Chapter Text
The gentle rustling of the leaves as small animals ran through them, and the babbling brooks always seemed to calm you after a stressful week at work. You were never sure what it was about camping that allured you, after all the bugs were quite the nuisance, but Mount Ebbot always proved to be enchanting enough to keep you coming back.
"Ah shit I really hope I didn't forget my headlamp again, setting up camp is gonna be ass without it".
Sure enough, after a few moments of rummaging the headlamp was nowhere to be found.
"Greatttt, thanks Lora for making me stay late, now I get to set up my camp during sunset." you grumbled as you trekked on.
After a few more minutes of dodging thin tree branches and trying your best not to stumble into briar patches, you finally settled on the perfect spot. Well . . . If a clearing of grass, twigs and pebbles could be considered perfect.
You set down your backpack and began to take out your tarp and sleeping bag. Most people like to camp in big fancy tents and blow-up air mattresses, but that can only be done if you have the money to buy those things and some way to carry them. It didn't bother you too much, backpacking was more freeing in a way. Being closer to nature was a win in your book, or at least that's what you always seemed to remind yourself repeatedly when trying to sleep on the cold hard ground each time.
Having the indent of a rock in your ass in the morning seemed way better than having to listen to your next-door neighbor loudly having sex with his girlfriend behind your bedroom wall. It's not that you minded, I mean hey good for him, but it kept you up all night and made you delirious during the day. It was embarrassing enough to be seen in public without makeup on the weekends, but especially when you were too tired to remember to bring your wallet to pay for your groceries.
A firefly landing on your knee broke your train of thought.
"Hello beautiful." You grinned as the firefly crawled down your leg.
A very simple and warm reminder that you were never alone. Once it flew away you got started on building a fire and making a quick meal before bed. You took out a pack of hotdogs that you'd been trying to get rid of for the last few weeks and cooked a few.
"No ketchup and no buns . . .yum."
You silently ate as quickly as you could so you could stargaze before attempting to sleep. If there is one thing in the world you've always loved most it's the way the night sky glimmers and shines.
Sleep came quickly after your admiration of the stars but proved to be brief when the boom of a thunder cloud awoke you. Startled, you jumped up and rushed to pack any loose items into your backpack. The tarp you had hanging over your sleeping bag was not nearly adequate enough against this storm, so you packed it quickly and ran in search of a cave nearby.
Completely drenched, you managed to find a cave to duck into and maybe set up camp in if the storm refused to dissipate quickly. As you stumbled in the darkness to find a place to set down your backpack, you barely felt the pebble under your foot as you took a step and slipped. To your absolute horror, you were suddenly falling, and it felt endless.
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You woke up atop a pile of leaves feeling as if every inch of your skin was a single bruise. You quickly got up and regretted it instantly.
Your head was thumping, and your vision was blurred and starry.
“Oh fuck I must have hit my head when I fell.”
Wait . . how am I still alive after that fall??
You panicked and searched for any sign you had broken a limb or injured yourself in any dramatic way, but you found nothing significant. Just some small cuts on your legs and scattered bruises. You were thankful to feel your backpack was still on your shoulders. You assumed your backpack helped break your fall and you were suddenly much more thankful to always be carrying so many things.
You realized suddenly that you were standing in what seemed to be ruins of some kind.
“How could these pillars have gotten here?”
Moving towards what seemed to be either an exit or an entrance, you decided to take a chance.
It wasn’t like you had any choice.