Re: ~Crossover Chronicles (Thread 5)~

[Swallowfeather]

"I-I can come stay at your... camp or... whatever?" Marie responded, sounding rather relieved. Normally, she might be more hesitant and cautious, but at the moment, she couldn't afford to be. She had to trust this cat. "Gee... Thanks," she yawned again, floppily sliding down from the boulder and barely managing to stand on her feet. "Lead the way; I'll try my hardest not to fall asleep on the way there," she told Mintpaw, grabbing her Charger in preparation to go.

Robin carefully observed the entire scene, trying to listen to what was being said. However, although the creature could speak, she seemed to have an odd accent or something of the sort, and he couldn't quite understand what she was saying from his location through her burbling. Still, he was relieved to see that everything seemed to be going smoothly. The creature seemed to be extremely tired, so he felt it was a good thing they found her, as being alone out here in such a state could be extremely dangerous. However, she had yet to notice him, Torsolus, and Link, so Robin couldn't help wondering about how she'd react upon doing so.

[Mistystar]

When she felt a slight breeze blow past her, the dark-tentacled squid-creature shuddered and folded her arms together tightly. "Brrrrr..." she murmured in her burbling when she felt the sudden chilliness. As she somewhat slowly continued to walk, she felt her eyelids beginning to grow heavy all of a sudden. Oh, no... Now I'm getting tired, too, she realized, fearing the thought of having to sleep out in this unfamiliar wilderness with nobody else around. Maybe I should find somewhere safe to rest... With only soft moonlight to guide her, she briefly scanned her surroundings. It's so open here, though... I'd better just keep moving for a while, she decided.
All of a sudden, however, the creature spotted what looked like an opening to a cave in the distance. Ooh, wait... What's that? Intrigued, she broke into a bit of a sprint until she reached the opening, which indeed appeared to lead into a cave. It's so dark in there... But it looks like the only shelter around here, she noted, toying with the idea of going in. I guess I don't have much of a choice... ... Yep; I'm gonna go for it. Taking a deep breath, she marched into the cave's entrance, holding her Roller forward for a faint source of light.

[Swallowfeather]

Suddenly, from the cave's darkness within, an unsettling noise could be heard.
"Uuuuuuurrrrnnnnghhhhhhhh..."
Accompanied by a faint shuffling sound, it grew closer.

[Tornadostorm]

Mintpaw nodded happily, leaping down from the rock "OK, follow me." She parted her jaws to scent out her hidden allies, and trotted off in their direction. "Robin, Link, Torsolus. She's going to join us!" The medical apprentice chirped happily. A purr rose in her throat as their scent grew stronger to her.

[Stealthy]

Link and Torsolus emerged from the bush. Link was slow and curious, still trying to figure out what exactly the newcomer was.

Torsolus was more eager. "Ohhhhhh yay! Another new friend to join our group! Aw, you're very lovely! What's your name, little miss?"

[Mistystar]

The squid creature froze, hearing this sudden noise, and slowly lowered her Roller to the ground in defense. "W-who's there...?!" she cried, taking a step back as the unsettling sounds grew closer. "Show yourself...!" she hissed, bracing herself for whatever was about to emerge from the darkness.

[Swallowfeather]

Robin joined the others as they emerged, being sure not to appear threatening. He didn't say a word; simply waited for Mintpaw and the newcomer to approach.

Marie slowly and heavily ambled after Mintpaw, her Charger dragging on the ground. However, suddenly, she found herself face to face with three more beings. She stared at them with wide, confused eyes, hardly able to believe what she was seeing. "... H-humans...?!" she stammered, her gaze darting from one to the next. Um... Did I maybe somehow get sent back in time...? she wondered to herself. As ridiculous as it sounded, strangely enough, it made sense to her. After all, in her home world, humans only existed long, long ago, before the Mollusk Era even began. Cats existed, too, though, through special circumstances, one of their kind survived and still existed in their world to this day. Some of these human things look kinda... weird, though, she noted, particularly glancing at Torsolus, whose appearance differed the most out of the three. Maybe this is how they really looked? All... different and stuff?
Suddenly, Marie took a bit of a shaky step back, a sudden thought occurring to her. Hold on... What if this is some kind of trap? she asked herself mentally, appearing quite uneasy. W-what did humans eat again...?? Suddenly, the most peculiar-looking one requested her name. "M-Marie," she responded, quickly and simply. She appeared to be trying her best to have her guard up. However, she was so sleepy, her eyelids and head kept drooping, and she had to give herself a shake to stay alert and awake. The cycle only repeated itself, though.

-----

All of a sudden, something strange slowly emerged from deep within the cave. It was a green-skinned being with an upright posture on two legs, clothed in a tattered, blue shirt and pants. However, the strangest thing about it was its shape. It possessed no curved lines; only straight edges. For this reason, it almost appeared to be made of boxes or something of the sort.
The monster blankly shuffled towards the dark-tentacled creature, arms outstretched, lowly moaning the entire time.

[Tornadostorm]

Mintpaw was suddenly overwhelmed with a wave of fear scent, and she heard the creature take a step back, and the fear in her voice. "Guys stop!" she said quickly, stepping between the others and Marie (or so she thought) "She's scared." She murmured softly. She turned toward the source of the fear scent clouding her nose. "It's ok... No one will hurt you...." Her ears drooped "You need rest... You sounded so tired before, and I doubt that's changed... Uh... If you want, you can still come with us... We have quite a little group back at our camp. They'll take care of you." She blinked her useless milky white eyes pleadingly.

~~~~~~~~

I'm close now..!! Don't be afraid.... This won't hurt... Much.

By this point Flint had adjusted himself so he wasn't leaning on the trunk of the tree, but laying down, the white Kattaca seemed to settle down. His sides gently rose and fell. He was still obviously dreaming though, as his wings gently twitched every once in a while, or he'd have a moment of irregular breathing, then return to normal. His face was anything but peaceful though.

But while he seemed to be a bit better, and it wasn't obvious why, but he still seemed distressed in his sleep somehow.

[Stealthy]

"Marie! What a nice name. I'm Torsolus. It sure is nice to meet you!" He toned down his enthusiasm to offer his hand for a gentle shake.

"You don't have to be scared. If I may ask, what are you doing at night all by yourself, singing a song? Your song was very pretty, by the way."

Link watched the scene unfold. He decided to wait before introducing himself.

[Mistystar]

"EEK!" the dark-tentacled squid-creature gasped when the strange, boxy being suddenly emerged from within, jumping back in surprise. In a somewhat frantic manner, she raised her Roller up and defensively flicked a wave of magenta ink towards the creature.

[Swallowfeather]

Looking down at Mintpaw, and seeing how thoroughly concerned she was, Marie relaxed quite a bit. She sounds... totally honest, she acknowledged, her tension slowly leaving. If these guys were just gonna eat me, they probably wouldn't care so much, I guess... "Yeah... I'll come with," she responded to the cat.
Next, Marie turned her attention to Torsolus. She still wasn't quite sure if he was a human or not, but she was too tired to inquire about it. "Hey there, uh... Torsolus," she greeted in return, taking a moment to make sure she pronounced his name right. She carefully reached out and softly shook his hand. "Actually, I have no clue what I'm doing here," she told him in response to his question. "I just took a nap earlier in the afternoon and... woke up here," she elaborated, looking confused. "And I was just singing to make myself feel better, I guess," she explained with a soft sigh, looking somewhat sad. "It reminds me of home... I guess..." She then yawned and rubbed an eye, barely able to keep her eyelids open. In fact, she hardly looked like she could stay on her feet much longer, either.

Robin gave Marie a sympathetic look. "You seem absolutely exhausted," he commented gently. "I think we should get you back to camp as soon as possible... Fear not; no harm will befall you there." His expression then grew thoughtful. "However, by the looks of it, you don't have the strength to make it on foot... One of us will likely have to carry you," he told her, glancing at the others.

-----

The monster was struck by a great splash of magenta ink, uttering a strange sound. However, although mostly covered, it blankly continued to approach.

[Stealthy]

Torsolus' hand dorkily shot up. "OH! Me! I can carry you! I mean--if-if you want. If you're comfortable with it. The weird marshmallow guy hauling you around, heheh!....Ehh."

Link pulled out one of his empty bottles, examining its volume, but put it back when Torsolus volunteered.

[Mistystar]

When the squid-creature saw the monster continuing to approach after it had been struck by her ink, she took another step back and once again raised her Roller over her head, flinging a second wave of ink. The last one seemed like it may have had at least some effect on the monster, and, wanting to keep her distance from it, she figured she might as well try again.

[Swallowfeather]

"Ehhhhhhhhhh... Sure," Marie responded, very, very slowly shrugging. She gave another, very large yawn, fully revealing her sharp teeth in the process, then inched a bit closer to Torsolus, staring up at him. "Just... Just don't drop me, alright?" she told him, half-joking, and giving a subtle, tired grin.

-----

When it was hit by the second splash of ink, the monster uttered one final sound as it simply fell over. It then disappeared in a small puff of strangely pixelated-looking smoke.

[Stealthy]

"OK, no problem!" He chided cheerfully, and slowly picked her up, leaning her forward on his shoulder like a child, trying to get her comfortable. "We'll find you a nice warm bed to spend the night with us."

[Mistystar]

The squid-creature watched as the monster simply fell over and disappeared, apparently defeated. Phew... I guess that's it...? Cautiously, she continued on deeper into the cave, holding her glowing Roller by the wall in search of a spot to possibly take shelter in.

[Swallowfeather]

As she was picked up, Marie accidentally dropped her Charger without realizing it. "That sounds greeeeaaat," she responded in a drowsily glad tone, her head instantly flopping onto Torsolus' shoulder. She was truly grateful that she didn't have to spend the night cold and alone in the unwelcoming wilderness. In fact, in just a moment, she was already beginning to doze off.

Robin, noticing the object that Marie had dropped, bent down and picked it up. He wasn't entirely sure what he was looking at in his hands, but he assumed it must be rather important. "Right... Let's get going, then," he murmured, turning and beginning to head back in the direction of camp, carefully carrying the strange device.

[Stealthy]

Link trailed behind while Torsolus carried her. His shoulder was the perfect shape for her head, and his arms were almost as marshmallowy as they looked. He carefully and gently carried her all the way back to their camp.

"Hey," He whispered to those who were waiting for them. "We have a guest, and she's very sleepy. We'll wait til tomorrow to be friends with her, alright?"

[Swallowfeather]

By the time they had reached camp, Marie was, indeed, already fast asleep.

Cookie had been concernedly observing Flint ever since she first noticed his apparent distress. However, when the others returned, she turned to greet them with a wave, only to notice the humanoid creature in Torsolus' arms. Curiously, she rose to her feet and came for a closer look. "Whoa...!" she gasped in a whisper. "What is she...?? She's got tentacles on her head...!" she remarked in amazement, having no idea what she was seeing.

Athena, too, had approached to get a closer look. "Is... Is that who was singing just earlier?" she asked, also in a whisper, as she stared in astonishment at the creature. Going by her very unusual appearance, and the equally-strange voice that was heard previously, she couldn't help assuming that she came from a planet very much unlike her own; this thought only enhanced her astonishment.

"Yes; she was the source of that singing we all heard earlier," Robin explained to the others. "We didn't get a chance to ask about her species, or where she came from, however," he continued, glancing at the newcomer. "That will have to wait for tomorrow..." Then, he held up the object he had been carrying. "Also... she was holding this when we found her," he explained. "I'm not sure what exactly it is..."

Despite the slight commotion surrounding her, Marie didn't even stir. She was entirely oblivious to it, still sleeping just as peacefully as before.

[Tornadostorm]

Mintpaw purred "She seems very nice, from what I've heard." But we should all get some sleep. She glanced in Flint's direction "How's he doing? I'm not sure how he'd respond to the poppy seeds after not sleeping for three days..." She carefully approached him. At that point he made an uncomfortable groan. Mintpaw perked her ears at this but didn't attempt to wake him

[Stealthy]

Torsolus looked around. "Can anyone spare a blanket for her? Two blankets? Blanket and pillow? As soft and squishy as those tentacles look, I can't imagine sleeping on them would exactly be comfortable, heheh!"

Link had nothing to donate except his bag. Torsolus took it and made an effort to arrange its holdings until it was soft and well-shaped enough for a pillow for Marie. Then he gently set her down with her head on it.

[Swallowfeather]

Cookie followed along beside Mintpaw. "Oh yeah; it's like he's been having nightmares all night," she explained to the cat, recalling what she had observed. "I hope he's alright..." She stood there for a moment, once again gazing with concern at Flint. Then, upon hearing the others moving about behind her, she turned and went to help with what they were doing.
"I think I saw a spare blanket!" Cookie spoke up quietly, digging through a bag in search of it. In a moment, she pulled out a single, plain blanket and came strolling over to Torsolus. "Here; does this work?" she asked, holding it out to him.

[Mistystar]

Pit sort of perked up when he heard the others returning, and, turning to look at them, he spotted the squidlike creature Torsolus was carrying. Curiously, he, like several others, came over to get a closer look at the creature. "Whoa... I've never seen anything like her before...!" he chimed in, his voice surprised but quiet. He then noticed the object Robin was carrying, his head gradually tilting to one side as he examined it. "That? Huh... It sorta looks like some kind of weapon, maybe...? I'm not really sure, though..."

"Hm... What an interesting creature..." Lucina commented quietly, also sounding astonished. Then, after a moment of observing in fascination, she turned to Mintpaw, hearing her question regarding Flint. "It's true; he's been seeming quite distressed for some time, now," she added after Cookie, casting a glance of concern at the white-furred Kattaca as she spoke.

-----

After continuing her trek through the cave for a while, the dark-tentacled squid-creature spotted a small opening in the wall. Leaning forward to look inside, she realized there could be just enough room for her to squeeze in, at least as a squid. Changing to said form, she sort of slithered into the opening and made herself as comfortable as she could. Though it wasn't the coziest spot to rest, she was just relieved to have a bit of shelter at this point, closing her eyes in an attempt to get some rest.

[Tornadostorm]

Mintpaw gently rested her paw on Flint's shoulder, and slid it forward until she felt Flint's throat. Careful not to let her paw push to hard, especially if Flint decided to turn over. She felt his pulse, it was normal. And she could hear his quick breathing well enough without having to press her ear to his chest.

"He's fine.." She whispered decidedly. "While I don't like him having nightmares, he needs the rest. I'll sleep next to him in case something happens." She then felt for the curve of his stomach, and lay down in it, wrapping her tail over her nose, and gently closing her eyes.

[Stealthy]

"Perfect! Thanks much!" Torsolus accepted the blanket and lay it over Marie, tucking some of it under her to soften the ground and separate her from the itchy grass. "I hope that'll do," Torsolus said, making little adjustments, never quite satisfied, like he had OCD. Finally, he dragged himself away to look at the little device.

"It does look quite fascinating!" He said. "But....somehow I feel like that's her private thing, and we shouldn't be snooping around in it...just my thought." He added timidly.

Link sat on a rock, trying to practice the couple of notes he had heard from her song. But Torolus urged him to stop, so he returned to where Robin would sleep, so he could wait for a story.

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