Hhannvis
We lost Zarona back there, when the path narrowed, or she flew up through the opening.
Huryol and Sefru both look up at the empty stone throat above them. The name lands hard, and the fear in their faces softens beside it, because her presence means danger, but it also means shelter.
Huryol
If she is gone, the basin feels larger. Too large.
Sefru
Still, her smoke kept us alive. That matters.
Hhannvis turns toward the ridge line. A brown and tan, heavily feathered Utahraptor paces there, average sized for its kind, but still built to kill. Its frill fans wide as it sniffs the air, studying the drop into the basin.
Below, the black pebble slope falls away for two hundred feet. The raptor hesitates between hunting in the trees above and risking the descent into the Pit, where the survivors hide in the stone chambers.
Hhannvis
If it comes down, the hidden people are exposed.
Huryol tightens his grip and Sefru shifts closer to Hhannvis, both watching the ridge and waiting for the decision that will keep the refuges safe.
✓ Quest Accepted
Observe the Utahraptor's behavior