Lost

Chapter 3

They hiked through the strange woods. The sound of strange insects buzzed in the trees, high-pitched chirps came from the bushes, strange red plant leaves brushed at their ankles, and slapped at their faces. Even with the cold, she was starting to sweat so she stripped off her jacket and tied it tightly around her waist.
Still, the three teenagers couldn't help but be in awe of the new planet's sights.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Aeryn asked, running her hands over the leaves of a fern-looking plant.
"Be careful, we don't know if the plants are toxic," Kenji warned from ahead of them and Aeryn dropped her hand back to her side. "It is beautiful, though."
They walked on in silence, just gazing at the new world around them. There was an itch at the back of her mind, though. They knew nothing about this new world. Everything could be poisonous and they wouldn't know. Eating anything could be potentially deadly, even the air could be toxic.
As they traveled deeper into the forest, the vegetation around them thickened, and Thora had to watch where she placed her feet or she would trip.
Thora gripped the gun in her hand, fiddling with the trigger. The back of her neck prickled as if someone was watching her. The others seemed to sense it, too, because they slowed down and finally came to a stop, glancing around. Fighting to keep her breathing steady, her eyes narrowed, and she strained her ears to pick up any noise.
A branch snapped somewhere to her right and she whipped around, gun aimed... straight at Fisher's forehead. She let out a sigh and, with a roll of her eyes, let the gun fall back to her side.
"So, now you're stalking us?" Kenji asked with a grin. Fisher smiled back.
"Just a precaution," he said, glancing in her direction. She scowled at him which only made him smirk.
"Are you staying with us or heading back to camp?" she asked, unable to keep the harshness from her voice. Fisher just shrugged, glancing up at the orange leaves above them.
"There's no point in going back now, is there?"
There were a few reasons, she thought as she ground her teeth and nodded curtly. Without another word, she began to walk along the path again. The sound of feet from behind her told her that they were following.

By the time they found a stream, sweat was pouring down her face, even with the frosty temperatures, and she had to fight to catch her breath. The walk hadn't been too long, she told herself. They wouldn't have to move camp. Not yet. If the hike became a problem she might consider it.
The water itself was crystal clear, she could see straight down to the bottom. It was shallow, a few feet at the most, and maybe eight feet across. She dipped in a finger and found it was warm. She should have noticed the steam rising from it.
"I think there must be a hot spring around here somewhere," Kenji said as he looked upstream, confirming her thoughts. Now they wouldn't have to worry about bathing.
"Is it safe to drink?" Aeryn asked. Kenji considered this for a moment.
"I'd say so, yeah," he said with a nod. Aeryn kneeled down and, her hands cupped, scooped up a handful of water. She brought it to her mouth and drank deeply.
When the water was drained she looked up at them and smiled. "This is the best water I've ever tasted!" Thora and the others scrambled to try it.
Copying Aeryn's movements, she dipped her hands into the water. The warmth felt amazing on her freezing fingertips. Lifting her hands to her mouth, she tentatively sipped the water. Aeryn was right; it was crisp and almost sweet and nothing like the water back on Earth.
When she turned, she saw that Aeryn was stripping out of her insulated clothes, leaving her in nothing but her bra and underwear. She was incredibly fit, Thora thought, eyes wide. "What are you doing?" she asked in shock. Aeryn grinned at her.
"Having fun. I mean, we've earned it, right?" Without another word, she leaped into the stream with a huge splash. Thora scrambled away before the water could reach her but Kenji wasn't so lucky. The poor boy was completely soaked. He spluttered, spitting out water before standing up and shaking it from his hair. Fisher was staring at Aeryn with his eyes wide. He wiped at his nose.
"Oh, I like her!" he said, laughing at his now soaked friend. Thora rolled her eyes again.
Maybe Aeryn had a point; they did deserve to have little fun. In a spur of the moment, she, too, pulled her insulated clothes off and took a running jump into the stream.
She came to the surface, allowing the sensation of the water to overcome her.
The boys were watching from the bank of the stream, mouths hanging open.
Thora turned to Aeryn, who was floating on her back. While her back was turned, Kenji joined them in the water. Fisher hung back, sitting down with his back against a tree.
"How far away do you think the actual hot spring is?" she asked Kenji.
"Stop talking and have fun," Kenji exclaimed with a grin, splashing her in the face.
They swam for a while longer until the red sun began to disappear on the horizon. The stream was soothing, the babbling of the water, the heat, everything, and she suddenly realized how tired she was. It had been a long day.
"Come on, guys, let's get going. It'll be dark soon," she said, pulling herself out of the water. Once on dry land, she wrung out her hair as best she could, leaving it damp, before putting her clothes back on. With some complaining, the others followed her example. Before they left, they had the mind to refill their water bottles.
Even with the insulated clothing, they shivered harshly. Fisher made fun of them the whole way back. She would be surprised if none of them became sick. Thora led the way, her arms wrapped around her middle, Fisher behind her, with Kenji and Aeryn taking the back, talking in hushed whispers.
"Shit, I left my bag back by the stream!" Aeryn shouted and the group stopped and turned to look at her. "I have to go get it."
"I'll go with you," Kenji volunteered, and the pair walked back in the direction they came. Thora glanced at Fisher, who just shrugged, the closest thing they could get to amicable, before turning and walking back toward camp.