Chapter 10: The Price of Survival
For a few seconds, Xino could only stare.
Five of them.
Their shapes filled the mouth of the cave, huge and unnatural against the pale glow of the twin moons behind them. The bodies were wolf-like, but far too large, far too muscular. Their bull heads lowered slightly as they studied him, curved horns glinting faintly in the moonlight.
And the tentacles.
Those things moved constantly, slow and restless, sliding over their backs like living parasites.
Xino's chest heaved as he struggled to catch his breath. His hands were slick with blood—some of it the creature's, some of it his own. The branch in his grip was stained dark and chipped along the tip.
Five.
There was no running now.
The cave behind him twisted deeper into darkness, but it was too narrow and unfamiliar. If he turned his back, even for a moment, they would catch him.
The only path was forward.
His mind raced.
He had just killed one.
It had taken everything he had.
His arms already trembled with exhaustion, his shoulders burning from the repeated stabs. His legs felt like stone.
But one thought forced its way through the fear.
Predators aren't stupid.
If the fight became too costly…
If the prey became too dangerous…
They might decide it wasn't worth it.
Maybe.
It was a thin hope.
But it was all he had.
Xino tightened his grip on the branch.
"Come on then," he muttered through clenched teeth.
One of the creatures stepped forward.
It was slightly larger than the others. The tentacles on its back twitched faster, curling outward as it pushed its way into the cave. Its horns scraped against the stone walls as it moved.
The others stayed outside.
Watching.
Waiting.
The creature inside lowered its head.
Then it charged.
Xino barely had time to react.
He threw himself sideways as the massive body lunged forward. The creature slammed into the cave wall with a thunderous crash, stone cracking under the force.
Before it could recover, Xino moved.
He drove the sharpened branch downward toward its neck.
The point sank into thick fur but barely pierced the skin beneath.
The creature roared and swung its head violently.
A horn slammed into Xino's shoulder.
Pain exploded through his arm as he was thrown backward against the cave wall.
The impact knocked the air from his lungs.
For a moment, the world spun.
The creature turned, preparing to charge again.
Too strong.
Too fast.
The thought flashed through his mind.
But he forced himself upright before it could attack again.
The tentacles shot forward.
One wrapped briefly around his leg.
Cold.
Wet.
Xino roared and stabbed wildly at it. The branch punctured the appendage, causing the creature to recoil violently.
Dark blood splashed across the stone.
The monster snarled, pulling the injured tentacle back.
That hesitation was enough.
Xino lunged forward again, grabbing the writhing appendage with both hands.
The creature thrashed violently, but the narrow cave trapped its massive body just like the first one.
"Stay… still!" Xino gasped.
He drove the branch down again and again into the base of the tentacle where it connected to the creature's back.
Each stab was harder than the last.
Each strike sent blood spraying.
The creature screamed—a deep, animalistic roar that shook the cave walls.
But Xino didn't stop.
He couldn't.
Finally the monster collapsed forward with a heavy crash.
Its massive body twitched once… twice…
Then went still.
Xino stumbled backward, gasping.
Two.
He had killed two.
But when he looked up, the other creatures were already moving.
Another one pushed its way into the cave.
Then another tried to squeeze in behind it.
They were losing patience.
The next fight was chaos.
The third creature lunged wildly, snapping with its massive jaws while its tentacles lashed through the air. One struck Xino across the chest like a whip, tearing his shirt and sending him crashing into the wall.
Pain burst through his ribs.
He could barely breathe.
But he forced himself up again.
He fought with desperation now.
Every strike with the branch was wild and brutal. He stabbed at tentacles, eyes, neck—anywhere he could reach.
At one point the creature's horn grazed his side, tearing through fabric and skin. Warm blood ran down his waist.
But somehow… somehow… he managed to drive the sharpened wood deep into the creature's throat.
It collapsed on top of the others.
Three.
The cave floor had become slick with blood.
Xino could barely stand now.
His arms felt numb. His breathing was ragged and uneven. His entire body trembled from exhaustion and pain.
Outside the cave, the remaining creatures had stopped moving.
Their glowing eyes stared into the darkness.
Watching.
Calculating.
Xino lifted the blood-soaked branch again with shaking hands.
He didn't say anything.
He didn't threaten them.
He simply stood there.
Waiting.
A long moment passed.
Then another.
Finally, one of the creatures let out a low growl.
It stepped backward.
Another followed.
Then another.
The pack had made its decision.
The prey was too dangerous.
Too costly.
One by one, the monsters retreated into the forest, their massive shapes disappearing between the trees.
Within seconds they were gone.
The forest fell silent again.
Xino stood there for a long moment, staring at the cave entrance.
Waiting for them to return.
But they didn't.
The adrenaline slowly drained from his body.
His legs suddenly felt weak.
The branch slipped from his hands and clattered against the stone floor.
Xino took one step backward.
Then another.
His back hit the cave wall.
The pain hit him all at once.
Every cut.
Every bruise.
Every muscle screaming from the fight.
His vision blurred.
"Just… rest for a minute," he murmured weakly.
His legs gave out beneath him.
Xino collapsed onto the cold stone floor, surrounded by the bodies of the creatures he had killed.
The last thing he saw before darkness took him was the faint light of the twin moons shining through the cave entrance.
Then everything went black.