Gallus wrapped Leo's wing (which, fortunately, was not broken), and put a bandage on his shoulder. The two then had some water and a quick snack. The younger griffon inhaled the scones, eating them so fast, it had to be impossible for him to even taste them.

"Feeling better?" Gallus asked.

"Uh-huh," Leo replied around a mouthful of pastry, vigorously shaking his head.

"Good." Standing up, the older griffon stretched out. "Because we need to get moving if we're going to get out of here." He turned toward the tunnel he had crawled through, walked toward it, then stopped.

Maybe there was another way out. One that was not so... small and tight. Not a bad idea to look around, anyways.

Grabbing two fresh glow sticks, he gave them a quick snap and a shake. One gave off a green-tinted glow, while the other was orange.

"Here." He held the sticks out toward Leo. "Take one."

Leo took the orange one, holding it in his good wing.

"Now let's see if we can find another way out."

Although, it turned out that they were not searching, so much as he was. As Gallus moved along the wall, walking away from the hole he had come in through, he moved the light up and down, searching for a gap or opening. Meanwhile, Leo followed not far behind, mirroring the movements, albeit at a lower position.

After a few false starts, which included a small opening that Leo may have fallen through, Gallus managed to find something. There was a spot where the wall was recessed and curved back in on itself. Near chest-level was another opening. It was nice and large, enough that he could open his wings wide and walk through with space to spare. Beyond it looked to be another cavern.

Gallus took the two canteens, and a few more of the glow sticks, leaving the bags and rest of its contents behind. Doing so bothered him. All the stuff he had packed had been done with a purpose. If he ran into a situation where he needed it, he would regret this. Besides, he was leaving behind bits. Bits. What kind of griffon abandoned bits? Especially ones that were rightfully theirs in the first place?

Still, sometimes, it was necessary to leave things behind. Besides, he had a bigger priority now: get the cub to safety.

Gallus placed Galileo on his back, forelegs wrapping around his neck and talons gripping his fur tightly. With the cub safely secured and ready, the two of them made their up the step and into the next cavern.

"Do you really know a princess?" Leo asked.

"Know her?" Gallus repeated with a smirk. "She used to be my teacher, then she was my boss."

"Yeah, right," Leo replied, and Gallus could practically hear sound of eyes rolling.

"Really," Gallus insisted. "See, it started with the... fourth?... No, third. It happened during The Third Canterlot Invasion, when The Storm Forces attacked."

"What are The Storm Forces?"

Gallus gave a small smile, his tail flicking with excitement. He told Galileo about The Storm King and his invasion; about The School of Friendship, and all the different creatures met there, who became friends; of basic training and the hard work there; and of his time in the castle in Canterlot. The little griffon listened to the stories excitedly, which was part of the point. If he was distracted, he was less likely to be scared.

It also meant that the cub may not notice things.

Say a pile of shapes in the gloom that may or may not be bones. One that Gallus did not want to take too close a look at himself.

The two of them talked as they went through the cavern. Then through another.

Gallus stopped as they reached a staircase. The steps were carved, each wide enough for two grown toms to walk side by side without their wings touching, and long enough for Leo to fit on them standing sideways. The hall for the stairs led upwards, the top vanishing in darkness beyond the glow sticks.

Glow sticks it turned they were not going to need at the moment. As his foot touched the step, a recessed crystal lit up, its silvery light shining bright enough to see the next four steps clearly. When Gallus reached that point, another came on further up. Then another after that.

"Well, this has to lead somewhere," Gallus said mostly to himself as he continued up.

"Maybe it leads to a dragon's lair full of treasure," Galileo suggested, good wing giving a flicker of excitement.

"If it is, I hope they lead out of here."

And not turn us into Equestria fried griffon, Gallus mentally added. While many have gotten friendlier since Ember became Dragon Lord, not all dragons were as accepting, and even among those that did, there were many that would get mad at finding another creature in their lair. It was also a pretty common reaction for dragons to attack first and ask questions later. Especially if they thought their hoards were in trouble.

Their climb stopped as their way became blocked. In front of them was a stone relief image. A large griffon tom stood in profile, a single indented circle where his eye should be. He was dressed in a crown and cape, and held a sword in one claw, pointing at a pile of what was probably supposed to be treasure.

"I bet it's a puzzle!" Leo cried out.

'Yeah..." Gallus said. Now, he regretted having never read The Daring Do books. According to his friends who had read them, the main character had dealt with quite a number of puzzles. It might give him some clue how to do this one.

Still, he was a smart griffon. He could probably figure something out. It probably had something to do with the indentation for the eye. An indentation about the size of...

"Hey, kid, give me a bit."

"What bit?" Leo asked, in the tone that indicated he knew exactly what Gallus was talking about.

Gallus turned his neck, tilting to look at the cub on his back

"One of the bits you picked up because I was leaving them behind, and thought I didn't see you snag."

"You saw that?"

"No, but I know you did it." Gallus held up a claw. "Come on. I need one to get us out of here."

Leo let out a growl, but pulled a bit out and dropped it into the outstretched claw. Gallus stepped forward and reached up, putting the bit into the eye socket. There was a click as it went in.

With a grinding noise, the relief moved aside.

Next Chapter: The Temptation Estimated time remaining: 10 Minutes