(ELITE) The SNOWPOINT Team

Her prey did not settle, much to Houndoom's delight. The furry thing rose, a snarl gurgling in her throat as her fangs rose to meet the cold, dead bones of the hellhound. Houndoom only paused long enough to notice the movement when a powerful force knocked her away once more, her gnarled fangs ripping some flesh with them. Dazed, there was only a moment she was unsteady before quickly regaining her bearings. Prey was not in her teeth. Prey was not screaming. The Silence would come back for her soon-- and that was not about to happen. She couldn't have the Silence catch back up to her. Shrieking, aiming to procure a few screams from the many warm things surrounding her, her empty sockets focused on the prey before her. The fluffy, the one who'd knocked her away.

She charged, pinning the weak pup back down into the frigid, merciless snow. Her fangs went straight for the soft, fleshy middle, ripping into the supple, velvety flesh before the prey could react. Screams, screams, screams-- they were a symphony to her ears. Her broken, shattered mind drank each moment of the echoing cries as if her soul were parched for agony. A pool of hot blood pumped out of the prey beneath her hold, sloshing about with each vain struggle to break free. But Houndoom could not see this, only smell as blood and screams filled her senses. A crimson heaven, a macabre, terrible paradise.

Houndoom churred in pure bliss, overridden by the powerful cries of pain around her. She gently clamped onto the squisky organs, gently pushing them around before her fangs found the prey's ribcage. Taking a firm hold of the bones, she pulled and played, snapping ribs out of their sockets and tossing them aside. With the cries of pain slowly dying, Houndoom shoved her muzzle into the gap she had provided by ripping robs away to gently, intimately lick the straining lungs that still frantically tried to keep their host alive. Settling down into the snow, content, she lovingly nurtured every single whimper, cry and shriek of pain she could out of her victim.

Gone.

She was gone.

Ciara had bolted out, lashing out much as he had himself against Delia, her fangs burning bright with the force of her attack in one last desperate bid to kill the demon hound. But the blind houndoom, somehow quicker in reflexes than a living being, evaded the attack and bit down on the poor mightyena's fleshy belly. Dante's eyes stared, fixated as he stood over his fallen comrade, watching the scene with a macabre, horrified fascination. Every moment of her terrified screams of pain stabbed his very soul with guilt and regret. He'd tried... He'd tried so hard to defend her, to save her... And yet... it was for nothing. All his efforts, all his risks and bravery and panic, it had been... for nothing...

...For absolutely nothing.

His eyes shifted to the blue canid, who seemed too stunned as well by the horrific scene to move. Pure, unadulterated rage filled him in an instant, and in one fluid movement, he was on the other male. His fangs bit down hard on the manectric's scruff, and using what strength he had left, swung his head and body hard around, tossing the electric mutt into the warehouse once more. Leaving Ciara to the mercy of the demon hound, her screams and wails still echoing around him, he darted back in, pushing the remnants of the stairs against the hole and began to melt the steel bits together to form a sort of patch in the wall. It was imperfect, of course, the snowy backdrop still fairly visible and Ciara's weakening cries still very audible. But it was more protection than they'd had. And that was enough.

Alice took the newbie pup with her to fetch the med kit, and so Dante glanced to the rest of their pack in turn. All hurt, wounded and broken in some form or fashion, there was no time for debate or heroism. That's what got another good pokemon killed, for fuck all. He snarled, then took the center of the room, fur bristling and fire leaping in tongues from his mouth.

"...I am not... NOT... losing another person to that thing. Everyone, you need to listen to me now, and listen good-- because this bullshit ends here. We make for the back of the building. NOW," he snarled, his voice vicious. His eyes went to Raiden, his glare as icy as the color of the orbs that held it. "And you..." His growl was more dangerous than he'd ever spoken, fangs lit with hungry fire. "If you want to throw your life away again, fine. I won't stop you. But don't you dare bring another down with you, or I'll cut you down before you take another step." He gave the cur a lasting glare before heading back to Strix as the only one strong enough to help the behemoth move. Maneuvering himself beneath Strix much as he had with Ciara earlier, he began to slowly make his way to the back.

[[PM if I need to edit, Ana. Permission to harass Raiden given by Phoe :3]]

(Urgh, please skip. Strix is just choking on blood and in severe pain, lol. Rune is following Ri around)

Alice nodded as the white Growlithe shot off in search of the medkit. She herself ran off towards the back of the building, seeing if it had been thrown out there in all of the confusion. Strix needed it, and for that reason she hunted as if she were searching for food after a week of starving. They'd lost so many already... If Strix were to die, there'd be no more hope of survival. He was so strong, between him and Dante, they were their entire fighting force. Sure, she could fight, and the blue dog seemed to be able to as well, but without those two... She shuddered to think of what would have happened to her had she not found them what seemed so long ago, back in the Ice Caves.

Ciara's screams made her shudder even more.

They were sudden, and the sound of them made her skin crawl. Tears fell freely from her face, but she couldn't force herself to stop searching. She knew if she stopped, she may not be able to continue. I'm so sorry Ciara... I'm so sorry everybody... It was too late to do anything now, too late to try anything. The screams were already dying down. It was over. Dante started barking orders, and it took her a few moments to register what he was saying. Shaking her head free of tears, she regarded Dante in a way she had not in a long time. Here stood a hound who had put through more trouble, more strife, more hell, then any other before him. And here he was, trying to keep them alive. Alice nodded to him. She stopped her search for the time being- maybe the others had found something. Dashing to the back, she joined Dante and Strix.

Ciara screamed as the Houdoom tore into her, fangs ripping open her soft middle and cracking open her ribcage to get at the more delicate organs. The feeling of a tongue sliding over ones lungs is a sensation all its own, and her pain filled wails filled the air. Pain was overriding terror now. She wasn't scared of the Houndoom or of death, no. Nothing existed but the pain. The Mightyena felt her lifeblood flowing into the snow as the Houndoom feasted, her frantic heartbeat struggling to keep her alive until, finally, it could do it no longer.

Her breath hitched as her heart took its final beat, a strange euphoria washing over her mind. Her screaming stopped and a soft smile played out over her lips, body going limp and sinking into the snow. She couldn't tell if the devil hound was still working at her, her eyes had slid shut and her mind settled into a quiet peace. So this was death? Why had she feared it for so many years? Finally a chance to let go and be free. Truly free. It wasn't frightening, it was...bliss.

_____________________________

Raiden's eyes widened in horror as he witnessed the death of the pup he had worked to protect. She didn't have a chance against the Houndoom and he was powerless to do anything about it now. Dante took advantage of his stupor and before he knew it he had been scruffed and was dragged back into the warehouse. He could still hear her screams...

"And you..." As Ciara's screams still echoed from outside Raiden realized that he hadn't even noticed Dante speaking until the hound was right in front of him. "If you want to throw your life away again, fine. I won't stop you. But don't you dare bring another down with you, or I'll cut you down before you take another step." That wasn't fair. He couldn't blame him for this! "If you had only done what I said I would be the only one at death's door right now!" he exclaimed, voice high with self guilt and anguish. "You can't blame me for you failing to keep her inside!"

But even as he spoke he realized something terrible. It had become quiet. Too quiet. Ciara's wails of pain could no longer be heard which could only mean- "No..." She was gone. Gone and there was nothing he could do about it. He had failed. But good never failed...

Where had he gone wrong?

((A reminder that no one is allowed to touch Ciara. Her death is not actually complete though her RP is. And per the Announcement about all living being dormant infected I will raise her for one post as an Undead NPC for Dante or Strix to kill immediately after. I don't really remember who we decided was going to do that, lol))

The determination in the young pup's eyes was apparent as she ran up the stairs. Her paws climbed with vigor, reaching the top of the stairs as she looked around the upper floor. Her eyes scanned the area, looking for anything white and red. She faintly heard the panting of her Sneasel partner behind her as she hit the top of the stairs too. She blocked out the bloody screams of the dogs outside, looking for the box of life. She still felt guilty about letting the poor dog die. She felt even guiltier that she was too weak to do a thing about it, either. What if that thing came after her next? What if it decided to have a side of Growlithe with it's Mightyena? No, she couldn't be thinking that, it was selfish. They were a team, and if she had to sacrifice herself... well. She didn't want to dwell on that. Life's too short to be dwelling on death, right? What comes comes....

Her brown nose sniffed around the stairs, not smelling anything but blood and rot. The blue canine ran further into the top area, and turned a corner sharply. She suddenly darted past something-- aha! There it was! Her eyes seemed to sparkle as she looked at the shiny metal box. She yelled down to the others as she scampered to it, "I found it!!" She wasted no time, grabbing the handle of the box with her sharp teeth and flew towards the stairwell. She practically glided down the stairs with speed, jumping the last two stairs and ran over to the group and placed down the med-kit. She panted, observing the yelling, bloodied Strix and the others who were in panic. The anguish in the voices of the others caused Arianna's heart to ache, and hearing the screaming of the injured and dying made her even more upset.

She turned to Rune, looking her in the eyes for a sign of normalcy and hoped to see less anger but someone to share sympathy with. Arianna could tell the cat was a newcomer as well, not so emotionally involved but cared nonetheless for these pokemon: Not familiar with these living beings, but sharing a common sadness of death. She needed at least one other to share the feeling with; it was driving her insane.

-----
(OoC: That last part was really unclear. orz Don'tjudgemeI'mreallysicklol.
I love this team so much. lol)

The screams quieted, even as Houndoom licked and probed the delicate, supple organs within her prey. Noting that soon the noise would end and the silence would catch her, she began to more feverishly obliterate the organs that were beginning to fail. She ripped at the stomach, the liver, the kidneys and intestines, but soon, nothing but the sweet sloshing of organ and blood could be heard. She moaned and whimpered, soon escalating to full-out shrieks of frustration and anxiety once her prey no longer made noise. The silence would get to her, and the other prey-things were now gone, out of her range.

Lashing and thrashing, she tossed the corpse before her and began to hunt once more for something to keep the maddening silence at bay. Fire built in her lipless maw, ready to flush something out when a scent caught her, the scent of more blood. Electric blood. Turning her head much like a bird to the direction of the scent, her lidless sockets stared blankly before her, unable to see the wounded raichu emerging from the safety of its hiding place. Houndoom did not know the reason a prey would so willingly offer itself, but niether did she care. She lunged immediately, her teeth clamping onto the plump frame easily; the wounds she'd inflicted before were still very there.

Her jaws gnawed in content, causing blood to flow and then immediately stifle it, like a dog with a toy. However, she would not let this one pass so easily. She turned away, trotting happily to some unknown, away from where the other preys were, raichu hung limply in her jaws. He was hers now, and she wouldn't allow him to escape as quickly as the others had.

((Upon speaking with the original contract holder, I have now fulfilled my contract. Enjoy your peace while it lasts.))

Dante had tried getting Strix on his back, but the other's bulky chest and arms were far more difficult to maneuver than Ciara had been. He grunted and struggled, but as he did, Raiden seemed to have found his voice. "If you had only done what I said I would be the only one at death's door right now!" his voice high with anguish and fear. Dante turned quickly to face him once more, icy eyes alight with rage. The fuck did he just say?! "You can't blame me for you failing to keep her inside!"

That was it. Placing Strix back down carefully, the houndusk lunged, grabbing the manectric's scruff with a vicious snarl once more and tossing him, the electric flung a few yards away. Before the other could recover, Dante was on him again, heavy frame pinning Raiden down. No. This asshole wasn't going to pin this all on him. NO. "Who was the one that went out there in the first place, you fuckhead?!" he snapped, fangs bared, ready to strike once more. "Who was the one that pitted himself on the line of sacrifice-- when you knew she cared?! Who was the one that nearly fucked us all over for SOMEONE ALREADY DEAD?!" The shouts echoed in the near-empty building, his control slowly ebbing away. "I told everyone to stay inside, where it was safe. I tried keeping everyone in here, but you had to be the fucking knight in shiny goddamn armor and try to rescue a fucking CORPSE!"

He got off of Raiden, fur bristling and lethal fangs still bared. "I gave nearly everything I had to save her the first time. You fucked that up by crusading out there. Why wouldn't she follow you!?" He panted a little, his emotions causing his heart to race in his still bruised chest. Some distance away, he heard the newbie pup call, "I found it!!" Dante sighed; at least there was some good news...

"If you had listened to me and stayed up there like a good fucking dog, then we wouldn't be in this mess. She'd still be alive. Don't you fucking pin that on me, dick. Her blood is on your paws. Not mine. And the next time you say so, I'll fucking gut you. You got that?" With a snort and a disgusted last glance, he turned away, leaving Raiden to his own devices. Honestly, at this point, he could care less about whether the electric dog stayed or not; Ciara was gone, either way.

As he went to pick Strix back up, he saw a small flash of yellow-- Yon-Co? He blinked, watching the raichu simply squirm through one of the holes in the wall and wander outside. Of course, his first instinct was to stop him, but reason stayed his feet and voice. He was done rescuing today. He was done failing... and surely Yon-Co had his own reasons for committing suicide. Maybe he was just delirious...? He sighed heavily, but let it roll off his back; he'd already registered the electric rat as dead anyway. Finally settling the hefty nidoking on his back, he began to once more move toward the back of the building. Hopefully, there was still something worth while in that box...

[[Permission to toss Raiden around given by Phoe :3]]

Strix snarled painfully through the blood coming up from his lungs as Dante slowly put him back down onto the concrete floor. The Nidoking hacked and wheezed in thick bloody spurts, his teeth and maw stained thick with the crimson liquid.

"Who was the one that went out there in the first place, you fuckhead?! Who was the one that pitted himself on the line of sacrifice-- when you knew she cared?! Who was the one that nearly fucked us all over for SOMEONE ALREADY DEAD?! I told everyone to stay inside, where it was safe. I tried keeping everyone in here, but you had to be the fucking knight in shiny goddamn armor and try to rescue a fucking CORPSE!"

As Dante continued his venomous speech, the Nidoking glared at the two canines through the haze of pain. The howls and screams were dying slowly, only to be replaced with the hounds' rage.
"Da-!"
"Dan-!"
The poison type choked, struggling to get to his feet. As he stood, the broken ribs shifted within his chest, cracking loudly underneath the thick hide. Strix gasped without a breath, his legs failing him as the behemoth collapsed.

__________________________________

The Sneasel frantically dashed after the Growlithe, her large eyes following the canine before lightly leaping atop some crates to get a better view. What does this thing even look like?! She thought with a whimper, the terrible cries outside unnerving the young Sneasel.

"I found it!!" The white pup piped, her high voice echoing loudly as she raced down from the second floor with a large box in her mouth. Rune leaped from the large wooden boxes, her large claws clacking on the stone floor as she landed next to the pup, who was staring at the others in shock.

Rune turned her attention to the dueling hounds, the wounded large-eared one, and the dark colored feline, all a picture of chaos, blood and insanity. "Aiya! Huaile..." She muttered under her breath, her mouth agape in incredulity. "What did we get ourselves into?"

Alice was out of tears.

The screaming had stopped. Yon-co had run out by himself. Everything was falling apart. Dante and the Manetric were fighting. Would one of them kill the other as well? How many had to die before the world was satisfied? How many had to suffer, before it would end? Alice let out a held breath when Dante stepped away from the other hound. She jumped, however, when Strix began trying to stand up. No! She thought, moving to his side. He was too injured to move around like that. He'd kill himself. She considered giving him a shock to paralyze him- for his own good, of course, but immediately dismissed the thought. He was part ground type. It wouldn't work.

Now that the medkit was found, she moved away from Strix. She had no knowledge of the contents, or any way to open the box anyways. She'd just get in the way. Moving to the window, she risked a look outside. It was difficult to see anything in the conditions, but something confused her. There was no sillhoutte or anything out there. Where'd it go? Did the thing finally leave them alone? Alice said nothing, not wanting to get the group's hopes up, however. They needed to tend to the wounded first.

Hera slowly blinked her good eye open, the haze in her mind slowly clearing to reveal the world around her. Had she...had she blacked out? She vaguely recalled freaking out before, her powers going absolutely nuts, Strix...oh Arceus Strix! She had hit him with her attack! And Yon-co! Everything came slamming back into place in her mind at the realization and the Espeon was up on her feet, rushing to the edge of the platform only to find the stairs missing. How the hell was she going to get down?

Looking around frantically Hera struggled to focus, vaguely aware of how quiet it was downstairs now. 'No! Please let them be okay! Oh please, please let everyone be okay!' She had said such thoughtless things to Yon-co, to Strix, to everyone before she blacked out. And who knew how many had been injured or even killed because of her thoughtlessness. No. No she couldn't think like that. Everyone had to be okay...they just had to be. It couldn't be her fault, not again.

________________________

Dante once again tossed him aside like so much trash and before he could recover the hound was on him. "I told everyone to stay inside, where it was safe. I tried keeping everyone in here, but you had to be the fucking knight in shiny goddamn armor and try to rescue a fucking CORPSE!" Corpse? He hadn't done it for Yon-co, he knew the Raichu was a goner. He had done it for them! "I did it so that you had a diversion to buy time to escape!" he tried to defend, but Dante kept pressing the issue.

"If you had listened to me and stayed up there like a good fucking dog, then we wouldn't be in this mess. She'd still be alive. Don't you fucking pin that on me, dick. Her blood is on your paws. Not mine. And the next time you say so, I'll fucking gut you. You got that?"

Like a good dog? Like a good dog? The fuck?! Who did this fool think he was? He wasn't leading these Pokemon to salvation he was leading them to their deaths yet he still had the nerve to pin it on him? Raiden growled low in his throat as Dante walked away, putting on a superior air as though he had done nothing wrong. "If I am guilty then you are doubly so. I wouldn't have failed had you done what you were supposed to. She would have been spared and you all would be miles from here while the Houndoom kept me as her toy. You fucked up on your end so don't you dare pin it all on me."

Raiden had never been so angry in his life. Never had such dark thoughts run through his mind like they did with this skeletal hound. He stood up proudly, chest pushed out as he looked down his muzzle to the dark canine who dared walk away from his own failures like they didn't happen. But even as he contemplated attacking Dante the smell of blood assaulted his nose, filling the room with the scent of death and tears. Turning his head towards the hole his eyes went wide at what he saw. "Ci...Ciara?"

There, leaning against the wall, was the Mightyena they were fighting over. Her body was split open from the Houndoom, organs hanging loosely as her ribcage barely had enough support left to keep them inside. Her eyes were red yet glossed over, much the same way they had been when he ran into her as a pup and again with this group. Had she been infected? When? How? She had shown no signs other than her injuries in the time he had spent with her and the group.

She took a step towards the group and one of her lungs fell through the broken bones meant to contain it, the organ dangling like some sort of macabre piñata. Raiden backed away in horror until his hind legs touched the wall, staring wide-eyed at the female he had struggled and failed to protect look upon the group in morbid hunger.

"Alpha..."

((Hera is back but currently separated from the group, I will bring her down to the others next round just in time to witness Ciara die. Again. Sil you know what to do.))

"Da-!"
"Dan-!"

Dante flinched as his icy gaze once more fell upon Strix, the nidoking struggling to speak and stand. Quickly, he trotted back to his side, offering his strong back for support, worry once more filling him. He couldn't lose any more of this pack... especially not Strix. Guilt racked him for a moment-- he should have been getting Strix to the others rather than arguing with an electric brick wall. Scolding himself inwardly, he began getting his shoulder beneath Strix's wanting to help him up. "I'm sorry, buddy, I'm sorry-- I'm right here," he whispered, wanting to soothe Strix's obvious plight of mind. "We'll get you back up to par, ok?" He flinched as his legs gave a shudder, kindly reminding him that he himself had been on his own death bed not a few hours ago. Well... that could wait.

However, it seemed that Raiden hadn't had his fill just yet. "If I am guilty then you are doubly so." Dante paused, his anger bubbling back to the surface. "I wouldn't have failed had you done what you were supposed to. She would have been spared and you all would be miles from here while the Houndoom kept me as her toy. You fucked up on your end so don't you dare pin it all on me."

"You know," Dante began carefully, grunting slightly as he continued to try and get Strix onto his back, "instead of barking and bitching about how you're trying to skate the blame over to my side, how about you be useful -for once- and actually fucking help someone." The last words were said with a stern snap and a glare tossed over his shoulder. However, the manectric's expression had changed dramatically, his eyes wide with terror as he backed away slowly.

"Ci...Ciara?"

More alarmed than confused, he turned to where he was staring, finding the morbid sight as well. A mightyena, with Ciara's same wounds, dragging her loosened organs in a bloodied trail beneath her stood, wavering, bright scarlet eyes full of an absent hunger. Dante's face slackened, mouth becoming agape as he watched her slowly advance toward them, questions whirling in his mind. When had she been infected? And... did that mean he was as well...? Removing himself from slightly beneath Strix once more, Dante's gaze flicked from his wounded comrade to Raiden. Strix was barely able to breathe, much less fight, and the self-righteous prick was too shocked and frightened to do much else other than stare."Raiden--" he spoke softly, not wanting to truly catch Ciara's attention. "Raiden, do something...!"

But as Ciara began to move forward toward Raiden once more, Dante knew what had to be done-- what he had to do. That bastard wasn't going to do anything, no. Besides, it felt wrong if Raiden did finish her off; Ciara had been his own packmate, his own responsibility since she first showed up shivering outside the cabin door. A small thought flashed by in his mind, pondering if she'd never sought their help -his help- then maybe she'd still be alive... Maybe she'd still be searching for something...? But the question was dismissed as quickly as it'd formed. It was obvious now that she was infected the entire time, and so she'd have ended up falling to it eventually. Only now, she has someone to relieve her of such a purgatory. Exhaling a sharp breath, Dante made his move.

A quick lunge caught her off guard, his faster, heavier form knocking hers quickly to the floor. She was weak; the Houndoom had done quite a number on her, and it was easy to pin her to the ground. His heavy paws kept her from struggling too much, most of her flailing coming from her head and jaws. They snapped hungrily up at him, her eyes wide with yearning. As he stared down at her, his face revealed the void of emotion that settled upon him. This wasn't Ciara anymore. This thing was nothing more than her own animated corpse, mindlessly seeking meat. He'd seen living turn before, he'd seen the freshly dead rise again... but never had they been pokemon he'd personally known or looked after. To see one of his own turn into something like this...

It made no difference. She was already dead, and so dealing with this second-rate doppelganger was little more than swatting flies. He took his free heavy paw, and in a single motion, pinned down her skull, backing it with the rest of his weight. The skull beneath his paw splintered and collapsed, stilling her movements completely. The red eyes, still blank, stared away from him into nothing. He let out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding, releasing something unknown from his mind. It was done. She was gone. He lowered his head to her ear, his nose barely above the fine hairs, and with a voice barely audible to even himself, whispered, "...I'm sorry... I... couldn't do more..."

He closed his eyes and then moved off of her, straight back to Strix. "If you want to do something for her," he began softly, his voice lacking any venom from before, "you could bury her. She deserves at least that much." He maneuvered himself once more under Strix, finally managing to get the behemoth on his back. "...I have living to take care of... I can't tend to the dead." With that, he made his way toward where the others were, hoping that there was something... anything... to help Strix.


-----------------

Slitted eyes watched from the shadows as the events unfolded like a badly-written play. Well... perhaps "badly written" wasn't as accurate a description as "predictable" was. He'd seen most of the production, from the initial shouting that had woken him up to now. They'd bickered, they'd argued, and then, they got mercilessly attacked by wave after wave of enemies... only to lose two of their precious numbers. It was touching how dedicated these pokemon were to each other, even if this observer could tell most of them hadn't known each other for the better part of the day.

The persian dwelling deep in the shadows gave a small yawn as the excitement started to die back down, his seat in the rafters growing a little too cramped. He hadn't moved during the fights, not wanting to get involved in a battle that needn't concern him. Stretching on his precarious perch, his smug smirk never leaving him, he decided that perhaps was the time to finally introduce himself and kindly let these bloodied squatters know that they had actually trespassed. Of course, he would be a gracious host-- he'd let them sleep off some wounds before sending on their way. Anything else would just be rude.

Delicate paws and perfectly timed jumps led him down from his safety nest, finding his way to the broken upper floor. He glanced at the utterly destroyed staircase, clicking his tongue lightly in feigned dismay. "...Cretins..." he admonished lightly, his voice barely over a mutter. Trotting toward the less bloody group, consisting of a sneasel, luxray and snow white growlithe. However, he paused as he spotted the marred espeon, head tilting in confusion. He'd lost track of her while he'd been watching, assuming her dead when the previous round of drama occurred. He gave a light chuckle, stepping forward slightly.

"You've had a busy day, eh?" he purred, tail flicking absently behind him. "Sorry to just suddenly appear... Hera, was it?" He grinned a little, stepping a little closer. "Oh don't worry-- I'm not going to hurt you. If you're looking for your compatriots, they're over in the back." He waved in the general direction of where the Less Bloody group was. "I think they're looking for you."


[[PM me if I need to change anything
Edited to include Sylus' first post, as he was approved like... a few hours after posting lol]]

"I'm sorry, buddy, I'm sorry-- I'm right here. We'll get you back up to par, ok?"
Strix listened to the canines' argue with each other, enraged frustration growing in his chest as he leaned against the hounds back, his windpipe opening up just enough for some air to wheeze into his punctured lungs. The Nidoking bared his bloodied jowls at the two of them, his legs wobbling and his breath coming out in wet chokes and wheezes.
What are they DOING!?
The fucking idiots! She's dead!
That thing is still out there! We need to get out while we can!
Why are they bickering like little bitches NOW!?
Dante nudged him, urging him to climb on his back. But Strix could only stare beyond them as the hound continued to grumble, his breathing going silent as his eyes met the macabre thing dragging itself into the warehouse.
No...No not this...

"Alpha..."

He suddenly felt Dante move from under his arms, making the Nidoking slump onto his knees. The behemoth could feel the shattered bones shifting and digging into his lungs, making him shudder and freeze in place with pain. His mouth opened, but the poison type swallowed the scream that threatened to explode out of him, the only sound escaping him a whimpering gurgle as thick chunks of black flesh and dark blood began to flow from his mouth.

"Raiden--! Raiden, do something...!" Dante hissed, slowly moving towards the disemboweled canine. Strix watched helplessly, witholding agonized screaming as the horned dog launched himself at what was once Ciara, the husk of their friend snapping at him hungrily in an empty and terrifying desire to feed.
Oh god Dante, just finish it! He grimaced, closing his eyes against the gut-wrenching sight. The empty growls and guttural sounds coming from the undead Mightyena seemed to stretch out forever before the sound of a wet crunch echoed loudly through the warehouse, followed by an equally terrible silence.

"If you want to do something for her, you could bury her. She deserves at least that much." Dante said without emotion, padding to the Nidoking and offering his back as support once more. Strix frantically fell on the hound, relief from the suffocating pain once more flooding him as Dante helped him up.
"Arruurrghh..." He groaned, closing his eyes tightly as he struggled to stay conscious. "...I have living to take care of... I can't tend to the dead." Strix held onto the canine tightly, every shifting movement making him want to cry out.

(Leaving out Runes' post for now, I need a little more to work with, and I wasn't sure exactly where the Persian was lol)

The rage in the room was building. Tension ran so thick Alice could swear she would cut through it if she swiped her claws forward. If the Manetric and Dante kept going at it, their argument would come to blows soon. They didn't need another corpse. She should intervene. Stepping forward, Alice prepared to do just that. And stopped.

Something was wrong.

Both sides had suddenly stopped talking. A powerful stench filled the room, making the walls feel like they were closing in around her. What the hell is that? She thought panickedly. Whipping around, she saw what they saw, and nearly screamed. Oh no. Oh God, no. Not this. Ironically, at that exact moment, Alice wished for nothing more than for her friend to be dead. To stay dead. And yet, here she was. Ciara stood, Undead, nearby, still carrying the wounds that had killed her. Dante saw to her quickly, but Alice couldn't watch. She turned her head quickly, fighting the urge to vomit. Strix seemed to be moving- tentatively, at least, but Alice's mind kept focusing on Ciara. Why... Why is it always us? Padding softly over the the Electric Hound, she thought about what Dante said about a burial. "I... I'll help you do it, if you'd like." After all that had happened, Alice wasn't sure how close she and Ciara had been in life. But now, after seeing what she saw, she suddenly felt like they were the best of friends. And it hurt her.

"...Cretins..."

Hera twitched at the strange new voice, turning her head slowly as she prayed that it wasn't another enemy. She had to find Strix, find everyone she had hurt and make sure they were okay, she couldn't afford another fight. She witnessed a smug Persian making his way towards Alice and thanked any deity that would listen that she was okay with the Sneasel and Growlithe. But when his eyes looked to her she visibly flinched, hoping that look didn't mean he was going to hurt them.

"You've had a busy day, eh?" he stated smoothly, voice coming out in a purr. "Sorry to just suddenly appear... Hera, was it?" As he came closer to her the Espeon couldn't help but widen her good eye in alarm, his smug grin causing waves of discomfort to roll down her spine. "Oh don't worry-- I'm not going to hurt you. If you're looking for your compatriots, they're over in the back. I think they're looking for you."

Hey eye shot frantically from his aimed paw and his face judging for any sign of deceit or trickery before her gaze locked in the direction he pointed. Without a word of thanks she shot into the darkness and prayed that when she got there everyone would be alright.

_____________________

"Raiden--Raiden, do something...!"

But he was frozen. That small pup was torn up from a vicious assault, driven to a need that wasn't her own, and while he wanted to put her out of her misery he couldn't bring himself to move against her. She looked so sad...how could he hurt her when she looked like she was about to cry? Instead he could only hang his head and whimper, the weight of reality crashing on top of him bringing his firm posture slowly into a hunch.

He recognized the sound of the bone armor hitting the ground as Dante moved, the skeletal pads on his feet sounding to Raiden like heavy drum beats as he marched towards Ciara's death. The poor child...he'd been able to do nothing for her. Even as a pup when he tried to help her she had been taken. Taken by to a life of hell and forced to serve until she was no longer of use. It was all his fault...Dante had been right.

The wet snap echoed in the empty warehouse, the heavy thud of Ciara's body hitting the ground dropping his heart in time. He didn't dare look up at the boney mask as it approached him, the smell of Ciara's blood wafting along with him. "If you want to do something for her, you could bury her. She deserves at least that much."His voice was soften than before, almost sympathetic as Raiden felt his gaze. "...I have living to take care of... I can't tend to the dead."

At that moment did he finally look up only to have his eyes witness the terrified and shocked expression of the Espeon from before. She stared at Dante as he walked away and moved under Strix before a horrified scream finally emerged from her mouth. "Dante...no...w-why? WHY?! What have you done?!

She knew not to trust dark types. She knew, and still she allowed one to kill one of his own. And no one seemed to care! What had Ciara done to be so viciously mauled by their so called leader? Why...?

(please skip me, I needa read up more on Ari before I post)

Yeah, Strix was a lot heavier than he'd thought.

Half-carrying, half-dragging the giant nidoking was something that Dante had assumed he could do, and now he was eating his own pride. His legs trembled with effort beneath him as they struggled to carry them both, threatening to give way with each step. Dante paid no heed to Raiden's silence or Alice's quiet offer to help bury Ciara-- no, all his focus went to his precarious strides and his precious, fragile cargo.

Until Hera's cry caught his ears.

"Dante...no...w-why? WHY?! What have you done?!

He didn't pause-- he couldn't. If he lost momentum now, he could just simply collapse and not be able to get back up. He turned his head slightly, as much as Strix's limp form would allow, and grunted. "...What... did you expect?" he strained, continuing his trek. "She turned... I... had to..." Breathing heavily, he continued on, lugging the poor bastard on him toward safety.

Sylus frowned slightly as Hera wordlessly took the direction of his paw and fled. Well... that was rude. He stood and followed her slowly, airily as the others regrouped. It seemed that this little tribe was full of nothing but blood and drama, which served as a grand theatre. Still... as he mulled over the other players, something struck him as... wrong.

They all had their roles. Strix, the wounded dutiful soldier; Alice, the strong-headed female lead; Hera, the shy, timid, doubful maiden; Raiden, the martyr; Rune and Arianna as the spunky, more innocent girls... and then their leader... He'd heard his name often enough, what with everyone screaming it nearly every minute... But the host of that name was something familiar, something he'd need to inspect closer. He'd known another by that name, another that had looked eerily similar... Casually jumping down and finding a closer perch in which to observe, he saw the slow-moving bulk in more detail. The persian's eyes widened, his fur began to stand on end.

...Dante.

Those bright blue eyes, that weird scruff on his chin... Even with the strange mutation, Sylus knew that cur anywhere. How that mangy mutt managed such a feat as mutating or even evolving was beyond him, but it didn't matter. That flea-bitten degenerate had robbed him of everything he'd held dear, and here he was going to pay. But no-- they'd already had a rough day. He didn't intend on fighting the beast... Outnumbered, even with half those numbers mostly beaten to death, Sylus knew that he was still no match for the hellhound. No. He'd have to play differently. Taking advantage of the fact that Dante was otherwise very focused on getting the bloodied behemoth to the safety of the interior warehouse, he slinked by to greet the others.

"...Perhaps I can be of help?" he offered, spotting the frightened little espeon again.

"Dante...no...w-why? WHY?! What have you done?!"
Dante kept moving, despite the screeching Espeon, horrified by the scene she apparently  just walked in on.
Strix' head rolled to the side limply as his large jaws dripped blood across the floor as they inched their way towards the other room. His gaze was hazy, but full of agony as they fell on the scarred eeveelution. 
Hera...why...!? Why, Hera!?...
I loved you...I loved you...
Why...!?

"...What... did you expect?"he strained, continuing his trek. "She turned... I... had to..."
Strix cried out weakly in sorrow and pain, his gutteral, mournful bellow thick with blood. The Nidokings' mind was spinning in a vicious red, all pounding with the screams of those around him. 

So much blood...
So much blood...

___________________________________


She watched in horror as Dante killed the canine that had been with them not minutes before, defying the large Nidoking. Her dead eyes and empty voice still echoed in the females' head, even after she lay there, still and completely dead. 

...Just like mother and father...
Her eyes glazed over and her ears flattened against her skull as her thoughts grew dark.
But the bellow of the large purple beast on Dantes' back snapped her from it, her eyes once again growing wide and innocent. 


The Sneasel bounded forward, her large claws clicking against the concrete as she approached the enormous canine in dazed shock.
"Wh-what do you need?!"  She shouted at Dante, her eyes wide with fear and worry. 
"She found the box!"  The Sneasel said excitedly, her large claw pointing at the white pup behind them.
"I-is he gonna be okay? He will be, right?"  She asked, her words coming out in a jumble. She kept her eyes glued to the living before her, unable to even look at the dead thing in the corner without wanting to cry.

(OH MY FUCKING GOD. I HATE THIS FORMATTING SHIT.)

Raiden was at a complete loss. His heart was still split into two from being unable to help Ciara and knowing that he had failed to bring her peace, yet here was another soul still craving help and he wasn't doing anything. He just...wasn't. Dante moved back to help Strix as another stranger came onto the scene, a Persian whose eyes looked strangely angry as they gazed over the dark canine, but Raiden had to dismiss it. Dante had been right, Ciara needed at least a proper burial and after failing her in life he was not going to do it again.

"I'll..." he choked out, voice hoarse from swallowing back his tears rather than shedding them, "I'll take her outside..." Carefully he pushed himself under the broken body of the female he had known as a pup. Her organs fell heavy against his sides and the Manectric had to fight back the urge to vomit as her large intestine slid out and hit the ground with a wet smack. "I'll try to be back soon." He didn't want to leave them for too long but Ciara needed him more.

As the blue wolf trudged through the snow he tried to find the perfect place to leave the battered female to rest. He finally came across this small grove in the trees that surrounded the town that opened into a little clearing. In the center was a new tree, barely older than a sapling, and he knew he had found it. Laying the Mightyena down gently he began to work at digging, the cold ground harsh and tearing at his paws causing his blood to mix with the snow forming a halo of pink around the site. It would take him hours to dig a deep enough hole for the Undead to not ravage but this was all for Ciara.

He would not fail her again.

((Raiden may not be back until after another round. Digging is going to take a while))

As Dante trudged, his body complaining more and more with each burdened step he took, he barely noticed the clicking of claws racing to him, quickly gaining on his position. So, it came as more than a mild surprise when the little sneasel -whose name he was still fairly sure he hadn't gotten- slid straight in front of him. She looked to him, eyes wide and dazed with the past events, looking about how much as he felt. He started a little, nearly tripping since he was in mid stride, but managed to keep going as the little dark-type frantically bombarded words at him.

"Wh-what do you need?!" Dante only managed to glance down and stutter a moment.

"Uh--"

"She found the box!"

"Goo--"

"I-is he gonna be okay? He will be, right?"

"...I don't... know," he grunted out, pressing on past the terrified kid. He could finally see his destination; a pile of discarded cardboard and cloth lay at the end, with empty cans of gasoline piled near it. He guessed that whatever had tried staying here had about as much luck as they had, and was ready to torch the place. A quick glance to the side told him as much-- a smear of blackened blood was a small reminder of whatever forgotten victims had perished here. But it didn't matter, of course; they were dead and he and his pack were still alive. Sort of.

Upon reaching the pile of soft, he paused, leaning slightly and hoping that he wouldn't fall as well, trying to make the passage from back to squishy a little easier on his passenger. "...Here we go, big guy..." he grunted, feeling his legs shake violently beneath him from the strain. "We made it..."

Sylus frowned as he was blatantly ignored, his tail flicking with irritation near the floor. Cretins. He graciously offers help in a time of such dire need, and they don't even acknowledge his entrance. Figured that cur's manners rubbed off on his little underlings... Glancing around toward the others, pondering on which path would bring him the most intrigue, his eyes settled on the fellow cats in the room. Perhaps they would provide some sort of entertainment? Tail flicking upward to arch above his back, his interest was renewed in the females, despite the espeon being a scared little chicken during their first exchange. "I see you've gone through quite the day..." he purred, then glanced over to the now disappeared corpse and manectric. His expression fell some, and he turned back to the girls. "So sorry for your loss..." His tone fell as well, the amusement gone from his words. "I can't imagine the grief you must feel."

(skip me, cuz I want to give some attention to the new characters and such. Just say Strix fell into unconsciousness before Dante even had the chance to put him down, so Dante should now have no problem plopping him down without Strix tearing his head off, lol. Rune is watching anxiously with the med box in claw)

"I'll...I'll take her outside..." the large feline watched the Manectric carefully as he nudged himself under the body to pick it up. Her eyes were a mixture of heartache and concern, golden eyes steady on the electric-type as he carried the carcass on his back, it's organs slipping out with sounds that only made Alice nauseous. "I'll try to be back soon." the Luxray gave a nod, turning away from the sight as her paws trembled. Maybe I should go help him...? She shook her head, gritting her teeth to fight back the bile that threatened to spill from her jaws. The longer she thought of the Mightyena's still frame, the more she wanted to vomit--her eyes beginning to prick with tears as she held back the hurricane forming inside her. Instead, the lionness took a few tentative steps towards the Houndusk, before beginning to follow him and the wounded Nidoking. The Sneasel too had rushed towards Dante, her high voice squeaking out panicked questions.

"I-is he gonna be okay? He will be, right?" she looked towards the female, before her gaze drifted to the fire-type. "...I don't... know," Alice frowned. That's what she feared. Her movements became stiff--almost mechanical as her mind immediately jumped to the worst possible conclusion. What if Strix died too? The Luxray closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath to calm herself. No. He will not die. Nobody else will die. Everything will be okay. She looked back to the other females, attempting a reassuring smile on her lips. "Everything...will be okay." she mumbled gently, exhaling the breath that she didn't realizing she held before loosening her muscles. "I see you've gone through quite the day..." the feline's head snapped towards the Persian, raising a brow at the stranger. "So sorry for your loss...I can't imagine the grief you must feel."

She wasn't quite sure what she should've said in response, instead only offering a small nod. "Who are you?" her voice was quiet, a little hushed as she inquired about the feline's identity. "...My name's Alice."

( Good to be on the team! Sorry if I mess Alice's character up a little, still trying to get a little used to her. |D I changed her text color to #FFC469 since the color I had originally picked out for her was very similar to Rune's. xD;; )

Well now how in the heck did she get here? Adara's new form sailed gracefully in the sky but as she looked around all she could see was snow. How did she get back to the lake? She hadn't gone far...but maybe she went the wrong way? Oh everything looked so different from way up here. Whimpering lightly the female wished she had payed more attention while Kaiden ran for Mastema, then she would still be with her brother and have gotten to see her old friend. And she missed Rufus. And Famaer. And Seymour. The others she hadn't gotten to know very well but she did miss the lost opportunities to make friends with them all.

Oh for the love of...why in the heck was she still up here?!

Settling on landing to try and get her bearings the new Aiveon soon realized that while flying had been forced to come on instinct, or else she would have died from the fall, she had no idea how to land. So technically she crashed. Going face first into a snowbank Adara had to push with her back legs to get her head unstuck, popping out with a yelp and rolling backwards. Standing up she shook her head and tried to rid herself of the wet snow clinging to her soft fur and wings, only to have a large clump of snow fall off a tree branch above her head and onto her. Wasn't this how Fam found her?

Giggling softly to herself the female put on a happy smile and dug herself out of her new burial mound, realizing for the first time she was tall enough to not sink in the white depths. "Cool!" she remarked, not noticing the volume of her voice as it echoed through the trees behind her. A rustling sound caught her attention and the Aiveon went on alert, creeping around to try and find out what might be behind her. Expecting an enemy she was instead startled to find a rather sad scene, what looked like a beaten Manectric burying another canine. Poor guy...

"Hey, you okay?" she offered, the blue canid going tense at her voice from behind him. For a brief second Adara realized that it was stupid to call out to someone she didn't know but the Undead wouldn't bury someone, right? They would just eat them. Convinced of her argument she continued to step forward anyway. "Need any help?" Pain filled eyes turned to her before going downcast to the ground, paws once again scooping at the ground. "No..." Adara's shoulders and expression fell. She didn't like seeing others sad. "If you're sure..."

"Warehouse."
"Huh?"

Adara was confused by the strange utterance and turned back around to see if she could get more out of him. "Go to the warehouse... There is shelter, survivors...they can help you." He sounded so sad and broken that Adara didn't want to leave him there but several more minutes of silence proved she would be getting nothing else from the electric dog. "Thanks," she offered, only getting a short huff and the sound of more digging as her reply.

Taking to the air the small female tried to figure out where exactly the Manectric had been talking about. Warehouse, that was sooo helpful. There were a ton of them! Settling down on the roof of one Adara peered over the edge and saw a large hole with blood splatters all over the ground surrounding it. Oh...she might have just landed on the right one. Neat. Looking around the Aiveon spotted a small hatch propped open by a metal hinge and squeezed her head inside to look around. There were other Pokemon in there! She could see some of them were badly hurt too...maybe they wanted help!

"Helloooo~" she called sweetly, putting on her friendliest smile. "May I come in? I might be able to help. No offense but you guys don't look so good."

((And cue the overly friendly Adara! You guys are gonna loooove her. Love her to the point of wanting to smother her in her sleep lol))

They didn't know he was even there. A shadow, like he wanted to be most of the time. The little white dog had been his cover, he had hid in her shadow ever since she hurriedly passed him while on her way here. The Phanteon thought she was a nice little girl, level-headed. But now he sat on the top level of the warehouse, looking down over the group while cloaked by the shadows of the storage boxes. He had merged into these shadows when the little one ran up here with her friend. He felt kind of guilty, not revealing himself to this ragtag group after realizing they needed help. But what could he do? He only hurt others, not helped them.

A lump formed in his throat. Was he seriously considering going down to help these pokemon? His body faintly materialized, still half translucent. Neon blue eyes pierced the shadows, becoming blaringly obvious. They didn't even notice. The large purple one seemed badly injured, and the Mightyena dead. Catalyst's skin prickled, seeing more blood. He had avoided looking at the two before because of it. It's as if he already knew these pokemon.

One left with their dead teammate; he took this chance. His body slunk, crouched down as he made his way to the stairs. His heart was racing now. What if they attacked him? Would he be subject to killing them? What if they didn't like him? He surely wouldn't tell them that he had been spying on them.

Catalyst felt his limbs cramp. Arceus.... I don't think I could do this yet.... His large paws shuffled, stopping. His head started to hurt, guilt setting in. I can't do this. I can't go waltzing into some group of strangers. He stopped right on the top stair. Really now, you dipshit? Are you so afraid of these moronic ruffians that you have to cower away like some girl? You should know better, you asshole. A murderer like you shouldn't be scared of jack shit. The Phanteon felt his chest tighten, his next breath was a short gasp. "N-No!" he very weakly muttered under his breath. He fought back tears from hearing the shrill reprimand of his father. His expression softened, hearing a sweeter voice instead.

"Helloooo~ May I come in? I might be able to help. No offense but you guys don't look so good."

It sounded almost like his mother-- his mother. He pushed that thought away immediately. He reluctantly steeled up, obeying his father's command. Turquoise eyes scanned the scene, and his form jolted slightly as he saw eyes as blue as his looking right at him. "Hey! You! Mister uh... fluffy ears! Whatcha doin' up there?" It was the little white pup. He scrambled, his body taking this perfect moment to seize up and not work properly. Well, here goes nothing. He sat up straight, his demeanor and tone calm. "Hello."




A mortified expression was splayed on her face. She looked away, hearing the feral screaming of what was Ciara as it was being killed by Dante. Arianna shuddered slightly, her body aching from the adrenaline. She was near ready to pass out, it was too much for her. She shut her eyes closed as she heard Raiden speak.

"I'll take her outside... I'll try to be back soon."

Arianna continued to tremble, blocking out pretty much everything everyone was saying, enveloped in her own sad thoughts. She looked at her paws, feeling tears well in her eyes and warp her vision. What Alice said spoke out to her.

"Everything...will be okay."

Arianna felt a glimmer of hope, her optimistic attitude coming through. She believed that Alice truly didn't know how much that helped. Arianna forced a smile onto her face, and she looked up.

"Helloooo~ May I come in? I might be able to help. No offense but you guys don't look so good."

Arianna's grin grew. "Hiya! Come on in!" she started cheerily, "We sure do need some help~ Ya ever been to these parts?" she looked around, almost refreshed. She was surprisingly happy. Suddenly, she heard a whimper.
"N-No!"
She turned to look, her eyes settled on a black form at the top of the stairs. She watched it for a moment, and it seemed to gather itself. She looked at him until his eyes met hers. He nearly jumped out of his skin. Arianna grinned, her tail wagging.
"Hey! You! Mister uh... fluffy ears! Whatcha doin' up there?" He responded curtly, but not unfriendly.
"Hello." Arianna continued to smile, and she stood up and faced him.
"Well? Whatcha doin' up there, silly? C'mon down here, we're all friends!~" She didn't think to consider what the others thought, but he looked like the kind who needed help. He hesitated, but then slowly walked down the stairs.

(OoC: I made their posts seperate for the sake of introduction. Iunno if I'll continue to separate 'em but here we are~ By the way, the dark yellow text is his consciousness. His father talking as conscience. Just to clear that up; it's in his head.)

The cold wind beat on the black fur of the small fox as he trudged through the deep snow, though it felt more like he was hopping through. The snow going up almost past his ears, obscuring his vision. He had to look up past the snow before he made his next step, or he may find himself bumping into a tree, bush, or something unfriendly.
“This snow will be the death of me. I just know it.” He complained as he took another step. He still didn’t know how in the name of Ho-oh he ended up here. One moment he was in the lush green of the Safari Zone, next, he was in a winter wonderland, only it felt more like a winter hell in the eyes of the young Zorua.
Kide soon found himself going face first into a deeper pile of the white powder. “Oh for the love of!” He shouted, hopping up as he tried to get himself out of the snow. He could just barely see over the top when he hopped, still surrounded by the trees. He could make out the form of houses in the distance, though he wouldn’t be able to confirm if what he was seeing is himself hallucinating, or if it was really there. First thing though, he had to get out of this snow pit.

Kide’s back legs where starting to feel sore and a little numb from all the jumping in his attempts to escape the trap hole he had found himself in before he finally managed to get a good hold on something and pulled himself out. He took in gasps of breath as he sat there panting for a few minutes before sinking again. He let out a groan as an irritated expression crossed his face.
Kide jumped once more towards what he believed to be Snowpoint City, the city in the region that his trainer had talked to him about. A place where she wanted to go to get one of the many badges around the world. Why did she want to go to such a cold place? Though living in Mahogany Town, home to another Ice type gym, he guessed that it was only natural that she would want to go to a gym that reminded her of home.
He let out a small sneeze, praying that he wasn’t starting to catch a cold. That would be really terrible. Though it didn’t take long before the snow started getting more shallow and he could finally walk, not hop every step he took.

The place he had ended up was truly the city of Snowpoint, and that he had somehow made his way into the frozen city with the ice gym. Or, on it’s outskirts anyway.
To his left was the frozen city of Snowpoint, broken and covered in snow, and to his right where the warehouses, still standing, but just barely. He didn’t know where he should go, or if there where even others in this forgotten city. He wanted to call out, but he bit his tongue, he didn’t wish to attract the attention of unwanted company.
Taking a deep breath before exhaling, his breath coming out in a misty cloud before jumping into the air and using his illusionary skill to make himself appear as a Houndoom. He knew the fire dog wasn’t all that intimidating to many pokemon, but it was the best thing he could think of on the spot. “If there are others here, I hope there not violent.” He said to himself as he ventured forth into the city.