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((Narissa has Shef's backpack... I'd said that earlier -.-'))

((Bread meant the backpack Kiki obtained from nowhere. It was her own backpack.))

The old man who had approached, unseen by any, scuttled past Shef, who was too focused on Kiki to notice anything else, and waddled up to stand beside Floreta. He stroked his very large, Santa-style white beard, and peered down at Harlin's unconscious form with interest. Harlin, who did not know this old man, was purely unconscious and nothing more. There could be no Death on this Island--because there could be no Guardians. Neither Guardian nor Death could penetrate the ancient magics, as old as Gagazth itself, surrounding this sacred place.

"Your teacher shall live," the man said gruffly, before turning to waddle back to Kiki. He blinked in amusement to find Shef trying, unsuccessfully, to initiate CPR on Kiki. Obviously, the boy had only seen CPR on television, and wasn't aware that it wasn't a kind of kiss but actually artificial lung respiration. The boy wasn't pumping her heart, either.

The man whacked Shef with his cane and shooed him away. He did not bother to repeat what he had said about Harlin, but it should be understood by anyone of any intelligence. This meant Shef did not, of course.

"And your Guardians are not here. They're fine... presumably," the man said with slight hesitation. He paid himself no heed on this, however, and began waddling through the sand toward the only stand of trees visible. The others were presumably supposed to follow.

Shef backed away, tripped, and planted his face in the sand. That made the ninth time today, or so, that his face had been in the dirt. The boy, as the old man referred to Shef in his mind, glanced at Kiki. Obviously, she was breathing. Shef saw that now. With any luck, however, Kiki wouldn't realize that Shef had basically kissed her unconscious form. He sure wouldn't have saved her had she needed real CPR. So, to wake Kiki up, Shef wandered closer to her once again--and kicked her.

~

Regond fluttered to a nearby tree branch. This tree was tiny, actually, being located on the Nanne's bank. He was very flustered--but not wet, thanks to special preening oil--and very confused. He saw the other Guardians--save Narissa, who was wherever she wanted to be, swimmer that she was--on the dry land, nearly as shocked as he was. What. A. Wave.

((You know he wanted it, though.))

Sometimes, when I'm sitting in my bedroom...

All ALONE... in the DARK...

I sometimes look up at the stars and wish I was them.

All ALONE... but in plain SIGHT...

But then I think of something...

.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.
Floreta had leaped back at the strange man's appearance, toppled over Harlin's unconscious form, and collapsed over him, her skirt flying up around her thighs as her legs hung over her teacher's unconscious form.

Blushing wildly, she scrambled up off him and in doing so felt something twist inside of her foot. She went down next to Harlin, wincing.

"Ow..."

Either I pulled a tendon, or I twisted my ankle. Neither are good. Oh my Gosh it hurts!

Marina, in her human form still, looked at the old man with mild disgust.

Ewe. What a creeper.

----

Queenie shook herself roughly and managed to stumble up onto her feet, groaning.

"Ugh..." she breathed. "I've got sand in my fur." She looked at the others - whoever was with her. "What the hell was THAT?"

.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.

It's really strange, I think...

When they're up there...

They're all ALONE. In the DARK. But everyone can SEE them...

It's strange when I look up at them...

Because they kinda remind me of YOU.

"Look at the stars. Look at how they shine for you."

((Regond, Dasmascus, Queenie, Odemunk.))

Shef landed right on Kiki... lips meeting. It must have been something about this island, but putrefying and pitiful attempts at accidental romance seemed to be more common here.

The old man was limping away, towards the trees. The heat would soon drive the humans to follow him, if they did not kill each other first.

~

Queenie and Odemunk were fine. Dasmascus hadn't said anything, though. Regond fluttered down to where Dasmascus seemed to be, and pecked his skull once or twice. "Are you alive?" he asked.

One might wonder where Reign, Alhiria, and Holly were.

Sometimes, when I'm sitting in my bedroom...

All ALONE... in the DARK...

I sometimes look up at the stars and wish I was them.

All ALONE... but in plain SIGHT...

But then I think of something...

.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.
Queenie paced worriedly back and forth, tossing her great head.

"Marina..." she breathed, her tail lashing. "Marina, Marina! Marina, where are you-?"

----

Floreta bit her lip slightly as Marina tried to force herself to calm down. Loosing her cool wasn't one of the cat's specialties.

"GAH! I CAN'T TAKE THIS ANYMORE!"

With an angry, wild hiss, Marina was back into a white cat again, and dashing into the coolness of the trees.

Gasping, Floreta stumbled to her feet and made as if to go after Marina.

"Marina, wait! We must stay together-!"

But then she realized she would be leaving her dear beloved teacher, who seemed to still be unconscious. Torn between her teacher and the departing cat, she shook her head and dashed after Marina.

"Shef, please watch Teacher Harlin!" She called softly as she vanished into the trees. "Marina! Please come back!"

Alhiria, where ARE you-?

----

Alhiria raised her head from the great tower where she presently roosted, looking in the direction of the Nanne.

"Floreta..."

"HEY! SPARROW!"

Gruffly, Alhiria turned her head downwards to see Reign limping towards her, wincing at every step and barely able to walk.

"Ah, good," the phoenix cooed sarcastically. "The rat can walk. Oh joy."

"Oh hush!" Reign snapped, her tail lashing. "I've gotten word from the villagers that the Nanne flooded! The group has to CROSS the river in order to get to Reimli - in order to get to us!"

Alhiria fluffed her feathers.

"AND?"

Reign glared at her.

"You bumbling little fool - your Guarded was crossing that bridge!"

Alhiria blinked, and her great eyes widened.

"Oh-OH MY GOD!"

Suddenly she was leaping off the roof of the tower and sailing into the air, headed towards the Nanne.

"FLORETA! FLORETA!"

.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.

It's really strange, I think...

When they're up there...

They're all ALONE. In the DARK. But everyone can SEE them...

It's strange when I look up at them...

Because they kinda remind me of YOU.

"Look at the stars. Look at how they shine for you."

Shef couldn't care less about Teacher Harlin, actually--though he would be absolutely fine--and jumped away from Kiki, stuttering as he attempted to apologize--then just broke into pure flight, towards the trees.

"Kiki'll do it!" he shouted after Floreta, following at a quick pace.

Kiki'll... do SOMETHING, he thought apprehensively. But then again, despite the circumstances, his first kiss had been... quite nice.

~

In the stand of trees, there was something that Kiki could definitely 'be down with,' so to speak. There was a rather large tree house above an oasis of sorts below. It was a very small oasis, not fit for swimming (and certainly not diving) but served the purpose of fresh water, since the... er, water that the group had washed up in was briny. The old man (who moved slowly, without that creepy, hasty manner) was climbing the steps to the ladder that led to the second set of steps that led to the slide that led to the second ladder that led to the third set of steps that led to the climbing rope that led to the monkey bars that led to the tire-swing that led to the fourth set of steps that led to the third ladder that led to the second tire-swing that led to the fourth ladder (on a platform, of course) that led to the first room of the tree house above. Of course, each room above required more... er, obstacles, per se... to reach each respective one.

The man did not seem able to make this miniature journey at all, though he certainly seemed as if he were going to anyway.

~

Regond was very worried. But the fact that he was not dead, meant Shef was not dead, meant the others were not dead. He wasn't linked to Shef with any psycho-spiritual type of deal--meaning if one died the other would--but the wave had not been fatal... which was how things worked in Ether.

"We should proceed to Reimli," the owl suggested. "If there's medicine there for those others, there might be something for me to recover my strength. Then I and that... that phoenix, can fly around in search."

Regond returned to his task of pecking Dasmascus awake.