Mountain Lakes Camp - Strange things happen at night

by **Victoria Valentine** » Mon May 07, 2012 2:37 am

It was late. Without checking (and who wanted to check on a camping trip?) it was hard to tell what time it was, but it had to be somewhere between midnight and 3AM. All was quiet in the camp.

Around the girls' half of the camp, there seemed to be a strange... something in the air. It was hard to define... it could have been a feeling, it could have been a presence, all that anyone would know was that there was something they would notice if any of them were to wake up.

The second thing they might notice was that Victoria was gone.

((open thread for any of the present ladies. Won't interfere with time progressing, don't worry. Just wanted to get it rolling.))

by **Kay Haddock** » Mon May 07, 2012 2:54 am

Yawning and rubbing her eyes Kay quietly opens the flap on their tent. She could have sworn she heard something. Or maybe not heard but she's too sleepy to really notice.

by **Brigid Plunder** » Mon May 07, 2012 12:55 pm

"Kay, it's probably just the boys playing a prank," Brigid mumbled, muzzily.

by **Kay Haddock** » Mon May 07, 2012 1:06 pm

"Then we'll catch 'em in the act, come on. Or you wanna let them get away with pranking us?"

by **Brigid Plunder** » Mon May 07, 2012 3:38 pm

"Alright..." she grumbled, getting out of her sleeping bag.

by **Victoria Valentine** » Mon May 07, 2012 6:22 pm

Outside, the night was quiet. The crickets even seemed quieter than normal. Oddly, the moon appeared to be out of place, seeming somewhat low in the sky behind the forest across the river.

And as the girls considered that fact, it felt like something beckoned them in that direction. Not that they saw or heard anything, it was just... a feeling.

by **Brigid Plunder** » Mon May 07, 2012 6:29 pm

"I think we should... have a look," Brigid said as she stepped out of the tent.

by **Kay Haddock** » Tue May 08, 2012 2:03 am

"Something is weird..." she mumbles, following Brigid but suddenly wondering if it may have been a bad idea to get up.

by **Victoria Valentine** » Tue May 08, 2012 2:11 am

The girls would have to cross the river, but there was a log spanning it that... well, honestly, everyone would have sworn wasn't there before. As they entered the forest on the other side, the air seemed... heavy. A low fog covered the ground. The air was cold, but it seemed more a healthy chill than anything unpleasant.

And everywhere they went, they could swear they saw something moving out of the corner of their eyes... but was it just the fog and the moonlight?

by **Kay Haddock** » Tue May 08, 2012 2:13 am

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea afterall..." she says, not quite holding on to Brigid's arm but definitely walking behind her as her eyes dart around the dark forest.

by **Brigid Plunder** » Tue May 08, 2012 2:15 am

"I can handle this," she whispered to Kay, her eyes darting at the movement.

by **Kay Haddock** » Tue May 08, 2012 2:18 am

"Right, of course."

"Even if it's, like, a bear or something?" she asks after a few moments, sounding like she really meant to say 'monster' but thought better of it.

by **Victoria Valentine** » Tue May 08, 2012 2:20 am

And as they approached what seemed to be the source of the light-that-wasn't-moonlight, some of the fog seemed to coalesce into a figure. It was... difficult to place. It had a native look, but at the same time looked as if it could have come from any land, any race, any culture. It was obviously female, and seemed to be dressed in skins and holding a staff of some sort. It rose up in front of the girls, its face stern and implacable.

by **Brigid Plunder** » Tue May 08, 2012 2:26 am

"...stay behind me, Kay."

Brigid sized the figure up, as well as what was nearby to grab...

by **Kay Haddock** » Tue May 08, 2012 2:30 am

"Brigid, you c-can't hit a ghost..." she points out, though she still gladly stays behind her, looking like she's about to blindly go running off into the woods.

by **Victoria Valentine** » Tue May 08, 2012 2:40 am

"Stop."

The voice was calm, clear, and somewhat distracted, but obviously Victoria. Whether she was addressing the girls or the figure or both was unclear, but the figure stopped all the same, glancing back.

Behind the figure, the glow was coming from a small clearing in the woods a short ways away... no that they were this close (and looking for it) they could see it. Victoria knelt in it, a far cry from the 'rebellious college girl' persona as she seemed to wear clothes similar to that of the spirit. A deer lay on the ground with its head in her lap as the girl stroked it tenderly. "There will not be any violence. Do not hinder them if they wish to proceed."

by **Brigid Plunder** » Tue May 08, 2012 2:42 am

"...the hell?"

Brigid looked between them.

by **Kay Haddock** » Tue May 08, 2012 2:43 am

"Wh-what's going on here?" she asks, not really looking any less like she's about to flee.

by **Victoria Valentine** » Tue May 08, 2012 2:49 am

"You may come, and you may see, or you may leave," Victoria said, her voice... sad? "Either way, there is nothing before you nor behind you which can do you any harm. I promise this, by the sacred spirits around us."

by **Brigid Plunder** » Tue May 08, 2012 2:50 am

"We just... thought we heard something," she said, uncertain.

by **Victoria Valentine** » Tue May 08, 2012 2:54 am

"That may have been my fault," she admitted. "I hadn't meant for anyone to be aware of this... but there's no harm in it."

by **Kay Haddock** » Tue May 08, 2012 2:56 am

"N-no harm...? There's a ghost! Right there!" she almost shrieks.

by **Brigid Plunder** » Tue May 08, 2012 2:57 am

"Apparently it's... er... a... friendly hunter ghost lady ma'am thing."

by **Kay Haddock** » Tue May 08, 2012 2:58 am

"A ghost!"

by **Victoria Valentine** » Tue May 08, 2012 3:02 am

"All things sacred have their guardians, and she is the guardian of this place. You have nothing to fear from her, I promise. Come... two more steps and the world will be that much less frightening."

by **Brigid Plunder** » Tue May 08, 2012 3:04 am

Brigid at that moment wasn't all that sure of herself, but she'd seen a great many strange things.

She took two, and only two steps.

by **Kay Haddock** » Tue May 08, 2012 3:06 am

Kay stays where she is. She may want to be brave but she's not that brave.

by **Victoria Valentine** » Tue May 08, 2012 3:11 am

There seemed to be some sort of barrier... and as Brigid passed it, between the first and second step, the world changed.

To Kay, Brigid seemed... distant, somehow. Like she was watching a projection of her, similar to how Victoria looked a bit... off. She seemed solid enough, but... well, it wasn't easy to describe. Also, between those steps, Brigid's clothes changed to match Vitoria's and the Ghost... woman... thing.

To Brigid, the world seemed to come into clearer focus. Everything was lit like they were under a bright full moon on a cloudless night. If she looked back, she'd see Kay right where she was... could even reach out and touch her, but she appeared distant the same way that Brigid appeared distant to her. Victoria, on the other hand, was now completely natural and real-looking, as was the deer. THe ghost... now appeared much more solid, though still obviously a ghost.

"Just two steps, Kay," Victoria said gently. "I would protect you if there were any harm here for you. Come as our friend, come as our sister."

by **Kay Haddock** » Tue May 08, 2012 3:19 am

"B-but..." she seemed even less certain now that Brigid looked like she was miles away. Sort of. Then again, the alternative was to stay in the scary woods by herself so she gathers up all her remaining courage and takes two steps forward.

by **Brigid Plunder** » Tue May 08, 2012 10:30 am

"Okay, this is... interesting," she said as she looked down at her clothing, then back at Kay.

by **Kay Haddock** » Tue May 08, 2012 12:05 pm

"If you mean super-weird..." she says, still sounding a little shaken.

by **Brigid Plunder** » Tue May 08, 2012 12:30 pm

"Let's just... head over to Victoria."

by **Kay Haddock** » Tue May 08, 2012 12:38 pm

She just nods and follows Brigid.

by **Brigid Plunder** » Tue May 08, 2012 12:50 pm

"See, I don't think that look's for you," she joked nervously, gesturing to Kay's outfit.

by **Kay Haddock** » Tue May 08, 2012 1:00 pm

"Yeah, no. Fits you much better, I suppose." she says carefully.

by **Brigid Plunder** » Tue May 08, 2012 1:01 pm

"Guess I'm... just kind of used to it."

by **Kay Haddock** » Tue May 08, 2012 1:03 pm

"Well it doesn't look bad..."

by **Brigid Plunder** » Tue May 08, 2012 2:45 pm

"And it's how our hostess is dressed, right?" She managed a smile as they neared Victoria.

by **Victoria Valentine** » Tue May 08, 2012 10:51 pm

Victoria continued to sit with the deer, and as the approached, she indicated for them to sit. She didn't look up at them... her attention seemed to be focused on the deer as much as possible. And, oddly, she appeared to have been crying, very hard.

by **Brigid Plunder** » Tue May 08, 2012 10:54 pm

"Are you... alright?"

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