(ELITE) The SNOWPOINT Team

Ciara watched everything unfolding around her, terrified at what was developing. Dante was losing his mind and screaming about Hera, Strix was tossing his weight around and taking over the pack, Hera herself was pleading to die...and everyone else seemed as baffled as her. She overheard Alice and Yon-co talking, and her ears perked when she heard Alice mention 'love' between Strix and Hera, but did not intrude on the conversation. As things came to a head Dante suddenly gave up and walked out, and Ciara made to follow him when suddenly Strix was barricading the door, with him on the outside.

Why was he doing this? Did he want them to die in there? Alone? Unprotected? Dante had gone and now Strix was abandoning them...Ciara's mind was in turmoil as her greatest fears suddenly started playing out in her head. She began to panic and hyperventilate, losing her grip on reality once more. At Hera's plea, part of her snapped. "Quick! We have to help him.... Please... help him..." Ciara was back in Magma Mode, and saw Hera's plea as an order. She nodded her agreement, as the Mightyena knew the Alpha would need his pack to fight off whatever was coming their way. And if the what Alice said to Yon-co was true, then Hera would be the Alpha Female, so her orders were as good as Strix's. Fire licked at her fangs as she turned to the doorway currently being protected before addressing the scarred Espeon.

"Lead the way."

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Raiden struggled against the snow and wind, confused as to what mystery dragged him here in the first place. He was furious with his current situation, and baffled as to how to deal with it, but all that could come later because he needed to get out of this storm. The Manectric quite literally bumped into his answer, namely the wall of an old warehouse. Several of the windows were boarded up and the doors firmly sealed, but up on the second floor there was a broken window. A quick hop up a dumpster and a fire escape saw him just outside the window squirming his way in. It wasn't as warm as he would have liked, but at least he was out of the snow.

Sniffing around Raiden caught the scent of smoke and fire, but it wasn't like the smell of a fire Pokemon, it was like the scent of a campfire. Curious he began to trek down the stairs to the first floor when he spotted a large black hound sporting skeletal armor, and it looked very unhappy. An air of sorrow surrounded the creature, whose scent proved him to be very much a male, and Raiden wasn't sure whether or not to approach the beast. He had never seen anything of its like before and wasn't sure if it was some kind of mutation or demon made from the infection. But still...such sadness couldn't go without some kind of answer...

"You seem troubled, friend," Raiden offered solemnly, stepping out of the shadows and into the thin light offered by a higher window. His body language was non-threatening, but still held an aura of power that could be easily accessed if the hound decided to fight rather than talk. As he waited for a reply the sounds of shattering glass and heavy banging caught his attention and he was suddenly on alert, electricity crackling in his fur as he sniffed the air. The scent of death was quickly filling the warehouse as the creatures came in. "It seems like some of the infected have come in back the way you came, stranger. I hope you were alone." Legends knew he didn't want anyone getting caught in an ambush.

There was commotion, voices, things happening as Dante retreated into the somewhat comforting shadows the warehouse provided. He was back where the absol had caught up with them, provided them with the medicine used to heal two of his packmates. His heart fell a little at the thought. Surely they were better off without, "good riddance to bad rubbish" and all of that bullshit. He'd nearly made a grave mistake, on top of spouting out words that only cut and hurt the pokemon he'd worked so damn hard to protect and serve. The fact that he, not the undead, not the hordes, had almost undone his own work was what hurt the most... alongside with the doubt of his own sanity. It was the one thing that separated he and Delia, besides species... but even then they were closely matched. Dark fox and dark/fire hound... Not much difference.

'Even less so now that I've started losing it...' he mourned, ice eyes absently studying his surroundings. He was so lost in his own musings that when another pokemon approached, he nearly leapt out of his own skin.

"You seem troubled, friend," a voice offered somewhat carefully, and after getting over the initial shock, Dante could see that it was a manectric, a species he knew well in the ring. Their electric attacks had always given him trouble, and immediately, the houndusk was on edge. "...We've all got our problems..." he muttered in reply, before howls, glass shattering and banging sounded, alerting him to the quickly approaching battle the warehouse was about to undertake. The stranger's fur bristled with electricity, mimicking Dante's apprehension. "It seems like some of the infected have come in back the way you came, stranger. I hope you were alone."

"...Shit..." he cursed, padding back the way he came a small ways, looking back to the strange manaectric. If he'd meant harm, he would have done it already... Still, Dante was never one to trust too quickly, but the situation called for it. "Fuck it," he said mostly to himself, discarding his fear of snapping in front of the others. If he went crazy, then fine. Strix could obviously handle him. If he didn't help, everyone else was likely to get seriously hurt... "Look, buddy, this isn't your fight and it's not your pack to protect. Come if you want. Stay if you want. I don't care, but I need to get back," With that, he ran back to the front, back to the others.

What he found nearly made him stumble. Strix was gone comepletely, and the banging on the hallway door was more than unnerving. The hellhound looked around for the nidoking, sniffing and quickly realizing that Strix was behind the banging door. "What happened?" he called, looking to Hera for an explanation. Alice and the rat were off in their own world, and Ciara looked like she was back in her spacey mode. Dammit. Quickly assessing the engine in front of the door needed to be moved, he dashed to it, using his front paws to try and roll it without much success. "Come on, you asshole...!" Even if he couldn't lead this pack, he still couldn't bear to lose another member... especially Strix.

Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom.
The slam of his heavy feet echoed loudly through the pitch black hallway, the sound of hundreds of pounds of angry teeth, claws and bone thundered through the darkness. The screeches grew louder and more aggravated as they realized the sound was headed towards them. Strix could see sparks flying as the little monsters dragged their razor-sharp claws against the steel walls, their bodies revealed with the faint light. Their eyes were beady and glinting in the flashing sparks, their mouths agape and horrific as they scrambled over each other to get their chance at the new flesh.

The Nidoking let out a gutteral and animalistic roar as he lowered his lethal horn and charged straight into an entire hoarde of undead Sneasel. They flew in every direction, some of them trampled by the heavy behemoth, some caught by the enormous horn atop his head. But as the little monsters recovered and leaped towards him, they found that the Nidoking did not stop.

"Come on! Follow me, you little bastards!" He snarled before crashing through the wall at the end of the hallway, out into a blinding white blizzard. A terrible howling reached his ears as he skidded to a halt and looked back.
Shit.
The flurry of Sneasel had followed him, and were now attacking as what seemed to be a cloud of slashing white claws and gnashing little teeth. The lithe weasels clung to his armor as he roared in fury and thrashed frantically to get them off. He clawed at his body, searching for the slender and quick creatures, grabbing their bodies and crushing them or tossing them as hard as he could.

Suddenly a shock of pain surged through his body as he felt icy talons dig deep into the flesh underneath his heavy shoulder armor. The Nidoking howled in pain as he felt the creatures rip their talons out and gouge them back in, warm liquid pouring down his back from the wounds. In retaliation, he thrust himself backwards, crushing the ones on his back against the snow-covered concrete underneath them. The remaining Sneasel darted away, hissing as they went.

The Nidoking quickly rolled over to his belly, pushing himself up to his feet and holding out his claws defensively, waiting for their next move. He didn't have to wait long, however as one in the tree made a leap for his wounded back.

Bad mistake. His tail whipped around and caught the Sneasel mid-air. Strix could hear the crushing of all of its' bones as it collided with his tail, disappearing quickly into the icy winds and not returning. The remaining infected fled, their ears low in submission as they disappeared into the blinding storm.

The poison behemoth panted heavily, roaring in victory as they fled. He fell to his knees, holding himself up with two shaking armored arms as he tried to regain his strength. The chilling winds were taking their toll on the ground/poison type, and the many slashes and wounds he got from the Sneasel were searing with a fiery pain.
Urgh! Fucking ice types! Never did figure out how to overcome the weakness...!
No! Can't stop now, dammit!
Get the fuck up!
He snarled, working himself into a rage as he pushed himself up, his eyes glowing white as he bared his teeth. Slamming his fist down on one of the motionless corpses, he picked it up and ripped its head off with his powerful jaws and spat it out. He went to the nearest tree and impaled the small body on a thick stub of a branch, and went for another corpse. He tore off its limbs and tossed them to the ground as he walked.
Another corpse.
Decapitate.
Run through with an old steel pipe.
Shove steel pipe into the ground near the now-barren hallway.

The snowy ground was now stained with blood, mixed with mangled body parts and glistening bowels. The Nidoking was dripping in blood, his horn and claws slick with the dark substance. But the behemoth was oblivious to how monstrous he looked. He stomped past the entrance and around the warehouse wall, sniffing the air intently, his fangs bared and claws at the ready. The sound and smell of a battle approached him- something big. The wind grew stronger as he turned the corner, the biting ice embedding itself into his open wounds.

"It's about fucking time. Let's fucking do this." He growled as the creature in the blizzard approached. Roaring loudly, he charged head first towards the figure in the storm. Large green claws flew at him as a depraved howl escaped the undead Abomasnows' mouth. The poison type flew back as the fist connected with his head, launching him into the blizzard.

(OoC- lol, he went kinda barbaric, but he's still sane. He's just in rage mode and started putting up warning signs to all the infected...and now he's gonna get his ass beat by the gym leaders' undead abomasnow. Anyone is free to jump in whenever they want. Until someone does, he's just gonna get pummeled and froze up, lol. Oh, I made the Abomasnow like...making the blizzard. Or at least helping it if we still want it to be there after the fight. Whee, long posts!~)

Alice groaned beneath her breath, rolling her eyes. Yon-co seemed a bit to heavy for a ride. He couldn't tell him that, however. Couldn't show weakness, not now, not ever. Scrunching down, she pushed Yonny against the wall, rolling him onto her back. It wasn't the most comfortable of mountings, but it would work. Quickly as she could, she ran to the opposite side of the building, where there was less fighting. Off to the side, she found a spot on the wall they could be, in the middle of everything. It was likely the safest place to be. Shaking slightly, she rolled Yon-co onto the ground, back up against the wall. "It'll be safer here." Alice wished she could've found him a better location, safer from the others, but this was the best she could do for now. However... Strix's roaring was getting louder, and he was fighting most of those undead by himself. Turning back, Alice got her first good look at the Undead.

Ice types. Of course.

Strix was doomed out there, with his typing. Ice would completely freeze him to death. Why weren't the others helping? Dante was trying to move the engine, but that would take too long. They needed to fight with Strix! Her electricity wouldn't do too much, but... She had Fire Fang. Looking at the Raichu in front of her, she made her decision. "Stay here Yon-co. Stay safe." As soon as the words were out of her mouth she knew she had lost her mind game with the Rat, but she no longer cared. Strix would die out there without help. Quickly, she ran to his aid, mouth full of fire.

My vision was swimming and it was becoming difficult to stand again. I silently contumplated exactly what that could all mean. I had really taken a lot of damage... Would anything be perminant? Or would he have to recover over a period of time? For some reason, I could not think positive. Something just felt... wrong. Wrong in the way of my throbbing head and vision that blurred evry few seconds. As Alice helped me to another spot within the wearhouse, I found myself not even being able to pay attention to where I was anymore.

I tried in vane to hold onto the big cat's fur, but I would have fallen from her back a many times if not for her careful movments and rolling of her muscles to keep he in place. Then I was suddenly moving, landing onto the ground with a light thump. It did not hurt as I was already dazed, and Alice spoke, but I could not pay enough attention to hear what she said.

I frowned, my gaze darkening as I fought to concentrate. What had she said? Why was my mind all blurry?... I glanced up to see the intense gaze of the lioness' eyes. My expression slakened with suprise and when she spoke that time, I was able to hear. "Stay here Yon-co. Stay safe." I stared at her in shock, even as her back turned and she no longer faced me.

Did she... was she... no. Couldn't be. Just a fellow surivor that cared. THat was it. My eyes drooped closed as I slumped against the wall, unable to move despite my best offorts.


"Lead the way."

The offer was nearly a command, the words holding both an underlining stern hardness, and yet the clear expectation for actions to be distributed with words. I turned around, my eye wide and desperate as Ciara came close. Her expression was less than comforting, but I immediately allowed releif to overwhelm me at the thought of having somone actually help. I shot a desperate glance at the huge blockade of an egine, flinching visibly at the roars and crashes comeing from the other side. We had to act fast. But no one, save Strix himself, would be strong enough to actually budge the human device. I ended up failing horribly in my moment to shine, simply staring back at Ciara with a desperate and horrified light in my eyes.

We could not do anything.

When the new thing Dante had become returned suddenly, my gaze widened impossibly more. I cringed, smashing my body against the engine in a way to keep away from him. He still wanted me dead. Surely I deserved it in some way, but we had to save Strix! I followed every movement of the canine, nothing he did escaping my sights despite having only one eye. Would he act again?... I was unprepared for what he said. "What happened?" he demanded, his peircing blue gaze falling on me. True fear pulsed through me again, my pelt spiking up in horror even just from his simply inquiry. I tried to force myself to speak, barely managing to choke out the vital words. "S... Strix! He locked himself out! But none of us-" I tried to warn Dante that it was way too much for any of us to move, but the massive canine had already rushed forward.

Dante tried in vein wo move the massive wight with his paws, but only ended up cursing in his frustrations. I flinched, ears flattening against my head as I scurried out of his way. My heart beat painfully loud and powerfully against the inside of my chest from true fear. Even as Alice rushed over, flames in her maw, it was all too ovious that Strix was doomed. All of the Pokemon in the warehouse were either four lagged and pawed or much too small to ever dream of helping. Shooting a glance at Yon-co, a pang of guilt ran through my chest. He looked banged up. Bad. And all I had done was try to comfort the one who would kill me. How messed up and twisted could you get? The raichu was my only connection to the world before the Epidemic. When I was happy.

The idea came so fast that I was almost afraid that there was actually some way it would not work.

My pelt stood up even more, tail straight up, as I glanced at the gathering of my family near the engine. None of them were facing my way. I prayed to Lugia that none would. If any of them followed me... I would not be able to bear with losing any of them. With no hesitation, my claws were out. Completely ignoring the pain in my chest as the blood still dripped, leaving a trail or thick red, and leading anyone who glanced that way to the hole I dug. Using my least favorite move was not my first option, but I could easily reach Strix using Dig. I would simply pop out in the snow besides him. I disappeared into the ground within seconds, my paws going numb within seconds from the snow as my claws graduelly chipped and broke. Flecks of blood stained the snowy tunnel I made, but I felt my body weaving through the earth at an incredibly rate as I dug my way to the Nidoking.

Within a minute, I already felt the vibrations of something huge moving above me. For a sick moment, I was afraid that Strix might actually make the underground collapse on me, killing me before I could ever reach him, but the ice heald and I kept going despite the terror that made my vision blurry. Then I was suddenly digging straight up. I had no real reason to, but I knew I had gone far enough. As I shot out of the snowy ground, I saw that I was correct. I landed on numb and bleeding paws outside of the wearhouse just intime to hear the Nidoking growl. "It's about fucking time. Let's fucking do this." I whipped around, hearing him and scenting him, but all of a sudden there was white evrywhere. In my eyes, ears, nose- I was literally blind.

And Strix didn't even know I was there.

[ooc: Permission for an undead or anything to hit her, Ana. Your choice c:]

Ciara waited, but no order came. Dante and a new canine arrived together and the Alpha Female began to address them but still no order for the Mightyena to follow. Her gaze never left Hera, watching for any subtle hint on what she was to do for her Alpha, any order for her to obey. As Dante began pushing at the metal block against the door Hera seemed to be panicking, trying to form her own plan. It was then a familiar glow surrounded the Espeon.

As Hera used Dig to tear furiously at the ground Ciara knew what her place would be. Activating her own dig she took her place at Hera's side, much like they had back at the small cabin, and began to rip through the earth with her. Her battered body screamed in protest but Ciara did not flinch. Even as her claws began to rip and crack, as her paws began to bleed from digging through metal into frozen earth, she didn't stop. She focused on widening the hole her Alpha was already digging, making enough room for the pack to get through, and a light filled their tunnel as the female finally broke through. A growl began deep in her throat as she kept herself behind Hera, expecting her orders to attack.

___________________________

The look on the hounds face was all he needed to know that the worst was true, he had left others behind. "Look, buddy, this isn't your fight and it's not your pack to protect. Come if you want. Stay if you want. I don't care, but I need to get back." Raiden barked in agreement and took off down the hallway after the dark canine, intent on helping anyone he could. It wasn't in his nature to leave anyone behind, and from the worry in the other hound it seemed like there might be more than he realized to worry about.

Upon arriving in a small room sectioned off of the warehouse he immediately saw what the problem was. If these were the other male's companions then they would need all the help they could get. Several of them were injured, two very badly, and they all seemed to be trying to get through a door where the loudest sounds of battle were emanating. "S... Strix! He locked himself out! But none of us-" Ah, so one of their own was also trapped beyond the door. It all made much more sense.

The small scarred Espeon, with several fresh wounds upon her belly wrapped in cloth, seemed to be trying to dig through the metal floor of the warehouse while the dark hound tried pushing the large engine away from the door. His gaze turned to the other canine in the room, a female with enough fresh wounds and burns to make him cringe, yet there she stood with an almost empty expression. It was like there wasn't anything inside of her, like she was completely numb, and it was heartbreaking to see. She stood despite the pain with a determined look as she watched the Espeon before joining in the Dig with her own.

Padding over to the skeletal canine struggling against the heavy machinery and cleared his throat. "It seems their method has broken through," Raiden told him. "If we follow the hole should be big enough for us to get through one at a time. Your friends may be in trouble." Not really waiting for a reply he quickly followed the females out the now widened hole, worried for their safety due to their obvious injuries. Electricity crackled around him as he emerged, ready to fight anything the undead threw at him.

((OOC: Leaving it for you to start the fight Ana! LET'S DO ET!))

Inochi wasn't doing much as she sat in her shadowy corner, watching the conflicts taking place in front of her. These pokemon seemed to get angry really easy, that she was starting to regret coming here. Fighting never solved anything, though saying something like that to them may only leave them angrier, as fighting was the only thing keeping them alive these days.

The Houndour began to think that perhaps she should leave them, just till they have had to work everything out, though judging from the way things where escalating, that could take a long time. Oh well, she could find another team to join, then return here when she thinks they have settled down enough.

She began to claw at the barrier that Strix and Dante had made till she made a path large enough for her small frame to get through, looking back at them before slipping through the door and back out into the blistering cold. Taking one last look at the shed before disappearing into the storm.

((I don't want to leave, but have to. Inochi will be back, I hope ono ))

It was everywhere, the snow. The vargrant zoroark had gone through most of her life with little to no experience with the stuff, the strange substance that crunched beneath her bloodstained feet. She licked at it and frowned when nothing was on her tongue. While she could vaguely feel the coldness it produced, it really felt like anything else that touched her, barring the blood of another. Her ears flicked about her as her mind tried to decide on whether she liked it or not. She glanced behind her, spotting her blatant tracks, then noticed the harsh contrast of her dark fur to the shine of the snow. Her frown deepened and she continued along her path.

She did not like snow.

She had wandered somewhere that resembled a city. She wasn't sure which one, of course, as she was not familiar with the region she was in. It didn't matter, really. All that mattered was whether or not she'd be able to find her love or not. She paused on the roof of a building when she noticed the gray clouds that seemed to engross part of the city. Tilting her head, she listened and sniffed, pondering on whether or not it would be worth her time. When she heard a bestial roar, her ears perked, and a grin broke out on her face. It seemed there was something in there worth checking out after all.

She jumped down and trotted forward, eyes intent on the storm before her.

(She's quite a ways away, so she wouldn't be noticed yet :p))

Dante had nearly gotten the damned thing moved when the manectric from earlier caught his attention, diverting it to the hole all of the women had somehow miraculously made. "It seems their method has broken through. If we follow the hole should be big enough for us to get through one at a time. Your friends may be in trouble." Oh yeah. They could do that. Cursing at himself for a fool, Dante sprang to the hole, pausing a moment to look back at the rat, the only one that stayed. "You!" he barked. "...Uh... Guard the... base." And with that, he wormed himself through the hole.

It was a much tighter fit than it would have been say, for the smaller, more agile quadrapeds. But through sheer determination and frustration at not only the situation, but himself, he burst out of the ice and snow to find himself amidst chaos.

Blood was, of course, everywhere. The undead littered the snow, quickly half erased by the blizzard's intensity. Heads adorned spikes, and Dante couldn't help but let out a chuckle. Leave it to Strix to put heads on spikes. He spotted the nidoking almost immediately, the others by his side. Quickly, he bounded to them, nudging his way beside Strix and giving him a small shoulder check before grinning at him. "Like we're going to let you have all the fun, Robo Dino." He turned to the foe, the hulking abomasnow, and let the flames lick his fangs.

It was time to rock this bitch.

Strix groaned as he picked himself up and out of the now knee-deep snow. His joints were freezing up, but he ignored the pain and trudged back into the fray, grunting and hissing.
"Damn bastard!" He growled in pain, pushing his dislocated shoulder back into the socket with a loud pop. Suddenly, a rumble came from somewhere beneath him and a hole opened up nearby. He peered through the howling winds to see the thin frame of the wounded Espeon, barely clinging to consciousness, but seemingly ready to fight.
Hera...!
He gaped at her in astonishment, just as the others came through the hole, Dante bounding up to him, giving him a nudge and a nod.

"Like we're going to let you have all the fun, Robo Dino."
He snorted in response after recovering from his initial shock.
"You were supposed to stay inside." He grumbled, seeing the flames about Dantes' mouth and turning to the rampaging Abomasnow.
A weary grin spread over his bloodied face as his claws began to emanate dark energy. All light was sapped from the area around them, making it as dark as night.

As the others came to his side, he loosed a mighty roar and charged forward, his claws ready to slash at the large snow beast.

(Let's have a good battle! This ones' really strong, being a gym leaders' pokemon. Also, sorry for taking so long. My internet hasn't been reliable lately @_@)

((K. Realized my last post messed up since I misread a couple parts. >.< We'll just say I posted with some future sense, and it happened a post cycle early. >.<))



Alice had followed Hera out of the hole almost immediately. She wasn't about to just let her get herself killed, after all they went through keeping her alive. The others were fairly quick, and were up in the blizzard as well before long. All except Yon-co. She couldn't decide if she was happy that he was safe, or angry that he hadn't tried to come along. Regardless, Strix seemed conflicted about having help arrive, as well. She stepped forward at his comment to Dante. "And you were supposed to stay alive. One of those 'supposed to's' had to fail if the other was going to work." Flames still flicked inside her mouth, and as always, she wondered why it didn't burn her.

Looking outward into the Blizzard, she could finally see what the enemy was, if just barely. She narrowly stopped herself from laughing out loud. An Abomasnow? Fire will burn that thing to a crisp! Shaking her head, she followed Strix's charge. She didn't go straight on, however. She looped around, and came in from the side, jaws wide, aiming for its right arm. If she could cut off the arms, she cut off the most dangerous of its tools.

[ooc: I should have done this days ago... But skip me. I am way too upset to post right now. Please forgive me for holding the team up...]

Ciara snarled as flames licked at her fangs, ready to charge. Her eyes kept trained on Strix as he and the others bantered back and forth, but what they said didn't matter. All that mattered were Strix's orders, though once again none came, yet his roar and his charge was more than enough indication for the Mightyena that the fight had begun. She let loose with a mighty howl and went for the Abomasnow with her Alpha.

There were still several smaller ice types still gathered around the monstrosity, and as she got closer it seemed as though the winds and snow got only more violent. Was he...was he using Hail and Blizzard?! The ice types were using it to their advantage as they charged for the small hound and she snapped left and right with her Fire Fang, leaving many of them smoldering corpses lacking a neck or significant body part. By the time she charged up to the Abomasnow she was almost out of the flames so she quickly switched to her Thunder Fang. It wouldn't be nearly as effective, but there was chance she could at least distract it while Strix attacked.

____________________________

Raiden saw how the group moved, though they didn't seem to be functioning as a unit. Instead it was like everyone had their own tactic and prayed it wouldn't get in the way of one of their companions. "A dangerous way to battle, indeed." For some reason his eye kept drawing to the strange Mightyena, so empty and emotionless, and something kept nipping at the back of his mind about her. He had to fight back a few Sneasel as they tried to pile on him, scolding himself for being distracted by a female. He let loose a controlled Discharge, being sure not to hit too wide of an area lest one of the others be nearby.

He too began to make his way towards the large snow monster they were all gunning for, clearing a path to the monster with a large Thunder the sent several of the smaller beasts flying. Raiden wasn't playing around anymore, he wanted these things gone. Figuring the easiest to track would be the skeletal hound he kept close to Dante, trying to keep his attacks in unison with the hound's. However, when the Mightyena suddenly came into view Raiden had to stop himself so as to not crash into her.

"And that was exactly what I meant. So dysfunctional." Raiden dusted himself off and turned in time to see a large Glalie hovering nearby, charging an Ice Beam. His eye followed to see the beam aimed right for the Mightyena and without a second thought he dove in front of her and shielded against the blast with a Protect. In her condition she wouldn't have survived an attack like that, but as he turned to check on her she had already gone back for the Abomasnow. Had she even noticed the danger? Sending another Discharge he happily sent the Glalie smashing into the opposite wall, fur crackling with electricity as he dared it to come for him.

((Am I the only one who noticed that there are THREE Fire Fangs going? lol))

As Aryea looked around in wonder at the snow-filled landscape, the sounds of battle didn't escape her perked ears. She wanted to help, really she did but there was no way she could see anything through such a mess of white but, heading towards the sounds, the Umbreon charged on through the bleakness, her black rings ablaze with almost a dark energy. Out of no where Aryea jumped back when in front of her there was a deep radiating darkness seeping from the claws of something, and that something was big.

Shivering a bit out of fear and the icy cold that wrapped tendrils around her heart she gulped and walked forward to see what the heck was going on. The scene she finally saw shocked her so much that she was frozen in fear. Ice type Pokemon were everywhere and not the normal kind. These ice types were dripping with frozen blood and missing all kinds of body parts. It was then that Aryea noticed that the large creature with the claws full of darkness was in fact a living and was battling his way through the deadly creatures. Narrowing her eyes, she felt she needed to do something as well and leaped into the fray to fight the first thing she saw which in this case was a Glaceon.

The creature of ice disgusted Aryea and she had to stop herself from throwing up to see one from her family so grotesque in shape and form. Just the mere thought of what was going through the undead's head filled her with an anger so great that her Psychic attack went haywire. Ripped from its bindings, a large metal trashcan from beside a building plummeted into the air, carried by the Umbreon's rage and landed with a victorious PLOP right on top of her brethren. Her eyes still alight with raging psychic energy, Aryea turned to scout out another creature to exact her rage down upon.

It was at that precise moment that Aryea located the giant Nidoking and strange canine creature attacking the Abomasnow. Her eyes widened in shock and terror but she didn't want the two Pokemon, whom she assumed to be living, to be the only ones attacking the monster. After only a few moments of deliberation, the Umbreon knew exactly what she would do and didn't hesitate a moment longer. Bounding through the snow her eyes lit up once more with a powerful Psychic energy from her years of utilizing her most cherished move and she lifted a small trashcan aimed perfectly at the creatures head. Hoping it would turn and get distracted by her, Aryea's body suddenly crackled with a bright electricity that was triggered by her Hidden Power.

(I cannot tell you how GREAT it is to be here everyone. I hope I did this post right but if not just let me know and I will change some things(:)

As she got closer and closer to the raging blizzard, she could make out a large building, with a deep trench leading away from it. Curious as to why such a trench existed, she padded to it, her mind in no rush to not enjoy the smaller details of this place. While she had no love for the snow, she was very curious about the strange things it did not manage to cover. Why was there such a deep trench here, where everywhere else had a ten foot blanket of snow on it?

Once she hopped down into the trench, something in her chest clamped with excitement. That scent... She bent down, plunging her face millimeters from the snow's surface, sniffing it madly. No... It was too faint of a scent. She couldn't tell from here, but something with fire carved this, and she was going to find out what. She raced forward, following the ghost trail, the trench leading her to the building's door. She found the doors blocked somehow, probably from within, but no matter. That could quickly change.

There was a small opening, allowing her to dig through and come into the warm interior of the broken down warehouse. Upon her first breath, her lungs were filled with the scent she had been tracking all this time, the scent of fire and darkness and adamancy. Her love, her brother.

'DANTE!'

The little demons were everywhere.

While the others seemed preoccupied with the Abomasnow, Dante couldn't help but busy himself with the smaller vermin, tackling him and trying to carve his flesh like they had to so many other victims. His large, armored frame was difficult for them, as with his evolution his hide proved to be thicker than before. He was grateful for the boost in power, but still confused as to how he even got it in the first place.

Still, trying not to distract himself with his own bodily changes, he fought hard against the swarm of Sneasel and Weavile that continued to try and undermine him and his pack. He tossed, bit, kicked, thrashed, until finally, he got tired of just trying to knock them away and unleashed the Flamethrower that had been building in the back of his throat.

Hungry flames ate whatever crossed them, searing and devouring snow and body alike. Dozens of the pack were gone in a single attack, the white inferno almost matching the snow's paleness. Charred bodies littered the snow around him, the landscape a little less flat, thanks to the melting snow from the attack. He turned, watching his pack, then looked another way to see one that he didn't recognize.

A pure white umbreon -or at least, that's what he thought it was- fighting in the blizzard with them. His first instinct was to run the intruder off, but in a battle of this magnitude, they needed all the help they could get. He really didn't want to think about the logistics of trying to feed yet another mouth, but that would come later. Hopefully, they wouldn't dwindle in numbers because of this...

Dante rushed forward, toward the Abomasnow, counting on the others to keep it preoccupied so the behemoth's back would remain unguarded. Seeing his chance, he unleashed another flamethrower straight onto the thing's back, earning a Critical Hit. Hopefully, it would just fucking die.

((Nah, Blitz, you did fine! XD Welcome to the team~))

Strix charged ahead, the others branching off beautifully to attack the smaller infected as Alice and himself stampeded towards the mighty Abomasnow, maintaining the blizzard entrapping them all. The large feline clamped onto its' arm as it flailed madly. The Nidoking let out another bellow as the dark energy around his claws peaked and made contact with the creatures chest, bones cracking under the heavy fur. The giant roared in retaliation, his other claw glowing with a white and chilling light.

Oh crap! He thought as he caught sight of the inevitable ice punch approach him, pure shock in his gaze. This is it!

Just as Strix braced for the lethal impact, something distracted the behemoth, making his swing fly wild. The Abomasnow howled in anger, lashing out at the white feline, when another fire attack seared the creatures' back. The Abomasnow crashed to the ground, its' screams and howls increasing as the blizzard began to disappear.

Strix gasped and wheezed, his large arms dangling in front of him in fatigue. But his demeanor changed as he gazed upon the howling creature. A deep and snarling laugh exploded out of him as he drew his arms close to him.

"FUCK YEAH! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA!" He roared as he bared his enormous teeth, lifting his left leg high and stomping it down as hard as he could with his whole body weight. A soundwave warped the snowy ground for an instant, before the hard rock underneath them began to open and tear up under the monsters' feet, revealing a jagged ravine. The sound of rumbling rock and frozen soil overwhelmed his senses, but he only relished it.

Too weak, motherfucker! He thought, as he watched the infected behemoth scramble, but much too late to escape the falling ground underneath him. With a howl, the Abomasnow disappeared into the gaping chasm, its' seared body nowhere to be seen. The Nidoking chuckled softly, falling to his knees and swayed back and forth in exhaustion, his eyes closed and his breath heavy. His body was spattered with now frozen blood, both his own and what remained of the Sneasel clan he had demolished. The left side of his face was dark and bruised, and the wounds underneath his shoulder armor were quickly getting the better of him.

"Clever....little...."

(He used earthquake. Not too smart, but he loves that move. He's pretty close to fainting, due to the ice weakness. He may or may not just keel over in the next round, lol. I don't know who will be able to carry him off, the huge lug)

Before Alice realized it had fully begun, it seemed like it was over. Strix and Dante were beasts of war, completely destroying the hordes of Sneasel. The Abomasnow fell too, though it took a bit more effort. Seeing Strix fall, however, Alice rushed to his side. He was still conscience, which was good. Alice was worried he had been hit too hard by the snow behemoth. He did seem injured however. He was bruised and bloodied, and was obviously exhausted. They still had the medical pack, but she didn't know if he would be able to use the supplies on his own, and none of the others had hands. Except... No, the Nidoking would never go for that.

But she had to try anyway. Hurrying back to the warehouse, she quickly went to hunting for the medical supplies. "Yon-co?" She called, needing the electric rat's hands. "How'd you like to play doctor?" She would find him after the kit. The supplies would be needed first.

((OOC: And she means that in the most innocent way possible, I swear.))

I was... alone. I was alone suddenly. In the whirling of my head and the intense ringing in my ears, the others had suddenly vanished. I pried open one eye, squinting around me in the wearhouse. "H..." Bile rose in my throat and a look of discust flashed by my features. Spitting to the side, it was only when I saw the crimson dot the ground that I realized I tasted bitter copper in my mouth. I was pretty sure that was bad. Another groan escaped me, my body gradually slouching against the wall as I slid down to lay on the floor. The world was still spinning... Surely that was also bad? All I could see was a feline shape behind my dazed eyes, a proud feminin creature that stood erect and proud, thick mane in the air with a star shaped tail waving behind her in the air...

Wait. That wasn't Hera. A groan left my barely open mouth, blood trickling down to the ground as my eyes slammed shut. I am losing my mind. Plain and simple. Who was the chick with the mane I was now seeing behind my eyes? In my near studious state, I could not tell nor give a damn. I was ready to sleep and not wake up, the aching of my body spreading lile a crazed wild fire. However, there was suddenly movement and a familiar scent drifted to me. Dark eyes snapping open, I immediately forced my body into a sitting position, angerly whiping the blood smeared on my cheek. So when Alice appeared from some new hole in the ground, I managed a cool grin back to her, my half closed eyes sure signs of my delirium, though.

At the lioness' inquiry, it took at least three seconds before I processed what she was asking with a stupid blink of my eyes. "Oh! Of... of course, Allie. Where... where exactly am I going?" With my tone near intoxicated sounding, I was not going anywhere woth real ease, but I was much too stubborn to admit my physical set backs. I flashed a determined grin at Alice, even as my body slowly rocked left and right from lack of balance. Even when I was sitting.


I watched in utter horror as my new pack of allies bravely took on the hoarde of undead. Dozens of ice types flashed out of nowhere, the undead and their glowing eyes and flashing fangs leaping and hissing from all directions. I could barely tell Strix and Alice and everyone from the attackers themselves at that point. There was even a Pokemon I had never seen before amongst the chaos- some odd white creature with dark rings and a beautiful decorative mask upon it's face... My gace widened in shock as I realized it was an almost complete negative portrayal of t dark counterpart, Umbreon.

Fear shot through me like ice, my pelt spiking as blood continued to drip beneath me into the snow. The wound was no longer being held at bay by the makeshift bandages Strix had made, but that did not keep me from fleeing. Another Dark type?! Was Lugia just laughing at me? With a whimper, I turned and fled towards the ice encrusted forest. But Lugia was indeed not smiling down upon me- a monsterous undead of a massive polar bear like Pokemon was awaiting me. Before I could cry out, one huge clawed paw already smack around, smashing into my face with enough force to send me flying through the air.

I landed yards away, blood splattered across my cheek from my mouth, my entire left side almost numb from pain. Spitting out blood, I fought to stand as I heard the ragged breathing of the undead come closer. The sounds of battle had calmed for the most part behind me, but I did not even know if my companions could hear me.

[ooc: Short post is freaking short cibjdbws]

Ciara struggled against the beast as something hit the Abomasnow from behind, and she spotted a white fox-like creature she had never seen before. But it was no matter, the Alpha needed her. She bit into its arm with her Thunder Fang, distracting it long enough for Strix to unleash his Earthquake. As the earth split beneath her Ciara jumped from her prey and landed out of range of the attack, letting it take the demon and spare their group. She took out a few more of the Sneasel that hadn't been caught up in the fight before turning back to see Hera being thrown by another ice type.

With her Alpha still recovering from his battle she knew it would be up to her to protect the Alpha Female. The blue hound was near her, keeping the thing distracted, so she found her opening. Her eyes narrowed dangerously and and she sprinted full speed towards the creature, launching herself into the air with her fangs bared in one of the only moves she had left. Her Crunch.
____________________________________

In his efforts to protect the injured female hound Raiden found himself caught in the large Nidoking's Earthquake, his body shaking uncontrollably as the ground beneath him shifted. The very ground split open beneath the Abomasnow but the cracks and crags that branched from the major split caused the ground to collapse from underneath him and the Manectric fell into the hole it created.

He wasn't fond of ground moves, and this was precisely the reason why. His weakness to the type was only heightened by the humiliation that came with being stuck in a hole. By the time he crawled his way out of it the last of the devils that followed the howling beast had been disposed of and everyone looked ready to faint. But for the first time since arriving in the town he noticed that the wind had died and the sky was clear. "The blizzard..." he mused out loud. "It's gone?"

Judging from everyone's wounds they had seen trouble before this beast showed itself so they all looked worse for wear. The small Espeon however, had found one more. Without thought he charged forwards, a loud howl warning of his approach as he slammed into the massive ice bear to knock it away from the injured feline. "Get to safety!" he called behind him, standing in front of the girl, but he didn't expect the bear to suddenly go down. There, on its back with her fangs in its throat was the Mightyena, soulless eyes staring down at her kill.

She tore at it again and again, ripping a large gaping hole into its neck until the head was barely even attached to the body any longer. It had long since stopped moving but still she went at it until finally he barked at her to stop. That's when she looked up at him, fangs still buried deep into the flesh of the undead, and those empty eyes finally triggered in his mind.

The Poochyena pup, the little female who had belonged to that sadistic Magma grunt, it was her. He remember Wattson challenging the grunt when he had stolen a truckload of Pokemon from a daycare near the city and the small pup had followed every command with those same eyes. She had been broken, a fate no Pokemon should have to suffer, and now here she was again still suffering.

When she finally pulled her fangs from the corpse of the Beartic she hacked and coughed up all of the blood she had taken in and Raiden rushed to her aid. "There, there. It's alright..." He pressed up against Ciara, letting her lean her weight on him, and he could feel how underweight she was. It was no wonder she was losing so much blood from those wounds, with her weight she was likely anemic. He nosed her gently, trying to get her to perk up, and something in her eyes flickered.


"Raiden...?"

He smiled at her right as her eyes rolled back and her body went limp. She had passed clean out in the middle of the snow, and only when she was laying down could he truly see the extent of her damage. Any wounds that had been closed by the bandages was wide open and oozing blood. Fear gripping him he quickly grabbed her scruff in his mouth and maneuvered himself under her, bumping her up onto his back and walking back to the Espeon and howling for help.

((Save the keeling over for when Sil get's back Ana, as Dante is the only one in the group bigger than and weighing more than Strix. ^_^))

The ground beneath Aryea began to shake dangerously and she found herself plummeted into a trench of snow that opened up under her feet. Electric energy snuffed out, she tried desperately to dislodge herself from the suffocating cold that piled on top of her but it was no use. Holding her breath, Aryea refused to breath in the biting cold liquid as she closed her eyes and focused her energy on the space in front of her muzzle. Soon a ball of churning dark energy rippled out into the air to clear a space for her in the snow. Jumping out of the hole, Aryea shook out her damp fur and gazed around, her muscles tensed and ready to fight the next undead that came her way.

Confusion overwhelmed her as she noted that the battle was over and won. Scanning the landscape around her, she saw a bunch of foreign Pokemon as well as a few she recognized. There was the Nidoking she noticed before, an Espeon on the ground, a Mightyena, a Manetric, and a large dark canine she had never seen of before in her life although his form triggered some old memory but she let that slide. Feeling completely out of her element and like an outsider, Aryea layed her ears flat against her head and raised her voice above the silence. "Um I could help with the injured. I'm not good with my paws but I'm pretty good with my psychic powers." Her voice was timid at first while a blush grew on her face but she shook it off and let herself shed the embarrassment she was feeling. If she was to be independent this was the first step in the right direction. Her voice took on its usually gentle tone as she introduced herself to the group. "I didn't mean to intrude but I couldn't sit by and watch the fight. My name is Aryea." Her sapphire eyes glinted in the light reflected from the snow, her rings eerily leaking their usual blue glow. Confidence was prominent in her stance as she regarded the others with a gently calm even though her heart was pounding violently in her chest. What if they didn't accept her? Where on Earth would she go?

There seemed to be others within, but they mattered not. A luxray and Raichu. She would dine on them later. The overwhelming familiarity of the musk of her brother was too exhilarating to ignore, and she followed it within. Frantically, for a moment she simply sniffed the innards of the warehouse, following his trails over the wood, dismissing the others completely. She ran around them, jumped past them, circled the building's perimeter until frustration finally gripped her, her patience gone. She approached the duo, her teeth bared in full.

"WHERE IS HE?!" she demanded of the luxray, her eyes wide with both excitement and fury. She would not be denied when she was on the cusp of success. Not when her love was so close after so long of searching. His scent carressed her once more, catching her attention and causing her to turn to a wall she'd gone past previously. However, there was one detail that had escaped her before... A hole. Without waiting for an answer from the cat, she dove in, her lithe, lean form easily able to fit into the large hole. When she emerged, had her heart been pumping, it would have stopped.

No matter how his form changed, she knew her brother. The zoroark paid no mind to the others that could prove to be a meal; no, for every other pokemon she'd tasted had been mere appetizers for her main course. He was much larger now, stronger, armored. She wondered for a moment how her teeth would crunch through his bone decorations, but the thought faded quickly. She would find a way. They both would. And then, they would be together... forever.

She lunged from her spot, bounding through the snow to him. Fuck the others. Her brother was there, and she would never let him out of her sight again.

Never.

"Dante!" she cried, her voice, for once, filled with sheer, unbridled joy. "DANTE!"

The pack looked to be in bad shape. Strix was nearly down, the dumb giant snowman taking a lot out of the guy. Hera had gone off somewhere, and probably gotten herself hurt more. Stupid girl. The rat and Alice were now inside together, Alice having gone off for Legends knew what. Dante growled to himself in irritation as he grasped the reality of the state of the pack. One of the strongest now down, it was just himself, Alice and the new manectric that was now occupied with carrying Ciara and howling for assistance. He fought the urge to tell him to shut the hell up, as he would likely just grab more undead's attention, but the umbreon from earlier approached.

She introduced herself, saying she could help with her psychic powers. Dante frowned, looking the newcomer over with a scrutinous eye, but soon dismissed his skepticism. She helped, and that was really all that mattered at the moment, fuck ulterior motives. "You wanna help more? Get the espeon, and be careful with her. She gets worse, I'm blaming you." His voice was harsh and angry as usual, but tinged with anxiety. They were too much in the open. They needed to get back in the warehouse and the other available back for carrying was fucking around with the damn rat! His frustrations built, and he went to Strix's side.

"Come on, buddy. Let's get you inside, eh?" he said cooly, hiding his nervousness. Strix -or rather, all of them- needed someone to look to. To the manectric and umbreon, he called, "Get inside!" resisting the urge to comment on the manectric's loud obnoxiousness.

Then, emerging from the hole they'd all gone through out of the warehouse, something emerged. At first, he'd thought and hoped it was Alice, but no blue shone from the creature's pelt. Red and shadow were all his eyes saw, as it immediately began bounding forward. No, not forward. It was bounding towards him. For him. Even at Strix's side, his legs were stiff and his heart began to pound in his ears. She had to have evolved. Hair now large enough to be considered a tail, her long legs carried her swiftly to him. Her eyes had changed from their familiar ice blue like his own to a deep shade of crimson. But her scent... as soon as it hit his nose, he was frozen. Even when they'd last seen each other, he scent was mingled with blood and death...

Delia...

"Dante!" she cried, her voice full of nothing but joy. "DANTE!" But he made no reaction, as his mind was so chaotic, his body could not respond. She tackled him into the snow, licking his face and rubbing against him, bloodstained talons holding him as his body trembled with fear beneath her. Even with his noewfound evolution, his obvious power over her, he was too frozen with the mixed emotions vying within him to do much else...

...but scream.

Voices were swimming in and out of his head, Dantes' and the Umbreons' words warping and fading. The whole world was moving underneath him.

"S...sorry about the earthquake...lasting longer than...it should..." He slurred, his mind foggy.
"You wanna...........the espeon, and be carefu........gets worse, I'm blaming...."
The Nidoking straightened painfully at the mention of the Espeon, forcing himself to focus.
"Wha....Hera...?" He asked the canine at his side, worry thick in his voice.
"Come on, buddy. Let's get you inside, eh?" Dante replied, looking at him with anxiety. Strix nodded weakly, squeezing his eyes shut as he slowly got to his feet.
"Dante...she safe...?" He rasped, his eyes going to the large bone dog next to him. But Dante said nothing; his eyes were locked ahead of him in pure horror.

"Dante!"
"DANTE!"
A female voice erupted from ahead of them, just as an enormous dark blur tackled the hound. Strix stumbled back, his senses overwhelmed. He shook his head, trying to clear his vision as he tried to make sense of the scene in front of him. What looked like a bloody Zoroark was lovingly snuggling Dante. The smell of death, blood and the sharp scent of fear suddenly invaded his nostrils, followed by a terrified scream from the hound.

Dante!
Without hesitation, the Nidoking leaped on the large fox, his large claws digging into her sides. With a ragged snarl, he tore her from the canine, and launched her lithe body as far as he could, falling onto his side in the deep snow with the momentum.

(OoC- permission given to launch Delia, lol. C-C-C-COMBOOOOOO! PING! I give permission for Delia to mess Strix up in all kinds of angry)

This wasn't good. Yon-co was barely strong enough to stand, and it didn't seem like her idea of having him attend to Strix would work. "We just need to wait here for Dante to get back with Strix, then you'll see what we need you to do." Maybe a little longer wait would help clear his head and keep his body steady. Something suddenly caused her hair to stand up on edge. Something was watching them.

As he whipped around, she saw a rather large Zoroark standing in the doorway. Before she could even react, however, the thing was running around the entire building, paying absolutely no attention to them. Arceus, but she's fast... Alice couldn't help but think. She stopped suddenly, however, teeth bared, and stalked towards her and Yon-co. Narrowing her eyes, Alice moved between the thing and the rat. There was something about her eyes, something that reminded her of the Absol. She didn't trust her at all. When the crazy fox asked her question, however, Alice's mind turned confused. He? Who does she mean? Strix? Dante? That new Manetric? She didn't have a chance to argue, however, when the Zoroark jumped out the hole that Alice had come through. From just outside, Alice could hear her yell just one word, twice.

"Dante! DANTE!"

Memories flooded into Alice like a waterfall. The Cabin, her busted tail, stories around the campfire. Dante's story, more specifically. "...There was a broodmate of mine, a zorua by the name of Delia..." That Zorua had gone insane... Could... Could it be? That Zoroark... "O-oh... Oh shit."