Location: 42°00'39.00"N 106°07'23.31"W
Time since asteroid impact: 3 Years 5 months 1 week 6 Days
Though the night was dark, the stars allowed at least some ability to see. Within Ida, Buck, and Libby's view stood a large void in the sky where no stars were. Something, or rather someone, was blocking said stars from sight. All three apatosaurs were perplexed at the individual, along with the claims that he made not too long prior. A small, singular light bug provided the only true light, flying near the individual. With no further context yet provided, it's no wonder why so many questions could've been said at that moment.
"Ethine saw you." Buck blurted out, and if there was enough light Buck may have seen Libby scowling at him. "Indeed, she did. Though I only had a moment to talk with her before the dust storm." That sentence alone both confirmed a lot of questions, as well as raise a new set of them. "I would like to clarify, since everyone in your family seems to ask, that I'm not the Henry you know. Think of it like... I'm not sure, like My name is Henry, and I've got a similar family, but we've had different experiences from all that you've been through."
Ida drew nearer to the apatosaur, "And an example of your 'different experiences' would be?" Buck and Libby looked at each other in the dark, they couldn't see each others expression, but there was no doubt this would be a strange conversation, it already started out that way.
"Well..." the other Henry started. "Where I'm from, no asteroid hit. Instead we're all at Clawtooth with a bigger farm. There has been some... unexpected events, speaking of which-"
"What do you mean by asteroid?" Buck asked, being lightly pushed by Libby for interrupting, "He's talking about Falltain. At least, that's what I gathered from Russel." Ida explained.
Henry in response nodded, "That is correct. Anyways, have you heard of the first one?" The trip looked at each other confused, and the other Henry could sense it. "It'll make more sense if you ask your friends. I have a strong feeling he's very real, and may return." Now that had got their attention, the implication of their friends having knowledge of something they weren't aware of was enough for them to be interested in whatever the other Henry had to say.
Ida stepped even closer to Henry. "And what are we to take from this, exactly?" While she couldn't make out any large reaction, there was a subtle movement, possibly an uncomfortable subject for the other Henry to talk about.
"Take it as a warning, such that if or when he does return, you lot won't be as surprised about it." Henry said in a raised whisper. While the message was odd, Ida put a small amount of trust into his words, there would be no gain from this being a lie or anything as such. By they looked back they saw the other Henry go back down the hill he came up from, but by the time they moved forward enough to see him again, he was no longer there. Somehow he had just vanished from sight.
Naturally, they decided to had back to the others and sleep for the night, ready to tell them by morning. To their surprise, everyone else had heard of The First One, though their descriptions were slightly off from one another. They were also really intrigued by the mention of the other Henry, Ethine going as far to say that he was guiding them all home. Peaked ridges and scarred hills tore the landscape, canyons had to be crossed left and right, and even entire lakes had dried themselves out due to the changed terrain. They were passing to the south of one of the last mountain chains and noticed that one of the smaller mountains could be reached to figure out if Clawtooth was visible.
Unfortunately, the terrain in front seemed to be blocking their view, Clawtooth remained hidden beneath the horizon. Finally a small river system came to fruition, allowing once more a safe place to drink, as well as eat some berries from the newly grown trees. The hills ahead were beige, lit up by the clear sky that for the first time, had no clouds to be seen. Looking past one of the hills one could see a hint of green, indicating the last rugged terrain to cross before reaching home once more. For now however, Russel made his way back to the group, to enjoy the moment once more. They didn't want to get their hope too high, who knew what the mountains were actually like after all the time they spent away, but nonetheless, there were still hope that the mountains wouldn't be too disfigured from what they last saw.
Audio Message #41: Subject Members 4, 5, and 6 - aka Ida, Buck, and Libby respectively - have traveled 209 miles (337 Km's). The trio and their friends are closer than ever to reaching home, which leads me to my next point. Since everyone is now close, I'll dedicate to overlooking all of their arrivals within the next segment. Onto more relevant matters, it appears as if there's something beyond going on with the other Henry, and it seems to directly tie into The First One. Honestly I'm beyond too interested to not look into it, though I'm realising that I might be entering familiar territory. As for the family, there looks to be only terrain difficulties between them and their home. In terms of survival rating, Ida, Buck, and Libby are at a 4.7, 4.8, and 4.8 out of 5 respectively.
End of message.
A/N: Yeah, another short chapter. However, the next chapter will definitely make up for that.
Next chapter: The Golden Age
Fun Facts: N/A
