Kai had no idea where the cave was located so she relied on Mao’s pendant to lead the way. The gem in the middle sparkled and produced a smoky arrow in a direction, much like a compass, after she pushed her thought We’re lost towards the pendant. With kai in the lead and Mao sprawled on the sled, the smoky arrow floated mid-air in front of Kai, allowing her to safely navigate the forest’s interior without much difficulties. After a decent amount of time was spent trudging through the forest, Kai stopped and turned to her furry friend, dropping the rope to the bladeless sled and declared “Hey lazy, time to get off the ride. It’ll cost you extra.”

He opened one eye lazily and let out a kitty sigh, getting up with grumbles. Kai then unfastened both packs and placed hers and Mao’s on the sled where he vacated the seat. She then made sure the packs were appropriately stacked and secured on the sled without topping over and picked up the rope to continue the journey. Her shoulders were a little sore and she needed to rotate them to get the circulation and feeling back. Mao needed to use his legs this time, Kai thought and heard the pendant reply with a chuckle.

Mao took the lead and delicately padded through the forest, avoiding trees and bushes to aid Kai in her effort of pulling the sled through the muddy and debris laden woodland ground.

This method of travel was slow, but it was an easier process towards their energy retention in the foreseeable future. Kapt’n did not describe how far it would get to their tribe once they exited the cave but was warned about how he personally was ambushed and met his perilous fate. Kai did not want for the both to perish just as they got into this other world. It would be a waste of time and effort on their part if they weren’t prepared and did something stupid to warrant their deaths. With the same sentiment echoing each other’s thoughts, they trudged on, finally reaching the end of the thicker brush that opened to the wide meadow that housed the cave.

The party of two and a half reached the entrance to cave wordlessly, efficiently continuing their unmarked path toward the interior of the cavern to reach their goal.

Kai was unburdened by utilizing the sled, sleekly sliding above the rocky debris that littered the cave’s floor. She was glad that this method of transportation was established early on, which saved her from a world of bodily aches caused by the overstuffed pack. Tension was in the air as the pair was anticipating the best and worst of what is to come. The momentous instant they the exited the cave signified the start of this mission and the tangible trial that needed to be faced.

The immediate planned goal at this point was to reach the end of the cave, which was simple in on itself. The next steps in the journey was unknown to the pair however they knew that much searching was going to be in the cards. They knew of the clan but beyond that, the question where was evident on their faces. Mao’s cute kitty features had his eyes trained forward, brow furrowed forward, ears and whiskers alert. Kai almost had a permeant crease line formed on her forehead due to the scowling caused by raging emotions dragged out from uncertainty and competing thoughts.

The actual linear path through the cave was done easily and effortlessly, both lost in thoughts, silently walking one step closer to their immediate goal. The height in the ceiling changed gradually and Kai adapted to the additional space that allowed her to slowly assume a more upright human posture then a hunched ape.

They passed by the landmarks they had made in the past. The lunchroom. The taller ceiling area. The bloodstained walls. The offering. The ashy bone piles. They all passed by each one, recalling the memories that transpired just a few days ago. At this moment, they did not pass past this exact point, which was the ash pile. Unfortunately, it was uneventful, same rock scenery as the last half hour.

They reached the end of the cave, not surprised by the mundane wall that stood in their way. There was a deep vertical crack in this wall that was highlighted due to the shadows that formed against the flashlight’s piercing gaze.

{You all must be in contact with what you brought, or you will leave something behind} Kapt’n warned as Kai resisted the instinctual urge to brush her hand against the cold rocky surface. Kai peeled her gaze away from the aura-filled wall and meticulously gathered the items required for this expedition. She made sure her pack was on tight, Mao to his, picking up his heavy frame with the additional weight of his necessities strapped to his back. Her other hand lightly grasped a solid portion of the sled and held it against her like a resting bayonet. Kai’s hands were full however Mao’s outstretched paw was the important catalyst in traversing the worlds since he had the authority bestowed by the Kapt’n, the medallion pendant.

Kai then shuffled slowly forward to keep her balance from toppling over due to all the excess weight on her petite frame. Mao’s outstretched paw finally made contact with the wall’s surface.

A bizarre bodily sensation immediately washed over them like if someone threw a rock in a still pond, causing the ripples of distortion to vibrate and seep into their bones. Kai immediately felt multiple waves of disturbance washing over her core, causing a slight nauseous and lightheaded feeling simultaneously. It wasn’t completely an unpleasant sensation however the strangeness that this phenomenon made had produced a backlash of internal sounds from the two.

“Aaack!” Kai huffed out.

“Mmmmraaaaagh!” Mao squeaked.

Both had no idea that this was the sensation that one was familiar with when traveling between worlds.