Chapter 408: The Hydra part 1
Jonas watched the horizon lighten as his watch neared its end. There wasn't anything that looked like it could happen out here, but Jonas knew that appearance could be deceiving. Especially in area that otherwise appeared calm. Much like how sharks could be lurking below calm waters in an ocean.
While he wasn't sure what dangers could be lurking in a swamp, or bog as the case may be, he didn't doubt that there were ones that could be there that he wasn't aware of. Especially with how it felt like hi eye were playing tricks on him, as even in the starlight, at the start of his watch, it seemed like there was a bulge moving around in the distance under the surface of the bog.
If it was a danger, he expected that it would have already approached them, as he couldn't imagine something living out here that would already be aware of their presence on this small dry piece of land that was an island in an ocean of the bog.
Idly, he couldn't help but wonder how they'd make some breakfast for everyone, since it wasn't like they could start a fire, even if they had firewood to do so, to cook breakfast, much like the problem they had encountered with dinner the night before.
The light kept getting brighter and Jonas felt himself fighting off sleep when the sun started to rise. Not because he was on the last watch of the night, but travelling through the bog wasn't as easy as he would have thought. Although, he also hadn't expected it to be this deep, either. In fact, he couldn't help but wonder how many regretted their vote to try to cross the bog rather than trying to go around it. Maybe it was faster to cross it than to go around it, but at the same time, it wouldn't have been so tiring, and they'd be able to cook their meals, provided there was wood for them to gather to burn.
As others started to wake up, Jonas was able to push sleep from his mind and to wake himself fully awake again. Though, the moving ground in the distance was still visible to him. He hoped that it'd go away before they started out again, since he was pretty sure that that was the general direction that they had been heading in the day before.
Nothing much was spoken as everyone got ready to start traveling again. Jonas could tell that while everyone had gotten plenty of rest, the position they'd had to sleep in wasn't one they were accustomed to, and so were a little stiffer than they usually were in the morning.
Jonas could only hope that they'd be able to reach the other side of the bog that day rather than having to either sleep directly on the bog again or hope to find another of these 'islands.' As he certainly didn't care to spend another night on one of these. Not with how there was barely enough room for all of them to gather on it in the first place.
When they started out, Jonas felt his blood run cold. The moving ground that he'd thought had been a trick of the eye, one that his own had fallen for, suddenly changed it's behavior. Instead, it turned and was heading towards them. He didn't know if that was a good thing or not, but he doubted that it would turn out to be a good thing. Not with how things had been going for them so far on this bog.