"Look," I said, nodding towards the cave. "Maybe we could hide in there?"
Dwayne considered for a moment, his ears swiveling to catch the sounds of our pursuers. They were getting dangerously close now.
"It's risky," he said. "If they find us in there, we'll be trapped. But..." he looked at me, taking in my exhausted state, "I don't think we have much choice. You need to rest, and we need to throw them off our trail."
With renewed determination, we made our way around the pool towards the cave entrance. As we approached, I could feel a cool breeze coming from the dark opening. It smelled of damp stone and earth, with a faint metallic tang that I couldn't quite place.
Just as we reached the cave mouth, we heard voices echoing down the ravine.
"I can smell them!" It was Beta Jerome's vo
