The four of them were exhausted. The monsters had come in waves throughout the night, keeping them from catching a moment''s rest. They took turns rinsing in the cold water of the stream and ate a hearty breakfast. While none of them were eager to spend the day on the move, it was clear that they couldn’t stay either. They quietly gathered their gear and strapped on their packs.


    “Are you ready?” Noah asked the motley crew. He was met with determined nods. “Good. We’ll start slow and then ramp up the pace as we go. Say something if you need to rest.” With that, they turned north and began trekking along the stream.


    Noah was thankful for the cold morning air as he sweat under the furs. They jogged for a few hours, taking short breaks as needed and snacking on the extra meat they had prepared. It was late morning when they were met with their first opposition, a stag not too dissimilar to the one Noah had fought before his breakthrough. Noah signaled to Kyle, and together they engaged the beast. Noah rushed forward, creating an opportunity for Kyle to hit it from afar. Together they made quick work of the beast and shared in the rewards.


    [5 XP Gained]


    After catching their breath, they continued on, running into the occasional beast, but never more than a couple at a time. By mid-afternoon, Julie was struggling to keep up, having the lowest physical stats of the group. She urged them ever forward but the growing strain was obvious to the rest of them. When evening came, Noah called everyone to stop. As much as he wanted to believe that the end was just around the corner, it very well could not be. That brought an even more disturbing thought though–how were they going to survive the night? Fending off the beast in the firelight was hard enough, he couldn’t imagine managing it in the darkness. He looked around for some sign of a solution but came up empty. He looked up at the branches far above his head. Could we make it? Maybe? He knew the bark was tough enough to hold weight, and its thick grooves gave ample finger holds. They weren’t climbers though.


    “We have a bit of a dilemma.” Noah started. The others were too busy catching their breath to comment so he continued. “We might still have days of travel ahead of us, so we can’t count on making it out tonight. We also don’t have a way to make fire. How are we going to survive tonight?” He decided to lay it all on the table, hoping that the desperate nature of the situation would open some doors. The boys stared at him like he had cussed in church.


    “I think what Noah means is that we need to find a solution quick.” Julie reiterated.


    “One thought is that we could camp up in the trees.” Noah offered. Matt and Julie frowned.


    “I don’t know how possible that is…” Julie said. Matt nodded vehemently.


    “Well, let’s call that the fallback plan then. Who has another idea?” Noah replied.


    Ideas bounced back and forth, ranging from huddling in a big group and hoping for the best to running through the night. It didn’t take much to pick those ideas apart though, and the light was starting to wane. Matt, the most health-conscious of the group noticed this detail almost immediately.


    “Maybe its time to try climbing the tree” Matt suggested. Noah looked to Julie, who looked in turn at the tree.


    “Alright, lets give it a go.” She agreed. They picked a tree with some promising branches and sent Kyle up to check it out. When he made it to the top and gave the thumbs up, Matt stepped up to the plate. He surprised everyone, himself included when he made it to the top.


    “I guess the stats really work!” he shouted down, excited by his newfound powers. He had heavily invested in dexterity, something that Julie had yet to touch.


    “Here goes.” She said, letting out a nervous breath. Noah clenched his teeth when her arms began to shake only a few feet from the ground. He moved under her, hoping he could soften her landing if she fell. She made it about halfway before her arms gave out. With a scream, she fell from the tree, landing hard in Noah’s arms. They both let out a sigh of relief as he set her on the ground.


    “I don’t think I can do it.” She said, her voice shaky. Noah took a deep breath.


    “I think you might be right.” He admitted. She had given everything and barely made it halfway. “Do you think you could hold onto my back?” He asked.


    “I don’t know. I think so.” Julie replied. He nodded.


    “Okay. Here’s what we’ll do. I am going to climb the tree solo and see if it feels possible to carry you. If it does, then great. If not we will figure out what to do next together. Sound good?” He asked. She agreed and Noah started up the tree. He managed the climb without much strain and climbed back down. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    “Alright. I think it could work.” He said. She grimaced.


    “You think it could?” She asked, weighing out each word. He nodded slowly.


    “I do. If you have a better idea, it may be worth exploring though.” He said. She shook her head.


    “No. This is the best shot we have. Let''s do it.” She said. They waited while Noah stretched and rested his arms. Then it was time, and he knelt down so that she could climb on his back. She wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his torso.


    “Ready,” She said. Noah bounced on the balls of his feet, testing the weight. I can do this. He moved to the tree and found a handhold. He lifted his first foot off the ground, then the second. His arms immediately felt the strain. He took a deep, measured breath. One at a time. He moved his hand up, finding a groove. In. Out. He did his best to drown out Julie’s anxious breathing. His next hand found its purchase. In. out. His arms were ready to give. One more. Then again. Just one more. He felt two heartbeats racing and dug deep. In. Out.


    “Noah.” He kept climbing.


    “Noah. Hey, Noah.” She said again.


    “Huh?” He grunted.


    “You did it, we’re at the top,” Julie whispered gently. Noah blinked. He looked down and saw the boys a few feet below them.


    “Oh.” There was a thick branch to their left and Noah shifted positions, stopping just over it. Julie grabbed a supporting branch with one hand and slowly lowered her feet. Together they found a comfortable position to perch and allowed the tension to leave their bodies.


    “That was–” He tried to find a word.


    “Intense?” Julie offered.


    “Yeah, let''s go with that.” He agreed.


    The boys waved and they made their plan for the night. They would adhere strictly to the buddy system, and no one was allowed to fall asleep. They desperately needed rest but lacked any reliable way to secure themselves to the tree. Noah thought they would struggle to keep themselves awake through the night, but as the sun set he was quickly proven wrong. Like moths to a flame, the beasts began to appear from the woods, more than they had seen on any previous night. They growled and clawed at the trunk of the tree as if to vent their frustration. They all looked down in terror when a feline monster started clawing its way up the trunk. Kyle reached for his bow and tried to stabilize himself on his branch. Julie looked ready to protest but it was thankfully unneeded as the cat failed to get much further.


    They watched through the night, making small talk in an attempt to pass the time. As the night passed the talking turned to blank stares and the weariness set it. They made sure to shake each other if they started to nod off. Noah had another worry keeping him awake though, getting down. His body was shot and he had little confidence in his ability to carry Julie to the ground.


    When the dawn broke the beasts lingered. It wasn’t until an hour past sunrise that they finally dispersed. Even then, they could hear disturbing noises not far in the distance. Something was changing and each day it was getting worse. Noah took that as a sign to mobilize the troops. They needed to get out of the forest today.


    “So how do we get down?” Matt said, voicing the thought on everyone’s mind.


    “I think I can make it just fine,” Kyle said, nonplussed.


    “I don’t know if I can or not.” Matt assessed.


    “Well, one way or another we are getting down. If you fall, then Julie is getting some XP.” Noah said, having come to this conclusion late into the night. Matt paled visibly but nodded.


    “I guess that is comforting.” He responded.


    “What about me?” Julie asked, “I haven’t tested if I can heal myself yet.”


    “We’ll catch you.” He assured. “I’m up first!” He said, ending the discussion. He did his best to appear calm and started his descent. He found it to be the comfortable kind of challenging and soon set his feet on the ground.


    “Kyle you’re next!” He shouted up the tree. Kyle proceeded to scramble down the trunk, making it look effortless. Noah had Kyle stand next to him and ready himself to catch.


    “Matt, your turn!” His climb was a slower, more reserved style but he made it nonetheless. The three of them readied themselves.


    “Keep your knees bent. Be ready to roll backward. If she falls, we’ll catch her together. Follow my lead.” He instructed.


    “Julie, we’re ready for you!” He called out.


    “Here I come!” She yelled in response. They all watched as she began to climb.


    Her foot slipped first, failing to find traction, then the other. They heard a whimper as she dangled in the air.


    “Catch me!” she screamed as she plummeted toward the ground.