Book One – Chapter 8

The catalyst for this decision lay in the disturbing discovery she had made from atop the rock. While examining the side of the boulder facing the tunnel, Midnight had discerned a chaotic tapestry of claw marks — marks not of purpose or precision but of panic, etched with desperation rather than intention. In these frantic impressions, she had read the fate of countless creatures venturing into the tunnel but driven back by fear towards the intersection, where they had been trapped by rock. The scent of dread and death, however, was conspicuously absent, a void that should have lingered through the months.

Immediately, Midnight had wondered whether no beast had dared the tunnel for so long, or whether an adept predator had masked their every trace. Again, she had forced herself to strategise. Creatures dwelling in perpetual darkness were commonly blind, relying on senses beyond sight. The eyes of surface dwellers were of no use within the heart of the mountains. Midnight stalkers, who could see even in the absence of light, stood as an exception. For blind prey, the multitude of claw marks needed no cover; they could only be felt from within the tunnel, from within the trap. For Midnight, seeing them without descending, they served as a warning. Life here was likely not absent but regularly claimed. The absence of other sensations hinted at a predator confident in shrouding not only her presence but also any olfactory traces of former prey. Midnight, a being that could hide within darkness, recognized a superior predator, a beast that lived within darkness.

To evade an encounter with such a cunning trapper, Midnight retraced her steps, intending to backtrack to an earlier intersection. This earlier division into an alternative path lay hours away — this, too, might be part of this predator’s strategy. Placing traps in a manner that made retreating a laborious and dauntingly time-consuming task coerced prey to forge ahead, especially those struggling with hunger and fatigue. Midnight, sustained by energy, remained impervious to the demands of rest or sustenance.

After 30 minutes of traversing, her progress was abruptly halted. Her retreat was barred. Layers of fresh webbing sprawled across her path.