I was woken in the middle of the night by strange noises, my heart was in my throat and I was looking in every direction trying to see who or what was making those sounds. The fact that I was in the tent and I could not see much was not helping my panic. Thoughts racing, I began to try to regain the coldness that had crept into my mind since I showed up in this crazy world, and yet I could not find the calmness, the coldness, the rationality that carried me the last two weeks. Taking a deep breath, I felt around until I found the knife that I always kept beside me. With the knife in my hand I felt slightly better and as my heart began slowing down. Noticing that the noises were coming closer, I untangled myself from the sleeping bag and still barely managing to rein in the panic I crouched and activated my stealth skill. A few moments later the flap to the tent was pushed to the side and a muzzle with long whiskers and GIANT INCISORS was forcing its way in to the tent. Looking past the teeth and into the beady eyes, I acted on instinct and stabbed the knife into its right eye. With a squeal the head jerked back wrenching the knife out of my hand. The rapid departure of the head, caused the tent to fall on me, wich caused me to freeze in panic. After a few seconds I began forcing myself to think and move. Quickly trying to remember where any of the other weapons were. The axe was propped near the pile of fire wood; the sledge hammer, it was in the corner, but, it would be too difficult to fight with as I lacked experience with it; the hammer should be near the camp fire. I was running out of time, I quickly decided that I would use one of the cooking knives, which was near the sledge hammer the last time I saw it, I scrambled for one of then in the far-left corner. Grabbing the butcher knife, I forced myself to take a deep breath. Lifting the closest edge of the tent, I quickly rolled to the side as I felt movement to my right. The roll saved my life as I only received a slash across the right side of my ribs. “Fuck,” I screamed, “you are so going to die”. I made myself move into a crouch and finally looking at my un-wanted guests’, I was creeped out as I saw four Rat things in their Ratty glory. Moving back slightly, to give me some more space in case the one that tried to stab me, tried to lunge at me again. Holding the knife in my right hand and pointing it at the rat I looked around my camp as there was enough moonlight to see by. The tent was to my right, the campfire several feet in front of it, and the firewood pile was several feet to my left. The rats were mainly in front and to the left, and seemed stunned to see me. Except for the one that attacked me, and, the other one that was stabbed in the eye was lying on the ground between the tent and the fire twitching in death throes. The rat that was my immediate threat was squeaking something at me, but I did not care what it was saying and moved to my left trying to keep it between me and the others of its kind and trying to reach the axe that was at the wood pile. “Come on, you stupid rat, be a good animal and back away from me,” I told the rat. Just a few more feet and I would be close enough to the axe to grab it and have a better weapon then the butcher knife. The rat understanding that I was moving with a purpose, lunged at me and raised the blade in its hands. I jumped backwards and slashed with the knife from left to right striking its blade and barely deflecting it. How the hell did I miss the freaking Blade in its front paw? I thought. Regaining my balance, I stabbed at the rat and scored a light hit on it, but that only pissed it off more. The next few moments both of us attacked each other, both scoring minor hits but not gaining ground. My mind was scrambling in panic as I tried to find any way to survive. A wicked thought crossed my mind, and not thinking any further I kicked the rat in between its legs. With a wail that nearly shattered my eardrums the rat became still and its eyes bulged out. As the rat stood there stunned I lunged forward and slashed at its throat, opening it up and was rewarded with a spray of blood. Seeing the other two rats running at me. I looked around and spotting the axe I rushed towards it, grabbing it, I spun around and slammed it into the chest of the closest  ratman, as it closed in on me. Just as the rat fell to the ground wheezing for air. The last rat fell upon me slashing at me with its claws, and trying to rip my face off with its teeth. Barely holding off the rat with my right arm, I was fumbling at the ground with my left for the knife that I dropped. As my right arm was being savaged mercilessly by the claws, I grabbed a thick branch and smacked the rat on its nose. The hit clearly disorientated the beast as I was given a second that was free of savaging. Looking around and noticing the blade that was loosely gripped by the wheezing rat, dropping the branch and yanking the blade from its paw I had just enough time to raise it between me and the rat as it leaned in to finish savaging me. That action cost the Rat its life, as it impaled itself on the blade. The rat struggled and bit me on my right shoulder as its life ebbed away.

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I lay under the rat for a few moments until, I felt it release its bowels. Then I screamed in disgust, rage and pain as I forced it of off me and moved to the lake to wash the shit and blood off me. When I was clean and in severe pain from the cuts, savaged arm and bitten shoulder I forced myself to stand up and slowly make my way to the tent. At the tent, I flipped it over and after a bit of searching found the bandages, tape and iodine. When I had my meager medical supplies, I disinfected the wounds and with a lot of swearing and nearly blacking out several times from the increased pain because of the iodine. I bandaged myself and liberally applied the tape to the bandages, so that they would not fall off. Right after I closed the bottle of iodine I passed out.

Waking up in pain, and in panic I sat up, screamed and nearly fainted again.