It's perpetually depressing to wake up and be confined by the same broken world, over and over again. Walking around with the hope that there would exist help towards the end, only to be reminded that nothing will change in the end either way. It doesn't matter how far you try to escape since each expanse resembled one another.
Eternal darkness enshrouded the surface, giving the ambience a gloomy perception. The warmth that once enveloped the Earth has decayed, reforming into dangerous freezing weathers. Without obtainable sunlight or warmth, nature forthwith disappeared, omitting a wasteland for the snow to claim.
With powerful blizzard frequently occurring, a creature found themself desperately running within the forest, seeking refuge from the harsh weather. Despite the creature's type being somewhat accustomed to the cold conditions, he wasn't familiar with the unique environment.
Panting as he ran through the dense darkness, watching as lifeless trees would slowly pass him with every leap onwards. His legs would plunge into the snow, dampening his blue coat as the snow would linger around his body. The descending blizzard depriving his sight, making it difficult to focus on what's ahead of him.
Running through the darkness of the woods, provided him with an eerie impression, as he perceived how vulnerable he is.
He forced himself to cease his movements, as he could sense himself become light-headed from the stress and the absence of air. A painful throbbing sensation lingered through his limbs, making him feel numb in his muscles. While taking deep breaths, saliva swelled over his mouth with a bitter taste, driving him to spit it out.
With a sudden cough, he rubbed away the excess drool, before glancing around the area. However, with the dense darkness surrounding him, there wasn't much that could be seen.
'I've seen these weathers before, and each one has had an edge. Yet it feels like I have been running for hours.' He thought to himself as he strained out an extra dehydrated cough. He was at the mercy of the blizzard since there wasn't much he could do other than to advance onwards.
Feeling the breeze violently blow against him, he counterbalanced the force before commencing to gingerly step into the abyss of the darkness again. The strong winds enforcing him to put more strength into his strides, making it worthless to run as he needed to preserve his remaining energy.
With his restricted pace, the probabilities of fleeing the storm weakened with each passing moment. It gradually grew harder to support his limbs as he staggered forwards on the dense snow. It was hard to focus on where he was going, as his mind would rather focus on the strain his body is enduring. Without seeing any hints of the storm's edge, he was entering a state of despair as there wasn't a thing he could do.
However, shock pervaded him as he unexpectedly settled his forefoot on emptiness, as there wasn't anything other than air catching his step. Panic quickly arose as he couldn't grip the snow under his paw, slowly falling further down until he suddenly made harsh contact with the ground.
The abrupt connection made his legs give up, and he began to tumble down the steep hillside, roughly dragging his body down the snow-covered slope. The hard-packed snow wasn't soft in any way, scraping up his body as it proceeded to twist and turn with the fall down. Small ice shards hiding within the snow, wounding his skin as he rolled. He brought his paws to shield his head, in an effort to save it from any potential injury.
He tranquilly sprawled on his side as he came to a grinding halt, as he finally reached the bottom of the slant. However, his arrival to the ground was rough since the snow was frozen, making the impact more unpleasant.
His body was aching, trembling with agony as he laid motionless on his side against the snow. Groans and whimpers escaping his muzzle as the pain lingered through his body. He clutched his body to suppress the rushing burning feeling within him.
He carefully glanced around the new terrain, watching for anything different, but this new terrain mirrored the one he was running through moments earlier.
He slowly succumbs into despair as he reflects on his situation, losing the desire to find shelter any more. All he wanted to do now was to drop unconscious to overcome the unbearable pain, along with a prayer that there would be another day tomorrow.
Although, before the numb feeling overwhelmed his senses, a dull light flickered through the darkness in the distant, swaying back and forth. The trees would obscure the light, causing it to desist its brightness for a while, only to flash again as it attained into view. He stared at the illumination, discerning how it was slowly moving forwards towards him.
His subconscious wasn't thinking straight after all the anguish he endured, distorting his judgment, initiating him stare at the light without having any contrary thoughts of what's provoking it.
Faint muffled strides could be recognised as the light came into closer view, gently illumining the trees adjacent to the source. The sounds in the snow grew more blatant whilst the brightness was growing more dazzling for his eyes.
Everything turned quiet as the light abruptly halted in front of him, enduring in the air.
For an extended period, nothing transpired as he couldn't do anything. He was unable to move his head away from the light as he felt powerless over his body, forcing him to squint his eye to suppress any infliction. With a hazy vision, he was unable to see the light's provoker. Although, a vague outline could be distinguished behind the light.
Inevitably, the light source was settled on the ground, before a shuffling commotion could be heard.
Dread finally pervaded him as he felt something brush against his body, before being turned on the snow, rocking onto his stomach. He felt something dig under his abdomen on both sides moments before being harshly pulled away from the snow.
He was arranged on top of the other creature's back since he could feel its fur and body brush against his own when he was deposited. With a humble arrangement, the canine began to firmly walk through the woods, holding its light yet again.
He blankly gazed at the moving snow beneath him, trying to perceive the current events. But the discomfort and numbness were disorderings him, making it difficult to grasp his circumstance. Being powerless over his body and having no other way to change his destination, he accepted the outcome of the event and laid inanimated on the other creature's spine.
The only thing he could do was to trust wherever they were advancing towards was going to help him.
The pain was moderately subsiding, but the numbness was gradually growing more substantial. He couldn't feel the coldness around his body anymore and was sinking further into a lifeless form. He was beginning to lose focus with the world again, and he didn't know when he would pass out.
The rhythm of the snow getting crunched lowered itself in volume while sounds of panting filled the air. A muffled shout emitted from the creature, causing an unpleasant throbbing sensation to linger through his head.
His hearing wasn't great since no matter what sound he received, it would always be an inaudible muffle.
Moments slowly passed as everything became quiet, only feeling the meagre movement of the other being. However, after a while, he could distinguish another type of footsteps swiftly approaching, associated with another voice coming further away.
He wanted to observe the scene around him, attempt to figure out what's happening, since this whole experience arose more bizarre by the minute. But with his hazy eyes and distressed mind, he couldn't even focus on the pokémon's species.
Shock pervaded him yet again as he felt another pair of paws enclose around his body, gently heaving him from his position. Warmth presently enclosed him as he was brought into something, and he could feel himself getting settled on something soft.
Although the new environment was more comforting, it only aided the numbness to overwhelm him, making him blackout.
Waking up wasn't pleasant for him. He felt weak throughout his body, being unable to respond to his numb limbs. A bothersome convulsing sensation crawling through his muscles, coupled with a migraine throbbing within his head, causing him to lowly groan from the constant strain.
He coarsely coughed, feeling a bitter taste coating his mouth, composing a strong dizzy sensation. He gently opened his eyes, still being disoriented from his distress. But instead of being met with darkness, he was met with a bright glowing light. Not being accustomed to the illumination, he forced himself to squint his eyes.
he immediately became confused as it has been quite a while since he has seen daylight. "What the..." he meekly said to himself as he began to contemplate what could have caused a light. But rather than receiving speculation, prior memories resurfaced instead. A growing urge developed within him as he craved to know what has transpired after his fall.
The light has gradually grown duller, aiding him to finally open his eyes and see where he was.
He found himself in a confined room, being surrounded by walls on every angle. Every wall was composed of smooth stone except for one. On the wall furthest away from him, was an individual's substitute wall made out of wood. The entrance of the room was established on the wooden wall.
A single light source arranged on a small crate near the edge of the wooden divider. The light wasn't powerful enough to illuminate the whole room, leaving half of the vacancy in a shade. The warm colours emitting from the glow, gently flickered on the walls. The light itself was within a small enclosure, resembling a lantern.
He grew distrustful of the room, glancing around the room to ensure that he was alone. He sought to control his concerns once he confirmed that he was alone in the room, furthermore taking notice of the relative emptiness in the room.
He looked down towards the ground, regarding that he was lying on a bed made out of carefully grouped sticks binding each other. The surface of the bed wasn't the softest, but it was at least better than sleeping on the stone floor.
He became further confused as to why everything was made out of stone, with only one wooden divider.
He carefully lifted himself off the sticks, trying not to disturb his injuries. He gave a meagre stretch to his stiff limbs to stir them from their frail state before stepping onto the cold floor. He inspected the room at a closer view, tenderly taking a few steps around the room.
Though, as he moved around, he began to feel exposed around his neck. It felt like something was missing from its place. Confused by the weird feeling, he brought his paw to observe the emptiness around his nape.
'oh no.' Shock hit him as he couldn't sense his belonging around his neck. He hurriedly turned towards the makeshift bed, scanning its proximity on the off chance that it has slipped off when he slept. He looked for the cord that was supposed to hold his souvenir, but he couldn't find it anywhere near the bed. He extended his searching area but was sidetracked when he heard a voice.
"Thank goodness you're alive." Panic quickly swept in as he hurriedly turned towards the origin, being undoubtedly startled by the sudden voice. He got into a defensive posture, preparing himself for whoever stood behind him.
For the first time in what felt like an eternity, he saw another pokémon, standing in the doorway in front of him. It was overwhelming to see another creature, but he remained dubious of the individual as he didn't know its ambition.
A dark blue body covered in white fur. It has a ruff around its neck and chest and a tuft on the top of its head adorned with a single blue-black oval. Even though its appearance looked menacing, its posture didn't unveil any malicious intentions towards him.
"Oh sorry, didn't mean to frighten you." The Absol retracted as it regarded his alarmed reaction, taking a step back to show less of a threat.
After a few moments of staring in silence, he ultimately loosened his tense limbs, believing that the Absol didn't want to hurt him. He released his confined breath and slowly regained his composure back. Being more relaxed, he could identify that the voice sounded feminine.
"Where am I..? Who are you?" He timidly asked, desiring to get answers to his situation. The room didn't provide any signs of his location, prompting him to only speculate from his prior, vague memories.
"I am Castiel, and you are within our shelter. I found you while I was out on my route, and I resolved to take you with me even though I didn't know whether you were conscious. It has been four hours since you were brought here, but we don't know how long you were unconscious in the snow." She informed him while walking towards him, checking his body for any fatal injuries.
His body was covered with bruises, and he still felt weak throughout his limbs. But even though it was still bothering him, it wasn't anything lethal.
Castiel gently touched against his abrasions, determining his injuries. However, while she was studying with her paw, he was too occupied with his thoughts to even regard her.
"Our shelter?" He uttered confused, inferring that there was more than one pokémon here. He was still trying to overcome the fact that he encountered another lifeform, then hearing that there was more than one, confounded him.
"Yeah, there are three other pokémon residing here." She answered as she concludes that his damages weren't severe on the exposed portion. "If you're feeling well, I could introduce you to them." She said as she wandered towards the door, before abruptly stopping. "By the way, what's your name?" She said as she turned around to face him yet again.
"It's Mace, and... uhh, you could present the others, I guess." He shyly told Castiel. She humbly smiled at the approval, and told him to accompany her when he felt ready. She walked out of the room without saying anything else.
Alone in the shade again, he blankly gazed at the slightly opened door. He took a few moments to himself to quell his dismay and accept the situation he's enduring. It still felt absurd for him to conceive about it, but he was slowly quieting his mind.
He took a nervous, broad breath before starting to advance to the other side of the room. He still wasn't in his best condition, considering his injuries. Although, the strain in his limbs has gradually diminished, leaving him with only a fragile state since he hasn't received any energy yet.
The light subtly warmed him as he reached the wooden divider. He gently opened the door, slowly exposing a new area.
As he pushed the door open, he noticed that he wasn't within a building as he thought. He began to feel stupid for not recognising that he was inside a cavern earlier, considering how the walls were a clear sign which he casually brushed off.
The room he woke up in felt confined and gave him an unnatural disturbance, yet the new room was an open expanse that stretched several meters, resembling a dome shape. It was essentially a moderately large room that has several doorways leading to other small lodgings.
The most eminent thing in the room was the bonfire arranged in the centre of the area, lighting up the place with its flames. Small benches encircling the fire, providing a place to sit near the warmth.
Mace continued to look around the place, but there wasn't anything other significant thing sticking out for him. He carefully wandered away from the door, his steps echoing as he aimlessly walked into the more spacious room.
Lingering around his footstep's echo was another low sound, growing stronger as he proceeded to walk further into the middle. Low inaudible muffles soon began to gently amplify, starting to resemble a conversation.
"Why did you carry a wounded Pokémon into our shelter! We can't afford to feed another individual, our food supply is already decreasing in quantity, and it won't be long until we starve!"
The voice Mace heard was likely feminine, but it didn't sound anything like Castiel. The first impression he received from her was that she was considerate and caring. But the different voice that resounded through the room sounded annoyed and angry.
"Listen, I panicked when I saw his limp body. Furthermore, we don't know if he is the last mortal wandering this ravaged Earth besides us. It's better to preserve as many as we can"
He soon discerned that the sounds were coming from one of the rooms. He anxiously shuffled over to the room, feeling uncomfortable as he apprehended that they were discussing him. He ceased his walking when he reached a few meters from the door, eavesdropping on their talk.
"There's the problem, we can't help as many as you desire! And besides, not only do we need to waste more food, but also medical care for another useless Pokémon!" The unknown creature yelled back before steps could be heard.
His blood ran cold as he discerned that the footsteps were heading towards the door, where he was standing. He didn't have enough time to collect his thoughts, or even gather his strength into moving elsewhere. He anxiously stood still, watching as the door was roughly pushed open.
A bluish-black bipedal creature stood on the other side of the entrance. Small yellow oval markings on its forehead and chest, accompanied by a single red feather on its left ear. Its narrow red eyes quickly locked onto Mace own eyes. For a meagre second, a blank expression concealed her face.
Yet it swiftly faded into an annoyed look. "Get lost Glaceon," she said as she elbowed him out of the way, walking past him to reach her objective.
Mace was left confused from the encounter, questioning himself if she even would want to have him stay here. "Sorry about that." He turned towards the source of the sound, seeing the same absol from before. Her once warm mood has slowly reduced when she decided to acquaint Zia with the newcomer. "I didn't notify Zia about your presence earlier since I didn't want her to try anything against you," Castiel gently informed, feeling embarrassed of herself for causing the commotion for him, and making him experience it.
Even though the Sneasel made him feel like he should walk away, Castiel was there to reassure him that the other's were friendlier. Mace remained hesitant over her statement, but he proceeded to believed her.
'She's the one that saved me after all.' He thought to himself, reflecting on what he overheard in their small conversation. Thinking back, he recalled hearing some problems were happening here. But he didn't have time to ask Castiel as she advised him to stand by the fire while she would accumulate the rest.
Mace reluctantly walked towards fire after Castiel departed, keeping up his guard in case the Sneasel would appear again. But fortunately for him, she wasn't in eyesight.
He felt the heat touch his body as he approached the bonfire, giving him a pleasant feeling as he stared into the dancing flames. He never realised how much his body yearned for warmth since he was used to the constant strain of the cold. He sat down on one of the makeshift benches, basking in the warmth that supplied from the fire.
He relished in sitting close to the fire, watching as it would wave whilst listening to its cracking. He let out a shallow exhalation of content as the warmness engulfed him, making him neglect his meagre aching muscles.
'I can't recall the last time I was close to a fire,' Mace thought to himself as he gingerly held up his paws against the fire. 'I don't even remember much of my prior days before the cave-in...' He vacantly gazed into the fire, thinking back on the day where he determined to truly evolve. He let his mind wander as he reflected on his achievements. 'I've always assumed that he was supposed to be there protect-'
His thoughts came to an abrupt halt as he heard footsteps echoing towards him. He swiftly turned to his side, seeing Castiel walking towards him while being accompanied by another pokémon.
Short, reddish-orange fur covered its quadruped body. Beautiful black gleaming eyes combined with Large ears with black interiors. A Fluffy yellow fur tuft on its head, as well as a bushy tail and a mane around its chest and neck.
"Sorry to say, but the last one isn't feeling so well and needs to rest. However, I was able to drag Colt out from his sleep so that you too could properly meet each other." Castiel said as she approached the fire, playfully nudging the other creature.
Colt was still tired from his awakening, but he strived to stay awake so that he could greet the newcomer. They sat down on the opposite side, inducing them to face each other. "So let's begin with a basic introduction. Colt, this is Mace. And Mace, this is Colt." She said as she shifted between the two.
"Nice to meet you," Colt said with a friendly manner, establishing a humble smile to conceal his drowsiness. His positive attitude quickly rubbing off on Mace as he began to induce his own simper. "You too," He returned with an optimistic demeanour, already beginning to feel included again.
"We brought some food for you too," Castiel announced, presenting a few berries within a bag. Mace graciously took the berries, thanking them for their hospitality. He wasted no time and began to ravage the berries while the others waited for him to finish.
"How are you holding up with your injuries?" Colt tenderly ask, wanting to know if he was going to be okay. Mace took a few moments for himself to feel around his body, testing the limits of his injuries. "There is a bothersome strain on my muscles. Though it should disappear soon, other than that, its just the lack of energy," he told them, being optimistic about his injuries.
"That's a relief," He said, allowing him finally to get rid of that thought from his head. It gave Mace an unusual sensation to see that somebody he knew less than a few minutes cared about how he felt.
"How long have you guys lived here?" Mace decided to ask as he consumed his last berry, wanting to shift his mindset away from his thoughts.
"Colt and I were the first ones who were here since we knew each other before the tragedy, and we helped each other to find this place. However, we don't know how many days we've been here, but we resolved to start enumerating our sleep when we noticed that the daylight cycle wasn't moving." Castiel leisurely told him, taking a small breather before continuing. "We are soon starting to arrive at three-digit numbers." She announced.
Their days were limited, and they didn't know when they would be forced to relocate or find another food option. They have been trying to seek another community with the expectation that they could connect and help one another. But they haven't seen any trace in a mile radius of any creature activity.
'wow, they have been here for a long time,' Mace thought to himself, trying to envision what it might feel like to be in their situation.
Everyone grew silent as the ungrateful reality immersed between them. The crackling sound of the fire being the lone commotion in the room. Castiel quickly took notice of the new settling mood and concluded that she has acquainted the basis for Mace. "I suggest you get to bed soon so that you get into the sleeping cycle we have," She said as she stood up from the bench, stating her farewells for the two.
Mace was left dumbfounded as he found himself sitting alone with the flareon, finding it harder to converse without Castiel's guidance. They sat in silence, listening as the echo of her footsteps slowly drowned out into the ambience, soon leaving them alone in the room.
Colt's body yearned to get back to his slumber, but he didn't want to leave Mace alone in the room. For reasons unknown, he needed to ensure that he was feeling safe. He didn't want him to be anxious or concerned about anything and was more than happy to provide anything to help him.
"So, what happened to you?" Colt tenderly asked, aspiring to know what caused his severe state when he got brought here. He had questioned Castiel earlier when she entered the cavern, but her response only concluded that she found him motionlessly sprawled in the blizzard.
"Well... I tumbled down a steep hill when I was frantically running through the blizzard, feeling weak even before the accident. Despite that, the blizzard and the darkness obstructed my vision, causing me to put my forefoot off the edge." He stopped for a moment, thinking of what happened following his fall. "I don't recall much of what happened after the drop."
"How much do you remember?" Colt asked, thinking back to when Aiden was awakened without any prior memories. He didn't want the same fate to occur to him as to what happened to her.
Mace was confused by the question at first but eventually apprehended what he was referring to. "Um... My memories after the drop are vague, but they aren't corrupted if that was the thing you were referring to," Mace stated to him, earning a sigh of relief from the flareon.
"That reminds me," Colt blurted out as he began to rummage through his neck fluff, remembering that he was supposed to give back something that belonged to him. "When you arrived here, this was around your neck," he remarked as he brought his paw out to show the item.
In the Flareon's paw was the object that Mace formerly thought he had lost. A simple, black silk cord designed for a necks aspect, carrying a crystal sphere enshrouded with a silver ring as decoration. It was mesmeric to stare into the depths of the crystals, as it felt like it had its own restrained energy.
"I wasn't sure if it was irritating your throat when you were unconscious. Hence why I resolved to momentarily confiscate it to avoid any hassle."
Mace was relieved when he witnessed his souvenir, pleased to know that it didn't get dropped in the blizzard. Colt cautiously shuffled around the fire, offering the item back to Mace once he reached his position.
He gracefully took the necklace, instantly embedding it around his neck. The emptiness he formerly felt around his neck, was now satisfied. "Wow... Thank you," he happily exclaimed, feeling an urge to show his gratefulness in multiple ways.
Colt was charmed by his genuine happiness, beginning to feel a comfortable connection grow between the two. He was happy that he was able to be on good terms with the newcomer,
"Well, if there isn't anything else you need, then we should finally get some sleep," he declared, feeling like he was going to lose his last bit of energy and succumb to the sleep on the spot.
Despite the fact that Mace woke up from his rest as of late, he still required to unwind and heal the last aching injuries. Mace complied with him, feeling the numbness in the muscles as he carefully stood up.
"Goodnight, sleep well," Colt said prior to his departure, smiling and waving at Mace before turning around to walk to his room. Mace returned the vocals, lazily bringing his paw up in the air to indicate back.
Alone in the open expanse yet again, he chooses to not waste any time in getting to bed. He walked away from the fire, feeling the pleasant warmth lose its source as he moved away from the heat. He went back to the room he woke up in, assuming that it was going to be his now.
He carefully closed the door behind him, feeling an eerie emotion from the cold and silence that lingered in the room. It felt weird to stand there since he would always picture himself being in his residence.
He gingerly walked towards the bed, deciding too not kill the light as its emissions wouldn't reach further than half of the room anyway. He lowered himself down onto the bed, feeling the cold material brush against his coat.
He curled up to preserve his body's warmth, discerning that it might be troublesome to conserve his heat in a more open room. Since each time he would sleep outside in the snow, he would dig a small cavity underneath the snow, using the snow as insulation to conserve the warmth. Being small enough for him to barely being able to fit inside.
He was happy that he wouldn't be forced to sleep outside in the snow anymore, ultimately escaping from the relentless cold weathers. He was grateful for Castiel for embracing him into the shelter, despite the morose attitude he received from the Sneasel.
'Hopefully, everything will sort out on its own.' He didn't want to get in between the group, not wanting to be the reason for a conflict to occur amongst them. He's already disdained from one of the members, and he doesn't want to start a feud.
His drowsiness quickly caught up with him as he reflected on his past events, enforcing the growing numbness in his body to take authority. Gradually losing his senses while he gently shuts his eyes, succumbing to the sleep...
However, he wasn't able to sleep throughout the whole night since something awoke him from his slumber. He lightly opened his groggy eyes as his senses slowly came to life, confused about what caused the lightly rocking motion.
He was startled when the sound of something colliding in the floor resounded through the room, throwing him out from his newly awoken state. He jerked his head up, quickly scanning the room, but to no avail as he regarded that the light source was lying on the ground.
The room turned dark as the light origin wasn't able to sustain itself, ultimately dissolving in the dark. Mace was petrified as he gazed into the darkness, feeling like there was something foreign lingering in the room.
He silently tried to sit straight but was quickly interrupted by a talon that forced him down on his back. He was pressed off the bed's side, leaving him lying on the cold floor, inadequate to withstand the force from the other creature. He grunted as the pressure from the claw uncomfortably pushed him down on the ground.
Being unable to budge, he chooses to shift his sight upwards to perceive his situation. Staring higher, he could see two narrow red eyes staring at him. He felt a mental weight settling upon him as he locked eyes with the creature, gradually growing more uncomfortable with the constituents.
"You're not supposed to be here. Cause if your selfish ass is going to stay here, then you are going to bring everyone down." An intimidating voice lowly uttered towards Mace, putting external force towards his chest. Mace was petrified as he reminisced who the possessor of the voice was.
He had hoped that he wouldn't have stumbled upon her until she was more content with the situation.
"I'm not letting another mistake interfere with my plan," she continued, inserting a sharp tone on the word 'mistake'. Mace was helpless since he wasn't in his best condition, unable to even make a sound.
The Sneasel forthwith regarded the influence she had over his tremors and settled to carelessly exploit them. She deliberately grinned at him and placed even more pressure upon him. "But you aren't going to stay here, right? Cause then you would force everyone into starvation. You wouldn't want to be the reason for everyone's deaths," she said in a sinister tone, trying to use guilt to persuade him.
Mace winced under the constraint, feeling his former injuries acting up again. If he wasn't wounded, then he would have tried to escape her hold, ultimately attempt to seek help.
"If you aspire to save others, then I suggest you stay far away from here." Mace was getting overwhelmed by her comments, feeling himself being filled with blame.
He wanted to ignore her words, but since he couldn't provoke anything, he was forced to listen as Zia continued her merciless assault towards him.
"Cause if your selfish ass isn't out from this place in twenty-four hours, then things are going to get troublesome, and not only for you but for the rest as well."
Mace was slowly getting guilt-tripped into considering her argument, sinking into her deception.
Zia admired the control but was bothered with the silence coming from him. "Do you understand?" She said while she brought her glance closer towards him, inducing him to appear smaller from her uncomfortable close stare.
Mace had a hard time gathering enough energy to mutter anything, leaving him as a trembling mess.
"You're only making it harder for yours-"
"Zia!" She was interrupted by a voice shouting out in the room, prompting her to let go of Mace and turn around to see the possessor of the shout.
Standing in the entrance was Castiel, gently illuminating the room with her lantern. She had perceived that Zia wasn't pleased with the situation, thus receiving a bothering feeling that she would attempt to do something about it.
She walked into the room with an eye-piercing glare towards the Sneasel, ordering her to stand up from Mace's form and leave him alone.
Zia reluctantly complied, aiding Mace to breathe more easily as the weight on his abdomen disappeared. Castiel looked towards Mace, quickly examining his body for any injuries that Zia could have contributed.
"What were you doing in here!?" She questioned, wanting to ensure that she didn't hurt the newcomer in any way since she couldn't discern anything unusual.
"What do you think I'm doing? I'm saving us from deprivation," She countered back at Castiel, frustrated that she couldn't grasp the situation they would face in the imminent future.
Castiel was disturbed by her statement, knowing what she would've done to him. "You aren't saving us from anything if you sacrifice his safety into the wastelands. We're doomed to fall at some period, and we can't change that outcome." Castiel knew that with every individual, their days would become more limited. But to her eyes, it wasn't worth sacrificing one's protection for a slightly longer life expectancy.
Zia only became more vexed from her remark, realising how delusional she was. "You're too caught up in trying to save others that you can't see the big picture of what's going to happen."
"Maybe I am, but it gives us a chance to find somebody who knows a more appropriate spot for everybody."
It has slowly been growing on her nerves that Castiel always bosses her around, and it was finally getting to the point where she has had enough.
"That's it. If you wanna bring everyone down with starvation, go right ahead cause I have had enough," Zia declared, roughly pushing Castiel aside and wandering away from the room. Castiel was left bewildered, taking her a second before she reacts. "Where do you think you're going?" she asked, perplexed and annoyed from her unnecessary push.
She didn't respond and walked out from her sight, hearing her footsteps slowly diminish as she got further away. An eerie atmosphere developed as no one spoke until a distinctive sound emanated through the walls.
It didn't take long before the soughs of the winds could be heard, as well as feeling the cold air sweeping through the ground. "Zia?" Castiel confusedly spoke out but was too late as she was responded with the sound of the main door shutting.
Silence fell over the cavern as Castiel was surprised that she choose to wander outside, quietly thinking to herself what Zia indicated with her words. She began to feel remorse for driving her to her limits and ultimately overwhelmed her to leave.
She glanced at Mace, regarding that he was struggling with standing up. 'She wouldn't be dumb enough to try to survive in the wasteland. She'll be back sooner or later,' Castiel worriedly thought to herself, resolving to momentarily neglect her and focus more on Mace.
"I'm sorry that she forced herself upon you," Castiel said as she assisted him to stand on his legs. She felt sorry for him as his injuries restricted him from defending himself. She wished that Zia would have been more content with the situation, but she was evidently wrong with thinking that she would approve of the terms.
She attended him back onto the bed, carefully descending him onto the pallet. "Thanks..." Mace said, grateful that he was liberated from Zia's grasp and shielded from her presence. Without the constant influence from the sneasel, he was able to loosen his stiff muscles and exclude whatever weight she embedded on him.
"Did she hurt you?" Castiel questioned as she examined his injuries, attempting to find anything that wasn't caused by his first incident.
While she didn't formulate any wounds onto him, she still provoked the former wounds, enticing pain through his body. "No..." Mace lowly said, having a hard time preserving his energy since the wounds drained his strength.
Castiel could sense that his state was worse than before from his muffled voice and skimpy quivering. However, she didn't question why Mace denied any pain from her.
"Well, she can't harm you anymore, so I suggest you finally regain your injuries." She told him while she glanced towards the open area, consulting with herself what she should do about the situation. She knew that it would be unwise to run after her in the snowy wasteland, yet she felt obligated to retrieve her.
She lowly cursed under her breath as she picked up her lantern and tirelessly paced out of his room, leaving him alone. She walked to the main entrance, which leads outside into the gloomy, icy surface. She gave a raspy exhalation as she settled on her fabric around her neck and forcing the door to expose the outside.
She recoiled from the cold drafts, yet she gripped her lantern and forced herself outside into the cold darkness. Warmth diminished around her, settling her in a cold embrace as she shallowly began to search for her traces. She followed the somewhat unusual imprints in the snow, hoping that it would lead her straight to Zia.
Powerful winds swept the area, creating a storm with the snow, restraining her sight as she ran through the dense forest. Her light did little to help as it couldn't expand its emissions far, prompting her to rely on her senses.
Trees after trees passed her vision as she ran through the unforgivable storm, Clutching her fabric hard with her chin to preserve the heat. Each time she would glance around the expanse, she anticipated uncovering her limp body lying in the snow. Yet, it never happened.
Every time she was out on the surface, she would have a hard time recognising where she is on the pitiful mountain, thus limiting her to linger within a certain range of the shelter. However, as she ran, she grew absent-minded, disregarding her distance and safety and solely focusing on the trail in front of her.
It gradually became harder to push through the snow, forcing her to put more strain on her legs to maintain her pursuit.
She felt like she was stuck in a loop since the darkness did little to tell her environment, coaxing her to eventually unwind her built-up tension. Frantic breathing whilst she ceased her movement, feeling light-headed from the pressure and the intense weather.
She was on the brink of accepting the loss of her ally until she remarked on her surroundings. The once imprints that she had followed upon till this point abruptly vanished ahead. She quickly looked around the area for any other traces but soon became aghast as she couldn't obtain any other evidence.
"Did she vanish?" She said to herself in disbelief, feeling absurd to value that conclusion. Although with the disappointing lack of evidence, there was much to go off on.
The imprints on the snow still looked newly-made, convincing her that Zia can't be far away from this area. But even if she wanted to push through the final stretch of finding her, she could feel her posture slowly crumbling down. With a cold, numb feeling arising within her mass, she was forthwith forced to retreat to the shelter.
She carefully backed away from the scene, anticipating something to occur before giving her last glance and turning around to follow her own footprints back. As she looked upon her trail, she remarked that she had reached more than twice the distance she commonly reaches.
She engulfed her breath as she slowly proceeded her painful journey through the blizzard, trying to get back to shelter and acquaint the others with the new conditions.
Without her adrenaline surge stimulating her muscles, she felt weak throughout her cold body. She grimaced as the freezing winds wafted at her face, driving her to enforce more strengths into her stand.
Being further away from safety provoked an eerie sensation to pulse through her. She would occasionally look behind her back as she advanced forwards, yet it wasn't for the cause of Zia but rather for any predator.
Holding a light indicating her position, she knew that she was vulnerable to anything, for any hunter would have the upper hand regarding her before she could react.
However, it still isn't clear whether they are still the only ones enduring the misfortune or if there are other survivors who are slowly adapting to the environment. Either way, the uncanny sensation proceeded to linger deep within her guts as she pushed through the storm.
The tracks which they made were getting increasingly hard to see as they were steadily being occupied with snow, but it didn't matter as Castiel could see the shelter in eyesight of her position. Feeling desire build up within her, she gathered her remaining energy and worked her way over to the cave hole.
She ploughed through the last stretch, not caring for her coat as she pushed through the snow and finally reaching the entrance. A meter inside the cave hole was a barrier made out of wood, blocking the cold, harsh outside from the warm inside. She put both of her forelegs on the hefty door before putting her weight onto it, slowly pushing the door towards the side.