A Warrior's Redemption

  *****

  It was hot. Slowly my eyelids fought their way open. It was hard because they felt glued shut and foreign to me, but there was something moving nearby and then something pecked my leg hard.

  My eyes shot open at this new source of pain. Vultures! A whole flock of them covered what had been my horse in a busy feeding frenzy. Now one of the buzzards was getting the idea that I was on the menu as well. Panicked at the thought of being eaten alive, I managed to move my legs and waive my arms some, which left me panting for breath and exhausted.

  The vulture fluttered back a couple of feet and cocked its head at me. It then proceeded to settle down and wait. Vultures prefer to eat the soft organs and tissues first, such as the eyes, but they rarely eat something that is still alive and protesting. Scrunching back deeper among the boulders and brush, I tried to make myself inaccessible to their probing beaks. I felt like I would pass out at any moment and eventually, against my will, I did.