(ACE) The HEARTHOME Team

((skip... I need Phoe, lol))

"...Yes. All of my kind are blind." Truly? "What a strange evolutionary line for a species to take," he said, more thinking out loud than anything else. He tilted his head in confusion as he pondered all of the scars littering the other dragon's form. "So...it is to toughen you? The weak die the strong live and evolve? Are you always blind?" His voice was still neutral, but curiosity was piqued at this strange trick of nature and he wanted to know more.

"...You don't get around people a lot, do you?" Another tilt of the head, trying to ponder the meaning of that statement. "No...why would I? I have all I need in the wild. I hunt my food, I can find water and shelter. I never needed others before, this is...new..." The last word was said with a strange feeling pulling at him, one he couldn't place. He was disquiet, tension pulling at his muscles and stomach twisting uncomfortably, and he didn't like it. It was close to nervousness but not quite, like when you were waiting to make sure a large predator didn't notice you.

“Help yourself, dears.” The larger female's voice floated over to the pair as they sat, and Elidr looked over to see what she wanted. “Have a rummage, hm? Might build your strength.” Elidr gave her a curt nod before turning back to Reeves. "I'll bring over some food," he said flatly before slithering towards the box to have a look. His eyes skimmed over the contents, frowning at the human amenities he would have to suffer, before dragging out a Bottled Water and some food. He looked to the mated pair and he was reminded of something the Arbok used to say after being given something. "Th...th-a-nk-y-o-u." And with that he grabbed his selections and slithered back to his corner with Reeves.

((OOC: So. Much. Blue.))

"Th...th-a-nk-y-o-u.”

Molly beamed at the dratini’s attempt at offer thanks, nodding her head gently as she watched him slither back to the dragon’s side. Noticing that they were in the midst of some deep conversation, apparently kindred spirits in the fact they’d warmed to each other – Molly let them be.

Turning back to focus her attempts on wrapping Arthur’s wound; she flashed a kindly smile at her tired mate.
“Honestly, trust you to get all battered,” She muttered with a slight chuckle, tightening the bandage with a few quick tugs. The nidoking’s hearty, but gently laugh in response only brightened the female’s face.
“Oh, you know me, dear,”
“Yes, I bloomin’ do,” She lightly patted the bandage, already slightly saturated with her partner’s blood. Satisfied, she smiled up at him before leaning back to rest against the wall behind her. “There. That’ll do for now,”
“I don’t know what I’d do without you, Mols,” Arthur flexed his arm hesitantly. Familiar with the gash’s stinging that soon hit, but pleasantly surprised that the material didn’t rip at the movement. Moving to sit beside his partner, the dinosaur placed a large paw over his smaller counterpart’s own. “Thank you, love,” Smiling, Molly rested her head on his good shoulder, simply relishing in the moment of peace they’d been gifted in these harsh times.

Elidr's questions flowed like a stream of curiosity, bombarding Reeves with inquiry after inquiry. The deino frowned, his slight comfort disturbed with the dragon's curiosity, but he had to remind himself that few pokemon species were always blind. "What a strange evolutionary line for a species to take," he commented, earning a sarcastic snort from Reeves.

"...Tell me about it," he replied with a mutter. Elidr continued. "So...it is to toughen you? The weak die the strong live and evolve? Are you always blind?" Before Reeves could reply, Elidr answered his earlier question. "No...why would I? I have all I need in the wild. I hunt my food, I can find water and shelter. I never needed others before, this is...new..." New? A recluse, then. It explained a few things, though Reeves found Edlir's nearly feral walk of life refreshing. The deino understood the emotional need for things, the sentimental sides, but the more ruthless line was just easier to follow.

The older female called out for them to "help themselves" and Elidr excused himself to get food. He simply nodded, waiting for the other dragon's return. It was nice, refreshing, even, to have someone to speak to so frankly. Upon the dragon's return, Reeves decided to answer his earlier questions.

He frowned at the thought of his kin, more specifically a hydreigon. His mother's roars echoed in his head, and while a perfectly normal explanation for their blindness came to him, he remained silent. "...For my evolutionary kin... They're monters. I'm not becoming one." His nose sniffed at the contents of what Elidr brought, and frowned more when he smelled plastic. Surely there was something inside, then. He pulled the thing closer, his mouth remembering bottled water, then sought the lid with his teeth. Once he found the textured cap, he twisted and popped it off, lapping at the contents. Holding the bottle in place with his feet, he continued.

"...This group, at least the mated pair, seem good enough to stick around. Even if they're a little sentimental. I usually do fine by myself, but out in the open, in a city, it's difficult to really know what's safe and what isn't, even with eyes. But they seem trustworthy enough." He listened to the said duo bicker lightly over the male's wound. He lapped more water, enjoying the small luxury while he could, then offered it to Elidr.

((Forgive me on the delay, I thought I had already posted this team. Elidr is just puzzled about Reeves' answer and is being pissy about having to eat human food, so please just skip him this turn. We had new members just join so there will be more for him to do next go once they introduce themselves. Really sorry guys...))

Why did his belly have to ache so much and let out all those angry noises? Why were the wet dots falling from his Lookers all the time? Why was there nobody there to pick him up, comfort him and make him feel better? Piplup's small, young brain was not capable of finding these answers for him. All he knew was that things used to be good and happy, but now they were not. The dancing, hot Flickers caused that to happen.

From underneath the church pew where he was sitting, Piplup could see the cathedral door from where he'd crawled inside, but he had no desire to go back through them. Outside it was cold, huge and open. He was afraid that the giant Charmanders with wings would come back and look for him. He was safe in there, they could not find him, he was safe...

But he was alone.

The rumbling in his stomach grew louder and the dull, unpleasant ache intensified. Piplup began to tug at his dirty feathers in frustration, a loud whimper escaping his open beak. He took a deep breath to start crying in self-pity but then stopped. He heard voices. Their words made no sense to him but he felt no desire to try and understand them. There were other Pokemon in there and they were going to help him.

Taking a deep breath, Piplup opened his beak and started to cry noisily, taking the opportunity of each new breath to get louder and more high-pitched. This always worked; somebody always came to him, no matter what. The fact that he was in a new place didn't change that. Someone would always be there to look after him.

In the late morning light, the soft blue color of the small Clap pokemon stuck out like a sore thumb. The little pokemon rolled through the shadows as he tried to make his way from one side of the city to the other. You would think something that could roll would be able to move faster, but the poor thing was still to stun about the missing Hippopotas and that strange looking Luxio. The poor little pokemon was lost and confused.

As he got closer to the cathedral he heard some kind of noise. The small blue pokemon looked at the huge building strangely. His flippers clung to the brawn bag over his round body. His tail flick behind on the ground as he clung to the shadows. His peepers focused on the area around him. He rolled closer, his flippers clinging to the bag.

He clicked his tongue against his small fangs.

As he rolled closer, the noise got loader until he reached the giant openers to the building. He gulped as his tail smacked the ground and he peeked inside.

(Hello guys! Nice to be here.)

As everyone trailed into the building, Zoe knew she did not belong once again. As Molly set her down, the Mawile only watched as she and Arthur made their way deeper into the building. Being used to the routine and knowing that she would be unwanted soon enough either way, the steel type only watched as everyone took their place much more inside of the building. Zoe herself stayed by the besches closest to the doors, the least safest place possible, but where she deserved to be. As the Nidoqueen bandaged her companion's wounds and they spoke in soft, caring tones, Zoe felt her heart being wretched in two. All she could think about was that Sneasel.

A pang of emptiness ran through the middle of her small torso, and tears threatened to brim from beneath her cracked glasses. Instinctively reaching up to grasp the jewed necklace with one hand, she had no choice but to pull comfort from it. She would find him. She would. If it was the last thing she did. To her dying breath, the Mawile would set eye on him again. They would survive the Epidemic together and live happily until their lives passed.

The Mawile forced the tears away, taking a few shaky breaths to calm her growing anxiety. After a minute or so, her poker face was set back in place. Glancing around, she made sure no one had seen her near breakdown. They seemed more and more common those days and she refused to ever, ever let anyone see her expelling sych weakness like that. The sudden crying ripping through the air made the small steel type jump with a squeak of suprise, falling right off of the bench. SHe looked left and right desperately. "Wh-what is that!?" Zoe asked desperately, her violet eyes wide.

Reeves stayed silent, taking back the offered open water to sip on it more. While he could tell Elidr was not all that enthusiastic on having to deal with human food, he had to agree. Human food always tasted odd... fake, plastic, contrived... It never matched what he could catch in the wild. Must be some sort of mental predisposition, but it was what it was. For a moment, the building was quiet, and in that moment, the deino felt safe.

Then the screaming.

It was not a terrified screaming; not one that was heard before it was abruptly silenced by whatever caused it. No, this was a cry of attention, not fear. This was a cry of a babe wanting its mother's teet, of her to hold or comfort it. Immediately, his fluff stood on end and a hiss escaped his gritted teeth. Sniffing, he soon found the scents of not one, but two water types, both young. They weren't together, but they were nearby. Judging that one of them came through the doors from where the scent emanated from, he could only guess that someone hadn't closed the doors. 'Fools!' he cursed in his mind. 'Are those senile old fools trying to get us all killed?!'

Without a word, Reeves erupted from his spot, racing under the pews to find the crying one, the one that needed to shut the hell up. The other one at the door would have to be dealt with later. Where the hell were the old ones to take care of this, if they were the alpha pair? Ugh. Quickly, he slapped a paw onto the offending chick's beak -which he quickly recognized as a piplup- and snarled. "You want to alert the whole damn city with your noise?" he growled, teeth flashing in aggression. "Shut. Up."

((Night, I can change him silencing Piplup, lol :P Welcome to the team, guys!))

As Elidr grumbled about the noxious food humans seemed to produce, still staring at it rather than trying to choke it down, he kept his eyes on the group. The Mawile finally appeared again and he silently wondered where she had gotten off to, the mated pair seemed completely absorbed in each other, and Reeves seemed to be doing the exact same thing he was doing. The Dratini was satisfied he had chosen the right partner in this group, as he and his fellow dragon were really quite similar. However their quiet peace was soon shattered by the most horrifying sound...

A child screaming.

Fury laced the Elidr as he heard the child's cries, coiling in on himself and tucking his head under his tail. "Someone shut that thing up before it gets us all killed!" he hissed, venom dripping from every word. Children were necessity, especially if the world was to survive, but they were for the mothers and the nurturers. Elidr was no such thing, he was a hunter and a loner. He had no want or need for children so he left it up to the others to deal with the problem.

Reeves's excellent hearing had him upon the child in moments, effectively neutralizing the threat, but as the Dratini looked around he noticed another shade of blue by the door. "Great," he mumbled indignatnly. "It already drew something's attention." Unfurling and slithering closer to the door he crept up behind the small blue Pokemon and hissed menacingly. "Who goes there?" He already hated the thought of eating human food but he certainly didn't want to share what little they had. Survival of the fittest.

((OOC: Ugh...lame post, lol))

Footsteps were approaching; whoever was in there had heard him and were coming to take care of him. Piplup sniffled and stopped crying for a moment, looking round the cathedral for any sign of movement. Something blue and round rolled through the doors, but before Piplup could study it properly a bigger Pokemon rushed towards him from under the pew next to him. Fear gripped the baby Piplup's heart as he stared up at the newcomer. He didn't have any Lookers and bared his sharp Eaters at him. Whimpering, Piplup tried to shuffle backwards but then the scary Pokemon held out his foot and ... covered up his beak!

Piplup screamed in terror and fell backwards, kicking and thrashing. He had to get this horrible, frightening Pokemon away from him; these were not the kind to be caring towards him. He continued to cry, kicking his tiny feet towards the mean Pokemon's face. Even through his screaming he could hear another voice, but its tone was tense and angry. Were all the Pokemon in here going to try and hurt him? More frightened than ever, Piplup rolled over and quickly crawled towards where he'd seen the moving blue ball. Anything to get away from the danger.

"Where.... where are my.... family...."
The low, gutteral moan of slurred words vibrated through the normally beautiful city of Hearthome. The monsterous form of a Rampardos emerged from behind one of the larger buildings, her massive bulk hunched over with terrible posture as she survayed her way around the city.
Arms hanging low to the ground, the anceint beast raised her head just enough to get a good look around. Large but reptilian eyes shone with unnatural light, streaks of crimson tears running down her cheeks.
"They must be.... they have to be alright..."
A rumble echoed mercinlessly from her insides, alerting those who could hear to flee. While they could, that is.
The sudden loud crying that split through the air captured her ttention instantly, making the beast rise to her full height. Eyes suddenly wide, blood dripping from her face to the ground in her broken sarrow, the rare flitter of hope within her motionless and dead chest.
"My.... my children?..."
She quickly began to stomp her way to the sound.
"You live, my children!"
The booming footsteps of the Harbinger rocked the earth with each weight, pressured step, making loud cracks and smashes to be heard around her. Suddenly panting with exhileration and a sick, hollow joy pushing her forward, Rampardos was upon the sound within seconds.
What she found was not her beloved family. She instead found herself crashing into the cathedral of the city, using more force than was nessisary in her haste. The massive doors of the building were ripped right off of their hinges as the powerful female smashed her massive bulk right against them. The wooden things crashing right onto the ground within the building.
There were multiple Pokemon around her then, but the one that had cried was not in her line of site, making her slowly lumber into the cathedral as she swayed with confusion.
"My children.....
Where did you go my children?....."
A haze of crimson suddenly overcame her gaze, making the beast bellow with fury as she reared up.
"My children! What have you monsters done with my children?!"
The entirety of the living scrambled then, fleeing in sight of her wrath, but one was not lucky. A small round blue thing. Something Rampardos had never seen before, but that would not save it from the rage of a broken hearted mother.
With a roar worthy of only a monster of her caliber, the weeping Rampardos rushed forward, her bellows echoing within the cathedral as she stomped forward. The seal squeaked in horror, trying in vein to roll away and to safety, but it was useless.
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH MY CHILDREN?!"
She smashed one massive foot down on the pitiful tail of the child, earning a scream of horror from her prey. But Rampardos did not stop, roaring again, she lunged. Tossing the blue thing into the air with her massive head, the Harbinger then snapped her neck up to face the air born child.
A Hyper Beam attack charging in her maw, the horribly powerful blast tore through the entire right half of the seal as if it were nothing, in turn making a huge hole in the building on the side of the cathedral. The sphereical Pokemon was only two thirds there now, half of her entire face gone.
She landed on the ground with a wet slap, blood instantly pooling around her as well as falling around the room with a morbid rain.
Rampardos stepped forward slowly.
"...you will help me find my children, then...."
Without another word, she messily tore into the small body with her teeth, leaving only a small pile of indecipherable meat. Broken hearted once more, the Harbinger ignored the others.
Her posture oozing pain once more, the massive beast made her leave slowly, continuing her search once more.

Ullr had decided that leaving mt.Coronet was for the best. It seemed like the longer she stayed in her hideout, the more she encountered the strange pokemon which tormented her. After running through the maze of paths within mt.Coronet, Ullr finally found an exit. She emerged from the darkness of the mountain into the brightness of route 208. Shielding her eyes, Ullr made her way through route 208.
"I haven't seen the sky in so long...” she said aloud, looking around. In the distance she spotted a city, but she found it odd that she couldn't hear any of the usual city noises. When she had gotten close she saw something incredibly odd, a small spheal child rolling along all by itself.
"It’s traveling to its parents... it has to be... it can't possibly be all alone...” Ullr mumbled, following the spheal from a distance. She watched it roll into the cathedral, and heard the sound of another child crying. Ullr nearly entered when she saw the large frightening pokemon heading towards the building. She had never seen anything like it, and ran to hide behind a neighboring structure. When she heard it leave, she cautiously came out from behind the building and shakily walked to the wrecked cathedral.
"A-an-ny o-one th-th-e-er-re. i-i j-jus-st w-w-ant to-to a-ask.." Ullr had trouble standing because of her fright and she held onto the wall were the door used to be as she pointed in the direction where the large terror had left. "w-what THE HELL WAS THAT?!" Ullr screamed the words nearly as loudly as she could, her heart pounding wildly in her chest.

The silence was broken by a terrible, childlike screaming. Molly jumped at the sound, instantly flinching away as Arthur looked hurriedly about the room. Their aloof companions were also alert, leaping into action as they scoured the room for the sound’s source. There was no doubt that it belonged to a child, a cry for attention rather than gut-wrenching fear. Regardless, Molly was keen to assist. Quickly rising to her feet, she only remained to offer a supportive arm to her mate – knowing from experience that the male’s joints often left him struggling to get up. He soon rose to his full height, his knees giving an unpleasant cracking noise from the exertion. The Nidoking muttered a quick thank you, his attention soon turning to the chaos that had suddenly erupted around him.

Elidr and Reeves were both calling for peace, the Deino looking as if he’d discovered the source of the crying whilst the Dratini had located another newcomer at the door. Funny, Arthur was certain he’d closed the doors. Then again, with his failing memory, the dinosaur wasn’t the most reliable of individuals when it came to recollection. Suddenly guilty that he played at part in the sudden panic, he rushed to slam the cathedral doors closed, his body blocking the exit whilst a round, blue stranger sat at his feet. He managed the creature a weak smile.
“Don’t wanna any monsters getting in,” He reassured the youngster quickly, suddenly thinking his actions may have seemed rude or intimidating – keeping the creature trapped in a room of shouting strangers.

“You want to alert the whole damn city with your noise? Shut up,”

Molly had moved to stand alongside Reeves, her eyes eventually falling onto the source of the noise. Her heart went out of the young bird, a frown emerging at the effect of the Deino’s harsh words – he was making things worse with such aggression.
“What do you think you’re doing?!” The Nidoqueen fumed with a rare anger, nudging the dragon out of the way as she stooped down towards the frightened child. Despite the mounting frustration from the Deino’s utter lack of consideration for the chick’s feelings, Molly presented the newcomer with a gentle smile. “Sshh, sweetie,” She soothed, eyes kind as she held out a large hand for the youth – desperate to instil some ease into the frightened child. She would deal with Reeves later.

"My.... my children?..."

The voice echoing from outside the building sent a shiver down the spines of both Arthur and Molly. It was close, the heavy footfalls audible as the sorrowful rambling continued. The Nidoking acted in time, diving out of the way as the cathedral doors were ripped from the hinges – a monstrous creature storming into the place of worship. Terrified, the Nidoking acted on instinct, struggling to his feet as his eyes hurriedly scanned for his beloved mate. She was a good distance away, her face a painting of fear as she knelt beside a young avian creature.
“GO!” Arthur bellowed, the terror seeping into his tone as he pointed at an exit at the far end of the building. He’d caught glimpse of the door during his scavenging for medical supplies, now incredibly thankful that he’d been wounded in the first place. Moving as swiftly as his bulky, aged body would take him, he only stopped upon seeing Molly’s immovability. The female’s eyes wide as she found herself glued to the slaughter at the opposite end of the building. The Spheal – it was just a child.
“Arthur…” She whimpered, unable to find any more words as he roughly forced her towards the door. However, her actions soon grew erratic, her body thrashing against her mate’s attempts at protecting her at the realization of the Piplup left behind. “Wait!” It was hard to suppress a scream, the female pointing desperately to the chick as she attempted to clamber past her partner. Arthur gave a nod, pushing her away.
“Go! I’ll get him,” He ordered, voice stern as he hurriedly ran to the child’s aid. Without a word, he effortlessly scooped the creature up in his large arms, unable to look at the horrendous sight between Spheal and harbinger in such close proximity. The screaming was bad enough – he had no desire to witness the trauma that accompanied it.

Arthur, holding the chick, soon burst into the open, quick to be embraced by his terrified mate. He relished in the hug, careful to ensure that the Piplup wasn’t crushed by holding the bird to one side. Whilst he wanted to comfort his mate, he knew that it would have to wait. It would be only so long until that monster had finished playing with its kill, the famous blood lust of the undead placed their entire group as a target.
“Where can we go?” He asked nobody in particular, his voice highlighting his fatigue. The years had been kind to Arthur but such physical exertion was rarely necessary – the undead’s attack had really taken it out of him. Eyes falling to Elidr and Reeves, praying that as the battling type they’d have some sort of plan. But before he could say anymore, shouting was echoing behind him. Molly frowned, clinging onto her mate’s good arm as she whipped her head around back to the cathedral. Surely it wasn't the Spheal? She’d seen that poor creature die and the voice held no similarity to the rampaging murderer. Uneasy, the Nidoqueen refused to move as she looked to the group for some sort of response. There was no way in hell she was going back there.

So long he had evaded the numbers of the Undead, hid and skulked in darkness, keeping his body, mind and life intact. He had been so successful living in this new world, despite the odds stacked against him, despite lacking a basic sense that almost all other pokemon were gifted with. And now, he had joined a band of travelers, of survivors, and thought that surely they had survived this long with some sort of strategy, some sort of strength to keep them going.

He was now convinced it was through sheer dumb luck.

When the piplup chick had been silenced, albeit with the bird now scared beyond all reason, Reeves felt no relief, as the damage had already been done. Who knew what sort of monsters lurked outside the building's safe walls, and how thick they actually were? Human buildings, or at least the newer ones, were poorly constructed --hollow walls and ceilings, going for a cheaper, more aesthetic look rather than for practicality. It was sickening. No wonder they all died.

The Alpha Female was soon beside him, her trademark heavy footfalls signaling that he should probably get out of the way, lest he be stepped upon. He shifted, frowning once he heard her cooing. Ugh. Yes, reward the child for being an attention-seeking leech. He snorted his distaste, but said nothing. It wasn't moments afterward, however, that a mournful cry caught his attention, and fear gripped him.

Something had heard the little brat after all...

Body tense with anxiety, he had barely chosen the direction to skitter when an explosive crash sounded, signaling the doors gone. Remembering the other intruder and Elidr near that location, he hissed. "Elidr!" he called, hoping for an answer. The only other pokemon that had actual sense was likely dead now. But no blood wafted his way, at least, none from his fellow dragon. Somewhat relieved, he skittered under the pews toward the elder male, who was running about. He paused as the other doubled back, and the female headed forward. However, he soon switched to following her, her rumbling footsteps easy to follow even in the cacophony of slaughter that rampaged behind him.

It seemed that there was more than one entrance to the building -possibly the reason the humans died in the first place- as he suddenly recognized he was outside. Grass and rock were beneath his feet, the air now fresh, replacing the stale, stagnant air of the building. He kept his body to the wall, however, hoping the brush in front of him was good enough for camouflage.

It wasn't long until the male erupted from the exit, the chick's scent with him. Scowling in disgust, Reeves snarled, his fangs in the direction of the chick's scent. That thing had cost them their supplies, their refuge, even possibly the only other pokemon with some goddamned SENSE! So when the male queried, "Where can we go?", Reeves was all to estatic to answer.

"Wherever it is, away from that monster and that little brat!" he hissed, emerging a little from his hidey hole. "His crying nearly cost us all our lives, and took away what little shelter, food and clean water we had! It's done it once, it
ll do it again, and next time, we might not be so lucky!" His form shook with his anger, but his body radiated anxiety. That was the first time in a long while he'd been taken so off guard; even sleeping, he was more aware. And even with his dire levels of terror, his voice never came above an angry whisper. "You're bleeding heart's going to kill us all!"

((Reeves, you're going to get yourself hit... |D))

When he had said it drew something's attention, he really didn't mean for something to just come crashing through the damn building. But once those door splintered Elidr was quick to move the hell out of the way, taking shelter under one of the pews to save himself from the splinters raining down. The Spheal wasn't so lucky, as the large creature turned its sights on it, so he took the opportunity to move back under the pews until he reached the pulpit. He watched in morbid fascination as the creature brutalized the young child, each blow causing Elidr to flinch. While he felt no sympathy for the creature that was too weak to survive, he knew that had it not been for his speed that creature might have caught him as well.

"Elidr!"

The Dratini turned to see Reeves nearby, his blind companion obviously trying to suss out any information that he was still alive. "Quiet!" he hissed back, knowing that his fellow dragon would understand the finality of his word. As the creature raged it crashed through one of the walls reducing their hiding place effectively useless. Well wasn't that just great? With its job finished it left, apparently uncaring or unaware that there was still life within the now destroyed Cathedral. "Well...now what?"

He turned to see the others heading out of a back entry and Elidr cursed the stupidity of man. What sort of defense had two open holes? He followed Reeves and the mated pair, noticing with a grimace that they had brought the reason for their near death experience with them, and slithered up next to Reeves. The scent of blood hit him as he felt a sharp sting rip through his tail, and hissing he turned to see a large shard of the wooden door embedded in his flesh. He must have picked it up scurrying under the pews, great. His mouth around it he tried pulling the offensive splinter but his jaws weren't strong enough. Cursing, he realized he would need the assistance of one of the others to remove it. What cruel irony.

“Where can we go?”

Elidr almost missed his chance to retaliate when Reeves did it for him. "Wherever it is, away from that monster and that little brat! His crying nearly cost us all our lives, and took away what little shelter, food and clean water we had! It's done it once, it'll do it again, and next time, we might not be so lucky! You're bleeding heart's going to kill us all!" Hear hear! Elidr couldn't have said it better himself. "I would have said 'I told you so' but it seems he did it for me. Reeves is right, the child is a liability. If you wish for survival you would do well to leave it behind. And I for one like living."

((OOC: I think Elidr is one more smart comment from getting stomped on himself, Sil, lol))

Ullr listened for a sound, anything from something living would do. After a moment of nothing, she decided that whoever was here must be dead. Slowly, Ullr turned to leave the ruined building.
“I always seem to end up talking to myself don’t I?” she muttered as she walked from the front of the building to the side. She still couldn’t help but wonder if the poor spheal had been returning to its parents, but she hoped it was. “A parentless child is a sad sight to see…” she mumbled, walking along a main road, her bell tinkling with each of her steps. “Hopefully… I will have someone to talk to soon… there’s bound to be at least one other normal pokemon around here… right?”

They wouldn't leave him alone. None of them would leave him alone. Amadeus had been hiding in this city for a long time. How long? The Ninetales didn't know. He didn't know. Amadeus hid his face in his paws, the old pain flaring up. That old pain, telling him to kill, to eat the victims. No, no, no, no. He wasn't one of them, he wasn't! Amadeus was no zombie, and he wasn't going to stoop to their level. Never.

"Make it stop, make it stop," Amadeus mumbled as his body was racked by pain; he began to claw the ground over and over. "I'm immune, I'm immune, I'm immune," Amadeus repeated the words as if they would become true if he said them enough times. It had been five days, and he was alive. The Ninetales was no doubt immune to the virus. The Ninetales was still hiding himself from the world when the screams came.

Awful screams of bloodlust and agony. One sounded like a child, driving needles into Amadeus' heart as he remembered the death of Carina's only son. Terrified beyond reason of what was happening, Amadeus buried his face into his paws even more. "No more, don't let me hear anymore," Amadeus begged, covering his ears, but the screams echoed in his head over and over. It wouldn't end. They couldn't leave him alone.

"Make it stop...better safe than sorry..better safe than sorry...make it stop...."

"MAKE IT STOP!!"

Silence. Merciful silence. Finally it was done. Over. Safe. Amadeus shakily stood up, and cautiously left his safe place. There were things everywhere, and they wanted to kill him. Amadeus wanted nothing more than to run back and hide until this entire Epidemic was over and gone.

The Ninetales came up to the ruined church, horrified at the thought of what could have caused so much damage. Amadeus took one look inside the building and scrambled over to the streets. He was not going in there.

Go back. Go back. Hide. Better safe than sorry. Amadeus turned around and immediately spotted another Pokemon; it was short, had quite a bit of accessories, probably a Ghost-type. Didn't matter. Amadeus paranoia went into hyperventilation mode.

"Who are you?!" Amadeus yelled, leaping back.

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Molly could not believe what she was hearing. Whilst her mate had asked a perfectly acceptable question, simply a looking for suggestions on where to hide, Reeves had met the group with a snappy response filled with a hideous malice. The female, eyes widening in shock as the dragon-type began to express his hatred for the innocent bird cradled in Arthur’s arms, soon felt that such rage was contagious. Her large hands balling into fists, the Nidoqueen was threatening to lose it altogether when Elidr too voiced his agreement. It baffled her. The selfishness, the utter lack of consideration for nought but themselves – it was disgusting.
“How ca-“
“Molly,” Arthur’s hand was on her shoulder, only dissipating a fragment of the anger ready to be unleashed as he spoke softly, soothingly. The Nidoking could read his mate like a book, the minute movements in her face betraying her every intention to scream out her lungs. It took a lot to anger her, the Nidoking himself had only ever seen her foul temper on two occasions, but he immediately saw how the dragon duo had irked her. In a way, he blamed himself. He had never wanted children, always considered himself to be unfit for parenthood. He’d broken Molly’s heart, yet she’d stood by him regardless in the years that followed. They were far too old to raise a child now and he knew, Molly had never truly forgiven him. His face dropping, he managed a weak smile only to have his paw shrugged away.

Molly, whilst she appreciated Arthur’s comfort, had no intentions to let these youngsters speak so ill of those who could not protect themselves. Something in the back of her mind wanted to ensure they learnt, by means of physical harm, but the Nidoqueen had suppressed that hateful streak many years before. A childhood of abuse left her unwilling to burden others with that same horrendous pain, physical or otherwise.
“You truly have no idea, do you?” Molly eventually spoke, her voice calm yet the gentle tone she usually chose to adopt was replaced by a venomous, almost dangerous tinge. She stared hard at Elidr, once gentle eyes narrowed into slits. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but you were children once, no? You had parents, a family – hell, even a human! – that looked after you. Children,” She gestured to the Piplup. “Learn. Don’t tell me you had a rough life; nobody to look after you, to treat you well – it’s nothing compared to what those such as this liability feel. Of course they’re going to be sca-“
“Molly, please,”
“No! What’s wrong with them?” The female’s voice pitched, giving way to the emotional pain that their words had triggered. Essentially, the Nidoqueen didn’t understand them. They were so… different. She had deemed them almost antisocial the moment they’d met, but this, this was just heartless. “I get it, you want to survive,” The female had turned back to the dragons. “But what for? At what cost? You abandon your hearts so you can gloat of your survival, but who to?”

Arthur had moved to his partner’s side, holding her paw within his own as her breaths grew shaky. He hated to see his mate in such a state, the female’s emotional capacity startling even to him and whilst he didn’t approve of the duo’s condemnation of the avian, they had a point.
“You know why I survive?” Molly asked, her voice balanced as angry tears brimmed about her eyes. “For him,” She gestured to her loyal mate with a nod of her head, eyes still on Reeves and Elidr whilst a look of shy appreciation crossed Arthur’s features. “Not out of some desperation to seem strong or because I fear death, but for love. I live so I can love, and that includes helping those who can’t help themselves. Liabilities, as you call them,” She turned from the group, her mood a combination of suppressed rage and pure sorrow. A sorrow not only for the youngsters unfortunate enough to find themselves knowing nothing but the epidemic world, but also a sorrow for the complete lack of empathy of the duo she shared her company with. Desperate to get away, to cool off before she did something she might regret, she trudged away to leave Arthur standing helpless with the chick.

Arthur heaved a sigh, watching his mate leave as he eventually turned to Elidr and Reeves. He mustered a pathetic excuse for a smile, almost lost for words on the matter. Of course, he stood by Molly no matter what – even if he didn’t fully agree, he was always there for her. But on the flip side, he hadn’t the heart, or the courage to scold the young.
“I’m sorry,” The Nidoking wasn’t sure why he was apologizing, yet he felt obliged to offer some sort of explanation regardless. “Children are a touchy subject with Molls. I… I wouldn’t suggest you go on about it, lads,” Looking down to the avian in his arms, he offered the creature a warm smile. The kid probably didn’t know he’d triggered this whole mess in the first place, and despite what the dragons pointed out, Arthur could never hold it against him. “The child will be staying… if he so wishes, of course,”

Molly, her hands shaking whilst the emotions battled it out within her mind, came to a halt at the sound of a voice. Clearly distressed, the male seemed to be rambling to himself, causing a frown to hang over her teary eyes. It unnerved her, frightened her even as she strained to judge the direction of the source. However, it soon came into her line of vision, a Ninetales, crossing paths with a ghostly species. Wiping her face with the back of a hand, the Nidoqueen moved forward enough to have been seen, swallowing the affects of her previous outburst. She was calm, composed, almost friendly as she regarded the two strangers.
“Is everything okay, here?” The elder asked politely, motherly tone restored despite a slight shakiness. Smiling, she stopped a good distance from them to allow them the personal space they deserved – that, and the fact the canine seemed particularly nervous.


(( Molly’s in rant mode. One more insult about kiddies and she won’t shut up for about two pages. xD ))

Reeves had expected the mated pair to disagree on his and Elidr's stance on the baby bird the male had carted along with them. He couldn't have grabbed supplies. No. He grabbed the whole reason they were now right back at square one with probably legions of Undead after them. Even as Elidr emerged and voiced his own opinion -which made Reeves alarmed, as the other dragon was covered in blood, from the scent- the female erupted in a motherly rage.

“You truly have no idea, do you?” The female's voice was low, but full of anger and venom. A tone of voice Reeves knew all too well. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but you were children once, no? You had parents, a family – hell, even a human! – that looked after you. Children. Learn. Don’t tell me you had a rough life; nobody to look after you, to treat you well – it’s nothing compared to what those such as this liability feel. Of course they’re going to be sca-“
“Molly, please,” the male interrupted.
“No! What’s wrong with them?” she continued, her voice escalating to a pitch that raised Reeves' hocks. His teeth slowly bared in an unconscious snarl, her words cutting deeper into him than she'd thought. How dare she assume so much about him? How DARE she assume he had parents that cared, much less a human that cared? How dare she assume that the little squealing stuck pig the male was holding had it worse off than himself! Prideful, assuming little-- “You know why I survive?” she continued, earning a soft growl from the dragon. “For him,” She must have gestured to the male, as Reeves could only guess who she meant. “Not out of some desperation to seem strong or because I fear death, but for love. I live so I can love, and that includes helping those who can’t help themselves. Liabilities, as you call them.” Her voice was a growl, and Reeves was all too eager to retort.

However, before he got a chance to speak, he heard her leave, fueling his frustration further. “I’m sorry,” the male spoke, the blind dragon swiftly turning his attention to the former. “Children are a touchy subject with Molls. I… I wouldn’t suggest you go on about it, lads. The child will be staying… if he so wishes, of course.” That did it. He'd had enough of these bleeding hearts. He could understand having a raw nerve. But letting it affect the lives of others, even the one you proclaimed to love?

"Does she not understand what could have happened just now?" Reeves snarled, taking a step toward the older male. His voice was surprisingly young, despite the words that came out. "She professes her undying love and loyalty for you, yet she puts you in the heart of the danger by calling for you to save the entire reason for this? For losing our shelter and supplies? I don't care if she's got a thing about kids --that's not my concern. If she wants to risk her own life trying to save some brat calling out for its own death, then fine. But she put ALL of us in danger by keeping that bird, and you, most of all, since you went and got the thing." He began to pace, his body low to the ground as he walked off his frustration.

"I don't care if she doesn't like me-- if either of you don't like me. All I care about is getting through this hell alive, and that's what all of us should be concerned with. Not picking up more mouths to feed who can't pull their own weight." He gave a small growl, then continued. It wasn't often he spoke at this length, but fuck it. He was pissed. "She has no right to judge me, or anyone else who she hasn't mated with. The next time SHE preaches to ME about hardships, I'm not staying silent. She doesn't know what I or Elidr have gone through. What either of us have gone through to get this far at our age." He scored the ground with his paw, ridding some of his anger with the action of destroying something.

"And the next time that bird causes a problem," he added, his voice low enough for only the few of them to hear, "I'm silencing it myself, permanently." He then turned to his fellow dragon, sniffing to find where the wound was. "That needs to come out," he muttered bluntly. Without hesitating, without asking, Reeves bent down, found the offending object with his mouth and pulled, quickly replacing the invasive piece with his foot, blocking blood loss. "Know any fire moves?"

((Permission to take the thing out of Elidr given by Phoe))

How dare she? Did she truly think that this creature, though admittedly disadvantaged due to being born during this violent time, had priority of life simply because he was alone? If that was he logic then Elidr himself should be first on everyone's list. Reeves himself was ranting about what the Nidoqueen had said but felt it wasn't enough. Her mate needed to understand just how wrong his female was.

"Does she truly think that just because you were tamed that everyone here was? I have never known humans, or family, or even parents. My earliest memory is of hatching alone in the middle of nowhere and forced to fend for myself. So yes, that thingis a liability, simply because I know what it is to care for oneself at that age. And it cannot do it." He glared at the Nidoking, daring him to say anything, because after all his own mate did say to correct her if she was wrong.

"That chic has known parents and family, it has known them long enough to know that enough wailing and tears will bring an adult running to care for it. I never had that knowledge. I didn't even meet another Pokemon that didn't attack me until about two years ago. And even then I didn't allow anyone to nurture me because I have long since grown out of it. I live by nature, tamed one, and the laws of nature say the weak shall not survive."

Tired of trying to explain the folly of the tamed Pokemon to the Nidoking he sighed and looked back to his injured tail. Loathed to admit that he needed help, given the speech he just made, he knew he couldn't do it himself. He needed stronger jaws. Though without warning Reeves was suddenly at his side, sniffing at the injury. "That needs to come out." The mouth descending on his tail was a shock but not nearly as bad as the one that followed the wooden shard being ripped from his flesh. Reeves stomped on the wound to stop the blood flow so Elidr could only bend down to lap up the trails that escaped. "Know any fire moves?"

"No."

((OOC: Sorry the beginning just kind of jumps in, lol. I didn't want to re-quote everything.))

"Who are you?!"

The sudden yell startled Ullr. But as she turned and saw the ninetales, she grinned widely.
“My name is Ullr.” She replied quickly, excited to have someone to talk to again. She noticed how nervous the fire type looked and found it necessary to add more. “don’t worry, I don’t bite. Or claw, or spit, or kick, or… oh! What’s your name? Mine’s Ullr. Wait… I said that already.” Ullr was so concentrated on the ninetales that she almost didn’t notice the large bluish Pokémon that approached them.

“Is everything okay, here?”

Ullr turned to face the nidoqueen , And if it were possible, she would have smiled even wider.
“ Well first I got scared, then I think I screamed a bit, but then this guy walked up and now you’re here!” she had said everything in one breath and stopped for a moment before continuing. “So, to me, everything’s great! Well… kinda…” Ullr stopped for breath as she thought of her current situation. She had no food, no water, and nowhere to go… but now she had company, and an audience… so everything was, at least, better than before.

(Skip please. Amadeus is freaking out and rambling to himself. XD)

Part of Arthur had been prepared for retaliation from both the dragons, but some misplaced memory of the phrase ‘respect your elders’ left him hopeful for the argument’s settlement. Of course, he was terribly wrong. Almost flinching away at Reeves’ words, the Nidoking opened his mouth to speak several times through the Deino’s speech but always found himself losing his confidence or the opportunity. Content to listen attentively, albeit somewhat painfully, the male gave a quieted huff as Reeves eventually silenced. He had no idea how to feel. The dragon made valid points, but Arthur would never jeopardize his loyalty to Molly. Speechless, he glanced down to the Piplup he carried, wondering how much the youngster understood and growing concerned for his own safety. Although he liked to think the duo were just a pair with very different opinions, different ways of life, part of him was scared. They were younger than him, proven that they were ready to cut down the weak that might threaten their own existence. The Nidoking didn’t think he fell into that category quite yet, possessing the capacity to crush his enemies into the dirt but his old heart would rarely allow it.

It was Elidr’s turn now, the aged Nidoking uneasily meeting the youth’s bitter glare. Disguising his surprise at the creature’s brief life story, Arthur lowered his head, saddened. Whilst essentially he hadn’t caused the dispute, Arthur knew that these two grouped him with Molly. With good reason, he would never fight against her – yet he didn’t want the division in the first place. Sighing, the elder could no longer force a smile, knowing that what would emerge would seem patronizing, false.
“I’m sorry,” Again, he was unsure why he was apologising, feeling as if he needed these creatures’ forgiveness for his mates words. It was ridiculous really, but in a way, he was glad his mate had been spared the force of their retaliation. She was wise to have fled. If she’d stayed, Arthur was convinced he might’ve had to settle a full-out brawl. “You’re both right. Molly is wrong to judge you, but…” There was nothing to stay, the Nidoking finding himself tongue-tied. “I… I’m sorry, boys.”

"That needs to come out.”

Arthur was thankful for the change of topic, his tired eyes watching Reeves as he worked to nurse Elidr’s injury. Unable to neither help nor offer the fire move the dragon had requested, the elder simply kept his distance, his expression now sapped of energy. Were all youths like this? Whilst he disliked neither of them, the Nidoking simply found such ferocity in their young minds alarming. He understood that the aggression had accompanied the epidemic and now, the dinosaur was genuinely beginning to question the point in trying to live through it all. He loved Molly of course, he would always be at the female’s side – but were he alone, Arthur had no doubts he would’ve spared himself the trouble of fighting. He was too old for all of this. All he truly wanted was some peace.

---

“Well first I got scared, then I think I screamed a bit, but then this guy walked up and now you’re here! So, to me, everything’s great! Well… kinda…”

A warm, almost amused smile hit the Nidoqueen’s face at the ghost’s response, a certain relief sweeping over her. The anger was making a gradually disappearance, the arrival of two seemingly innocent enough newcomers ensuring her bitterness was immediately sapped – she could never be rude, after all. Whilst the ghost seemed chatty enough, the Ninetales remained particularly nervous, twitchy even. Dismissing the fact, the dinosaur simply focused her attention on the Banette.
“Kinda?” She had listened attentively, her expression pleasant regardless of the tinge of apprehension that had followed the ghost’s quieting. “Anything I can do, love? There are a couple more of us over there,” Although the female didn’t particularly want to return to the company of Reeves and Elidr so soon, she knew she couldn’t stay mad at them forever. They were just boys. They would learn the value of love in time. Smiling at the duo before her, she gestured in the direction she’d arrived, intending to lead them over were they looking for company.

At least the male had the decency to apologize.

Reeves gave a small huff as he stood with his foot against Elidr's wound, grateful that his fellow dragon had made it out alive and in one piece. He wasn't surprised that none of them knew fire moves, as it really wasn't natural for any of them to know that element, but it still presented a problem. Without a way to carterize the wound, they would have to settle with binding it. And that, Reeves could not do without leaving Elidr's side. He turned back to the male, who seemed all but lost on what to do in the situation.

"You," he spoke, his tone once more even and flat. His head was in the direction of Arthur, but his body was still facing Elidr. "I need something to bind the wound with. I can't leave it exposed. Find something, or have your mate find something." He paused, realizing the female had still not returned. He sniffed, finding her trail already beginning to cool. "...Where is she?" His voice was tinged with frustration and apathy, but then again, that was his usual speaking tone anyway. If she brought more children into the group... Reeves might just scream.