Fort Haste: Winter

by Zencolour

Humanity has been swept clean by some unknown virus and the few survivors count themselves the unlucky ones. In a new world of mutant Pokémon, crippling winters, and a survivalist camp to run - Orion has plenty on his mind. But what if the true enemy are the deeds of his past? Rated T for violence and language.

9. Chapter 8

FH:WINTER

---

"Fort Haste: WINTER" is a recount of a tale set within the Pokémon world - one in which everything has gone wrong. Here we meet the final survivors as they struggle to endure through hell and beyond. An unknown virus has wiped-out most of humanity, leaving behind children which seem to be less affected by the disease. In an attempt to preserve what remains of humanity, Fort Haste was bodged in the months following the pandemic. Even now, the settlement remains at the very heart of the ongoing apocalypse. For everything that has happened and all the trials humanity has faced - Fort Haste stands as a vision of hope.

Please note, this and following chapters will contain both narrative and speech in various dialects and languages. Anything said in Pokémon will be underlined as shown. Normal speech will remain unaffected, although italics and bold may be used for effect following standard rules. For whistle calls *…something like this…* will be used. Any random flashbacks are marked with {''}. Kim's crazy psychic abilities are suggested by italics with everything else fairly explanatory. We're trying out best!

Fort Haste is a work of fiction written as a collaboration between ZenColour and Just-A-Reader0Love. Both are also very thankful for the additional help from Oblivion Wave Productions as our very own beta reader.

---

AUTHOR NOTES

---

Zen: Unlike many other stories, FH:W is a little atypical at best. This chapter draws a conclusion from the events of the last installment, as well as marking absolute divergence from my first attempt at this story. It sets the ball rolling on a lot of the mystery and drama to come. There are a few sneaky references to various things in this chapter, as well as some significant character development that may have been lacking otherwise. As always, a huge thanks to R'love for the help, as well as to you all for reading this far! I hope you enjoy what's to come! Once again, we're trying to get updates out monthly. Apologies for any typos in this one!

R'Love: This chapter shows just how terrifying the virus is, and pulling through conflict. Some fluff, and quite the reveal. Hope you enjoy!

---

HAYS SNH Version 3 (0058 PA)

Forward written by H. Bennett and A. Good [EXTRACT]

9000406224992 - Sinnoh Outreach Programme for Historical Preservation

The tenacity of the human race, an innate hardiness, is commonly cited as the reason why human society survived the V-DPP virus. In actuality, a number of characteristics of humankind culminated in our ruthless survivability. The Hasties rebuilt civilization not through any real great feats of their own, but a flexible adaptability towards whatever the world could throw at them.

---

CHAPTER 8

---

An Extract from 'The Book of Hays'

"Shite happens. But never before did I think there'd be as much shite as this."

---

FENN's POV

---

A cold yellow sun rose slowly across the farmstead.

Sunlight sent shafts of light grazing off the palisade , illuminated a weak frost coating camp in a silvery powder. From the outside, Fort Haste looked the same as it always did. A messy collection of sheds and improved defenses. But inside it was different. Camp was in turmoil. Ever since the first alarm calls had shattered the pre-dawn light, Fort Haste had been on high-alert for any more Feral attacks.

'Get the guns in their places!' I shouted to a pair of twelves setting up the final rifle point. During stressful moments like these, it was easier to resort to age groupings than names. All available sentries from the nightwatch were on duty patrolling the parameter. Jeff was pulling his hair out as he circulated the kids around each position, archers at the ready for every possible eventuality. The fear of hearing another whistle call put everyone on edge.

Camp had fallen into a terrified silence as it prepared for the worst.

'We need radios.' I muttered under my breath as I jogged past the farmhouse towards the medical wing within the central yard. Having seen the destruction of Mike's home, I was grateful for the extra support that the mechanic with providing with his improvised weaponry. I'd never again wrinkle my nose-up at the potential for extra firepower. Boy did we need it.

It was with a bundle of medical supplies in my arm that I kicked the door open into the medical ward and rushed inside.

'Oh. Finally!' Jane looked up from a patient in the dim light. With the sun not yet up, only faint candles dotting the old barn provide illumination. One of the two sick bays was being used to store the deceased, with a very paled-faced Haley hurrying one of the older teenagers back out into the frosty dawn. Upon seeing me the teenager blinked slowly, not even trying to hide her exhaustion and nausea.

'Hi Fenn.' Haley welcomed me inside.

'Haley.' I nodded, dumping an armful of bandages onto a spare table. 'Is that everyone accounted for?'

'Sure. Uh…' She chewed her lip for a moment for continuing. 'There's ten dead and six injured...not including Orion of course…' She picked up a bottle of hand wash and rubbed the lotion between her fingers and up her wrists. 'With Jeff's lot and Bass counting the rest, that's everyone accounted for.'

'Great.' I replied, before realizing that wasn't the best response. Of course it wasn't fookin' great. I mean, we'd just been attacked by Ferals out of the blue. Not only had the mutant beasts pierced through our defenses without a sound, they'd had the audacity to slaughter the sentries as they did so. It was only through a combination of luck, good timing, and Orion being badass which meant things weren't any worse.

Haley had already grabbed the medical supplies and was helping a weary Jane patch up a large gash across the leg of one boy. Either he'd fainted before they'd attempted the procedure, or Jane had been kind enough to drug him up before she started the stitches. It was all I could do not to vomit upon seeing the amount of blood present in the makeshift hospital. Four beds were lined up for those with life-threatening wounds. Two others, a couple of older fourteens, sat in armchairs next to them. I flashed a smile to one (although my brain failed to record their name) with her arm in a sling. A Sentret was curled up on her lap providing some support. Many of the Wildlings had been keen to lend a paw.

Jane was swearing under her breath. The teenager wasn't visibly panicking, but I'd known her long enough to see the wild fear twinkling in her eyes. As she worked with the bandages, Jane had the constricted almost robotic motions of somebody holding themselves together before a breakdown. She was bouncing between the medical beds as if stepping on a fraying tightrope.

The medical ward stank of iron, antiseptic, and a faint scent of lilies. It was a cloying, flowery smell which appeared to be wafting from the second medical room. Only after poking my head around the door did I discover the source was in fact Xenia.

'They're infected.' Orion warned me when I stepped inside. The young man was perched in a rickety wooden chair position next to one of the beds. He had his back against the wall, eyes half-closed. However, upon spotting me the morph straightened, though it was obviously difficult with the bandages wrapped around his waist. Three ribs were cracked and Jane was worried about a fracture in his shoulder.

'Oh…' I stepped through anyway. Orion scowled.

'Don't touch unless you...you know. The virus.' Was all the morph murmured as he itched his tail. The motion was visibly painful. A few tufts of fur had been gouged out of the appendage. 'Felix looks like he might pull through. The others didn't make it.'

Four beds lined up along the far wall in a similar set-up to the previous room. The steel frames had their wheels locked and stiff white paper covering the soft foam mattresses. Three children were lying in visibly uncomfortable positions, with the fourth curled up into a ball. At the foot of the latter was Orion's adopted mother. She sat still but for her tail hanging hanging down off the bed frame. The Leafeon was humming a strange airy sound, wafting a faint yellow powdery substance with her glowing leaves.

Xenia didn't look around as I approached. Orion however, pulled himself out of his chair and caught my arm before I took another step closer. I ignored how he failed to put any weight on his left leg.

'Leave her to it. It's calming them.'

'They're…' My stomach dropped. I couldn't find the words.

Three of the children were disfigured beyond belief. Even with a thin white blanket up to their shoulders it was hard to identify the teenagers. It was as if somebody had decided to mould their faces like putty, stretching out the skin in what could have been the start of a muzzle in one, and squeezing the eyes together for another child. One had what appeared to be flower bud protruding from her forehead, leaves sprouting out of her hair only to have withered and died.

The sight was beyond disgusting. It was something lifted from a nightmare, only I didn't think my imagination could think up something as morbid. If Orion hadn't been by my side, I doubt I would have been able to avoid puking. One of the kids had their hands hanging from under the blanket. Where fingers were supposed to be there were a mass of squidgy appendages that could have been tentacles. Their face was waxy, with a mouth that seemed to have melted into their chin.

All of their eyes were glassy. A clear sign they hadn't survived whatever sick process was causing the deformations. One was starting to smell.

'It shouldn't be happening this fast.' Orion mumbled. He blinked slowly before scratching at his face. A row of stitches across one cheek held together puckered skin. The wound was an angry red colour.

'Leave it alone.' I pulled his hand away, worried at how cold his skin was to the touch. 'Get Jane to have a look at it after. It looks infected.'

'Ugh. Fine.' Orion itched at his tail. 'But somethings' not right. This should be happening over days at worst...not hours…'

'This is the virus?' I choked. Only then did everything click together, 'This is what it does?'

The remaining teenager, a boy whose hair was now becoming a flaming orange, was sobbing. It was an odd sound that made me squirm. I couldn't even start to imagine the pain he was going through. Even with Xenia humming soothingly and using her yellow power to calm the child, he was twisting and turning in his virally-induced fever.

'Uhh...Ggg...g...ho...hot…AhGhH!'

'He's burning up!' I stretched a hand out to feel his forehead but Orion grabbed it harshly. Noticing the aggression behind the snatch, the man apologized in a small voice. However, it was the sudden drop of his ears that marked his apology more than anything. I knew for a fact that Orion's Umbreon features couldn't hide his emotions.

'It's a fever Orion! We have to do something!' I didn't mean to shout.

Jane popped her head around the door frame.

'Do you mind keeping it down?' The medic asked harshly. Jane's glasses slid down her nose and she poked them up with a blue-gloved hand. Dried blood formed enamel between her fingers. 'From a combination of outdated medical books and not wanting to get infected myself, I say we leave Felix alone until we know what to do.'

'Lea leafeon…' Xenia agreed. He swished her tail, casting a pitying look towards the tortured child. There was a pause before Orion even thought to translate.

'Oh...we think he's turning into a fire type.'

'Duh.' Jane replied as if that was the most obvious thing in the world, 'I'll get a wet rag and you can do the dabbing. Orion...you can't get more infected, right?'

The leader of Fort Haste tilted his head before nodding. He winced slightly at the motion and only just refrained from itching at his cheek. The wound was going to leave one hell of a scar.

'Uh...Are his legs supposed to be like that?' I pointed at the feet of the boy which appeared to be in the process of moulding in large paws. Jane had already left, but that didn't stop the Leafeon at the end of the bed from complaining.

'Leafeon!'

'Language Xenia!' Orion responded sharply before turning to me, 'Ahh...she says if you're not going to be helpful there's other stuff for you to do.'

The Leafeon took that exact moment to turn around and look at me dead in the eye. It was a harsh look that clearly explained the dire situation, as well as suggesting that I wasn't doing anything but getting in the way. Biting my tongue, I backed off a little.

'Alright! I get it.'

'Keep...uh...just doing what you normally do.' Orion suggested as I headed towards the door. He flinched as he limped back over to his chair. 'Jane's doing all she can to help. Felix might pull through, depending on whether Hauser can come up with anything.'

'And you? What are you going to do? You lost enough blood to fill a small bathtub…'

'Eh. I've survived worse.' The Umbreon-morph shrugged

'Yeah. I've seen some of it.' I reminded the man of my impromptu visit of his memories, 'But you're looking really pale. You're ok? You were acting like...like you were in the memories last night. Are you sure you don't need a break yourself?'

You can hold it together?'

'We'll see.' he replied ominously, shooing me through the door before I had a chance to consider his words. If I hadn't been looking back at the right moment, I would almost have missed his shudder.

'Find me if you have any issues. I mean it.'

'Yes Fenn.' Orion replied with a wince before dropping into a conversation with his mother.

Shrugging my coat back onto my shoulders, a shiver ran down my spine that wasn't due to the cold. I left Jane and Haley to their work, closing the medical wing's door behind me softly. Overhead, the sky was a clear and cloudless blue. Frost hung from everything in a thin sheen that would have been beautiful any other morning. Instead, it only seemed to emphasize the silence. I paced over to the Foodhall to see how the damage there was being managed.

Insley was in the process of wiping down a number of tables with an old rag, muttering something to herself as she did so. Two tables had been scared by the fire, with a third burnt beyond repair. The cook's improvised molotov had gone out quickly, but not before exploding a hole through a Feral and littering the concrete with glass shards. The teenager didn't bother looking up when I approached, putting elbow grease into each stroke as if her life depended on it.

'How's camp looking?' Insley asked, scrubbing with the rag before wringing it out over a small water bucket.

'Honesty?' I buried my hands in my pockets, watching Insley burn through her nervous energy as she worked. 'Well...it's grim. A dozen didn't make it.'

'Shite.' Inlsey stopped abruptly. For a moment I thought she'd been frozen in place. Only after a small grunt did she push herself to her feet. Dropping the rag and she looked at me in the eye. I ignored how bloodshot hers were, as well as the moisture clinging to her cheeks. Refraining from poking out the obvious displays of emotion, I instead pulled her into a tight hug for a few moments. She'd already been put through hell this morning.

'We did everything we could.' I sighed, taking a step back.

'We don't stand a chance if this-' Insley's rubbed at her eyes before flashing a nervous glance at the kitchen. Only then did she lower her tone slightly, 'We don't stand a chance if this keeps happening. Shite Fenn...they were like ghosts!'

'But you killed one.' I offered gently, waving at her hard work.

'Yeah. Pure luck too. It was a genius idea but I doubt I'd do the same again. It's like they misjudged us somehow? I dunno. It's li-'

'Yo! what's up, bit-.?' Our hushed conversation was interrupted by a certain teenager.

James realized he had misjudged the situation fairly quickly, cutting off the cruel remark in the nick of time. Either that or my cold stare shut-down the punk. James had a natural sneer that appeared glued across his face, puckering his lips in a way that was disgusting to look at. The adolescent was wearing a dirty designer hoodie that was starting to fray at the sleeves.

'James.' I replied coldly. I don't think he truly realized the gravity of the situation, 'I'm guessing you've finished your jobs in the kitchens?'

'Eh. Kinda.' The boy shrugged, struggling to hide a small grin at his blatant disrespect. 'Nobody tells me what to do.'

I just grunted, not wanting to get involved in another argument with the kid. James had a habit of getting into fights for no particular reason - unless maybe because he was bored. It was clear he had small feet, or perhaps he got a sick thrill from it. In most cases, bullies picked on others because they had something to hide. In Jame's case, that seemed to be a lack of personality and basic hygiene.

'So why'd you let the Ferals attack then eh? Seems a waste.' James taunted, leaning back against a table as he watched Insley work. 'Surely the…'

'Why don't you fook off James?' Insley spoke slowly and deliberately, not looking up from her scrubbing. The boy only seemed to grin further upon achieving such a reaction. I put on my best disappointed scowl.

'Ooh...Someone sure is testy today.' The boy remarked.

'Yeah like you'd fuckin know!' Jeff's voice boomed from behind. I jumped at his fog-horn like shout as the teenager strode into the Foodhall. He looked bedraggled. Bags under his eyes announced that he too had been up since four this morning. The rainbow scarf tied loosely around his neck shone brightly in contrast against the dark glower on his face. James jumped and for a moment there was a spark of fear behind his eyes.

The look was quickly replaced by the bland sneer once more.

'How was your night posted on 5A last night then eh?' Jeff asked. An orange plastic whistle dangled from his neck.

James shrugged 'Fine.'

Insley stopped her frantic scrubbing. She shot a long look sideways in my direction before starting to watch the unfolding drama. James didn't know it yet, but Jeff was angry. And I mean angry. The Squadron leader wasn't the type to get annoyed or start any heated discussions. He'd swear a bit, make a joke, and then just snap. There was no way of seeing it coming, unless you knew the signs of course. James clearly did not.

'I bet. Because your fookin' post was 4B and you weren't there all night either! Who do you think you are? Frolicking around with that idiot Beth while the whole flipping camp gets attacked. Some kid died because you couldn't fookin' move your fat arse and help out for once.'

Jeff's left eye was twitching. Both me and Insley took a step back instinctively. I was tempted to intervene before things got out of hand - but this was James we're talking about. I didn't care enough about the kid to risk Jeff's anger befalling upon myself. The other couple of teenagers in the kitchen had stopped to listen in, frozen in shock as Jeff's voice rose steadily.

'Look. I understand about-' James started but the shorter Squadron leader cut his off sharply. James was intimidating at the best of times given his size, but Jeff had a cold rage behind his eyes that could scare even the most unshakable character.

'You going to apologize kid?' Jeff's voice was controlled, but only just.

'Nah.'

I held my breath.

'Fine.' Jeff forced a shrug, although it was clear that he was screaming inside. Raising his eyebrows at a very shocked Insley and me in turn, the teenager stuck his hands in his pockets and turned to leave.

'Oh.' He stopped suddenly, 'I almost forgot what I came for.' The Squadron leader spun around and approached us once more,

'Fenn. You mind if I borrow the library key? I thought it'd be a good idea to stock up some ammunition seem we've got all rifles on high alert.'

'Uh. Sure.' I forced a smile, burrowing into my jacket pocket before pulling out an old-fashioned steel key. My hands were shaking as I tried to mimic Jeff's forced calm. 'If I notice anything missing it's your head on the line.'

Jeff winked at my joke. Even as he pocketed the key and turned for the door, I could see James's gobsmacked expression behind. After all the taunting a few moments earlier, Jeff had resorted to straight-up blanking the lanky teenager. For a snarky kid used to getting the attention he craved, James didn't know how to react.

The boy reddened before jutting out his chin.

'See you then Jeff.' He called mockingly, yet unable to hide the crack in his voice.

Jeff stopped suddenly.

With a steady and deliberate pace he turned to glare at the boy behind him.

'If I ever see you alone mate.' Jeff growled, ' If you ever so much as make eye contact with me again...I'll be hanging your goolies between your eyes and using them for target practice. Got it?'

The silence that Jeff's icy comment left was ear-shattering. James chuckled to himself but the laughter quickly died out upon seeing mine and Insley's shocked expression. The cook recovered faster than the rest of us as she bundled up a cloth and threw it for James to catch.

'You do the rest.' She barked before turning to me.

I was still recovering from what had just happened. If the Foodhall was silent before, now you could hear a pin drop.

'Well. Whatcha need help with?' Insley asked quietly.

I pushed my hair away from my eyes, shaking off a deep-seated feeling that the level of stress in Fort Haste might have been even higher than I first thought. 'Keeping camp together and sane would be a good start.' I admitted softly.

Insley rubbed her chin.

'And by that do you mean breakfast?'

The sudden reminder of food (and that I'd been working for the past five hours on an empty stomach) brought a pang of hunger to my gut.

'Yes. That's exactly what I mean.' I practically cooed.

---

KIM's POV

---

The world had imploded around us...metaphorically speaking. I mean yes, Mike did blow up the side of a shed, but that was an explosion outwards. For me, things had erupted internally into a blinding white noise that dampened everything into a perpetual howling. Extrasensory hearing was a curse rather than a gift. When you can literally hear people's thoughts, the whole camp was an uproar of violent emotion.

Ugh! Why did it have to be like this?

The apocalypse was pretty fooking annoying. Like everyone kinda died. I lost my family and my Rockruff, as well as all my hopes and dreams. Now I was a mere shell of my former self. Maybe that's taking things too far. But seriously, an Espeon? Sheesh. I don't really want to dwell on things but it's hard to forget when you can read fookin' minds and everyone is kinda blabbering constantly. It's like living under a motorway and trying to block out the sounds of cars. I don't like getting high rate about this stuff but damn. Ok. Let's leave the dramatics to Fenn. Take it down a notch. Espeon-morph? Got it.

Maybe that's why I found myself doing the only thing I knew how...hiding.

Pacing up through the back garden of the farmhouse, I was always surprised at just how secluded the little spot was. When the shower block wasn't in use and nobody was traipsing up the lawn, this part of Fort Haste was empty. I'd picked the quietest spot I could on camp, which just so happened to be behind the rickety tin shed at the top of the shower block. It used to house all bits of machinery and other junk. In fact it still did. Hasties were good at turning everything and anything into something of use...they just hadn't made it this far yet. I almost expected Orion to appear with his sleeves rolled-up and a small army of kids at his back.

Even after doing everything I could do to not to be found, Hauser still managed to find me anyhow. Just as I was in the process of squeezing into the top shed I heard a gruff voice from behind.

'Oh. There you are Kim!'

Hauser was the only other person (besides Orion) that could sneak up on me. Jerking round at the sudden interruption, I found the Lucario strolling across the loose stone of the rickyard.

'Kim.' Hauser greeted me solidly. His posture was upright, arms hanging loosely by his side. Soft red eyes gazed at me through the greying black mask of fur across his muzzle. For all the Lucario's youthfulness, you simply forgot how old he really was. It made me wonder why he was here in the first place. I mean...I'd always thought that Pokémon had their own morals and agendas to fill. Maybe being ex-Vetra meant something after all, if the stories of the fabled Pokémon society were to be believed. Perhaps Hauser was an old swanhead with nothing better to do then relive his glory days in a run-down shell like Fort Haste.

'Hi Hauser.' I returned the greeting glumly. It was hard not to blurt out the question of exactly what he was doing here. More than my mystical psychic abilities, it was my gut that warned of his intentions.

Unlike the rest of Fort Haste (which was an unceasing babble of noise) the aura-Pokémon was different. He sounded like a trickle of water, or a strong flowing river that produced a soothing static. There were no forms to his thoughts. Instead, he seemed to emit a gentle hum to announce his presence. It was still noise, but there were no voices nor emotion to disturb the static.

'I thought I'd find you up here.' Hauser admitted, running his paws down the fur of his chest. 'It's the quietest place in camp.'

'Humph.' I didn't want to admit just how true the Pokémon was.

'You want to talk about it?' Hauser prompted gently. The fact that he was using Pokémon speech, and that I was understanding it, unnerved me slightly. It felt a lot more natural than the Lucario simply dropping the thoughts into my mind. His muzzle moved to accentuate each word and the emotions played across his face rather than the dry tone of his aura. I think it was through kindness that he regarded me with a small smile.

Fort Haste was a cacophony of noise and silence. A blend of off-beat harmonies instilled with terror, fear and confusion. It played at the edge of my hearing like the repeated scratching of a chalkboard.

'Uh…yeah. I think I do.' It was difficult to keep the lid on my emotions. Something inside wanted to scream but it was all I could do not to burst into tears. 'How…how can I control this? How do Pokémon even live like this being able to hear every. Fooking. Thing!'

My voice broke but Hauser had the decency to pretend It never happened. I became all too aware of just how awkward the situation was. Hauser must have realised too, as with a steel-capped paw he waved me over to a small stack of tractor tyres.

Sitting down stiffly, I pulled at the sleeves of my leather jacket. A trickle of sweat ran down my back.

Hauser was a bubble of static whose gentle warble seemed to dull the cacophony of Fort Haste. He sat beside me on the tires, shifting his tail behind himself with a sigh.

'You can't control it.' Hauser finally spoke, resting his elbows on his knees as he leant forward. 'But you can direct it. There's a common phrase between Lucario..."The sailor can't control the sea, but he can direct his will and attention across it". Right? What you're experiencing now will always be there. You can dull it and shut it out but-'

'That's all I need!' I emphasized. Hauser turned to look at me and for a brief moment we locked eyes.

'Indeed...but it can also be so much more! I know you refuse to see it like this, but your curse is an invaluable gift!'

'I just want it to stop.'

Hauser sighed heavily,

'If you continue to deny what's happened, your power will consume you and you'll…maybe you'll end up like them? Feral. Who knows? Your aura is is cocooned around yourself like a protective shell. How long has it been since it started?'

'I don't know.' I mumbled, refusing to think back to the stupidity that caused all of this. 'It could have been a month maybe? I was an idiot and times…I was...'

It was then that the tears came. It wasn't a flood of emotion that reverted me into a blubbering mess. I wasn't like that. At least, not yet. Instead, a single trickled from my left eye. A hole fell through my stomach as I fought off a wave of panic.

'It's going to be alright Kim. I need your help actually.'

Sniffing, all I could do was nod.

I'm not sure how it happened, but within a few minutes I found myself tailing Hauser into the medical ward. A rather jumpy-looking Matt was waiting inside. The Leafeon-Morph had a small rucksack with him which kept catching at the base of his large leafy tail. It was fairly comical actually. However, the mood was broken by Jane's rude stare. She put down a strip of bandage she'd been cutting into strips and glared at each of us in turn.

'What's going on? I know I asked for some help with the patients...but three of you?'

Behind Jane, the medical building was everything I expected it to be. In true Hastie style, the room was made from timber-partitions inside a poorly insulated cattle shed. A number of large steel beds lined the far wall, obviously stolen from a hospital. Only candles helped with the otherwise dim lighting. Haley was in the process of helping one of the casualties on a hospital bed drink at a small cup of water. She caught my attention and smiled briefly, rolling her eyes in the direction of a rather presumptuous Jane.

'And Kim?' Jane prodded a finger in my direction. I jumped, turning to meet teenager glare. 'I wasn't aware you have medical training?'

Jane may have spoken in a bland tone so as to avoid provoking my short temper, but her thoughts were a different matter. They spilled outwards from from her skull like a thunderstorm. Each imagine, sound, and colour was yet another bullet of distaste and dirtiness as she silently judged each of us turn. Whats going on here then? Jane's thoughts echoed between the four walls. I wanted some help but these lot? Seriously? Disgusting. They're infected...and with patients in here too?

'Fine. Felix is through there. He's on the max dosage of painkillers I can provide.' The medic spoke quickly.

Once more, Jane's thoughts were on a different matter entirely. Failure. Too late. Already lost three. Virus. Lost. My fault. It was hard to ignore the internal dialogue underlying her words. Jane was always like this - thinking one thing but saying something else entirely. Keep them together. Dirty. Viral. Jane's thoughts followed me as Hauser apologized and shooed us into a room for patients. The Lucario shut the door firmly behind. That didn't stop Haley' thoughts drifting through the thin walls. Hurt. Pity. Shame.

'So. What the hell am I supposed to do here then?' I spoke loudly, trying to shout over the voices molesting my ears.

'Uh…' Matt grimaced and turned his attention to Hauser. The teenager shrugged his bag off and unzipped the large pouch, 'I brought the stuff like you asked.'

Where Jane was loud, the thing in front of us was like a hurricane. There were four beds laid on into the small room, a design of mostly breezeblocks and plasterboard. Three were empty, with the third housing a whimpering boy barely over the age of ten. Curled up in on himself, the child twisted and turned in a fever-driven sleep. His pain-stricken moans were heart-wrenching...but it was nothing compared to the internal noise blaring from inside his skull.

Whilst he whimpered and groaned in his fitful sleep, it was nothing compared to the internal noise from inside his skull. It was like speakers on full volume shouting out your darkest nightmares pleading for either life or death. Sometimes both. This would suddenly stop for a few seconds leave utter silence. A moment later and the lull was ruptured by a piercing babble of nonsense and pain.

I cringed, shooting Hauser a dark look. I thought the Lucario said he was going to help me? I felt my tail dangle between my legs limply as I fought of the growing migraine between my fluffy ears. This was unbearable!

'It looks like Xenia's sleep power has worn off.' Hauser sighed apologetically, 'So that's why you're here Matt. Give it a go and I'll-'

'What? Xenia only taught me that this morning! It hardly even works. I thought you wanted the dex?' Matt objected. The Leafeon-morph played with the tassels of his brown hoodie and it's faded gold lettering. For a moment his pointed ears drew back as he studied the bed-bound child before him.

The casualty was obviously under the effect of the virus - but it was like nothing I had seen before. Where my transformation had been slow and painful procedure over weeks, Felix appeared to be changing like putty. His legs were misshapen in something torn between human legs and the backwards-jointed legs of a vulpine. It was a horrendous sight, bringing back a splattering of unwanted memories from my own change.

My tail twitched. I couldn't help but wince as another blast of confused mental screaming echoed through the small room. God, did I understand that pain.

'Like...Ugh. Fine!' The Leafeon plodded over. 'I'll try.'

Hauser offered Matt a grin as the boy finally resigned, kicking at the floor as stood next to the bed. Staring at both me and the Lucario in turn, his face reddened slightly.

'I'd prefer if you didn't watch. It's kinda embarrassing.' Matt's mind was voicing a similar concern. Please don't stare. I'll try. It is all new. I'll try.

Matt's internal thoughts were often pretty weird. Ever since I'd met the Leafeon Morph, he'd had his head in the clouds. He rarely thought about the present, naturally flicking back to old worries which had lost any context months ago. Inside, Matt either saw himself as an unstoppable Pokémon trainer ready to take on the elite four...or a foolish child who had witnessed the loss of his team and done nothing to help. However, that wasn't the only strange thing worming through Matt's thoughts. A gradual rumble clung to the edge of his internalised ramblings. A whisper of something without form of shape.

A psychic screech from Felix broke any attempts to read Matt further.

'You know. I said not stare.' The morph reiterated. He had his tail clasped in his hands. The appendage was glowing a light olive green. After Matt's persistent glare, I took the initiative to turn my back completely. Hauser followed suit, scratching his chin with a black paw. The steel spike underneath gleamed dangerously.

'Right. The two of us can attempt something else. I can try and siphon off some aura whilst you keep him relaxed. Got it?'

'Wait. You haven't explained anything!' I cringed my another painful psychic blast from Felix. A waft of grassy scent caught at my nose and I sniffed, watching Hauser wave at the air with a large paw.

'OK. This psychic link works two ways for you. Sure you can hear people but you can also do much more. For example, you can project your feelings onto other people and influence what they think.' The Pokémon clarified.

'I can control his mind!?' I jumped, 'Wait. Isn't that-'

Hauser rubbed at his muzzle in exasperation. On a human I could only describe the motion as something resembling a face-plant. 'Influence! There is no control, only direction!'

'Rrriight.' I itched an ear, still none the wiser. 'So think happy thoughts?'

'Exactly.' Hauser nodded.

There was a pause during which the Lucario maintained an entirely straight face.

'Wait? Seriously?' I exclaimed. Hauser nodded soldily, a small twinkle growing in his eyes. The static of his mind trickled in the background.

'Sure. Think happy thoughts and project them over Felix. Keep his mind calm whilst I try and limit the virus before it breaks his body further. Being in contact might help.'

'And if I fail?'

'It'll just mean he won't let go of the negative aura and...he might not survive.'

There was another mental scream from Felix. And Hauser wanted me to get even closer?

'I don't think I can do this.' My forked tail twitched, 'I don't see how this can help!'

'Suit yourself.' Hauser shrugged, turning back around, 'If you don't want to learn how to direct your powers that's fine. Enjoy your rapid descent into insanity.'

'Uh. It just has to be like that.' I groaned quietly. Brushing myself down and I took a moment to wipe the moisture from eyes. 'You better be telling the truth about this.'

Hauser winked before turning his attention towards Felix. Matt was perched over his bed, his green tail no longer glowing and instead a fatigue clung to his form. The morph's cheeks flushed and he nodded towards the boy lying on the bed. Felix has stilled and was no longer thrashing, though he lay twisted in the covers. Red fur clung to his form, blending into pale human skin further up his arms. Below his waist it was difficult to tell if anything was human anymore. Twisted white sheets covered the worst of it.

I took a seat opposite, trying not to wince at the infernal howling ricocheted between my earlobes.

Think happy thoughts I whispered to myself. Think happy thoughts.

If anything, I needed to soothe my own nerves before trying to help the boy. I didn't see how I could help the situation, given that I wanted to block out the noise rather than focusing on it. Shooting Hauser another dark look, I dragged over a chair and sat next to the bed with a humph. Scratching at my ears and I tried to settle the bubble of fear in my throat. My tail flicked wearily behind in a way that was unsettling.

With a shaking hand, I reached up and gripped Felix's sweaty arm.

Think happy thoughts.

A burst of confusion and fear, raw emotion from the infected boy, washed over me. I gulped. The taste of acid curled up my tongue. Ignoring Matt's worried look from across the room, I steeled myself.

You can do this.

But that wasn't the real issue. It wasn't a matter of whether I could help the boy or not. It was a question of whether I wanted to. All this time I'd been attempted to avoid the truth of my own transformation. I was denying the reality that I was an infected morph stuck with the abilities of an Espeon. To anybody else that might have been awesome...but not to me. I didn't want this cursed life. Although I had harboured the possessive thoughts for some time, I didn't have the guts to back out it either. I had become a shadow of myself and even trying to control my psychic abilities felt like giving in. No matter how obvious it was now that my problems weren't going to suddenly disappear, I hadn't come to terms with the reality of the situation. Instead, I covered it in a leather jacket and bland sense of humour.

The world faded to black.

A light breeze played across the grass.

Sun dappled the ground between tall trees overhead. I knew the place immediately. Large birches crowded the small woodland with acres of lush farmland covering rolling hills in the distance. Starly tweeted summer tunes overhead , darting between the branches to watch me. Me and my school friends had come here often to waste away our endless summers splashing in the streams or poking under rocks for bug Pokémon.

Why am I here?

The wind played across my purple fur.

Fort Haste stood in the background. Through the woods and trees, it loomed like a blot on the landscape. Whereas elsewhere was smothered a sea of leafy green and umber, the structure rose through the underbrush like a beacon.

The vision of camp brought a rolling wave of peace over me. It was a soft feeling running from my nose right down to the forked tips of my lilac tail. Fort Haste stood in all of it's glory as the shambolic feat of retro-engineering it was. The palisade stood proudly as the bunch of sawn-off logs it was. Farm buildings and sheds shone in all their rusty, wooden-planked rustic glory. Even the Keep with its yellow straw bale walls brought a glimmer of comfort and protection.

Home.

I never really thought about Fort Haste as such, but suddenly it became startling obvious. The apocalypse had taken and given everything to me simultaneously. Whilst everyone had died, they'd left an empty world behind where the treasures of civilisation were laid bare. It was a back-handed trade that only cemented my loneliness. Material wealth in an empty world was just that. Empty. What difference did it make if I had no one to share it with?

The sight of Fort Haste got my tail wagging instinctively. The motion was strangely natural, sending warm vibrations down my spine. Turning to see the motion and I was surprised to see the sleek purple fur covering the rest of the body. Wait? The whole of me was covered in fur right the way down to each of my four paws. Each of which was solidly planted on the grass-speckled ground. I stared at them in confusion.

I'm an Espeon? Like...properly an Espeon!

The thought was interrupted as I looked up...only to find myself stood on the embankment looking across the K'Field. The vision had shifted and I blinked to adjust myself to the new location. Glancing around and I found the leader of Fort Haste stood at my side. Orion was staring across the horizon. For some reason I was still an Espeon.

'Where are you sleeping at the moment?' Orion asked. A sharp breeze tickled the space between my ears and rippled down my fur. It was a soft touch that formed circles around my shoulders.

'You know. You're welcome to have a room in the Farmhouse?' Orion continued. He seemed completely unaware that I was an Espeon. Home played across his face as he flashed a warm smile. It was a warm cozy feeling that reminded it was going to be alright, that here I was safe.

'You know-' I spoke slowly, unsure how the words would sound through my muzzle. The experience was odd but not alarming. The natural ease at which the words come relaxed the anxious tightening in my chest. 'I was going to ask you something.'

Orion nodded, motioning for me to continue.

'Uh...I…'

For a few seconds I was tempted to simply avoid asking the question. However, Orion's warm smile and gentle gesture made me continue. All the nervous energy bundled up in my tail seemed to slowly simmer out and I heaved out a sigh. As an Espeon the sound came out as a high-pitched huff.

'Do...Do you mind if I stay? Here I mean.'

I didn't know why the question was so hard. I gazed up at the man wearily but he laughed off my unease.

'Sure Kim. We'll always have a home for you here.'

The affirmation was like electricity running through my body. Why had it been so difficult to ask? Was I really so stubborn that I couldn't admit that I was afraid of living alone any longer?

We'll always have a home for you here

A shiver of cushy warmth trickled down my spine, my ears perking up as a wave of relaxation tickled up through my paws. It wasn't so much a wave of pleasure, but more of relief. Knowing that I was no longer alone. Knowing that-

"Bbzzzt...!"

My ears perked up suddenly at the disturbance

"Espeon! The sun Pokémon!" A highly computerized and far too enthusiastic voice woke me. "Its fur is so sensitive, it can sense minute shifts in the air and predict the weather." I jumped, suddenly becoming aware of the fact I had dozed off. Blinking the sleep from my eyes and I came face-to-face with a sheepish-looking Matt. He had a strange red device in his hands. Wait? Was that a Pokédex?

"Bbzzt...This Espeon has a twenty-eight percent match to my database. Espeon is extremely loyal to any trainer it considers to be worthy. It is said that this Pokémon developed its precognitive powers to protect its trainer from harm."

I batted the boy away tiredly, pushing myself to my feet.

'What is going on?' I yawned, eyeing the Lucario and the Leafeon-Morph before me. Matt grinned, handing the Pokédex over to the steel-type for him to inspect. Hauser squinted at the small screen.

'Well it works.' He announced.

'Hey! Wait a-' However, Matt had already bounced past and held the device over Felix. In the time I must have dozed off, the infected child had got a bedding change (including new blankets) and was now fast asleep under the blankets. Red pointed ears laid against his thick mop of red hair, perking up at the back in a large cowlick. The kid's nose blackened at the end, twitching in his sleep as Matt leaned closer.

It worked? My sleep addled brain struggled to focus, Felix...he almost looks calm?

There was a pause before the ex-trainer's machine buzzed again.

"Vulpix! The fox Pokémon! Inside Vulpix's body burns a flame that never goes out. If it is attacked by an enemy that is stronger than itself, it feigns injury to fool the enemy and escapes."

'Ok. I think we all know that.' I mumbled, scratching at my ears. Wow why was everything so loud all of a sudden?

"Bzzt...This Vulpix has a sixty-four percent match to my database. This Vulpix looks unhealthy. You should consider taking it to the nearest Pokecenter as soon as possible! Would you like a map of your location? Pulling up global map database...loading...Warning! Failure to acquire signal! Please head to to the nearest pokecenter for a software update!"

'Give me that.' I snatched the device form a rather befuddled Matt, turning it round a half turn. A large blue light flashed at the top of the red device.

'Careful!' The morph warned. He tried to grab the device back but I dodged nimbly and watched with glee as the screen flashed up with the small icon of a Pokémon.

'Wait? It's Pickachu!' I yelled in excitement. However the Pokédex had something else in mind.

"Bzzt...Leafeon! The verda-"

'Fook!'

'Shush!' Hasuer tried to quieten my excitement as the trainer's device continued reading from it's internal storage.

"The Verdant Pokémon! When you see Leafeon asleep in a patch of sunshine, you know it is using photosynthesis to produce clean air. The younger they are, the more they smell like fresh grass. With age, their fragrance takes on the odor of fallen leaves. This Leafeon has a fifty percent match to my database!"

By the time the Pokédex had finished its spiel, Matt had snatched back the device. His face was bright red. Closing the lid on the electronic guide, he shuffled over to his bag and tucked it back inside. Hauser was audibly chuckling. That was cut short when the door was thrown open. Jane stood in the doorway with her hands on her hips.

'Can you please quiet down!' She demanded in a hoarse whisper. Her internal voice was a different story however...or maybe not.

Wait. That can't be right?

I looked Jane up from toes to the top of her head, blinking in surprise at the complete lack of noise from the teenager. Normally the medic was a wall of raw emotion and annoyance but now there was nothing but a dull hum. Only a small trill in the air announced her displeasure.

Ever so slowly, a grin started to grow over my face.

Had I just blocked it out?

'Sorry Jane!' Matt responded quietly, zipping his bag closed. Spinning on a foot and I listened in for the Leafeon-morph only to find barely a whisper from him either. Normally you'd expect the teenager to be bubbling with anxiety, depression, and continuous thoughts about Bass. But there was nothing but a faint murmur in the air. I itched at my ears, starting to question whether I was still dreaming.

Jane huffed and closed the door with a thud behind her.

I just stared into the empty space.

It didn't last long. Already within a few seconds of the realization did the volume begin racking up. A low growl came to my throat. Seriously!? It wasn't so much noise that frustrated me, but the very fact that it had gone! In annoyance I clenched my fists, sweat pooling under the shoulders of my leather jacket.

Hauser and Matt were a bit bemused at my change in pace as we headed to dinner half an hour later. Xenia had offered to watch Felix as he slept soundly curled up under the curves. Thanks to whatever Hauser had done, the virus appeared to have stopped it's horrid remoulding. Jane had even announced that the boy should make a good recovery. Nobody mentioned the changes that had taken place. The rapid transformation that had occurred left an uneasy feeling in my stomach. I wasn't the only one. Matt hugged his arms around himself as we left. I could read the worry in his thoughts like ink on paper.

The three of us wandered across to an already very crowded Foodhall. I mentally steeled myself against

the negative energy and tepid fear bubbling under the steel rafters of the large barn.

But something was different today.

After the near-breakdown earlier this morning and...whatever I had done to help Felix earlier, there was a sense of relief upon seeing diner already being dished out on the tables.

The scents and smells of a Hastie supper (and even the bubble of chatter from the children) had become homely in a strange kind of way. I'd become accustomed to the strange routine of eating each evening with another hundred children - even developed a warm familiarity for the normality of the situation. It brought a strange feeling to my stomach.

In a way, Fort Haste had become home.

My enlarged Espeon ears picked out the vibrations in the Foodhall with crystal clarity. But something was different. Even with my Pokémon abilities, the even present blabbering of their thoughts were gone. Only a dull hum echoed in the background of my thoughts.

It was then that the puzzle pieces clicked together.

Home, I thought, smiling to myself at the sheer exhilaration of the realization. Relaxing into the idea and slowly everything started to make sense! Perhaps my telepathy curse wasn't derived from any lack of direction...but more from my intense paranoia. I had been in a perpetual state of fight or flight that had enhanced my new abilities to levels beyond anything I could sustain. Like Hauser said, the mental noise would have consumed me.

But no longer. Here I was safe. Dangers in Fort Haste were nothing compared to the risks out there. Here I didn't need to always be on guard, always listening. Here I was home. I mean, it made sense I had developed the defense mechanism. I'd been living on my own with the constant risk of being attacked by mutant Ferals at any moment. It was a neat trick, but not here. I had to learn to adapt.

It was then that I realized I was in the Foodhall...and I hadn't even bothered to hide my ears and tail.

'Have you still got the Pokédex?' Hauser asked Matt we at down at the head table. Unlike normal, his question came across as clear as day without the added mental baggage. The morph nodded, patting his bag before sliding it under his seat.

Fenn and Orion came in later than everyone else. Their meals had already grown cold. Fenn lifted an eyebrow upon seeing me squeezed between Hauser and Matt at the far end of the table. I hadn't officially been invited to join the chain. However, a trickle of her thoughts indicated she was more impressed by my ability to squeeze in between Hauser and Matt.

'Wherever I fits, I sits.' I shrugged. Fenn smiled warmly before tucking into her cold supper.

Given everything that had happened, I was surprised just how up-beat dinner was. The talking point of the meal wasn't the attack that morning, the fitful attempts to keep Fort Haste running, nor the wounded children. No. We were all in fits of laughter when Matt once more pulled out his Pokédex. After some sly agreement between him and Bass, the ex-trainer had pointed the device at Orion and waited for a response.

"Bzztt…" The sudden sound of the machine got everyone's attention before it started it's announcement in a mechanically jolly tone. The noise had even attracted the attention of some of the surrounding tables as the kids turned to listen in.

"Umbreon! The moonlight Pokémon! With its black fur, it blends into the darkness. It bides its time, and when prey appears, this Pokémon goes for its throat, and then eats it!"

There was a moment of silence before Mike burst out laughing.

'Ha! What the hell!? Is that a Pokédex?' He chortled, dropping his spoon into the bowl of unidentifiable stew, 'Eats it? Is that what you do Orion?'

Orion however, didn't know how to react. His eyes widened at the information, ears titling back as his eyes narrowed on the red device. The Pokédex hadn't finished however,

"When darkness falls, the rings on its body begin to glow, striking fear in the hearts of anyone nearby."

'I can agree with that one.' Fenn mumbled.

"Bzzt...This Umbreon has a ninety-two percent match to my database."

'Ninety-two!' I nearly spat out a mouthful of food. 'How!? You barely look like an Umbreon?'

Orion just shrugged.

During this time, Insley must have subtly weaved her hand between the cups of water and scattered curly to turn the Pokédex back toward me. I only noticed when it was too late and the equipment beeped to life once more.

"Espeon! The sun Pokémon! Its fur is so sensitive, it can sense minute shifts in the air and predict the weather. The tip of its forked tail quivers when it is predicting its opponent's next move."

My face reddened as everyone's attention suddenly well on me.

'Well. We now know you're position in the Chain.' Fenn announced with a smug grin, 'Weather forecaster! Might be useful actually...'

However, the Pokédex wasn't done.

"Bzzt…" Insley was giggling before the machine had even started, "Lucario! The aura Pokémon! It's said that no foe can remain invisible to Lucario, since it can detect auras. Even foes it could not otherwise see."

'Interesting' Bass murmured, taking another spoonful of stew.

"Note! This Pokémon cannot be captured. They are affiliated with the Ranger Union as an S-class partner."

There was a moment of silence before Orion chimed in, 'Ah! That makes sense.'

'Wait! You never said you were a ranger!' Insley pushed her bowl away before leaning back on her chair. The cook crossed her arms with a look of interest, 'I feel like there's a story behind that?'

Hauser blanched before explaining slowly, 'Rangers and vetra both accomplish the same goal...to protect human and Pokémon.' Hauser rubbed at his snout before shrugging, 'It was a part-time job.'

Further questioning from Insley was halted by the sound of the bell. The signal rang through Fort Haste signaling the sentry daywatch and nightwatch change over. Fenn heaved out a sigh, already pushing herself to her feet.

'That's a story for tomorrow.' Fenn announced loudly, starting to collect the plates. 'Back to it then team.'

'I'll check on Jane and see if she needs a hand.' Orion spoke glumly. He was normally fairly talkative at dinner and seemed out of character. Given what had happened, I wasn't surprised.

Leaning back in my chair and for the first time since arriving, I let the sounds of Fort Haste wash over me.

No. Not simply Fort Haste.

Home.

---

Fenn's POV

---

Evening loomed over Fort Haste like a dark fog. No birds sang. No children called. There wasn't even any wind to sway and clatter the branches of the leafless trees. A still air hugged the ground which itself was starting to well with fog. All of this went unnoticed as I frantically hopped from the farmhouse back to the medical ward, hoping to check in on the patients one last time. Having called by the sentry office (a small room with a fireplace through which the day watch cycled through to keep warm) I'd found the paperwork for those those on duty had already been collected.

'Orion took 'em I think' A large-framed girl by the name of Georgie declared, hovering over the fire.

I didn't remark at how out of character that was. Orion didn't usually bother which such small jobs. In truth, I was too flustered to worry over the fact. It was a job I forgot to do myself fairly often. Maybe Orion needed something to fill his time off-duty from the medical ward. Better let him limp around Fort Haste then become a restless nuisance inside. The morph was fidgety at the best of times. With the attack earlier this morning, he was a nervous ball of energy that couldn't sit still.

Having been reminded of past jobs I'd forgotten to complete, I decided to pass via the boys dorm. Their monthly resource usage forms (mostly outlining ruined bedding that needed replacing) were supposed to be in last week. However, in an attempt to locate the form I found that it too had already been collected and sighed for. Something wasn't right.

The location for Orion's fight had been cordoned off with tape. The decapitated bodies of the Ferals lay in plain view. It was a stark reminder of what had occured hours previously.

It was ten minutes behind schedule that I finally made it to the medical ward. The afternoon was drawing to a close with long evenings dwindling to dusk. Haley must have left a while before, but had set up plenty of candles around the infirmary to keep things lit. Jane looked up from a book she was reading in the corner of the room. I had the urge to giggle as she gave me a long stare over the top of her glasses.

'They're asleep.' Jane motioned towards the injured casualties resting in the narrow hospital beds. 'Xenia used some sleeping powder I think. Saves us using up the pills.'

'Good.' I replied in a whisper. My raincoat made loud scratching sounds as I strode across the ward.

'How's...uh, Felix?'

'Fine.' Jane grunted, 'Kim's in there at the moment with Hauser.'

That very fact made Jane turn her nose up considerably as her eyes darted towards the second medical room and back again. Closing her medical tome, the girl watched the analog hands of her wrist deep in thought. Her foot was tapping nervously. No second-guessing was needed to imagine what she was thinking. I started to reason with the medic, fully aware that Kim was likely hearing my mess of thoughts even as I stammered a defence.

'I don't know why you have such an issue with Kim.'

'It's not Kim!' Jane replied sharply. The outburst was fairly loud and the teenager suddenly realised where she was and dropped into a hoarse whisper. 'It's just the virus...You've seen what it's doing to the kid it's…'

Jane visibly shivered. Clenching her fists for a moment she struggled to find the right words.

'It's just...unnatural!'

I raised my eyebrows slowly. Jane wasn't the type for sudden exstreams in emotion, but I guess we were all on edge. In fact, Jane was the type of person to head down and soldiered through anything. It was with a splashing of dry humour that Jane hinted at her true feelings. Now that facade had dropped. It was easy to see Jane for the frightened teenager she was.

'I get you.' I replied slowly, starting to understand the motive behind the madness in Jane's eyes. 'But there's nothing we can do...nothing you can do! There's no magical cure to stop it. I wish there was.'

Jane pulled herself out of her chair.

'Yep.' She sighed. Rubbing at her chin, Jane eyed the casualties sleeping fitfully in their beds. Each had been patched up with surprising skill and expertise. The two teenagers who had gotten away with a few scratches were already back in their own beds. But that wasn't a good sign for the others. The other four had life-threatening injuries predominantly in the form of huge gashes across their legs and chests. Even within a couple of hours significant amounts of blood had soaked into their bandages. The sight was something akin to a war field hospital.

'They look rough.' I postulated glumly. The medic nodded in the low candle light. If we expected any type of serious medical treatment to occur in the gloom, I was going to have to talk to Mike about electric lighting. The sight of clean medical beds in the rustic farm buildings was a jarring juxtaposition of pristine clinical operations against the dirty grit of reality.

'I've done all I can.' Jane folded her arms, checking her watch again. 'It'll be time for a change soon.'

'You're doing amazing.' I forced a merry tone into my supportive comments. 'You've literally saved their lives! You should be proud. Are you sure you don't need any help?'

'I don't trust anybody else.' The teenager admitted tiredly. Turning to see my raised eyebrows and she quickly jumped to her own defense. 'It's true! Haley is a good help and she'll be swinging by in like an hour for the new bandages. Otherwise it's about keeping this damn place warm. Though Orion's on that…'

'Orion?' I pondered, watching the candles flicker. Unlike normal, there wasn't a breeze to whistle through the cracks in the featherboarding of the cladding. Jane watched my gaze eyeing the grubby windows and various cupboards lining the walls loosely filled with supplies.

'Yeah. He's been acting weird. All business-like. I guess we all deal with stress differently.' The medic sighed, rubbed at her eyes. 'You just came to check in or you got something to do? Everyone's got a weird nervous energy to burn at the moment.'

'Just checking.'

'Yeah? And the rest of camp?' Jane turned at the sound of footsteps outside.

'Prepared.' I replied firmly. The flutter of fear in my stomach didn't agree with such a definitive statement.

The creak of the door opening, not to mention the rush of chilly air, cut short our conversation. Orion blundered in. It was clear he was trying to be creep inside but the rustle of his raincoat hid all subtlety. Flashing both me and Jane a sheepish grin, he tip-toed past with a squashed bundle of duvets in his arms.

'That should help.' The morph announced in a whisper, dropping the pile onto Jane's once inhabited chair.

'Thanks.' Jane studied Orion through her thick spectacles, 'That's going to be a great help.'

There was an awkward moment when the three of us simply stared at each other blankly.

'I'm just off for a walk if you want to join?' I filled in quickly. Orion straightened, casting a long gaze around the dim infirmary, before nodding. There was a vacant to his face that I found unsettling, even as he clutched a hand to his side with a wince. The morph looked dog-tired, blinking in an attempt to keep his eyes open. Scratching at his Umbreon-ears, his gaze flicked between me and Jane. Both of us shared the same bemused and very worried expression. Orion had his coat zipped up tightly to keep warm. Temperature was something that had failed to bother the morph in the past.

'Walk?' I reiterated.

'I'm not a dog.' He replied flatly before grunting, 'But yeah, that would be nice.'

'Let's go then before the light drops any further.' I ushered the man outside. Waving a quick farewell to Jane, I shoved Orion through the door in the most careful way I could without hurting his ribs further. His tail lashed in response as he pulled open the door and darted outside.

Already the temperature was falling. A wispy fog clung to the air, disfiguring the farm buildings in a sheath of grey cloud. Ice clung to the air with the threat of a frost brewing.

'Hey. I meant to ask. Did you pick up the paperwork for the sentry stuff?' My breath fogged the air even further. Orion nodded, falling into step by my side as we headed west across the central yard. He was limping on his left leg.

'And the sheets from the boys dorm too?' I pestered.

The morph nodded again, clearing his throat. 'I saw you were busy helping with dinner...so thought I'd do some of the jobs you forget. Camp has been a little...preoccupied?' It wasn't a word he used often and I gestured for him to carry on before quickly sticking my hands back into my pockets once more. 'I didn't feel like I was doing enough to help.'

'Wa..what? Of course you are!'

'I just feel like I haven't been doing enough.' Orion shrugged. He held the yard gate open, something we'd started doing in the hopes it would add another layer of protection to camp. He pulled it too behind, following me on our route across the K'field.

'It's the little things right?' He continued.

'Yeah. But it's the big things too! You pretty much obliterated three of those Ferals bare-handed! When the Wildlings came you cleaned out an entire barn from scratch...not to mention the uh…um...'

'Exactly.' The man interjected, 'I don't do enough.'

'You almost fookin' died!' Adding a tone of jest to my voice failed miserably. It was difficult to hide back the genuine worry I felt for the man. Yes, he might not be the most typical of individuals (what with being an Umbreon-come-fighting machine) but I cared for him nonetheless. I might not have wrapped my head around all of his past, but in a way I didn't really want to. We all have our secrets. Orion had plenty of his own, but he also lived with his heart on his sleeve. Even if he may have been slightly older than the rest of the chain, there was a sweet innocence to the man.

It was a long while before Orion responded.

'I don't want to just fight-off Ferals and clean sheds. I feel like I should be doing more. Everyone says I lead Fort Haste and I...I don't really do much. You organise everything and then Insley does the-'

'Stop it!'

'-you're the real leader!' The morph continued. His ears had dropped considerably. Our short work had found us onto the palisade. For a long moment his eyes stared out across the murky horizon. 'I just look mean, poke people if they're not doing anything...and just happen to be in the right place at the right time. I can't even do that.'

'If this is about the Feral attack then it's not your fault! Seriously Orion. It's ok.'

The morph sighed loudly. No real emotions played across his face as he scratched at his neck in contemplation. A deep-set regret seemed etched in his form, tail limp and his head hanging.

'It shouldn't have happened. I designed the sentry system to be unbreakable. They should have been an alarm! There should have-'

I grabbed the man by his shoulder and dragged him to a stop. Orion visibly winced at the contact as I forced eye contact with the stubborn morph. The gash across his cheek brunt a hot red against his pale face, eye sunken below thick black eyebrows. However, the red of his irises had softened into a deep maroon that focused on me slowly.

'Orion! You made all of this. You dragged us out here, designed and built Fort Haste around us, and then developed probably the safest place that currently exists in the world, for all we know! You're doing fine! If...if you start to lose it I don't know what I'd do. You hold us all together with your...your stupid blockheaded stubbornness.'

Orion's eyes widened.

'And I mean that in a good way.' I added. Loosening my grip on his shoulders and for a moment and I was tempted to hug the man...to let him know it was going to be fine. But not only did I not want to make a scene in front of the sentries, I thought I too might break down if I tried. Orion's face softened.

'I understand...It's just…' He trailed off before uttering, 'It's nothing.'

I doubted that was the truth. Orion often struggled with his feelings and having already poked into his past, I knew he was rather protective of his secrets. Perhaps it had something to do with his dark-typing? Sighing in acceptance, I fell into a slow plod for the rest of our palisade walk.

Every sentry on duty was focused on the great expanse beyond the walls of Fort Haste. Nobody even gave us a glimpse as the two of us strolled past. Pale faces with hard eyes surveyed the surrounding countryside like their lives depended on it. Then again, maybe they did. I think many saw us walking past as an impromptu check, amplifying their diligence for the task.

In truth, I didn't know how futile it was watching for effectively invisible creatures. Kecleon were known for their ability to match skin colour to form natural camouflage. Orion had suggested earlier to leave the whole archery Squadron on guard at the base of palisade. They were spread out thinly along with all our available rifles on call. Given the number of casualties we already had, nobody was willing to take any chances.

We looped around the back of Fort Haste, past the rickyard and the backside of the farmhouse. All this time Orion was silent, surveying the surroundings with tired eyes. Camp itself was completely dead. Not literally (thank goodness) but there was an anxious calm that emanated across the tops of the farm buildings. Muted fear.

The sound of a lone whistle call echoing between the sheds was almost welcome. There was a delay between my ears hearing the sound and my brain identifying what it actually meant.

*...Approaching...unidentified person...one…*

'Person?' I questioned, turning to Orion. 'Who the hell could that be?'

Confusion was a mere precursor to fear. Something wasn't right. Orion had his ears perked up, the lobes standing proud above his mess of hair at they naturally flicked back and forth in the search for sound. There was a nervousness to the man which I had never seen before, an alertness to his actions. He eyed the gate before flicking his attention back to me.

'It could be another refugee?' Orion suggested, though doubt edged his own words. He went to put weight on his bad foot before wrinkling his nose in pain.

'Maybe.' I replied. 'Maybe not.'

In unison we turned half circle and walked quickly back towards the main gate. I was fiddling with the torch in my pocket with one hand as I rubbed at my runny nose with the other. Orion seemed to be emanating unease and I shook off the worry that something felt resoundingly wrong. We were a minutes power-walk from the main gate anyhow, hurrying around to the front of camp.

*...Approaching...unidentified person…*

'Yep!' Mike bellowed in response, jogging from across the yard.

He held his wax coat around his to stop the material flapping as he ran. The mechanic slowed upon sighting the two of us slide down off the embankment. With a deadpan expression, Mike motioned towards the gate. The sentry was in the process of another whistle call when I waved up at them to announce our presence.

'This can't be good.' Mike mumbled, eyeing Orion and I. There was little I could do butter offer a grim nod, unable to defy the likely truth behind his words.

The stout beams that made up the wooden gateway were heavy enough to stop even the largest Feral from battering their way through. However, we'd left enough gaps between the boards to gaze across the the Lee slopes. Mike took the opportunity to learn forward and peek across the misty landscape beyond.

'Whoever they are...they know the slopes. Practically weaving their way across like they own the place.' Mike muttered, pulling a wax hat out of his pocket. He stuffed it over the top of his messy ginger hair with some finality. 'Nobody left earlier right? This isn't one of our own?'

'Nobody left.' I confirmed, moving aside to let Orion peak between the boards. 'Unless they sneaked out.'

The taller man stooped and for a long moment seemed fixed on the approaching target.

'Whatcha-?' Mike went to ask,

'It's Derrick.' Orion interrupted curtly, straightening. He ran a hand through his thick black hair, parting his lobate ears. The yellow rings glowed slightly as he shrugged his coat across his shoulders.

'Derrick? What the hell does he want?' My eyes flicked between Orion and a rather sheepish-looking Mike. The latter shrugged. Orion however, had gone very quiet. His eyes once more had faded to a glassy gaze that sent a shiver up my spine.

'Orion? You're alright? You don't have to face him you know.'

'What do...oh.' Only then did Mike remember the bad blood between Derrick and Fort Haste's leader. The last time they had tried to communicate had resulted in Orion being tied and beaten. In all fairness, it was sort of the Orion's fault for going out alone. I didn't voice that opinion however as the Mike cleared his throat. Orion snapped back to reality.

'Right. He's obviously here for something. Let's go out and see what he wants. I don't want him to come inside. Right?'

Orion's stern voice was colder than I remember it being, more businesslike than I had learnt to expect.

'Get the sentries on high alert.' He pointed to me even as I questioned his concerns.

'Sentries? You think this is an attack?'

Orion just stared at me and for a moment I shrunk under the red-eyed stare of an Umbreon. There was no life behind those eyes but a raw fight for survival. Black rims above his cheeks suggested a lack of sleep for what might have been days. The puckered wound across his cheek only made the look even more unnerving.

I pulled out my whistle.

*...High Alert…* I blasted the warning even as Mike called up at the two teenagers on gate duty to open the doorway. *...Sentries...High Alert...Wait for Instruction….*

The ropes of the pulley system pulled tight as the two concrete weights added the extra force needed to tug open the timber frame. The wood squealed before opening ever so slowly. We only needed a small crack to squeeze through. Mike followed behind Orion and I with a wary look as he eyed the hills in the distance.

'I wish I'd kept hold of a weapon of some sorts.' Mike continued to mutter. Since when had he started talking to himself? I shot the boy a dark look.

'Seriously? We have like forty-kids worth of fire power literally four feet above us.'

Mike just shrugged, twitching as the gate closed solidly behind.

The space beyond Fort Haste felt empty. With almost all of civilization in a small pocket of wood and breeze-blocks behind us, it was hard to think that anything truly existed beyond our borders. Since Derrick and his mottled crew of rejects had separated from us months earlier, we'd rarely given them a second thought. They'd taken off with a large chunk of resources when we were distracted with building Fort Haste, and still wary of our adopted leader. Orion had attempted to make amends but when that failed, we'd given up on even caring. Fook them.

To be honest, I was surprised that Derrick's band had survived for this long. We had been expecting to hear gunshots or something from the old hill fort a mere four miles away...but there had been nothing to mark their continued existence. Maybe they'd died out, slipped under the radar, or moved elsewhere? Hauser had suggested the latter.

Derrick striding towards up across the Lee-slopes was like something from a bad dream. It harked back to a dark past before Fort Haste when the apocalypse had become our reality. A time when civilization had broken-down - when the strong thought they had the right to steal from the weak.

A thick fog clung to the ground, blanketing the defenses as the air temperature slowly dropped. Evening was drawing to a close as the last flecks of sunlight turned the clouds orange overhead. Stakes, barbed-wire, and naily-protrusions rose out of the mist like a jagged coastline of steel and timber.

Derrick strode through this with an unnatural calm.

He strutted with an air of confidence that seemed completely at odds with the looming grey world around us. Behind and the normal sounds and scents of Fort Haste were dampened by the palisade. Derrick pranced along the winding path across the Lee-slopes with unnerving ease.

'Any idea what he could be after?' Mike asked quietly, aware of how easily sounds could travel in the thick air.

'He's alone.' I pointed out.

Orion snorted, 'So was I. Doesn't mean much.'

To break the mood, there was that increasingly awkward moment when people meet. At what point did you practically ignore each other before calling a greeting? Where normally something trivial like that would be cause for amusement, here there was only discomfort. It was an uneasy waiting game as we watched him approach - the boy ambling towards us as if out on an evening stroll.

'WHO GOES THERE!'

Orion's sudden voice made me jump. He wasn't the type of person to shout, but his deep voice dropped an octave as he yelled the warning. I almost expected Derrick to stop but he carried on walking.

'Bows up. Stay sharp...' Orion called the sentries manning the gate about us.

'Cool it down. It's just Derrick.' Mike spoke my own worries aloud, squinting at the approaching teenager.

'Something isn't right.' The Umbreon-Morph growled. His nose twitched. Returning my attention back to Derrick and the boy had finally stopped. He stood calmly a few metres before us, imposing in his muddied jacket. Arms hanging limply by his side, fingers curled, he seemed to study each of us in turn. We stared back likewise. My heart was beating faster and faster in my chest.

Ever so slowly, a sly grin spread across Derricks piggish face. The look juxtaposed his glassy-eyed stare which lacked all emotion. It was a calculating gaze as if he was some kind of predator eyeing his prey. Such a look floated upwards to view the row of archers ready to draw feathered shafts on the boy in an instance.

Derrick's head tilted to the side.

'Is that all you have?' Only silence answered the teenager. The young-man seemed to expect this however, his grin spreading even wider. 'Wow. You guys have got some spunk.'

Derrick's voice carried through the still air. It sounded distorted somehow, too gruff for the young-man. It was clear he was forcing the more masculine, deeper tone. Derrick itched at his scraggly mop of hair.

'What do you want?' I demanded. Keeping my voice as level as possible even as I ignored Orion's low growl to my left. The morph was tense.

'Nothing you can offer.' The teenager chuckled darkly, 'Unless you can put all of this...right.' Derrick flicked his wrist upwards at the palisade and Fort Haste beyond. The move only angered Orion further. Out of the corner of my eyes I could see his ears pulled back and a snarl spread across his face. Mike shot a worried look in my direction.

'Oh. It's ok Mutt.' Derrick sneered, 'You don't understand yet...but ohh you will.'

'What do you want Derrick?!' I bit at the words, giving the man a flat stare. The man shrugged, nonchalantly putting his hands in his pockets as surveyed camp standing sentinel behind us.

'Fort Haste. I want it gone. All of you. Gone.'

'He's gone insane.' Mike muttered. It was almost too quiet for even me to hear over Orion's low rumble, but Derrick managed to pick out every word.

'What you have done is Insanity. Surviving the apocalypse? Resisting the virus? Following leaders like him!' The slim boy pointed a finger towards Orion. In response, the morph snarled nastily. It was a dark sound that ran like claws on a chalkboard. 'You're cheating the inevitable.'

There was a long pause.

'That isn't Derrick.' Orion stated bluntly, venom clinging to his words. 'That…that isn't Derrick...' He seemed to come to terms with his own revelation slowly. The very thought made him shrink back, tail dropping between his legs in what could only be fear. I didn't understand what was going on.

'That's not him…' Orion actually whined now.

'Orion!? He's right there!'

The look the morph gave me was one of pure terror. His ears were pressed firmly against his head even as his pupils widened in panic.

'What have you done to Derrick!' Mike yelled, believing Orion even as he seemed to shrink back from the confrontation. A soft whine built up slowly even as my eyes flickered across the teenager before us. Derrick looked everything that the teenager that I remembered. Tall, messy haired, and with a deep maroon jacket that did little to keep off the damp. His wellies hardly left an impression in the mud beneath our feet.

A mischievous grin spread across the dirty teenager's face.

'Why don't you ask Orion hmm? I don't think he's been telling the truth of the situation. Have you?' Orion shrunk back even as the teenager (previously thought to be Derrick) rubbed at his chin in mock contemplation.

'I'll give you one lunar month.' He stated, 'Decide on a fitting end.'

'I...I don't understand!' I shouted back, becoming increasingly frustrated at the boy's cryptic tongue.

'You never did.' Derrick grimaced. For a moment his glassy eyes sparkled upon seeing Orion's increasingly worrisome reaction. 'It's hilarious to see you whimper. Please. Make this difficult.'

'FIRE!' Jeff called from above. It was an unexpected escalation of the situation but one I wholeheartedly supported. The speed at which the sentries cocked their arrows, drew, and released was startling. Within the space of a few milliseconds a dozen white-feathered shafts pierced the thick air with a harsh whistle. Strings snapped sharply as the projectiles filled the the ground where Derrick once stood.

Instantly, there was a roar like thunder.

Evening turned to night as the light disappeared from the sky. Where before the air had been thick and cold, now it grew instantly muggy. Static clung to the atmosphere, creating goosebumps up my arms as I cringed away from a sudden flash of blinding white light. Arrows thudded into the ground but there was nothing left to hit. The sudden flash dimmed and I blinked back my vision. A ring of smoke, like the four points of a wheel spiraled round the point where Derrick had one stood. Arrows shuddered as they pockmarked the strange symbol as it slowly dissipated. The shadow of something, taller than a Sawsbuck floated into the after-image that remained. A fuzzy patch of white which steadily grew dim.

I blinked.

Derrick was gone.

'What the hell was that?' Mike cursed. He held his cap shadowing his eyes, squinting at the after-image.

'OK GUYS LOWER YOUR WEAPONS!' Jeff yelled overhead, his voice echoing with the farm buildings behind. There was a light clattering overhead even as I scanned my eyes across the spot where the teenager once stood. Taking a few steps forward, I scrutinized the ground to find any evidence at all of his presence. But there was nothing, not even footprints to mark that the boy had visited all.

'That really happened right?' I turned around to get a second opinion. 'Wha...Where's Orion?'

Mike was already half-way back inside, squeezing through the main gate with barely enough room. The teenagers eyes were wide as he stared at me. He blinked a few times before nodding slowly.

'Uh...yeah…'

'Mike!' I tried to calm the boy, or at least bring him to his senses. The gate opened wider and he popped back inside, eyes flicking between me and the Lee-slopes behind. With a grumble I followed and Jeff took the initiative to shut the gate behind us - including lifted on the cross beams securely keeping the huge door shut. He had a rifle slung over one shoulder. Sentries stood awkwardly even as I brushed myself off. Everyone's eyes were on me. A stunned silence clung to the air even as I surveyed the menagerie of teenagers.

'We all saw that right?' I attempted to clarify. There were a few slow nods. Out of everyone, Mike seemed to the one struggling. He mopped at his face with a handkerchief, his gaze struggling to focus on me as he blurted.

'That was them wasn't it? You saw the ring afterwards and heard the roar. That wasn't...that was them.'

'Calm down!' I forced an authoritative tone. My mind was still seeing the white afterimage from a few minutes earlier, too confused to even make sense of the observation. I could feel the panic building in the air like something alive. I had to do something.

'Right. Whatever that was we can deal with it later. Reorganize the sentries Jeff and make sure everyone is warm and fed. I'll check over what happened with Orion and we'll run a Chain meeting as soon as possible.'

'Who was that?' A younger sentry called, leaning against their bow presently buried into the frigid turf. 'Yeah.' Somebody else joined in, 'That was Durruck right?'

'Derrick.' I clarified. 'He left us right at the beginning. Anyways. Go get warm and I'll…' I trailed off, eyes jumping between the small collection of teenagers. 'Where did Orion go by the way. Did he honestly just flee?'

'I don't blame him.' Jeff waved down the sentries before turning to me stoically. 'I didn't hear all of that...but it sure wasn't natural. Hell. That was some exorcist level of shite.'

I gave the Squadron leader a flat look.

'Not helping. I get it! bleh...I saw him leg it towards the farm house.

'Thanks. Just keep these guys busy...and Mike too alright? When you see Bass or Insley tell them to meet me in the infirmary. Got it?'

'Got it.' The boy pulled at his rainbow scarf, 'How the hell are you not freaking out. You know what that was?' He asked in a hoarse whisper. The emphasis on his wording clearly stated his alignment with Mike's conclusions.

'Fuss now. Facts later.' I told him, already striding off towards the farmhouse.

I would be lying if I didn't admit that tears were clinging behind my eyes. I loathed Derrick when he first had the audacity to try and fracture our small collection of refugees; even more so when he stole half of our resources! Since the incident with Orion only a couple months prior, they'd been a deep-seated anger inside waiting for the spark. But something wasn't right. Derrick had lost his mind! Things like that didn't happen...People didn't magically disappear!

Then again, people didn't morph into Pokémon and humanity shouldn't have been destroyed by something as small as a virus. The world had gone to pot and we had nothing left to do but survive in any way possible.

The farmhouse door slammed shut behind me.

'ORION!?' I called loudly, too scared and frustrated myself to even contemplate being subtle. 'ORION!? You in here?'

Kicking off my boots and I nearly missed to hear the small whine.

'Oh no.' My voice softened. This couldn't be happening. What had the weird imaginary version of Derrick had said? That I should ask Orion...that he hadn't been telling the truth? Well no Shite. I know that Orion was a catalyst for the virus and maybe the reason why it existed it all...but actively hiding the truth from us? Orion was overprotective, not malicious.

'UmmmmbrreeeEEE…' The whine came again, too loud to be upstairs.

My heart fluttered in my chest.

Breathe Fenn.

I pushed my room open with a foot. It was dark inside with only the embers of a fire in the stove. A low orange light clung to shadows playing across the two bunk beds. The floorboards creaked as I crept inside.

Orion was curled up in my bed, sunk into the covers with his tail wrapped up to cover his face. It was a very animalistic posture that should have been impossible for the average person. He was almost fetal, balled up into the smallest shape he could be. Orion sobbed into his own yellow-ringed fur. His back was shaking as he struggled to control the tears.

'Orion..?' I tried to soothe my voice, all too aware of what was happening. Pity welled in my stomach.

'UmmbrreeeeeeeEEE…' He continued to whine.

The morphs rings had stopped glowing. The normal lustre to his fur was dead, a mottled dulled gold. His chest heaved as he sobbed again. Stepping closer and another floorboard creaked. Orion must have heard the sound for his long lobe-like ears bounced upright. Head lifting out from his fluffy tail and the Umbreon regarded me with large red eyes. Tears dripped down his nose as his lips trembled.

'What's wrong Orion?'

'Bbbreeee' He whined, eyes widening as he sniffed. It was from his memories rather than my own that I recognized the state he was in. I'd never seen the morph this tearful and was unsure how to react. The Umbreon-morph rolled-up in the duvet before me was not of this time of place. This wasn't the man who had pulled us together and built Fort Haste with bare determination. This was a small, frightened, and abused Umbreon.

'Please Orion.' I begged, 'What's the matter? Is this about Derrick?'

'Bb...Bru…I…' He struggled to speak, mewing in frustration but also to beg forgiveness. Kneeling down beside the bed and the morph inched forward. With the most gentle of motions Orion butted his head into my shoulder, sniffing at my raincoat even as he mumbled almost incoherently.

'I...I've but bre in...in danger! It's all um fault!'

'It's OK Orion.' for a few seconds I refrained from petting him, before seeing that his need for emotional comfort outstretched my own fabricated barriers. With a soothing motion I ran a hand through his hair. I stroked his ears gently, patting his head gingerly. Ever so slowly and Umbreon started to relax. Or at least, he was no longer shaking as much.

'They're umbre…' He trailed off, pushing his face into my shoulder once more.

'They're what? Take your time.'

'They're coming.' He stated in a muffled tone. 'Th…'

'Who?' I asked, straightening and pulling the man into what was effectively a tight hug. His tail wagged slowly as he excessive sniffing began to subside.

'The Gods. They'ree going to brestroy everything and..and…'

'Gods?'

'The Creator.' Orion shivered within my tight hug, before whimpering 'It's all my fault.'

Slowly my mind started to connect the dots.

The Gods? The Creator?

Shite. Surely he didn't mean…

'Arceus!?'

Orion yowled.

---

XXX

---

[4:01] Jimi Hendrix - All Along The Watchtower (1968)

Outside in the cold distance

A wildcat did growl

Two riders were approaching

And the wind began to howl

---

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon. This story is a work of fiction, and any resemblance to any events, location, and/or persons, living or dead, is coincidental. The views expressed by the characters and/or the narratives do not necessarily reflect the author's views. This fiction is rated T and may be unsuitable for young audiences. 'Fort Haste' is a fictional concept that is owned and regulated by ZenColour. Viewer discretion is advised