To and through the heart

He helped in her efforts as she moved to work on a different portion of this corridor. The earth was soft enough to move, not solid, and he worked at it slowly. Kero removed a portion of dirt and rubble, waited, and then proceed as he felt appropriate. Wherever he was working, the earth was thicker there and took more time.

She made better progress, tested her hole and decided to abandoned their efforts. Considering the shift of rock he'd head when she attempted to squeeze through, it was probably for the better. He turned with her, following her back to the main cavern. Just as before, he picked up a rock and placed it in front of that last tunnel. They'd gone that way with no success. Those rocks would be their indicators of a dead end.

Her question rose upon the air. He regarded her for a moment before nodding. "We've come this far." Why not try the last? If it was a bust, chances were good they could always return and retrace their steps. If something interesting was on the other side? It couldn't hurt to find out so long as they took this route with equal caution as before.

He nudged her shoulder, prompting her forward. This was her exploration. If the third time was a charm, she should have the honors of discovering it first.