Crouching down by the stream stretches muscles you didn't realize you had and you groan a little bit. The water is nice and cool on your hands, so you splash some on your face, too, to wash off some of the dust. For a minute you sit there and listen to the water run past. You can see clear to the bottom of the stream, and there might be a fish or two but you're not sure what kind. \n\nYou stretch a little when you stand up, rolling your shoulders a bit to ease some stiffness from them, and it's then that something catches your eye.\n\nA glint of light, reflected off of something on the other side of the stream. \n\nSquinting against the glare, you try and make out what it is. But your eyesight's never been that great. Whatever it is, it's gonna have to wait until you've eaten something, because you're starving. \n\n[[Quickly eat your lunch.|Neutral 4a]]

You've completed the 4th Ending. Thanks for playing!\n\nWhen 'Take A Hike' is completed, there will be 5 endings in total. For game updates, you can check <a href="http://hiradairahime.tumblr.com/tagged/rin-does-a-twine-thing">my updates tag</a> on tumblr or my <a href="http:://rinsplayground.neocities.org">homepage</a>!

The bus ride over to the ranger's station passes quickly. \n\nBeing outside is invigorating after having spent so much time indoors with your nose in your textbooks- the air here is just that much cleaner, smelling faintly of dirt and wet leaves, just the way you like it. The sun on your face is warm.\n\nYou decide to sit and soak up some sun for a bit before heading out- it's still pretty early in the morning and you'll have more than enough time to finish the hike before it gets dark. There's a few benches right next to the trailhead and you plop down on one that's unoccupied. \n\nIt seems like you weren't the only one who felt like hiking today: there are a few early morning joggers returning from their workout, a couple people walking their dogs and some students you recognize from campus. Snippets of conversation reach your ears. The group of students is talking excitedly about someone named Mitzie. The name is kinda familiar but you can't put a face to it. It's probably not anyone you know. \n\nYou get up and stretch before heading over to the trailhead. The group of students enters the trail just before you do. They're talking kind of loud and it's a little annoying. You were hoping for some peace and quiet, after all! \n\nAfter a few minutes you notice that ahead of you, the path splits. You're not sure which one is the new one, but it doesn't really matter, does it? They both look like fun.\n\n[[Take the path on the right|Right Path]].\n[[Take the path on the left|Left Path]].

After a minute of deliberation, you take the path on the left. No offense to the group of students, but you really don't feel like listening to their chatter today. \n\nThe trail on the left leads into a lovely, slightly darker section of the forest. Sunlight filters in from the canopy above and dapples the dirt path ahead of you. There's a slight breeze, enough to rustle the leaves on the trees and the grass off the path. You can hear some birds singing overhead, the babble of a stream in the distance. \n\nYou're always a little nervous walking alone on a trail but after another hour or so you've relaxed considerably. The trail is nice and flat, perfect for someone who hasn't had much time to exercise in the past few weeks. \n\nFrom time to time you sip from your water bottle, admiring the scenery around you. There are lots of oak trees, you notice, along with those trees that have the fuzzy leaves you liked to play with when you were younger. You pick up a particularly big leaf and rub it against your cheek, laughing when it tickles just like you remember it. \n\n[[You keep walking, a smile on your face.|Stream]]

You can't remember the last time you've been in such a good mood! Taking a hike was a great decision~\n\nThere aren't that many people on this trail, you notice. In the past couple of hours you've only seen one or two other people. You're not particularly bothered by that- more room for you!\n\nThe deeper you get into the forest, the livelier it gets. You've seen more than a fair amount of squirrels, running across the wooden fence that separates the forest from the path. There are birds in the trees, you've heard a woodpecker or two in the distance. There's a resting station right next to the stream you'd heard earlier. A quick check of your phone tells you that it's a little past noon- time for a lunch break!\n\n[[Wash your hands before you eat!!|Neutral 4]]\n[[Eeeh, you'll be fine|Good 1]]...as long as you keep your hands on the food wrappers.

You shoulder your pack and continue walking.\n\nThe path doesn't show any signs of ending, and soon you've walked far enough that you can't see the stream when you turn around.\n\nIt's very quiet and peaceful. \n\n[[Where does this path go?|The Forest]]\nEh...maybe you'd better [[get back to the main path.|Neutral 4c]]

Whatever, it's not like you actually touched your granola bar before you ate it, so you'll be fine. A little dirt can't hurt, right?\n\nWhile you munch on your snacks, you check your phone. You couldn't quite bring yourself to leave it behind in your room, so you brought it with you just in case something happened while you were hiking. Hey, it's always good to be prepared!\n\nYour phone's camera isn't that great but it's the only thing you've got right now, so you snap a couple pictures. The stream, with light reflecting off the water. A group of birds in the branches of a tree back on the path. Some trees on the other side of the stream. Typical nature photos, maybe you'll upload them to your Instagram when you get back home. \n\nYou're looking out at the stream when you notice something metallic on the ground on the other side. Curious, you get up from the picnic table and walk down to the shore. If you squint, you might be able to make out what it is without having to get your feet wet by crossing the stream. But your eyesight isn't the best and anyways the sun's in your eyes, so since you're curious, you decide to go check it out. \n\nTake off your shoes and socks, cross the stream, and [[go check out whatever it is that's on the ground.|Spoon]]

You cautiously walk a bit farther down the path, following what you think to be the source of the strange cookie smell. Maybe there are campers out here? Is camping even allowed in this forest or what? \n\nThe path splits, veering to the right, into what might be a clearing. You pause at the edge of this, clutching your backpack straps tightly. There probably isn't anything to worry about, it's probably only hikers, right?\n\nTwo trees frame the entrance like a gate, the path continues right through them and it's then that you notice how well-trod it appears to be. Funny, because you remember how difficult it was for you to follow it from the stream. Does this mean it gets used often? Who uses it? Does this path hook back up with the main trail at some point?\n\nYou're still staring into the clearing, trying to see as much of it as you can when something colorful catches your eye- are those flowers?\n\n[[This is getting stranger and stranger.|Good 1b]]

The lack of loud noise is starting to bother you just a bit. You've never been here, and as far as you can tell the path doesn't end for a good while, disappearing into the dark green forest. The day is wearing on and you're not sure if you'll be able to find what's at the end of the path <i>and</i> make it back to the trailhead before dark. \n\nSo you turn around and head back for the main hiking trail. Maybe you can come back another day to explore more thoroughly.\n\n<b>END</b>\n\n[[(Ending Page)|4th End]]

The instant you step foot past the two trees framing the entrance, you can <i>feel</i> a change in the air. Somehow, everything feels brighter, more alive. Sure, the forest had been nice and calming but there's something here that makes you feel warm all the way through, and it has nothing to do with the sunlight on your face. \n\nThe splashes of color you saw turn out to be flowers! Someone is growing flowers out here in the forest! There's no way they're growing like this by themselves; the patch of ground is dark like it's been recently watered, the flowers are organized by color, and they're all framed with round rocks that look like the ones you saw in the streambed. \n\nThere are so many flowers planted here. You don't even recognize most of them, but after a few minutes of looking you see sunflowers, poppies, some roses, daisies and marigolds.

You eat rather quickly, keeping an eye on the spot where you'd seen the glint of light. As soon as you finish you pack up and walk down to the stream. \n\nThere doesn't seem to be a way across. You really don't feel like walking in wet shoes, so instead you look for some large rocks. Maybe you can make some stepping stone piles. \n\nIt doesn't take long for you to gather a collection of large rocks. You toss them carefully into the shallowest part of the stream you can find, slowly building piles of rocks until you've almost reached the other side.\n\nYou eyeball the remaining distance, gather yourself up, and [[leap across!|Neutral 4b]]

It's Sunday morning. You finished the last of your exams on Friday and spent Saturday catching up on your sleep. Today, you're refreshed, and you feel like stretching your legs. A quick glance out the window confirms what your phone's weather app told you- today is looking beautiful and sunny! What a good day for a hike! \n\nYou haven't really been able to explore the city that much, since this is your first semester at university and you were too worried about your classes to do much exploring. But on Friday, an aquaintance of yours mentioned that a new hiking path had been opened in the forest right outside the city. You were interested because you've always had an interest in hiking and exploring new places. So today, you're going on a hike. \n\nAfter making sure that you've got all the necessities packed for a day of walking in the woods, you [[head out|Trail 1]].

It's a...spoon? Someone left their spoon here?\n\nRinsing it in the stream reveals that it's not exactly the type of spoon you see every day. It's got an ornate sort of flower on the end of the handle, faintly raised, and three round bead shapes near the neck. The spoon in your hand now is a little heavier than the ones you use every day. Kinda reminds you of the spoons your grandma used to have, the old silver ones that weren't really supposed to be used as eating utensils. Who would lose something like this and not come back for it? Judging from the way it'd been covered in dirt, and the general look of it, it had been here for a while before you unearthed it.\n\nYou wash it one more time to get the last bits of dirt out from the crevices of the flower on the handle and wipe it clean on your shirt before pocketing it. While looking around, you notice a sort of path, leading into the trees.\n\nTechnically, you're not supposed to leave the hiking path, but since someone else clearly already has, it can't hurt to follow it, right? It's still daylight, after all. \n\n[[Go get your backpack and follow the path.|The Path]]

Crap, you landed in the shallows and splashed your legs! Oh well, you're not that wet, you'll dry out. You drop your pack to the ground and head over to where you saw the glint of light. \n\nIt's something metallic, half buried in the sediment by the water. You tug at the exposed end until there's enough of it for you to grab, and [[pull it out of the dirt.|Spoon]] \n

Take A Hike

RianaRiot

Long grass and weeds have grown over parts of the path, making it a bit difficult to see where you're going. This isn't like the trail you were on earlier, it seems like it was made by only one person. It goes deeper into the forest than you thought it did, down into where the trees are closer together and not as much sunlight filters down to light your way. The temperature is also a lot cooler. \n\n[[Let's check out what lies down the path.|Path 2]]

The farther you get down the path, the quieter it gets. Instead of feeling anxious, you're relaxed.\n\nYou are surrounded by green, growing things. Everything is quiet and cool. A soft breeze brushes your face. \n\nThe stress that had built up during your midterms is slowly vanishing and you wander aimlessly, trailing a hand over stems of long grass that line the side of the path. \n\nEverything is serene and natural, which is why it comes as a surprise when you take a deep breath and smell...cookies? What? Does someone live back here? Or are you just smelling things?\n\n[[You search for the source.|Good 1a]]