#wylkstone

"I-I'm fine . . ." He nearly slipped there, but he puts on a brave face as he is planted back on steady ground. The river before them is gushing, implying that it had rained recently—makes sense, the grass around them was soft and muddy.

"That doesn't sound like you are fine though..."

Ukkomon could sense it. Or even, all the others could. Maybe just Rui not much, he kinda continued walking until...

"Ohwada-kun, wait."

Then, he stopped automatically. Since he was obedient, he would immediately answer to commands like these. Rui looked behind and saw the others just looking at Nata for a moment.

"What's wrong?"

"I think we should make a stop for now," Noel looked at Rui and said, "If there's a desert we might prefer to get prepared for it. Only Coronamon could have a resistance to the heat, but... not any of us."

"I suppose Gotsumon could be fine too, but I'm not sure either" Coronamon mused, analyzing the situation, "We would need to have water and something to use as hat or umbrella to protect from the sun."

"... How much longer is this desert anyway?" Lunamon frowned, "I mean, we should've known it already! I'm like Ice I can't melt like that!!"

"More importantly, I don't think the kid... Nata-kun is feeling well" Mizuki looked at the young boy.

"...!"

Nata's timely call had kept Amethio from falling prey to a sudden attack. The pink mist coming off of the rampaging Rhydon told him plenty...This was the one thing he hadn't wanted Nata to experience, a Pokemon under the influence of Laquium. Memories of what had happened in Levincia came to mind...

...He knew the perfect option. Grasping at his belt, Amethio would unhook a Poké Ball. And then...He would declare what he was sending out.

"Come out...Zygarde!"

Hurling the Poké Ball up in the air, it would open and release the quadrupedal shape of the Order Pokémon in Its 10% Forme, some sparkles and glimmers coming off of It to indicate Its status as a Shiny Pokémon. Ideally, he would've liked to keep Nata in the dark about his connection to Zygarde...

But, fainting this Rhydon came first. He knew all about how they fought, thanks to Zirc's partner Pokémon being a Rhydon as well. As the Rhydon let out a violent roar in challenge, Amethio would turn to Nata, giving the youth a serious expression as his right hand clenched tightly.

He needed Nata to keep out of the line of fire...Even if it meant sounding a little harsh, due to the situation.

In order to facilitate his goal of gathering his golden treasure, he had chosen to don a basic beekeeper's outfit. It covered him from head to toe, or at least to his forearms and calves. His own thick fur that covered these extremities provided fair enough protection that it wasn't worth bothering.

The makeshift hood on his head would shift slightly as his ears would attempt to perk up, but the motion would remain fairly muted due to the thick cloth covering them up. His attention had been caught by a Quemetrice that had begun to storm into the main entrance of this canyon. He didn't wait long enough to get a good look at whatever it was doing, but by the sound of it, it was large and agitated!

Quickly mobilizing, he would dash to a nearby crevice, his sticky prize tucked underneath an arm as he begun to travel the narrow passages. A first glance had given him the impression that these winding cracks carved into the rock would provide an easy escape away from the danger, but their maze-like construction would prove to only have access points that led right back to the overgrown chicken.

He would take a moment to watch it scratch at some of the walls, getting a good look at the wyvern before giving his head a small shake and traveling down the tunnel a little further.

To his surprise though, he wasn't alone. He had somehow managed to miss someone else who had been in the area. Shocked, he would nearly drop the clay jar containing the honey he had painstakingly spent time gathering. He would lose grip on the container not once but twice, fumbling it forward and barely retrieving it back into his grasp before it shattered on the ground. "Oh."

Nata pauses, noticing how Link stares out towards a lengthy silhouette in the distance. It weaves between ruin and cloud, its serpentine body shimmering with an almost divine light. "Link . . . ?" He tries to restore the other's awareness, and ponders why he stares so sadly toward it.

It's hard not to get lost in his thoughts whenever the Dragon she flies by, piercing through the incoming storm. A ray of sun through the clouds. A thought that makes his heart ache.

She's far away. Too far away to see him. And even if she did... she probably doesn't even remember him. Raul's sister, and Impa when he explained the situation, made it clear, after all. She lost herself. There was no way to have her back, right?

...right...?

Nata calls for him, and Link blinks. Slow, unsure. Hesitant. As if he thought even just closing his eyes for a moment, let alone turn to face the younger boy, could make him lose sight of her once and for all.

"Sorry. I wasn't listening."

A honest admission. He gives one last glance to the sky, and again returns to face the other. Wait for me. There must be a way. There must be.

"You know Ratha isn't going to bite you, right?" She holds her hand out. "Come on, he's a big softie..."

         "Can I come? I can help!" He's learned enough about the girls to know that managing a big, puppy-eyed look was effective. It probably came as an annoyance to Mari, but granted, she never seemed to mind Nata's company—rather, she worried for his safety above everything else. The apprentice hunter looked up to Nicole eagerly, and then to Mari, who was busy loading supplies into Ratha's saddlebag.

         "You get permission from Alma?" The rider glances over her shoulder towards him.

         "Alma and the Hunter are out right now. And I was going to visit Kunafa for supplies, anyhow." Nata argues gently.

          Mari glances over to Nicole for confirmation. "Well . . . Kunafa isn't far. I'm just worried they'll want my throat if we do this . . ."

                                                  -- @wylkstone

          Neither girl had any real authority over Nata. That would be the job of the Hunter and Alma. On one hand, Kunafa wasn’t far. It would be a short trip. On the other hand, anything could happen in that short time, and they didn’t want Nata to get hurt.

          And on an invisible third hand, the one absolutely yanking at Nicole’s heart strings. . .the puppy dog eyes were working on her.

          But Mari had a point. Last thing she wanted to do was face the Hunter’s anger, or even worse, Alma’s disappointment.

          Her arms folding across her chest, and she looks to both Mizuno and Ratha as if they could give her the answers. Both having sensed their mothers confusion and apprehension. A desire to help, to not hinder, but a stronger desire to not overstep boundaries either.

          Mizuno is the first to answer, slinking up to Nata for a moment. Closer in mindset as a youngling, he understands and resonates better with the shared desires of Nata. A gentle nudge towards the girls, then he slinks back over to Nicole, taking one of her twintails to gnaw on.

percy   is   * patient.   he   gives   a   smile   at   the   younger   boy,   hands   tucked   in   his   swimming   team's   hoodie   with   a   low   hum.   despite   the   confusion   nata   might   feel   at   his   situation,   it's   almost   as   if   percy   had   dealt   with   this   situation   before   -   he   had   been   in   nata's   spot   * himself   before,   and   greeted   people   who'd   * literally   come   back   from   the   dead.   all   in   all,   it   was   just   another   day   for   percy.

instead,   percy   beckons   nata   to   follow   him,   hands   shoved   back   into   his   pockets   as   he   starts   back   off   towards   his   apartment.   his   mom   and   paul   had   already   left   for   work   that   day,   but   he   was   sure   they'd   understand   the   change   of   plans.   as   far   as   percy   was   concerned,   this   could   * possibly   be   something   like   'demigod   stuff'.   everyone   would   understand.

" could   be   a   lot   of   things!   a   lot   of   people   don't   remember   anything   from   coming   back   from   the   * underworld,   or   maybe   you   had   your   memory   wiped   from   something   else?   have   you   like,   * died   recently?   * irritated   one   of   the   gods?   are   you   hungry? "

@wylkstone said: "It's . . . it's you again . . .!" Nata to the LF :D

Random Ask !

The dragon's head snaps up from where she lays, straining under the weight of the heavy fishing net she's found herself caught in. At first, she growls in defense. But her defensiveness is quick to melt away once she sees the source of the noise.

It is the the human-hatchling! Again!

At that, she coos. Her nubs fly up and wiggles slightly, head nodding with the sound as if to ask him how he has been.

She has long assessed that he is small and easily frightened- unlikely to be a viable threat. And even if he was, he certainly didn't seem keen on attacking her.

She moves to come closer, only to snarl and grimace at the way the rope tightens and digs into her wings. Her claws dig into the rock, a squeal escaping her as the weight of the netting threatens to drag her back down into the water.

So much for an easy lunch...