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"OH, that." RUe said, the concept of not hearing thunder making sense. "But wait, you said you traveled alot, wouldn't you of heard thunder somwhere else?"

"I traveled a lot, but I never said it stormed while I was there. Not thunderstorm, anyways...there's been showers." Setsuko shrugged. "Have you ever been in a blizzard before?" She asked.

"I don't think so," Rue said, narrowing her brown eyes. "Yeah, I haven't." she said, her vision clearing as she finished searching her memories.

"Then we're even," Setsuko concluded. "I've never heard thunder, until now, and you've never been out in a blizzard."

"Guess so," Rue said, looking out at the storm again. "I wonder how long it's gonna last?" she asked out loud, noticing how small the cave was. Crap.

"I dunno," Setsuko replied. "I sure wish Samiia were here right now. Or Father." She added.

"I wish we chose a bigger cave," Rue said, clenching her hands into fists, her breath rcatching in her throat. She hated small spaces, she got that from her parents.

"Exactly," Setsuko stresses, "Both Father and Samiia can Earthbend. They could make it bigger in here!"

"That would be helpful," Rue said, staring outside. It didn't help much, she had to stay away from the entrance to avoid being soaked and pelted by the hail that was now coming down. She struggled to slow her breathing, clenching and unclenching her fists.

Setsuko breathed slowly. Then, gathering her strength, she held her palms in direction of the entrance. A sheet of ice formed, then thickened, protecting the small cave from the hail and rain. It was now nearly totally dark, but Setsuko could see well enough. "Jaci, help me," She said, pushing against a boulder. Jaci roared, sound echoing loudly in the small cave, and pushed against the rock with all his might. The two kept it up and suddenly, it moved, crashing out of the way. And what faced the trio now was a long set of tunnels and caves. Setsuko stared, mouth agape. "Whoa," She managed, "I was just trying to make some room in here...I did not expect this..." She fell temporarily silent, glancing at Rue.

Rue's mouth dropped open slightly, and she quickly shut it. There was no problem of her claustrophobia getting out of hand now, even though she was still trapped. Much better now.

"That is...wow," she said, unable to find the words.

Setsuko smiled adventurously. "Let's explore it!" And before Rue could reply, she dashed out into the main tunnel, Jaci close behind.

Rue ran after her, her shoes pounding against the rocky floor. She quickly closed the distance, and slowed so she wouldn't pass Setsuko. "I wonder how long this'll go on," she said, her brown eyes bright with excitement.

"I dunno," Setsuko replied, pausing and looking at all the different paths they could take. Something about this cave seem mystical; each tunnel almost looked to glow a different color. For a moment, Setsuko thought this was just her imagination. But was it? She blinked curiously.

Rue notied that...the tunnels were glowing? Was taht possible?

"Setsuko, are those tunnels glowing, or did I whack my head to hard?" she asked uncetianly.