Nina scans her surroundings, her gaze sweeping across the shadowed ravine. The darkness is absolute, broken only by the faint glimmer of the crystal in her hand. The air hangs heavy with the scent of damp earth and decaying vegetation. The vines, thick as pythons, twist and writhe around them, their shadows obscuring the ravine's true extent. She strains her ears, listening intently for any sound beyond the drip, drip, drip of water.
A tremor runs through the ground, a subtle vibration that makes the very earth beneath her feet feel unstable. Ronan remains vigilant, his immense form a solid barrier between Nina and the unseen threat. His low growls continue, a rumbling counterpoint to the silence. Rex whines again, his body tense, his gaze fixed on some unseen point in the darkness. Nina notices a faint, phosphorescent glow emanating from several points along the ravine walls.
It flickers intermittently, almost like a heartbeat. She can't quite make out what is causing the light, but it seems to pulse in rhythm with the tremors in the ground. A prickling sensation runs along her skin, a feeling of being watched, of being surrounded by something unseen, yet undeniably present. The silence of the ravine suddenly feels less like stillness and more like a held breath, an anticipation of something yet to come. The crystal pulses rapidly, its light growing brighter, casting an unsettling glow on the faces of Ronan and Rex.
The growing feeling of unease hangs heavy in the air, thick and palpable like the dampness of the ravine itself. There is something here, something that Ronan senses and that she is now beginning to perceive as well. The moment hangs heavy, the answer hidden somewhere within the oppressive, watchful darkness.