The edge of the woods.... [Final Results Up!]

[Softea]

Hike, start!
Username: softea
Link to roll call post: Ares
Link to previous form: Turn Back
Prompt response:

|| It's too late now ||


Ares knew he had no choice but to continue on his way. The nightmares of last night had only caused him to seek the adventure out more. Although he doesn't completely remember all of the events that took place in the middle of the night, he knew his life was in danger at that time.
He woke up the next morning not remembering anything. Not even remembering the fact that he had been attacked, or when he got back. A dark fog clouded his mind, he knew something happened, but he couldn't remember exactly what. It boggled Ares how easily he forgot stuff with his bad case of amnesia.

After hanging out with others the whole day, having a blast in the lake, watching birds and playing other fun games. Ares decided it was time to go back.
As night fall creeped up the horizon, Ares readied his bag, making sure he had all the essentials with him. First aid kit[even though the councillors have their own], snacks, a water bottle, and most importantly, a flashlight and extra batteries. Ares calmly stepped out of the cabin, he smiled as the moon finally peaked out, the bright white luminescence causing the entire forest to glow with fog, and a spooky aura. Ares could feel the eyes staring at him through the woods.
What an odd sensation.

Beni and Iphis had finally called everyone up, they were huddled in a small group. Everyone picking friends to buddy up with, except Ares. Ares didn't really know any of the other kalons who were joining him on the hike. He felt his heart sink as he knew he had no one to talk to, or express his darkest thought about the forest.
There surely was nothing to be frightened of,
right?

Ares took his first step into the forest, the dark shadow falling over his head, flashlights flickering causing the forest to be lit up in a creepy light. The fog clouded up the forest, Ares was scared. What would he do if he got lost?
No, he packed all he needed.
Now all he had to do,
was shake off his fears.

It was time to go.

[Jippy]

Hike, start!
Username: Dreamlight
Link to roll call post: X
Link to previous form: X
Prompt response:

Ly'Leth stared out at the massive forest looming in front of her, from a distance it looked fine but now... up close... she wasn't so sure. The idea of it being called Forbidden Forest did not put her at ease at all, like the name was a warning that she was ignoring. She clutched tightly on her leather messenger bag, she had packed only a few necessities and now she regretted not choosing more wisely. In her bag she had a water bottle, a notebook, a pencil, a flashlight, and a lollipop cause uh why not? She knew for sure that'd she'd be following close by with the counselors and kampers cause there was no way she was gonna get lost in that labyrinth. Knowing her luck though, the second she'd get in, she'd get lost. She'd never in her life had she hoped not to get lost as usual. She squirmed in her spot as a cold breeze rustled. It reminded her of the other night, but she had faced the forest and been fine! She tried to reassure herself, she had already been in it and she survived, why should this be any difference? Plus, she'd get to see all the wild life that she had to be excited to see! Positive thoughts kept swirling in her head, trying to keep the fear at bay but the idea of being safe with these two nuts of a counselors did not put her at ease. She decided to devise a quick plan as they were waiting for Iphis and Beni to stop arguing over who was leading it. For starters, she remembered that the cabins were to the left of the forest so if she got lost she just needed to go left. Moss tends to grow on the north side of trees and the based on the sun she could probably point north. But if it was night she could always look out for the north star. But what if she couldn't make it out, she had to eat right? She had a list of edible plants in the forest which included mostly mushrooms, and she hated mushrooms. They thought of having to eat mushrooms made her mouth feel sour. All these thoughts made her even more freaked out. Suddenly Iphis's voice interrupted her thoughts, "All right kiddos, let's get a move on!"

[synastry]

Hike, start!
Username: synastry;
Link to roll call post: xx
Link to previous form: x
Prompt response:
All of the other Kampers are starting to look like they're gonna chicken out, but Seki still feels the same way she did on day 1: absolutely fearless. Of course, it's impossible to be truly fearless, but if you put her fear into a number, it'd be 99.9% pumped for the hike to start, and 0.01% scared out of her mind. Of course, Seki didn't dare say anything about that miniscule bit of fear. She took it, and shoved it far down, so far down that even she almost forgot about it.

Seki has mixed feelings about travelling in groups of people. They could be loud, pull pranks on another to the point where if something bad actually happens, no one will listen, sometimes they can just make everything take longer than it needs to. But... at the same time, going out with small groups can definitely benefit you. Guess it really just depends on who you travel with in the end.

Although Seki doesn't have many items she holds close to her, there's one thing that's special to her; the watch her dad gave her on Christmas two years ago. She never takes it off, and it has quite a substantial value to her. So, of course, she's going to be wearing it the entire hike, no matter what.

Overall, Seki has been looking forward to starting this hike ever since she signed up, and she's absolutely determined to get through all of it. Sure, she'll be scared, even if it's not much, but the hike can't be, won't be that bad. it's a summer camp night hike, they can't make it too scary... right?
Word Count: 276

[MotherMother]

Hike, start!
Username: MotherMother
Link to roll call post: Click!
Link to previous form: Click!
Prompt response:

[WanSham]

Hike, start!
Username:WanSham
Link to roll call post:link
Link to previous form: link
Prompt response:

straight up gotta get a ghost sidekick

[gouache]

Hike, start!
Username: Fawnfriend
Link to roll call post: Here!
Link to previous form: Here!
Prompt response:

[hiraeth + hound]

Hike, start!
Username: watchdog.
Link to roll call post: here
Link to previous form: here
Prompt response:

[lonk]

Hike, start!
username: lonk
link to roll call post: roll call
link to previous form: previous
prompt response: [588 words]
cali was nervous.
not because of the forest itself, no. she could manage being in there. cali was well prepared- her bag with the flashlight, first aid, water, and everything she'd need out in the woods was all set and ready to go. she was excited as anything, thrilled to try and discover things out on the hike. she should've been happy.
but no, her fear stemmed from something... out of the woods. the girl would be alone. not that she didn't like being alone- she just knew that it was safer to have company. she'd be dragged down, sure, but their was safety in numbers, even when going into the woods to search for cryptids. or, well, at the very least, hiking, but cali hoped she'd spot a cryptid.
groups were forming at the edge of the woods, by the start of the trail. pairs, trios, even groups of five or six were clustering together, laughing and chattering away about the spooks yet to come from their trek in the forbidden forest. cali broke into a sweat. she'd either linger awkwardly behind another group, or possibly die alone in the woods. the chance was small, but it sure was still a chance.
"hey." cali blinked, ignoring the voice. it was probably just part of the crowd. "with the blonde hair." she whipped around to her left. an older girl leaned up against a tree, blowing a bubble out of the strongly fruity scented gum she was chewing. "wanna group up?"
that was out of left field. relieving, a bit, but still nerve-wracking for the socially inept teenager. "u-uh, sure. i'm not really with anyone else, so..." she trailed off, looking away. the stranger pulled at the collar of their kamp shirt. she was on the other team, so cali was sure they'd be an odd pair regardless of personality.
"i'm bea. i've never been to a camp before. or the woods, actually." strange. "i'm not from around here, so, like, i wanted to see how people work down here." down here? even stranger. but cali only nodded.
attempting to continue, cali let out a weak smile. "i've never actually been to a camp either, but i really like it! it's, um, different." bea nodded, pulling her bag off her shoulder, but still clearly listening. "it's been, well, hard to adapt, but it's fun."
the older girl paused for a moment. "yeah. adapting is hard. figuring out customs is even harder. but it's not awful, as i'm sure you know." she stopped again before opening up her bag. "i sense something dangerous in the woods, and the only way to get in is through this, uh, 'kamp' thing."
cali was confused by the other kalon, but she merely smiled as she looked over her shoulder. bea's belongings were... weird. small bottles of colorful liquids sat next to a water bottle, and beneath that all, a glowing cube was poorly wrapped up in a tank top. other things were strewn around, all alien to the younger girl.
bea noticed her staring, and quickly pulled her bag shut. "uh... just family stuff. or something. it's all good, you didn't see anything." she smiled a bit crookedly. bea was a very pretty young woman, so it was interesting to see the flaw. "should we get going?" cali nodded.
they stood on the edge of the trail, cali pulling out her flashlight as they began to step into the darkness.
maybe cali had already found the cryptid she was trying to find.

[✧ airplane.]

Ｈｉｋｅ， ｓｔａｒｔ！
Username: high noon
Link to roll call post: link
Link to previous form: 01 + 02
Prompt response:

Eleodoro gave a huge yawn. He'd been up all night previously, after having followed the strange noises into the woods, and now he was tired. He felt a little dejected as well, having never discovered the creaure or source of the strange sounds. He'd just dashed in without a second thought, and eventually found himself lost in the dark thick of the trees. He knew that if you got lost, you should just stay put until someone finds you. But he'd been pretty sure he had just run in a straight line, so it shouldn't have been so difficult to find his way out.

He'd ended up wandering in circles, forest eerily silent, and the feel of being watched all night. His poor paws had blistered, and he'd scraped his knee tripping over a root. Just when he'd about to give up, sit down, and cry at his own foolishness, he'd heard the sound again. Not wanting everything to be in vain, he'd dusted himself off and followed cautiously. And somehow... It led him right out of the Forbidden Forest.

He'd only gotten an hour of sleep after collapsing back in his own cabin, before the sun was up and shining and Kamp activities were starting for the day. Apparently he hadn't been the only kamper to hear the strange noises from the woods. Councilors Beni and Iphis had told the lot of them that those who'd gotten out of bed last night wouldn't be able to participate in their scheduled Night Hike. Eleodoro was surprised to find he hadn't been included in the group of those eliminated from the sign-ups, but he didn't speak up to incriminate himself. All day however, while fishing and making friendship bracelets, he had considered not showing up for the hike. Those woods were forbidden for a reason.

But he'd decided in the end to present himself promptly. He'd packed his backpack full of extra supplies. Granola bars and a flashlight. Dry socks. An extra sweatshirt. The mini first aid kit Jack had sent with him. The black bean shaped plush Gabe had given him. He was absolutely not a baby that needed stuffed animals anymore, but it did feel nice to have by his side... He was at least better prepared this time.

He looked around at all the other kits. Some seemed nervous, and others excited. The three headed kit whose names were Goldfinch, Rhubarb, Croissant had signed up. They stood near the trees talking amongst themself, but seemed ready to get going. He spotted Alseides and Kieren, together as always. They seemed to have made friends fast, and he wondered if they were less scared because they were in a pair. Ellie stood all by himself, wishing more than anything that his brother Ciardha was beside him. Or Eva Sophia. Or even Hanako, though he doubted the kit would be caught dead anywhere near the woods.

Still, even if he was by himself, he wasn't technically alone. They were all in a group right? And Beni and Iphis were way too cool to let anything happen to them. With the sun setting and casting golden light on the pines, the forest seemed less intimidating. So maybe... this would be alright after all. As he hefted his backpack higher on his shoulders, he reminded himself of his original goal. Have an adventure to write home about. As the group began the trek into the trees, forest detritus crunching under their paws, Ellie felt determined. He could absolutely do this.

And if he got lost again, maybe the mysterious howling would show up to guide him back to Kamp once more.

[608]

[King Andre]

Hike, start!
Username: andreas
Link to roll call post:here
Link to previous form: here and here
Prompt response:

The chilly air was ablaze with anticipation, and many emotions such as excitement and nervousness were palpable. Dead leaves crinkled under boots and shoes, as many people gathered outside their cabins. Some talked among themselves in hushed voices, as though the nerves quieted them, or perhaps they didn't want to wake whatever lay ahead in the forest. Others could barely contain their enthusiasm, bouncing up and down with childlike vigor, and their talking could be heard throughout the camp.

Dante rested his hand on his sister Isme's shoulder, a his eyes concerned and voice cautionary. "Look after her okay?" He was referring to their youngest sister Diana, who had been in a different team than her brothers.

Isme replied with an indignant "mhm, its not like you have to tell me to do that," before walking away to join the other members of her team.

Dante watched her walk away until she melted into the crowd of campers. As the oldest brother, Dante's first concerns were always for that of his siblings. While he was somewhat uneasy about the forest, and what he had encountered the previous night, in the end he was always worried about their safety more than anything else. He trusted Isme to look after their kid-sister since she was the second oldest, but he could never be too careful.

Peter, his jovial and brown haired younger brother stepped out of their cabin, carrying a few things for the journey as Dante had instructed him to. Dante had considered not traveling with him at all; peter wasn't among those that had ventured into the forest a few nights previous. Peter wasn't among those that heard the haunting call of whatever demon or monster lurked at the heart of the dark and foreboding forest. Every bit of reason had told Dante to make Peter go with another group, and yet; he didn't.

Why didn't he? Though he would never say it out-loud, perhaps Dante too was scared. He wanted the company of his brother to keep him at ease; he wanted to travel alone but he wanted to do it with him.

But he couldn't linger on that sentiment, it was time to leave. Dante examined what Peter brought; a make-shift hammer of wood and stone, a sharpened stick, a flashlight, and a few snickers bars. He wondered how Peter managed to steal those from the dinner hall but he didn't interrogate him...this time.

With everything ready, the two set out with the rest of the campers, not knowing what lay ahead.