Polaris watched the steady rise and fall of Cairn’s flank as the other courser slept. Three days into their trek through the Furnace, they were beginning to run out of water. Polaris knew Cairn wasn’t used to the searing heat of the magma plains, nor the bright, bubbling lava that sometimes spat flecks of molten hot rock at them.

His companion was exhausted, but despite that, slept restlessly. Cairn’s legs twitched, and small, snorting breaths sometimes fluttered his nostrils. Polaris wondered whether the grullo was dreaming, or whether his body was simply reacting to the uncertainty of their new environment.

He had to admit, it was nice to have a more constant partner. He had gone for years through the overgrown caverns above without finding a permanent- or at least semi-permanent- companion, and he’d learned early not to venture into the Furnace alone. The first and only time he’d been down here by himself had nearly gotten him killed; a massive snake with obsidian skin and glowing orange scales had risen from a pool of lava, and he’d barely escaped with his life. He’d since stayed in the caverns, living off the lush green plants and enjoying the odd- but ultimately harmless- encounters he’d had with the creatures up there.

It wasn’t until Cairn had cut him down from a tangle of vines, likely saving his life, if not his sanity, that Polaris had been able to come back down here. Cairn had been completely clueless about life in the dungeon, and yet he’d been brave enough to venture down here. Polaris had been loathe to leave him by himself. He’d taught Cairn what he could, skills he’d learnt from his training and his time down here alike. The other courser had picked it up quickly, and Polaris had begun to admire Cairn’s resilience; he had no idea how Cairn had had the stones to enter the dungeon alone and untrained. It was unfathomable to him.

Despite what dungeoneer bloodlines Polaris could clearly see in the other Courser, he kept it to himself. It wasn’t his place to comment on Cairn’s past, and Cairn had paid him the same respect, never asking beyond what Polaris was comfortable sharing about Solstice.

Their partnership was one Polaris wanted to continue. Though his eyes watched their surroundings keenly, his heart lay with Cairn. He knew he wouldn’t be able to leave the other courser’s side, and he was absolutely fine with that.