You are Likely to be Eaten by a Grue

[BlizzardeyeWonder]

Well this was a bit of a bind.

Let’s go to the caverns! They all agreed. It’ll be neat! Of course, of course. To be fair, Camilla had fallen under the sway of excitement to go visit some surreal rock formations, a visit they planned some time ago. And again to be fair, the surreal rock formations they’ve seen so far were pretty cool. Still, that didn’t change the fact that they often looked rather similar to one another, which didn’t help navigation.

She’d assumed that the less change in elevation they tangled themselves up in, the better for them. Sure, things would have been a lot worse if they were 20 feet below where they entered, but that didn’t change the fact the fact that being lost is a binary state- you either know where you are, or you don’t. Camilla, for one, had no clue where they were.

The glow of her phone included a frank depiction of the time- 4:55 PM. It was getting worryingly close to when she’d have to leave the caverns to get back home at the time she said she’d get home, and if the group’s current progress was any indication, she may just pass the deadline by an hour. You know, this was partially her fault- she didn’t even bother to try and keep track of the way they came here, so she was kind of part of the problem. Now, identifying and telling apart rocks on a path wasn’t an easy task, but in this case, it may have been necessary, but neglected.

She sighed and pocketed her phone, making a note to fasten that pocket shut. The second last thing she wanted in this situation was to lose her phone, even if there was no connection down here. The very last thing was for the group to get separated- yes, their dumb asses may or may not be lost, but they were lost together. Three heads were better than one too, and maybe three heads can collectively find their way out of these caves so they can pick up Drew’s dog, head home, and maybe get smoothies? Camilla felt like getting a smoothie after this predicament.

“Hey, uh, we don’t have a map, do we?” she asked the group in general. She didn’t recall seeing one, much less picking one up, but maybe a map could set them on the right path- if they could distinguish Big Cave A and Big Cave B. Shoot, isn't that what they've been trying to do for the past while though?

[Primrosette]

So we are DEFINITELY lost. Why didn't we remember to bring a map with us? Maybe I should have been more cautious and careful about this trip to the caverns!

Drew felt like he wanted to scream at his own stupidity at not being a lot smarter about these kind of things. He had been so excited when the three of them had planned this trip together and he had looked forward to seeing what they could have found. They had found some plants and flowers that he had never seen or heard of before here and there. So that part had been worth it. But to get lost? That was so much worse! At least the three of them were close and had not split up like they almost always did in scary horror movies.

"I hate to burst your bubble, Camilla. But no, we don't have a map at all. I should have picked one up before we came here." He said, feeling frustrated with himself and he hoped that Wolf was alright at the kennel. He didn't like leaving his precious dog there for too long and he wanted to give him a walk as soon as possible. "We really didn't do a good job at planning this correctly, did we?" He laughed a little to lighten the mood for the other two but mainly for himself. "We really should have put down some food to track our way back to the entrance. It would have been so much more easier for us to find the right path, huh?"

[Kotorikun]

“Who knows what’s down here. Something could have eaten our track. And then we’d have them behind our backs. Like.... dragons.”

Or some form of mutant bats who will suck the last drop of blood out of you? A lizard had crossed their path earlier so hey, dragons might be closer than you think. Declyn’s tone screamed genuineness but he was trying to distract them and himself from the fact that they might spend a long time in here. Though the thought that something might actually be following them was anything but calming. He was fiddling with a short and thin branch he had picked up earlier which had been in his hand for way too long and continued to play with it mindlessly for that matter while other parts of his brain were at full blast. Especially the what’s the fastest way to get the hell out of here part.

It had all started so well. It was supposed to be a fun and relaxing exploration and part of it was successful, yes. Declyn was glad to be stuck with two people he loved spending time with but this was an ending no one had wished for. Now that it was slowly getting dark outside, the difficulty level of finding a way out increased drastically. He felt like the smallest detail could help them so he kept his eyes on the stony walls. Sometimes he looked up to see if there were any openings that weren't too high up. It was risky. This whole situation was.

"So more food for us." Declyn also had half a bottle of water left and he knew the first thing he was going to do once they were out was go to the bathroom. "I heard if you're lost in the wild you should stay in one place. Does it also apply to caverns?"

[BlizzardeyeWonder]

Nobody had a map? That's too bad.

"It's okay Drew. We're all in this together," she assured, adding a bit of encouragement on- "And we'll all get out of it together, in time for dinner."

With a little smile, Camilla could almost believe her own miniature pep talk- a pep sentence? But dinnertime was as good a motivator as any now. Now, trails. Yes, leaving a trail would have been useful, but Declyn was right that it was an unreliable tactic. Still, they needed some way to remember where they came from and how they'll get back.

Or, they could stay put call for a rescue...

...How were they supposed to call for help again?

"I think staying put would only work if we knew someone was going to come get us out," she noted.

With a sigh, she took another scan of the cavern, and the few tunnels that ran into and out of it. Perhaps, a bit of old fashioned backtracking wouldn't be so bad? The very basics of a rudimentary strategy took hold.

"Alright, which tunnel did we get into this cave by?"

[Primrosette]

Wait, what did Declyn mention dragons? Why do I even care about that?! We all need to get the heck out of these tunnels and I don't want to become a babbling mess over being trapped here forever!

Drew knew that he was going over the top with having these bizarre thoughts and he needed to cool down before he was going to get scared by the possibility of them being lost in these cave for a long time. He didn't say anything to the other two since they seemed to have it together and he felt ashamed that he wouldn't be calmer in a situation like this. He felt like he was uncool in front of his two friends.

"Which tunnel? Uh, I think it was-"

He suddenly heard a noise that sounded rather unusual and he felt a startled scream escaped from his mouth. His heart felt like it was trying to spring out of his chest and his breathing was getting panicky. He reacted a second later by wrapping his arms around Declyn as he was the closest to him and he was clinging onto his best friend out of fear.

"W-W-W-What was that?!" He sputtered nervously.

He was now feeling really, really uncool now.

[Kotorikun]

Declyn jumped at Drew’s scream and felt himself caught off guard when he wrapped his arms around him. Okay, now things were getting spooky. The noise had been quite loud too. It seemed like this was it. This was their end. Goodbye cruel world and anything that had to do with it. Several possibilities were running through his mind: Was it a loose stone that had dropped somewhere? A wild animal? Had it really been as loud as he recalled or had Drew’s voice altered the volume?

Let’s pretend it was just the wind.

“Don’t worry I have–" Declyn freed one arm from Drew’s grip and gave the stick in his hand a little swing. “I have a weapon.”

He looked over at Cam, one glance at Drew, then back at the tunnels. He let out a ragged breath he had been holding in.

".... I have no idea what that was but I'm almost sure we went through the left one. Are you saying we should go back?"

[BlizzardeyeWonder]

The sound was startling, the scream even more so, enough so that Camilla herself found herself grabbing Drew's arm, ready to run for it. However, she rooted her feet into the ground, and took a deep breath in. Peace, Camilla. So, she let go of Drew's arm- but the spikes of noise that had triggered her reaction seemed to echo still, even if they were so much quieter.

Now, what could that noise have been? It didn't really sound like a rock falling, it sounded... almost like howling.

"Relax guys," Camilla tried to assure the sorry group, with a nervous smile. "It... was probably the wind." She wasn't helping, was she?

She wasn't even helping herself, if her shaky breath said anything.

Declyn referred to the left entrance, so Camilla looked that way. It felt familiar, yes. She took a step towards it, away from the group. Perhaps she was risking it, but what else was she to do? She had to get a closer look. So a step it was. Then another. Yes, it felt very familiar.

"I think this is it," she said with a nod. "I'm thinking we could try to retrace our steps. What do you guys think?"

[Primrosette]

Relax.... I feel like I don't even know what that word means anyway and I almost wanted to run away like a cowardly lion. Ha, ha!

Drew was still clinging onto Declyn and he felt like he didn't want to let go of him, his arms were still firmly wrapped around Declyn's waist. If clinging onto his best friend meant that he was safe then so be it. Hopefully this would be the only time that Declyn and Camilla would see him like this. Hopefully.

Drew took a few moments to inhale and exhale to calm his breathing and his heartbeat down. He needed to have a more relaxed mind and not to jump to conclusions all the time. He just wanted to get out of there with the others, get his dog to make a fuss of him to comfort himself and head towards the safety of his home.

"...It.... It was probably just a harmless animal." He was trying to reassure himself and the other two. "I-It's nothing to worry about at all."

Harmless?! Who am I even trying to fool?!

Camilla seemed like she had figured something out about the way they had possibly came from and Drew felt himself nodding his head at her in a frantic gesture. "I definitely think that it would be a good idea to go back and see if that would lead to an exit." He said, still feeling nervous but a little less scared now. "Right, Declyn?"

[Kotorikun]

"Right...." Right?

Declyn tapped the stick against the wall like it would give him the answer they were looking for (which it would not) while he wished he knew exactly what to do (which he did not).

Sigh.

"Cam, wait!" It almost sounded like a whine and he tried to move with Drew’s arm wrapped around him, letting him do whatever as long as it helped him to stay calm. He tugged on Camilla’s shirt and held onto it before they started to take on the seemingly correct path. Let’s be real; it was only a matter of a couple of hours until someone would find them after their families would realize they’re missing in case they didn’t find the exit. Now they just had to watch out for whatever the hell made that noise, not slip into a hole and disappear forever, and stay together.

His steps were cautious but they were progressing at a steady speed.

"Does anyone, uhm, know some good magic spells for my weapon?"

[BlizzardeyeWonder]

Camilla was about to take a step towards the exit that could be their salvation when Declyn grabbed her shirt. Suppressing a sigh, she put an arm around him. Luckily she wasn't so dense as to not bring a flashlight- she set it to a droning glow, enough to illuminate their path ahead, but not too harshly. Actually, it was a bit harsh. Better not point it at any suspicious shadows, then. After a quick test, scanning the tunnel ahead with the flashlight, she placed it back on her belt, as they kept walking through the tunnel.

On second though...

She turned the flashlight back on and pointed it at the branch Declyn held.

"Punish the bad guys in the name of the name of the moon... I think."

Where did she hear that line again? It was from some cartoon she watched an episode of when she was very little. For some reason the incantation stuck with her for a while, but nobody can hold onto a memory perfectly for over a decade.

But did it matter? She finished it off with a soft smile, and continued forward with them, keeping the flashlight in her hand this time. It felt like she was going the right way, but instincts and premonitions could always be deceiving.

A whispering wind seemed to pass them, at one point.

[Primrosette]

Drew could only stare at Declyn and Camilla with a look of bewilderment. Then he realized that they were both trying to make light of the condition that they were in with light-hearted jokes. Drew was now feeling bad for feeling scared of what was happening and he wished that he could put a front on for them. He wanted to be brave himself. But he did not have the backbone for it. He sometimes really wished that he wasn't so cowardly and timid over some things that did not need him to be like that.

"....I think that you would be a great wizard, Declyn. Like in Harry Potter or something like that." He said, trying to keep his voice more calmer and he felt warm just holding onto Declyn as they were walking together. "Or maybe a healer. I could see you as a healer. Cam would be um... uh.... a warrior! She would protect us! And I.... I don't know about myself. Hah...!"