And here is the fourth chapter. Once again I do not own pokemon, although I own all original characters. Please Read and Review.
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It was a mad flight of a run. Tree's and ferns faded into one green blur that was marred by fallen branches or stumps. The chilly night air was also cut several times by the howls of the hunters that chased them. The terrors of the night. Houndoom. Feared by even other dark types, Houndoom were said to be the deadliest dark type by far. With incredible speed, attack and dominence with special attacks. Few things could stand up to them.
And not even the Splices could. Not at less then half power and with the stress of the escape pounding on their souls without mercy. Their feet drummed up a symphony that only they understood and marched too. The future's path ahead of them was dark, but what they left behind was darker still.
A bone chilling howl rang out in the dead like night air, followed by several others. Curses followed from the humans that were being pursued, but they could do nothing save the mad dash of freedom they were already coming down from. The high of victory was slowly crashing into the ground of defeat.
"Come on!" Luna shouted from the head of the group, throwing her gaze over her shoulders to take in the sight of everyone scrambling behind her, trying to keep up as they too plowed through the undergrowth and low hanging branches of tree's. Even if it had been daylight, it'd still have caused them some trouble. But they were having to plunge through the forest at night, with a three or more pack of Houndoom's chasing after them. "We have to keep moving!"
Rick panted for breath as he was now the lone person lugging Lin, who was on his back and drooling on Rick's shoulder in her sleep. Sweat beaded upon his brow and rolled down, dripping off his chin to land on the mossy ground or his now damp shirt. Lin was heavier then she looked! And it didn't help he was forced to run just to move his legs fast enough to jog forward, and he could swear the Houndoom were getting closer. Rick blearily blinked his eyes and wished that the scene before him was that of a girl, and not of the hulking Amadeus as the large man still continued to haul Sephinraph along, and he felt a slight pang of worry, the girl was looking worse for wear than anyone else of the motly group.
A muffled shriek came from the back of the group as Sol suddenly rushed past Rick, nearly sending him sprawling to be squashed by Lin, past and around Amadeus and over to Luna. "Luna!" He yelled and grabbed onto her arm, half formed words and gibberish escaping him. Glancing down at Sol, Luna tried to pull him off. "Sol, what the hell is wrong with you?"
Sol's only answer was a muttering of gibberish as he dragged her back and to the now stilled group. Even the Houndoom's howls had been silenced. Grunting, Rick let Lin slip to the ground and streched, cracking his back with the noise of a falling tree. Struggling, Sephinraph was able to get Amadeus to let go of her so she could stand (aibit wobbly) on her own as the silence started to feel thick and heavy in the air. Luna suddenly took note of this and looked around as Sol finaly let go of her arm. "What... what's going on?" She asked, a slight edge of fright in her tone.
Sol shook and he was so pale, he could have been mistaken for a ghost. But as the scent of something on the wind was picked up by the others, they started to feel the fear that their grass afiliated counterpart was going through. "What is it?" Luna questioned Sol. The mint green eyes of the boy were as wide as possible, wild fear running rampant in the storm of emotion that flickered in them. And one word, holding all that Sol feared left his mouth.
"Fire."
"What are we going to do!?" Rick gasped out as he doubled over, even though the fire wasn't anywhere near them yet, it seemed. Even if they ran flat out, it would still overtake them, and catch them in it's merciless flames.
Luna looked grim, and turned her gaze back to where they were heading. "We run flat out. To the river, it's our only hope."
"But-" Sol was cut off as Luna whirled on him.
"Do you want to Die!?" Luna demanded and grabbed him by the front of the shirt, shaking him a few times before letting go and dropping him to the ground with a light thump. "Now come on!"
As they moved to follow, Sephinraph dodged Amadeus's grab for her, and pointed at Lin and Sol, both of whom where in no condition to be hauled by Rick on his own, giving a small flash of a smile she darted after Luna as the girl was already starting to disappeare into the tree's again as the rest started to get moving and follow.
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"Hurry hurry." Sol hissed out from his position over Amadeus's shoulder as they ran the last few hundred yards in a flat out run, the roar of the fire was now filling the air and the glow it was causing was rival to that of the sun's as it approached from behind them and to the right and left. Showing that they would soon be caught if they didn't hurry. For it was becoming something that was feared by even water pokemon. A Firestorm. Something so deadly and wild that nothing, not even rock and steel could escape unphased.
Luna was the first to reach the water's edge and stumbled to a halt as Rick only managed not to fall into the water as he just collapsed. Sol moaned from Amadeus's shoulder as Lin snored on while Sephinraph brought up the rear. Luna stared out into the water and cried, it was too deep, they were to weak and they didn't have time to try and find a shallower pass. Chewing her lower lip, the spent Sephinraph looked at Amadeus and then at the water and finaly back again before turning her head over to Luna and the others. Narrowing her eyes and nodding her head once she turned and stalked over to Amadeus, calling him to attention as she drew near. The man snapped his head up and looked intently at Sephinraph as she halted before him.
Raising one slightly shaking arm, Sephinraph pointed at the river, and murmured under her breath and then pointed at the others and continued on as she finished while pointing to the other side. Barely giving a nod of his head, Amadeus dropped Sol and Lin to the ground, reciving a grunt of sleepy pain from one and a choked out cry of fear from the other. Grunting, Amadeus lumbered over to where Luna and Rick lay nearly unmoving on the ground and raised both hands up into the air, straight out paralle to the ground. Closing his eyes while slowing his breathing, the man soon had a chilly neon blue and white glow surrounding his hands before it shot out and streamed over the water and through the air, finaly striking home on the bank. As the bright flash died down, a bridge made of ice was left in it's place. Feeling out of breath somewhat, Amadeus reached down and grabbed onto one of Rick and Luna's arms and dragged them with him as he started across the bridge, sweat collecting on his clothing as the heat from the fire, even with it still far away started to press down on them like a heavy and dangerous blanket.
"Come on," Sephinraph whispered out softly as she pulled on Sol's arm. But the boy stayed on the ground, whimpering in terror and only glanced behind Sephinraph and yelped.
A tingle of something ran down her spine and she slowly stood up. Turning, Sephinraph caught sight of what had started the fire. It was a Magmar splice, one of the earlier works and about just as mentally stable as he was beautiful. Unlike the later works, he was a true splice; half human half magmar and not all sane.
The humanoid face was pulled into a nasty scowl and a bulky and bumpy tail swung back and forth scattering sparks left and right. Four fingered (and clawed) hands were up and ready to tear anything apart as a molten looking twisted foot came up and set down on the grass, instantly sending it up in flames from the heat. Turning her head Sephinraph saw that Amadeus was coming back, he had dropped the others and shoved them, using the ice to keep them moving towards the other bank as he came back to do what he had been made to do. Protect the Alpha. Scowling Sephinraph pointed at Sol and Lin and gave the visual command of getting them first. Snapping her gaze back at the splice before her she tapped into her reserves and strode forth, body shaking from fear and near exuastion.
A garbled roar filled her ears as the Splice before her charged, one hand cocked back and flames already surrounding it while the air that was around the Magmar splice shimmered from the heat. Ducking and rolling to the left, Sephinraph swung her right foot out and caught the spliced freak by surprise and sent it tumbling to the ground. Wincing as cuts and bruises let themselves be known to her, the young woman quickly scrambled as fast as she could to her feet. Swinging her eyes about the terrain before her, Sephinraph didn't spot the splice. Blinking in confusion she let her guard drop and was taken by surprise from behind as the Splice punched her in the back and sent her flying forward. Crying in pain she hit the ground and bounced, rolled and then came to a stop on her side. Giving a whimper she curled into a fetal position and felt the heat as the magmar splice approached.
Amadeus could only watch as he dragged Lin and Sol away, he had to do as her was bid by the girl, but that didn't mean he was totaly brainless. His hand tightened threateningly around the shirt of Sol as he dragged the two over to the ice bridge and then across it as the Splice Magmar suddenly halted, as if realizing Sephinraph wasn't the only one there. The head turned and saw Amadeus dragging the other two with him, then slid past him and saw Luna and Rick struggling to stand. Then with cold determination they turned back to Sephinraph and she was picked up as if she wieghed no more than a feather. 'No..' Amadeus thought, horrified. But before anyone could react the flames fell down around the other side of the stream. With an explosion that would rival several sticks of dynamite stuck in a cannon, the world around them exploded and the five were sent flying into the forest to land, pass out and heal somewhat while they slept in their comatose like states where they had fallen. The horrors of moments ago lost in the dreamless sleep that had captures them all.