Dortmund Group Chat

Fourteen

11am
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Everyone gathered at the lobby of the hotel, some were eager to get outside and others were excited about hiking and hanging out with one another.

A little while later the bikes arrived and the boys followed Robert to their hiking spot. The trail they were going to hike was called Kīlauea lki Trail on a volcano better known as Maua Loa. It was a classic attraction in the hiking world of Hawaii because of its steaming lava crater inside of it. Two miles there and back, Robert had indeed thought this one through.
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It was a warm 30 degrees when the team arrived at the base of the volcano and the hiking trail.

"Robert should go first so we can push him into the volcano!" Roman exclaimed.

"Can we go to Mauna Kea after this?" Felix asked. "It's a volcano like 13,795 feet in the air and it has a lot of observatories so we can probably stargaze?"

"We can do that tomorrow maybe," Marc said. " I have a feeling that this is going to be enough for today." He pointed at Christian and Matthias who were already arguing quietly.

"C'mon guys, it's only about two miles to the crater." Robert gestured to the group to follow him into the thick foliage.

The boys were surrounded by the beautiful buzzing of a tropical rainforest as they began their trek on the volcano. Rays of sun caught the green plants and trees that lined the path, and you could hear the low hum of small creatures wallowing in the shadows. Everyone was silent, obviously mesmerized by what they had just entered and only the sound of their shoes crunching on the path could be heard.

"This is so cool..." Emre murmured, looking towards the sky. A colorful bird flew between two trees just as he smiled.

Christian and Matthias started arguing a few minutes later interrupting the calm mood.

"Did you just try to trip me? Seriously? Are we in high school or something!" Christian exclaimed turning around on his teammate.

"Get over it." Matthias grumbled. "I hate your country." he kicked at the ground.

"My country?" Christian said. "I don't care if you like it or not!"

Everyone else began talking to each other once the silence was broken.

Marc slung his arm around Erik's shoulder and the two of them jumped into conversation.

"I love this." Erik smiled at his friend. "This is...wow."

Felix was trying to convince Julian that the group should go to the second volcano tonight while Marco and Mario were laughing in the front about Christian and Matthias. Lukasz and Robert were talking in Polish again taking in their surroundings.

They walked for a little while longer until they came to a clearing in the foliage about a quarter of the way up the volcano. You could see the horizon dip and meet the land of the Big Island; the views were incredible.

"Hey Robert," Erik handed his rival his phone. "Take a picture of Marc and I?"

"You got it." Robert snapped a few pictures for them.

Ous, Felix, Emre and Christian took a few pictures next and eventually a group photo was taken.

Later, they made it to the inside of the volcano.

"Look, can I please push someone in?" Roman said.

The crater was semi deep with a black and grey rocky rim. Inside, there was a smaller hole that had oozing lava that was pulsing back and forth in its black and orange glory. Steam was rising from it as veins of orange cracked to the surface.

Erik held Marc a little closer.

"I'm going to push you in I swear to god." Roman looked at Robert. He jokingly began pushing him towards the edge as Robert resisted. He got him pretty close to the edge before he stopped.

Emre bumped into Christian who was near the edge. Christian stumbled but caught himself before anything bad could happen, only his phone slipped out of his pocket and hit the rocky rim tumbling down into the crater.

Christian put his hands on his head and sighed.

"Hey it's not too close to the lava." Lukasz said. "You can still grab it."

"I-Emre!" Christian cried.

"Look," Emre pointed at the phone, which lit up. "It's still working!"

"Go get it." Matthias said with a smirk on his face. "What's the problem?"
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