It was still here!

Shit! Shit! Shit! The damn thing was still here and it was strong.

Kaden did not know why the hell he had thought this was a good idea. This was a bad idea. A very bad idea.

He could instantly gauge the strength of this being and he was not a match for it. It was in the D rank at the least. Maybe even stronger. There was no way he would be able to stand against it. He was screwed. He was fully and utterly screwed.

Without bothering to take a look behind him, he immediately jumped into the shaky cavern walls and started digging. His human form was not ready to face him so there was no point in shifting and his rat form was good enough for running.

Kaden's tiny claws dug into the loose dirt and stone as he frantically burrowed into the cavern wall, his mind screaming at him to move faster. The entire tunnel trembled around him, the creature's guttural growl vibrating through his very bones.

Faster! Faster, damn it!

Behind him, the heavy scrape of claws echoed through the chamber, followed by a deep inhale. It was sniffing for him, its hunger palpable.

He swallowed a curse and kept digging.

Chunks of rock crumbled under his desperate scrabbling, dirt coating his tiny fur as he forced himself deeper into the wall. It wasn't the best escape plan—hell, it wasn't even a plan—but he needed to buy himself time.

And then it happened. SLAM!

Kaden's little rat body squealed in pain as earth all around him started constricting and collapsing on him. The walls compressed, dirt and stone shifting unpredictably. His lungs seized as dust filled the air, choking his tiny frame.

SLAM! SLAM!

Kaden squealed involuntarily as jagged stones scraped against his fur, some even piercing his skin. He forced himself deeper, ignoring the pain. The damn thing was banging against the cavern wall repeatedly not showing any signs of giving up

Think! This wasn't working. If he kept digging blindly, he'd be buried alive before the thing even reached him. He needed another escape route—now. He needed to go up. He needed to get to the ground and shift to his raven form and fly. That was his only chance.

Kaden clenched his tiny jaw, forcing his body to move despite the crushing weight of the collapsing earth. If he could just get to the surface, he could shift into his raven form and escape.

SLAM!

The beast behind him roared in frustration, its immense strength pounding the cavern walls, causing them to shudder dangerously. Cracks ran through the earth above, small bits of debris cascading down around him.

He could use that.

With everything he had, Kaden lunged upward, his tiny claws scrabbling against loose dirt and stone. He clawed, kicked, and pushed himself through the rapidly narrowing tunnel. His lungs burned, dust clogging his throat. He couldn't afford to slow down—not now.

Another SLAM! The wall behind him split.

Shit! Shit! Shit!

A deep growl echoed through the suffocating space, and Kaden felt the monstrous presence right behind him. A single swipe—one good strike through the dirt—and it would grab him. Kill him.

Desperation fueled him. His tiny rat body had almost reached the surface but the next second something shot up right next to him. He had gotten out and so had the beast. 

As he wildly scurried forward, the beast plowed through the earth to chase after him. Its claws raked the earth and he was only barely getting away.

This is bad. This is really, really bad.

Kaden could feel the sheer mass of the creature as it tore through the earth right behind him. Even in his tiny rat form, the raw pressure of its presence pressed down on him like a vice.

Too fast. Too strong.

His little heart thundered as he scurried, his tiny claws barely scraping enough ground to stay ahead. A second later, a shadow loomed over him. Kaden's small, beady eyes flicked up—and instantly regretted it.

It was bigger than he thought. He couldn't see it fully because of his small form and their close proximity to each other but even without seeing he immediately knew what the creature was.

Crimson scales glowed like molten metal, each plate overlapping in a way that seemed more like armor than flesh. A long, sinuous neck twisted with lethal grace, its muscles coiling like a predator ready to strike.

A dragon.

It was a freaking dragon alright!

Kaden's little rat heart nearly stopped when the pair of slit-like predatory eyes met his trembling gaze. It's eyes were burning. Golden. It locked onto him with a pressure that froze him to his very bones.

Kaden's body was no longer obeying him. He watched as the creature glared at him in absolute contempt and disgust. Its eyes revealed a cunning gleam as it lunged forward with its maw open and it snapped, its saliva spraying everywhere.