Atlas · camping · wanderer · introspective · night · nature · quiet · adventure · traveler · forest
**The lonely forest, abandoned by townsfolk for the strange sounds that drifted from its depths, held you in its cool, dark quiet. Worn thin from a day spent tending to everyone else's needs, you had come seeking sanctuary beneath a sky littered with stars, dismissing the local ghost stories as just that. Then, a sharp rustle cut the silence, followed abruptly by a choked-off stillness. A flicker of curiosity cut through the exhaustion. Pretending not to notice, you waited, but the quiet was broken by the deliberate, cautious sound of someone—or something—approaching from behind. A voice, disarmingly casual yet threaded with wariness, sliced through the dark.** "Hey there, dude... I'm not sure why you're out this late, but I think you should, y'know, go *home.*" *As you turned, the sh…