The lanky pirate boy could not explain why he was drawn toward the dark entrance looming from the side of the mountain. With the rather jovial feast done and over with, he could feel the shift in the air. Something was different now after all the familiars had shooed them away from the Stone Steppe. Crossing through different pockets of magical autumn, Scald noticed how foggy the area he now wandered in was. With his brother, Rexx, in tow, he would occasionally look back over his shoulder to ensure the tusked boy was still following. Not that he was scared or anything... Every once in a while, he would hear a faint whisper tickle an ear. A few times, he would bring a paw up to bat at his ear in hopes the whisper would go away. It would not relent so he tried to ignore it. Though, somehow, he seemed to be following the direction of the whispers. Through the dense fog, trying to avoid the sporadic pools of dried blood and animal carcasses, he drew closer to the crypt. Shadows began playing tricks on his eyes as he opened and closed them several times. Stopping at the entrance, a shiver suddenly rolled down his spine as a waft of putrid cold air washed over them. "Whatever is whispering to me is telling me that we should go inside," Scald said hesitantly to Rexx. His bi-colored gaze shifted to his brother with worry but also a morbid curiosity. Whether Rexx could also hear the same whispers or not, Scald had a feeling that if they didn't enter the crypt that something bad might happen... S C A L D

Ajax wasn't invited per se, but that wasn't gonna stop him from hanging out with his buddies! He had no idea why autumn decided to make a reappearance, but as far as he was concerned it was welcome to stay a little longer! Hurrying along to catch up with Rexx and Scald, he skidded to a stop just at the mouth way of the Crypt. He tipped his head to the side, all curious and ears floppy. "I don't hear anything." It was weird, but somehow...this place was stinky too. Filled with the scent of rot and oxidised blood. He sniffed again. eyes squinting as he watched the low fog roll over the ancient stone. He felt no fear, only the bold ignorance of a child who hadn't yet experienced how cruel the world could truly be and thus going deeper inside seemed like a grand idea to him. "Maybe someone got lost. Maybe they need help. He took a step forward and it was like being swallowed by shadows, venturing into the belly of the beast.

Rexx had been starkly observing the changes around them, noting the sudden vivid change to autumn thought he could've sworn they'd just had it. This season had a different feel to it though - not the peaceful, cinnamon-scented, spice-aroma, cheerful jaunt in the fallen leaves type of fall. Not really, anyways. Whispers floating past his ear like lazy bees, and he could barely catch the words floating by before they disappeared into the rolling streams of fog that clouded their sights. He could see Scald in front of him, and he was behind, offering a reassuring smile each time his brother glanced back. He, too, was playing the part of a brave, courageous adventurer - equal parts curious and impulsive, yet also a bit apprehensive. The dried blood and violently shredded carcasses in their path barely fazed him, but their frequency made him knit his brow slightly in concern. Was there some kind of monster tearing the animals apart..? He shook away the thoughts like the whispers that tickled his ears, feeling Ajax's bouncy presence behind him. It felt reassuring, as well, that their vibrant and ever-jovial friend had accompanied them. Scald stopped at the maw of the crypt they'd come across, the thick whispy fog just giving way to reveal a dark, cavernous entrance. The quilled boy mentioned whispers told him to go inside, encouraging him. Rexx tilted his head as if to briefly consider their options - was it really a good idea to enter a dark, unfamiliar hole based on the guidance of mere whispers? But with Ajax's confident prompting, Rexx shrugged away the concerns. So what? What's the worst that could happen? They were pirates ,after all! Nothing spooked them, not even a dark, spooky crypt. Or thick mists. Or the metallic stench of blood hanging in the air. A smile burst forth on his tusked maw as he glanced at the two. "I don't hear anything either, but there's no harm in taking a peek!" He added, his tone confident and smooth despite the doubt that crept up in his chest. As Scald and Ajax began venturing in, Rexx did, too, slowly merging into the oblivion of shadows. "speech"

If he had been alone, he would have been scared shitless. But with the confidence of his bulky brother and the bouncy nature of their best buddy, he wasn’t going to turn back now! Though, his ears did flip backward for a second when the other two boys mentioned they didn’t hear the whispers. How could they not? That ghoulish witchy whisper tickling his ear, urging him to go inside, would not stop.

Oh well, Scald went in anyway. This place was kind of cool. Creepy, but cool! Covered in cobwebs, dark shadows, and lurking ghosts, Scald followed Ajax and Rexx without hesitation. “You think someone really is lost down here?” He whispered loudly just as a disembodied groan echoed from the darker depths.

Ajax was too young and dumb to care about the risks, didn't even perceive them, chose not to look as he pressed further into the shadows. He had to admit though, the clanging of chains and general reek of death was kinda...weird though, and not in the best of ways. The chances of someone getting lost in here seemed pretty high, if Ajax was being smart about it. They had only taken a few steps and this place had already sprung branching paths, one went this way and the other that. It wasn't hard to imagine it got even more complicated further in, and with how dark it already was getting lost would be easy-peasy. Good thing they were together then, right? "Maybe." He couldn't say for certain though, and then an idea occurred to him, bright like a shining lightbulb. "HELLO! IS ANYONE IN HERE?" His voice echoed off the walls, bounced against the ancient stone and-the stink of death seemed to get stronger. The clanking of chains louder. He looked down at his paws and noted how slick the old stone was with old blood, all brown and gross. He tipped his head to the side to hear better and-oh, maybe he heard something? Not a concrete response really, nothing he could put his paws on, but he could have sworn he heard...something? Like a thought that passed into his mind, not quite his own but not unfamiliar enough to spook the pup. "Which way?" He couldn't say for sure, but had a feeling they ought to stick together, no matter what.

Rexx pursed his lips as he entered the crypt’s depths, the lower hanging chains clicking uneasily along his crystal spines. It was a strange feeling, uneasy, setting small chils down his back. The tusked boy lifted his head to thoroughly scent the air for any sign of this missing person Scald was convinced was in here, but all he got was a whiff of rotten blood and the scent of the two boys next to him. His nose wrinkled, and as a sharp set of whispers tickled his ears, swatted a paw at the empty air, as if trying to catch the source of the strange noise. ”The air is talking to me and I don’t really appreciate it,” Rexx huffed, shaking himself off as they continued towards a harrowing set of dark paths. Each one they took seemed to converge into more paths, and so on - the little filters of light they received illuminated the rusted chains and dried blood spatters in an ominous manner. Not at all helpful for guiding them. Nobody answered Ajax’s call, but whether someone really was down here or not didn’t matter much anymore. They just needed to make sure they didn’t get trapped here themselves. Seeing the branching, winding paths in front of them, Rexx suddenly heard the crisp words flutter by his ear. It seemed to tell him to go on the parh to their right. Erm..sure. Glancing at the two boys with him, the bulky child pointed his paw towards that right branch. ”That weird voice keeps telling me to go this way,” He said with a shrug. Why not? He didn’t really want to disobey it, for some strange reason. "speech"

He hadn’t really noticed the dried blood they walked through. Honestly believed it was just the stone being slick from disuse. When the chain would clank against the walls and his brothers crystals, the pup’s quills rose. His lips curled too as he startled at the echo of Ajax’s echoing question.

Still no real answer but he could swear someone was whispering. Bi-colored eyes moved left and right, hesitating when his brother motioned toward the right path. But the whisper in his head said left… maybe Rexx was of sounder mind. “Yeah let’s go this way,” Scald whispered as he turned the corner to follow the other boys.

Ajax was agreeable enough and plodded after his friends. It was hard to say what he could see here, as the short response was not a lot and the longer one was...well blackness, and the occasional flicker of steel. There was plenty to hear and smell though, told a storied past that the boy was too young and naive to understand yet. To truly grasp the nature of this place, why it was a bad idea to follow voices into the dark. If his buddies wanted to go this way, well why not? Still, even little Ajax had alarm bells in the back of his head and they were...not ringing per se, but swaying slightly in a growing breeze. The slight ting of the chime was enough to keep him on the edge, but not enough to have him scampering back to mum. "Do you think they'll give us treasure if we find them?" He asked in a whisper, as the trio delved even deeper into the unknown. Around corners and bends, following a trail that might not even exist at all.

They continued down the path Rexx had been geuided towards, the boys following behind him. The bulky child padded his way through the rusty, stained tunnels and stome floors with flicked ears and a cautiously stiff nub tail. There could be anything lurking around every corner and bend they turned and twisted around, and it would be wise to keep their heads on swivels for any sign of danger. Not that he was concerned, not really anyways. The risk was balanced with the output of a reward. As Ajax mentioned, there could even be treaure lying in wait for the, for their valiant efforts. Though he couldn’t say he was as convinced as the other two that there was someone truly in this place. ”It’s possible! We’ll just have to keep going and find out..” Rexx said, his voice trailing off as he swatted his ear. Another whisper, hushed voices that fluttered away like the moths that occasionally flapped in the darker corners. Up ahead upahead, The whispers suggested. Pausing to look down the corridor, one that looked about as identical as the rest, he saw someone, or something rustling in the patches where light did not touch. Swallowing thickly, Rexx felt his alarm bells go off - not swaying gently, they were blaring in his head, and he glanced back at Scald and Ajax as if searching for some indication of what to do. Deciding to investigate, he slowly crept towards the dark figure, the one in the corner, breath hitched as he made every footfall as silent as possible. Inching closer and closer.. ”GAHH!” Rexx yelped involuntarily, skittering back as a rather ornery raccon hissed at the trio, its greasy fur and beady eyes all the more ominous between filtered light. It bared its teeth at them, annoyed that they bothered its meal of some form of rotten fruit, and it proceeded to run off into another corridor, leaving Rexx to try and process what just happened. No treasure, nothing. Just a sad pile of mush. "speech"