potholing

Bazi squinted in the indicated direction, struggling to see anything except soft shapes. But there - veiled by fog and obscured by vegetation, was a small, wolf-sized gap. It looked endlessly dark, and that was promising (twice today, Bazi had mistaken a shadow for a gap). The little female made a beeline for it, making quick work of the slick, black rocks. "Nice catch!" she yelped back at Blue Willow. "This'll do nicely -let's see if we can squeeeeeeze in..."

Assuming her new friend would follow, Bazi sucked her belly in and squeezed into the gap.

It was cold, damp, and slightly claustrophobic, but the short tunnel was well worth enduring. After a few tense moments, it opened into a vast, ball-room sized cavern unlike anything Bazi had ever seen. Shafts of light cut through the gloom from loftier entrances, illuminating a smattering of defiant greens that clung to the rocks and boulders. The sound of dripping water and hidden, slow-moving streams was all around.

"You found one," Bazi whispered, staring. Here and there, clusters of white mineral deposits clung to the wall like hard, glittering popcorn, ready for harvest.