Alex looked at the river—wide and dark, flowing steadily toward the coast.
Then he looked back upstream—where Bear Territory was miles away through dangerous terrain, where his mates were probably mobilizing a search party, after his telepathic message to his mates.
"If I go downstream," Alex said slowly, "I need a way to stay safe. To float without drowning. To signal my location somehow."
[WAY ahead of you!]
[PURCHASING:
Flotation Raft - Compact (100 SP): Self-inflating, stable, includes basic supplies
Signal Flare - 3 Pack (30 SP): Magical flares visible for miles, color-coded]
[Total: 130 SP]
[Current SP: 363 → 233]
[Deploying now!]
A small package materialized—when Alex pulled the cord, it exploded into a surprisingly sturdy raft. Big enough for him to lie down comfortably, with raised sides to keep him from rolling out, and a small covered section to protect from rain.
The signal flares were simple tubes—red for danger, green for safe, blue for location marker.
