Author's Note: Just a heads up that I also post this story under the same username "Mnemah" over on Archive of Our Own. Over there, I can add pictures and fun bonus content.

I've been working on a rewrite of my other works for some time but, of course, I got distracted with a new story idea. I aim to commit to this one and (hopefully) complete it. Actually finishing a story will be major character development for me!

Thank you to everyone who has sent me messages over the years and to everyone who encouraged me to keep writing. I know it's nothing great, but it's fun, and that's all that matters!

Chapter 1: New Ranger in Town

Rick sat with uncharacteristically good posture on the newly installed park bench, his new ranger uniform stiff against his body. He fidgeted with the buttons around his wrist, ultimately unfastening them and rolling up the sleeves to his elbows. That's the way he always wore his shirts when working at home on his family's poultry farm.

The farm… why did everything make him think of it? Even the simple act of rolling up his sleeves was enough to send him into a spiral of angry thoughts. The family farm had become the family burden ever since his father had left six years ago. When Rick was fifteen he had become head of the household, his ailing mother too sickly to do most of the farmwork and his younger sister too vivacious to care about any of it. Rick would have liked to throw caution to the wind like his peers, his high school girlfriend often chastised him for taking things too seriously throughout his teenage years. But how could he have fun when he had to take on everything his father had left behind?

Karen. His first friend in school, his first crush, his first girlfriend. She had been his first everything. And she'd been the first to tear him apart. It had been almost a year since they'd broken up. Though their relationship had always been tumultuous and peppered with breakups, this time it was different. Even with the new national park designation, Mineraltown didn't offer much in the way of opportunity. And while Karen's dreams were far from their rural hometown, Rick's dreams could never be anywhere else.

"Hey," a gruff voice pulled Rick out of his internal reverie. "Get yer ass in the truck, we're goin' up the mountain."

Gotz was an older man, somewhat unkempt with a full beard. He had existed on the outskirts of town for over a decade, spending as little time among civilization as he could. Being a search and rescue ranger was the perfect job for him since he'd already been doing the work for years. Back in '78 he saved a few hikers from a snow squall, the kind of snow storm that happens suddenly and can trap a person in freezing conditions. Despite his charitable actions, he wasn't a particularly friendly person.

Rick climbed into the passenger side of the old Chevy truck, its orange paint job a stark contrast to the muted greens and muddy browns of the mountain roads it drove on. A squeaky bench seat extended between the two men as they rode up the mountain with the windows down.

"The new F-100 should be here in a few days, can't wait to drive it up on the fire roads." The older man's voice was barely audible over the wind noise.

"Yeah, I'm lookin' forward to it."

Gotz looked over at Rick for an uncomfortably long amount of time. So long that he veered off the gravel road and had to correct the steering wheel, causing Rick to grip the grab handle above his head.

"Ha! You ain't drivin' the new truck, you'd get it hung up in the mud on day one. You'll get the Chevy," he stated, slapping the dashboard that was covered with papers.

Rick noted a hole in the upholstery near his leg–a burn caused by a dropped cigarette. The truck wasn't in great condition, but having a ranger's truck at all would be an upgrade for him. For the last few months he'd been on foot patrol near the entrance of the park which hadn't been very exciting for the twenty-four year old.

Their tandem patrol was otherwise uneventful since there was no one in the park. It was early spring and the weather was still cold–hardly conducive to visitors. It was the perfect time for Rick to get acquainted with his new patrol route before the influx of late spring crowds would be pouring through town. When the two men reached the last stop on the route, Gotz leaned over and pointed out at Mother's Lake.

"There's a tent out there, been set up for o'er a week now. Keep an eye on it. They can't be out here more than fourteen days."

No camper shall remain in the Mineral Mountain National Forest for more than a period of 14 days within any period of 30 consecutive days.

That was the rule for dispersed camping, Rick knew that from the ranger test (which he had aced). He nodded to appease the older man, but otherwise had little interest in the yellow tent next to the lake.