19 Jumping out the Dragon's Maws, landing in the Tiger's Claws

No sooner had he fallen asleep did he jolt awake. The sound of rocks shattering echoed throughout the caverns as the cries and ferocious roars of a primordial beast filled the air in the distance.

Samuel rose from his fetal position as he rubbed his sore, aching forehead, his eyes darting around his surroundings, searching for any beasts which could harm himself or his companion. Realising there was no present danger, Samuel cautiously searched for any large rocks and gathered them to form a cover as thick as the city's walls for the old dwarf.

Although he wanted to identify the source of the noise hastily, he didn't want to convey the elder around lest he is identified and assaulted by the voracious beast within the depths of the cavern.

Shortly after constructing the rocky wall and reassuring himself it was stable, he stared into the deepest, darkest reaches of the cavern where the noise was originating from. This tested Samuel's innate skill, night vision, as he comprehended the far limits of the skill as, at a certain distance, he couldn't see further, as if he had reached the abyss.

Samuel cautiously sneaked across the comforting jaggy walls, advancing towards the encroaching beast. Although he was able to see quite far, unlike the animals in this cavern, he was still wary of anything. He who is cautious seldom errs, after all.

Unfortunately, it seems that this prediction came true as a drooling, goliath tiger leapt out of the depths of the cavern, its mouth wide open, eventually connecting with Samuel's thick arm. Blood spewed out of the pierced flesh as he screamed in agony until his throat became sore and rough. Streams of tears welled up in his eyes and slid down his round cheeks carelessly, the sound of the salty water dripping down onto the rough ground being alone in the quiet cave, only to be broken by the grunting of Samuel as he ripped his feeble arm out of the tiger's maws and rolled backwards, retreating from this vicious animal.

After groaning silently, he had a slight amount of time to observe the animal's appearance and how it could see him so easily before he could see the beast.

The ginormous tiger stood at approximately 4 ft with streaks of azure blue fur lining the amber coat it wore. It continuously sniffed the air before swinging its head towards Samuel's position and leaping forward in the air, brandishing its sharp, refined claws.

"Ack! Smelling the air... Do I smell that bad? Ah, no, the tiger must be able to trace the scent of my blood! How could I be so blind to identify such a mistake!" Samuel reprimanded himself, ashamed to have missed such an obvious factor.

As the tiger streaked through the air like a bolt of lightning, the only words that remained in Samuel's mind were thoughts slathered in shame and regret. He stood there, frozen like a deer in headlights, as the tiger swung its paws towards Samuel, a frown appearing on Samuel's face while a smirk grew on the tiger's snout.

Suddenly, a streak of red flew past Samuel's face as overwhelming power surged nearby. A loud curse could be heard in the distance as several smaller streaks of light appeared, directly impacting the tiger's skull and piercing the brain, the life in the tiger's eyes dimmed until they rolled back and the tiger collapsed on the floor, dust rising and swallowing the cavern whole.

Before Samuel could yell in fright or inquire of their name, a bulky figure formed in front of the tiger with their back facing him. Strands of grey hair flowed in the drafts as he knelt forward and brought out a knife.

Samuel panicked at the sight of the knife, images of him dying by the figure's hand appearing in his thoughts, and fell to the ground before shifting away until he bumped into the mossy wall.

"Wh-who are you? Please don't harm me..." Inquired Samuel, confused to the quick series of events. It was clear as day that this mysterious man was stronger than the criminal he outran previously and he knew that, if he offended this potent figure, he wouldn't even realise that he was killed.

"My name is Yorn Thornberry, and I'm simply repaying a favour which I owe you" Coursely grunted the ancient voice, interrupted by the sound of skin being ripped and blood amalgamating on the ground.