Half a worm in your apple

The heat was oppressive on his dark coat, and clearly, he wasn't the only one that was suffering. Tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth and too far from home to have ready access to water, Pyxis never thought this would be the way he went out, but here he was, panting and lightheaded, seeking the shade of a mountain that did not belong to his family.

It was the buzzing that caught his attention first. His eyes narrowed as he rocked on his paws. Was it inside his head or within the environment around him? Purple eyes narrowed, convinced he was seeing double, no triple... wait was there even a word for that many? An army of insects was on the move, all headed in the same general direction. It was as good a sign as any, he supposed, to follow them in the hoped they might lead him to water, or at least a cooler place to rest.

The mouth of the mine yawned open before him and he paused for only a minute before seeking refuge inside. Immediately, the temperature seemed to drop as he followed the metal lined path down, down, down. Soon there would be a fork in the path, and he would have to choose which way to go.

"speech"