Neidr looked down and found it difficult to breath. Would he really die today? Neidr took a deep breath and began to think. Should he just climb down and sneak past the Paksi? It's not like it could see him. He'd probably make enough noise going down to let it know where he was, though. Should he just try to shove the thing off when it gets higher up the tree? Could he even do it? He definitely wouldn't win a tug of war with a Paksi. Then momentum and force? Neidr nodded to himself at that thought. If he jumped down and used his weight to knock the thing down, that would likely work. It would be dangerous, but at this point so was just about everything he did.

Just as he was preparing to jump down, he stopped. Was this really the right choice? Neidr shook his head. He knew not being decisive in dangerous situations was tantamount to a death sentence, but he couldn't help but worry, after all, some of his plans fell through. Neidr broke off a small branch and threw it down at the Paksi. The little one began to screech noisily. The mother quickly opened its jaws and chomped onto the falling branch. It quickly spit it out to the side and continued to climb upwards.

Neidr felt a cold chill course through his body. He grabbed tightly at his palpitating heart and tried to calm down, but that didn't help to abate his growing sense of dread. The thing couldn't and wouldn't swallow him whole, but the likelihood of getting bit and thrown to the ground was all too high. This time, Neidr threw a vicious glare at the baby Paksi. It was going to have to die, but how? Neidr shook his head. There was no use in thinking about that now. He had much more pressing issues.

The tree was about twenty feet in height, and Neidr had climbed as far as the easily accessible limbs would take him. About sixteen feet up. The Paksi, on the other hand, had already climbed up eight feet. This made what Neidr was about to do very dangerous. Neidr broke off two branches and fastened them into his belt. He leaped down towards the Paksi and the baby started to screech. Neidr reached out and grabbed onto the closest branch as the Paksi opened her maw. The force of the fall and the weakness in his arms nearly made him drop his grip. Neidr hung on just a couple of feet away from the creature's toothy beak.

Wanting to rest a minute, but not having the time, Neidr quickly ascended the tree once again. This plan had no chance to work if the Paksi was more nimble when climbing trees. Neidr dropped down again, this time only a foot above the snapping jaws of the Paksi. Neidr took a deep breath and rushed back up the tree once again. Having no time to relax, he immediately launched himself down again. His feet hovered just above the Paksi's face, but it made no attempt to bite. Neidr pulled up his feet and rushed to the top one last time. Each time he fell, the baby would screech. The mother would stop her momentum to bite, only to find nothing, but air. Neidr pulled out the sticks from his belt and jumped down one last time. This time, however, instead of his back facing the tree, his front did.

Neidr looked down at the Paksi as he was in free fall and prayed. Soon enough he was upon the creature and the screeches of its child were ignored. Neidr's body was falling behind the back of the Paksi came to a sudden stop. He had driven his two branches, with the force of momentum and his body mass, into the ear canals of the Paksi. It had lifted its ears in the Hope's to hear Neidr, but ended up opening then up for attack. The branches dug deep into the paksi and the force yanked its head backwards, pulling both it and Neidr down off the tree. Falling down sixteen feet won't kill a man, but falling sixteen feet and acting like a cushion for a 300 pound creature hurts like hell. Hitting the ground shot a sharp pain up his spine, and the subsequent landing of the Paksi forced the air out from his lungs.

He tried with all his might to push the Paksi off him, but found that his arms had no strength left. Fortunately for him, the Paksi that has been emitting a heartwrenching scream, rolled off of him of its own volition. Unfortunately, as soon as it righted itself, it threw a claw at the place it was laying previously. Neidr used all of his leftover willpower and strength and forced his aching body off the ground after rolling away from the falling judgement that was this Paksi's front paw.

Neidr stood unstably looking at the Paksi. Being both blind and deaf, its sense of smell was all the poor thing had left. Neidr knew he had nearly won, but he was run ragged. His body ached, and it felt as if frozen needles were pierced into his bones. Every breath caused a sharp pain to inundate his lungs, and he felt as though he could barely stand. Looking at this Paksi, he knew he couldn't keep it alive. He needed to rest and when he did, no matter how slowly, it would eventually sniff him out.

Neidr removed his belt, causing his pants to drop. Although it would be embarrassing, it's better than being tripped up at a poor moment. He grabbed tightly onto his leather belt and charged the Paksi. Leaping onto, it's back from behind while the creature remained unaware. He looped his belt around its neck as is started to thrash around.

Neidr was fighting against the clock. He tightened and fastened the belt around the Paksi neck. As it began to choke, Neidr leaped with all his leftover strength off of it's back. The creature began to rampage wildly through the woods. Not caring for the brush it trampled or the trees it smashed into. Neidr slowly climbed up a tree and steadied his body on a branch. He closed his eyes and began to rest to the sound of a rampaging Paksi losing its breath.