Michael grinned. His forehead wrinkled and his eyes decreased to slits. "It's a long story. But, in a nutshell, we never had daemons. We were never born with them or ever had a desire to have one. So, we are human 'exceptions' if you will."

Raylin sighed and looked at Michael. "How come you can touch our daemons, and we don't feel discomfort from it?"

Kimber cleared her throat. "Dust," she said to Michael. "Well... we haven't gotten very far in our... research, and... stuff." she shifted her eyes back down at the goop in her cup.
-Okay, maybe this wasn't the best idea...

Raylin glanced at Kimber and shrugged, digging into her soup. I think it's because they know our names, and can touch you and Skaene without causing any of us discomfort.
Oh. Ryder sent Raylin's suspicions to Skaene, then changed form and draped himself around her neck. Just relax, Raylin.

Kimber glanced over at Raylin, sending her messages with her brain that mainly consisted of "What the heck? Don't you trust them?" She quickly stared at her soup again, hesitating to take a sip despite the mouth water aroma entering her nostrils as a result.

((lol, i know ><))
Raylin sat down uncertainly and glanced at Kimber. "About...?"
Why don't you trust them Raylin?
I don't know, I just don't...

((Blaargh... this is taking too much effort. Haha))

Michael lead them to a fire pit and began scooping soup into stone cups. He handed each of them one and beckoned them to take a seat. "So, what do you know?" he began

((i dont hv any ideas either ><))
Raylin smiled and nodded slightly, looking around curiously. Ryder sat silently in her arms, watching the three strange people curiously.

Kimber glanced down and Skaene and walked through the doorway. She was greeted by the third mystery person.

((You can have this person, Snowsong. My creative juices are running low.))

She glanced back at Raylin to see if she still had the book with her.

Raylin nodded and knelt to pick up Ryder as he jumped into her arms, in the form of a cat. She straightened up and studied the two men. "What do you think we have in common?"
Raylin, the book.

When the dust cleared, Skaene proudly pranced toward Kimber as a dog. The pain of separation rapidly decreased. A man with a pale white beard dressed in a deep blue cloak.
He's a freaking wizard.
-Stereotypes, Kimber.
"Greetings, Kimber and Raylin. My name is Michael. I hear we have something in common... something important," he finished with a raise of his eyebrows. The main next to him stepped forward. His skin was of a light brown hue and he had coils of black hair flowing from his head.
"And I am Litheo. We welcome you into our abode," he gestured at the doorway with a frail hand.

Raylin closed her eyes and bit her lip. As the door opened beside her, she turned toward it and jumped away. "What the...?"

Kimber grimaced as there was another tug. "This sucks, huh?" she asked Raylin.
-Oh, odd.
What, Skaene?
-Michael and touch me without hurting me.
Michael? Who's Michael?
-He's Litheo's really close friend. They're working together on Dust.
Who's Lithe- nevermind
-We're coming.
There was a deep rumble as a door crept open next to Raylin.

"Kimber? What is it?" Raylin rushed to her friend's side anxiously.
Skaene got to far, Raylin. I'm going to follow him
What? No! Raylin grimaced as Ryder followed after Skaene.

Skaene broke through a group of intersecting cracks. Light poured through the hole. Skaene blinked his eyes as they adjusted.
See anything?
-No, no, wait.
Skaene squinted through the hole.
-I see...
What?
-I see three people... three people, yeah. They're gathered around a fire. They look kind of old and, I dunno, wise.
Weird.
-Agreed. I think we should talk to them.
WHAT?!
-Yeah, we need to know how to get out of here without being killed and they might know.
Those three people might get us killed.
-I just feel as if this is the right thing to do, okay? I'm going through. I apologize ahead of time for the pain.
No, Skaene, ah!
Kimber flattened herself against the wall as she cried out in pain.

Ryder hesitated for a moment, then started scratching at the cracks as well. Raylin...
I know Ryder. I'm sorry, but we need to figure out what's around us.

-Well, there's light, so it must be coming from some source. And besides, if there's any danger, this hole is so small, whatever is on the other side won't notice.
Done yet?
-Patience, Kimber. I never bug you like this, do I?
No, but I'm getting kind of anxious. The separation is kinda tugging on me.
-Oh, right.
Skaene started scratching at the cracks.

Ryder flinched and looked at Raylin, who frowned at him. Fine, I'm coming... He shifted into a mouse as well and scampered into the hole before he could change his mind. By the time he reached Skaene, he was ready to bolt. We need to get through here?

Skaene sighed and reluctantly shifted into a field mouse. He scampered over to the whole and popped in.
See anything?
-Black.
No, really?
-Hahah. Oh, wait...
Skaene.
Skaene?
-There's this light... Oh, it's coming from cracks at the end of this tunnel. I need Ryder to get in here and try to get to the other side.

Raylin giggled and went over to look at the hole. "Yeah, we won't fit. You mind going in there Ryder?" She looked at him, and he stared back at her without blinking. She sighed. "Right, sorry."

"We could drill a hole in the wall, I suppose..." Kimber's eyes wandered around gray walls of the cave. They settled on an odd colored boulder at the other end. "That's odd..." She approached the tan rock and pushed on it. It budged. "This is just like in the books." she said to herself. Kimber rolled the boulder away from its original spot to reveal a small hole. She bent down and peered through it. "Huh. It's a tunnel. Too bad we can't fit." She straightened herself. Her eyes stopped on Skaene. She grinned. "Heeey, you! You wouldn't mind shifting into a cute teeny mouse, now wouldja?"

Raylin nodded. "Sounds like a plan to me. Any ideas for book hiding spots?"

"Find a good hiding spot for the book, I would think," sighed Kimber, "Then, we figure out where to go to find someone who may have a clue as to what is going on."

Raylin sat down next to Kimber and smiled as Ryder changed into a fox and curled up in her lap. "So, what now?"

Skaene shifted into a wolf and curled around Kimber as she sat down inside the cave.

Raylin smiled and nodded. "Yeah. Let's go inside."

"Into this coincidentally located cave," Kimber gasped. Flying wasn't her thing. "Still have the-?" she cleared her throat and raised her eyebrows.
-Way to be subtle.
Shut up.

((mhmm, they're big, lol))
As soon as Ryder landed, Raylin slid from his back and landed in the snow, shivering and looking around. "Okay, now where?"

((I wasn't sure if Albatrosses were big or not. d:))

Skaene beat his wings as hard as he could. The four flew towards the [blabla:] mountain range, hoping to find shelter and time to think.

"Yeah, it should." Raylin giggled as Ryder changed into an albatross, and she climbed onto his back. "You okay Ryder?" He nodded his head, and she looked at Kimber. "Let's go."

"Let's fly!" Kimber exclaimed. Skaene shifted into a very large bird and hoisted Kimber onto his back. "Does this work?" laughed Kimber.
-Gosh, you're heavy.
Shut up.

"Oh, I suppose that makes sense." Raylin stared at the dirt and shook her head, starting to relax after the tunnel. "No idea. Away from here sounds like a good idea at the moment." She looked down at the grond, scowling. "Of course, the snow won't let us hide." She shook her head at it.

"Hologram," explained Kimber. She grinned as they took in the giant blanket of snow surrounding them. "Where are we heading to, again?"

Raylin hesitated, then put her hand to the dirt and pushed it through. She let out a quiet, surprised gasp as it passed through, and she quickly followed Kimber through. "What the heck?"

Kimber let the door down slowly. Skaene shifted into a mouse and jumped into her hood. "Onward," Kimber whispered. The team moved on for another 20 minutes when they came to a dead end. "Ready for some fresh air?" Kimber asked Raylin and Ryder. Without waiting for an answer, she walked right through the wall of dirt. "Hurry!" She could be heard through the undisturbed dirt.

Raylin nodded and jumped, grabbing Kimber's outstretched hand and pulling herself out of the hole. "Thanks." Ryder flew up beside her, in the form of a bat, and cirlced overhead.

Kimber immediately dropped to her knees and began patting the earth. "Come on, come on," she muttered, "Where'd you go?" Finally her palm came up against something solid. She grinned. Skaene grabbed the handle and pulled. The handle was connected to a chain which was connected to ... who knows what. Kimber grinned as a door soundlessly opened above them. "Perfect." she whispered. Kimber jumped and grabbed the sides of the opening above them, hoisting herself up. She bent down with her hand extended. "Come on!"

Raylin laughed weakly when Kimber said that. "Actaully..." She fell silent as she heard the footsteps, and she hesitated, then dropped her voice to barely a whisper. "Kimber, what now?"

"You okay back there, Raylin?" Kimber spoke to the darkness behind her. "Hope you're not claustrophobic." She said jokingly. Skaene walked with her, brushing her leg to let her know he was still there. That was when they began to hear the faint footsteps.

Raylin stared into the darkness for a moment, then followed Kimber, making sure to close the door behind herself as she walked through. She kept imagining the tunnel collapsing on them. She started having trouble breathing, feeling like the walls were closing in on her.
Ryder rubbed his head against her cheek, trying to calm her down. Raylin, you're perfectly safe. We'll get out of this okay, just don't panic. Kimber isn't out to kill us. Raylin nodded silently, still having trouble breathing.

"Not very long," replied Kimber. "We have to reach this other door. It has a latch kinda thing-aha! We're here." She pulled the rusty latch open and cringed when the hinges squeaked as she pulled the door open. "Close the door behind you," she reminded Raylin as she disappeared into yet another dark hole.

Raylin followed Kimber, her eyes straining uselessly to see in the dark. She chewed her lip as she imagined the dark tunnel collapsing on them, and shuddered. "Hey Kimber," She whispered, "How much farther is it?"
Ryder climbed up to Raylin's shoulder and curled around her neck, trying to comfort her in the shape of a ferret. The tunnel isn't going to collapse on us Raylin. Just relax.

Kimber hurried through the tunnel, trusting her memory to guide her. Her fingers was trailing the rugged walls of the tunnel when Skaene showed up.
Glad you remembered the entrance.
-It wasn't that hard to remember.
Let's just hope getting out of here will be of the same level of difficulty.

"Oh!" Raylin kept her voice quiet. "I was going to put the book in the fridge, but that works better, I think." She scrambled after Kimber, Ryder close behind her.

"No, silly!" whisper shouted Kimber at Raylin. She continued to pull the rug up from the floor to reveal a trap door. Skaene shifted into a gorilla and lifted the door up. "Hurry!" urged Kimber as she disappeared down the dark hole. "Skaene will cover the door with the rug. He has another entrance."

Raylin looked down at what she was doing and shook her head. "No, don't put it under there, you can tell it's there! Hand it here." She held her hand out and grabbed another book off the bookshelf, and quickly wrapped it in a towel. "Put this under the rug."

Kimber stared at the door right when a rock shattered the front window. "Craaap!" muttered Kimber under her breath. She grabbed the Dust book and began to lift up the rug they were standing on.

Rayling felt a shiver go down her back and she nodded. "Alright. I just hope we can fend them off."

The pounding stopped.
Kimber gasped and crept away from the curtain. "It's THEM." she shout-whispered at Raylin. "I vote we sit and wait. No need attacking if they haven't hacked the door down yet." She stood up. "Actually, I say we stand."

Ryalin spun to face the door, knife held at the ready. "Who's there?!" She yelled, not wanting to get closer in case it was someone intent on killing them.