous room, with a few notable exceptions. There was a large pool of water, an aquifer of sorts. As well as a few glowing crystals scattered around the pool of water. Their colors shifted a bit as his flashlight beam hit them, refracting into a spectacle of color. It almost took his breath away, it was such a beautiful sight. Well, if it weren't so incredibly dark as well. He jumped a little when a lone drop of water hit the surface of the pool, loudly enough to echo a bit.

"C'mon, jumping at every sound? That's not like you Archan. Where's the big, brave lizard that hauled himself through a mountain for a week?" He chastised himself. Incidentally, another droplet hit the water after he finished.

When he shined the flashlight beam towards the ceiling, it was the same as before. A shiny wet spot just above where the droplet landed. The droplet became fat, before eventually hitting the water, and then it repeated. He shook his head. Natural phenomenon were nothing to be afraid of, especially just water droplets. The crystals glowed as he came across them while scanning for exits. But, there were none, and the only interesting things of note here were the crystals and the pool. Archan might have been a bit thirsty, but the pool was far too murky to risk a drink. His canteen, however, was risk-free enough.

He drank heartily, taking a few moments to enjoy the energy drink he'd made before heading out. He jumped when he heard another scrabbling of rocks, and the water drop yet again. While he wanted to attribute it to the cave system itself, his mind wouldn't stop fantasizing about a serial killer on the loose inside the cave. As extremely unlikely as that would be. Still, it didn't help. To give his hands something to do, he pulled out one of the scanners and set it to work. Then he set about carving out one of the smaller crystals. He'd made a promise, and it would be simple enough to grab while waiting on the scanner. The whirs, whines, and clicks of the old scanner went by quickly, and the newer scanner went just as fast.

The crystal still had its' signature glow after he stowed it on top of the scanners in his backpack. If his backpack were to be unzipped, it would almost serve as a lantern of sorts. It only took Archan a moment to scan for any exits again, but, just as the first time, he was left disappointed. However, his curiosity was spiked when he turned around to leave the area. The glow was back, and as quickly as he'd turned around, it had disappeared back towards the previous room. It was a bit more intense this time, a sort of neon blue, but faded rapidly. And, as if it were attached to something, some rocks fell down the incline.

Archan was sure at this point that there was either someone, or something in the cave with him, and that his mind wasn't playing tricks on him. Still, it didn't seem to be hostile. Perhaps a bit skittish with the visitor in its' domain, and seemingly as curious as Archan was. Well, if it were an it, and not just random neon glow caused by some sort of cave algae. Archan audibly scoffed at the idea. He'd heard of some ridiculous caving stories and experiences, but that would top the cake.

"Random cave algae spooks cavers, story at eleven!" He sarcastically remarked to the empty room.

Still, he hefted his backpack, and began the short trek back up the incline. He hit his head more times going up it, than down, he figured. The water pool would be a nice bonus to tell the family, could even sell it, after it had been purified. And Archan was sure that whatever it was in the cave, could be caught and showed off at one point or another. By the time he had been dumped out back into the main room, the glow was nowhere to be found. Again, he marked the natural stairway down with his chalk. This time, he noted the water and crystals. More water dripped from the ceiling. Was it raining outside? Archan turned off his headlamp, and his vest light, leaving him in total darkness. This time, he turned on his hand-held flashlight only after he'd pointed it at the wet area.

The most striking thing about it was the pale blue underbelly, and stripes. The next was the several rather long octupus-like tentacles protruding from its' back. It was some sort of cave-dwelling cat-like creature. And it was staring at him, completely still. More than likely blinded by his flashlight being suddenly pointed at it. It also had seemingly a perfect grip on the caves' ceiling, just hanging there rather motionless. The cave cat hissed, revealing the fleshy textured mouth was the exact same color as the stripes and tail.

Archans' curiosity and fear battled for control of his mind. And, while his fear had a valid point, and an even more valid solution, his curiosity won out.

"Hey there... why don't you come down here?" His voice was rather shaky.

The cave critter wanted nothing to do with his proposition, and screeched before darting off further into the cave. Still attached to the ceiling, even. Archan worked fast with his chalk, noting the area he first saw the creature, and a short list of notes. His haphazard cave floor notes may just come in handy for whoever comes in afterward. Still, it was gone, and Archan had no fantasies about him running after it and catching it. His sprinting days were a thing of the past. He'd just have to wait until the critter decided to show itself again. If it decided to, anyway. It was a very real chance it would avoid him endlessly.

There were more places to explore, though. He hadn't quite gone around the large atrium-like area the entrance had dumped him into. Even after the discovery of the cave creature, he still wanted to explore the rest of the cave. His radio flickered on, and off again, before he muted it entirely. There was no point in having it on this far in, it would only pick up static. And errant signals, apparently. Still, it went into the backpack with the rest of the gear. It might have even chased the creature away the first few times. He set those thoughts aside for the moment, and resolved to think them through later. No point in mulling over the past.

He started walking again, keeping the cave wall to his left as before. The smooth incline turned more jagged as he walked, rough patches and uneven floor becoming much more pronounced. It couldn't have been more than thirty or forty steps before he found another hole in the wall. This one was a bit more... open. It was a large enough entrance, that even with his flashlight, he couldn't see the other side of the immense doorway. Again, he marked the floor with chalk, before continuing on. This time, he walked straight. The other side of the doorway had to be just out of sight, anyway.

His intuition was right, for once. Another chalk marking pointing back the way he came, along with a note of: "Large doorway, easy to get lost!"

He grinned. Even if no one else ever saw these, it gave him satisfaction charting out the cave. Still, he couldn't help but wish for a large floodlight. It would have helped a lot.

It didn't take him much longer of following the wall, to come right back round to the hole in the wall that lead back to the outside world. Well, that was at least one question answered, and one room mentally charted. He returned back the way he came, until he was standing at the large doorway again. This room actually had some stalagmites, but no stalactites, oddly enough. Still, while it was a fair bit larger, his flashlight could illuminate the ceiling rather well.

Nicely enough to see the patterns of damp spots zig-zagging across the ceiling like some haphazard maze. There was no way that could be water. And if it were, why was it in such a pattern? Perhaps the cave beast had something to do with it, Archan supposed. But, with the sheer amount, there would have to be more than one. A lot more than one, actually. As he came to this realization, something dripped onto his shoulder.

"I'm going to turn around sloooowly." Archan fiddled with his lights, turning them off again.

And, instead of turning a handheld flashlight on, he brought the crystal out of his backpack. He held it in his hands like a sort of oddly-shaped lantern. It worked well enough, but when he turned around, he was a bit shocked by what he saw. There was another cave beast, but this one was larger. Large enough, that Archan was staring right at its' lower jaw, and piercing blue eyes. A color all too accentuated by the blue glow coming from the crystal.

"Hi." He was expecting another ear-ringing screech.

When none came, he was more unnerved than calmed. It just stood there, occasionally blinking. If it breathed at all, it was barely noticeable. The cave critters' nostrils flared as it huffed out a large blast of air, then sniffed at Archans' paw. Specifically, the one holding the crystal. Try as he might to still them, his hands were shaking violently. A black, forked tongue slithered out of its' mouth, and licked between his digits.

"Eaasy there." He was no animal handler, but he didn't want to spook the creature. Or lose an arm.

The noise brought its' attention back to Archan proper, instead of the crystal. While Archan desperately wanted to run far, far away, his mind insisted that was a terrible idea. And it seemed like an even better idea when he hazarded a glance to his sides. Where there was one, there were now many, many cave creatures. All the same as the one in front of him, if varying in size. He had no idea how they could be so silent, the room was seemingly empty before, but now it was swarming with them! Claws clattered on the floor, a noise Archan found very unwelcoming. It seemed he made a rather poor decision in going caving in this particular cave.

The lead cave cat huffed again, drawing Archans' attention back to it. While it hadn't gotten any closer, it had gotten a lot more intimidating. Especially seeing as it was between him, and the caves' exit. He glanced downwards, and saw that this one had also unsheathed its' claws. But, instead of using them, it used them to tap on the floor a bit. Almost like someone tapping their foot.

"I -uh-, don't know what you're waiting for. You probably don't understand me anyways." Archan stammered.

Another huff of warm air. And then his chest received a rather violent shove. He was sprawled out on his back, and still clutching the crystal. Surprisingly, when he looked down at his chest, he didn't have any scratch marks. Sure, his chest hurt, but he was otherwise unharmed. He held the crystal above his head, with an open palm.

"If you want the crystal, you can have it!"

The creature that had kicked him onto his back huffed again. The dim glow of the crystal got a little brighter. Since they weren't eating him just yet, Archan counted his blessings. Well, counted them while fumbling for his flashlights. He flicked every single one of them on, and pointed them in various directions. The results... were not what he expected.

They were still surrounding him, in a sort of circle. The smaller ones left more than enough room for the large one, seemingly the alpha to move around. But they ensured that he'd have quite a mass of creatures to go through if Archan were to bolt suddenly. Each of them screeched a short squawk as it were, when the light hit them, or near their eyes, but they still sat there, or paced. He sighed. He was completely trapped, and short of jumping on the backs of each one in an attempt to run away, he was stuck where they wanted him. Or where the alpha wanted him, anyway.

Whatever they were going to do, he wished they'd get it over with already. Still, as a sign of cooperation, he turned off the flashlights. No point in wasting his batteries if they weren't going to do anything for him.

"Well?" He cocked his head quizzically.

It had been a while, but nothing had changed. The throng of creatures still circled around him, and the alpha was still standing in front of him. Seemingly waiting for something, or someone. Or perhaps for Archan to do something? He didn't respond at all when Archan asked earlier. An unmoving statue, more than content to stand there until the end of time. If nothing else, he was growing rapidly annoyed with the boredom-inducing wait. All the same, the alpha did nothing when he sat up into a sitting position.

Most of the others had settled now, and even sitting up, Archan couldn't tell if there were more gathering around him, or if that was all of them. There were simply too many to keep track of, and too many various limbs and body parts to count. Still, their pale blue undersides, and tails were glowing softly, close to the same color as the crystal. There was more movement pushing aside some of the ones in the back, and the others flowed around the large mass. It didn't take long for it to push through the crowd, and for yet another of the cave beasts to stand in the circle.

Archan had thought that the one in front of him was the alpha at first, only to be proven woefully wrong. This newer, bulkier, and just a bit larger one was the head of the pack, and there were no doubts about that. It had the normal pale blue underside, tail, and innards, but also had a darker blue pattern on its' paws, all the way up to what passed for its' knees. Then a small purple band, before fading into the normal coloration. It roared, a proper roar that reverberated off the cave walls, making the small squeaks and screeches of the smaller ones seem like a whisper in comparison. By the time he was done, Archans' ears were ringing more than a bit.

"So that's what they were waiting on, I guess?" Archan said, more for his own benefit than theirs.

Its' ears flicked, either annoyed, or familiar with the mumblings. Archan shifted his seat a bit as the now-clearly beta creature sat down in front of him. As tired as his arms were, Archan set the crystal on the floor. It'd illuminate whatever was going to happen well enough from there, anyways.

The alpha took this as some sort of sign, burying his snout into Archans' shirt, underneath the straps that held on his flashlight. Another gust of hot air rustled his hat light around. Eager to cooperate with whatever strange game they were playing with him, Archan took the both of the lights off, and set them aside. They were not satisfied with this, seemingly. Too-large teeth grazed Archans' scales as they bit through his clothes, and pulled his shirt and vest apart. It made them rather torn, and he hurried to get the rest of the clothing off. He was not eager to wear rags back.

The cool cave air made the hot gusts of air from the alphas' lungs, and the betas' waiting huff feel rather welcome, if a bit strange. Still, he managed to pull off the partially ruined clothes without further incident. They allowed him to leave his belongings on the cave floor in a messy pile. They purred. While Archan wasn't exactly expecting a purr from these creatures, he took it as a sign that he was doing something right. Or at least cooperating enough that they wouldn't eat him immediately.

He shivered as the alpha pushed its' tongue across his scales, up towards his neck. Whether he was sampling the dish before he ate it, Archan had no clue, and shivered. Try as he might to suppress it, his skin was rapidly feeling flushed.

Still, if they were going to eat him, they'd have done it a long time ago, he figured. And, he was also quite sure that it wouldn't have taken an entire horde of them to do so. But what else could they want him for? His racing thoughts were silenced by a thick tongue slipping under his waistband. The beta scooted a bit closer, and gently put a paw on his pants. Then, just as before, the claws came out and shredded into his pants. However, he was still undamaged, shockingly enough. If Archan could blush, he'd be beat red by now, as embarrassed as he was. Here they were, animals, and they wanted at him for some reason! All the same, he undid his belt, and unbuttoned as quickly as he could. With luck, his clothes could be mended, and he'd have an interesting story to tell. He yanked them down over his boots, then yanked those off too, taking the socks with them.

"There, happy now?" He huffed, not expecting an answer. Their purrs were the only answer he was going to get anyway.

As enticing it was to go commando today, he wasn't liking how his rod was already at attention, and exposed to a cave full of wild beasts. However, despite his protests and unease, they were more than content just watching their alpha sample him. By all accounts, that tongue was amazing, though. It left a thick trail of saliva where it trailed, and glowed softly with that same light blue glow. And wherever it touched, Archan tensed up, before relaxing into it. That relaxation was not enjoyed for long, though. The alpha placed one of his too-large paws onto the lizard before him, and pushed him over. Just one of the alphas' large legs were enough to bowl him over quickly and easily, forcing him to brace himself with his hands.

"Gah!" Archan knew exactly what they were planning now. While it wasn't that terrible of an idea, he was certain that his ass was about to be stretched.

He wasn't opposed to the idea, though, as strange as the experience might be. And, he quickly learned that the beta was clearly a he, and presumably, so was the alpha. He didn't notice it before, but the bulging sheath was thickening with every breath of the betas' massive chest. As if it weren't shockingly obvious, even that part of them glowed! It kept with the theme at least, he supposed.

The alpha, now behind him, and kneeling, put a massive paw on his thigh, and slurped over his ass cheek, and down between his tail and leg. Trailing down even further, past his soon-to-be-used tailhole, and down to his ample balls. There must have been something in his saliva now, as a trail of heat, and relaxation followed where he had licked. And another thing, a hefty serving of burning lust, and sensitivity. Though, that part may just have been Archan. Still, he slathered his rear with attention, while his beta just sat in front of the lizard.

"Well, I probably shouldn't be doing this... but who would find out? And better yet, who would believe me?" Archan spoke, mostly to himself. The radio beeped, indicating a low pack of batteries, but he didn't care.

All he cared about for the moment, was the pair of rather strange, and a bit scary, cave critters in front of him and behind him. They had their own sort of attractiveness to them, though. The air seemed a bit thicker now, with Archans' own lizard-like scent on the air, mixing with whatever these were. He hesitated to call them cave cats with tentacles, but it seemed that was what they were. Though, he was certainly glad that they hadn't picked up the sandpaper tongues their long-distant cousins had.

Still, it was an odd feeling to have a rather large cat about to eat his ass out. And still even more strange for them to have an extra quad of limbs, doing nothing. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that they weren't doing nothing, after all. Their somewhat cold, and a bit clammy surfaces wrapped around the back of his head, and gently guided him towards the beta. Right towards the slowly dripping and glowing cock, now free of its' sheath. He felt them leak something onto the back of his head, but the same familiar feeling as the alphas' mixture was there, if a bit weaker. Still, there were only two on the back of his head, and the other pair were gliding right towards his lips.

While he no doubt could have kept them out by biting at them, he continued to play along in the strange ritual. Letting the strange tentacles into his mouth, even as the other pair pulled him towards the beta further. The same fluid dripped from these, as the others, making his mouth salivate with the sensation. It was mostly tasteless, reminded Archan of some green fruit smoothies he had one time. His knees shook as the alpha finally decided, or discovered, that the lizard beneath him was a male. He felt the thick, still somehow soaking wet tongue wrap around his rod, and coat it in saliva. He toyed with it just enough to make Archan shiver. As cold as the cave seemed before, it was getting rather warm to the lizard.

The alpha had enough of the foreplay. And went to work right away on plunging his tongue into the lizards' pucker. The beta used his own tentacles to force his mouth open wide enough for the glowing, tapered cock to shove into Archans' mouth. A bit rough, but he enjoyed it all the same. And the taper ensured that his mouth wasn't entirely plugged, not yet at least. While Archan couldn't see the betas' face, he did hear the purring continue, and seemingly get louder. He wasn't sure whether that was from the beta, or from the still-silent crowd. Either way, the noise from the beta shoving his rod into Archans' muzzle was noise enough for the lizard to focus on.

And the squelches coming from the alpha sampling his rear were more felt, than heard. His thick tongue was more tongue-fucking the lizard, than gently prying him open. And, as more and more of the alphas' potent saliva flowed in, the more the lizard felt. And with each brutal tongue-thrust at least grazing against his prostate, his cock was leaking onto the cold rock of the cave floor. At this point, he let his eyes close, and relaxed. He accepted his rather steamy fate, for now.

By the time the pack leader behind him withdrew his tongue, his ass ached for a more filling sensation. One that the alpha was all too happy to provide, amidst assorted purrs, screeches, and squawks. Archan almost thought they were cheering him on. And why not? Here was a stranger to them, willingly lifting his tail, and letting them take what pleasure they wanted from him. He heard him shifting about behind him, and another thought came to mind. Perhaps they were cheering at his sheer size. He fought the urge to grit his teeth. That was one thought that was right on point. His mouth was rather occupied, so he gulped as much air as he could through his nostrils.

It would have been painful had he just plowed into the lizard, but he was glad for the messy foreplay before hand. The alpha speared him, even with the taper, it was a bit much for him to handle. Still, it felt amazing with the added sensation. If that effect was in his saliva, Archan could only wonder what would be in his semen. And, he couldn't beg for it more than when he pushed his hips back onto the still-growing rod.

Even with the beta thrusting away at his mouth, Archan felt a distinct feeling of bliss. He was no stranger to being sandwiched between two large males, but there was just something about the situation that made him feel relaxed. It felt almost natural, and quite enjoyable, even with the crowd watching. He didn't care, let them watch, he figured. All he cared about was the stiff rod in his mouth, and the large one in his rear. And about stuffing as much as he could, into himself, on both ends. The pair of cave cats were more than happy with that arrangement, as well.

The wet, squelching sounds echoed off of the cave walls and floor. It gave an interesting ambiance to the otherwise quiet place. The lizard hadn't stopped leaking profusely, not even slowing down one bit. There was enough beneath him to pool a bit at this point. A few of the others moved forward to lap it up, only for the alpha to growl at them, sending them back. No doubt to wait for their own turn at Archan. He gagged a bit as the beta thrust particularly roughly against the back of his throat. The beta had bottomed out, finally, with the lizards' nostrils meeting the base of his shaft, and the fur there. He gave no warning when he began to dump his warm, creamy load directly into Archans' gut. He was more than happy to chug it all down, but he could only drink so much at once. Some of it backwashed, dribbling down his lips, and onto the cave floor. Only added to the growing mess.

The beta didn't even bother with so much as a thank-you, before backing up out of his reach, and removing his tendrils from his maw. He didn't go far, just a few feet away. Archan licked his lips, savoring the taste. He wasn't given long to focus on this, though, as the alpha was rather keen on staking his territory inside the lizard beneath him. It was all he could do to brace himself as the alpha shoved into his ass. Bottoming out inside him, even. Still, every glorious inch he pushed in set the lizards' nerves on fire with pleasure. It was almost surprising that he hadn't came yet, and it felt like he was miles from being close, as well. A dopey smile split his messy face. That just meant they could have him for even longer!

The beta chirped, and another came forward to lounge at his side. The next males' rod was already quite exposed, no doubt from waiting his turn for so long. It seemed that he'd have to wait a while longer yet, though. The alpha growled, no doubt intent on making them wait until after he finished. Archan could tell from his erratic thrusts that the betas' choice male wouldn't have too wait too much longer. His knees were shaking as the alpha roared out his claim, and shot thick ropes of kitty cream right into his gut. A heavy sense of warmth and content splashed over the lizard, bowling him over with the feeling. He hadn't even touched himself, or orgasmed even once, but this feeling was like the best orgasm he'd ever had!

The alpha relinquished his dominating hold over Archan, and yanked himself out. He cared little for the repository of his seed, seemingly. He chirped the rather odd call, same as the betas', and yet another came forward. This one also rested at the betas' side, clearly quite ready to enjoy some sloppy seconds. And, as Archan figured, quite possibly messy thirds, and fourths. Another short chirp, and the alpha settled himself next to the beta, even while the new pair took their positions. While he wouldn't complain too much, Archan figured that he would need an ice pack or five after this.

The new pair didn't even bother to do any prep work, they just pushed themselves into the mess left by the previous two. They were much more noisy with their appreciation, though. Their chirps and purrs and growls mixing with the wet squelches from their thrusts.

His already well-stretched ass felt on fire as the cat behind him plowed into him. These two had settled rather easily into a rhythm of sorts. One would thrust, and the other would be withdrawing, giving Archan just long enough to catch his breath before spearing him open again. Each thrust felt amazing, and he almost regretted each pull-out, until they shoved back in. And so it went for quite a while, until both of them put their paws on him. The front cat, still lodged in his mouth pushed him downwards into the muck, and used his back as a platform to stand on. Of course, with his back paws still on the ground, it gave him plenty of room to face fuck the lizard. And, the cat busy enjoying his rear grazed his neck with rather sharp teeth, pulling him back onto his rod.

If he could relax any more, he would, but Archan was more intent on getting these two cats to bust a nut, rather than relax. He rolled his hips back onto the cat, and stretched his jaw open wide as they added to the growing pool of mixed fluids. He guzzled down even more into his stomach, and was a bit disappointed when the cat pulled out of his maw. Still, he didn't object much to his face being painted with white streaks. The cat still buried in his ass purred, licking the light scratches on his neck. While he hadn't drawn blood, it was still rather sensitive. He had no doubts that there would be a few scratches back there. Another of those odd tongues licked across his face, no doubt showing some sort of gratitude for being their cum dumpster. Those two were done, at least. Archan panted, already feeling quite full from the stuffings he'd gotten. He would have been more than happy with just resting a while, but the alpha had other plans.

He sounded out a different purring-chirp, and it seemed the crowd was loosed upon Archan. Either in a hurry to satisfy his pack, or perhaps some kind of challenge to the lizard. Still, Archan did what he could in the wave of fur, cocks, and tongues. He couldn't even tell how many were crowded around him, only that there were many, many more to please. Luckily, most of them seemed more than content with licking him from top to bottom. While still many others claimed their preferred orifices, or even paws. At some point he had been flipped onto his back, with a kitty in each paw. They were more than happy with that arrangement. Layer after layer more of kitty cum coated his sleek form, and just as quickly, it was cleaned off of him. By the end of it, he was soaked in saliva and other fluids. It took a while, but he was done. Still though, there was something missing.

Using that same call, the alpha retrieved his underlings from using and abusing Archans' well-used body. He was still lounging where he was before he loosed the crowd on him, but he seemed to want something. Still all-too-eager to please, Archan crawled toward him, before settling between his legs. His smooth back buried in the short fur of the alphas' underbelly, he began to please him, yet again. At least one more time, to send them off with a final explosion, as it were.

His pale blue underbelly glowed softly, light diffusing beneath his skin. But, the lizard was drawn to the almost dim beacon between his legs, slathering his affection across the alphas' member. The beta shuffled a bit closer, but the alpha growled, sending him back to his own lounging position. He had other plans for the rather tiny lizard underneath his side.

Archan was a bit shocked when the alpha rolled over, pulling him up onto his soft belly proper. His legs straddled the alpha, doing their best to balance him on the rather large beast. It only took a few moments of distraction from his task at hand, for the lizard to go back to pleasing him. The cat, on the other hand, wanted to reciprocate. His long, black tongue snaked out, and his paws grasped at Archan, pulling him around until he was laying on his back. The lizard still maintained a grip on the rod, and gently tugged on it, but was curious to see what the alpha had in store.

His aching balls insisted that they be allowed release, and the benevolent predator was quite agreeable to the idea. He snaked his tongue from the base of the lizards tail, to the bottom of his balls, sampling the seed left there by his fellow pack-mates. Archan let out his first moan of sheer pleasure, and scrunched up his face. Still, he wanted to at least empty the alpha out once more. So he licked across the shaft now hanging in front of him.

The alpha was more than ready for another go, but focused more on Archan. He ran his tongue between his balls, rolling each one around in his pale blue maw. Somehow, his submissive servant hadn't gotten off yet, and it was only fair he'd leave the lizard with something to remember them by. Something to get him to come back for another round at a later date. Preferably as soon as possible. The crowds' purrs became almost deafening, as the alpha took the lizards' cock into his maw. His second-in-command did his best to keep them at bay, but they were more rowdy the closer the lizard got to orgasm.

"_Let them see how even the greatest of us should aim to please..."_The alpha thought.

Even if they didn't communicate in the same language, the meaning was clear as he began to suckle on the lizard. Coating his cock in the same fluid as before, making his nerves, and sensitivity skyrocket. It felt like he was orgasming every time the alpha pumped his cock into his large maw. But, nothing ever happened, and his balls refused to relinquish their load. It was a huge understatement to say he was seeing stars. Still, even with the massive distraction the alpha was insistent on giving, he did his best to please. All the mess that had been cleaned off of him before, pooled onto his body before draining off. Flowing down into the alphas' fur, and then again onto the floor. Some others were lapping up the massive mess left by the pack using Archan, but even they had their eyes on their leader.

The purrs got to a crescendo as Archan did his best to hold back his first orgasm with the pack. They could sense he was close, and the alpha was every bit as close. He bent the rod in front of him downwards, and shifted a bit. Just enough, to let that fire hose shove right into his own mouth. Once he closed his lips, and began an imitation of the alphas' ministrations, it was all too much.

The alpha came first, spraying what was left of his seed straight into Archans' maw. The lizard himself wasn't far behind, but he did his best to sample what must have been the finest of seed from the pack. While he couldn't quite place the taste, it was pleasing all the same to his taste buds. Just as before, he greedily gobbled as much of it as he could down. His stomach swelled with the last, and greatest contribution. The alpha grunted, and let the lizard have his fun, before pulling him over the edge as well.

Archan didn't just see stars, he completely went blank with pleasure. Every fiber of his being was on fire, not just his cock. From his head to his toes his body shook. His fingers alternated between being numb, and on fire, then a feeling of being cold, before cycling through yet again. Every thought he had formed seemingly vanished as the deep ocean of pleasure pulled him under, leaving him limp on the alphas' belly.

The alpha smirked. Few could handle that, and the lizard performed admirably enough. The entire pack had succeeded with the ritual, and more than a bit of pleasure besides. It had been long enough since someone had come into their domain, that they thought the world had completely forgotten about them. It had been many cycles, and generations. He let the still-stiff rod flop out of his mouth. The seed hadn't been bad, but it tasted... processed. An intriguing taste he'd have to sample more of.

He barked at the others to dissipate, leaving only him and his beta.

Between the two of them, they cleaned Archan as best they could, and set him down on the cave floor. He'd wake up later, with a sore ass, and mildly sore jaw, as well. Still, the alpha wanted to leave him a parting gift, himself. With a lack of fingers, he yanked open the backpack, and retrieved a bit of paper. As old as he was, he recognized an ink pen easily enough. As well as some words from their language.

"Urgh..." Archans' entire body ached, and he could have sworn he'd seen more of those cave cats.

Still, there was no evidence left, and the only thing he remembered was being passed around like a communal sex toy. His balls seemed to confirm that theory, as well. The crystal must have been put onto his pack at some point... but he didn't remember bringing out his paper or ink pen. Even with the faint glow, he could make out some sloppy handwriting. It took him turning on one of his lights to be able to read it, though. What he saw, surprised him quite a bit.

"We had quite a bit of fun with you." The ink dragged off the side of the page, before continuing on: "Bring friends next time! And keep one of our relics."

"Relic?" Archan muttered, chilled by the cold, damp cave air.

It clicked, whoever wrote this must be referring to the crystal. Or maybe a what, he didn't recall running into anyone in here. His ass said otherwise, and his jaw ached like he'd been talking for hours. Or maybe just involved in a massive orgy. That could explain it too. His clothes had been packed into the backpack, rips and all. Archan was just glad he wouldn't need to walk out of here naked. Even if it was just to camp. Speaking of camp, that seemed like a wonderful idea right now. Backtracking, and following his marks, it didn't take him long to be shimmying out of the cave. And soon standing out in the late evening sun, a little worse for the wear.

His radio beeped again, that same low battery warning, and he flicked the mute off, now that he was out.

"-- Archan? Archan? It's late evening now, and the last thing I heard from my husband was that last time he talked with you, it was all static? You okay? Do I need to get someone?"

He popped his jaw a bit, before thumbing the push-to-talk.

"Mrs. Fredia?" He sounded a bit hoarse.

"That's me! Hubby went out this evening to get some take-out food. You doing alright, Archan?"

"Yeah, I -uh..." He trailed off, unsure of what to explain to the friendly otter-lady.

"Well? Do go on. Did you find gold or something?" She seemed rather curious.

"Not exactly. If the kits' in the room, you'll probably want to shoo him out. But not before telling him I got his crystal."

"Oh, excellent! He'll be happy to hear that! But, he is also out with his father. So, what's the scoop, do tell. Whatever you have to say is going to be more interesting than the fiftieth rerun of soaps."

"Well, this story is rather risque, but I swear it happened to me, today, in that cave..."

"Oh, oh dear. And you're quite sure you're alright?"

"Yes, I am, a bit sore in certain places, but perfectly fine otherwise. A bit tired as well."

"Well, if you ever feel that campsite is a bit too rustic and uncomfortable, you can always crash in our guest bedroom." She offered, still eager to help.

"Perfectly fine, I insist. But, here's the scoop..."

It was a long explanation, long enough that if his jaw wasn't sore by the start of it, it definitely was by the end. And, while he wouldn't have expected her to believe him, or to listen with rapt attention, listen she did. She didn't even utter a peep until he was done.

"Wow." Her single-word response summed up her feelings.

"Yeah, I don't know how much of it is true or not, my memory is a little fuzzy. But, I did also get your scans. It'll be a while for them to process, and in the meantime, I'll be grabbing some more from deeper in the cave."

"Tomorrow, though, I hope? Because even if your story with the -ehem- large cave kitties isn't true, you've been in there all day. I do believe you though, wholeheartedly."

"Yes, definitely tomorrow." A light bulb popped into existence above his head. "Though is there any particular reason you believe me? I might be pulling your leg, bored out of my mind, sitting in camp all day."

"Well, my hubby didn't exactly like learning this, but our property was apparently built on some native tribes' territory. The shaman we got to explain some of their lore, may or may not have mentioned that cave as being key to their 'coming of age' rituals. And a few fertility ones as well. He was uh... quite graphic. This was before we had our kit, you see." She explained.

"Did he ever mention the cave beasts, large cats or otherwise?" Archan sat down on that familiar stump near the campfire.

"No. He never said anything about what went on in the cave, just that it was important. And that they'd 'earn' a crystal from the cave."

"Well, I personally am looking forwards to delving the depths a bit more tomorrow. Cave cats or no."

"That's perfectly fine dearie. You've got as long as you want in there, though the hubby only wants to pay you for the weekend. I'm sure that's fine with you, though."

"Yeaaah. I -uh-, am fine with that." Archan was rather distracted by re-reading the note.

"I get the feeling you're not telling me everything though." She stated rather plainly.

"One of them may or may not have left a note."

"Obviously, the shaman never mentioned anything about them writing. Or anything about the inhabitants of the cave at all."

"I suppose they'd keep rather tight-lipped about that. Anyways, I am completely one-hundred-ten percent a-okay Mrs. Fredia. But... I am tired. So, I'm going to get some rest early tonight. Good evening."

"That's good! Enjoy your rest, Archan! I look forward to seeing what you learn!"

It only took him minutes to crawl into his tent, and try to sift through his memories. Try as he might though, they always seemed just out of reach. He wasn't even hungry at all, strange after being up and about all day. It was all the same after he crawled into his sleeping bag, and laid his head onto his pillow. There were mysteries to that cave, and he was going to be the one to solve them!

(Hey! If you've made it this far, don't forget to fave, vote, and comment if you liked it! Definitely comment if you found a part or two that felt awkward, or flowed weirdly! Anyways, I hope you enjoyed my works thus far, and thank you for reading.)