Eris Cloverton

Bright and sunny, there was a gentle breeze flowing through the town of Arrow Oak. There was a very subtle chill in the air, the first traces of fall. Eris honestly couldn’t picture better weather for today. She was packing the last of her supplies into her car, double checking to make sure she wasn’t missing anything. It had been a while since she’d been camping, and she was excited to catch up with her friends. Once sure she wasn’t missing anything, Eris started on her way to the campsite to meet the other’s there. It was a bit of a drive, out of the town and into the surrounding woods.

It wasn’t too often anymore Eris got out of town. While she had a garden and many houseplants to satisfy her love for nature on a daily basis, it was extremely refreshing to be away from the town and fully immersed in the natural world. It was hard to explain, but there was just something about being out in the forest that felt so welcoming to her, like she was at home. She parked her car in the small parking lot near the trailheads, deciding she would wait there for her friends before venturing into the woods. Leaning against the trunk of her car, she sipped some tea from her thermos.

Ella lay on the grass on top of a small hill, she was staring at the sun and watching fluffy clouds in the azure blye sky. Sheep, turtles, dragons, bunnies were floating by and they seemed to greet her. Today seemed to be a great day to have fun! The red-haired young woman stood up and looked at her silhouette she left behind in the flattened grass. "That was such a cosy spot to lay on", she thought and she smiled with gratitude. Then Ella picked up her small backpack and put it on. She carried her red backpack with her at all times.

Ella looked into the distance and there she saw the forest she planned to be in a little while. Next to a nearby tree was her unlocked bicycle, Ella picked it up and hopped on it's sadle. She ringed the bell a few times and rode downwards off the hill towards the forest. Ella loved to whistle while bicycling and she would whistle to any bird she'd see. After a few minutes the hill was behind her and Ella was halfway to the forest already.

Today was a beautiful day, and the first signs of fall were showing themselves. Bella stepped out her front door with some supplies in hand for camping and stopped on the porch. Closing her eyes, she took in a deep breath as the breeze caressed her face. Opening her eyes, she looked to her right and down at Killian, who had some supplies in his mouth. “This is a perfect day to go camping. Don’t you think, Killian?” she asked the wolf-dog. Killian’s tail wagged, and he gave a bark behind the supplies he was helping Bella carry. She smiled down at him before heading to her car and putting everything in the already opened trunk, then turned to Killian to take what he had and put it in the trunk also, but he ended up doing that himself. Jumping up and placing his front paws on the bumper, he dropped what he had into the trunk, then jumped down. “Thank you, my good boy.” she cooed as she reached over and scratched his head. “Let’s go get the rest and make sure we haven’t forgotten anything.”

With a bark and a wag of his tail, Killian ran back to the front door with Bella behind him. She watched him disappear into the house with a smile on her face, only to see him reappear in the doorway a moment later, just before she could reach the first step of the porch. She stopped and laughed as she looked at him standing in the doorway with his tail wagging and his blue ball in his mouth. “We definitely can’t forget that.” she laughed. Making her way up the steps, she walked inside, scratching Killian's head as she slid by him. Once inside, she went to her bedroom and scanned it to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything she may need or wanted to take with her. Walking to the head of her bed, she grabbed the necklace that was hanging on the bedpost, then slid it over her head to rest around her neck. The necklace was a silver chain with an anchor of silver and gold, a silver and a gold feather, and a wolf made from Lapis.

Bella then headed to the kitchen, grabbed her water bottle off the counter and Killian’s little travel bag. Heading back to the living room, she stopped to scan the room for anything that hadn’t made it to the car other than the cooler, her jacket, and Killian’s harness. Walking over to the cooler, she sat her water bottle and Killian’s travel bag on it, then grabbed his harness off a hook by the front door. As soon as he saw it, his tail wagged wildly, and he made his way over to her for her to put it on him. “That’s my good boy.” she said warmly as she knelt down. After getting his harness on, she stood, extended the handle on the cooler, grabbed her water bottle, her jacket off a hook by the front door, and headed back out to the car with Killian in tow. She opened the back door of her car, slid on her jacket, and put Killian’s travel bag in the back seat and her water bottle in the cupholder up front, then put the cooler in the truck before closing it. Walking back to the back door, she closed it and walked to the driver's door.

“Looks like that’s everything.” she said as she opened the driver’s door. As soon as the door opened, Killian jumped in and made his way over to the passenger's side, and she laughed as she looked in. “Let me go lock up and we’ll be ready to go.” she told him. “I also hope you’ve done your business. It’s a long drive there.” Killian dropped his ball into the seat and gave a bark as Bella turned from the car and walked back to the house. Killian took this time to get out and do his thing before jumping back into the car and getting back into the passenger’s seat. After locking up the house and getting back to the car, she started it and started the long drive to the campsite. It felt like it had been forever since she had been out of town. It felt great to get the chance to get back out into nature. Once she arrived, she parked her car next to Eris’s car, killed the engine, and got out with Killian after attaching his leash to his harness. “Hey, Eris! Long time no see!” she greeted Eris warmly as she shoved her keys into her jacket pocket.

The chill in the air didn't bother Zephyr, a nice side effect of his gift. He had taken a few days off work for this trip. Normally he'd much rather use his time off to catch up on his massive backlog of video games he had to get through. But he never could say no to Eris and her desire for adventure, and as much as camping may not be his ideal vacation it would be nice to catch up Eris and the others.

He had spent the day making sure he had everything he would need for roughing it in the woods. Most importantly was a self inflating air mattress, Zephyr had slept on the floor of a tent with only a sleeping bag before and never again would he subject himself to that. His back got a little sore just thinking of it. Once he was satisfied he had packed all the creature comforts he would need he got in his car and started a drive to the campsite, listening to an old favourite episode of a podcast he loved.

He got to the spot and despite priding himself on being early to most things he found he was the third of four to get there. Oh well, at least he wasn't last. He got out of his car and stretched, despite not minding the long drive he still felt sore after sitting and basically not moving for a long while. "Heya girls, long time no see." he casually walked over to them, still stretching his arms over his head.

Eris Cloverton

"Hey, Mara!" Eris greeted her friend, grinning. "And, of course, hi Killian." It had been a long time since she had seen either of them. Last time she could recall was at Killian's last vet appointment, so it definitely had been too long since they got to hang out. Eris had friends of all kinds but she always felt it was neat that she and Marabella were so similarly gifted. After all, anyone who was a friend to animals was a friend to Eris. "How have you guys been?" Opening up the trunk of her car, she looked through her things and pulled out a little bag. "Would Killian like a treat?" Eris always had some on hand.

It wasn't too much longer before others showed up, which Eris was glad for because she was ready to get out deeper into the woods. "Zephyr!" She said excitedly, happy to see her best friend there. Though she knew that Zephyr wasn't too big on things like this but she also knew it wouldn't be the same without him there. "I'm so glad you came. I forgot my matches for the campfire." she joked, nudging her friend with her elbow. "Kidding. But seriously, I'm happy you're here. We don't get to hang out enough anymore."

"So there are a few different paths we can take. I've only hiked one of them, a few months ago to get an idea of the area but that just means more opportunity for adventure." What fun would this be without a little adventure, right? Something about the forest always invoked Eris' curiosity and explorative nature. Where would the paths lead? What sights would be seen or plants or animals found? She just had to find out. One time, as a teen she'd hiked off trail letting nothing but the wildlife guide her. Animals knew where all the real treasures of the forest could be found, after all.

Bella smiled warmly at Eris as she greeted her and Killian in return. It even made her smile more as she used one of her nicknames instead of calling her by her full name. It felt like it had been ages since she had last seen her, which was Killian’s last vet appointment. She and Killian made their way to the back of the car, and she shrugged at Eris’s question. “Eh, we’ve been alright. Nothing too much to complain about.” she said with a small laugh. They both watched as Eris made her way to her truck and pulled out a small bag, then Bella laughed at her question and looked down at Killian. Killian barked in response as his tail was wagging wildly and his tongue hung out of his mouth happily. “What a question to ask.” she laughed. “This guy would eat treats all day if I let him.” Killian made his way over to Eris and sat down in front of her with his tail still wagging as he looked up at her. Bella then leaned herself against the trunk of her car with her arms crossed over her chest as she watched Eris and Killian as they waited for the others.

When she heard a car approach, she looked up and watched as the car came and parked. A warm smile came to her lips as she saw who stepped out of the car and stretched before greeting them. She listened as Eris spoke to him first and couldn’t help the laugh that escaped her at the joke she threw out. “Hey Zephyr!” she greeted in return. “Glad you could join us.” She really was glad that he could join them, even though she knew he wasn’t big on things like this. Not to mention, it wouldn’t be the same if they all weren’t there together. When Zephyr made it to them, Killian turned his attention away from Eris and to Zephyr. Killian gave a small whine and nudged Zephyr’s leg with his nose as a greeting, his tail still wagging happily.

As Eris spoke about different paths they could take, a look of thought overtook Bella's features. She had no problem taking a path that was less traveled, but that could be because she loved to be out in nature and go where it led her most of the time. “You know me, I’m always up for a good adventure.” she said, the excitement showing in her tone and a sparkle in her eyes. “So, you pretty much know what my vote is for. And if we end up getting lost, it's not like we don’t have a way of asking for directions.” she added the last bit with a laugh and smirk. Bella then reached over and gave Killian a scratch behind his right ear before looking back at Eris and Zephyr to see what path they would want to take.

“Are you sure you don’t need me to hang back?” Conan asked Johanna, the owner and proprietor of Red Boar Apothecary. “Go, you’ve got a big change on the horizon, and this trip will be good for you.” Was her response as she ushered him out the back door. Johanna was kind enough to let Conan borrow the company car. It was a nice dual cab Ute. With Red Boar Apothecary brazenly stamped all over it. It was mainly used for house call readings that Johanna did for some of the store’s older clients. Johanna had lent it to Conan since his car wouldn’t have enough space for his camping supplies. “You are always so vague.” Conan said as he climbed into the driver’s seat. “It’s good for business,” was her response.
With that, Conan drove off. Pulling a herbal cigarette from his pocket, he lowered the Sun visor to keep the Sun out of his eyes, he saw the note taped on the back of it that read “no smoking.” Conan smirked and put the cigarette back into its case.

Before long, he was pulling up at the camp site. As he stepped out of the car, he raised a herbal cigarette to his lips, and it seemingly lit itself. Taking a drag as he closed the door of the Ute he turned to his old friends. “Sorry I’m late.”

"WHOOOOAAAAAAAAAAH!", and there she was, laying down on her bum. The wet sand slowed her crash, because instead of making a speedy fall, her bicycle shifted sidewards and made sure Ella fell on the grass. The quick crash dizzied Ella and stars were floating around her head like in animated cartoon series. "wow... dang, that could've ended very different for me", she sighed deeply and she took a deep breath in all the way to her toes and slowly and steadily breathed it all out.

What happened? She had drowned away into thoughts as she was riding down the hill just before. Ella was dreaming about how long it had been since the last good rain shower there had been. And she dreamed about how good it would be to feel the fresh rain on her skin and in her hair. Mmmm.. how she longed for some nice raindrops. For no obvious reason her focus was completely with the rain somehow. Then suddenly Ella woke out of her dream and noticed she was riding on the edge of the bicycle trail. The sun was hitting warm beams at her and blinded her shortly. The bicycle moved uncontrollable and seemed to go off the trail.. For a moment Ella thought she would hit the tree she was heading to.
In a blink of an eye she remembered her dream and it looked like the ground in front of her changed it's humidity. The bicycle rode over that peculiar piece of road and made a quick shift sidewards, making sure Ella got thrown off of it. Luckily Ella landed in the grass and on her bum.

Ella had quickly revisited her bicycle crash in her mind and she carefully looked around to see where she was. Her backpack was still on her back, "Thank god!", she thought. She wondered how the ground had quickly changed from dry ground to wet mud. Was she responsible for that or was she still dreaming? Ella took another deep breath in and out. Then she looked even better and saw a few silhouettes around her.
"Ahhh.. hey there.. I'm a bit dizzy, but I'm okay", she spoke calmly while she was suddenly feeling very happy she had landed safely, "Have you seen my bicycle?"

Eris Cloverton
Eris grinned wide at Marabella's response. "Alright, that's two votes for adventure! Three, actually, if you count Killian and of course we do." She walked over to the information board a few feet away to get a better look at the trails available to them. It was as she was doing this that Conan arrived. "No, you're right on time actually." She said. "We are just starting to think about which trail to take." The trail she had taken before was one of the shorter ones that looped back around to the parking lot, but she did of course take a few self guided detours. While it was okay for her little hike, they would definitely want to be somewhere a little more remote for their trip, which would mean a little longer of a walk. Now that it was fall and it was a bit chillier, and kids were back in school, it luckily meant it shouldn't be too busy anyways though.

"I'm thinking maybe this one." She said, pointing to the map. "I remember there were some pretty nice clearings that would be a great place to set up. It also looks like it goes by the lake at some point and that sounds pretty neat. Too bad it's not warmer." Even if swimming wasn't an option, the lake would have some really cool views she bet.

This was interrupted by the loud and sudden noise of the bicycle crash. "Oh my gosh!" Eris had only caught a glimpse of what had happened but that was really wild. She was just glad that Ella was alright, that could've been bad. Ah, so glad I brought a first aid kit. Eris thought to herself.

Zephyr rolled his eyes so hard he thought it might have been audible, while he wasn't thrilled about his gift there was nothing he could do to stop Eris from making jokes, and she had been making them ever since he told her about it years ago. Killian nudged his leg and Zephyr started rubbing his head, "and hello to you too Killian, the best boy in all the land." Zephyr was generally more a cat person, but he liked dogs just fine, and Killian was indeed a very good boy. "To answer your question Eris, you know how I feel about adventure. And I know how you feel about it, I doubt I'll be convincing anyone of taking some boring path."

Conan got there as Eris was choosing a path for them to take, Zephyr gave him a nod, "sup Conan?" He heard Eris mention it being too cold to swim and Zephyr scoffed, "not warm enough to swim? That sounds like quitter talk. I brought my bathing suit and I intend to use it." Of course he had an unfair advantage because of his gift, but the sentiment still stood.

Before he could get a reply about the swimming Ella nearly crashed in to them with her bike. She landed and her bike skidded a bit away, Zephyr grabbed it and walked it over to her, "you alright Ella?"

Conan unzipped a bag from the tray of the Ute and fished around. Seemingly looking at something. Finding it, he produced a lawn dart. Turned to the information board, closed his eyes, and threw it. Narrowly missing his childhood friend. “Seems like a good a way as any to pick a path.” He said walking up to inspect where the dart had lodged in the wooden board. Tapping Eris on the shoulder. “Sorry, bud.” He held a peace sign to Zephyr when he was greeted.

"you alright Ella?", came from a voice near Ella. She looked around and saw a couple of people near her. "Ahhh.. hey there.. I'm a bit dizzy, but I'm okay", she spoke calmly while she was suddenly feeling very happy she had landed safely, "Have you seen my bicycle?"
Ella closed her eyes and took a deep breath in and out and sighed. "Phhheew, I think I've had enough adventure for today already, hahaha!" she laughed. Ella got on her knees, then her foot and she took another deep breath in and out. She didn't feel dizzy at all. She smiled at her friends and made a gesture for a group hug.

Bella fell silent after giving her two cents on what she’d like to do and then sat on the hood of her car watching the others. A smile came to her lips as Zephyr spoke to Killian and rubbed his head. Her smile grew at Eris’s response. It was almost funny how alike they were when it came to certain things. Her attention soon turned to the approaching car, and she waved to Conan when he got out of the car. She was about to comment, but Eris beat her to it so she just stuck with her wave to him. She turned back to Eris as she continued about what path they should take and nodded in agreement to her comment on the weather not being warmer. If they were going to be that close to the lake, it’d be nice to go for a swim without freezing. Zephyr’s words pulled from her thoughts and they caused her to laugh out loud. Of course, the cold water wouldn’t bother him.

Bella jumped up from the hood of her car when Ella crashed her bike not far from them. At the same time, Conan had thrown the lawn dart at the information board, causing her to jump with a gasp and freeze on the spot. The sudden appearance of it startled her, collecting herself by taking in a breath and slowly letting it out. She looked over at Ella as Conan spoke. She took a step towards Ella but stopped when Zephyr stepped over to her first, though that didn’t stop Killian from prancing over. Once Ella was on her feet, Killian sniffed her as if checking to see if she really was alright. “You sure you’re alright Ella? That was some crash.” she said in a concerned tone that also showed in her eyes. As she waited for a response, she took a couple of more steps towards Ella, genuinely worried she may have injured herself in the crash.

"Really I am fine, my eyesight is just a little blurry and I am not even dizzy", Ella answered to Bella, "however I would really like to be held.. How about a hug?" Then she looked down at her clothes and noticed her muddy jeans, which made her think again about how suddenly the ground had become wet and prevented Ella to crash into the tree. "Did you also notice how the ground just changed out of nowhere?", Ella gasped, like she had only now realised what had really happened. Her face became all white and her body felt weak. Ella walked towards a mall tree stump near her friend, sat down and put her hands beneath her chin. She took a deap breath in and out.

She looked at her friends and wondered if her friends also saw what happened. Now she was looking around to find her bicycle, she looked up at her friends and asked if they have seen her bike. Ella realised she was filled with questions and had a feeling this would become an even more interesting day than it had already become.

"I would really love some water, can someone bring me my backpack, please?" she asked with a very dry mouth.

It was a double surprise when the dart was thrown, and Eris chuckled even though her heart was pounding. "It's alright, no harm no foul." She told Conan, before turning her attention back to Ella. "Yeah that was pretty strange." Eris agreed about the ground shifting. Very strange it was indeed. "I know it rained a few days ago. Maybe there's still a few muddy areas?" Perhaps the ground had been muddy all along. But even being the one to suggest it, Eris knew to be skeptical. Arrow Oak & the surrounding area was known for weird and strange happenings, this was probably just one of them. Hopefully, they didn't have any more accidents while they were out there. She picked up Ella's backpack off the ground and brought it over to her. "Here you are. I have a first aid kit in my car if it turns out you need it."

"Well, we're really in no rush. Why don't we all take a minute to calm down and maybe start unpacking our cars." Well, those of them who brought cars anyways. Turning her attention back to Conan, "So what's the word on the dart?" She had been so preoccupied with everything else going on she had forgotten to get a good look. She walked over to discuss with him further, figuring most people had already chimed in and anyone who hadn't yet was still welcome to.

Once the location had been decided, she went to unpack her own things from her car. Nothing too burdensome, but Eris came well prepared. "Hope you all are ready for the best camping trip ever." She told her friends, smiling. "Everybody ready?"

Bella looked over at Ella with a raised eyebrow as she spoke. The fall looked like it was pretty good and she just wanted to make sure her friend really was okay. A soft smile came to her lips as Ella said she’d really like to be held and asked for a hug. She saw no harm in a hug even if Ella was covered in a bit of mud, she hopped off her car and started to make her way over. “Yes, I noticed it as well. Though I was thinking it was still muddy from the rain we had a few days ago.” she said after Eris had spoken. Bella walked over to Ella and knelt in front of her as she sat on the tree stump, then Killian came and sat next to her. She looked over her shoulder as Eris brought over the backpack and handed it to Ella. “You going to be okay? I can see you have lots of questions running through your head right now.” she said to her. Her focus was on Ella at that moment and she didn’t really hear what Eris had said next.

“Just drink some water and try to calm yourself. I’m sure there is a reasonable explanation on the ground suddenly changing.” Bella told Ella. Killian then inched forward and placed his head on Ella’s lap with a small whine as he looked up at her. Bella smiled over at him and placed a hand on his head and scratched it. “You’re such a good boy.” she said softly. Her gaze shifted back to Ella as she waited for her response. She then heard Eris ask if they were ready, she would be once she knew Ella had collected herself and had gotten her things from her car, which wasn’t all that much.

Eris Cloverton

Once everybody was ready to go, Eris led the way to the trail. It would be a good bit of a walk before they would reach a good spot to set up but honestly, Eris saw no problem in that. They were also taking it a little slower at first for Ella, after her fall. She could spend countless hours out here and never get sick of it. Something about it just felt like a second home to her. Walking with her friends, it was a good opportunity to catch up and chat. Birds would fly by, or little chipmunks and the like would occasionally come up to them on their trail.

"Aw, and hello to you too!" Eris would say, giving the animal a little wave. Sometimes she would toss a little treat for them and they would take it and scamper off into the woods.

The further in they got the more it felt like the forest closed in around them. At a certain point, looking back you could barely even tell where they came from. Surrounded by tall trees, many covered in moss and bushy plants of various kinds, the further in they got the more unique the plant life seemed. Some trees seemed to big to be possible, others grew in odd formations. Berry bushes, and colors of leaves and flowers she had never seen before. Sunlight peeked through the trees, illuminating the nature around them in a way that things seemed more vibrant than Eris had ever seen it. At one point, she stopped just to take it all in.

"Wow," She said breathlessly. "It's really beautiful out here today."

Ella stopped right next to Eris and she nodded. "Yes, this is such a beautiful piece of art," she added to Eris' comment. She stretched out her arms above her head and put her hands behind her head as if she was leaning on the air. Sunlight beamed on her face and she closed her eyes to enjoy the warmth and care of the sun's beams.

She could hear birds chirp, small animals move on top of branches of the tall trees surrounding her and her friends. She took a deep breath to take all the fresh energy in, opened her eyes and she blew it out all at once. "This is definitely one of my favourite moments in life," she spoke and she did as if she validated this in her imaginary bucketlist.

She grabbed her small backpack and took out her bottle which was filled to the brim with water. She took a sip from it and she wondered if they would find a fresh stream where she could fill her bottle with fresh water.

After taking a moment to take in the natural beauty around them, and take a small rest, they continued on their way. Though it didn't really concern her, because Eris loved this kind of thing, it almost seemed like they had gone off trail at certain points. If she were by herself, then Eris would probably not have even paid attention to the passing time. But with her friends to keep her somewhat grounded, at a certain point she got concerned because it seemed like they had been walking for far too long. "Huh, shouldn't we be there already?" She wondered aloud, walking alongside her friends. And then, as if the world around them had been listening in, they suddenly found themselves walking upon a fair sized clearing, a lake could be seen in the distance on the other side of it, and at the opposite edge of the lake across from them the dense forest picked up once more.

"Oh. I guess we are...?" Eris said. She looked down at her watch to check the time, to see how long they had to set up before it got dark out. To her great surprise, it had not been nearly as long as she'd thought. It had only been about 45 minutes since they'd left the parking lot, according to her watch. But...that couldn't be right. She was sure they had to be several miles into the forest at this point.

"Does anyone else have the time? I think my watch is off..."