The moss covered arch provided the perfect lookout post. He hunched his body down, feeling the greenery tickle his chin but this was no time to laugh. Enemies were everywhere and his job was to warn the others. He knew he might not make it out alive, but he was no coward. He would stick to his watch until the very end.

Soon the soothing sound of the fast water running beneath him lulled him and he dozed. A whirring overhead snapped him awake and he looked up in fear. But this time, all was okay, it was just a bird off in the distance. Sometimes his acute hearing was more of a curse than a help. He breathed easier and settled back down. It could be hours before his replacement arrived.

Continue reading at Donna B. McNicol