We re-entered the cave of the forest canopy, moving as fast as we dared. The light vanished , just beams peeking through. The blood trail grew denser. I could see claw marks in the dirt, smeared and overlapping each other. It was moving badly.

We reached the stream again, where it cut through the trees. We were tense now, fearing another ambush, following the blood trail along the bank but not into it. The stream had swelled. It must have been fed from another source nearby. It was a river now, much wider. The treeless width of the reiver let a column light spear the darkness. As we moved, the shouts of the other team grew closer. Passing a bend in the river, my heart sank. Across the river, we saw them.

Theo and Felix, swords drawn, were circling their beast. It was wounded and bleeding, on its last legs, swinging its claws wildly. The creature was surrounded and too wounded to escape. We knew we should keep moving, but the violence held us for a moment.

We watched Theo and Felix’s last moments of combat with the fiend. The action was hard to follow at the distance. Theo brought his sword down hard, cleaving the head off. Felix picked the head up where it had rolled to a stop. They looked across the water at us. They had their prize; they only needed to return to the hilltop with it.

As they stared at us, another explosion echoed from the distance. We didn’t need to look to know it was the pink cloud of Katya’s trio. Desperation sank into me. Only Lauren and I remained to compete with Theo and Felix, and they had already slain their beast.

Lauren amazed me once again. When feelings of despair and defeat should have been at their strongest, she found her steel unwavering. As Theo and Felix started to move away, she said, "Come on, we’ve no time to waste. We’ve still got time, they need to cross the river. We’re closer to the hilltop. If we find it soon there’s still a chance."

We pushed forward with urgency, following the blood trail as fast as we dared. The canopy above us broke occasionally, allowing shafts of light to poke through. Suddenly I realized that I could hear the creature’s labored breathing somewhere ahead.

I scented the air, the foul stench growing stronger. We were close, so close.

"There," Lauren whispered, pointing to a thicket ahead. Several of the small branches were bent and broken. "It must be in there."

We approached cautiously, but quickly. A mistake could cost us our lives, but we didn’t have time to waste either. I thought I could see the fiend’s shadow moving within the thicket. Its labored breaths were clearer now. The creature was cornered, but it would also be desperate. This was our chance.

Lauren drew her sword. I followed suit, gripping my weapon tightly. We stepped toward the thicket, and the there was an eruption of movement.

The fiend chose to stand and fight, knowing it could no longer move fast enough to escape us. It lunged at Lauren first, its claws swinging wildly. She parried with her sword, the clash of metal against the creature's stone-like claws ringing through the forest. I circled around, looking for an opening.

Lauren's movements were still better than mine. For all I had improved over the course of the hunt, I couldn’t come close to matching the way she moved. I swung my sword, trying to keep the creature off balance. My first attempt at using the beam was a disaster, the energy missing the fiend entirely and shredding the foliage behind it. The creature snarled, turning its attention to me.

It leapt, claws slashing towards my face. I barely managed to duck, raised my sword to deflect the attack. Then I stabbed. The blade connected, but the fiend’s thick hide absorbed most of the impact. It was like striking stone. I backed up, trying to keep my distance.

Lauren moved in, her sword flashing again, she pressed hard, exposing herself, going for the kill. She struck the fiend's side, blood streamed, but the creature didn’t slow. I tried the beam again, my aim rushed and desperate. This time, the energy blast barely missed Lauren, clipping her shoulder. She stumbled from the force of the impact.

"Sorry!" I shouted,.

She recovered quickly, her focus unwavering. "Just keep it together, Tiberius!"

We managed to get the fiend between us, surrounded. It grew more frenzied, its attacks wild and erratic. It was tiring. The blood kept flowing and it moved like it was in pain. I calmed myself, drawing a deep breath. I aimed carefully, flexing the beam muscle with more control. The energy lanced out, striking the creature in the side.

The fiend spun, staggered, and lunged towards Lauren. She moved perfectly, her timing impeccable. Her sword swung in a perfect arc, slicing clean through the fiend's neck. The head slid from its shoulders, the corpse collapsing in a twitching, scrabbling heap. The foul stench of its blood nearly choked me. The head rolled to a stop by my feet, the jaws still weakly opening and closing..

With disgust I picked it up. Lauren came to me, her face alight with excitement. She threw her arms around me.

The voice in my ear made a rude comment, then added, "It will do you two no good to have the head if you don't get back up the hill before the other two."

Lauren seemed to have the same idea. "Come on, let's hurry."

My stomach churned at the thought of the head start that Felix and Theo had. "No, you go," I said.

"What?" she said.

"You're the most graceful suit wearer in the whole class. They have a dreadful head start. I'll slow you down," I said.

"But what if it doesn't count? What if you need to return too? You might be ejected if you don't come back with me," she said.

I swore, said, "I never know what their damned rules actually add up to. It's a team event. If our team gets the head back, then our team should pass. Besides, if you have to wait for me, then we're definitely both doomed. Our only chance is if you go now, as fast as you can."

She hesitated, conflicted. I thrust the sticky, bloody lump into her arms and urged her, growling, "Go!"

She paused for just one more moment, seeming to hesitate. Then dipped her head to kiss my cheek before moving away. I watched her go. I touched my cheek and stared. She was fully jogging now. I was still proud of being able to walk like someone who had only consumed one barrel of ale, and she could jog. I watched her disappear between the trees, her pace quickened.

It was hard to imagine that she could catch up with and pass Theo and Felix, but if either of us had a chance, then she did. The forest seemed to close around me. I had done all I could.

Now, it was up to Lauren.