The ALPH Team

Ruins of Alph|Morning

You...you saved me...thank you...m-my name is Lia... The insect whispered as Max reached her. Who are you?Lia, hmm nice name Thought the Espeon. Max, my name is Max he replied with a crooked grin.
Just as he was about to ask what Lia was, something big and furry came down on top of him with a heavy thump! Max rolled quickly out from under what seemed to be a Ninetales with a growl that was cut off by an exclamation of Look out!before it shoved both he and Lia to the side. Just as well, because just then some sort of attack Hypnosis, his new sense told him pulsed towards where they used to be.

Urgently Ninetales pointed one shining paw toward the roof of a nearby ruin upon which stood the source of the attack, something in dress Gardevoir...infected!. "Listen, she isn't the only other. I ran from an even bigger monster earlier. I don't know if it followed me but we should still get out of here!"

OK you heard the fox, lets get the hell out of here declared Max as he released a quick Heal Pulse to restore any wounds Lia and the Fox Pokemon might have had. Casting his new "sense" out, Max felt that there was some kind of large infected coming from the same direction as the Ninetales. Into the woods! he ordered as he threw a Confusion at the Gardevoir before racing past the pieces of the fallen Flareon and into the woods. Come on, follow me he telepathically whispered when they hesitated, We need to place ourselves elsewhere!

Max, my name is Max. The Espeon smiled at her. She was then startled by a big, white fox falling on to Max. She was automatically afraid that it was another infected. Look out! The white fox cried, and she was shoved roughly out of the way. It pointed at something purple in a dress...an infected Gardevoir! Fear struck her quickly, and she panicked. The fox started talking. Listen, she isn't the only other. I ran from an even bigger monster earlier. I don't know if it followed me but we should still get out of here!
Lia nodded. She didn't want to be attacked again. OK you heard the fox, lets get the hell out of here! the Espeon yelled. Lia stuttered. R-Right! She suddenly felt healed. Into the woods! Max ordered. She began to fly after him, her wing bringing her pain. She put a safeguard around the fox and Max. She couldn't let anyone else get hurt.

Lalita was absolutely still. "You... You don't deserve to live..." the Gardevoir's words echoed in her head. She was right, Lalita didn't deserve to live. She had let Little Miss die, just stood there and watched. How could she ever atone for a sin such as that? Even though she could hear the shiny cat's words echoing in her mind, a very strange sensation by the way, she couldn't lift a paw. It wasn't until she felt a strange rippling sensation through her body that her mind came back to focus. She suddenly felt great! Still hungry but with more energy that she had experienced in days.

"Into the woods!" She felt that strange voice pulsing in her head again. She nodded as she turned back to the shiny cat, whose name she didn't catch since she was busy falling off a ledge at the time, and Lia the cute little bug. "Come on, follow me," Lalita smiled softly and took off in a run after the green one. She still felt bad for falling on him, and made a mental note that as soon as they stopped somewhere she would make a full apology. He deserved it for helping her like this. She looked back at Lia just as she felt a soft, invisible veil cover her.

"Thank you..." she whispered softly to the both of them as they continued. She truly was grateful. Both of them were obviously stronger than her, especially the green shiny, and she would follow them as long as they allowed. She didn't want to be alone and helpless again. Maybe they could even teach her how to fight? It was a long shot but at least she could try.

Max gave his companions a lopsided smile as he felt some kind of barrier pass over him, Safeguard whispered his 'sense' in his mind. "Thank you..."he heard the ninetails whisper as the Trio raced through the woods. "Don't mention it, I'm Max and this is Lia"he replied.

They ran/flew until the tree thinned into a small clearing.Then after releasing a quick Heal Pulse to ease his companion's exhaustion, Max stopped to rest his aching limbs,laying down with his bejeweled head resting on his paws.

(Ooc: Short post is short)

Lia's wing was bringing her great pain. Each move made it worse and worse. She heard the beautiful white fox whisper a thank you, and she smiled slightly. Lia was glad that Max introduced herself for her, as she was afraid she might stutter and make a fool out of herself.
Then again... the Ninetails was quite clumsy herself.
The sight of a clearing came in view, and as she flew into it, she fell to the ground, exhausted.
After a mere few seconds, she some felt energy come back to her. She smiled. Heal pulse...
She sat up and cautiously looked around. W-We're safe...we're really safe...t-thank Arceus..

"Don't mention it, I'm Max and this is Lia"

Lalita smiled, her two companions had such nice names. As they ran she could see Lia's wing better. It was struggling so hard to keep the poor insect up, and from her position below Lalita could see that Lia was in pain. She wished that there was something she could do to help, but the bug-pokemon was well over foot taller than her, so it wasn't like she could offer a ride. She only hoped her new friend could stop and rest soon.

Her wish was granted when Max led them to a small clearing. She was so tired she let herself collapse into the soft grass, her tails slayed everywhere. 'I am never going to be able to control these things...' she thought to herself. Once again she felt that energy ripple over her body and she felt her energy rise. She didn't know what Max was, but she loved it, he had gained such useful powers. However, she still seemed so tired, she padded softly over to him.

"Are you alright?" Lalita whispered, voice full of concern. She kept her ears flat to her head, she didn't like seeing her new friend so exhausted. "Doesn't your strange power work on you too?" For in the few times he helped her his energy never seemed to brighten as hers did. It seemed odd. She took a look at Max, then Lia, and tilted her head in confusion. "What are you two, anyway? I know you are an eevolution, but I just can't remember which."

The number of the moment was two. Two months of infection. Two days without food. Thoughts no longer existed in the rotting Houndoom's mind as he walked along through the ruins, but one word repeated itself in his rotting brain: Food. There was an unpleasing lack of bodies in the area, and he would soon have to fight for his prey if he wanted to eat. His stomach had more or less rotted away, but there was still a different hunger that the Houndoom yearned to cure. Blood.

He shuffled along his path, constantly aware in hopes of stumbling upon a carcass. The ribs beneath his flesh were more than obvious; only a small scratch would be needed for a chunk of skin to fall and reveal what little was left inside. Appearances were deceiving.

Senses became alert as soon as a whisper drifted over to his ears. Talking. There was talking. Talking, a sign of the living. Whispering, a sign of fear. There was no waiting for someone to drop dead now, not with prey so nearby. A single Howl drifted through the air, its sole note mangled and cracked, before he lunged, breathing his toxic fire and aiming straight for the one with the wounded wing. Size was not a factor; there were no factors to him. There was just weakness that he could target with a quickly-deployed Fire Fang.

Ruins of Alph|Morning

"W-We're safe...we're really safe...t-thank Arceus.." Murmured Lia as she landed beside Max.
"Are you alright?" The Ninetails whispered, "Doesn't your strange power work on you too?"
Max shook his head wearily. "I guess not."
" Guess, I'll have to rest like normal..figures"
"What are you two, anyway?" Asked the Ninetails turning to Lia, "I know you are an eevolution, but I just can't remember which." "I think I'm an Espeon, I've only ever met Flareons and Eevees so-"

Max was cut off mid-sentence as a howl tore through the air. With that a demonic looking Pokemon with a flaming maw , "Houndoom...infected", came flying out of the woods straight towards Lia. Already on his feet,Max released a Psychic, but it only served to stagger the beast slightly. "Dark-type" "Bloody hell!"murmured the Espeon as the infected went to attack again. "This is gonna get ugly"

With a growl, Max charged at the hound, a Zen Headbutt crackling around his head. But the energy just fizzled out on contact with the beast, negated by it's Dark status. However, the impact of the charge did manage to send it backwards into a tree. "Could use a little help here guys!" He shouted as the beast rose with a deep growl.

Suddenly an idea flashed across The Sun Pokemon's mind. Focusing on his surroundings, Max sent a Psychic towards the tree that the Houndoom had hit. Weakened by the impact, the tree tore straight out of the earth with an almighty heave. With a lopsided smile, Max released the tree, causing it to come crashing towards the Beast"

What are you two, anyway? The beautiful fox asked her. I-I'm...a Ledian, I belie-
Lia heard a howl. Instantly terrified, she whimpered. Oh no, please not another infected please-
She was startled when a dog type Pokemon, it HAD to be infected, came lunging at her. Her new friend Max came to her rescue once again when he used the move Psychic, and hit the dog with a Zen Headbutt, the infected Pokemon hitting a tree. Could use a little help here guys! Max shouted. Recovering from shock, she put a Safeguard around the Ninetales and the Espeon to protect them. She used Swift, and then used Double Team, and multiple clones of the Ledian came into view. I-I'll help you this time, Max...!

Lalita gently shook, trying to rid her coat of the dust from the Ruins. In the shade of the clearing the morning sun only reflected a silver glow on patches of her fur, letting her natural lavender show. She smiled gently at her new friends, a Ledian and an Espeon she now knew, but it fell when a piercing howl sounded through the woods. Almost instantly her belly was to the ground as she couched in fear, whimpering. Not again...

A great Houndoom came barreling through the trees and Lalita almost cried. Her sire was a Houndoom, and a good and loving father, who she missed terribly when she was first taken away to be Little Miss' pet. Her entire litter was born with special moves that he possessed, but she was taken to a Move Deleter a long time ago and had no memory of those attacks. Oh how she wished she remembered them now.

"Could use a little help here guys!"

Max's shout made Lalita cringe, what was she supposed to do? She watched as Lia attacked the raging infected before creating multiples of herself. Max was lifting a tree and preparing to launch it. She couldn't help, though the beasts fire wouldn't hurt her too much it probably had other moves that could. She couldn't move, couldn't fight..."I...I...I don't know how!" she cried. What was she going to do? The tree came down, and Lalita let out a choked cry.

Her mind suddenly filled with memories of her time as a Vulpix, happier times. From her days with her litter, to her mother and father, then to coming home to Little Miss who had loved her so dearly. A strange light began to glow around Lalita, a white aura that pulsated as each fonder memory filled her. What was this strange power? It reminded her of something Master said long ago, about love always returning ten-fold. But what did that mean? Would it be a way for her to help her new friends? Only one way to find out.

There was no time for shock. At first his mad attack was only shaken a bit, and only for a moment, and then there was a charge. A bright green monster, that was what the Houndoom saw, a shiny beast running towards him and sending him backward until he hit a tree. His head spun. Where was the food he longed to have beneath his teeth? He rose, staggering to his paws and releasing a snarl of nothing but anger and frustration. This was why he didn't target the living.

He was hit by a blinding ray and lost all sense of his surroundings. White. He wouldn't take all this damage for nothing. As his sight returned, he realized that his initial target seemed to have duplicated. No. There was still weakness. White. There was only one Pokemon who wasn't attacking... and it would be punished.

And down it came. He didn't notice the tree come crashing toward him until he was almost too late, and he had time only to roll aside.

There was a sickening thud. Quickly he rose, eyes fixated on the white monster, before he turned and ran, vanishing into the bushes.

There was only numbness in the area where his tail and hind paw had been as the mindless demon retreated, only one thought in his mind. Return.

((OOC: To clear things up, Alex lost more than half of his tail and one of his hind paws, both of which are under/near the tree. Also, I'm sorry for the wait; I would have posted yesterday but I'm not feeling all that great.))

Ruins of Alph|Morning

Max shivered as he felt another Safeguard pass over him. Lia is really good at those. He thought. "I...I...I don't know how!"Cried the Ninetales, but despite her claim, power began to pulse from her.
Lia wasn't done either, soon after the felled oak came down on the beast, it was bombarded with a flurry of shining stars "Swift". I-I'll help you this time, Max...! cried Lia with a strange pulse of energy, that seemed to spread outward in his mind's eye, Double Team. Bloody hell!exclaimed The Sun Pokemon as he was suddenly surrounded by shimmering copies that pulsed with energy.

As the dust around the tree cleared Max spied the Houndoom limping off into the bushes after throwing a quick glare towards Lalita. It seemed to be missing part of it's tail and one of it's hind legs. But it was still very much alive. "Bugger"

"Looks like you got a new best friend"pointed out Max as he turned towards the fox pokemon, the air around her shimmering with power. Closing his eyes, he cast out his sense in search of their retreating enemy, to find only a faint flicker receding into the woods.

"No, fire moves huh?" Max commented with a raised eyebrow. "Here maybe this'll help."Then with that he dove into his own memories, bringing forth images of his three Flareon brothers as they attacked him and his sister with great infernos. Giving a slight mental push, Max sent these towards Lalita. With a shiver, he released the images, allowing them to fade back into the darkest recesses of his mind, leaving in their wake the smell of smoke, the feel of flames and the haunting crescendo of his cries of pain coupled with his sister's screams of fear and the unholy howls of his infected brothers as they charged forward.

There you go. He said in a voice hoarse with old grief. Use that...

(Ooc: Max has trouble sensing dark-types)

((OOC: Skip my turn, I won't have the time to post for a few days.))

Lalita saw the infected Houndoom flee, bits of it still trapped under the tree, and the power growing around her vanished. She stood up and looked around, wondering where that power had come from, and what it was. "Looks like you got a new best friend," Lalita cringed at Max's tone. He didn't seem to pleased with her at the moment. She hung her head in disappointment. "I'm sorry..." she whispered sadly.

"No, fire moves huh? Here maybe this'll help." Lalita looked up, confused for a moment, before horrific images invaded her mind. Her body was hot, searing hot, the screams echoed through her mind until she too was joining their chorus. Suddenly, a burst of flame shot from her mouth in a huge jet. Flamethrower. It was a move she had been born with, passed down from her sire but forgotten because of the Move Deleter. Somehow Max had unlocked it from her memory and she could remember. Then, as quickly as they had come, the images fled. Her throat raw from screaming and flames, tears pouring down her cheeks, she turned to Max. She felt his pain, quite literally, as she watched his memories flicker past. But he had helped her in some way, making her closer to being a helpful fighter rather than just an owner-less pet. Though he was harsh with her, it had worked.

Use that... Lalita nodded. She could hear Max's sorrow in the way he spoke, but she was hesitant to try and comfort him. She wasn't sure if he was still angry with her for not helping with the Houndoom. She looked in the direction the infected had run. Were they safe now?

((OOC: Received permission from Suicune for Lalita to re-learn this move))

((OOC: Skip my turn; Alex won't be back for a while now.))

Ruins of Alph|Late Morning

The Lalita screamed as the memories Max had sent her tore though her mind with all the finesse of a psychotic Tyrannitar. Her eyes rolled back in her head until only the whites could be seen, she trembled and shook violently until just as The Espeon suspected he'd gone to far, a tremendous pillar of iridescent flame burst forth from her throat. "Bloody hell!" thought The Sun Pokemon trying not to let his surprise show, "It worked!"

Glancing back towards the fallen tree and the pieces of infected that lay beneath it, Max shuddered. Houndooms were usually pack animals, so unless being infected changed that, they were in serious trouble that couldn't be help with him in his current state of exhaustion. So with a grimace, Max turned his attention inward. He knew Heal Pulse could heal others,so he should be able to heal himself. "Better start small". Focusing on a small bruise on his head from the weakened Zen headbutt he'd tried before, Max released a small Heal pulse. To his relief he felt the bruise fade away without even an ache. So Max expanded his focus to encompass all of him and let forth a considerable burst of healing energy which,to his satisfaction,simultaneously restored energy to his tired limbs and healed all his bumps and bruises.

"So now that the risk of being eaten has dropped, has either of you seen a bunch of humans that wear all black"asked Max, sending out a few images of the men. "I have to find them."

(Ooc: Check Max's profile i you want to know who he means)

The infected was gone. Her friends were safe now. The multiple clones of Lia disappeared, and she looked at the two Pokemon. So now that the risk of being eaten has dropped, has either of you seen a bunch of humans that wear all black? I have to find them. Max asked, and images came to Lia's mind. Lia shook her head. I have never seen any of these humans... she replied sadly. She wanted to help, she really did. Why do you ask? Did they do something?

((OOC: Two things. One, short post is short. Two, I'm not really AWAY, I'm just kinda...busy.))

Max looked terrible, he was exhausted from saving them, once again, and it showed. Lalita turned towards Lia and padded over to her, a little nervous, and looked up at her. 'I wonder how she did that...' Lalita wondered to herself. She curled up beside Lia and her stomach decided that now was the time to let itself be known. She cringed in pain as the growling in her stomach turned to cramping. It had been so long since she last ate, close to a week now.

She glanced around, hoping none of her companions noticed the discomfort. She didn't want to impose on them, they had done so much for her already in such a short time. Turning back to Max she noticed him healing himself, after a great burst of energy he looked so much better that she couldn't help but chance a small smile. Maybe now that he felt better he wouldn't be angry at her anymore.

"So now that the risk of being eaten has dropped, has either of you seen a bunch of humans that wear all black. I have to find them." Lalita felt the sensation of more of Max's memories entering her mind, however this time was a little different as she didn't feel the flood of emotions from before. She could still see that Max was very upset in the memory but this time she was only a spectator rather than a participant. When she saw the dark uniforms she gasped. "The Bad Men!" she cried, jumping to her feet. Of course she had seen them before, back when she was a Vulpix and first living with Little Miss the Bad Men had taken over the Radio Tower back home. Though they were run off by a powerful trainer, some of them stayed behind, hiding out underground.

"I have never seen any of these humans...Why do you ask? Did they do something?" So Lia had never seen them before? Good for her, they were mean, nasty people. Well, she didn't know if it would help but Lalita decided she could let Max know what she knew.

"There were so many of them back home in Goldenrod, a long time ago anyway. Little Miss called them the 'Bad Men' because they were really mean and tried to steal me away. I had to bite one really hard to make him drop me. They were run out of town but I know a few that still hid in the underground even when the Monsters started showing up. I doubt they are still alive but..they might still be there." She shuddered, maybe that wasn't such a good idea, telling him everything. He might want to go there now and if she wanted to stay with the group she would have to go back to the place where her nightmares started. 'Too late to turn back now...' she decided. Maybe going back would help her to gain some closure, or at least to leave a peace offering for her lost family.

Max watched intently for his companions response to the images, searching for some sign of recognition. her head. "I have never seen any of these humans."Stated Lia with a sad shake of her head. "Why do you ask? Did they do something?" Before Max could respond, Lalita sprung to her feet with a horrified gasp. "The Bad Men!" . At this Max spun to face the ninetales, "You know them!?"

"There were so many of them back home in Goldenrod, a long time ago anyway. Little Miss called them the 'Bad Men' because they were really mean and tried to steal me away. I had to bite one really hard to make him drop me. They were run out of town but I know a few that still hid in the underground even when the Monsters started showing up. I doubt they are still alive but..they might still be there."
"At last!" The Espeon thought, "A clue.""OK then, that's where I need to be going"Stated Max. "You're welcome to join me, but for now I need to hunt."

With a final glance around, The Sun Pokemon loped off into the woods in search of something eatable, whilst silently sending out his mind in search of prey. "Hmmm,hopefully there's some non-infected prey around here and some berries for Lia."Sensing a small cluster of living ahead, Max leapt into a nearby tree and began to stalk the oblivious creatures in the quick, freeze-frame walk of his kind.

(Ooc: Even though The Eevelutions are technically canine, I figure Espeon is more of a big cat, so by "quick, freeze-frame walk of his kind" think clouded leopard)

OK then, that's where I need to be going. You're welcome to join me, but for now I need to hunt. Max told them after the Ninetales gave him her info on the men, and he went off to hunt. Lia turned to the fox. A-Are you going to go with him...? I know I-I am... he saved my life. She shuddered. She had been through quite enough infected Pokemon attacks. That one Typhlosion that killed her parents started it all.

She frowned deeply, but then pushed the memory away and came back to reality. Her stomach growled. ..I'm so hungry... she whispered, laughing a bit. She was trying to maybe be the Pokemon's friend with small talk. T-The bad men sound scary... Lia whimpered. Maybe they were worse than the infected..

((OOC:I had trouble writing this post, I hope this is fine...))

Lalita cringed when she heard Max say that Goldenrod was going to be his next location. Though she knew that was inevitable, giving what she had told him. "You're welcome to join me, but for now I need to hunt." Lalita's stomach growled once again, quite loudly this time, at the mention of food. She flushed in embarrassment. 'Perhaps I should find something edible as well,' she thought to herself. Now that she had a workable fire attack she could get some cooked meat, the thought of which had her salivating at the possibility. But, how does one hunt for fresh meat? Her food had always been prepared for her, never once did she ever have to go and find it.

"A-Are you going to go with him...? I know I-I am... he saved my life." Lalita turned to Lia, her train of thought momentarily derailed. She tilted her head in confusion before she realized Lia must have been talking about Max. She nodded and gave a small smile. "I don't have much choice," she said quietly, "He is my best chance at survival. I owe him. Even if I do have to go back...there." With the last of her statement she gave an audible gulp, nervousness playing over her features. It seemed Lia was dealing with her own problems when a loud rumble broke the silence, only this time it came from Lia followed by a nervous laugh.

"Maybe we could go find some edible berries around here?" Lalita suggested. Though she was very much a carnivore the sweet berries Little Miss would give her where a nice treat, and maybe on the way around she could find something for herself too. She liked Lia and very much wanted to be friends with the large insect. At the mention of the Bad Men Lalita shook her head. "Most of them are all swagger and no force. But there are a few who are ruthless and mean. They are the ones who boss around the others." She didn't want Lia to worry too much about the Bad Men, but she didn't want her thinking they were all push overs either. If they did run into any they would need to be prepared. She nodded her head to the right of the clearing, in the general direction Max took off in. "Let's go find some food!" she said brightly, before bounding off in that direction. "It will help calm us."

Max silently prowled along a wide branch, slinking amongst the deep shadows cast by the heavy canopy above. Beneath him a trio of Bidoof moved loudly through the undergrowth, stepping on every dry leaf and snapping every fallen branch. The Espeon's claws slid out of their sheaths as he sprung to a branch that directly above the oblivious rodents.As he did a quick, psychic check to make sure they weren't infected, The Sun Pokemon saw them stiffen and begin to glance around, somehow they'd sensed they were being watched. Without a second thought, Max dropped from his perch onto the Bidoof directly beneath him, breaking it's neck with the impact. Before they could react, he was already upon the next one, a small female, tearing out it's throat with a quick swipe of his claws. Turning to the last of the three, a male twice the size of the other two, Max sprung and was surprised when the rodent made an attempt to fight back, scrambling for a hold with it's tiny claws and protruding teeth. Using his hyper-flexibility of his spine, Max twisted around to place himself directly on top of his prey, planting his teeth around the it's neck. The rat's struggles became weaker and weaker as the jaws of the emerald hunter slowly crushed it's windpipe until with one final twist, the Bidoof's was no more.

Something stirred in Max as he stood over his prey, an instinct as old as his species. Tilting back his blood-stained head, the Espeon released a deep, triumphant roar into the sky. He was powerful, a predator in his prime and as the sound resonated through the treetops he felt the small Pokemon of the forest flee in all directions.

As the last remnants of his roar faded away, Max began to tear into the carcass at his feet with a hunger and ferocity the surprised even him. He'd finished off the meat on two of his prey, before his hunger was finally sated. After dragging the remaining rat into a nearby tree to prevent scavengers from getting at it, Max put his nose to the ground and breathed deeply. Loping quickly back down the path, he quickly found what he was looking for, the burrow of the bidoofs. Peering inside, Max discovered a small cache of Sitrus Berries that the rodents had been storing.

Now with five juicy berries held in his duel-ended tail, the espeon crept back through the tree's to where he had left his prey. Once he and his prizes were nice and high in the tree, Max settle down to wait for Lalita, whom he could hear attempting to creep through the undergrowth nearby. "This one, need to learn how to hunt".When she finally emerged from the bushes below, The Sun Pokemon sent the Bidoof corpse off the edge of his branch with a lazy push. Max chuckled as it landed in front of the ninetails causing her to release a startled cry.
"Hungry?" he asked with a lopsided grin. "Because if you don't learn to walk quietly you won't be catching anything for a while." Still chuckling, Max leaped to the ground and began to trot back towards the clearing. "You'd better grab it and follow me back." He suggested as walked past the still-startled fox. "We shouldn't leave Lia alone for to long, it's not safe." With one final laugh, Max loped off into the forest.

((OOC: I can't really write anything.. this is me with writer's block. Just act as if Lia is kinda lost away from Max and Lalita. Thanks~))

Lalita tried to slink quietly through the brush, but to no avail. Her tails kept getting caught on branches and thorn, her hisses of pain easily scaring off anything that might be living nearby. 'How does anyone do this!' she thought to herself, frustration taking its toll. The few berries she had found earlier for Lia weren't ripe yet, a sickeningly bitter taste to be sure. She saw a clearing up ahead, her nose picking up the scent of fresh meat, and she pushed through the bushes. Unfortunately, one of her tails got wrapped around one of the branches. She pulled and pulled, and wound up yanking it free only to flop on the ground face first. How embarrassing...THUNK.

She cried in alarm as a body dropped right in front of her face, some kind of mangled beaver. "Hungry?" she heard someone call. Looking up, Lalita saw Max lounging on a branch, his claws still glinting with the blood of his kill, and a smirk on his face. "Because if you don't learn to walk quietly you won't be catching anything for a while." Oh...so he had heard her coming. Of course he did, everything else probably did too, it wasn't like she was the best stalker in the world. She sighed in disappointment, then looked down at the offered meat. Max made the suggestion for them to get back to Lia before bounding off, and of course she knew they should. But, she was so hungry...but there was no way she was eating anything raw! Quickly using her new Flamethrower, she heated it as much as she dared, not wanting to attract other scavengers, before tearing off a piece. With at least a bit in her stomach she grabbed the rest of the carcass by the neck and trotted along happily behind the other shiny, tails waving, and a silly grin clearly visible around the dead flesh in her mouth.

Ruins of Alph, Midday

Cold. So cold.
The Heatmor hadn't refueled in days. His fires had begun to diminish, at least in his mind. In reality, his flames were as hot and powerful as ever. Either way, Meltdown wanted more fuel.

He stalked through the forest, pillars of smoke trailing after him. The embers from his flames caught leaves here and there, starting various fires around him. By the night the whole forest would most likely be ablaze. This did not matter to the Heatmor. What did matter was fuel. As if some evil god had answered him, a Furret and her baby had come near to investigate the smoke. Seeing the fuel, Meltdown was ready to strike.

Being concealed by smoke, the pair took no notice of the infected before them. When the mother, alone, came closer to inspect the sorce of the thick smoke in front of her Meltdown sent a burst of flames directly at her little face. She screamed in pain, pawing at her face to make the fire go away. Her baby, upset and worried that its mom was in pain, came closer to try and comfort her. Seeing the tiny fuel, Meltdown lunged at it. The Sentret never saw what was coming for it. Meltdown had near-instantly charred the baby into an unrecognisable corpse.
The mother, who could now see nothing thanks to her face being nothing more than a bubbling, melted mess, heard nothing more than her own screams. She did not her the Heatmor next to her. She did, however, feel the searing pain in her gut, and her body suddenly heating up on the inside.
Meltdown remained for several minutes, cooking the Ferret from the inside out. When she was finally nothing more than a sticky, gooey, burnt soup on the inside Meltdown began to feast.

Despite the meal, Meltdown was not satisfied. This little bit of fuel did nothing for his fires. He needed real fuel. He continued on, leaving the burning forest and the dead, empty bodies behind him.

((OoC: This is the darkest stuff I've ever written. Yay!))