It was impossibly dark. Pitch black in every direction, stone walls only known by feeling the currents of wind that blew through the canyon. It wracked Flash’s nerves. One mistake and he would hurl toward the unknown depths, presumably to his death.

The only relief from the darkness was the bright fur of his comrades that flew ahead of him. It made no sense in this darkness how he could see them so clearly, but it brought him comfort to know there were others navigating this horrible labyrinthe.

This was one of the few situations where he was thankful for his smaller stature and shorter wingspan. It made it easier to curve through the narrow passages of the canyon.

A crash followed by a pained shriek. Flash turned his head in time to see one of his sister-in-arms, Bella Breeze, plummet. She screamed as she flailed about, desperately trying to grab hold of a current that would save her. All too soon, however, her shouts were cut off as blackness pierced through her body, leaving splashes of red across the shape of sharp stone.

Flash turned away, unsettled, but focused on his mission. They had known the risks going in and that many of them would die. It pained him to leave Bella behind, but there was nothing he could do but carry onward.

A sliver of fear embedded itself inside of him. He hoped it wouldn’t be his undoing.