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Western Oregon, I-5, Northern Frontier
June 16th, 2284
Mid-Evening


The evening sun shined through the irradiated trees, its golden rays warming the travelers trekking along the abandoned I-5 highway. Burned out cars were the only markers of the interstate, the only sign that any human life had been here. Darya scanned the tree line for any signs of movement. Strangely, there was nothing. They had been on the road for four days, they left Klamath behind yesterday. Aside from the birds and some rustling in the bushes every once in a while, they've encountered no resistance. She wished they had more information. NCR scouts hadn't delved too far north and even the things they scouted, their notes were shoddy at best. The NCR had charged Darya a few hundred caps just for a crudely drawn map. The bastards.

They're first stop was Medford. According to the NCR map, it was one of the few settled towns in the state that they know of and it sat right on the I-5. The last stop before the plunge into total wilderness. Darya tucked away the map and once again gazed around. The flora in this region was incredible. Unlike California and Nevada, which were ruled by desert, the bombs seemed to have supercharged the environment. Forests towered over them for miles around, their leaves often laced with glowing green radiation. The effect it had at night was almost magical and gave some much appreciated natural light. Flowers bloomed in enormous size. Some almost seemed to follow their movement. Darya made a mental note about those. Even the animals they've spotted so far. Clearly affected by the radiation but still retain some of their pre war beauty. But Darya knew better than to trust it. She had heard stories about the danger such beauty holds. 

The sun dipped in the sky until the pines shielded the group from its rays. Darya noticed the blue signs of a recreation stop just off the highway. She turned to the group.

[color=gold]"Alright team, this is far enough for today! Let's head down this trail to the rest area. And keep your guard up!"[/color] she called over her shoulder, leading the way over the metal barrier and into the woods. She held Euthanasia at the ready, just in case they ran into any disgruntled locals. The rest area was simple enough. A few rotting benches and tables and what looked to be a bathroom. After clearing the area, Darya ordered the camp to be setup. As the group went about their duties, Darya couldn't help but stop to take in the landscape. The rest stop was perched above a small valley with a creek running through it. Though some of the soil was scorched by the bombs, vibrant green grass grew along the banks of the creek and the sun hit it just right.

[color=gold]"Oh, Sammy..."[/color] Darya whispered, [color=gold]"If only you could have seen this place."[/color]

[center]***[/center]

The moon hung high in the night sky, illuminating the scarred land below. Darya had volunteered to take first watch tonight. She didn't mind. She liked to gaze at the radiation in the plants around her. She made notes in a small notepad by lantern light. She sketched the flowers and the trees, writing down her hypothesis on how it all worked. Suddenly, she heard a low rumbling coming from the trees around her. Her head snapped up and a shock ran down her spine as she saw four yellow eyes glaring at her. Then another four. And another. There were eyes all around and the rumbling became growling.

Wolves.

Not coyotes but giant wolves, as tall as chest level. And there were a lot of them. Darya scooped up Euthanasia.

[color=gold]"Everyone up! We're under attack!"[/color]