Fight!

You can't just abandon the big gorilla to his fate and you're not sure he will win if you stand and watch.

You take a deep breath and launch yourself into a cartwheel that ends in an acrobatic flip that takes you over the snarling pack of lupines and lands you at Gillo's side. The big gorilla creature bares its fangs at you in what you assume is a smile. You give him a thumbs up and then turn your attention to the lupines. The first to come snapping towards you gets the heel of your shoed on its head with a terrible crack. It flops to the ground. Gillo smashes to together and then it's a chaotic battle.

You deliver expert kicks and strikes to the attacking lupines. They are tearing tufts of fur and blood from Gillo, but they seem **** to hurt you, a sure sign they don't intend to kill you. That exposes their weakness. When they go for your leg, you smash them with your hands. When they go for your hands you slam them with a brutal kick. Gillo bats and tosses leaping lupines from the air and crushes them against the dry plains.

Finally you have killed and injured enough of the lupines to drive them back. They growl at you and limp away leaving almost half their number dead on the field. You sag, your legs bloodied from their snapping jaws. You're exhausted and the sun is setting. Gillo, beside you, is even worse off. His arms and particularly his left hand are badly wounded. His stout legs are similarly torn open and bleeding.

"Oh no," you gasp as the huge gorilla creature slumps back onto the plain with a loud thump. He looks at you, his eyes wide with pain. You run up to his side, taking his huge hand. You can see that his wounds are not mortal, but they are so numerous and so ugly he will surely be facing serious pain and infection.

"He-lp," he groans. "There is plant. White leaves in shape of dig tool. Big. Bring me some. In rocks there to the north. It will help with pain and bad blood."

Gillo gestures weakly to a low ridge about 200 yards to the north.

"I'll be back in a hurry," you say.

Gillo mutters something else about being careful, but you don't quite catch what he says. You set off for the ridge. The area here is short grassland rolling up to the mossy rocks. It's actually quite pleasant, but as darkness is gathering you know the warmth you have enjoyed earlier will be fading.

You're almost shivering by the time you climb onto the rocky ridge. After a brief search, you spot the plant Gillo described seeming almost to glow amid the moonlight. It is several feet up a steep rocky cliff. As you prepare to begin your ascent you hear a soft cry of, "Help me." It almost sounds like a child's voice. It repeats twice more and you realize it is coming from a small cave entrance nearby. What if there is somebody in there who needs help?