Jonas quickly and quietly dashed from tree to tree closing the gap between them. He was frightened and his heart pounded in his chest. The monster was huge, but Jonas willed himself to calm down, taking slow deep breaths as he came within bow range of the beast.
Suddenly the ogre turned and sniffed the air behind him. Jonas knew that the breeze was blowing towards him so there was no way the ogre would smell him. Unfortunately the wind direction made it so Jonas could clearly smell the ogre, and it was a strong scent of animalistic musk mixed with the odor of wet and dirty fur, probably from the skins the thing wore over most of its powerful body. Jonas ducked behind a large tree and pulled back tighter on the nocked arrow, ready to fire if need be. Jonas slowly peeked around the tree and saw the ugly beast sniff the air. Large gaping nostrils flared in hopes of detecting a potential meal. Its cave-like mouth was slightly agape, exposing large yellow fangs. Small beady eyes were buried deep in a thick bony brow and its misshapen head was covered in a filthy mat of hair that hung past its shoulders.
The ogre turned around, starting back towards the cave’s mouth, its massive tree trunk legs sinking deep into the snow with every step.
Jonas looked around, unsure of what to do. If the monster saw him there was no way that he could out run the beast’s long strides in the snow. He would be forced to fight, and that was something that Jonas knew would not end well. Maybe Fil wasn’t even in the cave, but that was unlikely and Jonas knew that he couldn’t take that chance.
Looking around frantically, Jonas was praying for a miracle. He looked up and got an idea. Quickly he unlaced his snow shoes; quietly strapping the bow to his back he began to climb a large pine tree, holding his breath as he tried to be silent. He pulled himself up to a height of about ten paces. Taking up his bow he re-nocked an arrow, aiming through a hole in the branches. He could clearly make out the beast that was about eighty paces away. It was a long shot but the ogre was huge and Jonas knew that he wouldn’t miss its broad back.
He aimed at the center of the ogre’s torso and slowed his breathing down, his nerves causing his bow arm to shake and threatening his aim. He closed his eyes and thought of his friend that might be in that cave. Focusing on his rapid heartbeat he concentrated on its rhythm. Taking deep slow breaths the beating of his heart began to slow.
After he calmed himself, he opened his eyes, sighted in the beast, let out a slow breath, and released the shaft with a twang. Quickly he nocked another and before the other arrow hit its mark he already had the second arrow flying through the air. The first arrow struck the beast in its lower back. The ogre bellowed with pain, turning around to take the next arrow right in the hip. Again the beast roared and looked around for its assailant.
Jonas could see that the arrows did not sink in deep, the monster’s thick skin and the dirty furs that clothed him served as protection. The beast lumbered through the snow closer to his tree, searching and sniffing the air for its attacker. Jonas could clearly see the beast’s eyes blazing with anger as it roared defiantly into the woods.
Jonas’s heart resumed its rapid beat and his arms trembled with fear, but he could do nothing else but draw back his bow again and let a shaft fly. This time the ogre saw the movement and looked up in the tree just as the arrow slammed into the side of its neck. Unlike the first two arrows, this arrow sunk in deep, halfway to its fletching, and the ogre stumbled backwards in pain.
Just then Fil came running out of the cave mouth holding his spear out before him, his eyes bulging with fright as he saw the ogre stumbling in the snow not more than thirty paces from him.
“Fil, I’m coming!” yelled Jonas as the ogre turned to face Fil. Jonas quickly began to climb down the tree, dropping the last few paces and landing heavily in the snow, his feet sinking in deep. He grabbed his bow, nocked another arrow and stumbled