0 started to kneel down in her gardens when she stopped. Her breath caught gently, staring about and grasping her shovel tightly. The bushes were rustling. She knew that 7 was nearby. If she found herself in trouble. All she had to do was yell. 0 had taught the white doll, knowing that she was ready for any attacks. H1N2 gave a roar as she leapt from the bushes. In response 0 stood her ground, looking at the feline creature before her. "I thought I banished you, broad." 0 told with obvious hatred in her voice.
H1N2 snickered and laughed as she stood on her hind legs, tail twitching with agitation. "You're an idiot 0. An old buffoon. You only banished me because I did not agree with my sister."
"You nearly killed her!" she shuttered and closed her optics briefly, "Not to mention what you managed to do to your own parents…"
H1N2 clenched her fists, her ears flattening against her head, "Foolish old woman. You never thought I would come back. And that hat isn't a helmet nor is that shovel a weapon. So…prepare for death." She unsheathed her claws and gnashed her teeth. 0 started to back off and with a scared tone she shouted, "7!"
24 gave a brief gasp as his optics shot open. He sat up in his tent and shivered gently. The temperature had decreased rapidly to where the ground was completely solid. He stared down to his left and knew the figure sleeping next to him. He rubbed his hand down on 25's back with a handsome smile, watching his striped arms move back and forth. He started to curl his fingers through her long hair, remembering when it had barely pushed past her neck in youth. She gave a tiny moan and rolled to face him, her optics still shut. He noticed her pale face, examining it. He was so surprised to see her like this, looking so innocent and at peace. 24 gently touched the marks on his cheek, hoping not to wake her up. This was his future wife, the one he had spent his whole life with so far. She was a leader but she was also like them…weak soul or not. When the sun started to filter through the thin material of their tent, her optics shuttered and she stared to his hand as she awoke. She sat up, some hair getting in her face but she still smiled, "What's wrong? Couldn't sleep?"
"No…just a bad dream." He told gently back, the two starting to near one another.
They smiled, staring into each other's eyes and then wrapped their arms around each other's bodies. Their lips found one another and a kiss was shared between them. "Better wake the others." She told gently. But he held her down. He gave a smile, "We can wait just a little while."
Just as soon as they began to kiss one another again, giving little giggles and other noises the flap door flung open. It was 26. She was looking very shocked and her optics were small. The two stood up immediately. "What's wrong? Is something attacking?"
"SNOW!" She shouted with a smile and ran outside again. The fiancés were confused until they stepped outside. The first thing visible beyond the blinding white was the rising smoke coming from 999 and 1000. The male of the two robotic stitchpunks was smoking but he was also talking calmly to the new girl Lily. Then the rest of the camp came into view. They heard the giggles of Walker, Owl and their adopted daughter 32 playing in the white substance. The new family had made little figures and snow angels as they played. Al was nervously talking to 15, his voice stuttering and trying to keep on subject. They held hands and she told him something back in return, making him seem more calm and focused.
25 set her hand against 24's and the two gave each other unsure looks. "Well?" He asked.
She cleared her throat and whistled loudly. The others stopped completely in their tracks. She set her hands behind her back and looked to them seriously. Her eyebrow cocked, looking down at her Guardian Theta. She set a few fingers against her chest and told in her powerful voice, "Today I declare that we as a group make no progress."
The others were confused, looking about as if she had stated a riddle. 25 began to laugh and pointed to the snow, "Creator! Go have some fun for once guys!"
A roar of excitement followed. Quickly 37 stood and grabbed his love Pi by the hand. She was nearly dragged along as he unveiled a very flat looking slab of wood. Unimpressed, she turned to leave but was heaved on by H1N1 and 115 in a frenzy to test this makeshift snow sled. The two at the end pushed, each doll hanging onto one another as it traveled at a high speed down a large slope. At the end a rock greeted them and one by one they flung out into the snow, all coated in white with large grins to follow. Walker and Theta were in a snowball fight with 32 and Owl. The two friends pelted the girls with snowballs until from above 25 made a sneak attack on her uncle and buried him in a pile, thanks to a nearby dried stalk.
Meanwhile, Kayia and Tobias stayed in their tent, slumbering the day off.
Miu snickered as she made little snowmen, watching as 24 yelped seeing one that looked just like him. "I bet if I make one of 25, you'll try to do naughty things to it!"
"Will not!"
"What if I made it naked?" he gave her a bit of a shove, making her stumble. The two laughed with one another, staring at the figure she had made of their mother and father. She sighed gently, "I really miss dad…I hope he's okay…"
"He should be. Mom said she was going to take care of him…" he looked to the unmoving eyes of the statue and felt a tinge of guilt. He lowered his eyes and started to move away, holding an arm in place as he did.
15 noticed this but did not want to make him feel any worse. Instead she continued to cover her plant, humming at the trees that still managed to grow even here in the harsh climate. Al stepped next to her and smirked, "They're pretty s-sturdy aren't they?"
"Y…yeah…" She giggled a bit and he looked nervous. "W-Wha-What did I do? D-do I have something on my eye?"
"You stutter a lot." She remarked, holding his hand and giving his cheek a tiny kiss. His optics spun and he gave a bit of a nervous chuckle before falling backwards in a fainting spell.
73 was in the heavier snow just a few miles north of the stitchpunks all unaware as they played and made mirth. She carved her fingers in the wood, lost from her partner 19 and also dragging a very heavy and squirming bag. 19 had gone off with another girl somewhere…she hoped it was a fox to tear his chest apart. In her eyes, he deserved nothing just like the others. The noise of the happiness, even at this distance, was beginning to set her anger on fire. She tried not to let it overflow and block it but that wasn't working at all. She dragged the squiggling package behind her, trying to kick the object it held within to make it stop. "Quiet you. You need to be our offering. Or else we have to go to the fake-out plan…and with that bookworm as their leader there's no way they'll be able to fall for that." She grumbled and continued towards the group, knowing she'd be outnumbered. "If only that damn Scientist in town hadn't spread us out so thin, we'd be beating them up by now. He wants us to defeated them so goddamn much, he should get up offa his lazy ass and do it himself!"
H1N1 hovered over 115 as the two still laid sprawled in the bliss of winter. She stared to the skies, watching snowflakes fall gently. She heard rustling and saw
115 come closer to her. She climbed atop his chest and held him close. "Why are you doing these things with me?"
He gave a tiny smile in return. She awed at this, seeing that look very rarely from him. He held his hand to her cheek and cocked his head, "Why else? I care about you."
"Me?" She asked in a shrill tone, "Why me?" He hushed her gently and then moved his mouth to hers. Her optics closed gently at this, gently trying to caress him even with her sharp nails. When they paused slightly, he looked to her a bit more seriously. "Does that answer your question?"
She nodded and dove in for another kiss. But her ears began to twitch. She begged for there not to be trouble. There was too much heaven in this to let go. The noise became louder and she gasped, sitting straight up. H1N1 did not want to stop but it was her duty to be the messenger of foul news. She twisted around and shouted, "Man the stations, trouble in the east!"
The majority of them reacted quickly to the villain arriving. 73 cursed to herself gently and slammed the package down, "Fine!" She yelled and growled a bit, showing off her knife-like finger on each hand. She was completely outnumbered but her stubbornness would not die down. She had a mission to complete. But the others stood their ground, weapons in hand. 25 was at the front, prepared with her arrows. When the villain took a step forward she stretched the arrow back in the bow and gave a threatening growl, "You better back away and show us what's in that sack."
She complied and tossed the bag to them. What fell out was another small stitchpunk a female by the way it yelled and whimpered once it was let free. She curled next to 999 who seemed to recognize her, "Infinity? Where have you been?"
"That woman caught me auntie." She told in a fearing and uneasy voice. She had a very tiny build, short with a white body.
"Whatever." 73 shouted, slashing her fingers towards the nearest doll. That happened to be 15. Quickly Walker got in the way, using his cane to get the knife stuck. She growled and managed to free herself, glaring at the others nearing her. "Listen you bastards, get away from me…" She reached for something and smirked. The rest of the group froze and saw what she held up.
It was a burlap covering, looking like it had been torn off the back of a doll. It was ragged but what caught their eyes was the large ink circle. Everyone stopped. "0…?" 24 whispered, his face stuck in awe.
25 bit her lip and threw her arrows to the side. She pinned the evil woman down by the arms and the burlap piece was flung into the snow. But she noticed ink smearing from it. 25 sat up and took it from the cold substance, giving a light chuckle. "Nice trick." She dabbed the ink with her fingers, "Next time dry it off a little bit?"
73 was at a loss now and all she did was get up and run as far as she could.
"Infinity huh?" 115 asked as 25 came back in celebration. The leader pat the girl on the head and told, "Welcome to the team. Owl."
Walker's wife hummed and looked to her gently, "Yes?"
"Send my eagle back to home with a letter. I need to know what's going on back home."