The cave stank of copper and smoke. The beast's roar still echoed as Eryn pressed himself deeper into a crack in the wall, heart slamming in his ears.
"Hold the line!" one hunter bellowed, his voice cracking with panic.
"Hold it? It's tearing us apart!" another screamed, stumbling back with a gash across his chest.
"Shut up and keep stabbing—don't give it room!" the leader shouted, swinging his axe as the torchlight wavered.
Eryn's eyes darted from man to man, trying to understand their movements. The leader planted his feet wide, axe raised high, trying to draw the beast's focus. The others circled, striking low and darting back. The cub still wailed from the corner, a thin, pitiful sound.
The beast lunged. Its claw caught the leader's shoulder with a wet crack. He went down hard, axe spinning across the stone floor."No—! Ralf!" one of the others cried, rushing forward."Fall back, fall back!" someone shouted.
The beast tore into them again, and blood sprayed the walls. Eryn flinched as a dying hunter screamed, "Help me! Gods, help me!" His cries turned to a wet gurgle as the beast's jaws closed around his neck.
Eryn's hand twitched toward his knife. No… I can't… I'd die like them.But he couldn't look away. Every strike, every mistake burned into his mind.
One hunter, face smeared with blood, stumbled back toward the cave mouth. "It's not worth it, it's not worth—!" He never finished. The beast's tail lashed out, snapping his spine like a dry twig. His torch fell, sputtering on the ground.
The last remaining man screamed hoarsely, swinging wildly at the creature's face. "Damn you! DIE!" His blade bit deep into the beast's eye, and it reared back with a deafening bellow, thrashing so hard that the cavern walls shook and rocks tumbled from above.
Eryn crouched low, gripping his knife tighter than ever.So strong… even five of them… and they can barely hurt it…He stared, breathless, as the fight raged on.