The Silent Soldier

Previously

…He watched, his breath held tight in his chest, as they passed by his hiding place. They were heading in the same direction he had been trying to go. A flicker of hope, fragile and uncertain, ignited within him. Were they allies? Or were they a new threat? He knew he couldn't stay put. He had to follow them, to discover who they were. Survival, after all, was the only mission that mattered. With a grim resolve, he pushed himself up, the pain in his side momentarily forgotten, and began to follow the retreating figures into the shadowed depths of the jungle. His fight for existence had just taken an unexpected turn.