With the evening’s arrangements settled, they set out as a group in the waning daylight to search around the immediate area for any possible source of food. Lee did not expect instant success, but hoped that they could get some ideas for the coming day.
Lee urged the others to check into the beds of nearby creeks, suggesting that there might be the equivalent of frogs or crayfish lurking within the waters and grasses.
The others did not appear to find the idea altogether appetizing, and Erin looked entirely revolted by the suggestion. But Lee at least knew how to prepare both frogs and crayfish for consumption. He also realized that they would soon be eating tree bark if they did not find other solutions for sustenance.
The worries of the others turned out to be for naught, if just for the moment, as nothing was turned up from the couple of creeks that they probed.
Erin succeeded in discovering some mushrooms, which none of the group wanted to try. They had all heard stories about people eating the wrong kind of mushrooms, and none felt certain that what Erin had found was not one of the toxic varieties of the fungus. Lynn found some unrecognizable type of berries, which they also decided against trying for much the same reasons.
When the last vestiges of daylight finally ebbed, they all settled themselves into the enclosure with ravenous appetites harbored inside of them. Thirst overrode caution, and they drank abundantly from cold creek waters near their camping site, hoping that no contaminants were in the water. Bellies full of water helped to take a little of the edge off of them, but Lee knew that it would not be very long before solid food would become a major issue.
The night eased in upon the forest, and the sibilant sounds of insects chirping filled the woods all around them. There were only a couple of moments in which the woods went silent, which caused the group to tense at what was perhaps the passage of a larger creature nearby. Once, Lee’s head shot up in alarm at what sounded like a far-off shriek. It took some time for his nerves to settle back down.
Good fortune prevailed overall, though, as there were no major disturbances throughout the rest of the evening, enabling those who were not on watch to allow themselves to surrender to sleep. The largely peaceable night also caused those who were on watch to struggle to stay awake, especially the first pair, as all four of them were entirely exhausted at the outset of the evening.
Lee had volunteered for the onerous duty of the first shift. He knew that it would be the toughest, and in that sense the most important, as it carried the greatest risk of leaving the group vulnerable by having those on watch inadvertently falling asleep.
Lee had been joined by Lynn for the unpleasant challenge, and to his delight soon found her to be very pleasant company. Yet in their great weariness they spoke rather sparingly, and when they did it was often only to help each other remain awake.
After the first shift had ended, and they had roused Ryan and Erin to take their places, Lee could barely keep his eyelids parted. The cloak of sleep came as a very welcome mercy, and not a moment too soon. Lee’s consciousness tumbled into a dreamless sleep as he lay upon the hard, uneven ground.
The engulfing fatigue that plunged him into the dark depths of unconsciousness was not without its useful merits. He knew that otherwise he would likely have spent the entire night battling a rising tide of fears and anxieties, the greatest of which being that the sojourn that had begun that day in the peculiar forest would not be ending anytime soon.
JANUS
A few hours later, the mesmerizing sky began to dim as the sun descended towards the west. Janus was intrigued as to what kind of sunset would occur given the different hue of sky, but there were far more pressing matters at hand.
Though night was approaching, it was not yet fully dark. Janus, Derek, and Kent had been passing the time letting their bodies rest up a little.
There had been no major incidents during the past few hours. There were no signs of any sort of strange new life forms, like the creature in the grasses that Kent had startled upon their arrival. The only noises to be heard were that of the air sweeping through the high grasses, and the waters as they flowed through the channel of the river far behind them.
Growing tired with the inactivity, Janus stretched his limbs out and got to his feet slowly. Taking a deep breath, he walked well away from the others, until he was back at the river’s edge. He looked all about for any sign of the boat.
To his continued dismay, there was no clue as to what had become of the vessel, and he felt a lump in his throat as a growing anxiety gripped him. He gazed back to where the unbroken line of trees heralded the beginnings of the vast forest. As the light dimmed, the shadowy boundary looked ever more mysterious and foreboding.
It was becoming evident that sooner or later they would have to begin thinking about getting something to eat. The forest would likely serve as their most opportune place to search, perhaps offering some nuts or berries. The river before him could well be teeming with fish, but they had no poles or nets available.
There was a small victory to be had nonetheless, in that there was plenty of accessible fresh water to go around. Cupping his hands, he knelt down and scooped up some handfuls of the water and drank it. He imbibed the cool liquid with relish, even as some of it dribbled down the sides of his mouth and neck.
He took in rapid breaths after the long draughts of water, still amazed at the clean feeling of the air as it passed into his lungs. He concentrated on gathering his wits, which was the most important asset that he still had available to him in this extraordinary place. He knew that they could not sit around and wait forever, but they had absolutely no idea as to how to get back to the lake.
With a barely audible sigh, he spun about and walked back down to where Kent and Derek were still resting.
“Anything new?” Derek inquired, idly looking up into the blue-green sky.
A couple of large, black ravens flew by overhead.
“Not always the best harbinger,” Derek remarked with a rueful chuckle, watching the dark birds slowly fade into the distance.
“You mean the ravens?” Kent asked him.
“I’ll explain it sometime later,” Derek replied with a dismissive air.
Janus shook his head and frowned.
“What are you thinking about?” Derek asked him.
“Everything. Just what we do know,” Janus responded dourly. “Boat’s gone. There’s a strange forest nearby. We have no idea what has happened or how it happened. The sky is entirely different to us, and we’ve already seen an animal that is very different from anything we’ve known. My gut feeling is that none of it bodes very well.”
“We’ll have to head forth sometime and explore our surroundings. That much is obvious,” Derek declared. “We’ll look for some source of food too. Can’t assume we’ll be back home anytime soon.”
“Not far at all from what was running through my mind,” Janus said. “I wonder if there is anyone around this place, as far as people.”
Janus let his breath ebb out in a long, controlled exhalation. He stood with his hands resting on his hips, looking down at the swaying grasses caught in the early evening breezes.
Under the circumstances, the most simple of things appeared daunting.
“There are others,” a strong, deep voice intruded suddenly.
Janus whirled around, even as Derek jumped up immediately to his feet in a combative stance. Kent’s eyes snapped wide open, and he twirled around with a mien of renewed panic, as he scrambled up to his feet and stood close to Derek.