Triumph to Terror: a tale from the Forsaken Airfield

[CelloMan]

 

T

The morning started as so many do, full of promise and optimism, sun beaming down over valley below.  I had slept fairly well the night before, despite a nagging case of insomnia I acquired from the sinister sizzling of the glimmer fog that had socked me in the day before.  My supplies of food were beginning to run a bit thin, so it seemed like a perfect time to set out to see what Great Bear had in store for me on this beautiful day.

So I set off down the road, mapping from a few rock outcroppings along the way to help get my bearings in this still unfamiliar land.  Little did I know how valuable that map knowledge would become as my day progressed.  

As I made my way further down the mountainside, I spotted the lumbering shape of my good old friend Mr. Bear.  I thought about all those pounds of meat, and a thick pelt for a warm coat, and decided I should try my luck at bagging my first bear in the Forsaken Airfield.  So I clambered over the rock face between him and I, got as close as I dared, and pulled out my trusty rifle.  After a slow exhale to steady my aim, I squeezed the trigger and after the blast left my ears ringing, I heard him roar and saw him run off in the other direction.  "Did I miss?  Is he going to come and exact his revenge by shaking me by my toque till I'm torn and bleeding?"  the thoughts racing through my mind as I bounded down the hill toward where he had been.

But once I made it down, I saw in the snow the blood and tracks, so I knew I had hit my mark.  I followed the tracks a ways up the valley, and spotted him limping toward the rocks above.  "He must have a cave around here somewhere" I thought as I positioned myself up above for another shot.

Again I raised my rifle and pulled, and this time he only ran a few more steps before falling to the snow with a final growling sigh.  "Heck yeah, I'm eating good tonight!"  I yelled as I bounded toward my prize.

I made quick work of quartering him up with my hacksaw, and grabbed what meat I could carry and started looking for his cave which must be nearby.  (If only the levitating bag was as light as it seemed, Lol)

The cave was indeed just a few paces away, and I set right to work carving off a few thick steaks for dinner when I saw the first snowflakes begin to drift by.  "Uh oh, I better get this done quick" I thought.  But as it always seems to happen, my triumph soon turned to terror as the rage of Great Bear soon bore down upon me.  With the wind howling just outside my shallow retreat, I found a sheltered corner and cooked up the meat, and was hoping I could hunker down and ride out the storm.  The smell of sizzling flesh made my empty stomach grumble with excitement, but I couldn't help but feel a twinge of concern at the precarious state of my shelter. 

Just as my dinner was getting ready to eat, the wind shifted, I lost the protection of shelter, and I could feel the cold starting to cut through my clothing.  I ate hurriedly, the enjoyment of my hard won meal spoiled by the cruel twist of fate.  With the fire getting blown down to embers, I managed to heat up two cups of coffee, and with the little warmth and energy I had left I forged off into the howling wind.

Luckily I remembered from my mapping earlier that there was a road ways north of the cave that would wind its way up to the Mindful Retreat in the mountains above.  After several panicked minutes spent running  into darkness, I managed to find it through the driving snow. 

I checked in my bag  for the second cup of coffee, still hot, and chugged it down as I marched on up the road.  It seemed like an endless hike, with only the thin patch of clear road to guide me through the darkest storm I have ever experienced, growing slower with each step as my clothing got drenched from the snow.   I was almost completely exhausted when I finally saw the faint outline of a cabin emerge ghostlike from the swirling maelstrom.

Gritting my teeth against the uncontrollable shivering, I gripped the railing and pulled myself slowly up the stairs.  As I turned the knob and staggered across the threshold, I muttered: "You're not taking me this time, Great Bear" 

[Admin]

Thank you for sharing your adventures in the Far Territory! (Please don't forget to use Spoiler tags for Expansion Pass content. Thanks!) 

[CelloMan]

Than you for reading, I am new to posting here, and apologize for missing that feature of tagging spoilers, I'll be sure to stay on top of that in the future! 

[Morrick]

That last screenshot, with the silhouette of the cabin barely visible in the dark, is just fantastic and reminds me of so many times when I found myself in very similar circumstances… really an inch from 'fading into The Long Dark' but saved at the last minute. The worst of such circumstances was perhaps that one time in Forlorn Muskeg where I was desperately out hunting for food, wounded a bear after sunset, lost sight of it when trying to track it, it got dark, and the weather rapidly changed into a blizzard. I thought "I have heavy-enough clothing, I can take it", and started wandering in what I thought was the direction of the Poacher's Camp. Instead, it turns out I was going straight into the middle of the marsh, and fell through a spot of thin ice. "That's it, I'm done" — I thought, as I pulled out my last flare. At that point the only thing I could do was pick a direction and hope for the best. I was freezing, drained, overburdened, and walking in the blizzard at a glacial pace (no pun intended).

I think I was down to maybe 15-20% condition when I recognised the familiar shape of Old Spence Family Homestead. The utter joy I felt at that point! Thankfully I still had 6 lumps of coal lying about, and the forge's furnace kept going for many hours as I recuperated in bed. 

Thanks for sharing your survival story!

[conanjaguar]

This one has promise. I can smell it.

[Luca Loquax]

The last known survivor stalks his prey in the night!

[CelloMan]

16 hours ago, Morrick said:

That last screenshot, with the silhouette of the cabin barely visible in the dark, is just fantastic and reminds me of so many times when I found myself in very similar circumstances… really an inch from 'fading into The Long Dark' but saved at the last minute. The worst of such circumstances was perhaps that one time in Forlorn Muskeg where I was desperately out hunting for food, wounded a bear after sunset, lost sight of it when trying to track it, it got dark, and the weather rapidly changed into a blizzard. I thought "I have heavy-enough clothing, I can take it", and started wandering in what I thought was the direction of the Poacher's Camp. Instead, it turns out I was going straight into the middle of the marsh, and fell through a spot of thin ice. "That's it, I'm done" — I thought, as I pulled out my last flare. At that point the only thing I could do was pick a direction and hope for the best. I was freezing, drained, overburdened, and walking in the blizzard at a glacial pace (no pun intended).

I think I was down to maybe 15-20% condition when I recognised the familiar shape of Old Spence Family Homestead. The utter joy I felt at that point! Thankfully I still had 6 lumps of coal lying about, and the forge's furnace kept going for many hours as I recuperated in bed. 

Thanks for sharing your survival story!

Even when it seems hopeless, you've got to keep pushing on, untill the long dark takes you at last!