Follow The River

Chapter 3

"So where are you from, Till?" Kate asked close to midday, "You said you're not originally from here."

"Berlin originally, until I was 10. I actually spend most of the year in California, since that's where I go to university. I still say I'm from Astoria, though."

"Are you a citizen?"

"As of last year, yes."

"I gotta say," Doug piped up, "I wouldn't have taken you for an immigrant. Your English is amazing, and you don't have much of an accent."

"Haha, thanks! I learned English quickly by watching The Simpsons. The accent, well, it was a lot stronger before I started university."

"I'm surprised my Cajun accent isn't stronger than it is."

"I can definitely tell you're from the south," Till said, "Although I've hard stronger accents."

"Guys! Do you hear that?" Kate suddenly said, "Something's walking in the trees!"

After a second of silence, Till could hear something crunching off to their right. This perked his attention. They hadn't yet seen any animals other than birds and squirrels, so this could be something interesting.

"What if it's a bear?" Aaron asked.

"No, it sounds too light for that." Doug pointed out.

They stepped into the forest and after a few seconds of clearing branches, they were able to see what had been making the sound.

There were four of them, and they looked to be normal rabbits except for one thing: each of them had a large set of horns sprouting out of their head. Looking at these unfamiliar animals, Till felt a mixture of confusion and astonishment, with his eyes not blinking and his mouth agape. Upon noticing them, the animals stayed still for a second or two, before darting away deeper into the forest.

Nobody said anything for what felt to Till like hours but was really only a couple of seconds.

"What....what was that?" said Doug, finally.

"A jackalope," Till replied.

"A what?"

"A jackalope. A mix between a jackrabbit and an antelope?"

"You've seen one before?" Aaron asked.

"Not in person, but I've read stuff online about cryptids."

"Everyone stood around for a few more seconds.

"Where are we?" Kate asked, "Till, are you sure you recognize this area?"

"I mean," Till scratched his head, "I'm pretty sure I do. This forest looks a lot like one I've hiked before."

"Did you ever encounter mutant animals while hiking it?" Aaron asked.

"Can't say that I have."

"So how do you know this is the same place? Lots of forests look alike."

"Well, regardless of if it is, we're bound to find get out if we just keep moving."

"Alright, if you say so."

"Hold on," Doug interrupted, "Let's pause for a sec. Kate, give me the fishing net. We need some fish to stretch out our food supply?"

"You think you're going to be able to catch some fish?" Kate asked as she handed it to him.

"Well, I usually go fishing with a rod rather than a net, but it shouldn't be too hard. Besides, the river's gotten pretty deep and wide, so there's got to be some fish in here."