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

[womp womp]

Hike, start!
Username: Diamond Sapphire
Link to roll call post: heck yeah
Link to previous form: smol spiders
Prompt response: The hike was starting! Faith's gaze tore through the forest in the far distance before she reached to pack one more bottle of water. Her bag was getting heavy and all, but you never know how much water you gulp down (or throw at creepy shadows, you can't predict what may happen in a dark forest).

As the sun was setting into a pale glow and the moon creeped up on them, Faith staggered outside her cabin and hurried to meet with the other campe-- kampers that were buzzing with anticipation. Faith took a moment to inspect the outsides of the forest as the group waited for the last few kampers to arrive (or not, they'll just have to wait and see).

The forest seemed to radiate an eerie vibe, and if you tried to look belong the first few rows of trees you'd just be greeted by darkness, darkness, darkness and maybe a twig or two. Faith stared at it for a moment before her gaze flitted away, fiddling with the strings on her bag as she waited.

"Watch it, kid!" A voice snarled, and a young Kalon was shoved close towards Faith. Instinctively she backed away, raising an eyebrow. "You think you're ever so mighty, ahuh? Well let me tell you something -- a wimp like you would never make it out of the forest." They taunted, and another Kalon emerged from the group, wearing a grin that glistened with amusement.

"Uuuh..." The younger Kalon scratched their head. "Maybe you would never make it out since... you didn't even bring a flashlight. Or anything, for that matter, besides your big ego." They snorted, and made their way back into the cluster of kampers. Faith forced herself to smother a giggle as the older Kalon's face turned red, and they sunk back into the group.

Maybe this... test or whatever wouldn't be that bad. It's just a forest that is next to a campsite, after all (and Faith did pack a flashlight, don't you worry). Grinning gently, she took a drink of water before Beni and Iphis annouced that they'd be leaving.

"Let's go Kamp!"

[357 words]

[otis,]

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


she would be allowed to continue. they didn’t know she had snuck out. they didn’t know of her wandering through the woods on her own. did they even know of the dark hooded figures that roamed the woods? or was that the true test of courage, coming face to face with whatever sick twisted monsters lived in these woods? or was it your own personal demons, coming face to face with your fears and insecurities as everyone camped in a big group out to the woods. maybe the woods were a metaphor. maybe the hike a metaphor too. maybe she was a metaphor? for her own chaotic downfall and demonic-

“come on kampers! let’s go”

eloise startled at the voice of a voice, snapping out of her dark intrusive thoughts to instead focus on the counselor at the front of the group. all the kampers seem unfazed, ready to charge forward into the woods. she noticed a few that snuck to the back of the pack, looking shaken compared to the other kals. maybe Eloise wasn’t the other kal to have not gotten caught wandering. did the other kals found he hooded figures as well? or did they find something worse, something more sinister?

the bag on her shoulders felt heavier than usual, so Eloise set it down in order to dig through and maybe take a few things out. she put her sunglasses on, and then plugged in one ear bud. then she pulled out her baseball cap, tugging it on before moving to zip the bag back up and follow the herd. she stopped short, pulling out a black article of clothing in her bag that seemed too familiar. a black hood. the black hood. Eloise growled, dropping the hood and smushing it into the mud before she quickly took off after the kampers. that hood meant the men had seen her, had followed her back, and had gone into her cabin after she had fallen back asleep.

Eloise scratched at her hands, anxiety biting at her as she continued walking. while the pack had been instructed to stay in pairs, eloise kept to herself. she hadn’t really made any friends at kamp, and preferred to keep an eye on herself. but she kept towards the center of the pack, using the herd as a safety net as she constantly peeked around to look through the wall of trees that surrounded them. every sound made caused the fur on the back of her neck to raise, every sudden pick up of wind caused goosebumps to raise on her. Eloise was no scaredy cat, god no, but something about having six hooded figures in your cabin just put her on edge. Eloise wouldn’t be sleeping good anytime soon.

[monstera]

Hike, start!

Username: dragon.
Link to roll call post: x
Link to previous form: x
Prompt response:


Jay sighed as she swung the small backpack of supplies onto her shoulder.
It was finally the night of the Test of Courage.

Over the past few days, she had completely forgotten about the adventure she would be going on tonight. She bad been so distracted by the rest of the kamp activities that it completely slipped her mind, until one of her friends, Hyun, asked her earlier in the day if she was excited for the hike.

“Hike?” Jay had asked, a confused look on her face.
“Uh, yeah. The Test of Courage? You were talking about it a few days ago,” Hyun had replied, a grin on his face. “You aren’t scared, are ya?”
“N-no, I just forgot about it.”

Truth was, though, Jay couldn’t help the uneasiness that once again rose in her chest. It wasn’t as scary to think about when she had originally signed up. Sure, the forest freaked her out a bit, but it didn’t fully hit her she would be going. Until now.

“Well, I signed up, so I better go. It might be fun, anyways,” she tried to convince herself earlier as she packed. A flashlight, along with some water, a granola bar, some pepper spray, and her cell phone seemed sufficient. She didn’t know how long they would be out there, or what they would encounter. After all, there could be bears in there! Jay needed to be prepared in order to feel any sort of calmness about the hike.

Making her way over to the entrance of the forest, Jay noticed more kampers had signed up than she expected. There were quite a few groups forming, along with some individuals who seemed they would rather travel alone as opposed to with a group. Jay figured it would probably be safer to join up with some other kalons, but couldn’t find any recognizable faces. With a sigh, she shifted over towards one of the bigger groups, figuring she could linger nearby them. Jay wasn’t really the type to socialize, so she decided as long as she stuck near a group, she would be safe.

After a few minutes, and a few more kampers rushed over from their cabins, Beni and Iphis announced the hike would be starting soon. Feeling her heartbeat pick up its pace, she took a deep breath, assuring herself it would be fine as she followed the others into the forest.

[403 words, Hyun mentioned]

[Luscinia]

Hike, start!
Username: CourtofLions
Link to roll call post: Dover Lovell
Link to previous form: Spooky!
Prompt response: 452 words

Dover shuffled through his navy blue backpack to make sure he had packed everything he'd ever need on a spooky hike, all the while happily whistling "Habanera" to himself, ignoring the creeped out glances some of his cabinmates gave him. A bag full of only juicy pear Jelly Beans, his trusty flashlight, and some cheap blue and white earbuds, for added ambiance to the adventure. Once he felt satisfied with his small inventory, he flung his bag over his shoulder and glanced over his shoulder at his cabinmates, the ones who weren't on the hike carrying on with their own activities, settling down for the night.

"Smell you later, folks. When I return, I, Dover Lovell, will be declared a hero to all kampers." He announced his exit jokingly, giving a dramatic bow. Once he straightened up, he held up his hand, a peace sign as he left the cabin, their collective groans of irritation echoing through his ears as he was surrounded by nature. He chuckled to himself, satisfied with the jokester title he's received with the poor saps with whom he shared a cabin. Soon enough, he found the small crowd of Kalons who were also taking part in the Test of Courage. Some were starting to look a little jittery, arms hugged around their bodies for comfort. Others donned the same cocky grins on their faces as he had. The only thing he was afraid of at this point was running into whatever that rabid animal he had a close encounter with was. Hoping to move that thought to the back of his mind, he pulled his earbuds out of his bag, plugging them into his phone and putting one of the buds into his ear, wrapping the other along his neck. He kept one ear open so that he could hear the counselors, potentially converse with his other hikers, and of course, to make sure that rabid animal doesn't ambush him. Maybe he was a little more scared of the mysterious rabid creature than he originally thought.

Once Beni's voice rung out toward the front, he remained close toward the back of the group as the herd slowly moved forward. Quickly, he pulled his phone out, scrolling through his music playlists until he found the "Spooky Song Playlist." Soon, beautiful but eerie instrumentals played their haunting melodies in one ear. In the other ear, the refreshing sound of nighttime's nature. He shoved his hand into his bag of jelly beans, snatching up as many beans as he could grab, and tossed them into his mouth, chewing them thoroughly and savoring the single flavor that burst in his mouth. Into the darkness they marked, and adrenaline rushed through Dover.

[ruse]

Hike, start!
Username: amative
Link to roll call post: yeah
Link to previous form: nya uwu
Prompt response: 407 words

the area is humming with emotion; kampers everywhere seem almost to be vibrating with the anticipation for the hike. it only grew when the moon came out a good time ago, dragging stars along the sky. eden looks around again, gauging the expressions of the others. many kampers stand in pods and their energy falls from them in currents. they speak eagerly of having a good time, making jokes and returning to the bonfire to eat strange adaptions of s’mores. others are singularly focused on the task at hand or shake just so slightly at their fingertips, that the movement would be indiscernible by anyone not watching.
eden catalogs himself loosely with this particular group. he is a little anxious but his hopes hold more weight than the former. since that night of the Encounter, eden has (unfortunately) investigated the exact nature of the cryptids he’d only heard whispers of before. something about faulkes’ firefly-vivid eyes had roused eden to take more interest in the unknown. however, his fascination with the endlessly lethargic man ended there; the counselor remains a kind, tired individual with the inconstant intents of Resting for an Indefinite Amount of Time in Any Physically Achievable Location and helping lena, the lovely, loving bright bug-lover. at one point, he had been following a lead on the counselor toska, having heard of their riddled ways and limited awareness (or more likely, ignorance) of societal norms. he gave up the hunt just yesterday, after a particular incident where he thought he’d found the phantom figure but in reality, just found a pretty bush.

he smirks at the memory, a softness rooted in him. eden’s ambitions for the hike would be to further his studies by seizing pictures of any otherworldly creatures; he particularly hopes to meet the gentleman mothman, but fears the latter would be busy dealing behind a 7/11 tonight (maybe it’d be good just to take pictures of moths; they were disconcerting enough).
eden examines his backpack one last time, casting a fleeting look towards beni and iphis to make sure they were still doing whatever they were doing. he had his water bottle, phone, flashlight, and a nice, large, sparkling rock for a just-in-case situation.
his fingers catch on the friendship bracelet he made before the start of kamp. it grounds him. he takes in a greedy breath and it is set free with a shudder. he's ready.

[Midnightkitkat]

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

[Blumoonwolf]

Hike, start!
Username: Blumoonwolf
Link to roll call post: x
Link to previous form: x
Prompt response:
About time!
Her heart had been pacing through the entire removal of campers who also hadn't been able to sleep the night previous but had.. taken more drastic measures than her. She sympathized. But she also worried.
Would she go next? The main reason she had signed up wasn't to get spooked, it was to walk the trails at night.. maybe even spot a fox or raccoon slinking through the darkness. It wasn't her fault she hadn't been able to sleep, and she'd have been bummed if she'd lost the opportunity at the last moment. Thinking that only encouraged her to stifle a yawn. She was excited. Excited for this.

She kept thinking that, over and over. A mantra that rang in her head as she greeted friends and waved over kampers standing by themselves. She was in constant motion- bouncing on her heels, adjusting her pack, the like. But her infectious smiles brought friendly faces over, and she linked arms with her cabin mates. This was going to be fun.

She remained easy as they began the trek, even as the light was lost to the darkness, even as the birds stopped singing. Even, she thought, when she heard the loud snapping of branches- big branches. All she did was keep a grin plastered to her face and sing her mantra inside her head. But she wasn't so calm when the whispers started.
It was like a plague, beginning with one or two and then enveloping all of the hikers. It was when they waxed or waned in loudness that she truly began to feel uneasy. What were they seeing? She looked around and caught a menagerie of varying emotions. One boy looked on the edge of tears and a girl seemed to jump with every footfall. The whispers grew worse.
"Did you see that?"
"That sounded loud. There's nothing that loud in the forest!"
"I swear I saw someone leave the group, should I say something?"

She felt a tug on her shirt, and saw one of her buddies gesture towards Beni, who seemed a little.. tight.
He kept glancing around and seemed rather tense towards the kampers. It was out of character for him. Did someone really leave? The group seemed thinner, and trees seemed bigger and everything was darker. It would be impossible to find someone now.
She shuddered at the thought of being lost.
(401 words)

[kolyakun]

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

[VoidRinkusu]

Hike, start!
Username: VoidRinkusu
Link to roll call post: Link
Link to previous form: No such things as ghosts
Prompt response:

I rolled my shoulders as we started the trek into the woods, my stride displaying confidence that I did not feel. I was closer to the head of the group, most of the campers attending stayed to the rear. Looking back at them, I had to raise a paw to avoid gazing into the setting sun. I could see a few kalons hesitate or leave the group entirely. I could do the same.

No.
Not when I had come this far.

When I heard that odd sound at night, I didn’t have the courage to find it. I had made it halfway there, haunted by paranoia and the feeling of being watched the whole time. I would see the glint of eyes in the distance, but as I turned to look at them, they were gone. Eventually I just broke, heading back to my cabin in a full sprint. I felt like I needed to scream, or laugh, or cry, something, but I didn’t make a sound. I couldn’t. I lay in my bunk staring at the ceiling the whole night, trembling, flashlight in hand. Every noise I heard sounded nightmarish, the laughs or cries of lost souls, the scraping of claws against the door. Something else, too. I couldn’t pinpoint where it came from or what it might have been. I think I was one of the first to try investigating the sound, I saw some other campers leave. I couldn’t pull it together enough to tell them not to go, to warn them.

Well, warn them of what?

Multiple came back saying that the sounds came from racoons or squirrels that they found. It actually fit the description quite well. The clanging sound: a racoon trying to get into a trash can. The scurrying: squirrels just running around. The crunching: I’m pretty sure somebody said that the racoons had gotten a hold of some potato chips. It’s the fourth sound that I’m stuck on. As far as I know, racoons don’t cry out like that. I haven’t heard any birds make that sound, either. What…

Stop

My mind went back to the present, I slowed my breathing and focused on the rhythmic sounds of people walking. No one was talking and it was eerily quiet. I started running through everything I had packed, making a mental checklist and a distraction for myself.

No backpack, travel lightly, make sure you can move freely.
Headlamp, on my head and shining, new batteries.
Snack bar, in back pocket, can’t travel on an empty stomach.
Flashlight, hanging on my belt, new batteries.
Water bottle, other side of belt, filled.
Defense stick, in hands, at the ready.

After feeling so powerless the other night, I wasn’t going into the forest unarmed. No way. So I found a stick strong enough and big enough to pass off as a walking stick. A walk through a forest in the dark was plenty enough reason to use a walking stick, but I mostly had it for comfort. A defense stick. A security stick. The chances of anything trying to attack us was incredibly low, but a scary forest like this reminds you that anything is possible. It helped boost my confidence knowing that I’ll be safe with it, and with the group.
Some kalons here seem to be brave enough to want to go on their own, but I’m just fine with the rest of them. The hikers split themselves in three groups. Those who ran up ahead, eager to be in the forest, most already dispersed among the underbrush. The people in the back, doubting whether it was a wise choice to come or those comforting their friends, not wanting to be the first into the woods. Then there was the group of people brave enough to to go in the lead but kind enough to want to stay with the group and instill courage in the stragglers. We were at the front of the two clusters. The trickle of kals who ran into the forest seemed to have stopped, and you could see that the number of hikers in these groups had barely taken a toll. I looked a few people ahead of myself to see Beni and Iphis. Beni seemed to be humming something to himself. It was nice to know that they aren’t worried.
My heart sank.
On the night of the odd sounds, I got back to my cabin before anyone had noticed that I left and got away with it. It scared me when Iphis announced that all who broke curfew would be removed from the trek. I had thought about it for the rest of the day and felt like an idiot. But it does make sense, after all, I’m not Harry Potter who can get away with breaking rules as long as he’s being brave and trying to help. I was there when they announced curfew, so why did I forget about it so easily? My heart seemed to stop the next morning when I found out that I was still on the list of hikers. I couldn’t bring myself to tell Iphis and Beni that I broke curfew. I remembered how disappointed they looked earlier and just stayed quiet about it.
It seems I had walked fast enough to catch up with them. Beni cast me an encouraging and adventurous smile. It just made me feel like a traitor, a coward.

I’ll tell them during the hike. Before tonight ends. I promised myself.
I’m going to survive this hike, and most importantly, have a good time doing it.

It was my turn to smile as I realised that the confidence in my steps was no longer fake.

[f1owercrown]

Hike, start!
Username: f1owercrown
Link to roll call post: <3
Link to previous form: here!
Prompt response: (featuring Sylvester, Bella, and Pip)

As Iphis read aloud the list of hikers to proceed that day, Dale hands begin to tremble. What he's done that night wasn't tolerable according to the rules, that's for sure, but wasn't what he did for the good of the campers? Had he not taken action on the creature that, how would be describe it, looked like --

"Dale Evans," called Iphis, for a brief moment looking up from his paper before eyeing Dale and proceeding. "Benjamin, Stuart, ..."

A sigh of relief escaped his mouth. It was probably true, then, that no one saw him get down from bed and go outside, and undoubtedly no one saw his note he left for an hour or so before coming back. It was nerve-wracking, he thought, teetering between good and bad, right and wrong. Then again it wasn't like maintaining himself between boundaries was a foreign concept to him. He's experienced worse, definitely, and by now he considered himself a master at getting away with things by the skin of his teeth.

As the two counselors briefed them about the happening for that night-- the hike, mostly, towards the test of courage-- they allowed the campers some free time to pack their things and plan their strategy for the hike. Dale preferred to be alone when it came to competition; he was, after all, an independent learner from the beginning. Besides, Dale's aura proved to be quite intimidating during moments of preparation (for exams, competitions, etc.), so although some approached him for small talk, none had the guts to ask Dale to join their group. Dale never took it personally, really.

He gathered his items for the hike: a compass, a flashlight, a Swiss knife, a first-aid kit, a jug of water, a lighter, extra clothes, some food, and a whistle. While all of his items fit in his bag, it didn't seem very efficient that he'd carry such a huge weight on a night trip. In the event of an attack or ambush, how fast would he run with his backpack? What things would he prioritize in saving? What would he do if he left behind something important afterwards, knowing he's flying solo? He grunted at all the problems starting to form inside his head, and he stood in front of all his items for a good minute or two before his roommate came in.

"Yo, Dale!" His roommate, Sylvester, shouted. "How're you doin'? You ready for the big day-- ah, I mean night?"

"Mmm." Dale muttered, still in contemplation. "Can't decide how to pack these things."

Sylvester's face turned from a smile to a curiosity. "Hmm. You know what you can decide on? Sticking with me for the hike."

Dale unexpectedly turned to Sylvester, trying to hide his annoyance. "I was thinking of just going on my own. You know, like a lone wolf."

"Awooo! A wolf, really, or perhaps a ghost? Hah! Wouldn't that be lonely of you to go on your own?" teased Sylvester. "Besides, you owe me one."

"Owe you?" Dale tilted his head. "I know not of such debt."

"Of course you don't. If you did, it meant I tattled you to the counselors."

"What?"

Sylvester's face turned cautious and serious. "I know you snuck out that night."

Dale's face grew pale cold. He swallowed as the tension began to rise up in the room, causing his hands to sweat. How did Sylvester know he left and not at least mention it the whole day? Dale was certain all his roommates were asleep that night, but Sylvester must've woken up while he was gone and secretly read his message by the door.

"Well! Guess that means I get to stick with you throughout the hike and you can't refuse!" hummed Sylvester, quickly breaking all tension that's been building up since his last statement. Sylvester left the room in a happy tune, off to gather his items for the hike.

Was this blackmail? Dale thought. He barely knew Dale asides from the fact that he was a careless but quite excellent theatre arts student. A few moments of pondering led Dale to come to a conclusion that--

"Bingo!" Sylvester came back, now holding his rather gorgeous silver bag that obviously wasn't for hiking. "You probably figured it out by this point, but I literally had no idea you went out that night. I'm such a heavy sleeper, couldn't you tell? But of course, charms like mine are impossible to read. After all, I'm a theater kid; I can invent things and on occasions they sure can come in handy. Didn't expect you to confess so early about your little excursion the other night, mister smarty parts."

Sylvester's grin annoyed Dale moreso, but he reserved all emotions until the end of the hike. After all, who was Dale to judge Sylvester simply based on this small incident? Maybe Sylvester would come in handy in the trip, actually. Dale could conjure a plan for the both of them to depend on each other but not wholly. After all, Dale was intelligent.

"By the way, these two young women seemed to have their roommates kicked out of the list, so they're coming with us. You don't mind, right? Of course you don't, champ." Sylvester gave a pat on Dale's back and called out the girls. "Bella! Pip!"

Two Kalons entered the room, both laughing at Sylvester's humorous and charming personality. Dale rolled his eyes but still decided to reserve judgement-- there should be something Dale could do to work his way around sticking in a group, rather than hiking on his own.

"Hi, I'm Bella, and this is Pip!" Bella pipped up, introducing them both. Dale saw both women without any bags at hand at the moment.

"Look-- ugh, let's skip the chit chat; we'll be leaving soon." Dale huffed. "What skills can you offer in this hike? There must be something you're good at."

"Bella's a trained medic, if that counts!" Pip said. "As for me, I'm, well, organized, I suppose?"

Dale thought for a moment before continuing. "Fair enough. We'll go together as a group; a 'strength in numbers' type of survival mode."

"Oh, interesting!" Bella said before being nudged by Pip to keep quiet. Sylvester also stood up from where he was positioned packing his bags and started listening in the conversation.

"We'll each bring these things: a compass, a portable weapon of your choice, a jug of water, a lighter, extra clothes, a flashlight, and a whistle. That way, our bags won't be very heavy, and in an unlikely scenario that we all get separated, we can live by our own for the night and hunt for prey if we're hungry. One of us will also bring or be of help of something for the whole team: Bella can carry a complete first aid kit since she's the most experienced in that area, Pip can carry us packed dinners and snacks so she can evenly distribute the items, and I will serve as the leader and the main line of defense in our team."

"What-- what about me?!" Sylvester pouted.

"Oh, you can use your acting skills in case someone suspicious comes up to us. Maybe some weird shadow merchants, or tree ghosts--"

"S-- stop scaring me!"

"Just kidding. But yes, you will have to be the one who calls for help if our group gets in trouble. Consequently, you'll also be the one doing all the talking in the hike too, so we won't get bored. Up to the challenge?" Dale flashed a smirk.

"Well, you did seem like you're praising me way too much, so of course I'm up to it. I can't wait to tell you my life story from when I was born."

The group laughed at Sylvester's comments.

Dale never gave a thought about working as a team, for all his life he was used to planning for just himself. Now, as the situation presented itself, Dale was given a challenge to work as the leader of a team (he assigned his own role, of course), and he felt more in-charge of the situation than ever. He barely knew these people, yet entrusted them to do the jobs they were assigned to do-- he honestly felt less lonelier and less terrified than before, and though it was a foreign concept for him to grasp, it was nice that he could finally rely on others as well and not just himself. He had been so used to getting burnt out by keeping every task to himself, so maybe this first time would teach him even greater things about work relationships. He admitted, he was now very excited to see where everything would lead to once the night was over: his new group, the ultimate test of courage, and what await at the end. Dale more enthusiastic than ever to get it over with, and so were his teammates.

Dale wished all his fear could completely disappear, but the images experienced the other night when he got up and out of the cabin still flashed in his mind from time to time. It was terrifying, to say the least, but he rather not talk about it-- after all, he's got his team to back him up.