Audrey bolted. Ran with all her might. Like her life depended on it.
Her boots tore across the grass, the air ripping past her ears. Snarls and pounding paws closed in from behind, a dozen throats unified in the chase.
She didn't look back, didn't dare. She just ran.
Move, Audrey. Faster. Don't trip. Don't stop.
The meadow blurred. She tore through berry shrubs, vaulted the stone bridge, branches whipping her face. Her lungs burned, but her legs didn't slow. Not when the wolves were so close, breath hot and rank on her back. Hungry saliva spraying everywhere.
The cave mouth yawned ahead, black and unwelcoming. There was no other choice. Either the belly of the mountain or that of a dozen wolves.
She plunged inside, the sudden chill sending prickles down her back. Moonlight vanished. The glow of crystals picked up where the moon left off. Here they seemed muted. Darker, somehow. A whole new level of fright for her.
The wolves didn't hesitate.
