The very air about her seemed to vibrate with such intensity that she practically hummed with pleasure. Prone to following her sister about, young Cassandra was quite proud of her solo discovery, so much so that she danced from paw to paw in front of the yawning opening of the grotto. ”I shall call this place the….ummm.” She pauses, head tilting adorably so as she ponders what the christen this place that seemed to go on for ages. She had yet to actually go in there, apprehension dawning just a tad…..enough to curtail her childish enthusiasm. So to cover her nerves she decided to name it, to call it something spectacular, then present it to her sister later when she meet back up with her family later. ”Uhhhhh you are called The…..ummm…..The Hidden Stone Path.!” Yes! This is what she will call it for surely it was a stone path that had many levels and led to many great places! With a quick self-satisfied nod, she set forth on ungainly legs, still unused to walking on such sticks. She rather thought herself foolish looking and clumsy for she had the habit of tripping over her own legs. Imagine the horror of such displays! Whenever it happened she would hide in the den for days! Okay maybe not that long, like hours, but it felt like forever until her sister drew her out with talk of another adventure. There were so many places to visit….to explore that she found the wanderlust quite intoxicating. Why stay in one place when you can go to many at once…all the time! Oh the draw!

Lost was she in her thoughts that her lovely emerald eyes did not see much as she traveled deeper into the caves until suddenly it seemed as if someone turned off the sun. If such a thing was possible it must surely feel like this as she suddenly came to a stop. Body wavered some as it tried to adjust to her sudden change in velocity as she just gazed about in aww. She could smell the dampness, the moss, the water, the aging scent of wolf beds. Yet nothing stood out as danger and thus she gave into her impulse to creep deeper. Alert radars twitched upon her head as she went, ever aware that she was alone yet caring not the longer she walked. This feeling of being alone, of being brave, and of learning something new seeped into her being. She felt invigorated until a shrill screech sounded above her. Then she found out what she was made of. Soft belly kissed cold stone instantly as she cowered beneath a shower of winged….rodents? Curiosity compelled her to lift her nose, to scent the air as she struggled to place exactly what it was that had scared her.

Filing the information away to ask mother later, she rose to sit, head rotating to catch a better glimpse of the animals before they settled on another rocky precipice further from which she came. ”Sneaky little things.” She huffed, her breathless voice betraying that she had yet to compose herself. It all washed away however as she regained her footing and delved deeper, eyes adjusting to the lighting as she went. She knew not how long she walked until her footing became slippery. First one paw shot out, then another…coupled with the long awkward legs of her youth it was not long before she found herself on the ground yet again. Growling her displeasure she tries to correct herself only to slide further to the left. Scrambling with her front paws she soon discovers to her horror that her back paws no longer are in contact with stone. Then everything slows down, frozen with fear her eyes wide, she whimpers. She doesn’t know whether to keep struggling or to just hang until she loses strength. She didn’t tell her family where she was going so they will never find her! The only thing she can do is howl, and howl she does. She cries out for help in all her pitiful, petrified glory…someone will hear her.

They must.