She gasped as the ice cold water hit her face and dunked her hands back into the small pool of water that had formed from just a trickle. Salt from the sweat on her face dripped onto her lip and she flicked her tongue over it before drinking from the second handful. Raina’s light green eyes followed the path of the water. If this was here, she was certain there was more of it somewhere.
Tucking a strand of her pale hair behind her eye, she rose and tentatively stepped along the rocky floor. The stone was dark here, and appeared polished like a black mirror underneath the water. Taking her dagger out, she knelt again and stabbed at the shelf of rock where it sat shallowly on top of another slab. A chorus of howling broke her concentration, just as a piece of the black glass broke off. Quickly grabbing the chipped piece, she shoved it into a pocket on her thigh and quickened her pace.
The wolvyn had stalked her into the cavern. Why it was alone and separated from the pack, she had no idea. She was lucky to just find the one, but the rest weren’t far behind her now. Raina needed to get the hell out of this cave. She knew she’d wandered in too far, for too long, and let her curiosity run astray. The cost of her journey was too great, yet the cost of her own life?
Your curiosity is a cat, your focus is a knife. She rolled her eyes at the thought that rolled through her head. Countless times her mentor had repeated it to her while training.
Your curiosity is a cat. Your focus is a knife. Your confidence may kill you in battle, young one, keep your awareness sharp.
A louder wave of howls erupted behind her, her chest fluttering into her throat. Raina picked up her feet into a jog down the narrowing passage. The black mirror rock had transformed under her feet back into dark grey rubble and the trickling water has disappeared. She knew she was reaching the end of this cavern and running out of time.
Skidding to a stop, she searching the wall of rock in front of her. The howling was relentless now, echoing at all angles. To her left and up, there was an opening. It looked deep, but she would have to climb. To her right, there was a passageway. A steep, passageway. Raina cursed. The wolvyn were almost upon her. She shouldn’t have left her group.
The howling came to a stop. She licked her finger, holding it up in the air, searching for a sign. Until a growl broke her concentration. A chorus of growls.
Raina slowly turned her head over her shoulder to see six sets of hungry yellow eyes. Her arm turned slightly with her, feeling suddenly a soft breeze. The wolvyn snapped and growled as they assessed their prey. She stood still, head over her shoulder and arm still raised and watched as the centremost wolvyn stepped forward. Her breath stalled.
As the head wolvyn lurched forward, Raina lurched into a sprint, sliding down the rock face into the passageway on the right. The sound of the growling, barking wolfs fell away behind her, just as the ground did from her feet.
NEEDLE&QUILL 
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