Word Count: 1,382
“Do you know what you’ve stepped into?” The leopard sneered, his clouded eyes narrowing dangerously.
“You came alone?” Viktor growled, his bulk tensing as he took a step forward. Flik, his eyes leery, stepped between his companion and the slender leopard standing at the mouth of the cave.
“Not exactly.” The leopard chuckled, “You see… you are standing in one of the largest colonies of driver ants I’ve ever happened upon.”
Tir’s eyes went wide and Flik sucked in a sharp breath, his eyes darting to the walls of the cave, already looking for an escape route. Milich must have seen the panic in the veteran’s eyes, because his next words confirmed what Flik had already assessed. “It’s a one-way cave too. This is the only entrance- that we know of anyway. I suppose you can spend your time finding a way out- but it might prove difficult with an army of my little beauties nipping at your toes.”
“You…” Viktor growled again, this time moving forward unchecked. The leopard fell back swiftly, laughing his way from the darkness of the cave out into the light of the dusk. Tir caught Viktor’s tail as the lion’s bulk rushed by, followed just shortly by the crumbling of stones. Outside, Milich and his men were sending a shower of boulders cascading down from the higher levels of the cave, triggering a landslide that effectively sealed the small party within the earth. Viktor, only seconds from his demise, came to a full stop and swore sharply.
“We’re trapped.” Flik observed sharply.
“You think?” Viktor snarled, freeing his tail with a sharp lash of the appendage.
“Quiet…” Gremio’s ears perked up as the rumbling of the stones fell silent. Multitudes of tiny legs skittering from the stones, out from the cracks, and from the soul began to echo in the small space.
“The ants…” Flik took a step back and threw a look over his shoulder. “The cave goes further in- we might be able to out-run them.”
“The others won’t be here to check on us till dawn!” Viktor reminded him. “Do you think we have that kind of time?”
“We don’t have any other options.” Flik snapped.
“Young Master, quickly.” Gremio ordered, his tone offering no compromise. “I’ll be right behind you.”
With no other option presented to them, the small group rushed farther to the back of the cave. There was a narrow hole, just large enough to allow the largest of their company, Viktor, to pass through with only a few scrapes dealt to his shoulders. Flik followed right along after his companion, cursing and grumbling to himself as he disappeared into the darkness. Tir was next, his smaller body easily passing through the narrow entrance. Just beyond, they entered another wide corridor with the promising sound of trickling water just beyond it.
Gremio, however, hesitated. He could hear the skitter of thousands, tens of thousands, of little legs. The floor behind him moved like a great wave of black and red. They’d not make it…
Desperation filled his chest as he looked back to the narrow passageway.
“Gremio- hurry up!” Tir called back, halting his own advance.
Gremio sucked in a deep breath and made a charge for the rocky wall ahead of them, slamming his broad shoulder into the unstable rocks just surrounding the passage way. A few small rocks dropped down, clicking to the ground below him. Gathering himself up again, Gremio sent his shoulder into the wall again and again. With every blow, the wall weakened and with a final charge, the entrance was covered with a shower of boulders and stone.
The way was closed.
“GREMIO!” He could hear Tir’s voice muffled on the other side of the rock wall, followed soon by a sharp curse from Viktor and the slam of a pair of thick, heavy paws.
“Young master, our forces will be here by sunrise. They will be able to open the way. The ants should disperse by then.” He called back, laying his fatigued body against the sealed rock wall separating them. “Keep going… find a way out. The insects will not make it past this wall.”
