Oregano slept for some time, his tiny form curled into a ball once more. It reminded Jon of his dogs at home. That was the way they slept when it was cold. Jon stopped at the thought, realizing he had not really thought about the cold since he changed forms. Inevitably, this train of thought triggered a spider-fact.

  “Spider facts!

  Category: Anatomy/Physiology

  Subcategory: Sensory organs

  Although it can be clearly demonstrated that spiders have the ability to sense internal and external thermal stimuli, the exact nature of the receptors which provide this information to the spider nervous system is unclear. Externally, the primary thermoreceptors have been found on the distal aspects of the limbs in the tarsal organs, and it is thought some sensory hairs may be capable of detecting changes in temperature. Internal body temperature monitoring is even more poorly documented. Some scholars have postulated that the heart ganglion may possess internal temperature sensation, and avoidance behaviors have been documented when the internal temperature rises too high.”

  Not one of Zach’s more helpful tidbits, Jon reflected. He could have told them he was able to sense temperature along his back and abdomen as well as his spinnerets, but it did seem like his feet were the most sensitive. The internal temperature sensation was strange. Having a thick exoskeleton made temperature less of an immediate concern for comfort, but he found it surprising how little he thought about it in the subterranean tunnels. They were quite cool.

  As he considered the opportunity he would present to researchers, Jon was suddenly glad he had left some of his countryman behind. He didn't fancy being vivisected for science.

  His dark thoughts were disturbed when Jon felt a motion from the web below. It was a faint vibration, and he focused his mental sense. At first, he felt nothing.

  Then he felt a group of minds approach. He sensed six distinct mental patterns; Jon held absolutely still as they passed below. He waited for several minutes after they were gone before proceeding.

  He slowly and carefully descended the shaft using a silken tether. He floated his way down while using his legs primarily to steer. After he made his way down to the tunnel, he took up his observation again.

  Again there was silence for several minutes. Then, more vibrations.

  This set felt more substantial, and he felt two more minds approaching far faster than the first ones had. In a blur of motion, two of the alpha bunnies traveled by the gap in the crystals below. One of them screeched as they passed. The call was answered distantly, and then the bunnies were gone.

  Jon reascended slowly, using his thread to guide him up to the shelf. He found Oregano already awake and waiting for him when he arrived. The rat was clearly ready to go and fight again, but Jon urged caution based on the numbers.

  There was no way Jon and Oregano could take on the two alphas alone, much less any reinforcements. Oregano reluctantly agreed. The rat acknowledged that death without hope of victory was not a desirable outcome.

  Jon focused on the light from the I.O.U. card. When he was not specifically thinking of it, his brain seemed to filter it out, which was part of how he had made it so far into the tunnels before starting to actually follow its course. He had a feeling that they were approaching the end point of the I.O.U. card’s guidance.

  He was worried about the frequent scouting parties. They had been here for hours before this, and seen nothing, but having two groups go by in quick succession spooked him.

  They needed to leave, but Jon wanted to take steps to secure Oregano first. Thus far, Oregano had ridden on his back, but that wouldn’t do if they needed to flee quickly or hide along the ceiling. Jon made a small pocket of silk for Oregano, and placed him on his abdomen like a little kangaroo joey.

  The pocket was just behind his legs, and had holes for Oregano to stick his paws into in case Jon had to turn upside down or sideways to travel along the ceiling or walls. The poor rat had gotten a bit of a pummeling during the initial phases of their journey. Jon had panicked several times during false alarms, grabbing the rat off his back and jumping or running along the tunnel walls and ceiling, all while holding Oregano with a claw.

  With these preparations completed, Jon dropped along his silk line back to the tunnel, then began another ceiling walk.

  As they made their way along the ceiling, Jon began following the light from the card. It was directing him to follow the two alphas he had seen earlier, and he did so cautiously. The ceiling often became covered in large crystals, and when this happened he was forced to walk along the sides of the tunnel. The fungi continued to provide a low, steady light.

  It reminded Jon of a book light set to night mode, and he felt a momentary pang of homesickness. His wife usually read in bed each night, and it was her book light he was thinking of. Jon wished he could just wake up next to her and tell her about the strange and terrible dream he had.

  Oregano interrupted Jon’s melancholy when he alerted him to more bunny screams from ahead. Jon began to feel very exposed, though no more bunnies had come from behind since the two alphas had passed.

  There were no side tunnels or crevices in the ceiling to escape to, and Jon was worried they were approaching a main warren.

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  It had occurred to Jon that the bunny screams might be more than just communication. He had begun to suspect they might also serve as a means of hunting prey in the dark tunnels, similar to echolocation.

  When he raised the possibility to Oregano, he received a mental shrug in return, though the rat indicated the bunnies did seem to have little difficulty finding prey hiding in the dark. This was true in the tunnels, and also true out in the cavern.

  After traveling for around twenty minutes along the ceiling, they came to a fork in the tunnel. Jon could feel cool, moist air and a faint vibration from the opening on the left, and warmer stagnant air with an animal musk from the opening on the right.

  The musk was the same he had sensed on his initial entrance to the cavern after the countdown. Jon suspected this was one of the main paths into the warren, but he did not want to find out. To Jon’s relief, the I.O.U. card’s light directed them to the left tunnel.

  Jon began up the left fork, which sloped gently upwards. He continued along the ceiling as before. The tunnels up to this point had consistently been three to four meters in diameter; this tunnel was notably smaller, only around half the size of the others.

  Thankfully it was clear of the crystals, with more sporadic fungi making it much darker than the other tunnels. Jon moved as slowly and silently as he could, all his senses on high alert for the slightest indication of life.

  After traveling this way for around fifty meters, Jon did detect something. It was from the taste/smell receptors on his front claws, and he could only describe it as fishy. Jon noted an increase in the light around a bend in the tunnel ahead of them. He slowed even further. As he did so, he began to feel an increase in the vibrations around them. He didn’t think it was an animal, it was too constant.

  Jon stopped to check in with Oregano:

  “Hey friend, wanted to see if you know what we’re walking into. I can smell something that reminds me of an animal back home that lives in the water, and I can feel a constant sort of vibration in the rocks from something moving ahead. Its also starting to get a little brighter, so I think we might be headed back out into the main cavern. Any idea what the fish smell is, or the source of the vibration?”

  The rat spent a few seconds interpreting his message. Jon had sent him his impression of the scent along with the message, which made it a lot easier to communicate what he meant.

  A few seconds later Oregano returned him an image of the waterfall Jon had seen when he first walked into the main cavern, and tied it to the vibrating feeling in Jon’s feet.

  That first sight of the cavern felt like a different life already, though he couldn’t have been here more than a few days. Oregano had no idea what the fishy smell might be, and suggested caution.

  “No argument from me,” Jon thought.

  Jon continued to slowly work his way up the tunnel, and as he rounded the bend he saw the brighter white light for the first time in so long. The vibration had become more intense, and Jon could hear little over the increasing thunder of the waterfall as they approached the cave mouth.

  Staying completely silent, Jon advanced slowly to the mouth of the cave, pausing after each step for a second or two to ensure there were no changes. His eyes rapidly adjusted to the increasing ambient light, and he found himself able to rely on his vision for the first time in what felt like days.

  At the tunnel entrance he could see some slick grey rock, which looked like wet lime stone. It was coated in water from the thundering falls, which were around ten meters away from him. There were no other living things in view. His vibratory sense was in agreement, and he felt a moment of relief. Then Jon froze as his mental sense picked up something above him.

  Jon had felt something like this before, and he felt his heart begin to hammer in his abdomen.

  The minds were just like the lobster-cherub. This time though, there were dozens of the things, all roosting near the top of the alcove. Jon did not dare to poke his head out of the cave entrance, and he fought off his growing horror as he silently communicated the situation to Oregano.

  The rat only knew of the cherubs by reputation, and he was just as fearful. The rat folk had a name for the cherubs best summarized as “death from above.”

  Jon held off panic. They could still easily back away if they left right now, they had not yet been detected. Jon was not sure, but he did not think the tunnel was wide enough for the cherubs to make their way down. The massive bone spurs on their feet would make maneuvering very difficult.

  But what if that was just one of the forms they took? In his mind’s eye, Jon could picture a version of the creature that was more oriented towards aerial combat, or towards crawling through tunnels. It was time to get the hell out of here.

  As though in answer to his thoughts, Jon heard something he had been dreading. The sharp cries of the quill bunnies echoed up the tunnel behind them.

  For once, Jon felt gratitude that he lacked his old physiology. No vocal cords to give himself away with a gasp, eight legs to hold him steady and silent. Oregano was fairing better than he would have: whether through long practice or better instincts, the rat was completely silent.

  Jon looked out the tunnel entrance, feeling the increasing agitation of the cherubs above. He wished he could sense their thoughts, but he couldn’t get any impressions without a psionic attack. However, he still had access to his more mundane senses, and from them he gathered that the cherubs had heard the war cries of the bunnies approaching. The cherubs were preparing a greeting.

  As for Jon, options were extremely limited, and none of them were good. There was no chance he could hide right here. Oregano might have stood a better shot on his own, but Jon doubted it. There were no openings to crawl into and the tunnel surface was smooth.

  Fighting was also out. Jon might win out against a single alpha if he could ambush it, or if his new increase in psionic power was able to overwhelm its defenses, but he would not bet his life on it.

  Besides, those cries were not just one bunny. It was probably a few dozen from the sounds. Jon hadn’t thought warrens got that big, but these bunnies weren’t exactly typical rabbits. Even if he stood a chance in a fight, if Jon engaged with the rabbits in any way the cherubs would be aware of his presence. They would not let him go easily.

  Distracting the bunnies with his psionics might be possible with his thread, but in the end the rabbits only had to explore one direction. This expedition also seemed less like a patrol than a war party. They were coming here with purpose, and even if he sent out a distraction he would expect them to continue charging up the tunnel, maybe sparing one or two scouts to investigate the source of any noises.

  Jon narrowed his options down to one, and he was not a fan. It was time for a leap of faith.