Way of the Slugcat

Temporary Reunion

The crack in the ceiling split open. A burst of dust and debris flew in every direction as the enraged visage of a maskless vulture forced itself through. It screamed for all the world to hear as its beak snapped open and shut on thin air. The flexibility of its neck would not assist it here, as the slugcats were just too far down for the bird to reach. It thrashed itself back and forth as it violently attempted to cram the rest of its massive body into the cave.
    "Night, what on earth-!?"
    "I'll explain later!" Thorns' friend hurriedly stated. "That bird is out for blood, specifically mine, and if we stay here any longer yours will be on the table as well. Could we please get going? Anywhere but here!"
It was at about this time that Thorns noticed a peculiar object in Night's paws. A flat, blue item with two points on its bottom and a pair of holes in the center, identical one another and evenly spaced apart. It was a mask.
A vulture's mask.
"Night, what are you doing with that? Are you insane!?" Thorns asked as he shook his fellow slugcat by the shoulders.
"Maybe a little bit!" Night gave Thorns a half-hearted smirk as he set the object down. Together, they squeezed themselves into the drainage pipe as the vulture continued to thrash about behind them, coming no closer to its goal.

When Thorns first entered this world down under, he had been surprised at how heavy the ceiling had felt above him. It's aura pressed down upon his meager form, mirroring the pressure that itself must have felt with all the tons of earth above it. Inside the pipe, this feeling all but worsened. Cold, wet metal pressed Thorns on all sides. It encapsulated him into a feeling of claustrophobia he had never experienced. His arms could hardly move, leaving room for only his back legs to propel him forwards.
"I bet you understand why we're called 'slugcats' now, hm?" Night commented from behind him. Now that he thought about it, Thorns did see a similarity. His body easily bent itself out of and back into shape as he went around corners, and his skin didn't catch on anything as he slid through the passageway, not even the rough segments of the walls. He and Night cruised through them without much effort at all.
The further the two went, the darker it got. If Thorns had not obtained his little light, he would be completely blind right now. Not even fuzzy outlines could be picked up by the naked eye down here. Although... there was a little bit of light coming from somewhere. Its quiet presence made little difference in the pitch dark, but there was definitely a source of light in the distance, similar to the one shining lightly from its entrance. A glaring, rather unwelcoming red light, but a light nonetheless.
"Night! What is that?" He asked, squinting at the peculiar phenomenon.
"What is what?"
"That light up ahead."
"Er, Thorns. I am behind you, remember? I can see absolutely nothing aside from your tail. Speaking of which, do you mind moving it out from under my nose?"
Thorns did not respond. If he listened closely, he discovered that the light came with an abnormal buzzing noise. He felt around for another tunnel to divert into, but there were none. All the while, Night sat uncomfortably behind him, holding in a sneeze.
"Thorns? Are you going to move any time in the next five cycles?"
"S-should I move? I mean, you said earlier that red things tend to be dangerous."
"If we stay here much longer, the rain will catch up to us. Just don't touch the source of it. Also, stay as silent as possible until we find a shelter. The lizards down here hunt by sound."
"You mean the black ones? I ran into a group of them earlier. It figures that they would enjoy these tunnels as well as the open caverns..."
"Yes, yes, the black ones! Now could you please start moving!?"
Well, Thorns figured, if Night is unconcerned by this phenomenon, then I suppose I have room to let up a little.
The slugcats crawled further down the tunnel. As they approached the light, the buzzing got louder. It was not a biological buzz, but rather an electronic one. Slowly, the end of the tunnel came into view. Set alight by an eerie red glow, Thorns could see the steel floor of a small chamber with multiple other tunnels branching off from it. He was about to slide down when an abnormal, lumpy shape in the corner caught his eye. The light flickered. The shape moved.
Thorns stopped dead. He felt Night's nose collide once again with his tail. The black slugcat was about to protest this sudden lack of movement, and then he remembered where they were. He remembered the last time he had been down here, and he remembered that it had not gone well. And so, he wisely held his tongue.
Both slugcats held their breath. The figure in the corner turned and started making its way across the room. It moved in a way unlike anything Thorns had seen, sweeping its head back and forth with every lift of its feet. Its whiskers wiggled with every swing, allowing the beast to map out its surroundings. The sound of its claws scraping against the floor sent chills running down Thorns' spine, and its tail dragged lazily behind them. Thorns had seen these creatures before, back in the cave. At the time he had passed them, they had been lazing about in a small group, only looking up at him when he made a sudden noise. They had seemed more docile than the other lizards he had encountered. This one, however, had a different aura about it. It was hunting. Thorns saw these black lizards now in a new light, both literally and figuratively. It was as if he had encountered an entirely different species of lizard.
The shadowy reptile finished its journey across the room and pulled itself into the nearest tunnel with visible effort. Thorns waited a few moments after its tail had vanished into the darkness, then turned to calculating a route down without making any noise. He stuck his precious light into his mouth and attempted to execute his simple, yet risky, plan of action.
The slugcat's tiny fingers easily found a divet in the tunnel's side. He was amazed at their strength, being able to hold his body steady as he flipped it around feet first. With much effort, he hung from the tunnel's mouth and stretched his toes down as far as they could go. Still, he could feel no solid ground. The floor was a couple of inches below him, and he could inch himself down no further without risking a fall. Thorns took in a deep breath, stretched his tiny legs out as far as they could go, and released his grip from the tunnel.
A soft thump sounded as his feet hit the floor. Thorns froze, eyes wide and staring at the pitch dark tunnel the lizard had vanished into. A moment of silence passed. The red light flickered, as did the warm glow of the orange object in his mouth.
Nothing. Silence.
The white slugcat motioned to his friend in the tunnel. Night slid out feet first, using Thorns' shoulders as a stepping stool, then crouched down onto all fours and cautiously made his way to the floor. He gave his friend a reassuring smile and pointed down a tunnel to their left. A wave of relief washed over Thorns. No longer did he have to wander aimlessly in darkness. He had a light, courtesy of his own actions, and a friend, courtesy of fate.
Although, came a whisper from the depths of his mind, floating to the surface on winds of doubt and fear, the path that you have taken will see them both lost.
Are you willing?
Are you ready?

Silence.
It really gives you time to think, does it not?