More tunnels?! Greenie, stop for a minute.

The cave entrance, our home was now in sight, but Andvari's remark makes me cautious. I had a hunch the tunnels had to do with whatever stole our food while we'd evolved.

Andvari's thick brows furrow at my response.

What do you mean by more, Lady?

Well, there's this giant hole in our cave-

I gesture widely with my good wing towards the entrance of our cave that was now in sight. That makes Greenie gently press down on my wing to keep it close to my torso.

Hmm..I have suspicions about the source, though I'll need to see this hole to confirm it. Stroking his beard, Andvari ponders.

His comment surprises me. See the hole? Wasn't he blind though?

Wait, Andvari, you can see?

Not in the common sense, Lady...

Andvari clams up again, his expression hidden under the thick beard. Again, the connection between us was dampened, and I no longer feel his emotions.

Esteemed Lady, he is a dwarf. The minotaur quips. Dwarves are known for their many secrets. I'm sure one such secret explains it.

That's fine. If he's not willing to share we don't need to force him to.

Though my curiosity was screaming at me to find out, there were more important things on the itinerary. And I had a good guess it had to do with the skill Stonesense that I'd seen in his status. Too bad I couldn't appraise it to figure out the details..

I shake my head to refocus. Hard enough that bits of clay scatter off my feathers, again.

Master, calm.

Greenie stroked the top of my head, a claw running over my skull in a way that gave me the good kind of shivers.

Oohhh yeah.

I hear a choking sound as soon as the duo follow us into the cave. Andvari was turning his face this way and that, peering all around the cave, while Crixus stared longingly at the pile of junk that Greenie and I'd piled in one corner.

The remaining rats that were left I'd placed back in the Siphon Bush. After a few tests with Greenie, we'd discovered that the Siphon Bushes preferred wet matter like blood and guts. The muscleed bits that I liked to eat were safe, albeit somewhat toughened as the Siphon Bush sucked all the moisture out.

But it did a great job in protecting our foods from other scavengers. It was almost like a watchdog, devouring whatever creature tried to eat our precious rats.

What a strange combination of minerals.. With those words, Andvari crumbles off a small piece of the gray rock and touches it to his tongue.

Erm, Andvari?

He doesn't seem to hear me, testing the texture of the rock by crushing it into a powder between his fingers.

I don't think you'd want to be touching those rocks if you knew what they were..

I mean, this dwarf had just licked wyrm poop. And he seemed really happy about it too, judging from the way he kept touching it.He knocked against it a few times like my mom in the fruit section of the supermarket.

Oh, Lady, you know what this is? I don't know of any other species other than a dwarf that could identify this strange matter. Andvari's eyes seem to sparkle as he gazes in my direction, showing the most excitement I'd ever seen from him.

What is this, Lady?

Um..I think that was called Earth Wyrm feces.

Earth Wyrm!??

Andvari almost falls backwards in shock. His extreme reaction, trembling in either excitement or fear confused the three of us. Crixus kept looking at him like he'd finally lost his marbles.

Now this was the most excitement I'd ever seen from him. He was practically squealing like a fan.

To think that creature existed!!!

With a marked difference in attitude, he gently lays the crumbly rock back down on the ground. Whirling back in my direction, he steps towards me with enough momentum to make Greenie holding me slink backwards.

Are you sure, Lady, that this belongs to the great Earth Wyrm!?

I'm quite sure. Appraisal might be unreliable, but it had never made a mistake...that I'd caught.

Suddenly his face grows solemn.

If the Wyrm is nearby...Did the earth not shake?

How did you know?

The Earth Wyrm is said to live deep in the hollow bowels of a mountain. My people tell tales of the Great Wyrm. The tragedies it caused was one deciding factor that caused the migration to the Continent. Its massive girth thicker than 3 chariots aligned, it's length stretching further than even a dragon!

Andvari gestures widely, stretching out his short arms to try and show us just how large a creature this Earth Wyrm was.

Is it strong?

He rears backwards at my question.

Strong? Strong is hardly the word to cover it! The Earth Wyrm is a Devourer, swallowing everything that lies before it. It can tunnel through the hardest of substances and destroy whatever lies in its path. It is....It is a force of nature!

Hands trembling, he picks up the grey poop rock again.

Look at the walls. Are they not covered with this same substance?

And then I see it. Under the poop marking that Greenie left behind was the same grey rock that covered the ceiling of the cave. It was the chunks from the ceiling that fell onto the ground that I'd appraised before. Except for the cave floor, that was covered in other bits of broken rock and dirt, it was all [Earth Wyrm Feces].

You're right, Andvari. I'm guessing then from the size that you described, that this Wyrm created this tunnel? Did it make the hole too?

Andvari nods.

Precisely. The Wyrm would have eaten through the rock and coated the walls of the tunnels with its feces in its wake. This feces must reinforce the dug out walls.

Making his way over to one wall, BAM!

The dwarf sends one powerful punch into the cave wall, making more rock pieces to crumble off the ceiling.

It's quite strong..

Muttering to himself, he goes back into his own world, speaking out loud in a different language from the one used with the Minotaur.

So it's not just goblin refuse. The Minotaur inhales deeply. His nostrils flare as he grimaces, his bull snout wrinkling.

So there was some sort of strange scent to this place too? I mean, other than the remaining stale miasma that was the stench of Greenie's poop.

That explains the strange dirt scent under the reek. I'm guessing the stench was your work, Greenie?

Crixus gives the side eye to Greenie, who bares his teeth at him.

Only Master call me Greenie. No you.

The tall Minotaur shrugs.

Have it your way, goblin. I've no interest in fighting you.

While Greenie bristled with animosity towards Crixus, I tap on his shoulder.

Greenie, could you smell it too? The dirt smell Crixus is talking about.

Relaxing with my attention on him, Greenie shakes his head.

I'm sure he can't. Minotaur noses are quite sensitive. And the scent is faint.

Crixus lowers his gaze to address me atop Greenie's shoulder: I'll have to take my leave for a moment. Lady, allow me to stand guard outside the cave.

That's fine Crixus, you don't need to ask me.

Whuffing a few more times, the Minotaur steps out of the cave, shaking his head.

I'm sure other creatures avoided this place with the scent of the feces alone. The Wyrm is not the kind of being one can stand against.

Lady, when exactly did the ground shake?

That was hard to say for sure. There was no way to know how long Greenie and I had been out during our evolution. It might have been hours, it might have been days.

I glanced at Greenie, who was busy glaring at the Minotaur's back.

Yesterday, two days ago?

Andvari relaxes at my response. That is good. The Great Wyrm moves slower than time itself unless provoked. My forefathers say that the Wyrm falls asleep after great movements for a time. It should be safe for a while.

What about the other creatures? I ask.

Other creatures that came out of the hole there. It wasn't just the rats. Some other things live down there, I'm sure of it.

Lady, no smart creature would live down there together with the Wyrm. It's practically suicide.

I shake my head. I'm sorry to say, there are things living down there. Or used to. They stole our food. That's why Greenie and I were planning on moving out.

The dwarf peers cloudy eyes in my direction.

But why, Lady? I don't sense any life in the tunnels below. If necessary, I can go below and explore..

I interrupt his words.

No, I can't ask you to do that. It's too dangerous. And you're injured too! It's better if we find a new place to live, Greenie said he had a place in mind somewhere near the cave.

Andvari's shoulders sink at my words, the disappointment coming off him in waves. He wanted to stay in this cave, badly. Was it because of the Earth Wyrm feces?

Sigh...

How long do you think it's safe till the next earthquake?

Shrugging, Andvari strokes his beard, tracing the curls.

They say a Wyrm's sleep is long. A few centuries perhaps, even a millenia?

Blinking back at him, I stare at the dwarf. A few centuries?? A millenia??

Just how old are you, Andvari? Or is that another one of your secrets?

Ha ha!!

Letting out a short bark of laughter, the dirty dwarf slaps his knee. I slide over to the edge of Greenie's shoulder in anticipation. Andvari was a dwarf, so I expected an interesting number. Maybe he was 100? even 200? Or it might go the other way, and he aged just the same way as humans. He might be 23 under all the grime for all I knew.

48 Hearthfires, Lady.

I blink at the answer. A Hearthfire?

What's that in human years?

Hmmmm...I believe that's 243 human years..

My beak falls open in shock.