Chapter Text
What on earth has gotten into him?
Astarion despised nature. He is a city boy through and through. Since he was a little boy, he couldn’t stand having his hair messed up by wind or getting his clothes dirty at the playground. So why did he think it was a good idea to take a job as a fire lookout over the summer? At the end of the day-long hike though the national park, a lookout tower is waiting for him. A small cabin, high above the ground, probably without AC or heating. Still better than the conditions he is coming from right now, he convinces himself.
‘To be fair,’, Astarion thinks, as he's taking a break on a hill, ‘the view is truly stunning.’ Perfect conditions to take his mind off of the torment he suffered during the last years. The sun is shining but a cool breeze makes the heat bearable. The young man takes a deep breath. The hill is overlooking a clearing in the forest. He hasn't seen another person since the beginning of his hike in the early morning. This is a chance not to be wasted.
“Fuck you! And fuck everything you've done to me!!”, he screams at heaven at the top of his lungs. Though, Cazador is probably rotting in hell rather than spending eternity in heaven, where he directed his screams at. But his chest still feels lighter right now. He takes another bite out of his sandwich and another big swig of water before taking off again. According to his map, he should reach his designated tower an hour or even two before sunset.
His feet burn like fire. His sweaty hair sticks to his face. And on top of that, he must stink as if he hasn't showered in a week. Not far ahead he spots a fork in the trail, right in front of a stunningly glistening lake. One arrow points to the trail to his right hand side, reading “Lakeshore trail”, the other points away from the lake again to his left hand side, reading “Alton Ridge trail”. Considering he's stationed in the “Lakeshore Peak” tower, Astarion concludes he must follow the trail straight ahead. When he's squinting, the young man can already see the tower against the slowly setting sun. He only has to hike up the rocky hills overviewing the lake. He curses the fact that those lookout towers need to be as high up as possible to function.
As soon as Astarion overlooks the lake from the more and more rocky, gravely ground, all the pain is worth it. Watching the setting sun glisten in the water several tenths of meters below him, he feels like the only human on earth. And, witnessing this wastness, he feels totally insignificant. Nothing he could do right now would change the landscape in front of his eyes. If he would throw a pebble down into the lake, he probably wouldn’t even hear it hit the surface of the water. If he was to disappear right here and now, no one would ever find him. No one would ever miss him.
Astarion just drops his backpack and falls back onto the bed. He has finally reached the Lakeshore Peak tower, his home for the next three months. The final steps up the tower have been truly the death of him. Though, he was rewarded with the most stunning view. As a boy from the city, he has really had the chance to witness the beauty of barely touched nature with his own eyes.
All he wants now is just curling up in his bed and sleeping , but the least he could do is take a short look around his tower. He has spotted a toilet down by the stairs. So peeing in the middle of the night is out of the question. In the center, he finds a circular kind of mapping device. Astarion has absolutely no clue what to do with it. Well, besides looking at it. The wall by the door is lined with a rudimentary kitchen. He finds a mini fridge, a stovetop-oven-combo and a microwave. On the adjacent wall to his right, there’s a paper map of the area pinned to a beam between the windows. There are even some notes on it. The lake beneath his tower is simply called „Alton Lake“. The name „Alton“ is recurring throughout the whole area. There's „Alton Forest“ with a scribbled note to stay away, seemingly because of wolves and other dangers. Up north, he finds the mountain range of „Alton Ridge“ with its own lookout tower. Far in the distance, he can somewhat make out the mountain range. A vast area in between both towers is labeled as „Alton Valley“ with a scribbled note of simply „bear territory“. So another area to keep away from.
„Hello? Did you finally make it?“ The sudden voice makes Astarion jump. He whips around, searching for the source of the noise.
„Helloooo? Anyone there?“ The voice sounds crackly, coming from a small handheld radio on the desk on the other side of the room.
„Hello? Here‘s Astarion. I just arrived here.“, he informes the voice.
„Ah! Splendid! I’ve done check-ins every hour on the hour to see when you‘d arrive. I was starting to get worried. But, well, you‘re here now. I‘m Gale, the lookout over at Alton Ridge. Nice to meet you.“, the voice calls back with a friendly, motivated tone.