Unit 4 Draft 1

(align:"<==")+(box:"=XX=")[**Test**] (align:"<==")+(box:"=XX=")[[Begin|Start]]

Canadian Wilderness--Mid February --- You stop your truck at the end of a small dirt path that you've been driving on for hours. Stepping out, the brisk and windy air tears at your jacket and gloves. The snowfall is light but steady and creates a beautiful backdrop that one would expect from Northern Ontario. Your two friends Chelsea and Julian emerge from the back seats of your truck. Chelsea goes to the back of the vehicle and grabs her photography equipment, wrapped in tarp. Julian reaches into his backpack for the numerous snacks he'd packed the previous night. These are your best friends and the first friends you made at university the year earlier. It probably wasn't the best idea to take a difficult photography class with these two. Nevertheless, Chelsea insisted that this was the best place to complete your latest assignment. She's the rational one of the group and that often means her intuition is usually right. The exact opposite of Julian, who's the goofball. It's one thing to deal with these two in your campus apartment, but another to deal with them for an entire night all the way out here. Looking at the sky, you see it's started to turn grey and the wind is picking up. As if reading your mind, Chelsea hands you the large backpack that contains the tent. "Let's get going guys," she says. "I do not want to set up camp after the sun goes down." --- [[Start hiking]]

--- With Chelsea leading, the three of you begin to walk down a petite man-made path through the snowcovered forest. The usual sounds of the woods are overcome by the rushing wind that blows snow from the tips of branches. "Um, you do know where the hell we're going, right?" Julian says. "Of course I do," Chelsea says. "I checked google maps like three times yesterday. This is the Northern ridge of Belrose National Park. Very pretty this time of year. Campsite 5 is about a two mile hike." "It's so...deserted." You say. "Well, it's a remote part of the park." she says. "aaaand, there may have been a few bear attacks last year." You and Julian turn to her horrified. "Hey, we brought plenty of bear spray!" She says quickly. "Plus it's winter, and we're not going in very deep anyway. Let's just focus on finding the campsite. After a small hike. The three of you reach a clearing with a wooden signpost labeled (text-style:"outline")[Campsite 5]. You establish the campsite with relative ease as the sun begins to set. "Okay then," Julian says to you. "Let's get a few pictures in before the sun goes down completely. According to Chelsea, there's a lake nearby we can go to. Or...my idea was to go a bit deeper into the forest. I like the way the sun's hitting the top of the trees at this angle. --- [[Lake]] [[Deeper forest]]

The Lake --- Yeah, Julian can be an idiot most of the time. Nothing good can come of venturing deeper into the forest. The three of you make your way to the lake. Once there, Chelsea begins to set up her camera and take pictures. It's a rather large body of water with parts of it being frozen over. Rolling hills surround the immediate shore and large mountains inhabit the forest behind them. It's a beautiful scene but part of you feels weary being out this remotely. Suddenly, the three of you jolt upward. A howling screeches through the forest from the opposite side of the lake. "Was that a wolf?" Julian asks, alarmed. You and Chelsea exchange a look. That's the most logical answer, but it certainly didn't sound like a wolf to you. It sounded more human, almost primal. Your father is an avid hunter, you'd know a wolf's howl if you heard one. --- [[Investigate howl]] [[Walk back]]

The Forest --- What's the harm in venturing a bit further in? You and Julian crunch through the snow with Chelsea following skeptically behind. Your small group dwindles in size to the large pine trees that surround you. They seem to reach into the greying sky that's beginning to grow white with heavier snowfall. |PICTURE| After a walking a few minutes, the three of you stop as Chelsea begins to set up her camera. Suddenly, Julian stops dead and points to something behind you. "What the hell is that?" Julian says, alarmed. Looking back, you notice the limp body of a small animal underneath the trunk of a large pine tree. --- [[Animal]] [[Walk back]]

Deeper Forest --- You inch towards the small body with Chelsea. Looking down, its the carcass of a wolverine. It's spine has been ripped from its back and the jaw looks ripped off. The animal's blood drowns the white snow that it lays on. The stomach is also ripped open and small pieces of entrails spot the ground. Besides these contusions, the body seems relatively unmauled. The fur and tail are intact as are the feet. It's like a vaccum sucked out the inards of the animal and left the shell of the creature laying out. "What the hell did this?" Chelsea asks. "Predators don't usually leave the body lying about. It's winter after all." "Maybe another wolverine?" Julian says. "Like they fought and this one obviously lost." Taking another glimpse at the animal, something doesn't feel right. The scene is too brutal. --- [[Walk back]]

Camp --- After walking back to the tent, you and Chelsea begin making a fire while Julian unpacks some of the sausages he brought. After setting the food over the fire, the three of you begin talking about the long semester ahead of you. As the sun begins to dip beneath the horizon, Julian turns to the two of you. "How about some scary stories?" he says. "You guys know that woods like these are home to all sorts of cryptids. They say the yeti prowls the forests of Northern Ontario. How many hikers do they say never come out of these woods?" --- [[go to bed]]

Tent --- The three of you bundle up in your sleeping bags for the night. Outside, the wind is howling even louder and the intensity of the snowfall dramatically ramps up. You can hear the outside of the tent flapping in the wind. Chunks of snow slam themselves into the sides of your shelter. Inside, the three of you are silent but you can tell your two companions are very much awake. Julian tosses and turns in his sleeping bag while Chelsea is breathing heavily. You check your watch every so often only to see mere minutes have passed by. For some reason, you don't feel tired in the slightest. A strange feeling is filling your body. More like a depression or sadness that won't allow you to rest. "Guys..." Julian says finally. "My feet feel like they're fucking burning." "Take your socks off then idiot." Chelsea snaps. She gets angry when she's scared. "They areeee" he whimpers. "My feet feel like they're on fire guys. It's so hot." As the minutes tick by, it's apparent none of you are getting any rest. As you turn on your side, a shrieking howl pierces the night air. It sounds like a painful scream of sorts, like someone is being mauled. Chelsea and Julian bolt upright. You grab your flashlight and turn it on towards the tent opening. After a few minutes, the three of you try and fall back asleep. The howl screeches out again, this time it seems much closer. You're surpised to hear Julian quietly whimpering in his sleeping bag. Chelsea is constantly shifting and turning on her side. Suddenly, she breaks the silence. "Guys, I'm starting to get really hot." she says. "I'm gonna take a step outside, I can't sleep." --- [[Stay]] [[Go outside]]

Camp --- You exit the tent after Chelsea. You can see she's pacing back and forth in the snow. "I think there's something wrong with me." she says. "I feel like I'm burning up. How did I get a fucking cold in the last 2 hours?" The wind around you throws snow in every direction. It's almost impossible to see at this point. It's apparent a blizzard has set in. Before you can answer Chelsea, you both jolt to a horrible screech coming from your tent. This time however, you turn to see Julian rip open the front of the tent. He's barefoot and sprinting into the forest. He continues to howl and yell as he goes. "What the fuck is he doing!?" Chelsea yells. You can barely hear her over the storm. It seems like you're the only one who hasn't lost their mind. She grabs your arm suddenly. "Ryan, we have to go after him. He's lost his mind!" she says.