Mapping in the tunnels beneath the aerobic's caverns had been… exciting, to say the least. Comet, Waveform, and Lavender inched warily along the tunnel, nerves frayed and on sharp alert for the slightest sound. Which, given the tunnels around them rumbled and shook gently with the movement of magma, was a difficult task.

"Where do you think they all are?" Waveform asked anxiously, feathers fluffed up in alarm. They had heard of the way these volcanics viewed aerobics - going out of their way to attack and chase them.

Comet shook xir head, confused. "I don't know… last time they seemed to be guarding something, but now… I'd have expected to come across one by now."

Still, the mapping drone Lavender was piloting showed no sign of anything living in the tunnels ahead.

"Maybe they got scared off?" Lavender suggested, twiddling the drone's controls.

"By us? They didn't seem to be particularly intimidated…"

Lavender shrugged, eyes still on the display. "Other colonies could be scarier."

Comet frowned slightly and nodded. "That's true… there's a lot more of us than them. Maybe they retreated to lick their wounds?"

Waveform shuddered, fears not mollified. "Still. Makes me nervous."

Comet grunted in agreement. "We should get some warning from the drone. For now…"

They carried on, moving slowly down the tunnels that existed in a state of dim half-light. They were hot, oppressively so, and stank of sulphur. They also carried breathing masks and gas sensors, to put on if toxic gasses wafted their way through one of the vents. The lighting was mostly from the magma, occasional cracks in the walls, or glowing crystal deposits. The tunnels seemed to be old lava tubes, walls marked with the flows of molten rock that had carved them through the earth. It was an eerie place, alien and strange.

Waveform did not like it. They liked it a little better when the tunnel opened up ahead, Lavender piloting the drone to the peak of the cavern to get a better view while Comet stuck xir head out warily.

"Seems all clear," Lavender commented. "Wait - what's that?"

"What's what?" Waveform leaned over the display nervously.

"It's… an egg."

"An egg?" Comet squiggled over curiously. "Huh."

They followed the path the drone highlighted to see the egg nestled into a corner, half-hidden by the rocks. They stared at it, the shell innocently reflecting the light.

"Well… we can't just leave it here," Comet said uncomfortably. "It's all alone."

"We don't know what type of egg it is…" Waveform pointed out, and shivered. "For all we know, it could hatch into a monster!"

Both Lavender and Comet eyed them skeptically.

"You've been reading too many horror novels," Lavender grunted, and began to make room in the harness they wore to carry the egg.

"More likely it's some abandoned baby. Like Comet said, we can't just leave it here. Who knows, some magma could flow or some rocks could fall. It's too dangerous."

Comet nodded in agreement and helped Lavender settle the egg into a pouch, while Waveform made a noise of reluctant acceptance.

"I guess… but if it hatches into a baby tolaat or something and eats it's way through the colony, I'll know who to blame."