It didn't take any time at all for a stranger to hustle to his side. Katsurō glanced at her, surprised to find that she might fit right in with his family by color and build, but he'd never seen her before. He cough as a plume of dust rose as the cave in finally settled and address her uncertainly: "I'm not sure, I only just arrived. This area is familiar to me and I've never seen anything like it." Kat didn't want to admit it scared him, especially not in front of an elder.
He squared his shoulders and lowered his head closer to the ground, tilting it from side to side as he tried to peer into the depths without falling in himself. Down in the darkness, he heard a pathetic squalling. It was a bird, of sorts, but it had a grating sort of cry almost made him flatten his ears. Was that a noise of pain, or did it usually sound like that? The dim light didn't offer him any further answers. "I am Hattori Katsurō of Tojo Kai, and I intend to investigate that noise," he said, trying to add some flare to his words that made him sound braver than he felt. Carefully, Kat lowered himself into the tunnel and began to track the sound of the bird amidst the settling dust and rubble.
