It took another three hours before they came upon the entrance of a cave. Bones lay on the ground, protruded from the cave walls, built up against them. Yliren tread carefully, her eyes slowly adjusting to the darkness. Misr and Gyden followed, the others keeping vigil at the mouth of the cave. There was a stench, thick and rancid, that assaulted Yliren’s nose. It choked, and Yliren felt sympathy for the wolves, whose sense of smell was far acuter than hers.

When the narrow shaft opened back up, fire illuminated an oblong chamber filled with more bones and rotten remains so mangled Yliren couldn’t tell if they were human or animal. Misr whined his disapproval.

“I know, boy. No longer than we have to.” She reassured him.

Misr let out a low growl, a deep gravely sound that set Yliren on edge. Was the Knawl nearby? She wasn’t sure how he could smell it through the putrid stench. But then Misr crouched low and crept up to a hole in the floor on the far side of the cave, Yliren knew it wasn’t the Knawl. Voices came from the hole, frightened squeals, and hushed chatter, as Misr glanced down into the depths, a growl warning whatever was there to beware.

Yliren bolted to the hole, sliding up beside Misr and peering over the edge at the people trapped deep inside.

“Yliren,” came a familiar voice, “Is that you? There’s a wolf.”

“Yeol, it’s me,” she could barely make out his face in the dim light, “how many are left, where’s Kymn? I can’t see down there well.”

“Runn and Oryn are dead, Vern escaped yesterday, I don’t know how far she made it.”

“Vern is dead, I found her just a few hours ago.” She told them, waiting for Symr’s cries to subside. Vern and Symr were best friends and the only two girls in the group.

“Yliren,” Yeol called her quietly, “Kymn’s in bad shape, he was trying to help Vern and the Knawl cut him up pretty bad before he threw him back in here. He’s lost blood, and he’s been in and out of it since last night.”

“I’m going to get you out of there,” Yliren surveyed the cave.

Pulling her bag off, she retrieved the rope and again scanned her surroundings to find an anchor. A large boulder just to the right of the hole gave just enough support to tie the rope and pull the survivors up.

“Yeol, you come up first, Bihn and Symr can tie Kymn then you and I can pull him up.” She explained. He did as she told him, his hands coming up over the ledge, and Yliren grabbed his arm to help him over.

As his whole body came over the side, tall and lanky, falling over her. He balked at the sight of the two massive wolves that watched over them as she shoved his body off her.

“Yeol, they’re helping me, we don’t have time for you to be afraid, I don’t know when the Knawl will be back.” Yliren scolded him.

She could here Bihn trying to rouse Kymn, “Hey, wake up, Kymn, Yliren’s here. She going to get us out.”

“Yliren?” Kymn’s deep voice, barely audible at the surface, was enough to calm the storm in her chest. He was alive, hurt but alive, “No, tell her to leave. Run! Run, Yliren.”

His voice was strained as he tried to yell at her. He should know here better than this. She wouldn’t abandon him, not this time.

“I’m not going anywhere without you, so let them tie you up so I can pull you to the top.” She yelled back to him.

Bihn and Symr worked quickly, with Kymn arguing the whole way. In a few minutes, she and Yeol were pulling Kymn out of the chasm. Yliren wrapped her arms around him, dragging him over the edge. His face was dirty, dried blood caked to his neck and chest and he gritted his teeth in pain, but he held on to her tight. Misr whined and Yliren knew the Knawl was close.

“Why,” he huffed at her, “Why did you come, you’re going to get yourself killed.”

“You should know by now my life is tied to yours. You’re my only person, I go where you go.” She told him, the lump in her throat making it hard to speak. “I should have come in the first place.”

“Knowing you, you would have run head-long at the Knawl and been the first to die,” he tried to joke, but the chuckle caused him to cringe. He was right of course.

Yliren helped Kymn to his feet as Yeol untied the rope from around him, and walked him to a place to sit against the wall of the cave. Yeol threw the rope back down for Bihn to climb up.

“Yliren,” he nodded to Misr and Gyden.

“I helped them get a kill, they are helping me in return.” She explained.

Suddenly, a deep growl echoed down the cave into the chamber, followed by a painful yelp. Misr whined before his ears flew forward and his tail stood straight up. It was here. A loud, angry roar bounced off the cave walls and Yliren knew there was no way out. Kymn was already wounded, it would be too hard to get him back in the hole, but the others would still be safe there.

Yeol pulled on the rope attempting to bring Bihn up before the Knawl made it to the chamber. She had to stop him.

“Yeol,” she yelled as she bolted to him, “No.”

She shoved, sending Yeol over the side. He yelled as he fell, one hand still on the rope the other grabbing on to the side of the hole to hold himself up. Pryl, Baek, and Jun ran into the cavern, the Knawl’s frightening roar followed them. Yliren backed to where Kymn sat against the cave wall, putting herself in between him and the Knawl.

Its footsteps were long, but it dragged its feet as it trudged into the cavern. It was impossibly tall, twice Yliren’s height at the least, and black as tar, almost like a shadow. It was covered in course, black hair, arranged in patches like scales. Its arms were long, past its knees, with claws that were a dingy yellowish-brown. Its eyes were half hidden by the hair, but Yliren could see the demonic yellow hue, dotted with orange around black, crescent-shaped pupils.

When it opened its mouth to roar again, Yliren could see the rows of needle-sharp teeth. The wail bounced off the walls making Yliren cover her ears with her hands. Its gaze was fixed on her.

As she lowered her hands, her eyes narrowed at the creature, waiting, anticipating. Misr let out a fierce growl from the other side of the cavern, averting the Knawls attention from Yliren for just a moment. All she needed to move.

Yliren dove for her bow, nocking an arrow and spinning around to aim at the beast. The moment the Knawl was in her sight she released the arrow, catching it in the side, eliciting another roar as it barreled toward her. It was bigger, obviously stronger, but she was faster.

Yliren lunged forward, dodging to the side evading the creatures advance, but its long arms were difficult to elude. Its claws raked across her shoulder and back, ripping into her skin. She shrieked at the burn from the wounds coursed through her.

The adrenaline was stronger than the pain. She let loose another arrow, catching it in the back this time. The Knawl turned, its long arm reaching around, pulling the arrow out of its back. It started for her gain, but the wolves descended. Jun leaped, but the Knawl swiped at him, sending him into the cavern wall. Misr and Gyden were more calculated. Misr sunk his teeth into the back of the beast’s leg while Gyden latched on higher up on its side.

It wailed again, twisting to free itself from the wolves’ clutches. Yliren could see movement behind the Knawl, Kymn was on his feet, a large rock in his hand. She should have known he wouldn’t stay out of the way.

“Kymn, no!” She yelled.

It was too late. He reared back and threw the earthen weapon at the creature. It hit its mark on the back of the Knawls head, making it stumble, just enough to gain the attention of the creature. It forgot the wolves, turning instead to Kymn. Yliren knew that was his plan, to avert the creature’s attention from her, but she had not come all this way just to watch him die to protect her.

She pulled her blade from its sheath, climbed a large boulder that protruded from the cavern wall. Baek made his move, attacking the other leg, causing the Knawl to falter. Yliren jumped from the boulder onto the Knawls back, wrapping her arm around its thick throat and plunging the blade deep into the side of its neck. It screeched and spun, throwing her off, falling to its knees. Misr released its leg and went for the kill, sinking his teeth into the Knawl’s neck.

It fell to the ground, a pool of blood forming in the dirty cave floor. Misr wouldn’t let go until the beast stopped moving.

Yliren wasted no time. She didn’t know when the adrenaline would wear off, so she crawled to the hole where Yeol still held on. Grabbing his hand, she pulled him up and out of the hole.

“Sorry, Yeol, I needed you out of the way.” She explained.

“You…you killed the Knawl.” He murmured.

Yliren didn’t answer, just looked to Kymn who stood against the wall, his eyes fixed on her. He moved to her, pulling her up into his arms, painfully. Here, with Kymn safe, she relaxed and let the darkness take over.