Ivan walked back into the small clearing. His mind was still on the claw marks he found. The image was burned into his thoughts.
Orion was standing by the river, looking frustrated. He saw Ivan and his eyes went wide.
"Hey man," Orion said. "Why do you look like that?"
"Like what, exactly?" Ivan asked.
"Like you saw a ghost or something," Orion said.
'Close enough,' Ivan thought. "I'm fine," he said out loud. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the handful of berries he had found. He put them on a large, flat rock. "Tell me, did you catch anything, mister fisherman?"
Orion looked down at the water with a sad face. "Nope. These fish are fast. And they're slippery."
"How useless can you be?" Ivan muttered. "Just look around you. Use your environment."
He walked closer to the river to show him what he meant. He stepped on a smooth, wet rock. His foot slid out from under him.
He fell hard on his ass. The splash was loud.
Orion stared for a second, then he burst out laughing. He was laughing so hard he had to hold his stomach.
"What are you laughing at, you little shit?" Ivan yelled, his face turning red.
He stood up, his backside wet and muddy. He looked around and found what he was looking for: a long, sturdy tree branch with a sharp, broken end. He grabbed it. It felt clumsy in his hand, but it was better than nothing.
He started stabbing at the water, trying to spear a fish. He missed. And missed again. The fish were too quick.
"It's okay, man," Orion said, trying to stop laughing. "We can learn to fish later. We still have our canned food."
Ivan kept trying, stabbing at the water again and again. He couldn't hit anything.
"Are you listening?" Orion asked.
Ivan finally stopped. He was breathing hard from the effort. "This isn't just about our food, Orion," he said, looking at his friend. "This is our currency."
Orion looked confused.
"How long do you think this place will stay a secret?" Ivan asked. "Soon, other students will find this river. But right now, no one else knows about it. We have fresh water and fresh fish. We can use that. We can trade it. We can use it to get other students to team up with us. For protection."
Orion looked at him, then he frowned. "Why are you being so smart all of a sudden? It's annoying. I feel dumb compared to you now."
"It's okay," Ivan said, tossing the makeshift spear to Orion. "Your job doesn't require intelligence. Just fish."
"So who are we going to team up with?" Orion asked.
"I don't know yet," Ivan admitted. "I didn't see anyone else in the forest. And I don't want to go too deep. The risk of getting lost is too high." He pointed at the river with his chin. "Now try to fish us something. I need to think."
He walked over to the entrance of the cave and sat down. He put his head in his hands.
The problems were piling up.
'How do I find allies without leaving our base unprotected? If I go alone, the beast might get me. Or I could get lost. I remember the path to get here, but that's it. What if the beast attacks while I'm gone and gets Orion? But we can't both go. Someone could find the cave and steal everything.'
He looked at all the possibilities. Every single one had a risk. Not finding a solution was making him angry.
He looked up at the sky. The giant eagle was circling high above, a silent judge. As it passed, the normal sounds of the forest seemed to stop for a moment.
In that sudden quiet, he heard something else.
A soft snap. Like a twig breaking.
It came from the bushes at the edge of their clearing.
Ivan's head whipped around. He stared at the spot. He saw a flash of movement.
And then he saw her.
It was Romana. She was hiding behind a large fern, peeking at them. When their eyes met, she froze for a split second. Her eyes went wide with surprise. She had been caught.
Then she moved. She didn't hesitate. She turned and sprinted away, disappearing back into the trees.
Ivan was on his feet instantly.
"Orion!" he yelled. "Bring the branch and come on!"
He didn't wait. He sprinted after her, crashing through the bushes. He could hear Orion scrambling behind him.
Romana was fast. She moved through the forest with a skill that Ivan did not have. She jumped over fallen logs. She used tree trunks to push off and change direction.
But Ivan had one advantage. He was running on pure adrenaline and desperation. He pushed his weak body harder than ever before. His lungs burned. His legs ached. But he did not slow down.
They were closing the gap, but it was hard. She was just too skilled at moving through the terrain.
'She's going to get away,' he thought, his heart sinking.
Then, luck helped them.
Romana leaped from a high rock, aiming for the ground below. But her foot landed on a loose stone. Her ankle twisted.
"Fuck!" she yelled, and she fell to the ground in a heap. She immediately tried to get up, but her ankle wouldn't hold her weight.
Ivan and Orion burst through the trees and saw her on the ground.
She looked up at them, her face full of anger and pain. She wasn't looking at them, though. She was looking at the sky.
"Marcus, you piece of shit!" she cursed. "Don't ever send me on one of these missions again!"
They approached her carefully. Ivan took the sharp branch from Orion. He held it like a spear, pointing it at her.
"So, Romana," Ivan said, trying to catch his breath. "Why were you spying on us?"
She glared at him from the ground. "Nothing personal," she said through gritted teeth. "The guy you crippled just wants his revenge."
"Too bad," Ivan said. "We caught you before you could run back to him, huh?"
"You caught me," she said. Her voice was full of sarcasm.
Then she attacked.
She was still on the ground, but she moved like a snake. She kicked out with her good leg, aiming for Ivan's knee.
Ivan jumped back, dodging the kick.
Romana used the motion to push herself up. She stood on one foot, perfectly balanced. She threw another kick, fast and high.
Ivan blocked it with the branch, the impact jarring his arm.
"I still wonder how you put up a good fight against Marcus," she said, her eyes narrowed.
She attacked again, another powerful kick aimed at his chest.
This time, as she moved, Ivan's left eye throbbed with pain.
The world went red.