(ELITE) The SNOWPOINT Team

Molasses yawned, taking out an Oran berry and quickly toasting it with a Fire Punch, before promptly eating it. Mm... The delectable taste was just perfect. The ripe berry after being frozen in ice for just a single night, had been perfected when cooked at the right moment (which was right now). "Gah..."

"Maybe if we figure out where we all got into this place, we can find out where we can get out." The Houndoom spoke to the large group, before speaking directly towards Molasses. "How about you?"

"Huh?" What are we talking about?... it took about a minute or two for the Munchlax to remember that they were talking about escaping the place. "Oh, I came from the entrance that lead to Blackthorn City. It's blocked out from an icicle fall, though." The Big Eater Pokemon placed an arm behind his head in embarrassment. "And sure, I'll go in a group until we get outta here."

Strix nodded, agreeing with the Houndoom.
After hearing what the Munchkin had to say, the Nidoking growled in annoyance.
"Dammit, I needed to get down to New Bark..." he grunted as he continued.

"Well, I came in from the other way, from what the humans called Mahogany town...it's pretty screwed up now. Not much left." Strix shrugged, grabbing a few berries.
These are okay for now, but I'll need some REAL sustenance soon...he thought, munching on an oran.

"That entrance wasn't blocked when I came in, so we do have a chance of getting out that way. But...there was a rather nasty fire that way. I had to go miles out of the way just to get here safely."
Strix mulled over the new information he had.

"Do you think there's a tunnel in here that connects to the Dark Cave? That might be an option. If not, we could try and blast our way out of the Blackthorn entrance...I just worry about causing another cave-in..." Strix said as the last part of his sentence trailed off.
He didn't really like the idea of using his ground move in a cavern, especially when it could bury them all alive.
Strix realized as he looked at his oran that he didn't know any of their names.
Maybe it's better that way...he thought, but shook his head and banished the bad thoughts.

"I'm Strix. And who are all of you?" He said casually, still focusing on his berry.
He didn't want them to think he actually cared.

Killing, that was all that mattered. In the afterlife that had been ofered to the pathetic infected.
The absol walked through the caverns, her power's seeming to rise as even the undead couldn't seem to escape her broken blade. But she wanted blood the blood of the living...

But she still had to become stronger before the sweet taste of blood could drip across her lips.

(Short post is short)

After grappling and fighting with the thin, black infected, Akina finally pushed the injured thing into the icy river, and watched as the uncoordinated undead got washed downstream. Akina sat down. She was calm now that she got to release her anger on that thing. She still wasn't too fond of the black dog that called her a puff ball before. Despite that, she knew, sadly enough, that it would be smarter to make peace with him and travel with the others. She started back over on the way that the other pokemon went, expecting them to just tell her to piss off.

Akina didn't react much to the others leaving while she fought the infected, she knew they didn't care. Still, she kept walking. She didn't have anywhere else to go, so her legs just kept going, though her mind wanted to just hide or do something else stupid. She came across a hole in the wall. Figuring that it was the puppy's den, she peeked her head into the entrance. Sure enough, everyone was there. "Uhm," she forced herself to speak up. "I-- I'm sorry about before... I was... just... um... er... never-- never mind..." Akina had no idea what to say. She truly didn't know why she had let out like that on the puppy. She shrank back a few inches, expecting one of them to snap at her and tell her to go away.(Did I mention that Akina is really bad in social situations unless she's on a rant or something?)

Dante sighed and looked around. "Well, then. I'm Da--" He was suddenly interrupted by the little pink kitty timidly coming in and asking if it was ok to do.. something. He frowned and rolled his eyes. "...Whatever. I'm Dante. I came in through the normal Southern entrance, trying to get to Mahogany. I guess the only lead we have is All's way."

He shifted and sighed. "...I don't know about you, but it's been a long day. I suggest we settle down, and take turns taking watch. This place is generally overlooked, but with this many people, we shouldn't take risks. I'll take the first watch. Don't take my spot." He stood and ushered everyone close enough inside and sat at the entrance. "Try and get some rest," he muttered angrily.

So many pokemon to look after.... what a mess...

"I'm Molasses," the Munchlax said pointedly, hoping to get the name into the thick head of the Houndoom. But there was no chance to see if his attempt had worked, as the Skitty came in from her killing of the infected.

"Try and get some rest," Dante growled as he pushed all of them in (even Dino for some estranged reason), and padded out to take the first patrol. Molasses didn't argue- he was pretty much wiped out. For a Munchlax, he had done plenty today; running about, saving dinosaurs, running some more. Rest is definitely what I need.

Settling down in a corner, Molasses put his hands behind his head and settled down, his back against the wall. He closed his eyes, and pictured his famous buffets that he would diligently prepare. It was a tough job not to eat anything, but in the end, his beloved Claire would always fix something special just for him. The Big Eater Pokemon felt himself fall into a light sleep, dreaming of food and galore.

"Try and get some rest." The Houndoom stalked off to keep watch.
Strix first gazed at the other pokemon, settling in for rest, then at the retreating hound.
Getting to his feet, he followed Dante to the entrance of his den.
"Dante, I can take the next watch when you need it." he muttered, not waiting for a reply as he stomped back into the cave.

Strix yawned, exposing his sharp teeth in his powerful jaws. He settled in near the entrance, his large tail barring the narrow pathway, protecting the others from potential danger from the outside.
If anyone leaves or comes in, I'll know it.
Strix chuckled to himself as he gazed at the others.
Alice, Molasses, Dante...and a kitty.
It certainly is nice to have a team again...others to protect.
He thought, as he crossed his arms and let his tired eyes close. His spiky spine was digging into the hard ice behind him, but he was too tired to shift positions.
His bulky shoulders relaxed as he began to slowly drift off to sleep.

After searching, the absol had finally found a young live one all alone, a delibird... it could do little to stop the infected one. She lept.
Peice by peice, bite by bite, tear by tear,

Rip Rip Rip

........

Her red orbs stared out at them. Her Prey, her food, dead meat...They had grouped together, harder to kill.... easier to find. Their voices had echoes, she followed, and found.
Now waited.
Odd for her to wait but instinct told her to do so, to wait for them to seprate, which they eventually would they didn't get along. If they had what was all that noise?
So she could only glare at the black and red hound who stood infront of the rest of the prey. She hated him the most. And the thought of bitting through his flesh gave her something close to glee.

You Failed....

The voice was faint and nearly gone, but as it tried to reach the houndoom unlike before where it had sounded desprate now it sounded bitter and angry. Like a little girl who hadn't gotten her toy.

The undead backed away into the shadows, they would be her's.


(OOC: hehe sorry for the wait, but look Catherine has a new icon isn't it pretty?)

Akina hesitantly walked into the den. She figured that she could come in, seeing as nobody said anything telling her to leave. She wasn't really comfortable with sleeping at the moment, though she was pretty tired after this long day. Akina hardly knew these pokemon, let alone did she trust them very much. She especially didn't trust the puppy dog that laughed at her, or the purple dude. Thinking about this, she headed over to the Shinx and the Munchlax, because she could trust them the most, and could relate to them in being underestimated as just a little puff-ball.

She settled down next to the Munchlax and curled up into a sleeping position. She tried really hard not to sleep, but inevitably, she ended up falling into a slumber, deeper than she expected.In her dreams, she saw her old coordinator, back when she was close, and the human was singing the song she had always sung to her when ever it didn't look like they would win the contest.

(ooc- You shall learn the song later~~)

Dante flopped down ever so elegantly as he took up the first watch, sighing heavily as he sniffed the air, keeping his guard up for Infected. Unfortnately, the ice caverns had a nasty habit of blocking scents, making it an even worse labyrinth. He chewed on his foot absent-mindedly. It seemed they were ok... for the moment.

...You failed...

Dante's head jerked up, his body tense and alert. He stood, his eyes searching for whatever spoke. He looked back to the others, to see if any of them were pulling his leg. Though the two kitties seemed the most likely, they were very asleep-- or rather, as asleep as any pokemon could be in this day and age. He frowned, then quickly looked back to the surrounding area. 'What the hell was...'

He nudged Strix with his hind leg to wake him. The more Strix stayed asleep, the more persistent and annoying the nudges were. Quickly, Dante cursed underneath his breath in frustration. "Get up, you useless giant, purple, spiky, bulky person thing...! There's something out there, and I need you to stay here while I check it out."

Once Strix was woken to a suitable point, Dante carefully walked out into the open, his senses reaching out for some sort of notification that something was actually there. In his time of pursuing Delia, he had heard voices and echoes and sounds that he could never actually figure out whether or not he had truly heard them. Though finding and killing Delia was the most important thing, he did want to keep onto his sanity... Otherwise, he'd be no better than her.

He stopped in the middle of a crossroads near the entrance of his den and took in a shaky breath. Was it now? Had she found him? The voice was a demented female voice; it could have been her... especially with that vague accusation... "...Delia?" he asked softly, not wanting to create too much sound. He didn't want Infected ruining this fight. It needed to be between the two of them. "Delia?"

Molasses felt warmth all around him as he drifted off to sleep. He was dreaming that he was in the royal banquet at Blackthorn City, cooking and creating dazzling trays of gourmet food to be served. The kids of the city watched in awe, and the Munchlax felt at home as he roasted a Miltank to sweet goodness, marinating it in wonderful sauce.

A thud from the outside world woke the Big Eater Pokemon from his peaceful dream. Alice and the Skitty were cuddled on either side of him, and careful not to wake them, peered out of Dante's cave. The Houndoom himself had disappeared, and from that Molasses figured something was wrong. The Munchlax looked around, seeing that Dino's tail had moved from its original position. That must be what moved... Molasses gave a silent sigh of relief. At least it wasn't a giant infected right outside the cave, cornering them.

Strix was fast asleep...or at least until he felt a very sharp paw poking his side repeatedly.
He snorted and groggily looked around, finding the source of the annoying prodding.
He bared his teeth and let out a low growl.
"WHAT." Strix muttered in a flat tone, dripping with annoyance.
He wasn't a morning pokemon, much less a 'lets-wake-you-up-in-the-middle-of-the-night kind of pokemon.
But his grumpiness soon turned to apprehension as he saw the look on Dantes' face.

"There's something out there, and I need you to stay here while I check it out."
Strix nodded as the hound quickly padded off into the darkness surrounding them. Looking around the cave, he gazed at the others, now soundly asleep. All of them were bunched up in a big furry pile, which made a small grin form on his face. He got to his feet and stomped as quietly as he could to guard the entrance, his long, heavy tail dragging behind him.

Resting his weight evenly on his bulky haunches, he strained his ears, listening for any hint of danger. His eyesight wasn't the best, but his hearing made up for it. He could pick up Dantes' paws quietly padding over the gravel, and his gruff voice almost whispering a name.
Delia?...
The female name took Strix off-guard. He didn't expect such a powerhouse pokemon to be searching for a girl.

Strix picked up the faint smell of blood on the air.
He sniffed the air, and then himself.
Could an infected be near?
It could just be that disgusting stench of that horned pokemon all over me...
He took a quick sniff at his claws and snorted, throwing them down in disgust.
Yup, that's the source.
There was a stream nearby, and he pondered on leaving his post to wash up.
No, I better just wait till Doomie prances his happy ass back here.
Strix grumbled in annoyance as he moved his arms into different positions, trying to keep the stench away from him without feeling awkward.

The hound moved away from his cavern, the absol licked her lips in hunger but the faint thought of nearly dying kept her from lunging at his throat. As he got closer she moved deeper into the the snow, but something was making her shake, maybe it was hatred. But she continued to leave and moved closer to the den.
You can't even kill someone correctly! What use are you? Mental laughter followed this scream If you don't kill me I'll kill you, I'll get stronger..... then you'll have no choice.... I'll be free the voice faded out after a few more demented chuckles.

The undead was as close as she would come to the purple beast no breath came from her half burnt mouth her damaged eye tried to focus on her soon to be prey. But she stayed hidden, even her purple patches made her blend in better.

The sounds of movement and speech jolted Akina awake. She noticed that the black hound was not in the cave anymore, and the purple dude was now guarding the entrance. She knew that something was going on, but she doubted that either the dog or the other guy would tell her. Next to her the Munchlax and Shinx were awake as well. Akina shifted position a bit, feeling kinda awkward.

The pink kitty's fur prickled as she thought of what might have caused the dog to leave the safety of the cave. "Hmm... Hey," she looked towards the two pokemon beside her. "What do you think is going on out there?" She kept her voice as quiet as possible, knowing that it wouldn't be wise to startle any nearby infected. If htey could even hear that well. Just then she remembered that she didn't know the Munchlax or the Shinx, and they didn't know her. "Er, my name's Akina, by the way. Just figured that I might as well introduce myself." She knew that there was no reason not to tell others her name in this ruined world. It's not like anyone would be able to use it against her, or anything.

The maniacal voice mocked him, slandering him, trying to tear him down. 'Sure sounds like Delia...' he thought grimly to himself as he tried to locate the source of the voice. Odd as it was, he could swear he wasn't actually "hearing" the voice...

You can't even kill someone correctly! What use are you? A deranged guffaw followed. If you don't kill me I'll kill you, I'll get stronger... then you'll have no choice... I'll be free...

Dante shifted his weight, uncomfortable with the situation. Here he was, in a dark, cold labyrinth, and a voice was talking to him. He growled softly, unsure of how to proceed. This was starting to sound less and less like Delia and more like that damn white Infected they had fought. He trotted near the entrance, but stayed far enough away from it so to not lead the Infected to his only safe haven.

"Strix, I think that freaking zombie's back... the one we crashed the icicle on," he growled over to the purple dinosaur. "We need to smash its face in. I'm tired of this thing." He felt particularly perturbed since he thought he had finally found Delia... and he could finally get his revenge...

"What do you think is going on out there?"

The Skitty asked quietly, and Molasses took it as a sign to keep quiet. Right. It was most probably another infected if the two bigger Pokemon decided to run off into the dark. "...name's Akina, by the way. Just figured I'd introduce myself." The Munchlax, in the mild darkness, shrugged off her unease. The Skitty had meant no harm when she was offended by Dante's words.

"I'm Molasses," he whispered, before quietly padding towards the entrance of the Houndoom's little shelter. "Strix and Dante must have left us behind for a reason, but I think we should follow." He hoped they didn't find him brash. "I mean, we need to stick together. Who knows what other things are crawling around?"

The Big Eater Pokemon shivered slightly. Those Bloodied creatures were a horrible sight, and if they weren't trying to rip into him, he might have felt sorry. Molasses glanced outside, before turning to the Akina and Alice. "Did you see which direction they went?"

Strix jolted as he heard the Houndoom in the darkness ahead of him.
"Strix, I think that freaking zombie's back... the one we crashed the icicle on."
He had been distracted by the disgusting smell that clung to him and his anger boiled up at his initial feeling of surprise.
"Goddammit, why'd you gotta sneak up on me like that," he grumbled, trying to mask his emotions with aggravation.
"Wait, no. That thing...we saw it fucking die. It was impaled."
Strix sneered in disbelief. It couldn't have survived. All the infected he had killed up to this point stayed down from alot less brutal attacks.
How could it still be alive?
Dammit...
He glanced over his shoulder, reluctant to leave the little ones behind, but considering the threat that the Houndoom had just confirmed, it was probably better that he lure the monster away from them in case the fight got out of hand.
"Fine, let's go ice this thing for good." He snarled as he stomped heavily towards the hound, following his lead.

All the undead could do was watch, their words meant nothing to her they never entered her head, even with her brain still working it was all muffled out never to be comprehended by those undead.
But when they began to leave her attention turned to the younger ones, and now she couldn't fight off the hunger and the rage building up inside of her. She crawled forward in the snow seeming almost to drool.
She bent lower and got ready to spring for the pups.

(Ooc-- seeing as Sky's gone, I'll just assume that Alice introduced herself to Akina...)

"Did you see which way they went?" Molasses asked.

"I didn't notice, but I'm sure they can't have gotten too far..." Akina peeked her head just outside the cave, scanning the area for any signs of movement. She strained her ears, picking up a bit of sound not far from the cave. The Skitty twitched her head in the direction of the sound and stalked out, hoping for the others to follow.

She followed wherever her ears led her, and watched, just in case she was close enough to see. Her face brightened as the sound got louder. They were close! She turned around a nearby corner and saw them, the black dog and the purple guy. She carefully stepped up to them, praying to Arceus that she didn't startle whatever they were pursuing.

"Uhm..." She called, her voice barely a whisper. "G- guys... What are you looking for...?"

Dante sniffed around and picked up the little ones' scents coming near. He growled and turned, seeing them meekly making their way to him and Strix. "Goddammit... Get back in the den before you get yourselves killed, morons..." he growled softly, not wanting to attract the white infected's attention. "This isn't the time or place for you to come out and play."

He turned back around and kept his ears and nose alert. With no one in the den... "..We'd better get back to the den. With no one in it, it may have found its way inside. We need to go." He looked to Strix and hoped he'd take the back for security. He quickly padded his way back, being more careful than he normally was. He peeked inside, sniffing to see if the coast was clear.

Strix grunted in response to the Hounds' orders.
With Dante up front and the little ones centered between them, they traveled back to the den. He was glad that this Houndoom wasn't a complete moron; his thoughts mirrored his own.
Dens are not supposed to go unprotected, and the little ones need to be protected.
He stayed alert and kept looking over his shoulder to make sure they weren't followed. His large ears twitched as he kept hearing small scritches and falling pebbles from a small distance away. He was getting uneasy, being unable to see anything in the darkness, but hearing something out there.
And the echoes in this damned place don't help...

"Dante, I think it would be wise to get out of this damned cave soon. I can't see a damned thing." Strix grumbled as his eyes shifted from one suspicious shadow to the next.

Catherine hated what her undead was about to do, what she was about to do. There was no control, she'd lost it all when her heart had stopped and instead of death she'd met a life where hunger and anger where her only passion and the blood of the ones she had loved the most had become her first meal. Catherine had done all she could to keep from letting these feelings corrupt her but her own strength after all this time was slipping and death... death it was such a nice gift. So she could say nothing as the undead absol prepared to attack. Catherine's voice did not break out as the absol inched closer to the group.
Even when the first two she had spoken to passed by and moved ahead. She couldn't find the will or the thought to speak, hunger was to much, her anger controled her.

The absol's eyes watched as the two larger ones went to the hole and they moved to the younger ones.

"Dis...aster" she moaned through one side of her drooling mouth.

But she backed away as the bigger ones came to close knocking some pebbles loose.