Ezra scrambled to gain some measure of stability but found himself unable to maintain a solid grip on anything. He reached for branch after branch.

Each time he held on momentarily, but the momentum of subsequent falls caused the temporary handholds to slip right through his fingers and with each new attempt, the skin on his hands was increasingly stripped.

This continued until the branches became an enemy rather than a potential rescuer. The brutal force of the first direct hit pushed him into a spiral trajectory and coupled with his own weight, sent him spinning wildly.

Which in turn, left him disoriented. He put his hands up to protect his head. Despite his efforts, a branch struck the back of his skull, exacerbating the problem and leaving him dizzy and defenseless.

Not to mention the explosion of pain that shot through him. This was quickly followed by a brutal hammer to Ezra’s back. He gasped for air in response.

He was in too much pain to make any further conscious effort. Instead, he ceased fighting to gain balance and let his body flail like a ragdoll the rest of the way down.

He was vaguely aware of thuds, his own groans, loud crashes, and cracking. Ezra was unsure whether the sickening sound was due to tree limbs breaking or his own. He finally hit the ground and ceased to have thoughts. All was dark.

He stirred suddenly and found himself panting. Struggling to force air into his empty lungs.

As Ezra began to regain consciousness, a sense of himself, and his orientation; waves of pain arrived suddenly as if they had been momentarily turned off. He groaned in agony, gritting his teeth through the suffering.

He made a concerted effort to focus more on drawing breath and less on the pain wracking his entire body. He dared not move. He wasn’t sure that he could anymore. He simply focused on each breath, trying to guide himself into a steady normal rhythm again.

He found that with some effort, he was able to arrive at a state approximating normal. Good enough for now, he thought. Digging deep to find a modicum of humor in an otherwise bleak situation. At least I’m still alive... Technically.

He lay there for a time. Thoughts floating by like debris from a wrecked ship. He was vaguely aware of his own existence and the fact that he was still breathing, but he was not completely lucid.

Eventually, he found that he was present enough to make an attempt at movement. He tested out his arms first, sore but mostly functional. He was able to lift his head. It was still throbbing, but he wasn’t paralyzed.

He tested out his legs next and found that they seemed to be in working order. Next, he summoned the courage to try and sit up. His first few attempts ended with him on his back as quickly as he’d risen but after a few dry runs he managed to sit up. Which he instantly regretted.

The pain in his head intensified and he groaned, holding his head in hand, hoping the pounding would slowly fade. The pain subsided to a small degree, but it was still excruciating. He sat in the same position until he had acclimated enough to try standing.

Fortunately, he was able to stand on the first attempt and was encouraged by the fact that he had not immediately collapsed. He looked to the top of his perch from where he had fallen, overcome with a sense of awe.

He was amazed that he had survived. Not only that, but also that he had managed to do so without crippling injuries. He was heavily bruised and battered but not completely incapacitated. He shrugged, not wanting to question his good fortune.

This wasn’t the time or place for that. Whether there was such a time or place he could not say, but if there was, it certainly wasn’t at the present moment. Ezra suddenly remembered the battle with the bear and Vincent’s dance with death just before he had fallen.

He stiffly made his way toward Vincent’s last known location, anxious to see what had become of his companion.

He tried to remember the details of what had happened, but he couldn’t put the pieces together. At first, he wasn’t sure. Then he remembered that Vincent had gotten away.

How long was I out? Did the bear come back and get him while I was oblivious?

He went over it again and again in his mind, but his thoughts became an endless maze until he wasn’t sure what was real and what he had only imagined.

The more he thought of it, the more he realized that in the back of his mind, he was very much afraid to find out.

He made his way to where Vincent lay, mentally preparing himself to find a mangled corpse. The unrecognizable remains of what used to be his closest friend.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

To his relief, Ezra did not find Vincent mangled, but he couldn’t detect any movement.

A sinking feeling dropped into the pit of his stomach. Vincent lay as still as death. As Ezra moved forward slowly, he was all but sure that Vincent was dead. He inspected the body closely, hoping to find signs of breathing. He was closing in now but if Vincent was breathing, it was imperceptible.

Vincent appeared pale and cold. He bent to check for a pulse and saw subtle signs of Vincent’s breathing.

"You’re alive!" Ezra cried.

Vincent started, his eyes flashing open. He moved to sit up and bumped his head. Vincent groaned, chuckling softly. He'd forgotten he was still halfway under the hidey hole that had saved his life. He scooted forward and slowly sat up. Then looked around bewildered, feeling dizzy.

"I was alive," he croaked. "Until you scared me to death..."

He smiled weakly. Ezra chuckled. Then lunged forward and wrapped Vincent in a big hug.

"Ouch! You’re crushing me," Vincent protested.

"Sorry brother. I’m just so happy you made it."

"Same here. I thought for sure you were a goner when you fell out of the tree."

"Me too. I’m not sure how I survived honestly." He shrugged.

"I guess there were enough branches to slow your fall on the way down. Or maybe you have a guardian angel watching out for you."

Ezra considered this for a moment.

"I suppose. For a minute there I thought you were dead."

"Dead tired for sure. But not quite dead. Not yet anyway."

"We both came pretty close. Closer than either of us have ever been I reckon."

Vincent nodded his agreement. He looked out over the horizon and saw the waning sun.

"It will be dark shortly. We’ll be in a bad way if we don’t find shelter soon. There’s no way we can make it back to base camp before the sun goes down. Not in our current condition. We’re a couple of sorry cripples."

"You especially," Ezra retorted.

Vincent smiled. He slipped on the boot he’d lost earlier, then stretched out his arm toward Ezra.

Ezra clasped his hand and helped lift him up off the ground. Vincent winced and almost collapsed when he attempted to put weight on his injured leg.

"I can’t stand on it. Not on my own."

"Don’t worry. I’m here."

Ezra held onto him and acted as Vincent’s crutches. They searched the area nearby and found a small crevice in the mountainside.

"Maybe we can hunker down in there for the night. Do you think we’ll fit?"

"Let me take a look," Ezra said and propped Vincent up against a stone.

Ezra inspected the space. It could lead to a larger area, but it was too dark to tell. So, he slipped through the space in the wall and found that it was actually an entrance to a cave. He quickly exited the way he came and helped Vincent on his good leg again.

"Good news. It looks like it’s a cave entrance. It should provide ample shelter for the night. We can get some much-needed rest and make the journey back to camp come daybreak."

They made their way inside. Though their myriad of injuries made it quite the effort. They managed despite the pain. It wasn’t long before it became too dark to see anything reliably.

They both found places to sit.

"We need a light source" Ezra said.

Vincent nodded.

"Agreed, it’s far too dangerous to be wandering around in the dark. We could fall into a pit or worse. We don’t even know if it's stable in here. If we set off a collapse, we are essentially digging our own grave."

"I’ll take a pit or collapse over that devil grizzly any day." Ezra said emphatically.

Vincent managed a smile. "Fair enough old friend. Fair enough."

Ezra lifted a hand for emphasis.

"Don’t get me wrong, I’m overjoyed to be safe from getting mauled to death, but it won’t do us any good making it through such an ordeal if we get ourselves killed in here."

Vincent shrugged. "I have to admit, that would be a shame."

Ezra nodded. "A much more pitiful death do be sure. I mean, if people knew you took on a grizzly before you died that’s quite a way to go, but dying from stupidity in a cave... that’s no story I want told."

"Don’t worry," Vincent said. "If you fall into a hole, nobody ought to know. When I make it back to camp, I’ll just tell everyone about the grizzly and leave that stupidity part out."

"Well, good. That’s the least you could do. And don’t forget to put a lot of emphasis on how I saved your hide before I died too."

"Oh, of course. You’ll be remembered as a hero, but if I recall I’m the one who saved yours first."

Ezra nodded slowly. "Aye, you did. Not at first, but you did."

Vincent looked at him confused. "What do you mean?"

Ezra clenched his jaw tightly at the memory. "I mean..."

He thought about letting the moment pass and saying nothing. But it came out anyway.

"I saw you run. I thought for sure you left me for dead."

Vincent was silent for a long moment, at a loss for words.

"There was a lot happening. I didn’t have time to think. It wasn’t for me.... I just thought someone had to live. Someone had to survive to take care of our families. If we both died..."

Ezra stood abruptly, holding out his hand again to stop Vincent.

"A noble sacrifice... No need to explain yourself. I understand." He sniffed. "All things considered; I probably would have done the same."

Vincent winced, pulling back instinctively as if he’d been struck. Ezra’s words hit him harder than the grizzly had. Vincent secretly hoped it was too dark for Ezra to see his reaction. The silence stretched on, an uneasy feeling lingering in the emptiness.

Ezra forced a smile. "What matters is that you came back, right?"

Ezra began to pace, then caught himself and stopped abruptly. He always paced when he was angry. He turned pointedly to face Vincent.

"Right?" He repeated.

Vincent didn’t respond. He was more comfortable with silence than most. But this was different. This silence was anything but comfortable. It felt beyond strange. Almost as if he’d become someone else momentarily.

"Well, it's getting dark soon." Ezra said, breaking the silence.

"Seein’ as how your leg is all busted up. It looks like it’s up to me to gather some firewood."

Vincent shifted, attempting to stand.

"I can help."

"No, you just stay put. I’ll go. No sense hurting yourself worse. You need to heal."

Vincent began to protest, but Ezra cut him off.

"I need some time alone anyway."

Vincent fell silent again.

Ezra strode towards the entrance, then paused.

"I’ll be back before too long."

Vincent couldn’t think of anything to say, so he just nodded. He wasn’t sure if Ezra could see the motion or not but either way, he exited the cave without another word.