Mei squints at her pager, trying to decipher their location as the blue glow from the small screen illuminates her face. Mei's face contorts in frustration as the pager displays the site as 'unidentified,' and she lets out a grunt of annoyance. "Dammit!"
"What's going on?" asks Navar.
"Well, I'm getting a signal. That's the good thing. But the pager can't read the location we are at."
"Wait, all hope isn't lost. Maybe Jax can repair the ship," says Chitose.
Jax's eyes scan the broken spaceship, and his face twists with disapproval as he shakes his head. "I don't see that happenin'. This engine is fried, and I don't have the tools to repair damage like this."
"So, what do we do now? Do we sit here and hope someone finds us, or do we just walk around?" asks Chitose.
Mei contemplates the options for a moment, then nonchalantly shrugs her shoulders, giving in to the worst of the possibilities. "Seems we have no choice but to go through the jungle. It's not wise to stand around in unknown territory. Who knows what could lurk around here."
Seiju lets out a frustrated sigh. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me! Not another long walk through a damn forest!"
"Come on, Seiju, don't be a chicken," Mei rummages through her bag and pulls out a soft, plush teddy bear, tossing it to Seiju. "Here, take this teddy bear. This kept you from being scared at night when you were younger."
Mei's taunt receives a round of chuckles from the group, and Seiju responds by throwing the teddy bear on the ground in a fit of anger. "I never slept with this! Stop lying!"
Mei points to a spot on the bear's bottom where Seiju's name is written. "Oh really? Then why is your name on it, you liar?"
"That's it, I'm sick of you!" Seiju marches toward Mei, his face twisted in anger.
Miri steps in between them, her arms outstretched to diffuse the tension. "Even if Seiju used to play with teddy bears, that's the least of our concerns. Let's figure out where the hell we are first."
"Ok, ok, Miri, you're right. Alright, guys, let's get going."
"Yes, Ma'am!" says everyone.
After four hours of trudging through the dense jungle, Mei looks up and sees the sun beginning to set, casting an amber glow through the trees. She comes to a sudden stop and looks over at the group. "Ok, everyone, it's getting dark. Let's take a break to set up camp," The group sets down their belongings and gathers wood for a fire. "Ok, everyone, we'll have a watch schedule where someone keeps a lookout for 1 hour and then taps a sleeping person. Also, I'll hunt for food since we only packed rations for a 1-day trip. Navar, you're the first to keep a lookout. I'll be gone for a while, so if anything goes wrong, yell as loud as you can."
"Got it!" Navar's hands and feet scramble up the tree's rough bark, and his eyes narrow in focus as he surveys the area.
With each passing hour, the sounds of the jungle grow louder - chirping crickets and rustling leaves now joined by the calls of tropical birds. Seiju, who is on watch, lets out a disgruntled sigh as the cool breeze prickles his skin. "Oh man, what I would do to be meeting the lips of another hot girl again," Seiju lets out another long sigh, his boredom palpable. Out of nowhere, a rustling sound comes from below, causing him to turn his head and look toward the noise. "What the hell was that?" He nudges each group member awake as he jumps from the lookout tree. "Guys, we may have an intruder."
Navar stirs from his sleep and takes a defensive stance, ready for danger. "Oh yeah! Where Are-!"
Miri places her hand over Navar's mouth, silencing any further noise from his lips. "Don't be so loud, you fool..."
"Right, sorry…"
Seiju leads the group, weaving through the underbrush toward the source of the rustling. The sensation of the leaves crunching underfoot and twigs snapping fills the air as they veer closer and closer. Astran draws her sword, the metallic sound of the blade sliding out of its sheath ringing through the air. "Be careful, everyone. This can be a dangerous threat.."
As they approach the rustling sound, Seiju hears a faint rustling behind him, causing everyone to turn around. They see nothing but the dense foliage whipping from the fast movement. "This person is skilled at keeping themselves concealed," says Astran.
Seiju felt a tap on his shoulder, causing him to turn around slowly and face the unexpected. "Boo!" says Mei.
Seiju's nostrils flare as he glares at Mei with anger. "Hey, you're not funny!"
"Whoops, I was just testing you all to make sure you'd be able to find an intruder, and you did well! So for that, I present to you some food!" Mei drops a cloth of food on the ground, the delicious aroma of the food inside filling the air, attracting everyone toward it.
Navar takes a bite, savoring the burst of flavors in his mouth. "Wow, Mei, this is so good!"
"I'm glad you enjoy it. Now you all get some rest. I'll keep watch for the rest of the night. Tomorrow we'll keep going and see if we can find some civilians to tell us where we are."
After a much-needed 10-hour slumber, Mei rouses everyone from their deep sleep. "Ok, guys, let's keep going," The group gathers their belongings and trudge through the uncharted landscape, the scorching sun beating down on their backs.
As they trek further, the sound of Jax's pager vibrates through the air, revealing the much-awaited coordinates. "Hey guys, look! I have coordinates!" As the group rushes towards him, their faces come alive with excitement.
"Sweet, now we can get s-" Before Mei can finish her sentence, she senses a Supernatural's presence from the right side of the group. She throws a fireball in that direction, illuminating the area with a bright orange light. "Come out!"
"With pleasure!" a figure emerges from behind the tree, lunging forward and kicking her in the face, sending her reeling backward. The sound of the impact echoes through the forest, and the group jumps into action, ready to defend themselves against this unexpected attack.