[CENTER][B]Zaiden[/B][/CENTER] I examine the new person for a second before checking to make sure the wolf didn't turn back around. It seems clear. I tuck my crossbow back into the strap and nod at him before turning to the others. "We'll need to move soon. Back to the camp. It isn't safe to stay out here long." The 'camp' being a ring of rocks and tall grass at the edge of a large field bordering the forest. It would seem like we are hiding in the open, but it is nearly impossible to see in without being at least five feet from the entrance, and even then you can't see everything until you actually enter. The grass is much too long. It took quite a while to flatten in the middle. There's no need for a roof right now, but when it does rain, I've dug out an area underground where we can camp out. Since we can't sleep, I see no need for beds, but we still do try to 'rest', if you could call it that. It's getting rather late as well, we may need to try soon. Since sleep isn't possible, what we can do is rest our legs for a while and try not to become overworked. We're usually fine, but the lack of sleep is... annoying. I blink, realizing I just zoned out again. Damn it. This [I]is[/I] a bit annoying, but I was thinking practically so I guess it isn't a problem. Then Aimee points out the smoke signal and I look up suddenly. "I'm going to check it out," I inform the others without looking back. Dwyer suddenly runs up to me. "Hey! Wait, you're not just going by yourself, are you? What if this is the guy being chased by the wolf?" I sigh. I don't have time to explain this. "If he has time to make a smoke-signal, he's obviously not being chased now." And I head off into the woods without any further interruptions. I head out in the direction of the signal, occasionally climbing a tree to check my position. It's quite a while a way so I'll be gone a while... Well, I'm sure they'll all be fine. If someone's signalling, I should probably see who it is. It take me quite a while to get there, though luckily most of the animals seem to be gone now... a little odd, but anything could happen here so I'm not too surprised. When I finally do reach the area where the signal is coming from, I look around, hoping to find a human and not... something else. "Hello?" I call. "Anyone here?" ---- [B][CENTER]Dwyer[/B][/CENTER] I quickly run up to the new guy who asked where he was. Once again, Zaiden was failing to provide answers. Did he honestly expect people to pick up on it instantly? That's not really fair. "You're in... um... well I don't know the name, but it's another world. It's pretty messed-up and weird--oh, and don't lose your shoes, alright? I keep stepping on [I]thorns[/I] ugh." I lift up my feet one at a time then to check if anything else is stuck in there. I'm good for now. I've lost a bit of feeling in them by now so it gets harder to tell. "Anyway, I'm Dwyer." I stick out my hand for him to shake. "Welcome!" Then Aimee points out the smoke and Zaiden already has it figured out. Someone's trying to signal other people. At least... that's what it seems like.... I try to get him to think twice before suddenly deciding to check it out. For once I'm the one stopping someone from being impulsive. Huh. Though this isn't really being impulsive, it's just Zaiden being... well, Zaiden. Or this version of Zaiden anyway. I sigh. "But what if it's--"I begin but Zaiden's already gone, disappeared behind the trees. "The deer people..." I sigh, then kick at the dirt. "Uuugh, he's so [I]frustrating[/I] sometimes!" And suddenly, someone else is here. I spin around to greet him. Someone else in formal attire. Hey, look at that, Jace isn't the only one. "Hello! Wow, there sure are a lot of new people today." I say with a grin, then frown, remembering this isn't a get-happy-about-it thing. It's an everyone-is-trapped-here thing and I probably seem like I'm being weird. Well whatever. I [I]am[/I] weird. What of it? "Once again, I'm Dwyer. And I'll let the others introduce themselves." Then I realize that new girl who I brought in with the red-bangs guy has started gardening and I run over to see. "We're leaving the clearing. You should bring some seeds to our real camp. They don't grow fast, but you never know." Then I grin, trying not to worry about Zaiden. I'm distracting myself on purpose, I know, but it's easier this way. Besides, Zaiden's usually fine. ----- [B][CENTER]Alec[/CENTER][/B] I have no idea just what the [I]hell[/I] is going on. I feel kind of light-headed and I'm starting to wonder if I'm actually still wandering the forest back at home, high as a kite because someone... somehow... slipped me something. I mean seriously, how could any of this be real? The trees look like candy-canes. Much more gnarled and cracked and surprisingly detailed for hallucinations... but still. The girl I was with--Ashe--starts gardening, The black-haired trenchcoat guy doesn't seem to be saying much, just staring at things, zoning out and being... unnerving, and the red-head with the faded tye-dye hoodie jumps around from person to person like a bumblebee looking for nectar. And goddamn it, why am I so dizzy? I have to lean back against a tree for a second, trying to regain my composure because I was getting a little wobbly. There's buckets of water in the corner of the clearing, along with a large, dead bird with two more wings than I'm used to seeing birds with. It's all so detailed... I'm starting to think this might be real. Sure, it doesn't [I]feel[/I] real, but it's way too detailed and put-together to be a hallucination or a dream. And then something catches my attention. One of the girls suddenly looks up and mentions something about a fire and I spin around so fast I nearly trip myself, close to panicking. Oh. Okay.... so it's not [I]right behind me[/I] or anything but the idea of a forest fire suddenly springing up is probably the worst thing I could think of happening right now... for me anyway. Damn it, I probably looked like an idiot panicking like that. I try to act like nothing happened. The trenchcoat guy seems to have already deduced that it's likely someone trying to signal, not a huge, horrific forest fire coming to swallow everything up... What is [I]wrong[/I] with me? I never used to be this bad with fire... Then I get a flash of a memory, a huge blaze surrounding me, everything consumed with yellow and orange and thick smoke and-- I blink, taking a deep breath. Stop it. This is stupid, there's nothing happening right now. At least the shorter guy lost the wolf he was running from. I normally like wolves... not so much when they want to eat me, though. In the end I just sigh and try to look like I'm not internally freaking out as much as I am, Great first impression, Alec. Show them you can't handle things. I'm sure that'll get you a welcome place among these people. Or... do I want a place here? Well, it's probably a lot smarter. I can't fight worth a damn, I'd be killed in no time. Somehow that doesn't bother me too much, but I decide to stay here anyway. At least there's other people. Even if they are a little strange (though I'm one to talk, the punk/gothic-looking guy, six-foot-three but with the build of a pair of chopsticks. Yeah, I don't stand out at all. Not like there's a big, red target on my head... oh wait). Okay, out of your head now. I decide to grab Dwyer again for some more confirmation. "So, um... how long have you been here?" I ask once I've got his attention. He hesitates for a second, getting a strange look on his face, like his optimism and happy-go-lucky facade suddenly faded for a second. "Um... I think... two years? Zaiden's been here longer but--" I stare at him. "Two [I]years[/I]?" "Well... yeah. But don't worry! We'll find a way to get out soon." I raise an eyebrow, skeptical. "And what makes you say that?" He pauses, then shrugs, giant grin suddenly back. "Just a feeling, I guess." I sigh. Reassuring. In the end, I just walk back to where I was standing originally and lean against the tree again, closing my eyes for a second, then opening them as if that would make all this go away. Of course, it doesn't. But still... got to try.