Deer and young bear perhaps raised in cave (6)
I believe the answer is:
buckle
'cave' is the definition.
(both can mean to give up or collapse)
'deer and young bear perhaps raised' is the wordplay.
'deer' becomes 'elk' (elk is a kind of deer).
'and' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'young bear perhaps' becomes 'cub' (a young bear is a cub).
'raised' shows that the letters should be reversed in order (going up in a down clue).
'elk'+'cub'='elkcub'
'elkcub' written backwards gives 'BUCKLE'.
'in' is the link.
(Other definitions for buckle that I've seen before include "Bend - warp" , "Crumple under pressure, like shoe clasp" , "cave in under pressure?" , "It's attached to a belt or shoe" , "Catch" .)