I check my backpack straps and my parachute straps to ensure they are both firmly attached before signaling to the pilot with a wave that I am ready.
“Enjoy your vacation Sam, be safe down there.” I hear over the speakers coming from his mic.
“I always am!” I shout back as I jump out, unsure if he can hear me or not. Enjoying the feeling of freefall, I look back at the plane as it flies away before taking in the incredible sights around me, I see the sun just an hour away from setting and to the southeast I see Mt. Hood and far off to the southwest I see the smudges of the city of Portland. After a quick check of my altimeter, I pull my parachute and watch it open to be sure that it doesn’t tangle up but there was nothing to worry about there. Finally looking straight below I try to locate the large clearing that I had scouted ahead of time on a helicopter last week. I’m able to spot the about 1 square mile clearing off to my north and angle myself that way noticing that once I get closer, I’ll be passing into a cloud, but judge that it will clear up with still about 2,000 ft below the cloud cover to do final positioning.
Looking forward to spending the next month on my own out here in the wilderness with just what is in my backpack for supplies, I review my general plan of action. For tonight that is to put up a basic tent in this clearing and to ensure that my parachute is folded up in my prearranged pattern, as a signal to the aircraft that dropped me that I landed safely. Starting tomorrow I can work on building a better shelter, hunting, and fishing.
Having gone through a couple clouds while parachuting before I didn’t expect it to be as dark in this one as it is. From the outside this looked like a relatively light cloud, but inside it seems more like a thundercloud with less and less light coming through the deeper into the cloud I go and the cloud becoming ever denser. Feeling as if I am taking a shower I continue to descend, thinking I am about over the clearing now based on the timing from a half hundred previous parachute jumps so I stop traveling sideways and start letting myself drift straight down. After about a minute within the cloud I break through the bottom and can see the ground clearly again. There is a noticeable shadow here, but it is still light enough to be able to make out a clearing only slightly off to the side. I’m low enough that combined with the cloud, my visibility of region is much lower, but I can still make out a singular tall mountain to my southeast, according to my altimeter’s built-in compass, which helps orientate myself based on Mt. Hood. After another minute or so I come to a gentle landing in the clearing and get to work.
First, I take the parachute, fold it up into a clear straight line lying north to south in the middle of the clearing, using several rocks to help hold it down. I hope that the cloud above doesn’t completely block the view, but even if it does, the pilot will make another attempt to check the next morning. With my all-clear signal set, I start unwrapping the tent from my backpack and get that setup. Listening to the forest I hear some bird song and wish not for the first time that I studied more about birds to be able to recognize the noises they make. I step into the forest and gather some sticks and other dry wood to start a fire for the night. After starting my fire and setting my tent up I take a closer look at the area around me and notice that the cloud has passed by and I can clearly see the mountain off to my southeast, though from this vantage point the mountain seems to lack the distinctive rounded top of Mt. Hood and looks like a different mountain. The rugged forest rises into foothills to the east and west, while I am in a wide valley running from north to south. To finish my prep for the night and to help give myself an early warning for any larger animals coming into camp I goes out about 150ft from the tent near the central of the clearing and drives a set of sturdy sticks into the ground deep enough to stay standing in a rough circle around the camp and then tie a rope around them to form a circle of rope about 2 feet off the ground. On each of the stretches of rope I balance a few metal forks or spoons such that if the rope gets hit, they will clang loud enough for me to hear. This all taken care of I double check that my hip holstered pistol is still there and settle into the camp to relax and enjoy a quiet evening. I pick up a sturdy branch that I had gathered earlier and start to whittle a good hand grip at one end to make a good walking stick.
A few hours later with the moon firmly into the sky and the world dark and quiet, I decide that it’s about time to get some sleep. I head into the tent to grab a small survival shovel to use it to get some dirt to help snuff out the fire but before I have even left the tent, I hear the clinking of metal cutlery and freeze for a second. Shutting out the background sounds of the forest I listen and hear it again in the same direction, some of the metal cutlery I had put across the rope is being disturbed. I take my pistol out and undo the safety, while turning towards the sound. I can’t make out what type of animal made the sounds, there doesn’t seem to be any moving shadows.
“Is anyone there?” I call out, but only the rustling of leaves answers my call as I swing a flashlight from side to side.
“This is my camp, leave me alone.” I say in a loud, but steady voice, trying to let any predators know that this won’t be an easy fight in hopes that they turn away. I hear a strange sound coming from where I had heard the clanging earlier and am not sure what it is exactly. It’s a very light airy sound almost like birdsong, but not as sharp, sounding smoother. I finally spot a shadow moving and can find the source of the noise, the shadow though doesn’t look like any bear or mountain lion, it seems way too thin, almost like a large tube.
As it slowly moves forward, I hesitate from shooting, unsure of what this might be, and hear it again, but a bit more clearly and I can almost make out the word “teeny” within its noise. It moves forward closer until it comes into the beam of my flashlight, still about 40 feet away and as it comes into clear view my heart skips a beat. In front of me is a 2-meter-long blue and white snake like creature, holding its front half upright and moving on the back half. It is blue on top with a white underbelly, along with white fins of some sort on its head, which has a large white nose above a small slightly open mouth with a couple of protruding teeth. Its eyes are locked right onto me and are large and strangely human looking for this serpentine creature. Some long-forgotten memory of me playing games when I was a kid almost two decades ago pop up and let me recognize the thing in front of me, not as any creature that I have ever seen living before, but something I had only seen on a small Gameboy screen, for in front of me, not even 50 feet away is a Dratini. And it looks up at me and seems to sense my recognition and trills again, more confidently sounding “draaatinii”.
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“Hey there, stay back from me” I tell it, sounding much more confident than I am actually feeling and backing up to my tent. “Don’t come any closer”
“Draa” it mumbles at me and looks straight at me while curling its lower body up close to the embers of my fire. “Dra Dra tini” it says as it looks right at me and then at the firepit.
Seeing that it seems to not want to hurt me right now I reholster my gun and continue to stare at it incredulously. ‘Where the fuck am I, there’s no chance there’s a pokemon in the Oregon woods, so either I’m somewhere else or I’m going to be the most famous person on the world for finding a pokemon’ I rack my brain for any memories of the pokemon games to figure out how I should interact with the Dratini but can only remember the names of some of the original pokemon since that was the only time I played any of the games. I know they have been releasing and creating more and more games, but I never paid any attention. Breaking me out of my daze I hear the Dratini say “Draatini” and look at me and then at the fire again. The voice sounded less confident and almost like it was asking me a question.
“Wait, did you want me to light the fire? Are you cold?” I stammer out, a thought striking me.
“Dra Dra” it says, much more energetic and I can even notice its head bobbing up and down almost like a nod.
“Well then, I guess I can get it back up and going, give me a second.” I duck back into my tent to grab my lighter before heading over to the firepit, making sure I stay on the opposite side from the Dratini while I gather up some sticks and kindling I had set aside. Feeling like the Dratini has been able to understand me clearly, I venture a question “Aren’t you a dragon, can’t you breathe fire, or something anyways, why do you need me to start a fire?”
“Draaa” it grumbles, sounding like gravel and glaring right at me, before turning away after a second and letting out a sad “tiini.” It then opens its mouth wide, and I take a step backwards unsure of what’s happening. In the wide-open jaws, a small flame begins to form slowly and takes on a small blueish tinge to it before it sputters out and the Dratini turns back to me and says very quietly “tiini.”
Confused at the display I move back to the firepit and light the kindling up to get the fire started. ‘Is it not strong enough to breath fire? Maybe it’s hurt, or maybe it needs to have a higher internal body temperature to breath flames?’ Regardless, it seems to want this fire burning and I feel like there’s no harm in having this up and going, so I’ll humor it for now.
The Dratini watches me start the fire and then watches closely as the fire starts to grow and once it gets going nice and warm the Dratini starts to move again and goes to lay circled around the fire itself. “Draa” it says looking at me and nodding, before setting its head down and closing its eyes, seemingly going to sleep. Incredulous at this I move away a bit, grab a mini stool that had been packed into my bag and sit down near my tent to watch the Dratini sleep curled around the fire.
After a half hour of nothing, I notice that the fire is starting to run a bit low, but I don’t want to wake up the Dratini or step that close to it to feed the fire more wood. I decide that I am just going to let the fire die out and if the Dratini wants me to get it back going I can do that after asking it to move, but I also notice that the moon has started to lower in the sky and think that dawn may come before the fire is completely out. I head into the tent and lie down in the sleeping bag, not planning to go to sleep, but just wanting to get some rest.
I wake up from sleep with a start hearing a loud sharp cawing sound outside the tent, as if a bird is getting into a fight. Unsure of how long I have been asleep I open the tent to see that dawn has arrived and the clearing is much more visible now. I cautiously step outside and look to see what made the noise and also to check if the Dratini is still here, but don’t immediately spot anything. After a couple of seconds, I hear the bird squawk again and look in the direction behind my tent where I had put my food pack hanging from a tree. Going around the tent I spot a strangely round light blue bird almost half a meter tall with two wings that look like bunches of cotton balls sitting on a branch near my food pack, my food pack itself which had been well sealed up to prevent smells has some gashes on it, looking like something was trying to get into it, and below my food pack glaring at the bird is the Dratini, seemingly focused entirely on the strange bird. The Dratini growls out at the bird, which responds with a cry, from which I can make out the syllable “swaaa.” The bird then flies off of the branch, letting me get a good look at the pillowy wings which seem to each be about 40cm long and remind me of small clouds. The bird swoops down at my pack again, and its white beak seems to glow light blue somehow before it hits the pack, putting another gash into the pack with its beak. As it turns back upwards to fly back to the branch, seemingly content to do singular passes, a white glow surrounds the Dratini and in an instant the Dratini is 3 meters into the air, crashing into the bird and managing to wrap itself around the bird. A second later the two hit the ground hard, with the bird seemingly crushed by the Dratini, however the bird crawls out from the Dratini limping, but seemingly able to keep going despite the landing. The bird opens its wings up and takes off, but before it can get too far the Dratini wraps it up with its body and squeezes it while the bird’s beak glows again, and it pecks at the Dratini. This back and forth goes for a couple of seconds before the glow disappears from the bird’s beak and it stops struggling against the Dratini wrapping it up. At this lack of fighting back, the Dratini releases the bird and lets it fall to the ground before pushing the bird away with its tail towards the forest. Finished with the bird, the Dratini turns back towards the fire and my tent and notices me standing there watching and while looking right at me gives me a nod and says “Draaatini” as if in explanation.
“Did you just fight that bird since it was attacking my stuff?” I almost stutter out, thinking that there must be some other motive.
“Draa” it says and gives a firm nod of its head, before turning to look at the bird that looks to be waking back up and growling at it “Dratiniii.”
The bird gives a very quiet “Swaab” and flies up and out of the clearing towards the forest.
“Well, thanks I guess for helping keep this safe.” I says and give the Dratini a nod of encouragement before wondering just what type of mess I have gotten myself into.