The ALPH Team

With a heavy yawn, the Quilava woke from the only real sleep he'd gotten in quite awhile. Fred was thankful that no infected had chased him around like some sort of deranged cat hunting a mouse....but it getting awfully lonely around here. He leaped down from the tree in which he had been hiding, keeping a wary eye on his surroundings, and went down the path that lead to the city of Goldenrod. Fred had been scavenging from that city for a long time now, even though most of the safer areas were already picked clean. Figures. The problem was, he hadn't seen a single living soul anywhere in the city, just a bunch of infected that seemed to live on the desire to eat him. Thank Arceus Fred hadn't contracted that disease of theirs, life would be freaking terrible as some mindless beast. In fact, those infected reminded Fred of his cousins and great-grandfather. How...what was the word? Ironic? Oh, well, he'd find the real word later, because Fred now had very important business on his mind. Not that far ahead, the Quilava spotted something green and thin...like a green bean...Stop that! This thing could be infected, and most green Pokemon were Grass-types. Fred had a huge advantage over Grass-types, and the Quilava kept going. He needed to make sure this thing was infected, so he wouldn't attack some random survivor. As Fred got closer, he noticed the Pokemon was some sort of lizard, with leaves, no doubt a Grass-type. But it also looked normal, not purple, rotting and blood-soaked. Fred reflected that they didn't look like that in the very early stages of infection, so it could still be an enemy.

Fred thought that until he saw the group of Pokemon not too far from the Grass-type. No Infected huddled in such a group like that, and none of them looked infected either. The chances of Fred happening to stumble across group of recent infected were low, and that meant the green lizard couldn't be infected either. No sane survivor would just let an infected so close, and no normal infected would just leave them alone as they talked. Fred was convinced that he could approach these guys without getting his throat torn out, but he wasn't stupid, and kept a defensive stance as he walked right up, near to the Grass-type. This close, Fred could distinguish the group; one was a slightly chubby, furry guy, another was tall, blue-and-black, one was huge, with black fur and what seemed to be a large red mane. The other was beautiful, glowing silver. It was a Ninetales, but Fred didn't really recognize the others. "Who the hell are you?" he growled, but the words were more directed at the Grass-type. Fred had noticed how the others were standing away from him, that fuzzy, white-furred one was even glaring at the thing. This is probably the STUPIDEST thing I've ever done, if they're hostile.

It was at that moment did Fred realize just how dumb he probably looked with his snow-hat on.

(Good to be back in the Alph Team! :D)

" As it is, we have no proof that he is untrustworthy....However, it cannot be a coincidence that we all are uneasy of him. Being a survivor doesn't automatically make one virtueous. Perhaps a compromise is in order? Perhaps, we could allow him to stay, but only on the conditions that he is not allowed to be alone with any one of us at any time, plus there must always be at least two pokemon awake when we rest." Lalita nodded at the wisdom of the older female, it made her feel a lot better about her instincts screaming against her training. She offered a smile to Gormlaith and heard Clyde whisper something to Silver. At once a bright light surrounded the small blue pup and where once she stood now a much taller blue canine appeared. "Congratulations!" Lalita told Silver, she was very happy for their new friend.

She turned back to Garth, and gave him a firm look. Or, at least, as firm as the sweet shiny Ninetales could manage. "Garth, I have decided to let you tag along, however...there are some rules to traveling with us. First, under NO circumstances are you ever to be left alone with one of us, at least two of us will be with you at all times. Second, you have to make yourself useful. You will not be mooching off anything we find as food or shelter if you don't pitch in your share. And lastly, if ever you do decide to attack one of us we will ALL come down on you like hellfire. Understood?"

It was then that Lalita noticed something coming out of the treeline behind him. Another fire type...a Quilava. With...with a hat on? How unusual. He came up to the group with almost no fear, and that had her worried. Was this some infected who wanted their flesh? Some insane Pokemon who just wanted them gone? "Who the hell are you?" Lalita cringed at the harsh tone the stranger took before glaring at him. Oh that tore it. This day had seen Lalita's fill of rude Pokemon and she was determined to get some manners out of at least one of them.

Lalita stood up proud and fanned her tails about behind her in an attempt to seem stronger than she felt. "I don't know who you think you are but that wasn't very nice. Ask more politely and we might tell you." She huffed a little at the end. Not usually one to just burst out like that she was surprised at how good it felt. Standing up for herself and her friends just made her feel stronger even if she knew she wasn't. With a satisfied grin she decided she would have to try this move more often.

" As it is, we have no proof that he is untrustworthy....However, it cannot be a coincidence that we all are uneasy of him. Being a survivor doesn't automatically make one virtueous. Perhaps a compromise is in order? Perhaps, we could allow him to stay, but only on the conditions that he is not allowed to be alone with any one of us at any time, plus there must always be at least two pokemon awake when we rest." Silver heard Gormlaith say to Lalita and agreed with her ideas. It would be better that there are going to be two people together alone with him as well as at least two being awake at night. Since she evolved Silver is even more sure not to trust Garth. But Gormlaith does have a point that they have no proof as of yet that he is untrustworthy. "Congratulations!" she heard Lalita say to her and looked at the beautiful fox and smiled before she said, Thanks Lalita. She knew that she will do whatever she needs to in order to keep her new friends safe.

"Garth, I have decided to let you tag along, however...there are some rules to traveling with us. First, under NO circumstances are you ever to be left alone with one of us, at least two of us will be with you at all times. Second, you have to make yourself useful. You will not be mooching off anything we find as food or shelter if you don't pitch in your share. And lastly, if ever you do decide to attack one of us we will ALL come down on you like hellfire. Understood?" she heard Lalita say to the Grovyle and nodded in agreement giving a firm glare of her own at the grass reptile.

"Who the hell are you?" Silver heard a new voice said and turned to see a Quilava standing there with a hat? She was confused how the fire type can wear a hat and not catch it on fire with his flames. She didn't really like his rudeness and decided to do a scan of his aura. She closed her eyes and her new black flopping ears rose and seem to rattle in a way as she used her aura sense. When she looked at the Quilava she didn't really see any dark aura surrounding him and figured that he was just being defensive because of how they were acting towards Garth. When she looked at the Grovyle once more she saw his dark aura and knew that she will defiantly keep her friends safe from the grass reptile with all her power and strength. "I don't know who you think you are but that wasn't very nice. Ask more politely and we might tell you." Silver had to smile at the Ninetails as she stood her ground and gave the fox a gentle pat. She could tell that this was the first time she stood up for herself and her friends and she was really proud of her.

"I completly understand, I will be sure to follow your turns, and thank you." He said, still faking his smile. This is just an opsticle, I will split them up, but for the time being, I am just one of them. He though as he turned to face the newcomer. It was a shiny Quilava with a snow hat. "Nice hat." He said, speeking truthfully. The hat was nice, he would have to take it along with him once he killed the little rat.

Garth went and jumped into the closest tree as he listened to there conversation, being sure to keep himself visable so that everyone can see him and make sure he wasn't planning anything devius, even though his plan was already set and in motion. I don't know when this infection is going to kill me, but I hope I can get them to trust me enough that they will not have to do this gaurd thing with me. I want to kill them, I don't want my dead self doing it for me.

"I don't know who you think you are but that wasn't very nice. Ask more politely and we might tell you." The Ninetales shot back at Fred, giving some sort of satisfied smile. Fred wasn't affected in the least by her words, but he did like how she actually stood up her herself. He wasn't a big fan of those who were scared of everyone they met. The tall, blue-and-black Pokemon patted the silver fox gently, and Fred cocked his head slightly. It seemed like he hadn't run into a bunch of pushovers, but neither had he found those who wanted to kill him. "Well, in times like this, I find it hard to be polite to strangers. I'm sure you might feel the same way, but if you want be to be nice....," Fred gave a mischievous grin, "I suppose I can." It was the Grass-type who spoke next, and he really didn't say much. "Nice hat." Fred had a slight suspicion that he was being made fun of, he wouldn't be very happy if that thing was making fun of him, but then the lizard jumped into a tree. The Quilava glared at him for a few moments before turning back to the others. "Well, since I'm trying to be nice here, it's only polite for one to introduce himself first." Fred normally wouldn't be this way, but he didn't feel like driving off the only uninfected he'd seen in quite a long time. "I'm Fred. Nice to meet ya." At this, Fred dropped his act and resumed his "I'm-up-to-no-good personality. Besides, if these guys would let him follow along, they would need to get used to him fast.

"Also," Fred dropped his voice so the Grass-lizard wouldn't hear, "What's with that guy in the tree? I don't like him one bit, and I've known him for about five seconds." He definitely wasn't one to be trusted, if these other Pokemon were standing away as if the Grass-type had contracted a deadly disease, this virus for an example. Fred also noticed that the large fox and the fuzzy guy hadn't spoken up to Fred's less-than-warm greeting, hopefully they'd say something soon and get this hostile business over with already. As he waited for an answer, Fred kept flicking his gaze occasionally to the hat he wore....he had the feeling that these Pokemon thought he looked stupid in it, as many others had done before the epidemic had even started. But it was a gift from someone who had died, Fred was not going to get rid of it no matter what these guys thought of his looks. They would just have to get used to it, along with Fred's personality.

"I completely understand, I will be sure to follow your turns, and thank you." The Grovyle answered, with a smug look before mocking the rude Quilava. Though afterwards deciding to hide in a tree was not making Lalita feel any better about him. The Quilava was almost as bad as Garth, though Lalita wasn't liking him simply because he was not very nice. "Well, in times like this, I find it hard to be polite to strangers. I'm sure you might feel the same way, but if you want be to be nice....," Lalita's fur bristled angrily and she had to bite her tongue to keep from commenting. Definitely rude.

After a few Sarcastic comments and barely dropping his name, the one known as Fred finally seemed to start acting seriously. "What's with that guy in the tree? I don't like him one bit, and I've known him for about five seconds." Lalita shook her head and looked up at Garth nervously. "Because I am sooooo sure you want to hear about our little groups thoughts, Mr. Opinionated, he says that his name is Garth. We only just met him. We don't like him either but he hasn't exactly done anything to warrant us just chasing him off. At least HE was polite enough to introduce himself first."

Lalita was shocked at her own words. She paced around for a few moments, trying to vent out her frustration. She had never felt like this before, this sarcastic nature that the Quilava seemed to bring out in her, and it was somewhat frightening. Lalita stood for a moment, took a few deep breaths, and tried to calm herself. She was not the type to be rude so what was coming over her lately? Though one thing really was bugging her...

"I like your hat but, uh...how is it not on fire?" She really did like it, it looked kind of adorable on him, though his mouth took care of that real quick. But the fact that it wasn't burning really was a mystery.

"I completely understand, I will be sure to follow your turns, and thank you." Silver heard Garth say and held back a growl. She noticed that when he went in the tree that his aura grew darker as if he was thinking of finding a way to get them all to drop their guard or something so he could do whatever he had planned. Silver knew she will not allow that to happened. If that reptile step one foot out of line and tried to attack one of her friends he will meet an untimely demised. She surprised herself with these thoughts but she knew she was standing firm in her believe that Garth can not be trusted on bit. She opened her eyes and looked at the Quilava once more and listen. "What's with that guy in the tree? I don't like him one bit, and I've known him for about five seconds." Silver was glad she wasn't the only one that didn't like Garth and figured she will try to get along with the Quilava. "Because I am sooooo sure you want to hear about our little groups thoughts, Mr. Opinionated, he says that his name is Garth. We only just met him. We don't like him either but he hasn't exactly done anything to warrant us just chasing him off. At least HE was polite enough to introduce himself first." She then heard Lalita said and couldn't help but smile again at how her friend was acting. "I like your hat but, uh...how is it not on fire?" She then heard Lalita say after a few moments of silence and wondered the same thing once more. ~He does look cute with it on his head but it is a wonder how it doesn't catch on fire with his flames~ she thought to herself as she look at Fred kindly.

Garth sat silently in the tree listening to there conversations. He leaned on his hand as he began to think. What would it take to split them up, it would take probably about a week, maybe more, to get them to trust him, but then he would rip that trust out of them when he slaughters them. He couldn't help but smile, though he held back his evil look in his eye in case they where watching him. He made it appear to be nothing more then a lazy grin.

He found it funny as they looked at him after he said 'nice hat' to the Quilava, like he had just made fun of it, when it was all backwards. He decided not to say anything, to let them chat while they still had a head to talk with.

Fred was very amused when the silver fox's fur bristled from his sarcasm. His whole life' Fred had been making people irritated. Because I'm soooo sure you want to hear our little groups thoughts, Mr. Opinionated, he says that his name is Garth. We only just met him. We don't like him either, but he hasn't exactly done anything to warrant us just chasing him off. At least HE was polite enough to introduce himself first. Fred didn't say anything as the Ninetales began to pace around. The blue-black one smiled at the fox for reasons unknown to the Quilava. After a gew awkward moments, the fox faced Fred again. I like your hat, but, um...how is it not on fire? There it was, Fred's weakness. His face blushed with embarassment, even though the blue-black one was looking at him kindly. "Well....I can control my flames...I'm not on fire all the time." The confidence and sarcasm the Quilava's voice had before was gone in the midst of his embarrasment. Even if they hadn't been rude about it, Fred still felt his face burning. Maybe now was the time to make up for his moment of weakness.
"Sorry about before...sarcasm is in my nature, you know..."

"Well....I can control my flames...I'm not on fire all the time." Lalita was shocked to hear an almost humble reply. She felt a little bad, Fred looked somewhat embarrassed by her question, though she wasn't sure why. "Sorry about before...sarcasm is in my nature, you know..." Now the shiny Ninetales couldn't help but smile warmly. At least he was honest, she could give him that, and he did just apologize. "It's alright, Fred, all is forgiven." She motioned him over to the rest of the group and sat down to wait.

She could see Garth in his tree, watching them all, and it sent a shiver down her spine. There was just something plain creepy about that guy. No matter what she did he just gave her a bad feeling and it wasn't going away. If anything, the longer her stayed the worse it became. She turned to Gormlaith and tried to steel herself. The other female was strong, and level headed. Lalita wanted to be the same way. She smiled a little to herself and focused back on their newest arrival. "So, what else should we know about you Fred?" she asked with a light, happy tone.

Clyde had constantly drifted in and out of the group’s conversation, too distracted by his own thoughts and the need to keep his attention on the newcomer to follow the group’s general opinion of the grovyle. He’d made his dislike clear, but as ever, he’d be willing to compromise, albeit extremely reluctantly. He smiled up at a now significantly taller Silver as she offered her thanks for the support he’d given, nodding his head gently before snapping it back around at the appearance of another stranger. His eyes narrowed and he subconsciously clawed at the ground, eyes flicking between Garth and a quilava.

"Garth, I have decided to let you tag along, however...there are some rules to traveling with us. First, under NO circumstances are you ever to be left alone with one of us, at least two of us will be with you at all times. Second, you have to make yourself useful. You will not be mooching off anything we find as food or shelter if you don't pitch in your share. And lastly, if ever you do decide to attack one of us we will ALL come down on you like hellfire. Understood?"

Clyde glanced at Lalita in disbelief. He trusted the ninetales and felt a certain safety in the canine’s presence but he struggled to justify her reasons for permitting the grovyle to join them. He kept his mouth shut and let out a muffled huff – at least they’d take precautions around him. As Lalita directed her attention to the fire-type, showing a previously rare kind of impatience, almost anger, Clyde returned his attention to Garth once more. It moved swiftly into the trees and sat, watching the group like its prey. The vigoroth couldn’t feel more uncomfortable. His fur bristled and he dedicated a few moments to just glaring at the threatening reptilian, before tearing his eyes away and back to the quilava. Fred seemed a lot less threatening and maybe even pleasant. Although the group hadn’t taken to his sarcasm, Clyde found it fairly amusing and disguised a slight smile. He could hardly take him seriously with the quirky little hat.

"So, what else should we know about you Fred?"

The vigoroth offered a weak smile and took a few steps forward to stand beside Lalita who’d returned to a laying position. He’d almost forgotten about his injury. He winced at the movement, cursing beneath his breath before remembering that he was being watched. He couldn’t afford to show the grovyle weakness and savagely swallowed the eruption of pain in his side. At least the bleeding had begun to subside. He refused to sit, let alone lie down, and instead stood protectively by his teammates, eyes locked onto Garth.

This Quilava, Fred, seemed safe enough. His mannerisms were quite blunt, but nothing about him gave Gormlaith the feeling she got when she met Garth.

Speaking of Garth, what was he up to? The large fox turned her head to locate the Grovile, but Clyde's expression caught her attention first. He was quite focused on the reptile, showing his dislike quite plainly.
"Clyde, are you alright? Your mind seems...preoccupied," Gormlaith was concerned. There must be some reason why he was so hostile towards the newcomer. "What is it about him that...enrages you so much?" Gormlaith whispered to the Vigoroth.

Silver felt the aura around Garth darken as he went into his thoughts which caused her to glance up where she knew the reptile was at and gave him a warning glare daring him to try anything because if he does she will make sure he will regret it. She wasn't going to allow any of her friends be killed by the fiend as she considers him. "Well....I can control my flames...I'm not on fire all the time. Sorry about before...sarcasm is in my nature, you know..." She heard Fred say to Lalita's question which surprised her slightly but not completely. She could feel his control though not as much as she would have been able to feel her own but she could still tell it was there. She also noticed that Fred seemed embarrassed as he spoke about his control over his flames to prevent the hat from catting on fire. This impressed Silver greatly.

"It's alright, Fred, all is forgiven." she heard Lalita said and saw the Ninetales smiling at the Quilava which told Silver that Lalita has forgiven Fred, "So, what else should we know about you Fred?" She then heard Lalita and looked at the Quilava with interest but also curious about what else they can learn about him. She happened to glance at Clyde when he moved over to where Lalita had laid back down and caught his wince. She looked at him with concern and said softly to her friend, "Clyde are you alright." She then said by mind so that only Clyde could hear her, ~Is your injury hurting you again~ She knew Clyde could probably hear her worry and concern for him in her voice. Since she has evolve her voice has became softer then it was before and almost sounded like a soft melody when she spoke but she didn't notice this. She walked over to the Vigeroth and waited to see what how he will answer. ~You can just shake your head no if it isn't hurting you or just nod if it is~ she added knowing that it wouldn't be wise to give Garth an idea that some of them were injured.

"Clyde, are you alright? Your mind seems...preoccupied...What is it about him that...enrages you so much?" she heard Gormlaith say to Clyde and wondered the same thing but didn't say anything while she waited to see how Clyde will answer both her and Gormlaith but she kept a very watchful eye on Garth making sure he doesn't try to be sneaky about anything.

Garth let out a yawn as he listened to everyone's conversation, bored that he had nothing to do at the moment. He wished he could just rip them apart and be done with it, but he was out numbered and most likely greatly out matched. If only an infected could show up so that he could prove his worth and gain a sentiment of trust. Oh how that would be grand. He thought to himself, letting a smile streak his face before looking up through the trees. There seemed to be a bird circling overhead, but it was to far up to tell if it was infected or not.

Garth stood up on his branch and jumped to the one just above it, still in sight of the group. He strained his neck to get a better look at the bird, holding his hand above his head and squinting his eyes as he tried to keep the sun out of them, though he could still only make out the outline of what seemed to be a Pidgeot. He grunted as he couldn't tell if it was infected or not. The bird let out this screeching sound, though it seemed to have a bit of a gurgling sound to it, like it was chocking on its own blood, or it was already dead. There was only really one way to find out. He held his hands together as a green orb began to form between them. He let out a grin as the bird began to dive, heading right for the others, oh how he wished he could watch it rip the group apart, but that was what he was going to do. The bird let out another gurgled screech before he fired his Energy Ball. He managed to hit it right in its face, blasting its already decaying head off, but it was more its beak and eyes then its head. The birds dive became a fall and it landed right in the middle of the group.

Garth jumped out of his tree and walked over to it, now that he had a closer look at it was was obvious it was undead. Its feathers where falling out in clots that it was surprising that it could even still fly, its skin and a lot of its feathers where that gruesome purple, and a blackish whole was set in its face where blood should have been poring out. "That, was close." He said as he faced the others, a smile forming on his face. But he made it seem like a smile of relief then joy. He wished he could do nothing more then laugh at his kill, but that would cause even more untrust, and he want more trust then untrust. He looked back at the bird, a not formed in his stomach as he knew it was only a matter of time before he turned out to be just like this bird. An empty shell with nothing but food on its mind.

"It's alright, Fred, all is forgiven." She motioned for him to join their group before sitting down. The Quilava gave a small smile before joining them(hmmmm....rare), sitting down next to the Vigoroth who was glaring at Garth and being rather silent. "So, what else should we know about you Fred?" the Ninetales asked, her voice light, a big difference from before when she had been super-pissed. Fred much preferred this Ninetales, her irritated side reminded him of his mother....but what was there to tell about himself, really? Not much, that was for sure, but Fred had to say something, right? "There's not really much to say about me, though you should know I'm usually much more good-natured than I am now." he said this in a cheerful yet truthful tone, the Quilava wasn't lying. "I'm no great shakes at fighting, truth be told, I won't be much help there." the Quilava took a few moments to ponder on what to say next. "Also, have any of you seen another Quilava around here? He looks exactly like me, and I mean exactly, and his name is George." Fred and George. Hilarious. Fred had left the family without telling his twin what he was doing, they had always been inseperable before, but times change. There was a slim chance he had come into this area if George wasn't already dead. Oh, Arceus, I hope not. But before Fred could get his answer, he heard the overlarge fox say to the fuzzy Pokemon, "Clyde, are you alright? Your mind seems...preoccupied...What is it about him that...enrages you so much?"

Fred was quite uncomfortable, this was talk he was in the dark about, and slightly backed away from the fox and Clyde. He settled his paws and stifled a yawn. Fred was flat out tired right now, and wasn't in the mood to deal with Garth or some random infected. Only Fred's luck surely was not favoring him today as some sort of bird screeched and there was a strange blasting noise. Immediately after, some dead bird landed right in the midst of the group. Fred was startled, but he didn't jump up or back three feet. The dead bird was blotchy purple, and its head was gone. Sickening....."That, was close." Garth said to them as he came back to the group. He was smiling in a relieved way, but that didn't stave away the lingering suspicion Fred had. He hasn't attempted to kill us, so I'll trust him...slightly....for now. the Quilava decided. For now, he just wanted this rotting thing out of here-it wasn't a good idea to keep dead bodies around. That was the number one cause of sickness in such times as these. Too bad it was an infected, it was living, Fred could've used some flames to make a decent meal.

((OoC: George might show up way later; he's not my former Growlithe, George, btw.))

Lalita heard Gormy talking to Fuzzy and felt bad that he was so perturbed by the Grovyle. She knew something was wrong but hadn't wanted to bother him if he didn't want to talk. She trusted Gormy to know what to do and turned back to Fred when he began to speak. "There's not really much to say about me, though you should know I'm usually much more good-natured than I am now. I'm no great shakes at fighting, truth be told, I won't be much help there." Lalita laughed at Fred, not trying to make fun of him, but because she knew exactly what he meant. "Neither am I! I grew up as a pet to a sick little girl. I had pretty much zero actual fighting experience before all of this started." She chuckled at the end, thinking it quite a relief that there was someone else in the group who was basically the same as her. "Also, have any of you seen another Quilava around here? He looks exactly like me, and I mean exactly, and his name is George." She turned her head curiously, and was about to answer in the negative when a giant bird crashed in front of them.

She was on her feet in a flash, and quickly hiding behind Gormy. What the...? It was an infected Pidgeot, or whatever was left of one. Lalita shivered in disgust as the thing oozed black, gunky blood. "That, was close." Garth hopped down from his perch and approached the bird. She looked at him strangely, her instincts still screaming at her not to trust him. "You killed that thing?" she asked, with a hint of distrust in her voice. Whatever he was up to she didn't want him to think that she was falling for it. Between her semi-dormant instincts and the feelings of all of her friends around her she knew not to take anything Garth said or did at face value.

Silver was using her psychic abilities again. He heard her voice softly sounding in his head, echoing off the various mental images currently tormenting him. He kept his eyes on Garth but nodded his head softly. She’d obviously noticed that his wound was playing up, and she’d been wise to ask about the pain where nobody could overhear. He was unsure of how acute the grovyle’s hearing was.

"Clyde, are you alright? Your mind seems...preoccupied. What is it about him that...enrages you so much?”

Clyde forced his attention to Gormlaith as she spoke. Although he was appreciative of her concern, he found himself unable to offer her as little as a smile and simply stared coldly, but unintentionally at her questioning. His mind was so engrossed in the threat that Garth potentially provided, he struggled to snap out of his hostile, aloof mood. With a sigh, he glanced down to his feet.
“Let’s just say, I’ve had some... bad experiences, with them in the past,” He wasn’t ready to admit painful memories that had taken years to suppress, but felt inclined to offer those he admired an explanation. The last thing he wanted was them reason to distrust him as well. “I-It’ll pass.” It was a blatant lie, but Clyde wanted to put their minds at rest. The truth would emerge when he was ready.

Just then the remains of a pidgeot plummeted from the sky. He jumped slightly, claws digging into the ground in initial shock before quickly searching for Garth. The grovyle had left his perch and was currently making his way towards them, muttering something Clyde’s mind refused to interpret. He growled slightly, looking down at the rotting bird whilst listening to Lalita’s cry of shock. Although it was hideous, purple, bloodstained and emitting a foul stench – Clyde could only think of Bonnie. The pidgeot hadn’t always been this way. Before the infection it had been an intelligent, conscious creature; practically one of them. A lump formed in his throat at the image of his beloved sharing a similar fate, and he felt the urge to dispose of the body with respect.
“I’ll get rid of it,” Clyde spoke softly, trying to disguise whatever emotional pain the sight had triggered. With a glance around the group and a glare at Garth, Clyde moved to stand on two feet, scooping the bird under one of his arms and beginning to walk in the direction of the river. He paid particular attention to carry it on the opposite side to his wound. The last thing he wanted was infected blood seeping into the injury. He moved relatively slowly, the gash stinging with each step but determination drove him onwards. He only stopped at the realization of Garth. Although he was sure he could take care of himself and overpower the grovyle with his strength, the creature had the advantage of health and speed. Turning to look over his shoulder, his eyes quickly scanned the group for a suitable companion. Perhaps a chat with the latest arrival would be pleasant. Clyde had begun to miss the company of other males.“Uh... Fred? Do you wanna come with?”

“Let’s just say, I’ve had some... bad experiences, with them in the past,” Clyde's answer sounded somewhat strained. Gormlaith knew he wanted to keep his attention on Garth, so she didn't press further. If it were a pressing matter, Gormlaith knew Clyde would divulge more later.

Thud!
A dead Pidgeot suddenly hit the ground. Its sudden apperance shocked the large fox, who wasn't quite sure where it had come from. Garth's decent from the tree answered her question. He killed it? She wondered. Lalita seemed to be wondering the same thing.

Either way, the grovlye had potentially saved them, so Gormlaith nodded to him in thanks.
"Perhaps we should find somewhere safer to stay, rather than out in the open..." She suggested.

Silver watched the reactions between her friends but kept a watchful eye on Garth as well as on Clyde when she saw him nod to her question about his injury. ~Alright then when that grass reptile isn't paying much attention to us and we are able to find a place to avoid him from being able to see us I'll rebound it for you. Lalita how is your injury just give me a small sign to let me know if it's bothering you or not. I don't want that Garth knowing that some of you are hurt~ she first thought to Clyde and then to Lalita making sure Garth was still unable to hear her thoughts as she spoke to the two of them.

She listen to the conversation being said around her but didn't pay it much attention at the moment. Right now most of her attention was on Garth in order to make sure the reptile doesn't try anything before she notice that he went higher up in the tree and looking at something in the sky. Silver look up as well and at that moment saw a bird type Pokemon flying in the sky. At first she wasn't sure if it was an infected or not until it began to make a dive down at them. She had gotten a Focus Blast ready to blow the thing away but Garth beat her to it by using a move she knew as Energy Ball. This caused the infected to land between the group but since Silver had saw it earlier she didn't really jump. "That, was close." She heard him say and saw the smile that he was trying to make look like of relief but she saw right through it. She saw that even though the others still didn't trust him he gain a little of their trust and Silver knew that that could be a bad thing. She gave a distrustful look to Garth letting him know that she wasn't fooled by his act.

Silver watched as Clyde saying something about removing the now dead infected Pidgeot over to the lake. She was about to call out to him to let him know that she will go with him but saw that he asked Fred to join him which she was glad to hear. She didn't want Clyde to be left alone even with them watching Garth that Clyde could still be in trouble with other infected.

Garth watched as Clyde and the Quilava went off to dispose of the body before looking back to the others. Seeing the uneasiness in there faces, but he knew they hadn't caught on to his deeper motive yet. "I'm sorry if I interrupted anything." He said, that same fake smile still smeared on his face. "It's just if I hadn't taken it down it may have taken one of you down." He said, rubbing the back of his head, flinching at what he felt. He could feel something crumpling, and when he looked at his hand he saw small gray leaf fragments. His smile vanished for a few moment before returning. "If you could excuse me for a moment." He said, dashing off into the forest. Not yet, please don't let it be from me. He zipped through the forest, to fast for anyone to see, before stopping by a puddle.

Garth looked into it. Everything looked fine, no discolouration yet. He turned his head to make sure, and felt the back of his head again, feeling nothing but his skin. What it just his imagination? He cursed under his breath at how fast the infection was effecting him, how much longer? How much longer before he was completely gone? It was a question only time could really answer, nothing he could. His eyes still held there yellow colour, everything was fine. But he couldn't help but worry, it was only a matter of time before he collapsed only to get back up a different pokemon. Rage began to boil in the Grovyle. He took his hand and splashed it through the water, distorting the image before turned around and going back to the others.

He soon returned, sitting against a tree, not even bothering to let them know he was back, for all he knew they would have liked him to stay away, but not just yet, not until there blood stained the trees and grass as they took there last breath, not yet... Not yet.

Well, thank Arceus Fred wasn't the only one with little combat experience. Fred curiously watched Clyde pick up the body of the Pidgeot, saying that he was going to get rid of it. Perhaps he meant he was going to bury it? These Pokemon were very interesting...but before Clyde could get very far, he turned back. "Uh...Fred? Do you wanna come with?" The Quilava was momentarily surprised by the question-he didn't think any of these guys would want to be left alone with a complete stranger like himself. "Sure, I'll come," Fred replied before getting up and walking over to Clyde. It was definitely a smart idea to gain their trust. After all, Fred was pretty much harmless.

(I'm so sorry about how short this post is!)

“I’ll get rid of it,” Lalita was sad for Clyde, he looked like he realy just wanted an excuse to get away from Garth..oh Garth! She was about to have a panic attack at the idea of Fuzzy going off alone! But thankfully, he seemed to realize that too. "Uh...Fred? Do you wanna come with?" She let out a heavy sigh of relief and rushed over to Clyde before he could leave. "I know you aren't comfortable with this, Fuzzy, but thank you for trying." She smiled warmly at him and gave him an affectionate head bump to his arm, uninjured side of course.

In all the excitement, what with two new people showing up, a dead bird, and their still recent escape from the dragon thing, Lalita had almost completely forgotten about her broken ribs. Whatever that stuff was that Silver had given her made everything just so pleasantly numb. Unfortunately...it seemed to have a time limit. With the adrenaline wearing off from her last scare, Lalita began to notice a throbbing pain and tried hard not to limp as she walked back to the others. She didn't want anyone to worry. ~Lalita how is your injury just give me a small sign to let me know if it's bothering you or not. I don't want that Garth knowing that some of you are hurt~ Oh, Silver must have noticed. Lalita was frightened a little at the suggestion that it might make her a target for the Grovyle. She cringed a little at the thought but quickly tried to hide it. 'I'm...' she felt something shift and a sharp pain flared in her side. She couldn't lie now. '...it hurts.'

When she got back to Gormy she couldn't hold it in any longer, and collapsed next to the larger female. Cuddling up to the mother figure she wished for the pain to go away. It felt like something was crunching in there. Had she done something to it when she jumped away from the dead bird? It was a good possibility. "Gormy..." she whimpered pathetically. She knew she was being weak, and in front of Garth too, but something was wrong and it was causing her a lot of pain. Hopefully the creepy grass lizard just wouldn't notice, or would think she was just tired.

"I know you aren't comfortable with this, Fuzzy, but thank you for trying.”

Lalita had rushed up to him with her thanks, but Clyde struggled to offer her a reply. Instead, he gave a curt nod as his eyes drifted back to where Garth stood. The grovyle was already offering a so-called ‘explanation’ to the pidgeot’s death. Clyde snorted, unwilling to believe a single word that exited the creature’s mouth and instead turned away from the group as Fred trotted to join him. He found he couldn’t smile at the quilava and with a deep sigh, began to trudge away from the others.

Part of him screamed that he was making a mistake. It was madness leaving the three pokemon he was growing to love alone with that thing. Gormlaith was obviously strong, and Silver could take care of herself, especially with the recent evolution, but Lalita worried him. She was injured – and it was his fault. If the grovyle attacked her, she might not have to energy to flee him and if the worst were to happen... – he silenced his thoughts. They would take care of each other. But if he lost any one of them to Garth, he would never forgive himself. He was growing aware of the silence building up between himself and Fred, and decided the best way to silence he concerns was to distract himself with the quilava’s company.
“I’m Clyde, by the way,” The vigoroth began, some of his usual friendliness surfacing in his tone. The quilava might have already known his name from the others, but in all honesty, Clyde had hardly been aware of the nature of the conversation and thought it polite to introduce himself anyway. “So, what’s your story?” It was a vague question, almost personal; but the quickest way to earn the vigoroth’s trust was through honesty. It was difficult to lie about the past, especially if it had been painful – Clyde knew that too well. “W-What I mean is, where’d you come from?”

The appearance of a river in the distance ushered a smile onto Clyde's face, relieved at the sight of it. He knew there must’ve been one nearby, as Silver had fetched water for his injury earlier in the day, but he’d just been lucky to actually find it. He slowed to a halt just in front of it, offering a weak smile at Fred as he glanced down at the pidgeot which he shifted to hold in front of him with both paws. He ignored the hideous appearance as he gently lowered the figure into the surprisingly still water.
“So many deserve a proper burial.” Clyde sighed, watching the pidgeot sink into the depths of the river before turning his attention to Fred. “You probably think I’m mad,” He chuckled lightly. “I-It’s just.... everyone just forgets what they were like before... before this!” He gestured wildly with his claws, unsure how to describe the world in which they currently inhabited. His eyes had moistened slightly and he roughly wiped his eyes with an arm, reluctant to demonstrate such emotion to Fred. “This... hell.”

Gormlaith could tell something was wrong. Lalita's steps were becoming strained, as if she were forcing herself to walk normally. With all that had been going on, Gormlaith had nearly forgotten that the other fox was injured. The herbs Silver had gotten must have been very powerful for the pain to be gone nearly completely for so long.

Obviously, though, they were quickly wearing off. The smaller fox tried her best to stay stong, but the pain must have been too much for her to handle when she collapsed at Gormlaith's feet.

"Gormy..." Lalita whimpered weakly.
"Lalita! Are you alright?" the Zoroark asked, alarmed. Just a few minutes ago Lalita had been feeling well enough to tell Fred off. Now here she was, curled around Gormlaith's feet. Maybe Silver could help.

Gormlaith looked up, searching for Silver. She spotted the Lucario (who was oddly the only onther one here) and motioned for her to come closer.
"Is she alright? Is it just the herbs wearing off, or has it become injured farther?" Gormlaith was very concerned for Lalita, whom she felt was almost like a daughter to her. She pat the smaller fox's hair gently, trying to help ease the pain.

Silver was growing tired of the reptile seeming to ignore her but she let it be as she glance at Lalita when she heard her fall on the ground. She noticed that Gormlaith motion for her to come closer which Silver did so. She looked at Lalita with concern when she heard Gormlaith ask her, "Is she alright? Is it just the herbs wearing off, or has it become injured farther?" Silver closed her eyes and had her aura scan over Lalita's to check her over. She gave a sigh of relief when she realized that the pain she was going through is just the herbs rubbing off. ~She is fine Gormy it's just the herbs wearing off. There are still some left so she just needs to drink some of it.~ She said not letting Garth hearing her. She then work on remaking the herbs for Lalita from the extra ingredients she had gotten and once the herbs were made once again she moved to Lalita and said to her by mind, ~Here Lalita drink these once more it should ease your pain and let you rest for the night. I will have to take care of Clyde when he gets back and away from Garth. I'm not letting that reptile know that he is hurt or you for that matter~