Into the Woods (CA - Uno, Mark, & the Shepherds)
Quote from Indy on June 30, 2023, 11:37 pmI leaned back into myself, figuratively speaking, as Tara and Mark slipped into an easy conversation. It seems their trip up to the campsite had gone over easier than mine had, and seemed to be something of friends.
That still didn't explain why she was dangling the truth just two breaths away - there if he pushed, but just enough distance to pretend it was all a joke. If I didn't say any better, Tara wanted him to figure it out.
She bit the truth away just as I did - me, wondering if werewolves could even live on the moon without living full-time in our second-skin, or if there was some complicated science that it would kill us to even be there, or what. But there I was leaning back, taking a second, and not jumping into the pool before I'd tested the water first.
And if we were all here with the truth just narrowly wrapped up in silk, then I may as well enjoy the charade as long as I could.
"Maybe it was a hoax," I said knowingly, "Maybe you'd have gotten all the way to NASA, and they'd have sent you up on a big-rocket - only to open the door and realize you'd gone nowhere at all..."
I stretched out, then laid back on the earth. The ground was cold, but there was something pleasant in the faint discomfort of it.
"I dunno, I just got to a point where I figure I don't know anything... I've never been to the moon. I look up at the stars and wonder if there's suns and worlds billions of light years away, or maybe it's all been an elaborate joke and it's just some guy that's been painting 'em up on the ceiling this whole time. You never know".
I leaned back into myself, figuratively speaking, as Tara and Mark slipped into an easy conversation. It seems their trip up to the campsite had gone over easier than mine had, and seemed to be something of friends.
That still didn't explain why she was dangling the truth just two breaths away - there if he pushed, but just enough distance to pretend it was all a joke. If I didn't say any better, Tara wanted him to figure it out.
She bit the truth away just as I did - me, wondering if werewolves could even live on the moon without living full-time in our second-skin, or if there was some complicated science that it would kill us to even be there, or what. But there I was leaning back, taking a second, and not jumping into the pool before I'd tested the water first.
And if we were all here with the truth just narrowly wrapped up in silk, then I may as well enjoy the charade as long as I could.
"Maybe it was a hoax," I said knowingly, "Maybe you'd have gotten all the way to NASA, and they'd have sent you up on a big-rocket - only to open the door and realize you'd gone nowhere at all..."
I stretched out, then laid back on the earth. The ground was cold, but there was something pleasant in the faint discomfort of it.
"I dunno, I just got to a point where I figure I don't know anything... I've never been to the moon. I look up at the stars and wonder if there's suns and worlds billions of light years away, or maybe it's all been an elaborate joke and it's just some guy that's been painting 'em up on the ceiling this whole time. You never know".
Quote from Adriana on July 2, 2023, 10:21 pm“Well, if it is some guy painting them, he’s very talented.” Tara said, picking up small loose rocks and tossing them one by one into the trees below, determined to strike a pine right at it’s highest point. “You think he uses these pine trees? If I was a five thousand foot giant, that’s probably what I’d use to paint the sky.”
“Well, if it is some guy painting them, he’s very talented.” Tara said, picking up small loose rocks and tossing them one by one into the trees below, determined to strike a pine right at it’s highest point. “You think he uses these pine trees? If I was a five thousand foot giant, that’s probably what I’d use to paint the sky.”
Quote from Kaqurei on July 4, 2023, 1:17 pmMark got the impression that Val wasn't just talking about the moon. But he said nothing about that. Instead, he admired the contrast between the two of them. Tara: relaxed, open, imaginative, even a bit playful. Confident in her path. Val: resting--which was different from being relaxed--and guarded, always, even so. Skeptical, in a philosophical sort of way.
He let out a long, hollow whistle, and shook his head. "That's a rabbit hole, Val," he said with a chuckle. "I think it's good to question reality, to a point. Philosophers have been struggling just to define reality for thousands of years. Maybe even since the dawn of self-awareness. Keeps us asking the important questions. Keeps us humble. But can certainly lead us down to Wonderland if we're not content to take at least a little bit on faith from the experiences of others."
He shrugged. "And I'll grant you, only 12 men have ever stepped foot on the moon, and the men and women who sent them there were all employees of a government that had an agenda to prove technological superiority over the Soviet Union. But have you ever looked through a telescope? Been on a plane? Heck, been sky diving?"
Mark got the impression that Val wasn't just talking about the moon. But he said nothing about that. Instead, he admired the contrast between the two of them. Tara: relaxed, open, imaginative, even a bit playful. Confident in her path. Val: resting--which was different from being relaxed--and guarded, always, even so. Skeptical, in a philosophical sort of way.
He let out a long, hollow whistle, and shook his head. "That's a rabbit hole, Val," he said with a chuckle. "I think it's good to question reality, to a point. Philosophers have been struggling just to define reality for thousands of years. Maybe even since the dawn of self-awareness. Keeps us asking the important questions. Keeps us humble. But can certainly lead us down to Wonderland if we're not content to take at least a little bit on faith from the experiences of others."
He shrugged. "And I'll grant you, only 12 men have ever stepped foot on the moon, and the men and women who sent them there were all employees of a government that had an agenda to prove technological superiority over the Soviet Union. But have you ever looked through a telescope? Been on a plane? Heck, been sky diving?"
Quote from Indy on July 5, 2023, 8:15 pm"Sure, it's a little Plato and the cave kinda stuff," I mused, glancing among the constellations. At this time of year, there stretched the Big Dipper - and then the brightest star in the constellation of Boötes. And there - Vega, Venus, Lyra.... Where the moon rose, it bleached out the stars so even my eyes could scarcely see beyond that veil. Even werewolf eyes had their limits. We couldn't count every star in the sky. But just look long enough, pitch darkness became filled with impossible detail.
Tara and I were dancing the same dance. Neither of us could tell the truth, but neither of us could lie either. We put a toe just over the line, then back again - an impossible, blurring routine that lacked any clear rules.
I wanted to say it. And I didn't - and there we were, talking about stars that were made by a man with a giant paintbrush made of a pine tree. I exhaled, musing the thought long until it settled to something that wouldn't unearth Chapman's uncanny sixth sense for danger.
"You don't know what you don't know. You see the stars and trust they're real, because every experience has told you they are - even your instinct tells you. If we questioned every single thing, we'd never make a single decision. It's not very conducive to breathing".
I shrugged, "But every now and again we see the hand that casts the shadows on the cave wall. What then? I guess you just figure it out, and hope for the best... Can't know everything. I s'pose until proven otherwise, we'll just have to assume men have walked on the moon".
"Sure, it's a little Plato and the cave kinda stuff," I mused, glancing among the constellations. At this time of year, there stretched the Big Dipper - and then the brightest star in the constellation of Boötes. And there - Vega, Venus, Lyra.... Where the moon rose, it bleached out the stars so even my eyes could scarcely see beyond that veil. Even werewolf eyes had their limits. We couldn't count every star in the sky. But just look long enough, pitch darkness became filled with impossible detail.
Tara and I were dancing the same dance. Neither of us could tell the truth, but neither of us could lie either. We put a toe just over the line, then back again - an impossible, blurring routine that lacked any clear rules.
I wanted to say it. And I didn't - and there we were, talking about stars that were made by a man with a giant paintbrush made of a pine tree. I exhaled, musing the thought long until it settled to something that wouldn't unearth Chapman's uncanny sixth sense for danger.
"You don't know what you don't know. You see the stars and trust they're real, because every experience has told you they are - even your instinct tells you. If we questioned every single thing, we'd never make a single decision. It's not very conducive to breathing".
I shrugged, "But every now and again we see the hand that casts the shadows on the cave wall. What then? I guess you just figure it out, and hope for the best... Can't know everything. I s'pose until proven otherwise, we'll just have to assume men have walked on the moon".
Quote from Adriana on July 6, 2023, 12:07 amThe dreamer, the cynic. Two different flavors of melancholy-one so thoroughly invested in what makes us human, one so invested in what makes us inhuman. Both guarded, but not entirely cut off from everyone around them.
These were the observations Tara made as she listened keenly between Mark and Val.
Brown eyes, unnaturaly reflecting the light, flickered back as she lay her face on the crook of her arm.
Wonderland. Oh Mark. You may as well be Alice.
The dreamer, the cynic. Two different flavors of melancholy-one so thoroughly invested in what makes us human, one so invested in what makes us inhuman. Both guarded, but not entirely cut off from everyone around them.
These were the observations Tara made as she listened keenly between Mark and Val.
Brown eyes, unnaturaly reflecting the light, flickered back as she lay her face on the crook of her arm.
Wonderland. Oh Mark. You may as well be Alice.
Quote from Kaqurei on July 8, 2023, 12:24 amMark nodded contemplatively at what Val said. Then he thought he saw something a bit spooky out of the corner of his eye. And dismissed it. Again. Trick of the light. Long day. The mind is a funny thing.
He almost laughed at himself. It had been a long time since he felt scared of the dark. Simultaneously a childish fear and a deep human instinct: being unnerved by something he couldn't see. It was a familiar cold, hollow feeling that brought him back to his childhood and he wanted to shake it off.
He cleared his throat. "Suppose we should start a fire? It's getting pretty nippy out, but I don't think I'll turn in for a while yet. Slept all day and now I'm awake."
Mark nodded contemplatively at what Val said. Then he thought he saw something a bit spooky out of the corner of his eye. And dismissed it. Again. Trick of the light. Long day. The mind is a funny thing.
He almost laughed at himself. It had been a long time since he felt scared of the dark. Simultaneously a childish fear and a deep human instinct: being unnerved by something he couldn't see. It was a familiar cold, hollow feeling that brought him back to his childhood and he wanted to shake it off.
He cleared his throat. "Suppose we should start a fire? It's getting pretty nippy out, but I don't think I'll turn in for a while yet. Slept all day and now I'm awake."
Quote from Adriana on July 8, 2023, 12:47 amTara perked up, "Yeah, if you're going to be up a while - definitely a good idea. It gets frigid on these peaks."
She stood and dusted off her pants, "Val, there's kindling and matches in the bags - can you dig it out? I'll go get the firewood."
Tara perked up, "Yeah, if you're going to be up a while - definitely a good idea. It gets frigid on these peaks."
She stood and dusted off her pants, "Val, there's kindling and matches in the bags - can you dig it out? I'll go get the firewood."
Quote from Indy on July 8, 2023, 3:10 pmTrust me to find the awkward silence - I sprawled out inside it, content the dark turnings of my mind had shifted our focus elsewhere. I hadn't noticed the cold much. Or maybe like a frog in boiling water, it had come on gradually enough I was content.
I nodded to Tara's instruction and stood, fishing for the kindling and matches. It came to me a second too slowly that I should have grabbed a flashlight to make it look believable. But at this rate, we were pretty strange, and Mark hadn't gone fleeing. Once in hand, I turned to see where Tara had gone off to.
Trust me to find the awkward silence - I sprawled out inside it, content the dark turnings of my mind had shifted our focus elsewhere. I hadn't noticed the cold much. Or maybe like a frog in boiling water, it had come on gradually enough I was content.
I nodded to Tara's instruction and stood, fishing for the kindling and matches. It came to me a second too slowly that I should have grabbed a flashlight to make it look believable. But at this rate, we were pretty strange, and Mark hadn't gone fleeing. Once in hand, I turned to see where Tara had gone off to.
Quote from Adriana on July 10, 2023, 4:53 pmTara came back with wood, set a fire for Mark, and they continued on into the wee hours of the morning-all the while, Chapman soundly asleep.
The next day...
Bob had told them they'd be out one more day-and leave early on Tuesday morning. He wanted to hike to the lake, and turn back around by sunset. Tara wasn't in the mood - she'd been up late talking to Mark, and Val in turn - and not three hours later, Bob had woken her up, at 6AM sharp, with his usual morning antics. He had an entire breakfast made over a campfire by 7AM, and had woken the other two up not much later.
Then, half way to the lake, he got a call. Or a page, rather. The call never reached him, but the pager read "EMERGENCY - CALL CLAY" on the LCD screen. They had to book it double time back to the campgrounds just to get reception. It was 3PM by the time they'd reached the campgrounds.
By the time Chapman was off the phone, he was as quiet as the coming storm, grim faced and firm. He told everyone to pack up. He'd ride with Mark. Tara expressed she wanted to ride with Val exclusively.
Their ETA 6, maybe 5:30, if they booked it and broke a few laws. Chapman blazed the trail ahead of Val and Tara. Tara's truck wouldn't go as fast with the trailer so they would arrive shortly behind Bob.
She hadn't really spoken much until about an hour out, or 5PM.
"You alright?" she asked Val, perhaps referring to how quiet he'd be the previous night.
Tara came back with wood, set a fire for Mark, and they continued on into the wee hours of the morning-all the while, Chapman soundly asleep.
The next day...
Bob had told them they'd be out one more day-and leave early on Tuesday morning. He wanted to hike to the lake, and turn back around by sunset. Tara wasn't in the mood - she'd been up late talking to Mark, and Val in turn - and not three hours later, Bob had woken her up, at 6AM sharp, with his usual morning antics. He had an entire breakfast made over a campfire by 7AM, and had woken the other two up not much later.
Then, half way to the lake, he got a call. Or a page, rather. The call never reached him, but the pager read "EMERGENCY - CALL CLAY" on the LCD screen. They had to book it double time back to the campgrounds just to get reception. It was 3PM by the time they'd reached the campgrounds.
By the time Chapman was off the phone, he was as quiet as the coming storm, grim faced and firm. He told everyone to pack up. He'd ride with Mark. Tara expressed she wanted to ride with Val exclusively.
Their ETA 6, maybe 5:30, if they booked it and broke a few laws. Chapman blazed the trail ahead of Val and Tara. Tara's truck wouldn't go as fast with the trailer so they would arrive shortly behind Bob.
She hadn't really spoken much until about an hour out, or 5PM.
"You alright?" she asked Val, perhaps referring to how quiet he'd be the previous night.
Quote from Indy on July 10, 2023, 5:06 pmI was nursing my second cup of coffee in my palms, cradling into the aroma like it could soothe away all my woes. I had no complaints about riding up with Tara. One sniff of Chapman's mood told me I wanted no part in whatever was brewing on the horizon. I settled into the passenger's side of Tara's trailer with a yawn, and didn't think to summon a single word until she had first.
"Yeah, sorry. I don't tend to talk a lot when I don't have anything to say," I blinked, realizing Tara didn't know me that well.
But things needed to change in pretty short order since apparently, we were working together, "I doubt this surprises you, but this has all come together a lot faster than I was expecting it to. I'm not used to working in a," I air-quoted my fingers as I said it, " 'pack'. Double to that I have two humans I know playing leapfrog on the threshold. It has me worried".
I was nursing my second cup of coffee in my palms, cradling into the aroma like it could soothe away all my woes. I had no complaints about riding up with Tara. One sniff of Chapman's mood told me I wanted no part in whatever was brewing on the horizon. I settled into the passenger's side of Tara's trailer with a yawn, and didn't think to summon a single word until she had first.
"Yeah, sorry. I don't tend to talk a lot when I don't have anything to say," I blinked, realizing Tara didn't know me that well.
But things needed to change in pretty short order since apparently, we were working together, "I doubt this surprises you, but this has all come together a lot faster than I was expecting it to. I'm not used to working in a," I air-quoted my fingers as I said it, " 'pack'. Double to that I have two humans I know playing leapfrog on the threshold. It has me worried".
