The morning sun filtered through the trees, casting dappled light across their makeshift campsite near the waterfall. Ethan stirred awake, the sound of rushing water filling the air. Seraphine was already up, sitting by the edge of the pool, her threshold-mark barely visible in the daylight.
Nyx padded over to Ethan, his molten silver eyes reflecting the morning sun. The cat didn't speak—none of them expected him to—but his presence was a quiet comfort. He rubbed against Ethan's leg, then looked pointedly toward Seraphine.
"Alright, alright," Ethan muttered, sitting up. "I'm coming."
He stretched, wincing at the stiffness in his muscles. The explosion had left him with more scrapes than he'd realized, but nothing serious. Seraphine had fared better—her threshold-mark was still healing, but the cuts from the anaconda encounter had mostly closed.
"Sleep well?" Seraphine asked without turning around.
Ethan rubbed the sleep from his eyes. "Like a rock. You?"
She nodded. "The waterfall's energy is soothing. It's helping my threshold-mark heal."
Ethan joined her by the water's edge, watching the sunlight dance on the surface. "So this is where we're camping tonight?"
"For now," Seraphine confirmed. "We should stay put until we're fully recovered. The coastal city is still days away."
Ethan checked the old camera—battery at 92%. "Thirty minutes today," he reminded himself, powering on the stream. The red light blinked steadily. "Alright, chat. We're taking a day to recover from yesterday's... incident."
[Chat]
WaterfallHealing: that's cool
CamSurvivor: will they be safe tonight??
GoblinFan99: Nyx will keep watch
Nyx, who had been inspecting a particularly interesting leaf, looked up and gave a dignified nod.
"See?" Ethan said. "Nyx approves."
Seraphine managed a weak smile. "The waterfall has healing properties. It should help with our injuries."
Ethan powered down the stream as the battery hit 88%. "Ten minutes today," he said to himself, tucking the camera away. "Can't afford to drain the battery when we're trying to heal."
---
As the afternoon wore on, they set up the scavenged tent near the waterfall. Ethan struggled with the poles while Seraphine supervised from where she sat, her threshold-mark barely visible as she moved her injured arm.
"Left a bit... no, your other left..." Seraphine directed, trying not to laugh as Ethan wrestled with the fabric.
"This is harder than it looks," Ethan grunted, nearly collapsing the entire structure.
Seraphine finally stood, wincing slightly, and joined him. "Here, let me show you."
Their hands brushed as they worked together, adjusting the poles and stakes. For a moment, neither of them moved, the air between them charged with something more than just the tension of the tent poles.
Nyx, who had been supervising from a nearby rock, let out a loud yawn that broke the spell.
"Thanks for the support, Nyx," Ethan muttered, his cheeks still warm.
Seraphine smiled faintly. "He's just making sure we don't accidentally set up the tent inside out."
Ethan chuckled. "With my track record, that's a real possibility."
They finished setting up the tent in comfortable silence, the afternoon sun warming their backs. Nyx claimed the interior immediately, curling up in the center with an air of satisfaction.
"Of course you get the best spot," Ethan said, shaking his head. "You're the one who found the cave."
Nyx merely blinked at him, as if to say, "Obviously."
---
As evening approached, Seraphine stood by the waterfall, her back to Ethan. "I'm going to clean up," she said. "Keep watch for me?"
Ethan nodded. "Of course."
She disappeared behind a curtain of water, the sound of her splashing filling the air. Ethan sat on a rock facing away from the waterfall, his back to Seraphine.
"Facing the right way?" he called out.
"For now," Seraphine replied. "Don't turn around."
Ethan settled in, keeping his eyes fixed on the forest ahead. The sounds of the waterfall were soothing, the scent of clean water filling the air. He tried to focus on the trees, on Nyx who was patrolling the perimeter, on anything but the sounds coming from behind him.
Minutes passed. The splashing continued. Ethan found himself unconsciously counting the seconds between splashes, imagining—
"No," he whispered to himself, shaking his head. "Focus, Ethan. You're a professional."
He adjusted his glasses, which had fogged up in the humid air. As he wiped them clean, he caught Nyx watching him with what could only be described as judgmental intensity.
"What?" Ethan whispered. "I'm doing my job."
Nyx just stared, his molten silver eyes reflecting the setting sun.
Ethan turned back to face the forest, his cheeks burning. "I'm a professional," he repeated, though he wasn't sure who he was trying to convince.
---
Later, as the sun began to set, Ethan decided to try his hand at fishing. He loaded the crossbow with an arrow that crudely craft by his hands and took aim at a fish swimming near the surface.
"Watch and learn," he told Seraphine, who was watching from the shore, also to the Live streaming he had just turn on.
He fired. The arrow flew true—but the fish darted away at the last second.
[Chat]
FishingFail: LOL
CamSurvivor: he's trying so hard
NyxSavior: the cat could do better
Ethan fired again. And again. Each shot missed by a hair, the fish somehow always moving just in time.
"Seriously?" Ethan muttered after his fifth miss. "These fish are psychic."
Seraphine laughed. "Maybe you're just not cut out for fishing."
"Or maybe," Ethan said, loading his last arrow, "I just need to believe."
He took a deep breath, aimed carefully, and fired.
The arrow flew straight and true—directly into the water where the fish had been a second before.
[Chat]
LastArrowFail: NOOOO
CamSurvivor: that was so close
GoblinFan99: fishing isn't his skill
Ethan sighed, lowering the crossbow. "Well, that was embarrassing."
Nyx, who had been watching from the shore, suddenly darted into the water. A moment later, he emerged with a fish in his mouth, dropping it at Ethan's feet with an air of superiority.
"Thanks, buddy," Ethan said, trying not to gag. "I'll, uh, take notes."
Nyx merely blinked at him, as if to say, "Obviously."
---
As darkness fell, they sat by the fire, roasting the fish Nyx had caught. Ethan powered on the stream one last time—battery at 85%.
"Alright, chat," he began. "We've had a quiet day of recovery. No explosions, no giant snakes—just Nyx being Nyx."
Seraphine leaned into the frame. "The waterfall has been helping with our injuries. We should be back on the road by morning."
[Chat]
NyxTheFisherman: the cat is providing
CamSurvivor: he's better than Ethan
GoblinFan99: the cat is the real MVP
Ethan nodded. "And Nyx has been... well, Nyx."
Nyx, who had been pretending to sleep, opened one eye and gave a dignified nod.
Ethan powered down the stream as the battery hit 82%. "Can't afford to waste battery when we're trying to heal."
---
Inside the tent, Ethan lay on one side while Seraphine settled on the other. The space was small, the walls thin enough that he could hear her breathing.
"Goodnight, Ethan," she murmured.
"Goodnight, Seraphine," he replied.
As she drifted off to sleep, Ethan stayed awake, pretending to sleep while Seraphine's head slowly came to rest on his shoulder. Her breathing was steady, her hair smelling of clean water and something floral.
For a long time, he lay perfectly still, afraid to move and break the moment. Her weight against him was warm, comforting. He could feel her breath against his neck, sending shivers down his spine.
When Seraphine finally woke and left the tent, Ethan pretended to just be waking up too, rubbing his eyes and yawning as if he hadn't been awake the whole time.
Seraphine gave him a knowing smile but didn't say anything.
---
The next morning, they broke camp and prepared to continue their journey. Ethan connected the solar charger to the old camera, letting it recharge in the morning sun.
"Ready?" Seraphine asked, adjusting the strap of her backpack.
Ethan nodded. "As ready as I'll ever be."
Nyx led the way, tail held high like a furry antenna. As they walked, Ethan caught Seraphine watching him, a thoughtful expression on her face. When she noticed him looking, she quickly turned away, but not before Ethan saw the faint blush on her cheeks.
Nyx, ever the observant one, looked between them with an expression that seemed to say, "About time."
As the forest opened up ahead, revealing a path that would eventually lead to a rural village, Ethan adjusted the strap of the old camera across his shoulder. The card hummed faintly in its compartment. Eternal. Waiting.