Sighing in exasperation, Nexus once again willed himself to move forward. He shot a nervous glance backwards, and was shocked to see that the hyenas has tripled in numbers within the past two minutes.
That was all the motivation he needed. He uprooted his feet from the ground, and forced them forward, down the slope, away from the foot of the mountain, and finally, onto the grassland below.
At the base of the mountain, beyond the jagged rocky foundations, Nexus found Monica waiting for him- or simply just waiting. She had dismounted, and was crouched low on the ground. Her studious eyes expertly roamed back and forth across the ground. She took off her velvet gloves, and stretched out her arm to the bare earth.
Her palm touched the ground, and Nexus could have sworn she smiled;
"They're here," she announced; "The earth is still warm. Look,"
She gestured to a set of lone paw prints as she rose to her feet from her crouching position;
