32 Day of Summer, 508 AV
The foliage blurred past Pua on either side, and he paid it no mind, eyes focused straight ahead as he battered his way through the dense jungle in what he hoped was Taloba’s general direction. Sweat continuously dripped down his smooth forehead, stinging his eyes and making seeing what was two paces in front of him next to impossible. His breathing had long degenerated into ragged gasps that sent fire up his side, and the dull pound of his foot falls jarred every bone in his exhausted body. Pua could hear the reason for his headlong flight crashing through the brush behind him, the Dhani wasn’t getting any closer, but neither had Pua been able to lose him. Pua didn’t dare risk a glance behind, if the treacherous jungle floor tripped him up he knew he was dead. So instead he barreled onward, pushing past the limits of exhaustion on pure adrenalin, desperately trying to ditch his purser long enough to reload his crossbows. Not that Pua thought it would do much good, the small bolt protruding from the mountain of muscle’s shoulder didn’t seem to impair him in the slightest as he stormed along in Pua’s wake. Pua mentally cursed his crossbows’ horridly difficult reloading process, and not for the first time vowed to find a quicker weapon, if he could make it home with his life.
With his vision so hampered by his headlong rush and the sweat dripping into his eyes, Pua was almost didn’t notice the fallen tree across his path until it was too late. Not daring to slow enough to change course, Pua slapped his left hand against the decaying tree, his arm muscles rippled as he propelled is hurtling body up and over. The vault would have worked perfectly had the trunk not been covered in thick moss. Pua’s speed and mass were too much for the limited friction provided by the damp growth and his hand slipped right out from under him. The whole world tilted around Pua as he lost all contact with the earth. The ground was reunited with him only a moment later in the form of lancing pain through his left shoulder. Pua tumbled amongst the leaves, twig and other debris that littered the jungle floor, finally sprawling out against the base of a tree. Pua raised his head just in time to see the Dhani’s seemingly effortless landing. The filthy snake’s lips peeled back into a smile of triumph upon seeing his prey he had hounded for close to two bells fetched up against a tree. Pua’s body trembled as he pushed himself up onto his hands and knees, not because he was scared, but because his muscles were trying to fight through the exhaustion to work properly. As the Dhani neared, Pua desperately flung a handful of debris into it’s face. The big Dhani hissed angrily as it got in his eyes and momentarily blinded him. Pua wasted no time staggering to his feet before once more dashing off into the trees. Unfortunately, it was only moments before Pua could hear something crashing along behind him over the blood pounding in his ears.
Pua knew he was at his limit, his running had become more of a stumble and it wouldn’t be long until he finally collapsed. The Dhani too must have been at the end of his stamina, since he had yet to overtake Pua, but that wouldn’t matter if Pua fell again. Then, ahead through a gap in the tree trunks Pua spotted what just might be his savior, a tree that’s trunk split into three separate trunks twined together. Pua veered toward it. Putting on an adrenaline fueled burst of energy, Pua jumped as he reached the tree, sweat slick hands just barely finding purchase on an outstretched limb. Below Pua yawned a deep ravine. Possibley created during the Valterrian, the overgrown chasm wasn’t deep enough for a fall to be fatal, unless one was unlucky enough to land on ones neck, but the sides were steep and hard to climb. More importantly, the drop was so well hidden by the encroaching jungle that it was almost impossible to spot unless you already knew it was there. Using the branch, Pua swung across to the other side where he more crashed than landed as his over worked legs finally betrayed him. His gambit had worked though, the Dhani, emboldened by Pua’s second tumble, rushed head long over the ravine’s lip in an effort to reach him. At least that would buy Pua a little time. Summoning the last of his strength, Pua staggered and blundered away. When he was a clear of the area, Pua found a Grandfather Tree, one so old that its branches were almost the size of trunks themselves. Relying entirely one arm strength, Pua forced himself to climb about fifty paces from the ground, able to go no further, he collapsed on a branch and passed out, his last conscious thought before blackness claimed him was How did this happen