Dark business in Shadowhue

First topic message reminder :

[Energy: 19 - 10 = 9]

Yigo was returning from the Blacktooth Kingdom with a brand new item that would help him become more powerful. His stained and ragged Stamina Band, a scar that went from his eye to his nose and a bag hanging from his belt full of goodies were proof of his adventures. Grassveil was barely in his reach since he just needed to get past Shadowhue forest to arrive there. A nice relaxing day at that town was something he´d certainly use, perhaps hanging with certain Skitty or Jigglypuff while at it.

Yigo decided to get the main route, following the signs that he could now read thanks to some studying. It would be nice to avoid getting into trouble now that he was about to finish his journey. Now that he didn´t have to worry about wild pokemon, the sandshrew could enjoy the peace and the warm breeze that accompanied him. The darkness could get a bit annoying at times but, with senses as fine as his, there was no way that anything would be able to catch him by surprise. At least, that´s what he was thinking when he was about to enter a specially thick grove where barely anything could be seen; after all, if it was on the main road, it couldn´t be so bad.

Being merely amused by the skirmish he had found himself in, Deimos was rather amused by the quick reactions of the Fennekin upon witnessing the Paras's actions. Conquering ones fears and doing what one could happened to be an act the white furred Pokemon respected, even if it was merely a defensive action. The Absol quickly moved to the left as the first set of spores was neutralised.

Of course, the Fennekin's actions had come at a price of drawing attention from the sole airborne entity amidst hostile ranks. Recognizing that holding position would be a critically poor error in judgement, Deimos swiftly moved away from the Fennekin and Paras. No immediate means of shielding her came to mind without a potential incapacitating injury. Instead, he had merely intended to focus upon the evolved first.

The neccesity of doing so however ceased upon it's recievement of what looked to be quite the nasty impact. Though Deimos didn't flinch at the sight, he most certainly recognized that such a collision must have been brutally painful. The imprint of two grounded individuals upon the earth, detected by his senses, gave him all the information he needed. Good shot, kid.

With the, in his opinion, largest threat dealt with, his focused turned to the troublesome Paras. His intent was immediate removal of the target, one way or another. He understood that it would have now became the most troublesome adversary, considering what he could only presume to be laziness on the third hostiles part. This left him with a simple connundrum, the safest way to attack the target.

Keeping his distance felt like a viable option which Stone Edge would be effective for, however he felt it would be too innacurate to deal with such a small target. Future sight would take far too long. Merely one option remained, Shadow claw. Glancing down to his paws for a moment, he noticed that the spectral claw's he invoked prior had reduced themselves to slightly below normal proportions. The lack of cutting area at first felt problematic.

Having returned to slow strafing of the target, he upon running scenarios, found the smaller claws to perhaps be an advantage. Less mass meant potentially faster velocity. Faster velocity meant more power, suitable for taking down an annoying target. Though the lesser cutting area at first felt like a problem, he realised that more mass would have likely caused over swing, putting him off balance and vulnerable. Such short claws felt more apt in the thrust, from which he could theoretically recover faster.

With such thoughts in mind, he shifted from his slow gait to a sudden running charge towards the Paras, seemingly with little concern for safety. Once again, he was trying to distract and trick his foe, having wanted to instill the image of a wide scathing slash, just like his prior strikes. At the last moment of his charge, he quickly turned, thrusting his paw and spectral claws forward, intending to put the power of full body rotation and the accompanying velocity into play.

The instant Tina had returned to the ground, she regretted her own actions completely. Feeling a familiar presence overhead, the small Fennekin lurched back to her feet weakly, spinning around just in time to see a hail of poisonous silver wind raining down on her. Deimos had used her intervention to gain some distance, but the poor fire-type was trapped now. There was nothing else she could do but summon another Magic Coat with every last ounce of her strength.

With a weak, pulsing flicker her fur began to glow again, her body trembling under the strain as she conjured a faltering, spherical shield to block the poison. Only to be struck repeatedly by the Silver Wind that was unaffected by it. Tiny shards in the wind bit at her flesh, opening up small, fine cuts all over her body, sapping her remaining strength even faster.

By the time Yigo in his spinning dirt-ball of doom had arrived, Tina was nearly dead on her feet. Her shield had only begun to flicker more and more, shrinking and gradually fading just moments before the Sandshrew took flight with his inexplicably effective Rollout. The instant he struck the offending Venomoth, the Fennekin's barrier vanished and she dropped to the ground unconscious as what remained of the poisonous cloud descended upon her.

Nearby, the Paras had only just finally gotten back onto his feet after a failed landing thanks to that sorry excuse for a Pokemon they'd nick-named Tiny. Once he'd rolled over, the bug-type jumped away from the Absol that was strafing around him again. He recognized the tactic, and expected another Shadow Claw was about to be deployed; in his direction this time. Of course, the Paras knew he wouldn't survive a direct hit, not even without its previously intimidating perks.

So as Deimos circled around him, the bug gradually retreated to within feet of the downed Fennekin. He had a most devious plan, provided he could execute it in time. The Absol was moving quite quickly, and was obviously the faster of the two, but the Paras kept a close eye on his movements, waiting for that instant that he moved forward. This was bad, though. Without his air support, he could only rely on the laziest of the Slakoth brothers, and he still hadn't shown his ugly mug yet.

"Get down here, you fool! I need your help!" he barked at the forest around him.

What he actually got in response was an eerie silence though. Half the forest around them seemed to have gone dead quiet, actually. Following the tree slamming into the ground, and the cannonball of dirt that accompanied it, it appeared as though nature was momentarily stunned. The shock-wave from the blast alone had scared off every Pokemon that could fly. However, in the air of stillness that remained were the rapid footfalls of Deimos as his strafing suddenly became a forward assault.

The Paras wasn't about to get distracted by thoughts of fancy, though. In fact, the instant he saw the Absol's position shift, he was reaching for Tina. He knew he had to be as fast as possible, or risk blowing the timing, but even as swiftly as he'd yanked the unconscious fox into the path of Deimos' deadly strike, he still wasn't quick enough. He got her in front of him, however the Absol's paw managed to slip passed.

Deimos' Shadow Claw grazed Tina's side, singing the hairs with its raw, dark energy, before slamming into the Paras' shell like intended. Though his carapace withstood the blow, it cracked painfully and launched the bug spinning end over end until he came to a stop on his back. Seconds after his mushrooms, which had been torn off in the tumble, dropped to the ground beside him. As they attempted to settle though, they continued to twitch and bounce instead.

It was then and only then that the Slakoth, looking quite sheepish, finally appeared. He'd been more than a little embarrassed that his earlier plan had backfired so utterly on account of his laziness, so he was ready now to show he could be effective too. He came swinging from the nearest tree, landing in a clear patch where he had a full view of everyone. Standing up, he flexed his muscles and put on a serious face.

"Aah... sorry Boss," he apologized to the Paras, who was splayed out on his back, too dizzy and sore to move, "I'll do better this time, you'll see! This time it's just me and you, one-on-one. Hardly seems like a fair... fight...?"

As he was speaking the ground began to rumble with the distant, but fast approaching thumping of many frantic feet. Unfortunately, even if the Slakoth hadn't been a naturally slow-moving Pokemon, he still wouldn't have been able to escape as, suddenly, a stampede of Stantler tore through the underbrush, baying in a loud panic and charging through the clearing. Spooked by the earlier disturbance, they saw nothing in their way, not even the shocked Slakoth they pummeled into the dirt, or the remaining Pokemon they were about to trample. Instead, they stomped everything in their path mercilessly, stopping only long enough to leap over the fallen tree that barred their path.

[Status Effect: Poisoned]

Deimos has continued to follow through with his offensive until the blow struck. He had of course done his best to avoid potentially harming the Fennekin but the Paras's trying to use it as a shield felt somewhat too close for comfort. Damaging ones own temporary allies didn't happen to be something Deimos had either intended or wanted.

Though his thrust struck as a glancing blow, he recognized gladly that it seemed to Incapacitate the target. Bringing his movement to a halt, he felt the momentum near tip him over for a moment before he regained his full composure. The short Spectral claws vanished soon enough, leaving little visible trace of the damage they had wrought apart from the downed Paras. Quick and clean, just as he liked.

From his newly acquired standing position, Deimos began to glance around. Something felt off, incredibly so. Despite having a natural prefference to quiet locales, the eerie silence permeating through the area metaphorically put his hairs on end. Despite lacking an understanding of what to come, he felt only an unexplained dread.

Calmly closing his eyes and focusing as the Slakoth descended, his mind cleared and panic flashed through it. This stillness, this peculiar sense of dread, he recognized it now. Where as the Slakoth began to talk, Deimos quickly ran over to the downed Fennekin, carefully lifting her by the waist area with his jaw. The lack of actual hands didn't leave him with much other choice. A faint metallic taste amidst her fur disturbed him somewhat, though he intended to do his best to ignore it.

He could hear them audibly coming now, quickly and in force. This dread, felt exactly like the landslide incident. He had no intent to let such an event repeat, to just leave innocents to be crushed. With the Fennekin firmly held by his jaw, he turned and ran at full speed towards where Yigo crashed prior.

Swiftly arriving to the Sandshrew and the downed body of the Venomoth, he quickly tried to roll the Sandshrew over. Fuelled by a sense of urgency, he effectively threw caution to the wind, rolling up the Sandshrew into the ball like form it had taken earlier. With his frontal left paw, he smacked it forwards, sending it off south into the brush.

Glancing back, he witnessed the Slakoth now getting trampled, no time for playing it safe. The Absol sprinted after Yigo, heading through the brush and charging south. Each time he reached the Sandshrew, he quickly hit it as he ran to keep it moving ahead. He didn't care in the slightest if such hits hurt. It would be far better than being trampled to death.

Six cases of hitting the Sandshrew forward later, Deimos stopped running, slowing down into a walking pace. It had seemed that his quick action had at the very least brought them away from the stampede. Whereas before he had struck the Sandshrew to move it quickly, he merely gently pushed it forwards his paws now. If he had caused Trauma, he would have preferred not to make it worse.

A dark mantle had fallen over the sandshrew. Yigo was laid down at the small crater and among the debris of gravel and dirt, unconscious and out of the battle entirely. He had suffered much damage just from the mind shock alone but, at least, it was over for him... until he was kicked out of the way and rolled on forward once... and twice... and thrice... many times.

Provoked or not, those taps made any strength that Yigo recovered get lost in pain as soon as the absol´s paw hit the back hard skin of the ground type. The last poke got to the back of his head but this one was more subtle. It wasn´t forceful, it was gentle as if was trying to wake Yigo up from a deep slumber.

At first, it was hard for him to recognise his own state. Yigo unawarely tried to maintain his unconsciousness as if someone was trying to wake him up from a deep sleep in the morning. He didn´t want that! He had already done what he had to do and he was tired. His legs stretched reactively at the absol´s actions, signalling that he was slowly but surely recovering if he kept it up. Upon further motions, the ground type started to produce some awkward noises, starting with some moaning followed by some crying and mumbling. His eyesight was covered by an infinite amount of small dark dots that blocked any light. His mouth tasted of metal and any move that he did produced small cracking sounds on his back. He exhaled with difficulties, often accompanied by the now common remnants of pain. Eventually, those started to become grunts that became somewhat understandable.

"I-Is... s-safe?"

At that pace, he will need more time to recover. Hopefully, a berry bush nearby had some mature Sitrus berries. Those would be really helpful if somehow they made it to Yigo.

In her final moments of consciousness, Tina had been convinced of their impending loss, so it came as no surprise that she was tormented with nightmares after fainting. Terrible visions of her failure, of torment and pain that felt so vivid as to be indistinguishable from reality. She imagined horrifying things, inspired by the very real atrocities she'd actually witnessed during her captivity. Such awful things that those Pokemon who were beaten to within an inch of their lives, were the lucky ones.

Comparatively, the Fennekin had had it easy. Her only responsibility had been to find valuable items. But that singular act alone had led to numerous deaths. And the promise that hers would one day follow had been a persistent reminder of why she needed to keep fighting; to maintain the hope that she could escape before that fateful time came. It had kept her alive, kept her inner spark burning brightly, despite the mistreatment and cruelty.

It was that burning desire to survive that fueled her stubbornness, even in the face of bold threats on her life. At least up until her captors had begun to lose interest. Only then did their reminders that they intended to kill and eat her, begin to take a significantly more sinister turn. In the final days before her last escape attempt, preparations had begun for some manner of ritual. And though her kidnappers were tight-lipped about it, Tina had gotten the sinking feeling it was intended for her.

That feeling had yet to go away, either. In fact, it had haunted her dreams so terribly that it spurred her to move up the time-table for her escape. Before she'd have to discover what they were planning to do. Even now it still nagged at the Fennekin, adding an extra malevolent focus to her unconscious fears. It became so unbearable in fact, that the poor Pokemon was roused by her own terror.

As she gradually awoke, Tina first became aware of a warm, moist pressure around her midriff. Her limp head and paws bounced and swayed with hints of movement, as a gentle breeze seemed to indicate. Her head throbbed in tandem with her body, which stung as a result of the many fine cuts in her skin. But what disturbed her most about these new sensations, were the distinct focal points of discomfort, where someone's teeth clung to her flesh.

Her first conscious thought was to assume they'd lost. And based on that, her second thought made the leap that she was being carried back to her tormentors' lair; back to whatever fate they had in store for her. Those were the only rational observations she could make before hysteria enveloped her, but it was all she needed to summon the last few scraps of her strength.

”N... not... dead...” she croaked softly, her throat dry and scratchy. She swallowed to moisten it, but it didn't make speaking any easier: “I'm... not dead... not... no... Let me... go...!”

As her faculties gradually returned to her, she became more aware of her current predicament. However, it was only when she realized what the source of all the bizarre sensations around he waist was, that her heart suddenly leapt into her throat. She was be carried in someone's mouth! And that only seemed to confirm every fearful suspicion she could muster. They'd lost... all of them. And they were being taken back to that sadistic cult of Pokemon.

Tina didn't need to give it another thought. She screamed as loudly as she could, throwing every ounce of her depleted energy into thrashing and kicking wildly in Deimos' mouth. Much like Yigo, her vision was mottled with spots to the point she could barely see where she was, let alone who was holding her. And all of her other senses were overwhelmed by terror. All she could do was flail and shriek until the Pokemon holding her had no choice but to drop her.

Once he did, though, the tiny Fennekin hit the ground with a plop, struggling for several agonizing seconds before she could get her feet under her. Then she scrambled backwards a couple feet, wobbling weakly on her little legs as she turned on her carrier in accusation. Her strength was fleeting, but she managed to summon enough heat energy to make her ears sizzle as she squinted blearily at the Absol before her.

”Y... you...! You were... gonna eat me!?” she snapped at him in disbelief. ”You... you are working for them, aren't you? J-j-just stay away from... me...!”

Even as she insinuated the Absol was in collusion with her attackers, the weakened, delirious Pokemon was beginning to lose her remaining strength rapidly. Her legs suddenly buckled beneath her, one by one. Then her head plopped onto the ground, but she continued to glare at Deimos in her confused state.

Deimos's already slow pace had soon slowed to a stop, relying on his instincts for guidance in his current predicament. Due to the prior stampede and visual confirmation of the third target being trampled, this felt far enough away to pause and take some time to clear his mind and re-evaluate the situation.

To Deimos, he reckoned that they'd have at least a moment of safety to check the injured and himself for wounds. Though he had admittedly gotten out of the fight with minimal harm suffered, his frontal, left paw felt sore after repeatedly hitting the Sandshrew forward in such a rush. It wasn't incapacitating or anything of the sort, though he kept note of it regardless. As far as he could tell neither of the two he had, by neccessity, swiftly evacuated prior had perished, which was a great start considering how the battle had resolved. Not being dead meant that with some luck they might be back on their feet soon enough, he hoped.

His quiet evaluation of the situation changed however upon the sound of pained groans and mumbling breaching the air. Perhaps the Absol had been far too rough, despite it having felt justified due to how little time they had to evacuate. He felt dissapointed, not in the Sandshrew, but with himself. Maybe if he hadn't brought a tree down as a distraction, one that in the end wasn't even neccessary, this scenario might have never been reached. Soon enough he managed to make sense of the sound being transmitted from the Sandshrew, a simple question.

Shortly afterwards and before he could truly respond, the Fennekin within his jaws sprung into consciousness, struggling in panic. Deimos quickly moved to lay down, releasing the Fennekin half way to minimize the drop, to avoid further damage. Whereas with Yigo the Absol understood little at first, the Fennekin's words and panic were far more clear. They also proved to be rather sickening.

Deimos's kind were naturally well endowed towards a predatory role, possessing sharp fangs, claws and of course their peculiarly shaped horn with a curved edge. Despite these natural features that would suggest a Predatory role, Deimos had always been picky on what he ate. Though perfectly capable of eating raw, fresh meat right from the bone with no preparation, Deimos had always liked to actually cut it up first before eating. The sensory capabilities of his species were helpful no doubt, but sensing a sickening spray of crimson as one rips into fresh kill had always disturbed him to no end. His prior encounter with a cannibal mudkip had already made him feel sickened in the past from afar once, leading to an awkward social situation. One he would have rather not recalled and have you tried getting crimson out of white fur by paw? It takes forever!

Getting back on track however, Deimos shook his head once the Fennekin had ceased speaking. Though he did work for a certain organisation, hunting down innocent pokemon wasn't exactly their objective. He did recieve her request loud and clear however, moving back slightly to give the Fennekin some space before he began to address the situation. It was true that these two were unconscious when it hit.

"My apologies for being rather rough, with the both of you. A large group of Stantler charged through the brush while you two were unconscious, a stampede if you will. If i didn't get the two of you out of there quickly, i honestly doubt either of you would still be breathing." The Absol spoke clearly and concisely, wanting to shed some light on the reasoning behind the change of location. They deserved to know after all. Quietly glancing around and eventually upwards, Deimos spied with his eyes a pair of Sitrus Berries.

Figuring that they would be perfect for helping the two before him, Deimos gently tapped the ground with his frontal left paw twice. Where as normally his Stone edge was used for its destructive purposes and relied on large levels of force, only two sharp blades of stone broke from the earth. The twin blades severed the small branch upon which the duo of berried were connected, dropping it to the ground a safe distance away from the wounded.

Descending upon the fallen branch quickly like a vulture to carrion, Deimo used his paws to break the berries away from it. With them free, he turned back around and gently pushed them to duo, Yigo first, Tina second. He deliberately placed them before the faces of the two Pokemon for ease of access.

"The trio that pursued you were dealt with. This is the safest we can get for the moment until we can get you to the proper authorities. Eat up, get what strength back you can. I'll keep watch." Deimos announced. Though he was usually less than social and hated heading to towns, he understood that he could only do so much. The proper authorities would be needed for this, which to him meant the guild. He didn't particularly like heading into towns but he'd committed to aiding the two so far, He saw no reason not to go all the way.

In Yigo´s state, moving was a no-no. The Sandshrew could recover slowly from his wounds but the poison was making sure to sap those little surges of strength that his body tried to produce. He was not going to be moving anytime soon, it was clear to him. His question seemed to have been answered since something was producing a lot of noise. It sounded like it was being drowned or covered, the higher pitched frequencies being dampened only to leave some unrecognizable babble. It could have easily been a warning, a confirmation or something unrelated altogether, he couldn´t tell.

His ears twitched, trying to readjust and catch the sound somewhat properly but it was of no use. There were some racketing on the vicinities and were easy to differentiate that there were more than a single source but nothing more. His head would barely respond, not even being able to turn to the sources and try to identify them with his blind vision. He was just stuck there but, oddly, it felt comfortable. His eyelids were feeling heavy and his paws had moved just enough to find a suitable and comfortable position. Now that he couldn´t do much else, couldn´t he just close his eyes and let everything fade to black? It´s not that he could do much else at that point. If he got rescued, he´d wake up somewhere else, somewhere safe. If he got caught he wouldn´t see the finishing blow coming, he wouldn´t have to suffer through it. If he managed to outlive the poison and have it healed, he´d be able to stand out on his own thanks to his clever energy saving and, if the poison outlived him... he wouldn´t need to worry about waking up. Yes, that was a great plan.

Oh, dear Fennekin, he hoped that he´d been of help. Now, his job was done and it was for her to continue her journey. They might meet again...

However, his plan to hibernate was soon interrupted by a small item bumping against his nose. It made him recoil and waste some of the little energy he had left to back out. Why the nose? It was so unpleasant! In his urge to have the unidentified object away, Yigo opened his eyes to see what had hit him. It was a berry! A Sitrus Berry! It was so close that not even the million dots were able to conceal it and the smell. It was making him hungry just by its mere presence. What else could a pokemon do in Yigo´s situation but munch on the tasty fruit? It was everything that he needed!

And so, he accepted the gift, nailing his little teeth into the fruit´s peel and get a mouthful of it. His eyes widened as if he had just woken up. His arms were able to move all of a sudden, just enough to get a hold of the berry and eat it more comfortably between his paws. After a few seconds, the berry was gone and the Sandshrew was on his fours, looking around and somewhat confused. He was able to hear what the Absol said, that he´d wait for them to eat and recover, but he decided to get closer to the Fennekin. She too had a berry in front of her snout. He sat by her side and got one of his paws on her fur, trying to see if she was wounded - and also comfort her. He could not remember anything... what had just happened?

"W-Who are you? I-I mean... did you just..." he used his free arm to point to the Sitrus berry in front of the fire type. The white-furred beast was genuinely intimidating, making Yigo shut up in an instant so as not to trigger any bad reaction that might end up harming him; after all, according to the Fennekin, he was one of them. "D-Did you betray them... to help us?"

Despite her panic-induced assumption that Deimos was part of the cult, Tina had no strength left to stand, let alone defend herself. She was still convinced the Absol was an enemy though, even despite his attempt to explain the situation. He hadn't once so far refuted the claim that he was in league with the other Pokemon, but at the same time it was clear he intended to help. That resulting confusion regarding the disaster Pokemon's motives was only made worse by her poisoned state.

The poor Fennekin was so on edge, that everything Deimos had to say was overshadowed by his intimidating stature, and every little movement he made. His recap of events after she and the Sandshrew had lost consciousness was of minor importance to her, in light of what she'd awoken to; and what she really expected him to answer to. Before she could open her mouth to demand it though, the Absol tapped the ground with his paw, and inexplicably summoned two sharp stones to attack a tree branch overhead.

Of course, Tina had no idea that was his intention and sprang to her feet again in terror. She stumbled back another step, and yelped sharply when the Absol then lunged past the pair of smaller Pokemon to retrieve it. The distressed Fennekin's tender little heart couldn't take much more. As it was, she'd curled into a ball and covered her eyes in fright, completely oblivious to the Sitrus berry that was eventually rolled toward her.

Only when Deimos spoke again, did Tina peek her head out again. She was still deeply conflicted about where the Absol's loyalties lay, but at the very least, he didn't seem to work for those who had kidnapped her. In fact his intentions as he stated them, were to bring her to the nearest authorities. A plan which the Fennekin couldn't have agreed with more. However, there were going to be problems with fulfilling the task...

Staring at the berry before her sullenly, she glanced briefly as the Sandshrew. He was arguably worse off than her, having taken a direct hit from the Venomoth's poison, but after just one eager bite from the Sitrus berry in front on him, he suddenly started to get better again. Tina was grateful for that, considering it was her fault he was in this mess to begin with. She tried to smile when he eventually got up and came to sit by her, but it quickly turned into a worried frown. They might've gotten away from the scout team, but they would still be hunted as long as they stayed in these woods.

As Yigo dragged a probing paw through her fur, the Fennekin hissed with pain, her paper-cut riddled flesh stinging on contact. She was thankful for his presence, but clearly she had some healing of her own to do. So as he began to address the Absol, Tina's attention returned to her own fruit. She was salivating at the very idea of eating a fresh berry. One that wasn't poisoned or rotten or already half eaten and covered in dirt. It'd been so long since she'd tasted the sweet, invigorating juices of a ripe Sitrus berry, and the second her teeth sank into it and removed a small chunk, she savored the flavor with a soft, blissful moan.

The healing effects of the berry were nearly instant, the cuts in her skin knitting back together as she was simultaneously relieved of the energy sapping poison. She could feel strength quickly returning to her muscles as she carefully stood up one leg at a time. As she regained her equilibrium, her fiery core temperature began to rise rapidly, until the bright red hairs in her ears burst into flames. They lapped up the plumes of fur hungrily before quickly dying down and going out, to leave behind smokey tendrils. Tina plopped her rump down on the ground then, lowering her head to nip another bite off the berry.

After she swallowed, she spoke into the silence that had followed Yigo's query: "It doesn't really matter if he's with them or not, now," she said with a small, guilty sigh, "After what happened back there, they're going to kill all of us. Or worse..."

Tina shuddered visibly, as if to suggest something could be worse than death, but really it was dying she was most afraid of right now. Living so long with the threat of it had been a living Hell, and the horrors she'd witnessed would haunt her dreams for the rest of her life, but on reflection, she'd survived it all. Had come out of it in one piece. And even though she was still very much in danger, there was just the smallest sense of relief. She was no longer a prisoner, no longer in the claws of the enemy. For the first time in months she was free!

And perhaps it was for that reason that she turned on Deimos suddenly with a paranoid and accusatory glare in her eyes. Something about him was still rubbing her the wrong way, but she wasn't entirely sure why.

"I... I don't remember you, so... s-so you might not be one of them...  but that doesn't explain why... why...!" Tina started to tremble as her ears caught fire again. With a blush and indignance in her voice, she exclaimed shrilly, "Why you had me in your mouth like a piece of meat!"

[Energy: 0 + 15 (sitrus berry) = 15)

Having left the other two to recover, Deimos was seated against a tree just off to their left, still visible from the position he had placed the duo in. He had already announced his plan of action, as of such his eyes constantly skirted the landscape around him with a fierce gaze upon them. Say what you will, Deimos took matters secuity very seriously, perhaps a little too much at times.

His mind likewise was hard at work, searching for quick shifts in the ground and air that he had grown accustomed to identifying. Ever a quiet sentry, Deimos didn't speak in the slightest about their situation, not a single mumble or even a curse under his breath. He'd already gone too far to just abandon the duo now, even if that would have been the safest option. His own safety was the absolute least of his concern's at the moment, for all he knew it could have been children he was protecting.

The Absol let off a faint sigh, understanding that this little detour would just make his return to work even later than usual. A faint smirk formed upon his face as he recalled his own entrance to the organization, having only occured due to his own avoidance of others. He was never a great social person, but his time with the Windrose, though short of course, proved to at least improve upon his social weakness.  Whereas before he'd encountered occasions of others being terrified of his near emotionless tones and expressions, He'd been getting more used to at least trying not to intimidate every without trying.

Carefully, Deimos removed the makeshift sack that he carried, typically attached to his waist. The sack itself wasn't exactly purchased in any means or form, it had merely been acquired due to improvisation. He recalled well of how he acquired the material, the Reaper Cloth. Shaking his head for a moment to clear his mind, he fished out a personal belonging,  a journal, handcrafted by his boss as a welcoming gift. The sight of the familiar white swirls upon the cover felt soothing, good memories echoing.

Carefully shifting the pages across, Deimos was heading towards the back pages. A small record kept of those he'd encountered upon his journey. It only then dawned upon him that he never asked the two for their names, nor had provided them himself. He felt a little stupid for only realising that now.

Carefully placing back within the makeshift sack, the Absol chuckled upon recalling what the true function of the mysterious Orb in his possession was. A theoretical Ace up his sleeve, even though he didn't have any sleeves. He had the tools to handle this job, he believed.

His attention was snapped away however once her heard himself being addressed. Getting up and carefully keeping hold of his belongings, the Absol glanced over. From their words, he felt compelled to finally introduce himself and to at least try and put some of their fears to rest. If they couldn't even trust in him, how was he to try and protect them from harm until they can come under the protection of the relevant authorities.

Clearing his throat and letting out a low grunt, the Absol stepped forward, not too close of course. "First of all, lets clear up this misunderstanding. I did not 'Betray' them as i was never with them. I do work for a group yes, but their role is centered around investigating rumours of abnormal phenomena, not hunting down innocent people. To answer your question of who i am, exactly, my name is Deimos, a member of the windrose" The Absol spoke clearly and concisely, at the very least trying to appear friendly instead of showing no emotion at all. He'd recognized that his intimidating stature had already affected them prior after all.

The Fennekin's lack of faith in their chances might have dulled the spirits of others, but Deimos felt no fear of her pursuers. He knew he had an ace ready for use once the the remainder of her pursuers appear. He intended to crush them in one fell swoop, having thought that perhaps that might restore some of her hopes and spirit. Whether she liked it or not, until they reached town they were stuck with him and his confidence in their chances was quite clear to see.

When he was questioned about his manner of holding her, however, Deimos solemnly shook his head. Perhaps how little time he truly had, didn't dawn upon her since she didn't see how close their escape was to them getting trampled into pancakes. What would a Fennekin pancake taste like he wondered, before quicky shaking his head.

"Look, i'm sorry about that but i didn't exactly have time to waste. The last member of your three pursuers was quite litterally being crushed beneath Stantler hooves as i began running. If i wasted time going for a means of carrying you in a means you'd prefer, no offence you'd probably not be amongst the living. I tried to avoid actually biting you of course... though i will admit the metallic taste caused by your cuts was... Disturbing. To clarify on the whole 'Eating you' panic you had earlier... i'm rather picky when it comes to meat eating, some of my kind might like sensing blood splatter from dead prey flowing through their mind, their being. I absolutely do not, it's always felt disturbing" The Absol spoke, wishing to appear apologetic to the fiery one. He felt that appearing intimidating would have only made it worse. Then he was suddenly hit with a realisation. He really shouldn't have memtioned that last part.

"Uh. Sorry, shouldn't have blurted out that last part. I apologize if it made you feel uncomfortable" He spoke quickly. He hoped he hadn't caused any panic with his thoughtless blunder at the end. He genuinely didn't wish to make things worse.

[Energy: 0 + 15 (Sitrus Berry) = 15]

Yigo managed to spot some bruises and cuts on the fire-type´s back. Some of them look recent while some others looked quite old. What has she been coping with? It looked like she had been... hit hard, more than once. Yigo wanted to speak up, to get to know more, but the conversation demanded his attention. It was obvious that the ones that laid the ambush were out to harm them and death was not out of the question. Why was this fire type so important?

The fact that the bigger pokemon was carrying the fennekin in his mouth sparked Yigo´s attention. He´d witnessed the process of a standard hunt before with his mother and she had explained to him what would happen to him if he was caught. Getting carried by mouth to the hunter´s nest... but they were not in a nest, there were not any other absol. They were alone, hidden somewhere in the almost pitch black forest. It didn´t look like he was going to eat them. He had kept them safe and he was probably the one that got them food. There was no reason to be afraid of him. The prospect of eating other pokemon made him sick to the point of nausea. Yigo would never, ever consider eating another pokemon even though he had little teeth. His mother had taught him to live out of the gifts of the earth; besides, if he could have a fair share of berries in his home desert, he felt like there was no excuse to do so in the much more fertile forests and plains. Why would pokemon even need to hunt? Foraging is really easy!

The absol introduced himself. Deimos... a name to be remembered. However, the sandshrew hasn´t heard about the organization he belongs to. Yigo had met with exploration guilds, the knights of Blacktooth and many more independent groups yet Windrose was completely unknown to him. He tilted his head and twitched his ear, trying to figure out if he had heard right. So many complicated words... maybe that organization was just for really clever pokemon!

The resolution of the battle looked fortuitous. The last one standing was apparently the Deimos who was able to carry them both out of the skirmish. Suspicious but Yigo was not going to complain about it. "P-Pleased to meet you. I-I´m..." he stuttered. He had a hard time looking directly at the white-furred saviour but he felt a bit ashamed for not trusting him. He took a pause before looking at Tina, now feeling better and lighting the dark vegetation around them. That made him smile and little and give him confidence "I´m Yigo. I was just passing by when I found her" A second glance over the Fennekin was enough to have him notice her recovery "It looks like she has suffered a lot. We must go to Grassveil and try to find her parents. I´ll try to find us a way out..." He got on his fours and started sniffing around, trying to find any familiar scent that he could use as a guide back to the main road or a direct way out of the forest "P-Please... we have to leave, fast..." Deimos looked like he could spot other presences quite easily and in a mysterious and yet effective manner. If Yigo focused on leading the way, would it be too much to ask if the absol could warn them of any presences nearby? Probably it was not worth mentioning.

The ground type moved around, sticking his nose inside some brushes, hovering it over the grass and flowers and looking at the recent tracks left by their saviour. He quickly picked up a trace left by some fiery pokemon that had subtlely burn some gravel, which was some of the road´s components, under their paws or flames. They just needed to go through some high wild grass where they may not be able to see each other. Standing in front of him and looking back, he simply uttered a question "Are you ready?"

As Deimos stepped in to offer some explanation, it became clear pretty quickly to Tina that the Absol wasn't a very good speaker. Not only did he talk in a stilted, unnatural manner, but he had a tendency to ramble. Which might not have bothered the Fennekin so much if he hadn't begun detailing his personal dietary habits. Just when she'd started to feel embarrassed about her outburst, Deimos proceeded to rattle on about his fellow Absol and their apparent fascination with sensing fresh blood. The depth of his description was what unsettled her most.

Before she knew it, her flames had gone out again in a timid puff as a shiver ran up her spine. For someone who claimed to be picky about his meals, he had no qualms about admitting to his omnivorous inclination, nor did he appear nearly as disturbed by the mental image he'd given poor Tina and Yigo. He was, however, apologetic about it. In that same, stiff speech pattern, he expressed his regret, allowing the Fennekin to lower her hackles slightly.

"A-a-are you always this... obtuse?" she inquired rhetorically, once the Absol had finished.

Though she was still on edge, she tentatively decided the Absol in front of her posed no direct threat. Near as she could tell, the disaster Pokemon was just socially awkward, but aside from that, he was clearly stronger than herself and Yigo combined. That kind of strength was exactly what they needed if there was going to be any hope of escaping these woods. Even if he was a 'picky' meat-eater...

Just thinking about it--about what might've happened if he weren't so picky--made her shiver meekly. She had to be strong too if she was going to stay alive, but Tina struggled to find her resolve until she spied Yigo glancing at her. He was clearly younger than her, and probably more scared about this whole mess than she was, and thanks to her he had good reason to be. If she hadn't run into him, he could've carried on with his day without ever having to worry about sinister, cannibalistic cult that roamed the darkest reaches of Shadowhue.

Feeling the Sandshrew's eyes on her, Tina stiffened and puffed out her chest, reigniting the flames in her ears and trying to act like she wasn't terrified; for his sake as much as her own. She gave him a shaky smile as he spoke, introducing himself and explaining his own involvement. However, when he got down on all fours to start looking around, with the intent of marching straight for Grassveil, a wave of terror rose up in the Fennekin. It sent a distinct, icy chill straight up her spine, causing her hackles to rise again, instinctively.

When he looked back at her to confirm she was ready, the fire-type rose to her feet stiffly, her ears twitching and tracking the forest sounds around them. Then she said curtly, "No! We... w-we can't."

Suddenly looking very anxious, the Fennekin padded closer to the other two Pokemon, turning her back to them so she could watch the foliage around their small group. As tough as she was trying to appear, there were telltale signs that she was struggling. With her composure, her emotions, and worst of all, the guilt. She wanted to tell her newfound companions, but Tina could barely find her voice to explain why Yigo's and likely Deimos' plan as well, wouldn't work.

"Th-they'll be waiting for us. No matter which way we go... I... I don't know how many there are, but... there's too many to fight. They'll... surround us... and ambush like before. Even if we escape, they'll just... keep coming and coming and coming...! They won't stop until I'm dead... because I... I know too much..." she whined, her voice trailing off towards the end as she fought and failed to contain the tears brimming in her eyes.

She tried to blink them away, but one escaped and trickled down her cheek before the heat from her fire-imbued fur evaporated it with a sizzle.

"My name's Tina," she finally introduced herself, turning to look at the two males with more tears still threatening to form, "And I'm... so sorry I got you involved in this. It... it's all my fault...!"

Deimos himself had merely shaken his head to the Fennekin's question, normally he wouldn't talk much at all unless the situation dictated it. Then again, not talking at all often wouldn't alleviate the intimidating presence so often associated with him. Damned if one does, damned if one doesn't.

Deimos did however nod upon hearing their names, not wanting to appear disrespectful in that regard. Two more for the Journel then, as long as they hold it together long enough to endure that is. Deimos still had a great deal of confidence in their chances. Like it or not, they had an advantage, time was on their side.

Like it or not, he knew they'd be coming for her with little choice elsewhere. As soon as the authorities are informed, the Cult's fate would be sealed, He knew that and if the cult wanted her so badly, so would they. The moment they escape Shadowhue, it would come our turn to ambush. They had the perfect bait after all.

With such thoughts in mind, he merely exuded a chuckle when Tina began panicking again, talking about being surrounded and ambushed. Where she possessed fear, he possessed absolute faith in their abilities to deal with it regardless of enemy numbers. As a matter of fact, he was actually hoping the cult would employ their full might, so as to eradicate the entire threat at once. To him, numerical inferiority didn't matter due to the ace in his possession turning numerical advantage into more of a massacre of ones own forces than the enemy.

"Tina, you're acting EXACTLY how the enemy wants you to. They want you to give up hope, to surrender before the first blow is loosed. This is the concept of morale, hearts and minds. It is typical and common in large scale conflicts, those without faith to fight may often flee, just to be picked off as they do so. Will you allow that to happen?" Deimos spoke up, his tone serious in nature yet not aggressive. If one already surrenders then enemy has already won. She needed faith in those alongside her, something to grasp to, to keep her going is what he believed. He was no master fighter or strategist, not by a longshot but he understood that those too scared to fight won't last long on the battlefield.

"You may not realise it, Tina... But we have the strategic advantage. If they have any intelligence in those rock filled heads of theirs they know for certain that they MUST deal with you before the relevant forces render you untouchable. They're under a timer, even your own words support that. Once we escape Shadowhue what do you reckon will happen?" The Absol now questioned her as he rose from his seated position, confidence echoing through his stride and every word. He held no fear for his foes, that much was plain to see. He wanted her to be able to lean on him and Yigo, to have faith in those who hadn't abandoned her and clearly could have.

"What i reckon would happen is a last ditch offensive to try and eradicate what they percieve as a THREAT, not just a nuisance but a threat to their very existance. I would personally expect them to rally everything they have. Judging by your panic and fear of them, i presume thats the last thing you'd want to deal with. Thats precisely why we can take advantage of it. Ambush the ambushers, eradicate their entire force all in one go. Numbers aren't everything after all. If you'll just rely on us, trust us, i'll do my best to prove that to you through action, not just mere words. But for any of us to win this, that is what you need. Trust, faith in those alongside you... Is that too much to ask?"

After everything she'd been through, Tina had every right to be terrified of what might happen if they lost, if she were recaptured by those who'd threatened her with death, but as she listened to the Absol deliver the truths she'd buried beneath that fear, the heavy burden on her shoulders began to ease ever so slightly. She'd spent so long in captivity that it was strange to her ears, to hear the things she'd only been able to tell herself internally. In the face of constant threats and steady abuse to keep her weakened and unable to fight back, she's fought hard, but time had taken its toll on her mind.

The Fennekin's kidnappers had worked very hard to break her spirit, and even now their cruel insults still rattled around in her head. But thanks to Deimos, there was new voice beginning to grow louder in her head. It repeated the things the larger Pokemon told her, with that same air of confidence and fearlessness that Tina had been striving to achieve even before being taken. His inspiring words helped feed the fire in her heart, and instilled a swelling sense of calm.

She was grateful to know the Absol had such hope for their escape, but the little Fennekin still had doubts. The fire-type had a much better idea of the opposition they were dealing with, and even the small group she'd been held by were a formidable force to be reckoned with. If there were more to their organization, like they claimed, then fighting would be suicide. But then... Deimos did mention a strategic advantage...

As sound as his logic was in theory however, Deimos refrained from explaining what exactly their advantage was. What the scenario he described amounted to was the trio getting slaughtered by superior numbers, but there was no denying the Absol's confident swagger, or the air of bravery he seemed to carry with him at all times. He must've had some ace up his sleeve to exude such an authority, but one thing was certain; it was having a clear effect on the smaller quadroped.

By the time he'd finished, Tina was practically swooning. Taken in by his charm to such a degree that she briefly neglected to realize the male intended to use her as bait. Her fear kicked in again like a spasm though, and suddenly she was blushing so hot her ears caught fire as she stumbled back a couple steps looking out of place.

With a quick shake of her head to snuff the flames, the Fennekin stammered, "I... I suppose it isn't. I mean.. neither of you have tried to hurt me, after all. A-and poor Yigo was... dragged into this whole mess by accident--I'm so sorry I ran into you, like that... But I--I'm sorry, I just... I don't know if can confront those... monsters again. W-what if we fail? I couldn't bear if something happened to either of you. And Yigo, he--he's just too young. W-we got lucky in that last encounter. If it hadn't been for you Deimos, I--w-we would've been..."

Unable to finish, the Fennekin looked about anxiously and slowly gravitated towards the younger Sandshrew. She still felt wholly responsible for putting the poor thing in this situation, and now couldn't help expressing her worry in a somewhat motherly manner. Are you going to be okay?" she asked Yigo softly with a few nuzzling nudges. Though her attention still remained divided between him and Deimos, she needed the distraction.

After his prior speech, the Absol had taken a seat, seeing no point in moving further ahead without an actual plan of action everyone could agree on, that everyone understood. Though the Absol disliked the thought of it, hated it for a better term, he was willing to bring his horn to bare again in combat if needed. It was a great cutting surface, but considering that it was of course attached to his head, there was always danger involved in using it offensively.

The Absol carefully observed his temporary companions, appearing relaxed yet still absolutely confident in their own chances. Perhaps such confidence wasn't warranted but as, seemingly, the one with the most experience out of the three he felt the need to lead by example. If he showed fear, weakness, it would harm the others as well. He was determined to be a bulwark, one for them to lean on, to be inspired by. At least until they end up going separate ways.

There was however an unitentional side effect to his way of acting. He personally held little knowledge on what exactly was happening to Tina as he spoke. Her physical, visible reactions confused him to a degree of being unsure of if he should be concerned of amused. Was it normal for Fennekin's to make such expressions at people? He couldn't tell if she was happy or if she was just somehow intoxicated or if someone had used attract on her from the bushes... Yeah, it must have been someone using that move, or so he thought.

Her next reaction, crimson faced and staggering, only confused him even further. Did she set her own face on fire? Can Fennekin even do that? He could have asked in order to see what actually happened but his instincts merely screamed at him not to. He in every way decided to follow his instincts, especially so due to the fire coming out of her ears. Wait... is this the Fennekin equivalent of sneezing and instead of from the nose it's from the ears? The Absol honestly had no clue whatsoever.

Once she began to speak however, he merely nodded his head, paitently listening to her concerns and fears. He honestly couldn't blame her in the slightest for her reaction to his stratagem, it would mean putting her at risk after all. It was only natural for one to possess concern over being used as bait. She did bring up a good point however. Deimos had neglected to ask the ages of the duo, having felt doing such might come across as disrespectful and demoralizing, a combination which he was being necessary to avoid. If one of them was just a child, that was only even more reason for him to continue allowing them to lean upon him, metaphorically of course.

The Absol now rose from his seated position, walking over close to the duo, before leaning in towards the side of the Fennekin's head, to her ear. "If it will help ease your fears... Let me reveal a certain ace up our sleeves that I didn't speak of out loud, to avoid potential hostiles overhearing." Deimos spoke in a hushed whisper, being ever mindful of the fact that they were still in a dungeon after all, one being far easier to hide in than Fallen Leaf. The Absol brought his makeshift bag forwards, carefully producing a cerulean orb from within. Though it was the only one in his possession, he felt their current predicament would be an appropriate time for it.

"This is an orb of petrification. Though it can only be used once, it possesses the power to immobilise an entire group of enemies simultaneously, allowing for an easy escape... or the complete destruction of now defenceless pursuers. This is part of what i meant by numbers aren't everything. It wouldn't matter if they came in their hundreds, all of them would be immobilized simultaneously. Knock down one and congratulations, you just created a domino effect. Now... this also means... if you want any form of payback on your pursuers, you absolutely can pull it off." The Absol spoke, still in his hushed whisper. Shortly afterwards, he returned the orb to his makeshift inventory, wanting to keep it close at hand for when the time comes.

Now taking a step back, realizing that being so close might cause one to become uncomfortable, the Absol merely gave the equivalent of a smirk. Being prepared always came in handy, especially for unorthodox scenarios like the one he'd found himself in now. For now, he was just hoping she didn't make any more of those strange sneezes. A forest fire probably wouldn't be a good idea. His fur wasn't exactly flame resistant.

The Absol´s speech didn´t make sense at all. Yigo looked at him, puzzled and with wide eyes. Some cold sweat ran through his body. What was this Absol suggesting? He wasn´t... he couldn´t be thinking that he can... that they could fight the aggressors back? He reached his hands to his head, downcast and letting out contained screams. He needed to blow off some steam yet he couldn´t afford to attract any attention to them. Deimos spoke of trust and faith in each other but, for Yigo, it was hard to do so when he was trying to drive them into the Zoroark´s maw. His gaze shifted to the fire-type, still illuminating the area around them, a torch that anyone near can spot and follow. Yes, he could see why Deimos wanted to use her as a bait but... how was he certain that she was going to be safe against tenths of enemies all by herself before the absol can even intervene? Why was he refusing to just flee? Yigo knew his way around almost any backroad and could get them far away from the forest undetected. If it was even needed, he´d dig day and night a tunnel to one of the ends of the forest if the layout of the mystery dungeon was fortuitous.

Just the thought of facing those evil pokemon that wanted nothing more than to see them dead or suffering without end, the memory of voices inside of his head projected by that manipulative bug was enough to make the sandshrew lose all hope. Just as he thought that they were getting away, they were forced to return. His eyes became watery and his grunts became sobs. The paws started to rub the area around the eyes, getting wet by the mere contact. He was crying yet he was trying to hide it from his companions. There´s no way in which the fennekin seeing him cry would help in any way. He´d just have to pull himself together and act like a more mature self if he wanted to see himself and the one he had sworn to protect to safety.


He stepped back from the patch of high-grass and moved closer to the pair of pokemon, still in the middle of the conversation. The sandshrew sat down near the Fennekin, her flames providing him with some warmth to his hide that was greatly appreciated. As soon as he approached, Tina snuffed out those little embers, turning to him and apologising for everything that had happened. Her eyes... no, her whole face was proof of her most sincere worry and regret. Yigo couldn´t agree more. The day was going oh so well until she´d appeared but what other choice did he have? Yigo wouldn´t have been able to look at anyone if he just left that Fennekin there to die to her pursuers neither would it be fair to leave her burdens to the absol to face all by themselves. Her motherly care and affection were enough to move Yigo. He rested his head beside her own, his arms wrapping around her body a bit desperate to have any shoulder to cry on. Yigo´s wet face would rub against her warm fur to get dry and probably revealing to the fire type his situation

"I-I´m... I-I´m fine..." He´d say between sobs. His heart started to race, warming his chest a bit too much. Opening his mouth made him feel uncomfortable and each word that came out of it began to hurt "I-I just... I don´t want to die!" panic started to take over him despite the absol´s best attempts at improving their morale. Tina was right, Yigo was just too helpless, too confused, too young to be dragged into a situation of life or death that dire.

His arms trying to squeeze her body tight, his eyes closed while the power of his imagination transported his mind somewhere else, somewhere far and safe. That position reminded Yigo of his mother who would take his scared child below her hide, sheltering them while she hummed a calming tune. That tune... he began to hum it himself, to calm his nerves. It´d be great if the fennekin would not mind putting up with him for some time.

It was at the reveal of the absol´s trump card in which Yigo managed to pull away from Tina, his eyes sparking as he recognised an item that he himself had used to save a very precious friend´s life "A-A... A petrify orb" he muttered to himself, almost inaudible. Everything started making sense now. If creatures thrice his side could stop dead in their tracks to the powers of such a mystical item, Tina´s pursuers had nothing to do. The mouth of the terrified ground type could not help but open in awe, his expression shifting from one of dread to the one of hope. He followed the explanation of the absol with silly and admittedly stupid-looking nods as his deduction turned out to be true. His ears twitched and jiggled while his lips could not help but wiggle and return the smirk to Deimos.

"T-That... that is..." His heart continued to beat fast and hard yet his words felt not like flames burning his insides. He was no longer afraid, he was excited "...let me help!" From the belt that he was wearing, he detached his satchel and retrieved the contents within it. It was a dark brown coloured crystal, shining brightly to the sandshrew´s touch. The stuttery voice had trouble finding the word that described what the item did but, after some deep breathing and a short pause, he gave it another try "T-This is a Z-Crystal. I´ve been told that with this I can become strong... that I can defeat anyone. It-It reacts to the earth, making it... shake and crack below me. I haven´t seen anyone get up from that before..."

His gaze dropped down once more as he returned his Z-Crystal to his satchel. A 'What do you think?' was something that the sandshrew would want to add but it felt braggy and irrelevant to the situation at hand. It was when his eyes met Tina´s when he got another idea "I-It must be terrifying to know that they are coming for you. Deimos is right about this about them needing to get rid of you. I understand what he means... but don´t worry, ok? If we wait for them here, I can dig a tunnel right below you and have the ground where you stand collapse so that both you and I end up sheltered by the dirt. Even if the petrify orb manages to paralyze us, we´ll be safe. Just... try to make your fur shine bright so that they can clearly see you! I... I will protect you, I promise"