Quote:
Originally Posted by
The Narrator 
The fireseeds in your pocket continue to emit light, but have cooled considerably. Perhaps even enough to hold them in your hand. How many are left?
Well, you're still alive and if you've still got fireseed for light, the next turn in the cave should be visible. The passage narrows somewhat, the light bouncing off what look like fairy eggs nestled in the crevices. But as soon as they're noticed, the passage opens into a huge cavern, the light reflecting upward, if not outward. The gentle sounds of water lapping at the shore can be heard, but not yet seen. Along the back wall of the cavern, near where you stand, plant life of all sorts presses up against the stone. Nascent trees crawling with wood lice. Alihotsy plants mingling with angel's trumpet. Slimy bundles of what look like green rat tails nestle against gurdyroots. Deathcaps press up against their muggle counterparts. All ignorable, so long as you aren't anxious for a snack.
When you finally come to the shore, you can see what appears to be a lake - though the far side if obscured from view by the dark. What is apparent, however, is that the other two sides have no shores - just sheer rock faces. There is nowhere to go but across the lake. Giant lilypads float on the surface, some appearing close enough to leap one to the other. Gravity resistant trees hover above the surface, again appearing to, at least at the start, be close enough to travel one to the other. As for the water, it seems calm if one simply wanted to swim. There's no telling what lies beyond the limit of your sight, but you have to start somewhere.
Feeling the weight of the seeds in his pockets against his legs, he had not considered that perhaps they were cool enough to hold, though they were doing just fine on their own at the moment where they were. They were serving their purpose well, and even though he had about eight left, it was apparently enough.
Seeing the turn in the cave, he followed the walls, noticing at how they seemed to be closing in on him. He had to blink a few times and rub his eyes to make sure that there was nothing in his eyes, because he swore that they actually were closing in on him. Just a trick of light though. Or lack of light more like it. The passage had narrowed though he noticed, but that wasn’t what caught his attention. Were those…eggs?
Frowning, though still in awe at how many there were, he raised his hand to touch some as he passed by, but a gentle sound reached his ears, causing him to pull back his hand. It was not just any sound however, but the sounds of water. He had passed by many creaks, falls, and lakes during his time of daily running, so it was quite familiar to him. With a grin slowly making its way onto his face, and the eggs forgotten, Noel continued to walk forward, only pausing once more when the view of many kinds of plant life came across his vision. There was definitely water here if all of this was able to survive.
While he enjoyed plant life and nature, his eyes gazed across one of the plants, causing his smile to disappear slowly and immediately. Alihotsy. And…angel’s trumpet? Taking a step away from the plant life, he glanced in the other direction when something cracked underneath his foot, only to take a step away from there as well.
He didn’t like mushrooms.
Before moving forward, even though it was probably a good idea, not breathing in the air was probably a good idea too. Untying the light jacket from around his waist and tied it around his face, covering his nose and mouth. Just about to move on however, his eyes passed over a shiny object; though the shine came more from the slime it seemed to possess. With his nose and mouth securely covered, Noel moved forward, bending down next to the slimy things and examining them. Gillyweed?
Licking his chapped lips, he picked some up and stuffed it into his pocket without a second thought as he switched out two of the fireseeds to hold in his hands. A useful plant that could be used just in case, especially if there was water nearby. Finally making it to the lake, his eyes twinkled with amusement as he spotted the giant lilypads and floating trees. There was no way back from here without climbing that cliff, and he definitely wasn’t going to do that.
Glancing down to the water shifting up to the shore, and then retreating back into the lake, he began to wonder if this was fresh water or not. It had to come from somewhere didn't it? Would the plants have caused anything wrong with the water? Everything in here he noticed seemed to be some kind of poison. Shaking his head, he would not risk using the gillyweed as of yet. Who knows what the plants around here could have done to it too. With his eyes flickering from the lilpads to the trees, he mapped out a nice route he could take before moving a few paces back. With a moments pause, Noel ran forward and took a leaping jump onto the closest lilypad, trying to make sure he didn’t touch the water and that he didn’t fall forward or backward when he landed on the lilypad.
He was a bit uncoordinated, what with the jacket protecting his mouth and nose, and who knew what lived in these waters.