[X] My Assistant

[Ceilni]

Darci laughed and picked up Victor with her right hand. She walked him over to the base of the tree and set him down. "That was fun!"

Knock, Knock

Darci turned to see a seviper knocking it's tail against a tree, as if applauding before slithering off. Darci blinked.

"Huh..." She blinked before turning to Victor against and petting his wing. "Rest up, bud." Pulling out a pokeball, she pointed the white circle of the pokeball towards her Hoothoot and let the little beam engulf the pokemon in laser red. She turned towards DC and then towards the sky, suddenly frowning. "Uh. DC, we should actually get going. Like..." She sighed and grabbed Vincent's pokeball from her backpack. "Now." She let the Eevee out and it stared at her. "The clouds are moving in." By now everything was a stormy gray color and she was surprised she hadn't noticed it before while battling.

"Ee?" Vincent questioned, slightly troubled by the state of his new Master. She pet his head.

"Glad you're okay." She smiled, picking it up with both hands, the left was shaky. she held him under his front legs and nuzzled her nose against his. She put him in her backpack with the fold open. Vincent's head popped up and looked around from the peephole. It appeared to enjoy it. A soft, warm thing to sit on, a warm place, and the ability to see around him. Inside the backpack, his tail wagged happily. His face, however, stayed apathetic looking, although you could tell he was rather enjoying his position. Darci very carefully pulled the backpack on, careful about her arm. "So DC. What do you think? East or South? Drowning or Falling?" she joked morbidly.

I have a good idea for the challenges of each. So you just pick.

[Red Kitten]

DC pulled a potion from her bag and sprayed it on Devil. The Charmander sighed in relief as its pain began to wash away. "Good job buddy, I'm really proud of you," she murmured, before she recalled him and he was sucked back inside his Pokeball.

Just as she was putting the last of her supplies away and shouldering the pack, DC heard a Knock, Knock coming from the trees. She glanced up just in time to see a Seviper gliding back into the forest. She frowned. "Well that's odd..." Something about it was sort of eerie, DC couldn't place a finger on it, but it still sent a shiver down her spine. She brushed it off quickly, eager to move forward and away from this day and its... events.

"Uh. DC, we should actually get going. Like... Now. The clouds are moving in."

DC nodded in reply. "Right. Shoot, I hope the storm decides to wait until we've set up camp for the night, although that's probably just my wishful thinking again. Maybe we ought to consider stopping to put the tent up a little early tonight..."

"So DC. What do you think? East or South? Drowning or Falling?"

DC laughed. "My my, decisions decisions. And they both sound so lovely too, it's going to be hard for me to choose." She paused, mulling it over. "I guess I'm going to say we should go with the river. The idea of climbing is less appealing to me for some reason." She adjusted her backpack straps and began to limp slowly in the direction Darci had said the river was in. "OK, ready when you are."

[Ceilni]

"Well that's odd..."

Darci nodded.

"Sure is, yo." Darci said, slipping back into her comfortable lazy slang English. She stared, displeased at the sky for a moment before a moment of silence was interrupted again.

"Right. Shoot, I hope the storm decides to wait until we've set up camp for the night, although that's probably just my wishful thinking again. Maybe we ought to consider stopping to put the tent up a little early tonight..."

Darci shrugged.

"We need to cover as much ground as we can. So i guess we can set up a little bit earlier, but not much. The faster we get to Arasam, the better." She said, pointing back and forth from DC's sprained ankle to Her own, probably fractured, wrist and the punctures on her arm. She continued to ignore the fact that the punctures were exposed, pushing the fact out of her mind. Besides, letting stuff like that breath was good... right?

"My my, decisions decisions. And they both sound so lovely too, it's going to be hard for me to choose."

Darci laughed, finding it nice that someone had her sense of humor, dark humor even sometimes.

"I guess I'm going to say we should go with the river. The idea of climbing is less appealing to me for some reason... OK, ready when you are."

"Ee!" Darci turned back to see Eevee's head resting on her left shoulder. Maxwell and Kaito jumped up and down at her feet. She kneeled down and allowed Maxwell to crawl into her large coat pocket and curl up, making a large bump in her coat. Kaito scrambled up to her other shoulder and rubbed against her cheek. Afterwards, he slid down across her coat into the other pocket, his head peeping out, watching the world from his trainer's warm pocket. Darci blinked.

"I think i've just turned into a hotel." She said, starting to slowly walk south, next to DC.

~~~

Darci sighed. It was getting colder, but that wasn't what bothered her. One, where would they go if the rain started before they set up camp? Two, what would happen if the river did turn out to be the wrong choice, via flash flood, etc. Three, slightly worried about the man they left laying in the woods further back, where the rain would come sooner. She shrugged all the thoughts off.

"Eevee..." Vincent's head turned sideways against her shoulder as he slept. She smiled a bit. It was nice to have her pokemon with her. The trail was getting progressively wetter and wetter, showing that water had been here not too long ago. Maybe it was a patch which didn't hit them in the morning but developed later on over the river? Many stones littered the path, although they were smooth so they were easy to walk on. Getting slowly steeper, the two of them seemed to be slowly going more downhill. Since they were going downwards, Darci could see the river. Normally beautiful, crystal clear water looked almost black. It splashed unevenly along the shores and roared as it crashed over rocks in their path. The river looked almost violent. It was wider then Darci expected, being a five or more meters wide. It normally wouldn't be a problem, but the deep water, currents, and rapids were very threatening. She turned to DC when they were roughly a couple miles from the river, which lay displayed in front of them.

"What now?"

[Red Kitten]

DC was content to walk in silence for a while. The battle had been good to refresh her mind, but it was mucking up with negative thoughts again fast. She hoped she was making the right choice by suggesting the river route, but frankly she had no idea if she was dooming herself and Darci or not. The climbing would have normally been less risky and she would have opted for that choice instead, but in the condition she was currently in, DC assumed it would be near impossible to scale rocks.

And of course, Scarper was still floating around in her thoughts like a ghost. DC begged and pleaded mentally with the unknown forces of the universe for the paralysis to wear off before it started raining. As she sloshed through the wet, muddy trail, her concerns for Scarper gave birth into a whole other worry. Suppose he did make it OK, and managed to find shelter and food. What if the thief decided he wanted revenge? Finding them might be tricky, but it would be possible, as he knew that DC and Darci were going to Arasam. DC felt sick to her stomach.

A sick stomach turned into full blown, anxiety induced nausea when the trail started going downhill and DC got her first glimpse of the river they were supposed to cross.

"What now?"

DC swallowed the growing lump in her throat with some difficulty. Her mouth had gone dry, and the lack of saliva made it hard to do. "I guess we'd better get down close to the river bank, and travel along it in whichever direction for a while. Maybe that way we can find a shallower or calmer place to cross." Or maybe we'll just have to wait here and live off the land until Devil evolves into Charizard and can fly us across, she thought sarcastically, biting her lip. "I think we should aim to find a place to cross before it starts raining. I don't want any more water added to that thing whilst we're on this side of it." She quickened her pace to full speed, which frankly was still pretty slow, but it was an improvement.

~~~

When they had nearly reached the bank, DC gestured with her free hand. "What d'you think, which way should we go? Unless you think we should just try and cross here..." DC's eyes were glued to the dark, churning water. River my ass, this thing's a monster... She tried to keep her fear under control, but it was getting steadily harder to do. DC's mind was clouded with negative thoughts. She was even beginning to doubt that she would get out of the forest in one piece.

[Ceilni]

"I guess we'd better get down close to the river bank, and travel along it in whichever direction for a while. Maybe that way we can find a shallower or calmer place to cross."

Darci sighed shallowly and nodded. The pain in her wrist was a piercing dull throb. She nodded and followed behind DC, lagging. She was going very slow, thoughts muddling her conscious mind. Vincent's eat twitched against her's making her giggled quietly. Her giggles always sounded either innocent or deranged. With all the things floating through her head, the giggled was deranged and dark sounding.

~~~

Darci stared down into the black waters. She had always had nightmares about things like this. About water which was deep... and dark... and dangerous... The dreams that made her keep from sleeping, where a girl with long flowing black hair and a torn dress grabbed her neck and dragged her in. Making her pay for what she did. She barely remembered this girl, but she knew she was important. She always had nightmares about her, and especially her and water. Deep and Dark and Dangerous. Her legs shook just thinking about it, making her body shake like she was shivering. She was staring into the water as if it was going to kill her, and for all she knew, it could.

"What d'you think, which way should we go? Unless you think we should just try and cross here..."

Darci swallowed, thinking of her brothers to calm her down.

"I dunno." Thoughts rushed through her head fifty thoughts per second, flying through her mind. Finally, she stopped on, what would her brothers do? Victor would had east. Darci shook her head. Vince would probably get his Gliscor to help. She nodded. She had a signal, weak, but a signal she could use. But how long would it take Gliscor to fly here from Arasam? Would it know where they were? Nah. she shook her head. Vincent. Darci smiled.

"How about if we can use something, like a vine, and tie it to a tree on the other side. We could hold it and pull ourselves across?" She suggested, thinking of a smart way. Vincent, would use his surroundings! Thanks Vince! She mentally thanked her brother.

[Red Kitten]

"How about if we can use something, like a vine, and tie it to a tree on the other side. We could hold it and pull ourselves across?"

DC bit her lip. "It could work. We'll have to find a vine that's strong enough. But the issue is, how will we tie it to the other side?" She thought for a moment, then an idea struck her. "I know! We'll send our Pokemon across to do it! Cheepie can just fly across, and I can throw Devil's Pokeball to the other side if she needs his help. As for Magic, well I think we'll leave Magic out of this one." She made a face.

"That's a great idea though Darci, it should save us a lot of time," DC continued. She was already straying off to the right in search of a good vine. A good portion of her determined spark had returned to her now that she had some hope they could cross the river safely. It took about ten minutes for her to spot a vine that might be suitable. It was high up, wrapped around a tall tree.

"Cheepie, I have a job for you!" DC released the Pidgey, who was eager to help. "I need you to fly up that tree and try to get that vine loose." She gestured with her free hand. "And then bring it down here. The less you break it up the better, we need it in one piece." Cheepie nodded her feathered head and flew to the top of the tree, disappearing among the branches. She searched for a good place to begin working on the vine.

DC turned in Darci's direction and called out, "Well that's one possibility. D'you see any other vines thicker than that one?"

A glance at the sky told DC that the storm was on its way. She gave an involuntary shudder at the thought of cold rain pelting her body like before. Please wait storm, just wait a little longer...

This post has been edited by Red Kitten: Aug 20 2009, 07:23 AM

[Ceilni]

"It could work. We'll have to find a vine that's strong enough. But the issue is, how will we tie it to the other side?... I know! We'll send our Pokemon across to do it! Cheepie can just fly across, and I can throw Devil's Pokeball to the other side if she needs his help. As for Magic, well I think we'll leave Magic out of this one."

Darci nodded and smiled a teeny bit, still thinking of the girl trapped under dark waters.

"That's a great idea though Darci, it should save us a lot of time,"

Darci smiled.

"Yeah!" She laughed, running off in search of a vine. She searched and then came across and suitable vine. It was in a hole at the base of a tree. She thought about getting it, but the vine was too deep in the hole. She didn'tw ant to risk going in there, so she gently woke Maxwell. "Maxie? Maxxums?"

"Tur...?" Maxwell slowly woke up. It looked up questioningly at her. she wiggled her finger in front of his face, which was now out of her pocket.

"Could you go run in there and get that Vine?" Maxwell's eyes sparkled. He crawled out of her pocket and scuttled towards the hole, quickly diving in, Maxwell pulled out the fairly long vine and crawled back out. She took the vine. "Thanks Maxxy!" She said, letting the turtwig crawl back inside. She walked back to where DC was near before.

"Well that's one possibility. D'you see any other vines thicker than that one?"

Darci looked at hers.

"I think they're about the same, really... Maybe we could wind them together?" she said, holding her's up with her right hand while her left retreated into her coat. A second later the buttoning at the top was undone and the zipper behind it down, her left arm draped over it, using her coat as a makeshift sling.

Might not be AS active (thought i will very very active) because my dad is being a mega-douche fag... Again...
And whoo. I sprained my ankle in real life... (irl)

This post has been edited by Ceilni: Aug 20 2009, 09:12 PM

[Red Kitten]

"I think they're about the same, really... Maybe we could wind them together?"

DC nodded. "Yeah, that would be good. A little extra insurance for us, you know?" She smiled, sincerely this time, because she was actually beginning to feel hopeful about the situation. Maybe everything would be fine. Their plan seemed promising after all, there was no doubt about that. The sudden cool breeze in the air was a brisk reminder to DC that they still needed to move as quickly as possible, because the rain storm might not hold off much longer.

It took Cheepie a few moments, but she managed to find the tip of the vine and began to slowly unwind it from the tree. She accomplished this by flying in circles down the trunk with the vine clamped tightly in her beak. By the time she was finished, the Pidgey was a little bit dizzy, but proud of herself none the less, and was quick and eager to deliver the vine to her trainer. DC accepted it thankfully, patting Cheepie's feathered head. "Thank you very much. Now wait there girl, take a breather. But I'm going to need you again pretty soon alright?"

"Pid-pidgey!" Cheepie chirped enthusiastically. She was glad that DC needed her for something. It felt good to be important, especially since Devil was the star fighter on the team. Not that she was jealous of his position mind you. The tiny bird hardly knew the meaning of envy. She was a simple creature, but she knew and liked the feeling of DC's gratitude and appreciation, therefore she aimed to please her trainer whenever she could.

DC made her way over to Darci, holding out the coiled vine in one hand. "Here, let's twist them together like you said. We can tie the ends to each other to hold the vines in place." She quickly began to wind the two vines together firmly, knotting the ends as she said she would. It might have been paranoia, but DC thought she heard a faint clap of thunder in the distance, spurring her on to work even faster.

Holding out the finished product, DC nodded to Cheepie, who flew over. "OK, let's do this." She handed the end of the vine to Cheepie. The Pidgey took it in her beak and began to fly it to the other side of the river, DC holding the opposite end firmly. "Now wind it tight around that tree Cheepie. Yes, that one. Good, now you'll need to tie it, so pull the end through the loop. Do it twice for a double knot. That's it, good girl." DC pulled experimentally on her end of the vine. It didn't feel entirely foolproof, but it was likely the best they were going to get.

DC swallowed, her nerves and anxiety beginning to creep back up on her now that it was time to actually cross. "Well, here goes nothing I suppose." She turned to Darci. "Do you want to go first, or shall I? I'm up for either really, so it's your call." She paused. "Oh yes, and you may want to borrow my boots. They're waterproof and very sturdy, so unless you've got something waterproof I'd wear them if I were you. Whoever goes first can throw them across to the other side, or something..." DC's heart was pounding like the drums in a metal band at this point, but she did her best not to show her fear. She was usually pretty good at body language, and used it to avoid giving away her emotions at certain times.

[Ceilni]

I just scared my mom and she freaked out and hit me with a rolled up magazine. Then chased me around the house (me running best i could with my ankle) waving her magazine at me. xD It hurt. btw. sorry the post is short, i'm supposed to be off the comp at 11:30 you're time. I cheat, bleh. So i have to type quietly and not get caught by dad which makes my posts short...

"Yeah, that would be good. A little extra insurance for us, you know? Thank you very much. Now wait there girl, take a breather. But I'm going to need you again pretty soon alright?"

Darci nodded.

"Yeah, that would be good." She said, watching as DC and Cheepie interacted. She watched as the Pidgey rested and DC took the vine from Cheepie's beak.

"Here, let's twist them together like you said. We can tie the ends to each other to hold the vines in place."

Darci nodded and took one side, holding it so DC could twist it better. The vines were rough against her palms and made her right palm bruise a bit with the force she was holding it with, with the force she had to hold it with.

"OK, let's do this."

Darci nodded. She watched as Cheepie took the end of the vine and took off across the river. She watched as the apparently very well trained Cheepie wound the vine around the tree, not hearing what DC said. Then it was tied, which impressed her even more. She took part of the vine and pulled it. Maybe this wasn't much a good idea. She then let it go.

"Well, here goes nothing I suppose."

Darci swallowed.

"Yeah."

She grabbed the vine and tested the grip on her right hand.

"Do you want to go first, or shall I? I'm up for either really, so it's your call."

"I'll go first, you have two hands to grip it with so it would be really easy to go across if we keep it stretched out across as a sort of hand bridge 'ya know? When i'm on the other side i'll hold it for you since i have both legs for a steady stance. Since i'll be holding it from the other side, which might be harder." She took the middle of the vine. "Take the end and hold tight." She said, slowly starting to move into the water.

"Oh yes, and you may want to borrow my boots. They're waterproof and very sturdy, so unless you've got something waterproof I'd wear them if I were you. Whoever goes first can throw them across to the other side, or something..."

"No, i'm okay." She said, remembering she had two pairs of shoes. the ones she was wearing and a spare pair, just in case. She had only gone out a little bit but that water was up to her knees already. "This is some deep water...!" She said, watching as dampness spread up her coat. All the pokemon on her, except for Vincent, crawled from her pockets, to her arms, to the vine, and crawled across. She sighed. "Man. you guys have it easy."

"Ee." Vincent agreed, laying his head on her shoulder.

I has a plan for teh vine. *shot* Check discussion in a moment.

This post has been edited by Ceilni: Aug 20 2009, 11:18 PM

[Red Kitten]

DC watched as Darci made her way across the river. The water was so deep it seemed to completely envelope Darci's lower half. DC's anxiety ran rampant as she gripped her end of the vine tightly, like Darci requested. She only hoped that she wasn't a complete fool for attempting to do this. As Darci's Pokemon began to use the vine like a tight rope to get across and avoid getting wet, DC did her best to keep the vine as steady as possible for them.

"Man. you guys have it easy."

DC smiled at Darci's remark, despite her nerves. When Darci was safely on other side, temporary relief washed through DC. At least she's safe now, even if I screw up and drown or something, she thought.

"OK, you got the vine?" DC called out. She took her end of the vine and set it down, placing it under a small rock to keep it from being swept away down the river. DC took a few deep breaths to calm herself, and redid her hair into an even higher and tighter ponytail to ensure it was completely out of the way. After considering the depth of the water, she felt glad that she had worn a pair of quick drying shorts. DC hoped the water wouldn't reach her shirt, but just in case she folded it up underneath the coat.

After throwing Devil and Magic's Pokeballs safely to the other side of the river, DC felt as ready as she'd ever be. She chose to leave her end of the vine under the rock, figuring it would be more secure there than her trying to hold it herself. She shouldered her pack and called across to Darci, "Alright, I'm ready!"

DC slowly began to lower herself into the river, gripping her walking stick with one hand and the vine with the other. She inhaled sharply at how cold the water was, but quickly reminded herself to stay focused on simply crossing and endure the temperature. The current was quite strong, causing DC to feel as though she was going to be swept away at any moment, especially since she was mostly standing on only one leg.

It also didn't help that the river floor was somewhat rocky, and that the rocks wiggled and wobbled and were coated in a slimy blanket of what felt like algae. DC had to travel in tiny, baby steps only to avoid stepping on one accidentally and slipping on it. She used her walking stick like a blind person, feeling around in front of herself with its tip to check for potential death traps hidden below the river's dark surface.

By the time she had made it nearly halfway across, DC was feeling pretty good about the whole ordeal. "Just a little bit farther to go..." she murmured almost inaudibly. Because she was feeling more relaxed, DC was neglecting to check for rocks thoroughly enough, resulting in her placing her walking stick firmly down on an extra scummy stone. The stick had no traction there at all, and slid to the side. DC, who had been resting her weight on the stick and was depending on it to stay upright, promptly lost her balance and fell. She made a futile grab for the vine, but it was not strong enough to support her and was dragged in as well. The river offered no mercy, appearing to instantly devour DC and drag her downstream.

[Ceilni]

Darci reached the other side, and happily sighed, wiping her forehead. She set her backpack onto the ground and Vincent wriggled out of it. He trotted up to her and pawed at her pant leg. She smiled and picked him up, letting the Eevee sit on her shoulders. She watched as DC placed the vine under the rock to keep it steady.

"OK, you got the vine?"

Darci grabbed the vine with her good hand and tested her grip. She nodded.

"Go for it. I won't let go." She tightened her grip, causing her knuckles to turn a ghostly white. She stepped aside as Two pokeballs were tossed to the other side. They landed with a thud. She then took all her pokemon from her pockets with a shake of her body, showing them it was check out time at her Coat Pocket Hotel. They crawled out, Kaito dropping sleepily to the floor, along with Maxwell. She then took Victor's Pokeball from her backpack and set it on the ground.

"Alright, I'm ready!"

"Eevee!" Vincent yelled from her shoulder. He was being awfully tolerant for a new pokemon, probably just very laid back. Although he was tolerant, he didn't appear to like her that much. Let alone trust her. But since he was on her shoulder, she supposed he trusted her enough for a newcomer to the party.

"Vincent?" She asked. It rolled it's eyes and turned away, looking towards DC with narrowed eyes. Suddenly, there was tension on the rope. She tightened her grip so DC could get across. Her hand was hurting, but it would only be until DC got to the other side. The river circled around DC's legs and went on their path, although just to suddenly dissolve into rapids. She swallowed.

By the time DC was halfway, Darci felt confident. Her grip was fine, Vincent hadn't pulled anything, and DC was almost across!

"Just a little bit farther to go..."

"Just a little bit..." She smiled. She loosened her grip a bit, since she was holding tighter then needed anyway. She sighed and watched as DC seemingly relaxed as well. Suddenly, DC took a step and slipped. The vine run through her hand for a moment before her grip tightened. "DC!!!" The River seemingly used it's invisible hands to grab DC and drag her under. DC was still holding onto the rope however! Darci's stance was put into action and she was slowly being dragged towards the river. Vincent seemed to be frozen, he sat rigidly on her shoulder, doing nothing. She slowly, with much effort, started to wind the vine around her arm. She could see DC's hand above the water. She pulled, her hands stinging with the force. Kaito scampered over and grabbed the hem of her coat, along with Maxwell, using his strong jaws. In her effort, the coat had become forcibly unbuttoned and with the dead weight of her left arm, it before unzipped, completely open. She gave one last tug before the force of the great tug caused her foot to slip and the river sucked her in as well. Her coat was pulled off before of the Vine unwinding from her arm just after she had been pulled, making her right arm slip out of the sleeve, just like her limp left arm. She screamed before everything was freezing cold. She could feel Vincent scrambling for her shoulder with his paws. Instinctively, she grabbed him and held him to her chest, curling protectively around him.

The river was freezing cold and was getting much deeper, and much wider. She opened her eyes underwater, even thought it stung. Just as she opened them, she saw DC.

'DC!!' She yelled silently, loosing some air. She immediately shot out her arm and caught DC's left wrist best she could with her bad arm, her good one hold Vincent who curled up against her, shivering slightly.

[Red Kitten]

DC struggled with her upper body to try and reach the surface of the river, but every time she even got close, the current would recapture her and drag her back under. Her mind was void of thoughts, except for the frantic, wild urge to breathe. As she thrashed around in the rushing water, DC suddenly felt something grab her left wrist tightly. In its current wild state, DC's brain could hardly register what it was. A plant? No, a plant couldn't grip her arm so tightly. Some sort of water Pokemon? No, whatever it was felt like fingers grasping her. Fingers... a hand! But who could the hand belong to? Darci was the only one around, but she was safe on the river bank. Right? Even so, DC felt around until she found the wrist that this hand was attached to, and grabbed it tightly as if by instinct.

DC's mind couldn't even function anymore. She couldn't think, only feel and want. Want to survive. Her lungs were begging, screaming for air. They felt about ready to burst open. DC flailed her free arm desperately upward, cupping water in her fingers and pushing it below her in an attempt to do a swim stroke. Anything to get her to the surface. She kept her legs tucked in as close to her body as she could, to avoid them getting stuck behind some rock or debris on the river floor. If that happened, there would be no chance in hell of her survival. She'd be stuck there, her body whipping in the current like a rag doll as her lungs filled with water, until they couldn't fill anymore.

As her arm worked furiously, DC suddenly felt something above the water. She locked her fingers around it reflexively, and whatever it was it didn't budge. It was something very strong, solid, sturdy. She used it to pull herself upward, grappling against the water until her face broke out from under the surface. DC gasped, inhaling and exhaling rapidly, and began to blink the water out of her eyes, all while keeping a death grip on the separate objects in each of her hands. As oxygen began to flow to her brain, she regained control of her thoughts and reasoning, realizing promptly that she was holding on to an enormous fallen tree, the tip of it hanging off the bank and over the water. I have to use this, this could be my only chance, DC thought, and without delay she began to pull herself with every ounce of her might, and then some, toward the bank. It was a grueling task, with the weight of Darci and the resistance of the river holding her back, but adrenaline boosted DC's strength like nothing else could. She was determined to pull herself and her friend back to safety. All or nothing, she told herself. If I'm physically incapable of saving Darci as well as myself, than I'm done, and we're both going to die. But that's not going to happen. I have to do this, this has to work. Come on body, don't betray me now!

Teeth gritted, DC continued to pull herself up the branch of the tree, closer and closer to land. Her arms burned and ached. She could feel every single ropey muscle inside them tear and protest. Soon her body was touching the river bank, but without the use of her other arm she could do nothing more to pull herself out of the water. She hoped Darci was conscious, and could do something to help. DC couldn't even turn her neck to see if Darci's head was out of the water or not, in fear that if she did so she might let go. "Darci!" she cried out, competing with the noise of the rushing river. "Darci, can you hear me?! Swim, kick your legs, do something to get yourself closer to the bank! If you can grab onto it maybe you can pull us up!"

[Ceilni]

Darci felt Vincent squirm against her chest. After yelling to DC best she could in the water, her lungs felt the sting of non-gas substance as water rushed into her lungs. In a panic, she attempted to breathe it all out which only resulted almost empty lungs. She did have air, just enough to hold onto DC's wrist. Vincent's struggles got weaker and weaker until they were nearly gone and she quickly held the Eevee eye-level to her and squeezed. Vincent's mouth opened in a silent scream and all the water in it's lungs rushed out, leaving it with no air, no oxygen, nothing to breathe. Desperate, she reacted before she thought, placing her lips to Vincent's, blowing the air she had left into him. Although it was mostly carbon dioxide, it would help him a little bit.

Darci's mind was fogging up. She used up most of her air screaming when she fell in, then she swallowed water, leaving little for her to breathe. Finally, she gave her air to Vincent, which allowed him a little more breath, for just a little longer. Her mind played tricks on her, making her feel as it the girl she dreamed about when she thrashed in her nightmares was clawing at her ankles. Darci tumbled helplessly in the current, holding Vincent to her chest, hoping that he could hold on a little longer. She was desperate to know if DC had air, any air would do! Just AIR!.

Suddenly, something knocked against her skull as she flipped in the water. She world was suddenly spinning, her head feeling like a snorlax had just had sat on it. Her good hand tightened it's death grip on DC's arm as she felt a tug, meaning DC has found something to hold onto. She swung for a moment, her mind muddled in a dizzy trance until her brain finally kicked into Yandere mode.

Her eyes snapped open, even if the water stung. She raised Vincent to her mouth and held the scruff of his neck in her teeth tightly, causing him to squirm the tiniest bit. Then she was pulled out of the water for a split second, taking in air through her nose. She then heard something. Her mind wasn't working properly, it was screaming survival!

"Dar...! Darci, can you he... e?! Swim, kick your legs, do some... to get yourself closer to... bank! If you can grab onto... an... ll us up!"

Darci couldn't hear her very well, but she barely managed to register the bright hair she was so familiar with and used her fractured and punctured arm to lash out and grab the closest end of the branch, next to DC. The pain was dulled by adrenaline and her hand probably looked like a dead hand grabbing for the living world. She ignored the pain and started to weakly pull herself up. Her tank top was wet and ripped several places around her mid stomach and her black slacks were soaking, the ends more tattered then before. She could feel the cut on her face from the berry-run-trip-and-fall reopen as a very small amount of lovely rouge made a tiny stream down her face. DC looked like the dead; her face was pale and her lips looked slightly bluish. She was probably freezing!

"D... C...!" She mumbled numbly through her stubbornly frozen lips. "I'm... kicking..." She struggled to talk normally around Vincent's fur as he coughed and shivered, making her talk much slower, slower then normal with frozen lips.

[Red Kitten]

DC would normally have been horrified by Darci's appearance. The girl looked cold and sickly, and there was blood running down her face, as she held her Eevee in her mouth by its scruff. But in the current situation Darci looked like an angel to DC. As long as Darci was conscious and still trying to survive, DC thought she'd be able to formulate a way to save them both.

"D... C...! I'm... kicking..."

"Good!" DC half spoke, half gasped. She saw that Darci had managed to grab onto the branch. "Now hang onto that tree, really tight, and whatever you do don't let go! I'm going to let go of your arm now, so I can pull myself onto land, and then I'm going to pull you up, OK?!" The sound of rushing water filled her ears. Or was that her blood pounding? "When I let go, use both hands to hang on to the branch!"

Slowly and reluctantly, DC began to release her grip on Darci's wrist. It was difficult, because her fingers had gone slightly numb from being locked in that position for so long. The fact that they had been soaking in cold water for a bit didn't help either. Once she had pried her hand free, she flexed the fingers to get the feeling back in them, and reached for the river bank. Her hand clawed at the dirt and gravel edge, trying to find a stable enough place to hold on to, before she let go of the branch with her other hand in order to cling to the bank. DC began to pull herself up onto land, using her good leg to assist her a little bit. It felt like she was trying to crawl her way out of the bowels of hell, but she finally managed to drag her entire self up there, injured leg and all.

Her first instinct upon reaching land was to collapse on the ground and simply breathe, but she suppressed the urge and turned around, scooting over to Darci. She outstretched her arms and grabbed Darci's wrists, wincing at the pain she imagined her friend was feeling when she touched the wounded arm. Mustering the last remaining strength she had, DC began to simultaneously pull Darci up with her arms and scoot backwards to indirectly pull Darci up using her body weight. It was difficult but far from impossible, as DC was still aided by her good ol' pal adrenaline. When she had finally pulled Darci all the way up, DC then succumbed to her original instinct by keeling over, laying on the ground on her back. She was freezing, dripping, and panting, and she was pretty sure she had torn her muscles in several places, but she was alive! DC basked in the glory of it for a moment.

"Well world," she murmured, "You've tried to take me out, you've tried really hard, but you haven't succeeded yet. I win again." DC wanted to close her eyes and sleep for a while, but she resisted the urge with all her willpower. She knew she had to keep going. If she fell asleep now, she might never wake up. And then what would happen to her Pokemon? That thought goaded DC into sitting up. She couldn't truly relax until she had all her Pokemon clipped securely to her belt again.

[Ceilni]

"Good!"

Darci suddenly felt a little guilt stab her like a tiny thorn. If she hadn't been so crazy when running after Scarper, maybe she could have pulled them out. She shook her head and sighed. Thinking like that wouldn't help. When she opened her mouth to gasp against, she felt more water being pulling into her lungs. She choked. It was starting to rain. It was starting to rain very quickly. From the look of it, this would be even worse then yesterday. Yesterday as mostly hard rain. She heard a small crash of thunder over the raging river. Her Yandere strength had faded away and her arm suddenly felt like it was caught in a bear trap.

"Now hang onto that tree, really tight, and whatever you do don't let go! I'm going to let go of your arm now, so I can pull myself onto land, and then I'm going to pull you up, OK?!"

Darci managed the catch what DC said, and attempted to nod. Her muscles felt locked and moving was difficult. It seemed that it was the same for DC. From the Icy river water and the ruthless tumbles, they probably had both come down with Stage one Hypothermia. She had hypothermia once before, but her Brothers immediately helped her, but now, they were miles away. 'Viiic... Viiin.... Viince...' Her mind whined, calling out to her brothers like a child. Her hand was pried off and she felt a nearly unbearable tug on her fractured wrist. It shook violently with force of the muscles which attempted to hold on tighter. She slowly brought her right hand up and curled her frozen fingers around the branch, letting go with her left. She raised the arm and used it to take the spasmodically shivering Vincent from her mouth and hold him against her chest.

"It's okay... Vincent. I won't... let you go." She mumbled breathlessly from between her pale lips. She turned and saw DC safe on the bank and gave a small smile. DC gasped for air before turning towards her. Darci's eyes shot open. Was she really just gonna ignore the need for rest and just come get her? That fast!? She pulled Vincent back up to her mouth and held him once again in her mouth by his scruff. When she did, her arm suddenly just... gave out. She yelped as she felt the flow of water start to take her. Two hands grabbed her wrists just as she started to flow away, keeping her from an Icy death. She screamed in pain as her left arm was further abused. She felt like she was being pulled from a white funeral, from the clutches of ice and snow. She felt a couple fast raindrops Vincent's ear as it twitched against her cheek. She slowly slid back onto land. Thankfully, it wasn't too wet on this side, and was only slightly wet loose dirt, not mud, but it would be in a minute or two with their wet bodies and the fast approaching storm.

Finally, she was up on the bank. Her hair felt like a giant paperweight strapped to her head, making her head lean back. She rolled onto her left side, her injured arm stretched out, the wrist at a very unnatural angle to the outer side. She used her right hand to take her Eevee from her mouth and put it against her chest once again. She curled around it, trying to warm it. Reaching to her left hand against, her grabbed her hand and jerked it into it's proper position.

Snap!

She winced. It was better that it was back in place, but it HURT!!! She turned to DC.

"Well world, You've tried to take me out, you've tried really hard, but you haven't succeeded yet. I win again."

Darci smiled before suddenly the thought struck her. What about Kaito? Maxwell? Victor? With much effort, she sat up and cradled Vincent in her left hand best she could, using her right hand to crawl upstream. Her movements were clumsy, labored, and slow. Every once in a while her arm would suddenly jerk in a muscle spasm. Her breaths were sharp, quick, and shallow.

"DC... Need to get to... Kaito... Maxwell... and Victor." She mumbled. Her lips failed to create a fluent sentence. She would not rest until they were back in her care. Under her wing, in her protective coddling, within a meter or two of her.

This post has been edited by Ceilni: Aug 22 2009, 11:55 AM

[Red Kitten]

"DC... Need to get to... Kaito... Maxwell... and Victor."

DC nodded, a spark of determination shining in her eyes. "Right. I was just thinking the same thing. Let's go." She paused, watching Darci attempt to crawl upstream. "Here, you'd best try to stand up if you can. You'll move a lot faster that way. Vincent could go in his Pokeball, if you have it on you. He'll be safe in there for the time being, and you can care for him more later."

It was then, as DC thought about walking, that she realized her walking stick was gone. Probably washed miles away by now. It had fallen out of her grasp as she'd tumbled around in the rushing current. DC cursed to herself. It would be near impossible to find another piece of wood that perfect to make another one. She would either have to get lucky, or do without, and DC knew all too well that it would likely be the latter.

She began to ease herself into a crouching position, carefully, and leaning mostly on her good foot. Using her arms to aid her, DC gingerly pushed herself up to a standing position and took a few steps. Her limp was much more ragged and visible without the stick, not to mention more painful, but there wasn't much she could do about it.

As DC half walked, half dragged her leg along beside her, she turned to Darci and said, "Hey, I know you wanted to cover more ground than this, but d'you think we could set up camp sooner rather than later? Like maybe right after we find our Pokemon, once we locate a good clearing? I think it would be in our best interest. That way we can recover and you can look after Vincent, and we can have the tent up before it starts pouring." All the talking had DC nearly gasping for air, as she was still exhausted from holding her breath for so long and the exertion of trying to save herself and Darci. Not to mention there might still be a little water she needed to cough up.

[Ceilni]

"Right. I was just thinking the same thing. Let's go. Here, you'd best try to stand up if you can. You'll move a lot faster that way. Vincent could go in his Pokeball, if you have it on you. He'll be safe in there for the time being, and you can care for him more later."

Darci shivered. Her legs shook as much as her arms did.

"Sorry. I guess i'm still a little shook up, yo." She managed to chatter out, smirking faintly. After a moment, she had barely managed to get to her feet. She shook her head. "I don't have his pokeball. It's in my coat." She carried Vincent, cradling him as she took slow, cold, steps. She looked to DC who struggled with her leg. She frowned and smiled sympathetically. She wondered where they would set up camp so early. She hadn't seen any suitable place from the hill although the cliffside was nearby, maybe the walls held a cave?

She smiled faintly, thinking of how much her Brothers would lecture her and DC if they, especially Victor, found them like this. She giggled in her usual creepy way.

"We probably look like such a sorry sight! A sight to see!" She said, holding Vincent closer to her. He looked up at her, his small eyes were shaded just like her's, red. She smiled faintly and shakily brought him up to her face, rubbing her face against his small body. She lowered him again and she could almost swear he smiled at her.

"Hey, I know you wanted to cover more ground than this, but d'you think we could set up camp sooner rather than later? Like maybe right after we find our Pokemon, once we locate a good clearing? I think it would be in our best interest. That way we can recover and you can look after Vincent, and we can have the tent up before it starts pouring."

She nodded.

"I was hoping that we could reach Arasam a bit after nightfall, but that's a bit of my wishful thinking, huh?" She grinned at DC. She was rubbing off on her. If she hadn't met DC and had fallen in the river, she probably would have given up and died. Instead, here she stood; Wet, cold, proud. She shakily lifted Vincent to her shoulders, where he immediately curled around her neck. She looked at DC's limping and quickly went to her side. Taking her arm, she swung it over her shoulders while her arm wrapped around her side. If DC didn't swat her off, she would continue to offer her support.

This post has been edited by Ceilni: Aug 24 2009, 09:04 PM

[Jewely]

Jewely looked up. The sky was gray and gloomy. Clouds rolled over on top of each other. It looked as if it was going to rain soon. She sighed. It matched her mood right now. With her memories haunting her, she could only stare at the ground, looking hopeless. It was hard to be happy when she had been picked on all of her life. All she had to think about was how she was in school.

She sort of noticed that she was bored. Her dreadful thoughts of her life might have been clouding her head because she had nothing else to do. So she reached for her backpack, even though it was hard to do so while still wearing it, and unzipped a pouch. There, she plucked out a Pokeball, not even bothering to zip it back up.

She pressed the button on the Pokeball. It opened, and a red laser popped out. She didn't know if it was by magic or technology. She guessed that she would never know. The laser landed on the ground, and a Pokemon started to form. When the laser went away, a small raccoon Pokemon was in it's place. It wore a masked face, tan and white stripes, and a spikey tail. All of it's features seemed to be jagged. It was a Zigzagoon.

Jewely was thankful that her dad had given her Pokemon. While she made no friends at school, there were these furry little things that were also loyal to you. She always smiled whenever she sent out Ziggio or Telly. Having these as friends were great. They could do many things: battle other Pokemon, do tricks for contests, and the greatest thing, she noticed, is that they could protect their trainers from harm. Jewely didn't think she was going to run into any major trouble soon, but she sometimes imagined what would happen if she did.

Ziggio stared up at her, as if asking, Why'd you send me out? Jewely laughed at it's confused state. Annoyed, Ziggio's expression turned to I'm serious. Jewely laughed even harder.

"Ekans!"

Out of seemingly nowhere, an Ekans sprung out. Well, actually it came from the nearby shrubbery. Jewely imediately stopped laughing at the sight of it. It let out a hiss and started at Ziggio. The Zigzagoon let out a startled squeak and fled towards the direction where Jewely had come from. A mouse-and-cat chase started. Fortunately for Ziggio, and for the sake that it was Jewely's Pokemon, the Pokemon that her dad had gifted to her, he was faster.

Jewely wasted no time trying to get her Pokemon back into its Pokeball. Ziggio had been cornered against a tree trunk, and he Ekans was flaring its fangs, about to bite. Before it had time to, she pressed the button on his Pokeball, and a red laser shot out and consumed him. Instead, the Ekans hit tree bark, digging its fangs over half way. She didn't dare to imagine to what might of happened if she hadn't withdrew the Zigzagoon in time.

As she had planned to use on all wild Pokemon, she blindly felt for Telly's Pokeball in her backpack pouch. It wasn't there. Panicking, she looked around. The Ekans was almost finished retracting its fangs from the tree. She needed to hurry. Finally, she found the Pokeball in a swampy puddle in the middle of the ground, with grass swarming around it. She dashed towards it and picked it up. It was wet, slimy and muddy, but if she didn't hurry soon, she'd probably be snake food. She felt around the Pokeball for a button, found it and pressed it. If it did run on technology, it'd probably be spoiled and she'd be toast. Zigzagoon was nothing but another helping for the Ekans, or at least how she thought.

Telly's Pokeball worked. A laser sprang out, and a small dog Pokemon sprang out. It had green fur with yellow lighting shaped markings. It's ears seemed to be at an awkward 45 degree angle, and like Ziggio, jagged. The ears seemed wierd to Jewely compared to Ziggio, whose were also straight and, well, zigzagged, but at least his went up straight. It had a spiked tail that went directly upwards. It looked around and found the Ekans. It seemed to look at it with bright, intelligent eyes. Telly looked less like snake food than Ziggio in Jewely's eyes.

"Okay, Telly, start with Thunder Wave!"

This post has been edited by Jewely: Aug 25 2009, 12:51 AM

[Red Kitten]

A smile touched DC's face when she felt Darci beside her, offering support despite her own injury. "Thanks." She walked in silence for a moment before adding, "You know, we make a pretty good team."

~~~

It was a grueling task, but with Darci's assistance DC was able to make it back to where they had left off before they whole near-drowning incident. At least the river was an obstacle of the past now. Though DC would have liked to believe there would be no more hindrances in their future, she knew better. The wilderness was unpredictable and unforgiving, and always ready to throw another curve ball in her path. It was in a way better to be a pessimist in the forest, because one would be expecting the worst in every situation and could be better prepared for it.

"Pidgey!"

"Cheepie!" DC cried out in delight as the tiny brid flew toward her, nudging her trainer's cheek affectionately with her feathered head. DC was pleased to see that her other Pokemon were still safely in their Pokeballs, and her backpack was sitting right where she had thrown it before trying to cross the river. She breathed a sigh of relief, as she couldn't help but wonder if there were any other thieves prowling the woods.

The thought of Scarper dampened her mood a little, but DC was quick and eager to push it out of her mind. I just had to fight for my life, she thought. Surely that was karma, or whatever, getting back at me for any unfairness in the way I treated Scarper. I've had my punishment, so I'm not going to keep punishing myself by thinking about this over and over. DC pulled the elastic out of her hair and redid the messy ponytail out of habit, before recalling Cheepie and clipping all the Pokeballs to her soggy belt.

"If you're ready, let's get moving and see if we can find a place to set up camp," DC said to Darci, as she shouldered her pack. She began to limp very slowly down the trail.

[Ceilni]

"Thanks"

Darci nodded.

"Yeah."

"You know, we make a pretty good team."

Darci laughed. "We sure do.

~~~

Darci felt Vincent shiver against her neck, making her adams apple ache from the constant force on it. The sky was starting to cry upon them harder. She shivered. Her paler then normal skin was very slowly return to their normal pale. Her crimson eyes flashed with more determination then they had for a long long time. By the time they reached the place they were swept from, her legs ached.

"Pidgey!"

"Tooor!"

"Tuuurt!" Kaito and Maxwell ran up to her, circling around her ankles.

"Cheepie!"

Letting go of DC, she let her get to her pokemon. She dropped to her knees and opened her backpack, getting the pokeballs for her pokemon.

"If you're ready, let's get moving and see if we can find a place to set up camp,"

Darci nodded. She quickly took her pokeballs from her backpack.

"Sorry guys, celebration is gonna be cut short." She said, beaming her pokemon into their pokeballs. "Gonna get moving." She sighed. Her black hair was wet, heavy, and cold, she wanted to get moving. She started to shake her head to shake off the water, but she gave up. She sighed and nodded to DC. "Lets go." She said, swinging her backpack onto her back, being careful about her arm. As she started walking she broke the silence.

"Do you want me to call Vic now? I have one bar of signal." She asked thoughtfully.