The men ran as hard and fast as they could to return home. Kit had an unfortunate run in with a tree branch that struck him in the eye, causing the area to swell worse than a black eye and gave his face a misshapen look.
Only reason Kit had managed to get to the men in time was because the last thunderstorm had done a harsh number on the environment. There was still a lot of fallen debris and trees that men had yet to clear.
A huge, old tree had fallen and it blocked their path. They had stopped to chop it into pieces to clear the path before they could move on and the task delayed them somewhat. Many of the men rested by the nearby meandering river because the sun was scorchingly hot.
They even laughed when one of the men lost his balance and fell into the river. Lucky for him, the river was calm and it was easy for him to climb out. He came out of the murky waters covered from head to toe in mud. His peers laughed at him to scorn and called him names.
