CHAPTER 898: EXPLORING THE UNKNOWN II

The tension, thick enough to taste, finally began to recede. With a deep breath, Theo took a step forward and **shoved** the heavy wooden door inward. **CRRREEEAAAKKKK!** The sound was a long, drawn-out screech, a mournful lament that ripped through the suffocating stillness of the valley, each echo amplifying the oppressive silence. He steadied his flashlight, its bright beam a defiant spear of light, slicing through the inky gloom within.

Max and Lauren, their earlier panic now a dull thrum of apprehension, watched from a safe distance. Their feet were firmly planted on the damp earth, but their earlier terror seemed to cling to them, their eyes wide and fixed on the cabin’s dark, imposing maw. Aurora, her knuckles white as she clutched Shizuka’s arm, scanned the shadowy interior, her breath catching in her throat. "Anything?" she whispered, her voice barely audible. Shizuka shook her head, her own gaze darting around nervously. Sayuri, still feeling the icy prickle of her earlier premonition, remained a half-step behind, her senses on razor’s edge.

The air inside the cabin was a suffocating blanket, heavy with the scent of decay and something else... something subtly wrong, like old secrets left to fester. Dust motes, like tiny, agitated spirits, pirouetted and danced in the flashlight’s beam, illuminating furniture draped in thick, ghostly cobwebs. A grimy sheen coated every surface, a testament to years of neglect.

As Ayia ventured further into the main room, her boot **scuffed** against something unseen on the floorboards. A sudden, **GRRRROWWWLLL-LIKE** scraping sound, low and guttural, clawed at their ears from the deepest shadow of the room. It was followed by a frantic, **SKITTER-SKITTER-SCRABBLE!**

"AHH!" Gwen cried out, yelping in fear and instinctively recoiling, pressing herself back against Kin.

Theo’s head whipped around, his flashlight beam jerking towards the source of the noise. For a fleeting instant, a dark, elongated shadow darted behind an overturned, rickety table, a phantom against the darkness.

It was Sayuri, fueled by a sudden surge of adrenaline, who **lunged** forward. Her own smaller flashlight beam, a focused spotlight, sliced through the shadows, chasing the disturbance. The skittering intensified, becoming a panicked, desperate **SCRABBLE-SCRABBLE-SCRABBLE!** Then, with a final, sharp **SQUEEEEEAK**, a small, furry creature – a startled field mouse – shot out from under the table like a furry projectile. It zipped across the floor and, with an almost impossible agility, **WHOOSHED** through a gaping hole in the shattered windowpane, vanishing into the night.

A collective, shaky sigh of relief rippled through the group. The tension that had held them captive moments before began to unravel, leaving behind only the lingering, unsettling quiet of the cabin’s profound emptiness.

"I didn’t know Sayuri was so badass," Theo said with a teasing voice as he tried to calm everyone down.

Everyone smiled as they heard that, their nerves getting calmer.

"Yeah, Sayuri, you didn’t say you worked as Mouse Hunter1."

They all laughed down as Sayrui just rolled her eyes at their teasing.

With calm nerves, they were finally able to examine the cabin carefully.

Theo, ever the optimist despite the earlier mouse-induced kerfuffle, grinned. "Alright, team, let’s reconvene. The furry fiend has vacated the premises, leaving us free to investigate this... charming abode." He swept his flashlight beam across the main room again, a playful lilt in his voice. Max, who had visibly deflated after the mouse incident, gave a weak chuckle, while Lauren dusted off her shoulders as if symbolically shedding the residual rodent-related anxieties. Aurora, still holding Shizuka’s arm but with a less vice-like grip, pointed towards a shelf laden with faded tins. "Look," she said, her voice regaining some of its usual clarity, "these look ancient. Anyone recognize these brands?" Shizuka peered closer. "They’re for, like, pemmican and stuff. And is that a tin of lard? Glamorous." Sayuri, her earlier apprehension now replaced by a mild curiosity, nudged a dusty, leather-bound logbook with her boot. It lay open, its pages brittle and yellowed.

As they sifted through the remnants of a bygone era, a picture began to form, as clear as the mountain air after a storm. Faded maps depicting old hiking trails, a collection of worn-out climbing ropes, and a chipped enamel mug with the faint outline of a village crest all pointed to one conclusion: this was no ordinary hermit’s hovel. This was a relic, a veritable time capsule of an ancient mountaineer cabin, likely a crucial waypoint for villagers a century ago as they bravely (or perhaps foolishly, judging by the lack of modern amenities) trekked up the unforgiving slopes. Kin even found a set of surprisingly well-preserved snowshoes leaning against a wall, prompting him to quip, "Bet they didn’t have Uber back then. Had to *earn* your commute."

A shared understanding was settled upon them. This wasn’t just an abandoned building; it was a testament to human resilience and the simple, arduous life of those who had come before. They imagined the bustling activity, the weary villagers seeking shelter, the shared stories around a crackling fire. Even the lingering scent of decay, which had initially been so unnerving, now seemed like the faint whisper of history.

"Look, everyone!" Ayia’s voice, filled with sudden excitement, echoed from the large stone fireplace in the cozy cabin. She had been examining the rough-hewn stones, her curiosity piqued by something she’d spotted.

Intrigued by her enthusiastic call, the others in the cabin immediately left what they were doing and converged near the fireplace. They gathered around Ayia, their gazes following the direction of her outstretched finger. She was pointing intently at a particular section of the intricately built stone structure.

"Doesn’t that look like a bunny carrying a flower?" Ayia asked, her eyes sparkling as she posed the question, her tone hinting at the wonder she felt.

They all peered closely at the spot Ayia indicated. At first glance, it was just another part of the rustic fireplace, a collection of naturally varied stones. But as their eyes adjusted and focused on the specific area she was highlighting, a remarkable resemblance began to emerge. The way the natural lines and subtle variations in the stone had been worn or perhaps even intentionally shaped created a surprisingly clear image. There, etched into the very fabric of the stone, was a distinct carving. It depicted a small, unmistakable bunny, its form rendered with a charming simplicity, and cradled in its paws was a delicate, sculpted flower. The detail was surprisingly vivid, almost lifelike, making the discovery all the more captivating.

"Flower Bunny?" Theo suddenly said with an uncertain voice.

Everyone showed a strange expression as it was an incredible coincidence, after all, they were staying in the Moon Blossom Village at the Flower Bunny Inn!

"What are the chances that the owner of this cabin could be from the Flower Bunny Inn?" Ayia asked the question everyone was thinking.

"The chances are pretty high," Shizuka commented.

"Do you guys think there might be something hidden here in this fireplace?" Aurora suddenly asked with shining eyes.

"No way!"

"Maybe!"

"Let’s look!"

"..."

Just like that, their adventurous spirit was lit as they imagined what could be hidden in this fireplace.

The group, now united by a shared sense of playful curiosity, descended upon the fireplace like a pack of hungry wolves on a very old, very stationary rabbit. Theo appointed himself chief stone-tapper, rapping his knuckles against various sections of the hearth with the practiced, if slightly clumsy, air of a seasoned detective.

"Anything?" Sam called out, wiping a smudge of dust from her cheek.

Theo grunted, his brow furrowed in concentration. "This one sounds... different. Hollower, perhaps? Or maybe I’m just tapping too hard." He gave another tentative rap. "Nope. Definitely just a rock."

Shizuka, with her practical nature, started meticulously examining the mortar between the stones, looking for any inconsistencies. "It’s all pretty standard stuff here," she murmured, scraping a tiny bit of grit away with a fingernail. "No obvious signs of recent work, or, you know, anything that screams ’secret compartment’."

Sam, the designated "detail person," ran her fingers along the carved bunny, tracing its floral adornment with an intensity usually reserved for spotting a sale at her favorite boutique. "This bunny is so cute," she sighed, her voice laced with a hint of amusement. "Though its floral collar is a bit... over the top, wouldn’t you say? Like a Victorian poodle."

Aurora, meanwhile, was practically vibrating with excitement, her eyes darting from stone to stone, a human divining rod for hidden treasures. "Maybe it’s a pattern!" she exclaimed, pointing at a cluster of stones. "Like, if you press them in a certain order, something happens. Or maybe this stone here," she tapped a particularly weathered rock with her toe, "is actually a button disguised as a very convincing stone."