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[ Returning from the shelter group]

Lex sprawled out, exhausted and ran his fingers down over his pokemon's hair, relaxing. He was tired.

{Returning from Shelter group}

Cara sprawled out on the warm sandy ground, Spirit sitting right next to her, soaking up the heat. That took a lot longer than she had thought it would. Cara gently patted the Vibrava as she tried to relax. Hopefully the night would be quiet so they could all sleep soundly...although she had a feeling it wouldn't be.

[Enter from Shelter]

Eros sat down against a tree and blearily examined his battered hands. They were raw and red, with myriad small cuts from sharp sticks and even a few welts across his fingers from tying endless lengths of twine. The feeling was beginning to come back into them, and they hurt.

Dido emerged from the satchel, stretched, an clambered into her human's lap. The Skitty looked down at Eros's hands, then up at his exhausted face. She gave a sympathetic little mew and delicately licked the tip of his left pinkie.

The boy winced at the stroke of the sandpaper tongue against his raw skin, but he smiled. "Thanks, Dido."

[returning from Shelter group]

Once all the gathered sticks had been bundled into shelters, Anise found a clear patch of ground and practically collapsed into a sitting position. Oki, unhappy that he hadn't been much help at the work, quickly positioned himself behind her so she had something to lean on at least. She murmured a thanks as she looked around the camp. She knew that feed had to be cooked and sleeping arrangements had to be made and maybe watches set up, since they weren't sure if there were hostile pokemon in the area, but right now she just wanted to sit and rest for a minute.

[returning from Shelter group]

Phrixus and Zak returned with the rest. The two hadn't been much help in building the structure but they had done their share of collecting materials for it. Zak stretched his arms over his head, trying to stretch the muscles of his sore body.

____________C h . 8 : Night Visitor

The sun was fast setting as the survivors scrambled to gather the last bit of supplies needed to survive the chill desert night. Berries and meat proved easy to obtain, but the slippery banks and muddy water kept the water group from filling their canteens as quickly as they could. Shelter was another arduous task, as they needed many branches and leaves to build a shelter large enough for everyone to keep warm after dark. Some finished their work early and helped other groups, knowing they were all going to suffer if one tier lagged.

Anise tied the last knot for the shelter just as darkness fell. A flame erupted a few yards from the shelter. The fire pokemon crew had been working on a campfire, along with the Captain, when the company arrived back at camp. They happily boiled water, cooked meat, and ate berries while quietly conversing through dinner. Exhausted from a long day's work, the company turned in early for the night, hoping to set out the next morning before it gets too hot.

A pair of bright eyes watched from the top of a palm tree, as the last person and pokemon drifted off to sleep.


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When they awoke, they find a piece of old parchment that has blown across the sand and got stuck in their now burnt out fire pit. The page was familiar... similar to the the paper that got you all into this mess, am I right?


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(( Take the weekend to muse over what it all means. No one has any knowledge of the pokemon visiting at night. If you get bored, feel free to eat up your hard work from the past week. Update will be on Monday. ))

If you would like to be added to the quote list for updates, let me know by quoting me in the main thread.

Erika and Blaire finished eating a meal they split equally before laying down to sleep. The scyther cast worried glances at her trainer, who had been working nearly non-stop since she had started - she said she was fine, but Blaire remained unconvinced.

Erika fell asleep first, shortly after laying down - likely a combination of the exertion and alcohol. Blaire stayed up a while longer, watching Erika and their surroundings before succumbing to the lure of sleep.

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In the morning, Blaire woke up before Erika, whose hand was sprawled over the scyther's face. Gently pushing her hand aside, Blaire got to her feet.

Eros slept terribly. He'd gathered some extra leaves to pad his particular patch of ground and positioned his clothing-stuffed satchel as a makeshift pillow, but they did almost nothing to help. Ground was never meant to be slept upon, he thought. That was why beds had been created. The boy lay awake most of the night, staring up at the ceiling made of sticks he'd helped gather.

Dido was curled on his chest, and of course slept soundly. The feline form was well-adapted to making itself comfortable in almost any environment, after all, even if it did not have a soft human to nestle into.

Eros did manage to snatch an hour or two of sleep in the end, out of sheer exhaustion, despite the impossible discomfort of the ground. He awoke to a faceful of leaves and grass. He'd tossed and turned on the hard ground, and Dido had retreated to an undisturbed corner of the satchel.

The boy sat up, groaned at the stiffness in every part of himself, and brushed the greenery from his eyes. His hair would be in all sorts of disarray, he was sure, though he of course he couldn't check. You knew you were far from civilization when there wasn't a mirror for miles, he thought glumly. And there was certainly no one around who would help him tidy himself. Again, he found himself wistfully thinking of the valet.

Just yesterday, Eros had been brought breakfast in bed. This morning, there was no bed, and possibly no breakfast. Goodness knew he was entitled to a portion of whatever had been scrounged up yesterday, not that the rest of the party would see it that way. There was sure to be rationing. Eros made a face.

Dido stretched, yawned, and gave herself a cursory licking. She looked expectantly up at her human.

The Skitty strutted unconcernedly from the shelter, but Eros emerged a bit more cautiously. There was no guarantee that wild Pokémon hadn't overrun the camp while they slept.

There was no sign of any such disturbance, but something was fluttering among the cold embers of the campfire. One of the expedition's flyers, Eros thought at first, and nearly walked right past. But, no, it was different.

The boy snatched up the torn sheet and read what remained of the handwritten scrawl. The crash... Everyone dead... No sign of rescue...

Eros wondered if this was what it felt like for one's face to go white. Aside from the casualties, this could have described their own plight. "This has happened before!" he exclaimed, to anyone nearby. "Other people have crashed out here, and never returned. What if... What if this is all some sort of trick, this whole expedition? They fly people out here, crash on purpose, and leave us all to die?" Eros sounded hysterical even to himself. But he clenched the scrap of paper in his fist and looked around the camp. "Where's the captain, if he hasn't already abandoned us? We need to ask him about this."