Your support makes Blue Moon possible (Patreon)Galen Arner was supposed to be on the field trip of a life time. His entire class had been flown to South America, stayed in a nice hotel before they had been brought out here, to a deep part of the jungle, a place where tourists normally weren't allowed to go. Some of the class had hated it, being away from 'civilisation' like this, trailing through the mud and having to walk for several miles. But Galen didn't mind, he found all of this fascinating. Being somewhere new, somewhere different, what wasn't to love? By now he had totally tuned out the whining from his classmates, just letting them complain and ruin their own trip, but they weren't going to ruin his, oh no. He was going to make sure he took full advantage to get everything he could from this trip. In preparation for this he had read so many books on plants, geography, animals....rather arrogantly he considered himself something of an expert on the jungle by now. Unfortunately, that arrogance would prove to be something of his downfall.
The tour had stopped for a break and Galen had moved just a little away to examine a particularly rare plant. Of course he didn't touch it, just looked. After all, touching it risked damaging it, and damaging such a rare and precious specimen was simply unforgiveable. Unfortunately he had become distracted in his examinations, failing to hear the calls for the group to move on. By the time he finally stood up and turned around, the rest of the class and their guides were nowhere to be seen, or heard. "H-huh? Ehhh?" Galen began to panic, hurrying a few steps forwards. He called out, but his voice didn't even echo. Even if it had, the various sounds of the jungle would have drowned out his voice. He looked down at the ground for footprints, but the prints of the group were soon lost in the underbrush when he tried to follow them.
Galen's heart was pounding in his chest by now, and in a blind panic he simply began to run into the jungle. What else could he do? Simply standing around would accomplish nothing, tour groups didn't normally come to this part of the jungle after all. His only hope was to run and hope he either found his class or someone else. Unfortunately, he had no idea he was actually heading deeper and deeper into the jungle, into parts that had never even been approached by humans before.
After several hours though, Galen was still hopelessly lost. He didn't recognise anything around him now. Even the plants were unfamiliar, unlike anything in the books he had read. The boy was panting heavily, exhausted. He was out of breath, dehydrated....his vision was beginning to blur as he reached out to try and grab a tree for support. Unfortunately his hand slipped, just as his legs finally gave out and the boy collapsed, dropping to the ground. Everything was beginning to go black, and with one final pitiful cry for help, Galen passed out, now resigned to his fate of certain death.
The tour had stopped for a break and Galen had moved just a little away to examine a particularly rare plant. Of course he didn't touch it, just looked. After all, touching it risked damaging it, and damaging such a rare and precious specimen was simply unforgiveable. Unfortunately he had become distracted in his examinations, failing to hear the calls for the group to move on. By the time he finally stood up and turned around, the rest of the class and their guides were nowhere to be seen, or heard. "H-huh? Ehhh?" Galen began to panic, hurrying a few steps forwards. He called out, but his voice didn't even echo. Even if it had, the various sounds of the jungle would have drowned out his voice. He looked down at the ground for footprints, but the prints of the group were soon lost in the underbrush when he tried to follow them.
Galen's heart was pounding in his chest by now, and in a blind panic he simply began to run into the jungle. What else could he do? Simply standing around would accomplish nothing, tour groups didn't normally come to this part of the jungle after all. His only hope was to run and hope he either found his class or someone else. Unfortunately, he had no idea he was actually heading deeper and deeper into the jungle, into parts that had never even been approached by humans before.
After several hours though, Galen was still hopelessly lost. He didn't recognise anything around him now. Even the plants were unfamiliar, unlike anything in the books he had read. The boy was panting heavily, exhausted. He was out of breath, dehydrated....his vision was beginning to blur as he reached out to try and grab a tree for support. Unfortunately his hand slipped, just as his legs finally gave out and the boy collapsed, dropping to the ground. Everything was beginning to go black, and with one final pitiful cry for help, Galen passed out, now resigned to his fate of certain death.