Near-Death Experience

[Dreamer]

It was a muggy and humid afternoon in the rainforest. The bug pokemon were chirping loudly at random times, enjoying the wet heat. There were clouds in the sky, concealed though by the trees that reached heights that a foreign pokemon would think to be impossible. It was on this very same afternoon, that Titan began hunting.

He was famished, especially since he had skipped out on breakfast, a stupid move that he knew would make traveling through this endless rainforest even more unbearable. His golden eyes scanned the ground below, watching for any signs of sudden movement. Drool was forming at his mouth as he watched for some sign of life. Titan needed nourishment almost as badly as needing to see the blueness of the sky..which was impossible for now. It was so hot out, and there had been no water in sight ever since he had entered the everlasting green. Rain forest or not, Titan was as parched as he was starving. His wings beat rapidly, his iron hard muscles whining in protest as they carried him skyward, to another branch that hung above. He needed food...even a spinarak would work for him. As his claws dug into the small branch, his eyes scoped for something, anything that was edible...that he could digest...discluding the leaves of course. He was losing faith...how could a rainforest be scarce on meat? It was a rainforest after all! Growling, Titan took off again, too hungry to see anything but the path infront of him, what if he never escaped? What would the other Skarmory's say then? Titan shook the thoughts from his head, he just had to keep looking....food was his dire need...nothing else mattered right then and there...maybe it was the heat, finally getting into his brain..or maybe it was something more..maybe he had finally cracked under all of this pressure...maybe he needed someone to talk to...to guide him out of this personal hell of his...if only there was someone willing to help..

Titan could feel his wings shut down, he could feel his body begin to fall, his steel armor whistling in the air as he dropped. His eyes closed, but fluttered open again as he realized that he was no longer airborne, but stranded on the grassy terrain that marked the rainforest's soil. His throat was dry, and his stomach was cramping up, there were no more calories to burn, no more energy to waste.

No! I can't...die here!

Titan was reluctant as always, propping himself up so he could see infront of him. The sunlight was no where to be found, and yet, it was strangely bright. Yanma flew over his head, taunting him as he sat, stuck on the ground. He bared his teeth, but nothing came from his mouth...his throat was to dry...sighing mutely, Titan looked down at his dented armor, this might just be his last day in the rainforest...his last day on earth. Tears welled up in his eyes as he thought of the final outcome...he licked at them as they fell down his cheek, getting water in his system felt nice..but it wasn't hardly enough...why did he go through this place alone...he should have known that it was a stupid idea...but no one liked him enough to go with him...they all thought it was a stupid and idiotic idea...and it turned out that they were right...Titan could never win...chewing his leathery lip, Titan looked to the sky, waiting for his conscious to slip away...only a miracle could save him now.

[Sephalesh]

You expect a miracle where you will find only disaster.

A lone creature laid upon the grassy floor of the endless rainforest. It was no less, with it's hollow focusless eyes and it's permanent pointless smile, it could only be called a creature. There was a berry in it's lap, but it just stared ahead, looking at nothing. Pokemon made a wide circle around this creature for good reason. It may have made no move, but it was far more dangerous than anything else in the forest.

Almost in front of this creature, A giant bird crashed into the ground. Sightless eyes saw nothing, so the creature didn't even flinch. The smile of his never moved in concern as the Skarmory landed so forcefully next to him. He could see, but was barred from comprehension. He could express, but was scarred far back into it's mind. The berry slipped out of the creature's lap, and rolled it's way to the Skarmory. A fleshy berry that stank of rot and death, but it was food. It was water. It was the Skarmory's only hope. Would the steel bird dare, or would he die.

The creature didn't care. It just stared ahead blankly behind the Skarmory. It just smiled blankly at the world in defiance of everything else.

[Dreamer]

Still growling almost silently at the yanma, Titan never realized the little fruit that just happened to appear beside him. The small thump that sounded, and the ruffling of the grass as it rolled towards him never seemed to get through to him. Teeth bared as he hungrily watched the bugs flitter and jump from tree to tree, never taking his eyes off of them. The only thing that phased him from this taunting game was the strange and pungent smell began to make its way into Titan's small nostrils. At first, the smell of rotting flesh excited his heart, there was food nearby..food he could find on the ground. His heart thumped in his steel chest as he lost interest in the yanma, and began searching, still immobile on the mossy terrain. The scent became stronger as soon as he turned his head to the opposite side. But as he turned his head, he began to pick up the scent of another, more horrific outcome. Inhaling deeply, he caught the smell of...death..of what a corpse would smell like when it had never been touched...but not a carcass that belonged to prey, no, more like the smell of his own death. The rustic scent of musty steel...the strange fragrance of leathery skin rotting away in the metallic shell...

Was he Hallucinating?

He immediately looked down, forcing his eyes closed, ignoring the sudden pain that came with this simple reaction. His throat, so sore with the drought that burned through the skarmory swelled and puffed up, causing searing pain. Titan didn't care, he would rather be unconscious, dead, than in this place. The sudden fright that had caused him to go haywire had nearly totalled his remaining energy. His teeth clenched as his eyes revealed themselves again. He was still looking down, where the scent was strongest, his eyes were blurred due to the lack of energy that was being transported to his brain. All he could see was green...nothing showed any evidence of giving of that putrid stink..except....

Titan caught sight of a small sphere that sat, inches away from his armored leg. He bent down, his muscles tense, only let him get so far. Using all of his concentration, he focused on the small ball, inhaling at the same time. The scent was alarmingly strong, allowing Titan to realize that this small roundish looking thing was the culprit for his "hallucinations". Blinking twice, he realized what it was. This thing, that smelled of death, was fruit. A large, fat fruit by the looks of it. Although it didn't look one bit delicious...Titan knew what was held inside...this strange berry was food...that happened to fall right beside him. Titan cocked his head upward, as if to try to scope out the tree it had fallen from, only finding that all of the trees that surrounded him were only full of green leaves. Turning his head so he could look at the peculiar berry again, he realized suddenly that he was not alone. He knew that Yanma were in this area, but somehow, there was something...behind him, that stared blankly through the forest.

Titan couldn't get his head to turn...he needed food at the moment, and the only food he needed was sitting quietly beside him...It's worth a shot Titan...without it, you will surely die...unless...that essence behind you is planning to kill you as well...but, it is better to have one of those options ruled out. Take the food Titan...it could help you to escape.... Titan closed his eyes. Deliberating his chances. He had realized that the Yanma were no longer around, as if they were scared off...but by what? He could sense that what was behind him was generally smaller than he was...but did that not matter in this situation? No matter. Titan tilted his head until his mouth could touch the large berry. As soon as the fruit touched one of his sharp teeth, he slowly closed his mouth, straightening his neck so the berry no hung by his jaws. Jerking his neck, he let the berry fly, its scent whipping around him, causing his eyes to water. It fell back into his open mouth. His teeth tore at the berry's skin, allowing the liquids that were concealed in it, to immediately disperse, filling his mouth with water, and a strange flavor that he had never tasted before. He continued to chew, allowing the water to flow through his throat, soothing it, and making the swelling cease. The berry itself had a remarkable taste, unlike the awful smell, the taste was better to withstand. Although it wasn't Titan's best meal, he could feel it slightly fill his belly, giving him the strength he needed to find better food.

As he finished the small fruit, Titan sighed and looked up at the sky, forgetting all about the presence that idly sat behind him..and the dangers it held. All Titan felt was relief...and maybe some indigestion, but all that mattered is that for now, Titan's hunger was satiated...the miracle he had been hoping for fulfilled, atleast that's what he thought...

[Sephalesh]

The fruit was non-lethal in every sense of the word. It was just a rare kind that few dared eat. It didn't have any special properties. It was simply food. A food that could only be found in a desert, but food none the less.

The creature behind the Skarmory stared straight ahead at nothing, like it always did. It's smile was calm, but somehow not right in any form. The creature rose from it's sitting demeaner,and swiveled a few degrees. Then it sat down again, looking at nothing again, smiling at nothing again. It's eyes were empty of everything that could be branded as a soul. A soul was something it lost a long time ago. It's mouth opened, to reveal a gaping maw of destruction. Two rows of razor sharp teeth appeared from that calm little smile. Each tooth was sharp enough to rip through flesh, and powerful enough to crush rocks. It looked about to eat the world.

Instead, a sweet innocent voice issued forth from that deadly maw. "Death is life?" Alex's head swayed to the left then the right, then back to the left, as a metronome to an invisible song. "Life is death?" Alex asked the world, head tilted to the right. The voice never changed, like the eyes, or the smile, which had now turned into a deadly grin. The world seemed afraid to answer this dull pokemon, Maybe it had a reason, for this baby of a pokemon seemed unnatural. "Then breath your last breathe" It finished, tilting it's head back to the left to that invisible song. It's mouth closed to the end of the song, and it's eyes had never moved.

[Dreamer]

Titan immediately perked up. The voice not failing to go by his sensitive ears. His eyes widened as he moved his body to where the voice was coming from. The bug-pokemon behind him shrieked and isntantly found coverage in the high trees. For some reason, Titan did not share their anguish, only a sense of curiosity. Golden eyes full of wonder took in the small creature that sat silently infront of him. Sight no longer blurred, Titan was able to notice how its eyes never blinked...how its smile never faltered. Was this the thing that had spoken those eerie lyrics? Titan tilted his head, no longer having to fight the fatigue or pain because of the berry he had just devoured. The thing looked more like a manufactured toy that Titan had seen in the windows of the human boxes once before...not like a pokemon.

Titan picked up one ironclad leg, placing it inches from the creature, peering at it with disbelief. He outstretched his maroon coloured wings, testing the idle creature's bravery...it didn't look afraid...Titan was befuddled...
"Excuse me. I did not see you there. I thought I was alone..."
Titan felt embarrassed talking to this thing. What if it didn't answer? What if it rambled on about life and death again, without noticing Titan as he stood so plainly infront of him. With sharp teeth managing to overlap his bottom lip, Titan waited for the small creature to respond.