The next morning.

You awake before dawn; You couldn't have been asleep for long as you were occupied with your first mate for most of the night. You had decided in the early days of youth that you should wait until after you had faced the Raghik to take a mate. It was common practice to wait until a great trophy had been obtained to take a mate. After only one night with Rigga you were glad you waited so long. The pallid mists of the morning congeal above you on the verdure slopes of the mountain peaks, illuminated by the first lights of the rising sun. You are not the first person here to rise of course, and of those who are already awake many must be out hunting. You decide that you had better do the same, carefully rising from your place next to Rigga and beginning your day.

You begin to ponder what is to come.

You could've marched a few days ago, but something inside you was hesitating. Your kin were gathered, you now had a mate, and yet you felt you lacked something. Something intangible impressed upon you this feeling of unpreparedness, Of aching vulnerability. It was not a feeling that you liked, much less one that you were accustomed to.

You couldn't explain it but whatever it was, it was currently hindering your progress both mentally and geographically speaking.

You come to the conclusion that at some juncture these thoughts become pointless, and push them to the back of your mind so that you can focus on the task at hand. You are a much better hunter when you are alone so your chances of success should be high, but your first hour or so isn't promising. Only old elk trails meander about here and there, with not even the slightest scent of elk or kine or boar anywhere. You can't even hear any birds which is quite unusual indeed when one considers how hardy and plentiful the ravens are in the area. In order to avoid wasting your day, you decide to go south toward the valleys, but you find your thoughts interrupted by a voice.

"Do not turn away. Keep going." It says in what is almost a whisper, the voice is faint but clear. Then it speaks louder..

"Follow me." With that you see a faint glow ignite a few yards ahead of your original path, even in the daylight it is plain to your sight.

Curiosity is an uncommon trait amongst the Ardri, as it is both bothersome and often dangerous. At the very least it is an undesirable thing, a vice to be actively combatted with virtues like resolve and discretion. However, this curiosity is more compelling by far than anything that you or any human could ward off. You find yourself placing one foot in front of the other following the distant bobbing glow into the dense overgrowth ahead, with a mindless and unfamiliar sense of purpose.

Lower it guided you, through the chilled mountain streams into a small valley. Here at its center was a grand cave cutting deep into the earth, water pouring down endlessly into the hungry maw of the cavern. The light guided you down, your body more than capable of traversing even this steep and treacherous terrain, as you follow the spectral light deeper into the cairn. You try to avoid looking directly at the light now so that your eyes can adjust to the darkness, and they do so within only a second or two, allowing you to better see your surroundings. Even with your finely honed senses it is difficult to see here in the deep earth, were it not for the glow of your guiding light you might actually have some difficulty in seeing although you have other senses at your disposal which would not fail you here. There is a strange, warm breeze which blows past you occasionally, carrying with it a strong acrid scent that you can't quite seem to identify. At times it seems to blow at your back and other times into your face. As you go along the scent becomes stronger and the light is seemingly leading you to its source. Suddenly the light ascends and attaches itself to the ceiling of the cave, illuminating a vast heaving wall of scales that blocks any further progress..