North, toward the river and the mountains

"Let's head toward the river. I don't know about you, but after that experience, I don't really care to be somewhere where I don't have good visibility."

The others nod, and you begin walking northwest, toward the river, making a wide circle around the distant shipwreck you call home. Along the way you spot a bit more wildlife. There are at least a couple different species of birds, though you don't get much of a look at them. You also spot the answer to one of your earlier questions. Far in the distance to the east, you see a trail of shorter grass, and at the head of it a herd of large mammals. Though they are too far away to make out too many details, you can tell that they must be roughly the size of a rhino, and have what looks like armored plating on their backs.

"They must graze on the taller parts of the fields. I'll bet our crash site had already been grazed over, and the herd moved further east where the grass is taller." Ryan is stating the obvious here a bit, but you don't mind.

"That means we have to be careful in the future," Will says. "The grass around our ship won't stay short forever, and that means whatever that thing was will eventually move our way. We better find somewhere else to camp or some way to keep those things out."

"Yeah," you say, "or maybe we'll find a lawn mower stashed on the ship somewhere."

After about half an hour of walking, you finally reach the river. The water in this particular portion is moving at a steady pace, and looks to be about waist deep in the middle.

"What do you think, should we go for a swim?" Will asks. As tempting as it is, you have too much ground to cover today.

"Nah, we need to keep moving, but here looks like a decent place to cross. We can at least rinse off a bit while we wade through." The others nod, and you wade into the water. It is cool and refreshing, and surprisingly clear. Honestly, it's the most beautiful thing you've seen so far since you've been here. You spot a few fish during your crossing, which look fairly similar to what you have on earth, with some slight differences, and one animal that you can only describe as some sort of river eel. On the other side the land becomes rolling foothills, which become steeper as they approach the mountains ahead of you. You don't know why, but the large mountain directly ahead is captivating and mysterious. You look at Will and can tell he's thinking what you are.

"Not today, but soon," he says.

"Definitely."

Your circle reaches it's northern zenith at the mountain, and your trio begins following the river toward the southwest as you move toward the western forest. The entire northern part of your journey is honestly pleasant. You spy a few smaller creatures and what looks like some sort of hairless goat further up the mountains. The only difficult part comes when you're **** to cross a shallower tributary of the main river. The water is only a few inches deep, but its fast flowing and slick as it cascades down from the mountains high above.

After about an hour of walking, you find yourself amongst tall, deciduous trees. Though from a distance the leaves appeared green, up close you find that they actually shimmer, appearing almost golden. The trunks are thick and range in color from a light beige to bright white. The entire area seems to nearly glow. Here, apparently, is the cradle of wildlife for the area. In each tree you spot countless nesting birds and small, squirrel-like animals. On the ground is a multitude of insects, marching toward some unseen task. The river has also deepened significantly, slowing to a meandering pace. You continue following the water until finally you reach a beautiful, crystal clear pool, situated in a small clearing. At first, it appears as if this is the end of the river, which vexes you, as it seems like it is too small for such a large river to drain into, but you soon realize that the pool is just a temporary stop. On the other side, what you originally took to be an earthen hill is revealed to be a wooden dam, not unlike what beavers built back on earth. Beyond the dam, the river continues on into a thickening forest. One day you'd like to find where it ends, whether it be lake or sea, but for now that will have to wait until another day.

"Hey," Ryan's voice startles you out of your reverie, "we've been walking pretty much non-stop since the field. Why don't we rest here a bit and eat. I figure we can spend half an hour relaxing and still have enough daylight to make the rest of the circle before nightfall."

Your stomach answers for you before you can get a word out. You laugh at the interruption and nod your ascent before pulling out the rations you packed this morning. Ryan plops down on a nearby log to eat his rations, while you and Will opt to take your shoes off and dangle your feet into the pool while you chow down.

"It's amazing, isn't it?" Will says. "I mean, that water has to be, what, ten or twelve feet deep?"

"At least," you say through a bite of sandwich.

"And yet I can see all the way to the bottom. I've never seen water so crystal clear. God, is this what Earth looked like before we fucked up the entire planet?"

It's a sobering realization, and the two of you sit silently for a while. This situation is less than ideal, for sure, and it still pains you to know how many people will never get to see this place, but if you had to end up somewhere, at least you landed somewhere that is truly breath-taking. For the first time since you crashed here yesterday, you allow yourself to feel at peace.

Soon enough, the spell of silence has broken, and the two of you are back to laughing and cracking jokes like you did on Earth. Will even drinks some of the water from the pool, which you tried to stop. Thankfully, it seems the water is potable, which is a very good thing, both for Will's sake and for your group's.

"I've gotta piss." you announce, standing. You pull out your cock, aiming toward the pool. You and Will have seen each other plenty, so pissing next to each other is nothing special, but suddenly you pause in thought.

"You gonna piss or are you waiting on me to aim it for you?" Will says with a laugh.

"Actually I think I'm gonna wander into the woods a bit and find a tree."

"What, you shy all of a sudden?"

"No, I just think the pool is perfect the way it is. I want to be better than we were on Earth. That starts by not polluting the most beautiful thing I've seen so far."

Will nods, understanding. "Good call. Take your rifle, we still don't know much about this place."

You smile, "Good call."

You wander into the woods about twenty yards from the pool and relieve yourself on a nearby tree. You take your time, looking at the gorgeous sights around you, when suddenly, you hear something strange.