"How many pictures do you need Ender? Come on, if we wanna make it back before nightfall, we have to hurry" Jake called out to the boy who kept clicking with that huge camera of his.
"Just a minute" He yelled from behind the waterfall, insistent on getting a few more shots before finally putting his camera away. He stepped out from behind the falls, carefully cradling the camera, and walked over to their group with a dazzling smile on his face.
The entire team of Rhythm squad, a well-known dance crew; along with a few members from a different crew had gathered here at the Grotto falls in the Appalachian. They had just finished touring as backup dancers for a famous singer and now that they had a few weeks off, Ender had planned some fun activities for them.
'Let's go" He said to the others who were currently playing in the shallow water.
"Why don't we just enjoy it here? I'm not in the mood to hike all the way up there" Max plopped down groaning.
"I ain't forcing you to" Ender shrugged, putting on his shoes. "You can stay here, relax with the others till we come back"
On their way to Grotto falls, they had befriended a group of hikers who were going to continue to Rainbow falls ahead and had offered to team up if anyone was interested. For someone who loved to explore new places, Ender was tempted by it thus he along with a few of his friends decided to go with them. Grabbing his backpack, he waved at the group of hikers who were waiting for them.
Most of his crew had chosen to stay back as they were tired and besides they had a 2-hour return trek later as well. The hike up to the Grotto falls wasn't that difficult but it was a long one nonetheless. However, Ender wasn't someone who easily got tired, he had always been an outdoorsy person, and hiking and camping were something he often did.
Glancing back to check on his friends, he saw Max had joined them as well. The bastard might have been whining a few moments ago but he came nonetheless. Shaking his head, Ender walked ahead of them all to capture more pictures. The trail was filled with vibrant foliage and a variety of wildflowers that he didn't wanna miss.
Photography was something he did in his free time, although he was passionate about it, he had never tried to pursue it as a career. However, after suffering a stress fracture in his left shin that led him to quit ballet, he began photography as an optional career choice. He mostly video graphed their group's performances along with doing travel vlogs for his personal youtube channel. Quitting ballet wasn't a decision he regretted though, it required high levels of discipline and it was only after he quit that he realized how restricting it was.
Entranced by the classic 'Black Swan', he had joined ballet on a whim, with a dream to be as perfect as those beautiful ballet dancers he saw. What Ender didn't know was how emotionally and physically challenging ballet could be, it took a toll on his health yet he persevered, that was until the injury. Once he was back from rehab, his friends convinced him to try other dance forms, which further made him realize that it wasn't ballet that had him entranced. No. It was the freedom to express and create art by moving his body that had drawn him in; ballet was simply a form he chose only to realize it wasn't meant for him.
It was Ender who had initially started this group with two of his best buddies. They used to put out fusion dance routines on youtube and had gone viral over the internet for their covers of famous songs. Later on, they decided to build a dance studio and began performing at local events, as well as competed in various competitions before they got a few contracts from well-known celebs that kick-started their career. Ender helped to choreograph the majority of their routines but never participated in the events, afraid that his body won't be able to take the intensity of performing.
"Can we extend our stay in Ashville?" He turned to ask his friends. The carefree mountain city had something about it that made him feel at ease.
"I'm thinking the same man. I'm dog-tired of the constant schedules and travels." his friend said.
"And we hit the jackpot with this one, we deserve a break" another one added
The others agreed in unison, they had been traveling for over two months now and a break from the hectic life was all they needed.
Ender was crouched low to take clicks of the wildflowers when a shadow loomed over him, making him look up. It was Max again, holding out a bunch of flowers he picked on his way up.
"For you" he smiled
"I do love flowers but I like them on the plant." Ender sighed, walking away.
Max wasn't a part of their crew, he belonged to a different one. But since their two crews were the backup dancers for the same singer and he had stuck around with them. He had a crush on Ender and he wasn't subtle about it either, constantly trying to get close. It was nice to have attention first but now Max was becoming annoying with his clingy behavior.
"You're not the one to give up, are you?" Ender's friend who had seen the whole scene commented.
"Have you seen him? He has to be the most gorgeous man I've ever laid eyes on" Max replied, eyes automatically moving to watch Ender ahead.
"He must have declined you a hundred times by now" the other man chuckled
"Where's the fun in getting things easy" Max smirked
"Come on man, learn to take a no for an answer"
Max merely shook his head.
A few minutes later, urging his friends to go ahead, Ender stepped away to go into the woods to relieve himself. He had no worries about getting lost, the trail was clear and easy to follow. He walked further into the thicket and once he was sure he was far enough, he carried on with his business. He hummed a tune on his way back, glancing around to see if he could spot any salamanders that the area was well known for. His footsteps faltered when he saw large footprints in the mud.
Ender squatted down to get a good look at it, those paw prints were far bigger than his hands and he wondered if these could be the footprint of a bear? The Appalachians were well known to have bears. Out of curiosity, he followed the pawprints a few feet away. The prints were smudged and upon glancing around, he saw massive scratch marks on the tree trunks, thick bushes had bent and there were a few broken branches on the ground. His gut screamed at him to get as far away from that place as possible, there could be a wild bear around here somewhere.
He was about to turn back when he spotted blood on the fallen branches and there was a pungent smell in the air as well. Maybe it was a dead bear? Or it could be an injured one too, the voice in his mind retorted. He should be walking away but curiosity won over and he went in the direction of the blood through the thick bushes.
Once he walked past those, the scene before him made him freeze up. A massive black bear lay on the ground, its flank cut up as if someone had slashed at it with long swords. Its neck hung at an awkward angle, probably broken. Flies surrounded the carcass and the smell was so strong that Ender pulled up his T-shirt to cover his nose. As he took in the surroundings, his eyes fell on a human leg protruding from the bushes and he felt a chill down his spine.
He took a brief look at the carcass in caution as if the animal was somehow going to wake up and pounce on him, even when he knew the bear was already dead. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and dread filled him when he realized he might have stumbled on a dead body. His hands trembled as he pushed the bushes aside to get a look.
A man lay in the mud, covered in dried blood and dirt. He was stark naked and what caught Ender's attention was his long silver locks that fanned across the man's face. Shaking, he bent down to put his finger beneath his nose and gasped when he felt faint breathing. The man was alive!
He had to do something, they could save him. Getting up on trembling feet, he ran off in the direction of the trail, calling out for his friends.