"Branwen's Big Forest Adventure!"

Dad was being non compliant about going with me and I couldn't offer an explanation that sounded sane, so I just said, "Alright fine. I'll go by myself."

I was getting impatient about this trip anyways. But I was smart about it. I didn't actually "go in".

So it starts off with me getting Ace and snapping the leash on. I had to get him up and excited first. German Shepherds are known for napping around the house a lot. And the other half of him (something huge, Mastiff we think) just makes him more chill and easy going. I guess that's what makes him a gentle giant though.
So I found him lazing around dad's chair. I bent down, said, "Walk?" and his head snapped up. Ace loves walks!

I grabbed my camera and we went outside into the snowy wasteland.

It actually wasn't that bad. I only started freezing when we began to head home.

I noticed the fire smell again when we hit the driveway. It only existed in that area though. Ace and I headed up the street and our neighbor Roger was out shoveling his driveway. Ace loves Roger. Ace loves people. Especially kids. Gentle giant. Gentle protective giant too.
We stopped to chat a bit. Roger says he hasn't seen Ripley in a couple days. Come to think of it, neither have I. I shrug and say maybe he'll show up on the walk. We continue on our way to the closest patch of woods on the horseshoe.

I got as close as possible and got some pictures. I decided against actually going in since I had nobody with me and this patch of woods was difficult to get into in the first place. Running out would be a trick. And then to try it with a huge dog...
I heard a snap. I figured it was just a dead tree under the weight of the snow and ice, but I took some pictures in the direction anyways. Then a couple shots of Ace for cuteness. I picked up his leash and we headed in the other direction.

No sign of Ripley.

We get to the other patch. I can actually enter this one and exit easily due to there not being an almost vertical hill. It just slopes off the road into a patch of grass and then there's a forest. There's also some quad trails.
I only took a few steps in though. I took some pictures around and noticed Ace staring off into the distance at something. I decided to take some pictures in that direction as well. One is zoomed in, to make sure.

We headed home. All the while it was silent. Not in the same creepy way like on our last walk. Just the sounds of people were absent. The kind of silence I love, as rare as it is. You could hear the wind as it blew past you. Someone had wind chimes up. There were some birds as we got closer to the second patch of woods.
Then some dogs barked as we passed and that was a tad annoying.

Still no sign of Ripley. Maybe he got hit by a car again and was being confined to his house?

The fire smell was still in the driveway when we got back, but I think it's from the neighbors. No creeptacular source there.

Anyways, I've got me some pictures to go through now. If this is really happening, then I guess I've also got a game of Where's Waldo: Eldritch Abomination Edition to play too.

I'll get back to you on the pictures as soon as possible.

I hate snow.

No. I have no "Branwen's Big Forest Adventure!" for you. I couldn't get out with Ace in the daylight because dad was busy. I could have gone at night, but that's stupid and I still can't find the camera with the working flash. And now, when dad's still home and nobody's busy, we're having our 8,624,324,578th snowstorm. Whee.

I'd like to say that nothing exceptionally weird has happened in the friend circle.

I'd LIKE to say that.

Seth - Quiet. Chews nails a lot. Completely different demeanor from before. Missing school.
Sammi - Is typing. She hasn't done any photo editing in days. She specializes in that.
Skye - Still coughing. Is now hardly sleeping at all.

Does that sound dumb? Yes it does. But I'm not done.

Seth's girlfriend, Skyler, has been visiting a lot lately. She lives three hours away. Seth says every time she does she checks the locks on the doors and patrols the windows at regular intervals. Remember, Skyler told Seth about the videos.
Sammi isn't editing any photos because she has none. Every time she takes a picture, it'll look fine on the camera, and then show up completely messed up and distorted on the computer. Especially if the picture was taken outside.
Skye is deteriorating for no determinable reason. She's been to the doctor. They gave her medicine. She isn't any better.

Did I mention Casey? I guess not. Someone's been stalking around her house. This has happened before and somebody actually broke into her house awhile ago. But this particular stalking incident wouldn't have been noteworthy if it hadn't started happening RIGHT after she watched the videos. Yeah...this has been going on and she JUST told me...
 Oh and hey. Casey's house has wide windows spanning each wall of the living rooms and kitchen.

Me? My particular incidents have slowed. Except the backyard last night.

I had this theory...if this were all really happening...maybe the moon would have some affect on it. The full moon was yesterday - the Wolf Moon. It's the brightest of the whole year. Did you know Whelan means 'wolf'?
I thought, since things weren't happening as much, they'd come to a full stop last night. And maybe that tiny little connection between my surname and this particular moon would do something.
I keep learning how much of a daydreamer I am lately...

Alright...so I bought a laser pointer for Ace, thinking he'd be amused. He took no notice of it. I was disappointed. Well it's mine now. So I started shining it through the glass back door to see if I could get it into the yard. When I successfully spotted it on the snow covered ground, I kept moving it to see how far I could get it into the yard within my sight from the warmth of my house. I got to the woods...and was hit by a feeling of extreme anxiety. I shuffled away from the door and put the laser down to make a cup of tea.
As I'm sipping this tea in the kitchen with Ace, dad walks out, looks out the back door and shouts, "HOLY HECK!"
He's pointing. I don't want to turn around. But I do.
There's a full blazing fire in the fire pit by the woods.

We haven't burned anything there in weeks.

I'm going kind of stir crazy from the snow days (I've gone to school a total of two days this week - tomorrow is not looking good). But I NEED a cancellation tomorrow.

I HAVE to find out what's in those woods.