The thick overpowering stench of iron broke through the smog caused by the black tar, leaving a metallic taste in Will’s mouth.
He began to panic, looking around for somewhere to hide in the cave. But the walls were relatively smooth and even, there was nowhere for him to shield himself from the creature’s view.
Running over to his bag, he grabbed the long knife out of its sheath and felt like it was pitifully small compared to whatever lived here.
The smell was getting stronger as whatever was chasing the little fox grew closer. Will closed one eye and peered into the dark mouth of the cave exit, trying to find out what exactly was coming.
Everything in his vision was a deep blue except for a moving orange mass. Compared to him, it looked like a walking mountain, almost filling the entire tunnel that was over 6 feet tall.
Will’s stomach dropped as he desperately tried to figure out a way to escape, but the thing was so huge that it practically blocked the tunnel mouth entirely.
He realised that he had about 15 seconds before it got here, and his mind went into overdrive as he desperately tried to think of a plan.
The little fox was shaking as it watched Will grab a long silver knife and run to the pile of dried leave and twigs, burying himself beneath the bedding that was covered in the black tar substance. It tried to follow but Will pushed it away, gesturing towards an open area in the cave just behind the bedding.
By now, the fox was shaking from fear, its wiry orange fur standing on end and its tail drooping as low as possible. It kept trying to wiggle under the leaves, but Will just pushed it towards the open part of the cave at the other end from the exit.
Finally, it understood that he had a plan of some sort and trembling, walked over to the part of the cave Will had gestured towards, putting Will in his hiding spot between it and the cave mouth.
Its little legs were trembling so badly it almost couldn’t stand up but that all changed when a massive black snout poked into the cave entrance, sniffing the air and wrinkling its nose.
Dried blood was caked on its matted black fur and its mouth was followed by a pair of beady eyes that almost glowed red.
Will nearly gasped when he glimpsed the massive bulk of the creature from his hiding spot, it was far bigger than a packhorse and dwarfed the fox he had fought before. It was the biggest bear he had ever seen, and something was off about it.
Its glowing red eyes shone with madness and its movements were primal and animalistic. Sniffing the cave, the two specks of red zeroed in on the little fox that had frozen from fear.
All Will could do was pray the fox wouldn’t run away or expose his ambush before the time was right or he’d essentially be a sitting duck.
Growling like rumbling thunder, the bear padded into the cave, its steps so heavy they sent slight tremors through the ground. If he had to guess, Will thought it must have weighed 5 tonnes at least, its massive body almost as wide as it was tall.
The second it spotted the little fox, its eyes lost all reason entirely and it roared, barrelling across the room without checking for the source of the strange sulphurous smell that was masking Will’s scent.
It crashed across the bedding towards the fox that had completely frozen from fear, not even bothering to whine and whimper anymore.
Will’s knuckles were holding the knife so tight they had gone white and right when the bear passed over him, he grunted, lifting the blade up and used the creature’s own momentum to drag it across its underbelly.
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The bear roared as a waterfall of blood cascaded out of its ruined belly, drowning out the clumps of black tar in an ocean of red.
Rolling away, Will got up and jumped back, just barely avoiding the swipe of a massive, clawed paw that buffeted him back from just the wind of its passing.
To his dismay, while the wound was serious, it hadn’t killed the bear. Although its steps looked unsteady and it left a trail of blood and entrails wherever it went, the bear was still coming for him its eyes glowing the same reddish hue as its spilt blood.
Cursing, Will tried to sidestep one of the bear's massive paws but slipped in a sticky puddle of blood, landing awkwardly and being forced to roll out of the way of another swipe.
He felt wind pass over his head and heard the horrible grating sound the bear’s claws made when they ripped through the cavern floor like Styrofoam.
Seeing an opportunity, Will threw himself under the bear and started stabbing at the horrific wound on its underbelly, trying to hit something vital that might slow the bear down.
The bear roared, trying to read up and crush will but its head hit the ceiling, dazing it slightly.
Pouncing on the opportunity, Will stabbed at its paws, trying to replicate the damage done to the fox the day prior. As he stabbed out, he noticed that the knife seemed to weigh nothing in his grip and while at first, he had chalked it up to adrenaline, perhaps there was something more at play here.
The bear bellowed and swatted Will with its paw, sending him sliding into the wall of the cave with a dull thud.
Will felt the air forced out of his lungs and coughed weekly, trying to catch his breath before the bear go to him.
But the bear wasn’t giving him any time to recover, thundering over in a wave of blood and madness, it crashed into the wall where Will had been a second earlier if he hadn’t rolled to the side.
Unfortunately, he didn’t manage to escape completely, one of the bear's claws had pinned him against the wall and the force it exerted made his bones creak and groan.
The paw pinned his arm against his side and all he could do was watch in horror as the bear’s frothing mouth closed in on his face, the stench of rot and blood pouring out of its open maw.
His mind was like a mouse trapped in a cage, no matter where he turned there was no exit, he kept trying to think of a way out, a solution that might help him survive but he found none. The bear was too big and too strong.
Although he was pretty sure it would succumb to its wounds later, right now it was driven by fury and madness, completely disregarding its wounds entirely.
He wasn’t sure if he imagined it, but he thought he heard a high-pitched yip come from behind the bear.
Both Will and the bear turned to look, shocked to see the little fox shaking as it tried to bight one of the bear’s ankles, its little teeth not even managing to break skin.
“Run!” Will shouted, but it was too late. The bear flicked its paw and sent the little fox flying into the corner of the cave with a panicked yelp.
Praying the fox was ok, Will tried to imagine a situation where he won. The bear was closing in and he needed something to stun it long enough for its wounds to sap it of its remaining strength.
No matter how he struggled against the bear’s paw he could only watch as its giant head grew closer and closer, heralding death with its arrival.
When the bear’s mouth was less than a foot away, Will grew so desperate that he tried biting the paw holding him up against the wall and to his shock, it worked.
His long incisors sank into the bear’s flesh, and he tasted blood, but that alone wouldn’t be enough to stop the bear. No, it was what happened next that did it.
He felt the green orb in his chest emit a pulse of energy that coursed up through the veins in his chest and spine, finally reaching his mouth where the energy was channelled out through the two holes in his teeth.
Bright green venom was injected into the bear’s paw, and it roared in fright, flailing like it had been stabbed with a hot poker. Although Will wasn’t even sure a hot poker would hurt the bear much.
Rolling to the side and backing away slowly, Will didn’t take his eyes off the bear once as it thrashed wildly, one of its front paws seeming to have gone limp.
Finally, its movements grew weaker and weaker, and it wasn’t long before its breathing became ragged and the previously terrifying roars feeble.
After another minute of struggle, the madness left the bear's eyes and its body slumped down to the cave floor, black fur matted in its own blood.
Will tried to catch his breath but his heart was hammering wildly in his chest, threatening to break out and run away. Eventually, he just collapsed on the ground panting and wheezing, a big stupid smile on his face.
A short while later, he felt something wet nuzzle at his face and then a rough tongue began to lick him. Too tired to react, Will simply lay there staring at the little fox and watching as it cleaned some of the sweat and dirt that clung to his face.
Weakly, he reached up and stroked its head, resulting in a throaty purr. Unable to resist the urge, he grabbed the fox and ignoring its yelps of complaint, he hugged it tightly against his chest.
“I won’t forget that you tried to save me,” He whispered softly to the confused little animal. And it was the truth, it had to be.
Just like that, Will fell asleep with the fox cuddling against his chest, too tired to even dream.