It's the moment you've all been waiting for! That's right: an overly long story with practically no clues!
Night 5: The Expedition
With the sun high in the sky, Einoo and Cinammon waited in the former's office for volunteers. They did not speak to each other, having already outlined the plan the previous evening. All that was left to do now was wait. Einoo hoped they would at least get three volunteers; he felt that safety in numbers was the only option if one was to venture into the forest beyond the village. As his watch beeped noon, Ian shuffled into the office quietly, nodding hello to the two already there. "I'm not the only one, am I?" he asked, but even as he did so, Al Capone II rushed in, mouth still full of the sandwich he had scarfed down on the way. "Let's get this started!" he cried, spraying crumbs everywhere.
"Alright, calm down, Al," laughed Einoo, and he and Cinnamon's began to outline the plan. It was a straightforward journey, meant to take as little time and get as much information as possible. They packed their bags, filling them with cameras, tongs, scrapers, magnifying lenses, and anything else they might find useful in their examination. They topped this off with light rations for the evening, weapons and lilies, and of course Cinnamon's dowsing rod to lead them. As they were finishing, Inverse poked his head through the door. "I hope I'm not too late to join you?"
"You very nearly were," said Einoo, "but we have room for one more, don't we?" The others nodded their approval. Einoo smiled with relief: he was sure little could go wrong.
The journey there was mostly silent. Cinnamon's led the way, hacking his way through branches with a hunting knife, following the ley lines to the place he had lost himself. Einoo stayed in the middle, for the other three naturally congregated in a circle to protect their leader. Occasionally Einoo tried to joke with the others or talk about IPSI's latest breakthroughs, but the conversations did not last long. The denseness of the forest seemed to swallow all sound, and the mood was tense and suspicious. Inverse constantly looked over his shoulders, and Al jumped at every sound.
At only two points during the journey did someone other than Einoo speak first. The first was when Ian, hanging glumly at the back of the party, suddenly said, "You guys don't believe Mike, do you?"
The group stopped as one to look at him. He continued, "I mean, he was just trying to make us all paranoid. I'm not a wolf. You don't think I am, do you?"
Inverse sighed. "It's... difficult, you know that. I like you, and I want to believe you're one of the good guys. It's the only way I can make it through the day."
Cinnamon added, "I can't see you doing the horrendous things they do. But... I didn't think Dacheet or buhubs or Mike could have been wolves, either. It's too terrible even to consider."
Ian was distressed. This was not the reaction he had hoped to hear, but it was the one he had slowly begun to realize was inevitable. But then Al stepped forward and put a hand on Ian's shoulder. "It's not you, you know that? This island... it changes people. But I trust you, as far as anyone can trust anyone in this place." This seemed to lighten Ian's spirit enough to make him press forward, and the rest followed suit.
The second time, the conversation starter was not one of the five present. Einoo's walkie-talkie began to crackle with static, and then he heard the distinct voice of Exhibit A, shouting breathlessly, "Einoo! Come in! Do you read me?"
"I read you, Ex. What's the problem?"
"Not a problem, Einoo. Great news! You won't believe what I just picked up in the comm booth!"
By now the whole party had stopped to listen. Einoo frowned and pressed the conversation forward. "You got a transmission? One that wasn't just a radio play?"
"It's incredible! It's Hilde! She's put together a rescue team to find us! They're approaching the island now!"
The five gasped collectively at this prospect. "Hilde Norn? Are you absolutely sure?"
Exhibit could barely be understood, squealing with joy. "It's her, I'd never forget her voice! I've kept the tape recording in case there are any more messages. She can't seem to hear us, but still. We're going to be saved!"
The party was ecstatic. "This is fantastic, Ex. We'll be sure to come straight to the comm booth as soon as we get back."
"I'll see you then. Oh, one more thing: what's today's date?"
Einoo paused for a second. "Er, June 31st, I think. No wait, I'm dumb, there is no June 31st. July 1st then."
"That's what I thought. Over and out." The walkie-talkie fell silent, and the party resumed their hike with a new strut in their step.
Within the hour, the readings from Cinnamon's dowsing rod jumped wildly. He could see a break in the tree line just ahead. "We're here, " he called to the rest behind him.
Al stepped forward. "You sure this is the place? I don't see any big tree."
"Trust me, you can't. And this is the place. It looks like all the ley lines on the island converge here." One by one, the explorers stepped into the clearing and craned their necks in awe, gazing upward at the massive trunk that suddenly filled their field of vision. They stood silently for minutes, trying to take in the enormity of it. Inverse was the first to snap out of his trance. "Come on, we're wasting time just standing here. Let's get some samples already." He moved toward the trunk and began to scrape off bits of bark.
Einoo picked up a fallen leaf and twirled it in his hand. "European ash," he deduced. "Not the type of tree you'd expect to see in a tropical environment. It shouldn't be able to withstand the heat."
Ian replied sarcastically, "Yes, that's certainly the oddest thing about this tree."
Al slowly walked around the tree's circumference, taking photos from every angle, alternating between a normal and Kirlian camera. When he was out of sight of the rest, he called out, "Hey, guys! There's a huge crack in the trunk over here! We can check out the inside!" The other four ambled over to see Al frantically photographing the entrance. He then took a flashlight out of his pack and cautiously made his way inside.
Once inside, however, Al became frozen with terror. Chained by its neck to the back of the inside trunk, breathing heavily in sleep, was a wolf that dwarfed even the brutes. Its fur was dull and matted from years without sunlight, and the skin on its neck was exposed from constantly pulling at its chain. As the light fell on its eye, the great beast slowly opened it and looked down. As soon as it realized what it was seeing, it rose and lunged at Al, stopping only a few inches away from him due to its chain. FILTHY HUMAN! Alpha roared. YOU DARE TO ENTER MY DOMAIN! HATI! SKOLL! TEAR IT APART!
Al turned and ran as fast as possible out of the tree and past his friends, who were themselves paralyzed by the booming voice coming from within. They too began to run and, panting, Cinnamon managed to shout, "Al! What is it?"
Al did not stop running, but called back, "Wolf! It's enormous! It's calling others!" Soon Al's proclamation was confirmed, as two brute wolves emerged from the shadows and began to give chase. They started behind the party, but soon caught up, their great strides much longer than any human's. They snapped and growled at the four explorers running in a group, but did little more than attempt to keep them away. It was not they that Alpha had commanded them to kill. The wolves moved to the front of the line, where Al was running blindly, scratching himself on branches and brambles. They descended on him and pinned him to the ground. The rest of the group caught up and began to falter, but Al screamed at them, "Run! It's too late! Save yourselves!" Then he shrieked in pain as the brutes began to tear into his flesh. The rest, hearing this, wisely ran.
A lone figure strode silently through another part of the jungle, on a path that he guessed very few humans had ever taken. He carried neither weapon nor angel lily on his person, but he walked with confidence, unafraid. This path was a place they had never found, and hopefully never would. At one point in his journey, the man thought he heard roars and screams coming from the dark places, but they were very distant and vague. He did not stop moving.
Under a quickly darkening sky, the figure reached his destination: a little grove where the lily grew thick, as well as more exotic plants. At the centre of this garden was a small tree, its branches thick with a ripe fruit as blue as the sky. He took one of these fruits and bit into it, as he had done every night since he had discovered this place. Soon he was filled with a sense of calm, and a white light seemed to wash over him. The man knelt in front of the tree and began to pray. "All-father, I thank you for the power you have blessed me with. At long last I have been able to use it to vanquish one of the dark ones. For this I thank you eternally." He continued to whisper into the night, giving thanks and asking for another blessing. Once finished, he buried the seeds of the fruit at the base of the tree and returned the way he had come.
Another party of five journeyed towards the clearing in the middle of the night. The remaining five wolves stalked through the forest with apprehension. If what Einoo claimed was true, and the humans had really been at Alpha's tree, then he would be furious. As they neared the lair, one of them caught a whiff of blood. He followed the trail and quickly came across its source: the remains of Al Capone. "Over here!" he called in a quiet, feminine voice, and the wolves gathered around. Hati and Skoll had been thorough; there was almost nothing left except skin and bone.
"It's true," murmured a wolf. "Which means..." They were all thinking the same thing: none of them wanted to deal with Alpha tonight, not after this incident.
"What do you say we count this as our hunt and call it a night?" suggested the black-marked wolf. The others nodded in agreement, and the group dashed back towards camp.
SUMMARY
-Story stuff: Some peoples went to the tree, bonding with each other on the way. They also heard about the new messages from Ex. At the tree, they awakened Alpha and he called two brute wolves, who killed Al Capone. Meanwhile, the angel did angel stuff. Later, the wolves discovered Al's body and are also big chickens.
- Al Capone II has been killed. he was a human.
- It is now day. Everyone vote.
- 10 humans and 5 wolves remain.
edit: typos fixed
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