Heeding the instruction on instinct, Benjiro manages to barely catch the tips of his fingers on the branch the chicken had been on with his freed leg kicking out straight as a counter balance on his single foot with the knee bent. The catch of his fingers is just enough to delay, but his hand is already straining as he hears a crackle in the branch under him now supporting almost all of his weight. “I don’t think I can...!”

He’s off balance and he has very limited time before the branch gives, so rather than think about it, he takes in a breath and pushes up with a pull at his hand before hopping softly backwards off the branch with nothing more than a nervous glance down. Out so far from the trunk, the branches are more spaced, which gives him room to drop to a lower branch without colliding into one as he twists fully around in the air. The lower branch, midway down the tree, shakes as he snags it firmly with both hands. He swings from the new rotational axis as his momentum is converted from the fall, but Benjiro hangs tight switching one hand hold and curls his whole body to slow more quickly. As his swinging lessens, he relaxes to hang from his arms with a relieved exhale.

Looking down from where he dangles to find his cousin, he calls down, “I’m okay, Russell! Is the chicken alright?”