[img=http://i298.photobucket.com/albums/mm243/jelost/R_zps8d428bff.gif]

Kituo jumped back as the strange symbols on the tree emitted a vibrant glow. He was dazzled by the spectacle, caught completely by surprise. If it wasn't one thing with this weird forest it was another. Blood draining from his body, he attempted to comprehend just what was going on with the tree. A strange sound that he couldn't describe entered his ear. It was clunky and reminiscent of metal hitting together. Concurrently, he heard a ticking noise which startled him just like everything else about the crisis he found himself in.

Just when he thought it couldn't get any worse - and it always did - he watched as his lifeline rose out of grasp. Kituo's heart skipped a beat as the lantern lifted upwards into the forest canopy. Kituo bit his lower lip. Just how would he survive now? That lantern was what had saved his life from the rat. He needed to snag it and use it to keep himself safe. His mind raced with schemes on how to bring the lantern back down to his level. None of them were remotely possible given his present condition. He had to keep in mind that he was still bleeding. His wooziness wasn't subsiding either.

At this point he was worried no longer about the tall guy. They were both practically on their own for neither could really help the other out. Thankfully, it seemed that they both had enough strength to stand on their own - at least that was how Kituo interpreted the tall guy's condition. He judged his own health to be less than ideal but, as long as he had legs to run away with, he would probably be fine. After he was finished debating on what would be the next logical course of action, he glanced up into the canopy again to see if the lantern was still visible. It had come to a stop but it was still far from his reach.

[i]Darn....[/i]

He had all but given up. At that moment he was seriously considering suicide as a reasonable solution to his troubles. He preferred to end his own suffering rather than allow some outside force to take his life slowly and painfully. He shook his head. How dare he backtrack already? It wasn't too long ago that he decided that he wanted to live no matter what. He didn't know why he wanted to continue living but he did and there was nothing he had gone through yet that could change his mind. 

[i]Looks like I'll have to try something else.[/i]

Snap!

Right when he looked down, something dropped and hit the metal platform at the center of the forest floor. Kituo, expecting to be confronted by another feral beast, saw that it was the lantern he desperately desired to possess. It was ironic that the object he viewed as his ward had almost ripped his head off of his shoulders. Hope streaming through him, Kituo made his way towards the lantern with the intention of picking it up. He ignored the cacophony from within the ruined tree. He didn't view it as any personal concern. He was finally going to get his hands on his ticket to survival.

Kituo stopped abruptly, the heavy breathing creeping into his ears. He looked at the tall guy. It wasn't him. It was neither of them. Kituo would've threw a tantrum if he had it in him. It was exactly what he didn't want to appear. Palms sweating and teeth gritting, he looked up to see what he thought of as the harbinger of his own demise. It was big and monstrous unlike the rat that tore his ear apart. If Kituo could barely endure the assault of a mere vermin, there was no way he stood a chance against the brute that towered above him. The wolf whined and so did he.

Oh to hell with it.

[i]Either way...I guess I'm going to die.[/i]

Closing his eyes, Kituo dove for the lantern.