Close Encounter

Aipo continued his slow march through the woodlands, dodging large sticks and branches on the ground. His gigantic brown boots stomped through the soil, etching small footprints in his wake. Shrill echoes of animals far in the distance rung through the air, reminding Aipo that he wasn't alone in this foggy labyrinth. He checked his watch.

17:30.

Still got time before the skies turn dark. He started to hurry, clearly heading in a particular direction. Sweat began to trickle down his face, wiped away with a dirty and bruised sleeve. His messy clothing had several significant cuts and rips in it, particularly around the arms, as if he had been climbing. A quiet rumble sounded through the forest, forcing Aipo to a halt. He looked around sharply. Shadows danced through the fog.

Stomp.

Ah, shit. Aipo looked up at the nearest tree, far into the canopy. Several large branches, enough for a person to stand on, jutted out of the tree, and Aipo made his way to it. He put one step on large root and pushed himself up, grasping at a low-hanging branch. Aipo swung himself upwards, wrapping his dangling legs around a higher branch. He managed to manouvre himself atop two branches, but this wasn't enough. He continued the daunting climb up this massive tree, standing at least twenty feet in the air.

Stomp.

 Aipo hugged the trunk of the tree, wide enough that he could not even wrap his hands around half of the tree's radius. He climbed further, grappling with branches growing thinner and thinner. A soft step on a small branch and it snapped, falling to the ground and collapsing into several pieces.

Stomp.

Aipo was now roughly thirty feet up this tree, surely far from anything that could reach him. The stomps were growing closer, louder, and more frequent. A low bellow came from the fog, and Aipo clung as tight as he could to the tree, stifling his already unsteady breath.

He looked down. Aipo's eyes locked with those of a massive creature, at least ten feet tall. It glared upwards, bright yellow eyes filled with nothing but hunger. It's gigantic legs held up a massive body and head, capable of snapping Aipo in half with a single bite. It gazed at Aipo with an intense desire to consume, chattering its jaws, as if trying to coax Aipo in. But he continued farther up the tree. Aipo dug his heels into the thick bark to gain altitude, as this giant creature attempted to rustle the tree, pushing at it with its gigantic body.

The tree refused to budge, and so did Aipo. He gripped at several nodes and cavities as the creature kept on nudging the tree. Its crocodile-like roars tore through Aipo's skull. After a frustrated growl, the creature bit the trunk and began throwing itself back and forth. Leaves and branches flew through the air, Aipo and the trunk violently lurching about.

All flowing through Aipo's mind was fear and adrenaline. Still, he refused to succumb to this creature's hunger. After what felt like hours of being shook back and forth, the creature gave up. It growled in anger, slamming its lumbering tail into the tree in defeat. Aipo waited several minutes until the coast was clear.

He carefully scuttled back down to the ground; a struggle, as most branches had snapped off. Aipo noticed a small white stick of some kind embedded into the tree, where the creature had bitten. A tooth, and a large one at that. He clutched it in his hand, trying not to cut his palm as he pulled it out.

Aipo held it firm in his hand for a few seconds, admiring the blood stains and deep grooves in the tooth. He pressed a small button on his watch and held it to his mouth.

Extraction Complete.