When The Stars Died

Dead Caves

Hunched in front of the flickering fire, everyone crowded together, and Pandora was squished between the wall of black fluff that was Fiercefur and Skeeter, who smelt like nature. Beside Firrcefur, Brownberry sat on her haunches, snuggling up to her mate.

The Redpelts were all huddled together into a big red ball of fur. Skeeter added another log to the fire. Nut fiddled with a small stick fastidiously, twisting it, and weaving its twigs together, creating a little head. Then he dipped the head in the flames of the fire and held the stick in his little mouth, scampering along the caves. The walls cast strange shadows, claws and spikes and circles and half moons, and Nut soon dropped the stick when the flames almost lit his whiskers.

But he had the right idea.

Pandora sifted through the pile of dead wood that Skeeter had brought in and searched for the perfect stick.

"Ah ha!" She cried triumphantly, holding up a random stick. She weaves the finer twigs together and dipped it into the flames.
"This is awesome." She exclaimed, holding up her homemade torch to the cave walls.
"Wait." Skeeter snapped. "Go back."

Pandora looked at him weirdly, but stepped back a few paces.

"Hold the fire t' the wall..." Skeeter instructed.

Pandora did so and gasped.

It was a humungous carving etched into the wall, stretching for metres upon metres, and upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a map of the caves.

"This is amazin'," Skeeter whispered as he joined Pandora in front of the map, "look, it's perfect... So we must be here... Look! There's even little labels... Oh! Woah..."

The mysterious mapmaker hadn't been here too long ago, and the carvings were deep and purposeful, and the map looked pretty accurate, except for one cave tunnel that led to an unmarked cavern.

"What's this?" Skeeter asked, pointing at the unnamed cavern.
"I don't know... Maybe he gave up on the whole map making thing?" Pandora suggested.
"Nah, somethin' happened to him, I reckon."
Pandora felt the edge of one of the ridges in the wall and it crumbled.
"This is very recent." She commented.
"How recent?"
"Pretty recent. Last couple days, I think... Oh. There's a can..." Pandora bent over and scooped up a half drank can of soft drink.

"Ugh, he must've been poor, this is home brand stuff." Pandora muttered, just as Skeeter said brightly, "I love this stuff! Me ma used t' buy it all t' time!"

"Sorry." Pandora said meekly.
"'S okay. We didn't have much money, I s'pose." Skeeter grinned.
"Wait." Pandora whispered. "Ssh."

Everyone quietened, even the animals.

Footsteps thundered past, heavy footsteps, many footsteps.
They stopped outside the cave.

"Commander!" A painfully raspy voice called. "Here?"

The footsteps remained silent, except for one pair, which marched purposefully towards the boulder at the cave's entrance.

"Are you an idiot?" A deep voice growled. "Do you know how heavy these Earth rocks are? It's almost like you're trying to stall us. Are you, soldier?"
"No. It's Reditirisus, though."
"Though what?" The deep voice snapped.
"Though, sir."
"Are you disrespecting me?" The commander hissed.
"No, sir."
"That sounded disrespectful to me, sir." Another voice chirped.
"Shut up, Dertimodus." The first voice sniffed.
"Do you know what you're doing right now? You're stalling this. This, and us. You need to stop, or else—"
"Or else what?" The first voice—Reditirisus—sneered.
"That's it." The commander groaned. "You've done it, you idiot. I'm going to kill you. Bring me my gun, Dertimodus."
"Yes, sir."