This underground cave system was truly a maze. Though, I was thankful for this, as we would have had a hard time losing our pursuers otherwise.

  After my mana recharged enough, I decided to check for them and used {Pulse Sense}.

  Humans were fairly easy to pick out, as I couldn’t imagine many other creatures standing on two legs and therefore having those odd vertical threads of pulse extending from the main heartbeat.

  Luckily, I did not see anything like that. However, there were many very tiny heartbeats hidden in the walls of the cave. They must have been some kind of small burrowing creatures.

  As we continued through the tunnels, now aware that such creatures existed, I started seeing more evidence of them in the forms of small holes in the cave walls and tiny prints on the rocky ground. Considering how small their heartbeats and feet were, I did not imagine they would be good prey for me and Lily.

  Thinking of prey, I knew we would have to fit in a hunt at some point and hoped we would eventually find a cavern housing suitable targets.

  Lily padded along behind me as I led the way. She did not share my ability to see in the dark, and considering all of my level-ups, my sense of smell was probably better than hers as well at this point. I was just grateful that the red masks were no longer an immediate threat, but I knew not to take that for granted because once reinforcements arrived, they would have a better time searching all the branching tunnels and zeroing in on us.

  We continued in the dark for a while longer, until I spotted more light ahead. This caught my attention because this light wasn’t a glow. It was much more of a natural light. Sniffing the air, I sensed a fresh breeze, unlike the dank stale air of the cave system. I looked at Lily to see her tail wagging. I suppose she really was getting tired of traversing through the dark.

  We moved forward with more excitement, the tunnel ahead getting brighter and brighter, and I wondered if we had found a back entrance that led outside. That would be the absolute best possibility! If that were the case, we could easily lose the red masks while they stayed behind, wasting their time searching around underground.

  However… While we were not quite so lucky as to find an exit, we did find something that would solve some other problems.

  The tunnel opened to the largest cavern we had seen yet, and by far! It put us out on a ledge high above a secluded underground ecosystem.

  There was a body of water at the center ringed by thick greenery. Following the water, I realized that it flowed further back into the cave, like an underground river. High above, there was a massive hole in the ceiling that allowed natural light to come in.

  [Achievement! Skylight Cavern!]

  You have discovered a refuge of life under the Earth. Maybe you can even make this your new home—at least for a little while.

  Minor bonus to all stats.

  My tail wagged as I scanned the area. I wish I hadn’t spent my Pulse Sense so I could get an idea of what prey awaited us.

  Lily, clearly happy to be free from the dark underground corridors, gave me a happy yip that sounded off the walls with an echo. In response, several fluttering bat-like creatures with tails dispersed from shadowy corners before disappearing into hiding again. They were small, but I wondered if they could evolve into Direwings.

  As I examined the hole in the ceiling, I realized that finding this place could be a double-edged sword. A Direwing rider could easily fly in from there if they were aware it existed. I considered how likely that was.

  All it would require is one of the red masks flying by and spotting the cavern from above and then giving credit to the possibility that it connected to the cave system Lily and I had escaped into. They could send several scouts through that opening just to be safe and cut off more of our potential escape routes.

  The underground river was another concern. How far did it go? Would that lead to the outside, and how likely were the red masks to know about it?

  I looked at my little sister to see her tail wagging, and I could feel the emptiness in my stomach as well. I was hungry. I hadn’t eaten since yesterday, and one way or another we would both need food at some point. While the empty caves and small caverns we had found thus far did not offer us many options for dinner, I knew for sure we would find something down around water.

  I nodded to Lily and we began heading down the path along the cave wall that sloped down towards the ecosystem. I could see disturbances in the rocky dirt that were no doubt footprints of other creatures.

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  Today I had at least learned a valuable lesson about mana conservation. I felt nervous heading into an unfamiliar environment without a few Pulse Senses to give me peace of mind. But there was no helping that now. We’d just have to use our noses and try not to stumble across any areas where there could be something like a snake hiding in wait.

  Lily trotted ahead, ears pricked, tail high. Every few steps she paused to sniff, then glanced back to be sure I followed. As we made it down into the greenery she hunkered lower and moved forward with caution, still stopping to sniff occasionally. I followed closer behind her, using both my ears and nose to watch out for any threats.

  Then, I caught the musky tang of damp fur. Lily stopped, her tail shooting up and ears perking. We both prowled forward slowly, watching through the greenery and following the scent. Then, the rustling of some reeds by the water caught my ear, and we both stopped.

  I saw something move… Brown fur. It was bigger than a rabbit but smaller than us.

  Perfect.

  I met Lily’s eyes and tilted my head, signaling her to arc away in the opposite direction and cut off its path to the water. If my sneak attack failed, she would intercept it and slow it down enough for me to finish the job. Actually, on second thought, what would be ideal is if I could weaken it and then have Lily take the killing blow. I think that would give her the biggest experience boost. This creature was surely a higher level than a rabbit and could end up being the biggest experience gain Lily had ever received so far.

  I crept closer, paw by paw, careful not to rustle the greenery or kick a rock. Then, I heard slurping and crunching of something eating. I sniffed, smelling blood. I came closer and peered through the last of the greenery to see my prey.

  It looked similar to a beaver, but instead of two buck teeth, it had a wide mouth with many sharp teeth. This thing was not to be underestimated; one good chomp could do quite a bit of damage to me. As for Lily, I knew I’d have to be careful about her involvement in this hunt.

  Its hands were like tiny human hands, similar to a raccoon's. It was biting into the belly of a writhing fish, blood dripping down its chin like a goatee, and its eyes were red. Behind it, a thick tail swayed back and forth; at the far end, there was a spike that I made a mental note to watch out for.

  No, this was not something Lily should hunt alone. Though it was smaller than me, I had to approach this carefully.

  Predator’s Focus gave me a bonus for sneak attacks, so I had to get it before it noticed me. I attempted to use Veil of Shadows to further enjoy my sneak attack bonuses, but it didn’t work, as my mana was still too low.

  Once again, lesson learned.

  Still, I was confident I could make this beaver thing my prey.

  I crept a little closer. A little closer. I was now in lunging distance, and it gave no indication of spotting me.

  Looking past it, I saw Lily hunker down in position. Even her tail was very still—she was taking this seriously.

  I inhaled… then lunged!

  I pounced the creature, chomped onto the back of its thick neck. It let out a squeal and rolled across the ground with me. I felt its tail jab my side—once, twice, three times.

  Deciding I didn’t want a fourth stab wound, I twisted my jaw and tore back, taking some flesh with me as I disengaged.

  It scrambled across the ground, heading for the water, gushing blood from where I had bit it, but heading right for Lily.

  Lily shot out of the brush like an arrow. The creature instantly stopped and spun in a circle, attacking with its tail. However, just as I knew would happen, his tail phased right through Lily as the second Lily appeared, pouncing at him from the other side and chomping its shoulder.

  I let out a loud warning bark. I may have been able to take a few stabs of that tail, but I didn’t want Lily to risk it. She seemed to understand rolling off of the creature.

  It scrambled, trying to get its feet under itself again, but I was ready for my follow up attack.

  I slammed into its front, pinning it down, and chomped at the front of its neck. It tried to bite me, but I got my jaws under its chin first. Its claws scratched at my face and ears, but after a few good shakes, I heard that satisfying snapping of neck bones.

  I let go, one paw holding the creature’s chest down as its oddly human hand weakly reached up towards me, its red eyes losing their focus. Then, it fell limp.

  Prey Eliminated! Riverling Mauler lvl 7

  Experience gained!

  You have leveled up!

  You are now level 9!

  +3 Vigor

  +2 Strength

  +4 Dexterity

  +5 Attunement

  +6 Sense

  “Yes!” I couldn’t help myself from barking in celebration.

  Lily’s tail wagged more excitedly than I had seen from her in a long time, and she also let out a happy yip.

  I looked around, feeling a little vulnerable with so many hiding places for something to attack us from, and bent down to pick up our prey. The ground was also a bit wet here, so I figured we should find somewhere a little more comfortable to enjoy our kill.

  Carrying it was a little awkward, as it was nearly my size, but it didn’t take us long to find a raised rock that would be impossible to sneak attack us from. I jumped up easily and set down our prey, but Lily’s small paws scratched at the side, not able to make it up herself. So, I jumped down, gave her butt a boost with my head, and she managed to scramble to the top.

  Jumping up myself, I curled around our kill with my sister, and we started digging in.

  The light coming from the roof of the cavern was beginning to dim. I figured this cavern would be safe at least for the night. If the red masks hadn’t found that opening into this cavern yet, they would be unlikely to do so without daylight.

  When the best parts of our kill were done, I sat back and let Lily pick the arms and legs clean. Her tail was wagging the entire time, and I was very happy to see it. It was such an awful thing that had happened to us… losing the rest of our pack… but at least we had each other.

  I looked around the cavern, becoming darker and darker, and felt my stomach rumble softly. I wasn’t quite satisfied with that meal but also did not like the idea of Lily hunting in the dark since she did not have the same advantages I did. So it would be best to find a safe place for her while I did a little solo hunting.

  Lily’s head lifted up from our kill. Was she done? She had a very focused look in her eyes as she stared into space. I turned my head curiously.

  Then, a soft golden glow covered her fur, and slowly she began to change right before my eyes. She was growing bigger!

  Lily! Are you evolving!?

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