Scenario Six: There are always trees around

This is the last one…
**
Rune slipped again. “This isn’t getting us anywhere,” Yori said, his voice taking on a desperate tone. He was right. Rune was loath to admit it, but he was right.

He glanced around. There had to be something – some way out of this situation. His searching gaze fell on a tree branch that was hanging over the ledge. “Yori,” he breathed, “if I swing you outward, can you catch hold of that?”

Yori swallowed thickly and then nodded. “I think so,” he said.

Rune nodded. He bit his lip. “Take my left hand with both of yours, then kick off from the wall,” he said. As soon as his right hand was free, Rune grabbed the tree branch as well. He was just in time. As Yori kicked outward, Rune slid closer to the edge.

He used all his strength to continue the arc and propel Yori to the branch. As Yori released his hold, Rune grabbed the branch with his other hand. He hung onto the branch, panting for a moment.

“All right,” Yori said, sounding a little strained. “Now what?”

Rune tried to straighten, using the branch for support. He gasped as the ground gave under his weight. A moment later, he was hanging in the air as well.

“Rune,” Yori said, sounding irritable, “now we’re both hanging from a tree branch! What good does this do?”

Chuckling, Rune glanced over one shoulder. The tree was firmly rooted to the top of the cliff. “We can climb it back to the base,” he said.

“Oh,” Yori said, his voice soft. He chuckled softly and then sighed. “You first,” he added.

“Yes,” Rune agreed. Then he pulled his feet up and wrapped them around the branch. They’d be back on solid ground in moments. Thank the Fates!

Happiness is being sad together

Yori was shaking as he watched the men moving towards his hiding place. He’d recovered enough now that running again was possible. Part of him quailed at the thought. What was the point? Rune was…

He shook the thought away. Rune wasn’t dead. He couldn’t be! So long as they were together, Yori felt like he could endure anything. Alone, he was frightened and felt hopeless. “Rune,” he breathed. He seemed to draw strength from the name. It was almost like Rune was at his side.