Tick Tock Goes The Clock p5

Tick and Hera walked through the forest, leaves, and twigs crunching beneath their feet. For the most part, it was quiet, birds were singing and they could hear themselves breathe. While Hera didn't mind the quiet, Tick bare it. For the first time in his life, he wanted to talk to someone.

The silence broke when they heard another pair of feet hitting the ground in the distance. Turning around, they saw the larger male heading towards them. They stopped walking and waited for him to catch up.

"What are you doing here?" Hera asked.
"You two are in danger, the soldiers are headed this way. I know a place you can hide if you'll just follow me." Digger said.
"But how did you know?" Hera asked.
"A little birdie told me. Well, of sorts." He added.

Digger turned slightly to the side, revealing a small kenku not older than five years old. Without wasting any time, the four of them headed off towards a nearby mountain where an abandoned mine lays. When they got there, Digger pulled off a plank of wood from the entrance. Tick and Hera entered the dark cave, followed by Digger and the small child resting on his back.

The child got down from Digger's back and sat by the entrance, scanning the horizon for any movement. Tick looked down at his hands, which were shaking. He looked at the child, then back at Digger. Wondering where they came from, and why they were helping them. The child notified the larger kenku that the soldiers were heading in a different direction. They all agreed to stay in the cave until it seems safe.

Later that night when all but Tick were asleep, he ventured deeper into the cave. Holding a lantern he found near the entrance, he lit with his last match. While looking around he noticed drawings along the cave wall. As if people were hiding there before. There were drawings of people surrounding a large beast. As he went along, Tick noticed more drawings of beasts until he saw a part of the wall completely covered with what appeared to be red eyes inside a cloud of smoke.

Tick knew of a legendary beast, black as night with two red eyes. It was the devourer of worlds. Any kingdom that experienced it was torn apart, being left in ruins. But they were just stories, he thought. Shaking off the thought, he continued into the cave when the ground began to shake. Waking up the others, they feared it was an earthquake. Tick joined the others and ran out to the forest.