Euele let out a sigh and looked skywards. 

It had been... oh about four hours since the other group had left? Now she was all alone again and was struggling to bring herself to get up and continue on her way. She didn't have the furthest left to go to get out of here. Maybe two nights in the Earthen Furnace and then one, and maybe a nap in the Overgrown Caverns? She didn't know. Her pace had been pretty good up until today, her fears that the hellhounds would return and actually get her was fresh in her mind. She could still feel the hot breath of the hounds on her ankles, and the sharp fangs snapping at the air behind her. 

There were two left in the pack. Which meant they most likely wouldn't be a problem anymore. The leader was smart and would know better than to attack a courser just with two. A courser could easily handle them at that point. 

Not that that information was all that soothing.
She didn't want to hurt them, and none of her current supplies would lend well to chase off a couple of very smart hounds.

She heaved another sigh and looked across the remains of the campsite, her gaze drifting across where her companion played in the grasses. Acherna had been chasing bugs for an hour, occasionally getting distracted by grazing only to try and chase a grasshopper or fly when it buzzed or hopped past. The little drake was amusing, and like something of a soothing balm for her anxieties. Acherna had seemingly completely forgotten the events of the other day by now, content to frolic and tumble about in the fiery red heartgrass.

"Acherna, to me." She called out softly, watching as her pet immediately turned and started trotting back to her with something in her mouth. "Oh dear, what do you have?" The small drake dropped it proudly beneath her hooves before leaping into the air and settling on her shoulder, panting excitedly and staring down at the present. "O-oh. A half-eaten grasshopper... thank you." Having received her praise, Acherna let out a warbling burble and puffed out her chest proudly. Euele only let out a quiet laugh, amusedly brushing the remains of the cricket under some dust before moving forwards. "Come along, my dear little friend. We should have gotten going hours ago now." 

As much as Euele was disappointed in herself for not leaving when the other adventurers had, she really didn't care too much. She had awoken far too jumpy to do well in any worse than good situations, and had decided to rest until she felt better. It would be for the best for both her and Acherna if she were in good shape to keep on going and now that she was feeling better, she was worried she had lost a lot of valuable time. 

While it was true that the dungeon didn't really have a night or day, it very much did have cycles. And for the Earthen Furnace, that often meant that certain pathways were just not options at certain points of time throughout the day. Either because they were covered in lava or a certain dangerous species of creature usually was around, it didn't really matter. The best time of day to get things done here was at the height of the cycle, which she was going to miss by a good hour or so because she had stayed in camp so long. Hopefully it would still be safe enough by the time she reached both those points to actually cross without having to take the long way. 

As the name suggested, the long way often took two or three days more to get through, and though it did tend to be safer than the short route, she was already late to the surface, and she didn't want Jonas thinking that he wouldn't have to pay her back for all the trouble he had caused back at her family's farm. With a huff, she silently promised to rise out of the grave to ensure he fulfilled his word if ever the need arise.

Continuing onwards, it really didn't take her long to wander off course, getting distracted by the telltale signs of cave root and fire balm. Following the signs to the source, she soon got to work, collecting and sorting the samples between her bags, excited at her find. Neither were particularly rare, but they were a great find and a very helpful resource, particularly down among the flames. Fire balm was great for poultices and potions to help with burns or the heat.  And cave root had properties too numerous to list at the moment. Content with her finds, it was only then that she looked up.

She fought the urge to leap back, ears flipping back against her skull as she stared up into the open face that formed a doorway just in front of her. Its red, fiery eyes were almost lost amidst the rage, the lowered brow and snarling mouth locked in a silent and everlasting scream of rage. She couldn't help but find it more than a little frightening, the sharp teeth shimmering menacingly along either side of the arch, beckoning her in while threatening her life. It wasn't too unusual to see something such as this within the dungeon, it was simply the fact it had taken her so long to notice it that really unsettled her. To think that furious face had watched her as she hummed, happily collecting plants from before its garden. 

She wasn't superstitious, but she was tempted to take the plants out of her packs and plant them again.

The doorway was on her map. And conveniently, it seemed to be a quicker path than the one she had originally thought she would have to go through. Her ears twitched as she glanced at her companion. Acherna looked completely unruffled, she seemed rather content to be sitting on Euele's shoulder cleaning her scales and nibbling at her toes, much as a cat would. While the little creature could be oblivious at times, she trusted, and the immediate lack of concern was actually a wonderful sign for whatever it was that might be waiting for the both of them just that awful archway.

Staring down at the map, she quickly decided. She would continue on and follow the path before her. After all, it should get her home much quicker than the other routes.