FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The next evening, Redd and I drove off to the mountains with Tazu and Usala sitting in the backseat. Tazu seemed to have slept in his clothes last night, but they didn't have too strong of an odor. Usala, dressed in a spider-web, green t-shirt, brought a handheld version of Monster Hunt for the trip, which I didn't mind aside from the sporadic blast of 16-bit sound effects after every level. The most important thing to remember was that we were all there together and finally alone.

The trees zipped by us as we coasted along the highway. Numerous cars drove along in our lane, heading to Mount Greenville, a premier camping spot in the summer before survival television shows get a hold of the area in November. Shortly after our departure from Tazu's house about twenty miles from the site, we decided it would be a good idea to turn on the radio at full volume and have the musicians scream in our ears as we tried to match their singing. Truth be told, it was a lot of fun, if not for the one song that had a bass line so sudden, Redd almost swerved off the road from the sonic impact.

Needless to say, the radio was turned off just as quickly.

Tazu's face in the rearview mirror dropped more and more until he fell asleep on the car door. Without any music and the vibrations of the car lulling me, I followed suit. It was really difficult not to let my head knock into the passenger window while I reclined in my seat. Either way, I was going to stay up a lot later than the rest of them. I almost forgot what I dreamt about during that time, but I know that I was in this dark place with a mirror on one wall. In the dream, I walked through my reflection and found myself in the forest but somber and lifeless. I would say more, but the car whacked me awake, and I forgot the majority of the dream.

We arrived at our destination at about 6:45 in the evening. The parking lot to the campgrounds was packed with cars like sardines in a tin can. Pedestrians struggled to move in between vehicles without a few alarms being set off. The ground was strewn with tents, coolers, multiple bags of marshmallows and chips, and even a few potted saplings. There was even a man with a hunched back and a visor toting a huge inflatable ball while several kids followed him towards the ranger station. The hundred cars were so jam-packed, we had to park in the church's parking lot just to get breathing room.

Upon exiting the vehicle, I checked my phone and gave a quick call to my mom as promised. I told her that everything was fine but that we had to park a few blocks away. After hanging up, I pulled my duffel bag out of the trunk and checked to make certain any of the contents didn't spill out. An extra change of clothes, tent, a notepad in case I get bored, two flashlights, and two six-packs of strawberry-flavored soda that I forgot to put in the cooler on the way here.

Redd and Taz grabbed the cooler and some ice, and when we had everything packed up and ready to transport, we walked the quarter-mile to the station to get a good camping spot. The station itself was no bigger than the church we had parked beside, with a huge brass sign above the door reading "Mount Greenville Information Center". As crowded as it was outside, it was surprisingly empty inside the station, with only a few groups situated on the benches opposite the rangers' desks. A bobcat in camouflage-green pants and a tan shirt called us over by a little wag of his clawed finger.

"So, what brings you here to the Mount Greenville Campgrounds?" he said with a surprisingly contagious exuberance.

"We would, uh, like to reserve a campsite for the next two days," I said.

"All right, and how many do you have in your party?"

"Four, sir."

"Campsite #15 is open for you guys, and that'll cost sixty dollars for two nights, please."

I gathered the money we had pooled together from my wallet and handed the bills to his outstretched, spotted hand.

"Thank you, and have a swell stay here!"

While we left, I overheard him singing softly and a little off-key to this insanely catchy song I heard from numerous classmates the day before. Before I knew it, I was humming the tune for the next hour. On our way to the campsite, we passed by a ranger sleeping on the job next to a park bench. Like the considerate guy I am, I shook him awake before he could be in trouble for slacking off.

"Dude, don't touch the clothes," he said.

"Sorry about that," I replied.

"But thanks anyway, civilian. I must've been out cold."

"No problem, Mister...Cass? Is that what your name tag says?"

"Yeah, you got a problem with that?"

"No, not at all! I think it's a cool name."

"Well, better head to your site before nightfall or the spirits shall take your soul into Hell!"

He laughed maniacally as if he lost all of that sleep in just a few moments.

"And don't litter or get lost; it'll make my job easier."

We walked into the forest along a decaying leaf-covered dirt trail. We happen to come across a few hikers who were exploring the mountain, and Tazu decided to have a chat with them. There was this blue wolf with nothing but a pair of khaki shorts on and a grey and white wolf with a tinfoil hat covering his ears, plus a short dog with a fake rifle strapped to his back.

"What are you doing here, if I even need to ask?" Tazu asked.

"Oh, just exploring," the blue wolf said. "Me and Shadow and Slightly here were looking for some plants to munch on before it gets too dark to even see past our muzzles. Shadow, the grey guy, thinks it's funny to be so paranoid of the government trying to capture him."

"They know I'm an alien, Rocky! They're coming for me. We need to stay here as long as we need to make sure we stay safe from those heathens!"

Redd and I backed away from them before Usala started to talk to who I suppose was Slightly.

"Hey, buddy. Why do they call you Slightly?"

The terrier spoke with a ferocity unmatched even with Grayson. He was almost comically intimidating.

"My aim is slightly off target, but I can still take down a chickadee with one eye covered in sand. You best watch yourselves, ya hear?"

I gave a nervous chuckle before offering to leave as soon as possible before they try to kill us.

"Aw," the blue wolf, Rocky, said, "We were just getting to like you."

"All the more reason to leave."

Shortly after our "meeting", we came across numerous bridges that grew gray and rotten with age. The metal bars had rusted over and the supports seemed to groan under our combined weight. Fallen trees cut the trail a few times. Bees danced alongside the flora. Birds soared overhead without a care in the world. It didn't just feel majestic; it was majestic in the forest-lined landscape.

Our group found a wooden marker along the trail with a black "15" etched into the grain.

"Well, this is it," Tazu said. "Where's the campsite?"

A small dirt road branched out from the trail into the forest, and a barren patch of ground laid at the end of it. Upon closer inspection, in the center of the area was a small fire pit with a pile of charred wood and a few glowing embers within the pile. It must have been recently used. I just shrugged and set up my tent with not much difficulty.

I could not say the same for Usala. When she took her glasses off to clean them, whatever progress she had made crumbled into a mess of canvas and rods. She kicked a stump hidden in the grass on the side of the campsite and shouted out obscenities like a pop singer trying to be "edgy." When she finally finished setting it up, she lied down inside and took a nap with her fedora resting on her face. Tazu kicked one of the rods, and the tent collapsed on top of her, but was probably too exhausted to try and kill him.

A couple hours later, Tazu brought his lighter out and burned a pile of leaves gathered in the pit. The woods darkened with respect to the orange flames that rose and consumed the twigs and sticks Redd and I collected. The crackle of the flames highlighted the deafening chirps of crickets and nocturnal wildlife. With only ourselves to keep us entertained (and with Usala's game dead from overuse), we assembled around the campfire and tried to tell scary stories under the moonlight.