The Secret of Dark Forest

Cauldron

Sean led Gram and Yok away from the horrifying sight. They couldn't stay there. It was too dangerous. Not that the whole Hunt wasn't, but it would be better to stay alive longer than a few hours. Sean glanced at his friend, assessing their emotional state. Gram was paler than a white wall. Yok, on the other hand, looked calm, though Sean knew he was scared the same way they were. 

"The cave is this way?" Sean asked Gram. The tall guy nodded but stayed silent. Sean hoped he would collect himself quickly, or their mission would be in serious trouble. They strode through the bush quietly. The sun was setting, and they had to hurry if they didn't want to spend the night outside. Dark Forest at night was a dangerous place. 

"I can see the cave," Yok whispered, pointing at the grey rocks hidden in the shadows of the tall trees. Sean nodded, scanning the grown vegetation. The area seemed empty, but then his eyes captured a dark silhouette crouching behind the shrub not far from them. The person's outline was familiar to him. It was one of the boys he had seen at the gathering point, and he was alone. Sean frowned, surveying the place again. He couldn't find the other guy. Was he dead? Did he abandon his teammate? 

He didn't know why he was concerned for the short male. Sean moved forward, leaving Gram and Yok behind. He crawled towards the hidden person, not caring if he walked straight into the trap. He reached the tiny man, but the guy turned around before he could say anything. His chocolate eyes went wide, and Sean knew he was scared. His heart sank, seeing the fear in the boy's eyes. He clutched the big backpack, moving it in front of him, using it as a shield. 

"Hi, don't be scared. I won't hurt you." Sean spoke up, raising his hands to show him he wasn't armed. The guy scanned him up and down wearily. 

"I saw you at the gathering point with your friend. Is he with you?" Sean asked. The boy's eyes darted towards the cave, and Sean realized his companion was probably searching it. 

"He's alive. That's good." Sean sighed in relief. 

"I was worried you ended up alone." He put his hands down. The guy frowned, staying silent.

"My name is Sean. What's yours?" Sean tried his luck.

"Rome." The guy answered. The tension in his body eased a little, and Sean took it as a good sign. 

"Rome. I assume you and your friend wanted to use the cave as a shelter for the night. Me and my friends had the same idea. Can we share it? Don't worry, we won't do anything to you." Sean proposed. Rome blinked at him, adjusting the face mask that was sliding down from his nose.

"I don't know."

"We can cook something nice in the cauldron and share it? Gram is a decent cook." Sean tried again. Rome seemed to think about it when someone appeared behind him with a murderous aura surrounding him.