True to his word, he does have something for me to wear, but it’s one of his outfits that was never made for humans. The soft, thick black shirt is tailored to fit a being with wings. It’s really more like a vest that fits over the head and there are seals which hold it together under my arms. The thick, black, canvas-like jacket is made the same way. The pants, also black and made of the same material as the jacket, are way too long, but he cuts them with a knife, just like I did a few days ago with the jumpsuit.

  Everything is over-sized in an exaggerated manner, but it feels good anyway. I have to wear my old boots because his are made for talons, and would never work for human feet, even if he had my miniature size, which he doesn’t.

  When we are finally dressed in the clean clothes the dreamy feeling in the hot springs pool is gone and I feel warm and fresh. He looks me up and down, then smiles and takes my hand as we walk back the way we came.

  Tier halts abruptly and I slam into him in the dark. "Hey," I say in a joking tone, "what’s the deal?"

  He turns to face me and I see his eyes are glowing bright green. "Shhhhh," he says.

  I’m quiet, more curious than worried, and stand behind him as he waits, maybe listening. Or maybe his eyes see in the dark. I’m not really sure which.

  After a long several minutes, he looks back, his eyes still bright, and tugs me forward with him. "What is it?" I whisper again. But he just squeezes my hand and stays silent as we continue to make our way in the blackness. I figure we are about halfway back to the main cavern.

  My arm is jerked as Tier ducks into a small side tunnel. He pulls me in close so he can whisper in my ear. "There’s a pack of nightdogs ahead."

  "What?" I whisper back. "Where did they come from?" My heart beats faster with each second.

  "Junco," he says so softly that I can barely hear him. "This entire mountain is a major breeding den for them. They’re everywhere."

  "You mean I could have been eaten alive when I left the cavern?" His eyes glow as he looks down at me, but he doesn’t say anything, so I take that as a yes.

  We wait there for several minutes and I can feel him straining to hear any sign that they are either still around, or are gone. He grabs for my hand, but instead of leading me out into the main tunnel, he continues down the side shaft. I have no choice but to follow him and spend a lot of time looking back over my shoulder. This is a futile gesture because it is pitch black and I don’t have glowing night-vision eyes.

  We both hear the haunting vocalizations at the same time and the hair on the back of my neck stands on end, charged with the chill that seeps out through my skin.

  We freeze and listen. The howl begins low and ever so gradually grows in pitch and intensity, until finally it is a blood-curdling chorus of screams that makes my stomach shift in terror. They are very close but I cannot tell if they are ahead in the small tunnel or behind us in the main corridor. I trust Tier to keep their location straight and just try to keep my breathing under control, but I am not having much luck. Tier squeezes my hand again and moves forward, then stops and pushes me into a crack in the wall.

  "Go to the end of this crevice, it will be tight, but you’ll fit, I promise. Then use the formations on the side of the rock to climb up." His green eyes look up and I follow his gaze. "There’s a ledge up there. Get to it and don’t move until I come get ya."

  He pushes me in as I nod my head and I begin to move forward into the narrow passageway. I have both arms stretched out so I can feel for the rock formations on either side as I make my way deeper and deeper into the crevice, all the while Tier is getting farther and farther away from me.

  About thirty paces in I begin to doubt him and almost turn back when the passage becomes so narrow that I have to squeeze sideways. I scrape against the rough rock and am thankful for the thick alien clothes to protect me from the ragged edges. I continue to force myself to move forward, even as the rock presses up against my chest so hard my lungs are pushed in.

  There is some shuffling behind me and I stop and consider calling out to Tier when the screaming starts. I panic and begin forcing my body into an opening that continues to get thinner and thinner. The sound of bones breaking echoes through the caverns and I can hear the nightdogs snarling and howling. The screams are etched into my brain, but I cannot tell if they are avian or canine.

  Then everything falls silent.

  I wait, panting so hard that I’m afraid I will begin to hyperventilate and I will Tier to call out for me to tell me that it is safe and I can come out.

  But he doesn’t. Instead I hear the insane snarling of a nightdog and it grows in intensity as I realize it’s charging towards me. I imagine the teeth that will tear into my body and squirm into the crevice as far as I can.

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  The dog attacks and grabs my coat. I hear a great rip as the fabric gives way to the razor-sharp teeth and I remember my knife, tucked securely back in my boot after I dressed in the hot spring cavern. I am wedged tight between the rocks and have no way to reach it so I force myself to squeeze even further into the crevice, hoping that the end is near and it will open up into a passage that will lead me to the rock formations on the side of the wall, and ultimately to safety.

  The dog attacks again. This time it grabs my leg and I feel the skin lift up and off of my calf in a sickening squishy tear. I scream with all my breath and kick wildly where I think its face might be. After a few unsuccessful attempts I connect and the dog cries out and backs off. I suck in my stomach and squeeze my shoulder a little farther, praying to God that I’m not just making myself a nice trapped dinner meal for a pack of wild animals. My shoulder scrapes hard against the rock and even through the strong alien canvas coat I can feel the gash that opens in my skin, and then the warm spill of blood as it runs down my sleeve.

  The dog makes another attempt to eat me and lunges once again, but my shoulders break through the obstruction and half of my body is free. I fall down as my leg is grabbed by the snapping jaws beyond the slim crevice and I kick hard one more time to free myself. It lets go and I scramble to my feet, feel for the rock formations, and climb as fast as I can. I lose my grip on the calcium deposits slippery with trickling water, and the first dog makes its way into the small crevice where my legs were just seconds before. I regain my grip and climb again, and when I reach the top I fall over and choke as I inhale like I’m breathing water and not air.

  Both dogs are snapping below me now, but I get to my knees and begin to crawl back towards Tier. It takes me forever because I can’t see anything and I’m afraid of falling down once I reach the edge. I hear some occasional snapping up ahead and for a moment my mind sees Tier being eaten alive. I push this gruesome thought aside and move faster and faster until I reach the edge.

  I see Tier’s green glowing eyes stare up at me when I peek over the edge, and my heart sinks. The area is illuminated just enough for me to pick out the eye-shine surrounding him, and I count three sets all attacking and retreating, trying to overwhelm and take the upper hand. I slip the knife from my boot, stand up as far as I can without hitting my head on the sharp stalactite formations, and jump down on top of the raging animal that has taken hold of his arm, plunging the knife into its side.

  The wild dog bawls in pain as I twist the knife and puncture the lung, then remove it in one swift motion. It lets go of Tier’s arm and I’m knocked down by his sudden freedom. In a moment we have reversed positions, he is up and I am down, and the remaining two dogs come in for another attack.

  One grabs Tier by his wing and I hear an anguished scream erupt from his throat that makes my skin crawl. His eyes burst with color that almost illuminates the entire passageway and I can finally get a good look at what we are facing. The scruffy mane of fur that lines the wild dog’s throat protects the jugular from almost all attacks, the canine teeth are almost three inches long, and they possess the claw length and sharpness of a grizzly bear.

  The light isn’t enough to inhibit their attacks, but it sure scares the hell out of me. The sheer size of them causes me to scoot backwards into the side of the jagged rocks of the corridor. Tier is breathing hard and circles around behind them so that his internal light source keeps my field of vision illuminated. "Stay put there, Junco." His breathing is labored but his voice is remarkably calm. "Don’t do anything else, I got this."

  "Like hell you do!" I scream and then they are upon us. I hear the swoosh of wings and then another avian screech comes up from Tier’s throat as his powerful talon reaches out and snatches the dog closest to him. His wings beat hard trying to give him lift to attack with both feet, but the confined space inhibits this move.

  I am fixated on his futile attempt to fly inside the corridor when the other dog attacks. My knife is still in my hand and I lunge forward to meet it halfway, trying to put it off balance. It knocks me backward and I feel another tear across my calf, then the sharp clang of the knife as it falls from my hand. The animal is on top of me before I can even process the events and it pulls back before striking at my throat.

  I block automatically to thwart the attack and its teeth pierce my left hand and rip. For a moment time stands still and I wonder if I still have all my fingers, and then Tier’s light fades and the dog is upon me as I pass out.

  I come to, probably just seconds later because the dog is right next to me and Tier has it pinned down with one of his massive talons. Then I witness the second living creature beheaded by the powerful avian claws in as many days and I shut my eyes to the hot, sticky horror that spills out of the neck and splatters across my body.

  The cave goes silent.

  "Junco! Hey, ya OK?"

  I feel him pick me up but I’m either in shock or going blind because even though I know he is moving, my vision blurs in and out of focus. He carries me and we travel for several minutes, in which direction I have no idea because the world goes dark.

  Tier is peeling off my clothes as I try to object, but his fingers touch my lips and I remain silent. Soon after he lowers me into the hot spring water once again and I feel his wings cradle me into a deep, healing sleep.

  When I regain consciousness we are back in the central cavern and I am warm and dry. But I see the nightdog attacking me and I thrash around wildly and sit up. Tier bends down and gently takes my hands. "Yer OK, Junco. The dogs won’t come this far into the light."

  I know that. They can barely tolerate the full moon, and this cavern is lit up like the Sun. But I can’t shake the feeling of the attack and I try and take a deep breath but only succeed in coughing.

  "Do I still have fingers?" I finally gasp.

  He smiles but doesn’t answer. "Tier," I sputter and cough again. "Am I OK?"

  "You’re OK. Just relax." He pushes me back lies down next to me. "Just relax for a little longer, then we can talk about yer scorecard." His smile is gone but his attention makes me feel a little better.

  "Are you OK?"

  "Didn’t I just tell ya to relax?"

  "I can’t help it, I need to know."

  "We’re both OK. Trust me, all right?"

  I want to believe him, but I don’t. He must see this in my expression because he looks into my eyes, and the glimmer soothes and calms me as he begins to talk in a soft, sad, voice.

  "You’ll never miss them, Junco. I promise ya, you’ll never even know they’re gone."

  And I try to say, I do trust you, Tier, but the weary darkness creeps in and overtakes all my conscious thoughts.