Day 1

I started early today. I wanted to see how the environment changed throughout the day. The sunrise seemed normal, save for the green hue that rose with the sun. The scattered clouds and fog on the horizon displayed the colors prominently. 

I stayed in the hut most of the day, the birds and animals went about their business. I watched from inside. Creating a plan for my next days of exploration. Many black birds. The forest was damp as if there was a recent rainstorm, although I had not seen one. The only other animals were black squirrels. Curious, both the birds and squirrels were black, yet the forest was full of greens, browns and splashes of colorful flowers. They all searched for breakfast, tended nests, dug up secret stashes of resources. 

The sun rose higher at midday, evaporating the damp dew of the morning. I saw no animal activity once the sun rose to its zenith in the sky. It was oppressively hot even inside the hut. I planned a trip in each direction, North, East, South, West. I would travel half a day then turn back. If this heat continued through the next few days, I would need to find shelter during each journey. There was no map or information on this area. The climate could change drastically. I kept versatile supplies for different scenarios. 

Day 4

The excursions have been taking a toll. The East had a wild environment change like the north did. It was a frozen tundra. It was a nice break from the humid heat of the base camp and the dry desert heat in the north, but soon the intensity overwhelmed me and my gear. I am still recovering from the windburn and frostbite. Even with a wool coat and mask the icy wind still got to me. One of my water bottles split open from the water turning to ice and expanding. 

There was no visible life in the East. The desert had some cacti and reptiles. This Eastern tundra only had icy winds and rocks. Not even snow to cushion the trek. Ice clung to boulders like lichen on the sides where the wind did not buffet them constantly. 

The herbs in the forest are helping to heal my surface scars quickly. The plant life is similar to other forests under the Ranger jurisdiction. Hopefully, I can get to the Western area soon. The environment here at HQ has been consistent so far. I have supplies for one more excursion in each direction. Since I know what to expect now, I can limit my supplies to the essentials and explore more in my return trip to each area. Next, I will do my recon trip to the West.

Day 8?

Something happened to me. I got back from the Western area and passed out. I woke up in what must have been days later because constellations had shifted some degrees in the sky.

  I found a local village at the base of a volcano. They had a conglomerate of advanced infrastructure. Not advanced in the sense of electricity and skyscrapers, but some other source of power and technology. Maybe sourced from the volcano itself? They had a few structures built out of volcanic rock, and what seemed to be a purposefully created lake of lava that connected to a river with a dam of some sort. I saw mounds that seemed to lead underground, those were the only places I saw people moving in and out from.

They seemed dangerously close to the volcano. A group of them saw me at the open cliff I was spying from and immediately ran away, back to their village. They wore cloth bandanas around their faces and heads and loose robes of the same material. They were a light brown color but spotted with black soot. I decided not to stick around. As I headed back, I heard rustling and felt a presence start to follow me. I took a detour to not lead it back to my camp. 

I ended up staying a full night up a tree, nestled against a large branch wrapped in my heat blanket. I saw a group of the same people searching around the base of the tree in the moonlight. They spoke no words to each other, only made hand gestures. None of them looked up at me, so I don’t think they saw me. Then they walked back the way they came. I waited until morning then headed back to camp. The night was not restful, so it was a difficult trip. 

I made it back to camp that day. I remember a coughing fit and sitting down in the hammock to collect myself. Then, a white light closed in on my vision as I lost consciousness. 

Day 14

I’ve compiled the data I can. This cough has worsened, so I have been stuck in camp for the days since my trip west. I will need to cut my exploration short and return to the rangers. My medical supplies have run out. There is no planned checkpoint until the end of the month. I was able to use the herbs in the area to make a tea to soothe my symptoms, but each morning the coughing fits return, and I feel more drained during the day. 

I sealed up my data books and packed the supplies I will need for the return route. It is disappointing. I was not able to explore in more detail, but my findings will help the next excursion dive deeper into each area. I created a copy of the data books to leave here in the camp. The analysts tend to drag their feet in compiling and releasing the data to us. Another copy here will help jumpstart further excursions if my findings get stuck in the queue by R&D. 

I finished my cup of tea and prepared to head out. The weather has changed. There has been dark cloud cover for 2 days now, but no rain. The animals had remained hidden the whole time. I saw what looks like snow falling outside, it leaves a black stain on whatever it touches. Soot. The volcano maybe? 

I stepped outside and saw a pile of cloth outside the door, it was underneath the awning of the hut, so it only had a few flakes of soot on it. It was a cloth robe with a bandana. It looked the same as the ones the people in the West wore. The only sound was my coughing as I walked back to the Rangers in my new outfit.