Hazardous Expeditions

Loud water crashed against the bottom of the piled rocks that had fallen from the falls during intense weather on the island. The loud roaring and splashing of water over taking the sounds around it , this was the island's main waterfall and lots knew of its location. A brown feathered tail swayed as Merlot, a large sucho, made his way up the pathway towards the waterfall leaving footprints in the dirt path as he moved.

Merlot turned looking around at the trees that lined the pathway up towards the falls listening to the loud crashing of water hit the rocky bottom. He closed his eyes following the sound before opening them and giving Off a faint smile on his snout, it had been awhile since he had visited this spot and it was one of his favorites. The closer he got he began to see the water splashing against the rocks just over a small hill within the path.

“Ah this place has always been peaceful” He sighed to himself soon seeing the rocky bottom that spanned into a small pond , seeing the water settle as it finished hitting the rocks. The large sucho took a seat on a flat rock that lay out in the grass next to the waterfall pond. His tail resting beside him brown feathers soaking up the sun that beat down on him. Merlot looked up taking in the warm heat as he let out a soft smile before opening his eyes looking around the pond seeing the splashing of water lay on plant life that was close and surrounding it.

The plant life was green and vibrant , the leaves glistening with the water droplets left from the falls. Merlot narrowed his eyes studying over the plant life before spotting a plant nestled within the leaves. It looked different from the rest. It was a large follower that was different in color and didn’t seem to be common around here, least Merlot had never seen it on the island. This was a first for the Sucho and he was fascinated , he shifted getting up from his basking spot to investigate it closer.

Merlot took the mysterious plant in his claws studying the vibrant color it had. As he shifted the petals in his claws tilting his head ,as his claws touched the petals the colors shifted in hue. This had never happened before it swapped its color from the touch of his claws, this was not normal. Merlot felt excited by the new found plant life , swaying his large tail dipping it into the cool pond before plucking the flower from the stem and putting it in his feathers.

Merlot turned his head looking back at his basking spot before deciding to take a dip in the cooling pond. Taking his steps up the rocky area before slowly entering the pond the cool water dampened his feathers, the water cooling him off.

“ Ah a nice cool dip” he sighed before looking at his flower in his feathers. He wondered how it got here. It was nothing like the plant life that surrounded the waterfalls area all year. He paid no mind to it as he began to get bored at the thought before continuing to the deeper area of the pond, closing his eyes so he wouldn’t get splashed by the roaring water. As he swam he began to notice vibrantly colored specs in the bottom of the pond before taking a dive to inspect them further. As Merlot got closer he picked one up with his claws before resurfacing looking at the vibrant objects; it seemed to be some of the flower petals that had sunk to the bottom of the pond. The falls never grew these types of plants around here, at least he had never seen this vibrant flower, as he lost his train of thought staring at the petals, the waterfalls roaring water bringing him back to focus. Merlot swam towards the edge of the pond getting out and shaking his feathers staring up at the waterfall before stepping down some rocks before setting eyes on a cave that lay hidden behind the flowing waterfall. He made his way carefully looking above him, seeing more of the vibrant flowers growing within the cave, the walls lined with them and the sucho was baffled with the vibrant color that they gave off. This was definitely something new, Merlot stood still taking it all in.

“Whoa what are these?” he said, looking above him, turning around moving his head trying to spot all of them. The plant life seemed to have changed around the waterfall but what was causing it? It wasn’t the water itself it couldn’t be, Merlot shook his head walking further into the small cave as it ended. This cave always used to be bare and empty when Merlot visited the falls area on the island but this time it was vibrant and full of life, now come to think of it the water seemed a different color when he went swimming in the lower pond of the falls. The large carnivore soon turned back around standing at the entrance of the small cave before looking at the flower he had put in his feathers , Merlot took it out and held it within his claws studying it again.

“This is definitely something new , I have never seen something like this on the island” his claws move the petals within them. He leaned in, staying a whiff of the scent that stung his nose letting out a large sneeze before narrowing his eyes , it smelt bad. Merlot put it down before looking puzzled, deciding to leave the cave, before taking one more look at the now lush cave. It was starting to get late as the skies began to become dark, “Ah I should get going it's starting to get dark” he mumbled to himself. The waterfall soon coming to a calming soft splash as the river's current calmed down, Merlot soon found himself on the path going down from the waterfall, his footprints indenting in the sandy pathway.

The flower lay still on the ground at the cave entrance, as it began to get darker a dim glow could be seen from the cave. The flowers show a slight bioluminescent glow to them, the petals in the pond letting off the same glow. Something within the water from the falls that allowed these plants to grow seemed to be causing this bioluminescence. Merlot continued his way down the path, his tail swaying behind him. A long day at the falls was enough for him and the smell from that flower was still stinging his nose.

A little ways away in some bushes that sat next to the pond a silver can lay hidden within the foliage. Letting off a shine from the moonlight , it seemed to be crunched on one side and the paint peeled off in places. A black symbol lay on the side of the canister a black gear symbol with a DNA strand in the middle of it, followed by the words in large red lettering TOXIC. It seemed that whatever had come out of the canister had gotten into the waterfall's water and was affecting the plant life around it, altering the colors of them. As Merlot was walking, coming to the end of the pathway he seemed to have hit something with his foot, another canister rolled into view stopping a bit in front of him. He tilted his head in confusion, studying the red writing followed by the symbol.

“What is this?” he leaned down, nudging it with his snout , jumping back as it rolled towards him. He looked up past the canister seeing a large box that was smashed with more yellow canisters scattered on the ground. It looked like it fell from a high place as the wood was damp, “ it looked like it fell from the falls' ' he mumbled looking upwards. Turning his attention back to the unknown items , his tail laying behind him as he moved the objects around with his claws. The red writing standing out to him “ tox..ic?” he mumbled out trying to decipher the lettering , it seemed like it was trying to say something of importance but he couldn’t make it out.

“Maybe I should leave this here, it could be dangerous,” he thought in his head, lifting his claws once more off the object. Fear lay dormant in the back of his mind being around the unknown object but he couldn’t pinpoint it , Merlot shifted his weight before stepping back from it turning to leave looking back once more the red writing causing worry in the sucho’s gaze. He shook the feeling before finally deciding to leave continuing down the pathway, huffing at the dirt that had caked on feet. “All that swimming made me muddy” he growled before sitting down in a spot that was clean, preening his feathers that was enough adventuring for Merlot today.