The SEAFOAM Team

"My apologies everyone. I drifted off into my own thoughts. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Reine." The Vaporeon said, her voice smooth and elegant to match her appearance.

The otters' eyes grew wide as she spoke; they had not even seen her there. Maudie drew closer to his twin, whispering in his ear.
"Look! Look at all those gems on her!"
"Yeah! I see them!" Atticus responded, a large grin growing on his face. The two otters looked to each other, brofisting subtly before dashing up to the Vaporeon, aptly ignoring the others as they spoke of finding food.

"How very beautiful!..." Maudie whispered, his eyes wide with awe as he drew closer to look into her eyes.
"I've never seen such pure elegance in all my life...even the great ice bird is like a dull river rock in comparison to your brilliance..." Atticus cooed, curling up next to the Vaporeon, his eyes soft and seductive.

(lol, they're such players. Do you mind if one of them steals a gem from Reine? Doesn't have to be the amethyst pendant or anything. Also, their post count jumped because I had forgotten to include Winters' old posts as them in New Bark, derp)

Vincent visibly shrunk beneath the Fearow’s expressionless stare, his body subconsciously sinking into the sand as the bird practically searched his soul with those oddly coloured eyes. A sigh of relief escaped the feline when the creature eventually nodded politely, offering a humble ‘greetings’. He hadn’t meant to, put an awkward laugh quickly fell from the feline’s lips, the pure intimidation of the scarred avian enough to scare the daylights out of him. Then again, Vince wasn’t exactly the bravest specimen in the world. Ushering a weak, crooked smile at the bird, the Luxray jumped at the sudden re-appearance of the Vaporeon.

“My apologies everyone. I drifted off into my own thoughts. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Reine,”

The Luxray repeated his uneasy chuckle, although he really had no reason to be fearful of this creature. In fact, Reine seemed one of the more pleasant, normal pokémon of the bunch. As everyone chipped in their name for the handful of creatures that were unaware, the Luxray’s attention switched to each pokémon as they spoke, looking for his own opportunity of a blunt, effortless introduction.
“I... uh...” So much for that... “Vincent,” He spoke as if disappointed to not have been as ‘cool’ as the others, but ushered a smile nevertheless.

As conversation turned to food, the feline’s ears pricked in interest. He hadn’t eaten in quite awhile now, too preoccupied with trying to protect the egg to have chance to effectively scavenge any food. Kegan offered a stash of berries up in the trees, Vince utterly oblivious to the bug’s jab at the Fearow’s diet.
“Nope, berries are all good!” The feline grinned at the insect cheerily. “Although, a bit of meat is nice once in awhile,” His eyes soon darted back to the Vaporeon however, as the two otter creatures showered the female was compliments. Frowning, the Luxray glanced to Kegan, unsure what to think of it. They were just a couple of pranksters essentially, but Vince wasn’t sure how their antics would be perceived by the rest of the group. He personally didn’t mind – he thought half of the stuff the pair did were hilarious - but he instinctively tensed regardless. Their disinterest in personal space was startling...

Reine smiled softly to the others as they introduced herself. She felt almost completely at home in the group so far and her eyes were joyous when the small bug offered food. Nodding her head, Reine agreed with Maro. "Yes I think food would be a great idea. Kegan, lead the way please dear." She wanted to say more but was quickly cut off by the two otters' that made her blush and stutter. "No no that's not true. I am just a plain Vaporeon." Thoughts cut through her mind and she shrunk away from the two and accidentally bumped into Vincent which made her blush even more. "I-I'm sorry." She stuttered softly, her eyes on the ground not daring to look at the others. The water reached her paw and almost at once, her molecules started to blend into the water like a defense mechanism.

(OOC: They could steal her amethyst if they gave it back. All the others are basically piercings lol.)

Maro couldn't help the soft groan, nor the roll of her scarlet eyes as the twin water types cooed over Reine's appearance. Yes, she was pretty, but she'd kind of been there the whole time. Why try to woo her now? Maybe she was just old enough to be done with that sort of courting; mere empty compliments to try and bed your targets. Ugh. Boys.

Her face was set in a disapproving frown when she noticed Reine beginning to literally melt at their compliments, her shyness becoming very apparent. The Phanteon moved to get in between the two, her glare disapproving. "...You two are pretty bad at picking up girls if they want to disappear afterwards," she grumbled, the frown still remaining. "Leave her be."

((OOC: Ana, Maro's a ghost, so they could just go through her XD))

Not far from the group, in the small grove of trees, a small leafy bush was trembling. Were anyone to look within, they would see a furry lump of silver fur shaking in fear. It was a tiny Vulpix, barely old enough to be on his own, with his tails curled around his face and body to hide. Nikkolai cowered under this bush, still terrified of the great shadow that passed overhead a short while ago. Whatever the thing was, it was massive, and the tiny kit was sure that he would be swooped down upon and made into lunch. And swooping was bad.
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As everyone seemed to agree on food, lo and behold the twin terrors were at it again. This time, they were simply gushing over the Vaporeon and Kegan's chittering increased. These children were simply incorrigible! But rather than exacerbate the situation, he decided to ignore their antics and start heading towards the berry trees. He was the slowest of the group, because of his small legs and the sinking sands, so he knew they would catch up eventually. Whatever the two were up to would soon be done, and hunger would drive them after his trail.

As he forced his way back up the sandy hill, which was much harder than when he simply slid down before, he noticed something rather odd. One of the bushes was moving. Upon finally reaching the top the Torch Pokemon neared the phenomenon, hoping that it wasn't an infected in his trees. As he wiggled his head into the bush, he was startled by the flash of silver that gasped and darted from the hiding place. He knew those eyes...

The little one had taken off in the direction of rock face, and found himself trapped. As Kegan approached he could see the child panting in panic, looking around frantically for some form of escape. The silver tails whirled around and the child tried to face down his attacker, and Kegan was the one to gasp this time. As the kit growled meekly in an attempt to intimidate him, the Larvesta realized why he knew those eyes. Those were the eyes of Phoenix, of this kit's mother. This boy was "...Young Nikkolai?"
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Nikki's eyes shot open as he heard his name whispered by the attacker, and when he finally stopped and paid attention, he noticed that it was only a Larvesta. A big fluffy bug like the one who used to take care of him with Mommy. Did he dare hope..."Uncle Kegan?" he whispered fearfully. The blue eyes sparkled at the name, and the bug raised up a on his back legs to open his small front arms for a hug. Nikki shouted in glee and rushed towards the bug, knocking him down with the force. He cuddled and curled against his fellow fire-type, against his Uncle Kegan, and a soft mewling could be heard as Kegan gently stroked the Vulpix's head. "There, there, little one. I'm here..."

"No no that's not true. I am just a plain Vaporeon." The blue fox stuttered as she blushed and slunk away.

"Ohh...stunning and modest!..." Atticus cooed, staring after her as he sat casually in the sand with a grin. He clutched the large stolen amethyst in his claw, hidden from everyone else. He subtly stashed it under his fur as the others passed, securing it under one of his conches. Their technique was flawless; while Maudie distracted them, Atticus grabbed the goods, and they got away clean.
Never fails, nobody ever sees it coming.~ he thought, his grin growing more mischievous.

"...You two are pretty bad at picking up girls if they want to disappear afterwards. Leave her be." The ghost fox grumbled as she stepped in front of them, blocking their view.

Maudies' ears fell as he sunk to his knees slowly and curled his tail around himself, looking dejected as he could possibly muster.
"We...we didn't mean any harm, miss...we just wanted to make her feel happy..." The red-scarved Dewotts' eyes grew large and watery as he looked up at the specter endearingly.

Maudie scrambled to his feet, confronting Maro.

"Hey, what are you picking on him for? All we did was give her a compliment! How can you be so cruel!?" He shouted indignantly, glaring at her.
The Dewott helped his brother up, escorting him past Maro protectively as Atticus pushed passed her in a huff, inadvertently moving through her gaseous form.

(OoC- they'll give it back once they get to know her better, blitz.~ They'll totally feel bad. XD)

Reine seemed somewhat uncomfortable at the otter’s flattery, stumbling backwards to bump into the feline’s form, effectively spreading the embarrassment. Vincent mimicked the Vaporeon’s blush almost instantly, smiling awkwardly at her apology as she backed up towards the water. Unable to find the words to help ease the situation, the Luxray pawed the egg closer to his form instead, thankful when Maro finally stepped in. A sense of admiration struck the feline at the ghostly being’s authority, her collected demeanour unfaltering as she positioned herself between the rambunctious brothers and the victim of their flattery. Damn – he felt like a git. Stereotypically, it was the man’s job to protect the damsel in distress, but nope, Vince had stood their forcing a grin as he helplessly watched the events unfold. Some father he was going to be.

Bringing Lily’s unborn child close to his form, a flicker of panic surfaced in the lion at the realization his ‘babysitter’ had vanished.
“Ke-“ He started quietly, cutting himself off as his gaze landed on the bug’s form retreating up the beach. Maybe the kids had gotten to him. Pouting slightly as he watched the Larvesta skitter to higher ground, Vince’s attention soon returned to the otters as they spoke.

"Hey, what are you picking on him for? All we did was give her a compliment! How can you be so cruel!?"

The Luxray’s ears flicked back at the Dewott’s strong tone, a frown surfacing over his large eyes at the sudden flicker of aggression. He’d thought the pair was just a couple of innocent pranksters, there to ruffle a few feathers and get a few laughs – but Atticus’ shouting had managed to unnerve him.
“Guys c’mon,” Vincent whined slightly like a defeated father figure, trying to demand some sort respect he obviously didn’t possess. However, his eyes threatened to pop out of his bulky head as the otters suddenly walked through Maro. What?! An expression of utter shock hit the feline’s face, his eyes darting fearfully to the spectre, wondering whether she had shared his reaction. “Hey! You don’t just walk through somebody!” The Luxray spluttered, his anger mainly disguised by his surprise. In his eyes, what the pair had just done seemed incredibly disrespectful – then again, Maro was a ghost, maybe she was used to it?

I merely stood as the others came by, the Vaporeon's suggestion of food more than oviously pleasing to the majority. I merely nodded my head slightly. I was neither hungry nor did I honestly care what most of them did, but I wanted to stay around Maro. She was the first real one to have shown pleasure to be in my presance since i left that Shadow Lab hell hole. I didn't want to lose such a rare companionship after only just finding it. I discovered myself stepping to the side, standing behind the ghostly Eeveelution. I felt like some sort of shadow, but surely she wouldn't mind?

It was when the bug spoke that my peircing gaze snapped over to him. "The trees I live in still have some berries left, and you are welcome to them of course. There isn't much, but it will hold you over until we can hunt down more suitable food." His eyes shot plainly and oviously to my own and I felt my gaze widening in slight supprise. "Assuming that everyone here is okay with just berries." Did this fool really think that I wanted to eat him? Was it not established ten minutes ago that I wanted nothing of the sort? I only had no choice but to ignore the jab. He would most likely shoot something back at myself anyway. Just the realization made me feel older than I already was and a sigh escaped me.

Suddenly drama began to unfold and my multicolored eyes narrowed angerly. The two rats were pokeming at the Vaporeon, Reine, and before I knew it she was melting into the water as well as Maro stepping protectively in front of her. The rats kept coming, their voices rising to immature howls and a hiss escaped my beak as one actually walked THROUGH the Phanteon. Clearly this did not please the lion creature and he snapped at the rat as well. I found myself liking him more than I would have thought. Regaurdless, I stepped forward, standing before the Eeveelution. The lighter feathers along my back spiked up and I slightly outstretched my wings to make myself appear much more intimidating than i already was.

I towered over the two rats, my gaze narrowed and flaming with the irritation. "Quiet, you two," I hissed, my voice deep and dangerous. "We have enough problems without you attracting the unwanted attention of the infected. I suggest you apologize to both miss Reine and miss Maro before I make you," I threatened.

((Ooc; D'WAAAAA HE'S A GOOD GUY DOWN DARE SOMEWHERE))

Maro had expected the rats to be obnoxious, but one seemed to have taken offense -actual offense- at her words. Before she could retort, one of them walked right through her, making her form stiffen almost immediately. Her scarlet eyes wide in shock, she wasn't even sure how to feel about it, even as Vince and even FearSpirit spoke up in her and Reine's defense.

She turned to them both, glad to have them on her side, giving them a small smile of approval. "We have enough problems without you attracting the unwanted attention of the infected. I suggest you apologize to both miss Reine and miss Maro before I make you," Fear spat, and Maro couldn't help a grin.

"...Don't waste your efforts, FearSpirit," she said in a low tone, eyeing their backs. "....They have to sleep sometime." She turned to look at the fire bug, Keagan, but only found a small trench of sand back up to the sparse treeline. What on... She squinted and saw a little silver vulpix with the bug and turned to the others.

"Looks like Keagan found someone. I'm going to go have a look," she stated and then trotted to the two pokemon ahead. The vulpix was a silver, shy little boy, and Keagan said something Maro didn't quite catch. "Keagan!" she called. "Who did you find?"

Though you wouldn't know it to look at him, beneath his darkened face Kegan wore a gentle smile. The young kit currently curled around him was an egg he had helped hatch and a hatchling he had helped raise just before Cipher had come and destroyed their ranch. The only child ever born of Phoenix, the fiery queen of Warm Embers Ranch, and the only thing that had ever tempered her wild personality. He had been fearfully worried about the kit when everyone was taken, sure that he would have perished without his mother. But, the boy was stronger than he thought, and for that he was happy to be wrong.

"Keagan!" The voice of the ghostly female called. She was the first to follow his sandy trail up to the trees. "Who did you find?" Kegan felt Nikkolai tensing nervously and calmly shushed him while stroking the boy's head. "Please, lower your voice Miss Maro, the child is easily frightened." Nikki looked up with wide eyes as the figure approached his Uncle Kegan. She was so...strange. Nikki had no idea what she even was, or why Uncle Kegan knew him. But, if he felt she was safe, then he would trust the bug's judgement.

Nikkolai rose from Kegan's side and sat at attention, his soft tails bouncing occasionaly, and his left ear giving the occasional twitch. He smiled warmly at the wispy female and gave a slight bow of his head. "Hello, Miss Maro. My name is Nikkolai. I don't know how you know my Uncle Kegan, but if you are his friend I would wish call you that as well." Kegan was so proud of Nikki for remembering the proper manners of addressing a lady, something he had to rigorously train him in considering who his mother was. But it seemed to be well worth it. He only hoped that the little Vulpix's time in captivity hadn't harmed or damaged his kind heart in any way.

((OOC: Yes, I know Nikki is oddly well spoken for such a young child, but just remember, Kegan helped raise him. lol. Though some of Phoenix's more, eh... colorful?...vocabulary will find its way in here soon.))

"We have enough problems without you attracting the unwanted attention of the infected. I suggest you apologize to both miss Reine and miss Maro before I make you." The Fearow growled as they all began to glare at the twins.

"What are you all flipping your shit over? She's the one that messed with my brother- why don't you get mad at her for starting a fight?" He hissed, eyeing the Fearow dangerously as his tail whipped behind him with emotion. He held up his paw, a pale blue light emanating from it as the temperature around them dropped dramatically.
"And I'd appreciate it if you just backed off, birdie..."
No...he's losing his temper...! He thought, his eyes fixed on the ice beam building in his brothers' paw.
"Attie, come on. It's no big deal." Maudie pleaded quietly, putting a paw on his brothers' shoulder.

"...Don't waste your efforts, FearSpirit....They have to sleep sometime."
The blue-scarved Dewott eyed all of them before allowing his ice beam to dissipate and lower his claw reluctantly.
After a tense moment, he scoffed at them and rolled his eyes, letting a snarky grin pass across his maw.
"Right. A scruffy pidgeon and a dead fox're gonna do something drastic. Pff. Please." He snickered, casually walking to the berry bushes as Maudie followed, a worried glance tossed over his shoulder.
"Better not make the same mistake twice, Foxy...~" He said quietly as he passed the ghost fox.

Whatever ounce of control Vincent had thought he might’ve possessed vanished as soon as the Fearow opened its beak. Damn, that guy just oozed threat. The feline shuffled uncomfortably on the spot as the situation descended into a tense, bordering aggressive stand-off between the brothers and Reine’s defence, Maro and FearSpirit. Whilst he didn’t entirely approve of the youngster’s behaviour, Vince had never thought that such a fierce reaction would meet them. It was disappointing that a divide had already surfaced in the group, emotions affray as weaknesses in the team were exposed following a few short minutes of conversation. The Luxray’s ears flicked back as he observed the others, his body shrinking as he stood protectively beside his egg. Never a fan of violence, Vince was eager to put an end to this tension, yet his mouth was too dry to form the words.

"And I'd appreciate it if you just backed off, birdie..."

Vincent visually shuddered at the venom in Atticus’ tone, his eyes soon falling onto the otter’s paw as an icy substance began to form within it. Taking a step back, the Luxray looked fearfully to Maro and FearSpirit, wondering whether he was about to witness a battle. However, the other Dewott spoke and whilst Vincent struggled to catch the otter’s words, it seemed to have done the trick. Heaving a sigh of relief, the Luxray directed a weak smile at Maudie, knowing that whatever he had muttered had successfully prevented any meaningless violence emerging.

As everyone took their leave, trudging up the beach to follow the neat trail left behind by Kegan, Vince turned his attention back to the unborn Vulpix. Awkwardly picking the item up in his jaws, his mouth stretched painfully wide to accommodate the egg’s size, the Luxray eventually turned to follow the others. The sand that had clung to the fragile shell was already beginning to irritate the creature’s throat, the electric-type forced to suppress a coughing fit as he trotted along, habitually stumbling over his own feet in the process.

Nearing the new gathering point, Vincent’s eyes fell onto the startling silver form nestled at Kegan’s side, a young Vulpix. Though he was entirely familiar with the species, the Luxray took a step back in shock, an image of a young Lily bombarding his mind. He felt winded, turning away for a moment as he balanced his thoughts. Now wasn’t the time to break down. He had to be strong – no one wanted to hang out with a drama queen. Smiling awkwardly down at the youngster, his grin only just decipherable due to the egg limiting his faces natural expressiveness, Vincent nodded his head lightly in greeting.
“Huuruph,” The ‘hello’ was barely intelligible, a dopey slur more likely to have surfaced from a toddler. Vince even chuckled in reaction to what had emerged, his eyes bright though somewhat troubled by the child’s appearance. The realization that he would be responsible for such a kit, a living breathing child that would look to him for protection and love in a few days time was scary. He wasn’t ready for such responsibility – hell; he could hardly take care of himself! Forcing the growing concern to the back of his mind, Vincent watched the insect and fox pair, hoping to magically absorb the secrets to their natural connection.

Watching the exchange of words between the ones protecting her and the twins, Reine padded out of the water and paused to let her molecules shimmer out of her water-like state. Padding back on to shore, Reine padded to Maro and thanked her before keeping her head down and preferring to sit beside Vincent, her tail absently stroking the egg while her thoughts pulled her into another time.

Reine sat beside her crimson father two days after hatching, her tail up in the air as she eyed the big white egg in front of her while the moon made her fathers red rings shimmer brightly. "Daddy is brother ever going to hatch?" Sighing, Yoru picked her up by the scruff and sat her beside the small pond nearby while her mother padded off with the dead egg. "You see dear, your brother has gone to live in the sky. See that falling star?" His paw pointed up towards the shooting star while Reine meekly nodded in his jaws. "That there is your brother flying among all the other stars in the sky, watching over you and protecting you." Her eyes widening in awe, Reine jumped out of her fathers jaws to chase the star along the pond. With tears streaming down her eyes, young Reine picked up her paw to reach for the far away star. "But I never even got to meet you." Her eyes closed against the sky and she cuddled into her fathers fur. "Shush now, everything will be okay."

Shaking her head, Reine came out of the flashback that plagued her with tears in her eyes. Turning her head so no one could see, she continued to stroke the egg with gentle kindness.

"Better not make the same mistake twice, Foxy...~"

The threat did not go unheard, and Maro managed one last glance over her shoulder before Kegan told her to keep her voice down. A small frown creased her face momentarily as the little otters skittered off; they were definite trouble. She was not one for attacking kids, but... these guys were asking for it. Should the time come, she wouldn't hesitate.

However, the silver kit's small, gentle politeness caught her off guard, and the frown all but dissapeared. "Hello, Miss Maro. My name is Nikkolai. I don't know how you know my Uncle Kegan, but if you are his friend I would wish call you that as well."

"Oh my," she softly exclaimed, bowing her head a little at the child. "What manners! Well, Nikkolai, your uncle and I just met over there, on the beach." She nodded to the surf, where Kegan's small trench in the sand led to them. "And of course you can call me 'Maro'." When Vince trotted up, offering a slur that was intended for a "hello", Maro couldn't help herself a chuckle. He would make a proud father, surrogate or not.

"Oh my. What manners! Well, Nikkolai, your uncle and I just met over there, on the beach. And of course you can call me 'Maro'." Nikki shook his head vehemently, completely intent on calling the older female 'Miss' because it was proper. Uncle Kegan would be so disappointed in him if he did otherwise. He tensed a little when he saw several others approaching, and nervously ducked behind Kegan. The Larvest just chuckled at him and stroked his head once more. Nikki sighed happily and cuddled against the fire bug.

“Huuruph. ”Kegan offered a nod of his head at Vincent, which with his body structure looked almost like a bow since it took half his body to manage the maneuver. "If you'd like, I can warm the egg once more while you allow your jaws some rest. The trees and shrubs behind me still have some berries left, everyone can take their fill." He motioned for Nikki to introduce himself and the little fox nodded meekly before stepping forward. "Hello friends, my name is Nikkolai. I am pleased to meet you."

Nikki eyed the egg his Uncle spoke of, already familiar with the idea of Kegan being a caretaker to such things, and couldn't help but ponder what lay within. It was a pretty egg, and the blue creature holding it seemed very protective of it. Seeing a father so protective of his child made Nikki a little sad for his own. He didn't even have the chance to get to his sire before Cipher had him in a cage, though his mother fought tooth and claw to try and get him away from the horrid men. The last thing he saw was her bright yellow fur being thrown to the side by a Machoke. He sniffled a little bit as the memory of his mother refreshed in his mind, and sought his comfort by cuddling with Kegan once more.

Kegan shifted a little as Nikki pressed against him, trying to support the kit's weight. The child seemed sad, and wondered what could have brought these new tears to the usually happy youths eyes. Though, with this day and age, the possibilities were endless. His own past coincided with Nikki's, before the epidemic made things even worse. He wondered briefly what horrors young Nikkolai saw before he escaped Cipher, before finding him. Only the Vulpix could tell him, but now was not the time to ask.

((OOC:I'm changing Nikki's text color to be easier to read. It blended way too well with the grey we usually have, lol. Hopefully this one works while still keeping with his personality.))

"Attie, you have to be more careful." the otter said to his brother as he walked quicker to catch up with him. "What if they had actually done something? We would have been outnumbered." He whispered, his ears low against his head as he put a claw on Atticus' shoulder.

"Aw, who cares? They may act tough, but they're complete idiots. They can't even see what's right in front of their noses." He spat as he casually rummaged through the berry bush, looking for edibles. "Besides, nobody talks to you that way. She had no right to be such a bitch." He growled under his breath.

Maudie looked at him, his eyes softening. "But still...you need to be careful...I don't know what I'd do if...you got hurt..."

"Maud, don't worry. I'll always be here. You know that..." the blue scarfed otter said softly with a smile, offering a paw-full of oran berries to him. Maudie returned the smile and thankfully took the fruit.

Atticus beamed as he gracefully sat down and tossed some berries in his mouth. "Heh, it's okay. I think we won." He said smugly over a mouthful of berries as his mind went back to the enormous amethyst hidden underneath his shell. Maudie joined him, a grin growing on his face as he leaned back to watch the others as they ate.

"If you'd like, I can warm the egg once more while you allow your jaws some rest. The trees and shrubs behind me still have some berries left, everyone can take their fill."

Vincent lowered the egg as soon as Kegan had spoken, gently setting it down by his large paws as he turned his attention to the latest arrival, the shiny vulpix. As the well-spoken child gave his introductions, a smile soon emerged on the luxray’s face – impressed by the youngster’s eloquence as well as the stark contrast to himself. The kid was more polite than he was! He could only hope that whatever was in the egg could learn more from Nikkolai and Kegan rather than his own clumsy self.
“You too, kiddo,” Vince smiled, nodding his head lightly in response. However he soon grew aware of a presence beside him – Reine. Turning his bulky head to regard the Vaporeon, the feline mustered a grin, glancing down to see that she was caressing the egg almost sorrowfully. A slight frown crossed his features, concerned at the almost troubled air about the water-type. “Hey, you okay?” The luxray spoke just above a whisper, peering around in a vain bid to catch the creature’s eye. Surely the otter duo hadn’t upset her that much? Things had certainly got out of hand, but they were just a couple of pranksters – they meant no harm.

Reine, with her head still turned away from Vincent, wiped the tears from her eyes and then turned towards him. “Hey, you okay?” Reine smiled to him and nodded. "Yes I'm fine. Thank you." Bending down to looked at the egg, Reine smiled even wider. "You're going to be a great father Vincent." She looked into his eyes softly. Absently, her paw went up to stroke the amethyst around her neck and she froze. The amethyst! It was missing. Reine looked down and frantically began searching for it but it was no use. Thinking back, she remember the two otters and narrowed her eyes. "They took it." She said bluntly.

I followed absentmindly after the group. My just sheer bulk heald my head high above ther other's as my scarred legs took me to where they gathered, my sharp talons sinking into the moist ground. My gaze flickered around, taking in the surrowndings o my companions and I. The islands really were just as beautiful as I would have imagined when with my trainer. A shadow fell over my eyes as Maro was speaking with the newcomer, a small Vulpix named Nikkolai. The fox was more than oviously a young child, his pelt also a rare and extrodinary shade of near silver. His wide orange eyes were just so innocent.

It suddenly hurt. It hurt to stand and it hurt to breathe.

The small bundle of innosence was just too familure for me to take. My long neck bent over, my eyes narrowing and then shutting with pain. The pup and Kegan were so close, their movements revolving around eachother as the bug clearly showed his protectiveness over Nikkolai. Flashes of the smiling little girl ran behind my eyes and violently shook my head back and forth. I had let her down. My human. The only creature that never judged me on appearance. And she was gone. Gone.

Gone.

How could she survive in the world now? in the living hell that ruined all of my hopes and dreams?

It waas just suddenly so hard to breath, my lungs constricting on themselves. Dark feelings swirled around in my gut, clawing at my insides with claws like razors as they fought to resurfase. My eyes suddenly snapped open, many flashes running behind my eyes. My entire face fell slack as the memories I were not even awear wee suddenly overwhelming me. Men in dark clothes. Cages too small. Constant metal bars beneath my feet. The pain. The torture. Electrcity courcing through my feathers and fire shoved against my skin. The constant fighting. The fighting. I had killed. I had taken life. That was the final straw. My insides exploded. I had to step back, aleinating myself from the others as I started shaking my head again. My multicolored eyes were screwed shut, the smiling little girl the only sane thing in my thoughts. The only thing that wasn't blood stained or filled with demons fighting to take control of your mind.

"They took it."

The words were soft but strong. My eyes snapped open, impossibly so it seemed, as I turned to regaurd reine with a sharp snap of my neck to face her. There was no question to me who the 'they' were. There was only one pair. Despite the flashing colors and shapes and agresive chaos running through my head I knew who. I turned my entire body, whipping through the air with several slashes of my fantastic wings so that I was facing the two fucking rats. For serveral seconds pure insanity shown through my gaze at them. I needed something to blame, to hate and to kill, and they were there.

But a flas of the little brunette and clarity came to me, my eyes now merely narrowing angerly at them. "Give it back." Short and simple but I knew that the others would be behind me on this.

((Ooc; He used to be a shadow Pokemon, so it still effects him sometimes. :'C I wouldn't push him at this point. ^^; lol))

It was terribly sad and refreshing to see the little kit so healthy even amidst all of the chaos and horrors the region had endured in the face of the pandemic. If her father hadn't killed her children, would they have made it too? Would her and Rayne have been able to keep their family safe, like this kit had managed to, even without a guardian? Pain stung her chest and their memory, the innocent child reminding her just how alone Maro really was. Even surrounded by new friends, new allies, she would never have her mate, her children, her family back...

...Never.

The absolute word resounded in her mind, and she had to look away for a moment, to Reine, who had muttered something. "They took it." The phrase was quiet, so Maro had to repeat it in order to understand what she had said. "They took it?" The sentence had barely left her lips before FearSpirit had flapped to the twin idiots, a crazed look in his eyes. Even with the few hours she'd been talking to him, she hadn't thought him capable of that expression.

"Give it back." His words were simple, yet laced with untold threat. Maro cautiously padded to the scene, eyeing each participant.

"Boys..." she addressed carefully, her eyes watching all three of them, "what's going on?" Her eyes flitted to Fear, keeping her voice low and soothing, as she did when she talked Rayne out of a bad idea. "FearSpirit, you can calm down. These boys aren't going to hurt you. What's missing?" While she had an idea of what happened, she didn't want to risk openly insulting the otters, for fear they may lash out, which in turn would provoke Fear... and he did not look to be in the state of mind to allow that so easily.

((Can't take your advice Ciana, lol. Nikki is just too kind hearted not to stick his neck out there to try an help))


As everyone seemed to gather and welcome the child, Kegan took his place at the egg's side to offer it his warmth. His Flame Body made quick work of warming the little one inside, and he briefly wondered if Vincent had felt any movement from it yet. Vulpix children did not take all that long to hatch, not like Eevee's or his own species which took a ridiculous amount of incubation. It was nice to see everyone getting along, and Nikkolai seemed genuinely happy to be around others even if he was the youngest. Well, youngest for now.

A solemn look passed over the bird of prey, and for the first time Kegan actually started to think of the over-sized vulture as having feelings. He, like so many others including himself, seemed to have a back-story. Even the young female Vaporeon seemed lost in her thoughts. She reached up to paw at her neck but paused, a look of fear rushing over her face as she realized something.

"They took it." Nikki's eyes grew wide as he watched the change come over the bird after the pretty blue female uttered those words. He looked so...empty. But his anger was clear and evident as he swooped down in front of a pair of water types he didn't notice before. He ordered them to give something back, probably whatever the Vaporeon was missing, and he looked like he was ready to attack them to get it. "FearSpirit, you can calm down. These boys aren't going to hurt you. What's missing?"

FearSpirit, huh? Well that was one name he got to know now other than Miss Maro's. Ignoring the warning look that Kegan was giving him Nikki took off after Fear. The large bird had seemed so depressed just a moment ago, and now rushing so powerfully into anger the small kit knew that it couldn't be good. He stopped just beside the Fearow, dwarfed by his impressive stature, and placed a gentle paw on one of his feet. Nikki looked up at him sorrowfully, wishing he knew what to say to make the bird feel better.

"Mr. Spirit...please don't hurt anyone. I'm sure they didn't mean it...I know you're angry, but don't do anything you'll regret. You don't want to do this, no one who has suffered as much as you have wants anyone else to hurt. Please..." His words all came as heartfelt whispers, meant only for FearSpirit even if anyone else happened to hear them. Nikki knew that look in his eyes, it was the same look a lot of the Pokemon back in the Cipher labs had shown. As he sat in his cage, waiting his turn, any of the ones who survived the machine came back with that dark, agonizing look that spoke of ones own soul suffering in torment. He didn't want the impressive creature to feel that pain anymore.

The Fearow suddenly flew into a frenzy, opening its' wingspan to its fullest as it glowered over the twins with a deadly leer.
"Give it back." He growled, his eyes filled with a rage that came from deep within.

"What the!- What?! Give what back!?" Atticus shouted in confusion as the two scrambled backwards in unintentional unison. Maudies' eyes were wide and his mouth hung open in shock as he stared up at the bird, while the blue scarved otter bared his teeth instinctively. His claw hovered above one of his scalchops, ready to use it on the bird if it attacked.

"Boys...what's going on?" the Phanteon said cautiously as she approached.
"He's crazy, that's what's going on!" Attie shouted, never taking his eyes off the bird. "We didn't even do anything! What kind of pokemon randomly attacks others for no reason!?" He growled indignantly, his fur standing on end.

"FearSpirit, you can calm down. These boys aren't going to hurt you. What's missing?" The fox said calmly, seemingly ignoring Atties' outburst.

Maudies' large eyes went from the Phanteon to the small silver fox that the others had been talking over earlier. The young boy timidly padded over to the bird, his face sad and full of concern.
"Mr. Spirit...please don't hurt anyone. I'm sure they didn't mean it...I know you're angry, but don't do anything you'll regret. You don't want to do this, no one who has suffered as much as you have wants anyone else to hurt. Please..."

The twins stared at the Vulpix, their eyes widening at the childs' words, their faces suddenly pained and shocked.

He's defending us...nobodies'...done that before...

"Yes I'm fine. Thank you. You're going to be a great father Vincent."

Vincent returned Reine’s kindly smile, his stomach filling with butterflies as she spoke of his role as a father. Following her gaze to the egg, his smile vanished a moment. Although he was flattered that she could think so highly of him, Vince remained uncertain of the child’s future and his capabilities as a foster parent. His expressive face had fallen into a state of unease, eyes clouding over as he contemplated whether it was right to bring such an innocent new life into the epidemic. Whilst he would never consider hurting the egg, especially considering the promises he made to its mother, the luxray thought it a shame that the youngster would be brought into such a horrific, violent world. His thoughts were interrupted at Reine’s sudden utterance.

"They took it."

A frown surfaced on the feline’s features as he peered closer to the female, her eyes no longer soft but narrowed to betray her anger. Vince’s ears flicked back habitually, his tail flicking lightly behind him.
“What?” He queried quietly, his voice oozing confusion. Obviously he’d missed something as the rest of the group suddenly sprung into action.

The luxray shrunk at the fearow’s obvious ferocity, the avian growing even more intimidating than usual – and that was quite a feat. But again, FearSpirit’s emotion was directed at the otter duo. Vince regarded the youthful pair for a moment, the confusion still plain on his face as he felt a painful stab in his chest. Were they really that bad? Had Vince only succeeded in making another horrible judge of character? A flicker of disappointment met his eyes, as he averted his gaze to Maro, still oblivious to what the fuss was all about.

As ever, the ghostly eeveelution remained the voice of reason, her presence instantly calming, rational and almost maternal. The luxray watched her approach, observing the tense scene from afar as the vulpix child offered his advice. Ashamed that he found himself lost for words, utterly useless in the event of confrontation, Vince took a cautionary step back. His eyes quickly fell back to Reine.
“What’s missing?” Vince’s question was genuine, making a point to avoid accusation. He hadn’t seen her carrying any items previously, but that was mainly down to the feline’s total lack of observance. But now, as he stood by her side, he found himself silently awed by the female’s natural beauty. He had met vaporeon in the past – Lily had introduced him to a few following her contests, but there was something far more striking about Reine, something that couldn’t sway his attention.

Tearing his gaze away, a blush breaking onto his face, he mentally cursed himself for the admiration that had threatened to cross his mind. He was to be mourning Lily, yet he found himself ogling the charming creature beside him. You git, he growled to himself, his mind lost to a combination of shame and anger at the concept of betraying the love of his life for the next pretty girl to cross his path. Gulping, he placed a paw comfortingly beside the warm egg in which Kegan guarded, reminding himself who he continued surviving for. He had promised Lily to protect her egg at all costs, ensure that the child grew healthy and happy – but only as the godfather. Essentially, the child remained a constant reminder of Lily’s preference for another man.

Everything happened so quickly around Reine. First, she made the observation that her amethyst was missing and then Fearspirit seemed to completely snap towards the two otters. Bounding forwards, Reine got there after Maro and Nikki but still, she jumped in front of the two otters and sighed, her body engulfed in a blue light. "Look I'm sorry. I jumped to conclusions. The amethyst necklace that I wear has gone missing and it is very dear to me. I was suspicious of you two and automatically assumed that you both had taken if. I'm sorry, please forgive me. I didn't mean to cause trouble." Reine dropped her head in shame and padded back to where Vincent was and answered his question sadly. [i]"It's nothing." She said as she padded past him and curled up a little bit away from them with a few berries. It had been so long since Reine had met others and now that she's with them, she almost wished that she wasn't. It seemed everything she did was just wrong.

The dark rage was threatening to overtake me again. It was like all of those memories I could not recall were coming back. I wanted nothing but to scream with fury and rip someone's throat out. That scared me, the rational part of my brain, but that part did not recall all of the horrible things I had done while being a so called Shadow Pokemon. My eyes smoldered with pure hate, burning into the twins. It was unfair, but they were the only ones that desereved the anger at that moment in time. I was barely awear of Maro, even as she came close and started speaking. "What's going on?" I felt her gaze burning into me, but did nothing to aknowledge her presence. I was too absorbed with the angry rats. They did not appear intimidated by my bulk in the least. I raised my head higher, showing the full extent of my height as I glowered at them.

"He's crazy, that's what's going on!" One of them suddenly shouted, bravely holding m own gaze. I hissed loudly at him, my massive talons digging into the ground as my body tensed even more at the prospect of a fight. I would rip these ingrates to shreds. And enjoy every second of it. "We didn't even do anything! What kind of pokemon randomly attacks others for no reason!?" He yelled furiously, seeming to not admit the truth. I gave a furious screech, opening my wings and giving a few massive flaps, sending bursts of air at the rat. "Liar!!" I roared at him, my wrath growing. I would snap at any second. But I didn't even give a fuck at that point. 

"FearSpirit, you can calm down." Maro's voice was calm, a voice of reason in the storm. And even though I genuinely liked the Phanteon and her soft personality, I found myself fighting to restrain yelling a big fat, 'Fuck you.' right in her face. My peircing predatory gaze never flickered from the rats, though. "These boys aren't going to hurt you. What's missing?" That took me off gaurd and I shot her a baffled expression. Hurt me? To hell they were! I could EAT them both without taking a damn scratch! But her point shook me enough to break the rising tension between me and the twins. My multicolored gaze narrowed. I took a few steps back, closing my massive wingspan. Rational thoughts were becoming louder and it dawned on me with horror of what I had wanted to do. What I almost did. My avian eyes were wide, the only real emotion on my face as I glanced around. I didn't deserve a group. I had thought I would be someone to help with a team. But I was a liability. Pain clentched my throat. My trainer would be so devestated, disappointed in me for my actions. Shame burned so deep that I stepped back a few more times, now easily a yard from the others. What was wrong with me? Was I really still a Shadow Pokemon? Or have I always been one? The only thing that brought me from my horrified thoughts was a soft touch on one massive taloned foot.

My head whipped around only to see it was little Nikki. The small silver Vulpix looked almost as if he could feel my pain and when he spoke, his soft words struck deep. "Mr. Spirit...please don't hurt anyone. I'm sure they didn't mean it...I know you're angry, but don't do anything you'll regret. You don't want to do this, no one who has suffered as much as you have wants anyone else to hurt. Please..." The young and soft voice of this child he had not even properly met had such an impact on me. Meeting the wide, firey gaze of the youngster, guilt washed over me. It was not only sympathy... But empathy. Like he knew what was going on in my scarred mind. "M...my trainer..." I managed to choke out, pain taking over the anger in my eyes as I just stared down at the small fox. My throat constricted. I could say no more. The sarrow was too much. I was cracking. After years, it was becoming too much. I tossed a glance at the others before gently moving my foot from Nikkolai's touch. Reine had come forward, but I missed the words she spoke. I could only think of how I had let this group down, these strangers, by being myself. I was breaking and had let fellow survivors down. My eyes became brighter at the sarrowful pain.

I slowly turned my back on the others, my neack bending to let my head droop low. I was no longer enraged, but I was not alright. Without a word I began to slowly walk from the group. I had let them down. I had let myself down.

That was reason enough to leave.