Prey if they become a threat?

Precisely.

I spotted a body ahead. Brenin crept up on it, careful, sniffing and testing the air. Soon we were close enough for Ioan to say, It seems they devoured this poor soul, trapped in her escape.

It was an older woman, wearing a nightgown that looked like it came from the last years of the hospital. A cave-in had halted her progress. Dirt covered her hands and forearms, her fingers bloodied, nails ripped ragged as she’d tried to dig her way out. The saddest part was that she’d almost succeeded, clearing a hole nearly big enough to squeeze through before the melltithiwyd struck.

Like the urban explorer, she lay on her side, even more tightly wrapped in that fetal position, her dirty hands around knees drawn up tight, head tucked down as if she could avoid the pecks of the demonic birds. With the explorer, the melltithiwyd seemed to have almost sucked him dry. Here, the piranha birds had done their job more thoroughly, only tatters of flesh remaining on her extremities, the rest devoured down to bone.

Can I free them? I asked Ioan. Is that ghost right? That people like this, taken by the melltithiwyd, can be freed if I defeat the sluagh?

He hesitated.

That’s a no, I take it.

It’s an “I don’t know.”

So either the ghost has insight or just a lot of hope, and I won’t know the answer until I defeat the sluagh. All right. Brenin, can you make it through that hole she cleared?

The hound grunted. Then he stepped onto the body to get to the hole, and he did so gingerly, as if trying to be as respectful as possible. He had his rear legs planted on either side as he pushed his forelegs and head through the hole. Then he lifted one back leg and felt around for better footing. When his paw landed on the woman, she moved.

I jumped. Brenin just went still, considering, and likely concluding that he’d shifted her corpse. He started to lift his paw…and something struck the bottom of it.

Brenin scrambled off the corpse. Then he stood behind her, huffing. Another huff, as if annoyed by his reaction. He nosed her feet. Nothing. Her legs were bone, and he surveyed those in a glance before his gaze rose to her midriff, covered in a thin nightgown.

He reached out one tentative paw and touched her torso. Nothing happened.

Brenin chuffed, and I could hear Ioan’s murmurs, too low for me to make out words. Another chuff, and Brenin’s teeth grabbed the corpse by one foot to get her out of the way. He gave a tug. A chittering sound followed. He went still, his nose working frantically. I inhaled but smelled only the stink of the long-dead corpse and the damp earth.