“Down here.”

“Huh?” I looked down and realized that just a few steps from where I stood was a sunken pile of leaves.

I approached it cautiously, only to be shocked when I realized Malcolm had fallen in.

“How did you even get down there?” I asked. “Wait a second, I'll find a branch to help you up.”

“No... don't go anywhere. I'll get out on my own,” Malcolm stopped me.

“How? It's pretty deep, and you're still injured—”

A low growl rumbled from the pit. “I said, I'll manage.”

Before another word of protest could leave my lips, a powerful hand shot up from the debris, gripping the solid...