Roleplay

The four walked through the forest. Eventually, they reached a small, stone road. It was covered in moss, and looked as if it hadn't been used in quite a while. It seemed to be a barrier between different parts of the woods. On the other half, the trees were a sickly pale brown, twisted and wicked looking. The air felt colder on the other side.

Dyr stopped paying attention to the doll and clambered up into Archie's arms. Once she was curled up she started cooing to the doll.
Archie gave a small smile.

Jax frowned, pulling a map out of his pack.
"That's odd..." He mumbled.
"What?" Seshi asked, a hint of nervousness in her voice.
"According to this map, this place should be green and vibrant just like the rest of the forest."
"Weird..." Clackac mumbled. There was a rustling in the bushes. Seshi latched onto Archie shoulder, hiding behind him.
"We're gonna die." She whispered, her eyes wide. Suddenly, a small child, around nine or ten, stumbled out of the bushes, barely clothed and dirty. His face was pale, tired. He looked at the group curiously.
"Ah! Visitors!" He exclaimed, smiling brightly. He was missing several teeth.

Archie glanced to Seshi, eyes wide. Dyr curled closer to Archie's chest, clutching her doll tightly.
Archie's ears perked with alertness.

The boy leaned backwards, his hair falling into his face.
"You don't seem like normal tourists..." He mumbled. He shook his head.
"Eh, whatever. Welcome to the Wanderer's Woods!" He exclaimed, gesturing to the dead forest ahead of them.
"-where all of your terrors come to life!" The boy added. He rubbed his eye.
"But don't ya worry. I can guide ya to our village! You'll be safe there!" He smiled. He stuck out his hand, which was covered in grime.
"I'm Rodney, by the way." He told them.

Archie's eyes widened a fraction more.
"Hello." Dyr smiled, not seeming to have understood any of what he said.
Archie sighed, 'of course... Scary forest... Of course...'

Rodney's eyes narrowed.
"You're a gnome." He said to Clackac, who grew quite pale.
"Yes... is there an issue with that?" He asked. Rodney spat on the ground in front of Clackac.
"We don't like gnomes." He said. Then, he sighed.
"But I guess it's fine." He mumbled. He waved them forwards.
"Come on, this way!" He grinned. He hopped over the stone path and began walking into the woods. The troupe glanced at each other, then began to follow the boy.

Archie hesitated before he followed the others, holding Dyr a little closer as she looked up at him. He stayed tense and alert.

"Now, when you start hallucinating, just remember, it's not real." Rodney told them.
"It'll probably just be a small fear of yours, but I have seen people who have had to face their biggest fear." He smiled.
"Some of them are still in here!" He exclaimed, gesturing to the woods around them.

Archie let Dyr move around in his arms to face away from him. He stayed tense, even when Dyr tried to purr to comfort him. Quite frankly, all of his fears were terrifying.
Losing Cam, losing Dyr, ending up back with his mom and her family, getting eaten alive, losing the troupe... All of it. His ears drooped as he thought about it.