No answering conversation came, just the dead-footed shuffle of the rats as they filed back into the hole that they had made. There was a periodically muttered response: the garbled


"DØи'T LEAVE ME A᳒LØиE."

from one or another, almost muttered as they made their way. The gap ahead was dark: a tunnel away into the stone, and now the scent of putrescence was obvious within. Something had died in there, and the Grays were heading in that direction.

Following them might be a risk, but for now, at least, they seemed unlikely to attack. But how predictable would they remain..? Either way, it seemed they were departing back they way they'd come--without a backward glance toward Wilder.

@Wilder

Wilder followed the rats for a time, but then paused as they began to filter into the gap, the last of them disappearing into the darkness. She stopped, flinching back at the odor that was spilling out from the tunnel. Ears flipped back again as she swallowed heavily. That couldn't be good. She wanted to go running in there after them - and she probably would have at one point in her life, but she had to be cautious. She reminded herself over and over again - caution, not instinctive action.

She took a steadying breath and called for magic - one she hadn't used in a while - and did what she could to peer into the future. But, unpracticed as she was with the spell, she could barely focus long enough past her jittering nerves to get the magic going. After a few moments of failure she gave up and released her efforts.

A young Wilder would have taken this loss with a head held high and gone charging right into the hole after the rats, uninhibited by fear. Curiosity and a sense of adventure would have taken president over caution. But that's what had led to Rezik and...that whole mess. She wasn't about to squat down and crawl into a tunnel after some Echoing Grays when she had a whole different lead to follow.

This could be a trap, after all.

Without responding or taking another step towards the hole, Wilder turned and raced towards the exit to Cepheus.

*exit (maybe temporarily idk)

The final wailing cry, as they seemed to suddenly register Wilder's departure, called after her:


"DØи'T LEAVE ME A᳒LØиE!"

It echoed down Tunnel F, quickly fading away.

________

A gap now opened in the tunnel's side, though half-hidden by the trees for those who had not seen the Grays tumbling out of it. A vine or two fell before it; not enough to hide it entirely, but enough that it would take a closer look to spot. But it was there, and the occasional soft shuffling from within was audible, along with the odor of death and an odd creaking sound that came from time to time.

The hole is still open for investigation at any point, though it may be dangerous to proceed inside.

Note: another thread has been made to investigate this location. It can also be joined:

Click for thread