Zaiden

I study him for a second. He seems.... interesting to say the least. Reminds me of Dwyer. He could never take anything seriously. "Right... well, follow--"

And suddenly, I hear a noise. Like a tunneling sound. A shuffle. A shift. It starts off quiet but grows and grows until something suddenly bursts out of the ground and nearly knocks me off my feet. I jump back, readying my crossbow and aiming for its chest. It has smooth, sleek, black skin and beady eyes with large horns and claws as well as a sort of scorpion-like tail. It lashes out at me and I am forced to jump out of the way before I can shoot. I try again, but suddenly, it burrows into the ground again. "Come on!" I call to the guy--Menno, leaping up to grab a tree-branch and pulling myself up. We need cover and this creature doesn't seem the type to climb. I swing my way up and take aim again when it re-surfaces, but it ducks back under again and I miss. Cursing, I grab another bolt and re-load my crossbow--

--But then I notice something. A girl. What? Where did she come from? Whatever. People just keep popping up, don't they? Annoying. "Hey! Take cover!" I call to her, shooting the beast in the side when it tries to go for her. it hisses, then dives back under ground, seemingly unhurt. At least I got a hit in. I don't have that many bolts left. Three it looks like. I should have brought more... oh well. No time to worry about that now. Bigger things to deal with.

---

Dwyer

I look to Ashe. An awesome tree-fort? That would have been amazing! But... Zaiden doesn't like staying in the forest too long. He says it's too dangerous. Pff, what does he know? I've been here two years. You'd think I'd know how to deal with the forest by now. "Well... no... but we do have a camp. it's like a dip in the ground with really long grass all around it and rocks so you can't see it unless you're right at the entrance. There's an underground area too--in case it rains. Though the camp is really just for eating and resting our legs... we can't sleep here. We've tried, but for some reason, sleep never comes."

"Hi again. Look, I am a bit new here but I this place seems a little less the safe. Is there anywhere a bit less open where we could all go? I don't really feel like waiting for one of those creatures to come back and I could make this place from a couple of miles out."

Oh, it's this guy. Formal Wear 2.0. "We've got a camp! As I just told Ashe. It's kind ofmore in the open if you consider fields with long grass open... but it is much safer. There's practically nothing in the field anyway. We just come here to hunt. We can go once Zaiden gets back." I smile, then blink when Lacie comes running in. Not sure what's going on. Not sure I want to ask.

Instead I just look around again, scanning the new people, trying to see who we have now. There's still no real logic behind the people coming here... other than the fact we all tended to want escape. Though I don't know these people's stories, I guess. Still, it's interesting. Oh well, I'm sure it'll all work out. There must be a reason we're in here, right? Why else do all this?

---

Alec

I have no idea what to do. I think about walking up to people, asking questions, then I suddenly second-guess myself and remain exactly as I al. Standing awkwardly in the corner. As usual. Ugh.

So I do what I've always done best. Nothing. Just blend into the background... Okay, well I'm not so good at that part. My hair and my height tend to make me kind of obvious. Maybe I can blend in with that group of trees over there. They seem like a cool crowd.

Aaand I'm being sarcastic again. To myself. In my head. Yeah I'm weird.

In the end, I just find Dwyer again, since he's been here two years... he's got to know something, right?

"So, um... you mentioned we can't sleep here? What else happens... or doesn't happen? Anything important that we should know now before it happens and completely freaks us all out?"

Dwyer turns to me and considers this for a second. "Oh! Well, sometimes we wake up in a strange lab-like place with scientists or something all around us taking notes. We can sleep then, and we always do because it gets... overwhelming. Sometimes people go missing too, but they usually come back. Zaiden went missing once... he hasn't really been the same since."

....

"Well that sounds lovely," I comment, trying not to panic. Just what the hell do these people want with us, then? Why are we here? How can someone who's been here two years still know nothing? It's so... bizarre. Like a dream but... not.

I don't know what else to say. What can I? In the end, all I can think to do is remain perfectly silent and hope none of that happens right off the bat. I wish I had my guitar. Music always helps in stressful and confusing situations....

Menno

Damn it all! Just as I extinguished the flames by covering it with dirt, some kind of monster has been drawn to the fire. And almost immediately after this guy found me! I was afraid something like this might happen.
‘’Come on!’’ The guy-whose-name-I-do-not-yet-know says. I quickly look around for a nearby tree and deftly climb into it to observe this… thing… Is this a giant mutated scorpion or something..? I look at the other guy, who also climbed into a tree a few meters distanced from me. The guy is holding a crossbow in his hands as he fires arrows at the creature. Huh. He must be used to fighting things like this one, to be carrying around a weapon like that.

My thoughts are interrupted when I hear the guy yell at someone: ‘’Hey! Take cover!’’
I look up and see a girl in the distance crawling around the bushes. And It seems that creature has seen her as well.
I didn’t think. I acted. In seconds I leap down the tree and dash to the girl. I had no concern for what she was even doing there, or looking for. Being almost 6 feet tall I pick her up with ease with one arm around her waist, as I grab a nearby branch with my other one, and lift us up to safety.

Now that we’re up the tree, I am overcome by a feeling of awkwardness… to be holding a girl I do not know… then climbing into a tree like I’m a gorilla or something… I quickly let go of her as soon as she takes hold of a branch or the trunk, and proceed to jump down the tree again without a word. Mostly to avoid eye contact.
I then run past the creature and avoid its pincers as they attempted to strike me. I head to the other guy and climb into the tree he’s in.

‘’Looks like we’re in trouble. I wouldn’t fire your remaining arrows yet if I were you. I have a plan…
As I ran past.. 'that'’’ I nod at the creature down below, meandering around the tree we’re in. ‘’…I believe I saw a weak spot. The back of its head, in its neck. It might be hard to hit due to its relative shortness, but it’s the best spot to try and shoot at. …All we need is for that thing to turn its back to us before you can hit it.’’
I scratch the back of my head and think.

‘’Leave that to me.’’
Before waiting for him to agree, I jump down a tree for the third time in the past 2-3 minutes and confront the creature. I pick up a pine cone – my oldest trick here – and throw it at that creature’s forehead. The creature swiftly dodges it with a movement with its head and then charges towards me. I run away into the forest and begin running in large circles. Each time the beast pauses and decides to walk back to the other 2 people, I throw another pine cone at it to draw its attention to me. Good thing that this creature is much slower than the canine. This run and hit process continues for what seems like 2 minutes, all the while the guy in the tree is attempting to hit the spot. The first time misses and the arrow hits a trunk. The second time the arrow deflects from the creature’s tail. The guy in the tree is careful with the last arrow, as he can’t afford to waste it. Therefore, it seems like he hesitates for ages to shoot it. After running and throwing pine cone upon pine cone, I am getting impatient and so is that guy in the tree, I must assume. I shout at him. ‘’What are you waiting for!? Shoot! Shoot! Shooooot!!!’’ And before the creature can turn around, the arrow flies from the crossbow’s string and…

*TWOK*

The arrow hits its mark!
The creature shrieks and rolls over, briefly curling up. Then it flees headlong off back into the forests. It couldn't kill it, but at least the arrow drove the thing away.
I breathe heavily as I lean forward with the hands on my knees. Without looking up at either the guy or the girl, I raise my left hand and give them a thumb up signal.

.