(ACE) The MARSH Team

Bad. Bad, bad, bad and so wrong. Martha couldn't take it. All around her was chaos, just waiting to tear her apart in more ways than one. The Flaaffy staggered to her feet, holding her head in her hands, and ran away into the undergrowth, shouting as loud as she could to block out the noise.

"I'M SORRY I'M SORRY I'M SORRY--"

    Her fur bristled, fear clear in her eyes as the Flaaffy collapsed to the ground, screaming. "They're all deeeeeead! My fault ... my fault..." The Eevee grimaced, the sky blackened by the flock of Murkrows eagerly circling for a good meal, and her wary glance set on the Weavile nearby. The fox shuddered, gulping as she took a careful step backwards, away from the scene. To her surprise the electric-type had gotten back on her feet, running away. "I'M SORRY I'M SORRY I'M SORRY--"
    "W-Wait!" Jennifer called, eyes wide as she began to chase after the sheep. "It-It's to dangerous to go alone! Wait!" Her paws carried her swiftly through the muck, her brown pelt vanishing amidst the thick foliage.

[OOC: Leaving post! Might be back in the future, but for now, gotta cut down on some characters.]

This.. wasn't her best idea ever. As something whizzed past her head from behind the Eevee was spooked and lost her footing. Her brown paws slipped and slid right off the carcass sending her toppling to the sludgy ground below. The bird cawed from above and Seek was quick to hide herself within her tail, turning her helmet to the sky for protection. But as she cowered the bird did attack. No, something much worse popped up. Staring with wide blue eyes the Eevee watched as some bipedal monsters started to dig into the corpse. What the hell is that thing! Honestly, she didn't want to stick around and find out. Moving as fast as her pas would allow the fox scurried back into the shrubs she had left Eleroo in. The male hadn't moved other then his wide eyes.

Wheezing hard the sickly kit stared in horror as electricity flashed around them. It was bad enough when Eloise used that stuff but this one looked so much stronger, like it would hurt a lot worse then he used to. Pressing himself closer to the other Eevee Eleroo buried his face in her mane. She'd probably hate him for this but momentary safety was worth it. He eased even further as she did not pull away. The yelling and cawing was only a dull hum in his ears. If he needed to move, though he doubted he could anymore, the female would tell him. Eleroo drifted slightly, not into sleep but away from the current reality. He was safe with her..

As the other Pokemon continued to squabble and scream Seek stared at them hard. They had to move. They had to move now. "I'M SORRY I'M SORRY I'M SORRY--" As the Flaaffy stormed away, however, something told her not to follow. You're not really with it anymore.. Nope, that would be a bad choice. "It-It's to dangerous to go alone! Wait!" No, not the other Eevee! A small gasp squeaks out of her throat. "No, wait!" She whispers pleadingly but it was too late- She and the Flaaffy were gone.

Seek was very still and stiff, her blue eyes staring hard at the Weavile as it feasted. They had to run. They had to run from this thing. It may of been eating but the undead were ruthless, it would never let them live! Yet as Eleroo pressed closer to her side the female knew they couldn't leave. Not both of them at least. A bead of nervous sweat dripped from her furrowed brow. Guess she really had to be a bodyguard now..

It's so loud it is hard to hear himself think. The flock is circling overhead, stirred up by something he can only catch glimpses of before he has to defend himself.
Teeth gritted tight Vier raises his club of bone.
Ragged feathers dropping to the ground the bird dives again with crooked talons held ready to gouge flesh.
The little Cubone swallows his fear and tightly grips his bone club, turning it so that the jagged snapped end is pointing up.
A dart of stinking feathers and sharp claws rushed towards him and Vier jabs upwards as the undead darts towards him.
The jagged bone digs into the flesh of one wing and rips through the decaying muscle. Dark feathers drop onto the mud as the purple grey skin tears and a deep, almost black, blood oozes from the wound.
In its desire for blood it drives the bone deeply into its wing, just above the joint.
Vier is knocked back into the mud once more, his leather satchel squishing underneath him and stubby tail squashed as the undead beats its wings powerfully in an attempt to overpower him.
The ground type fights to keep his grip on his club as it jerks in his grip. Vier draws his body in and braces himself.
His bone helmet shifts as a hard beak pecks at it. There is an angered caw as it fails to shatter the hard bone.
Vier kicks out as the undead pecks at him again and again, trying to avoid the bird's sharp claws as he tries to pull the bone free.
Where are the two brown-furred pokemon he'd gotten into this mess to save?
A glow of power forms in the back of the Cubone's throat.
Cold. He thinks.
Be cold.
"Die."

Blood red eyes narrow and, hunched over like a feral cat, the Weavile hisses again. His hooked claws twitch as for a moment he steps off the meaty body towards the sparking pink thing and the little brown furred one. Their words are of no importance to the tall Ice Type but he can hear fear in them. Fear is good.
When they turn to flee the undead's body tenses like a spring. Even the fresh blood in his mouth doesn't ease the instinct. Chase. Catch. Kill. Eat.
His body is moving before he can process it, face in a feral snarl marked by the protrusion of his bloodied fangs and his torn loose tongue. The wounds striped across his face are frightful to behold. The older ones are pearly scars that stand out against the dark fur and ripple the flesh. The newer ones are still open oozing wounds, violent slashes lined with yellow-white pus and congealed blood.
The Weavile turns to pursue and one diving bird rakes the back of his head with its talons
Some mimicry of anger stirs him to turn away and grab the responsible bird with both hands. Holding his prey tightly he pulls the wings from its body and digs his teeth into its exposed belly.
Zhen pulls back and spits out the mouthful of black feathers.

Oh brilliant. Just brilliant. Someone up there really hated him.

If Jerome had the energy to beat up the nearest tree, he'd have hacked the damn thing to pieces. Just what the hell had happened? Just a couple of blinks ago, he'd been in Jubilife City, catching his breath inside an alleyway and wondering just what the hell he was going to do with those two half-wits he'd been dumped with. Now, he was up to his knees in thick sludge, obviously in the middle of some swamp, and had absolutely no idea where he was. Either he'd gotten swept up in the latest rampage by one of the Legends, or he was going completely mad.

Cursing under his breath, Jerome slogged his way through the muck, pulling himself out with a nearby sapling. Now what the hell was he supposed to do? He didn't have a clue where he was, he was on his own and his wound was still as painful as it was a few minutes ago. It was highest up on his list of priorities, however, and he decided to try and find something to cover it with while he figured out what to do next.

He trudged on through the murky greenery, soon stopping as a human vehicle of some sort lay on its side. The tram was covered in overgrown vegetation, fungi and rust, and looked as though it would fall apart at any moment. He took note of its location though - maybe he could patch it up a bit and use it as a shelter.

The Bisharp groaned as a fresh wave of pain pulsed through his wound, and he held his hand to it as he staggered past the ruined tram. If only it would stop bleeding - even though it wasn't exactly pouring from him, he knew that it could become a real problem if he didn't get it to stop. That Vespiquen had obviously done a lot more damage than he'd originally thought.

"I'M SORRY I'M SORRY I'M SORRY--"
"It-It's to dangerous to go alone! Wait!"

Jerome's head shot up as the distressed voices floated over the treetops from nearby. Survivors, definitely. And from what came next,  it sounded as though there was trouble nearby. Jerome looked to the sky, and noticed at least twenty dark silhouettes circling over a clearing, screeching and squawking as they dived at unseen figures.

No. Jerome froze, scowling to himself. Why should he help whoever was there? Why should he put himself in danger for a group of strangers? Why should he gain their trust only to let them all down later on? Quite frankly, he'd had enough of everyone dying on him; the salt from the tears he'd shed for Courtney still lay sprinkled on his cheek.

Jerome turned to walk in the opposite direction, but a screech from up above startled him. One of the undead flock, a rather large Staraptor, was lunging for him with its talons bared. Jerome staggered backwards as the bird rapidly neared, frantically waving his free arm and hoping he'd hit something. He managed to slash the bird's chest, the ground at his feet splattering with dark blood. The Staraptor appeared unfazed, however, and dived again.

No. NO. He was not going to die here. Jerome mind raced, trying to figure out what to do. Survivors. Yes. There were survivors nearby. Maybe I can... He began to run, barely missing the Staraptor's deadly talons. He headed towards the rest of the flock, where the survivors would be if there were any. Yes, he was despicable - no, luring an undead towards other survivors in the hope that it would leave him alone and go for them was worse than despicable. You'll have time to punish yourself later. Now fucking run!

He crashed into the clearing, tripping on a rock and falling face-first into the dirt. Awful first impression, but at least he could carry on his facade and convince them that, yes, this Staraptor that has decided to attack you instead of me was a complete accident. He raised his head, spying two Eevee, a Cubone and a bandaged Weavile near to the corpse of a Kangaskhan. Behind him, a shrill screech indicated that the Staraptor was still following, and the rest of the flock above were beginning to descend, ready for another attack.

As it turned out, the Staraptor soared straight over his head and began to pick at the Kangaskhan's body, fighting off its smaller brethren as it greedily chomped the flesh down. Staggering to his feet, the mud-covered Jerome was somewhat glad that it had been distracted by the corpse, obviously not quite insane enough to take killing over a good meal. What's more, he didn't have to worry about the shame of stooping to new lows of cowardice just to save himself. Don't ever do that again.

"Come on," he said to the group as the rest of the flock attempted to take a bite out of the dead Normal-type, only to be fended off by the ravenous Staraptor. "This way, while they're distracted. I know a place we can shelter."

Every one of her muscles was tense and alert. She couldn't help it, if she let them relax for even a moment she might tremble, and then what? She was strong, she couldn't be afraid! Not now. As she feels Eleroo press even closer the dirty brown Pokemon worries that they are now trapped. It was one thing when the other Eevee and Flaaffy were here but now.. She peaks one eye open to watch the frightening undead before her attack another one. Were they fighting for the carcass or was one of them on her side? There was no time to consider the options, one slip up would cost her her life. We need to get out before it notices us.. If it was just her, if she hadn't found Eleroo, maybe she could make a break for it. The heavy breathing beside her of the scared and weakened Eevee tells her enough that they would need more cover then just each other. He's in no condition to flee at the point.. She sighs, she should of turned them around the moment the bumped into this body.

Cawing, hissing, the flutter of wings, whizzing of attacks, and the squelching of mud wrecks her ears. The cacophony of sounds blurs together until it is completely disorientating with her eyes closed. Were they getting closer? Had something spotted them? How well camouflaged were their dirty brown pelts in the underbrush, and did her helmet stick out or blend in? Heart beating hard, the Eevee can't even focus on her own thoughts.
An extra loud crash and screech pulls the male Eevee out of his daze. Something just happened. Slowly turning his face away from Seek's fur Eleroo focused his glazed eyes on the new shape of a Pokemon, albeit fallen, that had appeared in the clearing. He blinked as it stood. This was a Pokemon he had never seen before but even with its scarred and bloody form this exhausted brain pleaded for help. Strong, powerful.. help.. More undead swarmed from behind it, bombarding the free food and ignoring the grounded Eevee.

Hazy eyed he stared at the Bisharp, "Come on," it said though his words had no meaning to his at this time, "This way, while they're distracted. I know a place we can shelter." Attempting to process the words Eleroo felt himself being moved, one ear tugged hard by small teeth. "Move it," The female growled, pulling even harder on his ear, "You can't stay here you big lump." His legs refused to comply, trembling heavily as his used them for support. "Mehh.." He groaned, a heavy wheeze falling from the back of his throat. Seek continued to pull him by the ear, his paws forced to follow as she moved him along. They were going to follow the Bisharp just like that? Usually Eloise was the one to protest but she hadn't even said a word..

A cold glow of ice grew in the back of Vier's mouth and he exhaled a freezing beam of ice energy at his attacker.
The undead caws angrily and the noise cuts off in a strangled gasp as ice encases it's head. The still twitching body falls back and the Cubone tugs hard at his shattered ended club.
With a sickening squelch the bone pulls free from the rotting flesh, a dark trickle of congealed blood running down the shaft.
Vier struggles to stand. His helmet has slipped sideways but at least it has protected him from any damage.
He twists it around so he can once again see properly.
The body of the undead bird spasms in the mud, its feathers getting caked with slime but it is alone. The rest of the flock seems to be ignoring the mud-colored pokemon on the mud-colored background for the bleeding carcass.
"Come on."
In the mire the spot of blue and bloody red stands out clearly. The two Eevee's are already moving towards it. It looks like their best hope or, at least, unlikely to try and eat him.
"This way, while they're distracted. I know a place we can shelter."
Shelter...
"Zhen!"
The bandaged Weavile stands on top of the body like he's playing king of the mountain. His mouth is open wide in an angered hiss with blood flowing down his chin. With spread claws he slashes at the new undead come to steal his meal. The Staraptor doesn't flinch away like the rest of the flock but instead flaps its wings aggressively. Zhen towards the sound of Vier's voice.
"Zhen we have to go!" Vier calls out to him.

Zhen manages to tear loose another mouthful of bleeding flesh, roughly swallowing without chewing. A flap of tan skin dangles loosely from his mouth.
The fur of his chin is matted with blood as he swallows as fast as he can. The birds are drawing back but before he can take another bite there is a fluttering of wings and a larger bird is perching on his meal.
Zhen hisses at it but the Staraptor fluffs up its feathers and hisses back, showing an arrow-shaped purple tongue.
He forgets all about the brown-furred thing and the little pink sheep as he hunches protectively over the corpse. With his claws spread wide he tries to slash at the already bloody-breasted bird. It hops backwards with its claws digging into the flesh.
"Zhen!"
The noise filters through the haze of the Weavile's undead mind, reminding him of the brown-skinned ground type.
He turns away from the bird and sees the muddied cubone raising his bloodied club in the air.
Vier.
Protect Vier.
"Zhen we have to go!"
Zhen steps down from the body. There is a shift in his mindset and he runs towards the Cubone.

((I'm sorry but I'll have to skip for now. I'm really tired and don't feel too well, and am struggling to pull out a decent post. Just say that Jerome led them to the overturned tram, climbed on top and pulled the door open for them and ushered them inside. Say there's a fallen tree next to it that they used to climb up. I may come back tomorrow and write this into a post if I feel better, so check back.))

Eleroo wheezed. With each step he was forced to take it seemed like Eloise was just pulling on his ear harder. How far was this place? His lungs were on fire as it was and at this rate his ear was going to come off. Slow down.. He begged in his tired mind, unable to speak between his panting and dry throat. With each cold stomp in the marshy water the Eevee worried his muscles were going to lock up and trip him. Cant.. What if they did? He doubted he would be able to regain himself again and manage to keep up with the others. Heck, he wasn't even keeping up now..

Seek's paws felt awkward. She couldn't exactly have her head facing straight as she half lead, half dragged her companion behind her and it confused her toes into odd slant. This place better be close. The birds caws could still be heard, how close were they? Her eyes had to turn to look at the path before her, if they moved to check she might trip. Yet as the shiny blue Pokemon climbed on top of an odd crate and told them to get inside the brown furball didn't think she had to look. This is your shelter? Eleroo's wheezing echoed hard in her ears. Well.. not much choice now. As quick as she felt was safe the female Eevee made her way onto the tilted tree upon the car. Its bark was slick and slimy with moss and sludge, even her claws found it hard to keep a grip. Releasing Eleroo's ear she repositioned her teeth in his scruff, avoiding string as best she could, and continued to pull him along.

He was already exhausted and now, when he was weakest, he was being forced to climb. Wet fur clinging to his thin form the Eevee dug his claws into the soft bark, fearing that each trembling step would topple him over the side. Using any vines or foliage that sprouted from the trees surface for extra support Eleroo slowly made his way up, using the other Eevee's gasp more then he should of. When one of her paws nudged him in the side, both surprising and pushing him over the side of the branch, he scrabbled in panic. "Quit it." He heard her growl, fangs still firmly in his scruff for a moment before dropping down into the tram. Landing with a hard thud Eleroo winced in pain though the drop had not been that high or the fall that hard.

Seek bunched her hunches and hopped down next to her fellow Eevee, landing squaring on all four of her paws. Checking him over with a quick glance she deemed him no worse for ware. Now you may rest. As the others clambered in the blue eyed Eevee examined their 'shelter' with the utmost scrutiny. She glared at each sighting. Dirty. Damp. Dafting. Dusty. She raised one paw and looked at the swamp goo she had tracked in. It was the same color as the stuff already in the car. This is horrid. Personal grumbling aside it was still better then sitting outside in the cold swamp water with birds picking at them. It will do, for now. She looked to the Bisharp, unsure about who this 'hero' was or was trying to be. "Who are you?" She questioned him.

"Zhen, are you o.k?"
Carefully the diminutive Cubone reaches up to Zhen and pawed at a dangling strip of bandage, trying loop it around Zhen's head to cover up the suppurating gashes across his face.
For a moment the Weavile stared down at him with blank red eyes before slowly subsiding to his knees. Vier grips the edge of the bandage and starts to wrap it back around. Zhen looks at some point on the distant horizon as he does.
"Zhen..." Vier quietly asks and nudges him.
The blank red eyes seem to focus and the Weavile's head turns down towards him.
The bloodied claws start reaching up and straightening the bandages, wrapping them properly in place.
"There you go, we don't want to be scaring these nice pokemon now do we?" Vier smiled up at Zhen and patted him on the knee. "We've even got a nice place to stay for a while."

Every time he ate the whiteness grew vaster and swallowed up more of him. It was like standing in a blizzard, feeling his sight being taken away and the snow drifts piling up around his legs...
The words are fading into the background.
He looks at nothing in particular and feels nothing until the small tug on the strip of cloth that hung from him breaks his trace.
He shifts and looks down at the small bone-faced pokemon looking up at him.
Vier...
A sudden desire sweeps over him, almost as powerful as the hunger had been.
He drops to his knees where his face is more level with the little ground type's and his eyes focus on the Cubone's trusting face, dark eyes peering out through the spaces in the bone mask.
His arms twitch with a desire too...
The feeling is swept away. He no longer remembers what it was it was so important to do.
The small brown pokemon grabs the strips of white, pulling them over his mouth. The action prompts a different kind of response and, acting on memory alone, Zhen starts to rewind his own bandages.

Jerome waited until everyone was inside before jumping into the tram himself, landing on top of the over-side of a seat. He pulled the door closed onto top of them and hopped down, leaning against the rusty wall to catch his breath. "Just what ... what the hell? What the hell did ... did you do to attract that many birds?!"

His eyes narrowed as he surveyed the group properly for the first time. What an odd bunch. Two Eevee - one with some weird helmet on and the other looking like a sneeze would kill him - a Cubone and ... the Weavile. Why on earth was he covered in bandages? Jerome wasn't too late to notice the scars on the Ice-type's face before they were covered back up by the small Cubone. His frown morphed into a hateful scowl. You are NOT serious.

"There you go, the Ground-type almost soothes as he patched up the very obviously undead Pokemon, even giving him a pat on the knee. Jerome started to feel sick. "We don't want to be scaring these nice pokemon now do we? We've even got a nice place to stay for a while."

Jerome was back on his feet in an instant, ignoring the Eevee and marching straight over to the pair, his face livid with disgust and hate. "What is this? Huh?! What the FUCK is this?!" he raged, pointing a bladed arm at the bandaged Weavile. "What, we're allowed to keep them as pets now?!"

Eleroo wheezed to himself, trying in vain to calm his heartbeat and do anything to relax his pain-ridden body. "Just what ... what the hell? What the hell did ... did you do to attract that many birds?!" The words clawed at his ears and helped a booming headache increase. Volume.. please.. He panted. And water... The back of his throat was dry and scratchy from all the heavy breathing. Water would be so nice.. The other Eevee beside him ruffled her fur. "Excuse me for being alive." She sneered at the Bisharp. "Not like its uncommon for birds to live in a flock." The male shied away from her gaze. Already she was going to do this? Calm down please. The labored sounds of breathing continued as the small Eevee shudders. He knew that wouldn't happen.

Seek's large blue eyes drift between the Pokemon in the car, disappointment reflecting clearly as she does not see the other Eevee or the Flaaffy from earlier. She grunts though, not surprised they hadn't followed maybe even heard the Bisharp. However, she was surprised to see the bipedal Pokemon had followed them, and even worse that the Cubone was coddling it. "What is this? Huh?! What the FUCK is this?!" Was this some kind of joke? "WHY did you bring that thing??" The female Eevee was tense. Last, eyes locked not on the undeads face but its sharp clawed hands. "What, we're allowed to keep them as pets now?!" Hah, yeah, if they wanted a pet that would eventually kill and eat them. Growling fiercely Seek's fur fluffed up making her look twice her size. "I dont want to even stay remotely close to him. It'll eat me in my sleep!"

Eleroo looked up from the spot he huddled in, brown eyes glazed and disappointed. "Be nice now.." He groaned, unable to focus on a particular Pokemon. "All.. friends here.." Breathless, he gave on on talking, turning us muzzle downward as he gaped for air. Just a little silence was all he wanted.. they didn't need to yell to make a point.

Zhen's eyes focus. His pupils become razor slits as he opens his mouth and hisses.
"What is this? Huh?! What the FUCK is this?!" "What is this? Huh?! What the FUCK is this?!"
He doesn't recognize the words but he knows a threatening tone when he hears it and it sparks a protective instinct.
His hooked claws bite into Vier's shoulder as he shoves him behind for safety.
"Zhen!"
His claws splay, turning to show their sharpest edge as he lunges for the source of the threat.
Danger, blood, kill, eat.
His blood-red eye focuses on the curves of a grey throat before dragging back down to the spill of deep red a bright contrast against the blue armor. It runs over the sliver blades in a way that would make him hungry.
The Weavile licked at the wet red fur of his chin and swallows the taste of blood.
Vier...
"What, we're allowed to keep them as pets now?!"
There is a sharp sensation against his chest and Zhen looks down to see a point of bone is pressed against the bandages there.
Slowly his gaze travels along the bone to the stubby-fingered hand holding it.
Vier...
The instinct to protect filters in through the haze of undeath.
"Zhen, heel!"

Vier turns from taking care of Zhen to their tall armored protector. There's a prominent wound across his stomach and he has learnt to be on edge with things that could trigger Zhen's hunger. Still he didn't seem bad...until he started yelling. Zhen immediately steps forwards to protect him, rearing to eliminate the danger. This was bad; he couldn't let Zhen get killed. Then he'd be all alone...
"Zhen!"
The Cubone struggles to retrain his protector, when his grabbing at the Weavile's arms goes unnoticed he roughly shoves the point of his club under the Weavile's ribs.
"Zhen, heel!" He snapped.
Zhen obeyed, settling back on his haunches.
"I dont want to even stay remotely close to him. It'll eat me in my sleep!"
"All.. friends here.."
"Zhen won't do anything unless I order him to." Vier tried to look tough, gripping his club. "So don't you dare hurt him."

The male Eevee took deeper, slower breaths. He could feel his heart rate dropping excruciatingly slowly into a more normal pace. Lungs still screaming for the stress they had been under Eleroo kept his eyes squeezed shut as the other Pokemon bickered. Honestly, couldn't they just relax? They were all hiding here and the fact that the bipedal one hadn't attacked them already was enough to make him trust it. "Zhen, heel!" At least for now. Was that a command? Vaguely he remembers the same order coming from Eloise's human long ago when she was being antsy. Maybe it really is a pet.. The idea of keeping one of these violent Pokemon and ordering it about.. was that safe? He's bigger then you. His tail twitches slightly. Its okay. It'd been a few minutes, things would be okay for now..

"Zhen won't do anything unless I order him to. So don't you dare hurt him." Seek bared her teeth, lips drawing back in a snarl. "There is no way I'll believe you can keep control of that thing. Its not even on a leash! How do I know you won't tell it to attack us, huh?" Her blue eyes narrowed, turning toward the Bisharp. "I say we get rid of it now. Or at least make completely sure its restrained or something." Fluffy tail trashing back and forth the Eevee paced closer to her companion while her eyes remained locked on the Weavile. Seriously, was this guy a moron? "If nothing else you could of kept it outside" Grumbling to herself Seek tensed up with a small gasp as something touched her.

Eleroo tried his best to keep his paw still as he placed it on the females shoulder. "He hasn't done anything wrong, can't we give him a chance?" His glazed brown eyes pleaded with the female but seemed to do nothing as she placed her forward against his, the rim of her helmet pressing uncomfortable against his skull. "You mean iIt hasn't done anything yet. And when it does one of us will be dead." He shook his head. "What about now?" Turning his head slowly to the dual type Eleroo blinked. "He's not doing anything."

Vier's eyes are cold underneath his mask of bone.
He's sick of pokemon pretending to help and then looking down on him when he wouldn't trade Zhen's protection for someone who just said they would. It made him angry and frustrated and sad all at once. He wanted to scream 'I know he's dead but he's all I have. He's all I ever had. He's all that's left of someone that once loved me.
The world outside of the warm cave he had once called home...It was a scary place and Zhen's protection was the only thing that hadn't changed.
He could rely on Zhen. It's these other pokemon who would let him down.
"Zhen's just a bit worked up." He protests, patting the Weavile's dark-furred shoulder as he speaks. "Aren't you on edge as well, coming out of a fight like that? This isn't the time to be arguing about this."
Vier tucks the bone club back into his satchel and surveys the rusted, mucky car they were supposed to take shelter in. His memories of the town are fuzzy, ethereal things but it looked human made for sure.
Humans liked rectangles.
"We don't have time to argue, do we?"" He directed the last part of the question to the tall blue armored pokemon overseeing them. "Zhen's eaten already. He won't bother any of you if you don't bother us. We'll be ready to go as soon as its safe."
The little Cubone smiled and reached into his satchel again. He felt around the leather bag until he found what he was looking for and pulled out two plump berries. They shine like little jewels against the tan skin of his hands.
"Look there's food."
He holds up the fruit as a peace offering.

The Weavile remains still, waiting for another order before he rises. His one uncovered eye traces Vier's movements.
The fog is descending again. He does not hunger. Zhen just settles down and waits for the next thought to show up. Information is still being received through his eyes and ears but none of it makes an impression. As soon as it is seen it is forgotten.
The words he doesn't hear but the aggressive tone puts the Weavile on edge.
If they make a move towards Vier he will cut and he will eat.
Softly Zhen gives a growled warning, keeping close to Vier's side and turning his bandaged head up towards the sky.
The birds will return, it's just a matter of time.

Sick. Jerome felt literally sick at just what was going on here. Keeping that thing as a pet, giving it orders and protecting it. Like it was worth the effort; like it would do any good in the long term. Jerome didn't know everything about what was going on, but it hadn't taken him long to figure out that those monsters needed to die as soon as possible.

Apparently the only sane one out of his new little bunch of misfits was the female Eevee. "I dont want to even stay remotely close to him. It'll eat me in my sleep!"

"I say we get rid of it now," she added, looking up at him. "Or at least make completely sure its restrained or something. If nothing else you could of kept it outside" Jerome nodded, even though he was ahead of her. Eyes still glaring fixedly at the bandaged undead, he pointed a bladed arm towards the wall.

"Out," he said, his tone cold as ice. "I want it out. Outside. You've got no chance of keeping it in here." His livid glare latched onto the Cubone. "Either go with it or stay here; I don't care, I just want it out. Now, before I throw you out myself."

((Sui gave me permission to make posts without images and colour codes since I'm away with just my phone and don't have enough SH days. Once I'm home I'll come back and put everything missing in. Sorry about the meh quality - jet lag is starting to kill me. D:))

"Zhen's just a bit worked up." Her face grimaced in disgust. "Aren't you on edge as well, coming out of a fight like that? This isn't the time to be arguing about this." Her blood was pumping- she could hear it roaring in her ears with each hard beat. Was it because of the fight still or the anger she was feeling now? Who knew. Circling around her huddled companion her fluffy tail tickles his nose, threatening to sneeze the male Eevee. "We don't have time to argue, do we?" A soft growl rises in her throat, "I always have time to argue." If something needed to be said there was no way she was holding her tongue. "Zhen's eaten already. He won't bother any of you if you don't bother us." Oh legends if that what the thing was doing at the carcass? They had been right next to it, practically offering themselves up as appetizers to the undead as it ate! Seek's stomach knotted tightly. "We'll be ready to go as soon as its safe." "I think now is fine." Her long ears could still hear the bird calls.

Holding his breathe against the soft touch of her fur as it brushes his face Eleroo is near memorized by its feeling. "Look there's food." He barely hears the Cubone over the sound of fur in his ears but his brown eyes lock onto the food, mouth watering. The last time he had eaten was but a distant memory, however, his stomach felt tense and hollow from all the exertion. The mere idea of eating made bile burn in his throat. He wonders if the berries would help him feel better...

Seek sneered at the fruits. They were blue but that didn't mean they weren't poisoned, or tainted, or.. or something else! She is about to speak up again when the Bisharp does so instead. "Out," A sassy smiled creeps along her muzzle. Perfect. "I want it out. Outside. You've got no chance of keeping it in here." Tail wagging in delight the female is almost tempted to chase the undead out if it weren't for the fact the entrance made that hard. "Yeah, what he said!" She scoffs instead. "Either go with it or stay here; I don't care, I just want it out. Now, before I throw you out myself." She snickers, "You might not think its danger but it is one to us and Im not having that!" She can practically feel electricity in her pelt. Three against.. one and a half, should she feel bad? Hell no! It was totally justifiable with one being an infected monster!

She can feel Eleroo give an involuntary shiver before giving his pelt a shake, a few flicks of mud flinging off. "Does he have to?" He tries to defend the Weavile. Part of him agreed that the undead shouldn't be so close to them but if it was the Cubone's friend they didn't have to be so mean. Even as he growled softly the Eevee does not feel any direct threat from the dual type. It hadn't done anything yet or harmed them earlier when they were in close proximity. They just needed to rest not argue..

The Weavile was still looking skywards.
Inwardly Vier sighs.
The little Cubone reached up and rested on short-fingered hand on Zhen's shoulder. A patch of dark fur pokes out through the layers of off-white cloth. Vier strokes it. It's cold and dead as a fur rug but still soft, still the soft touch he remembered curling up against as a child.
Under his mask he gritted his teeth. How could they ask him to abandon his guardian and only friend?
The back of his throat feels tight. He can't tell if he's angry or sad but either way he's about to start crying.
The tall undead turns his face down towards him and puts a clawed hand on top of his helmet.
"Zhen...?" He looked up.
Zhen's eye is still cold and unseeing but in the action is remembered warmth.
Tenderly the hooked claws gripped his shoulder and turned him towards the car with a little push towards the two Eevees.
"I won't be long. Stay here and I promise I'll be back soon." Vier promises as he reaches up and gives the Weavile a hug.
He'd be o.k. by himself for just a bit wouldn't he? Just until he convinced the others Zhen wasn't going to hurt them?
Zhen is looking at the sky again...
With a small smile he shyly scurries over to the others, taking up a place next to the small brown pokemon that seemed to be talking the most sense.

Zhen stares skyward, already forgetting why he had started looking up in the first place.
The dull sky is as smooth and blank as he feels. His body is numb. It takes a while before he feels the light touch on his shoulder.
The undead Weavile lets his head fall, blank gaze turning on the ground instead of the sky.
Vier...
He manages to identify the tan-skinned pokemon standing in front of him.
The piece of bone on his head is tilted downwards so he can't see the eyes. Does Vier even have eyes? He can't be sure.
Slowly, as if moving through liquid, Zhen manages to move his hand forwards.
The hooked claws rest on polished smooth bone. This feels familiar.
Zhen realizes too late that Vier has been looking at him. He tries to recall what has been said but he only remembers that  there was talking earlier. A few words swim into focus.
Outside. Go with or stay here. Throw you out.
Spurred by this moment of memory Zhen turns Vier away from him and tries to usher him towards the door, towards safety.
The air smelt like rot. He raised his nose to take a sniff. There was nothing to distinguish the smell of rotting flesh from the decay of plants in water. There would be threats...
Then he finds himself looking up again with no memory of any time having passed.

((Skip. Apparently me posting on here is too much hassle for everyone. -_- Jerome just glared at Zhen and Vier as he stood up onto a seat and opened the hatch for them.))

His another deep breath the male Eevee finally finds himself regaining control of his breathe and body. With careful movements him puts himself into a more dignified sitting position. Even so, Eloise was still taller then him as he compared himself to the fluffed up Eevee beside him. Though he is saddened to see the Weavile ushered outside Eleroo's ears perk back up and his eyes brightened.. slightly. Finally he had a safe place to rest, and even if it wasn't anything amazing or special he was still very grateful.
"Sorry." He mutters apologetically to the Cubone. It seemed that his input hadn't meant anything to the others, though honestly he wasn't surprised. This was normal unfortunately. Except Xander, he cared. Yes, the Haunter did care. A soft smile perks up his cheeks and he gazes at the Cubone, hoping to raise his spirits a little. Even if things were starting off rocky maybe the ground type could be a nice friend.

Seek sat down, letting her fluffy tail sweep over her small brown paws. Without the pest in the car it was almost nice. "Now then," She cooed happily, showing her tiny but pointy teeth as she spoke, "Names?" Not that she'd attempt to listening but she had heard the Cubone say the 'things' name many times. She'd keep that one for the record at least. "My name is Seek." As she spoke her blinked her blue eyes at the Bisharp, a sassy smile curling her lips.

There was a small shove to his side as Eloise's paw nudged him but the male Eevee was already paying attention. "I'm Eleroo." He murmurs, but as soon as he finishes the Normal Types stomach growls loudly. Ears falling down in embarrassment the kit feels heat under his fur. "S-sorry.." He apologizes.

The Cubone turns wary eyes on the figure of the tall bleeding blue pokemon. He didn't trust a pokemon that would force him to leave Zhen outside to be safe. He wasn't sure if he could even be safe without Zhen there.
Slowly he lets his right hand fall to his side, near the opening of his bag, in case he had to grab his club.
"Sorry." One of the chestnut furred Eevee's mutters. It does sound like a genuine apology.
"It's not your fault." Vier says back to him with a barb on the word 'your' to let both the bleeding blue thing and the other Eevee know he is disappointed in them."I think you're one of the alright ones."
He is smiling back but it's hard to tell underneath his mask so he makes sure to smile with his eyes so the little normal type knows he means it.
"Now then, names?" The other Eevee, the bossy one, says as she looked up at the blue one.
She rudely nudges Vier's new friend with a paw.
"I'm Eleroo." He shyly murmurs.
If he wasn't so close Vier would have trouble hearing him but the gurgling of an empty stomach is so loud it nearly echoes in the enclosed space. The Eevee's ears droop at the sound and he looks like he has done something naughty.
"S-sorry.." He apologizes and Vier smiles at him.
""Well Zhen's eaten so we might as well too." Vier says jovially, hoping to cheer Eleroo up.
He reaches into his bag and pulls out the berries held in there. Leaving the three freshest for emergency rations he manages to find a round blue Oran berry each and a large soft Pecha they can split between them.
He's been taking every opportunity to gather berries whenever he could, eating the oldest ones every time he found new ones. There were enough from his latest harvest to last him for a week but split between four they wouldn't last longer than a day...
Vier tries to stay optimistic. The Eevees could probably be persuaded into helping him find food later, once they had gotten over their fear of Zhen. Surely they wouldn't be here for long.

Zhen watches the sky in a peaceful meditative state. Idly he picks the last sticking strings of meat from between his teeth and sucks the blood from his long hooked claws in the innocent manner of a teddiursa. His wounds he roughly dresses by dragging bandages over them to soak up the fluid. They didn't bleed properly as much as weep a clear fluid from the infection. The ragged edges of the wound were a bright green-yellow with pus and they oozed into the lower layers of cloth.
The virus had a full grip on his body. His heart no longer pulsed and blood had pooled in the tissues of his ankle joints, making them swollen and heavy. The fine tissues of his nose, eyes and lips had gone purple with discoloration then started to rot. His pelt stunk like refrigerated mold, his ice typing chilling and preserving his decaying tissues. Burst veins in his eyes had turned them entirely red.
It didn't hurt though. Nothing hurt anymore and his fading mind barely had any connection with this rotting husk of a body that still held him.
For a time there was silence. There was peace.
Not a single flicker of thought disturbed the stillness of Zhen's body as he sat and contemplated the cloudy sky. It was as smooth as a snowfield speckled with dots of black.

Jerome let the hatch close with a loud bang, not caring about the noise. Although he felt better now that the monster was outside, he couldn't shake the feeling the he couldn't trust the Cubone either. No sane Pokemon would walk around with one of those things, even if they did know each other back before Arceus gave up on them. They were so unpredictable, like feral Mightyena - one minute they could be sweet as could be and then the next they'd be ripping your face off. Not only that, but after spending so much time around an infected, who was to know whether the Cubone was infected as well? Jerome didn't know how this virus spread, but he was starting to think that he didn't want to take any chances.

Should I send him out too? Jerome would've thought it over more were it not for the sudden burst of pain from his wound. Groaning, he clutched it and sat down on the side of one of the seats. "Now then," the female Eevee began, sounding quite satisfied with the current situation. [b]"Names? My name is Seek."

"I'm Eleroo," the sickly-looking male followed before quickly apologising. Jerome scowled; something about that Eevee's demenour was starting to piss him off.

The Cubone didn't give his name, but instead reached into his little bag and pulled out some berries. Jerome didn't budge from his seat, his hand pressed against his belly, trying to keep the blood in. Moss ... that was what he needed; perfect for such a thing. He didn't doubt that there'd be plenty of it in this place, but getting out of there - coming face to face with that thing again in the process - and wandering around in circles looking for it ... that was the hard part.

"I'm Jerome," he muttered, trying to conceal the fact that he was looking at the berries. He suddenly felt sick; the idea of eating them inexplicably revolting. He turned away, his scowl still ever-present on his face as he silently cursed his luck. Stuck in a moldy old tram with two idiots and a zombie sitting outside - what could possibly go wrong next?

"Well Zhen's eaten so we might as well too." Eleroo blinked his brown eyes. The Cubone's thoughts seemed to revolve around the Weavile. Let it be an obsession or a need to prove its innocence, he did not know. Regardless of its thoughts, the Eevee could not peel his eyes away from the berries as the Ground Type revealed them. Without looking at her Eleroo could feel the scowl growing on Eloise's face as she turned away from the fruit. Why was she being so rude again when the little Lonely Pokemon was being so kind? "I'm Jerome," The Bisharp's murmur was her only priority. Even though he still wanted to know the Cubone's name Eleroo was glad that at least someone responded to her question before she raged. Maybe it would quell her temper, for now.

The Eevee blinked again as he realized his thoughts were jumping about. His eyes might of remained lazily locked on the fruit before him but his mind surely hadn't. "Thank you." He said as gratefully as he could while pawing one of the blue berries closer. As long as he focused on it he should be okay.. It was kind of soggy, squishing in a way that reminded him of the swamp slime outside. Food would help but if his thoughts couldn't even stay on track while he ate it might be best for him to get some sleep. But that wont happen.. He would be lucky to even have a chance to rest before the sun went down. Groups never let him get the sleep he desperately needed during the day. Damn his body..

Seek turned away from the Ground Type, instead looking toward their leader the Bisharp with sparkling blue eyes. His cold gaze looked so bitter and he was such a take-charge guy.. and she loved it! This was the perfect kind of leadership that everyone needed. That is, if she wasn't leading. A large smile peeled across her face even as the dual type scowled at the food. However, she couldn't help but feel sick to her stomach at the blood that stained his steel body and poured from his gut. Such a dirty, foul fluid making her leader look more menacing then she would of liked. Fluffing up her fur the Eevee tried to ignore it and instead ran her pink tongue drown her paw and then across her face.

After one stroke though she felt her own stomach knot in hunger. It didn't make a sound like Eleroo's had but it was definitely hungry. Moving her paw a bit closer across one cheek the Eevee peers out of the corner of her eye at the berries the Cubone had offered. No, she can't take one. Doing so was way too far beneath her. The next time she glances at the oran berries though one is closer to her, Eleroo's paw nudging it towards her while there was an odd look to his eyes. Stupid furball.. She refuses to make eye contact with the Cubone but it is still nice of it to of shared.

Vier carefully raised his helmet a fraction to take a bite of berry. The soft skin burst easily under his tough teeth and a large dribble of juice runs down his chin. He quickly licks it up before it can drip to the ground and wipes his wet lips with the back of his hand.
The mixture of flavors burst in his mouth and he doesn't want to waste any of the admittedly overripe berry.
He swallows cheerfully, eating around the firmer core of the Oran as he turns the fruit over in his stubby fingered hands. He eats slowly, playing with every bite before swallowing. He likes to think it fills him up faster if he savors every mouthful before swallowing.
The diminutive ground-type turns his head to the side and looks up. His mouth is already opening to say something to Zhen before he remembers the Weavile isn't standing behind him anymore.
Quickly he closes his mouth and looks away. His unsaid comment fades in the back of his throat.
Right...
Sharply turning his head back he licks the remaining juice from his fingertips contemplatively.
"Not eating?" He asked casually, looking at the other Eevee. "We might be in here for a long time. You can't really afford to be picky."

Still staring upwards the Weavile notices shapes forming in the billows of cloud. Black dots twisting and moving over each other as they shrunk and grew.
It meant something but he couldn't remember what.
Instead the undead ice type sat still in the mud and waited for a thought to pass his mind. The shapes were getting closer, turning from mere specks of shadow to things with two spread wings.
Zhen leans against the cold metal wall of the sunken tram. Mud squelches up from around his clawed feet and runs between his toes.
With his clawed hands turned down he serenly waited for the back shapes to arrive.

((Skip for now, but I may come back and write a post here tomorrow, if I can think of something for Jerome to do other than scowl at everyone, lol))