The Suffocating heart -breathes-

[wynnyelle]

" I see, you want to make us look like fools," said Harcus. " Perhaps you'd be happier if we just started killing each other rather than trying to work it through on peaceful terms?"

Raker started going after Kiara. She really was right, but the real reason he was backing her up was because those zangooses were making him look bad. " Yeah, let's go have a look."

[-Legendary-]

"I don't need to make you look like fools. You allready do that yourself," she quietly growled to herself, letting her eyes trave Raker towards her. She gae him a look up and down then glanced at the Zangooses for a last time until next time. "Where should we go now?" she asked. She was just planning on exploring and training. She didn't know the land well but Raker did.

[wynnyelle]

" we don't have to go far to find trainees," said Raker, trying to ignore her disdain. The truth was he was getting a soft spot for her, but he'd never admit it.

He trotted off leaving the brothers to decide what they wanted to do, stay or go.

Harcus wasn't going to let them make fools out of himself and his brother! He headed off after them thinking of ways they could get them back.

[-Legendary-]

Kiara gave a soft sigh. She let her head slump down a bit and she noded to Raker's comment. She didn't think they'd have to go far. She turned and began to trot after Raker. A shiver was sent up her spine. She had the strange feeling they were being followed.

[fya]

Marcol watched the dogs head off. Dalla gave him a dirty look and then was gone as well. "Heh," he mutted, an amused smile on his face. "This will go well."

[wynnyelle]

Harcus grinned. " Idiots. Just like the others we've killed for their idiocy. We can really grow fat on idiots, there are so many of them."

* * *

Raker didn't have much of a plan. The young houndoom was only recently evolved, and then only because of Horde training he had done on their orders. He had never had a pack of his own that he'd been in full charge of, like this, where they all looked to him as a leader. One thing was for sure, he would have to come up with a plan really soon.

He headed over towards a group of pups and kittens, who were moving in a straggly sort of herd of six or seven. Clearly they were children of the Horde or maybe of prisoners, and after the Shadowlord's death they had been left to their own devices.

[-Legendary-]

Kiara glanced back and spotted Dalla coming she gave her a small smirk and looked forward again. In the idstance the tiny shapes of the kits and pups were visible. A small grin creased her maw as she took a deep breath, inhaling the young pokemon's scents.

[wynnyelle]

" Now what are you all doing out and about?" said Raker, grinning down at the pups and kits.

" We're a pack," said a plucky-looking young growlithe, " and we're bigger than you in numbers, too."

" Oh, yes," said Raker, and then he got an idea. Rather than beat these pokemon down why not train them up? " But without a strong leader, you're not going anywhere fast. If we band together and create one big pack I can even help you train and get stronger."

[fya]

"Your not too old yourself," said one poochyena. He was strangly purebred. He'd come from a strict pack of 'yenas. He flipped his bangs back and growled a little. He was one of the older pups. He was about 7 months old.

Dalla rolled her eyes. "Oh so you're an adult? We all are, kid. You? You're a kid."

[wynnyelle]

Raker looked at the poochyena, who might make a good strong pack leader--if a little bit headstrong. He would have to watch out for him, and kill him if he became too cocky. " YOu have two choices. You can stay with us and train and evolve and become someone, or we can kill you right here. Because if you're not with us, you're only in our way."

[fya]

The poochyena's fur ruffled. His eyes narrowed. He knew the three older dogs could easily kill him even if he did join them. But joining them would buy him more time to train and be able to not die when they tried to kill him. "Ok," he said. "Fine. We'll join with you." He was basically the group of pups and kits leader.

"Good choice kid," said Dalla.

[wynnyelle]

" Yes," said Raker, " you won't regret this turn of events. You will end up a strong pokemon." ~Maybe stronger than me, at least those growlithes,~ thought Raker.

The growlithe who had spoken up before looked at Raker. " I'll come too."

[Clif]

Chancol followed Scrappy to the small group of pokemon, he decided to let Scrappy take care of the talking, since he seemed to do it a lot. He yawned and waited for the rest to finish speaking.

[wynnyelle]

Scrappy thought hard of what to do here. This houndoom seemed to have the situation under his control, and Scrappy recognised those two zangooses back there. They were Harcus, and his even worse brother Marcol. " Shitshitshit." He mumbled the curses under his breath.

Harcus noticed the newcomers. And he heard what Scrappy said. " Unless you just stepped in dung I'd say you've got a little explaining to do."

" Eheheheh..." Scrappy wiped the sweat from his brow.

[MorriganFearn]

Ianoi edged sligtly away from the two zangoose, seeing them leaning over the sandshrew. Zangoose had claws any sneasel would respect without question, and like sneasel they had the speed to use them, and unlike her, the strength. While they were bullying the sandshrew everything was okay, but if they started with anyone else -- like her -- well, Ianoi thought that disppearing might be the best move.

Really, though, she thought sneeringly of the houndoom that was putting the cavalcade together, he should be putting them in their place, because they'd cause trouble soon. If this Raker wanted his rag tag pack to stay together he need to show them all that he was boss five times over. She had only come along because she got swept up in the rush. She was still slightly numb from the idea that the Shadowlord was no more. It didn't seem possible that it could be true.

[Clif]

Chancol raised a brow at what the sandshrew said, ~I'm lost here, what's up with Scrappy?~ he thought.

[wynnyelle]

" Well?" said Harcus, reaching out and poking Scrappy's stomach with a long claw. Scrappy dropped to all fours and squeaked.

" It wasn't about you! I swear! I just have a foul mouth. I say bad words all the time."

" It could've been anything you said, I don't care if you get bad speech habits, the fact is you were expressing disdain at our presence. And why would that be, I wonder?"

" I wasn't--well okay, I was, but it was because-because-beeeecause I couldn't hope to measure up to the likes of you two, I mean you two are like horde lords, y'know?" Scrappy tried to smile again and ended up looking extremely uncomfortable.

Harcus made a grab for him and hauled him up. He turned to his brother. " I say we have a little fun with him in the dungeons, what do you say? Never met such a little pokemon who talked so damn much."

Scrappy began to cry.

[Clif]

"Damn, what the hell did I miss? C'mon he's just annoying, do you really have to do somethin' to him down there?" Chancol asked. He didn't put any emotion into the questions, not to show any bias towards each decision of the horde leaders.

[wynnyelle]

Harcus looked at Chancol critically. Did this puny little charmander dare to question him? " I do what I WANT to, not what I have to, foo!"

[Clif]

Chancol shrugged and waved good-bye to Scrappy, he knew that there wasn't a snowballs chance in hell that he'd be able to get him now. To him Harcus sounded funny, the phrase was more of an angered statement to the charmander's ears rather than what seemed to be a threat.

[wynnyelle]

Scrappy was too terrified to do more than look briefly back at Chancol with wide, frightened eyes. ~Get me out...rescue me, somehow, somebody DO something! Aruseus help me!~ " Look, I'll do anything! I'll work for you, anything you want, I'll do it."

" You sure will," said Harcus with an evil grin.

ooc: I think we need to wait for fya to post before we go any further.

[MorriganFearn]

Ianoi crossed her long arms and watched the whole exchange, now that she was at a distance that made it clear she wasn't with the sandshrew. Honestly, she had never met the little bugger before in her life, but when tough older Horde pokemon started making trouble, they almost never cared about that. If you were near by, you were a target, in her experience.

That was why it surprised her when the charmander was so foolish as to draw attention to himself. He was probably a higher level than she was, but they were all young pups, cubs and kittens, while the zangoose were bigger and physically more powerful, although after Harcus' last statement she wouldn't bet on them being mentally older. Well, whatever. If the lizard was brash enough to put his neck on the line that was his look out.

She had already decided to slip away and find a different pack to belong to once night fell. the Houndoom was obviously not in control of this "pack," and since it was made up of young pokemon that was a serious problem.

The only serious competition he had was coming from the two zangoose brothers, and he wasn't even challenging them. A true alpha would have challenged them, and used the rest of the pack to do it. There were mainly canine pokemon here, and they would unthinkingly follow anyone who offered authority. Admittedly, these two were strong, which was a consideration in any wise pokmeon's mind, but if there were not challenged, they'd simply be able to take over.

Of course, a sneaky part of her mind said, perhaps this Raker would be more interested in taking charge if they were planning to take one of the precious dogs. Sandmice, lizards and anyone else are probably free game. Which made it all the more imperitive to get out of here as soon as no one was looking.

[fya]

ooc: Yesyesyes wait for me....sorry lol...

ic: Marcol laughed at Chancol. The charmander was funny. Funny and pathetic. A great comnbination. "Unless you too would like to come to the dungeon, I suggest you shut the hell up and talk to Raker. He might have some better use for you," sneered the evil zangoose.

Dalla looked at the group of kits. They were all pretty scrawny but they could work with some good training. It wasn't like they were much younger than her first recruit, Kiara. "So," she said, looking over at Raker. "What next you think?"

[wynnyelle]

" I think we work with what remains," said Raker, who just didn't know. All this life he'd been in charge of nothing at all. Now suddenly here he was, expected to lead this group and he didn't know the first thing about leading. Of course, those zangoose were stronger than him so they would just come in and take over whenever they wished. " All of you, come with me." He padded off away from the zangoose Marcol.

[Clif]

Chancol chuckled to himself, then followed the houndoom, "I'm guessing you're Raker. So what we doin' now?" the dark green charmander asked.

[wynnyelle]

" We train," said Raker, looking at him and then the pups.

The growlithe had seen someone lurking not too far away. His eyes fixated on the sneasel. " Someone's hiding over there," he said, eyes narrowed.

Raker turned around. " Oh really?"

[MorriganFearn]

Ianoi gulped. Damn. Well, better make the best of it. She departed from the rock she had been using as cover, the claws of one hand shooting out to remain threatening, and yet obviously not interested in a full fight. "I wasn't hiding you little fleabag," she snarled at the gowlithe who had ratted her out. "I was watching. There's a big differnece, pup, and if you knew who I was, you'd know why I was doing it, too."

[fya]

"Jeez," snarled the poochyena. THe growlithe was his friend. "Back off, will ya! Watching, hiding..same deal!" He lashed his tail. A zangoose. Probably like some muntant sister of Harcus and Marcol.

Dalla eyed the zangoose cooly. Not her favorite Pokemon. Her least favorite Pokemon. The umbreon glared at the bitchy zangoose. She'd let Raker deal with the bitch for now.

[Clif]

The poochyena had a point, and he chuckled. He waited for the other's response, yawning. "So? Why are you 'watching?'" Chancol asked.

[MorriganFearn]

((Ianoi's a sneasel ^^)

Oh crap. He'd called her bluff. Ianoi thought fast, keeping her face perfectly blank. There wasn't much to sneasel expresion, anway, beyong a smirking grin, and Ianoi had never been good at that. She was good at lying under pressure, though. "Because it's what I do. I'm interested in things, I collect information. Sometimes I even redistribute it, if I'm feeling generous."