Oh? I'm sorry, what was that? Oh yeah-

Chapter 16 is here ^-^!

I hope you all enjoy my cliffhangers, uhuehuehue!

Gratitude:

ElectroPhoenix, I guess you'll just have to read and find out. Although I'll just let you know, if that's what you're expecting, you might be a little disappointed xD.

JustinThePokemonMaster, thanks for reading and reviewing again! Your prediction is great, but you'll just have to see Uhuehuehue.

Cid Neha, Yep! What would the world be like without cliffhangers?

Alpha The Loyalist, I'm glad to see you again! Thanks for reading and reviewing, I hope you'll enjoy more of Gary and Leaf's upcoming scenes ^-^!

Mr Squirtle6, Thanks for reading! I'm glad you think I portrayed Paul nicely and I hope you'll stick around for future chapters c:

Banana Bomb, thank you for reading and bothering to critique my fanfiction. I'm glad you have suggestions to help make my story better and I will consider adding some in ^.^

MarronChestnut, thanks lots! I'm really happy to have gotten another 'loyal reader'! I really enjoy reading reviews like those. There'll be a whole lot more Pokeshipping in upcoming chapters! And maybe there will be some more romance ^ ^! Red won't necessarily have his own chapter dedicated to him, but he will have a BIG scene in the later chapters! Thanks again!

Lastly, PolarDawn, yes, Lucas is a beautiful angel that Paul falls in love with... No, just kidding, haha. I'm glad that my writing could touch you in some way c: More thanks for your critiques and opinions and yes, very lucky guess. I will bring the survival aspect back around, I assure you, but I need sometime to get everything planned and weighed out c:

Longer and more serious chapter coming your way, be prepared!

Onto the story.

Disclaimer:*

Yo, I don't own Pokemon.

Chapter 16:

"It's getting cold out, isn't it?" Drew nervously blurted out, trying to break the awkward silence between the group members. The smacking noises which came from Ash and Misty's corner were getting louder. Looking up, Drew let out a small exasperated sigh as Ash selfishly shoved more fish in his mouth.

"Ash! Get some self-control, will you? There won't be enough to go around at this rate!" Misty scolded, face twisted in an aggravated expression.

"Oops, sorry Mist." He laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head and stuffing the last bit of fish into his mouth. Drew leaned towards the fire and began rubbing his hands together to create a bit more heat. It seemed a lot warmer when had wandered about the woods that night with Paul than it was now. Bright, warm light that had been given to them all during the morning and afternoon was now gone as night approached. There seemed to be only hours until it set completely. Not that Drew knew exactly, as he had lost track of exact time after the second day.

"I-I suppose we'll need to start rationing o-out the food. Soon it'll be too cold to wade and s-spear fish from the ocean." Leaf shifted in her seat on the log next to a silent Paul. He hadn't spoken a single word since arriving back at camp with Dawn. Both had been covered in blood and mud which shocked all of them. Even after getting them cleaned up, he still wouldn't speak, even alone with Drew. Turning back to Leaf as she finished speaking, Drew took note of the way she stuttered, trying her best to speak clearly. Was she shy, afraid, or was it just a habit?

"I guess that's a wise idea. Oh- and there's still the mango tree somewhere near the lake." A familiar voice spoke up. It was much more confident and somewhat sturdier than Leaf's voice. Flickering his eyes to the log closest to the ocean, he and everyone else set their eyes on May. "We should probably go harvest some soon." She continued.

"B-but everyone's together and I think it would be even wiser to wait for Red's directions.." Leaf spoke even faster than she did before. Drew noticed that she had leaned back and to the side so she was slightly behind Paul. Seeing the two, they looked either like siblings with drastically different hair colors or lovers. As the thought passed through his head, Drew let out an abrupt laugh.

"You disagree?" Her eyebrows furrowed together and he could feel almost everyone's eyes on him now. Paul seemed somewhat irritated with his random outburst and Dawn looked confused as her cuddle-session with Lucas was interrupted.

"N-not at all!" The green haired boy laughed, smoothing his hair back with a hand when it fell out of place. Sitting up, he gave a hair flick before opening his mouth to explain himself. "I was just thinking of something completely impossible."

"Anyways!" Misty's eyes narrowed and grew a slightly bitter look. "Who is this guy, and when did he get here?" She frowned, sticking a finger straight at Lucas. "Ah, and anymore suggestions?"

"This is Lucas, he was checking on Gary earlier. You know, the guy who was sleeping against the tree?" Dawn replied with a soft, sweet smile on her face. Drew watched out of the corner of his eye as Paul averted his gaze, directing it towards the woods. Was there some drama going on? The thought of some juicy gossip and drama made him grin just a bit.

"No he wasn't." Misty growled in a low voice, digging her nails into the bark of the log. Her sharp glare met Dawn's softer gaze and Lucas' hard stare. Ash stopped eating and looked up and between the two girls and Lucas. His big smile twitched and fell into a straight, unreadable face.

"Misty, cut it out." He nudged her gently with his elbow. It was the first time Drew had seen Ash without some air-headed comment or action. Which was definitely a shocker, as he was sure Ash's attention span was incredibly low.

"I'm not doing anything!" She snapped in response, elbowing him back roughly. Ash winced in pain before backing down and striking up a side conversation with May. Most likely to escape the awkward situation that was rising up from the dirt. He noticed the sudden change in atmosphere around Ash and May. In just seconds, their stiff conversation turned into a light and relaxed chatter. "I'm just saying that Lucas wasn't there when I woke up, which was almost two hours ago."

"I see... If Lucas just got here, than he must have been doing something." Drew quickly caught onto what Misty was trying to explain. A small wave of realization hitting him as he considered the possibilities. How would Lucas respond? Did he have a believable alibi? Oh, how curiosity overtook Drew. However, the rest of them had either stern or skeptical looks on their faces.

"W-what are you implying?" Dawn questioned, a defensive tone coating her voice. By now her soft, friendly-looking face had become almost as stiff and emotionless as Paul's. Just as Misty opened her mouth to speak, the least expected person interrupted.

"You're so ignorant. Haven't you noticed? The guy who looks like a player isn't there, Lucas must have done something." A low, dull voice grumbled, flashing an accusing look straight at Lucas.

"What are you talking about?!" Lucas scowled, tightening his fists and grip around Dawn's shoulders. "I didn't do anything to him!"

"Of course you didn't. You walk out, the boy disappears and then you come back about an hour later? Yeah, it doesn't sound suspicious." Sarcasm dripped from Paul's voice. Although, Drew had to admit, Paul had a pretty good reason for thinking that Lucas did something to the guy in the coma.

"Paul!" Dawn glared at him as he continued his wordless war with Lucas. The two of them were staring angrily at the each other and by the looks of it, were going to get physical if someone didn't intercept. But then again, Lucas didn't seem like the type of time to murder, much less punch someone.

"Hey now, let's not get spicy." Drew laughed, trying to brighten up the mood. Intense stare-downs were occurring and awkward conversations were commencing. The only three people not exactly caring or paying attention were Ash, May, and surprisingly, Misty, even though she technically started the situation.

"I'm sorry I took so much time to get back here." With the snapping and crackling to twigs and leaves, a very familiar figure emerged from the woods, just yards down the beach. A small shriek sounded out, startling Paul. Leaf shot upwards and sprinted towards the man without a word. To Drew, it was almost like a soldier coming home and visiting his daughter. The petite girl rushed up and wrapped her arms around Red's waist, which made him realize how tall the man actually was.

"W-where did you go? You j-just disappeared without telling a-anyone! I-I haven't seen you since this morning!" Her slightly angry cries were faint, yet clear to his ears. It seemed as if even with Red, she hadn't gotten over her shyness. Bickering and glares that once passed between Dawn, Lucas, and Paul ceased almost immediately after Red showed up. Drew strained to pick up on their conversation as they walked back towards the campfire.

"Oh?" After a couple of seconds, his brain processed the third figure, which was following behind the two. He soon recognized the third figure to be the boy with the brown hair and player-like attire. Leaf, plopping down with Red next to Paul again, stared straight up at the man for answers. There was a small moment of silence and anticipation as the teenagers awaited his response. Red seemed to be searching for the right words, because he sat in thought the entire time.

"Ah! I've got it." Clearing his throat, he pointed a finger over at the brunette boy who was adjusting his slightly singed, messed up hair. "Sitting over there by Misty is Gary Oak. I went out to follow some mysterious tracks in the ground, and I just happened to come across Gary. I guess he wandered off after overcoming his coma." Red explained, stretching a little.

"And that took up the entire morning?" Drew inquired, giving their leader a small smile.

"No, no, we talked a little and then tried to follow the prints, but they sort of disappeared after about an hour or so of tracking." Gary interrupted their conversation. He turned to stare at the brunette, getting a good look at him. Drew noticed the relaxed look overtaking his face, which was surprising as he figured that the other boy would panic like everyone else did. His laid-back personality was almost exactly like Red's.

"Getting back to the plan, it's getting darker out so we should stay grouped up for the night. However we're going to need to do something about our lack of food situation." Misty yawned before flashing Ash an angry glare. He said nothing in response, childishly sticking his tongue out at the fuming ginger.

"Ah, so that's the problem. Well, tomorrow Ash will be assigned double the work to make up for it." Red smiled, examining Paul's wounded flesh. "May, could you please bring that makeshift tarp over here?"

"What?" She looked around in confusion before spotting the tarp. It was a long sheet of large, green leaves woven together and tied up around four small trees. Approaching the edge of the woods where it lay, she peered into it. May's eyes widened as she saw the amount of water collected. "The whole thing?"

"No, actually I'd just like a handful, please." The man replied, trying to rub off more of the blood with Paul's hoodie. Nodding, May scooped up a handful of water and carefully made her way to where he, Paul, and Leaf sat.

"When did you make a bigger tarp?" Dawn stared in awe and excitement to see that they had more water available then she thought.

"Just before it drizzled a couple days back." Red flashed her a smile.

"Sprinkle it over his hand and arm, we're going to clean it." He murmured. Drew winced, the wounds looked very painful. Paul's lower arm was torn open and his hand had a bite mark in it. Although it was cleaned up, his arm seemed to be a waterfall of blood pouring onto the sand. For a second, his eyes locked with Paul's dull, dark orbs before the violet haired boy fell backwards, fainting.

"Whoa! Paul!" Drew stood up, worry crossing his face. The attention of everyone there was turned towards Paul who was now on Red's back. Blood still oozed from his wound and dripped as he began to carry him to the big oak.

"It's alright, he just fainted from blood loss." Red called over his shoulder casually. His composure was something that sort of irritated Drew, but he knew that without it, everything would be chaos. "Drew, Leaf, I'd like you to come with me." He added before disappearing into the bushes, heading towards the tree.

Standing up, Drew wordlessly followed Leaf into the grassy clearing in the woods. There laid Paul, getting his wounds cleaned up with water and a piece of fabric which Red had ripped from his hoodie. Although he seemed relaxed, there was visible tension on Red's face as he tried to clot up the blood.

"Leaf, go with Drew to find some mallow leaves and burdock root. You know what those are, right?" He stood up, leaving Paul with the cloth tied around his arm. Dark red soaked through, dirtying it and causing his eyebrows to knit together.

"I may, but I'm not sure I understand completely..." She murmured, shuffling her feet nervously. It was clear that she had never experienced a situation like this, much less help out. Red obviously picked up on this because he laughed before drawing several images in a patch of dirt. The first was a image of several flowers and the next was a picture of their leaves up close. Another was a picture of some spiky looking clumps of circles and the final picture was that of the bulb's roots. They were sloppily drawn, but Drew understood the main concept of what they were.

"Mallow are flowers with five pink and white petals. They're edible, but I only need the leaves and burdock roots come from gray and pinkish bulbs which are fairly large. I only need the roots. You'll know it when you see it." Picking up several rocks, he walked back out to the camp, leaving the two standing there trying to process what he had just told them. From a distance, Drew watched him dump the rocks on the coals of the fire before digging a hole in the sand. Red lifted his hands from the hole and let what looked like seawater trickle through his fingers.

"We should go b-before he loses even more b-blood than he already has." Leaf muttered jabbing him in the gut with a finger to get his attention.

"Alright." He flicked his hair before jogging after her. She walked quickly yet quietly, not even breaking dry leaves as she made her way through the trees. If he hadn't been there when Red lectured them on what the herbs he needed were, he'd probably think that she knew exactly where to go to find them. However, no matter how confident she looked in what direction they turned, Drew could still spot the confusion in her eyes.

"Hey...Leaf?" Drew was now walking beside her, slightly shivering. The air was cold and dry, it was that sort of season. Her eyes flickered over to him as they passed a fallen tree which was coated in moss. She nodded as if trying to tell him that he had her attention without speaking.

"What's up with you, Red, and Gary?" Shoving his hands in his pockets. For some odd reason everyone's relationships and troubles interested him greatly. Maybe it was because he had nothing to do during the day when a task wasn't assigned. It seemed that Leaf's relationship with Red was extremely close and positive. The only thing that concerned him was that they'd met only four days ago, almost five. Although it wasn't odd that everyone was beginning to develop friendships and such, she acted as if Red was a family member. He also found her flashing Gary some dirty looks for whatever reason.

"Red's my friend and Gary's a low-life." Leaf replied bluntly. Her shyness had disappeared for that split second, confusing him greatly. Life these days was like a puzzle to Drew. Things were all over the place and hardly made sense anymore. Random scenes of blood and gore were popping up and whenever Paul came back from a 'trip' he and Dawn would be covered in blood, scrapes, and bruises. According to Paul there were strange cannibals making their appearances on the island too. On top of that, the girls didn't seem to make any sense either. One moment they'd be perfectly happy and fine then the next they'd be angry or crying claiming that it was all your fault. Unconsciously, he let out a snort and watched as she rolled her eyes and looked forward.

"How is Gary a 'low-life'? He seems pretty cool." Drew questioned, looking around to see if there were any visible plants in the area. Was she developing a different speech? If he wasn't mistaken, he remembered Leaf to speak in a more casual tone and form.

"He is just... very forgetful and ignorant." She quietly explained, rubbing her arms in an attempt to warm herself.

"How?"

"W-we have known each other for a very long time and he acts as if he's never met me before!" Her fists clenched by her side. Had her stuttering stopped? Maybe she could only speak clearly with one person at a time. That would make sense. "I found burdock!" She angrily stomped over and ripped the bulbs out of the earth, pulling up roots.

"Hey, calm down." He moved, kneeling beside her. Leaf fumed as she separated the burdock roots from the plant. It was getting darker out and they would need to find the last plant quickly so that Paul's wound wouldn't get infected. Hopefully it had clotted up by now. Turning, she flashed him a sharp, icy look. Girls really were difficult. Sighing, he stood up and offered her a hand as she finished picking up the roots. She took it and let him pull her upwards and onto her feet. However something caught her eye and she seemed to be staring at it, trying to identify it. Drew followed her eyes to a plant sticking up out of the ground. It was a large, blob-shaped clump of white and yellow flowers which emerged from the stem.

Back in his hometown his parents had researched medicine. Although he had almost never actually bothered to pay attention to their lectures and lessons, Drew recognized the plant almost immediately. There were several things he did know about medicinal herbs due to his own curiosity, although he'd never admit it. When he was about seven he had been foolishly playing with a knife in the kitchen. He had no idea why it interested him, but either way, it was in the past. The knife had fallen out of his hands and straight onto his foot, cutting it. As he cried, his parents had decided to test a fairly simple poultice on it. After wrapping it, the excessive blood had stopped several hours later. Now that he thought about it, it wasn't a very deep cut, but it seemed like it was back then.

"Common yarrow. Great for clotting blood." Drew leaned forward and plucked some out, gently placing it within the right pocket of his pants. He then took the roots from her hand and stuffed them in his left pocket. "Should we go find those mallow leaves?" The chartreuse haired boy suggested, beginning to walk even deeper into the woods.

"Sure.." She muttered, brushing off her skirt. Darker, darker only an hour and a half had passed and yet the sky was already a murky gray, almost black, color. There was plenty of yarrow growing in the area, but no mallow. At the very least they could bring back burdock and possibly white oak bark as he knew that the bark could serve as a replacement when boiled.

"Hey, Leaf?" Drew spoke up after several minutes of walking in silence. It seemed as if every walk or trip through the woods or down the beach had quiet moments like those. Although he was certain that Leaf preferred it silent because she turned and gave him a slightly irritated look, obviously doing her best to keep it from showing too much. "Why did you suddenly change your speech?"

"I did not make changes to my speech at all. I have always spoken this way, it's just, since my mother and the public aren't here, I chose to speak casually like everyone else." Her response was clear and probably more formal than even someone like Drew could ever be.

"Did you come from a prestigious family?" He watched as she exhaled, slowing down her fast walking pace to match his. This girl was nothing like May, who usually stormed ahead trying to compete with him. However, in a way, he enjoyed competing with May over every little thing, it was fun and took up his free time so that he wouldn't think too much about home.

"Yeah, the Green blood-line is supposed to be high-class, but I like wearing normal clothes." Her speech changed once more, sounding more normal for a teenage girl. With a hand, she pointed to her sky-blue tank top and tugged gently on her red skirt as if to show him how casual and informal they looked.

"That reminds me, you were speaking just fine and you didn't seem shy with Paul and Dawn before my falling out with May. What's up with you now?"

"I'm not really sure... I just got a very relaxed vibe from Dawn and Paul isn't really that scary if you imagine him smiling." She replied, fiddling with a blade of grass.

"Paul? Smiling? You've got a large imagination."

"Yeah, but anyways, people in my family are disciplined in the way they talk. "

"Why do you have to speak formally?" Drew murmured, kneeling down for a split second and checking a pink flower sticking out of the ground. Deciding that it wasn't what he was looking for, he moved to catch up to her. A foul look crossed her face as soon as he said that.

"T-that's not for y-you to know!" Leaf grumbled, stuttering again. Great. He was back at step one with her. Which displeased him as she was most likely the only girl he could talk freely to without the fear of setting her off. Even if he could talk to Dawn, Lucas or Paul would be right there, glaring up a storm. And Misty and May were definitely in the category of his fears. He hadn't known the ginger for very long, her glares and bitter responses to Ash's actions were fairly vicious but May was another story.

The rest of their walk was silent after that, Leaf had pried some white oak bark off of a tree and he had luckily found patches and patches of horsetail out in yet another grassy clearing in the middle of the woods. The horsetail would also help stimulate clotting and speed up the healing process when boiled. For once in his life, Drew found that his parents' textbooks which were usually left out on the living room table were helpful. There was a sense of pride rising up within him after finding a place to show off a bit of knowledge.

"It's been three hours, I think we should head back." Drew tapped Leaf on the shoulder. She looked at him quickly before scanning the area one last time. Sprinting over to a tree, she slowly and cautiously removed a stalk of nettle from the ground before rushing back to him and nodding. Nettle, the plant which could be used to cleanse infected wounds or heal congestion and stomach aches. Even if Paul's wound was fairly bad, he highly doubted that it would get infected. However, Drew, not in the mood to fight or argue with anyone, much less Leaf, let it go without a comment. They had moved pretty far into the woods and by the time they'd arrive back, Drew was sure that everyone would be asleep. Hopefully Paul hadn't lost too much blood or their little 'herbal search party' would be for nothing.

"Drew..?" She murmured quietly, holding the nettle carefully away from her body and making sure not to touch their stinging hairs.

"Hm?"

"I h-hate to complain, but I'm r-really hungry.." He hadn't noticed before, but it took her saying that to make him realize how hungry he was. His thoughts had made his attention stray away to the point where he hadn't eaten since early morning. Up until now they'd been drinking the rain which collected in the large leaves which usually satisfied their hunger for a short period of time. Now that they knew Red had completed a big tarp, they were surely set for a little bit until it ran out. They'd have to do a very careful job of rationing it all out, at least until they find a way to transport the lake water from the woods to the beach to boil it. Way back on the first day of his consciousness when Paul suggested that they boil the seawater, he had been incredibly incorrect as saltwater will not become filtered after being boiled. However the lake water would work pretty well.

"Well, maybe Red and the others set aside some food for us." He smiled gently. Her polite manner of speech was one that not even May could match. In fact, May would probably get frustrated and flail about, smacking him several times.

"B-but Ash ate t-the last of the fish..."

"Red will come up with something like he usually does. In fact, the dude is a great fisher, right? Maybe he caught something and is almost done cooking it." Drew tried to keep the mood bright. With their heads down they'd see nothing but the dust and with their heads up they'd see nothing but the black sky glittered with stars. Although the sky was pretty enough, if they had their heads forward, then they'd have more hope which was essential to their lifestyle these days. Hope. He was certain that everyone had it and everyone clung to it. Most everyone thought about it too, he was confident in that thought.

"I can hear the ocean.." Leaf picked up the pace, her once silent footsteps came across as light pattering sounds as she ran. Drew hurried after her, a bit more confused than usual as he couldn't hear a single thing. But her hearing must be exceptionally well because he began to hear it after a couple of minutes. Faster, faster. He seemed to be falling behind now, which was yet another surprise as Drew hadn't pictured her to be a very athletic person.

Breaking through the thickets, he flew out of the dark, shadowy woods right after Leaf. As he stopped to catch his breath, he took sight of the beautiful sunset. Yellow, red, white, brown, and pink, a stunning mixture of light and dark resting atop the ocean waters. Fluffy, white clouds tinted with a soft violet purple swirled above and beside the shining sun. Beauty. It had been a very long time since he had seen something so calming and so gorgeous.

"W-we... Should go watch t-this with the others..." Leaf punched him gently in the shoulder before heading in the direction of the smoke, just down the beach.

"Yeah." Drew hesitated before nodding. He had remembered last year's Grand Festival where May emerged victorious. She had held that over his head all the way up until New Year when she laughed and promised she was done boasting for now. Although, he felt as if she hadn't had the right to use the gloating rights as both Dawn and another boy named Kenny had come very close to defeating her in the first and second round. Truth be told, he had known Dawn's name from the start, although she didn't seem to recognize him. This wasn't very surprising as every time he made an attempt to talk to her after each contest May would distract him.

During the contest May had used a Blaziken and a Wartortle. The Wartortle shot streams of water up into the air while the Blaziken used flare blitz. He still remembered the balls of fire shot in a circle around the fountain of water, only to be later cooled with an ice beam before melting to the ground below. With that combo, it created a truly amazing move. Compared to the sunset to his right as he followed through the sand after Leaf, the move looked almost exactly like it. Bright and beautiful. Something like that would be difficult for even someone as talented as him to recreate. Unconsciously, he gave a little hair flick, puffing out his chest.

"They're at it again.." The brunette girl beside him let out a sigh. They were now several feet in front of the camp fire and another cuddle session was occurring between Dawn and Lucas. Ash looked up and waved his usual wave, flailing his arms about until they noticed him and greeted him back. Red was no where in sight, probably at the oak tree with Paul. Meanwhile Misty was carving a bowl out of what looked like an old, beaten up turtle shell. Had she discovered that on shore? He'd have to ask her about that later.

"There you are!" May stomped over to him and grabbed him roughly by the collar of his shirt. Anger filled her eyes as she tightened her grip, glaring straight into his eyes. The sunset behind made her seem very attractive as the light illuminated half of her face. A pretty pinkish-yellow hue coated half of her hair and face while the shadows were a cool blue. Interesting. However his calm thoughts were shattered as she began shaking him wildly, her lips were moving but he couldn't hear anything. It was if the entire world and it's sound were muted. That is, until she slapped him across the face.

"Ow!" He winced, his once calm face stiffening into a annoyed expression.

"You took way too long! Paul's still as bloody as hell and now he's got a fever! Even Red's beginning to panic because he can't go collect herbs or send anyone else out in the dark!" She released his shirt from her fist, adjusting her sling. He noticed her wince slightly as she shifted it and was about to say something about it. However a violent shove to his back startled him, he coughed before looking back and raising an eyebrow towards her. "Go!" Her jaw clenched.

Wordlessly, he walked back into the woods and towards the grassy clearing where the large oak sat. There lay Paul, he never thought he'd see the day where the seemingly unbreakable would look so pitiful. His face was a light pink and his breathing was slightly shallow. Leaf was already there next to Red, looking to Drew for the herbs. Fumbling through his pockets for a minute, he finally pulled out the herbs and handed them to Red. The man stood up quickly, herbs and roots in hand before rushing out towards the campfire. Drew followed after him, leaving Leaf to try and clean Paul's arm again and cool his forehead down with water.

"Red?" He questioned silently, watching him pull several medium-sized rocks out of the coals of the fire with a stick.

"I'm going to boil these, there's a rock on the cutting log, take the yarrow and mash it into a poultice, please." Red replied quickly with a low yet friendly voice. With his foot, he kicked the rocks one by one into the hole he had watched him dig earlier. Almost immediately, steam rose from the hole, probably due to the seawater. One by one, he tossed white oak bark and burdock root into the hole.

Nodding, he took the yarrow, walking over to the cutting log. It was rough and looked worn out, obviously he had picked it up in the woods. However the top part was smooth, stripped of it's bark and a milky pale brown color.

"Hey Drew, is Paul okay?" Ash smiled lightly, twiddling his thumbs.

"I don't know, but if not, he will be soon." Drew assured, flicking his hair. Setting down the yarrow, he picked up a light gray rock about the size of his hand. The rock seemed to fit perfectly within the palm of his hand. Eyes flickering around the long log, he noticed the stone filet knife and what looked like several pieces of long grass. Someone had obviously tried to practice knotting things as there were multiple sticks with the same grass tied sloppily around them.

"That's great!" He could feel Ash's eyes on him as he rammed the rock against the white and yellow yarrow. It was a bit chunky and odd looking at first, but soon it was shaped into a more paste-like form. The squishy poultice looked a little bit funny as Drew hadn't made medicine like this in years. With a sigh, he took a leaf and scraped it on before carrying it out to Paul. Making a poultice was a lot easier and faster than he had thought. Looking back, he saw that Red was still waiting for the herbs to simmer. He had several large leaves piled onto each other, possibly to transport the water. Drew tried to think hard back to what his parents had lectured him on. There were some sort of chemicals in the herbs however he wasn't sure if boiling would actually draw them out or not.

Shrugging, he ignored the conversing going on around the fire and began to rub the poultice into Paul's arm and hand. He tried to ignore the random spasms and now heavy breathing which came from Paul as he applied it. What did it feel like? Or maybe was he asleep and something in his dream was affecting him. No matter how grumpy or pessimistic Paul could be, he still wanted to be his friend. Taking off his coat, Drew laid it across him, leaving only his head and wounded arm sticking out. Even if he had a fever, being out in the cold away from the fire wouldn't help even if it did cool him down a little more than water would. Leaf looked at him with curiosity as he continued to rub the remains of the poultice into his hand. Blood which once flowed had begun to stop as he pressed the gray hoodie onto the paste and bite wounds. Little patches of deep scarlet blood soaked through, but otherwise the yarrow had done a nice job clotting.

"It's ready." Red's slightly happier sounding tone attracted Drew's attention. By now the sun had completely set leaving only the light illumination of the fire. Slowly, the tall man came carefully stepping into the grassy clearing, large leaves in hand. As suspected, he was transporting liquids with either the boiled herbs or the now chemical-filled water. It took several minutes for him to safely carry the liquid without it spilling over, but as soon as the final shuffle was made, Leaf had removed the cloth from Paul's arm and hand. Trembling from the muscle strain, Red crouched down and with great care, poured the once hot, now warm water over and into his wounds. Combined with the paste and blood, it looked extremely disgusting, however Drew couldn't bring himself to look away.

Crickets sounded out and Paul's small grunts and short periods of thrashing accompanied them. The herbal water seemed to cause a greater reaction than the poultice. Leaf's head turned away and she was now seemingly staring into space as Paul suddenly cried out in pain. Maybe his fever was adding to the pain and he hadn't seen him eat anything at all so he must have a very painful stomach ache too. This guy seemed to get hurt more than anyone in the group. Although it may be because he's put himself out there in the unexplored areas more than anyone else, even more than Red.

"We'll just have to sit and wait for the night, I'll take a trip to the lake tomorrow and see if we can find something to take care of his fever. Until then, could you store some of the extra herbs away?" After wrapping Paul's arm with the cloth of the hoodie, Red stood up and handed him another handful of yarrow, a few pieces of burdock root, and with another large leaf wrapped around the lower half, Leaf's full stalk of nettle.

"Alright." Drew took the supplies in his arms, wincing as part of the bare nettle scraped against his arm which was now exposed as he had forgotten his coat was with Paul. Looking over at Paul one last time, he reached up with one hand and snagged a long, thick, musty green leaf from a tree branch dipping down below. He took a deep breath before walking out towards the group. Ash's gluttonous behavior, Misty and May's tempers, and Lucas and Dawn's love-bird behavior were beginning to get on his nerves. If he walked out without mentally preparing himself, he'd probably go mad.

Low murmurs of conversations floating around the camp-site greeted him and the warmth of the fire helped. His stiff and aching muscles felt more relaxed as a wave of heat enveloped his body and shut out the freezing cold atmosphere he had felt earlier. Taking a seat next to May, he began to wrap up the medical supplies in the leaves.

"Having fun playing doctor with Paul and Red?" She teased lightly, taking notice of him after wrapping up a short conversation with Dawn.

"Playing? Someone like me does not 'play' doctor. In fact, I'd say I'm good enough to be one." Drew snorted, tying the stems of the leaves together in a knot. Tapping it a couple times, he decided that it was packed well and set it off to the side.

"Has Paul's health gotten better?" May held her sides, desperate for warmth. Leaning inwards towards the fire, Drew couldn't help but notice that the cloth wrapped around her broken arm in the wood sling was beginning to tear. It looked scratched up and dirty, however it may have just been because of the lighting.

"We'll just have to wait and see." Drew murmured, running his fingers through his hair.

"Paul is Mr. Purple?" A friendly grin formed on Gary's face. He hadn't exactly gotten a proper introduction from Paul or Drew but seemed oddly trusting. The trust he had for the group was displayed openly on his face.

"Yep, he's our dark cloud of rage. Behold, for the Drew Hayden has appeared before you." Drew began laughing dramatically and cockily until May kicked him in the shins. "Damn."

"Gary, the sexy, Oak. You can love me all you want but I don't swing that way." He replied, jokingly leaning over and stroking the chartreuse haired boy's arm.

"Well this is amusing." May stabbed a small, thin twig into the ground before looking up and smiling. Lucas laughed a little, giving Dawn a squeeze around the shoulders. Her smile was warm and tender. Drew's eyes narrowed at the sight of this. He was certain that Paul's behavior was more off than usual because of her, after all, every time those two come back from spending time alone he's utterly silent. Paul won't say much, will stare off into space, and flash dirty looks at Lucas. As observant as he was, Drew was still slightly confused as to what their relationship was. Drama. The most entertaining thing on earth. A small chuckle escaped his mouth.

"Paul's not a 'dark cloud of rage'." Dawn pulled slightly away from Lucas before flashing Drew an icy look. A wave of shock overtook him for a moment as he had never received such a look from Dawn. Usually it was a look of disappointment, humor, excitement, etc. Weren't her icy looks supposed to be reserved for Paul?

"Whatever." Drew recovered and waved his hand with a grin.

"What are you talking about? He's a living storm cloud! I swear, I bet he has some sort of disability that prevents him from having feelings." Lucas broke out laughing. The blue haired girl turned, gaze as hard as stone and mouth curved into a frown.

"Lucas, that was mean" Dawn shouldered his arm off of her, glaring straight into his eyes. From Drew's prospective they looked like an old bickering couple. Lucas' eyes were warm and seemed to be unaffected by the several sets of eyes on them. He simply kept up a soft expression on his face and continued to ramble.

"Come on, Dawn, you know it's true. In fact, he's so dark and unpredictable that I wouldn't be surprised if he woke up and tried to kill us all."

"Hey!" Drew barked, standing up. His fists clenched at his side and something within himself burned and begged for him to let it out. Paul, even though he may not think so, was his friend. Nobody could possibly understand how the other boy felt, in fact, he was certain that Paul must've had some emotion. It was impossible for one to not have feelings.

"Drew, sit down." He felt a tug on his shirt. Looking down, he met May's cool blue eyes which were soft yet sharp. They seemed to hold some sort of warning to them. Ash and Misty had stopped their short arguing over food and water supplies. Everyone's attention was on both Lucas and Drew as he plopped back down next to May. Gary stared with a speechless expression on his face, but the fact that he had no idea what was going on was only to be expected. After all, Gary hadn't exactly known Paul for as long as everyone else had.

"Look, it's not my fault that his personality is like that. If you ask me, he acts like a total attention whore. I think we all know that anyone that anti-social must be cutting himself at night, have you seen his wounds? Did something really assault him or did he do that himself? He seriously needs t-"

"Lucas!" Dawn snapped, drawing back her fist. She caught him off guard, slamming her fist into his forehead.

"Fuck! What the hell, Dawn?!" He shouted, falling backwards off the log and clutching his face in his hands. Dawn had surprised everyone as she was the last person that even Drew expected to shut Lucas up. Peering closer, Drew realized that the light in her eyes was gone and her eyes looked dull. Something seemed just a little off about her. However, just as he was about to ask, the reflection in her eyes returned.

"That was uncalled for." She glared with visible disgust in her cobalt eyes. Lucas stared directly up at her, rubbing the spot where she had hit him. It was now bruising over leaving an ugly purple-blue blotch in the center of his forehead. Nobody, not even Gary or Misty dared utter a single word. Probably a wise idea as Dawn's fury seemed to be a terrifying thing. He could see it on the expression on Lucas' face.

"Dawn.." May moved to speak but trailed off, not exactly knowing what to say or do. Misty shuffled and nervously kicked the sand beneath her feet and Ash smiled trying to pretend everything was normal. Gary, on the other hand, was helping Lucas up much to Dawn's displeasure. 'Bros before hoes' would probably be his reason. Drew looked between Lucas and Dawn, trying to make observations on their expressions, nervous habits, and emotions. It was the usual wide eyes, shock, anger, and slight fear. Nothing new.

"W-wait, Dawn, come back, I didn't mean it! I love you!" Lucas reached towards her, but she slapped it away. Eyes burning with ferocity and another emotion Drew could not define, Dawn smacked him even harder as he made an attempt to wrap his arm around her. He saw Misty and Ash out of the corner of his eye, she seemed to be whispering something into his ear. Nodding, he put on a wide, friendly grin before standing up and walking around the campfire towards Dawn. Tapping her shoulder lightly he made an attempt to direct her attention away from the current situation.

"Hey, Daw-"

"I'm going to bed." She turned and smiled at Drew and everyone aside from Lucas. Her much lighter and upbeat tone was a bit creepy, but Drew decided to let it go unnoticed. Just before heading through the bushes on her way to the clearing she stopped, not even bothering to look over her shoulder.

"Good night.."

IT'S DONE. CHAPTER 16 AHAHHAHA

I'M GOING INSANE

This was longer than my usual 2,000-3,000 word chapters but it was a bit more serious than others.

I finally got to the survival point, but I suppose this chapter was indirectly centered around Paul.

Looks like Dawn got a little pissed off.

Do you think she'll continue her relationship with Lucas? Why did she get so angry?

What made Lucas have a change in heart and personality?

Oh the drama, oh the questions.

Will Ash cause food-related problems for the group?

Will the cannibals show up again?

What is Leaf's reasoning for such prestigious behavior? And why might she be so shy?

Finally, JUST. WHO. IS. RED?
Thanks!

Feel free to leave a review, I'd love to know what you think!
Until next time,

~Bear