The little girl nimbly pushed aside the vines that blocked the cave and went in first. Mark hesitated for a moment, pushed aside the thick green vines, and followed in cautiously. A humid air mixed with the smell of soil hit her face, and the cave was extremely dark, and she couldn't see her hand in front of her.
"It's a bit dark." Mark whispered, and a fireball condensed with a "click". The weak firelight dispelled the darkness in the cave and illuminated the surrounding environment.
The cave was not big, only about ten square meters, and the cave wall was uneven, covered with moss and unknown fungi. With the help of the firelight, Mark saw some hay piled in the corner of the cave, covered with a thin layer of dust, and a faint musty smell filled the air. It seems that someone once lived here, perhaps this little girl's temporary residence.
Mark looked around and confirmed that there was no danger. He let down his guard and flattened the hay with the little girl to make a place to rest. The hay was a little damp and gave off a faint musty smell, but it was much better than sleeping directly on the cold and wet ground. The little girl moved quickly. After flattening the hay, she pulled some soft ferns from the side and spread them on it, as if she wanted to make the "bed" more comfortable.
After settling down, the little girl took out the stone with strange patterns from Mark's pocket. The stone was cold to the touch and had a smooth surface. Under the light of the fire, the patterns on the stone emitted a faint silver light, like the stars twinkling in the night sky.
The little girl held the stone tightly in her hand, closed her eyes, and moved her lips slightly, as if she was praying for something. Her small body looked even thinner in the loose clothes, as if she would be blown away by the wind at any time. She looked focused and pious, and her long eyelashes cast a shadow under her eyelids, covering the complex emotions in her eyes.
Mark observed the patterns on the stone, which looked like some ancient text or some unknown totem. He reached out to touch the stone. As soon as his fingertips touched the surface of the stone, he felt a warm current passing from the stone to his hand, flowing through his body, and dispelling the chill in the cave. This warm current made him feel comfortable and at ease, as if he was in the warm sunshine.
"This stone..." Mark was about to ask the little girl about the origin of the stone, when he suddenly heard a strange sound from outside the cave - a "rustling" friction sound, mixed with a few low roars, like some kind of beast approaching.
Mark took back the fireball in his palm, and the cave fell into darkness again. Only the faint light coming from the cave entrance could vaguely identify the surrounding outline. He put his index finger on his lips, signaling the little girl to keep quiet, and got up and quietly walked to the cave entrance, pushed aside the vines blocking the cave entrance, and carefully observed the movements outside.
It was still dark outside, with swaying shadows of trees and a "rustling" sound of wind blowing through the leaves. Apart from that, nothing was seen. Did he hear it wrong? Mark was puzzled.
He continued to observe for a while, and was about to turn back, when suddenly, a black shadow rushed out of the woods at a very fast speed, and arrived near the cave entrance in the blink of an eye. Mark held his breath and stared at the black shadow motionlessly. With the weak moonlight, he saw that the black shadow was huge, with thick limbs, and its outline was like a wild boar, but it was much larger than a wild boar, and it was covered with a thick layer of scales, reflecting a faint light in the moonlight.
Mark was shocked. This was an adult ice abyss beast, not the one yesterday.
He tried to suppress his urge to retreat, squinted his eyes, and carefully observed the eyes of the black shadow. Sure enough, at the position of the black shadow's head, two points of faint blue light flickered, like a ghost fire, which was creepy.
In the cave, the little girl seemed to have sensed the danger outside. She hugged the stone tightly, and her body trembled slightly. In the darkness, the lines on the stone emitted a brighter light, as if responding to the little girl's fear.
Mark took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. He had to find a way to protect the little girl and not let the Ice Abyss Beast find them. He gently put down the vines and slowly backed away, trying not to make any noise.
The Ice Abyss Beast lingered at the entrance of the cave for a while, as if sniffing something. It lowered its head, arched its nose around the entrance of the cave, let out a few low roars, and then slowly poked its head into the cave.
Mark held his breath, pressed his body against the wall of the cave, and dared not move. He felt the breath of the Ice Abyss Beast sprayed on his face, with a pungent fishy smell.
The Ice Abyss Beast stayed at the entrance of the cave for a moment, and it seemed that it did not find anything unusual, so it retracted its head. It circled around the entrance of the cave several times, then turned and walked towards the depths of the woods, gradually disappearing into the darkness.
Mark waited for a long time, and only breathed a sigh of relief when he was sure that the Ice Abyss Beast had gone far away. He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with his hand, and felt that the clothes on his back were soaked with sweat.
He turned to look at the little girl and found that she was still holding the stone tightly with her eyes closed, as if she had not recovered from the shock just now. The light on the stone gradually dimmed and returned to its original appearance.
Mark walked gently to the little girl, squatted down, and whispered: "It's okay, it's gone."
The little girl slowly opened her eyes and looked at Mark, her eyes full of fear and uneasiness. She didn't say anything, but handed the stone in her hand to Mark.
Mark took the stone and felt a warm feeling in his hand. He looked at the lines on the stone, then looked at the little girl, and his heart was full of doubts. What exactly is this stone? Why does the little girl cherish it so much? Why can these ice beasts he met suppress their beastly nature? All this made him confused.