“Run!” Enkerai screamed, and the two boys sprinted through the seething mass of rodents towards the safety of the hill.

The boys flopped to the ground in an exhausted and slightly bloodied heap. The grooperds had not let them get away unscathed, biting at their ankles and calves mercilessly. Suddenly Enkerai regretted not changing his skirt out for more adventure-ready gear.

“I can’t believe they won’t let us in!” Enkerai moaned, throwing his staff aside.

“Yeah, it seems, they’re keeping themselves locked off until the soldiers make their way here,” Oré said, “Strange, the way they spoke about the grooperds being a form of defense, though.”

“Well, they work, that’s for sure!” Enkerai complained, rubbing his bleeding ankle, “I really hope those things don’t have disease.”

“Well that rash on your face doesn’t look so good,” Oré said peering closely at Enkerai.

“Huh? Rash?” Enkerai panicked, running his hands over his face, “Where? Where?”

“Right…” Oré drew back his hand, and slapped Enkerai straight across the face, sending him flying backwards, “There!”

“Ow! Really?” Enkerai said, sitting back up.

“That’s for earlier,” Oré laughed, “You’ll probably be fine, these things don’t live in the cities so they probably don’t carry disease.”

“Well, you’re the one who was kissing one earlier… so I guess you’re best equipped to answer…” Enkerai smiled, “-speak of the devil!”

Not far from Enkerai, a lone grooperd sat perched on a small stone, alert and watching them. Above its long thin folded legs a lightning shaped pattern could be seen on its side.

“Is that the same one from earlier?” Oré asked,

“The one you let embrace your face? Yes.” Enkerai confirmed, “The pattern on its side is the same.”

“I wonder why it isn’t with the others?” Oré asked

“Maybe it likes you.”

“Shut up.”

“Maybe it wants to be petted?” Enkerai suggested, and began crawling over to the rodent. Just as he began reaching out his hand, it jumped off the stone and began running up the mountain path.

“Should we follow it?” Enkerai asked.

“For want of anything better to do… Yeah why not.” Oré sighed.

They followed the grooperd back up the path from which they had arrived, but this time turned down a dirt path they had ignored on the way to Burmaan. As they continued down, Enkerai noticed more of the drag marks and paw marks from before.

“You seeing those?” he called back to Oré as they ran behind the small animal.

“The marks on the ground?” Oré responded, “Yeah. No idea what they are still.”

They followed the grooperd down the winding path to the side of the hill. It approached the steep side of the hill where a mass of bushes and trees grew thick, and there the rodent stopped.

“What’s here?” panted Oré.

“There must be something, surely,” Enkerai said, watching the grooperd closely. The small rodent suddenly leapt into the bushes and disappeared. Enkerai, without thinking, jumped forward after it and emerged on the other side of the thicket in a large damp cave.

The cave was dark, but light streamed in gently from small openings in the ceiling. The gentle trickle of a subterranean river could be heard nearby, but nothing was more apparent to Enkerai than the stench of something rotten. It filled his nostrils and made him gag.

“What on Gaia is that smell?” Oré said wrinkling his nose as he emerged from behind Enkerai.

“Beats me… but why would the grooperd come here when all the others are outside Burmaan,” Enkerai answered, “Let’s have a look around.”

They trekked further into the cave, careful not to make sudden sounds or knock anything over. They did not know why, but this cave seemed like a place which should not be disturbed, especially by two teenage boys. As they journeyed on, two things became apparent; one, the stench was getting stronger and two, they began to come across more grooperds, but none were the grooperd that led them here. Instead these rodents were emaciated and thin, running around frantically as if confused or lost. It was only when the stench had become its most unbearable that Enkerai saw the reason for both peculiarities. And it disturbed him to his core.