Chapter Five: The Tunnels

"About time!" Sigurd said in a mockingly gruff voice, imitating his father. Laughing to himself he nuzzled Ashwyn lovingly. "You have nothing to worry about.. you're well liked back home. Yes bringing snobby foreigners isn't the most smile inducing activity but keep in mind, I also beat most of the husbands to a pulp in training." he smirked. "In the end, you're my mate and that's all that matters" he said nipping her ear. "you should focus on your new body for now, instead of worrying about what others will think"

Sigurd stood, his feet a little wobbly due to the buzz he was feeling. He motioned for Ashwyn to join him "come on, you're not going to get used to moving by sitting" he said with a grin "come at me." Winking at her he got himself in a ready position and waited for her to make her move.

Ashwyn smiled at the nuzzle and chuckled at his imitation of his father. When he asked her to come at him she raised a brow and laughed softly. "You're not serious, right?" She asked , placing her hands on her hips.

She shook her head with a smirk. "Alright... let's see what this new body can do..." She crouched down a bit, then pushed off of the floor. The added traction of her paws made walking on the slippery rocks easier now that she new how to grip them and she was able to cross the distance much faster than she was used to moving. The speed would take getting used to, as she arrived at her target much sooner than she had expected.

She shifted her weight to the side and was excited to see she could change directions much faster now as well. She dodged around him, kicked off the wall behind him, and jumped into the air. Her intention was to land on his back, her arms and legs clamping around him.

The second she took off he grinned. Overzealous in her start, he knew exactly how this would end. Holding his arms out to catch her he was surprised she had changed direction so naturally 'she's learning.' he thought to himself. Waiting for her to most likely catch her foot on some moss or another rock he spun slowly waiting for the eventual crash. It didn't come. Instead as he made his way fully around there was a speeding bullet of fur splayed out, heading his direction. With little time to react he got his arms under hers, but her momentum knocked him to the ground. With a thud and a gentle slide. The two were laying one on top of the other on the mossy cavern floor.

"Well..." he huffed "That was unexpected.." Sigurd smiled, licked her muzzle and pulled her close "you're getting it" The warmth and softness of her body coupled with the tinglyness of his own was a welcome sensation. Playfully he bit the side of her neck and faked a deep growl.

Ashwyn laughed softly when they both went down. She had expected him to counter her immediately, but apparently her newfound speed shocked him too.

"It was only a matter of time." She winked playfully. When he nipped at her neck and she heard the deep growl it sent a shiver down her spine. She smiled and leaned into him.

"You know.... it's been quite a while since we've had any alone time...." She snuggled her body against his, licking playfully at his snout. "I wonder what else this new body can do...." She winked.

Sigurd hadn't even thought about that. As if on cue a pointed tip started to emerge from his sheath and he smiled "well, you'll have to learn that eventually, now's a good of a time as any" He bit her neck again, only this time it was a little harder, his hands ran up her legs and he traced a claw around the base of her tail. "show me what you got" he winked.

She felt that familiar shiver when his hand grabbed her tail. She'd never known that would feel so intimate. She was still concerned over her new found strength, but Sigurd was on her same level so she was less concerned about harming him as she was about harming one of their other companions.

She licked his lips playfully and when he bit her neck she couldn't help the moan that escaped her. She settled her legs on either side of his hips and ground down against him, feeling him beginning to expand.

[Joint Post between Sigurd and Ashwyn]

Sigurd bit his tongue, it had been a full month since they had time together like this and he planned to savor what time they were going to have until the others woke up. His tail beat the stone hard as his hands caressed their way up her sides and to her breasts. He swore that they were bigger than they should be proportionately but he wasn't going to complain. Gently thumbing the patches of fur where her nipples would be, he smiled when they finally revealed themselves. Not one to waste a moment, he pushed his lover back so he had more access to her and ran his wide tongue across her new erect nipple.

Ashwyn pondered for a moment if they should leave the cavern and go back down the tunnel for added privacy, but would that make the sounds echo even louder? All thought left her when Sigurd's coarse tongue touched her sensitive nipples and  she moaned a bit louder than she had intended. It had been far too long since they had been aloud to be close. She ground down against him , rubbing herself slowly up and down along his crotch.

Sigurd's ears folded back, squeezing her breasts and listening to her moan, coupled with her sliding back and forth down his now fully exposed shaft was starting to make him lose all reason. Holding it together for the moment, he pressed her breasts together and took one long lick across the pair before trailing his tongue up across her collar bone and back to Ashwyn's neck again, nipping it playfully. He had little concern for waking the others, as far as he was concerned they had all seen this before and it wouldn't be the last time either.

Her new found senses were on high alert now, the further aroused they both came. She assumed it was the pheromones that they were both releasing, but having never been able to smell them in this way before she was finding it very difficult to focus on anything else. Once his teeth came back in contact with her neck all hope of sanity left her. She moaned low in her throat and slid one last time along his shaft before she felt the tip against her very moist core. She re-positioned slightly and then pushed back until his shaft slid inside her, causing her moan to increase in volume.

The sudden slip into his mate's body surprised him but not as much as what he felt next. There was an extreme heat inside her, not like when she was in her normal form, as well as the ease that her body had accepted his engorged member. Sigurd moaned loudly, this was going to be a learning experience for the both of them. Even with how easy his entrance into her was, there was still a great tightness to his lover, one that he was going to take full advantage off as he pumped his hips upward into her.

Even though she had initiated the penetration, feeling him thrust upwards inside of her made her gasp. She had taken him in this form once before, but it was very difficult. He was so large and her body simply wasn't made to accommodate that girth. But in this form, she felt nothing but pleasure as he filled her. The intensity of it was immense. She placed her hands on his chest, massaging slightly on his muscles, as she leaned in to him and kissed him passionately even as her hips bounced.

Sigurd craned his neck back as he saw enveloped in pleasure. Gods how he missed the feel of Ashwyn's body, he thought he had every curve of her memorized by now but her new form was like a blank canvas. His hands explored her new body and he traced every inch of her before resting his hands on her hips, forcing her down harder onto him.

Ashwyn's moan echoed in the cavern as he bottomed out inside her. The world around her vanished and there was nothing but the two of them in this cave. She pushed down against him, grinding him deep inside her as her own teeth nipped at his neck. She was trying to be gentle, not used to her own new mouth, but it was growing more and more difficult.

Sigurd's hands dropped to his side and his claws dug into the stone, suddenly he shot up and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into him and kissing her deeply. There was a sudden rush through him and he reluctantly pulled his lover off of him. Without so much as a word Sigurd maneuvered her into a more suitable position for her new body. getting her to rest on her hands and knees in front of him, he pressed the pointed tip of his shaft just inside her soaked core and waited for her reaction.

Ash was already growing close when Sigurd's sudden movement took her by surprise. She gasped as he flipped her over but once she was on her hands and knees and felt him behind her she smirked over her shoulder at him. She flicked her tail towards him, running across his erection, before wrapping around his waist and pushing her hips back against him, forcing him inside her again. She moaned loudly, beyond caring if the others were awake or not.

Buried to the hilt, Sigurd's mind was blank and his body was doing what nature had programmed him to do. Jackhammering away into his love with such a wild ferocity, When they had mated like this before he was so careful and afraid that he would hurt Ashwyn, but now that they were on an even playing field she was going to experience the full effect of what her lover was capable of. Leaning over her, he bit into her shoulder, a natural reflex as he could feel his knot swelling inside of her until his thrusts all but stopped. They were now locked in their passion.

Ash was all but screaming in pleasure at this point. Her brain having turned off long ago as her newly enhanced animal instincts taking full control. The strength in Sigurd's thrusting was amazing and every thrust sent explosions of pleasure into her. She could feel his knot swelling causing a delicious tightness inside her until eventually he couldn't move anymore. She groaned as her own climax began wracking her body with convulsions. Her claws dug into the rock and she rested her forehead against the cool stone as her eyes clenched shut.

Wanting this feeling to last for just a little longer Sigurd tried to not move, but the clamping feeling around his knot was too much for him to handle. Pushing himself as far as he could into his mate he felt a familiar barrier pressing against the tip of his bestial shaft, a barrier he now felt himself pushing through until her inner ring clenched around his tip, sending him finally over the edge. Sigurd Howled as he emptied himself into his lover, feeling his own heat wash over himself as he quickly filled Ashwyn to the knot.

More than familiar with the feeling of such intense heat filling her, Ash was still taken by surprise when she was filled so deeply. She moaned , pushing back against him and reveling in the heat. Panting for breath, she pushed herself to an upright position and leaned back to pull him closer to her. She kissed him passionately, feeling him pulsing inside her. "I love you." She said, her voice little more than a whisper from exhaustion.

Sigurd, still growling from his expulsion of energy shuddered as a aftershock of pleasure shook him again as their lips locked. "I love you too.. so much.." he said, trying to catch his breath. Knowing full well they were stuck in this position for some time, He pulled Ashwyn down with him to lay on their sides together. Gently stroking her tail, He licked the side of her neck and smiled. "Can we not wait a month for this again?" he said softly, still pulsing inside her.

Ash snuggled against him as he pulled her into a laying position. She was panting heavily as she willed her heartbeat to slow. When he spoke again she laughed softly, causing her nether regions to flex, bringing new waves of pleasure into her. "I hope we don't." She responded, snuggling back against him as she lay her head down on the cool stone. After such exertion the cool cave felt quite refreshing. She sighed happily as her eyes fluttered shut. "Definitely not a bad way to spend the full moon." She said, her voice fading as sleep began to take her.

Sigurd licked her neck one last time before he felt his eyes beginning to grow heavy "Mmmm.... happy first moon, my love..."

[End Joint Post]
----

The night passed uneventfully in the damp cave. Eventually the fire petered out, but as the sun began to rise the heat radiated through the cracks in the ceiling. Sigurd and Ashwyn would wake to find their had returned to their human bodies, Ashwyn without a stitch of clothing on.

She came back to the waking world slowly, enjoying the feeling of Sigurd's arms wrapped around her. She glanced down at her own hands, seeing them devoid of fur and she smiled. She was a SpellWolf now. It almost seemed like a dream, but the fact that she was naked and laying in Sigurd's arms with his essence still coating her inner thigh confirmed that it was all too real. She glanced over at the others. They appeared to be sleeping still. She leaned over, kissed Sigurd's cheek, and then carefully pulled herself from his grasp.

She wandered over to her tattered clothing, picked it all up, and then walked into the Sandstone tunnels where her pack sat. Then she sat down in the darkness and began to stitch some semblance of clothing back together.

Slowly rousing from alcohol induced slumber, Lo blinks at the now unfamiliar brightness accosting her eyes and groans. Even with the sunlight filtered through the rocks, every shaft of light penetrates directly through her eyes and drills into her brain. Groaning again, Lo tries to shunt this horrible brightness away, folding her arms over her head and closing her eyes as tightly as she can...only to have other parts of her body start to wake up. The alcohol is pretty much processed out of her blood stream, and the remnants need to be expelled. Trying to ignore the pressure in her bladder only makes the pressure in her head worse...rolling onto her side makes everything worse....FINE. Time to get up. Groaning even louder, Lo slouches into a half sitting position and immediately regrets the motion. Her head is pounding, the world is spinning...but the pressure in her bladder is becoming even more insistent...oh today is going to be hell. Gotta just deal with it. Sliding up the cave walls into something that might be considered an upright position, Lo lurches down the hallway leaning heavily on the sandstone walls for support. Almost tripping over Ashwyn in the hallway...even though there was plenty of room to go around, Lo just can't seem to maneuver that well...she finally gets far enough down the hallway to at least consider it good enough.

Bladder empty, Lo slowly shuffles back down the hallway but only gets to Ashwyn before the stabbing light from the cave is too much. Sliding down the wall into a sitting position, Lo looks at Ashwyn's handiwork with all the enthusiasm of a slug. "Mrnn...mmmrrrnn...Ugh. Mornin."

Ashwyn had obviously seen Lo coming, since the darkness didn't affect her ability to see. But with the brightness of the sun and Lo's lack of night vision it was no wonder she was stumbling. She'd dodged out of the druids way as she stumbled back into the tunnel and chuckled at her.

When she came back and stopped just shy of the sunlight again, Ash smirked. She knew the druid wouldn't be able to see her so she felt no reason to high her nakedness. "Good morning to you too." She chuckled.

She put in a final stitch and then sighed. "That'll have to do." She said as she pulled on her shirt. It wasn't perfect and her shirt now resembled a patchwork blanket, but it would provide enough of a layer that her armor wouldn't bother her. Now on to the pants. She began stitching them next, using patches from the bottom portion of her cloak when needed. Though the shirt she now wore hung down enough to hide most of her private bits... unless she were to bend over.

---

The light was causing both Zane and Cirro to groan and wake as well, with about the same level of hate for the sun and alcohol as Lo had at the moment.

There was a grumble, then the muffled sounds of bones cracking. Sigurd stretched after rising from the stone floor, remembering how he had chastised the others for not putting out bedrolls. He regretted not thinking far enough ahead to put out his own... though dragging himself and Ashwyn over to it would have proven difficult. He looked down and noticed some remnant from their night together and casually walked over to one of the mossy walls.

Running his hand down the wall released the moisture from the plants and he used it to quickly clean himself up. Hearing Lopiena groan and rise like a zombie, Sigurd smirked and watched as she stumbled back down the hallway, presumably to relieve herself. It wasn't long until the others finally roused themselves. Squatting beside them, still nude, Sigurd smiled at Cirro and Zane "Rough night?"

Cirro groaned in response to Sigurd's question. He rolled away from the sunlight into the only shade his closed eyes could find. Feeling releif from the blaring light he fluttered his eyes opened. He found himself staring directly between Sigurd's legs as he crouched in front of him. He gasped, reared backwards and slammed his head against the rock. "Ow ow ow ow..." he moaned, rubbing his head.

Zane suddenly sat upright, rubbed the back of his head, and then yawned loudly. "My goodness..... that was... something." He shook his head. He looked over to Sigurd and Cirro when he heard the latter hit his head. He noticed Sigurd's state and he let out an exasperated breath. "Well really.... and you a dignitary's son." He shook his head, though there was no actual disgust in his voice.

Ashwyn's ears tuned in to the sound of the others waking and she smiled at the sounds she heard. She also found that her sense of smell was just as strong as it had been in hybrid form. More to get used to. She could still smell the evedence of her and Sigurd's coupling last night and it was amazing to her that the others couldn't smell it. It seemed so strong, like it was coating the walls. But she had to remind herself that the others couldn't smell that and normally she wouldn't be able to either.

She shook her head and chuckled at hearing Cirro's gasp. She could guess what had happened, especially with Zane's admonishment. "Are you scaring people again, love?" She called from her place in the darkness as her nimble fingers worked to make some form of clothing out of the tattered things she once called pants.

Now that her shirt was covering her, she decided the light would assist in the finer details so she gathered her pants, and pulled out her tattered boots and brought them into the cave. She sat on the driest rock she could find and continued her work. The cold stone against her bare backside shocked her a bit, but after the workout it had received last night the coolness felt nice.

"We should try eat and try to move on. I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm feeling oddly refreshed and ready to take on another stint in these tunnels."

Having already gone through the traumatic experience of rousting enough energy to stumble down the hallway, Lo barely responds to Ashwyn's comments or the sounds of the others rising...other than to wince at every sound.  The echo of Cirro hitting his head reverberated in her own brain, and her insides winced for him in sympathy while her outsides winced at the sound of Zane's voice.  But that was nothing compared to Ashwyn calling down the hallway.  Trying to block the sound accosting her ears only made the pounding in her head worse, and could only respond with a mumbled "Nnt s'loud" ...and even the sound of her own voice made her wince.  Ashwyn getting up and moving removed the shield that was keeping the stabbing sunlight away, so Lo slithered back into a fetal position facing away from the light.  The hallway is nice and comfortable, nice cool walls to lean her head against...

Ashwyn's cheerful observation about feeling refreshed only makes Lo feel worse.  She feels like hell, and probably looks it too...refreshed?  Not hardly.  Move?  Not a chance.  More tunnels?  Uuugggghhh.  But even with the pounding in her head, the three brain cells that are still functional insist that Ashwyn is right, they should get a move on.  The question of how still remains, though.  Slowly forcing her body back into a seated position, Lo tentatively experiments with opening her eyes one sand grain at a time but quickly gives it up as a lost cause. Keeping her eyes closed, Lo forces herself back to her feet and follows the walls back to the cave. Maneuvering around everyone with her eyes closed is impossible, though. Rather than stumble about and trip over everyone, Lo stands off to one side and hopes she looks pitiful enough that someone will help her into that glorious water still trickling away in the painfully bright cave.

Sigurd laughed as Cirro smacked his head, it was the little things that amused him. Standing and turning to Zane, Sigurd smirked "oh come on now old man, it's nothing you haven't seen before" he said as he walked towards Ashwyn who had just re-entered the cavern. He rotated his shoulder to work out the kinks from sleeping on the stone floor and as he stood infront of his mate he looked her up and down and feign disappointment that she was clothed again.

Wrapping his arms around her he kissed her sweetly and gave her rear a loving smack. "Good morning, love. I trust you slept well..."

Ashwyn smirked at his "disappointment' and playfully slapped his chest when he smacked her rear.

"I slept perfectly." She said, leaning into the kiss he offered. Yes the stone floor wasn't the most comfortable place, but wrapped in her lovers fur covered arms and her own fur covered body made it quite pleasant. She lowered her voice and whispered to him. "Though I am still quite damp around the thigh reigon. I must admit... I find a quite like it." She teased, kissing his nose playfully.

Hearing Lo groan, she glanced over at Lo who looked positively miserable and bit her lip to keep from chuckling. "I don't think everyone quite agrees with me though." She winked to him, indicating Lo. Then she tiptoed and leaned into his ear. "Maybe you should help her over to the water. Nothing like a cold splash to wake up." She suggested before going back to her mending.

---

Zane had pulled out the last of the dried meat and the last barrel of water. It was quite low. "Hmm... we may need a refill here..." He said, looking down into the barrel.

"I can do that..." Cirro groaned, still rubbing his head. He stood, a bit woozily, and hobbled over to the barrel.

"May as well get some food while you're at it. This is the last of the rations." Zane added and Cirro nodded.

He began to concentrate, and slowly but surely the barrel began to fill with water.  Once it was full, he held his hand out to the stone floor. A pile of dried beef and pork appeared to replenish what they'd lost, in addition there appeared a smaller amount of fresher foods. Large eagle eggs poached in a creamy sauce, legs of goat perfectly roasted, and sweet buns dripping with frosting.

[Create Food/Water. Two spells]

When he finally slowed, he was a bit dizzy from the exertion. "I figured we'd all do well with a nice meal before we head out into the unknown darkness again." He smiled sheepishly.

Ashwyn's new sense of smell was immediately accosted with the smells of the fresh food and she nearly moaned in satisfaction. "Mmmmmm." She cooed, immediately leaving her mending to sit near the food.

All of the talking pounded into Lopiena's brain with the delicacy of a jackhammer. Beyond the point of words, Lo almost starts to slink back into the dark cool hallway when the smell of food arises out of nowhere. The very thought of food was simultaneously wonderful and awful. She was starved, and something in her stomach would probably calm the seething pile of snakes that had taken up residence there...but the food is all the way over there, in the horrible brightness that seemed to delight in stabbing her eyes every time she dared to attempt opening them. Ughhhh...gotta move, Lo. No. Not a chance.

She'd had alcohol before, but last night was the first time she'd ever had the freedom to enjoy all she wanted...and the awful regret of the next morning was not an experience she was enjoying overly much. Lo had no idea what to do with herself, and standing in the dark looking pitiful is pretty much the only thing she's capable of at the moment.

Sigurd smiled and shivered at the though of his lovers... issue until she brought his attention to their young druid companion who looked like she'd been hit by a carriage drawn by at least eight war horses. "Not feeling well sprouts? we need to get your tolerance up! you wont last long in ThunderKnoll if you can't hold your alcohol! wouldn't want any of the rowdy males to take advantage of you right?" he winked and ruffled her hair.

The smell of food was the exact thing he wanted at that moment. The day was already going extremely well considering he had managed to obtain some semblance of a bath, a night of passionate love making with his mate, and now a hearty breakfast. He made a mental note to at least have passionate nights more often than once a month, they had to get Ashwyn's new body broken in somehow didn't they? Sigurd fantasized for a moment and then brought himself back to reality before donning some trousers and sitting down to recoup the energy he had burned over night.

Cringing at the sound of Sigurd's voice....everything seems so loud for some reason!...Lo doesn't quite register what he's talking about other than not lasting long. Yeah, with her brain feeling like it's about to explode inside her skull she definitely won't last long! Even Sigurd ruffling her hair only draws a muffled "mnnrrrrgggh" out of her attempts to communicate. At least he came over to her, though. Grabbing his arm...it's bare, which makes him harder to hold onto than when he's furred, clothed, or armored... Lo latches onto him like a drowning person onto a life saver. Following him into the cave with her eyes squeezed shut, Lo manages to get to the food without tripping over anyone. As hungry as she is though, water is by far the more urgent of her needs. It feels like the whole of the Wasteland took up residence in her mouth!  Not just the dryness or the sand, either....her tongue tastes like something died, was mummified, resurrected, and died again at the hand of Sigurd's Firebolt. Fortunately the floor seems more or less stable, so she can at least crawl over to the trickling water and slither face first into a puddle. Drinking deeply, pulling up out of the water only long enough to breathe before submerging her face again Lo slowly starts feeling a little better. Rolling onto her back to allow the cool water to soak her clothes and hair helps tremendously, as well.

Refreshed from the water, Lo groggily sits up and experiments with opening her eyes again. Not...bad. The bright light is still daggers to her eyes, but she can at least see well enough to make her way back over to the food. And what a feast it is! Not even sure where to start, Lo selects a sticky bun and quickly devours it while gazing at the rest in amazement. Dried meat, fresh meat, and....are those eagle eggs?! Haven't had one of those in years! Looking at Cirro's conjuring skills in appreciation, Lo finally notices what appears to be a clothing issue between Sigurd and Ashwyn. Grinning at them groggily, Lo attempts to say something but between the sticky bun and the pounding in her head only mumbled mumblings come out.

Ashwyn had already helped herself to a sizable portion of the food, perhaps her new senses were making her more hungry? Well, in any case the good tasted amazing.

Zane had also begun to eat his fill after loading the dried meats into the bag of holding while Cirro nibbled nearby.

Ash looked up at Lo as Sigurd began dressing. "Filling your stomach with something will help. And if you're still having trouble afterwards I'm sure Sigurd will carry you." She winked over to her lover just as Pip yawned, stretched and walked over to them. Ashwyn smiled at him, scratched behind his ears, and handed him some of the meat which he happily tore into.

---

Finally finishing breakfast, the group packed up their goods, washed up as best they could and continued on their way. The next part of the hallway was just as dark as the previous stent with the same markings on the wall that didn't seem to help them at all. Zane had relit his staff as they walked and Sigurd and Ashwyn were once again in the lead.

Ashwyn was taking advantage of her new senses and trying to commit all the smells to memory.

The walked for the better part of the day before the tunnels changed. They came to an intersection where the tunnel split off into three distinct paths. There was no discerning difference between the paths and no signs of any kind as to where they lead.

Ashwyn tried to smell down each of them the the dust and sand was all she could smell. "Hmm.. . so..... which way?"

For reference:

Sigurd had slightly more pep in his step. Well fed and well loved it wasn't surprising in the least. Throughout the day he'd walk along side Ashwyn, hold her hand for a while, throw his arm over his shoulder. He just needed to be close to her. He swore that if he could, he'd glow brighter than Zane's staff to light the way with how happy he was at this moment.

When they got to the diversion in the walkway he stopped with the others and looked down all three paths. They were all too dark to see to far down, and all he could smell was sand and their collective scents. He looked back to his companions and sighed "Well... I'm open to suggestions..." he said responding to his mate.

Ash shrugged. "I don't know... I can't hear anything down any of the tunnels... can't see anything... and..." she sniffed the air again experimentally. "I can't smell anything. It all seems the same." She frowned. "I mean... we can split up... walk the tunnels for a while then come back together to see what we find. Or we can just pick a direction and go."

Zane began looking over the writing on the walls, trying to find some clue they might have missed.

Cirro frowned. "Things have been quiet down here... it might not be bad to do a little scouting down each of the tunnels...." He shrugged.

Ashwyn was right; food helped immensely. The pounding in her head didn't quite go away, but at least Lo was capable of moving, and capable of thought. Though she did keep herself between the two groups...not quite in complete darkness with Sigurd and Ashwyn, but far enough away from Zane's light that she could open her eyes without pain. As they walked along, general hated of alcohol transitioned quickly into self-beratement. Sure Lo, drink yourself into oblivion. You're no better than the boys back home. Didn't even take the time to fully wash, and forgot entirely about the full moon ceremony!!! In an area with a natural spring, couldn't have asked for anything better!!!  It was missing the full moon ceremony that really got her into a spiral of depression. She'd never missed a full moon ceremony, ever. Even in the dead of winter in howling blizzards, when the moon was covered by layers of dark clouds, they'd simply lit a bonfire instead of a candle and continued on. It wasn't like she missed the ceremony itself; up until meeting Jacquelyn she'd thought the ceremonies were painfully boring...but it was so integrated into her very being that missing one...worse, forgetting about it entirely...felt like she was abandoning a part of herself. She could almost feel the ties that bound her to the earth fluttering away. Still though. Looking ahead to where the shadowy figures of Sigurd and Ashwyn are walking together, Lo smiles in spite of her depressed thoughts. They had celebrated the full moon, just in a very different way. Perhaps in this newfound freedom she can start rewriting her path, find new ways to celebrate life, the earth, the moon and stars. Ashwyn's transition had been much more important anyway...and who knows, maybe in her drunken oblivion the two of them had been able to get some much needed alone time. She hoped so.

With how perfectly straight the hallway had been up to this point, the sudden split is a bit of a shock. Gazing from one tunnel to the next, Lo is hesitant to give her opinion. Even with her head finally clear, a faint paranoia still lingers in her mind and she can't tell if the overall feeling of dread stems from her own senses or remnants of the alcohol. The tunnel on the right just doesn't feel...right; the tunnel in the middle fills her with dread....the tunnel on the left seems safe enough, but who's to tell if her own senses are lying to her? Maybe the safe feelings are actually indicative of the worst possible choice, and the tunnel that makes her skin crawl is actually the correct path. Magic traps can be anywhere, and they don't have to be obvious...

"Uhm. I don't like the idea of splitting up, but scouting ahead might be a good idea. There's really no indication of something different or any traps?" Moving forward, Lo investigates the tunnel on the left. Still seems safe enough, and Lo just can't seem to bring herself to get any closer to the other tunnels. "I like this one...but it's not my decision..." Standing there, looking from one possibility to the next...her natural instinct was to shy away from the middle, obvious pathway; anything easy must lead to danger. But since their entire mission is to find said danger...maybe get instincts were not only wrong, they should be ignored.

Sigurd stood for a moment and scratched his head, They had been going straight so far so why deviate from this path? unless whoever made the path intended to change the direction to confuse would be attackers.... or... judging by the directions they fork off into, perhaps they all congregate from somewhere else as a means of escape from where they may be headed... so in reality any one path could be the correct one... Shaking his head to try and regain focus, Sigurd sighed and raised his hand. Three fire bolts were sent down the hall ways to at least get a glance down them.

Blinking at the firebolts, Lo peers from one hall to the next. It seems her instincts might have been related to her connection with the earth, with the left tunnel seeming more natural. The right tunnel seems to lead back to the Wasteland, or at least that's what the sandstone seems to indicate....and the middle...

"I hate to say it, but gold line lanterns sounds like something or adversary might enjoy. Since we're trying to find him, it seems most logical....but..." Trying to suppress a shudder, Lo looks at the rest of the group. "I guess we have to, but I'd rather try to be a little more subtle than going through the front door."