Lakeside Camping

Jax quickly reached the edge of the clearing once he started on his trip towards the lake to the south. A wall of trees seemed to sprout up to the sky, leaving only the slightest bit of sunlight to shine through. Although each trunk was separated by nearly 25 feet or so, the trees leafy branches interlocked to create a web of wood and leaves.

Remembering back to various survival shows that he had watched in the past, Jax began marking trees with his kitchen knife, allowing himself to track his way back to the clearing. Continuing on, while marking every other tree, Jax observed his surroundings. The forest looked untouched, as if Jax was the first creature to ever traverse its expanse. The shade provided by the trees helped keep Jax cool from the intense sunny day he had felt earlier. A slight breeze rustled the branches above, creating a small rattling noise, and sending small leaves fluttering past Jax. This peace and serenity seemed as though nothing could possibly go wrong in a place such as this.

But that was what worried Jax the most. After all, everyone he had asked all said the same thing about Mitte. It was dangerous. That the animals were extremely territorial, not allowing any to trespass, and that even the smallest rodent here could kill a grown grizzly bear back on Earth. Yet there was nothing but peace around Jax. No birds chirping, no squirrels scurrying, and no creatures howling in the distance. The lack of these unnerved Jax.

Was Mitte not as dangerous as people had said? No, then it wouldn't make sense why it wasn't colonized. Did the animals migrate and this was just a region left behind? But everyone said that the creatures were highly territorial, they wouldn't just abandon land that they claimed.

Jax could not come to a satisfying answer to this question. Nevertheless, he maintained his guard, hoping that this serenity could last the entire time. Walking through the forest, Jax spotted something shimmering out of the corner of his eye. Focusing closer on the shimmering, Jax spotted the lake sneaking through the trees. He had gone a little west of the lake on his trek and would have completely passed it had he not been paying attention. Beelining for the water, Jax made very superficial marks on trees, much shallower than before.

Coming to a small rocky beach past the forest, Jax looked out onto the lake expanding before him. Its crystal clear waters shimmered in the daylight, giving it a small reflection across the surface. Jax carefully stuck a finger in to test the water. It felt cool. Failing to resist the urge, Jax hesitantly took a handful of the clear water and drank from it. It was fresh, much better than the cheap distilled water he was used to. Now addicted, Jax began to madly drink his fill from the lake, as he was feeling extremely dehydrated from earlier.

Having quenched his thirst, Jax wiped his mouth before looking back out at the lake. The rocky shore he was on continued for around half the lake, before being cut off to the east by a river. The river seemed not too large, and fairly slow, so Jax had no worries about crossing it later. Past the river, the shore became a rocky slope that led into a great singular mountain. Jax could only crane his neck up to see that the peak had pierced the clouds above, many miles above. The forest had been so thick earlier that Jax was unable to see such a huge mountain.

Turning his head towards the lake, Jax tried to see if he could spot any fish. Searching as hard as he could, Jax could not see any in the shallower areas, despite the clear water. The deeper areas were nothing but a rich blue, not revealing how deep this lake actually reached. Giving one more glace over the shore and lake, Jax decided that this was the perfect place

Unwilling to leave, Jax tore himself away from the lake and began making his trek back to the clearing. Following the marks he made earlier, Jax steadily walked back to the clearing, making sure not to take any detours. He could have traveled on a straighter course back, but Jax didn't want to risk losing his way, and not being able to find the lake or the clearing.

Stepping through the forest back into the clearing, Jax regathered his gear. Looking up, Jax could see that it was well past midday and that the sun would set in a few hours. Deciding that he wouldn't have time to make a shelter, Jax cleared out the card game container and filled it with his gear. He also returned to the furniture to take some cushions to sleep on, as well as a chair for sitting by the lake. Giving one more look over, the books from earlier caught his eye again. Grabbing a few as fire starters, Jax turned on the barely functioning grav-kit of the container and began moving it slowly through the forest.

The time it took to not only track his way back to the lake, but also move the container with him was almost double when compared to his first trip. By the time Jax reached the lake again, the sun was sitting fairly low, and it would only be another hour before it set completely. Pushing the container into position on the rocky shore, Jax disabled the grav-kit and began quickly organizing his gear. Once everything was set the way he wanted, Jax went to the edge of the forest for some branches to start a small fire. Returning back to his new campsite, Jax set up a small wood teepee, before stuffing the bottom with ripped pages from the books. Using the lighter he had found, Jax started a small blaze on the rocky shore, then began stripping to bathe in the cool waters. The refreshing waters seemed to wash away all the grime and pain from his body. He sat by the fire, drying off before opening the drawstring backpack to look at his dinner options.

"Riakra cheese crackers, chocolate cookies, Iona nut bars, or thorn pear lollipops..." Jax muttered.

None were all that filling, so Jax decided just to indulge himself, leaving only one nut bar left for breakfast. His food issue would have to be future Jax's problem.

With the sun beginning to set, Jax put out the fire using the lake water, causing steam to rise up, and began preparing to sleep. Making sure everything was in the container and that his bed was made, Jax watched the sunset before closing the door and laying down to sleep. This was a well-deserved rest, especially after the long struggle he had this past day.

Resting on the makeshift cushion bed, Jax closed his eyes, waiting for sleep to take him. All around him the peace of nature helped lull him to sleep. The quiet howl of a breeze going by, the rattle of leaves in trees, the small waves lapping against the shore, the rhythmic flapping in the distance all helped his sense of tranquility.

"Flapping?" Jax whispered in confusion. "Flapping?!" Jax cried out.

Something was flapping in the distance.

And coming closer.