The fox hopped on the bark of the tree but it was moist and he struggled to keep his balance, almost slipping off in the process.
Asher felt the sun on his head as the fox slowly moved forward, the bark of the tree felt mushy and they easily peeled off.
The fox resorted to hoping to regain its balance every now and then. When it was close enough to the branches it hopped and landed on one.
it creaked and wobbled a little. The fox barked fearing it was going to break
What do you mean jump off, in case it breaks where will I jump off to?
The fox slowly moved up the branch. it creaked and bent downwards to the mud as he got towards the top of it.
At the last moment it snaps but the fox quickly jumps off onto another branch.
They catch their breath, resting from the scare they had just been through.
The fox moved up the new one, this one was more brittle than the last. Asher held his breath, clinging to his fur as he walked up the branch.
It creaked and creaked but it didn't bend.
There's no flexibility on this one, that would only mean..
It snaps. They fall towards the mud but the fox grips onto another branch with its claws.
It's scurried for strength to pull it self upwards but the branch was too most to its claws started slipping
Ascher looked down and saw Steven's tail touching the mud. He panicked and quickly climbed up Steven and into direct sunlight.
He slipped in between the fox's claws and wrapped himself around the branch, stretching as far as he could.
Luckily enough other branches gave him some light cover from the sunlight .
He slipped his body underneath the fox's claws and made its grip strong, as he wasn't gripping onto the tree any more but he was gripping onto Asher wrapped around the tree.
Steven's claws digged into Asher and he felt it's cutting him but he kept his form wrapped tightly around the branch as best he could, battling now only the pain from the cuts but also the sunlight.
The fox pulled it self up into safety and rested on a large branch to catch its breath
Steven barked, Thanking Asher
Asher unwrapped himself from the branch and ran towards Stevens' shadow, he rested by his side catching his breath too.
Were so close, Steven
Ashers said as they looked out onto the landscape. He could see that the sun was almost overhead now.
We can't spend too much time here, Steven.
He nodded
Are you well enough
It nodded again
Alright, let's go
They both got up and Asher jumped on him, gripping his fur again.
Onward Steven!
It barked and scurried up the branch, in no time he got to the tip of it and jumped onto another. Now they were so close to the end of the murky pool.
For one thing the pool could have been shallow enough to walk through.
It would have been a bit difficult for a small fox to get through but regardless it could be doable and it would save them more time and get them out of sunlight quicker.
But they couldn't tell how deep it was nor how long it would take, so using the dead tree seemed the more reasonable option.
We're so close.
Asher said, Steven barked in excitement. He hopped onto another branch, and ran up at one, it bent toward the mud.
Asher looked down, seeing the still waters. It seemed that the end of the marsh land was just a few branches away.
The fox hopped not and another branch, a brittle blackened thing. It's broke instantly
No!
Asher screamed as they fell. The fox yelps, trying to grip onto the tree, he lands its claw on the trunks slowing its descent giving Asher enough time to run up his body to its head.
The moitness of the branch causes the foxes grip to slip right through it. Asher tries to jump off the fox onto the bark of the tree but it's too late.
The fox lands on the mud pool splattering a bit of mud everywhere. Asher was gripping onto its neck for safety, his eyes were closed from fear.
He felt the sun on his back and for the first time since he became a shadow, he felt excited about the sun .
The burn made him know he was still alive. He heard what sounded like a slow bubbling sound, a faint belch underneath them.
The fox scurried about, he opened his eyes and saw that the fox was sinking into the mud pool. He began panicking
What should I do? What should I do?
Asher quickly uses the fox as a boost; he runs up its head and uses the top of its snout to propel himself high enough to catch on to a branch and he succeeds.
The sunlight starts to get to him and he begins to weaken. He quickly pull himself up and takes cover underneath a branch
He look down at the fox and saw it's fighting against the mud to break free
I won't do you any good fighting, you'll just sink down faster.
The fox barked at him for help.
I can't help you, the sun is almost over and I don't have the energy to pull you out.
The fox barked again
Don't you understand, I can't do it, I just can't.
The fox sinks in deeper. It cried for help as Asher watched it.
I'm going now!
Fox barked
Asher turned to leave, he scurried away, bracing the sunlight then the fox yelped as it sunk in deeper. Asher stopped on his trail.
He ran back to the fox and hops down unto a branch. He quickly wrapped himself quickly around it and stretched out his arms as far as they would go.
By now Steven's legs and tail and a small part of his torsor were lost to the mud pool.
Steven, grab unto me, okay, I won't leave you, never.
The fox stretches out its arms too and claws as well. He touches Asher's hands and Asher did well to slip his shadow hand between his claws for a tighter grip on them.
Asher tried to pull the fox out, he tugged and tugged but it didn't budge one millimeter, the sun was barreling down on him now.
What should I do?
I can't let him die
The fox was getting tired of fighting, as it sunk deeper into the mud.