Author's note: Ok I am very very very sorry. You have been waiting on me to stop being so lazy and distractable and I am sorry. From now on I 'll try to pay more attention to these stories and update a lot more often like I use to. This chapter closely follows this scence and I am sorry. I hope you keep reading, even if this is horrible. If you really wish to stick with me on this tale I would appricate it if you would review, that always inspire me to write more. *fingers crossed*

Second Encounter

Chapter Eight: Raw

DG sat down on a mossy rock by the fire they had managed to make, and stuck her freezing hands over the warm flame to unfreeze them. Beside her Glitch was shivering under his tattered coat that didn't seem to make much of a deference.

She was still finding it hard to believe that she, little miss terrified of anything higher than a yard off the ground and being more than three feet in water, had actually leapt off that huge cliff.

Of course it was either that or being eaten……..

She looked up from the dancing fire and noticed the furred man they had rescued earlier was sitting far from the warmth with his back to them.

"Hey, you want to come closer to the fire?" DG asked nicely, "Warm up?"

"You should of left me to die." He answered in a broke voice, not turning around.

"Oh, great," Glitch muttered, pulling his arms out from under the coat to rest on top, "A basket case."

DG ignored him, she stood and walked over to the strange, furred creature. He didn't move, so she came closer and slowly placed a small, pale hand on his arm.

A soft growl came from his throat, then he suddenly seized her hand between his own.

The quick, unexpected movement sent Glitch stumbling hurriedly toward her, and Cain dropped the armful of wood he was carrying and pulled out his gun, aiming it at the creature.

"Stay right there!" he commanded.

DG raised her free hand to halt her friends. "It's ok, we're all friends here." she spoke calmly.

The shaggy-lion type creature loosened his grip on her hand and placed one of his his lightly on top of it.

"You are sad," his voice was rough, but gentle, "Miss your mother. Father."

DG nodded, surprised he knew this. How could he? Would this place ever become easier to understand?

"They miss you." he continued, still gripping her hand lightly.

She leaned forward so that she was eye to eye with him.

"My name's DG. What's yours?"

………………………………..........................................

The furry-man-thing looked at her and using a stick scratched something out in the dirt at his feet.

Glitch peered over DG's shoulder to see.

"Raw." he read shortly. Hm. DG turned her blue eyes to him and he tilted his head, "Well, it's certainly to the point."

He heard the thing growl at him.

"You're injured." DG said suddenly and reached toward a circular wound just visible through the long hair on his head.

It moved away from her touch.

"He's a viewer." Cain stated.

DG seemed lost.

"Uh, viewers are like psychics," Glitch started explaining, glad he still remembered something clearly, "but instead of seeing with their minds, they see with their hearts." he moved closer and continued, "Azkadee abducts their kind. Get's her alclumist to suck the second sight right out of their heads."

He gestured at the sore and Raw swatted his hand away.

"He could be a big help." the black haired girl said after a minute.

Cain had moved away and was picking up all the wood he dropped. Did they really need all that wood? Glitch didn't mind. He liked being warm.

I wish we had some mutlug….. I think that's a soup…….

……………………………….................................

"Look, I don't know where you came from," Cain said matter-of-factly to DG, " But if you have any interest in staying alive in the O.Z. you better get one fact straight real fast." He stood and turned to her "Trust no one."

She seemed to have a real problem with that, first with the Zipperhead, then himself, and now with this viewer she just met and knew next to nothing about. If she had ran into anyone else, she would have been dead by now, she was far too trusting.

He watched her look sadly at the viewer, and turned away knowing they had inadvertently picked up another member to this insane little group.

Cain felt a pain shoot up his leg and found himself on the ground a second later. Dang! He had forgotten about that!

The Headcase ran over and lifted his coat up to see the two puncture wounds in his upper leg that a paupay had given him before he had blown it's brains out.

"Let's hope those runners didn't have fang pox!" he heard the Zippercase say worriedly.

Raw timidly moved closer, holding some moss, "Heal wound. Soothe." He placed it on the wound and held it in place, despite Cain's protests.

The blond clenched his teeth in pain.

"Brave man," the viewer said quietly, eyes closed and Cain turned to face him. "Good man," he paused and glanced upward at Glitch, "Tin Man."

The tattered man tossed his head up. " Oh, I might of known you were a Tin Man!" he plopped down on a nearby log, "What with that attitude."

"What's a Tin Man?" DG asked, lost once again.

"It's what they call policemen in Central city." the headcase answered, then paused uncertainly. "At least I think it is."

The Kid turned her bright, blue eyes to him.

"You're a cop?"

"Was"

How did those eyes always seem to get the answers they wanted?

"Til Zero found out I was part of the resistance. You saw the rest."