I am with a group of soldiers under fire. The terrain is semi-desert and mountainous. The men are young. Some are new, others are experienced at war. I obtain an M-79 and fire it. The shell streaks through the night and explodes far away in a large billowing ball of flame. The RTO speaks without having to break squelch. Apparently the radio operates by voice recognition. He is frightened, trying to locate the other troops, since they are not to be seen. I need more ammo and cannot find it. I am high up in a tree with two small children. Opposite us we watch a mother bird feed her young. She flees at the approach of a giant rat. He enters the nest and scavenges for food. He slithers down, the dead body of an animal hanging from his mouth. The rat then begins climbing up the tree. The children are frightened. My plan is to let it crawl up to our height, then punch the glass collar though which it must pass to reach us. When the rat's head is beneath the glass I begin punching. I disregard the possible damage to my fist. The glass breaks, blood streams down the tree from the rat's smashed head. The rat falls away and dies.