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

[SyntheticFox]

Hike, start! | Username: SyntheticFox | Link to roll call post: Sign me up! | Link to previous form: Prompt #2!
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It’s the day -or rather, night- of the Test of Courage, and everyone is practically vibrating with excitement (or maybe it’s nervous jitters?)
Now that the hike is set to start, how does your Kamper feel about it?
Are they still as eager as they were when they signed up, or has the nerves finally gotten to them?
What do they bring with them to help in their journey?
Do they decide to travel alone, or do they follow the “safety in numbers” rule?


Prompt response:

"Guys! Get up! The hike is about to start!"
a kamper explained. After reading the note left by the counselors, Uzi and others proceeded to pack their bags for a casual stride.
"Chance.. wake up"
Uzi tried to say. Because Chance and Uzi investigated the mysterious noise, they ended up getting sleep deprived caused by only having an hour of slumber.
"Chance please.. we need to leave."
he tries once again to get his sleeping mate out of bed. "Give me a minute here.."
Chance moaned as they both manage to slowly but surely wake up. Uzi started prepping his backpack for the hike, 3 water bottles, a portable tent, and his stuffed animal that helps him sleep. As he was packing his supplies, Uzi began having second thoughts,
"Chance, we are gonna be okay right?"
"Don't worry so much Uzi, its just a normal walk. I'll hold your hand the entire way through."
Chance calmed Uzi. But what they didn't know however, that this won't be an ordinary stroll. The Test of Courage hike has been known to be the most dangerous part of camp, leaving hikers alone and surviving the night. Uzi thought for a moment, the talk from his boyfriend helped a lot as nearly all of his butterflies in his stomach disappear, this is what he wanted after all. They both step outside of their cabin, holding hands, and begin to walk into the woods with the other kampers.
"Die.. Die.."
"Chance it's that sound!"
Uzi exclaimed as they walked further into the wilderness. Uzi started to panic, until he heard Iphis' announcement. "Alright everyone! Tie-Dyeing is cancelled due to miscalculations.".
"I could've sworn 3 was enough for 80 kampers..",
Beni questions, being clueless to his obvious mistake. As the campers groaned, Beni informed them about their situation.
"We will soon be starting our yearly hike to truly test your courage. Prepare for a surely safe and totally not deadly walk around the forest."

[skywishes01]

Hike, start!
Username: skywishes01
Link to roll call post: nya
Link to previous form: nya
Prompt response: ft. Calliope, Devon, Nisha and Oberon

She was standing on the edge of nothingness. In front of her, she could only see a few feet before the trees dissolved into darkness. The last rays of sunlight had long since bled from the sky; the first stars shone bravely up above but they were no match for the shadows that danced between the leaves. The foliage was dense, branches tangled together like barbed wire guarding a secret. A surprise, Calliope thought- but definitely not the good kind.

"Dark, spooky forest?" she muttered to herself, adjusting her shoulder pack. "They sure weren't kidding."

"Nope!" Devon (she’d finally learned his name) chirped happily. He seemed pretty chill about the whole test-of-courage-life-threatening-danger thing; he must've been a really good actor, because right now, she was heavily questioning her decision to sign up.

“Okay, there are about ten things wrong with this situation right here, and that forest contains all of them.” Another one of their cabin mates - Nisha - walked up with a completely unamused expression on her face. When she and Devon had returned from their midnight hunt last night (they’d only made it a few steps outside before the weird noise stopped) they’d accidentally woken the other two Kampers. Well, it was mostly her fault; she’d tripped over the umbrella she was carrying, and crashed straight into a bunk. But somehow, despite the fact that they’d looked ready to murder something, Devon had managed to convince the two to sign up for the hike as well. Last minute additions; luckily, Beni and Iphis had allowed it, seeing how... uh, enthusiastic Devon was.

And now, here they were.

“Leo, Devon, if we die, it’s your fault.” Nisha continued.

Devon raised his hands in surrender. “Hey, it was Calliope’s idea first.”

“Wow.” Calliope shook her head in mock disbelief. “And I thought we were friends.” Friends. It was strange, joking about it; she’d come to camp with none, and now she had three.

On cue, the last of her cabinmates strolled towards them. Oberon. He flung an arm around Nisha’s shoulders. “Don’t worry, guys.” he said, ignoring Nisha’s indignant glare. “I’ll be here to protect you.” He winked cheesily and Nisha threw his arm off with a look of disgust. Leo couldn’t help but smile.

"Calliope." Nisha put her palms together in a prayer. "Please tell me you brought the coffee."

Calliope gave a thumbs-up and pointed to her bag, where she'd stowed a massive flask of the still-hot brew. "Got it right here."

"Thank you." she sighed in relief, and Leo saw Devon stifle a giggle. "I don't think I could put up with- hey, are you flexing?"

Oberon grinned cheekily at her, posing in front of a particularly imposing tree. "How nice of you to notice."

Nisha buried her face in her hands with a groan. "What did I do to deserve this?"

As Calliope patted Nisha's head in reassurance, and Devon burst into full-out laughter, they heard it. Beni's loud voice, calling for the hike to begin.

A flash flood of fear rose inside of her, but as she looked at her friends - Oberon smugly excited, Nisha irritable but steely-eyed, and Devon still grinning beside her- she felt the panic ebb away a little. After all, she thought, as they headed towards the forest with the other kampers, at least I'm not alone.

So she grabbed on to that tiny little handhold of confidence, took a deep, final breath, and stepped into the woods.

[579 words.]

[khvoxtic]

Hike, start!
Username: planiteri
Link to roll call post: Boop
Link to previous form: 🌻

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Prompt Response: ft. Nova

Skye looked around at the gathering group of kalons. Looking to the friendship bracelets some had wrapped around their wrists from arts and crafts, others holding flashlights or sticks long enough to help them keep their balance as they navigated the uneven terrain. Even if he had wanted to bring his torch, the batteries had quickly run out and he had no spares. Socks, however, he had a lot of spare socks, not that that would help in this situation.

Turning to a small group of sunflower, he contently listened in as they explained that sticking in a group would be their best course of action. It seemed most people had the same idea, grouping up with their designated teams to ensure that they'd get through unscathed. Or at least, had someone to send in case of an emergency. Skye doubted there would be anything that drastic, he had caught wind of people mentioning cryptids lurking in the forest and weird noises similar to the ones he had heard. Pulling his scarf up around his nose, he burrowed into the comforts of home as he stood waiting for the test to start.

Outwardly, Skye looked calm, he made no sudden movements and reacted little to the loud noises of other campers startling each other, he was calm under pressure, something he had picked up from his mother. Inhaling through his nose and gently out his mouth Skye was shocked to find his breath had been knocked out of him rather than being exhaled. Looking up he sniggered as Nova beamed down to him. He had found companionship with the girl, despite being on opposite teams, their conversations were always light and easy to navigate from one topic to the next and if the smile on her face was anything to go by, it seemed tonight would go just as well.

"Get off me! You're heavy." Skye teased playfully, pushing at her face as she laughed and clambered off before helping him up. Their arms hooking together as they stood.

"You excited?" She hummed, free hand clicking a flashlight on and off in rapid succession as she looked around at everyone else before back to him. He nodded in response, despite not wanting to even come to the camp in the first place, Skye had fit himself quite snuggly into their camping experience, slowly beginning to enjoy himself with each activity. Of course, this was the one he had been looking forward to the most.

"What did you bring?" "Mmm, my flashlight and snacks." Nova beamed, patting the pockets of her shorts contently, a rotten smile on her lips that let him know she had been hiding them from him. Rolling his eyes, Skye poked out his tongue in response, but smiled back regardless, she'd share those snacks and he knew it.

"And, you?" "Ahh, myself, warm clothes and shoes." "No torch?" "It stopped working and I don't have spare batteries." Nova laughed shaking her head in disbelief, considering all the things he did pack, even he was surprised spare batteries had not be among his things.

"Alright Campers! Are you ready? For the test of courage? Ooooh, spooky." Beni cooed out, wiggling his fingers as he always did before laughing as many had teasingly wiggled their fingers back. It was like their own personal inside joke, spooky fingers. No one outside this camp would understand why they'd all do it, they'd just know they did. Skye included.

"I take that as a yes!" Beni called, looking a whole lot better than he had previously, even Iphis seemed more pleased. Both of which were good signs. Rules and regulations were called out, time was given to those who needed to use the restroom or grab a thing or two they may have left behind, with each passing minute the excitement continued to bubble up in Skye's chest, bouncing on the balls of his heels, Skye looked to the forest with a grin.

"And go! One team or individual at a time, please, pace and space yourselves out, keep your hands on the rope as you walk and you won't get lost, promise!" Beni spoke, his voice clear and calm as slowly the mass of campers walked towards the start of the Test. Skye turned to Nova, a smile on his lips as they both walked towards the looming darkness. Whatever was hidden inside, he was ready for it.

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752 Words

[LovetheHoly]

Uh oh, it sounds like there's something spooky in the forest!
Despite not being very loud, it's doing a pretty good job in keeping your Kamper from getting a good night's sleep.
Do they go out and investigate -perhaps while rallying fellow Kampers to go with them-, or do they stay in their cabin where it's (hopefully) safe?

Sign-up Time!
Username: LovetheHoly
Link to roll call post: X
Prompt response:

Something broke Farrier's snooze, he perked up quickly extremely alert, everyone in his cabin was still asleep, he still heard rustles outside. Slowly getting up he rolled out of his bunk and went outside, the air was very cool and crisp, it must have been about 1 or 2 a.m, he ran to the shed and quickly grabbed a rifle as he has quite a way with guns and didn't know whether he'd have to defend himself, continuing to look around a few meters from the cabin, he began straying into the woods. He heard it again and spun around he began becoming frustrated, he said quietly yet loud enough,, "Whoever that is you oughtta come out with your hands where I can see em or I'll shoot", he suddenly heard footsteps come toward him but they were oddly soft, he began seeing a face a couple feet below him in the moonlight, it was only a lost kid, he let out a breathe of relief shaking his head, mumbling under his breath like an angry parent of why this child was out this late why didn't he call for help or where was their team. Farrier began regretting signing up for this, "Get out more they said", "It'll be fun they said" he rolled his eyes, but then held back as he already made the child feel bad enough and he didn't want him to witness his bitterness. For now it was too late to go look for his cabin so Farrier let him borrow his bunk and he simply went back outside sitting on the porch drawing a smoke waiting for the sun to come up.

[jules_]

Hike, start!
Username: julibee
Link to roll call post: here
Link to previous form: ooo spooky
Prompt response:

It seems Drusilla's intended buddy doesn't want to come along.....

[SkyGold]

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

"Can I do this?"

[Karmel]

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

Hinata was on both ends of excited and nervous. The encounter with the odd noise the other night that jolted him from his sleep still stayed on his mind like the whisper of something to come. Some dreaded force that awaited their journey. He couldn’t shake the feeling that whatever it was had called to him, as the other boys in the cabin only heard the commotion he made when falling out of bed. He chuckled a little at the memory, thinking of how panicked Beni looked trying to console the now terrified and crying camper. Somehow the counselor had managed to corral them all back inside their cabin and reassured the poor kid that it was a joke. The kid, in return, made Beni stand watch until he fell asleep in case the ghosts came to get him.

Now, standing in front of the path into the eerily named Forbidden Forest, he was clutching the handles of his backpack uncertainly. His grip released and tightened in almost perfect intervals in tune with his running inner monologue. Around him in various array of emotions was his fellow campers. The group was understandably thinned after the counselors held that little announcement in the morning. So many names on the sign-up sheet were now missing. At first, he was shocked to hear that some of them actually went in to the forest in the middle of the night. But then he wondered what his little group would’ve done if Beni hadn’t been walking past their cabin at the right moment.

Hinata never much traveled in the gossip circles, but he did overhear and few kids saying that others heard something too out there in the trees. Calling to them. The mere thought sent renewed shivers down his spine.

Taking a deep breath, he gripped his backpack with new determination. He would figure out this mystery that was haunting him. This was his chance to understand what exactly had been calling to everyone, and why. He made sure he was extra prepared for the journey too. Inside his pack was: water, for hydration of course; snacks, to quell his hunger; rope, for whatever purpose it may serve; a swiss army knife, for its helpful utilities of course; a map, to find their way; tools to start a fire, because who knows maybe they’ll get stuck out here; first aid kit, in case anyone encounters an injury; and a flashlight, since this was taking place in the dark. He was also sporting sturdy hiking boots on his feet and a lucky bandana around his head.

It all weighed him down a little, but he was used to it. His family would go on hikes before… well, before Helene got sick. They were fond memories he held close to his heart. He knew the rules well too. Stick together, stay safe, and have fun. The last one was his dad’s personal favorite. The first rule was the most important though because if things went wrong you always had a buddy to help out. Hinata stood close to the group of kids huddled around the counselors, exchanging names and pleasantries as they awaited the start.

Despite everything, he was ready for this adventure. And he couldn’t wait to write home about whatever may happen.

[lovestruck]

Hike, Start!
username. lovestruck
link to roll call post. present!
link to previous form.
prompt two
prompt response.
Like a deer in headlights, Sierra stood straight as a board, staring into the darkness of the forest. Nonononono she was NOT about to go in there again, after nearly dying in there a few hours ago. That creature had nearly killed her- or whatever it was in there. And it was still pitch black- it was so dark Sierra couldn’t ever see her paws in front of her face. And of course, her flashlight was oh-so convientiently in need of new batteries.
Sierra turned around, to go drop out of the hike, and found herself face to face with a smiling kalon. She spoke, to Sierra’s surprise, “Hello there! I’m Ellis. If you’d like you could share my flashlight- I don’t think you want to go in there in the dark anyways.” She chuckled softly, and gave Sierra a toothy smile. Sierra smiled softly, “Well, thank you, very much, but I’m uh, I’m not gonna do the hike after all.” Ellis have her a frown, “Why ever not? It’ll be loads of fun- you can stick with me!” “Well, uh i heard a creature in there earlier, uh, and I think I almost died, I don’t think it’s really a great idea to go in there!” Ellis chuckled and patter Sierra on the back, and turned her to face the forest. “Hun, I’ve lived in a forest like this for years. Nothing’s gonna get you- it was probably just a coyote- their howls sound like babies crying- betcha didn’t know that!” Sierra nodded slowly, “Well, I- I guess I can try..” Ellis cut her off, “Now that’s the spirit! Come along now!” She said this as she began to walk towards the forest. Sierra trudged begins her, deciding perhaps it would be ok. After all, the sound in the night had somewhat sounded like baby’s cries- perhaps Ellis was right. However, she still had a sinking suspicion there was something lurking in there. Her fur was raised and her heart was beating quickly, flashes of the night’s events running though her head. With every pawstep deeper into the forest, she was consumed more and more by a sense of dread. What would she find lurking in the forbidden forest?

[Raptocidic]

Hike, start!
Username: q1q2q3q4
Link to roll call post: here
Link to previous form: here
Prompt response:

Azure grabbed her backpack and confidently swung it over her back. This was it. This hike could go either horribly wrong or amazingly well. Azure had already spent as much time as possible working towards popularity and this hike could ruin everything in an instant. This was a high risk - high reward situation. Her nerves were creeping in but she tried to shake them off. Flashbacks of the other night haunted the back of her mind as she joined a medium size group of sunflowers. She ignored these thoughts and turned her attention to socialising with her peers. Pretending to be fearless actually made Azure feel more confident. Using her acting skills allowed her to relax and enjoy herself more. She found her fears slipping away as she got into character. The group did one last check over everything before getting ready to set off.

After a quick check over the group was all set and ready to go. The others displayed mixed emotions, but overall everyone was feeling brave. Azure strayed away from the others momentarily and stood at the edge of the forest. She peered into the darkness. A chilly wind blew behind her, blowing her hair into her eyes. She squinted before trying to brush her hair out of her vision. The more she stared into the never ending labyrinth of trees the more she wondered what was lurking in there. However her excitement and adrenaline overtook her feers once more and this appeared to only make Azure more eager. This time Azure was prepared for anything that might be dangerous. She had packed all of the basics as well as some more uncommon items including her racket, some duct tape, a ball of string, sharp scissors, some marbles and a fold up bag for life. This odd selection of items was whatever Azure put together this morning in secret, refusing to allow her roomates see inside. It was an odd selection of items, but Azure appeared to find having these items in her possession comforting, at least. In her hand she held a torch which she grasped tightly. She stared into the forest before beckoning to her group to join her at the front of the hike where they'll be able to fearlessly march right into the woods first. Most of her group refused at first, but with a little persuasion she had everyone up for the challenge.

The councillors hadcalled for the hike to begin. Now or never. Azure rushed her group to become some of the first to start. She gulped as they set afoot into the forest. No going back now, it was time to be fearless and get more popularity.

[Kyar]

Hike, start!
Username:
Link to roll call post: [here]
Link to previous form: [buck up]
Prompt response:

What was it about the woods at night?

Safiya stood at the treeline, eyes fixated on the twisting limbs, rattling leaves...

So much mess, so much movement. No wonder it was so easy to be afraid.

The whole area reeked of bug spray, everybody - Safiya included - dousing themselves as thoroughly as possible before setting off into the thick of it. The sound in the night air, she knew, wasn't just the brushing of branches, of leaves in the wind - the air was heavy with the hum of insects, tiny wings holding aloft millions of bodies as they made their nightly raid.

But hey. At least these ones weren't in her pillowcase.

The other kampers were finding friends, gathering supplies, packing their bags. Partnering up, heck, she swore she heard someone talking about walking backwards to make sure no one was following. What exactly did they think was going to happen out there? Kids of all ages, it seemed, had managed to make the cut. And on the edge of it all, Safiya was standing alone.

She'd already been at kamp for a week. But in that week... what had changed? Her mind still wandered back home too often, back to her parents and what they were doing. Had they made up? Were they fighting? Did Dad move back to the motel again?

Her eyes turned down to her wrist, two thin woven bracelets dangling from it now. Yes, she'd kept the friendship bracelet the little boy had traded her. She didn't know why, but there was something comforting about the flawed design. The other... Safiya turned, looking back for a moment as she watched the group. Was she here?

Her eyes fell on thick brown locks, tied off in a long, luscious braid. She had a smile on her face, despite the threat of the oncoming storm - the night in the Forbidden Forest. Who was she, exactly? Safiya had... seen her, in the past, no doubt, and heard a name... She couldn't place it now. Her fingers drifted along the threads again. Why did she give it to me?

Movement.

They were moving. It was time to go.

Scooping her water bottle from the ground, Safiya buried her phone deep into her back pocket, even taking the time to button it up. No way she wanted that to go down the drain tonight. Even without service, there was a real comfort to at least having some tie her life back home. And... a few other ties.

She looked down, catching her fingers on the bracelets again... on the finer, more neatly made bracelet... Her eyes looked up at the girl ahead of her, tracing the braid, the pendulum of tonight's clock. Ticking. They were moving. Time to go.

Moose.

That was her name. Safiya remembered now. Moose.

She fell into step behind, silent, her boots leaving no more footprints now than anyone else's. The crunching of footsteps. The herd was off. And ahead of her, her timepiece - a velvet braid, dancing through the night.
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.

(featuring magpie!'s Moose)
507 words