The faint glow of the flowers scattered about lit the cave dimly. The sound of hooves hitting stone echoes through the cavern as the Beast closes in. Lahar has the water gun firmly grasped in one hand and a potion in the other.
Every cell in her body screams as loud as it can to run. She keeps telling her legs to move, but they won't listen. The only thing her body lets her do is pour the potion into the water tank and shake the water gun. Hooves slam on the stone floor as the Beast charges toward her.
Her legs finally listen as she jumps out of the way at the last second. Statue slams into the wall behind her. She fires a shot. A green liquid hits Statue, entangling him in large blades of grass.
Lahar looks at the wall he created. She pulls the trigger, but regular water fires out of the barrel this time. The blast crashes into the wall, leaving only a small crater. She hears ripping cloth and turns back to the Beast. His eyes burn bright as parts of the grass trapping his tear. The screams inside grow louder. "Run!"
Lahar sprints deeper into the cave. She doesn't turn back to see if he is following. Her eyes scour what's in front of her, desperately trying to find a place to hide. The cave surrounds her in darkness. Then a howl echoes in the chamber. She knows he is free.
Her legs feel like twigs ready to snap on any step. Beads of sweat sting her eyes as they flow down her face. Twists and turns, diverging paths—she takes any she can to further confuse the hunter. She comes across a large cavern with a small pond in the center.
Around the pond glows a bed of flowers similar to the ones outside, on a ring of grass. The area outside the grass is hard to see. The area is dark, with massive boulders rising from the stone floor. Lahar moves closer to the bed of flowers and then slips. She falls into a small pit. It's deep enough that the grass above completely hides her when she crouches down.
She opens the tank on the water gun. Drops of the diluted green potion fall on her finger. She rubs the rim of the pit with the potion. Blades of grass grow and cover the pit—just enough that no one passing by will notice her or the gaping hole.
Her body relaxes. She sits down, still gripping the water gun tightly. This is the closest she has been to relaxing these past days—if she can call this situation relaxing. Her body grows sorer and tenser the longer she hides.
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Blood drips from her cuts onto the newly formed bruises on her body. She never noticed them until now. Drops of cold water fall on her face from the stalactites above her. The soothing sound of water hitting the pond eases her mind for just a moment.
Her fingers run on her bracelet. She looks at the markings she has examined a thousand times. For a moment, Lahar lets herself reminisce. She remembers a time when Arena moved a small flower away from a larger flower. She asked why he was doing that; they both were growing at a decent pace, and neither was harming the other. In fact, the colors complemented each other.
He smiled as he moved the flower to an empty patch in the garden. "You're right. They are not harming each other, and they are beautiful together. Still, this one was planted later than the other. The big one was blocking the sunlight the little one needs. So, I will move it here so that it can get the light it needs and has room to grow. When it has grown enough, I'll move them back together. Then they'll be more beautiful together."
Her eyes look down at the scratch marks on the water gun. Then she remembers the time they first found Void. Arena stood in front of her, protecting her. He protected her twice from the Beasts. Her grip on the gun loosens.
Then she hears the pounding of the Statue's hooves. Statue's snarls grow louder with every step closer. She can hear his nostrils flaring. She aims the water gun up, careful not to pass the grass hiding her. With Statue's nose on the grass, he sniffs for her scent.
Lahar uses her bandaged hand to cover her mouth. It smells of dirt and sweat. Her hand won't keep steady. Her nerves scream at her again. The Beast unknowingly moves closer to her. Inches away, he closes in.
Statue feels a cold, wet droplet hit his nose. He jerks his head up and gives a bellowing bark that shakes the ground.
Lahar doesn't move as drops of water fall on them like rain. She can't tell whether it's by choice or by fear. Statue's growl goes softer as he moves on, deeper into the cave. Lahar waits till she can't hear his hooves anymore before she relaxes. Once he is gone, she moves her hand from her mouth and lowers the gun.
Her chest feels heavy as she stares up at the grass. Death was an inch away. Her eyelids grow heavy as exhaustion kicks in. She feels herself sink lower into herself, deeper into her own darkness as the light fades from her view. Then a voice echoes in her mind.
I want to be able to stand beside him, not behind—a promise she made to herself. Her own words shine a light on her. She grips the water gun tighter. She groans in pain as she starts to get up. She may be alone, but that's all she needs. She stands up straight, no longer hiding in the shadow. She embraces the light surrounding her.
Lahar climbs out of the pit. She can see the path Statue walked down. She knows she won't be able to escape with him hunting her. She reaches into her bag and grabs a peach-colored potion. With the top undone, she pours it into the gun's tank. This done, she moves forward. Alone.