Walking became their normal.

A bit to the right, a bit to the left. Never in the canopy and never on the path. Their feet sank deep into the mulch of the forest floor and the twins were for once grateful for the lack of sight available.

They knew, without a doubt, that blood caked their feet.

So tight did they press into one another that they took up scarcely more space than one. At first, they had walked in silence, holding their breath with each step, hoping whatever dwelled here would not show them notice.

But WilyKat noticed, to his dismay, that they were absolutely being tracked. By numerous eyes.

In the canopy, on the ground, around the foliage. They were never alone and all his senses knew it.

But that was where their usage ended. He couldn't see what there was in the dark. Couldn't tell what danger was within a hair's breadth away.

But he and his sister heard them.

The forest was an oddity. Never quiet and yet forever silent. There were none of the usual sounds of life—no birds, no scampering reptiles, no small mammals pounding about. The forest sucked up all joy as much as it refused any light entry.

And there was always a low, ever present scream. It was like an echo, permeating every breath of air.

"It's like someone took all the nightmares and mixed them together." Kit leaned into her brother. "How can there be so much…ick in one place?"

Kat didn't answer because it needed no answer. He didn't know. No one likely knew. He thought he understood darkness, understood evil. The few times they had ventured into the Black Pyramid seemed child's play now. With as much malice that Mumm-ra's abode contained, this was worse.

The eerie lack of company was another factor. He dreaded what would have become of his sanity without his sister by his side. As it was, she was nearly all that kept him from dissolving into a pile of nerves.

He considered himself a coward. Cautious indeed but certainly the least brave of their entire group. WilyKat simply found too many things to fear. Too many things that could cause him or his sister harm. Next to her and all the others, he was decidedly lacking.

You can't be courageous without being afraid.

Lion-o had told him that once, after a meeting with the Lunatacs. WilyKat had felt he was a disaster on the field. Much as he might have fought, he'd been sweating, trembling and holding down screams the whole time.

But Lion-o had hugged him. Told him how proud he was and WikyKat actually believed him.

He didn't feel so brave now.

"How much farther is it?" His sister's voice was full of exhaustion.

Looking ahead, WilyKat frowned. It was a pinpoint of light, the only sign of salvation ahead. It seemed so far off though.

"Few days?"

She didn't comment but he heard her silent despair. How long had they been walking? While he knew little time had passed but he swore weeks were compressed into those hours. His blisters seemed to back that theory up.

But that was impossible.

OOO

"Something's not right."

Bengali turned to Cheetara as they walked, hunched under the weight of the emotions in this place. "Isn't everything about this place wrong?"

Lynx-o gave a low murmur of thought. "No. Beyond the nature of this place. Something deeper."

Tygra frowned "What kind of wrong?"

The cheetah paused, focused. "Like…like time distortion. As if the weight of days are compressed to hours."

"Wait!" Lion-o interrupted. "Are you saying time passes differently here?"

Snarf whimpered. "Snaarf, like the Cave of Time?"

Cheetara nodded. "I think so. It's hard to figure out without any outside representation."

Snarfer frowned. "Snarfer, the stars could tell us." Looking up, he frowned. "'Cept you can't see the stars here."

Panthro cracked his knuckles. "So, we're bleeding time here and there isn't anything we can do but rush through?"

Tygrs sighed. "So it seems. And the twins are already being as cautious as they can."

Helplessness coated the group, choking every throat. Knowing there was something amiss but being neither able to identify it nor combat it was worse than not knowing at all.

Pumyra kept her eyes skyward, toward the shadows that crept through the leaves. While there was little she could do—if anything at all—should it choose to attack, the illusion of control gave her some comfort in this desolate place.

They kept close as the kittens moved on. There was barely enough room for two of them to walk abreast so they spread out, across the path. While the twins had to avoid the pathway, the world didn't react to them.

Lynx-o knelt, trailing his fingers in the dirt. While the ground didn't react to his touch, it didn't stop the old cat from pulling information. "Something is here, traveling below the ground."

Lion-o pursed his lips. "Can you tell what it is, old friend?"

"Not with certainty." He admitted. "But it's large and fast. And following."

"Likely can sense vibrations." Tygrs concluded. "If the twins stay off the path, it can't emerge. Not enough room among the tree roots."

"Indeed." Lynx-o stood and continued forward. "If they remain off the sand. It's waiting, moving but so far, they are out of its range."

They walked on.

Pumyra kept her eyes in the canopy's. While she couldn't do anything regarding whatever underground creature was pursuing them, the large predator above them, she could see.

After a time, something so minuscule happened but it set in motion a wave of events.

Kit tripped, stumbling lightly to the right as her brother stepped down to catch her arm. Snarf was making a comment about the two not having proper sleep (with Snarfer rightly countering with who could sleep in such a place) when the shadow above them slunk down, crouched, and sprung.

"WilyKat!" Pumyra screeched her warning across the void.

OOO

WilyKat felt something. Nothing physical. It was a pull, a whisper of a thought. Something within, not outside.

He pushed his sister and she spiraled to the path, just as the dark cat creature landed where she'd been standing.

WilyKit scrambled to her feet. Even as she dug her claws into the ground for purchase, the dirt rumbled beneath her.

With an exposure of sand and air, a huge head broke the earth.

Red scales with wings torn to slivers and a mouth sporting two foot fangs, the dragon (as that was the best guess to its origin) roared.

Darting down with the speed of a viper, its fangs snatched Kit's left leg and they both vanished below the ground.