Morning arrived quietly over Beastridge.
A thin veil of mist rested between the trees, turning the distant forest into a sea of pale silver beneath the early sunlight. The camp had been awake since before dawn, but unlike the previous mornings, there was little laughter among the students and almost no idle conversation among the researchers. Everyone knew what they would be doing today, and even those who had not been present when the underground structure was discovered had heard enough about it to understand that the expedition had changed.
