well that escalated quickly

Snuffling and padded footsteps echoed through the thin boarded walls, waking Silver out of his light slumber. What in the world was making that noise? The young hedgehog turned over. It was not wise to go check it out - especially considering his small size. Yet, he could not fall back asleep. The loud sniffing and scratching continued on - more and more paws joining in the fray.

"Branch." Silver whispered, trying not to alert the creatures outside. Unfortunately, there was no response from the burly teen. Only soft snores and grunts returned as he slept on. More and more creatures crawled out of the woods, sniffing around the house and growling at each other as they went.

"Branch." Silver hissed, allowing himself to sound more urgent. Again, no response.

Silver crawled out of his bag. Slowly, he began to approach the slumbering teen, carefully stepping over the rows of children as he went. The snuffling suddenly stopped, forcing Silver to freeze where he stood - parylized from fear. Why did it stop?

"Branch!" Silver squeaked, trying to keep his voice down. "Branch wake up!"

Again, no response. Silver raised his tiny foot to continue walking when it happened. The thud.

The house shook under the force of what could only be a footstep. A large footstep. Whimpering and retreating yelps echoed through the forest as the thumping continued, driving the stalkers away. What was it?

"Branch!" Silver cried, jumping over and shaking the coarse brown arm. "Branch something's coming!"

"Wha…" The tired cat moaned, raising himself off the floor. "Silver wha-"

Thud.

"What is that?" Silver whimpered, retreating into the strong arms of the teen.

"I.. I don't…"

A loud roar shook the foundations of the house, forcing everyone out of their bags and on their feet. Whatever it was, it was really big. Fliss was quick to stand up and gather the other young children into her arms, cooing soft words into their frightened ears.

"Everyone get up!" The Mistress shouted, bursting through the door with a loud bang. "We have to leave!"

"Mistress?" Branch questioned, standing up. "What's going on?"

Another deafening roar shook the house, rattling the cracked window panes and loosening nails. Silver covered his ears with a pained whine. Oh…. owww….

"Goliath." The Mistress answered grimly, rushing over and shutting the curtains.

A Goliath? That was a problem. That specific species of monster was powerful. They were as tall as a house, and had the strength to match. There was no way they were taking on one of those beasts. That was suicide. I panic fell over the room. They had to evacuate

The sounds of trees breaking and the Stalkers screeching flee reached Silver's ears. It was close. Very close. There was no more wasted time, items were gathered and orderly rows formed. Silver quickly found himself bumped to the back of the line as the kids filed silently out the door - too frightened to say a word. The huge paws of the Goliath broke the earth, the moonlight casting a huge shadow onto the old building. It looked like they were too late…

"Everyone out!" The stranger shouted, appearing behind the group of kids. "Move NOW!"

It took less than ten seconds for the group to break into a run. Frightened squeals and horrified cries filled the air as a massive claw broke through the ceiling, sending boards and splitters raining down on the group. Silver dropped to the ground, shielding his head from the debris as it fell. The huge eye of the beast peered in through the roof, growling angrily as it spotted the group inside. The Mistress threw the back door open, rushing the children out as the beast thrust its paw after them. Branch was quick to grab a log from the fireplace, smashing the burning wood onto the tough hide.

Howling filled the air as the beast recoiled, angrily thrashing about and shaking the forest with its movements. The house was quickly emptied, leaving only the young hedgehog inside. Silver leapt off the floor, ducking and dodging as he raced to join the others, only for a fire to shoot in front of the door.

"Fliss!" He cried, eyes frantically darting around in search for another exit. Smoke filled the air as the burning spread, climbing up walls and racing over boards. But there was no response. The cries for help were drowned out by the enraged roars of the injured beast. Those horrid footsteps followed after the fleeing group, mud splashing and trees breaking. Coughing, Silver looked around again, this time spotting a window.

As the hoglet bolted towards the exit, the huge tail of the Goliath swept down, racing through the second story and burying the young hedgehog in a pile of wood and brick. Silver screamed, pain tearing through his small body as the weight slowly began to crush him. Fire burned around him, not even disturbed by the rain.

Silver pulled and pulled, reaching with both his mind and his arms for some way out. He reached and reached, squeezing his eyes shut and straining with all his might. A nail poked his side, making the young hedgehog's ribs grow wet. Silver called out, begging for someone to come back for him. But no one heard over the roars of the beast.

Just as the last of the kids faded out of view, Silver saw him. The ranger. Golden eyes strained to see through the dense haze of smoke, but the silhouette was undeniable. The stranger was standing off to the Goliath.

Growling, the beast tried to show dominance - roaring at the figure and grinding its claws into the dirt. The stranger didn't even flinch. Calmly, he extended his arms - blocking Silver's swiftly fading view of the group. With an enraged howl, the monster swiped, trying to squish the figure into the ground. But the ranger merely dodged, sliding backwards with impressive speed.

Silver coughed, shielding his large eyes from the heat and smoke. There had to be some way out. With a pained whimper, the silver child tried again, pushing and straining in an effort to loosen himself before he burnt alive in a pyre. The roars and pounding stomps shook the area, only furthering the damage done to the house and dislodging more wood above. Tears fell from Silvers eyes as he pulled again, screaming in pain as the nail drug along his ribs. He called out to the stranger, hoping that he heard the desperate pleas only to be drowned out by the growing fire.

The ranger had ditched the cloak, exchanging weather protection for mobility as he fought on, executing great leaps and kicks as he held off the beast. Strange lights shone through the smoke as Silver watched on, helpless to do anything. He screamed and cried - trying to get the dark furred stranger to see him. However, the fight was too loud.

The young hedgehog pulled again, the fur on his arms singeing as fire licked at his elbows. It was getting hot, and Silver was getting desperate. Screaming, he pulled again, traveling further out from underneath the pile the more he dragged himself. Cuts and burns appeared on his body, causing unbelievable pain and lightheadedness. He only needed a little more room…

The stranger fought on, lighting up the sky with incredible displays of power; kicking and twisting through the air with expert agility. Was he shooting lightning from his fingers? No that wasn't right… Was it fire? Another enraged roar shook the grounds.

Silver coughed, smoke and ash filling his lungs as his vision grew cloudier. He hurt so much… he was so tired… so, so tired...

The powerful roar of the beast was cut off by a beam of energy from the fighting figure. Silver's dimming eyes caught the retreating figure of the Goliath as it crashed through the woods. The ranger stood behind, crackling energy at his fingertips as a warning to stay away. With a final growl, the beast disappeared into the woods, leaving the stranger to do as he pleased.

With a final pained whine, Silver let himself fall limp. Coughing and choking on the smoke, he closed his eyes; praying with all his might that he would live. However, the burning pile on top of him slowly heated his small body up. Ash and debris wafted in and out of the young hedgehog's lungs, forcing agonizing coughs to rake the pinned form. Burns and scrapes stung his sides, forcing tears out of his large eyes. Nails and splinters decorated the open wounds, lacerating the growing injuries and grinding against his bones. His body screamed to die, agony clouding his oxygen deprived mind. Oh how he wanted it to be over… if only the stranger could see him…

With no more energy or pain to spare, Silver laid his head down, and let the darkness claim him. Only hoping his misery would be over soon.