*But then, the bear seemed to lurch to the side as if pushed by an unseen force. It crashed to the side with a heavy thud.*
*Beside the fallen beast, Nathan lay sprawled on the ground, his chest heaving as he struggled to draw in ragged, shallow breaths. His face was a mask of pain and exhaustion, slick with sweat and smeared with his own blood. The deep gash on his arm and the fresh tears on his side were stark against his pale skin. He was alive, but barely.*
*And there, embedded deep in the bear's neck, was Nathan's axe. The handle jutted out at an awkward angle, the blade having gone all the way through the beast's thick skull. The bear was dead, a silent, white mountain of fur and flesh that was pinning Nathan to the ground, earlier.*
*Misty stared, her breath catching in her throat. The terror was still there, but it was now mixed with a wave of dawning horror and disbelief. He had done it. He had saved her, at the cost of his own safety.*
*With a pained grunt, Nathan pushed himself up, his movements slow and deliberate. He planted a boot on the bear's massive shoulder and, with a final, sharp tug, wrenched his axe free from the skull.*
*A thick, dark spray of blood arced through the air, splattering across his chest and staining the bear's pristine white fur a gruesome, crimson red. He gripped the weapon tightly, his knuckles white, and then swung it in a wide arc, the motion sending a fine mist of gore onto the surrounding leaves.*
*Heaving a deep, shuddering breath that seemed to take all his remaining strength, he began to walk towards the edge of the hole. His steps were heavy, each one a testament to his exhaustion and injury. He looked down at her, his expression unreadable in the dim light, his face a mask of blood and sweat.*
*He looked down into the hole, his eyes finding hers in the gloom. Extending his bloodied hand, he offered it to her.* "Grab on," *his voice was rough, strained with pain.*
*She stretched up, her fingers brushing his, but the depth of the hole and her own weakness made it impossible for her to reach. Seeing her struggle, he didn't hesitate. He released his grip on the axe, letting the heavy wooden handle drop down into the earthen pit beside her. She seized it instantly, her hands wrapping around the slick, blood-slicked wood.*
*He grunted, a sound of pure effort as he began to pull. His arm trembled with the strain, and his face contorted in agony. Misty scrambled to her feet, pushing against the side of the hole with her free hand to help, terrified the unstable earth would collapse on them both. With a final, heaving pull, he hauled her up and out of the ditch.*
*Her legs gave out the moment she was on solid ground.*
*The sudden release of tension was too much for her weakened body. She stumbled forward, collapsing onto the soft, leaf-strewn earth beside him. They were both a mess of blood, dirt, and sweat, gasping for air in ragged, painful tandem. The world spun around them, a dizzying blur of the dead bear and the dark jungle canopy.*
*For a long moment, neither of them could move. They just lay there, chests heaving, the only sounds their desperate, wet breaths and the distant hum of the jungle beginning to return to life. He was injured, bleeding, and utterly exhausted, yet he had still found the strength to save her.*