The sound of crashing water echoed out across the cavern, petering off slowly as the residual noises slowly faded. Faint, but unmistakable, Kaius heard a squeak of panic, almost drowned out by the noise of water crashing against stone. His head snapped towards the source of the sound.

    It had come from up the slope, directly from the cave which led to the entrance portal that had teleported him into the depths. Whatever had triggered it definitely hadn''t been a person. Maybe some startled deer had gotten itself caught in the river''s currents, a lucky undertow from the waterfall pulling it into contact with the entrance.

    Deer meant venison. His stomach gurgled at the idea of something different to his poor attempt at boar jerky. He started salivating, imagining the gamey taste that he was so fond of. In the forest above it was a major staple, but even with its abundance he had never grown tired of it.

    He redoubled his pace, turning to scramble in the direction of the cave. The scree gave way under his overeager movement, sending him a half-step back for every stride he climbed. He growled in frustration. This close to a change in the menu, he wasn''t going to let a bloody scree hill beat him.

    Reaching the top, Kaius bent over and panted. His pace had been exhausting, the gravel fighting him every step of the way. Catching his breath, he mopped at his sweat streaked brow.

    Another panicked squeak drifted from the cave.

    Kaius''s eyes narrowed. It didn''t sound like a deer, not now that he was closer. He drew his sword, blade twinkling in the soft light, and stepped into the cave.

    He moved slowly, ears straining to catch any further hints of what might have found itself trapped in the entrance chamber. While he lived far from the frontier, the Arboreal Sea was enormous. The region that he and his father had staked a claim on was still thoroughly considered the outskirts, a region of lower mana and comparatively few truly magical creatures.

    Chances were it was something mundane. Perhaps a young bear. He couldn''t think of any beasts that lived in the outskirts that would squeak.

    Roots erupted from the cave''s edge, curling around him like the fingerbones of some covetous giant as he pushed deeper.

    There it was again! Definitely not a bear. At least, it wasn''t a noise that he had ever heard come from one. Too loud, too forceful for something small, and with a strange timbre that gave it an almost gravelly texture.

    Kaius passed where he had fought the swarm of spiders, gingerly stepping around the dried pools of ichor. Eyes staying dutifully ahead, avoiding looking at their cooking pot sized bodies, legs curled in close to their thorax. He wouldn''t say he was afraid of the creatures, but they definitely unnerved him. Bugs were not supposed to be hairy.

    Still, the sight of his battle meant he was close. Slowing his pace, Kaius started to roll the weight on his feet. Softening his steps to suppress any noise of his approach.

    He could hear it. Claws scrabbled at stone, raking across the surface again and again as the dull scratching sound rolled through the cave. It''s breathing, deep and heavy, hastened to the edge of a pant in the ways he had only heard from a snared meal.

    The entrance room came into view, an opening in the cave up to his right. He crept forwards, keeping his breathing low and even so as not to give away his position, despite his growing curiosity and excitement.

    Approaching with care, Kaius pressed himself close to the edge of the wall where it turned inwards into the portal room. He held his sword to his side in a sort of half fool''s-guard, out of sight but ready to be used in a moment''s notice.

    The sounds of panicked movement continued unabated.

    Craning his neck, Kaius poked his head around the cave wall. The portal room looked much like he had left it. A deluge had flowed through, stray water captured with the unwilling subject of the magical transportation. It had flooded the room with a thin film of water, pushing old fish carcases to the edge of the room.

    The object of his curiosity stood at the rear of the room. Wet and bedraggled, it faced away from him, rearing up on its hind legs to claw at jagged stone as its tapered snout reached for the now deactivated circle of runes a full body length above it on the ceiling.

    Shaped closest to a common badger, a little meles, it was stout of leg and long of tail. Standing on its hind legs as it was, it was easily as tall as him. A thick and dark red coat covered its hide, tapered in a gradient that deepend to a red so deep it looked black. Its brush with the falls far above had left the hair plastered to its body, revealing the rippling musculature that was normally hidden within.

    Kaius went to take another step. The meles barked, a concussive blast hitting him in an instant to ring his ears. He stopped, foot hovering over the stone.

    "Easy.. I don''t want to hurt you. I''ve been trapped here for weeks." His tone stayed even and calm, seeking to placate the creature''s fear with a soft smile.

    The meles hackles rose, a deep rumble starting in its chest. Something smacked into his mind, forcing aside innate defences, bringing with it a confusing jumble of images.

    He saw himself standing there, back lit by a sinister blue halo of pulsing light. His posture was all wrong. Hands outstretched, poised to grapple and tear. Teeth bared in an open threat. He loomed in the entrance way, speaking a predator''s lies that were only half understood as he tried to worm his way in for the kill.

    Shocked, Kaius snapped his mouth shut, pulling his arms down into his sides. He took a step back.

    "Woah. I''ll stay over here. I''m serious, I grew up in the forest. I would never hurt one of your kind."

    Dark amber eyes drilled into him, the meles responding to his statement with a snap. Another deluge of strange sensory information washed over him, to coloured by scent and sound to be parsed easily. An impression, clear and strong, ran over his strange connection with the meles.

    "Lies!" It seemed to say.

    Eyebrows furrowed, confused at the accusation.

    "Why would I lie?" Kaius said evenly, focusing on keeping his posture as still and neutral as he was able.

    Images flicked across in a rapid fire blast. Distant mountains. A warning to never cross their peaks, of poor hunting grounds and unsavoury persons. A burning curiosity silenced with a heavy paw. Setting off alone, a meles grown, to explore the strange place. A cacophony of scents, thin air almost absent of the ever present thrum of roiling mana.

    Of seeing figures, garbed in woven plant material and the skins of their kills, so similar to the elves he had seen a time or two. The hot bite of flying twigs. Burning cuts and leaking wounds. He saw himself corralled. Hunted for the first time in his life. Fleeing as fast as his paws could carry him. Throwing himself into the depths of the river, struggling to keep his head above the raging rapids that ripped him away from the shore.

    His gaze focused on the figures that skidded to a stop at the water''s edge, focusing on them with a dizzying clarity. The leading man was a lanky figure. Holding a naked sabre in one hand, he was garbed in leather amour, high quality but poorly maintained. A crooked nose, jagged from an old impact that had left a thick scar stretching from bridge to orbit.

    Kaius recoiled from the connection, his mind reeling back into the immediacy of the present. Fury roiled inside him as he recognised the face. It was the leader of the bandits. He''d never forget that scar. It took a special type of injury for Health to be unable to fully recover a wound. There were also less of them. Barely even a handful, compared to the numbers that had ambushed him and Father. His father had done some damage.

    But if they were still on the plateau...

    Kaius clenched his fist, futile frustration surging through him. A low growl from the meles snapped him back to the present. Taking a deep breath, he loosened his hand. Letting it fall to his side.

    "No. I am not with them. Nor are they representative of my kind. I lived on that plateau for years, and know far better than to hunt a greater meles," Kaius huffed, his shoulders slumping before looking back up to look back into amber eyes.

    "No, those men hunted me too. I was driven over the falls. Chased off lest I let them kill me. My father stayed behind... I''m not sure if he made it." His eyes drifted downwards, burning as he thought of the potential fate of his father.

    The hackles of the meles fell, its growl petering out. It was still tense. Still ready and willing to barrel towards him at the slightest provocation, but it had paused at his words. It''s mental connection reached back out, tentative as it brushed his mind.

    "Tell me."