Eris could feel it in his veins again. It's the river stirring, restless, whispering through his blood. And behind him, unseen, jealousy sharpened itself into something far more dangerous.
[The Defiance]
Barik clasped Eris' shoulder, a gesture of quiet assurance, "I can see you are well prepared," seeing the two were fully armed. "I couldn't leave some arrows. We'd need them to stay alive." He then handed him a small, sealed pouch of dried meat. "Eat this. You'll need your strength," he said. Barik then produced a handful of dried herbs. "Scatter these at the mouth of the cave. They won't stop the wolves, but they'll ward off lesser predators."
"I understand." Eris thanked him, the herbs a small comfort against the vast unknown.
"Get ready," Barik commanded, his voice firm. He rose to his feet, a renewed purpose settling in his bones. "We depart now."
Joeren, who had been sulking in a corner, spoke up with a grumble. "They have more arms than we do. And, can't we eat something first? We need energy for the trek."
Barik shook his head. "We eat on the move; if we can rest at all. We can't waste time. We've got wounded to get back for help." The team nodded, some checking their gear, others glancing outside at the darkening sky. The air's chill was growing, and the wind whispered warnings of the coming heavy storm.
"Alright, everyone," Barik said, his voice a final command. "Dara, you're on point. Let's move."
As the team prepared to leave, Cugat noticed Joeren fell back and approached the carcass instead of moving forward. A small blade in his hand, he planned to saw off the beast's head.
Cugat bellowed, "Joeren!" The team turned, their faces a mix of surprise and fury. "What do you think you're doing?"
Joeren flinched, stood up, his face flushed with embarrassment and defiance. "We need this as proof," he stammered.
Barik's face was a mask of anger and exasperation, "You thoughtless fool! We're not going back with any load! You would have slowed us down, a target for every beast in this ruin!"
Joeren's eyes flashed with hate. He had been exposed, shamed in front of the others. "As you wish, Scar!" he retorted, the nickname hanging in the air like a small act of defiance.
Barik's jaw tightened at the insult. His friends also called him with the same name, but not with that malicious tone. He looked at Joeren with a mix of fury and disbelief. This boy is obnoxious and blind, he thought to himself. Aloud, he retorted, "Our sharpest spear could barely pierce that hide! What made you think a small blade would do anything?"
"We move now! Every step counts."
He led his team out into the rain. The cave faded behind, its entrance a small point of light swallowed by the encroaching shadows of the coming storm. They had washed themselves, but the scent of the blood of the beast and their own, clung to them--a haunting reminder of the fight. From here on, they had to be alert for the looming danger, not what they had just left behind.
Dara glanced back at Eris and Kaylah, her thoughts unreadable, then turned and moved to the front of the group. She must accomplish the mission, to come back home safe . . . to Haven Below.
* * *
[The Scent of Blood]
The cave was a world unto itself, a pocket of silence against the roaring storm outside. Eris and Kaylah moved with a quiet urgency, their shadows dancing on the damp walls as they tended to the wounded. Renzo was conscious but groaning, his foot a swollen, purple mess. Tonovan was mercifully silent, his breathing shallow and his face pale.
Eris couldn't help. He has no knowledge of treating wound, not even his. He could only watch. Kaylah knelt by Renzo's side; her brow furrowed in concentration. She had found a small patch of wild herbs near a fissure in the rock—not enough to heal, but perhaps enough to dull the pain. As she crushed the leaves and applied the poultice, Renzo whimpered, the agony a palpable thing in the small space.
Then, a quiet determination settled on Kaylah's face. She closed her eyes, and as if in a silent prayer, she laid her hand gently on Renzo's mangled foot. A faint, almost imperceptible warmth spread from her palm, and the trembling in Renzo's body eased. The wound did not heal, but the pain seemed to recede, a tide pulling back from the shore. Renzo's whimpers subsided, and he fell into a deep, exhausted sleep. Kaylah, her own face pale with the effort, swayed slightly, but her eyes held a spark of something new, a fragile understanding of the power she held.
Time passed in a tense, silent vigil. The rhythmic patter of rain and the labored breathing of the wounded were the only sounds. Then, from the distant roar of the storm, a different sound cut through. It's a desperate, blaring horn. It was Barik's.
Eris and Kaylah exchanged a grim look. The horn was a signal of distress, but also an alarm for the group left in the cave to prepare for the worst. It was answered almost immediately by a new, more terrifying chorus. The howling. A pack of wolves, their cries a promise of death, was on the move. They had caught the scent.
There was nothing they could do to help. The beast's carcass, a massive, reeking lure, was an impossible weight to move. They were trapped. Their only chance was to hide and pray they wouldn't be found.
Eris, his mind racing, spotted a naturally-formed dug-out hole in the back of the cave, a crevice in the earth where rainwater had carved out a hollow space. It was just large enough for the four of them. He and Kaela quickly scrambled, pulling the unconscious Tonovan and the sleeping Renzo into the cramped space. They scattered the last of Barik's herbs at the entrance, a futile ward against the coming tide, then frantically stacked rocks and pieces of wood to block the opening.
The horn kept sounding, a desperate, fading cry for help. The howls of the wolves grew louder, closer, until they seemed to be right outside the cave. The roar of a brutal fight erupted, the sounds of snapping bone and savage snarls echoing through the earth. Eris and Kaylah held their breath, their hearts pounding a frantic rhythm against the silence.
Then, as suddenly as it began, it all stopped.
The horn was silent. The howls had ceased. There was only the sound of the rain, and the vast, unsettling quiet of a life-or-death battle concluded. Eris and Kaylah didn't know what had happened, who had won, or if anyone had survived. All they knew was that the fight was over, and now, with the silence hanging heavy in the air, it was their turn.
The storm raged, the horn fell silent, and the ruin held its breath. Their turn had come, and Haven Below would never be the same.
* * *