[center][color=de2f46][h1]Aubrey Hughes[/h1][/color][/center] [@Platinum Cobra] [@alexfangtalon] [i][color=00aeef]"Another...what do you mean another?"[/color][/i] Silent for a moment, Aubrey closed her eyes. Nissa's disappearance wasn't exactly the easiest subject to talk about. [color=de2f46]"Yeah,"[/color] she finally replied through the lump in her throat, shifting her gaze from the panicked guy to Marcus. [color=de2f46]"My younger sister. Nissa. She's been missing for a month, and just now while I was out... I saw her, in the woods. I know it was her."[/color] She bit the inside of her lip, trying to compose herself. [color=de2f46]"As for my name, it's Aubrey."[/color] She paced around the area, staring into the misty woodland, hoping to catch a glimpse of someone. No human figures besides the others here, all of whom had woken up. Yet somehow, her skin prickled with the feeling that they weren't the clearing's only occupants. Sure enough, as Marcus threw a stone into the woods, something yowled. Ferns rustled, a small black and white form darting through them, yellow eyes flashing before the creature scampered up a tree and disappeared into the foliage. Shoulders relaxing, Aubrey exhaled. [i]Ok, calm the fuck down,[/i] she mentally scolded herself. [i]Just a cat. Just a startled little cat... or is it?[/i] [color=de2f46]"Well, looks like we've fallen down the rabbit hole and met the cheshire cat,"[/color] she remarked. [color=de2f46]"Unless it got warped here too, it's got to belong to someone nearby, so civilisation can't be too far away."[/color] She headed once more to the clearing's edge, but froze. If there were people nearby, would they be helpful or harmful? For all she knew, the group had been kidnapped. What if they ran into their kidnappers along the way? Gritting her teeth, she squared her shoulders and stepped forward. They weren't exactly going to get anywhere - or find the other missing people - by sticking around here. [color=de2f46]"Let's go."[/color] As she advanced, she thought she caught a glimpse of that feline stare again from the leafy canopy. When she looked up, the animal had retreated once more. [hr] [center][color=cc9331][h1]Brenton Ackerley[/h1][/color][/center] [@Ryona Zako] [@alexfangtalon] [@Typical] [@Platinum Cobra] Despite the little spat between the two sisters, now Aina was awake, Brenton smiled in relief. [color=cc9331]"Hey! My name's Brenton, nice to meet you, odd meeting location aside."[/color] He surveyed the surroundings again. [color=cc9331]"Magical? I don't know about that, but this certainly hasn't been the average camping trip, nature walk, or nap for any of us."[/color] To Marcus' questions and comments, he nodded. [color=cc9331]"Almost always the woods, huh?"[/color] he said, glancing from the panicking guy, to Aubrey, to Julian. He forced a laugh. [color=cc9331]"Well, they don't mention anything like this in outdoor survival 101. Hmm, could someone have somehow drugged us, in such a way we didn't notice until it kicked in?"[/color] He shook his head at his own crazy theory. [color=cc9331]"But yeah, if most of us were with someone... Don't kidnappers usually go for people who are alone? Think this could all be some elaborate prank?"[/color] It didn't feel like that was the case. If Aubrey had seen her sister, who'd been missing for a month... This felt like something much more sinister was going on. Especially with the feeling of being watched. It looked like he wasn't the only one who suspected they weren't alone, as Marcus threw something into the ferns and started filming. Right away, an animal yelped and scurried to safety, but not the kind of animal Brenton had expected. [color=cc9331]"Cat? Speak of the devil,"[/color] he laughed. Looking over from Marcus to Aubrey, he considered her comment. Good point. Unless some cruel person had abandoned the cat here, it had to either live in or have strayed from a populated area. [color=cc9331]"Ehh, it'll all be fine,"[/color] he said, noticing Aubrey's hesitation as he put away the medical kit and approached. [color=cc9331]"Hey, there's at least one person here who knows a thing or two about the wilderness..."[/color] He looked over his shoulder at the other guy who said he'd been camping. [color=cc9331]"And I take it you do too?"[/color] As he headed further forward, though, it became even clearer this was quite another kind of wilderness. He stared through the fog. Some of the lights came from craggy hollows in hills. Again, perfectly natural, he told himself. Bioluminescent mushrooms weren't uncommon in caves, or so he'd heard... but surely they weren't that bright? Not that he was about to investigate the cause of the glow any time soon. From the distance, a terrified cry pulled him from his thoughts. A child's cry. [hr] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/7j2xlrG.jpg?1[/img][/center] [color=32e3c0]"Somebody help!"[/color] Water churned in the lake as a young boy flailed, fingers raking though the bank's mud. [color=32e3c0]"Please! Somebody!"[/color] His desperate stare turned in the direction of faraway voices. Below his kicking feet, two forms rose. Small, green-skinned, humanoid forms. Teeth like needles glinted through the murk. Hands grasped. He looked back at them, glimpsing something at the bottom. Several objects rolled against each other from the movement. Off-white objects. Bones.