The MOUNTAIN Team

The Torchic just ruffled her feathers at her old friend and at the voice from the cave. I see you've found a group of living pokemon, Soul. She sighed and sat down. She WAS tired from running from the undead. So she decided to listen to the voice and she laid down outside the cave. She watched Soul's tail flame dance in the dark night. She slowly relaxed. It had been a while sense she was able to relax like this.

She poked her head into the cave and whispered to the voice, Sorry bout earlier. Names Maka by the way. And with that Maka yawned and slowly drifted into a very restless sleep. She felt safe here. Not just because of Soul was here, but because she was surround by other pokemon. If the undead tried to show up, at least one of these pokemon would hear and/or see it coming.

Ujue woke up in the sun. With light behind her eyelids, a pleasant warmth toasting her fur, and feeling one hundred trimes better after finally being able to sleep, Ujue yawned and stretched. She slowly blinked open her eyes and lifted her chin to look around. It was fairly late in the morning -- probably eight or eight thirty, which was surprising, because she usually woke up with the dawn. The sun was all the way out, and brilliant light slanted deep into the cave. There were a few brave birds singing, which was an immensely calming and reassuring noise.

Curiously, she studied the pokemon around her. There was a shiny charmander with an unusual blue flame and a torchic, near enough together to look like they knew each other. They appeared unhurt. Kringle looked okay, too, which was a relief, and Spirit was a comforting presence opposite her. Ujue stretched once more and then shook down her pelt, then turned her back to the fire and kicked dirt over the few warm embers still smoldering in the black circle.

As she waited for all of the group to wake up, she mulled over what to do with the day in her head. Is it smarter to slay in the cave, or to move on . . . ?

((OOC: Sorry if you wanted to do something else during the night; I just wanted to get things moving again.))

Kringle had fallen back into the world of deep sleep, and in doing so he had won out against the game show contestants. Now all he had to do was wake up and take in the site of the game show host looming over him before he yells off to whatever audience that Kringle was the new winner of ‘Let Sleeping Birds Lie’. But to his confusion, nothing was standing over him when he finally opened his eyes. Nor when he sat up, or when he rubbed the last bit of sleepiness out of his eyes. He was gipped. The network who made the show must have been so dumbstruck that Kringle had actually managed to win last night, that they picked everything up and left with without handing out his prize. He’ll have to write a letter to the company demanding his pile of fresh fish as soon as he got back to a town….

He wanted to curl back up and go back to sleep after that terrible realization, but Ujue was awake, so additional sleep could wait for another day.

Kringle carefully got up and made his way to the fox, careful not to bump into any of the sleeping figures, many of which were foreign to him. If they slept for much longer, Kringle would have to play the alarm clock and wake them all up a loud ‘caw’ or maybe even an exploding orb could do the trick….

“The game show left without dropping off the prize, but they left the other contestants here, wonder if they know where the crew went….” Surely Ujue would also be distraught about the injustice of it all as he was, hell, she may even go with him to complain to the president of the corporation in person.

Spirit heard the female voice introduce herself as Maka. He wanted to say something to her but was too tired to worry about it. ~I'll worry about it later, right now I need to rest so I can help look after everyone in the morning~ he thought to himself. After those thoughts Spirit closed his eyes and went right to sleep. He slept well through the night and woke up not too long after Ujue and Kringle did. He heard Kringle say something about a game show and gently shook his head as he opened his eyes and stood up on his four paws before stretching out the sleep from his muscles. He then looked around and noticed the two fire type Pokemon who had recently joined the group. ~They must have been the ones that caused the noise last night. I'm glad that they got quiet and got some sleep~ he thought to himself. He then began to look around the cave knowing that he may need to go hunting for some food for everyone so that they will have the strength to make it through the day.

(listen guys I've moved to a new place which means I have no internet right now. I hope we will have it up sometime this week or next week but until then my characters are going to be in the safe house. Hero and maybe Tryvex can control what Spirit does until then and I'll read the posts after this to catch up with everything and begin to post for him again. Sorry about this)

Soul let out a yawn as he woke from his sleep, before stretching and looking around. At first he didn't know where they where, before he remember last night. He looked to where Maka was, a slight grin on his face at seeing that she was all right before getting up and looking at the other members of the group. The morning sun was gleaming through the entrance to the cave, making his golden scales practically glow.

Letting out another yawn before fixing the headband that he wore around his neck to the right position. He saw the others where also awake and walked over to them. "Sorry about the noise last night. Didn't mean to make anyone lose sleep." He said with a smile, hoping they where has forgiving as they looked. "My names Soul by the way, and that over is Maka." He said, pointing to the sleeping torchic.

Ujue sat passively for about fifteen minutes before Kringle woke up (rather abruptly) and, seeing her up, made his way over to her.

He surveyed the sleeping pokemon. “The game show left without dropping off the prize, but they left the other contestants here, wonder if they know where the crew went….”

Ujue idly gave a small nod, as if in agreement; inwardly, though, she wondered where Kringle kept his creativity to keep it safe from the outside world.

Next, Spirit stretched and rolled to his feet, giving a good yawn. Not much later, a shiny charmander got to his feet. He came over to them. " "Sorry about the noise last night. Didn't mean to make anyone lose sleep." He said with a smile. "My names Soul by the way."

Ujue stirred her tails dismissively. "No matter. My name is Ujue. It's good to meet you."

She waited as the round of introductions went around.

"Perhaps I could go hunt for some food, now that the sun is out?" Spirit suggested.

"I'd rather we stay in a group," Ujue said. "But is prey safe? Perhaps we could find a town and search out some human-made food, which is preserved and wouldn't get contaminated."

[[OOC: refer to above post for permission to move Spirit around]]

Ujue agreed with him, even she could not shy away from such an injustice as to deny someone their rightly earned prize. Now all that was left was to ask the other sleeping contestants where their producer was…

And luckily kringle did not have to too long wait and get bored, spirit woke up next and then the newcomer.

A shiny and rare charmander, who’s flame was even different. He wanted nothing more than to touch the fire to see if it was as hot as a normal fire. Part of him made him wonder if the fire was some mystical cold flame brought from some bizarre world. But first introductions, how else would Kringle know what to refer to this charmander as if it ended up leading them all on a magical adventure through ruins of old so that it can finally return to its own world and left kringle to write the grand adventure into a book for future generations to read.

“Sorry about the noise last night. Didn't mean to make anyone lose sleep. My names Soul by the way, and that over is Maka."That chamander’s name was soul…why did it feel so familiar to kringle….oh well, introductions come first.

“Heh, it’ll take a lot more than that noise last night to rustle this bird up from its sleep. And Kringle, part time secret agent, full time Private Eye, doesn't lose game shows that easily!~” And that was when it hit him, this charmander’s name was Soul….and Tamaersoul’s nickname was Soul. That absol had tried to get Kringle to call him by Soul, but Kringle was always one to call others by their full name.

He may have gotten confused on thinking that Spirit was Soul before, but now he wasn't groggy from lack of sleep and he had it right this time. Soul had come back to them all in a new exotic form. That was why he had to leave so fast, because he knew he was going to transform and he did not want everyone to see.

Upon coming to this realization, Kringle ran to the charmander and hugged the friend he thought he would not see again. “SOUL! You’ve come back to us! Ujue, He came back! You may be a colorful charmander now, but I know you are the same Tamaersoul we’ve come to love!”

((Think Kringle is making the habit of seeing past friends in strangers |D))

Spirit looked at Ujue as she said, "I'd rather we stay in a group. But is prey safe? Perhaps we could find a town and search out some human-made food, which is preserved and wouldn't get contaminated." The Absol smiled and said, I know the prey won't be a good idea to have what I meant was to go hunting for some berries that are still ripe for us to eat. He then look as Kringle ran over to the Charmander and hug him like he had done him when he first arrive and heard the same words that Kringle said to him, “SOUL! You’ve come back to us! Ujue, He came back! You may be a colorful charmander now, but I know you are the same Tamaersoul we’ve come to love!” He gave a soft sigh and look at Ujue. He wasn't sure how to handle this so he hopes the Ninetails knew. He then looked at the Charmander hoping that he will be kind to the Delibird.

"I know the prey won't be a good idea to have; what I meant was to go hunting for some berries that are still ripe for us to eat," Spirit said. Ujue nodded and was about to reply when Kringle's flamboyant tactics distracted her.

Kringle nearly tackled the charmander in a hug. “SOUL! You’ve come back to us! Ujue, he came back! You may be a colorful charmander now, but I know you are the same Tamaersoul we’ve come to love!”

Ujue met Spirit's eyes helplessly before getting to her feet. She laid a few tails across Kringle's shoulders, drawing him away from the charmander. "Kringle, I don't think that's Tamashi." She elaborated for the others: "Tamashi, also called Soul, was an absol who became a friend of ours recently. He left; I suppose he's still out there, surviving. Maybe he met up with Inochi?" Ujue speculated.

She shook herself and looked back at Spirit. "Ripe berries would be extremely appreciated. Would you lead the way?"

[OOC: And it is down to The Three once more . . . ;P ]

"Kringle, I don't think that's Tamashi.” Hmm, Ujue didn’t see it, she couldn’t put two and two together it seems, and by the instinctual freezing up of the charmander he was hugging, Kringle could only assume the fire pokemon did not recognize him. But they had the same name and everything….

And then Kringle had a sort of EURIKA moment. The other reason why Tamaersoul ran off was because he was not only going to change, but his memories as a absol was going to be erased during the change. He must have not wanted everyone to be both confused AND sad. That Soul had chosen to bear it all on his own, and Kringle could do nothing but admire him for that. But it still meant that this Soul did not know them….

But he wasn’t sad, he and Soul had been friends in the pokemon’s past life, surely they would become friends in this form, he just had to do like he normally did, and eventually things will go back to how it was before. Though he chose to not tell the rest of his friends that, Soul had wanted them not to know, so he shall carry his secret and play along with the ‘that’s not soul’ theory being tossed around.

“Berries sound delicious right now, I would make them but then all sorts of undead nasty’s would hear the explosions. Let us become Gatherers, living in harmony with nature and gaining the favor of Mother Earth!” He said patting Spirit’s back, fully ready to follow the absol’s nose, or instincts or whatever it was that will lead them to food.

((OOC: Not sure if earth is what they call their world, but threw it in anyways |D))

Spirit gave a soft sigh but gave the Delibird a smile while he began to sniff out some place where he could find some berries for all of them to eat. Maybe he will be able to find enough to last them a while. He wasn't sure how long they will be here but it's best to have enough food to last them a while they search fro another safe place to go and be able to avoid the infected and the undead in the world. After a bit of sniffing Spirit thought he caught the scent of some ripe berries. I think I smell some ripe berries over there, he said while he nodded in the direction of north-east and began to head to that area.

Ujue was glad to be moving again, but she was still wary as she followed Spirit out of the cave's clearing. The undead weren't likely to move in the morning, but . . . better safe than sorry.

Letting her eyes wander over Kringle and their surroundings, Ujue breathed in deeply -- and frowned. She sniffed again. Why is the scent of undead rattata so strong? she wondered. When she looked closely at the ground, her fur bristled -- there were rattata prints everywhere. It must be a whole colony of infected rattata, Ujue realized. There's probably too many to count . . .

"We need to get out of here before dusk rolls around tonight," said Ujue. "I think we'll be fine for now . . ."

[[OOC: IM SO SORRY for the lateness...]]

((i know we only have like 3 active characters at this point, but i'm afraid i have to skip for now, sorry >.<))

"We need to get out of here before dusk rolls around tonight. I think we'll be fine for now . . ." Yeah, lets get some food and then we can leave this place and hopefully find a better place to be safe from any infected, Spirit said as he also noticed the many Rattata tracks on the ground. He sniff around before he looked up at the tree where he caught the scent of the ripe berries. He began to jump from branch to branch so he could get to the berries. He then broke the branches that held several berries on it and jump back down on the ground to set them in front of the others after he sniff them again to make double sure that they were still good to eat.

Ujue did her best to let the uneventful day calm her nerves, but the slightest sounds of movement from the surrounding forest made her feet veer closer to the group. Having a half-full stomach at last was very comforting, though, and it made it seem that if they could scrape by for a day, somehow things could turn out okay. Ujue hoped the blessing of happiness that came with food would tide her over until the rapidly approaching nightfall, when she would need strength and calm most of all. Her night of sleep was proving useful -- she felt as if liquid energy hummed in her veins, and as the sun passed its zenith, somehow she managed to feel just a little bit brave.



[[A week and a half until school is done. Sorry again guys.]]

Spirit was walking near Ujue while he kept watching around them. He noticed that the day seem to go by faster today and hopes that they will be able to find shelter before it turns completely dark on them which will leave them out in the open for the infected and undead to attack. Spirit kept his guard up while he looked around and kept an eye out for any trouble or danger that may be heading to them.

(Sorry really short post I know)

How long had it been since Mizuki had been separated from Raven? To long it seemed that he was starting to forget the Dragonairs face. Though, he didn't seem to care all that much, even though he continued to search for her, the Ninetales felt a sense of freedom without her around.

He was hiding in a tree, something he did when he wanted to think, of hide. It wasn't something other Ninetales did, but then, he wasn't really a Ninetales. He looked over his shoulder at his three remaining tails. The others had been cut off by his trainer every time he lost a battle. Just the thought of it made his blood boil, but he didn't have to go through that again, cause his trainer was dead, slain by his own pokemon. A grin streaked across Mizukis face as he remembered the sounds his trainer made in his final moments. How he wished he could hear those sounds again. The sounds of death, but if he ever did, he would never hear the end of it from Raven.

Mizukis ears twitched as he heard something coming. Looking down from his tree, he spotted a group of pokemon. "Hello." He said silently that only he could hear it as his grin grew wider. It had been a long time since he had seen another living pokemon. From what he could remember, the small group was made up of an Absol, Delibird, and, another Ninetales. This one had all nine of its glorious tails, not a single one missing. Mizuki felt a sudden singe of jealousy, but soon faded as he creeped along his branch to get closer to the group, keeping to the trees till he was close enough, then, he jumped from the trees and landed a few feet away from them, his tails lashing, and his claws scraping the ground before he raised his head, his grin still on his face. "Hello. What are such small pokemon doing in this part of the Mountain?"

((Ok, this is my new hopefully perma character for this team. Also, He is much larger then a normal Ninetales, so compared to him, your all rather small o.o ))

As the shadows grew longer, Ujue began to look around even more, walking faster as well, to find a place to shelter for the night. A dense thicket looked promising, until Ujue, Spirit, and Kringle passed downwind of it and they all noted the stench of something decaying wafting from the area in waves.

"That's probably where the rattata come from," growled Ujue quietly. She allowed a little bit of desperation to show in her voice, for urgency. "We need to move faster . . ."

She was about to offer Kringle a ride on her back so that she and Spirit could leave at a run, when, with a heavy thump and a scrape of claws, a huge, white something dropped out of the trees and landed a few feet away.

"Hello. What are such small pokemon doing in this part of the Mountain?" he said.

It was a ninetails. A huge ninetails. Ujue's former trainer would probably only have stood a few inches taller than this red-marked fox, who towered over every pokemon in their group. Ujue herself only came up to his shoulder, if that. He was also a pure white, with interesting red markings. But the weirdest part was not his size, nor his color -- it was that he had only three tails, and the menacing aura that he gave off.

Inelegant, Ujue thought derisively. Nonetheless, she kept her shoulders erect and stared at him, letting all nine of her tails swirl behind her in a smooth, polite way, and said courteously, "We are foraging for food in this area of the forest. If you'd pardon our quick leave, we'd like to be heading back to our shelter before nightfall . . ."


[[Welcome back Winter! What a splendidly dysfunctional character! Ujue's a bit vain, so his inelegance is sure to piss her off some time or another XD]]

Spirit kept up with Ujue while he heard her say "That's probably where the rattata come from. We need to move faster . . ." But before Spirit could say anything to Ujue in return he heard the sound of someone dropping out of a tree, which caused the leaves to move. His eyes widen as he looked at the large Ninetails, though it was in unique coloring that wasn't what drawled his attention. He noticed that this Ninetails only had three of his nine tails which caused the Absol to wonder what had happened to the other six. "Hello. What are such small pokemon doing in this part of the Mountain?" Spirit could understand why he said small but he listened as Ujue answered him, "We are foraging for food in this area of the forest. If you'd pardon our quick leave, we'd like to be heading back to our shelter before nightfall . . ." "Do you know of a place where we can stay and if there is anything we can eat before we get to shelter during the night," Spirit asked as he looked up at the Ninetails hoping that he could help them out.

He could tell that they where surprised by his colour and size, but they seemed to be most baffled by his tails, but what would you expect, they probably never seen a ninetales with only three tails. How unlucky. Flicking his tails he watched as the other ninetales began to speak. "We are foraging for food in this area of the forest. If you'd pardon our quick leave, we'd like to be heading back to our shelter before nightfall . . ." She stated, and he raised an brow. This area got dangerous at night, not a place where you wanted to sleep in the open.

"What's the rush, the sun just woke up, and wont be resting for the rest of the day." He said as he took a step forward, then he turned his head as the Absol asked if he knew any place they could rest and find food. "I took down a Stantler a few ways in that direction. Living of course. Should still be fresh unless the undead picked up on its scent." He said as he used one of his tails to point in the direction he had just come from, even though he was moving through the trees and not the ground.

He didn't know if any of them would be interested in it, there was enough meat left on it for all of them to fill up on. "And my dens not to far from here. Well hidden, and enough room for for 2 Lugias, and then some. Your free to stay there for the night if you like." He added as he gazed back at the group.

((How did we go from afternoon/evening to morning :? ))

[[OOC: Morning?! -.- That . . . would be my fault . . . whoops. Sry about that.]]

Fresh meant . . . thought Ujue wistfully. She barely stopped herself from licking her chops.

"Those are both . . . exceptionally kind offers," said Ujue, nodding her head to him in thanks. "I would love to take you up on both, especially the fresh kill." She turned a questioning eye to Spirit, listening to what he had to say.

Kringle had been too busy lost in thought on how to even talk to his new/old friend Soul. What things should he bring up, what he would even remember, and what the other didn’t even want to remember that he didn’t notice that the odd colored charmander was no longer around. Which made him really sad of course, but he just knew that if a friendship could last through shapeshifting memory rebirth then it could last a little separation. He would see Soul again, there was no doubt.

Speaking of funny colored pokemon, the glowing neon sign in the sky brought them a funny colored Ninetails, or should he say, a threetails. He had only ever seen a few Ninetails, and Ujue was the first one he had ever befriended. So naturally the sight of this pokemon filled him with questions and wonderment.

“Wow, Ujue, I didn’t know your kind gradually got grew thier tails. Hmm...would you still be considered a Ninetails, or are you a Threetails until the rest grew in?” If there was any since of awkwardness from his line of questioning he did not notice it, for he went on to talk about the food situation.

“Hmm, that stantler’s name wasn’t Teddy was it? I knew a Stantler named teddy, always a funny fellow. I think if you tried eating him he’d taste funny too….”

((Kringle was never one for subtlety |D))

((OOC: Damn, you 2(now 3) post a lot when i'm away @.@))

Spirit looked at the other Ninetails before he listened to everyone talk. After a while he noticed that Ujue was looking at him for his opinion about taking the other Ninetails offer. "That sounds like a good idea to me, he said to her before he looked at the white Ninetails and said to him, "Thank you for your offer. My name is Spirit and this is Ujue and Kringle. When he said his friends names he point to each one with his horn to show the white Ninetails which name belong to who.

They seemed to take him up on his offer, and Mizuki nodded as he led the way to the Stantler before answering the Delibirds question. "No, I evolved with all nine tails. But my detestable trainer cut the others off." He said the last part with a growl, "but its ok now, cause hes dead. Killed by my own claws." He grinned once again as he recalled the moment when he stripped his trainers life right from him, though he kept his grin hidden, he didn't want the others to think he was insane. "Also, I have no idea what the name of that stantler was, so I wouldn't know if it was your friend of not." The white ninetales said with a glance over his shoulder. "And I'm Mizuki."

He walked for a few moments before spotting the carcass up ahead and ran ahead to make sure it hadn't been soiled by any passing undead, but, it was just the way he had left it. He had already had his fill of it, so he didn't need to eat. Mizuki went and waited by the trees for the others to have there fill of it before leading them to his den for shelter.

Ujue disliked how she had to walk slightly faster than what was comfortable to be able to keep up with the three-tailed ninetails' enormously long legs. It was just faster than a walk, but not fast enough to be a trot, and ended up as a fast-paced walk with an awkward skip every five steps to keep up. It was . . . annoying. Ujue was displeased.

“Wow, Ujue, I didn’t know your kind gradually got grew thier tails. Hmm...would you still be considered a Ninetails, or are you a Threetails until the rest grew in? Hmm, that stantler’s name wasn’t Teddy was it? I knew a stantler named Teddy, always a funny fellow. I think if you tried eating him he’d taste funny too….” Ujue cringed at the delibird's lack of tact, smiling inwardly a bit at the part about the stantler. She was secretly relieved when the other ninetails responded. Chills went down her spine, though, when he said:

"No, I evolved with all nine tails. But my detestable trainer cut the others off. But, it's ok now, 'cause hes dead. Killed by my own claws."

Ujue couldn't imagine striking out at Shaena, her own former trainer, and the thought stirred up unpleasant thoughts like silt in a disturbed streambed. What kind of pokemon could ill their trainer? Then again, what kind of trainer would dare slice away ones' tails, the very source of a ninetails' mystic energy? Both items were horrifying, but the trainer's death seemed somehow justified. . .She kept silent, but she glanced over at Kringle and Spirit, wishing she could telepathically tell them, Be careful, guys.

"Also, I have no idea what the name of that stantler was, so I wouldn't know if it was your friend of not." He glanced over his tall shoulder. "And I'm Mizuki."

"My name is Ujue," Ujue said, her mouth watering as the scent of the stantler grew stronger. When they came upon the clearing, she restrained herself to her usual graceful walking speed, though she wanted to leap and pounce on the kill. "Once again, thank you for the meal." She paused a moment, feeling sorry for Kringle, who had known a stantler, but she needed the meat. She nosed a few berries out of her mane and set them on the ground for Kringle, nodding to him, before she wordlessly began eating. Yummmm...Oh good, this doesn't taste funny at all.