Gion glared at Kaden with her I am going to kill you if we get out of this alive look.

“RUN” she yelled sprinting away from the Spine-backs; Kaden hot on her heels. Touching the tattoo on her arm as it begun to glow. “Padvor I am bringing home company”. A bead of sweat rolled down her forehead as she glanced over her shoulder, “a lot of company.”

The pack was right behind them and closing fast. “ARrrr Rrrr, ARrrr Rrrr”, a noise almost sounding like a command came from the Spine-back closest to them, “Arrooor”. Three groups broke off from the central pack; two of them speeding up to flank Kaden and Gion from each side. The third group seemed to break off pursuit and disappeared into the jungle.

This time Kaden glanced over his shoulder, “They are gaining on us”. The two flanking groups were almost directly on either side of them. “I know”, Gion yelled leaping over a fallen tree. “Well, any ideas?” Kaden leaping over the same tree.

“Run faster.” One of the flanking Spine-backs got close enough and leapt at her. Gion narrowly avoided it by diving under the Spine-back into a forward roll springing back onto her feet in a continuous motion. “They are going to herd us into that third group that broke off. That group will be waiting up ahead getting ready to cut off our escape.”

Great, Kaden thought to himself in frustration. Just then Sofia whispered to him, “There are tar pits nearby, you may be able to make it.”

“Boy, Grab some of those red berries” Gion yelled grabbing what she was able to when she ran by. “And swallow”.

Kaden did as he was told; his fatigue disappeared and his stamina almost fully returned. Recoberry he thought; recognizing them from the illustrations in Korin’s Jungle Survival Guide. “I smell tar, must be a tar pit nearby. Can we use it to slow them down?” A Spine-back leapt at Gion again forcing her to quickly change course.

“Good thinking, what direction?” She glancing back at Kaden who pointed in the direction. “That isn’t where they are herding us, we will have to get creative”. Another Spine-back from the flanking group tried to force Gion to change her direction by getting just close enough to snap her heel. Gion seeing the split second opening leapt forward and spun mid leap. In a single stroke Lust was unsheathed and slashing at the creatures head. “Now”, she yelled; the two of them sprinting towards the direction of the tar pits.

“Arroorr”, a quick yell came from behind them as the pack changed directions.

The smell of natural gas and heat from the tar pits grew more intense with each second, Kaden and Gion were nearly there. “ARRrrror”, a Spine-back from the main pack had just caught up with Kaden leaping at him from behind. It had barely managed to graze the back of his leg.

“Jump boy”, Kaden reacted as soon as he heard those words. Gion had just made it to the other end of a tiny tar pit and he followed. The first few Spine-backs from the main pack screamed when they fell in to the bubbling sticky black substance; the fate sealed for eternity. “ARrrr Rrrr”, called a Spine-back and the entire pack halted staring at both Gion and Kaden.

“ARrrr Rrrr”, it called again and the pack split up carefully trying to surround the two of them while avoiding the pit.

“We have bought some time, we can’t let them flank us again.” Kaden remarked.

“This way hurry up boy” Gion not stopping to look back.

There were a few different paths between the tar pits. The two of them moved, being careful not to lose their footing, falling in would be bad. One of the flanking Spine-backs found a path and charged towards Kaden. Seeing it coming, Kaden thrust at it with his spear successfully stabbing it through its Jaw. Kaden turned and continued to follow Gion; his hand reaching for another Recoberry. “We should be there soon” she leapt on top of an oncoming Spine-back kicking it into a tar pit while stabbing another. The both of them jumping over a final bubbling tar pit continuing through the jungle.

It took less than a few minutes for the pack to catch up to them, the previous three groups had joined back in. Kaden and Gion kept moving through the jungle using every trick they could to slow the pack down or create even a little bit of distance. “It looks like they have changed strategy and slowly trying to tire us out.” Kaden swallowed yet another berry, it effects seemed to be diminishing slightly.

“It won’t do them any good this time, look ahead” She smiled.

Looking ahead Kaden noticed several of the villagers armed with spears and bows. They were all waiting behind large outward facing spikes with only a narrow person sized gap in-between.

Padvor and some of the villagers pushed a tiny barricade in place once Kaden and Gion crossed into the safety of the barrier.

THUD

CRASH

Several of the Spine-backs crashed against the barricade while others impaled themselves on the large spikes. Padvor yelled several commands as he grabbed his Axe and Shield, his rather large round shield Kaden noted.

“Arrrrrroorrr” a Spine-back called and the pack pulled back observing the barricade and spikes. “Arroror”, calls from individual Spine-backs came from different places around the enclosed area.

Gion whispered to Kaden, “They are scouting for weak spots in the fence, if they find one they will exploit it.”

Another call came as several Spine-backs started charging the barricade, a few of them trying to ram it out of the way. Padvor gave an order and the villagers started shooting arrow after arrow. A Spine-back died for almost every two arrows the villagers fired.

“They are breaking through”, yelled one of the villagers at the barricade fell. Padvor quickly moved in to plug the way. Every time a Spine-back tried to push through, it would met with the power behind Padvor’s axe. “They are breaking through on the right”, another villager yelled as Gion and Kaden went quickly with a few other villagers to hold off the Spine-backs entering from the new breach in the fence.

“AaAaAaAaAa Awaaa”

The Villagers fought hard, Kaden had managed to kill four Spine-backs to Gion’s six and more were coming. For every Spine-back he killed another would take its place. The pack was large with the advantage of numbers on their side. The number of villagers on his were dwindling and quickly.

“Aaaaaaaaaaa”, a villager yelled having lost his arm, blood pouring out and he was screaming in pain. Several Spine-backs quickly descended on him tearing the man apart.

Kaden had just managed to make another kill as exhaustion was setting in. This wasn’t good as there was still an endless supply of enemies and he was out of Recoberries. A Spine-back leapt from behind, it was almost on him. But, as if by coincidence or luck something blurry traveling at a speed almost too fast to see swooped out of the sky. It was clutching a now dead Spine-back in its talons and was heading back up into the horizon. Kaden muttered a silent word of thanks to his feathered friend and any feathered deity listening before getting back on his feet again.

Three more Spine-backs came charging at him as he readied his spear for what he was sure would be the last time. He thrust forward expecting to kill at least one before… All three Spine-backs hit the ground. Saba came running past him and retrieved her throwing axes from their heads, “Here drink” Handing him a water skin with Recoberry juice. Feeling renewed he thanked her and readied his spear again.

I guess I can’t afford to hide it, “Gi Vem Es Wif Tn Ess” a soft unnatural ethereal echo trailing gently behind his voice.