<b></b>‘’Walk away. See if I care.’’ I pouted as Dave headed into the forest. Anger clouded my judgment, and negative thoughts began to run rampant.<i>


    I don’t need him. He needs me. I do all the leg work, and he just sits on my shoulder eating smelly cheese. I don’t need him. I never needed him. He’s the one that always goes on about us being bonded. </i>


    I turned to Elaine, who was still calling after the little rat.


    <i>Damn nuisance</i>.


    Why did I ever think we could be friends?


    ‘’Me go get him.’’ Said Elaine as she began to walk after him.


    ‘’No, let him be,’’ I mumbled. ‘’Give him time. You saw him, he’s scared. He’ll be running back out in no time.’’ I turned my gaze towards the trees, their shadows reaching out towards us.


    ‘’What if he not come out?’’ said the orc with concern. For someone so huge and tall, deep down she was a big softie. Her red round eyes were rimmed with tears. There was so much I still didn’t know about her. I needed to change that. I liked her and she was a part of our party, yet every time I had tried to ask her about herself, she had shot me down. She was one tough nut to crack. <i>I’ll find a way</i>, I promised myself.


    A gust of wind from the trees drew my attention back towards the darkness that lay ahead of us.


    My thoughts turned back to Dave; he needed us.


    I couldn’t help but sigh with exasperation.


    I knew deep down that I had messed up. I was too thick-headed. Dave wasn’t my enemy! He was my friend and a dear one at that too. I needed to start acting the part.


    ‘’Elaine, I’m sorry. Let’s go find our furry friend.’’ I said, perking up in the hope of making Elaine feel better.


    With trepidation, I headed into the forest.


    I took a step, my foot landing on a branch. Before I heard the expected crack, Elaine pulled me back and placed an enormous hand over my mouth.


    ‘’Shhhh, Listen.’’ She whispered into my ear. She lifted me back and away from the edge of the treeline and pointed toward the canopy above us.


    Something was moving in the leaves. Fighting. Wrestling. I couldn’t see what it was. The signs of a struggle were clear. Leaves shuffled and branches creaked, yet nothing could be seen through the dense foliage. I stood a little longer, my mouth still covered, and then suddenly a large bird broke through.


    This was no ordinary bird. It dwarfed the Ostriches of Earth by three-fold. The majestic avian creature flew from the canopy, six red feathered wings fuelling its flight. It ascended further and further, and then without notice, a branch shot out from the canopy faster than I could blink. The pointed end of the branch pierced the bird through and recoiled as fast as it had shot out, the lifeless bird pulled with it.


    I looked back into the darkness before us and gulped.


    ‘’Dave, hang in there, we’re coming for you,’’ I whispered to myself, trying my best to push down the fear.


    Elaine led the way. For someone of her size, she was surprisingly nimble. She took great care in avoiding branches and mounds of leaves, or anything else that stood out as possible danger. I followed in her footsteps, cautious not to trip.


    The deeper we went, the darker and louder it got. We seemed to be walking towards the epicenter of life within the forest.


    After a half hour of walking, we still hadn’t come across any signs of Dave. This was strange. Dave had entered the forest only a few minutes before us, yet the trail had gone cold as soon as we had entered.


    Several times the thought of calling out to Dave crossed my mind, but each time I held back for fear that it would draw the wrong kind of attention.


    Soon, minutes turned into hours, and we still had nothing to show for our efforts. We had originally come to this cave to find bats and now, we were here trying to find… A tear formed in the corner of my eye


    I didn’t want to think about it. He had to be alive.


    <i>That’s it!</i>


    Why didn’t I think of it before? We were bonded, that’s what he always said with that goofy smile of his. Internal Resonance is the ability that allows us to communicate telepathically with one another.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    <i>Dave, can you hear me? Please, Dave. I’m sorry. I’m a fool for always being so hard on you. I didn’t mean to hurt you. Sometimes, I just don’t think. If you can hear me, please reply.</i>


    <i>Damn it!</i>


    There was no response. Maybe our communication was limited to a certain distance. If so, then just how far had Dave gone? Was he even safe?


    ‘Shhhh.’ Elaine turned towards me with a finger on her lips, stopping me in my tracks. She pointed through a little opening in the trees ahead. It was too dark to make out clearly, but I could see the faint outline of some kind of two-legged monster. We crept carefully, hugging our bodies to the trees before us. I ducked and peeped past a tree trunk.


    The monster was at least twelve feet tall and stood on two muscular legs. A long tail lined with spiky knife-like daggers swung menacingly from side to side. From its torso, two chicken-like wings covered in feathers hung tightly by its side. And for its head, a large muzzle opened into a mouth lined with hundreds of razor-sharp teeth.


    ‘’A T-rex,’’ I said in awe, without realizing it.


    ‘’Shhh,’’ Shushed Elaine. ‘’Monster here us. Quiet Human!’’


    Her warning was a little too late. The T-rex had heard us.


    Its beady eye looked past the trees that lay before us, and straight into mine. A spine-shattering chill ran through my entire body, making me freeze and forget how to walk. I was lucky my bladder held it together. This was true fear. It was nothing like I had ever felt before. This was the fear of imminent death. My mind froze as my entire body went numb, refusing to obey.


    ‘’Co rrocck a doo.’’ Grunted the beast.


    Wait, what? Did the T-rex just ‘cock a doodle doo’?


    The fear subsided as curiosity took over.


    ‘’Co rock a doo.’’


    It did, although this version was more guttural and deadly. T-rex’s Cock a doodle doo. Take that scientist.


    ‘’The deadliest creature to ever walk on land is one big chicken.’’ I mused aloud.


    ‘’Tell him, not me, puny human.’’ Pointed Elaine as the T-rex neared at a lightning-fast speed, each step closing several meters of space between us.


    ‘’Run, I cried.’’ Not that it mattered, Elaine was already a hundred meters ahead of me. <i>Thanks. Some friend,</i> I thought as I ran desperately, trying to avoid having my butt bitten off from under me. I thought about looking back behind me to gauge the T-rex’s distance, then realized I didn’t need to. The steam heating my back was an obvious giveaway.


    By now, Elaine was nowhere to be seen, and the T-rex was close enough to enjoy a fresh Liam steak. I had to escape. I tried to recall everything I knew about dinosaurs, there had to be something useful. There was something about its vision and something else about its size. Was I supposed to play dead? No, that was possums.


    <i>Got it.</i>


    The T-rex can’t turn easily because of its size. Armed with the deadliest weapon known to man; knowledge, I took a sharp right turn, narrowly escaping a snap of its jaws.


    ‘’I hope it works.’’ I said under my breath.


    Risking a quick look back, I saw the unimaginable. The T-rex ran straight into a tree and kicked off the trunk to correct its angle. Its wings fluttered, aiding in its agility. My little trick had only gained me five more seconds at the most and to make matters worse, I was tiring fast.


    I huffed and puffed, knowing that the T-rex was already back on my tail. His stinking breath bore down on me. I had to keep going. I couldn’t give in. I had to fight to the end.


    Luck, however, wasn’t on my side. A stitch tore into my stomach and distracted me from my run. I lost focus and accidentally stepped on a tree branch. The crack reverberated through my body and within an instant, a branch shot out towards me. It pierced me in the arm, the blow sending me flying to the ground. I got to one knee and looked to both, the creature in front and to my right. I had no escape, only two different ways to die. Option A, let the living tree pierce me with its branches. Option B, let the parkour T-rex bite me in half.


    ‘’Co Crookcc a doo.’’ Grunted the T-rex. It clawed its feet hesitantly into the ground. The tree responded in kind. Its roots freed themselves from the ground and its branches creaked and cracked. The T-rex dropped its head looking ready to charge. Only it didn’t charge, instead, it turned and walked away. Huffing and puffing, most likely annoyed that it had given up its dinner.


    ‘’That’s right you coward, walk away. That’s what you get for being a chicken.’’ I shouted.


    <b>Crack, Crack</b>


    I turned back to see that the tree was moving towards me. Crawling forward on its tendril-like roots.


    ‘’Oh, great tree’’ I bowed in prostration, knowing it was an all-or-nothing attempt to save my skin. ‘’Please don’t eat me. I won’t taste nice.’’


    I thought about running but remembered what had happened to the bird that had tried to escape. Fighting wasn’t an option either. I was powerless without Dave’s help. My only hope was to beg and hope for a miracle.


    ‘’Also, I have never harmed a plant in my life.’’ I continued. ‘’Sorry about your foot, I mean root. I am a carnivore. I only eat meat, so I don’t even know what plants taste like. I’m an exception to all humans. I have an allergy to all things green’’


    The tree branches cracked some more.


    ‘’I mean, excluding you, oh mighty green one.’’


    The tree continued to move closer, the ground rumbling as it did so.


    ‘’Please, I’m not like those vegans. They only eat plants. I’m sorry if they ate your kind. I can help you; we can track them down together…’’


    I bowed lower, hoping that the creature would show me mercy.


    <b>PitterPatter</b>


    With my head still touching the damp leafy ground, my ears began to ring with the pattering of footsteps. Hundreds and hundreds of footsteps,


    I raised my head and turned to look from one side to the other, not believing what I was seeing. My eyes grew wide as my words failed me as usual.


    ‘’Wh how, you, what?’’


    I tried to stand feeling like my prayers had been answered. I had asked for a miracle, and a miracle had presented itself. I smiled to myself.


    ...


    But before, I could savor the moment, a deep pain flooded my heart. Something was wrong. I collapsed to the floor. My head spun and my body roared with pain.


    ''''Quick! heal him!'''' Shouted a squeaky voice.


    The pain, I knew what it meant. My bond with Dave was tearing, breaking.


    Dave… he was…


    Tears fell from my eyes. Not because of the pain. These tears were not for me.


    Dave …


    My vision blurred and darkness engulfed me.


    ''''We''re losing him!''''