A crisp breeze whistled across the beach. Five limp, soaking forms lay sprawled out in the sand. A small murder of crows hopped around them, checking for signs of life.
The bulkiest figure shot up, startling the crows. They squawked angrily as he pounded his chest to clear it of sand and water. He glanced around, confusion etched into the handsome features of his face.
"Is everyone okay?" he hollered to his comrades, who were just beginning to stir. Weak groans and hacking were the replies he received. He sighed in relief, stood up, and made his way to his shivering friends.
"What just happened, Tony?" he inquired, yanking his friend to his feet.
"Gee, Cap," Tony replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "I wonder what. Perhaps our plane just disappeared, leaving us stranded in the Arctic Circle!"
Steve rolled his eyes. He scanned the area as his other friends joined him.
"Really, Nat?" Clint accused. "You help Code Green over here, but you leave your best friend to get up on his own?"
"I though you were a man," Natasha retorted with a smirk. "But I see now you're just a child."
"I am not," Clint pouted. Bruce snickered.
"Guys," Steve sternly said. "We need to figure out where we are. Tony, did you manage to snag a few pieces of tech while we were falling?"
Tony rifled through his pockets. "Nope," he responded, making a popping sound when he said the p. "If I did, it'd be gone, just like the Quinjet. Which means..." He gasped, horrified. "My suit!"
"If the whole jet disappeared," Bruce started, "I think it's safe to assume we have no access to the tech we had back in New York."
"That means all our stuff is gone," Nat frowned. "No comms, no electrical weapons, no guns. Nothing."
"We should take a look around," Steve commanded. "If this really is the DreamSMP, we should be able to find it by looking around."
"If I remember correctly, it's close to the very top of the earth," Bruce claimed. "We just need to head to the top."
"Right," Clint nodded. "And, which way is that, exactly?"
"Well, considering we're on a beach," Tony pointed out exasperatedly, "it's safe to assume we have to go away from the beach."
"Then let's go," Steve decided, and they all began to traverse their way across the plains before them. The crows they ignored before took off, flying towards a quaint little home in a country far away.
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"Just admit it, Tony," Nat irritably tapped her foot on the grassy forest floor.
"Admit what?" he replied obliviously.
"We're lost!" Clint, Steve, and Bruce all shouted in unison.
"Alright, fine!" Tony snapped. "We're lost. There, I said it."
Nat shielded her hand against the sunlight glaring through the treetop. "Looks like we've got a while till sunset. I say we look for food?"
"Even if we found some," Tony pointed out, "we have A, nothing to kill it with, and B, nothing to cook it with."
"If we can make it through this forest, I'm sure we can try looking for a town of some sort," Steve thought aloud. "There has to be some around, right?"
"If we find one," Clint put in, "we can rest up for the night and then continue on our way!"
They all nodded in agreement, pushing on through the foliage, Nat and Clint at the front.
Suddenly, they froze. Steve noticed their pause, but Bruce and Tony weren't so lucky. They crashed into Nat and Clint, causing each other to trip over their feet and all the bushes surrounding them.
Steve chuckled. Everyone glared at him as they helped each other up.
"What the hell, guys," Tony snapped. "A little warning would've been nice."
"Sorry," Clint apologized.
Nat said nothing. She merely crept through the greenery, nimbly vaulting over bushes and branches with ease. She paused at the edge of a clearing.
"Nat?" Bruce questioned. "What is it?"
Then they saw it. A massive clearing. To the left was the biggest oak tree the team had ever seen, it's roots woven tightly together. There was a trapdoor that seemed to lead inside, where upon closer inspection, they would find a sleeping quarters. Next to the oak was a decently-sized, three-walled shack, filled to the top with chests. The side was piled high with firewood. A little ways out from the oak was a dead fire pit, coals soaked with dew. To the very right of the clearing was an undersized waterfall leading to a shallow pool. An empty bucket sat on the ledge. And in the direct center of the field rested a beautiful purple allium.
The group gathered at the edge, staring at the clearing in awe. Tony, breaking the moment of peace, went directly for the chests. As he was nearing the allium, he seemed to take a slightly longer stride, narrowly missing the lavender flower.
They all spread out, exploring the sight that lay before them. Tony rooted through the chests, digging out spare food, worn down tools, and any other items he found useful. Nat went to the sleeping quarters with Clint, taking a peek at the hole leading into it. Inside was a makeshift bed of moss, leaves, and wool. The two couldn't fit through the opening, for it was too small. That didn't stop Clint from trying, and Natasha laughed at him when his broad shoulders got stuck. Steve went to the fire pit, attempting to get one started. Bruce crouched down in front of the purple poof of petals that was the allium. He didn't know why, but for some reason, he felt that it held significance to the owner of the field.
"What is this place?" Bruce asked in wonder.
"Some sort of camp," Steve replied from the fire pit, successfully getting a fire lit.
"No shit," Tony snapped, his voice trenchant.
"Well, whoever camped here must've been at the most a teenager," Clint grunted, finally wiggling out of the threshold he got stuck in. "Or was just really malnourished."
"Judging by all the food I found, I don't think this person was malnourished," Tony remarked.
"They could just be really skinny," Bruce pointed out.
"Whatever the case is, we can't focus on right now," Nat commanded, going into survival mode. "We need to set this place up for ourselves. None of us can fit in the real sleeping quarters, so guess who's sleeping under the stars tonight!"
"Great," Tony deadpanned.
"Tony, since you're in such a great mood, perhaps you could go fill up that bucket over there," Nat shot back.
"Aye aye, Cap'n," he grumbled in mock salute. Whilst he was slinking off to fill the bucket with water, Steve placed the raw meat Tony found on the campfire. Clint and Nat took charge of making beds for everyone, and a temporary tent-like structure to keep the weather and animals at bay. Bruce stayed by the allium, though he had no idea why.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, everyone turned in after the hearty meal Steve had supplied them. Nat offered to take first watch, claiming she wasn't tired.
One by one, the gang began to slip into slumber. Bruce, however, lay wide awake.
"Can't sleep?" Nat sauntered up to his side.
"No," Bruce sighed.
Nat plunked down next to him as he pushed himself up. They sat in comfortable silence, like the one shared between close friends. Or perhaps lovers.
"The stars are astonishing," Bruce murmured, leaning back to get a better look.
"Well, there aren't any lights around, so the stars are much brighter here," Nat softly replied.
All of a sudden, she bolted upright. Whipping out her dual knives—one of the only weapons that didn't disappear—she cautiously scanned the tree line.
Out of the shadows, an arrow whizzed past the two, barely missing Bruce's ear. He sprang up in alarm as what seemed to be a walking skeleton lurched out of the shadows. It nocked another arrow into it's bow as Bruce shook the rest of the group awake.
Nat charged, swiftly dodging the arrows shot at her. She went in to slice the skeleton across the skull, but took an arrow to the forearm as she finished it off, watching as it dissipated in a white cloud of smoke.
The whole group was wide awake at that point, certain that what just happened was merely a dream. But when they traded glances with each other and Natasha's arm, it was seeming less and less like a dream and more and more like a nightmare.
Nat clutched her arm in pain. Clint rushed over to her, thankful that medical supplies survived in this horrid land. He had her count to three, and violently yanked the arrow from her forearm. She gritted her teeth as she held back a screech. Clint tenderly bandaged the would after smearing it with a healing salve.
"There," he nodded, satisfied with his work. "It'll take a while to heal because of how deep the wound is, but I did what I could with the limited supplies I had."
"Thanks, doc." Nat playfully shoved him.
Tony gaped at where the skeleton was slain. "What the hell is going on!?"
"Nothing good." Steve shook his head somberly.
"What other beasts are out there?" Bruce frantically asked.
"We'll figure all that out in the morning," Steve declared. "I'll take next watch. I have a feeling that skeleton wasn't alone."
And with that, they settled in for the night, terrified of what would happen if they chose to succumb to slumber.