Chapter 8 Summary

Ben slept only fitfully that night, although he was exhausted. He woke up once, thinking he heard someone calling him, but it was only the wind, rain and thunder. He keeps starting awake, expecting the terrifying badger to come back. Once a soft noise wakes him, and Ben sees the badger has returned. She is wheezing and whining this time, much less fierce and frightening than before. Ben scolds the animal, telling her to go away and leave him alone. Even when Ben scoops up some mud and throws it at the creature, she remains in the burrow about a foot away from him.

Just before dawn, Ben falls into a deeper sleep. Sometime in the morning, he wakes up. His hands are so muddy he can't see the skin, and his face feels the same way. Ben is terribly hungry and thirsty...