††† Siegfried †††

Siegfried looked over his shoulder with worry as they followed the stream north. "They are too fast, Haylee. They'll catch up quickly at this rate."

Haylee squinted her eyes, trying to spot them in the distance. "How are you even able to see them from here? I can't see anything," she complained.

Sieg didn't comment on that. It was hard to admit, but his endurance was nearing its limits, and he had to save his breath. They had been walking, running and fighting for more than a day without sleep. He had tucked his raincoat back into the rucksack, leaving him with only his leather trousers and the enforcer's blade, but he was still sweating heavily. It was comforting and, at the same time, irritating to see how effortlessly the cat-girl continued.

The humongous, brown-green edge of the woods was drawing nearer by the minute. The dense undergrowth was already visible — a vibrant green contrasting against the brown bark of the surrounding trees. Siegfried continued to watch the enforcers' advances every odd minute. The blinking red lights came closer at a frightening speed. He could now make out the red mantles when the flash dimmed.

"I can see their glow now," Haylee informed him, picking up the pace again. "Shouldn't be long until they spot us too. We have to be in the woods before that. They're faster than I hoped," she confirmed Sieg's concern. The enforcers only hadn't caught up yet, because they needed to regularly watch the riverbank for footprints.

As soon as the odd couple reached the forest, Haylee pointed at a massive, brown root. "We get out over there and try to stay on the roots and stones if possible. Don't leave any tracks for them." The root, stemming from one of the broadest trees, wound over the ground like a huge snake until it reached the water and submerged. It looked as if the giant was cautiously dipping a toe into the stream, feeling the water's temperature. Siegfried would have loved to appreciate the impressive scenery were it not for the deadly squad of executioners chasing after them.

Haylee navigated a path through the green thicket, carefully staying on hard ground and not breaking any branches or plants that would disclose their route to the enemy. Siegfried followed to the best of his ability. But their pace was slow, and his nerves blank by now.

"Haylee, they will reach the forest any moment! We can't —"

"Shut up and focus on your steps!" the cat-girl harshly shot him down. "I have a plan!"

Sieg closed his mouth and followed. He had not seen Haylee that tense before. Apparently, she was as anxious as him about the squad following them. But she also seemed to know where she was going, so he could only trust in her for now.

"There, that overgrown lump at the base," Haylee pointed at a mound of moss, sticks and leaves nestled against a tree. Hidden between two man-sized roots, Sieg would have missed it from a distance. "That's a clawbear's den. Follow each of my steps and keep quiet. If we're lucky, it's empty."

Siegfried didn't ask what would happen if they were not lucky. Whatever that clawbear was, their pursuers were undoubtedly no third-class enforcers, so the bear was preferable.

The broad entrance to the lair became visible just behind the small mound when they climbed along the root. Haylee slipped quietly from the ledge into the den in a single, fluid motion. Siegfried followed with far less grace but silently enough.

The tunnel itself was far more spacious than he had imagined. It followed directly beneath one of the tree's roots, using it as a stabiliser for the ceiling. As they sneaked further in — if one could call Siegfried's attempt sneaking — the last ray of light was quickly consumed by darkness. The moist air, combined with the earthy, thick smell, weighted down on the former city dweller. He imagined the dirt above him coming down and burying him or a red glow flashing from behind, trapping them with no way out. Or even the deadly, chitin-armoured leg of a spider suddenly stabbing him out of the blackness around them.

Sieg was unconsciously breathing heavier until he felt a soft, small hand squeezing his own. Haylee's hand. That small gesture of reassurance brought him back far enough to realise that there was a dim white glow in front of them. They entered a small, round cavern. A single, thin ray of light was falling down from a tiny hole above. It was hardly enough for Sieg to make out Haylee's silhouette, but it calmed his anxiety. He noticed the cat-girl nodding at him and sitting down on the ground. They had come far enough, and now they could only wait, hoping their pursuers would give up.

It was hard to keep track of time in the dark, but a sense of tranquillity had already settled when a sudden, dull thump disturbed the quiet. Sieg could feel weak vibrations through the ground he sat on, and there was another thump. They both stayed utterly silent, not daring to breathe for a while. A minute went by, and Siegfried allowed himself to hope that it had been the sound of an enforcer speeding along the surface and passing them by. The squad member would be far ahead by now if that was the case.

A guttural, deep growl reverberating through the cavern walls told him that it didn't matter what the sound above was. Because it had woken up a more immediate threat.

††† Ryden †††

An eerie silence had set over the forest. Ryden couldn't hear a single bird chirping, not a leave rustling in the canopy. It was as if the woods didn't dare to breathe anymore. There was a new apex predator in the area, and no one wanted to arouse its ire.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

One of the Nivetian scouts approached the plateau silently. He was young and more on the slender side compared to the hunters Ryden had seen. When the scout spoke, his voice was barely above a whisper, "Samuel, they dispersed in all directions. Can't track them, but at least one enforcer sped by this area. Unlikely that they'll return here without a lead."

"Good Job, Reggie," the older hunter replied. "What about those two?"

"Hid in a clawbear's den. Enforcer went by there already, but the bear's likely inside."

Samuel threw a glance at Ryden and let out a deep sigh.

††† Siegfried †††

Siegfried unsheathed the enforcer's sword he stole at the gate. The muffled thumping of heavy steps sounded from the entrance they came from. Apparently, there had been a side corridor he hadn't seen in the dark. And now they were trapped. The footfalls were accompanied by a dull scraping sound, like a shovel being stabbed into the dirt. Siegfried's pulse sped up. He glanced at Haylee and found her glowing yellow eyes widened in fear.

The cat-girl met his gaze and whispered, "Lure it to the back, then run around it and out of here." Her voice was steady but tense like her body, ready to jump into action.

Even with the small hole in the cave ceiling, Sieg couldn't make out more than vague shapes. He jumped up, rammed his sword into the hole and ripped it back out and to the side. Dirt and debris dropped into the cave, the opening far enough now to flood the circular space in a dim, dawn-like glow. Another growl followed, and Sieg backed up to the wall, focusing on the opposite side's dark corridor.

A curved, thick spike, the same length as the tall warrior's arm, stabbed into the ground. The second spike followed, and an elongated black head emerged between them. Two bulbous, black eyes sat deep in the sleek, dark surface, which reminded Sieg of Trish's chitinous limbs. The massive body of the beast became visible. It was covered in fur, for the most part. But only its hind legs were those of a bear, while the shoulders supported thick, sleek legs with two junctions ending in the curved claws that gave the creature its name.

When it spotted the intruders, the monster's jaws unhinged, revealing two insect-like pincers, spreading out to the sides. With a roar, the clawbear rushed at the larger target, shaking the earth beneath its weight.

Siegfried aborted an overhead swing and dived to the side when the massive claw came for him. He rolled into a crouch, the second pointed limb piercing the spot next to him.

Barely on his feet again, Sieg managed to divert the next claw-strike by bracing his upper body against the flat of his blade. But the movement stopped the warrior, leading him to look right into the open maw. A split second before the pincers would crush his head, the monster shrieked in agony as its right eye was shredded by Haylee's claws.

The cat-girl was riding on the bear's neck. Sparks were flying as she raked her claws over its armoured head. The bear reared up, dislodging her grip when its boneless shoulder pushed up her leg. Haylee was thrown to the ground, the bear instantly turning on her, its right foreleg raised to stab.

Sieg came from the side and put his weight into a heavy swing against the chitin. A ringing clang resounded, and the claw stabbed into the dirt, hardly scratching its target.

The bear heaved its body to the side, the weight crashing into Siegfried, flinging the burly warrior away like a puppet. The air drained from Sieg’s lungs as he hit the wall. At least he gave Haylee time to back up, but he seemed to have broken at least one rib in exchange. His legs trembled when he stood up.

Sieg threw himself out of the way as the bear charged, but his muscles didn't fully comply. The hard chitin grazed his body, altering his dive into a fall as the beast rammed into the wall.

The ground shook, and dirt rained down on them. Haylee was on the back of the bear again, gouging out handfuls of flesh and fur. This time she jumped back before being thrown off and evaded the quick stabs of the clawbear while backing up further.

Siegfried was on his feet again and rushed after them. With a roar, he embedded his sword into the bear's hip. But he couldn't penetrate or break the bone. The blade stuck in thick layers of fat and muscle as the beast turned around again, its howl shaking Sieg to the bones.

The exhausted warrior conjured his organic blades, but he had no illusion about deflecting even a grazing strike with them. Instead, he tried to evade and stay in the blind spot of the destroyed eye. Once, twice he narrowly sidestepped a blow while Haylee continued to harass the bear. Blood and flesh were ripped from its back, but nothing stopped its advance on Siegfried.

In a desperate attempt, Sieg slipped under the next swing and below the armoured head. He stuck both arms up, aiming for the creature's throat.

His enamel blades broke with a clang against chitin. The underside of the bear was shielded like its head.

The clawbear dropped down to crush the annoying human beneath its weight. Sieg let himself fall to the side, dodging below the claw. But his feet were trapped under the chest of the bear. The layer of fat prevented his bones from being crushed, but he couldn't pull out either.

Siegfried saw the thick claw rising. He heard Haylee shouting. From the corner of his vision, he perceived the movement. Haylee charged and jumped towards the clawbear. The pointed, long appendage rose higher and changed its angle at the juncture.

Haylee's momentum drove her deep onto the claw that pierced through her side. It yanked her down, impaling her on the ground.

The movement freed Siegfried's feet. For a moment, time seemed to freeze along with his heart as he saw Haylee coughing blood into the air. A bloodcurdling scream of desperation left his lips. He jabbed his broken blade into the bear's left side, scratching along the surface until it hit the remaining good eye.

The clawbear roared and rampaged, pulling its claw out of the mangled girl's body. Sieg ignored the limb striking down next to him. He picked up the small, bloodied form and frantically ran for the tunnel leading outside.

The bear was blinded, but its other senses sufficed to charge after them. Crashing into the tunnel walls in rage, the bulky monster nearly tripped Siegfried with the tremors it caused.

Despair struck the running warrior as he reached the light of the entrance and looked down at the body in his arms. The clawbear had caught up, but Sieg couldn't bring himself to care. He had run on by sheer instinct. And by sheer instinct, he automatically followed the shout, "Dive!" and threw himself forward, shielding Haylee with his body.

The clawbear was driven into the dirt when a massive figure with furred arms landed on its back. It skidded along the ground, nearly reaching the prone laying Siegfried.

Smelling its prey, the wide jaws opened to snap for the legs in front. But the heavy head was jerked back sharply when the ape-man grabbed the bear's pointed front legs and pulled. When the muscles began to tear, the clawbear opened its maw again. Before the shriek of pain could leave its throat, a comparably small fist struck the side of the iron-hard skull.

Chitin cracked, and bones broke as a human man punched the bear's head with such force that the flesh of his fist ripped open.

Sieg could hear bones cracking as the man embedded the remains of his hand into the brain of the clawbear. But he couldn't bring himself to care.

Haylee's broken body lay in his arms, a fist-sized hole in her side. Her chest did not rise anymore. She had stopped breathing. The spark of life faded from her. And again, he could do nothing but watch.

The terror of having to watch it happen, unable to act on it.

Again, he was unable to save those he cared for.