Group Camping Trip: Wake-Up Call

Neo awoke to the sound of loud shouting. Sitting up, she realized she was alone in the tent she and Jade had shared for the night. Outside she heard familiar voices swearing and laughing at each other, alongside the sound of splashing water. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she climbed out of her sleeping bag and out of the tent to investigate.

 

The sight Neo was met with was… a strange one.

Yellowtail was laughing hysterically, on the ground hunched over by the edge of the water that was close to their camp, Jade was standing up chuckling, and Viper was next to her, looking quite smug. Probably about the fact that Smokey was trudging through the lake to the shore, carrying his blanket and soaking wet, yelling various curses at his sister as he stumbled along.

 

“What’s going on guys?” Neo asked, already having a clue what the answer might be.

 

“I helped Viper toss Smokey into the lake while he was asleep.” Jade giggled.

 

Smokey glared at her.

 

“Yeah, very funny. I was sleeping perfectly fine, having a nice dream and everything! Then I just feel a rush, like I’m falling, then bam, choking like hell trying to resurface and breathe. That wasn’t funny so much as dangerous, you know.”

 

Smokey had managed to drag the blanket out of the water and toss it at Viper, despite its now waterlogged weight. Viper narrowly dodged the soaked blanket, laughing. Smokey scowled, walking away from the group.

 

Neo couldn’t help but feel a bit bad for him. Smokey and Viper didn’t always get along, as expected of siblings, but he never usually instigated much of the fighting and conflict they had. It was normally Viper who started the bickering. Not that it was ever fatal fights they had, they always made it up to each other in the end, but still, some of the things that transpired between them could be just plain brutal.

 

“Aw come on man, it’s all just good fun.” Viper followed after her brother, attempting to console him.

 

Neo walked up to Jade, still very tired.

 

“So why did you do that?” She asked.

 

Jade shrugged.

 

“Don’t know, Viper woke me up and asked if I wanted to help prank Smokey. I said sure, figuring it’d be a “nice” wake-up call for him.”

 

Yellowtail had picked up the soggy blanket at this point, wringing it out and laying it in the sun to dry for the day.

 

“Anyone up for breakfast?” He asked.

 

Jade and Neo both nodded. Neo only just now realized how hungry she was. Jade didn’t seem too bothered either way.

 

“Good, ‘cuz I brought some bacon and eggs to cook over the fire on a pan I found in the RV.”

 

Yellowtail called over his shoulder as he headed in the direction of their shared vehicle.

 

Looking over, Viper and Smokey seemed to be standing at the edge of the campsite, whispering things to each other in an attempt to rectify their situation. Neo hummed to herself as she watched everyone do their own thing, Jade having followed Yellowtail into the RV to help retrieve breakfast supplies, and the siblings now giggling together where they had been last.

Maybe this trip wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

 

Yellowtail and Jade soon emerged from the RV with the promised bacon and eggs, as well as a cast-iron skillet and a stand for placing it over the fire. Yellowtail propped the stand up over the burnt-out fire and placed the skillet on top of it. Jade sat down on the log bench, still holding onto the breakfast supplies.

 

“Anything I can help with?” Neo asked tentatively. Yellowtail grunted from behind the stand over the fire, for some reason trying to light the charred wood.

 

“Don’t suppose you could get him some new wood, hmm? I doubt that’s going to end well for us.” Jade gestured vaguely to Yellowtail, now rearranging the charcoal chunks into different configurations, cursing as they crumbled in his talons.

 

“Sure thing!” Neo replied, taking off to find some twigs and possibly some things that would catch fire and stay lit.

 

Soon enough Neo had gathered enough things she figured would at least help, and brought them back to the campsite to find Yellowtail sitting on his knees, slouching in front of the fire, pouting because he hadn’t succeeded.

 

“Back!” Neo dropped the stuff she was carrying in front of him, to which he immediately went to work setting up and lighting the fire. Neo went over to sit next to Jade, who was now fiddling with the bacon package, trying to get it open.

 

“Got it!” Yellowtail exclaimed, raising his hands into the air in success as a little flame quickly grew bigger under the skillet and its stand.

 

The group eventually got the pan hot enough to cook the eggs and bacon. Viper and Smokey had been asked to go into the RV and grab plates and forks to eat with, returning with the tasked items. Yellowtail doled out the food onto the plates one by one, handing each plate to the nearest person to pass down to someone without a plate. The group ate well, conversing happily until all the food was gone.

 

“That was pretty good!” Yellowtail sighed, leaning back and stretching.

 

“Anyone up for some swimming? The lake’s beachfront is just a very short hike away, there may be others there but I doubt it’ll be too crowded, it’s a pay-to-enter campsite after all! They can only book so many cabins and campsites.” Jade asked, putting her plate beside her.

Neo did the same, nodding her head in agreement. She did like swimming, despite hating being cold and wet afterwards.

 

“I’d be down for that, yeah!” Viper’s head perked up as she spoke. Smokey shook his head next to her.

 

“I’ve already been soaked once today, I don’t really want to get wet voluntarily.” Smokey’s voice was bitter, but they all knew there was no real bite behind his words.

 

“Well, it’s nearly 10:00, we should get changed and head out then!” Jade checked her phone real quick, clapping her hands together afterwards. Smokey sighed, standing up and heading towards the RV.

 

“Where you going?” Viper asked, seeming concerned for once.

 

“Into the RV. Not going swimming, so what else is there to do?” Smokey sounded…defeated.

 

“I’ll stay with you. If you’re not going then I don’t want to go either.” Viper stood up as well, jogging over to walk beside Smokey. She waved her hand at the others, not turning around to face the others.

 

“I’ll catch up later, you guys go swimming! Have fun.” Viper shouted over her shoulder as the RV door closed behind her and her brother.

 

“I guess we should get going then, if they’re staying here that means it’ll just be the three of us to go swimming.” Yellowtail stood up, signaling Jade and Neo to do the same. The three of them put out the fire quickly, placing the skillet to the side and grabbing their bags that they’d brought outside in search of breakfast. Inside one of them was a set of towels for exactly this; in case they went swimming. The three of them grabbed a towel each, slung it over each of their shoulders, and began their trek to the lakeside.

 

Jade

1228 words-24

Rider (Neo)-5

Pair-bonded (Neo)-4

Extra stryx (Viper)-3

Kirin-1

Personal-3

Total= 40 AP

 

Smokey

527 words-10

Rider (Neo)-5

Extra stryx (Viper)-3

Personal-3

Total= 21 AP

 

Viper

527 words-10

Rider (Neo)-5

Extra stryx (Smokey)-3

Total= 18 AP