CHAPTER FIVE
Veering off course slightly, Dax headed instinctively toward a volcanic tunnel leading into the island. Melted rock and sulfur welcomed him with acrid smoke, as if he’d come home, but there were other smells he’d not experienced before. New and fresh. He hadn’t even seen a human yet, but these strange, subtle differences piqued his interest.
He found a safe spot to land and used his tail to hold his satchel as he delved deeper inside to see where it led. Gone were the aches and pains of overused muscles. Only the ghost of their memory remained as eagerness to explore reinvigorated him.
The volcano was active, of that he was sure, but the heat it produced radiated from elsewhere, as if the volcano had cooled and hardened and then warmed again, getting ready for a fresh wave
