Gharna took the weird container that had water in it and after figuring out how to open it, mainly based on what Michael did, she gave it a few sniffs cautiously.

'I am exhausted and if it seemed to be able to drink this and it truly is water, then worse case scenario, I die and don't have to face the shame of Urla knowing something tinier than me beat me...' As she weighed out the pros and cons, Gharna at this point was truly too tired and thirsty to ask herself if this was the correct choice.

"Eh... it is a win-win regardless." She said taking a big swig from the clear and flexible container. As she did so the water tasted slightly unusual compared to what she is used to, but not bad, so she simply chugged the refreshing liquid, spilling some of it on her furred cleavage.

The swine woman then sighed as she licked one of her tusks at which point her short pointy ears flicked up hearing a noise echoing from the furless one, which quickly got her attention.

'Why is it slapping its own face? Is it like a dueling ritual? A celebratory thing? It sure doesn't look happy... more importantly... why didn't it try to kill me?' She pondered throughly confused at this point.

Michael leaned his back against the cavern wall, looking at the ceiling, making sure to always dart at least one eye to the tired boar person.

'Well... at least she seems to keep calm while exhausted...' the young man thought as he stood up groaning, he took his backpack up on his shoulders and he then took a wide berth around Gharna.

"Anyways. Not my problem. Lets just get back home." He said with an easy breath as he began making his way to the ray of light shining through the hole in the ceiling.

'Home sweet home, here I come!' He told himself with his entire soul as he proudly stepped within in ray of light. With a big wide smile, he closed his eyes and leaned back his head to let the warmth properly touch his face.

Then he waited. And waited. Aaaand waited. 'Is something supposed to happen or... not? I didn't feel anything when I first got here. It would make sense to not feel anything leaving...'

Michael then opened a squinting eye to see the light above and then he looked forward, he noticed the cave's entrance.

"Alright... so good so far. Please let there be no boar person behind me..." he mumbled to himself as he slowly turned to take a peek over his shoulder.

And there it was. Same 6'2" kneeling muscular boar woman, tonguing his water bottle, with a wide meaty flat thick tongue, trying to get as many droplets of the water out of the empty container.

"Fuck me man! Why?! Why do things never go my way?!" He yelled out exhasperated, which made Gharna let out a shameful surprised little oink as her form shook from the sudden noise.

The 22 year old then squatted down and covered his face with his hands and began lightly sobbing.

"F-fuck... whyyyyy-... why me, god? I am not supposed to be here... I am supposed to be done with college, start my masters degree soon. Enjoy time with my family. Live a little. Not be stuck in the middle of bum fuck other world..." He sobbed as small tears began going down his face and hitting the stone floor.

"I could barely get used to the idea of leaving home and my family... now I have to do this... to survive here?!" Michael then began slightly hyperventilating while wiping his face.

"God, whoever thinks a 22 year old has all their shit together and is super mature and capable, is a bloody idiot. Jesus... everything was so much simpler when I was younger... sigh..." He groaned only for himself as nobody that could hear him, understood him.

++++

Gharna flinched as she heard the screaming, while preoccupied with enjoying whatever bit of water she could get from the clear long necked container she held, her form immediately shook at the sound of the scream and her eyes immediately darted to stare at the furless one, her body ready for an attack, despite her legs not wanting to do their job.

'Brood Mother above that was loud! What is it doing? Why is it curling up and making all that noise?' Then the swine woman noticed the little droplets hitting the stone floor.

'Is it crying? What for? It beat me. It is free to go...' she thought to herself confused as she winced from the sobbing, amplified by the cavern echoing it.

"Sigh... lets take this slow.." she mumbled to herself. "Hey! Furless one! Whyyy. Are. Yoouuu. Cryiiing?" She would say slowly while using her hands to make motions from her eyes down to her chin.

She kept doing so until it seemed to get his attention, which took a few moments. As the pink skinned creature looked at him, it seemed to take a moment to understand her motions and gestures, but Gharna seemed to finally make herself understood. 'Took it long enough...' She thought sighing.

The tuskir woman then waited as she noticed it first trying to answer verbally. "I don't understand you, dummy." She groaned clapping her palms together and leaning her snouth on them with a sigh and huffed exhasperation.

That one did not need translation, except maybe the weird gesture.

After a bit, it seemed to think, the furless clearly attempted to make certain gestures, but then it gave up just as quickly realizing that it meant nothing to her.

After a bit of a communication struggle, Gharna noticed it was reaching into the bag it pulled the container of water from and now it seemed to pull out a wierd metal plate and a short metal stick.

Once more a squeaked oink left her lips in surprise as she saw the metal plate let out light out of one side of it. Then the furless creature began tapping and moving the stick along the light exuding surface.

After some moments of constant tapping, it then turned around the plate and Gharna looked at the light, it displayed an image. A drawing. Simple black lines on a pure white background.

'Alright... it has a wierd magical artifact. Great... besides the point. Sigh... ok. That looks like the cave entrance..., but... the forest around it doesn't look right and those lines with circles are people...?' Gherna silently looks as she then points to the cave's entrance at which Michael shakes his head.

Confused she keeps looking as the image changes it now shows the interior. It shows people looking around the interior.

'Ok so... it was here with a group of people. Truffles... are there more of its kind? Shit pies...' Gharna thought.

The swine woman then watched as he slowly made them move towards the cave's exit, somehow using the rod to make each simple stick person go towards the cavern's exit on the plate. All figures got removed except for one.

'So they were leaving and there was one remaining... huh... most likely him. Alright then... he got lost from his people?'

She kept watching and she would see him touch with the metal rod the last figure as he seemed to move it towards the exit, but the small figure stopped half way, where a wierd column was drawn in the middle, at which point Michael pointed at the beam of light. Once done with that he showed the figure move to the exit and then the image of light changed again, now showing a beautiful simple sketch of the forest around the elder cave. Gharna's eyes widened imediately recognising it.

Still a bit confused she pointed at the beam of light and then at him. "You... came from the light?"

Without need for words, Michael, finally put away his tablet and he sighed nodding, he then sat on the stone floor on his ass.

The two were then silent, Michael trying to come to terms with his situation and Gharna trying to comprehend what she saw.