Waking up and setting out.

The next morning the group of you have a meager breakfast of trail mix and a few sips of water. No one says a word about the nocturnal activities from the night before.

After some discussion it is decided that the only real option is to try to reach the airfield. You've got a map and a compass but it is difficult to get your bearings under the enveloping green jungle canopy. You cannot see the landscape around you and it is even difficult to make out exactly where the sun is in the sky. Adding to the challenge is that you only have a vague notion of where the plane went down. You remember a small mountain to your left and two to your right just before going down, you do your best to piece together where you are on the map and set a course.

The terrain is rolling and difficult, you are almost always either climbing or descending. The underbrush is thick with bushes, vines and fallen trees. The patches where the big trees thin out is the worst as these areas are dense with smaller trees all competing with one another, each one barely a shoulder's width apart from it's neighbor. The repellent thankfully keeps most of the biting insects at bay, though you had to be ever watchful for spider, scorpions, and poisonous snakes. Twice that first day you have to pass over wide shallow streams of gross red-brown water. The first you climb across a felled tree trunk and the second you are **** to hop from rock to rock, which given your group's fatigued state didn't go as smoothly as it could have. You took some of the water in the small filter, hoping it would be safe to drink later on. You had all had an exhaustive suite of vaccinations before heading out so you didn't think the jungle would give you anything too nasty, but those wouldn't protect you from bad water.

You had never experienced the sheer density of life as what you encounter through this rainforest. Everything is either blooming, wilting, or eating something else. You witness an astounding array of insect, reptile, bird, plant, and animal life every minute of your march. The air is never still or silent for even a moment from the wild calls of nature. What you don't see you hear as creatures just out of eye shot move and thrash through the underbrush around you. Each time you expect the worst.

More than anything though it is the heat. The sticky constant soul sapping heat. The shade from the canopy does nothing to alleviate the sweltering humid pressure cooker jungle. The four of you end up peeling off your shirts in an attempt to cool off, Caitlin being in the one piece jumpsuit ends up having to cut her top from her bottoms. If this was another time and another place you could appreciate the exquisite flesh on display, but not today.

You were all struggling to various degrees and you had to limit your pace according to the slowest among you. You and Soo-yin were coping quite well, you both stay in good physical condition and were also the least likely to complain. Natali is breathing heavy and you can tell the hike is taxing her greatly, but she mostly grits her teeth and deals with it in stride. Caitlin is the real weak link. Despite having months to prepare she hadn't taken it too seriously, she was out of shape and reminded the rest of you of her plight constantly. You had known this before you left of course but there was supposed to be guides and porters and equipment here to help you along.

"I need another water break..." Caitlin whines. "...I need to stop."

You desperately wanted to get to the airfield and to safety, these constant stops were wearing your patience thin. "Caitlin, come on! Let's just go a bit further, okay?"

Soo-yin looks at you. "She needs to rest Edward."

With a sigh of defeat you nod. "Okay, okay. Take it easy on the water though everybody."

This trek had been an education for you concerning these women. Your lovely Natali was demonstrating a real mettle and resilience that you would not expect from someone with her luxurious lifestyle and superstar good looks. Caitlin, despite her exhaustion and complaining, still demonstrated her bottomless ability to make the best of any situation. She would occasionally still crack jokes or go off on long one sided conversations about anything under the sun. She was doing more than her part to keep all of your spirits up. Soo-yin was most surprising of all. Despite her tough exterior she had the patience of a saint when dealing with Caitlin and Natali. She simply accepted their limitations and worked within them without complaint. You felt it might have some relation to her BDSM fetish. A truly skilled Dominant had to know how far they could really push their sub, and just as importantly had to know when to back off. Or perhaps it was just that there was a soft compassionate heart concealed behind that steel gaze...nah, had to be the former.

Natali and Caitlin are discussing the food rationing as you look over the map for the hundredth time. Soo-yin approaches you.

"They'll be okay. But it will be slow going." She sits beside you. "You can't push them any harder. It won't make them go faster."

"I know, I know." You reply in frustration. "It's just...we need to reach that airfield."

Soo-yin is quiet for a time as she studies the map with you. "I could go alone. You three could camp here."

You shake your head. "I thought of that too, but I don't think it's a good idea. Our chances for survival are better together. Out there alone all it would take is one bad fall, one bad decision, or a single bad stroke of luck and it's all over." You lean against her shoulder. "Besides, if you or I went out alone and didn't make it the others would just be sitting here just waiting to be panther food. Nevermind actually finding the camp again in this jungle. No, let's stick together."

She nods.

The last few hours are just as grueling. By the time you are making camp that night Caitlin and Natali are absolutely spent and your water supply is already dangerously low. As you unfurl the parachute-tent you hear it. A distant rhythmic pounding. It sounds like the heartbeat of the living jungle itself.