Poppy followed, and the gloom of the forest was immediate. In the early morning light, it was dark and uninviting. Poppy stared into it for a moment, and her fingers twitched. "We're going to have to go deeper in, I'm afraid," she said, looking anxiously over her shoulder. "We're sitting ducks here."
"Alright. Let's keep moving, then." He continued deeper into the forest with hesitance. "Hopefully," he thought, "the forest wasn't as dangerous as the cities." He hadn't planned on spending more than a few hours to a day in the forest, and who knows how long they would have to hide there.
Poppy liked the woods. She had spent a great deal of her childhood climbing trees, crossing streams, and building forts. The leaves that covered the ground crunched under her feet, and even though it was dark, she relaxed. They walked along for a while as the rest of the world woke up. At daybreak, golden sunlight illuminated the leaves, and Poppy looked around in wonder "It's really not so bad here, y'know," she said.
"Is that so? I've heard humanities deadliest threat is nature itself, so I don't know." He did not much like the forest, and was more accustomed to city life. He had never been camping, explored, or really had fun in the woods. Instead, he had piano lessons, or got lost within the halls of his house. The forest didn't seem very interesting to him.
"Bears are terrifying," she admitted, her footsteps quiet on the soft grass. She looked around, and thought for a moment. "When we get far enough, I'm thinking that we should set up camp up high. Does that work for you?"
"Yes, that works fine. How long are we planning on staying here?" he asked, crossing his arms uncomfortably.
"I'm not really sure," Poppy admitted. They came across a crystalline stream, with a lazy current tracing the path through the woods. "It depends on who's left," she said, looking around. "If there's enough people, we may be found fairly quickly." She pointed out a fallen log. "We'll cross there. Come on."
He walked over to the log, and tested it for stability before crossing. "Or we'll get eaten by bears, first."
"I love your optimism," she said sarcastically. She climbed the log fairly easily, years of traipsing through the woods catching up with her. Her arms out to her side for balance, she crossed quickly, the stream rushing below her. She hopped off at the other side, cursing as she put force on her side. She turned back to wait for Francis. "No pressure," she said. "But if you fall, you will be subjected to endless teasing."
He crossed right after, wobbling a bit, but eventually making it. "Tsk tsk tsk. I thought you were a good person."
"Well, I'd help you out," she said. "Eventually. I'd just have to laugh a little bit first. You understand, right?"
"No, I'm afraid I don't. Let's just keep going." He pinched the bridge of his nose, and kept walking.
"You would laugh at me and you know it," she said, catching up to him. They came across a small clearing, and Poppy looked up to the sky. "This is a good place," she said. "Does it work for you?"
"I would not laugh. And, yes, this place seems fine." He scanned the area, then took a seat on a rock.
Poppy began to scan the area for materials. The area seemed widely untouched by humans, and she had no trouble finding small logs, branches, and sticks. She dragged one into the clearing with a huff, and she put her hands on her hips as she looked up at the trees. There were three oak trees, assembled in a close triangle. "Up there," she said, nodding towards it. "We need to get those logs up there."
She pursed her lips, squinting in the early morning light. "If we're going to stay here for any amount of time, we should try and get our camp off the ground. It's one thing if we're only staying here a night, but it's different if we're going to be here a while. Besides, if any scouts come through here, there's just a higher chance that they won't see us." She took her rope out of her bag and went to the base of one of the oaks. She pulled herself up one branch, and gritted her teeth against the sharp pain in her side. "I'm going to try and loop it over a branch," she said to him.
She looped the rope around her arm, but she spared a moment to smile down at him. "Don't worry. I think I can climb up to where I need to go. Would you be able to help me pull it up when I get up there though? I need to stay up there so I can adjust the logs into their proper place. They're not too heavy."
