Fire and Darkness

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Kari had no idea why he decided to come back here, it wasn't good for him last time, as the scar over his right eye proved that point. Alas, the large, white furred, four legged, Absol. was probably fueled by the want for treasure and riches, which always seemed to lead him into the harshest of situations, as his past so clearly supported. He decided to venture into the mountains again, but what he didn't expect was the task of survival that lied ahead, and the trust he must put into a Pokemon, he doesn't even know.

So, this was it?

The Charmander pretty much curled into a ball, his eyes weary and quite desperate. This was a horrendous way to go, now that he thought about it. At least he could put up a fight against an opponent. His earlier thoughts were wrong: this was the worst. A puff of hot air was given into the small cavity that the avalanche had allowed him, which dissipated and caused some of the snow to melt. Unfortunately, as the frozen water melted, water droplets pelted his face.

Wait.

Didn't water travel towards the ground?

It was a moment of hope. He shimmied the best he could as he clawed his way up, using the area of melting snow as a guideline for where he would dig. How exceedingly fortunate that he had been born a Fire type, or else he might have frozen by now! His claws, curved and sharp, hastily burrowed through the thick layers of snow until he heard a satisfying crunch sound.

In a zombie-esque fashion, he would drive his fist through the thin top layer of fresh powder snow, allowing it to curl in on itself as he confirmed his hopes. This hand would sink its claws into the new layer of white as the Charmander hoisted himself out. Though he was stuck at his waist still, he was quite thrilled to see that he would not die. That was always a plus!

Kari felt the cold start to hit him hard, he knew that hypothermia would soon set in and he would slowly succumb to the snow's cold embrace, but no, he wouldn't give up like this, so he thrashed around hoping the Charmander could hear him and somehow help.

There was something nice about just meandering and watching the sky, black as ebony, attempt to dunk him back into the icy depths. Through narrowed eyes and raised arms, the area that they were located appeared to be flat and even. They had been thrown so far off the mountain that they were either on a cliff overhang or a plateau! Logic dictated that it would be the former, which sent a cold chill down his spine.

How close were they to the cliff?

A rustling was barely audible above the howling wind and layers of ice and snow, and the Charmander surmised that it was the Absol. Should he free a thief, or let him die?

Crunch, crunch, crunch...

Ares's arms and hands worked in tandem as he fervently clawed through the hardening layers of snow, desperately attempting to free the Absol. With any luck, this would motivate the other to begin clawing their way out, as well - goodness knows that, at the rate at which the snow was solidifying, this was no longer a one man job.

Kari could hear, amongst the silence, the Charmander above him digging to free him. Kari mustered up the last remaining strength he had and used it to get his other front paw free. Kari used all his strength to dig his cold, freezing body out of the snow. He saw a light and with one last dig he managed to get his body out of his frozen tomb. Kari stood up, but the collapsed from exhaustion all he could get out was a humble "...Thanks"

For such a puffy, furry 'mon, this Absol was apparently not built for the prolonged exposure to the snow. Ares would observe the Disaster Pokemon closely as he hauled himself out of his icy tomb only to collapse moments later. Fatigue seemed to be a common theme between them at this point in time, and, no matter one's type, a blizzard was not an ideal place to rest. The Charmander would pull his tail forward towards the other and allow its flaming tip to remain between them. It would not provide a lot of heat due to his own weakened condition, but would hopefully stave off frostbite.

All the while, the lizard would scan the horizon for any location that might provide adequate shelter. Visibility was at its lowest, and he could barely see beyond a few meters. His hands folded around each other, curling inwards on themselves in order to keep them warm. He wasn't one to travel in a snowstorm, but they had little options. "Can you move?"

Kari opened his blood red eyes, and looked at the Charmander, "Yeah, I can move, I'm just a bit tired, that's all" Kari looked up at the sky and saw the stormy black clouds, he then looked back at the Charmander, and said it a humbled tone "I'm sorry if I came off as a bit hostile, Im not the best at introductions, but I assure you, Im not that bad for an Ex-theif"

The wind continued to howl and pepper Ares with snow as they discussed their abilities at that present time. His tail's flame flickered ominously in the powerful gale, but refused to putter out for as long as the Charmander still drew air. Decisions had to be made, ones that would either make them freeze to death or save them. He was a fan of the latter option, and thus, as soon as the Absol mentioned his slight fatigue, he would rise to his feet.

"Save it for later," he chided, a determined look festering on his facial features, "we'll determine how good you are if you can actually make it through this storm without using me as an igloo. Just follow me, alright?" He was reminded of the story of someone murdering their friend in order to sleep within their body to stay alive. Such a story caused him to shudder.

He would grab his tail and hoist it in front of him to use as a torch and beacon in the storm. Into the void they went, with the sole promise of safety and shelter to keep a sane mind motivated.

Kari got up with a bit of a struggle, he felt achy from what just happened and he hoped he wouldn't have to do much more than walk behind the Charmander as the two looked for shelter and somewhere to rest their heads. "Hey, I never got the time to ask you for your name." Kari said in hopes that he wasn't being too straight forward.

The god of war remained silent for but a moment as he evaluated his surroundings. Snow, snow, and more snow. It was unclear as to if he were expecting anything else. Then came the inquiry of his name, and the young prodigy froze up. Long since he had arrived in this land, he had been advised to never give out his name to those who were a potential threat - his father had practically beat that lesson into him.

This guy, however, seemed kind of nice. He was even-tempered, somewhat well-mannered, and had a likable personality. Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to give out his name this one time?

"Ares," he would grunt, his eyes twisting about in their sockets so that he would look back at his travelling companion, "What's yours, stranger?"

"My name is Tsukiakari, though most people don't need to remember it" Kari smiled at the though that Ares, though hard at first, trusted him with his name. "So, You been in these regions for awhile now? Kari said as the two trudged into the blizzard, with nothing promising in sight.

Tsukiakari...

He would commit it to memory. Since they were most likely going to be holed up with one another for awhile, it would most likely degenerate into a "getting to know you" seminar. This blizzard was probably Nature's humorous way of breaking the ice between two strangers whose initially encounter was awkward and hostile. Dang you and your puns, Nature!

"Long enough," he would answer as he scanned the blurred horizon, "there's hardly anything out here except wilderness and the occasional town. Not that I'm complaining, mind you: I think it's healthier for 'mons to learn how to survive in a frontier-like situ- OW!"

He reeled back promptly as his foot hit something hard, causing his toe to promptly swell. It was solid from the frigid temperature, but he couldn't tell what it was.

This dice is not existing.

Kari looked around Ares and saw a decently sized seed sticking out of the snow. Kari walked over and picked it up in his teeth, trying not to bite down to hard on it, who knows what these damn things do. He dropped the seed in Ares' hand. "Here, You stubbed your toe on it, So you keep it. Now come on lets get somewhere, I may have fur, but it still gets pretty cold." he said as he began walking forward.

Instinctively, he cupped his hand to prevent the petite, frozen seed from landing back in the snow. How could such a tiny thing cause him so much pain? It was probably just as frozen as they were, if not more. This was one instance in which he agreed wholeheartedly with the Absol and allowed himself to be ordered around: he wasn't keen on becoming a Char-sicle.

Through the darkness and haze that had been conjured from the mountain's frigid, raging blizzard, there appeared to be a consistent place of darkness. Ares narrowed his eyes in concentration to discern what it was, and elatedly exclaimed, "Hey, I think there's a cave over there!"

Sure enough, the arcing structure indicated a rather regular cave entrance, complete with darkness and possible dampness. This mattered little to the Charmander, however, as he as more keen on keeping both of them alive. Forward he trudged on, eventually lagging behind to ensure that the Absol would get into the cave before he did.

Kari saw the dark cave cared into the mountainside and he felt a sense of joy, but he might just have been happy to find a place to lay down and rest. Kari picked up his pace to a light jog, because frankly he was tired of the damn wind and the damn snow he jogged up to the cave and when he entered he was faced with a feral Pokemon that was not happy he was in here.

This dice is not existing.

There was a slight uneasiness to be felt as Ares entered the cave. Should he have had hair, it easily would have been standing upright at full attention. The unknown and all of its possibilities absolutely petrified him, which made this cave all the more intimidating. As the darkness grew more and more abyssal and the light from his flame lit up less and less, he earnestly began to contemplate just freezing to death out in the cold. At least he wouldn't have to be scared of anything, right? He would know what killed him instead of this uncertainty.

Goodness gracious, what was wrong with him? Why was he preferring death over life?

A bellowing roar interrupted his mental argument as a rigid, glistening carapace came into view. A Lairon had just joined the party, and it did not look too pleased to have its homestead intruded. He would glance towards the Absol, attempting to rally an offensive support.