The two returned to the campsite, with Finn resting on Jakes shoulders as he couldn't carry his own weight; with his feet dragging along the floor. Jake set him down easy next to a tree just short of the campfire.
"I built us a little something something while you ran off; take a look!"
Finn looked up towards Jakes general direction towards the pod structure that he had built. How could he have missed it? It was huge! It resembled the tree house in an odd way, only that it was the main part rather than the offshoots.
"Take a look inside brutha!" Jake exclaimed in excitement.
Finn picked himself from off the ground and poked his head in, cautiously lowering it in case he knocked his head against the doorway. From what could be seen so far, it was very impressive! The main compartment housed a table in its centre, along with two beds at opposite sides of the room. Finn was astounded at what Jake at done.
"Dude, this is amazing! How?!"
"I know a few tricks about building..." He said proudly, examining his fingers while having a smug grin of pride making his face glow.
"Well, I love it! Good job buddy!"
"Hehehe!" Jake's face bloomed into a wide smile with rose red cheeks. "So, hows about some spaghetti?"
"Sounds math!"
Finn took off his back pack and set it down beside him. He opened up his pack and pulled out some spaghetti concealed in a plastic sealed bag and handed it for Jake to prepare for diner He also took off his hat, just to give his hair some freedom. Jake pulled out a pan from the wooden hut and began to cook the spaghetti on the fire. Finn's eyes wandered through the amber sky while Jake was preparing the food. Finn liked the sunset. It took him to a place of comfort and peace; somewhere like this was hard to find in a chaotic land like Ooo. Finn took his attention off the sky to observe the forest. They were set up right next to a neighbouring area of the forest, divided by a small stream. Finns gaze pierced deep into the dark shroud cast by the forest, not paying attention to it. His mind was cut off concentration.
And then he saw it. A shadow, concealed within the tree line. Finn's concentration came rushing back to him. He tried squinting; trying to make out what was watching him. CLANG! Finn sprung from the floor and drew his sword. Jake stood with the pan in hand, eyes wide open.
"Sorry dude, didn't mean to scare you!"
"Jake, I saw somebody!"
"What, are you serious!?"
"Yeah man, over there! It was hidden in the trees!"
Finn turned back to the forest's edge across the river. The shadow was gone.
"I'm going to take a look."
Jake stretched across the river and weaved within the trees. He searched behind every tree within range for a solid minute.
"Dude, the heat must be getting to you. There's nothing here!"
"What? No! I saw something, I swear!"
"Well I can't see anything."
Finn knew he saw something lurking in the shadows. It must have disappeared when Finns attention was turned to Jake when he dropped his pan. The only thing that Finn could confirm is one thing; they are not alone.
The two settled down to some spaghetti. Fallen logs surrounding the campfire made the environment even more relaxing. This felt more like a holiday than an adventure. A couple of minutes had passed until the evening meal was finally ready. Nice and warm, just the way Finn liked it. Finn wasted no time, when dinner was served, he dove straight in. With the amount of slurping coming from Finn's mouth, you'd have thought he was an animal. But of course, Finn never really had time for manners. In mere minutes, there was nothing left to devour, he even licked the plate clean.
After noshing on a delicious spaghetti meal, Finn laid down and turned into a star gazer. He'd been so caught up in the time away that he forgot about everything and everyone back home. How was PB? Or FP? Or anyone? Did they know that he was gone? Well, it hasn't even been a day, but he couldn't help but think. He turned away from the sky to find Jake lying down beside Finn, facing him.
"You OK buddy?" Jake asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just... I can't help but think about everyone back home. What if they're worrying about us Jake? What if they need us?"
"Relax Finn, we haven't even been gone for a day yet!"
"I know man, I know. It's just that I can't help thinking about them..."
Jake tilted his head to the side.
"You don't wanna go back already do you?" Jake questioned.
"No way man, I'm having a good time out here. It's nice to leave your troubles at home. Just to empty your mind and get lost in a spectacular yet alien place feels pretty good to me."
Jake seemed startled by Finn's short monologue.
"Whoa dude... Since when did you become so philosophical?" Jake asked, raising one eyebrow whilst wearing a grin.
"Since never. It just... came out I guess..." Replied Finn. If you listened carefully you could almost hear his voice breaking. He had bawled out way too much for one day and wasn't prepared to do it again.
"Ok man, I won't ask." Jake said before finishing off the last of his spaghetti. Finn imagined himself breathing a sigh of relief, for a real one would only bring more concern from Jake.
The sky was once again set on fire by the setting sun. Almost twelve hours ago Finn witnessed the same event unfold from the comfort of his own bed, all wrapped up in his sleeping bag like a big, toasty cinnamon bun. Next to the campsite, there was the stream; flowing so smoothly that there had to be complete silence to hear it. And when you could hear it, it had the power to calm anyone. Like having someone run their fingers through your hair. The wind crept through the branches of the trees, creating a perfect atmosphere for relaxing. Finn laid down on the grass, hands placed behind his head, facing skyward.
"I'm gonna go in our little hut for a rest, is that ok?" Jake asked
"Of course man, don't let me stop you."
"Thanks. And Finn?"
"Yeah?"
"I'll be here if you ever need me. We're brothers after all, for life."
"Thanks man." Replied Finn, his voice soft like cotton. "Goodnight brudda."
"G'night bro."
Jake's body disappeared into the makeshift cabin. Finn let out a sigh of relief now that Jake had gone into the hut; and continued to stare through canopy through to the the amber sky. He got sad more than he used to. So sad in fact, that he would completely shut down his senses. He was never sure if it was his situation with his girlfriend, his best friend or his life as a whole; being the last human has its drops. He stared blankly, cutting straight through the sky. What Jake said to Finn was heart warming, but it didn't matter; because in that moment, he didn't exist.
Finn began to close his eyes, he was not tired but he felt he needed a good rest. "Just for a few minutes." He said to himself, but mere minutes later, he was out.
"Finn?" Flame Princess called out.
"Flame Princess!" Her face was merely a shroud, forged in a dark fog.
"Why have you stopped seeing me Finn? What have I done now? Am I too evil for you?"
"Nothing at all! It's not your fault! You're not evil at all!"
"Why Finn, why?!" Her face then disappeared into darkness.
"FP!" Finn screamed, but there was nothing he could do. She was gone.
The landscape of Finn's nightmare was a barren, colourless wasteland. He wandered through it, the landscape always the same. Black as far as the eye could see, the floor a dark shade of grey. Wandering for what felt like hours, Finn finally gave up and sat down. He put his face into his cupped hands and began to cry. A chilled mist swept across the back of Finn's hands. He looked up and observed something emerge from the darkness that surrounds him.
A lighter shade of grey came into view; this was the fog that originally formed Flame Princess' face. The fog warped into a head, the ears began to form, and then the jaws. It was clear to see what the fog was forming. The eyes easily recognisable, along with the ears and jaw. It was Jake
"FINN!"
"Jake?!"
"FINN! WAKE UP"!
The dreamscape started to rumble. The grey floor beneath Finn cracked open and revealed a whirlpool of darkness. With nothing to grab onto, he fell in. Arms flailing, screaming out.
"AAAAAGH!" Finn screamed, shooting upright.
"Calm down Finn, take it easy!"
"Oh Jake, it was horrible! FP was there, blaming me for not seeing each other. I can't take it..." He couldn't say anymore, because he was crying into his brother's shoulder.
"There there buddy, everything's going to be fine." Although come to think of it, Jake found this hard to believe.
"We have a problem."
"What's wrong Jake?" Finn asked, wiping his face clean of tears.
"There's something out there Finn, watching us..."
Finn drew his sword, approaching the boundaries of their campsite. He was expecting a surprise attack from a squirrel knowing what Jake's sense of fear is like.
"Ok, show yourself beast!" Exclaimed Finn as he thrust his sword into a nearby hedge. He wasn't expecting anything to come out of the bush, nothing ever does. After flailing his sword through the shrubbery, a howl of pain shrieked from within it. Finn took a step backwards in horror as the bush began to shake violently. And out it came. Its entire body covered in fur; standing on its hind legs like a human, hunched over with its ears pointing upward. Its teeth grew in size along with its bloodlust smile. It eyes a fierce yellow with black pupils, gazing straight towards Finn and Jake. It started to 'walk' forward.
"Stay back beast!" Finn warned, pointing his sword.
"Or what?!" The beast snarled with its voice drenched in saliva. "Boys, dinner's here!"
The bushes around them started to rustle, and more were-beasts emerged; creating a circle around Finn and Jake.
"Jake, you ready?"
Jake turned shape shifted his arms, making his muscles bulge. "Ready!"
Before the two were able to make the first move, a canister rolled on the ground in front of them. Puzzled, the pack leader examined the unusual object before picking it up. Then with no word of warming, the canister exploded into a ray of blinding light that caused the beast to flinch. The creature was taken knocked onto its back by the explosion. The light affected everyone in the surrounding area the same way; all are blind as to what stood between them. The light faded, revealing the source of the intrusion. The beast had a look of surprise on its face before turning back into a bloodlust smile.
"Well well, if it isn't our dearest freak!" Snarled the beast. The others laughed at their leaders comment.
"Freak?" Finn thought to himself. As he looked up, he found it impossible to comprehend what stood in front of him and Jake. The saviour of Finn and Jake... was a human.
