Carbon Copy 7 - Hard lessons

An hour after leaving the cave with the two young Goblins, Dan was crouching below a broken tree branch, staring at a patch of forest with brown and shriveled trees. A host of black beetles crawled around the edges, eating the leaves and drinking the sap of the still-healthy trees.

Bras and Etin sat beside him, hungrily staring at the crawling mass of giant beetles as if they saw a buffet. They each had a thick branch with small leaves still covering one end. Dan had shown them to use them as clubs. He was still carrying the makeshift spear he had claimed.

"We need to find a spot where there is just one, or at most two. Any more will be too dangerous," he whispered, scanning the area.

"There. Two," Bras whispered, pointing at an uprooted tree almost opposite the contaminated area.

Dan saw two lonely beetles crawling across a partially green, partially contaminated tree a good distance from the rest. Scanning the area, Dan quickly figured out why these were alone. The shiny black stag beetles seemed to eat only those trees bordering the contaminated area, leaving the contaminated, moldy, dark ones alone. Those two must have been cut off from the rest as they ate and were now sitting in an area surrounded by motley trees.

"Good job, Bras! Let's go!"

Dan moved back a bit, out of sight of the beetles, and began running through the forest. He planned to circle around and fight the two beetles when he saw a small, perfectly straight sapling sticking out of the ground in the shadow of a larger tree.

Surprised, he slowed down, and after a short moment of thinking, he moved towards it. This looks just like the other one… Wondering for a moment, he shrugged before gently tapping the tree.

"Hey there. Anybody home?"

There was a soft shiver in the tree, then a swirl of leaves. A moment later, a tall Dryad appeared. With one slim green hand on the sapling, she stared at him in surprised wonder.

"Hi! I didn't know Goblins were this polite! And you speak so nicely too. Are you searching for something? Do you need a hand?" the Dryad asked in a sweet feminine voice. She spoke so fast that Dan barely followed what she said.

"Plant lady pretty!" Etin said as he stepped forward.

He was ogling the small Dryad, and Dan almost slapped him when he saw how excited he was getting. Dan hadn't cared much for clothing, but seeing the ramrod Goblin member made him decide it was time to make some loincloths, at the very least.

"Etin! You can not go around scaring people," Dan admonished the smaller Goblin, as he had his daughters long ago when they brought back the neighbor's cat.

A soft giggle drew his attention back to the Dryad, and he saw her examine him.

"You must be the weirdest Goblin I have ever seen! And I don't mind too much. We are used to it. I do live in a tree that spreads pheromones, after all. I'm more curious why it doesn't seem to have any effect on you!"

As she spoke, she gracefully stepped forward until she was almost nose to nose with Dan, who swallowed when he noticed a heating in his loins. Taking a step back, he coughed, trying to find a way to change the subject. Remembering he was supposed to be hunting, he scanned the distance between the beetle-infested area and the tree and frowned. This Dryad was really close to the beetles, and with how they infected all trees...

"Aren't you afraid of the beetles that are heading this way?" he asked, ignoring the fact that she was standing very close and appeared to try and get a reaction from him.

"What beetles?" she squealed as she stepped back. A fearful expression began spreading across her face. "Do you mean those tree-sap drinking horrors?"

Dan wondered how she hadn't known, with how close they were, but nodded, trying to keep his tone even. "Yes, they are just beyond that green bush," he said with a jab at the bushes.

The Dryad moved like a blur as she ran toward where he had pointed, disappearing inside the bush before he had a chance to stop her. A high-pitched scream of anger followed, and a moment later, she came rushing back out. Her face was contorted with hate as she stopped in front of Dan.

"Please! You have to help me! If they find my tree, they will eat it, and I will die!"

Dan shook his head in confusion. "Can't you just go into another tree?"

"No! I am young, and so is this tree. I can bind to others in a few years, but right now it would kill me!" Stepping closer to him, she grabbed his arm, staring deep into his eyes. "Please, help me!"

Dan felt his cheeks grow hot. Not including his wife, this was the closest he had been to an almost naked woman while not wearing anything.

Damnit, I need pants!

Trying to keep his eyes on hers, he noticed some cleavage poking out from the leaves that bound them snugly together. Feeling his arousal increase, he quickly stepped back, nodding.

"I understand, but how can we possibly help? Do you want us to move your tree?"

The Dryad stamped her foot on the ground, causing her curves to bob up and down. "Of course not! You need to annihilate those vile beetles!"

A vicious gleam came to her eyes, and Dan's arousal melted away like snow in the sun as she pulled her teeth back, revealing surprisingly sharp teeth.

Barely suppressing a fearful shiver, Dan frowned. "And how do you suppose we do that? There are dozens of those beetles, and only three of us. We can barely kill one, maybe two.

The Dryad pouted, staring at the spear in his hand and pointing at it. "That is a good branch you ripped from a tree and mutilated. Don't tell me you did all that, and now you can't even use it?" Her voice rose in anger as she spoke.

Staring at the furious Dryad, Dan was getting the idea he should probably have left the tree alone. Looking at Bras and Etin, he saw that they were both staring at the Dryad, ogling her breasts. Between their legs, their manhood was fully erect, and he even saw something gleam on the tip.

Seriously?

Annoyed, he averted his gaze and stared back at the Dryad.

He raised the stick and tried to keep his temper. "This 'toothpick' is only good for small things without armor. If I try to stab those beetles, it will snap like dry wood. If you want us to help, we can try and move your tree out of their path. Otherwise, I have no idea how to help you."

The Dryad kept intensely staring at him, and he got the idea she was trying something. When he didn't react, her face fell, and green-tinted tears started pouring down her face. She sat down and began wailing. "I am going to die. I am only eighty years old, I don't want to die!"

Dan stared flabbergasted at the well-shaped tree woman as she sat on the ground, bawling like a little girl who stubbed her toe. Wait… eighty years old? A horrible suspicion caused him to let out a strangled gasp. "Did you just say you were eighty years old? You mean plant years, right? Not eighty winters old."

The Dryad looked up at him, wiping her eyes and nose before sniffling a bit. "Of course, eighty winters! What do you mean by plant years? Grandmother Eldertree planted me here eighty years ago and told me to be a good little girl and grow tall and strong."

Dan slumped to the ground, staring at her. How long had he been sleeping in that burrow if she was eighty years old? How was that possible? He should be dead! And what of his family?

For the first time since he was a teenager, he felt the telltale signs of a full blow panic attack. Realizing what was going to happen, his fear grew as it fed on the panic like a bad feedback loop. His feelings and emotions bucked and squirmed, almost like a rebellious animal, and he gripped it tight, barely noticing he was doing something he'd never been able to before.

Calm the fuck down, he snarled at himself as he pushed the growing fear down.

Slowly, anger replaced the fear and panic, and as the stress of weeks of fear bubbled up and found a release, he roared at the sky, shattering the forest's silence.

He didn't know how long it lasted, but when he finally regained a clear mind, he was sweating like crazy and breathing rapidly. Looking up, he saw the two Goblins standing twenty feet away, staring at him in horror. The Dryad had disappeared, but he saw her tree shiver oddly.

Shit, he thought as he sat down, then fell on his back. He focused on his breathing and counting to a hundred exhales while trying to understand what had just happened. He felt the lingering mental anguish, which usually occurred after one of his panic attacks, but the fear and panic itself were gone. Tentatively he probed around, almost afraid to see what he would find, but all he got was a faint sadness.

How long had it lasted? Five minutes at most? Even with Prozac, he'd never managed to get his attacks under control this fast!

It has to be the Goblin body, he thought as he continued breathing in and out, forcing the final tension out.

When he finished, he stared at the sun filtering through the green leaves of the forest and let out a content sigh. Slowly getting up, he looked around before focusing on the tree.

"I am sorry for my outburst. I just recalled some fairly traumatic events," he said, not sure if that was technically true. There was no reaction, and he frowned. "You have nothing to fear. Can you come out, please and tell me what you know about the history of this world?"

After a few moments, a small whirlwind of leaves came, and the Dryad stepped out, staring at him.

"Why did you get so upset? I won't force you to help me!"

"Did your... grandmother tell you anything about this world?" Dan asked, finding his curiosity was now almost as strong as his fear had been before. He wanted- no, needed answers!

The Dryad stared at him curiously before cocking her head as if she was trying to recall something. "She said this world was ancient and once belonged to a race of monsters. She said it had taken a very long time to cleanse it, far longer than normal, but that it would now be our world. A gift for something she didn't want to tell."

Monsters, huh? I guess there might be some truth to that, Dan thought with a sad smile. He took a deep breath and suppressed a deeper, different sadness welling up. This time he was faster, and he noticed there weren't any panicky undertones.

"Did she say how long?"

The Dryad stared at him quietly before shaking her head. "She only stayed with me for a short time. She only told me about what we are and this part of the forest. What to be afraid of, how to become stronger and grow, and how to defend myself."

Dan sighed and reluctantly nodded his head. He could see she was being genuine, meaning he had to get his answers from someone else.

"Do you know where she went?"

"Yes, she travels the world, sowing seeds to grow more of us. She said we need to take root quickly before the other races grow too powerful. We need to strengthen nature so it can withstand them!"

Ugh, so no idea, Dan thought as he closed his eyes. Slowly a plan began to form, but he would need a moment to himself to work it out. For now, he had another problem.

"I really do want to help you. But me, Bras, and Etin are no match for so many beetles. If we had a fire, we could try and burn the infected areas, but the fire might spread, and we could cause a wildfire."

The Dryad stared at him before one of the corners of her dark green lips curved up. "But I am not afraid of a cleansing fire! If you can burn the infested area, I can ask the Nereids for help. They can stop the fire from burning the trees."

"Ner..eids?" Dan stared at her, trying to recall where he knew that name from. Some game his father used to play? He wasn't sure, but he got a vague idea that it had something to do with water.

The Dryad giggled, staring at him. "So you don't know everything! Nereids are the nymphs of water, as I am a nymph of plants! We help each other where we can! If you can make a fire, I can get them to control it!"

Dan nodded reluctantly, not happy with the prospect of creating fire again. He still remembered the frustrating ordeal last time, but in for a penny, in for a pound, as his granny used to say. And he had said he'd help.

With a snort, he began scavenging dry sticks and grass before staring at Bras and Etin. "Help me get a big pile of this dry stuff." The two stared at him oddly before nodding and running around, picking up dry sticks. He was glad they didn't seem too squeamish after his tantrum. Then again, they were Goblins.

Turning to the Dryad, he saw she was staring at him with wide eyes. "You can really make fire?"

"Yes, now go and get your water friends before these beetles get here."

The Dryad squealed in delight before disappearing in a flurry of leaves.

That is such a useful trick.

Dan absently wondered if he could take a Dryad shape if he was ever forced to kill one. And would he turn into a girl if he did? Grinning as he wondered what that would be like, he began gathering more dry leaves for kindling.

An hour later, Bras and Etin were staring wide-eyed at the fire cackling on the small cleared-out patch of sand. Both were suckling a finger while Dan was sitting beside them, still chuckling. Even after being warned, both of them had tried to touch the 'pretty thing', screaming in fright at being bitten. Watching their antics had managed to relieve the frustration of rubbing sticks together for over forty minutes.

Where is that Dryad?

Staring around, Dan wondered if she had to get those Nereids from the sea. Another ten minutes later, he was about to just leave when he heard giggling and squealing coming from the direction of the river. The Dryad and a blue, watery version of herself walked towards them. They seemed to be enjoying themselves and not in any kind of rush.

These nymphs are far too easygoing, Dan thought. Didn't they have to hurry before the beetles got here? Shaking his head in wonder, he stood, rolled his cramping shoulders, and stretched his legs a bit. When he was done, he saw the two nymphs had arrived and were staring at him curiously.

"You weren't lying! I thought it would take you a lot longer to make the fire!" The Dryad stared at him in wonder before waving at the slightly smaller nymph. "This is Uleina. She lives in the river and will help us keep the fire away from the healthy trees."

Staring at Uleina, Dan saw she was wearing armor made of seaweed and barnacle-crusted shells that showed far less skin than he had imagined from an aquatic nymph. Only her clearly muscled arms, and lower legs were bare and shining as if they were still wet. Her hair was so dark-blue that it was almost black, as were her eyes, while her skin was a pale blue. The smile he had seen before had vanished from her face to be replaced by a scornful look.

"Let's begin. I don't want to be around Goblins for too long. They make me sick!" she said evenly, her voice a bit throaty as if she had swallowed a frog. Turning towards the Dryad, she smiled again. "Melia, are you sure we need him? We can just kill these little monsters and take the fire!"

Dan scowled at her. Seriously? She looked a lot nicer than she was. Glancing at the other two Goblins, he saw that they were drooling again, staring at both of the nymphs with their hard ones sticking forward like flagpoles.

Damnit! You're not helping!

"Uleina! You can't just say those things! Plus, that one is a lot smarter than regular Goblins! I want to keep him alive and see what he does!" Turning to Dan, the Dryad called Melia smiled at him. "Sorry, she doesn't like Goblins too much. She says they always pee in her river."

Dan nodded while trying to smile at Uleina, unsure if he should laugh or cry.

"I see. That would bother me too. I will try and stop those I know from doing that."

The Neirad stared at him with wide-open eyes, her mouth falling open as if she had seen a rock speak. Melia giggled, shoving her friend a bit. "I told you he was different!"

"Different? How is it possible for a Goblin to talk like that? Something is fishy about him!" Closing her mouth, the Neirad stepped back, glaring at Dan.

Dan felt his patience run thin, grunted, and shook his head. "Enough, we don't have time for this. Let's get this over with, so I can go back to hunting."

He picked a long torch from the fire before turning the other two Goblins. "Grab a torch, and remember what I said. Don't get close to the trees, or they will start burning, and you won't get food today!"

Bras and Etin nodded fervently, and with big smiles, they carefully picked up their torches, holding them far from their bodies. Staring at the remaining campfire, Dan turned to Uleina.

"Can you douse that fire?" The Neirad frowned, then nodded angrily.

She raised her hand, and water began pooling together on it, forming a wobbly sphere that she tossed on the fire. With a soft gurgling noise, the small campfire turned into a smoking pile of wet and black ash.

Dan blinked at the display of what he could only call magi. Could he learn that, or did you have to a Neirad? Deciding to ask later, he made his way to the bushes surrounding the area with the beetles.

He was just wondering how to bring the burning torches through the dense bush when Melia stepped next to him. Tossing him a grin, she touched a thin branch, and the bushes in front of them bent to the sides, creating a wide path. It continued folding in until Dan saw the brown, dead area at the far end.

"Thanks," he muttered, getting a soft, giggled response.

He walked forward until he heard the beetles scuttle about in the distance. He stopped just before reaching the infested area. Crouching down, he saw it had grown again, the hundred or so beetles noisily eating away at the vegetation and drinking from the trees.

"Horrid, evil, ugly, foul creatures! Kill them fast!" Melia sat down next to him, staring at the beetles with a burning hatred in her eyes.

"Are you ready to keep the fire contained?" Dan asked.

Uleina, staring in shock at the dead trees, turned and nodded quickly, raising her hands. As her eyes glowed a dim blue, a myriad of small water globes appeared, hovering around them before spreading out along the area's border.

Dan wondered how the beetles would react, but they seemed to either ignore or not notice the occurrence.

"Ready," Uluina muttered.

Dan pressed his torch against some dry brown grass. It ignited immediately, spreading around faster than he had thought possible. Etin and Bras copied him and began igniting the fire as they circled the area. Soon a large area of dead wood was burning, the temperature rising rapidly while the sound of snapping and popping wood became so loud that Dan couldn't hear the beetles scurry about anymore.

They had noticed the fire, however!

In the middle of the area, many of the beetles had withdrawn into the sandy burrow, with only a few at the far end of the fire still scuttling back.

Ten minutes later, the entire area was encircled in a quickly intensifying circle of flames. The water had so far managed to stop the fire from spreading inward, but the dry, dead area burned like kindling. Standing together, close to the only exit left, Dan, the two Goblins, and the nymphs watched as the fire reached the burrow.

At first, nothing seemed to happen, but then a few beetles rushed out of the hole in the top, scattering through the fire as if looking for a way out. To Dan's surprise, they didn't die immediately but seemed capable of withstanding the fire for a while. Halfway across the burning area, they finally slowed and, shortly after, slumped down. Soon a new, sweet smell began mixing with the burning wood.

That's it? Dan thought, finding it oddly anticlimactic.

He sighed and was about to turn around when the entire burrow shuddered. Blinking, he wondered what was going on, when it happened again. Then the side burst open, and a stream of beetles, far more than he had seen out in the open, rushed out followed by a gigantic beetle the size of a horse.

"Oh, shit!"

Dan backed up as he saw the stream of beetles rushing toward them.

"Quick, we have to start a fire here, or they will rush out!"

The others were staring slack jawed at the incoming bugs but jumped as he shouted. They followed him as he backed up into the small path. He tossed his torch onto the patch of grass next to where they had been standing and grabbed the other two from Bras and Etin, tossing them after. As the fires roared to life in front of them, he lost sight of the incoming beetles. All he had to go by was the scuttling that was getting closer and didn't seem to stop.

This isn't going to end well, he thought.

He turned around and ran through the corridor back towards the forest. A second later, he heard the others follow. When he rushed out of the green bushes, he looked back just as the massive beetle burst through the fire and into the small passageway. It barrelled forward, breaking and snapping the branches that didn't bend fast enough. Its two beady eyes seemed to stare right at Dan, giving him the creeps.

First that fucking cat, and now this? he thought. What was wrong with the animals? Had they all gained consciousness?

With a loud rustle, the bushes around the beetle surged inward and began to engulf it, and it soon vanished from view in a milling mass of branches and leaves.

"We need to kill that queen before she gets away!" Melia moved next to him with a pleading look. "If she gets away, she will create a new hive somewhere else!"

"Are you crazy? Look at that thing! It's basically a tank! How do you suppose we stop it?" Dan roared back, forgetting himself for a moment.

"Can't you use your spear?"

Staring at the Dryad, Dan wondered if she was crazy after all. "Perhaps we can trap it in your river and drown it?" Dan said, turning to Uleina while at the same time backing up.

"Impossible. We would never make it in time, plus those things can swim better than you can," the Neirad snapped. She licked her lips, looked at the beetle, then turned around and ran away. "I am sorry, Melia. We tried! I will make sure the fire stops later, but that is all I can do," she shouted. A moment later, her lithe form accelerated, and Dan lost sight of her in the dense forest.

"We are leaving. Follow me," Dan shouted, turning towards the river. He was about to sprint away when Melia grabbed his arm.

"Please don't leave! I will die!" she howled, staring at him with fear-filled eyes. Still, he saw an iron determination there to will him to stay.

Dan felt his internal sense of honor war with his common -Goblin- sense, then gritted his teeth and picked her up. "Sorry, but we don't have a choice anymore. "Etin, carry her!" Handing the struggling Dryad to the Gobin, he rushed towards her sapling and grabbed it close to the root. It was only as thick as his wrist and a little taller than he was, but when he began pulling, he was surprised at how strong it was.

"Nooooo don't hurt it!" In a flurry of leaves, the Dryad disappeared from Etin's hands.

Now or never!

Dan roared, using all his strength, and he felt something give. Around him, he saw the earth begin to move. Something began resisting again, but only for a moment, and with a tearing sound, he pulled the sapling, a large dot of roots and sand, out of the ground. With a scream, the Dryad appeared in front of him, took one look at the tree, and fainted.

"Etin, grab her and follow me!" Dan snapped as he put the tree over his shoulder. Then he began running in a crooked line towards the river. Behind him, Bras helped Etin with the Dryad before storming after him. Even with the tree, he was far faster than either, and he slowed down when breaking and snapping sounds came from behind. Staring over his shoulder, he saw the beetle struggle through the last of the bushes before looking around.

Its beady eyes focused on him, and a dull fire seemed to ignite. Like an out-of-control steam train, it began rumbling after him.

Ah dammit!

Turning around, Dan felt his hairs stand on end.

"Run as fast as you can, or we won't make it!" he roared at the top of his lungs as he stopped holding back and began sprinting as fast as he could. He didn't want Etin or Bras to die, but he couldn't help them right now. Still, he hoped they would make it.

He had only one idea of where he could go, something he had come up with moments before. He began changing his course slowly, praying he would make it. The beetle wasn't that much faster than the Goblins were, he hoped, but it would be close.

Very close, Dan thought as he heard Etin and Bras behind him.

With large passes and jostling the tree as best he could, he headed towards the dense area where he had found the giant wasps.

It took him only a minute to locate the dense wall of bushes in the distance, but it felt like an eternity. His breath was still smooth, but he could hear wheezing from the other two. Any hope that the beetle would leave was gone as it was tirelessly chasing them still.

The tree roots hung in front of him, bouncing up and down, and he took another look at them. They were darkening more and more, faster than a regular tree should. He'd have to hurry if he wanted to save the Dryad.

"Stay behind me and cover your eyes!" he shouted as he reached the wall of vegetation.

One arm in front of his face, Dan charged into the bushes, branches poking and snapping and scratching him all over.

"Daaaaan, bad beetle still here," Etin shouted in between laborsome breaths.

I know! Dan thought as he gritted his teeth.

It had taken tens of minutes to get to the wasp area while crawling, but they should be there faster now. He hoped.

A minute later, he burst out into the open space surrounding the massive tree. The wasp nests still dotted it, and his loud entry startled a bunch of wasps that surged in the air.

Right, where's the emergency exit? He thought as he looked around the opposite side for the quickest way out. Bras and Etin reached him a few seconds later, drawing in deep gulps of air. A tiny part of him felt like lecturing on how to properly control their breathing during a long run, but he pushed it aside.

There was a path that led towards the opposite side of the forest, clear, except for some loose branches.

"This way," he hissed as he sprinted away again. Now came the dangerous part.

Behind him, the giant beetle tore through the bushes, and he saw the wasps hover in the air, focusing on something behind him instead of attacking.

He barely got halfway across the grassy clearing when the beetle burst out of the bushes and into the open. Immediately the wasps' behavior changed. They had been hovering in the air and around the cocoons, some focusing on me but most on the noise in the bushes, but now rushed forward, ignoring me.

Yeah, you guys don't like things that harm trees, do you? Dan thought as he let out a tiny breath of relief.

He crossed the remaining distance and stepped into the bushes before turning around to see Bras and Etin, the latter still carrying the Dryad, rushing after him. In the open area, the beetle had stopped moving and was staring around as an increasing number of wasps circled above it.

Dan grinned, then recalled something. His grow wilted as he looked at the sapling roots dangling to the side. They were wilting rapidly. He turned around, striding away into the dense undergrowth.

The journey through the bush only took a couple of minutes, but one of the roots was turning green and gangly already. As soon as he exited the other side, he immediately dropped the tree and began digging a hole.

Even if there wasn't a rush, this area of the forest should be as good as others. This close to the Wasps, the beetles would probably stay away. From behind the bushes, a loud buzzing began increasing in intensity, and he wondered if they were fighting. It took him only moments to dig a large enough hole, sand and mud easily giving to his strong and sharp goblin fingers. As soon as he was ready, he plopped the sapling in it and began shoveling the soil back, covering its roots.

Finished, he stepped back and looked at the slightly drooping tree. That didn't look good. He stepped towards the raggedly breathing Etin and took the Dryad from him. As he did, he noticed the Goblin was groping her chest with one hand. Slapping the hand away, he shook his head.

"No! No touchies unless they say you can!"

Etin stared at him in disappointment. "But she no complain!"

Dan grunted as he gently put the Dryad against the tree. "That is because she is unconscious! No touchies unless they talk back and say you can!" Thinking for a bit longer, he added. "Next time, no food for three days!" Etin and Bras moaned in unison before nodding.

Seeing no reaction from the Dryad, Dan began to worry. Although he didn't know her that much, she hadn't tried to hurt him, and another of her kind had saved him. Wondering what he should do, she shuddered slightly, her eyes seeming to move behind her eyelids.

"Wake up, Melia. You need to heal your tree!"

Slowly the nymph's eyes opened, and she looked around in confusion. Seeing Dan's face, she snarled and slapped him. "How could you! You killed my tree! Now I will die… wait…" Staring around in confusion, she saw her tree and screamed. "Oh, nooooo…"

She bolted up and ran towards it, prodding the soil and stroking the tree before disappearing in a flurry of leaves. A few moments later, the sapling straightened a bit.

Waiting for a few more minutes, Dan slowly tapped it. "Melia, are you still alive?"

He got no reply, and after another five minutes, he guessed she was either busy or ignoring him.

"I am sorry I had to uproot your tree, but at least now you have a chance. Behind these bushes is a hive of wasps. They don't like the beetles either. So you should be safe for now."

Still getting no response, he turned to Bras. "Stay here. I am going to see what happened with the beetle."

Bras nodded and sat down in relief, still breathing heavily.

Dan crawled back into the bushes, determined to be stealthy on his way back. The silence beyond sounded ominous, and he swallowed as he crept forward.