by Beth Hoyer
kept a tight hold onto the reins urging the mare to keep going. He felt fear take hold making him gulp for air through his mouth as he again heard the computer voice sounding loudly in his ear as the horse kept on her slipping and sliding over the rocky ground while following the cave passageway as it got more colder to him. He shivered teeth chattering while feeling the horse was moving to keep herself warm as she kept up her slipping and sliding way through the cave passageway.
The stranger thought to himself "Perhaps I should get off the horse and guide her to safety."
He stiffened as an image of a male Human wearing shiny clothing of a dress and tights red bird on the front and a golden crown on his long black haired head flashed in his mind along with words spoken in some cruel voice tone making him feel more nervous "Don't you dare do that. You'll lose the horse to a bottomless pit. She's more scared than you are. Besides you on her is helping her with her fear so don't get off."
The stranger forced himself to breathe slow through his nose cutting off the computer voice recognizing the image as of Lance Richard the Humans' god and lord of animals and the earth ground the male god's voice mentally spoken to him via mind. He felt himself less fearful from Lance Richard's communication order urge the horse to continue traveling through the cave passageway despite there yawning openings of bottomless pits on each sides of him at various points that made him become nervous seeing them in view. He continued to hold the reins as the horse traveled through the cave still slipping and sliding away till his eyes sight blinked from day vision to night vision repeatedly over and over. He sighed figuring that they were near a Human manipulated point in the cave marking it in the cave passageway put in place to keep animals from traveling through that would cause harm to Humans living cocooned reportedly in some large crater in the forest valley. He sighed figuring that he was safe for now only to feel fear hitting him as crackling of electricity was heard coming from the passageway in the cave along with hearing the horse giving off sounds of panic to him. The stranger forced the horse to continue as day vision blared in his eyesight illuminating the cave passageway full of whiteness by glow balls shining in the walls put there by Humans who first discovered the cave passageway. He looked around seeing the glow balls crackled of electricity giving off sparks repeatedly making him nervous as the sparks of fire flew from them. He heard the horse give off a loud whinnying sound of fear forced the mare passed the glow balls that seemed numerous and all around them except for the ground was bare of them. The stranger gasped for breath as pain was felt on his left arm which he looked to see the animal skin was on fire which he released his hands on the reins and with his other hand waved the hand over the fired arm mentally ordering the fire to go out. He found his order obeyed but felt his arm stinging of pain but the nervousness overtook the feeling he felt for the horse as he grabbed the reins while hoping that the sparks of fire would avoid hitting her making her bolt through the cave passageway. He found to his relief the glow balls came to an end as night vision again resumed blaring in his eyesight. The stranger found the ground according to the horse no longer icy but had water on it that indicated an underground river. He forced the horse to travel through the cave passageway following the river that slowly moved sensing himself becoming braver along with sensing the same from the mare. He sighed as the horse traveled through the river splashing loudly till the river came to an end and then there was sounds of crunching noises as they entered an apparent by sight vast cave room. He looked down with a frown at the noises' source to feel fear hitting him again seeing that the earth was littered with bones indicating both Human and animals from glimpses of skeleton heads seen indicating both. The stranger felt a compulsion to look up obeyed to see above on a cave wall clinging to it was appearing to be sleeping was a large scaly four footed animal lizard similar sized as a full grown Human male he recognized with fear was a dubbed a Dragon for belching out fire towards people and animals when capturing them for eating, that was appearing to wake up from sleeping status by head shaking. He stiffened of fear seeing that sensed the Master in control by seeing clearly in his mind the wall holding his powers gone.
He waved a hand towards the Dragon mentally speaking "Sleep don't wake despite the noises till we're out of your presence is when you can wake up."
He continued to eye the Dragon that appeared to struggle from sleeping status as the horse crunched through the field of bones that seemed vast to him all around and let the mare have her way with the path due to sensing she would find the way out for him. The stranger stiffened as the Dragon woke up belching up fire and twisted its head to eye him making him nervous as he eyed the animal. He urged the horse to hurry as the Dragon he saw adjusted its form to climb down from the cliff wall heading towards him while belching out fire through nostrils seen. He felt nervousness hitting him as the horse entered a cave passageway that seemed low in ceiling and closer all around him making his fear of enclosed spaces hit unexpectedly. He gasped loudly as there was a loud roaring sound heard behind him along with heat of fire felt on his back which he forced the horse to move quickly through the passageway feeling her nervousness hitting as day vision flashed abruptly. He looked behind towards the cave entrance to see it illuminated by fire of the Dragon along with day vision flashing then stopped followed by night vision becoming dormant. The stranger exhaled a breath feeling himself a bit relieved to see that the Dragon made no move to enter the passageway and have passed the danger of the Dragon looked ahead of him to concentrate onto the path finding the cave passageway had jagged rocks dangling from the ceiling that made him bent low on the horse to avoid banging into them or causing a rockslide by the knocking off.
He felt himself still fearful as he thought with panic beginning to take hold gasping for air through his mouth again getting the computer voice as he mentally thought "I'll never get out of this cave."
The stranger once again got the image of Lance Richard along with the god's cruel voice tone "Stop panicking now! Maribel needs you to help her get out of this cave so stop it now!"
He frowned at the name of Maribel forced himself to breathe slow through his nose as he repeatedly ducked avoiding jagged rocks dangling in the cave passageway still feeling himself panicking but forced himself to be calm despite fear taking hold. He kept up the ducking as the horse traveled through the cave which he heard noises becoming louder and louder as they reached the end of the cave showing a vast cave passageway with noises he recognized belonged to bats living in it overhead. The stranger felt fear hitting him making him nervous from stories of bats said to attack Humans traveling through caves. He breathed hard through his nose as the horse continued to walk through the cave while eyeing the ceiling overhead to spot too many to count bats clinging to it that rounded in a circle showing an entrance high above. He grimaced as the horse continued, feeling himself very nervous while repeatedly eyeing the bats above and the direction the mare was traveling through. He lowered himself onto the horse as he saw the bats abruptly flew all over and around him in numerous directions some felt hitting him while hearing the mare whinny sounding annoyed to him. He kept his tight hold onto the horse as she kept on walking while still feeling the bats pelting him all over the place. The stranger felt the pelting stop to his relief raised his form to see the bats most of them were gone through the ceiling entrance as he felt relief as the horse entered a cave passageway that didn't seem cold to him or indicate animals travelling in it. He sighed softly only to groan of fear as rumbling vibrations was felt along with feeling of heat hitting him which he figured that they were traveling near a lava pathway hence the heat and rumbling vibrations.
He heard nothing from the horse in response to his fearful feeling as he mentally thought to himself "I wish I could feel safe from feeling so fearful."
The stranger got a communication from Lance Richard blaring unexpectedly "You'll get your wish, Jinks so don't you dare let fear take control. Maribel needs you to guide her through this. It's scaring her anyway."
He exhaled a breath through his mouth hearing Lance Richard's words and forced himself to nose breathe despite the oxygen mask's computer voice sounded again which was bringing in air through machinery attached programmed to help him tolerate the gasses caves near lava flows usually have despite animals indicating they were breathing fine. He groaned as the heat became more blaring making him sweaty unexpectedly as Maribel the horse's name he assumed as he urged the horse continued to walk through the passageway that didn't resists to his urging. He groaned softly feeling himself nervous at each time there was rumbles of earth shakes felt feeling like it could cause rockslides and bury him alive or lava could burst through burning the both of them alive. He looked around all around him seeing the cave was not just of earth but included metal scattered imbedded in the walls and ceiling all around him which he figured were holding the passageway from collapsing. The stranger groaned feeling more fearful as the heat continued to blare as there were openings in the cave passageway dripping of liquid he knew by