Nina looked around, her eyes adjusting to the suffocating darkness.
Where… was this place? Why was it so pitch-black?
A thought struck her suddenly.
Momo had said he was somewhere dark—could this be the same place?
The cubs in her arms peered about curiously, their small heads turning this way and that.
Then, Momo caught a familiar scent.
His eyes lit up instantly, and he darted forward. "Mom! Mom! I'm here!"
Nina turned at the sound of his voice and saw him flying straight toward her.
He crashed into her arms, clinging tightly. "Mom, you finally came!"
Relief flooded her chest as she held him close. "Momo… I found you at last."
She hadn't expected Odian's teleportation array to be this precise—sending her directly into the underground prison.
Still… where were the others? Why hadn't they arrived with her?
The other cubs squealed happily upon seeing him. "Momo! Momo!"
Momo nuzzled them, just as delighted.
