The sun was starting to approach the horizon. Unfortunately, Alex was walking west.
"God, I wish Ein and Marshall would stop moving. It's that much more distance I have to cover."
Otis sluggishly chirped. He was getting tired as well.
"At least it's cooler now," Alex said. "Less of a strain."
Alex stopped for a moment. He saw footprints in the sand. Two pairs of feet continued down the beach and then turned north into the forest. Finally, a lead! Alex hoped that if he could get to the end of these footprints by nightfall, that he would find them.
"Just hang on, Otis. I don't think we'll be out here much longer. Once we find Ein and Marshall, we can take a breather."
Alex upped his pace to a fast walk, shielding his eyes from the vermillion light coming down from the sun. As the two continued, Alex noticed that his feet sunk less and less into the sand. He was approaching the forest borders. Tall evergreens reached up into the sky, at least a hundred or so feet tall.
"At least with a forest, we can find some shade," Alex remarked. It wasn't long before the glaring, coarse sand was replaced by lush, green grass once again. Alex sat down for a moment and took off his shoes. Quite a bit of sand had found its way in.
"Urgh, I hate sand in my shoes," Alex complained. Otis made no reply. The little alien had finally drifted off into a slumber.
"Sweet dreams Otis," murmured Alex softly as he put his shoes back on and continued.
Alex continued to trek through the shady forest, safely out of the harsh heat of the coast. If Ein and Marshall had any brains at all, they would have found a place to rest by now. Alex knew they had common sense, but Ein could be a little...simple-minded...at times. For the most part, he got things done.
The foliage of the forest floor mainly consisted of small shrubs and twigs, with occasional big rocks to sit on. Alex wondered why he hadn't seen any wildlife yet...no deer, no bears, no nothing. There weren't even any mosquitoes in the air, much to Alex's comfort.
The effects of shade were immediately noticeable. The air temperature in the forest was at least fifteen or twenty degrees lower than what it was on the beach. The odor of pine needles filled the moist air. It was almost a pleasant environment to be exploring in.
Alex came upon a river that cut through the forest and emptied out into the ocean beyond. The water flowed at a brisk pace, which meant it wasn't stagnant.
Alex carefully sat Otis down beside him as he cupped his hands and dipped them into the river. He scooped out some water and splashed it on his face to cool himself off. Not even the roaring river stirred Otis from his sleep.
Placing Otis back on his shoulder, Alex continued into the forest. The trees got rather thick here, Alex had to be careful and step between them. Finally, he managed to penetrate the wall of pines to reveal a pristine meadow.
"Well...this should make things easier," said Alex to himself.
Otis gurgled a little bit in his sleep. Did headcrabs dream?
Alex sniffed the air. Was that smoke? It must have been, there was a thin but long stream of greyish smoke rising up into the air, on the other side of the hill, about a thousand or so yards off.
"Maybe it's them," Alex sighed with relief. "Maybe they found something to eat, I'm getting a little bit hungry."
With his thoughts turned to his empty stomach and fatigued body, Alex and the slumbering headcrab continued in the direction of the smoke.
