A whole host of new information hit the boy like a brick wall: the suffocating heat, the beating wind. What was this, some kind of strange dream? His landing was not the most graceful, loose dirt knocking him from his feet as he tried to right himself. Before he could react, that strange cat thing had transformed and positioned herself on top of him, the two lying completely still. The reasoning, however, became apparent soon enough as a massive creature just barely missed their position with its foot, a large cart following afterward which surely would have taken off his head, had not the cat-girl been there to save him. With the moment of danger passed, Christopher was barely given time enough to think before being hauled off towards a nearby cave, body pressed firmly against one of the side-walls.

Again their bodies were practically inches apart, but by now the boy had registered the situation as being somewhat serious. Her hand eclipsed his mouth and, at least for the time being, he complied with silence, arching a singular brow at her as she motioned with her finger to stay quiet. What was the point? This whole thing was a dream anyway, why the stealth and subterfuge. [i]“RUBY!”[/i] Christopher watched as the mysterious girl, Ruby, heeded the call, disappearing from the cave into the open expanse of the outer pit. Deciding it wouldn't do much harm to take a little peek, Christopher inched his way over to the cave mouth, remaining in the shadows as he tried his best to get a glimpse of the area.

Below, in the pit, multivarious races worked endlessly pulling up stones, minerals, and other materials, laboring as they were drawn to carts or buggies. The heat of the mid-day sun beat down upon them and, even from his position in the cave, Christopher could feel the heat of the sun. How strange that was, to feel things like heat in a dream? Still, he'd had stranger things happen in the past, perhaps that wasn't so weird?