The Dragon Crystal.

Chapter 7. The hidden forest

Once They Both got down, they gasped in awe. "Whoa," Cameron breathed, taking in every single detail. His mouth hung open in amazement. They could hear the waterfall crashing down in the distance. They heard birds chirping and the rustling of squirrels in the nearby trees. Everything seemed surreal. "I bet you won't believe who lives here," Cameron mumbled. "Who cares, let's move on. We don't have all day."
After walking for several miles, they finally came across another cave entrance. It wasn't much larger than the opening they came out of, but still quite big. Callon poked his head inside, but didn't see anything suspicious at first. "What's wrong? Did you find what you were searching for?" Cameron wondered. "No," Callon replied. "Come over here and look." Cameron stepped over to stand beside him. "Is there something special about this place? Or maybe a monster?" "Just trust me. Don't worry. Nothing bad will happen to you. This place is perfect for training, you see. Not many people use these caves, and when they do, it usually is for a good reason. Besides, we are not allowed to hunt anything or kill anything unless it is absolutely necessary," Callon said. He pulled out a piece of paper. "A note," he said excitedly. Cameron looked at it curiously.
The note reads: 'If you want to save your life and stay alive, you must enter here and solve the riddle. Follow the river to its end. The river will lead you to the exit. Do not hesitate. This is the only warning we give you. Do not fear. We are watching.'
Callon read aloud, "Follow the river. If you want to live, follow the river. If you want to survive, follow the river. If you want to learn the answer to the riddle, follow the river. If you want to save someone else, follow the river. Be warned. Beware. Stay safe." "So I guess we follow the river." "Wait, look on the back of it!" Cameron said. "It's the riddle!" Callon exclaimed.
"If you want to learn the answer to the riddle, follow the river. If you want to survive, follow the river. If you want to keep someone else alive, follow the river. If you want to learn the answer to the riddle, follow the river."
"So what does it mean? Who knows the answer?" Cameron asked. "Let me read it again," Callon said. He read the letter again. "Maybe the water is the key. Let's see..." The two continued reading it over and over again, trying to figure out how it ended. "We should leave for the river." They ran as fast as they could towards the only river they had seen. Once they got there, there was an old fashioned reed boat waiting for them. The two boys climbed aboard. Cameron turned back and saw that the reeds were swaying gently in the wind. The boat started moving, picking up speed as they went. The sun was just starting to rise as they headed further into the forest.
Once they stopped traveling in the forest, the river began to widen and become more visible. It was almost completely straight. They could also make out a small path that they followed directly in front of them. As the two boys continued to sail the boat, they could hear strange noises coming from the woods behind them. They didn't notice it until their boat hit a sharp curve in the water. Cameron screamed in horror, thinking he had crashed into something huge. He couldn't see anything through the foggy water that covered his sight. It was so thick, he could barely see anything beyond two feet away. Then, without warning, the boat started sinking into the water. They tried everything they could to pull themselves out. "We have to swim to shore!" Callon cried. They managed to grab onto the bottom of the boat and start to crawl their way out. Just as they reached the edge of the water, there was a massive explosion behind them. The noise shook the air and knocked both boys backwards. Luckily, the boat was floating away from the spot of impact. Once they regained their senses, they saw that their boat was upside down, and that it wasn't attached to anything. It was floating on top of the current.
Callon cursed under his breath. He took his knife out of its holster, and pointed at the surface of the water. "Stay away from it. I'll swim," Cameron ordered. With his right hand, he grabbed hold of a piece of wood and used it to push himself off the boat and climb up. He swam forward slowly until he was at the side of the boat. The rope around it was burning hot, and it burnt through Cameron's hand. He quickly removed his hand before he got burned too badly. He swam a little farther forward to the side of the boat. He jumped up and wrapped his hand around the rope. The moment his hands touched the wood, he felt the heat fade. After climbing up, he saw that it was already submerged in the cold water below. "Cameron! What happened to you? Are you okay?!" Callon called out, worriedly. Cameron shook his wet hair and nodded his head. "Yes, I'm fine. Thanks. I've never done something so reckless before." "Wait a second, I think I see a sign!" Callon exclaimed. Cameron followed his gaze, and sure enough, there was a sign. It read: Congratulations! You solved the riddle! The dragon's crystal is guarded by creatures unknown at the forest center! Last injury was yesterday!
Callon winced. "Well that wasn't exactly comforting." "Well, we have no choice, come on we've got nothing to lose!" Cameron declared. He put his right arm over his shoulder and began walking along the side of the boat, dragging it along with him. The boat was floating in the current, making it hard for Cameron to walk. "Don't move it too quickly, it might tip and crush us if you aren't careful," Callon reminded Cameron. They walked along the boat for a while, until they found an opening in the trees. "There we go," Callon declared. "You did it," Cameron said proudly. "I knew you would be able to do it. But what is the point now? We lost our only clue," Callon complained. He sat down against one of the walls and looked around. "I don't understand why it suddenly disappeared. There must be some kind of trap set up in it. Maybe it is a clue as to what the riddle actually means, like a clue to the location of the riddle or maybe something related to the crystals, but there must be more to it. I'm telling you, this is the real deal. Something terrible has happened. I just hope it wasn't one of those things." He paused for a moment, staring out towards the trees.