They reached another wide circular opening on the opposite side of the clearing shortly after that, and this time the man stopped and waited patiently for the newcomer to catch up with him, taking in the sights that lay beyond the entrance as he gazed at the surrounding scenery. His eyes widened with surprise upon spotting several strange creatures standing nearby, their bodies covered with thick coats of fur and feathers…and their heads were bald or lacked hair entirely.
"What are those?" He asked curiously as he turned his gaze back toward the new arrival as it approached him slowly, pausing at each step in order to make sure it was still there…as if it feared being lost amid the vast landscape without being able to see where it was going at all times.
"Those are known as bearskinners," the man explained gently as he smiled warmly at him with kindness in his eyes. "And there are many different varieties among the various tribes living throughout our land today…including the ones who live deep within our mountain ranges where snow covers everything for months on end…"
The stranger frowned dubiously and tilted his head in puzzlement, staring at the man with uncertainty as it appeared as though he was afraid to speak up to ask more questions about them lest it might somehow offend or insult him. But then he finally shrugged his shoulders and spoke softly as he continued to walk alongside the older man, trailing behind him as he led the way onward into the cave system.
"What do you mean, 'bear-skinners'?" He questioned softly as the old man halted abruptly in front of yet another round stone chamber that seemed to extend farther down into the depths below, glancing back at him uncertainly as he hesitated in his steps…then quickly continued forward and disappeared into the darkness within. "Are they like humans?"
He blinked in bewilderment as he followed along behind, wondering whether or not the old man meant to answer him…but he didn't get the chance as a second later the sound of rushing water echoed faintly beyond the entrance, indicating that they were entering deeper into the heart of the mountain itself as he heard a faint groaning coming from somewhere off in the distance. It sounded as though the ceiling was cracking apart as a massive section of stone shifted downward, falling outward toward the floor at a slow pace where it impacted forcefully with a tremendous crash as it landed amidst a pile of rubble and rocks that scattered loudly across the stone floors in a chaotic mess as a cloud of dust arose from the impact site.
But despite all of that commotion, the man kept walking through the tunnel ahead without missing a beat…until suddenly he stopped and turned around with shock on his face…because he now realized what he had forgotten to tell him.
"Oh…by the gods…have I left my axe outside?!" He cried out with dismay, realizing the terrible error that had been made by his carelessness…even though he hadn't intended to be careless at all. He glanced back at the door that he'd just entered through and winced when he spotted a large bearclaw shaped claw embedded in the stone wall next to it, its sharp teeth gleaming brightly in the dim light as they pointed directly at him menacingly…just like the one that had almost bitten him in half back when he'd first met this creature during his very first visit to this place some years ago. He shuddered when he recalled that awful experience, remembering how the beast had nearly torn out his throat while it gnashed at his exposed arm, and he shook his head nervously when he remembered how he'd narrowly escaped death by running off blindly into the woods before collapsing upon the ground in exhaustion, barely able to stand let alone move any further.
"Please…oh please…" He begged softly with tears welling in his eyes as he watched helplessly as the paw slowly lifted away from the wall and moved slowly forward, its claws pointing straight at him threateningly as it glared down its nose angrily with hate for all eternity.
"Don't hurt me…please…" He whimpered desperately as his knees began trembling, feeling as though every bone in his body were about to shatter beneath the crushing pressure of the immense weight bearing down upon them both as the huge creature lowered its muzzle slowly down toward him until it was only inches away from his face as it breathed heavily upon him with an angry snarl…and he trembled as fear gripped hold of him tightly with icy fingers, unable to utter a word even as he felt the monster's hot breath wash over his face, sending a chill up his spine as his skin grew clammy beneath his clothes. "I won't bother you again! I promise!"
He gasped weakly in terror as the beast's enormous fangs snapped shut just over his head as it growled viciously with a loud roar, and then a deafening crack resounded throughout the chamber as they broke together, tearing his skull apart painfully…before the giant animal backed off hastily and rushed past him, dragging his severed head with a long bloody trail behind it as blood poured out of the gaping hole in his forehead, staining the rocky walls and floors crimson red as the corpse was dragged lifelessly along until it slammed heavily against a jagged rock formation in midair that forced the entire thing to collapse violently backward with a thunderous clang, shattering it instantly.
The man screamed aloud and collapsed onto his hands and knees, crawling over to the remains of the decapitated corpse that lay on top of the fallen rocks and moaning miserably as he sobbed uncontrollably with grief…
"No…no…NO!!!" He wailed hopelessly in anguish as he pressed his hands firmly against his ears to drown out the agonizing sounds of his own screams… "NOOOOO!!"
He looked up dazedly and staggered back unsteadily upon his legs…only to gasp and turn his gaze downward when he realized that there wasn't much time remaining before his mind would be completely erased, and his soul banished into the abyss from which it never returned…
"It's too late…you can't save yourself now…there's nothing else you can do," He said hollowly as he stood and stumbled away, turning his gaze to stare at the distant stars overhead and blinking rapidly in disbelief as they winked out one by one before disappearing altogether. "I'm sorry…I really thought that there might have been something worth saving…"
The stars faded and disappeared entirely, leaving the sky completely empty and pitch black as he closed his eyes tightly with a bitter smile on his lips, knowing full well that he would soon become part of this world once more and begin his eternal journey into oblivion once more as his memories slowly began to fade away forever, fading like embers into ash and cinders with no hope of ever returning to life once more. He sighed deeply and stepped forward to join them…when he suddenly paused and glanced upward, noticing the bright light shining brilliantly down upon him as if it were reaching down from heaven itself for a final moment…as though God himself had reached down from above and offered him salvation…but all it had done was mock him in the end. He stared up at it in disgust as it continued to shine forth in mockery of all that was good and holy before him, glaring in anger at all that had come before…all those who had tried so hard to help him only for him to reject their love in the end…
And then he turned slowly around as he gazed at the dark night skies above him…and he knew for certain that he would be better off dead.