Something in his intensity made my pulse quicken. "I will."
We proceeded more cautiously now, Redmon showing me how to step to minimize noise, guiding me through patches of ground that wouldn't hold our scent. I marveled at his woodcraft, so different from my people's ways, yet equally sophisticated.
"There," he whispered after an hour of tense hiking.
I followed his gaze to a rocky outcropping where delicate purple flowers bloomed from spiny stems. The spikethorn. My heart leaped.
"We made it!" I moved forward, but his arm blocked my path.
"Wait." He scanned the area, nose working. "Something's not right."
"We're so close," I pleaded. "I need those plants."
He hesitated, then nodded. "Quick. I'll watch."
I darted forward, reaching the plants and pulling out my knife to harvest them properly. My hands quickly harvested only what we needed, and I muttered thanks to the plants.
"Got them!" I slipped the precious cuttings into my pouch.
That's when I heard it, a low, menacing growl that wasn't Redmon's.
I looked up to see three mapinguari emerging from the rocks above us. Unlike Redmon's reddish coloring, these had gray-black fur with distinctive white markings around their single eyes. Their teeth, longer and more prominent than Redmon's, gleamed in the afternoon light.
"Kalyndi, run!" Redmon's roar split the air as he lunged toward the first attacker.
I scrambled backward, fumbling in my pouch for the defensive powders I'd prepared. Terror clawed at my throat as the largest of the Fanghorns leaped past Redmon, heading straight for me.
My fingers found the pouch I needed. With shaking hands, I flung the fine yellow powder directly into the creature's face.
The effect was instant as the Fanghorn howled, paws scrubbing at its single eye as the powder burned and temporarily blinded it. I didn't wait to see more, diving between two boulders and sprinting toward the tree line.
Behind me, the sounds of combat were terrifying with roars and impacts that made the ground shake. I chanced a look back to see Redmon fighting with a ferocity I hadn't imagined possible, his massive arms swinging with deadly precision.
One Fanghorn lay motionless, but the other had recovered enough to join the attack. They circled Redmon, coordinating their movements with frightening intelligence.
I couldn't leave him. Wouldn't.
My hand found another pouch. This one contained a mixture that would create a thick, choking smoke when exposed to air. I hurled it toward the fighting mapinguari, then covered my mouth and nose.
The smoke billowed outward, creating instant confusion. I heard coughing, growling, the sounds of disorientation.
"Redmon!" I called. "This way!"
A massive shape emerged from the smoke as him. Blood matted the fur on his shoulder, and he favored his left leg, but he was moving.
"Go!" he snarled, pushing me ahead of him.
We ran, crashing through underbrush, splashing across a shallow stream. Though his breathing was labored, he maintained pace, occasionally glancing back to make sure no one was following us.
After what felt like hours but was probably only minutes, Redmon pulled me toward a narrow opening in a rock face. "In here."
The cave was shallow but well-hidden, its entrance obscured by hanging vines. I collapsed against the wall, heart hammering, while Redmon positioned himself at the entrance, listening.
"I think... we lost them," he panted.
Only then did I notice the dark stain spreading across his side. "You're hurt!"
"It's nothing." He tried to straighten, but winced.
