Although he would never admit it out loud young Taufr was positively terrified of what lay before him. So hot was the fiery red substance that the very air in the cavern seemed to sizzle. Breathing in the heat was almost too much and if not for his insatiable curiosity the young viking surely would have fled. Even though he was still some distance away from the river itself the ground underfoot was still very warm to the touch. Even though no sunlight could reach these parts the stone beneath his feet felt as if it had been heated by the most sweltering of summer suns. The heat, the roar of the unnatural river, it was too much. Or not. Nervous as he was Taufr crept closer, his heart sitting high up in his throat. He was scared, yes, but there was a difference between helpful fear and cowardice. How could he possibly pass up the opportunity to explore what had to be the home of Logi? That was a river of fire! The boy froze midstep. There was one thing that would make this better. Before he got too close there was one thing he needed to do. With haste Tau spun on his heel and darted back up the way he'd come. Somewhere in the tunnels above lurked the rest of his exploration raiding party. The girls would get a kick out of this fire river too! He hadn't been paying close attention to what all he'd passed on the way down, so perhaps he'd find some things to toss in as well. "Guys..." he called in a low voice. "You have to see what I found!"

Her brother's call sent Ræsa's ears to the top of her skull. If there was one thing in this world Ræ believed in, it was a Finnvi's ability to find trouble. She smiled a broad, tongue-lolling smile and began to bound his way. Although she was growing a bit taller than he, her brother was built like a grizzly bear and certainly had her outmatched in brute strength. If he needed to call for backup she was eager to see what he had come across. Bodolf fell in at her side, a pale ghost keeping pace in her shadow. She finally came to see Tau standing at the mouth of a cavern, blue eyes bright with excitement. She swished her tail in greeting before pulling up short before him. "Consider your troops rallied. Whadja find?" The young fae was eager for a bit of excitement to brighten up the otherwise dull day she'd so far been having. She hoped their other siblings would show up as well because things were always more fun with them in tow but that didn't necessarily mean she had the patiences to wait for them. She turned to crane a look over her shoulder, searching for any sign of their approach. Bodolf looked up at her with his pale blue eyes and gave her a slow blink which asked, What are you getting us into this time? She grinned, flashing her fangs. The season had been mostly mild, which had given them more freedom to continue traveling, something she was very grateful. Exploring these new regions with her siblings was the main thing that had driven her back to fitness after her illness, and she was glad to see Tau had started straying again as well. "Talk" "You" Think

Naudir had not expected the underground tunnels to be this warm. Wasn’t it suppose to get cooler the farther one went underground? Her nostrils flared, drinking in the damp scent of the foreign earth and she shuddered. It didn’t smell like anything she’d smelt before, however with her siblings nearby she was feeling particularly fearless and continued to explore the caverns with abandon until Taufr came racing back in. She couldn’t help but smile, it was great to have the gang back together again and the illness behind them. Her ears perked forward. What had Taufr found that had him so excited? Her eyes narrowed just slightly for a moment as she tried to gauge whether or not she was about to walk right into a prank but finally judging his sincerity she grinned. “Oh? What did you find? Any neat bats? A dragon maybe!” "Talk"

There was just enough of a wait time between his call and the arrival of the first sister for Tau to find all sorts of fire-ready goodies. He had a couple smallish rocks that varied in shape and a pair of small branches as well as one (boring) crumbled up leaf. The boy was scowling at the leaf trying to decide if it was worth anything at all when Raesa showed up. As soon as her voice reached his ears he brightened considerably, his excitement evident. "Consider your troops rallied. Whadja find?" He beamed at her. "As a matter-" he began just as Naudir arrived. "Not a dragon!" He wiggled in barely contained excitement, but decided not to spill the beans just yet. "You just gotta see!" After grabbing the bigger of the two branches Taufr spun away and began to make his way back towards the tunnel he'd come from. With the stick clamped between his teeth he slurred, "Noh ques'ionss! Jut gab somet'ing 'n' cohm ohn!" His sisters' presence gave his confidence a boost. There was something about being (albeit temporarily) the leader that made it impossible for him to slink nervously down the corridor. He wasn't quite fearless, but having seen the river once already he kinda knew what to expect and that helped somewhat. Finally he stood just outside the "doorway" that led into the expansive cavern that housed part of the fire river. The entrance was smallish and while he didn't quite fill it up, Taufr did his best to block his sisters' view of what lay beyond. There was no hiding the sound of the river though, or the smell...or for that matter the heat...but whatever, he was going to milk the suspense for all it was worth. With a mischievous grin he dropped the stick he'd been carrying and said in a loud voice to cut through the din, "I think I found Logi's den!" With that he decided he'd had enough with theatrics and, with a spring in his step, snatched up his branch and trotted through the entryway. "Talk" "You" Think

Here brother was mad excited, and it immediately geared Ræ up as well. She saw the fire in Tau's eyes and her smile turned into a devilish smirk. This had better be good, she thought as she jounced in place, shifting her weight from one paw to another. If it had anything to do with dragon's she was down! Naudir answered the call as well, and Ræ turned to give her sister an affectionate shoulder bump as she lunged past her, aiming to grab a somewhat larger gnarled stick partially obscured in a dense clump of grass. She locked her jaws around it and gave it a few stubborn tugs before the dried bough and a snared tuft of grass broke free. "Go'h uh'n!" she garbled around her catch. Ræ was hot on Taufr's heels on the way down, her brothers bulking filling an unfair portion of the viewing space in front of her. It was completely unnecessary! She might have even said something about containing his massive ass but with the stick she carried, it was more trouble that it was worth. Before long the air began to grow warmer and warmer. It smelled sort of like a hot spring, but much, much stronger. She wrinkled her nose, and did her best to squish the little bubble of fear that tried to float up through her stomach. She wasn't afraid of anything and definitely not if her Tau and Naudir weren't! Bodolf's tail was so floofy that if it got much bigger it would look like a whole other leopard was trailing behind him. She tossed him sympathetic wink but he just glared back, too nervous to speak. Ræsa followed her brother through the entry way into a decent sized cavern. Through it flowed a gurgling, seething mass of something very hot and very bright. Her feet rooted in place for a moment, and she resisted the urge to shrink down onto her belly. "W-What the heck is this place?" she asked, voice equal parts alarmed and exhilarated. Slowly she crept forward, approaching the bank of the flow until the heat got too intense, and let her eyes grow accustomed to it's mesmerizing glow. "Talk" "You" Think

Her brother’s excitement was infectious and Naudir’s tail started to wag. What had he found? “Come on tell us!” But Taufr wasn’t intent on spilling his secret, he wanted to show them instead. Fine. She just hoped it wasn’t something super gross. Her ears flicked forward, head tilting curiously to the side. Grab something? Well, ok. She quickly grabbed a smaller stick and chased after her brother. As they ventured deeper down the cavern her fur stood on end. It sure was spooky down here. Thoughts filtered like tendrils through her mind, haunting possibilities of what lay beyond the door. She had to be brave though. She gasped lightly at the soft, orange glow that illuminated the entrance and the scent of burning earth. Each step closer grew warmer and warmer. Fire? A massive fire underground? That had to be it! Her brow furrowed at the mention of Logi. Uh oh…. should they really be intruding like this? She glanced at Ræsa before gingerly following after Taufr only to drop her stick in surprise at the glowing river of fire that rippled and ate through the heart of the cavern. “WHOA! Taufr I think you’re right!” She picked up her stick and with a toss of her head hurled it into the river, watching with delete as it burst into flame. “Oh this is cool…. I wonder if Logi’s home though?” She cast her sapphire gaze suspiciously about the cavern. It didn’t seem like anyone was home. "Talk"

Once inside Taufr stepped to the side so his sisters could walk ahead of him. He stood by with a smug smile twisting up the corners of his lips as they crept closer and began to investigate. Naudir was the first to toss something in and like her, Taufr watched the destruction of the stick with glee. This was his new favorite place, not because it was possibly Logi's home or because there was no other place like it on other, or because he was in awe of its beauty. No, it was his favorite place because he could destroy things with liquid fire. "...I wonder if Logi’s home though?” Even though he was behind her and couldn't see the gesture, Taufr shrugged. "If he is I haven't seen him." Her question gave rise to another one; regardless of whether to not he was home, should they be there? If someone came into his home without permission he'd do his best to bite their nose off...but maybe Logi wouldn't mind? Absentmindedly Taufr threw his stick in too. He watched with vague amusement as it too quickly succumbed to the fire. It was then that a mean idea struck him and he completely forgot about the wrath of an angry Logi. Raesa stood in front of him and was almost too close to the river for his comfort. Too close for comfort, maybe, but not too close for mischief. His expression turned devious. As their brother it was his job to pester his sisters. And as the only boy in their litter he had to work twice as hard to make sure they weren't getting off too easy. What he had in mind aught to fill his annoyance quota for the week. The boy darted forward suddenly, intent on closing the distance between himself and Raesa. At the last second he intended to rear up on his hind legs and ram his chest into her butt, hopefully causing her to lurch forward. He only wanted to scare her, not really push her towards the river so while shoving her he intended to try to hook his forepaws around her waist and hang onto her. Hopefully that combination of moves would make her think she was about to go flying forward for a second without her actually flying forward. While he didn't particularly like being outnumbered by girls Taufr would rather get more brothers than lose some sisters. "RAAAAAAH!" he yelled to scare her. "Talk" "You" Think