raptornest | WILDERNESS SURVIVAL MEME

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WILDERNESS SURVIVAL MEME

So. You’re lost.

Or maybe you know exactly where you are, but, for one reason or another, you can’t get back to civilization. Or maybe you just don’t want to.

The fact is, you are, for all intents and purposes, trapped in the wilderness. If you play your cards right, you might get through this basically unscathed - but one mistake could destroy your chances of survival.

EXTRA OBSTACLES

You know, in case it’s not going to be tough enough for your character already. Feel free to combine them, or forego them entirely!

Injury - Could be anything from a sprained ankle to a concussion. Of course, there’s no reason you can’t make it worse if you want to (as long as you make sure to warn for any particularly bad gore).

2. Illness - You knew you shouldn’t have eaten those berries… or maybe you’re just a little under the weather. Whatever the cause, you don’t feel great.

3. Hunted - Something out there wants you dead. Maybe it’s just a case of natural predation, and you happen to be on the wrong end, or maybe there’s some kind of a most dangerous game situation going on here.

4. Extreme Weather - Whether it’s snow and ice or the burning sun, the weather itself seems to be out to get you. Huddle for warmth, set up a shelter... whatever the situation, do what you’ve got to do and hope it works out.

5. Natural Disaster - Flooding, landslides, earthquakes, fire… though adjacent to the matter of the weather, some dangers deserve their own category.

6. Wildcard - Make up your own obstacle!

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"We really gotta stop meeting like this..."

Meaning, on the job. Or, at least, he has to stop inviting Grant along to things he thought were totally safe. Things that ended up not even being close to safe. This? This was supposed to be a haunting in a cabin in the woods. So he figured, hey, bring the guy who probably knew how to politely ask a ghost to leave, instead of his usual method of... well. Punching it.

Punching it ended up being the only option when it turned out the ghost was some kind of radical activist in life, and took offense to some bit of leather on Grant's person.

Either way, the cabin had been emptied. And... well. The weather had abruptly taken a hard left turn at awful. There was little chance of hiking back to the car in a literal blizzard. So camping it was -- in a cabin barely holding together.

"I'm sorry, again. For all of this."

Grant, at least, doesn't seem too bothered by it all. Or at least he's not showing it. He... is definitely a little bit shaken by the whole angry ghost thing, and the weather situation is... troubling. But the last thing he wants is for Shiro to feel worse about all this than he definitely already does.

He gives a weak laugh, stepping away from the window where he had been peering out at the snow. "It's alright - not like you could've predicted this would happen."

"I could've been more prepared..."

For any eventuality. They're Paladins -- they're like magical Boy/Girlscout cops. Shouldn't they be prepared for anything? He blows out a breath and flops onto a pile of wood that was probably a chair at some point.

"You doing okay?" Because, you'd have to be blind not to notice Grant's general shaken-ness. Or at least he would.

"And I could've done more research before coming up." He gives a slight, lopsided shrug. He may not be expected to be as ready to handle this stuff as Shiro, but researching things like ghosts is a pretty common part of his job. He'd think he would be better equipped to deal with them in person by now.

Grant nods and wanders over closer to Shiro, shoving his hands in his pockets. "...Yeah. I'm alright, just... that was a lot."

"Hey, far as we knew, this was going to be as easy as 'please go away'. I can't let you take the blame."

He's smiling up at him though. Shifting slightly to one side so there's enough space for Grant on the makeshift bench. Something in that smile turns apologetic, however.

"Sit down? You look like you need it."

"Are ghosts ever that easy to deal with?"

All the same, he nods gratefully and goes to drop onto the pile of wood alongside Shiro. He pulls his coat a little tighter around himself, letting out a slow breath.

"Uh... thanks. I think I could." He glances over at Shiro with a small frown. "What about you? You doing okay?"

"You'd be surprised."

He says it with that same smile. Tired and amused and apologetic all in one. He really should have worn armor for this, but -- well. It was supposed to be an easy job.

And it does get a little warmer once Grant sits down.

"Fine. Just anxious about the weather." And a whole load of other things.

"...Right." He looks up toward the window again with a frown. "Doesn't look like it's gonna be letting up any time soon, huh?"

He's just glad that Chip is at a friend's house for the night; he doesn't want to imagine how they'd react if they were waiting at home and he just... never showed up.

So, with his kid's situation under control, he can afford to just worry about. You know. Being trapped in an ancient cabin in the woods in a blizzard, with the temperature rapidly dropping.

And... with Shiro. Which is, overall, a plus, but... what can he say, he's nervous.

"No, not really. It was supposed to be clear today, I thought."

Small talk. They're talking about the weather, of all things. They are sincerely sitting here, alone, in the woods. In a cabin, talking about the weather. Space Lion Jesus, why this. Why can't they ever meet normally? Get coffee and maybe hold hands or -- he's getting way, way ahead of himself.

... which reminds him.

"Chip's okay, right? I'm not keeping you away from them, am I?"

Grant lets out a quiet huff, an attempt at laughter. "'S why I don't trust weather reports. Then again, not like I was any better prepared."

Coffee and hand holding would be fantastic, but apparently that's not in the cards for them. Grant sighs and sits back, making a face at the creaking of the pile of wood they're sitting on. "D'you think there might be some old blankets or something in here? Might be better to sit on than just... this, since we're stuck here anyway."

He nods without hesitation, not wanting to let Shiro feel any worse about all this. "They were going to a sleepover tonight, anyway; they'll be fine."

"Burned too many times, huh?"

They can both try and laugh it off. It's weak, but hey, it's an attempt, right? Better than nothing. He makes a face, as well, before standing, and starting to rummage through the cabin. "Worth a look. If nothing else, there's probably a tarp."

Not that helpful, considering the cold isn't going to be kept outside for much longer. He throws a relieved look over his shoulder. "Good -- wasn't sure how I was going to get you home, if they needed you."

Because he absolutely would try, if that were the case.

"Burned, rained on... the whole range, really."

He stands up as well, and starts searching at the other end of the cabin. It's not exactly far off, with how small the space is, but he hopes that will speed things up a little, anyway. "Right. A tarp can at least trap body heat, right?"

...Boy he really should not have said that. He looks away in a hurry, hoping that he's quick enough that Shiro doesn't see his face turning red.

He gives another slightly forced chuckle. "Yeah, well. One less thing to worry about. Long as we can get back tomorrow, things should probably work out."

"You'd think someone would come up with a better weather predictor by now."

It's mostly a joke, but really. You'd think it would be easier. Technologically or magically. And no, he doesn't see the blush. Because his back is to Grant. Which is probably good for hiding his own.

"Right. Yeah. It can."

Nailed it??

Anyways, more importantly, their respective responsibilities. "Once it stops snowing, it should be a lot safer to get on the trail... hey." Something like foil rattles against metal fingertips. "Space blanket."

Grant blinks and looks up from rummaging through a collapsing cabinet - with no luck so far. "A what blanket?"

He laughs. A real, earnest laugh, and holds up the aforementioned space blanket. Which looks way more like tinfoil than anything useful.

"Space blanket. They're usually in first aid kits. For emergencies."

Like now.

"--Oh, those things!" Grant brightens up a bit at that. "That's good to hear... can't say I've found anything myself."

But the space blanket is better than nothing. He closes the definitely-blanketless cabinet carefully, as if expecting it to collapse in on itself if he shuts the door too hard. "Hah. If we're really lucky, maybe there'll be some cans of food in here that are still intact."

A foil blanket and, possibly, some old canned beans. Practically a luxury hotel, here.

"We could probably split it, too. If... you wanted."

Except part of him is yelling that no, no he doesn't want that. That part of him would like nothing more than to share a foil blanket with Grant. It's also arguing it would probably be safer in the long run, as a means of sharing body heat.

But it's squashed. In favor of nodding, and resuming the search.

"I think I could get a fire going. See if there's any wood to spare."

"Oh, uh-- I mean, if you want to. But it would... probably be more effective in one piece, right?" That's definitely his primary motivation here. Definitely.

He moves on to another cabinet, glancing only briefly over at Shiro. "Guess we could use what we were sitting on earlier. Not like it really counts as seating anymore."

"Probably. I... didn't want to assume."

Didn't want to assume they'd be okay sharing the blanket. Just because it made his own internal temperature spike a few degrees didn't mean it was a shared feeling. Not even a little.

"Right -- I'll try and get it started. If you find anything... guess we won't have to eat it cold."

And just like that, he's back up on his feet and moving, breaking down pieces of the woodpile. Bundling them into what's left of the fireplace. Glancing... back behind him, in case Grant's watching. In case seeing him jam metal fingers into the fireplace is going to be something of a shock.

"No, it's-- it's fine." Definitely, absolutely fine.

Maybe it's lucky that Grant is so nervous; it means that he's making a point of keeping his gaze locked on anything in the cabin other than Shiro. He frowns and squints into the cabinet, pushing aside a few ancient, empty boxes and a couple fistfuls' worth of dust. Finally, his hand lands on a box that's got a little more weight to it.

"--Hey, I might have something here." He pulls the box out and pulls it open to remove the contents. "Got a couple cans of soup in here, and... um. These cubes?"

He holds up a handful of tiny, foil-wrapped bouillon cubes, as if they're some kind of alien devices.

Once his hand's in the fire, it's easy enough to activate it -- hot enough to kindle the flames in a few moments. And orange light falls over the cabin. "Hm?"

The soup, yes, that's a good find, and his expression brightens there. Pushing himself to his feet to come over and inspect the rest.

"... cubes? Are they... are those even food?"

They're so hopeless.

"I've got no idea." He squints at them, then sniffs them, his face scrunching up. "Yeah, I... don't know. Got quite a smell to 'em, whatever they are."

Maybe it would even be a pleasant smell if it weren't for his dumb werewolf senses, but anyway.

"But at least we've got something - and, hey, I see you got the fire going!"

You know things are bad when you're seriously thinking to yourself: what would the others do? Because half of them would probably taste the cubes. Still...

"What do they smell like?"

He's reaching for one. He's totally going to go for it.

"Oh, yeah." Don't act sheepish, don't act sheepish. "At least we can make the soup."

Grant passes one of the cubes to Shiro. "Like... a lot. Kind of meat-ish, I guess? Didn't smell it for long enough to get more than that."

He nods, setting the remaining cubes down in favor of gathering up the soup cans. "Right. Better than nothing, right? And... better than mysterious cubes."

"Meat... cubes." Well, he's had worse. Might as well taste it and see -- Yes. He's going to lick it. Gingerly. "Ugh -- It's just salt."

Hey, at least he didn't die.

There's a full-bodied shudder as he hunkers down by the fire, scooting over to give Grant some space. "Not fancy cuisine but hey. Better than nothing, like you said."

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do we want to assume this is before or after they're officially Dating(tm)

if it's before then huddling for warmth is even more hilarious but i'm good either way

TRUE let's go for hilarity

just two bros in the woods

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