FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

It had only been a few hours since the departure of Volcan and the members of Team Valiant from Azure. Yet, to Caulin it felt longer, as once again his uncle was heading out on a mission, but without his father to accompany him. For Volcan and Minato to not be on a mission together felt wrong to Caulin - the two had always worked together since forming their team. Never had they been apart.

It made Caulin angry and worried all at the same time, wondering if Volcan would be safe without his father there to watch his back. Beneath that anger, he was also sickened with his father for shutting himself away, avoiding his responsibilities to wallow in self-pity.

_'I mean, I miss mom too,'_Caulin thought bitterly. But he sure wasn't pushing away his responsibilities; Volcan had given him a job to do, and he was going to do it!"

With the houses of Azure behind him, he made his way over to the parked airship resting on the ground outside the forest. The vessel never ceased to pique his curiosity when he saw it, having never seen a flying contraption of its like before. Its owner, Lashanne, had even constructed a scaffolding under it serving as a form of dry dock - that was about the only comparison he could make, given the vessel was very ship-like in appearance.

He noted the rope ladder was lowered, and wondered if Lashanne had stepped away for a moment, or perhaps her partner Toby? He tuned to his Aura Sense, checking to see if there were any signs of life aboard the ship. He detected an aura signal coming from the stateroom, at the back of the ship just below the helm.

He walked closer to the ship, moving further toward the stern and cupping his paws around his mouth as he shouted up to a window he could see on the vessel. "Excuse me? Hello?" He shouted. "If you can hear me up there, I need some help!"

The window he was shouting up to filled with a silhouette before being pushed open, and he saw the fox-like figure leaning out, locating him on the grass below. "Oh hey there," she said. "Caulin, right? Is something the matter?"

"Hey there!" He called right back, waving up to the Lashanne with a smile. "I was wondering if I could borrow something?"

"Uh, maybe? What're you looking for?"

"Do you have a telescope or something? Uncle Volcan gave me a job to do around town and I need a telescope to do it!"

"Yeah I have a few lying around. Come on up," she said before disappearing back into the cabin, pulling the window closed behind her.

Caulin ran over to the ladder, scrambling up to the top and swinging himself over the rail. He saw the door to the captain's cabin was open, and went over, stepping inside where he saw Lashanne's knelt by a cabinet, and finding himself standing in a room of wonders.

Directly ahead of him was an ornate desk built into the floor, with various papers scattered across its top. Sitting on the corner of the desk was a globe, with a complete mapping of the world's three known continents and the Great South Islands. To his right, the wall was covered in shelves, bearing various trinkets, baubles and oddities that he could not identify but many of which appeared to be quite old. On the wall next to the door sat an old painting, faded with time but still discernible. It portrayed a Salamence flying over the mountains -he recognized it by its bodily shape, though the painting was not in colour.

Caulin was so absorbed by the treasures he barely realized he was about to touch one, and his mother's words echoing in his mind about touching things that didn't belong to him without permission rang through his mind. He quickly pulled his paw back and returned it to his side, reminding himself that he was here for a telescope; nothing more.

Off to the left was Lashanne, sorting through a cabinet of other tools he didn't recognize, except for telescopes, which is what she was currently focused on, looking through each of them and testing their functionality. The one she currently held fell apart in her hands as she tried to extend it, and narrowly she caught the pieces with psychic before the crystal lenses could be smashed on the floor.

"That one's worn out..." She mumbled.

Caulin approached cautiously, not wanting to startle her from her work. "Do you...need any help, miss?" The Riolu asked curiously as he watched her search.

She turned to look at him, flashing a weak smile. "Sorry, kiddo. I've had a lot of these for a long time; just got to find one that's in good shape." She explained as she placed the pieces of the telescope back into the cabinet and sought another. "What kind of job did you need it for?"

"Uncle Volcan gave me a task to keep watch over Azure." He explained. "I figured the best place to do so would be at the lighthouse, and a telescope would help me see what's coming from a far enough distance to let Luke's team know about what's coming before it gets here."

"I see. Well that sounds important," returned Lashanne encouragingly, though she suspected she knew what Volcan had really given him the task for. She said nothing though, instead going through the telescopes to find one to suit the Riolu for his 'job'. "Let's see... this one's got a cracked lens. This one - oh geez, no lens at all..."

Disgruntled, she picked up a red one, bringing it to her eye and looking through it. "This one looks good," she said, breathing on the lens before wiping it with a handkerchief, and then turned to Caulin after collapsing it back to a compact size as she offered it to him. "This should do the trick. Just remember; it's delicate."

Caulin gingerly took the telescope in his paws, lifting it to his eye to peer through it to test for himself and smiling in approval.. "Yea this'll do. Thanks miss!" He said, looking up at Lashanne gratefully, before he looked about the room again.. "Ya know, you got a lot of stuff in here that looks super cool! How long have you been collecting stuff like this?" He asked curiously.

"A few years," she replied with a shrug. "Mementos from some of my early jobs, or just some stuff that I rather thought would look good on my wall."

Caulin turned and browsed the shelf once more, his gaze falling upon the old Salamence painting. "What about that picture there? How'd you get that?" He asked.

"That one? Found it in an antique store in Princeport. It's titled 'Salamence over the Spear Pillar' - a mountain that if I'm not mistaken, is here on the East Continent."

Caulin's smile faded as he stared at the painting, slowly becoming a nostalgic smirk as fond memories found their way into the fore of his mind. "It kinda reminds me of whenever I used to play with Bellator back on Arc, whenever Dad was off training with Grampa Victor."

"Bellator? Who's that?" Lashanne asked, having not heard the name before.

"Grampa Victor's Salamence." He replied quickly.

"Oh." Lashanne nodded in understanding.

He stared at the painting again, remembering one of the first times he had played with the dragon - under his mother's supervision of course, while Minato was training with an older Lucario. The Salamence had taken Caulin for a flight over the island, but during their aerial expedition the Riolu had made the mistake of trying to stand up on Bellator's back only to get blown off by the wind when the Salamance made a turn. He remembered seeing his mother running, faster than he ever thought she could move, to catch him as he fell, snagging him with Psychic to pull him into her waiting arms.

Of course she scolded him after, especially since he was laughing when he could have been seriously hurt. Before long, though, she had begun to laugh too, and Caulin remembered vividly her smiling, loving face that day. His eyes started to water at the memories; not wanting Lashanne to see them, he wiped his eyes with the back of his paw and quickly sought a distraction.

"Hey uh...I'm curious. What's it like being a treasure hunter?" He asked, keeping his voice level.

"Ah, so Volcan told you, did he?" She asked, looking at him. "Well it-" She trailed off, looking closely at him as though studying him. "...You okay, kiddo?" She asked.

She had seen his tears, despite his attempt to hide them, and with her observation, he found himself unable to get his mother out of his mind. He thought he was being brave by not dwelling on her, even going so far as to berate his father for not doing the same, but he really wanted to talk to someone - anyone! Talk to them about that day, but Volcan was gone and he didn't know where Serena or Degra were at that moment.

With a sniffle, he answered her. "...N-No." He whimpered softly, letting his composure crumble as he cradled the telescope in his paws, like a stuffed toy he was trying to find comfort with. "I-I'm not okay. I... I can't stop thinking about what happened that day."

Lashanne caught his meaning easily, and knelt before him to meet his eyes. "The night... your home was attacked," she said, not needing confirmation.

Caulin nodded softly in response, sniffling a little harder before he spoke again. "...Why did they attack us?" He asked quietly. "W-We didn't do anything wrong... We were just doing what we do on Arc Island, and they just... they destroyed everything for no reason" He started to sob and cover his eyes in his arm. "I-It's not fair! They took away my home! They took away my mom and nearly took my dad too!!" He had to set down the telescope as the tears started to flow freely now, freeing both paws to catch them.

Lashanne heard the pain in his voice, battling with her instincts and her logic at that moment. She never liked seeing a child cry - she wasn't heartless after all. But she hardly knew what she could even _say_to the youth! Though loss of a loved one was nothing new to her, Caulin had lost nearly everything he had ever cared about in a single night. That was something she could _not_relate to.

But, 'Arceus damn it,' she thought. 'Can't just stand here...'

She sighed defeatedly, too low for Caulin to hear, and moved to sit beside him on the floor as she spoke. "I don't know, Caulin," she answered honestly. "I don't have an answer for you, to why anyone would attack your home. The unfortunate truth is, some people are like that - just... cruel, and like to make others suffer."

Ah, Lunala smash me with the moon. That's not going to help! Her mind screamed at her, but the words were already said. Thugs, pushy salesmen, sketchy businessmen - these, she could handle. Caulin was about the furthest thing from the type of people she was used to dealing with. It had been a long time since she had felt so out of her element...

The young Riolu lifted his gaze out of his paws and looked up to the Delphox sadly, sniffling a bit as he spoke. "But... that's... that's just wrong." He answered back. "M-Mom always told me that everyone has the capacity to do good. I-If they can, then why don't they?"

Gods if I answer this_one honestly, it'll be like going against everything his mother ever told him,_ she thought, nearly panicking now as she struggled to formulate an answer. She knew she _had_to give one or the situation would only be made worse.

"Many Pokemon do - your mother was right about that," she spoke carefully. "Even some _bad_Pokemon became that way with good intentions. But some... lose their way, and their actions end up becoming the opposite of what they intend. Others can't deal with the consequences, and give in to their resentment, and want others to feel the same way even when they weren't involved."

She felt satisfied with this answer -it was true, at least she thought so. It didn't really fit her own view of the world, seeing everything in a much simpler picture. This time though she had to push it aside, and recount everything that some of the more 'spiritual' people she had met in her life had told her.

"I may not know why those people attacked your home. But I do know that there are Pokemon out there working to make sure they answer for it," she went on, improvising - yet surprisingly convincing. "Wherever there are bad people, just remember," she turned Caulin to face her, giving him a reassuring smile. "There are still good Pokemon too, like your uncle... and your dad."

Hm... maybe _not_too far from her own beliefs, she felt.

Caulin wiped away the tears rolling down his cheeks as he listened to Lashanne's words, biting his bottom lip as the words sank into his mind. Slowly he stepped closer to Lashanne and lay his head against her chest, not noticing her tensing as he sniffed again.

Lashanne froze, momentarily wondering how to respond to this. She was a stranger to this boy, yet here he was seeking comfort from her. Her mind reeled, not knowing how to respond to this development, but feeling her heart going out to the Riolu.

Eventually, she sighed again, and slowly put her arms around him, hugging him gently. "I-It'll be okay, Caulin," she said, trying not to sound awkward. "Things will be better before you know it. You'll see."

"I hope so." He answered back, enjoying her embrace and the feeling of her warm fur around him, reminding him of a blanket he used to sleep with when he was younger. When he started to feel better, he pulled back and look at her gratefully "Thanks for listening Lashanne. I _really_needed to get that off my chest."

"N-No problem," she returned, allowing herself to smile back at him. She then cleared her throat, picking up the telescope she had lent him and offering it back to him. "Should uh... probably get you to your job now, huh?"

"Yea, right!" Caulin answered, his mood becoming its usual peppy manner as he took the telescope from her. "Thanks for the telescope again. I'll be super careful with it!" He added as he started backing out of the cabin toward the deck.

"You're welcome," she returned with a nod. Then, with a quick moment of consideration, she spoke up again. "Want me to walk with you? I'm heading into town anyway for some groceries."

He beamed at the offer, his tail wagging excitedly at her offer. "Sure!" He exclaimed happily. "Maybe you can tell me all about your treasure hunting while we walk!"

At that, she smiled. "Oh, I've got a few stories I think I could tell," she returned, holding out her hand to summon her branch wand and its carrier from the wall. The item flew into her paw, and she slung it across her torso as she followed Caulin outside. "I think I got just the one to start with - when I first met your uncle and Luke out west. Did he tell you that we met in an ancient city nobody had been to for centuries?"

"Wait for real??" He exclaimed, his jaw almost going slack in shock. "That sounds awesome!! Tell me what happened!" He added, giving the Delphox his full, albeit very excited, attention.

"Alright then," She returned, waving her hand.

Caulin felt his footpaws leave the deck, and recognized the feeling of a psychic hold around him. He didn't mind, of course; his father and mother had shown him Psychic power multiple times - he had even tried to learn it himself more than once. She walked beneath him, and he was lowered onto her shoulder where she lay her left hand across his legs to steady him as she approached the ledge.

"After searching for the city's whereabouts for weeks, I finally found its entrance -built atop a great mesa where only its flying inhabitants could reach it," she recounted the story, doing her best to make the story sound exciting. "I descended into the city and began my search for a relic known as the Idol of Windfang - a famous hero of that city. I knew where it was kept, at the city's grand temple. I just needed to get to it."

She hopped over the railing and levitated slowly down to the ground below, falling into a slow, methodical walk toward town as she continued her tale. "Along the way, I encountered your uncle and Luke. I at first mistook them for some... grievances I'd met in the past, but after telling me their story we made a deal - they offered to help me get to the idol, and I would help them get out of the city."

She began to make motions with her hand to add effect as she went on. "Into the temple we went, avoiding traps, solving a puzzle lock at the deepest depths of the sanctuary, and finally we entered the last chamber. There, we met..." she paused for effect. "A stone titan from ages past; a Regirock! The temple's guardian."

"No WAY!!" Caulin exclaimed. "Didja beat him?? How tough was he?? Was he really made of pure stone??" He practically bombarded Lashanne with so many different questions at such a fast pace that he started to fumble a bit with his words.

She laughed at his excitement, and went on to answer all of his question with a brief recount. "The hardest stone you can imagine. Even your uncle for all his might could not topple the giant - though not for lack of trying. It was one hell of a battle, but between Luke's Aura and my Psychic powers, we managed to take the Regirock down and claim victory."

"So, we found the idol. But Volcan and Luke decided to leave it, for it was left to honour a great hero. I gave in, under the condition they help me find other treasures - and we sure did!" She chuckled. "All the gold and antiquities you can imagine. But our troubles weren't over yet." She grinned. "The renegades I mentioned before, that I mistook Luke and Volcan for, had found their own way to the city as well."

Caulin's excitement quickly shifted when the renegades were mentioned. "What'd they look like?" He asked curiously. "Were they tough? Or did Luke and Uncle Volcan mop the floor with them?"

"They were worthy opponents," answered Lashanne. "So much so I fear that if your uncle and Luke hadn't been there to help me, I might not be here now. A Machamp, a Cacturne and a Noivern - a colourful bunch, let me tell you. They jumped me in the street first - Luke came to my aid, and we held them off until Volcan arrived and the fight was even."

"We split up -I took on Crane, Luke fought Karth and Volcan took on Zann. We all prevailed, but Zann didn't stay down even after your uncle nailed him with Brave Bird. He got up, and I tell you he was redder than a tomato with rage; he had slipped into a Dynamic Fury, a rare ability only one in every hundred Machamp possess. Think of it like a pseudo-Mega Evolution they don't need a stone to achieve; it makes them super strong and incredibly tough - too tough even for us."

"With no other choice, we had to run, and I used a little trick I've picked up on my travels." She raised her left hand, showing Caulin the bracelet she wore that housed three colourful stones within it. "Using these."

Caulin tilted his head as he leaned in to inspect the bracelet around Lashanne's wrist, narrowing his eyes as if he were trying to think of something. "Oh! Oh! I know what this is!" He said excitedly as he tried to remember the name of it. "It's... a Looper, right?"

"Loop_let_," she corrected. "And the stones are called Emeras - like a cheap alternative to Mega Stones. Much more common, with a few... side effects, so you gotta be careful of those." She regarded the middle stone. "This one here is a mobility emera - a favourite of mine. It lets me pass through thin walls, like a Ghost-type. Good for eluding pursuers -which is exactly what we did. We passed through a few walls to lose the mad Machamp barreling after us."

She then began to chuckle. "And Volcan's reaction... absolutely priceless." She did her best impression of the Blaziken's voice, re-enacting that moment. "'Uh, Lashanne! Wall! We're not ghost-types -we can't wa_-" She made a silly face, crossing her eyes and striking an awkward pose. "'Wuuuuuuut the heeeeeeck_?!'"

Caulin exploded with laughter, so much that he was holding his sides and nearly dropped the telescope he was carrying in his arms. "Yup! That sounds like something he'd say!" He added as he continued to laugh. "Aw man... he was so silly sometimes."

"It was a close call, but we got out," continued Lashanne. She looked up suddenly, seeing the lighthouse ahead of them. "And we're here. Ready for your first day on the job, kiddo?"

"You bet!" He said happily, then he gently set down the telescope in his paws before quickly leaping up and hugging Lashanne again. "Let's hang out again sometime so you can tell me more of your awesome adventures!" He added with a cute little giggle.

"Sure, anytime! I've got plenty of stories to tell," she returned, smiling at him. "You have a good day, Caulin - and keep warm! It's getting nippy out here."

"Will do!" He said as he let go of Lashanne and picked up the telescope again. "See you later!" The Riolu bade her happily before he trotted off toward the lighthouse to begin his job.

Lashanne watched him until he vanished through the door of the lighthouse and appeared again at the top, feeling a warmth of pride within her. She had helped brighten a young boy's day... and felt quite good about it.

Deciding she deserved a little reward, she turned and began to head back towards town, with a bit of spring in her step that she had not had since she was a Braixen. It surprised her that she felt so joyous, but for that moment at least she let it stay, and made her way towards the marketplace.

~~~~~

The travellers from Azure arrived at Westport early in the morning, stopping to rest in town before they went on to the Guild Hall to collect information on their current mission. The city was less active with winter having set in - fewer ships sailed in or out of the port, and though most shops remained open for business, shoppers were few and largely looking to conserve coin for the duration of the season, leaving the streets fairly empty when the group set out towards the hall around noon.

The assistant to the Guildmaster themselves stepped out to meet them. A Goodra, much to their surprise - as the species was not often seen away from the mountains, let alone during the winter as it tended to make them sluggish. But he was a friendly sort.

Unfortunately, he informed them that there was little other information that he could offer them as the other teams who had already attempted to investigate had little to bring back themselves - for those who came back at all. Nearly every one of them had been attacked before they cleared the forest, and come back to Westport with injuries.

It was not restricted to the road that passed through the city either - the roads to the east had also reported attacks, and a ship that been travelling in that direction had come back to the city damaged and missing half of its crew. The survivors were in such a state of shock they had not yet been able to describe what had happened. All of this, for nearly two weeks running. The guilds were considering calling in a higher ranked team to address the mission before Luke's had come.

Thanking the Goodra for the information, the group set out once again, leaving Westport and returning to the forested road, their feet crunching on the dry leaves and little bits of snow that had managed to get beneath the tightly-packed pine trees. A few Stantler, Deerling and Sawsbuck crossed their paths every so often but quickly left the path to the return to the forest, but most of the birds were tucking themselves away as the winter started to set in over the region.

They stopped to make camp the night after leaving Westport. It was four days walk to Hadleigh, with at least one or two yet before they would clear the forest. The night was still and eerie with the chill of the turning season; during the other times of the year, Hoothoot and Noctowl would be all about in the woods, with bug-type Pokemon fluttering about drawn to light sources, or some Swoobat to chase them.

But there was nothing. The night was dead silent, with not a stir of life besides the deer Pokemon that passed every so often. It was peaceful, but eerie, and some among them could not shake the feeling they were being watched even that very night.

On the third day of the journey, with only hours remaining before they would leave the forests, things only got stranger. Being the most wilderness savvy of the group, Hank was the first to notice how things became absolutely quiet as they went on. Even for winter, the forest was never _this_silent -no more Stantler or Sawsbuck appeared in their vicinity, and the Spearow and Murkrow normally spouting taunts and curses at them from the branches during the day had disappeared.

The only time he knew the woodlands to become so still was when danger was near...

When the group had stopped to take a small meal break, Hank cleared his throat and addressed the group in order to make everyone known of the uneasy feeling he was suspicious of. When he had everyone's attention, he spoke up.

"Alright, I'm just gonna go ahead and address the Donphan in the room." He began. "Anyone noticed how oddly quiet things have been ever since early this morning?" The Zoroark asked, looking at everyone and waiting to hear their responses.

"Uhhh...no not really." Eagle Eye commented.

"Well of course _you_wouldn't. You're up in the air." Hank retorted, rolling his eyes.

"Now that you mention it," Volcan added in, "the woods _have_been really quiet all day." He took a wary look about the area, eyeing the trees for anything that stood out to him, though he found nothing.

Volcan wasn't as accustomed to the woods as his friends were -especially Hank, but even he knew that the stillness was unusual.

Luke went a step further and tuned to his Aura Sense, scanning the immediate area around him before extending his range as far as he could. He too found nothing out of the ordinary, but at the same time he couldn't help but feel like something was amiss.

"You think something's out there stalking us?" Luke asked the Zoroark.

"Damn straight I do, but that ain't the troubling part." Hank answered back. "Normally when a predator's stalkin' its prey, no matter how well hidden or sneaky it's being, they always leave behind some kinda tell that if caught enough times, will expose em."

The Zoroark glanced around their location for a moment as he continued. "But in all my years of bein' a tribesman, never have I encountered a scenario where I couldn't track down some kinda clue as to who's hunting me...If there is something watching us, he's doing a damn good job at covering his tracks." He cast a glance over at Hageshi. "Even better than papa Froggie."

The young Greninja narrowed his eyes, but said nothing.

Doug piped up. "I haven't felt any tremors in the earth indicating any sign of movement. Even if they were in the trees, I'd feel 'em. But, somehow... I get the same sense we ain't alone here."

"Maybe we should move on," Volcan suggested, returning his half-eaten rations to his pack. "We're only a kilometer or so from the forest's edge - if we move quickly, we should be out of here soon. Hopefully, whatever is follow us won't want to go out to open ground."

"Good call." Luke agreed, packing up what was left of his food and standing up. "Let's get moving. Double time."

With their supplies gathered, the group set off again. Eagle Eye took to the air once again, but kept a low flight to stay near his friends and keep an overhead view on the situation. They moved only eight steps before Volcan thought he saw movement -and a glint of red- out of the corner of his eye. He didn't stop, but his face was contorted into an intense look, hands clenching into fists.

"You think whatever it is would attack a group this size with six to one our favour?" He whispered to Hank.

"Depends, if they play their cards right, but..." He paused, looking over at Volcan. "What do you know, chicken legs?"

"Nine o'clock, behind that tree with the large moss buildup on its trunk," he replied, without taking his eyes off he road ahead.

Hank followed where Volcan indicated, and he too saw the red glint, though it vanished the moment he noticed it. It sent the Zoroark's fur on edge as it confirmed his suspicion that they were being stalked...

"...Well shit. Good eye, Chicken Legs." Hank whispered back.

Volcan nodded, and then voiced to the rest of the group. "Stay close, and stay on the path," he instructed. "Luke, can you sense anything off to our left?" He whispered to the Lucario.

"No, nothing." Luke answered back. "If there is anything out there, I can't pick it up." He then lifted his paw to his earpiece. "Eagle Eye, can you see anything from your position?"

"Nope, nada up here." Eagle Eye squawked back. "Got nothing but trees and other foresty crap."

The group fell silent after that, tension palpable on each of them - except for Hageshi, who had not said a word thus far. His father's training seemed to keep him from being set on edge as the rest of them were, though even he wasn't sure just what was watching them from the shadows. That alone had his hand to his sword, ready to draw it forth.

Suddenly, as Eagle-Eye was flying, a sudden force seemed to halt him in his tracks. He could do little more than cry out in fright as his flight was brought to an abrupt halt, and he began to drop! His shout was the only warning the group had to his descent as they saw him tumbling through the trees.

Volcan, acting quickly, threw himself back and put his body between the ground and the Talonflame, having the wind knocked from him as Eagle Eye fell into him and knocked both of them to the ground, but his quick action broke Eagle Eye's fall.

The Talonflame scrambled about despite being caught by the Blaziken, getting his bearings and checking himself before he looked back at Volcan. "Whoo! Good save there man!" He squawked in appreciation.

Volcan let out a cough. "No problem," he bade.

"What happened?" Luke asked as he and Hank ran back to see what was going on.

"I dunno man. One minute I was flying and then, next thing I know, I just... stopped! Like I reached the end of a tether or, something," he hopped off Volcan, his head cocking left and right quizzically before giving a hope toward Luke.

And it happened again. Eagle Eye jerked to such a sudden stop that he flared out his wings to beat them for balance as he fell back to his feet. "H-Hey what gives?!" He squawked in surprise. "I can't move!"

As Volcan took in their surroundings, he noticed something over his shoulder, protruding from the ground in the middle of the road. "Hey, what's that?" Volcan asked, pointing to the object.

Hageshi, being the closest, turned and walked back to the item stuck fast in the soil, his eyes following a thin, black line that led from where Eagle Eye stood, back to where the object had imbedded itself in the ground. He reached for it, pulling it free, and heard Eagle Eye let out a squawk as he fell onto his face, suddenly free of whatever had bound him. At that, Hageshi noticed the thin 'cable' was no longer there, as though it had been part of Eagle Eye's own shadow.

"Seems I found your snare," Hageshi remarked, walking back to the group and showing the item to them.

"Is that... an arrow?" Hank asked, taking the item from Hageshi and studying it, running his claws along the shaft and touching the leaf-shaped head, stiff as a stone but felt like an actual leaf when he touched it. "...This ain't any kinda arrow I've seen before," he said, bending the shaft. "This isn't wood... it's almost like, cartilage or something, and fletching feels like it's growing out of it. It's almost like..." He trailed off.

"Watch out!" Volcan, still seated on the road, shouted before Hank felt a hand grab his leg and pull him, yanking him off balance and sending him down on one knee.

"Whoa shit!!" Hank cried out as he fell, but then heard the whistle of something flying over him, passing right where his head had been seconds before; he turned, and saw an arrow burying itself in the trunk of a tree, shaft quivering as it stuck fast into the wood.

"Damn, that was close!" Doug exclaimed.

The group scrambled and formed into a circle. This time, Hageshi did draw his sword, and Luke summoned a Bone Rush into his paws, holding it at the ready as the six of them searched the trees for their assailant.

There was no sign of movement from the woods, but as Volcan turned to look off to his left, he saw something rising behind him. His heart skipped a beat when he saw the hooded figure appear, seemingly rising out of the ground like a spirit rising from its grave, the glint of red beaded eyes showing from under the shadow of his hood.

He couldn't even call out a warning before two curving blades appeared at the ends of the figure's wings; he spun, taking a swing of his fist at the attacker, but his fist passed clear through them, much to his shock. His sudden motion alerted Luke and Hageshi to the intrusion in their circle, and they brought up their weapons in the nick of time as the attacker swung out his wings.

Volcan felt the bite of one of the blades across his chest, recoiling in pain and grabbing at the cut, while Hank had managed to lower his head enough to feel only a few hairs of his mane be severed as the blade passed over him, only to collide with Hageshi's sword. Then, as suddenly as they appeared, the blades vanished, and the assailant dropped into the ground, seemingly swallowed by the aether and leaving not even a footprint.

"How'd he do that?!" Doug exclaimed, burrowing away from where the attacker vanished, as if fearing he might be attacked underground.

"...Damnit." Hageshi cursed silently, keeping his blade held ready as he backed toward the trees to find the shadows himself.

Luke and Hank ran over to Volcan, helping him sit up as he held his chest where the blade had cut him. "I'm okay," he said. "It was a leaf blade - couldn't cut me fully," he pulled his arm away, some blood still visible from the shallow cut.

"I can't find him with my Aura Sense!" Luke exclaimed, looking about warily. "He must be a Ghost-type!"

A shadow passed over them - they looked up, seeing a winged form soaring overhead. They saw the assailant again, gliding down from the canopies above. The wind of his flight pushed his hood back enough for them to see his owl-like features, and with his wings unfurled, they saw a lithe avianic form, almost pure white with two four-toed feet ending in black talons. The avian closed his wings briefly before swinging them open once again, and a shower of seeds fell from his wings, all of which began to glow as they dropped.

"The guy's launching Seed Bombs!" Doug shouted. "Everyone get over here, quick! I got this!" The Dugtrio directed.

The group ran over, Luke helping Volcan stand up as he, the Blaziken and Hank -who picked up Eagle Eye along the way, ran for all of their worth over to Doug as he started to spin in place, picking up speed before stopping abruptly and throwing his head back. The ground shook; at first they thought it the carpet bombing of explosions from the seed bombs as they got closer, until walls of earth erupted around them and formed a dome over the four of them, shielding them from the blasts.

"Nice one, Mole Man!" Hank commented, shooting him an a-ok with his claw.

"That buys us a moment," said Volcan. "Who or what is that thing?:

"No idea," replied Hank honestly. "Never seen anything like him. He looks like a Grass-type, but the way he pops outta nowhere..."

"And hides from my Aura Sense," Luke added. "He must be a Ghost-type; that's the only way I wouldn't be able to see him."

"Well now that we know that, we can work out how to beat him," Hank remarked confidently.

As if on cue, another payload of Seed Bombs fell over them, forcing them to cover their ears as the explosions hammered the dome. When the sound receded enough for them to uncover their ears, Volcan looked up at the ceiling with a grimace as he noticed lines appearing in the rocky roof.

"Better make it fast -our shield's starting to crack," he stated. "Next pass is sure to break it."

"Aight. Mole Man, dig us a hole to hide in." Hank instructed the Dugtrio. "We'll jump in and I'll make an illusion to make it look like we've vanished. The second he touches the ground, you and I will burn him to a crisp." He added, pointing to Volcan.

"I have a name, ya know!" Doug commented as he began to dig a large hole for the group to hide in. "I'll have it dug in a jiffy!"

"Hope this works," said Volcan, waiting until the hole was large enough for them to duck into, watching the ceiling warily

True to his word, Doug had the hole made in record time, and at a prompt from Luke, the group jumped in, with Hank casting in illusion to conceal them as the dome began to crumble. Volcan, Luke and Hank held their hands over their head to protect them from falling stones, leaning over Doug and Eagle Eye who lacked the limbs to do the same.

They watched the attacker come down, landing just outside the circle of debris left by the shattered dome, his eyes scanning the ground and narrowing with suspicion. At that moment, Hank and Volcan made their move; the illusion dispersed as the two exploded into motion. Behind them, Eagle Eye took to the air once again, and Doug disappeared underground, both to carry out their own maneuvers.

Volcan lunged at the strange owl-like Pokemon, striking him with a Fire Punch to send him staggering back. "Got you now!" Volcan bellowed as he and Hank, standing side by side, exhaled massive gouts of flame to engulf the assailant.

However, when the fire subsided, all that was left in place of the attacker was a wooden post, burnt black by the fires, with no sign of the being they had thought they were attacking.

"A freaking substitute?" Volcan demanded. "Blades, bombs and now an escape trick? Geez, this guy's as 'ninja' as Kage!"

"Oi! Olly Olly Oxenbitch!!" Hank called out mockingly. "Too afraid to fight little old me-eeeep!"

Hank's heart leapt into his throat when the assailant suddenly sprang up in front of him, eyes once more carrying that red gleam under the shadow of his hood. The owl turned, kicking out with his leg; the kick was well-placed, but weak... until Hank saw a seed bomb had been left on his chest where the owl had struck him. Hank hastily pushed the seed off and tried to back away, but the detonation caught him and hurled him through the air.

Volcan, enraged, lunged at the attacker, unleashing a whirling Blaze Kick. The attacker ducked, the kick swinging over his head with a whoosh of air. Then, he jumped at Volcan, using him as a springboard to leap into the air while dropping two more seed bombs on him; Volcan scrambled to get the bombs off his back, but they went off before he could reach them and he collapsed, unmoving.

Just as the owl Pokemon landed, he turned to regard his two fallen enemies, but as he turned his attention back to the others, Doug sprang up in front of him, one of his three head butting the owl under his chin and knocking his head back.

"Pow!" Doug chimed.

"Death from above!" Eagle Eye called, coming down in a swoop toward the dazed owl.

The owl, regaining his senses, ducked; Eagle Eye whooshed over his head. The owl snapped back to his full height, grabbed one of the two vines hanging from the cross-shaped leaf on his chest, pulling it taut as he formed a bow with his wing, an arrow materializing into being as he pulled the vine string back with another wing, taking aim at Eagle Eye and firing.

The arrow missed the Talonflame, but as it stuck into a tree below him, just as his shadow passed over the spot the arrow found, Eagle Eye jerked to a very sudden halt in midair, and dropped. The Talonflame screamed in horror, fearing he was about to crash, but the same tether that stopped his flight snapped taught before he hit the ground, and he swung from the tree like a pendulum in a clock, beating his wings in a frenzy and babbling incoherently.

Leaf Blades to form into a cross-guard as Luke lunged at the owl, bringing his Bone Rush down in a mighty swing as he bared his teeth at him. At first, Luke hadn't been sure his Bone Rush would affect his opponent, unsure of whether or not this creature retained the flying type, but his reaction was all the proof he needed.

Out of the corner of his eye, Luke saw movement from the trees, but dared not give the Owl Pokemon anu indication that he saw it as he suspected he knew what it was. He pulled away sharply, causing the owl's arms to swing out wide, and with a flick of his wrist Luke brought up his staff-like bone of aura energy and jabbed the owl in the chest with it.

Naturally being a Grass-type, the ground-type bone rush did not hurt the target , but as he found out when Hageshi leapt in, Luke hadn't been trying to. Hageshi dropped into Luke's path, and lunged with his sword, coated in ice; chips of ice broke off as the owl blocked the oncoming sword with his leaf blades, eyeing the ice with clear surprise.

The hooded Greninja then opened his mouth and his tongue lashed forward like a striking Ekans, snapping across his opponent's face, causing him to stagger once more. Hageshi lunged forward to slash at him, but the owl extinguished his blades once more and jumped over Hageshi's swing, using the Greninja as a springboard as he had with Volcan to take flight and retreat to a higher altitude.

Hageshi turned and formed two water Shuriken in his free left hand, which after a brief pause, froze into Ice Shuriken; he hurled them after the owl. The owl grabbed one of the two vines hanging from the cross-shaped leaf on his chest, pulling it taut as he formed a bow with his wing, an arrow materializing into being as he pulled the vine string back with another wing, and shot one of the shuriken mid flight, ducking under the second as he pulled another arrow, this one sent straight at Hageshi.

The Greninja quickly ducked under the arrow, and the assailant vanished behind the tree. Hageshi leapt into the air, despite Luke calling out a warning, suspecting a trap.

He was right; no sooner did Hageshi land on the branch where the owl had been, another Seed Bomb - stuck fast into the limb, glowed with its rising power. Hageshi leapt back, but it was too late; the bomb exploded, and he fell careening back to the ground, landing hard on his back.

"Hageshi!" Luke called, instinctively starting to move toward him.

Movement to his right stopped him as the assailant erupted from the shrubbery without a sound, phasing through the brambles and leaves like the Ghost-type they knew him to be, this time talons leading as he kicked out at Luke, catching him in the face and chest and knocking him backward. Luke managed to turn his fall into a tumble, rolling back to his feet as the assassin charged him again.

Deciding he had no other choice, Luke focused his growing anger in the battle, and prepared to move as the assassin charged, ready to channel into a Blaze Kick...

Until, a shrill cry pierced the air, followed by the sound of booming thunder. The assailant, in the process of drawing his arm back for a stroke with his newly reignited leaf blade, paused and turned sharply in the direction of the cry as a blur of yellow burst through the trees and tackled him.

"What the-?!" Luke demanded, following the blur with a turn of his head.

His jaw fell agape when he saw a Zapdos standing atop the assailant, pinned by his feet an driving his beak at him, attempting to spear the owl Pokemon with its deadly point. The assailant dodged the peck four times before he managed to lift his legs and kick the Zapdos hard in the chest with both feet, knocking him back.

With that, the assailant formed his bow once more, running backward away from the Zapdos as they began to give chase. He fired an arrow; it seemed to miss, but just as the Zapdos was nearly upon him again, he jerked to a sudden halt, caught by an unseen snare. The Zapdos spread his wings, his body crackling with electricity before a Thunderbolt exploded from his body, arcing toward the owl who had just vanished into the shadow of a tree, melding into nothingness a nanosecond before the bolt struck the tree, leaving a circle of blackened bark where it hit.

"Ah, bullshit!" The Zapdos groaned. "Run, you ghoulish little Pidove!"

At the sound of the voice, Volcan suddenly awake, recognizing it all too well. He shook his head briskly, turning in the direction of the voice, and gawked. "L-Lighris?!"

"Careful Lighris; he might still be here!" Luke warned, turning in a circle and looking up to the trees above, trying to find some sign of the assassin before he could strike again.

And strike he did. As soon as Luke turned his back to a large tree, the attacker materialized once more, and grabbed Luke from behind with his wings. Just as Luke began to struggle, he looked over his shoulder at the assailant, feeling his legs shifting behind him even as he clung to the Lucario.

Then, the owl's face contorted in pain, an otherworldly glow appearing in his eyes... and all strength seemed to leave Luke's body in an instant. He felt like gravity had increased on him a hundred fold. The owl released him from his embrace, and Luke collapsed, his breath coming in ragged gasps as he felt his entire body going cold.

"Luke!" Volcan screamed in horror. He was back on his feet now, rushing at the attacker with his whole body bursting into a Flame Charge.

Once again, the owl leapt back in the shadow of the trees and faded out of existence, even as the fireball that was Volcan gave chase, burning through a line of shrubbery in his pursuit. The attacker had vanished once more, and Volcan tensed, expecting that whatever the owl had done to Luke he was about to try to use on him as well.

But no attack came. No whistle of an arrow, no unfurling of wings, no click of a seed bomb being dropped. The forest became still and silent, with not a trace of the attacker left to be seen, save for the arrows he had shot at Lighris and Hageshi.

He was gone... as sudden as he appeared, the strange avianic ghost-type had vanished, leaving the forest in an eerie stillness.

"Hey, flamie!" Hank called.

Volcan snapped back to reality, and looked back to see the Zoroark and Doug at Luke's side. In an instant, Volcan was there too, dropping to his knees beside the Lucario and picking him up gently in his arms.

"Luke! Come on, speak to me!" He pleaded.

Luke panted and let out a groan as his eyes opened. He looked weary, dark circles under his eyes as though he hadn't slept in days. "D-did we get him?" He asked weakly.

Volcan shook his head. "He slipped away," he said, staring worriedly at Luke. "Arceus, what'd he do to you?"

"Giga Drain, I think," Luke rasped. "Is... is everyone else okay?"

"I'm good," replied Hank.

"Me too," agreed Doug.

Hageshi stood tall once again, giving himself a Sitrus Berry he hid in his cloak, then looked toward Volcan with a bit of a scowl before he gave a subtle nod to him to signal he was fine.

"Uh, hello?!" Eagle Eye called, still swinging from the tree, suspended by some unseen string. "Someone wanna come get me down please?"

"Hank?" Volcan asked.

"On it," the Zoroark replied.

"Some help here too would be nice!" Lighris called, still trying to take flight again, but like Eagle Eye, held back by an unseen tether.

"How exactly is that happening anyway?" Doug asked. "They act like they're tied down but, I don't see a string."

"Pay close attention, mole," Hageshi returned sharply, beckoning the Dugtrio to follow him over to the arrow stuck in the ground near to where Lighris stood. "If you look closely, you can see a black line like a thread here along the ground, seemingly attaching itself to the Zapdos' shadow, which of course is normally impossible." He stated emphatically, as though Doug needed the clarification that shadows were not corporeal.

"Whatever species that assassin was, this seems to be their power, to place an ethereal snare on these arrows to catch those they shoot with them, tied to the arrow by this unseen tether. If one extracts the arrow..." he plucked it free just as Lighris made another hop, sending the Zapdos stumbling to fall on his face, "the ensnared target is freed from the trap."

Doug had to fight hard not to laugh at Lighris' clumsiness.

"On that note," Volcan began, stepping up to his brother as the Zapdos got back to his feet. "What the hell are you doing here, Lighris?"

"I just saved your hides from that owl-thing and that's how you thank me?" Lighris asked, defensively.

"You got caught in the same snare as Eagle Eye," Volcan reminded him, crossing his arms. "And I meant, why are you out here? I thought you were back in Azure?"

"I was, until I found out where you were heading," Lighris returned. "You think after what happened at Arc, I'm gonna let you out of my sight? Those lunatics who attacked it are still out there!" He pointed off into the woods with his wing. "And for all you know that owl-thing was one of 'em."

Unknown to Lighris and maybe the rest of the group - except Luke, since he had also been present at Torolf's house when he told them about what Kage and Sickle had seen, Volcan already suspected that their forest assailant was indeed one of Calhoun's enforcers, but he dared not say that aloud if he had any hope of making Lighris turn back. With a shake of his head he tried to reason with his brother.

"Lighris, we're out here on a mission. I appreciate you looking out for me, but you have to go back to Azure, right now."

"Not happening," Lighris retorted firmly.

"Dude, are you for real? Did you_not_ just hear what he said!?" Eagle Eye chimed in as he and Hank returned to rejoin the group. "This is official Rescue Team business, man! Legendary or not, if you're not registered with the Guild, you ain't got the credentials to be here! Now am-scray, spiky!"

Lighris cast a dangerous look at the Talonflame. "You going to _make_me, tiny?"

"Dammit, Lighris!" Volcan snapped. "We don't have time for this - we need to get to Hadleigh and warn the people to stay off this road. That whatever-it-is, is still out there, and he already sapped energy out of Luke! He could come back any moment!"

"Then you can either let me come along where I can keep a watch on you, little bro, or you can stand here yammering," Lighris retorted, looking Volcan squarely in the eye. "I spent _weeks_look for you, not even knowing you were alive. I'm not losing you a second time."

Volcan let out a long groan, then turned to the others for their opinions, looking at each of them individually. Each of them gave him a helpless shrug as to what to do, or in Hageshi's case, he just didn't care. Volcan looked over his shoulder at Luke, though the Lucario had his eyes closed in a half-sleep and could make no response to the Blaziken's inquiry. With a sigh, Volcan turned to Lighris.

"Alright, you can come," he said.

"I wasn't asking for permission," the Zapdos retorted.

"But you're making yourself useful," the Blaziken added, hooking his leg through the dropped satchels belonging to Luke, which had been left lying on the ground when Luke had engaged the attacker. He tossedthem at Lighris, who ducked his head and covered it with his wings as the tangle of belts fell over him.

"Luke's too weak to walk right now, so you can carry our stuff while I carry him."

"Hey! I'm not a Tauros! I-"

A glare from all of them silenced him instantly, daring him to continue, and wisely he chose not to.

"Hank, can you help him get that stuff on? He should be strong enough to fly with it all," Volcan requested.

"Yea, sure... provided he doesn't either shock me to death or impale me on those spiky wings." Hank commented, walking over and taking the satchels to adjust the straps to fit the Zapdos.

"Okay... so how far is Hadleigh?" Lighris asked as Hank worked.

"Once we get out of this forest, should only be a couple of day's journey," Volcan returned.

"And let's make it snappy before Mr. Gruesome comes back," Doug added.

With their belongings gathered, the group departed. Lighris and Eagle Eye took to the air while Volcan, with Luke on his back, Hank and Hageshi strode up the path, keeping a brisk pace so as not to bounce Luke around too much, and Doug travelled below them, ever vigilant of other possible danger

~~~~~

Within the hour, they could see a break in the trees ahead, and made for it with all haste, emerging into open ground and finding themselves buffeted by a cold wind that the forest had previously protected them from, causing their cloaks to toss until they pulled them back close to their bodies. The land stretched out before them consisted of wide, open plains and rolling foothills, currently blanketed in snow with numerous drifts brought on by high kilometer winds forming on and off the road ahead, which was barely discernible from the rest of the land as they emerged.

The howling winds slowed their progress, everyone pulling their cloaks tight to their bodies as they left the protection of the trees and traversed out to open ground. Though all of those who walked in that single file were suited well to the weather, they knew they would have to find shelter soon; in the blowing snow and icy wind they'd never get far.

Even Doug found himself struggling to tunnel through the frozen ground of the plains, forcing himself to go deeper below where the thermals radiating from deep below kept the soil and clay loose enough for him to pass through, though it was still a tiring journey and he could only keep in touch with his party via his radio as a result. Volcan, Hank and Hageshi had to stay huddled in their cloaks to stave off the cold winds as they crossed the land.

Lighris and Eagle Eye had to fight for every meter gained - though they both wore coats to keep their bodies warm, they had no such protection for their wings, making the journey long and arduous.

Out of the corner of his eye, Lighris spotted the silhouette of something to the west. After blinking his eyes to clear them a few times, he discerned it to be a group of buildings on the ocean coast -a fishing town, most likely.

"H-Hey, look over there," he said through a chattering beak to Eagle Eye. "Suppose someone could put us up for the night there?"

"Worth a try!" Eagle Eye returned, then raised his teammates through his earpiece. "H-Heads up guys. Local town at 2 o'clock!"

"Eh?" Hank perked up, looking over to his right a bit and noticing the silhouette of a town himself. "Well I'll be damned! About time we saw some form of civilization!"

"L-let's get over there," Volcan stated, cradling the sleeping Luke in his arms, bundled in his cloak as much as possible with Volcan using part of his own to cover Luke's feet. "Anyone see a road?"

Hank held his claw over his eyes as he looked for some form of path to follow, even squinting to try and clear his vision just a little bit better. "...I think I see one! It's pretty heavily snowed over, but it's a path at least!" He replied.

"Alright, lead the way," Volcan bade him, and then knelt as he had to free one hand to use his radio and didn't want to drop Luke. "Eagle Eye, you and Lighris head for the town and find shelter - we'll meet you there!"

"W-W-Way ahead of you!" Eagle Eye squawked back, then he looked to Lighris and nodded to him before he made a beeline for the town as fast as he could through the freezing cold winds.

Hank took the lead, rubbing his arms feverishly beneath his cloak in an effort to keep himself warm. "F-Fucking hell... should've brought thicker cloaks or some shit...." He grumbled.

"Hang in there, pal," Volcan urged him.

Looking over his shoulder, Volcan checked on Hageshi, bringing up the rear of their line. He was faring better than the rest of them, though despite his own affinity for ice, he still held his cloak close to his body as they continued onward. Knowing Hageshi likely wouldn't answer him even if he asked, he refrained from asking how he was doing.

Volcan kept his gaze forward, holding Luke as close to himself as he could as they reached the road and followed it towards the town. Along the way Volcan accidentally stepped off the road -though it wasn't clear at first due to a snowdrift hiding it, and his leg sank up to his knee. He hastily pulled it out and shuddered, his shaking causing Luke to stir.

The Lucario opened his eyes, feeling the chill in the air, though could only see the blackness of the cloth Volcan had covered his face with to keep it warm. He felt strong arms carrying him, and out of the corner of his eye he could see light, illuminating the snow on the ground below, peeking through. The aches in his body were finally gone, and his long, unintended nap helped rejuvenate him enough that he could feel strength back in his limbs -minus a slight numbness in his feet.

Slowly he started to shift a bit in Volcan's arms, which no doubt alerted him that his Lucario was conscious again. He then started to shiver a little as the cold wind finally hit him and he shivered slightly before he spoke. "...How long was I out?"

"Couple of hours," Volcan replied. "We're approaching a town now -we'll find somewhere to stay there."

"Good." Luke replied. "I-I think I'm rested enough to walk now...Thank you."

Gently, Volcan set Luke back upon his feet. The Lucario had second thoughts for a second as he felt the biting cold of the snow beneath his paws, but he voiced no complaint and joined the others in their walk.

It seemed to take forever to reach the town, but before long they found the first set of buildings. There was not a soul to be seen wandering the streets, which didn't surprise the group - no one in their right mind would be out in this weather if they could help it. However, they quickly saw that something was amiss in the town, and it brought them all to a stop as they took a second glance at the community.

Market stalls with weatherproof shelters to protect their owners from the cold had been left standing open, goods arrayed on their tables with no one to attend them. In the stall nearest them, produce - dried and preserved lay in neatly arranged rows with naught a single piece having been bought, or a clerk to sell them. Wood carvings, jewellery and other various goods sat in multiple stalls and had been left out, untouched, unprotected, in the middle of the town square.

A whole town's worth of valuables had simply been left out for the taking. The four of them exchanged wary glances, and then took another look at the town, noticing every house was dark. No smoke from the chimneys, no lights through the windows - it was night, of course, but not so late that no one would still be about. Even some doors had been left slightly ajar, and if not for the snow having accumulated around them would surely be banging off the walls in the wind.

"Ooookay, anyone else creeped out?" Volcan asked.

"I am... and still freezing my ass off." Hank groaned through chattering teeth.

"What the hell happened here?" Luke asked, struggling to come up with some explaination to the town's present condition.

The door to the building ahead of them opened, and Lighris poked his head out, looking their way. "Hey! Over here!" He called, waving a wing at them.

Without a second thought, the four raced over to the Zapdos, eager to get out of the cold. He pushed the door open the rest of the way and held it for them as they raced inside, assailed immediately by the stench of stale alcohol hitting their nostrils as they entered.

The building was an inn, fully equipped with a bar and dining area and a second floor with guest rooms spaced evenly along an upper floor catwalk overlooking the dining hall, accessed by a narrow set of stairs in the corner to the right of the door.

But the state of the inn only added to their puzzlement. As deserted as the rest of the town, but not without signs of life; dishes and food items were left on the tables, chairs overturned or pulled out simply left where they were. At the bar, they saw a pool of liquid flowing out from behind the counter, mostly dried but still visible, trailing from a keg of beer that was now empty, its faucet having been left open to drain its contents to the last drop.

A record player in the corner behind the counter hiccupped as its needle skipped over the vinyl disk repeatedly, having long since finished its array of songs. The fireplace was cold, long burnt-out logs and ash the only sign of recent use.

"Looks like they had a full house and everyone just walked out," Volcan remarked, pointing towards a table where a plate of half-eaten food sat, testing a half-eaten piece of meat that had been left on a plate. "Stone cold," he remarked, looking at Luke.

"Why would they just leave in the middle of a meal?" Luke asked. "And for that matter the rest of the patrons with them?"

"Red and I ain't seen a soul since we landed here," Lighris added. "It's a total ghost town."

Doug's three heads suddenly popped up from a hole in the floorboards next to the group, shaking his heads to turn off his helmet's headlights. "At least they seemed to cater to us digging pokemon." He said. "Almost every house I checked out has a way for my species to enter and exit without damaging the property."

"Well gee, aren't you a special little snowflake." Hank retorted sarcastically. "Can we get that fire going? I can still see my breath in here."

Luke was rubbing his chin in deep thought, racking his brain to try and piece together the lack of residents in this town. "...It just doesn't add up." He finally muttered out loud. "Half eaten dishes, open houses and kiosks...They were all clearly well protected from the elements here, so why just suddenly get up and leave?"

"I don't like it either," Volcan agreed. "But, we need shelter and this is all we get for now. Hageshi, with me; let's get some firewood."

"Hmph...fine." The Greninja replied in a somewhat callous tone, following after the Blaziken as he headed for the door.

"Don't stay out there too long man. Even fire types like you can't take the cold forever." Hank cautioned them as they left.

"We won't be long," Volcan called back, holding the door for Hageshi before stepping out himself.

They rounded the inn to make their way to the back. As Volcan had suggested, there was a shed, and next to it a wood box containing plenty of dry logs for them to burn. Volcan propped it open and reached inside to lift out some logs, passing a few to Hageshi before taking an armload for himself.

"What do you think happened here?" He asked the Greninja. "Anything stand out to you since we arrived?"

"...I'm honestly surprised and embarrassed you didn't notice." The Greninja returned derisively. "Half eaten food, unlocked homes, no signs of panic or struggle... these people didn't leave of their own volition." He stated as he lifted the logs over his shoulders.

"I _did_notice all of that," Volcan returned, mildly offended by the Greninja's manner. "I was just seeing if anybody had noticed something I hadn't... because no matter how many times I play it out in my mind it doesn't make sense. No signs of a fight, no footprints, not even any damage. They weren't forced out of here."

Hageshi rolled his eyes and groaned. "How in the hell are you a Team Captain...?" He asked with a shake of his head. "Use your imagination; they _were_forced to leave, but not in the way you are thinking. There's more than one way to make people do what you want, and it is the only way to explain how everything has been left as it is. They simply got up, and they walked out of here, but did they actually choose to?"

Volcan hummed in thought. As unlikely as that scenario seemed, he had to admit it did seem to be the only explanation. Yet, whoever had made them leave didn't take anything either? And where had the townsfolk gone? It was as though they had all floated away, or...

He stopped in his tracks so abruptly that the snow beneath his feet was thrown into the air. Hageshi, hearing him stop, looked back at him and saw the Blaziken staring off into space as if having an epiphany. Slowly, he turned to look towards the ocean. There were several boats moored at the docks, with none appearing to be missing either. Yet, that didn't mean there wasn't _something_that could have been waiting for them out there.

"I just had a theory... but for the first time in my life, I _dearly_hope I'm wrong," he said.

"_Now_you are catching on," Hageshi commented with another shake of his head.

With haste in his step, Volcan retreated back to the door to the inn, shouldering it open and holding it for Hageshi as they carried the wood in. The rest of the group had deigned to clean up the inn, disposing of the abandoned food while Luke washed the dishes and put them where they belonged, more out of habit and meticulousness than any obligation.

Piling the extra wood next to the fireplace, Volcan placed two logs inside before he breathed a Flamethrower over them, waiting until they caught before he stopped. He blew a few times on the flames to feed them oxygen until a worthy fire had spread over the logs. Satisfied, he stepped away from the fireplace and took off his cloak, draping it over the arm of a sofa before sitting down.

"That should warm this place up quick," the Blaziken informed the others, watching them all get settled in.

Luke soon joined his lover in the lounge area, pulling off his cloak as he sat beside him and lay it over himself as he leaned against Volcan. "I already feel the heat," he commented, then smirked as he looked up at Volcan. "Or perhaps that's just you."

Volcan chuckled, lifting his legs to sit cross-legged on the couch while draping his cloak over his lap, and an arm over Luke. "Deja vu, eh? Reminds me a little of that cave we slept in before we met Lashanne," he shifted slightly. "Though significantly more comfortable."

"Indeed; this time we have actual accommodations." He returned, sliding a paw along Volcan's chest as he grew comfortable. "And of course, a different climate."

"Yeah, instead of sand in my ears, I got snow between my toes," Volcan joked, moving his hand beneath his cloak to rub his cold feet.

Luke gave a small chuckle and nuzzled him. "And we're not covered in it either." He added.

"Speak for yourself; I had you all wrapped up while we crossed the plains," Volcan replied with a smirk.

"True... but I'm not complaining." Luke replied with an affectionate growl. "Though I suppose next time I'll have to carry you to even things out."

Volcan was about to retort, but the words were bitten off as a trumphant bellow sounded from the bar; Luke recoiled in surprise as Volcan jolted sharply and he snapped his head around to look towards the bar where he saw the Zapdos had just finished downing a mug of ale.

"This stuff's not half bad!" He exclaimed.

"Are you kidding me, bro?" Volcan asked. "That stuff's not ours!"

"This place is abandoned, bro," Lighris reminded. "We're staying here for the night - shouldn't we make the best of it?"

Volcan groaned. "Just don't give yourself a bloody hangover... and if we find the proprietor, you're paying him every pok's worth you consume!"

Many in the room turned to regard Volcan, taken aback by his outburst, but no one spoke anything about it and simply went back to settling in, save for Hank who went to join Lighris at the bar. Luke's eyes narrowed curiously as he regarded his lover, wondering why he was suddenly so tense.

The Lucario lifted his paw up to touch Volcan's face, pulling him gently back to look down at him. "What's wrong, love?" He asked softly. "You're a bit jumpier than usual."

Volcan hesitated to reply at first, struggling to find the words to say what was on his mind. Eventually, with a sigh, he said, "While Hageshi and I were out getting logs, we 'discussed' what could cause people to leave without a trace and just leaving things lying around," he explained. "Hageshi suggested they may have been manipulated into leaving. But we came down the road; there's no sign of anyone leaving by that route." He stopped briefly before continuing. "And that's when I had a disturbing thought... that maybe they didn't."

Luke started to feel unnerved himself by where this conversation was going, but nevertheless he allowed the Blaziken to continue with his theory. "Go on.."

"We know Torolf never managed to track down the_Oppression_," he answered. "And we also know someone with a _very_powerful Psychic-type Pokemon under his control. Looking back on it, that owl we ran into in the forest fits the description of the one Kage and Sickle saw in the fortress."

"I thought that too, that he looked like-" Luke paused mid sentence, his heart skipping a beat as he realized what Volcan was getting at. "...You're saying that... He's here?" He said in a hushed tone, so as not to alert the others.

"I do really hope I'm wrong," Volcan answered, his voice sounding dry as he did as he stared at the fire, his eyes catching the flickering light as he spoke. "But if I'm not... then this area is in more trouble than we first thought."

The Lucario looked toward the fire for a bit as well, biting his lip a bit before turning his attention back to Volcan. "What are we going to do if that _is_the case?" He asked softly. "Torolf and the others aren't here to help us this time, and if we do have to face Mewtwo or that Shadow Blaziken again, we won't get lucky a second time." He added grimly.

"No... no we won't," Volcan agreed. "That's why we need to get to Hadleigh, tomorrow if we can, warn the populace and hope there's a guild hall there that can contact the nearest Rescue Teams for reinforcements." He held Luke tightly. "We've come too far to go back to Westport... the only way is forward. For now though, we need rest - though we should post a watch tonight."

Luke held onto Volcan just as tight, gently nuzzling into his chest for some measure of comfort. "Good idea... Perhaps Hank or Hageshi would be ideal for that task." He suggested.

Volcan turned and looked over to the Zoroark to check on him, and sure enough, he was tucking into the ale along with Lighris, slamming his mug on the table firmly and making claims that he could out drink the Zapdos any day of the week as he became increasingly tipsy.

"...I think not," he said. "We'll give Hageshi the first watch and I'll take the second."

"You sure love? I can take the second watch if need be." Luke answered softly. "After all, I already got in a good couple hours of sleep."

"Well... your aura sense would see certainly danger faster than my eyes would," agreed Volcan, peering out the window at the ongoing storm outside. "Alright, if you're up for it. I'll let Hageshi know the plan."

Later, the group had all settled in for sleep save for the Greninja, seated on a table watching the door and listening for any sounds that should not be as the group slumbered peacefully near the crackling fire. Every so often, Volcan would awake, checking the fire and reluctantly removing himself from under Luke to add another log to it and relight it as required, before returning to the couch and laying back down with his beloved to return to sleep.

The Greninja leaned upon his sword as he kept his eyes fixed upon the door until his shift was over. The plan was to set out at dawn -with Winter having arrived the nights were longer. His watch began at six, ending at midnight where he would then awaken Luke, who would take over until the morning and wake everyone at six am, where they could have breakfast and set out once the sun came up.

When midnight came, he woke Luke gently, letting Volcan continued sleeping as the Lucario left his lover's side to take over while Hageshi slept in the corner near the fire. Taking position on the same table where Hageshi had been before and wrapped himself in his cloak, Luke tuned to his aura sense, widening it as far as he could without tiring himself and watching for any life signs that might approach.

For a moment his mind flicked back to the owl in the forest. He wouldn't see _him_if the owl were to follow them this far. But, with the current weather, Luke decided that was unlikely - ghost-type or not, that strange Pokemon was definitely a grass-type as well, and would not be fond of a snowstorm. Still, years of living in the wilderness had taught Luke that there was no such thing as being too cautious, especially when in unknown territory.

When six o'clock came, the snowstorm had subsided, but it was still dark outside. He deigned to wait until sun-up before he would awaken the others, when suddenly something stepped into range of his sensess. One aura... two... three... someone had wandered into the town. He watched them through his aura sense a little longer, not feeling any hostility from them, but knew better than to take chances.

He immediately got to his feet and went to warn the others of the incoming pokemon he sensed, starting with Volcan. He quickly started shaking him until he was mildly awake before whispering.

"We have incoming. Get the others up," Luke urged before turning away and heading to the next.

Volcan was up in a flash, throwing off his cloak and locating his brother. Darting to his side, he shook the Zapdos awake briskly. "Bro, someone's coming - wake up," he said, and then went to Eagle Eye was the next closest, giving him the same warning.

Luke had to literally lift Hank up from the table he was resting against and slap his face multiple times to arouse him from his slumber, making the Zoroark babble and shake himself free of Luke's grasp. "Guh fuck! I'm awake dammit!" He groaned, rubbing his eyes before rubbing his head. "Ooof, and getting one hell of a hangover too..."

"Start drinking as much water as you can. There's Pokemon incoming and we need you at your best in case they're hostile." He informed the Zoroark.

"Ugh, yea, yea one sec." He groaned, slowly dragging his feet over to the bar and turning on the sink behind the counter, taking huge gulps of water before splashing himself in the face. "Whooo...! Okay that did it!" He said as he became fully awake.

Last awake was Hageshi, who woke up with a start when he was shaken awake and even went as far as to draw his blade on whoever had disturbed him, in this case, Eagle Eye. The Talonflame squawked in surprise and told Hageshi that it was just him and that they had incoming, to which the Greninja lowered his blade and sheathed it on his belt, shooting Eagle Eye a firm glare before he went to join the others.

"Sheesh... and I thought I was the jumpy one," Eagle Eye commented as he hopped over to join the others.

Volcan slid over to the window, peering out to get a look at the strangers, but with the glow of the fire inside he couldn't see much without revealing himself. Ducking under it, he went to stand by the door. "Luke, where are they? How far from us?"

"Three of them coming in a group." Luke replied.

"Are they friendlies?" Doug asked as he got ready for a battle.

"I don't know. They don't seem hostile, but at this point we shouldn't take chances."

"Agreed. Lighris, Eagle Eye - get up to the second floor and cover us from the railing," Volcan instructured. "Don't attack unless necessary - we don't know who it is out there. Hank, behind the bar - get ready with your illusions. Luke, behind the stairs. Hageshi, you stay behind the door and I'll be on the opposite side."

They all nodded in agreement and all moved to their assigned areas, Eagle Eye darting up to the second floor with Lighris and camping just behind the top of the stairs. Luke darted behind the stairwell while Hank leapt behind the bar and crouched out of sight. Doug hid underneath the floorboards and Hageshi got into position behind the door opposite of where Volcan stood, hand already on his blade ready to draw. Volcan lay flat against the wall beside the door, staying perfectly still as they waited.

A long moment passed, the tension in the room palpable. Volcan had to force himself to stay absolutely still when the door handle turned, and the door swung open. A bipedal figure stepped through, with two quadrupedal coming in behind them. All three stepped through the door, not noticing Volcan or Hageshi as they looked about the interior of the inn. Light from the still burning fireplace shone upon the three, illuminating them.

The leader was a Lopunny, with light brown fur, their body wrapped in a thick cloak and their long, fur-covered ears tied back by a cloth band to keep them out of their way, causing the ears to wave when the Lopunny turned their head. At their right was an Umbreon, one of the many evolutions of Eevee, with jet black fur and various gold patterns about their body. Like the Lopunny, the Umbreon was also wearing a coat; one designed for quadrupeds, and the third Pokemon - an Absol, wore an identical one as they entered just behind the Umbreon, snow-white fur showing between the gaps of the coat as red eyes surveyed the room.

"I don't see anyone," the Umbreon, with a feminine tone of voice, stated.

"Someone lit that fireplace," the Absol, a male, returned as he gestured with a paw toward the long burnt-out logs and fresh ashes filling the space in the wall.

"Maybe they left already," the Lopunny - also with a female voice, offered.

"No... they're still here," the Absol stated, and he started to turn around.

The door closed before the Absol finished looking behind him, and then all three whipped around, the Lopunny already throwing open her cloak in readiness for battle when she saw Hageshi and Volcan standing in front of the door. Volcan motioned for the Greninja to keep his blade sheathed for the moment as they revealed themselves, along with the rest of the group.

Hank rose up from behind the bar and Luke stepped out from behind the stairwell. A crackling above them warned them of the presence of others on the floor above - they visibly tensed at the sight of the Zapdos watching them warily, and Doug emerged from his spot in the floor, lights of his helmets flared on to cast upon the new arrivals, fully revealing them.

No one moved a muscle.

"Okay," Volcan began, keeping his voice level and his hands where the new arrivals could see them. "We're not looking to cause trouble - we only wanted to be sure who we were dealing with. Who are you?"

"If you're going to ask our names, I'd expect you would provide yours as well," the Absol returned coldly, facing Volcan with a stern leer.

"Easy, Azrael," the Lopunny urged her companion, but she agreed with her comrade. "But he's right. You guys hold all the cards here, but I'd still like to know who we're dealing with. Are you residents from this village?"

"We're not," Volcan returned. "We're travellers from the north." He didn't want to tell them off the bat they were a rescue team, out of caution.

"Pretty well equipped, aren't you?" The Umbreon asked, looking up towards Lighris standing on the railing of the second floor. "Bringing a _Legendary_Pokemon with you? What'd you expect to run into - a mad Hydreigon?"

"He wasn't with us initially." Luke answered. "We ran into a... problem in the forest outside of the area and he helped us out of it."

"Yea, barely." Hank muttered under his breath.

"I heard that!" Lighris snapped.

"Not now you two!" Volcan shouted at them, silencing the two immediately before he turned back to the Lopunny who was voicing her next question.

"You were attacked in the forest, then?" She asked.

"We were," replied Volcan. "We came here to this town to stay the night, but when we arrived it was completely deserted - all of the people were gone."

"That seems unlikely," the Absol growled. "How do we know that you did not have anything to do with the disappearances?"

"Because we're here to investigate them," Volcan answered. "Well, not this place specifically. We took a mission to investigate the lack of any traffic from this region for the past several weeks, and the disappearances of postmen and travellers heading to or coming from here."

The Lopunny's sharp, pink eyes narrow curiously. "...Are you a rescue team?" She asked.

"We are," Volcan replied. "Team Valiant, from Port Azure."

Her eyes widened then, the intrigue apparent on her face. "I've heard that name before," She said, and then regarded the others in the room until her eyes settled on Luke. "Then that would make you Luke, Valiant's Captain, right?"

"That's right." The Lucario replied as he stepped forward. The Absol growled lowly, but the Umbreon calmed him with a touch of her paw to his side.

"We may be here for the same reason then," the Lopunny returned. "My name's Neilla, the captain of Team Plainsrunner," she gestured to the Absol. "This is Azrael, my second," and to the Umbreon, "and his wife, Breenelle."

Luke nodded to the three of them as Neilla introduces their team to him, then returned the gesture immediately after, starting with Doug. "That's Doug, our team trapper and demolitions expert." He pointed to Hank behind the bar. "Our trickster, Hank."

"Sup bitches." He said with a wink and a sly grin.

"Upstairs is Eagle Eye, and our stand in for my team shadow, Hageshi." Luke concluded, gesturing to the two of them.

Hageshi kept his gaze hidden under his hood, but scoffed and addressed the other team in his usual callous demeanour. "The pleasure's all yours..." He commented.

"Charming fellow," Breenelle remarked sarcastically, eyebrow quirking. "Bet he's never alone on Saturday night."

"Breenelle," Neilla said scornfully, casting an annoyed glance at the Umbreon.

"I'm Volcan, of Team Phalanx," Volcan introduced himself. "I'm joining Team Valiant for this mission as my own team is... divided, right now. And that's my brother, Lighris," he pointed up to the Zapdos.

"Wait, brother?" Breenelle asked, her jaw falling agape

"Long story," Volcan and Lighris said in unison.

Neilla cleared her throat, and began her explanation. "We're from Hadleigh, the central city to this region. Like you, we're investigating the lack of activity on the roads or from the postal service."

"If you don't mind my asking, what kept you?" Volcan asked. "The bulletin said these disappearances had been going on for some time."

"The post office thinks the weather is the cause, even though for the past several years it never stopped them before, so until now I had no reason to act," Neilla explained. "But a few days ago, a concerned citizen in Hadleigh approached me, and hired me to investigate. She got the post office to give me the routes of the missing postmen, and so we came out to look for them - some of them stop in these villages to drop off mail before continuing north."

"The next village further south of here is, like this one, completely deserted," Azrael chimed in. "We found the mail delivered, but no sign of the postmen, nor the villagers for that matter, and no we know something else is happening."

"Following the next stop on the route, we came here," Neilla continued. "And, we found you, apparently on the same mission."

"The disappearances of your postmen, these villages, and our attack in the woods may very well be connected," Volcan stated.

Neilla turned her head slightly. "How do you guess that?"

"Let's just say I have a theory to who's behind this," Volcan returned plainly. "Controlling the flow of information and causing mass disappearances without explanation, let's just say I have firsthand experience."

The room fell silent again.

"It appears we have much to discuss," Neilla stated, finally breaking the long silence. "I have a fourth team member watching from above - is it okay to bring him in?"

Volcan looked to Luke, and the Lucario nodded back to him in agreement before looking back to Neilla. "Go ahead."

Volcan opened the door, letting Neilla step outside while her two companions remained inside, walking over to the fireplace to warm themselves.

"Damn they had a fourth?" Eagle Eye commented in mild shock. "Ya sure yer aura sense is working right, boss? You said there were only three!"

"My aura sense has failed before, Eagle Eye." He reminded the Talonflame. "It isn't infallible."

A sharp whistle was heard outside. Everyone waited as Neilla walked back into the inn, and motioned Volcan and Hageshi to move aside as they heard a whoosh. A green form shot into the room, slowing to an abrupt stop only a foot from hitting the far wall before landing on too blunt, almost paw-like feet. The newly arrived Pokemon was sleek-bodied and appeared almost insect-like in appearance, with two long horns resembling antennae atop its head. But beneath what at first appeared to be red compound eyes were two reptilian eyes. The sleek-bodied green Pokemon had two flat wings and a long striped tail, ending in a three-pointed, fan-like tip.

"A Flygon!" Volcan exclaimed in surprise. "You don't mess around, Neilla."

The Flygon let out a sharp sneeze, shivering and rubbing his body frantically with his short arms as he looked at his team captain. "C-Can I go over to that fire, please?" He asked.

"Of course, Sarth - sorry I made you wait so long," Neilla returned.

Hank procured fresh logs for the fire as everyone settled back in, adding them to the low burning flame and rekindling it with his flamethrower, allowing them to warm themselves. Volcan and Luke sat together on their couch as they had the night before, with Neilla seating herself in another chair opposite them. They dug into their rations and shared a meal together as the fire warmed the room.

The three team captains shared what intelligence they had gathered regarding the events since they had begun, which wasn't much they soon realized. Most of the conversation soon turned their past experiences with the ones Volcan suspected were behind this attack; the methods were not the same, but the results - multiple missing persons and deserted towns, were not outside their experience with the ones who attacked Arc Island - a group that they could still not put a name to.

Neilla reiterated her previous explanations about the missing postmen, and that it had not just been travellers to the north that had vanished; the road between Hadleigh and Lindenburg had become completely silent, the south-eastern road to Daffodil Valley cut off, and even the road south had strange reports of attacks on the road, but no fatalities; the victims had returned weakened, some poisoned, but none of them were hurt too badly.

"This sounds like someone is trying to lock down the entire region," Volcan said grimly, rubbing his lower beak in thought. "They probably thought the winter would help avoid suspicion - the lack of activity could easily be explained away by the cold."

"But they were still ready for it in case it failed," Luke added. "If that owl archer we ran into was any indication, they aren't fooling around and now they have a head start on abducting people from this region."

"Owl archer?" Neilla repeated. "You mean a Decidueye?"

Volcan perked up at that. "I think that's what Torolf called them, yes" Volcan returned with a nod. "Some friends of ours claim they saw one at one of the fortresses of our enemy. I guess this just proves that I'm right about who's behind this."

Neilla grimaced. "No wonder they chose that one for the forest - Decidueye hold every advantage in that landscape; all of the cover and shadows they could ever want."

"Yeah, got that part," Volcan returned, frowning. "Six against one and he still nearly got us."

"You mean seven-" Lighris started to say.

"Don't even finish that sentence, spiky." Hank cautioned Lighris. "You showed up way late in the game and you got KO'ed almost instantly."

"Yea, what he said!" Eagle Eye added his own two cents.

"Pipsqueaks..." The Zapdos grumbled.

Volcan cleared his throat. "Well, we may not fully know what's going on yet, Neilla," he said. "But we're here to help."

Neilla nodded. "I would certainly welcome it. I already recruited the help of a second team in Hadleigh - Team Storm," she explained, then frowned. "Though... I don't expect much from them."

Luke raised an eyebrow at the Lopunny curiously. "You make it sound like you have a history with them." He commented. "Are they an unruly bunch?"

"One of them is," she replied. "Don't get me wrong - all three of their members are pretty skilled, and the potential they could have working as a group would make them damn near unbeatable if Drogo could get the stars out of his eyes long enough to consider it." She shook her head. "They have so much potential but it's all wasted on that glory-hounding leader of theirs."

"Hooo boy... one of those eh?" Doug commented halfheartedly.

"Are they a fairly new team, or have they been in the business for a while?" Luke asked.

"Well, yes and no," she answered. "Drogo and Ernoul started up about a year ago, and there's a third member who joined them recently - I can't remember his name, but he's a Floatzel. That one seems to know the business inside and out, and Ernoul seems pretty experienced. But for some reason it seems Drogo's the boss, and he has no idea what he's doing and won't hear a word of criticism about it."

Luke rubbed his temple with his paw and groaned softly. "That's a recipe for disaster if I ever heard of one." He said in a disheartened manner. "If he can't take criticism, then he should let one of his teammates take the mantle of Captain. Inflexibility and narrow mindedness are what ultimately tears a team apart."

"I know," agreed Neilla, nodding. "But it's not my team; there's not much _I_can do about. And trying to tell Drogo he's not the 'baddest Raichu in the world' is like talking to a wall."

Volcan hummed, smirking in Lighris' direction. The Zapdos glared back, in a look that said 'say it, I dare you' knowing exactly what his brother was thinking. Volcan chuckled, and turned to Neilla again. "Is there a guild hall in Hadleigh we can report to?"

Neilla shook her head. "The nearest halls are up north in Westport, and three days east in Lindenberg. Hadleigh is considered to be the latter's jurisdiction."

"Then our first order of business is to get contact re-established with the rest of the region," Volcan stated. "We have to clear the roads so people can start moving around safely again and make sure the other towns along this stretch of the coast are alright."

"Agreed," Neilla nodded. ""I propose we head to Hadleigh and plan our next move from there; it's the center-most city in the region and a perfect place to set up operations from."

"Sounds good." Luke agreed. "We should leave now. The sooner we get there the sooner we can get to work."

"Does your buddy need one of our extra cloaks?" Volcan offered, pointing to Sarth. "I don't imagine a Dragon/Ground-type is very fond of the winter."

Neilla snickered. "You'd be right at that," she agreed. "I wouldn't have brought him along but I needed eyes in the sky."

Volcan got up to fetch one of the spare cloaks while Luke rallied the rest of the group to get them ready to set out. Within the hour, they put out the fire and were out the door. Thankfully, the wind had died down since the day before and the sun had come out, making the weather much easier to tolerate -though the sun left the land awash in blinding glare reflecting off the snow. Leaving the town behind, they fell in behind Azrael, who knew the fastest way to Hadleigh.

"So... what's Hadleigh like?" Volcan asked curiously. "I've never been there - least not that I can recall."

Neilla smiled broadly and spoke with the utmost confidence as she replied. "If you can't remember it, then you've never been there," she stated. "It's _impossible_to forget."