ORIGIN

Everything wanted to be said had already been so he kept his response short: a nod, a quick clack of the beak to fill the space of what might have been an "alright then". Silence not a limitation for body language, his head tipped forward to where the tunnel wound away without a clear end in sight. An outstretched wing invited the other to take the first steps of the path.

It was another case of indulging his interest. If need be, he'd take the lead. Otherwise, East's steps would follow close behind, on occasion using flight to close the gap left by larger strides. While a seemingly attentive gaze scraped the walls for signs of life, it turned to his companion when unobserved, searching for answers to unvoiced questions.

Despite shrinking away from the lights strung, there were still a few pockets of darkness to come across. One only needed to bother looking for them.

Footsteps echoed along the tunnel walls, the light skitter-hop of talons catching on rock accompanied by the steady drumbeat of heavier claws. Dust stirred in their wake, whooshing up softly as if the very ground slumbered beneath them. Perhaps they were dreamers themselves, wanderers in pursuit of something far from their reach, whether it was an easy snack or an unguilty stomach. The ambient glow offered neither supporting nor opposing evidence to the notion. Whatever the truth was, he kept walking.

Looming large, his companion could just as well have sprung from imagination. Their mouth promised a biting but never delivered on it, and their scales seemed harder than their nerve. Rats could rival them in viciousness though their strength lay more with their ragtag pack than the scrappy individual. If such creatures swarmed, there might be a strong chance that armored body might sink without a fight. The word stranger couldn't have fit anyone better.

A sound like hail raining upon stone shattered the contemplation. He lifted his eyes to where a deep crevice ate into an upper section of wall, an ugly scar upon the scene carved there. As if responding to the attention, he heard the sound again and as loud as before. It could have been wingbeats but that couldn't be a certainty until it was investigated.

"I think they know we're here."