The fire's glow seemed to shrink and shadows trembling against the stone walls as the walking sound grew closer with deliberate and unhurried steps echoing from the cave's depths.
Clawdia's ears flattened, a low growl rumbling from her throat as her silver fur bristled. Astrael shifted slightly forward, his hand already brushing the hilt of his sword, though his muscles screamed in protest.
The adventurers rose in unison, weapons sliding free with a hiss of steel. Tavion's smirk was gone now, his knife poised and his eyes narrowed into the dark. Mira's staff pulsed faintly with light, a spell gathering at her fingertips.
From the shadows, a deep, rough hiss rolled out, so heavy it reverberated in Astrael's chest.
The leader's voice was soft, steady, but tinged with tension."…That doesn't sound like a beast."
The crunch of stone stopped. Then, slowly, two burning, amber eyes blinked open in the blackness of the cave.
