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

[HoneyLavender࿐]

Ooooh, spooky!
Username: Ana the Derp
Link to roll call post: Mickey Mouse Roll Call
Link to previous form: 🍆
Prompt response:

Laiste trudged after the line of girls in front of her as the counselor led them to their cabins. She hissed when she stubbed her paw on a rock. Looking up she saw them disappearing around a bend and raced after them almost slamming into a small grey kalon male standing behind another female. She looked up and sheepishly smiled and looked to see the cabin was right in front of her. She quickly walked inside and saw almost all the beds were taken except for 2, a new, sturdy bed with a soft looking mattress and a broken, rickety bed with a yellow mattress. Laiste raced to the good bed just beating another kalon by a hair. Turning her head she smiled sweetly and said, "Sorry, but there's a bed over there" and pointed to the old bed. The other kalon scrunched her nose up and sighed walking over to the old bed. Laiste took the time to look around and saw that the inside was in better condition than the outside, with its faded purple walls and once shiny hardwood floor, dulled by years of use. Laiste turned and started unpacking. Placing her dark grey sheets on the beds and doing as her mother showed her tucking tight hospital corners (because who doesn't like it when sheets are tight around your ankles and not loose?) with ease. She then put the case on her pillow and threw her blanket on the bed along with her stuffed bear-Rune. She then proceeded to hide her sweet and junk food stash under her bed and packed a survival kit just in case. She placed all but one water bottle into her bedside table along with her clothes and trinkets and sat down for a break. Being refreshed and hydrated she continued unpacking and when she looked around she saw only 2 other kalons- the girl and the small kit. She asked them "where did everyone go?" the girl replied, "to eat." Laiste's eyes widened and she raced out the door relieved to see the girls weren't far away and when she reached them they laughed and told her how focused she was and Laiste blushed in embarrassment when she heard they had been calling her for a few minutes but left when she didn't answer. "sorry!" she replied and they giggled.


Laiste groaned "I'm so full!" she lay back on her bed and recalled the amazing food they were served. Spaghetti and meatballs with garlic bread and milk. She smiled and grunting sat up and dug through her clothes for shorts and a tank top. She found them and set them on her bed along with underwear stealthily hid in her toiletries bag. Laiste grabbed her towel and went to shower.


After her shower Laiste was dressed and feeling clean and tired. She climbed into bed and tried to sleep until she heard whispering. she looked to see the small grey kit sitting in bed. "Pip! go to sleep!" the kit groaned and lay down. Laiste rolled back over and closed her eyes, letting sleep take over.

Laiste jerked awake at a loud noise. She frantically looked around to see everyone else asleep. She looked with fright out the window and saw nothing. hearing the noise again she quickly shrugged clothes on and grabbed her survival kit along with 2 water bottles and a flashlight. She grabbed her shoes and was tiptoeing to the door when she heard it, "where are you going?" asked the small grey kit "out" Laiste replied. "did you hear it too?" asked the kit. Laiste turned wide-eyed and nodded. the kit smiled "I'm Pip. I might be small but I'm not a kit like you might think I am" Laiste nodded. "That girl is my cousin and they put me with her since I'm smaller than the other males." Laiste finally understood. "I'm coming with you," Pip said and climbed out of bed and quickly dressed in shorts and a t-shirt. Laiste looked hard at Pip then nodded. "all right, as long as you're quiet and do everything I say. Pip nodded and Laiste retrieved a water and a flashlight for the small male and handed them to him. "thanks" he whispered and they tip-toed to the door and slipped out into the cool night air. Breathing deeply Laiste started forward after the sound that came from the forest. She strode quickly as not to be spotted and stopped abruptly at the start of the path. She jerked forward when Pip crashed into her "Pip!" he blushed and mumbled "sorry" Laiste continued and walked along the path admiring how the forest looked in the moonlight, illuminated by the moon and with a silence that as eery yet beautiful. Laiste was walking when she noticed Pip wasn't with her, turning around she just saw the cabin door closing. chuckling she thought 'What a cutey' Pip most likely got scared and went inside so Laiste continued the journey. She stopped and stared as she heard a twig snap in the night. She followed the noise and glimpsed what looked like a big black animal moving gracefully in the night "wait!" she called and ran after it. She ran and ignored the branches hitting and scraping her as she passed by. She was running out of breath when she finally reached a clearing. There in the middle was a beautiful black horse, he looked just like her horse who disappeared a year ago. She stared in awe at the beautiful animal in front of her. She reached out slowly and the horse whuffled. He touched her paw with his soft, velvety muzzle and nickered softly, just like her horse did. she stepped back and the horse stamped impatiently. Tossing his head to the side he neighed impatiently and Laiste realized what he wanted. She circled him and he stood stock still as she quickly mounted him. Grabbing a chunk of his mane she murmured "what is it, boy? where are you taking me?" He galloped through the forest until it thinned into a field. She saw a herd of horses ahead and the stallion stopped and waited for her to dismount. She looked as he walked to a foal that was tangled in a trap. She gasped and rushed forward. How did the stallion know her? Why did he come to her for help? She untangled the foal quickly and disarmed the trap checking the beautiful foal over she saw no injury and sighed in relief. Standing she turned to the stallion and was struck with the realization- this was her horse! This was her Raven! "Raven! where have you been? why did you leave? oh, you beautiful thing! I've missed you!" She cried into his neck as he softly whuffled and nuzzled her shoulder affectionately. She knew he was wild when she bought him but she took her time and trained him and got him used to humans and she would never have thought he would run away. "Raven! I'm so sorry! I should have known a wild horse will always be free at heart and no gate can keep you from freedom!" Raven whuffled and Laiste looked at her watch, gasping she mounted Raven "Boy, you gotta take me back! Or else I will be in trouble" Raven nickered in understanding and shot off into the woods bringing her safely to the mouth of the path. She dismounted quickly and turned to hug her horse. "I love you Raven, Be free and fly like a bird and race with the wind" with that Laiste went inside with feeling happy and quickly undressed and climbed into her bed. She drifted off with thoughts of Raven running free, in an open field and fell asleep with a smile on her face.

[orbiting]

Ooooh, spooky!
Username: softsun.
Link to roll call post: x
Link to previous form: x
Prompt response:

I should've known something was up when I first got into my dorm.
I took it all in: the smell of ... well, mud and sweat, and the bustling kampers settling into their beds. I looked at the bunk I was assigned and saw I got bottom bunk, and as I promised Yule, I was going to be okay with that: no bad feelings in a place where you've ought to be happy. I set my bags down, and as I began to make my bunk, another kalon came in behind me.
"Oh, shucks... No, no way - this shouldn't be like this..."
I turned to them. "Is something wrong?"
They looked at me hopelessly. "Well, I was - I was hoping to get bottom bunk. I don't like sleeping right where the window is..."
That's when I should've realized what was going on, but good ol' dumb Aurelia...
"Well, why?"
They stared at me. "Just... allergies," they laughed fakely. "But I'm sure it's really nice up there... if, you wanted to...?"
"We can switch," Those three words doomed me.
My second clue: the Kalon was more than overjoyed. "Oh! Well, thanks so much!" They took no time handing me my sheets off the bed and settling right in.
I thought maybe it was a bit rude, but again: Happy thoughts! So of course, I let it go.
The day was full of things; I canoed, almost got a 10 in archery, and fell off the rock climbing wall a couple more times. So it's safe to say, when I got back in bed, I was exhausted.
The moon was a bright silver ball, and it cascaded light onto my bunk. I felt peaceful under it's shine - so I found myself slowly.. drifting.. off...
"What was that?"
I woke up to several voices. All of them were bustling and curious, but still quiet, as if they were listening.
I sat up, blinking away my sleep. "Hu-wha...?"
A kamper across from me looked me in the eyes. "We heard a really weird noise out there..."
I turned and looked through my window. Just a few seconds ago I was dreaming peacefully about moths and lakewater with my eyes shut, and now they were wide open and searching everywhere for a sign of movement.
Safe to say, with sleep still in my head and the eeriness vibe inside the cabin, when I saw something move from in the trees, it shocked me so much I fell out of my bunker. Literally, right onto the floor. And thankfully - butt first.
"Jeez! You okay?" A friendly Kalon helped me up.
"I saw something out there," I panted, one paw on my heart, the other rubbing my butt -
"Something moved."
It was quiet.
"Well then, let's go see."
Maybe I was wrong. Maybe it was THOSE words who doomed me.
And I expected the cabin to say, collectively, as a whole, "No way!"
But I found a quite majority of them saying, "Yeah! Let's go!"
And I'm starting to think that Nightshade kampers are too intense for my taste.
"Come on," A kamper pulled me up; "Since you saw it, you've got to come and tell us where."
My heart sunk. So many kalons, even still in their pajamas, were leaving to investigate, and I guess me and my bruised bum were one of them.
In a group of so many people, maybe it can't be so bad. Maybe it's just a wild animal, or something.
The kamp kounselers would never let anything bad happen to so many of us,
right?

[La Volpe]

Ooooh, spooky!
Username: la volpe
Link to roll call post: here
Link to previous form: here
Prompt response: here
Niccolò ventures into the forest

[mousekewitz]

Ooooh, spooky!
Username: lordren
Link to roll call post: x
Link to previous form: x
Prompt response: Alistair fists the blankets tightly, toes curling under the confines of his sleeping bag. All that he can hear now is the chirps of insects surrounding the lamp hanging on the outside of the cabin. He struggles to look past the mesh covering the door. Outside, past the lampposts and trails, he can see the dark abyss of the forest. The kamper struggles to look past the vaguely defined shadows for something that could have possibly woken him up.

The silence stretches a few full seconds before he moves to unwrap himself. Alistair gently pads across the floor, wincing at a creak in the boards. He tugs open the door into the outside world. Everyone around him is sound asleep-- is he hearing things? Maybe it was a part of a dream. Perhaps there's nothing out there besides his own imagination. His heartbeat pounds in his ears and adrenaline courses through his veins. Is there something dangerous out there?

A scratching sound comes from the left side of the cabin. Alistair's breath catches in his throat and his eyes focus in on the edge of the lamp's light. A trashcan. He frowns, watching as a raccoon pops its head out of the trash with a wrapper in its mouth.

"Really?" The kalon moves back in the cabin with a defeated sigh. Of course there was nothing out there. He sinks back into his sleeping bag for a restful night's sleep.

[Areater]

Ooooh, spooky!
Username: Areater
Link to roll call post: here
Link to previous form: here
Prompt response:
how was nobody else awake? pepsi knew they were a light sleeper, but really it just seemed like everyone else could sleep through a hurricane and wake up none the wiser. someone else had to be awake, right? their eyes wandered the slightly moonlit cabin, but nobody else, even the counselors - or was it kounselors? - seemed to stir. well, fine by them. they weren't much for company anyway, and they'd gone on plenty of adventures all alone back home. they leaned forwards, trying to peer into the woods. did that tree just move? they leaned in closer, placing their pale paws on the wood of their bunk. was that a shape in the dark? they leaned forward again and - ouch! they bounced back as their nose smashed into the window. they rubbed off the nose-shaped print on the window, cringing at the squeaky noise it made, and glanced around. still, no one was awake.
good thing, too - they'd probably be forced to go back to bed if a counselor or bossy kamper woke up. they quietly descended the ladder and cringed at the coldness of the floor on their bare paws. with one swipe of a paw under the bed, they grabbed their "survival pack" - and their dads said they wouldn't need it! - and dug out their flashlight, slinging the rest of the pack over their shoulder. glad they had fallen asleep in their shorts and team nightshade shirt, they snatched their boots on the way out the door and tugged them on as they started walking towards the woods.
tap. tap. switching the flashlight on in a startle, they whirled around, looking for the source. tap. tap. behind them! tap. tap. no, to the left. tap. tap. wait, tap. tap. yeah! tap. tap. over there! they scurried towards the noise and bounced up and down slightly. what an adventure! what could be making the noise! hopefully it wasn't just a tree hitting a window or something...tap. tap. it was close! with a grin, they zeroed in on the sound, and...hold on. this was skittle's cabin! their brother's smug brown face peeked through the window, his slight overbite making his smile look even dorkier. "skittle..." pepsi moaned, and skittle mouthed something through the window. pepsi shrugged and shook their head, trying to tell him they couldn't hear, and skittle grinned a little wider and rushed to the door. he opened it quietly and shut it softly. "thanks pepsi," he beamed. "what?" pepsi questioned. skittle laughed. "i said 'you don't mind if i join you right?', and you said no!" pepsi grumbled something under their breath, but they weren't going to say no now and break his heart. "just...don't get lost or something. and put some shoes on - there's probably gonna be some thorns and brush in the woods." skittle turned around and began to dig through the little pile of shoes in front of the door. pepsi surveyed them...tennis shoes, sensible sandals, hiking boots...no. no way. please no. skittle pulled a bright pair of high heels out of the pile. "skittle, why'd you even bring those to an outdoors camp?" pepsi whispered as skittle strapped them on. "because i look amazing in heels," skittle crowed, walking straight towards the woods.
pepsi flicked their tail and ran in front of him. "i'll lead the way," they proclaimed proudly, shining their flashlight ahead as they entered the trees. "monster, here we come," pepsi beamed. for a moment, they almost felt like they were alone..."monster? i didn't know anything about a monster! i thought you found a shortcut to the mess hall for some midnight snacks or you were gonna go check out the flower beds or something! are you sure there's a monster? did someone tell you? did you see it?"
...almost alone.

[aeth]

Ooooh, spooky!
Username: aethillie
Link to roll call post: present!
Link to previous form: sign up!
Prompt response: [508 words]

Luciana stared out into the still darkness of the forest from the safety of her cabin. Noises emanated from deep inside it. Luciana just could not place her finger on it. Perhaps it was the counselors, attempting to bait the innocent kampers into exploring for the Test of Courage. Though suspicious, Luciana had doubts. She didn't understand why the counselors would do so if they had made the kampers sign up for it. Obviously they should have the kampers' consent to take them out on a possibly traumatic Test of Courage. Were they luring participants? Unlikely. Beni seemed too soft and nice to do something like that. Luciana could picture Beni puppy-eyeing others, pleading them to do this, but she couldn't see him plotting to lure kampers. It was too out of character. Oh, and Iphis was out of the question because he wouldn't bother to go through the trouble of planning all this. He really just didn't care.

Luciana made her way towards the wooden door. As she approached, it was clear to her that the door was old. The paint was faded, the door itself was ravaged with holes - likely the result of the pesky insects that were littered all over the kamp. She shuddered. It pained her to open the door; she despised insects. However, in her attempt to pry it open, it creaked. She froze. She slowly turned, praying that none of the other kampers had awoken. She sighed in relief when she confirmed that the creak had awoken none. Bold and reckless, she she braved the night in nothing but her kamp-pajamas and fuzzy blue bunny slippers. Maybe she wasn't scared because she didn't really believe in the supernatural. Her Aunt Dahlia told her ghosts were usually just sad and tired souls - like college students! She remembered how her Aunt Dahlia mentioned that her cousin, Lichen, was just like said ghosts. Poor Lichen. Another plausible reason to her fearlessness was perhaps she was too much of an airheaded girl to care. Well, trivial things like these didn't matter to her. Luciana decided to focus on the task at hand. She had arrived at the entrance of the forest. She decided to peer into the darkness and discovered menacing trees, seemingly grinning at her. She chuckled to herself. To her, the trees looked anything but menacing. They looked silly, like something out of a Disney movie. Scanning the area, she couldn't find anything that seemed to be making the noise. Eerie whispers accompanied her, caressing her body, beckoning her. Luciana thought to herself, "Could it be a ghost?" Well, that was a silly question. It was obviously an animal of sorts, or perhaps an undiscovered noise-making plant. Wait - undiscovered? The thought of discovering something new filled her tiny body to the brim with giddy excitement. She thought of all the possibilities this discovery could bring - fame, wealth, first pick of her cousin's hand-me-downs! Luciana stared at the edge of the forest, daydreaming about her possible futures, and steeling herself to enter the looming forest.

[gouache]

Ooooh, spooky!
Username: Fawnfriend
Link to roll call post: Here!
Link to previous form: Here!
Prompt response:

Gnashing of teeth, the scurrying of feet, yowls, growls, howls.

Something was causing a ruckus outside, beyond the cabin window, among the thicket of
brambles and the branches that hung like limbs pulled loose.

Snaps, yaps, a sharp clap: the chorus of forest mishaps.

Llywelyn gripped the duvet close, pulling it up like a shield, his only weapon against the
horrors that lurk in the night. Upon his defensive stance, the sounds hushed, falling suddenly
silent.

Painfully silent.

The longer he seemed to dwell on the persistent noises, the more Llywelyn tossed and turned,
drifting further away from any hope of sleep. Just earlier slumber felt like a carefree sailboat,
gliding across still waters. Now, however, a storm of endless anxieties had stirred, churning
against the pine walls of the cabin, nightmares baying to be let inside.

Screwing his eyes shut, he buried himself within the comforts of the bed, trying to instead think
about the warm fabrics, the soft pillows, the gentle hold of the blankets.

But yet, something clawed and gnawed at his mind.

Tonight would be a long one, that was for certain.
A long one spent hiding away in the retreat of the cabin.

[rustyroxy]

Ooooh, spooky!
Username: rustyroxy
Link to roll call post: here
Link to previous form: here
Prompt response:

something bellows deep inside the forest, it’s cry is carried into the cabins. most lay asleep while others shift in their beds, unlike the others tobin jolts awake. fear buries itself in her face as she scurries around the cabin to find a flashlight, “flashlight flashlight flashlight! i need one now!” she tells herself.

it’s not too long before she finds a flashlight, it’s rusty and covered in dust. she opens it to see if it has batteries, it has three corroded double a batteries inside. “they’ll probably work?” she says as she shuts the flashlight and flicks the switch. it emits a dim yellow light, it doesn’t seem like it could possibly help. tobin sighs but she realizes this will have to do.

she heads toward the door but each time she takes a step forward she stops, she stops to see if she can still hear what ever may inhabit the forest. nothing, she hears nothing.

tobin pushes the door open, it creaks as it’s shoved out of her way. she makes her way out toward the forest, careful not to step on any plants, twigs or leaves. she tries to make sure there’s no evidence of her adventure and she tries to make sure that nothing can hear it. “let’s go”

[214 words]

[Raptocidic]

Ooooh, spooky!

Username: q1q2q3q4
Link to roll call post: here
Link to previous form: here

Prompt response:

Azure sat up and wondered what had woke her up. One of her roomates was snoring in an obnoxiously loud way. The snoring was so bad it was as if someone had cast a spell to turn sleeping camper's voicebox into the voice of a pig. Azure rolled her eyes and continued to ponder on what had rudely awoken her in the midst of a good dream. She could recall the distinct noises from her slumber, but now all appeared silent, bar the odd owl or nightime creature. She was sure that she had heard something else though, something unlike anything she had ever heard before. Imaginative images of what this sound may have come from crept into her mind. Azure tried to shake the thoughts out of her head. There must have been a logical explanation to the strange sounds. She scanned her eyes around the room in search of something that could explain her ever growing questions. Nothing out of the ordinary appeared to be present and yet Azure had a creepy suspicion that something was watching her. She shuddered before sinking back into the covers of her bed. At least the warm blanket helped her feel more secure.

Azure stayed still in bed for a little while, attempting to see if anything would creep out of the shadows or not. Still, nothing happened. She wondered for a second if she had just heard her fellow roomate snoring. Azure wasn't convinced though. Her roomates snoring was making loud and obnoxious sounds, but it was nothing like the sound she could remember. She raised her head up slightly and sniffed the air. It was just another night, just like any other she'd experience on her parents annoying camping trips. It smelt like damp pebbles and foliage, with just a tiny hint of charcoal from the campfires. Nothing too off then. She observed that it was trying to rain, but the sky apparently couldn't manage anything more than a slight drizzle, it would be dry by morning. Azure found herself gently drifting back off to sleep, her mind distracted from the sounds she heard earlier. However, the second she was getting comfy and close to sleep, she heard the noises again.

This time Azure knew something was there. She was scared stiff, unable to moove. She couldn't even open her eyes, instead she just lay there hoping the sounds would stop. They were strange rustling sounds, odd clicks and alien gargles. At first the sounds were somewhat distant before they crept closer, accompanied by the sound of large, heavy footsteps. She finally managed to open her eyes, expecting some terrifying monster to be towering over her. But yet again, nothing was there. The sounds were quickly approaching her cabin though. Azure plucked up the courage to sit up and get out of bed. She took great care in quietly creeping down the steps of her bunkbed and onto ground level. She rummaged around and eventually found a flashlight in her bag, along with a bunch of useless stuff she packed. Azure carefully picked out a tennis racket. She had no clue why she decided to pack it, nor any memory of actually putting it in her bag, but at least it had a use now. It was some form of weapon, at least she had something to defend herself with.

Armed with the torch and racket, Azure crept to the cabin door. She opened it slightly and hesitated before venturing outside. Azure turned the flashlight on as she stumbled onto the cold, damp grass. She shone the light around the area to try to see what was making the sounds. Azure advancee forward and shone the torch in the general direction of the noises, holding up the racket in defence. She was so caught up in her instincts and fears that she didn't realise the shape of a familiar figure. The figure cried out as it covered its eyes, begging Azure to turn the light off. In an instant Azure was reassured that the sounds were coming from one of her roomates who slept on the bunk below her. She sighed in releaf and went back to her cabin with her friend. They shared a quick giggle about how Azure had mistaken the sounds of her roomate to be a scary creature and Azure learned that her roomate actually just left to go to the toilet in the middle of the night.

After their quick laugh both kalons got back into their bunk beds and tried to get back to sleep. Azures roomate quickly drifted off, but Azure didn't get to sleep so quickly. Eventually she got comfy enough to drift off.

Azure awoke again to the same strange sounds. She sighed and asked her friend to try to be more quiet as she was a light sleeper. However Azure got no reply. She poked her head under to her roomates bed to see the kalon fast asleep. Her other roomates were asleep too and the one that was snoring before had now stopped snoring. Even the owls outside were now quiet. All Azure could hear was the clicks, gargles and growls, and this time at least, it wasn't her roomates...

[Namida_☾]

Ooooh, spooky!
Username: Namida_☾
Link to roll call post: Forum/viewtopic.php?f=53&t=3859303&start=250#p119711508
Link to previous form: Forum/viewtopic.php?f=87&t=3858340&p=119733514&hilit=Namida#p119733514
Prompt response: