No Turning Back
Part 3
Finally, the ear-piercing shriek stopped. The sunlight however still reached through the leaves and it was only when darkness crashed upon the forest once more like a great wave than he slid to a halt, a patch of slippery moss squelching as he nearly fell over. Panting, he peered into the impenetrable gloom and felt his heart hammer in his chest as a wild roar shook the forest from very close by. There was a roiling sensation beneath his feet that he realized had most likely nothing to do with his imagination.
Should he turn back? His mind raced. He felt the ground alive and restless and fear gripped his innards. If he turned and ran hard, perhaps… Then he thought of the knight, not quite fresh-faced but full of life and conviction. He had seen how he spoke to the villagers, how he seemed to care for their plight. And there he was, that young man fighting for lives he could just as well have ignored. Menzo’s thoughts coalesced again around his initial determination.
But what of the ground? It felt even more unsafe than usual. Within a moment, Menzo had slung his bow over his shoulder before crouching and jumping, hands reaching for a tree branch above him. Slipping deftly upwards, he mapped out a passage to another tree, and then another, slowly advancing towards the sounds of shouts and growls. He continued this way, only walking on soil when he had no other option, sometimes feeling vibrations all the way up the trunks he held onto. Then, as he secured his foothold on a new tree, the knight came into his sight, attempting to run before frenzied roots entrapped his legs in a large bundle, bringing him to the ground. Menzo’s breath caught in his throat as, leaning over, he saw his adversary. Securing his position as best he could, the archer nocked an arrow, swallowed and slowed his breathing. In… Out… A fletch tickled his cheek as he pushed every thought away and aimed. The monster was almost on the knight, it reared and roared with spittle flying from its open muzzle, raised its bear-like paw… Menzo loosed.