Pandora wasn't sure about the band of misfits she'd been saddled with after Rattler had bailed on them, throwing a half-hearted excuse over her pale shoulder and disappearing into the night. Typical. One of them looked like he'd never seen a dungeon before, and the other two were abnormally quiet. Normally, that wasn't an issue - but the green-eyed overo unnerved her, something about him made her skin crawl. His hooves barely made sound as he moved across the stone floor, and he had a nasty little habit of 'disappearing' only to reappear directly in front of her where she swore he hadn't been before.

He'd given her little information when she questioned him, merely informing her that he was born within the dungeon. It made sense, those born within the depths definitely seemed to have a deeper connection to it naturally. But, it wasn't that such a bond couldn't be cultivated. Pandora liked to think she was on the dungeon's good side, and was praying that luck held out when push came to shove with these three.

"Pandora," it was the newbie, Dorian. "Where does this lead?"

One long ear flicked as the puck considered his words. "I don't know."

"You don't know?" Dorian seemed surprised.

"I'm not omniscient," She explained patiently, amused. "This run is usually Rattler's."

The dun mare - Valkyrie - stepped up beside Dorian, eying him with what looked like approval. "Are you afraid?" She queried.

"Aren't you?" The black overo asked, sterling eyes surprisingly bright as he turned to face her. "I think it's normal to be afraid. Healthy, even."

Pandora heard a broken chuckle from somewhere ahead - she knew it was Ghoul, the strange green overo. It was amazing how someone with such an opalescent white could vanish into nothingness as often and easily as he seemed to. She didn't see him, but she knew he wasn't far off.

"I think you're very brave to admit that." Valkyrie was saying, stepping up towards a corridor.

The silver-eyed overo looked pleased with that. "Thanks."

Pandora was amused by the way he picked his front legs up slightly higher than usual and, for the first time since they started, took initiative. He stepped up towards the corridor and paused to look back at Pandora, where he then stopped and waited. Recognizing the ask for what it was, she gave a slow blink and moved to stand at his flank. The young courser took a steadying breath, and then entered.

It felt like an eternity of walking when Pandora noticed Dorian's steps were coming quicker, and he was beginning to look nervous. The corridor had steadily been narrowing, but she had been certain she'd seen Rattler's sigil outside the entrance. Which fully confirmed it was a safe route to take. However.. They'd been nose to tail with little wiggle room for a few minutes now, and she could feel the group's energy spiking uncomfortably as they continued on. Mostly, it seemed to be coming from Dorian.

"You okay kid?" Pandora asked, "All good up front?"

"Y-yeah.."

They continued on in silence for a time, nothing but hooves on smooth, cold stone ringing loudly down the pathway. Everything seemed to echo, and Pandora was all too aware of their breathing and every shift of fur against fur or stone. Ghoul was somewhere in the back, hopefully still actually with them as she hadn't seen him in some time to confirm, and Valkyrie was directly behind her. Occasionally, the dun would ask a quiet question and Pandora would answer but beyond that nobody said a word.

At least until Pandora walked right into Dorian's haunches.

"What-" Pandora resisted the urge to bite him on the cheek and send him forward again. A few moments passed and her patience waned. "Go on, kid, don't stop now."

"It's.. tight." He attempted to step back, this time really meeting Pandora's teeth when his hoof landed on hers. "It's really tight.. m-maybe we should turn around-"

"What's going on?" Valkyrie asked, calling up the line. The puck could feel her leaning close. "Why have we stopped?"

She could see Dorian's nostrils flaring, feel the panic beginning to roll off him in waves. The puck would have to act fast if she wanted to get him under control, in these tight quarters someone could get seriously hurt. There was barely any wiggle room on either side of their bodies at this point, the passage just barely big enough for coursers. However, her faith in Rattler didn't wane. Pan knew the heraldic wouldn't have marked an unsafe path, so - eventually - it opened up. She just had to keep them moving until it did.

"Dorian." Pandora interrupted the young courser with another nip, "You need to keep going."

"We have to turn around, Pandora, I can't-"

"We can't turn around."

"Please-"

"There's not enough room."

Panic visibly rippled through the overo. "I can't-"

"You have to trust me." Pandora said, a bit more firmly than originally intended. However, the overo seemed to settle slightly though his body was tense and coiled. "This pathway is safe. I promise. You have to keep going, there's not enough room to turn around here."

"You've got this, Dorian!" Valkyrie was standing quietly behind Pandora, and the puck was grateful for her calm.

"O-okay.."

“Trust me.” Pandora urged, pressing her forehead to the side of his tail. He relaxed slightly, and she heard him take a shaky breath - just like the one he’d taken prior - before he began moving again.

Relief flooded through Pandora, but it turned into a bolt of ice when she heard Valkyries scream ring out from behind her. The familiar sound of hooves hitting flesh and squealing filled the corridor, and Pan angled her head against the wall just in time to see the dun mare kicking the living daylights out of the opalescent overo stallion. 

Her face held the most expression Pandora had seen the whole time they'd been traveling together, and surprisingly anger suited her. At that moment, she was reminded of Rattler and her near feral ferocity. Valkyrie was every bit as fierce, squealing and kicking and landing nearly every hit until Ghoul had backed off far enough that her hooves could no longer reach him. 

Both were heaving after the scuffle, and annoyance finally burst through Pandora. “What in the depth was that?!”

“Ask him,” Valkyrie spat, angling her head to stare at Ghoul who was now barely visible in the gloom.

“Care to explain yourself?” Pan questioned, eyes narrowing.

The courser said nothing, instead simply averting his gaze in what Pandora hoped as an appeasement gesture. Valkyrie was already aiming another kick for him, but he’d backed up another few steps. She watched them for a moment, unsure she'd be able to stop something if they started again. The puck did notice a strange twitch along Ghoul's withers, and his face was pinched in discomfort. Maybe they had two claustrophobes in their midst. Just her luck.

“If that’s out of our systems,” Pandora started, attempting to keep her voice level. “We should continue on.”

“Bite me again and I’ll kick your head off your neck.” Valkyrie spat over her shoulder, nuking the vibe Pandora was attempting to cultivate.

“Enough.” Pandora interrupted, stomping her hooves and wiggling her short tail in frustration. “Dorian, carry on. With some speed, please.”

The dark overo seemed much more relaxed than he had minutes prior, and he was quick to move deeper down the passageway.