Ross searched for the fallen tree they had passed a few minutes earlier. He grunted in satisfaction when he found it. Wading through the tall ferns, he reached down and pulled a large piece of bark from the trunk.
He weighed it in his hands. It was thick and heavy but manageable. Now he needed a way to hold and control it with one hand like a shield.
He made a handle with a limber green branch along with some vines, courtesy of the trees that had heard his unconscious muttering for the items during his search. He held the shield up, swung it around, and took a few steps as if he were battling an invisible foe.
“Okay, that should work. A bit clumsy but better than nothing,” he said and looked up at the large tree with a wide grin. “You wouldn’t happen to have a lance hidden among your br
