Dire Days Task 3 Bonus

Archer rose and stretched, twisting as he tried to work the kinks out of his back and shoulders from sleeping on the rocky ground. He heaved a heavy sigh, pawing through what was left of his cleanish clothes before finding a pair of pants and a shirt that didn’t smell too bad. While the event on the Tartok mountains had been fun, it was about time for Archer to head home and do some laundry. After he finished changing, he searched through his supplies, coming up with just enough food to last the rest of the day, provided he was able to head over to his friend June’s tent and grab a quick bite for breakfast. Vegas stuck her head through the tent flap, whining as she recognized Archer searching for food. Archer pushed her head out of the tent before gathering up her food dish and some kibble, pouring it into her bowl before setting off down the hill to find June.
The young blonde woman was sitting at the camp fire with one of her tokotas, Banji, sitting at her feet, staring into the flames.
“Hey June!” Archer called out, and the young woman looked up.
“Hey Archer! How’s it going?” She asked, and Banji raised his head, gazing at the newcomer for a few moments before lowering his head to continue watching the flames.
“Vegas and I are doing well, though I’m running a bit short for food. Would it be okay if I joined you for breakfast?” He asked, and June smiled and nodded.
“Sure, I just finished up with some oatmeal, and I can toss in a little more to feed the two of us.” She said, bending to pick up the tin at her feet and pouring more of the food into the bubbling pot. Archer sat on the large stone next to her, making sure to give Banji a pat on his head before settling down.
“It’s weird that most of the folks have headed off the mountain now.” He said, noting the rash of recent departures to head back home. It seemed like folks had mostly finished up with the event, and while it did go on until the end of the month, he figured that some folks were either tired of camping out, running out of supplies, or had other obligations they needed to see to. June nodded in agreement with Archer’s words, cupping her cup of coffee closer to her, as if to draw the warmth from the cup into her chest.
“Yeah, it was definitely weird when there was like ten people showing up in one morning, and now they’re leaving in the same numbers. I guess we’re all just too busy to stay here for that long.” June said with a quiet chuckle, bending to stir the oatmeal as it bubbled. A few pebbles clicked behind them, and Archer looked over his shoulder to see Vegas padding towards them, and settled herself on the far side of the fire from Banji. She curled her lip at the roan male, showing her displeasure with the other tokota before turning slightly and nosing a few stones, trying to find any shiny ones. She had managed to amass a large collection of shiny objects while they were out camping on the mountains, and Archer was somewhat curious as to how she would try and bring the various stones, shards of ice, and unclaimed utensils and cups from other campers back with her.
June spooned the oatmeal into two bowls, which Vegas eyed as the stainless steel glinted in the morning light. The sun was just rising above the mountains to the south, and the air was steadily warming as it climbed past freezing. Each breath Archer took blew clouds of white from his nose, and he hugged his jacket closer to him as he began to eat the oatmeal, enjoying the warmth from the sun, fire, and the food as the morning progressed. June and Archer ate in relative silence, pausing every now and then to answer a question or two. He wondered when June was planning on leaving, as he was considering heading out sometime this evening or tomorrow morning if he could grab breakfast with her again.
“So when are you heading back out?” He asked, scooping up the remaining oatmeal in his bowl with his spoon. June tilted her head, thinking.
“I was planning on staying until the end of the month, but I’m not too sure now that everyone is heading out. Either way, I have a lot of food that needs eating.” She said with a chuckle.
“I was thinking of heading out this afternoon or tomorrow morning, well tomorrow morning if you could provide the breakfast. I’m running a bit low.” He admitted, scratching at the back of his head sheepishly. June perked up at his suggestion of joining her for breakfast again.
“Sure, that would be awesome! How about we head out for a ride today? Someone mentioned some caves that had some neat paintings in them if you’d be interested in heading out for the rest of the day.” Archer nodded and smiled.
“Sure, that’d be great. I gotta head back to my tent and get Vegas all tacked up and pack some lunch, but other than that I should be good. Does thirty minutes give you enough time to get ready?” He asked, and June nodded.
Archer set off back up the hill, leading Vegas back to his tent after he had helped June clean up the dishes. He tacked up Vegas quickly-tossing her saddle blanket and saddle on her back before clipping her reins to her halter. Archer climbed up onto her back before tapping his heels to her sides and guiding her down the slope, where June and Banji were waiting for them.
June led Archer down a series of mountain ridges, and Archer was thankful that he had still kept his jacket with him as the wind buffeted the group. Thankfully, the sun had continued to warm the air, and Archer couldn’t see his breath anymore, though he wasn’t sure if it was because of the wind or the temperature of the air. June and Banji dipped down into a valley, and Archer guided Vegas to follow them. Suddenly, Banji stopped beside a rocky outcrop, and June waved Archer over. Out of the blowing wind, a campsite had been set up on a patch of dry ground, with a campfire still smouldering and smoking in the wind. Archer and June climbed off of their tokotas and looked around warily, concerned after the events of the previous day. Archer held a hand over the camp fire, confirming that it was still warm, and recent. He pulled it back with a slight shiver, feeling a sense of unease settle around him.
“Who do you think was here?” He asked, glancing around at the state of disarray of the camp. It was clear that whoever it was had left quickly, perhaps when they had seen their group coming over the rise. June shook her head.
“I’m not sure, but after everything with the folks yesterday that you told me about, I’m not too sure that I want to pursue this.” She said worriedly, with a hint of anxiety and fear to her voice. While Archer and his friend had managed to get away unscathed one time, there was no guarantee they’d be able to get away safely a second.
“This is the valley with the caves too-do you think we should head over and check those out today?” June asked, somewhat concerned. Archer shook his head in response to her suggestion.
“No, if they ran off they’d be looking for a place to hide, and the caves would make a great hiding place. I’d say we should give it a couple of days before heading back to give them a chance to move on, but I’m heading out tomorrow.” Archer said, sighing heavily. He had wanted to check out the caves, but with this risk, he didn’t want to press his luck, and there was always next year. June heaved a heavy sigh, before walking back to Banji and climbing up onto his back. Archer followed closely, feeling a sense of uneasiness settle about them as they turned their tokotas and headed out the way they came in. Both canines were shifting uncomfortably, no doubt sensing that they were being watched by something, or a few different someones.