A tree with blue leaves. Pale vines along the ruins. Both were signs of two things that made Omar's stomach churn. There was valuable metals beneath the tree they could bring back to the base. However, the metals were practically a bright beacon for all the Crawlers within a mile radius. And there was only one gun between them with some ammo. Not enough. This was just a simple adventure that led to a discovery they'd have to mark later. Omar handed the rifle Damien and began rifling through his bag, searching for the map. There it is!
Pinpointing their location took some quick discussion, quickly shooting landmarks back and forth before finding their mark. Shuffling into the bag again, Omar grabbed the pen and put a circle on the paper. A gentle breeze touched his scaled cheek. Heading uphill. Omar rolled up the map and returned it to the pocket. Damien handed the rifle back without a word. He was far too relaxed. Omar thought he beat that out of his head with the first three expeditions. Guess not. They needed to be on guard in areas like these. Omar didn't have scars because the rabbits were rabid shitheads.
"What's that smell?"
Damian's voice came like glass shattering. The natural sounds of the world had become background noise to him. He preferred it. Being on base with other people felt weird. Guess that's what happened when you were born in the ruins.
Omar checked the cartridge before answering, "It's the tree. Those with better noses can smell the same thing as the Crawlers."
"Smell's like shit. Shit with cherries on top."
"Don't envy you, kiddo."
"I'm not a kid." The shift in tone was clear enough for Omar. Damian snorted. "This mean we gotta head back?"
"We don't have the fire power for this yet." He spared one last look at the tree. "Don't worry, we might come back here."
"Might?"
"Might. Depends on my mood. And how many Crawlers come after us."
Right on cue, the chittering roar of the offending beast echoes in the distance, followed by two more. Damian visibly shivers. There's no more words exchanged as the two move quickly back the direction they came.


Experimenting a bit with process and color. As well as the little shading. Also have a story I pulled out my ass XD