The rocks covering the door rolled away. Marmalade jumped down from the ledge and onto Moonlit's shoulders again as she passed, walking into the darkened room beyond the strange rock formation gate.

Moonlit glanced around. The room was dark, save for a tunnel at the top of a steep rocky incline that glowed brightly with something out of view. Moonlit couldn't tell if the light was torches or the sun, but she decided to go towards it. It was better than staying in the dark, after all. Marmalade curled up and purred as Moonlit began climbing the mossy rocks, watching from his comfy perch.

As Moonlit climbed, though, something felt off. She screwed up her face and looked down, tapping a rock with her hoof. Suddenly, the rocks began to shift and move, and Marmalade leapt onto Moonlit's head in fright. The rocks Moonlit was standing on seemed to break away from the others. Moonlit squeaked in surprise as they shifted and rolled, only to form into a large mossy golem. Moonlit had been climbing on its shoulders, as she stood frozen on them, staring in shock and bewilderment.

The golem stretched before it turned its head to gawk at her, just as surprised as she was at the sudden predicament. The golem tilted its head, then gently picked her up in its stony grip like a child holding a bug. "Um… hello." Moonlit said with an awkward chuckle. "Sorry to interrupt, but we were trying to climb to the ledge over there." she gestured with her hoof toward the ledge with the glowing tunnel. "We thought you were ordinary rocks."

Marmalade's fur was standing on-end, but the kitty calmed as he realized Moonlit wasn't afraid.

The golem blinked, its granite eyelids making an audible clattering sound as they did, and nodded, setting Moonlit on the ledge. Marmalade climbed down on her back again with a relieved sigh, and Moonlit smiled. "Thank you."

The golem nodded again, smiling, then shifted to its spot among the ordinary rocks, curling up to sleep once more, as Moonlit trotted down the tunnels again. "See, Marmalade? Nothing to worry about," Moonlit whispered to her kitten, nuzzling him with her snout, "I won't let anything happen to you." Marmalade meowed back and nuzzled her, making Moonlit smile.