I wake to gentle rustling in a thicket off to my left. I lay quietly for a few minutes listening and waiting to better determine what''s out there. As the rustling continues from at least two spots, I slowly unzip my hammock cringing at the noise. I carefully take my head lamp out of my pocket and slip it on, covering it with one hand while I switch it on with the other. Ready to rock, I roll out of my hammock away from the rustling, uncovering my head lamp and reaching for my belt knife. "HA BEAR!!!" I yell, expecting the noises to just be curious black bears or raccoons. I''m startled to see  two short hairy, human like creatures squealing and bolting into the thicket in fear. With my heart hammering, I quickly survey my surroundings and throw more wood on the fire, digging in the coals to wake it. I sheath my belt knife and retrieve my camp axe before getting my 4 rechargeable mini lanterns out and spreading them around the camp site. Slowly calming down, knowing i wont be able to sleep i start stacking my firewood under my hammock to make a barrier at one side of my campsite, leaving a larger log to sit on facing the fire. I sit watching the peaceful magical dark forest long into the night, imagining eyes staring back at me. My mind occasionally sliping away to the countless hours of D&D and Pathfinder that the boys and i played in our downtime. Goblins just keep coming to mind. Sure, they weren''t green or anything, and honestly, it looked more like a chimp got freaky with gollum, but still. "Fucking goblins." I whisper looking down at the axe sitting in my lap. I laugh at myself for wishing it had just been a black bear. I know black bears they are easy, don''t corner them or get near a baby, and you''re fine, especially with how much food is available around here. But this, these i have no idea how to handle. Are they aggressive predators, curious scavengers, playful herbivores, or hell, even sentient people?  If I hurt or kill one, will a whole tribe of them descend upon me? They obviously are at least a little social. In the morning, I will look for tracks and see if I can learn anything new before I start building a safer camp. At least the goblins ensure I''m not in my mountains anymore.


    Watching the sum slowly rise while camping has always been magical to me but never quite so much as this morning. Something about an unknown danger lurking in the darkness gives you a whole new appreciation of the sun. I set my chestnuts in a pot of water to warm by the fire as I gathered my lanterns and head lamp before setting up my little power station and foldable solar panel in a sunny spot. I look around for something to do, hoping not to waste too much daylight. Coming up blank on any obvious tasks I set to walking in expanding circles around camp, keeping my gear in sight at all times, just scouting around looking for anything I might have missed yesterday. I get excited to find a spicebush near the little creek and harvest a small handful of its berries, making the short walk back to camp to add some to breakfast. Standing up from giving my pot a stir, I notice a coppery glint half hidden under some leaves where I saw the creatures last night. I cautiously walk over and use my axe to prod the object. It''s a  copper knife with a blade about a foot long and a leather wrapped handle. I gingerly pick it up and look it over, noting simple engravings on the blade. "They must have dropped it when I scared them," I say to myself. A tool/weapon like this would be incredibly valuable to primitive tribes. I can''t help but wonder if they made it or acquired it some other way. I know several North American native tribes figured out how to work copper gold and silver before Europeans arrived, and that would explain the signs of fire as well as the prevalence of edible plants. The Cherokee were incredible foresters managing huge orchards of semi domesticated fruit and nut trees all over the mountains. I walk back to my little fire, fiddling with the knife all the while. I gently lay it down on a log and set to eating my chestnut porridge, enjoying the spicy citrus flavor, the spicebush brought to the table. I make a mental note to make sure I have plenty for the future.


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    After breakfast, I pack up my hammock and check my battery levels. With all of them being around 70%, I figure they are good enough for now. I don''t plan on going far. I pack them away aswell. With camp all packed up, I use my pot to douse my fire and my e tool to bury it. I look over my trophy knife for a minute. On one hand, it''s cool, and you can never have enough blades, but on the other hand, it gives me an avenue for peace. With peace always being worth working toward I spend a few minutes laying the knife out on a log next to my fireplace along with some spicebush berries, hazelnuts, and chestnuts hoping my guests last night get the picture. With that handled, I set off following the little creek, keeping an eye out for a good defensive position to call home for a while.