My breathing had been reduced to dry heaving, my knees ached dodging between the giant old growth trees while feet throbbed in pain from the sprinting. I did not know where I was, had been, or where I was going. How I got here was as much a mystery as where I am going. A looming threat of death, and worse, kept my breaking body from collapsing in a heap on this alien forest floor. I tried to banish the thought, but doubt remained and reason assured me this mad dash would amount to nothing. In spite of my better judgment I chose to keep running. I am, if nothing else, a stubborn man.

 

Eleven of them were in pursuit behind me and likely more than what I happened to see. I've heard no less than two dozen. I'm outnumbered and likely outclassed. There's no way I could fight my way past them. There's no chance in hell I'd manage to fend them off long enough. No one knew I was out here, so help would never arrive in the nick of time. I could never explain to them, if I could reach them, how I got here either. For three days I tried to find signal for my cell phone. Not that I would have known, because the blasted thing wouldn't turn on. At some point it had fried and I couldn't figure out why. That's all behind me now. Far behind me. A sudden rain spell robbed me of everything I couldn't rescue by carrying it away on my back.

 

That hiking backpack, filled to the brim with the scavenged remnants of my once humble abode, I was forced to leave behind too. It had kept pulling me off balance, so I was forced to ditch it at the start of my race for freedom. I had a single knapsack remaining. I had thought of throwing it aside too, but without the barest essentials I'd be a dead man. In the unlikely event it's all that would give me the extra speed needed to escape, without my remaining scraps of food, water, clothes and some gear inside, I wouldn't last long out here.

 

There's still snow on the ground here and there. These mountains are likely well above sea level, or winter had not ended so long ago. The nights out here outside my concrete and insulted walls would be vicious. Try as I might, these thoughts of evening could not distract me long enough from the pain which is accumulating exponentially.

 

     “Hold out... until... a stream!” I huffed aloud to myself while coming to a skidding halt.

 

By my waist I felt and heard the clatter of leather against steel. A sword in scabbard jostling at my hip. I had been fortunate enough to find inside the ruins of what had been my home. Not my first choice for a self-defense tool, but it was more than a wall decoration. It's real. Sharp, meticulously hammered opposed to cast and of quality steel. If an amateur such as myself could dare be a judge such things. Despite a trusty blade by my side, thoughts of a desperate last stand had not crossed my mind. I'd have better luck running myself to death than suicide by fighting back.

 

My hand pawed at the empty shoulder holster. If it were occupied, maybe I'd stand a chance, but this sword is nothing but a prop in my inexperienced hands. It's intended intimidation factor had failed spectacularly. Perhaps it would serve well if I made a last stand... Maybe it would find some use if I were forced to fall on it... I shook my head to banish that possibility from my mind.

 

I'm not thinking straight with thoughts like that bubbling front and center. Damn my lack of cardio! I screamed inwardly to myself. Surely I'm shaving weeks off my life to pay for this exertion too. My second and third winds were long behind me. This current level of fatigue was unsustainable and my adrenal glands were dried up husks by now. A sharp taste of iron languished in my mouth. It's pervasive and aggressive signal from my circulation system telling me to keel over and die already. Maybe then my pursuers would only capture my dead body. Surrender was simply not an option. Not after what I had seen.

 

An enormous old growth pine blocked my path. It had to be centuries old. It could go all the way up to the heavens with a foundation so wide. Where on Earth I could be where a tree like that could be left alone to grow so large confounded me, but there were more pressing matters at hand. I looked to my left and to my right. There's no obvious path through the forest, the one I made for myself through the underbrush was it.

 

     “That's how the foxes do it, right? Shake their scent in water and their mask footprints in the creek bed.”

 

Besides my ragged breathing is the sound of my heart thumping inside my head. Not nearly loud enough to drown out everything else, but I haven't heard so much as a bird chirp for the past ten minutes regardless. The creatures of this forest had the good sense to clear way well in advance. Maybe if I got a closer look at them I'd be able to tell where the hell I had ended up. For now they had the better sense to clear out and stay out of my way. Not on my account. A series of blaring hunting horns approaching closer behind me. Exactly where each one come from I did not know. All I knew is they were not coming from in front of me.

 

     I beat my thighs with my balled up fists, “Don't you dare... die on me now!” I cried out in pain and frustration, so that the pain would remind my legs they were not allowed to give out just yet.

 

To my left was thicker forest and to my right was the thickest forest. Neither option gave me a favorable impression. I looked down and swore as I noticed my feet sink into the muddy ground. I had avoided trampling the snow, but I couldn't avoid leaving tracks that even a child could follow. As the blaring of hunting horns once again erupted in the distance behind me I chose my right on a whim and took off at a sprint.

 

I had ceased running and degenerated into throwing myself forward. There's no grace and I am less man and more an animal at this point. A wild animal being hunted. Endless walls of branches and brambles scraped past and sheered away at my clothing and skin. My face glistened with sweat, or maybe it was merely soaked with blood? Despite how dire my situation was, and in spite of my primal instincts taking over, I needed to keep my mind on what lay ahead. That is when I could see ahead. This thick forest canopy cast many shadows and likely hid many pitfalls. I weaved through the trees and bounded over the roots and stones in my winding and mad dash path.

 

An ominous atmosphere would be choking me with dread if it were not currently my shortness of breath. Whatever this place is, if it were alive, it no doubt had a sense of humor to cut right to the chase. When I spotted the gently sloping rocky outcropping I made a beeline for it. I wouldn't leave any tracks behind on it and I needed all the help I could get.

 

A few more leaps and bounds carried me onto a small plateau. I squeezed through some stunted trees crowning it and came to its other side. In front of me was a sudden drop which I nearly ran off like some cartoon character defying gravity. The toes of my boots dug into the muddy precipice and I wavered back and forth a few times before regaining my balance. The drop was only eight or so feet back down onto the forest floor proper. Going around was simply not an option, so I prepared myself to slide down. From the sound of the horns my pursuers were spread out in a crescent shape behind me. I could ill afford a winding detour. They'd catch me before I found a safer way down.

 

Resolving to keep my momentum, I dared vault the crest. Disaster struck when the eroded soil failed to support my weight a moment longer. Part of the slope gave way right as I had been bending my knees to jump. A scream escaped my lips and I clumsily dropped down. I watched as my feet came into view and I landed on my back at the bottom. My knapsack broke my fall, so I didn't take any stones to the spine. Fortunately, what lay beneath me wasn't frozen dirt nor rocks.

 

I had almost all but forgotten its monotonous and constant swaying off my hip. Scared, fatigued and bruised I brought the hard leather scabbard to my chest and held onto it tight. My eyes peered up through the bush I had landed in. Stalks of green about three feet high all around me. My body refused to move and decided all on its own that hiding was the only option. I held onto my sword as if I would fall through the ground and into the abyss should I let go. It didn't matter that it was previously a toy and no more than a hobby item. A safety blanket at least. Maybe a deterrent at best. It's heavy, but being armed is better than unarmed.

 

     I whispered empty words of courage to myself, “Most die in the rout, not the fight.”

 

My body kept greedily sucking air into its lungs while I pondered. The fall had winded me, but I hardly noticed since it wasn't a sensation all that different from running mad for half an hour straight. I relished the break. My thoughts drifted over to the sight of all those other prisoners they had. It steeled my resolve. I'd not be caught.

 

Immersed in a bed of plants I could finally see the sun through the towering trees above them. I didn't have any strength left to block out the sun from shining directly into my eyes. It was far too late to try getting back onto my feet. All my muscles refused to listen, and my lungs felt like they were on fire.

 

That is when a foreboding rustling approached. It came in pairs, at least four of them. Footsteps. Life can be so cruel, I thought to myself. Fate refused to treat me fairly. I had just gotten used to breathing sweet air and now I had to hold my breath. One long inhale would be all I had. Perhaps my last gasp of free air.

 

I heard footsteps stop nearby. If one of them decided to probe the brush with a stick, I'd be done for. If one of them stood on cliff above me and looked down, I'd be done for. Through my concealment I watched a small and feminine silhouette move about. Like a deer caught in headlights, I froze completely. Instinct dulled my pain and need for air, and I played dead. I could hear her, feel her, but hardly see her. Which is good, because she's less likely to see me. I knew better than to ambush her. My movements would be slow and lethargic. I couldn't imagine plunging my sword into anyone either. I'd hesitate. My stomach churned at the thought. I just know I would freeze. Besides that, the noise would give me away for half a mile. I choose to mimic a mouse hoping that the cat would pass by.

 

My starving heart nearly came to a sudden halt when she stopped and stood only a few short feet away. I heard her inhale a few quick whiffs through her nose. A chilling thought came to me suddenly. As much as I wanted to banish it like so many of the others recently; are my pursuers tracking me by smell? Are they even human? They looked human, but then again, they had certain features which left me with doubt.

 

A second figure drifted into view. I was unexpectedly glad, because she distracted the first. Whatever conversation was being had between them was deafened by my heartbeat. No sooner than they had come, they both left. The silhouettes let out short annoyed sighs and continued on their way. I slowly, cautiously, exhaled. There would be nothing I could do if that person standing there discovered I was hiding here. My body felt like an old broken down car which refused to turn over no matter how many times I cranked the key. Life had decided to give me a break, for once, instead of being the usual bitch.

 

My paralyzed body gradually had its senses return. I once again indulged in precious oxygen and the taste of iron slowly faded away. I wouldn't have this luxury for more than a minute, so I gathered what remained of my strength to prop myself by the elbows. A strong smell wafted into my sinus. I reached out to inspect it and rubbed one of the long stalks tipped by a vibrant purple bulb between my fingers.

 

     “Some kind of lavender?” I mused then chuckled softly. “If they were tracking me by smell it makes sense why they lost me.”

 

It did not take long for the idea to strike me. I plucked as many flowers as I could and stuffed them into my pockets, under my shirt's collar, everywhere. It might mask my smell and throw them off long enough to make my getaway. They were all around me now and right under their noses. I was about to enter the unwelcome but mandatory stealth section of this misadventure, but now is my best bet to slip away.

 

Lightheadedness hit me hard as I rose to my feet. For a moment I almost collapsed back down in a heap. That would surely result in a loud thud and subsequent game over. By holding my weight up on nearby tree trunks I managed to drag myself onward. My stumbling steps soon returned to normal and with my legs limbered. I kept a low profile, my head on a swivel and my ears sharp. If I could come across a break in the trees, or better yet running water, I might get out of this yet. I saw that the trees were becoming less dense with breaks in the canopy above and vibrant collages of flower beds along the forest floor. Civilization had to be somewhere beyond the shadowy veil. These strange women had gathered together all those prisoners from somewhere nearby.

 

If I could find someone, anyone who would listen, maybe I could find a way to get back home. All I had to do was keep moving. Safety couldn't be too far away. I'd settle for a simple man versus wild scenario instead of this man versus wild women one.

 

Isolated and in silence my mind began to wander. Has anyone back home noticed I've gone missing? How much longer did I have to run? I'm sure someone would notice I've gone AWOL. Family? Friends? Hell, I'd take a pissed off landlord wondering where the rent money is. Along with a chunk of his building... I'd worry about trying to explain that later... These kinds of thoughts circled around inside my head as I pressed on. It showed just how far I'd come back from the edge that I could worry about others again. A fatal mistake, because they were far from the danger I walked into.

 

Twenty feet dead ahead, a woman walked out from behind a tree. It's not an ambush, because she didn't notice me right away. My mind had been clouded, so I was left standing out in the open like an idiot instead of diving for cover in time. She looked my way and time slowed to a crawl as our eyes locked onto each other. This woman wasn't any taller than my shoulder, so I looked down at her and she up at me. A lazy expression seemed to be her default and it gave her an almost goofy appearance. A pair of long eyelashes fluttered twice before a dopy smile spread across her lips once realizing who she had stumbled upon. It was a disarming smile, yet that feeling is quickly banished upon noticing the wooden mallet she's lugging along.

 

Happening upon some random girl in the woods would not warrant this dread. A pretty face and welcoming smile ought to have a man's heart aflutter. She is likewise dressed for his viewing pleasure. Scraps of leather struggling to cover her bountiful chest with flesh trying to escape in every direction. Her whole body was curvacious, if a little on the thick side. A pear shaped frame without a hint of extra flab hanging off. Shorts which barely even reached the thighs. Petite little feet wrapped in string sandals up along the calves. She looked more ready for a day at the beach instead hunting in the deep wood, let alone for battle. That was far from the most queer thing about her though. A wavy mop vanilla colored hair trussed down to her shoulders. Either freshly dyed, or real, because I didn't spy any off-color roots. More distracting than that were the pair of floppy pig's ears sticking out from her head.

 

It wasn't mere costume play and isn't some sort of headband. This girl possessed no human ears. I watched as her pig ones twitched independently. There's also that curly little pig tail sticking out from her rotund behind swaying back and forth with her hips. Other than those two things she was indistinguishably human, yet I could not bring myself to declare her such.

 

She is beautiful, for sure, and it's a resemblance she shared with all the others after me as well. There's something off. Something different. While I studied her, the pig woman's eyes ran up and down me much the same. Her smile struck my heart like a finger over an instrument's string. That kind of smile, that expression, couldn't be mistaken for suggesting anything else:

 

Come on over here and let's have some fun.

 

A soft thud yanked me back into reality. She had dropped her hammer on the forest floor. The pig girl bent forward; her gaze still meeting mine. With her arms she draped across her chest she cradled her breasts into her forearms. No doubt to accentuate just how profound those voluptuous curves were. What kind of cup are those? F? G? They were shaped like something you'd see on some cover girl in a trashy magazine? Either puberty had been kind, or gravity smiled upon her.

 

She took a step forward; her hips swaying seductively with each step. From her plump rear a curly little flesh colored tail swayed back and forth. It was absurd. It jut out from the tailbone, not from... well... elsewhere—like a cosplay prop, or cheap sex toy. I watched it twitching just like a real tail would.

 

Letting her breasts drop, bounce and sway; she reached out with both her hands open toward my face to cradle my cheeks. All the while she wore that gentle and droopy expression on her face, now with pouting lips. My mind raced, my body froze in place. I felt the blood flow out of my arms and legs and into my face and down below the belt. Her face complete with light green eyes and a cute button nose came ever closer.

 

There wasn't any time left for hesitation. Her hands were within reach. Her breath was sweet as if she had been chewing on mountain herbs all day. She looked human. She's attractive. Mostly human is good enough, right? Yet I couldn't shake this instinctual gut feeling. Deep down inside me my voice of reason cried out. Remember what you saw before! A flood of images came rushing back. They cut through the seductive haze in front of me. That feeling of awe burned away. This may be the prettiest girl I had ever met in person, maybe the prettiest ever, but fear caught up and my fight or flight reaction took over.

 

I swatted her hands away. The sound of the echo felt louder than it had right to be. Her face, gentle and lovely, contorted with heartbreak. She desperately lunged forward and tried wrapping her self around my arm. I sprang backward, yanking it away and sending the poor girl off balance and face planting into the dirt behind me. I whirled about and drew the sword at my side for the first time. My face contorted in anger as I prepared myself for a fight, but that fury faded into my own heartache.

 

My willingness to fight evaporated in that instant. The moment she sat on the ground and looked back at me with tears in her eyes that said:

 

Why?

 

Heartbreak, sadness and frustration into a single word and conveyed with a single facial expression. She continued looking at me with those distraught eyes and quivering lips. We stared at each other and my hand began to hurt when I noticed how tightly I was gripping the hilt of my sword. Her seductive wiles had evaporated into forlorn longing and I could not bring myself to raise my sword. She was vulnerable, unarmed, it would be very simple. Yet I could not do it. I slid the sword back into its sheathe and turned tail to run. Some part of me hurt when I did as if a piece of my soul were velcroed to that spot. Not more than two or three steps later, however, I heard a mighty trumpet behind me and I stopped mid stride to turn and face it. Still sitting upon the ground, with tears in her eyes, the girl sounded the alarm that shook the very trees around us.

 

Her conical horn belted its singular note far and wide. Many more followed suit and the silence of the forest was shattered once again. It came from every direction, the cacophony coming from close, far and in-between. To my left, then my right, three, four, five, the number of horns reverberating throughout the forest increased by the second.

 

     Gritting my teeth I cursed out loud, “Shit. It was a trap.” That my intuition had seen through her deception at the last moment provided me no comfort.

 

The entire forest had come to life with the sound of alarm. Wildlife which had taken to hiding came to life and were fleeing for their lives. You'd think there's a forest fire, but thankfully they hadn't yet resorted to smoking me out... The thought of which didn't do my nerves any favors.

 

Now I was in the midst of a stampede of all manner of beasts from rodent to a couple of deer. I wasn't sure which direction was which anymore. Spinning around in a panic, I tried to gauge which horns were close and an immediate danger. I needed to get a hold of myself and continue running, but out from the bushes three women emerged. I came to a skidding halt about fifteen feet in front of them. Their faces didn't appear menacing, they all shared the same droopy expression plastered on their faces, lugging around their makeshift weapons and wearing that titillating and skimpy armor. Their expressions were playful, but it's obvious they were not interested in seducing me anymore. The way they carried their weapons conveyed to me they intended to use them to capture me by force. The three bounded their way toward me, and my flight instinct took.

 

They were surprisingly slow, outrunning them seemed to be child's play. All that weight in the chest and trunk were not to their favor... Or did they not feel need to run? That last thought scared me more than all the others which have been bouncing around inside my head If that was true, along with me being surrounded, running might be a waste of time as they try to tire me out till I couldn't possibly run anymore. A horn sounded off alarmingly close to my left, so I dodged right around a humungous fallen tree. From in front of me another pig-woman jumped out in banish. She breathed deeply with a hoarse rasp in her voice. Legs spread shoulder width apart, and her arms out as far as they could reach to block my passage between two large trees. She wrapped her arms around my arm and brought herself closer to me. Sandwiching my arm between her not so modest sized breasts and trying to pull me with her to the ground.

 

She let out a giggle that would, in a situation, would sound inviting and absolutely adorable. Since I had entered in a state of panic, I had no sense of delicacy and whipped my arm forward and back as violently as I could. I shook the girl off, she let out a yelp of surprise, and sent her stumbling into another pig girl who was preparing to leap onto my back. Like bowling pins they landed in a heap making pained moans. Were they really so weak? The whole situation continued to baffle me. If they were using weapons as large as they were, they were either for show, or they were still playing around with me.

 

Another horn sounded off in alarm as a group ten of them materialized through the foliage behind me. I'd be completely surrounded if I kept standing around like an idiot, so I'd snuff that innocent feeling and press on. If I had any luck left, it would lead me to the weakest flank. Taking off like a rocket, I hurdled over the growing heap of girls around me.

 

Like a rat caught in a maze I dashed in one direction and then another trying to slip through my pursuer's net which continued to encircled me. My predicament seemed to be getting worse and worse. The amount of time between running into one girl and then the next got shorter. Suddenly, a small break in my misfortune presented itself. The sound of the horns had died off completely in front of me; and taking heart, I put the last of my strength into a full sprint; branches breaking as they failed to slow me down. Meeting a slight incline, I stressed my leg muscles to ascend higher and higher until finally a break in the tree line appeared. Warm sunshine, unobstructed, washed over my face and it felt glorious.

 

I came to a sudden stop and stumbled when I realized too late why the sun had greeted me. In front of me I could see the horizon. Half sky and half small mountains going on as far as my eyes could see. I fell to my hands and knees just before the edge. Below me a ninety degree cliff below. A few rocks were sent tumbling off the edge and I watched them ricochet down to a knocked over the edge tumbled down the hill. It went down some fifty or sixty feet. Roots from some stuck out into the air as if all this empty space had been part of the mountain long ago. Eventually it tapered off into a more gradual slope with trees growing out the side. Those rocks bounced off them like balls in a pinball machine. I pushed myself backwards from the edge and fell onto my bottom. The horns behind me were getting closer and climbing the hill behind me. I dragged my heavy body up off the ground and turned to face the tree line.

 

They materialized behind the treeline and began forming a semi-circle to block my escape. I'm sure there were more behind those I could see. I could hear them giggling as if to congratulate themselves on a hunt well done. No doubt like a wild animal, my eyes darted from one to the next as they talked quietly amongst themselves. Whispering to one another as they studied me. I stood as tall as I could, puffed my chest out and squared my shoulders. Just like a cornered animal, I tried to make myself look bigger to frighten off some predator. No doubt I looked ridiculous with my chest heaving up and down while trying to catch my breath.

 

The whole clan appeared to have gathered. A buffet of pig women armed and dressed in their skimpy leather armor cosplay. I saw the sweat glisten off their skin and most looked a bit winded too. With the sun at my back, they squinted eyes and held their hands to their brows. It's me who was down wind, however, but the amount of pheromones in the air made the body odor more of a sweet seductive musk. All of us must have stood there for a good minute staring each other down. Perhaps they were discussing among themselves who got the right to step forward next. I soon realized that they were waiting for VIP to catch up.

 

She was outlandishly dressed, a walking fashion disaster. Bits of metal which I assumed served as armor covered her instead of the usual leather straps and rags. Of course she's still skimpily dressed, just like the others. A flowing cape, a scruffy looking over sized beret switched with patches to keep it from falling apart. She stood a head taller than the rest too, near my own height. Everything about her was an exaggerated version of the others. Her height, her muscle definition, her breast size. All that meant one thing: Last, but certainly not least, the leader of the pig women had finally arrived.

 

I watched as she brazenly strode out in front of all the others and took a stand at the mid point between the growing mob and myself. This gave me a better look at her and I noticed the family resemblance to the others. A pair of oddly colored purple eyes; piecing me while probing for every weakness I had. Her skin, however, was swarthy instead of pinkish-white. The woman's musculature is less chubby too and more athletic. Her skin still hugged tightly with all the leather and cloth straps which bit enticingly into supple flesh. A belt of mystery elixirs dangling at her waist with their contents sloshing about. Her ears and tail were different from the rest too. More fluffy with a coating of fur white fur, the same color as the shaggy head of hair cascading down to her mid back. Adorned over her skimpy clothing were the decorative skulls of enormous beasts. A crown of some giant boar, with colossal tusks, adorned her head and served as some manner of helmet.

 

She seemed to resemble the creature the more I dwelled on it.

 

Snapping her fingers a trio of girls approached from behind and relieved the woman of her animal pelt cloak. I saw her bronzed skin in all its glory now. A forth labored to bring to her a gigantic, bear skull adorned, decorative, bearded axe. She took hold of it, swung it around a couple times while observing me, but decided to hand it back to the girl who brought it to her. She nearly fell over just cradling it in her arms and almost tripped waddling away with it. A small relief, because to swing that around with one arm like that would likely cleave me in two if it hit. It's intimidation factor had worked wonders though.

 

She cracked her knuckles and raised her fists. A playful smile spreading across her face as she beckoned me forward with a flick of her fingers. She is challenging me to a fight...

 

I looked to my left and right again, but there wasn't anywhere else for me to run. There is no way I could break through that many without being dragged down to the ground under their weight alone. Their leader took another step forward, brimming with confidence, a mischievous face brimming confidence, and with intelligence, unlike the others.

 

I had this brief moment, before our sweaty bodies inevitably collided, to collect my thoughts. My mind raced and achieved clarity for the first time since I had begun this mad dash for freedom. I watched the series of events that led me here before my very eyes. Poking around through the woods and trying to find a sign of civilization. A cellphone or radio tower atop a hill. A clearing through the mountain with power lines. Hell, even contrails through the sky from airliners. Three days alone in some strange woods. Familiar flora, but with plumage of birds and spotted patterns on the small mammals I had never seen before. When I spotted smoke rising in the distance after all that time I went barreling with no foresight straight into the camp of these women.

 

What I had seen first was a gathering of men. Other humans. They were tied up and had the look of prisoners of war. Dressed like peasants and woodsmen. A few had spotted me before any of the pig women had. I knew from the dead and defeated look in their eyes that I was not safe there. When I was next greeted by the surprised, but friendly, eyes of the women, who were their captors, I made a run for it... I'd be among them, with a shared rope tied around my next and arms, had I stayed. The fact they gave chase had been proof enough of that.

 

My situation was bleak. My options were limited. I had to come to terms that this could no longer be a dream. It couldn't be a nightmare either. I wanted to go home. I didn't want to be a slave. There's no way I'd play into their BDSM activities waiting for me. It didn't matter to me that I might otherwise starve, dehydrate or get sick and die in this forest alone. If I could have a chance at trying, that would be better than the slavery which awaited me... A sexual slavery if that hadn't been telegraphed enough ahead of time.

 

But I had one thing left that I could do, so I broke the silence first. I forced a wry grin and stared back at the boar women who were taking their sweet time inching closer.

 

     “A good effort," I said, mockingly.

 

Their leader stopped and tilted her head inquisitively. I couldn't be sure if they understood me, but I certainly had her attention.

 

     “Fight or surrender? I don't work that way, lady. When you are presented with two terrible options—the best move is to choose a third!”

 

I said such a bold thing, but in reality my legs where shaking, and my teeth were nearly chattering. My heels shuffled backward until they met the crest of the cliff. Their leader continued to hesitate. Her underlings were all watching with bated breath. The look on her face must be that of disbelief. I could hardly believe I was going to do this either. By the time she realized, it was too late. She lunged forward, but was a couple seconds too late.

 

     “Fear is the mind-killer,” I whispered to myself as I took a leap of faith, backward.

 

I wanted to take control and do something. I had been pushed this far, and I had pushed myself to this point. Her hesitation had given me this opening. I wouldn't waste it. There's no knowing if it will work, but perhaps I'd be better off if it fails than if I stood there and did nothing. After that display of strength, I had to swallow my pride as a man and turn tail once more.

 

I got good air before gravity took over. My arms were outstretched in what no doubt looked like a vain attempt to slow my descent. In reality, I reached out and grabbed hold of a large root as my body sped by it. Everything from here on would rely on the strength of my grip... Or so my plan went, but plans seldom hold up in the face of the enemy. The enemy today would be versus nature, the match-up I recall wanting before. Now I'd regret it. As my weight bent the root, the petrified wood broke instead of bending all the way. All that wind blowing past my ears was deafened by the sickening crack of wood. In horror I watched as the root snapped in half. My momentum helped turn the break into a full-on tear.

 

One brief delay, a single hiccup in terminal velocity's plan for me. Another forty some odd feet below me still. I desperately reached out for anything, but nothing else had the strength to stop my fall completely. My body spread out on instinct to spread the surface area of the impending impact. I hit the dirt of the lower cliff hard and soon felt my body tumbling over like a log down a hill. An army of twig like pines, which had peacefully been growing into the side of this mountain for decades, were splintering one after another as I tumbled down.

 

Thankfully I remained conscious through the pain, because I'd surely be a dead man if I rag-dolled the rest of the way down. Maintaining a steady and slow pace proved impossible. I managed to orientate myself feet first, but I couldn't dig my heels in enough to slow down.

 

This seemed like the better decision just a few moments ago, given the option between having to fight that woman and her groupies or do some off-season skiing down a double diamond run on my ass, without the skis, during the spring thaw.

 

A rock bashed into my hip, and my forearm slammed against another tree. Before I knew it, I came to the end of the gentler incline. Awaiting me another cliff I had hoped I'd stop before and then climb down. I went sailing off its edge instead. I began my plummet the other fifty odd feet down to the tree canopy below.

 

Said canopy at the mountain's base slowed me down on impact. It couldn't stop my momentum completely, but several layers of twigs and branches would do that. The only thing I could do was cradle my head between my forearms and pray. That prayer was answered when my jacket hit a snag. Like a yo-yo I briefly bounced once before the fabric teared. It slowed me down enough so that I would be far from terminal velocity when I passed through the canopy.

 

I could feel the deceleration, but didn't know if it would be enough before I hit the forest floor. All the while horns blared in the distance. Almost louder than the snapping branches around me. At least I hope they were just branches. The alarms were less structured than before. There's a clear and present panic to it all. Hearing it would be the last sensation I'd feel before falling unconscious, other than the feeling of my body coming to a sudden stop.