Kendall lead his troupe of Diamond Hounds boldly through the caverns, and the four of them traveled through the narrow tunnels in a line with Evangeline just behind Kendall, Katarzyna behind her, and Tuesday bringing up the rear.

They were seeking an artifact, an old crown said to be buried deep within these tunnels. Kendall felt confident that they would find it here, and confident that his chosen group of companions were perfect for the task ahead of them. Even the apprentice Katarzyna, still inexperienced, had a certain strength of character that Kendall believed would serve her well in this part of the dungeon. 

Evangeline was less certain of Katarzyna’s competence. Surely bringing an apprentice on an excursion like this one would only be a liability, and in any case, as far as she was concerned the smaller the group the better. In fact, she generally preferred to work alone. But that wasn’t possible on this particular mission. 

Katarzyna was exhilarated to be here. This was her first major mission, and her first excursion as a member of a party. It was almost surreal - something she’d once only dreamt of. But it was true. She was here now. And she was determined to prove herself to her comrades. 

Tuesday, keeping watch at the back of the group, was focused more on the task at hand than on the circumstances of the group’s formation. The caverns around them were near pitch-dark, lit only by the lanterns that hung around the four Coursers’ necks, and near silent save for the tapping of their hooves. No groundwater dripped from the ceiling here. It was perfectly still. Unnervingly so. Tuesday shivered. 

The tunnel that they were walking through opened up into a wider room. Kendall swished his tail, happy for the change in scenery, but at the back of their line Tuesday hesitated.

“What is it, Tuesday?” Kendall asked, the whole group turning to face her.

Tuesday paused before answering. She could not explain why she had hesitated - the feeling of anxiety within her was nameless. An instinct in her gut. 

“...We should be careful here. That’s all.”

Kendall nodded. 

“Of course,” He said, and then turned around to continue. The party stepped fully into the wide room. 

It was then that a gust of cold air flew out from beneath the Coursers’ feet, and all their lanterns flickered and died out, plunging the group into darkness. Evangeline whinnied with dismay, but her voice was drowned out by the sound of stone cracking and grinding against itself as it pulled itself apart. The Coursers were blind for a moment right after their lanterns went out, but after a moment their eyes adjusted to the light - something very dimly still illuminated their surroundings, although they could not see what or where it was coming from - and they could see that beneath them the ground was breaking apart, leaving massive crevices into the yawning dark below.

“...How is this happening..?” Katarzyna asked, almost to herself, staring in horror as the stone floor in front of her broke, separating her from Kendall and Evangeline. Tuesday nudged her hindquarters urgently.

“It doesn’t matter, we have to keep moving! Go, before the gap gets wider! Jump!” She said quickly.