Kayla cursed. The chirping increased excitedly as the raptors latched onto the scent of her blood. It would only be a matter of time until they located her in this darkness.

Frantically, she felt around for her sword. Where was it? She wasn’t hopeless without it, but she would need it sooner or later. The darkness blinded her, wrapping her up in a blanket she could touch and feel. She knew this battle would be over swiftly if she made the wrong move. And the raptors were waiting for her to make a move.

Kayla felt a vibration shudder through her body, and she shivered. A raptor had just sensed her with sound. The raptors chirped happily, and she could hear them clomping all around her.

Kayla closed her eyes, the war waging inside her. This was a mistake. She should never have come down here. She couldn’t retrieve the Jewel of Laridal on her own. But her people needed her. It was her fault they were in exile.

No, it was the king’s fault. He banished them down here because he saw their increasing power and loved his throne more than his subjects.

The raptors chirping morphed into eerie growling as they circled her on the floor. She knew it was only a matter of time before they pounced. They would not wait forever. The stench of mammalian blood was too enticing.

With her eyes still closed, Kayla quieted her thoughts and forced herself to keep breathing. To listen. Through the darkness, four distinct patterns of footfalls circled. One distinctly heavier and more triumphant than the others.

“No,” Kayla muttered, “I will retrieve that Jewel. I will not be stopped.”

She drew her dagger out and held the blade between her teeth. With her hands free, she withdrew her bow and nocked an arrow, aiming into the darkness. Eyes closed, concentrating.

The raptors tightened the circle, constricting her time like an anaconda. Every second she hesitated was another second closer to death.

The heaviest footsteps grew louder and louder, the ground trembling slightly under its steps. Kayla waited, bated breath. The alpha raptor drew ever nearer, and it let out a triumphant, deafening roar.

WHIZ! Kayla nocked another arrow just as the first found its target. The alpha raptor choked mid-roar and thumped to ground. The other raptors stilled, excited chirps fading away to tentative whimpers.

Kayla produced a match from her satchel and struck it on the dagger in her mouth. Holding it aloft, she saw the other three raptors crowded around their fallen alpha. Their heads turned to her, and fury burned in their eyes. Just behind them, a piece of metal glimmered in the flickering light. Her sword lay just beyond them. The match blew out.

Kayla stood up, ready to unleash a volley of arrows.

“You’re no better than us.”

Startled, Kayla glanced upward, searching for the gnarly voice. Her foot stepped backwards, and her heel crunched into something hard. An egg. The yolk gushed out over her shoe. With a livid roar, the raptors all lunged. She had made the wrong move.