Survival Island (reality show)

13.Rocks, boulders and water

They have been silently walking along the edge of the swamp for a good hour now. The grassland narrowed down and completely disappeared from their sight a few hundred meters back. The jungle terrain they have encountered is rocky and slippery, but it doesn’t stink like the swamp did. It gives them hope that there is some running water they could drink. 

“This is officially weird.” Magnus grunts while they climb over the moss covered boulders.

“The fact that we are climbing and the slope is going gently, you only now noticed we’re going higher up?” Sebastian asks.

“The lack of water.” Magnus tells him. “I swear I hear water running, I just don’t see it.”

“That’s the waterfall. We must be close.” He answers. He’s been hearing the sound of falling water for the last half an hour.

“Would you climb a tree? We need to know where we are. These boulders are slowing us down, but I can’t see an alternative. They’re everywhere.” Magnus complains about the terrain.

“Fine. Any tree looks good to me. Will you wait or go on?” Sebastian shrugs. He can go see where they are. What’s a little more climbing?

“I’ll take a break. Where do you get all that energy? You’re not that much younger.” Magnus asks him. The guy is sprawled over two rocks, like it’s a lounge chair.

“Need to know, but you’re slowly getting to the point where I’ll trust you enough to tell you.” He responds and climbs up into a tree’s canopy.

‘Will you tell him?’ The wolf inquires.

‘Yes. I think I'll have to.’ Sebastian responds with a sigh.

‘Because of the killings?’ His wolf asks. ‘I don’t believe those deaths were all accidents.’

‘Me neither. So, to keep him safe, he will have to know about you.’ Sebastian smiles. He is picturing the Major’s face when he’ll tell him. It will be a shock for sure.

Sebastian sticks his head out of the leaves and glances around. Trees for as far as he can see. There seems to be a split in the trees a few kilometers ahead. What worries him is the lack of a waterfall. He is certain he hears the water. So, where is it? He turns around carefully and the sight is unbelievable. The trees go up, way up the slope of a mountain. He can see the top of it, which is a rock, but it’s far off. They are on a mountain slope. Is the waterfall on the other side? Do they have to round the base of this mountain? Magnus won’t be happy about it, but at least they know where the rocky terrain came from.

“What do you want first? The bad news or the really bad news?” Sebastian asks when he comes back down to the boulders.

“I won’t like either.” Magnus shakes his head. “Make it one sentence.”

“A challenge? Nice one.” Sebastian laughs and sits by his friend's side. “The boulders we’re climbing are the base of a mountain slope and the waterfall is around the bend, so I can’t tell you how far away it is.”

“I hate you right now.” Magnus grunts. “We need the water.”

“I know. We can deviate from our path and find a way off of these damn rocks. Hopefully we find water that way.” He suggests. 

“But it’s a longer way to walk.” Magnus sighs. “Let’s get off of the boulders. It’s killing me, but I admit defeat to the rocks.”

Sebastian looks at Magnus and starts to laugh, really laugh. The guy is funny when he’s not trying to be. There will be no defeat, he doesn’t consent to it. But formulating this is a challenge. It needs to be witty and smart and just a touch of sarcasm.

“It’s not defeat. We are strategically relocating to better evaluate our position.” He winks. “Don’t forget we are searching for water. Water flows downhill. If we go downhill, we are bound to find water.”

“That is so farfetched you don’t even believe it yourself.” Magnus laughs. “But you got me in a better mood.”

“So, we’re making a little detour?” Sebastian wants to know.

“Yeah. Let’s get off of this moss covered death trap.” Magnus nods and slides down from the boulder to the smaller one at his feet.

Twenty minutes later, the boulders start to get smaller and less dense. The gaps are big enough for them to walk in and make good time getting away from the base of the mountain. The grin on Sebastian’s face is getting wider, too. He can hear water ahead, a fast running stream, if he’s not mistaken. It’s about time they get something to drink, he’s starting to feel the lack of water. A migraine would be the worst thing that can happen here. He doesn’t have the luxury of a dark, cold room to sleep it off.

“I hear water.” Magnus perks up. The prospect of drinkable water is lifting their morale and they both get excited and pick up the pace some more.

“It should be on your left in about a hundred meters.” Sebastian says. He is eager to get to the water fast. Thirst is a bad companion to have on any hike.

The stream they find is cold and clean. It flows through the rocks at a fast pace and disappears through the undergrowth in just a few meters. It’s not even wide enough to set a foot in, but they can fill their water bottles and refresh their faces with it. It can’t lead them anywhere so they decide to skirt the edge of the rocks and follow those to the waterfall. It might be the longer walkabout, but they have time. According to the map they were given, the terrain gets easier after they cross the second river at the waterfall. They can make up for lost time on the other side.

“If I remember the map correctly, there will be more of these streams.” Sebastian says. He pulls the map out to consult it, anyway.

“How frequent do you think they will be? I hope not too much. It might get difficult to advance. The ground might be slippery and dangerous.” Magnus asks him.

“I can’t say from the map. Let’s hope for the best.” He answers and puts the map back in his pocket.

Walking forward with a faster pace, they get to the second stream in no time. It looks a bit bigger than the first one. Is this an indicator that they are close to the waterfall? Or is the whole landscape riddled with small streams because of the rocky ground? He really hopes for the first, because they are tired from climbing the boulders and there is no way for them to determine what time of the day it is. The canopy is just too dense here.

‘Climb another tree. I want to know where we are?’ The wolf intrudes on his thoughts.

‘I think I might. Good idea.’ Sebastian answers. ‘Too bad you can’t go scouting ahead.’

‘When you tell him, I can.’ The wolf muses. This is all one big adventure for the wolf.

After some more walking, they reach a wider stream. It’s still fairly easy to jump across, but they take time to refresh and rest. He’s thinking that it’s too bad there are no fish this far upstream. It would make for a great meal right about now. The surroundings of the stream are mossy and moist. Is there a chance for frogs? Could they eat those? How many jungle frogs are poisonous? What has the poison, the meat or the skin of the frog? He doesn’t hear anything, but frogs are cunning creatures. Could he sniff them out?

“What are you thinking about?” Magnus inquires.

“If I can find frogs around here. The area seems like their home ground.” He responds. 

“I can’t hear anything except the water.” Magnus shrugs.

“I know the green jungle frogs are poisonous, I’m hoping for regular ones.” Sebastian explains. He focuses his attention on the grass by the stream and searches a good portion of it. Nothing. Not even traces that frogs might have been here. He frowns and shakes his head. He was looking forward to some food, other than worms and bugs. 

“No luck?” Magnus frowns at him. The guy was searching a bit downstream.

“No.” He shakes his head. “I’ll climb up a tree to see if I can spot the waterfall. I think we should be close, but it is very relative in the jungle.”

Up in the canopy of the tree he chose, the first thing he noticed was the weather above, nice and sunny. Judging by the position of the sun, he realizes it’s not too late in the day yet. The jungle seems to stretch on and on, on all sides he can look at. But the important thing he sees is the river with the waterfall. They can reach the river in about an hour, but the waterfall is a fair distance away. Their detour took them further downstream than he anticipated. If they can’t find a better spot to cross the river, they can be at the waterfall tomorrow.

“Damn detours!” He exclaims as he climbs back down. “The river is about an hour away, but we can’t make it to the waterfall today.”

“Are you sure?” Magnus looks at him. “Do you want to try our luck at the river? Maybe we can catch a fish or two?”

“I’m all for that choice. I hate the idea of worms and bugs.” Sebastian nods. He turns around on the spot to get his bearings according to the tree. “That way.”

“Lead the way.” Magnus nods.

It seems less than an hour and the view over the bank of the river opens up for them. It’s truly a sight for sore eyes. The river is wide and there are even sandbanks on a few spots between the rocks. They find a suitable spot to rest. Under a tree and out of sight of anyone that would be walking on the other side. A few large rocks are a perfect cover to hide behind. 

“Can you do your fish magic and catch some? I’ll make a fire pit and start a fire.” Magnus inquiries. He can see how tired the man is already and they have a few more days to go.

“I can try. I hope there are some.” He nods and takes his boots off. He rolls the cargo pants up his legs and wades into the cold river. There might be fish in the small pool. The ground is sandy with rocks and there are plenty of places for them to hide. He can see a few swishing by in the deeper part, so that’s a good sign.

‘OK, wolf. I need you. Lend me some speed to catch a few fish.’ Sebastian asks his wolf.

‘Sure. Let me see.’ The wolf answers and Sebastian opens his senses to the wolf. He knows his position right now doesn’t allow Magnus to see his eyes, it would be hard to explain the change from blue to gold. But he knows his wolf has a better chance of actually catching a fish. Getting the claws out would be even more convenient, but he can’t explain the puncture marks, if he manages to catch a fish.

‘Oh, yea of little faith.’ His wolf chuffs and strikes out with his right hand to grab a fish that came too close. He throws it on dry land and he can see from the corner of his eye that Magnus picked it up already.

‘I wasn’t doubting your ability to catch fish, just my ability to explain things.’ Sebastian tells his wolf.

‘Right. A few more, then?’ The wolf sounds amused and Sebastian chuckles silently.