The lights of Wyrdweald - Chapter 2: the forest awaits

[-=Lisa=-]

There is something wierd with this whole thing. Our mind keeps wandering, and I feel light as a feather when climbing trees. Plus my surroundings keep changing.  We might have a concussion. Or we're dead, pure and simple...

so...

> Examine me

> do a short run, jump, and try to fly like superman...

[BlueAngel]

There is something wierd with this whole thing. Our mind keeps wandering, and I feel light as a feather when climbing trees. Plus my surroundings keep changing.  We might have a concussion. Or we're dead, pure and simple...

so...

> Examine me

> do a short run, jump, and try to fly like superman...

The thought of us been dead has occurred to me too...

[Wyz]

> Examine me
> do a short run, jump, and try to fly like superman...

> Look at the sun again
> Try to figure out which way the sun is going to set
> Head in the opposite direction, and keep the sun behind you
> March on

You get the feeling things aren't real, maybe you are dead...
You look at yourself, it all looks like you would have expected it to look. You poke and then pinch yourself, it hurts. You take a short run and leap as high as you can. You land with both knees in the soil; luckily it dampened your landing. You look at the sun again, it is high up which tells you it is going to set to the right of you. Something tells you that walking the way back to the road somehow gets you more stuck in the forest every step.

[WHAM]

> March away from the sun, march until sunset begins to seem imminend or your feet give away
   > Or stop if you spot something interestin, that's cool too

[BlueAngel]

And dont forget to listen and...

> Check undergrowth for signs of animal life
> Check undergrowth for edible plants or berries you might identify
> Gather edible plats and berries you might find

...as we walk on.

[Wyz]

> March away from the sun, march until sunset begins to seem imminend or your feet give away
> Or stop if you spot something interestin, that's cool too

> Pay attention to surroundings

You start the old routine again, walking stopping every few steps to check out the surroundings. You give up on marking trees as you want to make progress. Soon the drowsy feeling re-emerges; you hear yourself breathing again and your focus shifts away. You surrounding become a blur of brown and greens and the forest sounds become muffled. You are predetermined to go on, you will not stop until your feet give away. You try to look for anything interesting like signs of animal life or food but you just can't concentrate. The breathing becomes very loud, is it yours? You look behind you, and see nothing then darkness. You feel suddenly very light headed and the last thing you feel is dropping on the moist forest floor.

♦ ♦ ♦

Darkness all around you, your eyes need to adjust. After a while the faint contours of trees become visible. When you look at the sky you can barely make out the moon as it is concealed by clouds. You look around and catch a glimpse of a light in the distance.

[WHAM]

> "I say, that must be the mythical 'lights of Wyrdweald" over there!"
> Sit up, pinch self to ensure wakefulness
> Listen closely, are there any sounds in the direction of the lights?

[BlueAngel]

<Walk to the light. Try to keep track of the moon as you walking to see if you walk in a circle.

[Wyz]

> Walk to the light

You pinch yourself to ensure you are awake; yes you are, the light is not a figment of your imagination. Where there is light there is something interesting you're sure. You start walking in the direction of the light. You look at what little you can make out of the moon and you are heading in the same direction; this light is not moving. It is very dark but you use your umbrella to make sure you don't hit a tree or trip over a tree root. You are making progress because twenty minutes later you can see the light emitting from a glade in the forest. When you finally walk out of the forest corridor and into the openness of the glade you are struck by a combination or surprise and despair. The light is not one light, there are two light less then an arm span apart. They are the head lights of your marred car.

Dun dun dun DUN!

[WHAM]

Well... fuck! I somehow expected the batteries of the car would have given up already. My can usually runs out of battery in under 8 hours if I forget to turn off the lights and then I need to push the damn thing downhill to get it to start again. Maybe it's one of those newfangles hybrid cars that are mostly made out of batteries...

> Curse in a family-friendly manner
> Enter car again and turn off the damn lights
> Take a nap (heck, the car IS a shelter)

[Wyz]

> Curse in a family-friendly manner
> Enter car again and turn off the damn lights
> Take a nap (heck, the car IS a shelter)

"Shoot!" You exhaled and let the frustration settle. You wonder how the battery was able to survive this long and decide to turn off the light and save any energy left. Whilst in your car you figure this would be the perfect shelter anyways and since it is to dark outside to really do anything else you choose to sleep. Although not as comfortable as could be you soon fall asleep.

♦ ♦ ♦

End of chapter 1, I'll write a small recap tomorrow.

[Wyz]

Chapter1 - awakening
You woke up the next morning and slowly the blurry world unlatched and became clear. You were sitting in your car with your seat belt still on, broken glass everywhere as your car had hit a large tree. The gasp of your seat belt was not loosened easily since the locking mechanism was jammed. Your car took a good beating, every window was broken and it did not start anymore when you tried the ignition. You toke whatever useful you could find from your car: car keys, a road map, a first aid kit, a Swiss army knife, and a hand full of toilette paper. The Swiss army knife proved to be useful right away; you pried open the seat belt lock, free at last! As you stepped outside you were filled with new energy, though covered in cuts and bruises you rubbed the glass pieces from your clothes and were ready for some adventure. Though it would end here for your car, a quick peek inside the trunk gave you a roll of duct tape,a length of rope and a umbrella. You hung the first aid kit and the roll from your belt and wore the rope from your shoulder and used the umbrella as walking stick; you couldn't help to think you looked like the worlds silliest hiker, yet you wandered off into the woods.
The tracks, they must lead to civilisation you pondered and so you followed them. The forest was dense and seemed to get denser each step you toke. Every step you grew more tired; it appeared as if the ground was made of gelatin. Yet you continued walking, in a steady even pace, stopping every few steps to listen. Its pattern soon became a routine. Your thoughts wondered off and you were drawn into some sort of trance. The woodland sounds first very clear seem to got muffled every step. The trees around you blurred into one consistent mix of browns and greens. You heard yourself breathing, deep and slow. The car tracks went on and on, as if the car who made them was still driving in front of you. But you were predestined to follow them and find a way out of this weird forest. Even if it toke a lifetime.
You tried all sort of things like climbing in a tree, using your phone (its display was cracked beyond repair from the impact) and marking trees but each time you were drawn into a trance and it was as if the forest did not want to let you go. You got the feeling as if someone was breathing in your neck, and maybe from sheer exhaustion or perhaps reasons you could not comprehend you passed out.
When you regained consciousness it was dark, very dark: you could barely see the moon. You did see a light in the distance and you decided to walk to it. No much later you entered a forest glade and came to the despairing conclusion the light was emitted from the headlights of your own totalled car. You crawled back into it and went for some sleep. The morning would have been the best option anyway.

♦ ♦ ♦

Chapter 2 - the forest awaits
You dreamt of your house, your work, how you use to spend your weekends, but when you woke everything got real.
A sore back and a very dry mouth, itching skin and a moaning stomach, you had just spent the night in your car seat in a weird forest. You realize you have not eaten in many hours. You have given up the quest of following the car tracks, arise a new one: find something to eat.

[WHAM]

Reasoning: we have been trying to go BACK the way WE CAME into the forest. But if we think deeper, what got us to drive into the forest in the first place? Perhaps something is drawing is in a certain direction, to which we headed, in trance, until our car crashed and we were forced to stop. What if we simply go with the flow? Let the forest lead us forward, towards where we were apparently driving in the first place?

Something in there is calling to us, forcing us to approach, never allowing us to leave.

> Step out of the car
> Stretch
> Begin to walk forwards, to where the nose of the car is pointing
  > Keep eyes open for signs of berries, roots or water
  > Listen for the sounds of flowing water

[BlueAngel]

Isn’t it strange that we haven’t seen this forest before as it’s only a few minutes from home?  

>Overcome your disgust of licorice and eat some if it’s not the salted kind and put the bag with the rest in your pocket before going out of the car.

[Wyz]

Sorry, I've been a bit preoccupied lately.

Isn’t it strange that we haven’t seen this forest before as it’s only a few minutes from home?

Yes it is, but... no wait I'm not going to spoil this yet

> Eat some of the licorice, take the bag
> Move from car

You look at the disgusting and half molten goo that was once a proud bag of licorice allsorts. Who knew that storing candy in a car could do that. In spite of the gruesome appearance your hunger makes it almost look appealing. You take a handful; at least it makes your stomach stop making weird noises though the saltiness makes you mouth feel ever dryer. You put the bag with what's left of it in your pocket.
You make your way out of your uncomfortable shelter, stretch for a brief moment and wander back into the forest. This time however you move forward in the direction your car would have gone if it wasn't for that big tree being in its way. You notice how every step you feel more revived, your sore muscles almost don't bother you any more. You take a deep breath and the scent of forest potpourri fills your nose. You continue your hike and not long after that you hear the gurgling sound of a water nearby. It sounds beautiful.
A few minutes later you enter a clearing; a small stream makes its way trough the woods. The water of the brook is as clear as it can be.

[WHAM]

Either the night has worked wonders on our concussion, or my theory on directionality of the forest was correct.

> Wash hands in stream
> Drink water from stream using cupped hands
> Realize you have no need to drink your own urine after all
  > Breathe a sigh of relief and push Bear Gryllis out of your mind

My suggestion on action following a refreshind drink is:
> Follow the water's path downstream, hoping to encounter either a larger body of water or a village/town

[Wyz]

> drink water
> follow stream

You wash your hand in the cool water of the brook. You see yourself reflected in the water; you also wash your face as some blood from small cuts had accumulated on your cheeks. There, looking better already. Next you drink from the water, it is very refreshing and finally that putrid taste in your mouth is washed away.
You are ready to move on, and you head down stream. A few minutes later the ground becomes soggy, apparently the stream ends in marshlands. You opt it is too dangerous to continue this way and head back.

[WHAM]

> Shrug
> Follow river upstream instead

Heck, it's the only landmark we have!