The creature crept closer. Each step was slow and deliberate now, the heavy claws scraping faint lines across the stone as it approached the edge of the ledge. Its broken bone mask glinted dimly in the cave light, the cracked plate along its snout leaking thin trails of dark blood that dripped onto the rock beneath it.
Grub stood at the cliff's edge with the roaring waterfall behind him. Cold mist rose from the abyss below and soaked into his skin, clinging to his body and making the cave air feel even colder than before. His chest heaved as he tried to steady his breathing, every inhale sending sharp pain through his ribs.
The creature growled again. Its six limbs spread slightly as it lowered its body closer to the ground, preparing to pounce.
Grub's mind raced.
Should I jump? Charge it head on despite my nakedness?Or perhapsstand still and hope it backed off?
None of the options felt good. Jumping meant trusting the darkness below. The drop was enormous—far enough that he could barely see where the falling water disappeared into the abyss. Charging a monster multiple times his size while completely naked didn't seem much better.
He clenched his fists. For a moment the two of them simply stared at one another. Then the creature made the decision for him. It lunged. The massive body launched forward with terrifying speed, all six limbs driving against the stone as it hurled itself toward him without the slightest hesitation. The beast didn't care about the cliff. It only cared about the prey in front of it.
Grub reacted instantly.
The pressure in his chest surged as he drew on the faint remnants of death still lingering inside him. The cold weight rushed through his body and into his arms, strengthening the muscles just enough to push them past their natural limits.
The creature's enormous body slammed into him. Grub twisted at the last second. Instead of absorbing the full impact, he grabbed hold of the creature's fur and bone mask and redirected the momentum sideways.
Using every ounce of strength in his body, he shoved. The beast sailed past him. For a split second the creature hung in the air above the abyss. Then it began to fall. But it wasn't finished. One of the creature's rear limbs lashed out wildly as it dropped. The hooked claws caught Grub across the throat and shoulder, digging into his skin like iron hooks. The force yanked him forward. Grub's feet left the ledge. And suddenly—He was falling.
The roar of the waterfall swallowed everything. The cave walls blurred around him as the two of them plummeted into the darkness below. The creature thrashed violently beneath him, its massive body twisting as it tried to regain control midair.
Grub's mind exploded with panic.
Not again.
The sensation of falling dragged a memory from deep within his mind. The sky. The red ocean. The endless drop through the rift. And the Leviathan. For a single terrifying moment he remembered the crushing pressure of the sea closing over his head, the pain in his ribs, the darkness swallowing him whole.
Wrighty's voice. Hands dragging him back toward the surface. Grub blinked hard.
No.
Not this time.
He forced himself to focus. Death was seconds away. But if he was going to die, he wasn't doing it screaming. The creature's body twisted beneath him again. Grub grabbed hold of the beast's thick fur and began climbing.
The fall was still accelerating, the cavern walls racing past them as they dropped toward the unseen river below. Wind howled past his ears as he hauled himself higher along the creature's massive body. He pulled himself onto its back. If something was going to hit the water first— It wasn't going to be him.
Grub pressed himself flat against the creature's spine, locking his arms around the thick muscle beneath the fur as he forced the beast between himself and the river below. The creature seemed to realize what he was doing and in response roared in fury. The beast twisted violently, trying to roll its body and throw him free before impact. Its extra limbs clawed wildly at the air, trying to flip itself over. Grub held on tightly.
Stone walls rushed past them. The river roared louder. The creature thrashed again, nearly rolling them both sideways. Grub tightened his grip as the surface of the water rushed up to meet them.
Then they slammed into the river.
The collision exploded across the cavern like a thunderclap. Water erupted upward in a massive spray as the two bodies slammed into the river below. The force of the impact drove the air from Grub's lungs as the creature's enormous body smashed into the current beneath him. Everything went black.
***
Grub woke slowly. At first there was only cold. Cold water soaked through his skin as the river carried him downstream. The roar of the waterfall echoed faintly somewhere behind him. His eyes opened and he saw grey stone drifting past above him. For a moment he didn't understand what he was looking at. Then he realized. He was floating.
The creature's body lay beneath him. The massive bear-like monster drifted lifelessly through the current, its shattered bone mask half-submerged beneath the water. One horn had snapped off entirely during the fall. Grub lay across its back like a piece of driftwood.
Pain hit him all at once. His ribs flared to life. His throat burned where the claws had torn into it. His entire body throbbed with the dull ache of someone who had just survived a fall that should have killed him.
He let out a hard cough. Water and blood spilled from his mouth as he rolled weakly onto his side. The river continued pulling them deeper into the cave.
No.
He couldn't drift away.
Not now.
He had finally found the lizard settlement. He had built a shelter. He had water. He had a plan. He couldn't lose all of it because of one stupid mistake. Grub forced himself upright.
His muscles trembled violently as he slid off the dead creature and dropped into the cold water beside it. The current grabbed at his legs immediately, trying to drag him farther down the tunnel. As he floated in the water he began kicking his leg and swam. Every movement hurt.
His arms felt like they were made of stone, but he forced himself forward through the current until his hands finally caught the edge of the rocky shoreline. He dragged himself onto the wet stone and collapsed. For a long moment he simply lay there having a coughing fit. Blood, water, and some vomit escaped his mouth.
Eventually he rolled onto his side and stared back toward the direction of the waterfall. He sighed. He had to climb back up while naked, cold and injured. And completely exhausted.
It was a terrible day.
Grub eventually pushed himself upright and staggered toward the base of the cliff. The stone wall beside the waterfall was slick with mist and algae, the surface worn smooth by centuries of flowing water.
The climb took a long time and he slipped more than once.
Several times he had to stop and press his forehead against the rock while his lungs burned for air. His fingers bled from gripping the sharp edges of the stone as he hauled himself upward inch by inch.
But eventually— He made it.
Grub dragged himself back into the upper chamber where the underground river flowed calmly through the cave. His clothes still rested exactly where he had left them beside the rock. He stared at them for a moment. Then he laughed weakly. The sound echoed faintly through the cavern. He stepped back into the river and washed the blood from his skin, watching the dark streaks swirl away in the current before pulling himself back onto the bank.
Slowly he dressed himself. Doing so hurt, but at least he wasn't naked anymore. Once his clothes were on, he pulled his notebook from his pack and flipped it open with shaking hands. On the page that listed his tasks, one line stared back at him.
Find a reliable water source.
Grub lifted the charcoal and drew a small check mark beside it. Then he closed the notebook and tucked it away again.
Despite everything— Despite the pain. Despite the fall. Despite nearly dying.
He smiled. It had been a successful day. Eventually he made his way back through the forest to his hidden camp. The walk felt longer than it had that morning, every step sending fresh pain through his battered body. When he finally reached the small shelter hidden among the roots, he collapsed onto the crude bed he had built the day before.
For several seconds he simply lay there staring at the roof of woven branches. Then exhaustion finally claimed him.
And Grub fell asleep thinking that, all things considered— Today had gone pretty well.