Jason was enjoying himself a pleasant dream when he suddenly came awake. Something had triggered his senses to wake, almost like his body was telling him he needed to open his eyes now. As his eyelids fluttered open, he saw his friends had arrived, and that Jack was trying to sneak up on him while he was asleep.
"You know, you lot will have to be much quieter than that, if you want to scare me awake," he said out loud, without letting them know he saw them.
"Aw man! How the fuck did you do that? I was sure you couldn't have heard me!" Jack griped as he stood up straight and walked into the campground, dejected.
"Well, since I spend a lot of time in the great outdoors, I can tell when something sounds off. Good luck on trying to sneak up on me, bud. I doubt that even Sam Fisher could get the drop on me," Jason joked.
Jack continued to grumble as he moved to set up his and his girlfriend's tent. Jason sat up and got out of his hammock, stretching as he stood up. He got a good look at everyone who had come out for the May long weekend. There were about a dozen other people in attendance, most of them were friends of Jack, or Andrea, Jack's girlfriend.
Though they weren't in his immediate circle of friends, he knew everyone there to some extent. The only two who weren't a couple were two women who had shown up as solo campers. The first one he knew in passing, as Amy, but he knew little else about her. He'd seen her a few times, hanging with his ex-girlfriend, Nancy, way back when they were still dating.
The second girl, Jason knew a little better, but not by much. Her name was Elizabeth, and she was an outed and proud lesbian. He knew her mainly because they'd gone to the same high school years ago, but had gone their own separate ways afterwards. He'd heard all kinds of nasty rumors about her, most of them absurd but still unpleasant. She didn't quite look like the so called 'dyke bitch' that a lot of guys had said she was. But Jason supposed that there was some truth to the rumors, considering how badly she'd turn down guys asking her out.
As Jason popped his joints here and there, he realized everything that was going on around him. Not just the hustle and bustle of camp being set up, but all the sounds of nature that buzzed around them. He smiled to himself as he figured that the cause was his newfound Druidic power, as it wasn't just the sound he picked up on but the sights and the smells too.
Everything seemed greener, brighter, and more fragrant to him, almost like his senses had been asleep and were now awake. He also noted a few other smells coming from his friends and acquaintances, which to him seemed off-putting. Jason hadn't smelled these kinds of things before and wrinkled his nose at the scents.
He smelled the sweat of travel and exercise coming off everyone as they pitched their tents. Jason also smelled... excitement and... eagerness, which seemed to roll off them all, especially the guys. Jason supposed that was to be expected, since now everyone was away from all the commotion of city life. He was glad he wasn't the only one who was happy to be up here.
The campground they were in right now was a secret of some more experienced campers who made their way up here regularly. There was a much larger campground on the other side of the lake, but that tended to be overcrowded with lots of people. Often, they were the obnoxious sort who didn't give a rat's ass about other folks' sense of peace.
Since this place was secluded and off the beaten path, Jason and his friends opted for this place. Not only was it peaceful and well hidden, the small beach area was in a sheltered cove. This afforded anyone who camped here a sense of privacy that was seldom had in this day and age. The only way to get to this place was on foot, and only if you knew how to find it, since boats weren't allowed up here. The moment Jason had mentioned this place to his friends, they were all for heading up here for the weekend.
As Jason was reflecting on this, he noted something out of the corner of his eye. Jason swore he saw some ladies in attendance staring at him, almost like they were looking at him for the first time. The moment he turned his head to confirm his suspicions, their heads would snap back. They moved so fast; it was almost like they hadn't been staring in the first place.
Shaking his head, Jason looked about some before he felt the beads of sweat popping out on his forehead. Though they were higher in the mountains, where the air was cooler, he knew it would be a warm one today and it was just past lunchtime. Jason checked himself and saw that some perspiration had come out, soaking his shirt. Knowing there was nothing for it, Jason thought it was about time to go for a swim.
It was getting toasty out and he thought he'd go cool off in the lake. He walked over to his tent and ducked in, took off his hiking boots and closed it behind himself. Jason quickly doffed his clothes and slid into his emerald green swim trunks, tying them up. He also grabbed one of the two towels he brought with him and stepped back outside, shirtless. As he got outside his tent, he saw everyone had finished the setup of their own tents and was busy stowing their gear.
"Hey bud. You going for a swim?" Jack wondered as he finished setting up his sleeping bags with Andrea.
"Yeah. It's getting toasty out here, so I thought I'd cool off a bit," Jason replied.
"You mind waiting up? We're all sweaty too and could go for a dip ourselves."
"Sure. I'll wait over by the pathway down to the beach," Jason stated, and he walked over barefoot, while holding his flip-flops and towel.
Leaning against one of the large pines that dotted the area, Jason cast his eyes about, taking in all the sights and smells of this place. Now that he had enhanced senses, he felt he could truly appreciate places like this more. He always loved being out in nature, and now that he was a Druid, he felt a deeper bond than he thought possible with the forest.
He heard footsteps approaching and turned his head to see several of the women walking up to him. It wasn't so odd, except because some of them seemed to stare at him. He caught the look in their eyes, and it was something he'd seen just recently; lust.
"What's with the staring?" Jason asked brusquely as he turned to face them. Two girls turned their heads, faces reddening, while a couple others, including Andrea, kept looking.
"When did you get so buff suddenly, Jay? Jack said you'd been hitting the gym a lot lately, but I didn't think you'd be this chiseled, this fast!" she said, while almost tripping on her words. Taking a deep breath in, he replied to the gaggle of ladies in attendance.
"Well, I've also added climbing to my list of exercises. I guess that I never really noticed since I started my regimen all those months ago. It's not like I have an Instagram account, you know," he lied convincingly. No way in hell was he going to tell anyone about what he was. At least, not yet. Until he was absolutely sure he could trust them with it. Especially since he did not know who had put that block on him to begin with.
"Maybe you should get one set up!" Darcy, Andrea's best friend, a leggy blonde, stated lustily. Although she had a wonderful boyfriend in Seamus, Darcy was a shameless flirt. Her boy allowed it, so long as other guys didn't get any ideas. Glancing down once again, he figured it might be an idea to consider once they were back in civilization.
The guys had finally come out of the tents from changing and were walking over. Wondering what all the commotion was about, they looked at Jason and found themselves as shocked as the girls were. They'd all heard he'd been working out, but they accepted it as the result of some serious hard work.
As the motley crew meandered down the pathway, a couple of the girls pestered their guys about the possibility of taking up climbing. When they wondered why, the girls looked back at Jason. The guys did too, but with dirty looks on their faces, like he'd gone and done something wrong. Jason gave them all his best bewildered look and shrugged, giving every sign that this was on the girls and not him.
Satisfied with the gesture, the guys turned back to the path ahead and kept walking. A few minutes later, they broke through the tree line and walked out onto the sandy beach. It was one of those rare gems that existed in nature they'd been lucky enough to discover. Since Jason had found this place years ago, he kept it a secret and to only share it with those who would do the same.
Though his group of friends were a boisterous lot, they were smart enough to know that private places like this had to stay that way. Should word ever get out, this zone would be flooded with campers looking to take over. Dropping his towel and sandals, Jason then charged across the beach, diving into the water. The water was chilly, but not unpleasantly so. Cold enough to banish the heat, but warm enough where he wouldn't be freezing anytime soon.
"How is it?" Jack called out.
"Get your ass in here and find out for yourself!" Jason hollered back.
Smirking, Jack and the rest of the people on the beach lost their outerwear and waded on in. A few of the girls were inching their way in, slowly acclimatizing themselves to the water's temperature. That idea was dashed when two guys had the idea to rush on in, splashing the girls as they went. The squeals of the women only seemed to further encourage the guys to keep on splashing, and soon they were being chased by their vengeful girlfriends.
Jason chuckled to himself as he watched the events unfold around him. Having no girlfriend and being single for the last six months had been a pain in the ass, but he didn't let it stop him from living. He was enjoying the solitude and the peace of being alone, but sometimes, he missed having someone with him.
His ex had left him at her family's behest just before Christmas, which was painful in its own way. Though he'd cared for Nancy in a way that bordered on love, he got over her quickly. Once he found out she dumped him because her father told her to and because her church demanded it, he moved onward without hesitation. He couldn't stand to be with a woman who was so easily controlled and manipulated, especially since she allowed it.
Taking a few deep breaths, Jason centered himself and focused back on the good time he was having. Standing there in the water, he looked around and took in the beauty of this place, enjoying every second. He tried to, at least since the ruckus of play fighting was building up a fair bit. Huffing in good-natured irritation, Jason swam away from the group, to the other side of the bright cove.
Over on that side was a large cluster of rocks that led up to a steep cliff, which helped block the cove from most observation. It was there, by that cluster, Jason had found a small inlet that was shaped in the form of natural under and above water benches, almost like a hot tub.
The walls of the inlet were also a good ten feet in height, preventing anyone from randomly dropping in on him. He'd found it by accident last year, when he'd been here with an older group of campers and their families. They all knew about it, and it was the prefect place to get some peace and quiet.
