The MOUNTAIN Team

“Spirit….. Don’t worry my friend! I shall go on a never ending journey to avenge you , and take revenge on the person that turned you into a spirit!” Spirit heard Kringle say and could only sighed softly knowing that he will have a lot of explaining to do once the Delibird gets some rest so he gently returned the hug before gently trying to move the ice bird urging him to lay down and get some rest. After words he noticed that the little Mareep ran and hid behind him saying, "I'm sorry!" He wondered what had frighten the sheep so he stood up and stood in a protective stance in front of his new friends as he turned to where Yasille ran from to see a Pokeball open and a Pokemon coming out. He wondered what a Pokemon was still doing in it's Pokeball but since he didn't know if the Pokemon was trustworthy he got ready for a possible attack.

Slight noises began to permeate Ujue's slumber. A few muffled thuds and bumps against the black of sleep roused Ujue's consciousness. She was stuck somewhere outside of a nightmare, her chops twitching with the slight remnants of the uneasy horror Ujue felt in her sleep.

A cool draft brushed against her fur, causing her to stir slightly, when BANG! A Shadow Ball hit her below her ribs, and she awoke with a flash of pain. Ujue convulsed and her jaws opened even before her eyes did, spewing a fireball as she rolled to her feet.

Ujue's mind was thrown from sleep by an instantaneous, powerful emotion reflex: Ujue was ANGRY! She glared with all her might at the crude, crass imbecile that would dare attack a sleeping Ninetails.

"Who are you and what is going on here?" it snarled.

Her eyes landed on the boneheaded interloper as it began forming another Shadow Ball in it's mouth, and she launched a Flamethrower and leapt into a Quick Attack simultaneously, charging through the flames at the Eevee intruder.


[[OOC: The day you rudely awaken a Ninetails is a very, very bad day; they are very, very vengeful.]]

Tamaersoul's spirit kept pushing Kringle to go to sleep, and in the tired state he was in, he was not fighting to stop him. As much as he was happy that his friend was back, sleep kept telling him to come back to bed. The warm embrace of the fire was quickly reminding him of the only true freedom left in this corrupted world, the freedom to dream. But that was all short lived. The fire went out, and before he can even summon the power to lift his eyelids to see why, a pain erupted into his side. He was attacked.

Being attacked while he attempted sleep was new to him, he was used to sleeping in trees, away from most danger, so instead of jumping up ready for action like any normal pokemon would be, Kringle spent his time curling up over his wound, trying to both rub his pain away from his muscles and protect his body from any more danger.

He could hear a fight being broken out, and the heat of flames could be felt. It was either Ujue, or the houndour. And as much as he wanted to urge himself to get up and help, the attack had caught him unsuspected, leaving the delibird on the ground in pain.

The Houndours eyes opened slowly, sleep still showing on her face as she lifted her head. Inochi let out a yawn as she stretched, trying to shake off her sleep. It took her a moment before remembering everything that happened. Her hears drooped and she looked down at her paws, saddened that Soul had left, and she had done nothing but cry. Some Houndour she was, if she had to cry as everything that happened to her.

Inochi looked up, only to see the back of an Absol. "Soul!?" She barked as she jumped up and ran over to him, a weak smile on her face, but when she got closer her smile faded and she slowed her pace. She looked up at the Absol, then at her paws. "Y-your not soul..." She said as she walked back over to the fire and sat down. She took her Focus Sash off her leg and held it in her mouth. She looked into the cave that was looming ahead of them, wondering if she should go in, or wait.

Spirit saw that Kringle had gotten hit by the attacks as was now curled up on the ground. Growing concern for the ice bird not really paying attention to the attack since he used his horn to send them back at the attacker but didn't wait to see if that hit or not. He was more concern for the Delibird so he went over to Kringle and check him over luckily he had found some Oran berries before he met up with this group so he offered some to Kringle right before the he saw that the Houndour had woken up and had called out "Soul," before she ran over to him. Spirit sighed softly and waited for the Houndour, Inochi he remember she was called, to realize that he wasn't who she thought he was and said softly and gently to her, I'm sorry but I'm not this Soul. My name is Spirit. He then watched as Inochi sadly went back by the fire and took some kind of scarf of her leg and put it in her mouth. Once he was sure Kringle was going to be alright he will go and check on Inochi and try to cheer her up.

Ujue's Quick Attack overshot the angry eevee, and she realized that shooting fireballs around allies was a very bad idea, so she cut off the stream of flames from her mouth and, with one last, hostile glare, stalked away from the eevee. Spirit had attended to Kringle while she had lost her temper; the poor delibird was curled up and whimpering from the pain. Spirit was offering him some Oran berries when Inochi woke, and found Spirit instead of Soul; Ujue watched the two smaller pokemon carefully, very concerned about both. Inochi went and sat at the edge of the cave sadly.

But, Ujue was still pissed. She positioned herself protectively between the eevee and the rest of the pokemon, and kept one ear on her companions as she warily stared at the foreign Eevee.

Kringle wasn’t really paying attention to what was going on around him, sure, he could hear voices, some yells and shuffling. But other than that, he didn’t know what was going on. A berry was shoved in front of him, the sweet aroma itself already taking away from of the pain before he bit into it and let the natural effects of it take place. It helped, a lot actually, but it did not get rid of all the pain, time would have to deal with that sadly.

He looked up to give his thanks to the absol who gave him the oran berry, but apparently the sudden strike of pain from that shadowball had brought him out of his sleepy haze. It was not his dear friend Tamaersoul looking down at him. They looked similar, but no plate around the neck, and Tamaersoul didn’t have sunglasses or a scar over his eye. This new absol said the same thing he had said to Kringle, but to the houndour, which made him feel silly about mistaking that for a confession that he was dead….

“So…not Tamaersoul….but Spirit…..”Spirit…..this random absol had been too nice to be blunt with Kringle about not being the ghost of his lost friend. Made him feel nice, but he still remained skeptical about his sudden appearance right after the other absol’s disappearance…..

((Since the eevee is no longer on the team, should we just treat it like the eevee attacked and ran?))

Inochi sang a small part of a song she had picked up through her travels, the Focus Sash hanging from her mouth, not falling as her mouth moved to the words. She had every part of the song memorized, and it seemed to be the only song she knew. She used to sing it to her friend before he was killed, her only friend she had ever had. He was the one who gave her the sash, and he treasures it like a pirate treasures gold and silver. A tear seemed to stream down her face at the memory. It was the last time she saw another living soul, before she met these pokemon. She looked over her shoulder at the other before looking back into the darkness of the cave, wondering what was down there, what it held for them.

Inochi stood up and started to walk farther into the cave, wondering what lay ahead, before stopping and backing up. She turned and ran the other way, right out of the cave and near one of the nearby trees that had fallen down. She quickly shuffled herself under it and covered her eyes, shaking from fear at what she had just saw.

((ooc: If your wonder what Inochi is singing, its 'Childs Play' by Gothika.
What Inochi saw when she went into the cave was the remains of a dead human. Most likely eaten alive by the infected.))

Spirit watched as Ujue moved to stand between them and the Eevee that had seem to run away after it attack. He felt sorry for the little canine and hope that he will do alright out there by himself. He then looked at Kringle to be sure he was doing alright and saw the skeptical look. Spirit sighed softly and gave the Delibird a friendly smile before he said, I hope you are feeling better now Kringle. He tilted his head curiously when he heard a sad song coming from Inochi. This caused him to now look at the female Houndour and caused him to watch her with concern and understanding. He may not have gone through whatever she did but he did know what it was like to lose a friend. He had lost Riley because his friend was force to leave him behind and he still hope to see his trainer again someday. He watched as Inochi got up and started to walk further in the cave but before he could call her back he saw that she had stopped and back away before turning around and leaving the cave.

Wondering what it could have been that she saw that frighten her so he looked where she had and saw dead human bodies that seemed to have been eaten from by the infected. This made Spirit sick but he stopped himself and took off after Inochi to make sure she didn't run into any infected and put herself in danger. He didn't want to have anything happen to her even though he just met her.

In the dark of the cave, a Mightyena sings to a sleeping Nidoran. The Nidoran gives off a soft, almost purring like, sound as the Mightyena watches over the entrance of the cave. Goodnight, Nidor. The Mightyena said as he kissed the young Nidoran goodnight. Night.....Rain.

Nidor yawns as she finally closes her eyes and goes to sleep while Rain watches the forest with his blue eyes. The night is bright and calm as a small summer breeze runs over the mountains. The Mightyena's ears twitch as voices started to roll through the forest. The Mightyena looks down at the sleeping Nidoran and gets up to find out what or who those voices belonged too.

As Rain left the cave, young Nidor started to twitch and moan in her sleep. The young Nidoran bolted up and looked around for Rain but he was no where to be seen. She walked to the entrance of the cave and looked around but still no Rain. So Nidor went back to her little nest and waited for Rain to come back.

Rain soon came up on a group of pokemon. He looked at each one, none were infected from the looks of it. A Delibird, a Ninetales, a Houndour and a Absol. He watched the Houndour leave and the Absol that soon followed. He looked at the pokemon and decided to introduce himself. Rain walked out of the bushes and bowed his head. Hello. I'm sorry if I scared you anyway, but my name is Rain and I was wondering if I and a friend of mine could join your group? Rain said, as he waiting for a answer her just hoped that Nidor was ok.

The small, slightly chubby Teddiursa walked through the trees, his eyes narrowed as he tested each and every wood for traces of honey. Since the spreading of the epidemic, it had been harder and harder to find large supplies of honey, for some reason. He sighed in defeat as the latest tree proved to yield none of the sweet, golden ooze. He suckled on one paw, savoring the last of a previous find.

To any Pokemon that didn't know him, which was actually almost every Pokemon, he would seem aloof and ignorant of the world around him. But if any Pokemon would take the time to stand facing him, looking into his eyes, they would see that he was alert ad wary, and that he sometimes wrapped a sticky paw around the quick claw around his neck, almost as if wondering what he should do. He was just another young Pokemon who had to age up quick what with the spreading epidemic.

"What should I do?" He wondered aloud. He knew he really shouldn't be talking to himself, least not vocally. An infected Pokemon could easily overhear him and attack, and then how would he even see his trainer again? He wouldn't, was the answer, and he just couldn't handle that.

At that moment, quite a few voices drifted into his fuzzy, over-sized ears. Kol gave up his probing of the tree in front of him, licking at his claws to clean them of the thin sap that coated them, and tried to conceal himself. He knew though, that if the Pokemon really wanted to find and kill him, that they would surely be able to smell the tempting sweetness wafting from his paws.

He peeked out from behind the rough bark of the tall structure, seeing a small number of Pokemon nearby a cave. He sniffed, trying to smell if the scent of infection was on them, but couldn't smell anything but honey - he supposed that the sugary sustenance was both a blessing and a curse. Though his eyesight wasn't fantastic, it didn't look like any of them were infected, and he let out a soft sigh of relief.

He started to make his way towards them, hoping that at the very least, they weren't hostile. A group of uninfected Pokemon would probably be better off than one little, chubby bear on his own.
He waved one orange, sticky paw once he was in hearing and viewing range, but he didn't make any other move to introduce himself, in case he had to flee at a seconds notice.

(( OOC// Ah, I hope that was suitable for my first post! ))

Blasted imbecile, Ujue thought scathingly after the fleeing Eevee. Her paws twitched to pursue the damn thing, but she stretched her dignity over her inherent desire for vengeance and switched gears. She could manage to act polite and cool . . . even if she was as peeved as a raging primeape.

Inochi began to sing a pretty but slightly chilling song, and Ujue stilled her tails' swirling and listened to her small voice . . . and heard movement in the trees. Ujue sharpened her eyes on the forest. Out of her peripheral vision, she saw Spirit watching Inochi. Inochi stopped singing and went deeper into the cave followed by Spirit, but she soon bolted back out and hid under a log. Spirit ran protectively after her.

The source of the forest's noises was soon revealed: a male mightyena stepped out of the woods. He diplomatically bowed his head (which helped Ujue further mask her irritation; nothing like manners for a good facade), and said, Hello. I'm sorry if I scared you anyway, but my name is Rain and I was wondering if I and a friend of mine could join your group? Nearby, a chubby little teddiursa waved a sticky paw, but stayed estranged from the group.

"Good evening, my name is Ujue. You and the teddiursa are welcome to stay." Ujue flicked her tails, and looked over her shoulder, where Inochi trembled beneath a log and Spirit stood protectively near her, and Kringle in the mouth of the cave. Ujue could feel herself withdrawing, building up her wall -- friends seemed to pass very quickly after the dead started walking again. . . .


[OOC: Clarification: Ujue thinks that Koi and Rain were traveling together (not an error).

Welcome to mountain team Arsenic and MoonlightEve! Arsenic, that was a very nice first post.

Notice that none of the canids smelled the bodies in the cave before, so perhaps someone could explore the reason behind their lack of scent. Or we could use them as a great motive to find a new setting!]

Such heavenly music making him forget about the pain in his side, such a waste that it had to end, though the ruckus that came afterwards caught his attention. The pup of a houndoor came running out of the cave, fear clearly painted on its face, it wasn’t long till Tama….no, Spirit, came running after it. You would think two pokemon running out of the back of the cave would make others want to stay away, but not Kringle, it just made him more curious. Ignoring all logical thinking of turning back, the bird made it to the location which had gotten those two so agitated, only to find the horrible smell of dead and decay wash over him, he was lucky his nose was not that strong as a bird, or else it might’ve been too much.

Humans…..he hadn’t had much experience with them since he had managed to free himself from that horrible trainer, near the start of the epidemic, so seeing one here was strange. The body was bitten, some of the bones broken, but the worst part of it where the eyes, one of them was apparently eaten, leaving the vein that connected it to the head dangling outside, while the remaining one had practically popped out of its socket. As much as it repulsed him, it also left him questioning. How far was this cave, how long had this body been here, and most importantly, why had no one smelled it till now…..All these things excited Kringle, he had seen kids playing detective before, but had never had the chance himself, and now finally seemed like the right moment.

Now, for the first question….why had no one smelled it…….In a cave where it was hard for the air to get dispersed, the smell should have lingered and been exposed to them if the body was so close. The streaks of dirt right next to the body solved that though. This body had been dead for a while, but these dirt streaks felt fresh, so something must have dragged it closer…..He was overjoyed at his realization, so naturally he wanted to share it with his friends. “UJUE, UJUE, WE’VE GOT A MYSTERY ON OUR HANDS! But fear not, detective Kringle is on the case!” He didn’t exactly know what those words actually ment, but the kids always yelled that, so it must be said.

Kringle waited near the body for the others to arrive, he wanted to make sure no one else took credit for his find, and maybe they could all follow the tracks deeper to solve the mystery of how deep this cave went. “I deduce that this here body was dragged by the perp.” Putting emphasis on the ‘perp’, every good mystery needed a classic villain.


((Welcome to you both~ Kringle would have said hi, but when that bird gets something on his mind, he just has to go through with it |D))

Inochi was terrified. Her eyes where tightly shut and her head was under her front paws. She could ear the chatter of her teeth as they banged together from fear. "There dead... there all dead..." She mumbled, to scared to go back into the cave now that she saw something like that. Even though it had been months since the epidemic started, and she had seen her fare share of dead bodies, she had never seen that many decaying human bodies in one place. "Please, let this be a dream. Let me wake up so this can all be over." Tears started to stream down her face.

She could hear footsteps coming near her and she shuffled herself even farther under the log, fearing it was an infected, but she was to scared to look, to scared to see its decaying face. He waited to hear the horrid growl, to smell that nasty scent, to feel its teeth as it sank into her neck. Oh, please just let it be over quickly, so she doesn't have to feel anymore pain. Anymore sorrow. Anymore heartbreak.

Spirit was looking around for Inochi. He didn't want to let anything happen to her, "Please, let this be a dream. Let me wake up so this can all be over." When he heard her voice he was able to find her hiding under the log but it seemed that when she heard his footsteps she scurried further under the log. Inochi it's just me, Spirit, you don't have to be afraid I won't let anything or anyone hurt you. He said as he walked slowly over to where Inochi was. He knew what she saw in that cave and he wish he could erase that image from her mind but he can't. All he can do is offer her comfort the best he could. Soon he was close enough to the log to lay down and gently nuzzle her to try to give her comfort.

"Good evening, my name is Ujue. You and the teddiursa are welcome to stay." Rain tilted his head as her turned and saw the Teddiursa. Er, um it's nice to meet you Ujue, but I do not know this Teddiursa. My friend is a baby Nidoran and she is sleeping in a near by cave. Rain jolted as he almost forgot. He need to get back to Nidor and now too. Uh, please excuse me but I will be right back. I need to go and get Nidor. Rain said as he turned and bolted back to the cave.

Nidor lay in her little bed as she watched the forest, waiting for Rain to return. Her ears twitch as noises came from the forest. I wonder when Rain is supposed to be back? I hope he's ok. The young Nidoran said as she layed her head back on her paws.

Rain ran through the forest as he came up on the cave entrance. He huffed as he called her name. Nidor come on out. It's me Rain and I found some new friends. Rain sayed as he came up and picked Nidor up and put her on his back as he left the cave behind.

Wah, Rain! Where are you taking me?! Nidor said as the wind rushed past her skin. Nidor clinged to Rain's fur as he ran through the forest. The young Nidoran stuffed her face in the fur of the Mightyena as her ears went flying back in the wind.

Rain giggled as he felt the young Nidoran stuff her face into his fur. I'm taking you to meet our new friends. Rain said as he slowed down and came into sight of Ujue and the others. As he came up to Ujue he smiled and turned his side to her to reveal the hiding Nidoran. Ujue, this is my little friend Nidor. Rain said as he motioned to the still "hidden" Nidoran.

Though there were quite a few Pokemon there, at least three of them seemed to be ignoring him, the only one who seemed social to him was the Ninetails. But, it had been made quite obvious to him that none of the small group was planning on attacking him, so he relaxed.

As the Mightyena dashed off to retrieve his friend, Kol stepped a bit closer. I may as well introduce myself, he thought.
He cleared his throat, which always seemed to be thick with honey.
"Hi, my name is Kol. And I've never seen that Mightyena in my life, I'll have you know! It is merely a coincidence that we arrived together." He didn't blame Ujue for assuming that they were traveling together; he probably would have thought the same if he were in her position.

The rotund Teddiursa wasn't used to talking to other Pokemon. He didn't know exactly what was expected of him, how he should act. What should he say?
The Mightyena had returned then, carrying his friend nestled within his mane, and Kol coughed, awkwardly.

He held out a grubby, honey-soaked paw to both Nidor and Ujue. "May I, uh, offer you some honey as an act in good faith? I can assure you, it's quite delicious..."
He wasn't sure if that was the correct way to greet and befriend new Pokemon, but it felt about right.

Ujue smiled inwardly as the newcomers informed her of her error. She sat down and swirled her tails patiently as Rain left, then, as the thought struch her, turned her head and blew a Flamethrower gently at the extinguished fire.

She was looking at Spirit and Inochi when Kringle shouted, from behind, “UJUE, UJUE, WE’VE GOT A MYSTERY ON OUR HANDS! But fear not, detective Kringle is on the case! I deduce that this here body was dragged by the perp." Ujue pricked up her ears. That there was another pokemon in the cave was very disturbing indeed, and she cautioned, "Wait a moment, Kringle. Don't venture too far in there alone. . . ."

Rain returned with Nidor, a very very small thing clinging onto Rain's fur. The sight was very heartwarming, as was the Teddiursa, Koi. He was very nervous, and seemed very young, and acted admirably in the face of meeting strangers. Ujue gently shook her head at the offered honey, but her eyes were warm.

Ujue looked from Inochi and Spirit, to Rain, Koi, and Nidor, then to Kringle and the yawning mouth of the cave. Her mind worked quickly. "Koi, Rain, and Nidor, would you perhaps join the absol Spirit and the houndour Inochi over by that log?" She gave Rain a look that spoke of caution and a possible threat; a look that communicated that they should move away from the cave, and not panic the younglings. She waited for the young teddiursa and nidoran to venture a little further away, then said quietly, "Kringle, do you think whatever it is will attack us? . . . If the ...'perp'... is infected, I don't want to go anywhere near it."

So Kringle wasn’t able to lead everyone to the scene of the crime, or see all their faces when he unveiled the body, but seeing as how there were young kids around all of a sudden, he can see how that could be a problem. He wouldn’t want them to go mystery crazy and end up finding the perp before he had the chance. But at least he did still say his lines, just not with the added effect of the body.

Kringle watched intently as Ujue asked the others to go more to the opening of the cave where the fire was, just now noticing what pokemon joined them. An adorable teddiursa, who Kringle would need to be wary of in case an angry parent came charging in, and a small nidoran riding on the back of a mightyena. He desperately wanted to hand out presents and see who the gifts liked and who they did not, but Ujue wanted to talk to him alone…….A female Ujue wanted to talk to Kringle alone…….a Female Ujue who he had known the longest out of the rest wanted to talk to him alone…..

Kringle’s mind went racing at the possibility of Ujue confessing to him due to his recent find. Sure, he was a funny guy, and sure, he had just unlocked possibly the greatest mystery of all time, but he really wasn’t anything to have feelings for, he wasn’t even sure how he felt about her, he had only really thought about the ninetails as a friend to lean on….But he was relieved when she changed her mind about the confession maybe deciding to wait or hide her feelings, it might ruin their friendship, and that was one thing he did not want.

Instead she acted scared about the perp, telling him she did not want to go near it. She did not want to go near it….and the children wear too young to confront the perp all by themselves, so naturally this ment that Ujue had given him a top secret mission. No longer Detective Kringle, no, Secret Agent Kringle would catch the perp before it could get to Ujue and the rest. “Do not worry Ujue, I will not let the perp get you, infected or not, because Secret Agent Kringle is on the hunt!” He said as he quickly waddled off into the cave, he would need to act quick or else lose any trail he had.

"Inochi it's just me, Spirit, you don't have to be afraid I won't let anything or anyone hurt you."
Inochi was trembling, but she managed to open one of her eyes to see the Absol next to her under the log. Though her vision was hazy from the tears that continued to well in her eyes it wasn't hard to recognize Spirit in front of her. That white fur with the dark blue face. He placed her head under her paws, still trembling, and her eyes shut once more. "I-I'm so s-scared." She mumbled. She was always scared, even before the epidemic started she was terrified of everything. She was weak, she knew that, just like she knew she would never evolve no matter how hard she tried. She looked at Spirit, her eyes still watering. "what should I do?" It was a question she had asked herself over a million times, but could never find an answer.

Spirit watched while Inochi looked at him with tears in her eyes. He couldn't help but hurt for her and tried to comfort her while he listen to her saying, "I-I'm so s-scared. what should I do?" Spirit gave a soft sigh and gently touched Inochi with his horn as he answered her as best as he could, Everyone is scared Inochi, even me. But the way I handle it is think about those that I care for and for those that care about me, weather it will be my past friends or the friends I have now and realize that I'm not alone and that with them around and surrounding me I can continue to be strong and brave no matter what I face. He wasn't sure if that will help Inochi much but he figured he will tell her how he deals with it when he is scared.

(Skip please, no idea's)

[[OOC: Whoa, I didn't see that Koi was away!! Sorry for the late post guys!!]]

Ujue looked on incredulously (but with a calm and cool outer demeanor) as Kringle waddled off into the cave. She took a step after him, then hesitated, staring back at the group of pokemon bunched outside the cave. The tiny nidoran especially worried her.

Ujue flicked an ear to the side, displeased. "We don't need to pick any fights, Kringle, let's leave. Neither Nidor nor Inochi will be happy if you drag an undead out of that cave..."

The over eager delibird was too into his own world that he had not hear the ninetails calling out to him, he was too busy waddling deeper into the cave to start his secret mission. He needed to catch the perp before he got to his friends at the entrance of the cave, it was a race against time and the only lead he had was the body. Kringle quickly returned to the area where the body of the desecrated human had been left, but when he kept going deeper in he knew something was wrong.

He should have gotten to the body by now, heck, he should have passed it, but there was none, the only thing he could figure as to why was that the perp had either eaten it or moved it to hide any leads. The case had gotten all the more harder, but the perp had not counted on Secret Agent Kringle on being there, he was able to find skid marks on the dirt of the body being dragged. They were his only clue at the moment, so he had no choice but to follow them.

He was following the tracks for a bit when inspiration struck, he berated himself for not think of this sooner. It was probably the most important part of the whole mission, Kringle needed a theme song. He wanted a full orchestra to play it whenever he chased the perps, but sadly he had no words to go to the theme song, it would take a lot longer to make it up….And the biggest problem was that he had no one to play it for him, he couldn’t because he’d be too busy on this investigation to hum or sing it, and his substitute could not make any noise……Maybe the perp could sing it as he chased him, that would be best.

Eventually Kringle came to a fork in the cave, either go left, or go right….They both looked dark, dank, and mysterious, so using his secret agent training, Kringle did what any good agent would do, he played Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe to decide and left was decided. It must be the right way, because almost every step he could swear he saw red eyes further down, but would disappear each time he stared directly at them….