Becky slips safely away into the jungle

Becky knew there was no time to lose. The lake which had proved a significant barrier for her was almost no trouble at all for the lizardfolk, and if she stayed here, she had no doubt that they would be upon her in seconds.

That thought sent adrenaline coursing through Becky's brain, and she tore off into the jungle, bounding over sticks and rocks, ducking under branches. She moved as quietly as she could at her quick pace, but knew that it she would still be making a pretty good amount of noise--she would have to rely on the natural sounds of the jungle to mask her escape.

She could hear rustling behind her, but without slowing herself down to look, Becky had no way of knowing whether it was the Lizardfolk closing in on her trail or simply the wind.

As her lungs started to burn, she knew she couldn't keep up her pace for much longer, but Becky still didn't know if she was safe. Deciding it was now or never, she suddenly turned, grabbing a tree branch to angle ninety degrees to the left. With the sudden change in direction, Becky immediately dropped her pace to a near crawl as well, crouching down as low as she could manage and crawling forward into the underbrush.

She kept moving, keeping low and moving near silently, though her body burned for her to take a break. Finally, when she felt she could hold out no longer, Becky stopped. She sat down slowly at the roots of a massive tree, panting silently and listening for the sounds of her pursuers. She heard nothing but the wind rustling leaves and the occasional mating calls of exotic birds.

Becky was free, but as she finally caught her breath, she began to realize that she had another problem. She still had absolutely no idea where she was. This deep in the jungle, she couldn't even see the sky as a vague tool to begin to reorient herself, and she knew precious little about the size and layout of the swampy area. Becky was completely lost.