Matt: I do have one change, which is the result of my forgetting to mention one historical fact: Primitive man hardened the point of his (green branch) thrusting weapon by passing it lightly through a fire, resulting in the point and a bit more being darkened. (If carefully done, this removes some of the moisture from the point, resulting in a harder surface.)
But, aside from this one small, but very important change...........
You have captured my metaphor perfectly! In fact, you have interpreted the moment before a lethal encounter as though you had actually witnessed the entire fight to the death and chosen the precise moment that the Fight of Flight Effect begins to control the man's actions.
This is more than I had expected, by orders of magnitude! Bravo!"
John G. Lawson, Tacoma, WA