A shaded glow of light beamed through an opening in the greenery, caressing the motionless sheet of herbature that blanketed the ground some maybe fifty to sixty meters below, gently fading in and out as the leaves and clouds rolled about overhead.

I sat there, staring dryly at the ground as I took a moment to fully process what had just happened. There was no need for consideration on whether to retrieve my spotter, being that it served far too great a purpose in my traversal of the jungle and without it I was likely to run into a lot more nasties than I'd be able to endure at this point, yet with half my gear currently functioning about as well as paperweights, recovery would be difficult. It was dark down there and what little could be seen was thanks only to the absurdly convenient gap. Each piece of non-electrical illumination I had on me were nothing short of miniature light shows; considering the abnormal quiet I would need to take extra care in not drawing attention to myself. I grit my teeth in a scowl, anger swelling as I thought more and more into the unfairness of the circumstance. Just minutes - no no, seconds prior I wouldn't have to do this shit. I worked hard to keep from voicing my indignation as I continued to gaze down towards the dimly lit forest floor, steadily mustering the willingness and presence of mind required to do what I was about too.

I drew in a deep breath, preparing myself for the task ahead: it was going to be simple, just down and back up. Hesitation stifled my movement before I finally jumped, falling fast while using my boots' propulsion to control the descent. I sift a magnet through the knee deep ferns, eyes darting to and fro in a frenzied search. The minimal lighting paired with not knowing what lie beneath the ground cover stirred my instincts into an uproar at the peril I'd placed myself in. Cold sweat seeped from my pores. The booming thump of my heart was sure to impair my hearing and give away my position, yet I didn't have time to calm down, not here, not now.

My worries grew as the search dragged: I should have found the damn thing by now, this is... roughly where it had fallen. The clearing wasn't very big, or at least not big enough for me to have been mistaken. A pained expression gradually spread cross my face as I began the descent into full on panic at the notion.

Clink*

The euphoric sound paired with my hand’s slight change in weight made my heart skip a beat. I brought my arm from the brush, checking to make sure it wasn’t a rock.

I found it.

I threw my head towards the thud of heavy steps on lush ground, catching only a glimpse as something tall strut past the trees not too far off.

The rustle of leaves could be heard emanating from multiple different directions and judging by the position, something… or rather Something's were encircling me. I lowered into crouched and steeled myself for whatever lay ahead, using wide eyes to take in my surroundings as the sounds grew close. I was near blind with what little residual light there was, doing next to nothing to penetrate the heavy shade. The sinister shuffling came to a sudden stop and the clearing fell into a dead silence. The complete quiet lasted for only a few seconds before heavy weight in the air gradually drew my attention to the leaves closest. From the corner of my vision I spotted a vague object that was near indistinguishable from the adjoining herbature, creeping ever so slowly forward. Its bottom half hung ajar, two large, razor-sharp protrusions jutting from the center of its serrated lower mandible and the slightest bit of mist blowing from the gap. Both its movement and breathing paused when I saw it, only for it to lunge less than half a second later. I reacted without thought, dodging as my blade took shape and slashing for its face in one fell swoop. It was incredibly fast despite its bulk: had I not noticed it beforehand evasion would've been impossible. I halted my momentum using a nearby tree as the creature stepped part way out of the shade, giving me brief view of the damage I'd dealt.

Damn.

The wound glistened in the light as blood dribbled down its face, pupils dilating in the brief moment our eyes met. There was nothing underneath the gash, a quick downward glance revealed the failure of my attempt to blind it. The creature (easily three times my size) had at least six on this side, all lining its lower jaw: I'd completely missed each and every one of them.

It recovered in a single step and lunged once more, sending me Into a hasty retreat upwards. Its jaws found the tree's trunk, violently tearing away a large chunk of its bark from where I'd been standing. By the time there was enough distance between us for me to turn and draw It had already disappeared back into the brush with a warble, leaving me with nothing more to go off of other than a glimpse of its tail.

A high pitched chortel from my opposite side drew my attention, another poking what I guessed was its head out from the darkness of the brush, giving it a quizzical tilt before ducking back down. I let off a short burst as my brain took its time registering the obvious distraction.

I threw my head around upon realization to find one mid flight, having leapt higher than I could have ever anticipated. Powerful jaws slammed into the branch, maintaining hold as 4 tri-tipped limbs assisted the robust hindlegs in hoisting itself up, giving me a small opening. I righted myself and rushed forward, readying a rod which lengthened into a spear. Using all my might I drove the spike into the creature's head from the top down, piercing both flesh and bone. The rod dug in and locked itself in place from both ends as the creature let off a yowl, tugging hard while I unloaded into its skull. Its cries of anguish were met with aid as another leapt with open jaws from an adjacent tree, missing but not completely. I held my face where I'd been grazed by its whip-like tail, fear of poised skin briefly crossing my mind until the creature pulled free from the branch, falling back first with a heavy “thud”. It kicked at the air, writhing around in agony before upping itself and quickly stumbling back into the brush, a chunk of its face missing and spear still lodged in its head

Stolen story; please report.

I retreated to the tree's center, readying a source of light as I watched blurred forms dart to and fro in the pot of darkness below, their sound of step heavy and no longer caring of stealth. I'd gotten off the ground just in time: there was no telling how many were down there now, all calling to each other in a series of bizarre squawks and chirps I couldn't identify. I drew my sidearm as the chemiluminescent light flared, its growing luster bursting into that of a bright, vibrant blue that bathed the area in its glow.

One which had been creeping up the tree’s trunk immediately leapt back down upon being revealed, joining its reptilian brethren as they groaned, squawked, and tripped over their own feet as well as each other in a panic to find cover. Knowing not where I should be aiming, I made sure to make every shot count by shooting for the eyes and visible joints. After about ten seconds of precise fire and a slew of scrambling they all disappeared back into the brush, leaving the understory once more in complete silence. I did a full sweep, making sure I wasn't being snuck up on from any other angles before relaxing, but only enough to resume breathing, panting heavily while looking for my escape.

As I searched I slowly began to realize that I'd made a grave mistake. There was a complete disconnect between the trees above and the ones below, with no place to jump or climb in sight: I was trapped down here.

…..

Dealing with pack hunters had always been a more than troublesome task. The aim was to cut off or impede communication between individual's, given one had the means and know how required to do so. While auditory was most common and primarily preferred, the more gregarious of species often possessed the ability to convey complex messages to each other in a multitude of sometimes strange and unforeseeable ways, none of that mattered however due to my current predicament.

I maneuvered carefully through the jumbled fixture of branches that sat atop the short and stout trees, eyes in constant surveyance of the underlying overgrowth. Apart from the sound of my own shambling things were quiet, yet there was no mistaking the bloodthirsty presence emanating from below: they were still there, watching, waiting. As their patience wore thin I’d catch glimpses of emerald eyes peering through the thin groves of the ferns for only a few moments at a time before vanishing. It was uncanny: perfected stealth allowed them to slither through the brush without so much as disturbing a single leaf, a feat that considering their mass was all the more impressive, albeit terrifying. Any admiration I felt for the enemy was lost to a dizzying focus: should I waver for even a moment it could easily spell my death. Not only were they fully capable of reaching me at this height, but their coordination stood on the ladder of the spectrum what with all the attention-seeking tactics they employed, even now whenever I saw one it was only because the pack willed it. It was a game to them, an overly effective show of territorial superiority designed to help me fully understand that I'd fallen into their domain, and it was working. There's no denying the fear they managed to instill as I watched their obscure patterns (revealed only by motion) snake about underneath the layers of foliage. They jostled bushes and made strange inorganic noises here and there, experimenting on what best drew my attention where they wanted it. Their tricks gradually escalated, some poking their heads out where shadow met light and flashing toothy open mouthed smiles, waiting to see how long until I took notice before swiftly ducking back down, leaving no indication they’d even been there in the first place.

I came to a stop, raising my light for better view. There was a break between trees, just over 10 meters in distance: crossable. I glanced down to the unmoving greenery below as I fiddled with my gear, conscious of the various sets of eyes watching my every move. After confirming there to be no other way over I prepared my leap, stepping forward in a show to jump before throwing a second glow rod across. They took the bait, launching from the brush in torpedo fashion, bumping into each other in attempts at being the first to nab it. I followed behind my diversion, skipping off and over multiple sets of clamped jaws before landing nimbly on the other side of the gap and eyeing my surroundings, ready for any other attempts on my life.

A rustle from behind caught my ear: another distraction, still I couldn't help but to give the sound some semblance of attention, fearful of what consequence ignoring it may bring. A brief over the shoulder glance is all it took to stir the next assault. One after another they sprung from different directions, their growing numbers quickly becoming increasingly difficult to keep up with. There were only so many times I could nearly lose life and limb before eventually paying a price: the reptile leapt back into the brush with an ecstatic yowl having stripped me of my sidearm, still better it than my fingers. Space grew confined as I went on the defensive, retreating into the density of branches while they pushed further up the tree. I drew my rifle and switched its ammo for BB rounds. With skulls as thick as theirs I wouldn't have near enough time to deal significant damage with actual bullets: most I could do was keep them at bay.

Splashes of orange melded with blue as each round met its mark. They reared their ugly heads upon being hit, the effect evident by their wails of pain, though it only made them reposition and approach from a different angle with amplified fury. This is it: the highest point of the tree. The vast numbers of their unrelenting assault would overwhelm me any second now. From an uncovered angle they’ll grab a limb: I can sever most of them but if it's my head... I'll squirm, until I'm free or dead, whichever comes first.

The first bark was distant but loud, instantly capturing a majority of their attention with its authoritative nature. Some had already begun retreating back into the brush by the time the second had sounded: closer this time, likely acting as a relay of the first. It was only when the third bark had sounded did the last of them take notice, its murderous ferocity abandoned as it shifted its focus towards the direction of the call, the look in its eye replaced with that of alertness, worry and fear. I was cast aside in priority and allowed complete access to its exposed side where fleshy hide could be found. I fumbled in my haste switching back to lethal rounds yet by the time the animal took notice it was too late. The burst threw it off balance: the reptile squawked, its claws scraping the wood as it began its fall, colliding with multiple branches on the way down before hitting the ground with a heavy, bone crunching thud. The earth trembled lightly as what seemed to be the entirety of the pack moved in mass, their numbers likely residing somewhere in the triple digits. They were evacuating in a hurry, no longer caring of my existence or the wellbeing of their fallen member. Its cries for aid went ignored and unanswered up until the last of them were out of sight.

Minor shuffling as well as the huff and puff of rapid breaths were the only sounds in occupation of the silence. I took a moment to catch breath of my own before peering down to examine the state of what was just moments ago my chief aggressor. Crippled and unable to move the creature writhed atop the foliage, crimson fluids of life gushing from its wounds at a deadly rate, yet despite being on the verge of death its head was locked in an ominous over the shoulder stare towards the pitch black forest depths. The return of oxygen into my system helped gradually reintroduce my brain to the process of thought as I observed what was strange behavior coming from a dying animal. I was slowly piecing two and two together when the breath caught in my throat, a dreaded feeling striking in the form of a headache that deluged my vision into a staticky haze. The feeling was relatively faint at first, like a buzz gnawing at the back of my head, growing into something that, even if for just a moment, assaulted the very foundation of my being, before quickly disappearing both abruptly and entirely. The reptile turned to me, the look in its eyes an unmistakable plea. I fired one last burst into the animal and ran, though no amount of speed could carry me from the area fast enough.