ManicManiac

Sneaking away from the Cannery... and of course, a blizzard hits. Managed to get down from the pier while remaining couched (without hurting myself even 🤭). Already it was threatening a blizzard. By the time I got close to Long Bridge... the blizzard was raging in full force. I'm committed to trying to get around underneath the bridge... There's not going to be time to go back around the long way. It's getting brutally cold.

@Leeanda Thank you. Now that the workshop is done... I feel pretty good about my chances of getting out of the region undetected as well. 🤭 I don't remember exactly... but I imagine they were drop-downs or "goating accidents."

This morning, I took the next step... search the Cannery Workshop without getting mauled by Fluffy (and of course not harming Fluffy - as I still have no weapons of any kind with me). Thankfully, the idea went to plan. As soon as I'd slipped inside... Fluffy was already hunting for me. I quickly popped a flare and threw it at her. Thankfully she decided to flee (there are some cases if we are too close, that a wolf will charge when we don't have a flare in hand anymore). I quickly recovered the flare, and tried to keep close to Fluffy while I rushed to search the workshop before she regained her nerve and decided to strike. I managed to get the Cannery Workshop searched in the lifetime of that one flare. I know she was upset and scared... but at least neither Fluffy or I came to harm. I found a surprising amount of food, as well as many wires and various mechanical parts... I haven't found a good use for them just yet, but I gathered them up. I know they will be important to me later on. 🤭 To my surprise, I also came across this: (neat, another recipe to try later) All there is left for me to do here is to sneak back to the Washed-Out Trailers, do a final sort & stow, and sneak out of the region by way of the cave system leading out to Forlorn Muskeg.

@Leeanda The first one I'd ever found was in the Ravine, and that's when I named it. After that... every time I find a rabbit just sitting in place nonchalantly, I just like to think it's Buster.

Buster is my favorite rabbit on Great Bear Island.

🤔 Perhaps so. Anything's possible in a fictional setting.

These are both carnivores... as I mentioned previously: I'd tend to think that given the lore... even if we did manage to befriend them (carnivores)... I think it's likely would just go berserk as soon as an aurora flared up. Then our furry friend would just become a hostile threat to our life. Cats after all are just essentially miniature cougars 😋 (not literally of course - but they are cousins so-to-speak)

To be fair... I do have to admit that I do enjoy it when I find rabbits that are glitched, just standing/sitting there looking around or licking their paw... and I can spend a little time sitting next to them or take a screenshot. So please know that I'm not entirely against the idea.

I'll be brief and succinct with this one (since I don't have a lot of time today to elaborate). I'm not really in favor of the idea of being able to "tame" carnivores... The lore indicates they've all gotten hyper-aggressive since the first flare, and I'd argue that even if we managed to "befriend" a wolf or a dog (both canines and both of course carnivorous)... as soon as an aurora would flare up, then our furry friend would likely just go berserk and be a hostile threat to our life. I don't mind the idea of being able to befriend herbivores since by and large they are not hostile (the notable exception of course is the Moose) and do not seem affected first flare or the subsequent auroras (as least not that we know of since they tend to be gone at night already anyway). I think the only thing similar I've ever asked for, was the ability to walk while holding a captured rabbit... and that was just so I could then release it in another location (like inside the Mountaineer's Hut 🤭). In general though... while I can appreciate the idea, I'm not sure that I'm in favor of animal companions... much for the same reason I don't like the idea of Human NPCs in my Survival Sandbox. I think it undermines the feeling of isolation. The fact that all of wildlife on Great Bear Island is either hostile or fearful of our survivor means we are the outsider... the intruder. That ultimately our survivor will have to live, struggle, and eventually die alone, with nature being at best indifferent of whether we are even there or not (and at worst actively seeking to devour us).

More from the recent days from my chronicle ...Memory Lane... There are many more... but these were my favorites.

Fortune smiles... When the lights came on... the Timberwolves out in the yard were in a state of perpetual panic. Yelping and scrambling in panic. It was kind of nice to see the shoe on the other foot (as it were). I'm already rather tired, I'll sleep here tonight. Tomorrow, I'll search the workshop.

I've spent the day on the pier and carefully watching the Timberwolves prowl around the yard. I decided I'd leave this all here for now and wait to pick it up on the way back out. It looks like the pack has thinned out from the other day. From the best I can tell... the others from the incursion have gone. I managed to count four... but they are sly. They were almost never all in sight at the same time. Still hoping for an aurora... at least the weather looks promising. I should have enough supplies with me to camp here for at most a week. I need an aurora to hit before I run out of food and water. Nothing to do now... but wait.

MMljLqy-wolfpup.mp4

@Leeanda Well, I got a good bit of practice back in Desolation Point. I was able to fully prospect the cave while the resident wolf was snarling angrily to get out its den. Thankfully that situation proved that I could invade a wolf den and get out without harm to either myself or the wolf. The trouble with the workshop, is (of course) that there is much less space. I'm going to have either keep her at bay while always making sure I have a route around... or I'm going to have to get her to flee and hope I can stay close enough for her to stay spooked until I can search what I need to and leave. That's the idea anyway.

@Leeanda Assuming that fluffy doesn't kill me. (and I do have a regular flare for the purpose of discouraging her) The plan will be to work my back to the Washed-Out Trailers. Pick up anything I'd like to carry out with me and slip out of the region by way of the Cave System leading to Forlorn Muskeg.

@Leeanda Thank you. I think that as long as I can avoid being detected while I have to camp out at the door... It ought to be an easier matter to get down to the ice and head the long way around to Long Bridge (keeping to the edge of the thin ice, I mean). It should be a bit easier for me to slip away than it was to get in. 🤭 However, I take nothing for granted... and will still need to tread carefully.

@xanna Thank you. It was a hard task, but I was glad I was able to pull it off. I'm glad you've enjoyed reading along.

@Leeanda Thank you.

I've won the day... Not only have I defied the meme and did "Simply walk into Bleak Inlet" without any weapons of any kind, I've managed to explore the entire region undetected... Now I've also successfully completed the Cannery Rush without getting spotted by any of the Timberwolves of the scripted incursion either. 🌞 Now it's a matter of camping out here and waiting for an Aurora. Now for the next challenge... I have to try to search the Workshop itself and ideally not get into a struggle with Fluffy in the process.

Home stretch... just a little farther to go. Stealth still intact.

😖 This leg was a really close call... I hadn't remembered that there was another gap to cross. Some of the Timberwolves clearly smell something because they are trotting around looking... but so far I've still not been spotted! Almost there...

oof... made about halfway. Still managed to not be noticed. The only two places I had to stand up to make the leap are already done. I might actually have a chance to slip by unnoticed all the way to the workshop door...

With the dawn, I take the next step... I have to get to the workshop door today. I missed these two marine flares on the way in... since I don't have any weapons, it might be wise to pick up these extra too. If I'm spotted (and it's probably going to be unavoidable today), I will likely need to run for my life on the way back out. As I made my up to the pipes that I needed to traverse to reach the next building... I stopped and counted now 12 Timberwolves in the yard. The Cannery Rush is on, and the Timberwolf incursion has well and truly begun. If the incursion continues at this rate... this pack might yet again double or triple in size. And unlike Blackrock (where a pack might break off the chase when you leave their territory)... the Timberwolves of Bleak Inlet are more likely to just mercilessly hunt you down until you're dead... or they are. 🥶