Christ, his heart was beating so hard he thought his chest was going to burst open. Clay ran one hand down his leg and over his foot, half-expecting to find the limb missing. His other hand was clutching a vine; it would be a good long time before his fingers unclenched from the life line!
"Bastard got my boot," he said, his voice coming out breathless and higher pitched than normal. The entire situation struck Clay as funny and he began to laugh, big raucous shouts of mirth just slightly tinged with hysteria. He sounded a little like one of the predators on the ground, a fact that only made him laugh harder.