Chapter 4: Red Cat Cave

"He fled through the same mountain pass your people have always crossed. ‘Lost Mammoth Valley,’ I believe you call it? If you have forgotten the way, no matter. Your ancestors would come here sometimes to consult the stars in the next chamber, to chart their course." He indicates the room to the west. "Beyond that, I do not know the fate of the demon-man or your sacred lantern."

"He moved fast. Faster than any of your kind I have seen. He could make himself unseen in the shadows and his claws were almost as big as mine. I wish you luck on your travel and I hope you find what you're looking for."

Exploring the last room of the cave you find a room where the ceiling is riddled with tiny holes, each no wider than a finger. Through the holes, tiny shafts of light from the outside leak into the dark interior. Lines of thin, white paint connect nearly every hole, creating a tangled web of constellations. Scattered among these holes and lines are dozens of faint symbols of animals and terrain: elk, bison, and mammoths, plus mountains, forests, and lakes. The overall effect is at once painstakingly precise and absurdly convoluted.

Exploring the deepest room more thoroughly, you realize the painted lines between the holes are made from white pigment combined with tiny flecks of reflective mica; the mica glimmers when even the smallest amount of light plays over it. Enough light streams in through these small holes to illuminate this cave with dim light. Furthermore, the mica chips catch and reflect the light, making the entire network of lines glow softly.

The effect is beautiful at all hours, but the strange ceiling’s true purpose becomes apparent after sunset. Putting together the information you figured out in the previous room about the time of day you wait until the right time and the light creates a dazzling map of the central Realm of the Mammoth Lords that can convey dozens of different migration routes.

On this illuminated map, a symbol of a cat’s face in front of a cave at the far western edge of the valley glows brightly. At the far eastern end of the map, a symbol of a mammoth between two mountains indicates the location of Lost Mammoth Valley—the valley where Metuak supposedly took the Primordial Flame as he fled to the east.