darkSpyro

"i havent had a meal like this in ages." Joannah said softly leaning against Ki after she finished. She pulled her blanket around her and sat quietly staring out into the darkness watching the creatur charlie lurk around them waiting for someone who couldnt see in the dark to wander close enough.

Ki leaned against Joannah just as soft

"No problem Chico" Virtu said before scratching behind his ears

"Do you like you meal Jenny?" I asked

After a bit of a fire Dark Pit and I got going, we sat together in the tree and ate. I knew the others were having a good meal in the camp, so I didn't feel at all guilty for leaving them. We ate in silence as my mind wandered. The days seemed to be going along fairly well- no crazy monsters or anything jumping out at us. Was there anything to fear, or could we dwell in peace? At least, until we figured out a way back home.

"Yeah, it's good" Jenny replied, nibbling on a drumstick. "So, I hear Foxtail's got big plans for tomorrow. I wonder what other weird things we'll see out here?"

"Whatever happens, we'll survive" I said, looking over at Ki "They look great together, don't they?"

"I suppose so…" Skyward looked a little downtrodden. Even her Lightning Orb seemed to be giving out fewer sparks and not shining as brightly.

Winterra continued wandering around until she found two humans. "Stop!" she growled. "This is werewolf territory!" She took out her Ice Crossbow and put one of her arrows it, until, getting a closer look, she saw that the humans has wings. "Retreat!" she yelled as she slung the crossbow on her back again.

"Stay calm, there has to be someone around here…" Teslo thought aloud. He started walking back towards the tree where he thought he saw spiders. "If there's anyone, then they must want to get rid of those spiders," he told himself. "Now, how to climb this tree…" His short, stocky body was not suited to climbing trees.

Joannah smiled and just enjoyed the feeling of being loved. She wanted to sleep but she wasnt tired. Though she would be exhausted and sleep when the sun came up.

"Joannah, whatever is going on in your head, I'll help you solve the problem" Ki said

"Huh? Oh.... Im sure what ever it is i get used to it..." She said.

As Foxtail gnawed the last little bits of meat off of a turkey bone, the last few moments of the night ticked away and the morning sun returned to grace the party. He smiled and embraced its bright rays like an old friend of the past finally reunited. Now that they had the light as their ally, he could proceed with his intentions. "Alright, everyone, gather 'round!" he announced. "Time to discuss today's plans."

Joannah flinched at the light of the new day and burrowed into her blanket hiding her face from the suns light.

Ki helped block the sun from Joannah's eyes "That better?" He asked

"What's the plan?" I asked

((Don't forget about LitM and FotU, you said you'd respond Sky, just reminding you bud))

Joannah moved nuzzling against Ki suddenly feeling extremely tired. "i... im so tired..." She said quietly keeping the blanket over her eyes and closing them wanting to fall asleep.

Chico must have dozed off. He yawned, stretching, and padded over towards Foxtail.

"I'll tell you Foxtail's plan" Ki said, holding Joannah so she could use him as a pillow

Virtu sat next to Chico and scratched behind his ears "You ok buddy?" She asked

Joannah nodded and let herself fall asleep becoming limp against him and breathing softly

I woke up, the rosy mist of dawn just over the horizon. When had I fallen asleep? I blinked my sleepiness away as I stretched, looking around. I was in a tree- Dark Pit's, to be exact. How odd…
The dark angel poked his head up, and I raised an eyebrow at his arrival. "Hey. You, uh, fell asleep last night, and I didn't really feel like moving you," he explained.
"That's…alright, I guess…" I yawned, getting ready to go back to the camp. I could only hope that they hadn't thought I had died or something. "Sorry for bothering you."
"No problem," he said, settling down onto a branch. "Everything going okay in the camp?"
"Yeah. You were right, there are good people there," I replied, hopping down from the tree. When I landed, I looked back up at him. "Anything you need, at all? Or are you fine on your own?"
"I'm okay." I nodded at his curt response. "Well…bye, then. Hopefully I'll be back soon." I gave Dark Pit a small smile, then turned to go back to the camp.

Looking back, Foxtail noticed Shadmé returning from her brief absence and grinned. "Glad you made it back alright," he commented, then looked back at the group. "So, for today's agenda, I want us to split up to gather more resources and see what else this place has in store." Jenny had been documenting everything they had found in her memory banks, forming a digital map of sorts, and he felt they had barely scratched the surface of the plane. Plus, there was always the enjoyment of adventure, venturing into the unknown and conquering it.

"From here, I'm dedicating the status of co-leader to my friend, Treetop" he said, the squibbon plodding up next to him and bowing with pride. "We'll each take a party with us and go our separate ways. Treetop will head north, and I'll go south. It's your choice who you decide to go with, or if you just want to stay here and look after the camp, that's fine too."

Lotus joined Foxtail. "I'm going with you, babe. If there's anything I've learned, it's that you sure know how to show a lady a good time." Foxtail nodded and admitted her into his party, awaiting more volunteers.

Jenny looked at Austin, knowing he would want her to come with him. "I'll go with you" she offered with a reassuring smile.

[Who you go with depends on where you want to go. Going with Treetop will lead you to the "Rockylands", a mostly barren biome littered with boulders and the opportunity to find gold. It's also home to mini-glaciers and the occasional spider nest, as well as a new hostile creature. We'll also find a new ally there.]

[Going with Foxtail will result in stumbling across a graveyard in the forest. You can dig up a grave for a chance to find some good loot, like the Life-Giving Amulet I mentioned, but beware, because it may upset the spirits of the dead. We'll also have a little hunting trip down there too.]

"Glad you're back!" I greeted the angel. "I thought that you were permanately going to stay with… he was called Dark Pit, right?"

I looked at Treetop "I'll go with you buddy" I said

Virtu smiled "I'll go with you Foxtail" She said

Ki woke up Joannah "Hey... Treetop is going north, Foxtail is going south, who do you want to go with?" He asked

Joannah groaned. "i dont wanna go anywhere... im tired.... I always get so tired when the sun is up...." She groaned. "..but if your going somewhere ill.." she yawned ".. go with you..." she said finishing her sentence.

"Well, we can stay here" Ki said, holding her gently

Chico wasn't so sure who he wanted to go with... Chico was, well, a bit scared of Treetop. But, then again he was scared of a lot of creatures here. He did like the forest, and most likely Foxtail's group would stay somewhere in the forest. But he knew for sure he didn't want to stay here. "I'll go with Foxtail," he said, raising a paw about three centimetres off the ground. If the groups were uneven, he would go with Treetop, though.

I smiled back at the eager young leader. "Thanks," I told Foxtail, stepping aside to listen to his announcement. I turned to Skyward as well, listening to her words. "Heh...yup, that would be Dark Pit. We come from the same place, but he and I have agreed to split up, as he's not usually not fond of company much. He didn't want me to suffer, so he advised I stay with you guys. I still feel like I need to check on him now and then, though." I looked up as Foxtail finished his mission plan. "I'll go with Treetop," I decided. Treetop's party needed more members, just in case.

Joannah looked up at ki. "it sounds like everyones going somewhere... we can go if your okay if i ride on your back ki..."

"Foxtail said we can stay here to look after the camp if we want" Ki said

Virtu smiled "So Chico, you're coming with us? That's great!" She said

Joannah nodded. "alright...." She said dozing off again. She moved a bit and nuzzled her face into his shirt relaxing her head on his chest sleeping calmly.

"I guess I'm going with you, then." Jenny looked at Treetop. She didn't know him, but he seemed intelligent and adept at engineering judging by his mannerisms and the device he carried. She remembered something. "Oh, hey, Treetop I got this from one of the spiders we fought last night" she said, withdrawing the strange gland, carefully holding it between two fingers. "I don't think we can eat it, but it's gotta be good for something."

The squid took the gland, eying it curiously. "It is fortunate that you found this. I was in need of another component for an antiseptic I had been prototyping." He stowed it away, dipping his head toward Austin and Shadme, welcoming them into his entourage.

Foxtail grinned and let Virtu and Chico in his group, seeing that he and Treetop's groups were equal. Assuming Ki would stay behind with Joannah, he awaited Skyward and Teslo's decision.

Ki held Joannah and petted her head

((Teslo isn't there.))

"I'll go with Treetop as well," I flicked my tail in decision. "I'm used to those rocky areas." The globe of lightning became brighter, occasionally giving out more sparks.

[Oh, alright. So, where is he?]

"Alright, that's everyone!" Foxtail saw that everyone was grouped and discussed with Treetop when to come back. They agreed to meet up once again that evening before sundown, and if they couldn't make it back in time, to stay put until morning. "See you then" he concluded, then ventured into the woods with Lotus at his side.

"Very well then" the squibbon said to Skyward, his party now full. He found it amusing how more of the survivors had flocked to him rather than Foxtail; his friend always had seemed to be the more charismatic of them, and- well, cephalopods weren't exactly known for their good looks. "Well, team, let's shove off!" he announced, pulling himself up into the forest's lower branches. "Do try to keep up" he said to his earthbound comrades with a hint of playfulness as he began to gracefully swing along in his element.

"Don't worry about me Treetop" I said as I followed him, I was right behind me

Ki held Joannah and watched her sleep "You're adorable Joannah" He said

Virtu was on the other side of Foxtail "So, how are you Foxtail?" She asked

((Sky, I sent you a message))

((Foxtail's team will probably find him, still trying to climb the tree and his Sanity low.))

"Don't worry!" I teased. I flapped my wings, trying to get enough lift to start gliding, which was much easier on my torn wings. I passed the squibbon, waving in a teasing manner, but then I crashed into a tree. Oh, well. I picked myself up, waiting for the others. "That…didn't go so well."

Foxtail looked up at Virtu. "I'm alright" he commented with a grin. "Well, as alright as someone can be when they're fighting to survive in the middle of nowhere, at least."

Lotus slowly nodded, agreeing. Her expression made it clear that something was on her mind. The vixen was trying to piece together just how they had all wound up here, using what little information they had as a base- however flimsy it may be. Most of the others shared a rather peculiar trait, and that was the faintest memory of the same name. Maxwell... who, or what, is he?

"Oh dear" was Treetop's only response to Skyward crashing face first into a tree. He swung over and dropped from the branches to assess her potential wound. "Have you broken anything?" he asked. As an invertebrate, he never had to fear the chance of a skeletal fracture, and the concept of bones was still quite alien to him, despite his current occupation in the medical field.

[Just waiting for Jenna and Shadme to report back.]

I stopped at Skyward "Jenny, can you preform so kind of scan to see if she's ok?" I asked

"What are you thinking about Lotus?" Virtu asked her half-sister

Joannah slept quietly and after a while she became a bit more limp then usual and the mark moved again on her cheek causing her to grip onto him almost as if in pain.

((It wasn't exactly headfirst. Skyward turned around to wave teasingly to Treetop and lost control trying to glide backwards.))

"I'm sure I'm okay," I confirmed, "but my tail feels a bit sore." I rubbed the area, cringing as I felt the area which hit the tree the hardest.

Ki was worried "Joannah wake up!" He said, lightly shaking her "Its only a nightmare!"

Chico bounded after Foxtail and the group.

OOC: rushed post is lazy

Joannah snapped awake and he was panting slightly. She looked around then up at Ki and sighed. She looked down and held her head. "s-sorry..... I guess i... i was having a nightmare or something...."

((SG, did you get my last PM, also don't forget about FotU, LitM, and Meeting the World))

Ki hugged Joannah "Its ok, all I care about is your saftey Joannah" He said

"Oh, nothing" Lotus said. She didn't want to worry her half-sister.

A semi-dense fog rolled in as the group traversed the woods, eventually stumbling upon an uncanny sight. The final resting place of past adventurers, an eerie graveyard sat before them, headstones dotting the area. The gleam of occasional nuggets of gold littering the ground was visible through the mist, and if you weren't in your right mind, you could swear you heard the stirring of spirits beneath this burial ground.

Foxtail and Lotus exchanged nervous glances. Despite bedtime stories saying otherwise, they knew from experience that ethereal entities such as ghosts did exist, and they were hesitant to continue. But always the courageous, rather than turning back, the two blonde foxes warily paced in to explore.

"This place is creepy" Virtu said nervously

Chico agreed with Virtu, although he continued to walk carefully. Chico glanced at his surroundings. He wondered what spirits were lurking.

"Yeah, it is kinda spooky..." Lotus agreed with the gray fox vixen. She scooped up some gold, knowing how invaluable it would be, and walking over the mounds, she couldn't help but imagine. I bet there's all kinds of good stuff down there... The promise of treasure made her consider doing a little digging...

What am I thinking? That's horrible! She scolded herself for letting such a malicious thought come into her mind. But still, nobody was watching... and desperate times called for desperate measures... I guess digging up just one wouldn't hurt anything she thought to herself, giving into her temptations. Looking around to make sure nobody was looking, the little fox dug her claws into the loosened earth, defiling the grave to satisfy her curiosity. She was met with... a pair of old dentures. Gross.

"That's a relief" Treetop said as Jenny scanned for potential bone fractures. Skyward's tail seemed a little bruised, but nothing too serious. "Well, let us continue. Do try to be less reckless with your flight from here." With that, Treetop ducked back into the canopy and resumed leading the way.

Virtu looked at Lotus "What are you doing?" She asked quietly "If mom was here she'd freak"

I nodded "Ok Jenny, lets keep going" I said as I followed Treetop

Joannah smiled. "Thank you Ki.." She said and then looked around. "H-how long do you think everyone will be gone? Do you think they will all be okay?"

"They said they would try to be back by nightfall, and they'll be fine, I'm more worried about you Joannah" Ki said "Please tell me what's wrong so I can help you"

Joannah looked at him. "I dont know Ki... Really i dont.... Before i ended up in this place i was sick and according to the doctor who was with us i was dying.... but he told my mom he could save me... And so he did... I guess... I dont know how but when i woke up i had this weird mark under my eye and i couldnt stand the light.... And..... For some reason at night... I can hear a girl sing softly in my head.... She is always happy at night...." She said looking down. "So maybe im just permenantly crazy.... i dont know...."

"You are NOT crazy Joannah, that doctor did something bad to you, I can just feel it deep inside, you were fine, I just know it" Ki said "Whoever that girl is, we need to talk to her"