Four Coursers meet at the entrance to the next cavern. Two are brothers; they know each other’s moves inside and out. They have never met the others before. There is safety in numbers, the old saying goes, but in times like these, where stealth is so important, the brothers want nothing to do with strangers whose abilities they do not know or trust.

The two others are unrelated to each other. They met halfway down the previous passage, when one had tripped over the other’s mimic. The first had been annoyed; who leaves a mimic out in the middle of the path for someone else to trip over? The second had been apologetic, but their mimic had sensed something and strained to be let down from the straps that held it in place on their back. There was something here, something sleeping and sinister, and they’d have to get past it or otherwise fall prey to it in battle.

The four gathered now looked warily at each other, unwilling to be the first to move but also unwilling to wait for the other pair to go, just in case the being woke and attacked the remaining two. After a while, the brothers moved forward in tandem. If something happened to one of them while crossing the room behind the giant sleeping beast, the other would never forgive themselves.

They moved as quietly as possible, hooves scraping gently on the cobbles as they placed each foot down with care and precision. They passed within two horse-lengths of the thing’s enormously long claws, aware that any sudden movement could wake it and see them impaled. The younger one’s breath quickened, and his brother nudged his shoulder gently to move him along. This was no place for sudden panic.

The beast stirred, something penetrating its consciousness. The brothers moved quicker now, and slightly louder; there was a tunnel adjacent to the beast that they’d have to get to, and hope that the thing was too big to fit through. Given the deep scars and scrapes on its claws, they assumed it would make short work of any dirt that stood between them. Their best chance was to get through the tunnel and run to a stone structure- if there was one nearby.

The two left behind, one with their mimic at their feet, exchanged words under their breath. Despite their quick moment of bonding, there was no real reason to trust one another, and certainly no incentive to let the other go first.

The moment was shattered as the mimic charged into the room. Its hinges squeaked loudly, and the beast awakened. Was there time to get across? The two looked at each other and ran. One towards the danger, picking up their mimic and pelting across the chamber towards the brother, and the other back up the passage the way they came. There was no shame involved- only self-preservation.