Gladin finally directs the group to land when he sees a flicker of light from a cave opening. Azeal is thrilled to be sneaking around with the group. He feels like one of them, finally away from the crashing waves and the cliff by the beach.
     "Everyone be quiet, alright? The warriors are just around a few bends in the tunnel", Gladin speaks in a rushed tone, and looks everyone in the eyes before he turns to the cave.
     Mindra follows right behind him. Azeal looks at his cousin, but Donnel motions him to go in first. The older wants to keep an eye on the younger. Azeal steps into the cave like he's told. To his surprise, Tiluna darts forwards in front of Donnel to walk next to Azeal. She takes his hand and looks around at the dark walls of the cave. Donnel almost immediately yanked her back. He's the only one who knows how dangerous Azeal can be.
The five of them creep further into the tunnel, following the flickers of light. They all try to be as quiet as possible. It only takes a few turns for the small group to get to the source of the light. Voices rise up as the teen Caelum peek around the corner.
"What are we going to do with it?".
"Kill it. What else?".
"Do you think there's a nest nearby?".
"I don't think so. Surly a nest can't be so close to the village?".
Azeal can't help but hold his breath for a moment when he sees the monspact. It's a black, heavily muscled creature all tied up in a Caelum warrior's hunting trap. It's a lot smaller then he expected. The monspact breaths heavily and lets out small cries.
Mindra shuffles forwards a bit, losing her grip on the cave wall and falling into Gladin. Both of them go crashing out of their hiding spot and onto the stone floor. The three warriors jump and spin around, already brandishing their weapons. They lower their bows in annoyance when they see the teens.
"You kids aren't suppose to be here! Where did you even hear about this? Monspact are dangerous", one of them glares at the kids as the rest of them shamefully walk out from their hiding spots.
Azeal's heart is pounding like a drum. He can't get in trouble! What will mom think!? She can't know that he left without her permission. He feels so scared and guilty. He could run back down the tunnel at any moment.
"Look, I'm sorry, you can blame it on me. We just wanted-", Gladin already has an excuse planned, but he's interrupted by a deep, guttural growl.
The five kids whip around and skitter back towards the warriors at the sound. Creeping up behind, Azeal realizes why the tied monspact looks so small: it's a baby.
Three or four adults are stalking closer from the shadows. Their heads are level with Azeal's chest, and their bodies are hulking with muscle. The three warriors don't stand a chance against that sheer strength.
Only Donnel sees Azeal's eyes flicker to pitch black before the first beast charges at them.