(ELITE) The SNOWPOINT Team

(15)

Alice was panting quickly as they fled from the giant infected mammoth, and she was just about to answer Dante when something screamed;
"LeTs hAvE DRRRRRRRROWNINGGGGGG lEsSoNs!"

Alice didn't move fast enough to completely avoid the Infected Swampert's vicious attack, and its arm crushed her star-shaped tail. She yowled with anguish as her whole tail went completely limp, no feeling left in it. There was no way Alice would be able to survive this blue monster...she knew about Swamperts and their Ground-half, electricity was completely useless.

"DISASTER'S MEAL DISASTER'S PREY! DISASTER'S FOOD! DISASTER'S DISASTER'S DISASTER'S!"

What the hell?! The whitehound Infected that had haunted their path before had thrown itself at the Swampert and was going completely berserk. Alice took advantage of this and managed, with a struggle, to free her tail and get away from the Swampert.

[OOC: 'Tis okay~ XP]

He gave a devilish grin as he felt the satisfying crunch of the Luxio's tail under his arm. He stared at the black and blue Pokemon. It looked so tasty, to just imagine it in his mouth, ripped apart as the succulent red dribbled down... It made him all the more tempted to just kill it, but he decided against it. Playing with his food was always a habit of his.

"DISASTER'S MEAL DISASTER'S PREY! DISASTER'S FOOD! DISASTER'S DISASTER'S DISASTER'S!" Suddenly a white... Thing had rammed into him, slashing his body. He let out a enraged roar, how DARE this Pokemon interrupt him during the most crucial moment of his hunt?! He opened his jaw, roaring at the Absol in it's face. "LeT mE GiVe yOu A DRRRRRRRRRRRRRROWNING LESSON!" he screamed, struggling for a moment before slipping away from the rampaging Catherine.

He stared at the white monster for a moment, eyes sharp as he sneered. Suddenly he leaped, then crashed back into the ground- upheaving debris everywhere as he sent shockwaves into the Earth. Suddenly, the ground began to shake with a mighty Earthquake.

First, the face came and ate Munchkin. Then, the giant thing with the tusks killed the pink little kitty. Now, not only had the white Infected followed them with the... sudden move... there was a new one, this awful blue, rotting THING trying to DROWN them...

As a fire type, he was just not having a good day.

It got worse when he felt the ground beneath him rumble and shake, and he knew the it was about to give way. The blue cat screeched in pain, but with the caucus of the blue Infected's shrieks, he didn't really hear it. All he knew was that he needed to get out, and he wanted to get everyone out with him alive.

He growled and, with all of his might, shot a dark pulse straight up, right into the overhang of the rock above them. The rocks broke free and splintered, beginning not only a rock slide, but an avalanche. "GET OUT OF HERE!" he shouted, keeping a flamethrower on the falling snow to keep a path clear for his teammates, while the rest began to pile over the Infected.

He only hoped that his efforts could get everyone out...

"GET OUT OF HERE!" Dante roared, as burning hot flames shot out of his mouth, melting the oncoming snow.
Strix scooped up the injured Alice in his bulky arms and held her close to his chest as he dashed away as quickly as his legs could carry him.
The rumble of the avalanche was echoing everywhere, pummeling his senses.
"DANTE! HURRY!" Strix roared over the noise.
We gotta get someplace before the snow reaches us, or we're dead!
He ran through the thick snow, trying to outmaneuver the wall of snow that was approaching.
His immense weight was forcing him deeper into the snow and slowed him down to a crawl.
"Shit!" The avalanche was closing in, and there wasn't a chance in hell that they'd make it much further.
Growling, he found the thickest pine he saw and wrapped himself and his tail around it as tight as he could.
"Hang on!"He shouted at the Luxio clinging to him, right before the snow collided with their bodies.

Catherine just roared at the Swamoert when he threw her off. And at the earthquake she lept for him, a dark pulse and a slash following up. Inside of her though she couldn't comprehend it a voice was goading her on telling her to fight the much larger pokemon telling her that it would be a better meal then the lives ones.

For some reason she complied and continued to use attacks on the water type.

Snow was falling on them and the Swampert was getting sick of the Absol's stubbornness. He was getting tired of attempting to dodge all the attacks as Drowned suddenly blasted a Hydro Cannon at Catherine. His full force and power blasted in the beam of water as he let out a snarl. He began to recover his energy as he felt the snow build on top of him.

As he felt his strength come back to him he shook his back, making the snow fall off. He looked up the the still sliding avalanche, then quickly fled towards it, burying himself with snow. He used his hands to burrow underneath, creating a small space for him to curl up into as the rushing white passed by. He knew he couldn't stay there for long, but it was the least he could do until the avalanche subsided.

The two infected grappled at each other in the snow as Dante relentlessly shot an endless flamethrower at the avalanche crashing down upon them. He didn't mind that they were preoccupying themselves and allowing the living to escape, but his own escape route was quickly closing as he trudged through the current of snow.

His legs were numb with strain and cold, and yet he kept bounding and running over the snow, keeping up the flamethrower despite the raw sensation beginning to form in the back of his throat. He could feel his fire start to wane and waver, his power flitting out. 'Shit,' he cursed to himself, 'I'm almost out... If we don't get out of this soon...'

He wasn't allowed to finish his thought as the snow's path was suddenly diverted away from Strix and the kitty. He saw yet ANOTHER cat-like pokemon, a beaten espeon, using some psychic move to push away the snow. He saw this as a prime opportunity and ran for the others. He needed to clear Strx's path if the big boulder of a pokemon was going to make it through the snow.

Lunging forward with everything he had left, he managed to get in front of Strix and continue to blow fire, cutting deep into the snow to actual ground. As he blew, he turned to look for the small pinkish espeon. "Hurry!" his hoarse voice called over the roar of the avalanche. He made another small path through the snow for her to follow them. He wasn't sure if it was the smart thing to do, but the espeon DID kind of help them out, and he felt being less of an asshole would do him good...

He went back to Strix and melted what ice was forming on the nidoking's body from traversing the snow. "That should help," he said, his voice craggy and scratchy from the continuous fire. "Get moving."

((OOC: Ciana, make sure to put in your header the location and time of your character's post. Like Snowpoint Outskirts| Dawn))

The snow suddenly disappeared. Strix opened his eyes to see an Espeon sending a psychic beam past them, barring the snow.
The scarred feline yelled in exhaustion as its' psybeam faltered.
Quickly uncurling from the tree and grasping Alice tighter, he started running before the snow started to come down again.
Suddenly, Dante dashed in front of him and began to melt the snow with a continuous blast of flame.
"Dante!" Strix yelled in surprise. He was afraid that the infected or the snow might have dragged him off, but here he was, making a path for them.
I'm liking this guy more and more! he thought with a grin as he watched Dantes' forked tail ahead of him.

Dante ran back through the pathway he made and shot a light flamethrower at Strix, melting the ice that was making its way under his armor-like scales.
"That should help, get moving." He said, his throat hoarse.
His joints free of any restriction, he growled and ran as fast as he could.

"We're gonna make it!" He grunted at the Luxio in his arms over the roar of the snow.

The absol lept up at the earthquake speeding backward with her leaps to avoid the attack. But the avalanch couldn't be avoided that easily. The undead roared in irritation as it came for her, she looked around at her prey, they where running away. No she wouldn't let that happen.

She chased after them but the falling snow was closer, She changed her plans. The undead stopped and began to dig a hole to protect herself. It was getting closer.

No don't keep chasing. Keep chasing them.

Disaster struggled against the pretty voice that was telling her to kill herself. She continued to dig her hole and hid.

[OOC: Skip me, Drowned's gonna be in that hole for a while until he's absolutely sure it's safe outside.]

Once he saw that the espeon was following, he paused and looked up to the falling snow. They were out of range of the avalanche for now, but it was slowing down and he wanted to make sure that the damn infected stayed where they belonged; six feet under. He hurked and gagged, preparing a sludge bomb. One last hit should keep the bastards beneath the snow long enough for them to lose the trail.

He fired the shot, aiming high to hit the snow that was out of reach for the first avalanche. It connected and more ice and snow came tumbling down where they were, almost completely burying trees and other vegetation that was in the small valley.

Satisfied, he turned and ran back to the others, bypassing the espeon with a quick, "Hurry up," and sprinted to get to Strix. After a quick flamethrower to further remove the ice from the giant's legs, he looked to the blue kitty who was not looking so hot. "...You think she's gonna make it?" his hoarse voice managed to sound over the noise of crunching snow.

"Sorry about the snow," he added as he fired more flames to cut a longer path through the white. "It was the only thing I could think of." He coughed, his throat protesting both speaking and throwing flames. He knew, though, that getting everyone to a safehouse meant more than his own well-being if he wanted to get through this alive. So, he continued ignoring the pain and shot flame after flame to make way for the giant and the espeon behind them.

"We also have company. An espeon; I'm not sure what they want, but they took the effort of helping us out of that avalanche. Just keep your guard. Should they get out of hand, I'll take care of them," he growled lowly to Strix, making sure the espeon didn't hear. He coughed again, then added to the path.

(Ooc- skip me for now. Strix is still holding onto Alice.)

(Disaster is hiding in her hole)

Drowned let out a low snarl. His prey had escaped. He felt the snow mold around his body, almost crushing him. Maybe if that bastard Absol hadn't interrupted him, he would've been able to get his breakfast! That stupid white.... Thing. His hatred was growing by the second. He absolutely despised that freak.

He felt the snow sliding down seize as he wiggled a bit. The snow molded on his body broke a bit, as he jumped out. Drowned shook the excess white off of him. He stared at the ground. Some of the snow was melted by a flamethrower. The living couldn't have gotten far- and he could still see the faintest or prints in the snow.

Drowned contemplated whether it was a good move or not to keep on pursuing them. But then he released a sigh. He knew that dreaded Absol would get out from the snow again, and catch up to him if he went to the Living again. He slowly decided to trek away, maybe father towards the city, then he can stalk them from afar instead, and maybe get a better chance for a surprise attack.

Strix didn't seem to have the breath to respond to Dante's inquiries and simply kept tromping along, heading away from the avalanche site. As they traveled, Dante could see the horizon suddenly spike with buildings. He frowned. He wasn't sure if a city would be much better than out in the open, but... He looked to Strix and the wounded kitty. They needed shelter and food, and the city, no matter how dangerous, was the one place they could possibly find both.

"I- I'm sorry if I did something wrong," a timid voice whispered behind him, and for a moment, he wondered if he had imagined it. But when he stopped to turn and look, he saw the beaten espeon. She seemed to straighten herself and added in a slightly louder voice, "My name is Hera, i-if you wanted to know." The last bit trailed off a little as she spoke, her momentary courage failing her.

Dante frowned slightly. Though she had helped them out in the avalanche, he knew how sneaky some pokemon could be... especially psychic types. He had known too many espeon at the mill, and they all deserved to die. 'Though, looks like someone already tried to kill this one,' he thought grimly.

"No offense," he started softly as he took a few steps toward her, "but you need to understand if we're a little wary of you. Thanks for your help, but right now isn't the time for introductions or interrogations. Just keep up and keep quiet till we get somewhere safe." With that, he turned and stifled a cough to go back to Strix's side.

"Looks like there are some cabins up ahead separate from the actual city," he remarked, his voice growing more hoarse with each flamethrower that carved the nidoking's path. "We should look there for possible resting spots."

Strix' legs began to go numb as the fatigue of running in the low temperatures was settling in. He could feel the icy burn of each breath in his lungs, and his feet starting to go numb.
Dante came trotting up next to him, asking if Alice would make it.
Panting heavily, he just kept running. He didn't want to think about that.
Suddenly, spires appeared in the distance; human buildings. Strix' expression brightened. Where there's buildings, there's sure to be food...and less damned snow. His stomach had been complaining for well over a day or two already.

The Espeon came trotting up to them, who had thus far been running behind.
"My name is Hera, i-if you wanted to know." She stuttered, her ear flattened on her head. Strix took a closer look at the newcomers' body.
She's seen alot of battle....
Strix nodded at her in recognition, trying to catch his breath.

As Dante turned and started to talk to Hera quietly, Strix looked down at the Luxio in his arms.

"Hey, are you alright?" He said, giving her a quick glance over. Her tail seemed to be crushed beyond recognition, the skin broken in several places and blood clumping together in her fur.
Damn...I don't know if she'll keep her tail...

"Looks like there are some cabins up ahead separate from the actual city," Dante said hoarsely, padding up. "We should look there for possible resting spots."
The Nidoking nodded, not wanting to complicate matters further.

Rest...and maybe even food.

The snow had finally stopped pounding down around her and the infected began to claw her way through the thick layers of snow. Pushing through the last bit out of an old habit she took in a deep unneeded breath. A bit more of her face and stomach fell off before she was truely free and with a shake of her coat Disaster leapt out. She began to sniff for her prey obbsesed with the faint images going through her head of killing them and eating them throat first. That always seemed to be the best tasting place, the throat and the stomach.
Suddenly she started speaking
"Disaster...? Disaster? Can you hear me?"
The undead lept back at her understanding, it was her own voice.
"What....?
"My name is Catherine, I am a friend."
"....friend...?"
"Yes, yes, Friend. I've always been here. I am here to help"
"Help...help...."
Disaster nodded without her own power.
"Friends help eachother, we are friends."

(16)

"Hey, are you alright?"

Alice heard Strix's voice, and at first the Luxio didn't manage to respond, but after a few seconds she regained her voice. "Yeah, I'm fine," she replied rather unconvincingly; her tail was practically aflame with pain, and her entire body ached terribly. "Don't worry about me." Alice looked up to see a new face; a pink Espeon that reminded Alice of Akina....and this one's name was apparently Hera. At least there was another like them, after Molasses and Akina's deaths, and the two Infected that hunted them were nowhere in sight. This was what calmed Alice the most about the whole situation...but if they didn't find shelter, the cold or other predators would be a problem.

"Looks like there are some cabins up ahead separate from the actual city," Alice heard Dante say, his voice very hoarse, "We should look there for possible resting spots." Alice couldn't agree more with the Houndoom, they all needed rest from everything that had happened to them. The Luxio indicated her agreement with a tiny nod, but even that small movement made her neck ache. "Let's find these cabins quick," Alice said in a faint voice.

He was right outside the city now, as he gazed at the old, ruined houses. He could see the abandoned gym from here too. The stale, metallic scent of blood hung in the air as he trekked around, carefully scanning the area to see if he could find any food. He might be able to search through the homes for any possible berries, but that was out of the question. A berry in this freezing area would most likely frozen solid- if not rotten, and he only had taste buds for living's flesh.

More snow fell on him from scarce branches above his head, hitting him on his round snout as he furiously began to thrash about in annoyance. Never once had he been so frustrated before, losing his kill to another undead and being on an empty stomach for a morning. His hands and feet were already aching from having to trek through this snow so much- he had usually just laid in a burrow until he decided to go out hunting for a bit. He wished he could return to that small hole he made- except the avalanche had probably caved it in.

He disliked how easily he stood out from the white landscape. He was too easy to spot within the area and he closed his eyes in mutual thought, but all that really came up was the urge to kill and eat. He remembers that before the infection he used to think a lot, and to solve lots of problems with his sister.

Getting even more enraged at the thoughts, he began to sprint through the snow- but it was more of slow run since it was hard enough to walk in the thick layers. His stomach was crying out, furious, and he was going to find that black and blue cat thing and kill it no matter what, and he won't let that undead bitch stand in his way.

Dante sighed as he looked over his "pack". He could tell Strix needed rest, as did the blue kitty and the espeon that struggled behind them. He needed it as well; he hadn't gotten any real sleep since he had ventured out and met Munchkin...

He shook himself free of the memory of the little guy. There would be time for them to grieve once he knew they were safe enough to do so. Sleep, eat, grieve, talk at a normal speaking volume, all of those would have to wait until they found a haven. He turned to Strix and muttered, "I'm going to scout out the cabins ahead. I'll come get you when I find a good one." He then bounded to the cabins, eager to find something that would work.

The nearest cabin was a wreck; old blood and gore spilled everywhere, limbs of victim and what seemed the attacker strewn everywhere inside. Dante spotted a lone human corpse staring up at the ceiling from its position in a corner with a shotgun. Looked like the human had fended whatever was attacking and then died of its wounds. Dante frowned and decided to move on. There was no way the cabin could be defended; the shotgun blasts holed the walls and windows, and well, it was pretty gross in there. Even for him.

The second cabin proved more promising. While there were signs of a struggle, nothing had been left inside. He could vaguely judge from the old, dusty bloodtrail that whatever was in here had been dragged outside. The windows were covered, the walls seemed secure, and it looked warm enough. However, when he padded back outside, another cabin caught his attention.

Or really, the berry bushes surrounding it caught his attention.

Bushels of oran, sitris, and other weird-looking berries were ripe and swollen as they hung from their branches, the cabin's walls supporting the heavy-laden trees. Obviously, no other pokemon had been around to eat them, which meant, for the most part, they were alone. Dante could help but snag a couple, his stomach more than happy for something, and he looked inside to the cabin.

Like the others, there had been something killed inside. However, the owner of this cabin had been smart; he could see through the gaps in the covered windows that the walls were reinforced with stone and mud, and there seemed to be dried berries within for storage. The air inside was musty and stale; meaning no one had been in for quite some time. Dante sighed in relief. A haven.

He ran back to the others, tail wagging. "I found a good spot. There's food enough for all of us to pig out. Let's get the hell out of this goddamned cold for once." He then turned to lead the way.

"Yeah, I'm fine," The Luxio in his arms whimpered weakly. "Don't worry about me." Strix couldn't help but grin.
A little warrior, even now.
His pride for her turned to worry; she seemed to have broken a sweat, despite it being so cold outside, and she seemed to be in alot of pain.
I'm surprised she's remained conscious through the pain...
His thoughts were interrupted by Dante.

"I'm going to scout out the cabins ahead. I'll come get you when I find a good one." He said as he bounded off, leaving Strix with the others. He watched the canine trot off to the cabins and eventually disappear from sight.
Well, we can't stay out in the open...He thought, uneasily looking around at the small, snow-covered field.

"Come, let's sit over here until he gets back." He said as he motioned for the Espeon to follow him.
Tromping to a nearby evergreen, he gently placed Alice underneath it on the soft pine needles, then shook himself, trying to shake off all of the ice and snow that had built up in the crevices of his armor. He then turned to the Espeon, stretching the muscles in his neck.
"So, you're Hera." Strix looked her up and down carefully. He didn't sense any malicious intent; matter of fact, she seemed quite docile, and seemed almost to cling to their shadows.
It's no wonder, with the way things have become...Strix thought grimly, as he settled on his haunches next to the Luxio. Fellowship is something that is extremely valuable nowadays.
Strix nodded and gave her a warm smile.
"Thank you for helping us back there. It is appreciated."

"I'm Strix, and this one is Alice. The Houndoom is Dante." He said as he offered her a place closer to the both of them.
"Where do you come from? I doubt you live on these...barren mountains." He sneered, as he eyed the glistening snow disdainfully.

After listening to what the Espeon had to say, Strix heard snow crunching from not far away. He perked his large ears and turned around, prepared to defend him and the others, if necessary.
But he lowered his arms and relaxed as he saw Dante trotting cheerfully up to them with good news.
"I found a good spot. There's food enough for all of us to pig out. Let's get the hell out of this goddamned cold for once."

"Food too?" Strix said, his whole demeanor lighting up. He cheerfully but carefully picked Alice up and followed the Houndoom to the shelter.