Their journey into the Forest of Jogund strengthened their sisterly bond and their shared hardships and oppression made their connection stronger and unbreakable.
The sisters found solace in each other's company and in the thought that Elon was their guide as they drew strength from their unity to face any unknown threats that may arise.
A new day arrived as the sun began to rise over the horizon.
The trio had walked through the night and into the new day.
"I'm so tired. Can we rest?" Lysar said, supporting herself with her hands on her knees as she bent. She gasped for air, exhausted from the hours of walking.
"I think we should, Elon. Lysar is exhausted."
Elon sighed.
They were his friends but they were also slowing him down. Even when he was not slow, the goblins still caught up to him during his previous escapes, much less now.
Elon's gaze moved between the sisters with a look of disapproval. Lysar could read from his face that he did not like the idea very much.
"Just for a few minutes, Elon," she pleaded, making doe eyes at the elf.
As they rested and regained their strength for the journey ahead, a growling threat moved within the leaves and tall grasses of the forest, locking its ominous eyes on the trio.
The beast slobbered. Copious saliva drooled from its mouth onto the ground, moistening it.
Elon sensing danger, hurriedly sat up from a lying position.
"Did you hear that?" he asked, his eyes sharply scanning the area.
Freya, who was stroking Lysar's hair for her to sleep, raised her head and glanced at Elon.
"Hear what?"
Elon turned towards her, "The leaves. They rustled."
"I didn't hear anything. Must be your—," Freya paused mid-speech, her eyes agog and her mouth widely opened as she gazed forward.
She slowly raised her arm and pointed in front.
"What... is... that thing?"
Elon was already on his feet with a stick in his hand.
"Get up, Freya! And wake Lysar!
The lurking beast finally appeared from the bushes, growling at them and slobbering. A brownish beast with white shining tusks.
A wild brown boar.
Freya shook her sister. "Wake up, Lysar!"
Lysar weakly opened her eyes, rubbing them into wakefulness.
"What is it, Frey—, Aahhhh! What is that!"
Lysar shuffled backwards, getting farther away from Freya. Her heart dropped into her stomach from the shock of meeting the furious gaze of the brown boar.
"W-What... the hell... is that thing?" she stammered.
The wild brown beast took a few steps towards its prey and snarled at them.
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Thin long leaves and bushes swayed to the sides with a swing from Elon's arms. He was running from the charging boar but not alone.
Their hearts pounded as they sprinted through the forest in their efforts to outrun the relentless chase of the wild boar.
The beast's eyes glowed with fury, its massive tusks gleaming in the dappled sunlight that filtered through the thick canopy above.
They had only one option if they were to survive. Their only chance was to stay ahead and find a way to escape its deadly pursuit.
Tall leaves slapped against their faces, roots and vines curled around their feet, as they raced, threatening to trip them but fear and their will to live lent them speed that was born from desperation.
Lysar, who was gasping heavily, took a peek over her shoulder to check the boar's closeness. She was the fastest of the trio and had started to run first. She looked over and saw the boar gaining ground.
Of course, it would gain ground. The wild brown boar was a four-footed animal and had not exhausted itself walking for hours without rest.
"Watch out, Lysar!" Elon shouted.
Lysar turned just in time to see the ditch she would have fallen into. She jumped over it and continued running, Freya and Elon following closely behind.
They ran even deeper into the woods, their breaths coming in ragged gasps as they tried to gain distance from the wild beast.
"We need to split up!" Elon shouted with a sense of urgency in his voice.
"Are you insane?" Freya attacked him, not buying into his idea.
They were safer because they stuck together. Splitting meant the death of one if not all of them.
"There! A cave!"
Lysar had sighted a cave with a murky hole as an entrance, shrouded with trees and roots. Regardless, her eyes shimmered with hope and a sense of expected safety from the pursuing beast.
They charged into the dark cave, one after the other and finally, escaped the pursuit of the boar.
The wild beast stopped at the entrance of the cave, circling around, grunting with its mouth still drooling with saliva. It had lost its marks or so it seemed.
If it was an open environment, the boar would have continued pursuing them but it stopped, right at the mouth of the cave.
The boar hesitated, its beady eyes calmed as it switched its focus from the cave. With a snort and then a squeal, it changed its course and turned back in the direction that it came.
The chase was over.
Even the beast had more sense than the humans who frantically ran into the strange cave.
Was anything bound to happen to them in that lonesome dark cave?
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Lysar was the first of the fleeing trio to plunge into the gaping maw of the murky cave. She was running as fast as her legs could allow her without any sort of illumination to guide her path.
At first, she thought she was being followed, only to discover that it was her ragged gasps of breath echoing within the rough uneven walls of the cave.
"'Come on, guys!" her voice echoed.
Shivers trickled down her spine and beads of sweat fell from her face to the ground.
Lysar did not know how long she could run any longer but her motivation was the light she was seeing ahead of her — the other end of the cave-like tunnel.
Even if she had to crawl to the source of the light, Lysar was determined to do so.
The distant gleam of light was responsible for the renewed resolve that surged through Lysar and as she quickened her pace, the light grew stronger with each step.
She had come upon the exit and it was finally within reach.
She heaved a loud sigh of relief. Her racing pulse started to slow down and the air that rushed into the tunnel cooled her pores and dried her sweat.
She moved out of the dark hollow into the open light and as the sunlight struck her face, her eyes watered.
"We made it, guys! We made it!" she exclaimed, raising her arms into the air.
As Lysar basked in the sun and rejoiced, she did not get any response.
She turned her head to look.
"Guys?" she uttered, "F-Freya? Elon?"
Freya and Elon were nowhere to be found.