Huntar's back arched as he opened his eyes. He only saw darkness and a strong smell of dusty rubble clouded his nose.

He groaned as he shifted his body, but the rocks weighed him down. His arms could move. Unfortunately, they weren’t strong enough to pull him free from his peril.

While rising a bit, he shouted, “Jenny! Zena! Anyone!”

“Torag!” The rocks crumbled in front of Huntar as a large gray hand reached him.

With a grin of relief, Huntar grabbed the rhino’s hand. He sucked in his breath as the rhino pulled his body out.

As soon as he could see the rhino’s face in the light, Huntar let go and clambered out. Zena, Rani, and Basju stood behind Torag, brushing the rubble dirt off their bodies. Small cuts and bruises coated their flesh, and none of their limbs seemed to be broken. Kronos must have protected Huntar’s companions so they could complete their quest.

“How are you?” Rani asked.

Huntar rubbed the bruises on his arms and touched his legs. Nothing felt broken within his bones. “I’m fine.” He glanced around. “Where is Jenny?”

Torag shook his head with his shoulders raised. Apparently, he doesn’t know.

“We are the only ones Torag freed us from the rubble,” Zena explained.

Huntar’s heart sunk. He glanced at the debris. “You mean she’s still in there!?”

“No, smell the ground.” Rani kneeled and sniffed the sandy floor. “She was here.”

Huntar crouched down and smelled the ground. His eyes narrowed. “Aye, and someone else was with her. A wolf.”

“You mean a bandit found her and took her?” Basju asked.

The lion rose to his feet. “We have encountered no wolves in the desert, except the ones in Eera’s village.”

Zena raised her left eyebrow. “If they are Eera’s warriors, why did they come here and only rescued Jenny?”

Huntar rubbed his chin. “Perhaps they thought we were dead, or they only come for Jenny and the stones.”

Zena clenched her teeth and pounded her fists together. “Which means they double-crossed us!”

“Torag!” The rhino exclaimed.

Huntar nodded his head. “We must reach our mounts and return quickly to Eera’s village.”

“Right.” Rani took off first as the others followed her. 

When they reached the dead tree, they halted in their tracks. All their Yorks laid on the bloody ground with missing heads. They were dead, but at least their gear remained on the corpses.

Rani covered her mouth. “Those poor creatures…”

“How awful!” Basju cried.

Huntar grimaced. “It is what we feared. They slayed our mounts so we wouldn’t reach their tribe. Our return will be longer if we walk on foot.”

Zena glanced at Huntar. “But if the wolves have mounts, they will return before us. Whatever plans they have for Jenny and the stones, it will be too late to stop them.”

“There must be a solution to reach there faster,” said Rani.

Huntar glanced at the ground, clenching his right fist. If Eera tricked them, then the entire quest was an excuse for the goat wretch to save her warriors from searching for the stones. To her, Huntar and his companions were expendable mercenaries she could rid to keep her reward. But why take Jenny? Were humans valuable in this desert, too?

“I don’t know,” he whispered through his breath.

Basju glared at him. “What do you mean, you don’t know? Let’s go after them now!”

The lion turned toward the monkey. “Even if we do, our quest back to the oasis will be longer.”

“So? Standing here and whimpering like infants who lost their sweets will not save Jenny!” Basju pointed his finger at the distance. “They might have a head start, but it isn’t too late now. Maybe if we are lucky, they will take breaks, which will give us time to catch up! Are you going to give up?”

Huntar sighed and grinned at the monkey. “No…”

He never gave up in his life, and he won’t give up on Jenny.