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The next morning came quicker than I would have liked. When I woke up, Hudson was standing in the door way talking with John, the sky was a dark grey and getting darker by the second. It was extremely dark inside the hut and the glowsticks were dim.

"Damn", Hudson snuffed, "you gotta be fucking kidding me."

"Looks like rain?", John asked getting dressed.

"Looks like a hurricane", Hudson answered, "sky is damn close to black."

A cool gust of air came into the hut, it had the scent of rain on it.

"What do you wanna do brother?", Hudson asked looking at John.

"Rain or shine", John said, "we gotta move, get the others up and let's cover as much ground as we can."

Hudson got everyone up and they started getting ready.

'Sounds like it's about to rain", I said taking note of a large clasp of thunder, "good for me, I like the rain."

No one answered me. Once everyone was ready, John turned to us.

"Everyone got everything?", John asked, "once we hit that brush, were not coming back for anything so if you leave something behind, your screwed."

Everyone started running through their gear.

"I got everything", Hudson said.

"Same here", Issac said.

"Likewise", I said.

"Got it", Frank said.

"Then let's get going", John said.

We filed out of the house in one line. I was the last one out and Hudson shut the door behind me, leaving it unlocked for the next person who needed it. The sky had greyed significantly in the past ten minutes, telling me that rain was very close by. We walked from the clearing and started into the brush, once again clearing our way with the dull machetes. We had been going for about ten minutes before the rain started. At first, it was a light drizzle, but within a half minute it was as though God were dumping a bucket from Hevan. The rain was refreshing for me, but John and my human friends....god that sounds so weird, didn't seem to be liking it too much. If not to add another ingredient to our chunky stew of personal problems, that was when the mud started, again. Our pace was greatly slowed because we kept having to pull our feet out of the mud, and once again halted when I fell into, yet another, mud hole. This time though I was in up to my chest and all I managed to work free on my own were my forelegs.

"Damn girl", John sighed as he pulled some rope from his pack, "mud doesn't like you."

"No kidding", I answered as I tried to pull myself out.

"Don't fight it", John said tying the rope around my shoulders, "you'll sink in deeper."

I sighed and let my friends take over. After 20 minutes of fighting, I finally made it out and we pressed forward. Not even five minutes later, something else came up.

"Hey John", Issac said, "I'm hearing what sounds like rapids up ahead."

The party paused as John took a listen, "yeah I hear them too, they sound pretty close by."

Another minute or so of walking brought us to the biggest gorge I'd ever seen in my life. There were white water rapids gushing around what had to be six foot tall rocks and it emptied into a huge water fall that was at least 60 feet straight down. I didn't see a way even for myself to cross without getting torn to shreds by the rapids. I suppose I could fly across, but what about the others then?

"you've gotta be kidding me", Hudson groaned, "what damned kind of humor is this?"

"Satanic", I answered, "believe me I know."

"I don't think we can cross this here", John said, "if we try we'll drown for sure, let's hike up river and see if there's a place we can cross safely."

We started hiking up stream. After about five minutes, we came to an area where the water was much calmer, but a whole lot deeper. It looked like it was at least five feet deep, but it was probably deeper than that. That was a lot of water to ford for someone my size, to say nothing of John and the others.

Hudson sighed, "I don't believe this. Can't we catch a brake?"

"Apparently not", John said zipping his collar closed, "let's get across."

John waded in, I followed and the others followed suit. The water came to my knees, then my chest, eventually stopping at my neck. John was almost submerged and Frank was actually able to swim across. Once I was on dry land, I couldn't help but notice that the pack had gotten a load heavier, like someone had strapped on four more. I glanced around at the others, wondering how much their gear must be weighing at the moment. Issac was still in the water, wading slowly across, the water at his waist.

"Hurry up Issac", I joked, "now's not the time for swimming."

"Yeah yeah", Issac said, "get off my case."

John was about to make a witty reply when I saw his eyes shift. I looked in that direction and could see the rippling in the water. When I looked closer, I saw it. A 20 foot long, two and a half foot wide Croc, going straight at Issac.

"ISSAC!", John shouted, "GET YOUR ASS OUTTA THE..."

Before John finished the sentence, the Crocodile sized Issac by the leg. Issac yelped from the pain as he went under and the Croc started tearing him to pieces.

"We gotta help him!", John shouted. He yanked his pistol out of it's holster and ran into the water. I joined him. I grabbed the Croc by it's neck and chomped so hard I cracked it's natural armor and forced it to let go. John then hauled his brother out of the water as I turned the Croc over on it's back and slashed huge, two inch deep furrows into it's stomach before snapping it's neck. It was only a few seconds after I heard the snap that the guilt set in. I knew I shouldn't have felt guilty, I was defending my friend, but I did. I also knew that the Croc thought she was defending her home, I could smell on her a scent that I could only think as one of those cheap perfumes marking "love". I knew her nest was somewhere near by, and it bothered me to think about what I had just done to the eggs in her nest.

"Told you that you weren't a good person", Siazach laughed in my head.

"Go fuck yourself", I snarled.

"Wow now", he said, his voice full of mockery, "this is a family program, rated E, for Emelia's proving me right."

"Get the hell out of my head", I snarled.

"Pushy, pushy, pushy", Siazach snickered, "Mmm!"

I shook myself from his influence and joined the others on the river banks. Issac's leg looked like a piece of meat after Luke would get sick and throw up. John and Frank had cut his pants off to the knee and I'm pretty sure the remnants of his boot was the only thing holding the meat to the bone. John and Frank had poured an entire bottle of peroxide into his leg and covered in in white gauze.

"At least it was my left leg", Issac cringed, "means I can still walk."

"Like hell you can", John scowled, "you stay off this foot Sargent, am I clear?"

Issac sighed and banged his head on the tree, "yes sir."

John returned his medical supplies to his pack and then turned to us.

"We'll have to take turns carrying him", John said, "Hudson, you help him first because your the strongest."

Hudson nodded and bent down to pick up Issac.

"I got ya brother", he said, "I got ya."

With Issac's leg taken care of we pressed on. Our pace, because of the mud, the rain, which seemed to come down harder as the time passed. We handed Issac from person to person for the next hour or so that we hiked and at the end of John's 20 minutes, Hudson gave the order to halt.

"Let's take five", he said, "catch our breath and figure things out."

John found a large tree and set his brother down before sitting down himself. I sat back on my haunches as Issac spoke up.

"We ain't ever getting out this jungle at this rate", he sighed.

"No joking", John sighed taking a drink from his canteen, "hows the leg?"

"Hurts like a mother fucker", he stated, "every little jolt makes me feel teeth in my skin."

"I'm worried about what happens if it gets infected", John said, "if it does it might have to come off."

John opened his pack, pulling out his first aid kit, "Hey Frank? Come help me with the Sargent's leg will ya?"

Frank came over to us and started helping John change the bandages. They were just about done when Hudson signaled for John to come over."

"That looks like...",I began.

"A radio tower", Hudson replied with an excited tone,"I bet it's that village."

"It don't look that far off", John said,"maybe two hours hike?"

Hudson smiled put his hand on John's shoulder and gave him a shake,laughing excitedly as he did,

"There is a Good Lord", Hudson said, "don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

I could see the gears in John's head turning as he stared through the binoculars. I looked in his direction and I could see a distant radio tower. Maybe if we could get there, they could call for a helicopter or a plane out of here.

"What if it's not the village?",I asked.

Annnndd there it was.

"What you mean?",I asked.

"What if the radio tower belongs to an active VC camp,or Russian FOB?"

"No",Hudson said looking to the ground,"I never considered that shit."

"So what do we do?",Frank asked,"if there's a radio tied to that tower,it's the only hope we have.".

"John",Hudson said,"your active CO,what you wanna do?"

John looked at us.

"Whatever you four think is the best move", John said, "were a team and a family,we all get to call the shots."

"I vote we go",Hudson said,"if it is a Russian or VC base,we clean the roaches out and commandeer the radio."

"I say we go",I said.

"Go",Frank replied.

"We go",Issac said,"for Jack."

I looked at them. and put out my hand. Soon,i t was joined by the hands of Hudson,Issac,Frank and my chrome blue paw.

"We go",John said,"In the shadow's we lurk,from the void we strike,Ravens never die. FOR JACK!"

"FOR JACK!",the others shouted.

With that,Hudson heaved Issac up and we went off towards the radio tower.