His companions had been concerned for him, Phantom especially. He wasn’t sure if going down into the dungeon alone was the greatest idea and he voiced that concern. They had decided to get help from one of the more experienced coursers here and it was proving to work in their favor. Fetch obliged, though they weren’t quite sure if that was her actual answer. They just followed behind the mare and had made it through quite effortlessly until they hit the Moor.

That’s where they were now, resting in one of the chambers they stopped in. They had been down here a few days now, and the black stallion had been fighting sleep for as long as he could, his dreams lately concerning him. Some had been terrifying, friends dropping like flies and Shadow not being able to do anything about it. A few had involved his cat Critter running away and never coming back; that one made Shadow the most sad. 

He could hear the quiet conversation between Fetch and Phantom, but what they were talking about he couldn’t figure out. Darkness seeped in at the corner of Shadow’s eyes, the sounds of water drip drip dripping around him and the purrs of Critter lulling him to sleep. A gentle breeze rolled over his pelt and sleep finally had its hands on him. 

There was no exact pinpoint to when he fell asleep, but when his eyes opened he wasn’t where he had fallen asleep. Phantom had been concerned for the other as his body twitched in his sleep. Fetch gave the grey a slight nudge and offered him some tea to see if they could get to sleep as well. The dripstone was calming and there wasn’t anything in here so he took her offer and slowly sipped the tea as he continued to watch the stallion.

Cliffs stretched out in front of him, and as he looked below he realized that there was no bottom anywhere in sight. His head whipped around when he remembered Critter had been with him and he started to freak out when the cat was nowhere to be seen. 

He had been too busy looking for Critter; he almost missed the faint voice calling out for him. It sounded so close to Shadow that he could almost grab whoever was talking, but so far away at the same time. It sounded feminine, and for a moment Shadow was even more confused. 

Feeling like he should look down, his eyes followed suit. Below him was the form of Fetch, but it seemed mangled and shredded, looking like she had hit the cliff side a few times before hitting the ground. The body was talking to him; repeating what he had said to her in the small time the group had been together.

Next came Phantom’s voice, sounding almost disembodied. Shadow took a step back from the cliff where Fetch was, if he looked at her anymore he was scared he was going to go over the cliff as well. He tried to shut out her cries; there was no way she was still alive after that.

He focused on where Phantom’s voice was coming from and hoped the grey had Critter with him. A crash could be heard close by and the black courser had to focus on what he was listening to. The sound of rocks crashing together, almost like someone was picking a rock up and dropping it again. 

He forced himself to run faster and as he looked down the ground around him started to fall away. A scream out of nowhere, though he couldn’t tell if it was coming from him or around him. The sound engulfed him as Fetch and Phantom both appeared in front of him. What was happening, how did they end up so hurt? Was it his fault, and where was Critter? They were all fine a moment ago so what happened?? Without a moment to think he started to fall through the air, the sky around him growing darker and darker as the three of them plummeted to the ground.

The stallion awoke with a start, hopping onto his feet as he looked madly around the room, Critter landing softly on a bed of moss beside him. When his eyes met Phantom and Fetch, a confused look and a heavy sigh escaped his mouth, it had all been a dream. “I thought I had lost you both, and Critter too. Gods I hate this place, I don’t want to be here anymore.” 

Phantom stood up and let out a quick stretch before moving over to Shadow. “What happened?” The black stallion leaned into the other and let his fear slowly melt away.

“Fetch had fallen down a cliff, but all I could see was the aftermath. You were nowhere to be found until I started falling as well, and it looked like you had been crushed. Critter was just gone and I knew in my dream that I wasn’t going to ever find him.” A single tear rolled down the side of his face before he closed his eyes once more.

Fetch stood up after a moment as well, offering him the tea they had been drinking only a few minutes earlier. He took the bowl and thanked her, swallowing it all in one go. “Don’t worry, we’re all fine and we will continue to be fine. The dungeon does not want to hurt us.” Shadow looked at her with confusion but decided not to comment, if there was anyone to trust it would be her. 

“Let’s get moving, I want out of here as fast as possible.” 

“Shadow, I’m here if you need anything, don’t forget that.” Phantom gave him a slight nudge and a smile and the black stallion knew they would be alright.