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

[Karmel]

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

Hinata jolted awake in a fashion that was anything but peaceful. His feet were tangled up in the sheets, and when he tried to get up he got caught and fell to the floor with a loud thud. The boy on the top of his bunk startled awake with a ‘Whossat’ and all this caused the third boy to jump to attention with an unholy screech. The poor fourth cabin mate heard the scream and, in his resulting awakened fear, smacked his head on the top bunk on the other side of the room.

A head poked over the edge, staring down at Hinata with sleep-ridden eyes. “What’s going on?”

“I heard something,” Hinata said with a shrug.

Suddenly, a bang sounded directly outside their cabin door. They immediately leaped out of their beds and grouped together in the center. Because there was protection in larger numbers, right? But they definitely weren’t hiding, nope. Total misunderstanding. It’s common to cling to another camper’s shirt. No one dared to speak in the silence that followed. The red glowing numbers on the alarm clock counted the minutes slowly long past lights out as each boy strained their ears to hear anything more.

“It was probably a raccoon,” one boy reasoned, mostly to assure himself.

Hinata raised a questioning eyebrow, “That was an awfully big sound for a raccoon. Anyway, that wasn’t the noise I heard first. Something weird is going on. Should we check it out?”

Blank stares met him full force. Hinata took a deep breath and pulled on his Kamp cap. He strode purposefully over to the corner where some odd items rested against the wall. These objects were obviously supposed to be cleaned out of the cabin before new arrivals came but apparently someone missed the memo. Lucky for them, this treasure trove of trinkets provided just what they needed: weapons and armor. Hinata plucked a broom from the corner and handed it to one boy and gave the second a “Caution: Wet Floor” sign to use as a shield. He took two marshmallow spears for himself like wielding dual blades, smiling in his cleverness and swinging them around his fingers.

The fourth bow looked between the three of them, then back at the pile of trinkets. “But what do I get?”

A silver bucket was placed on his head. Hinata righted it so the boy could peak his eyes out from underneath the rim. “It’s a helmet! You’ll be safe in this.”

The broom bearer hefted the object to test the weight and nodded to himself. A sturdy sword indeed. This will do. Together they approached the door, creeping forward like an army about to enter battle. The wet sign shield kid stood at the front protecting them from immediate harm. Bucket helmet took up the rear trying to hide the quaking in his slippers. Hinata and his sword friend were on either side brandishing their weapons in obvious defiance to the possible threat.

Hinata looked them all in the eyes, “On my count of three we open the door and charge.” Shaky nods showed their agreement.

“One,” he breathed.

The group shuffled closer. Despite their slow movements they sure made a lot of noise.

“Two.”

A small hand reached for the door handle. Sweat formed on their brows and their breathing grew harsher in anticipation.

“Three!”

All at once the door was forced open into the night and the boys, in their haste, almost didn’t see the looming figure right in front of them. They put the breaks on their feet and stopped, piling up on each other from behind. Hinata felt the breath leave his lungs and he was sandwiched between campers. One boy let out his second scream for the night.

“Whoa, jeez kid calm down. That’s my eardrum,” came a familiar voice.

Peaking out behind the other campers, Hinata saw the counselor Beni holding a plant of food with one hand and covering his right ear with the other. One by one the boys relaxed, loosening their grips on their weapons. They were quite the sight to behold. All dressed in a disarray of pajamas, one with a household object as a hat.

“What are you guys up to? You know it’s past bedtime.”

Hinata brushed himself off and approached the counselor. “We heard a noise, sir.”

“Oh, that? I just stubbed my toe on the way back to my cabin.”

One boy snorted behind Hinata in amusement. Hinata, however, put his hand on his chin in careful thought. “But I heard something before that… something from the forest?”

Beni looked at the kid and smiled, teeth glinting in the light of the moon. He leaned over casting a shadow across the boys. “Like a ghost?”

The screaming boy did not indeed scream, for he had moved past that. Instead, upon Beni’s question, started to bawl. Hinata was glad that kid never signed up for the hike.

[2246]

Ooooh, spooky!
Username: Nikolina
Link to roll call post: here
Link to previous form: here
Prompt response:
i was a fool to think i'd have the time to finish this. have sketchy comic instead! c':

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[happysparrow]

Ooooh, spooky!
Username: happysparrow
Link to roll call post: <33
Link to previous form: <33
Prompt response:
Pine Protecc, but will also ATTACC between work and life this is all i could get down ripp

[Trphlthdl]

Ooooh, spooky!
Username: Trphlthdl
Link to roll call post: Here
Link to previous form: Here
Prompt response: A low whistling noise woke Emilia from her sleep, and despite her best efforts she could not return. The noise, though faint, was alarming and inspired fear in her, and she was jealous of the kalons around her sleeping soundly in their beds. Maybe if she could just convince herself it was nothing...

Emilie unzipped her sleeping bag in one quick motion, and although it was quiet any noise in the middle of the night seems so much louder. She padded across the floorboards, careful to avoid any of the especially loud ones, and slipped through the door. Following the source of the noise she found herself at the edge of the woods once more, and peering through the trees she could see several old glass bottles, some broken, that seemed to be making the noise.

Just remnants of an old party, and not anything monstrous. She made her way back to her cabin, and fell asleep nearly as soon as her head hit her pillow. [166]

[-s-i-n-]

ooooh, spooky!
username cincil.
link to roll call post here!
link to previous form here!
prompt response pushing up into a sitting position on the bed, anaya rubbed the sleep from her eyes. a frown tugged at her lips and she tilted her head to the side, listening. she could have sworn she heard a loud pitched noise in her ears but, after a few moments of listening, she assumed it was her imagination.

easing back into a laying position, she shut her eyes and snuggled farther into the blankets. after a few moments, though, the sound broke through the silence again. jerking up, anaya scrunched her face up in a concentrated expression, listening thoroughly. slipping out of bed, she grabbed one of her slippers and held it in her hands. whoever was out there was going to get a slipper to the face!

creeping towards the door, she eased it open and slipped out, letting out a breath of relief when it didn't creak and alert the other campers. she paid close attention to her surroundings as she crept a few feet away from the door, peering into the woods that were a few dozen feet from the cabin. sweeping her gaze over the lake and bird meadow, she grumbled when she couldn't find anything. the sound only happened every so often.

surely everyone else would have woken up as well, right? letting out a big huff of breath, she turned back around and entered the cabin again. she was content with just letting herself think that she was imagining the sound. [ 246 words ]

[stan.]

Ooooh, spooky!
Username: IlluminatiConfirmed
Link to roll call post: Roll call
Link to previous form: Previous form
Prompt response:

No matter how constant the noise ever got, Eliza had decided it wasn't worth it going out to figure out what was it.

It may just be a bug, or a tree caught between strong winds. The first time, she made the mistake of sitting to see throught the window. To her relief, some stars illuminated the sky and some pale moonlight also helped outline the treetops. Nothing weird there, and nothing seemed out of place on the ground.

So, it was better to stay inside.

──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

However, she couldn't sleep. Some other kamper on the cabin sat up at some point as well while Eliza stayed quiet. But they quickly went back to sleep.

Eliza let out another sigh, she wasn't going to feel safe until she found out what was that, huh?

──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

After grabbing a flashlight, Eliza got up on her feet and didn't bothered to get her shoes on. She had no intention of going outside, just a quick peek through the door.

Eliza went as quietly as she could, maybe the other kampers would want to go outside and they all would end up in some sort of crazy adventure deep in the dark woods, and honestly, she just wanted to sleep.

The door creaked softly as she opened it and had to stop several times to make sure no one else was getting up.

Yet, she saw someone stir. Probably from the cold night wind that entered the room.

So she made it quick and peeked her head out of the cabin, keeping one hand on the door at all time and on the other she kept the flashlight, not on yet.

The moonlight was much brighter on that side of the cabin, but it didn't show anything weird either. Not even after turning on the flashlight she could see any sort of monster, to her relief.

The light made the noise stop one moment, and instead there was a scratch. On wood. Then a thud next to the cabin.

Eliza closed the door as fast she could, slamming it loud enough to wake up her fellow kampers. Plus, the bright light of the flashlight definitely disturbed someone's sleep.

Most sounded irritated at being woken up and Eliza, much to her own irritation, had to explain herself.

At least the noise went away, and they didn't go on a nighttime hike.

Guess that was good.

──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

In the morning, the big claw mark they saw on the roof of the cabin made it seem like the worst idea she ever had.

[cyrevan]

Ooooh, spooky!
Username: BreezeParadox
Link to roll call post: here
Link to previous form: here
Prompt response:
A rustling sound penetrated the silence of the night. Salem turned around in her cot, attempting to cover her ears, but it was to no avail. Something was out there.
Instinctively, Salem tensed up. She’d almost been kidnapped before; some people didn’t like her uncle’s reign and tried to take her as a hostage. It was a night like this one, dark and starlit and quiet. Quiet, that is, until the rustling started. Salem shuddered as she remembered turning away from the window in her sleep, blocking out the noise until she was no longer awake. The next thing she knew, three masked men stood around her and tried to shove her in a bag. Salem, trying her best to remember her self defense lessons, managed to escape, but to this day, still does not trust rustles in the night.
However, logic soon overrode Salem’s primal fear. She was solar systems away from home, no assassin or rebel would think to come here. It was probably just a raccoon or some other small inhabitant of this forest. Salem closed her eyes again, letting her drift away into a peaceful slee-
Rustle.
Salem awoke abruptly. A surge of annoyance pulsed through her. She proceeded to hop out of her cot, then stooped down to get something out of her bag: her prized slingshot.
With its leather wrapped grip tightly secured in her hand, Salem felt safe. The grey furred kalon tiptoed across the cabin, careful not to disturb any fellow campers. That is… the ones still sleeping. Salem could tell that many had also been awoken by the sound; although it seemed most of them were trying to fall back asleep.
Salem opened the door carefully, and slipped out into the night. The air was surprisingly warm, but an icy draft swept through her fur, causing shivers to run down her spine. Salem gulped and began looking around, beads of sweat forming on her hands where the slingshot was still tightly gripped.
It seemed the rustling had stopped.
She smiled triumphantly. Perhaps her presence had scared whatever it was away, and she could go back to sleep now. Salem turned back towards the cabin door, when suddenly, extremely close by, another rustle sounded from a bush. Thinking fast, she grabbed a stone from the ground and loaded her weapon.
Twang!
“Ow!” The bush moaned. A surge of panic rose over Salem. Raccoons couldn’t speak. Salem approached the bush cautiously, until she could see a kalon shaped figure. Tense, she leaned over to peek at the form behind the bush.
It was just Pip.
“What was that for?” Pip moaned, rolling over behind the bush. A small red bump could be seen on his forehead.
“That was for slinking around at night. Your rustling has woken almost everyone by now. I hope you’re proud of yourself.”
“...my rustling?” Pip said. “Wait, you misunderstood. I came out here to find out what it was.”
Salem growled in frustration. “Why don’t you just admit to disturbing everyone and just go back to bed so we can all get a good night’s sleep?”
Suddenly, a loud rustling sounded from about ten yards away. And it was coming closer and closer. “Run!” Pip yelled, and the two of them hustled back into the cabin, slamming the door behind them.

[cherrydoge]

Ooooh, spooky!
Username: cherrydoge // Link to roll call post: xxx // Link to previous form: xxx

Prompt response:

Enrico woke up with a start. He clutched his blanket and looked around the black cabin, trying to see what might have woke him up. The dream he had was slowly dissipating from his mind, he couldn’t quite recall if it was a nightmare that had woke him up or not. . .

He opted to continue to lay down and scan the room, rather than getting up and exploring. Outside, in the distance, a faint noise could be heard. Enrico strained to hear what was making the noise. A cicada? A fox screaming? It was so faint and repetitive he couldn’t tell.

Was it something new that thrived in the forest of the Kamp that no one knew about? Perhaps it was one of the counselors making a noise to get them riled up on this ‘Test of Courage?’

Whatever it may be, it was slowly driving Enrico to the brink of insanity. Usually he was able to sleep through things, like someone in a dorm just down the hall blasting music while partying. However, whenever it came to quiet, repetitive noises Enrico was ready to commit a crime if it didn’t end soon.

Laying in bed for a minute, which seemed like ten, Enrico sighed angrily and got up out of his bed and stomped over to the window, staring out to try and find what was making the noise. The moonlight didn’t help terribly much with the dark, wooded area from where it seemed to come.

He started to doze off while kneeling on the windowsill, but instantly jolted awake when the noise got just ever so slightly louder. Anger bubbled up inside him.

Remembering Faulkes’ advice on best places to sleep, ‘face down in the forest.’ You know what? Out of sheer spite of this noise, he’s gonna sleep in the place where its coming from. Grabbing his blanket and pillow and stomping outside, he started walking in the direction of the noise to the best of his ability. Throwing his pillow and blanket down in the middle of the forest, Enrico fell to his knees then onto the ground. Before completely dozing off, he lifted his head and screamed something. . . not so Kamper-friendly toward the source of the noise.

Finally, after decades of trying to drown out the noise, Enrico finally dozed off.

The power of spite does a lot.

[393 words]

[jules_]

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

if you can't beat them, join them

[Luscinia]

Ooooh, spooky!
Username: CourtofLions
Link to roll call post: Dover Lovell
Link to previous form: Link
Prompt response: [530 words]

Dover sat up as he began to process being awake and hearing such an odd sound. He squinted as he focused in on the type of sound, trying to figure out what it was. Was it the howling of the wind outside? Was it some sort of harmless animal scuffling about outside? From where he was, he couldn't tell. His idiotic levels of curiosity were getting the better of him, making it impossible for him to doze back off. He gave off a quiet and frustrated sigh, he pushed his bangs away from his eyes, tucking them behind his pointed ears, and reached over to the flashlight that rested next to his sleeping bag. His thumb pressed on the button, a pale yellow, circular light casting itself onto the sturdy wooden wall. He kicked the blankets off of him and stood up, stretching out his stiff limbs, before making his way across the creaky floor with light footsteps.

He winced as the door squealed sharply while it opened, the obnoxious sound echoing in the relatively empty space. He reflexively glanced over his shoulder, finding that nobody else in the cabin had stirred, much to his relief. With a steady release of breath, his feet soon met grass, soaked with dew, and with the flashlight and the moon above being the only light he had, he walked into the forest ahead. With every tree and bush he passed, he peered closely at it, and the further he was devoured by the forest, the more he expected something to leap out of the darkness and surprise him. He considered himself a brave Kalon, but he never handled jumpscares well. Though, a heat of embarrassment flooded through him as he came to a realization that he didn't bring anything that could double as a weapon. The only thing he had was the flashlight, which he clutched tightly onto.

Then, there was a startling snap out a thick twig. His spine immediately straightened, his fists clutched with his breath hitched in his breath. He waved the flashlight about, trying to find the source, or at the very least the shadow of the source. It was a deep gurgling growl, and as the light glanced over the forest floor, he noticed spatter of a white foam. The first thing that came to mind was rabies. With this in mind, Dover carefully took several steps back, keeping his attention on in front of him. The maker of the noise still refused to show itself. Regretfully, he whirled about and darted back toward the direction of the cabin. After he ran up to the cabin, he had to repeat the whole process of before.

The squeal of the door, the creak of the floor, and the setting down of his flashlight as he curled up underneath his sleeping bag. The noise didn't go away, in fact, it seemed to draw closer and become louder than it was before he left the cabin. Even with his eyes tightly shut, he found himself unable to get a wink of sleep the entire night. As the hours stretched on excruciatingly long, dawn's dull pink light soon cast through the windows.