Back in Aytepios there had been a place called Charon’s Dock. A dark cave with an underground river that always seemed to have a thick fog over its surface. When he was a boy, he and his cousins would challenge each other to go into the cave at night alone, hoping to see the legendary undead ferryman and his boat made of wolf bones. Going there had always filled Peg with a sense of dread, and he found that as he got closer to the river, every sound seemed magnified, until he was almost sure something were about to pop out and grab him. Through sheer willpower and the drive not to be labeled a coward, Peg had lasted a whole night on the murky river’s banks. He had earned a reputation as courageous, although the truth; that he spent the whole night huddled against a rock trembling was his to keep until his dying day. --- As the moon rose to its full height Pegasus found himself uneasy. He had told Célestin the story with the pomp of a victorious hero and had hastily added that although there was no Charon’s Dock in Boreas, the Descensum would be a worthy substitute for him to demonstrate how one’s mind could distend reality once it was afraid. As he stared at the gaping hole before them however Pegasus could feel an eerily familiar fear grip his heart. He took a deep breath then looked at his companion. “Shall we?” He asked with a small but fully forced smile. One thing he was absolutely sure of was that Cél would not see him afraid, regardless of what they encountered. speaking Thinking  you

Treat!

Pegasus gets a treat!

The Descensum is not a place most wolves dare to venture, but Pegasus - feeling particularly brave today - decides to venture deeper into the unknown. If he is careful, perhaps he might even make it back out alive. Pegasus will earn +5 Navigation points for exploring Descensum in (1) more navigation post!

Pegasus' stories of his family, his kingdom, drove Célestin's imagination, the idea of a place where a ghostly ferryman and his dreadful boat could actually be true or at least having bled from fantasy into reality enough to become myth was endlessly fascinating. There were few enough legends here, or at least he hadn't grown up believing anywhere around him was home to any monsters or ghouls. So the idea of even slightly replicating the story his friend had told him made the boy's imagination run wild. They stood before the yawning, dark mouth of the cave, the light of the moon casting the world around them in a ghostly silver light. Despite his excitement Célestin felt a shiver run up his spine. There may not have been any tales of ghastly beings waiting to drag the two boys to their doom here but growing up near enough to the notorious tunnel he had been warned more than enough to not wander too far into it; it wouldn't take much for them to get lost inside it's enveloping darkness forever. He didn't know anyone who'd claimed to have explored all of it though, so maybe, just maybe there was something waiting inside to snatch up the pair, and that in and of itself made him shiver again, although this time in some amount of anticipation. "Let's go." He nodded, answering Pegasus' question and taking his first bold step into the shadows of the mouth of the tunnel, already ready for whatever this night would throw at them. Walk, "Talk", Think

He entered the gaping maw with his head raised, keeping his usual regal stride if only to hide the quiver that was beginning to build in his legs. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the complete darkness that enveloped them as they moved deeper and deeper into the mouth of the pit. A brief glance over his shoulder showed the moon still at its zenith, illuminating their exit and the thin fog that carpeted its flooring. The fog that pooled at their paws was damp and made the dire prince feel as though he were sloshing through water, only for him to raise his paw, slightly damp but still dry. “Noises in caves always seem to be amplified.” He explained, more than a little surprised by the sheer volume of his words as he spoke. “See?” He said with a grin, his tail managing to flick jovially at the applicability of his words. “I think it has to do with how smooth the walls are.” He said, his attention falling on the glittering rounded walls beside them. He glanced at Célestin, curious to see how he was faring and if his brief explanation had settled the motley boy’s nerves as it had settled his own. speaking Thinking  you

Treat!

Celestin gets a treat!

Little does Celestin know about about the adventure that could await him deeper in the Descensum - or the potential bond that he might come to form with the male at his side. Celestin gains 16 gems!

If Pegasus was nervous about this trip into the cavern Célestin hadn't really noticed; instead he was wrapped up in his own nervous energy; anxious to explore... and well there was something else there; a sort of fluttering in his stomach he always seemed to get when he was around Pegasus these days. Something he wasn't entirely sure he understood, but he wasn't totally bothered by it. Instead he felt drawn to seeking out the other boy's presence more and more. He turned to grin at his friend when Pegasus spoke, and his ears twitching as the other boy's voice echoed around them; sounding way louder and more powerful than before. "Woah..." Célestin breathed, even the soft notes of his voice being picked up and carried away; louder than intended. Which caused the boy to chuckle, that too echoing away from them. speaking Thinking  you