We had been chasing the distant barks for a few hours now, but about twenty minutes ago, the barking had fallen silent. Goud and I now found ourselves in a tunnel, a tunnel which was dark and echoey. We had slowed to a walk, our legs aching, and I knew that Goud desperately wanted to stop for the night, and it wouldn't be long before he voiced it.
Like clockwork, he cleared his throat. "Sweep, don't you think we should set up camp for the night? This tunnel is at least sheltered and dry, and we've been moving at top speed all day."
I sighed. He was right, as much as I hated to admit it. "Okay, fine. But at first light, we set off, agreed?"
"Agreed" came his reply, with a small smile sent my way.
We began to unpack our bags and set up camp, when suddenly I jumped round. I heard something.
"Whats wrong?" Asked Goud, instantly alert.
"I saw something."
We both stared into the darkness, where there was nothing at all to be seen. I expected to see worry or concern for my mental state on Gouds face, but instead I was met with an expression of grim understanding.
"Extra precautions tonight it is then." Hw said firmly.
I continued to unpack the bedrolls and food as Goud carefully walked in a circle around our camp with a bag of salt, meticulously forming a protective ring around us. With every step he took, I felt more at ease, and I drifted off to sleep surprisingly quickly.