[FIN] Froooooooozeeeen

[Tori Honoo]

Though the chill of the morning had left other people still hiding away in their beds or grumbling about being forced to face the icy weather on their way to work, Dove had pulled herself from the comfort of her home, unwilling to break her routine or go back on her promises, and could currently be found in her clearing in the woods, stroking Thierry’s nose fondly as she watched Lovey sleepily explore the area, gingerly stepping through and hoping from cleared little patch to less frosty patch to avoid the majority of the snow and making quite the game of it in attempts to wake up.

The woman, though chilled from standing beside the rapidash instead of sitting atop his back in the warmth of the flames from his neck, had donned her belt as always, though only one ball could be seen clipped to her hip for the time being, under the hem of her fitted athletic coat. Lovey rarely stayed in her ball as it was, and when she had insisted on coming with her as she attempted to leave that morning, the girl had simply shaken her head and scooped her up before grabbing Thierry’s ball and taking to the paths he had learned. Thierry enjoyed his morning rides with her, while the rest of her team had made it quite clear they’d prefer to stay asleep at home aside from Lovey, who, as of late, refused to leave the woman’s side. Dove was lost in thought more often than not these days, and the eevee was more than concerned, though the girl gave very little outward appearance of being upset, as if holding back everything she could in an attempt to not to shatter. Unfortunately...she was doing a rather too convincing job of it, and the normal type wasn’t entirely sure if something really had changed.  

[Tori Honoo]

A while, they lingered in the open air, listening to the sounds of the trees around them straining under the weight of the ice, making Dove all the more glad for Thierry’s talent with fire-- if anything were to happen, the rapidash could easily handle it. Eventually, time would find the girl’s forehead pressed against the rapidash’s neck as she stroked his nose, her eyes toward the forest but focused on very little. It was nice to just slow down for a while and take the time to wake up, especially reviewing the list of things she had to do for the day.

However, the slow peaceful moment would be shattered in a split second by the desperate shrill cry of her eevee. Nearly jumping out of her skin, the girl jerked her head around toward where she had last seen the little normal type, her eyes widening at the sight before her.

At the edge of the forest stood a Houndoom, it’s eyes glowing red as it froze in its place, Lovey squirming in it’s jaws. As she turned more fully, panic rising in her features, the pokemon growled lowly in its chest, slowly backing away, further into the treeline where another set of eyes could be seen, even as the woman shook her head, a plea on her lips. Before she could utter a word, though, the predator took off, ripping a quick cry of her own from her throat before she spun and all but threw herself back up onto Thierry’s back, urging him into the forest after her pokemon. The rapidash quickly obliged, and soon, the two were racing off in painful pursuit.  

[Tori Honoo]

The fire type’s hooves pounded the frozen ground, fluffy white powder kicking up in his wake. The girl clung to her steed, her eyes wide and searching constantly as they made their way through the forests and trees, her words begging Thierry to ignore the branches, should they get in his way. She could handle the sting of the ice and atmosphere for now, so long as they were able to keep Lovey in their sights.

Knowing the two were on it’s trail, the Houndoom came toward a cave, finally, tossing Lovey into the icy grass nearby before giving a sharp bark. From the little cave came 3 houndour pups and another houndoom, each looking to the grown pokemon, then toward the eevee they had been presented with. A hunting exercise would know begin.

As Lovey quickly struggled to her feet, her captor rounded on the trainer and fire type, baring its teeth and giving another sharp bark of warning. Dove slid from Thierry’s back, keeping her distance from the dark types as the rapidash stepped between them, pawing at the ground, ready to accept the houndoom’s challenge.

A secondary fire type, but untrained. He could do this, she thought. “Thierry, run,” she commanded, watching for a split second as the rapidash sped off, his Agility blinding.

The houndour pups twisted around to watch their mother begin the fight, then set their sights on the eevee prey yet again, not flinching when the unfamiliar pokemon let loose a cry from their mother’s bite. Thierry pushed through it, however, and quickly responded with a heavy Stomp.

Dove called out her encouragement once more, then turned her attention to Lovey, her gut dropping as the tiny pokemon was backed up and cornered against a tree. Unable to think in the haze of panic, the woman ran toward the eevee, pulling both Thierry and the houndoom’s attention from their own battle. The houndour, startled by the woman’s sudden movement toward them and the Rapidash’s cry out at her, paused a moment, allowing Lovey a split second of opportunity to tackle one, then run, her goal to leap up into her trainer’s arms. Unfortunately, another of the pups noticed, and all too well was able to bring the eevee down with an ember, allowing its sister to grab their prey with a Bite.

Thierry, weakened by yet another attack from the dark type, threw back his head, kicking the next attack away before driving his hooves into the ground and, incidentally, two of the pups. Dove, dodging the Rapidash in her haste, quickly scooped up the nearly unconscious pokemon and held her tight to her chest, only to cry out in pain a moment later. The remaining pup’s teeth and claws had caught her wrist and arm, jerking her downward to the ground. Lovey remained crushed to her chest, even as she was brought to her knees.

Thierry reacted immediately, throwing his horn into the side of the closest smaller pokemon and butting the girl’s side with his nose with a desperate huff. Refusing the panic and pain, Dove grabbed for the Rapidash’s neck and quickly put herself atop his back once more, given barely a moment to hold tight as he rounded, released a blast of uncontrolled fire, then sped off again, though this time clearly wounded and tired.

Had she not been shaking so badly herself, she might have noticed her steed’s unsteadiness long before they safely distanced themselves from the young pack.
-------

Once a safe distance away, the rapidash slowed, breathing heavily and shaking terribly as his charge slid from his back, the eevee still clutched to her chest. Dove immediately moved to look him over, her panic swelling as the Rapidash buckled and collapsed, exhausted. Hastily, she drew his ball from her belt, kneeling to stroke his nose with a trembling hand and a tearful word of immeasurable thanks before she called him back, leaving her alone and lost and shaken....and cold.  

[Gwennythe]

Lin was cold.
To put it frankly, in his own words, he might have said he was colder than a Rocket's heart.
It was, however, not debilitating, not something he was totally unused to.
The boy had a warm brown cloak, salvaged from his home in Sandalwood, along with a warm brown hat, jammed down over his ears, a couple of extra layers added to the outfit he was most comfortable in.
Jeeves clung to his arm, sharing the cloak, having refused, as usual, to go into his ball, despite the uncomfortable cold.

For a grass type, Moriko, however, seemed mostly un-bothered; her winter coat shone in a pretty white as she moved through the forest, leisurely, with Lin atop her back.
It had been a cold, uncomfortable, but at least, survivable, night spent in a lean-to shelter that Lin and Jeeves had cobbled together, and Lin had, thankfully, not accidentally smushed out his fire as soon as he'd made it... Well, the second time, anyway, though he'd watched it distrustfully for all the while he had it lit.
Now the three were on the hunt for a new pokémon.
The boy hadn't been blind to the fact that, as it stood, he often seemed to be at a disadvantage. In truth, he rather wanted a water type, though a flyer, or anything at all, would be a welcome addition to his team.

A strange, fire-y (oh, great, fire type) glow shot up in the distance- unruly and.. odd looking, but clearly a pokémon attack.
Lin grimaced; he didn't really want to deal with fire types at all, but it would probably be best to find out what was happening... and make sure the forest wasn't on fire or something he really should know about... So he could run away. Very fast.
Reluctantly, he asked Moriko to turn and head toward where he thought the event had happened.  

[Tori Honoo]

It took the woman a few minutes to register what exactly her situation was in greater detail. Thierry was confined to his ball, fainted. Her best friend was curled in her arms, in terrible condition and shivering, without a ball in which to seek refuge. As she shifted her hold on the eevee, a sharp pain shot up her arm, and she realized her hand refused to move without a flash of heat and pain. Her coat, gray and white, and leather gloves now sported stripes of red down the one arm. Shelter... she needed shelter before she could fix anything. She needed to move, now.

For a while, she stumbled through the snow, looking for anything-- a cave, a cluster of trees, rocks... anything to buffer the spurts of icy wind. Lovey now stay tucked between her chest and her coat, her wounded arm holding her loosely as the other held her Gear, a map displayed on the screen. Her contacts had been sifted through... there was no one to call, and as she fumbled around with the navigation systems, she began to lose hope even further. Her best hope would be to run into Yuri--the thought only sent more pain and panic through her chest, and she immediately dismissed it-- or to get out herself. Their chase after the houndoom had put her much further into the forest than she ever would have hoped, and desperation only made it worse.

Eventually, the girl found an alcove of sorts, not nearly a cave, but it would at least buffer the wind a bit. Curling into it, the girl rested her numb and shaking legs, pulling her bag around to look through it for anything that could help. A wallet--funny, how money really couldn't fix everything-- chapstick, a few pens and a scrap of paper... nothing useful. Her stomach growled, and she closed her eyes, hoping the numbness in her head would come back quickly in place of tears. It would be so much easier for everyone.  

[Gwennythe]

Oh, hey, footprints!
That... seemed to be going nowhere in particular in some rather odd fashions.
Lin frowned; he was no expert tracker, but he could tell that who ever had made the trail he'd just stumbled across was either lost, not very well, or both... He didn't really see the signs of a pokémon alongside either, not that that was absolutely vital... But usually... It was just useful in weather like this.
Sensible, even.
He pulled the fabric from in front of his face a little, tugging the cloak awkwardly, which earned a small grumble from the Snivy within.
"Sorry, bud. Just for a moment, okay?" The boy apologised, hopping down from Moriko to get a better look at the tracks. "Could you follow these Moriko? They're not too buried or old or anything right?" He asked the deer-like creature, smiling as he got an almost insulted-sounding snort. Of course she could, she was better at this place than a human...
Lin climbed back onto Moriko's back, tugged his cloak tighter around him, and turned his face to the sun for a few moments as the Sawsbuck set off again.
He frowned with concern as they made their way through the trees, through some uncomfortably cold shade, and headed toward an alcove... with no sign of smoke... No crackling of fire... Just prints...

There seemed to be something odd about this... It didn't seem likely to be a situation similar to the one that he'd helped out with with a small company of trainers a while ago... But it was better to be safe than sorry...
Still, he wasn't all that stealthy on his approach; Moriko's steps, and then his heavy boots, letting a rather substantial crunch emanate from the snow.  

[Tori Honoo]

By the time Lin arrived, Dove would be curled into a pathetic ball, her head tucked down into Lovey's fur, her shivering died down. Her legs had lost the will to move, though initially, she had hoped to rest them for only a moment, knowing it would be fatal to stay for an undetermined length of time. The overpoweringly low spirits she had fought over the past few days weren't helping either, and though she knew better, it was much easier to give in for now. It was cold enough to be painful, one of her hands was completely useless, and she had exhausted her options in her contacts list, and the signal was faulty anyway. The freezing air hurt to breathe... it was hard to lift her head... Her thoughts came in bits and pieces, disjointed and some repulsive as hate and fear overpowered her walls. She was so tired...

Despite her losing battle, the sound of hooves and the crunching of the frozen ground had her slowly lifting her head, tired eyes searching out the landscape nearby. The snow was beautiful, as the dying rays of light reflected from its surface and the ice on the trees... Odd, she thought, but calming in the strangest way, as if life had decided to play tricks on her. Nothing should be so serene in such a desperate situation... like watching a housefire and admiring the flames...

The appearance of a sawsbuck and a companion made her blink, however, and she squinted. When confirmed, she did her best to move, though made very little progress, and summoned whatever voice she could find, one that turned out barely a whisper and tight. "H-Hello..."  

[Gwennythe]

"Er. Dove?" Lin was... momentarily too surprised to react but, with a shake of his head, he took his hat off and crouched next to the girl, trying to look into her eyes first of all to ensure she was still conscious, still aware.

He then reached to place the hat on her head, provided he could see no injury there, inspecting her as he moved to do so. There was blood, but it didn't seem like a head wound... That hand though.

"What on earth happened?! You can't just sit here; it's freezing... and you're all bloody..." Actually, that was a little worrying. If she'd been attacked by pokemon, and now was bloody, then what if the pokemon was tracking her...
"Moriko! Come and sit with her a moment please?" As useful as the Sawsbuck was, she was probably more useful as a source of warmth.
"Sorry bud," He spoke to Jeeves now "I know it's cold but could you go up into the trees? Keep an eye out for anyone about?"
Jeeves emerged from his cloak, a little wide-eyed, but glanced at Dove and gave a sharp nod. A flurry of vines and he went up to a higher vantage point, looking out for people or pokémon that could help, or be a risk.

Crouching next to the girl again, he frowned, concerned.
"Where's hurt? Do you have your gear?" Even if Dove hadn't decided who to call, Lin probably wouldn't be as picky. The first number on his mind was a pokécenter or hospital, should one be listed... He was pretty sure emergency numbers were easy to figure out too, even if he never really got to use a gear usually. Surely there'd be some button or option for emergency services.  

[Tori Honoo]

A strange feeling swept though her as she watched the boy kneel close to her, something like a mix of extreme relief and odd confusion. Half of her was pleased to know she was no longer alone... the other half didn't really care at all.

She made no protest as he moved to provide her with a little more warmth with the offer of his hat, and continued to watch him in silence, still unsure if he was real or not. When he asked more questions of her, she swallowed, and forced herself to answer. "L-Lovey...A houndoom caught her and..." Her sentence broke as she lifted her arm to show him the exhausted eevee and pain shot up to her elbow. Bad idea, obviously, but at least she had been able to answer his other question-- her arm hurt horribly. Her gear, she nodded to, where it lay silently off to the side. "N-No s-service..." she explained, her teeth chattering.  

[Gwennythe]

"Well, hey, it's okay now. Lovey's with you, and I'm here. Moriko's here, and Jeeves is looking out for us..." He grimaced though- houndoom, wonderful...- and he had to keep them warm too... Ick.
"I'll try your gear anyway. Maybe climb a tree or something for it. Then I'll," He sighed a little "Work on getting a fire going... Just sit there and try and keep warm for a moment."

"Is that important?" Lin asked with a frown, stepping out of the way as Moriko lay down, to crouch and grab the gear- in reply to the claim of 'no service'.
He didn't really understand technology, but he was pretty sure he'd heard trainers brag about how amazing their gears were, and how they never seemed to lose a signal...

Well, hopefully it worked anyway. It looked like it was working. He searched for an 'sos' feature, stumbling a little over the buttons and key shortcuts, but it wasn't rocket science, at least.
He /had/ seen people waving cell phones around above their heads, however, so before he pressed the button that he assumed would connect him to some kind of rescue service, he waved the device around his head.
He knew he probably looked silly, but at least he probably got it some service or whatever it was Dove was saying it needed.
He listened as something connected, and he was greeted by some unfamiliar, to him, but encouraging sounding options.
"Uh. I think you're probably a robot? But we've got a little bit of an emergency here; pokémon /and/ human. I don't know how old she is, but she's a she. No, it's rude to ask... Hrm. All right." He looked apologetic and looked back at Dove "The phone-thing wants to know how old you are and what all hurts? Oh! Well, I can answer that one actually. She seems to have hurt her arm pretty badly. She moved it a moment ago and it seemed to hurt. I don't know if it's broken. Well it's not -badly- broken if it is, I think, she managed to move it... It -is- cold though and she seems pretty shocked. Yes, I'm keeping her warm. I'm going to give her Eevee some energy powder... Yes, I know it's bitter but I don't have any- Oh, right! Dove? Do you have any potions? Hold on, please." He set the gear down for a moment and took his cloak off, leaving him a little colder, but active enough, and not having sat in the snow for however long, he felt he could do without it for a little while, that she would need it more. Besides, once he was done with the gear-conversation, he'd sit under it with her.
"Lovey okay? I can give her some energy powder- it tastes like... well, it's not good, but it will help. 'Fraid I didn't have enough to get anything stronger the other day... Could really do with a revival herb, I'd bet? How's your arm? Your gear-thingy-person wants to know if I need to splint it..."  

[Tori Honoo]

Dove nodded numbly at his reassurance, closing her eyes as he explained his plan, too tired and cold to be any more embarrassed. His confusion with gear service did bring a spark to mind though-- she hadn't even thought to rely on emergency services, so focused was she in her haze on the fact she had no friends to call for aid. She would kick herself later, given the chance. Had it been anyone else but her, she would have acted in the proper way immediately.

Lin's 'dancing' went without her notice as she continued to shiver, her eyes still closed, though she fought to stay awake. When he addressed her, she did look to him. "Twenty one.. a-and just... Lovey... and my arm..." Everything.

She stilled a little when he put his cape around her, tears slowly welling in her eyes. He was so kind, and she was so helpless when it came to herself. His inquisition about Lovey's state earned a nod, followed by another when he asked about splinting her arm. Yes... She should have done that. Another key action, stunted by the cold panic.  

[Gwennythe]

Carefully, he moved himself to stand, facing where the sun could reach him as he talked to the 'gear again.
"All right. I'll splint the arm and tend to the Eevee with the herbs I've got, but honestly, we could do with... uh, I don't know, whatever you guys send out for stuff like this real soon. She doesn't look well..." He glanced at Dove to mouth a hasty 'sorry', but honestly, she didn't to him...
"I don't know when she last drank- I'll ask in a moment; I've got some water she can have anyway. Yes, I know. I don't think she's going to pass out- I'll make sure she doesn't if I can anyway... You can track these things right? Do I need to leave it on? I don't... uh... I'm not good with tech'- no, I don't have my own on me." A slight lie, but to be honest, he didn't feel like explaining why he didn't have one. "Okay. Please get here asap."

Well. That was... frustrating, and he -really- wanted to avoid using these things again if he could, but at least, for now, there was some help, apparently, going to be on it's way out to them.

"So... When did you last have a drink? Seems like you've been here a little while. Here," The boy offered a flask as he crouched to peer at the hurt arm... Hrm. Splinting was not a fun thing, to do, or to receive, in his opinion. "You drink that, and lay Lovey in the free bit of the cloak for the moment so you can drink? I'll splint your arm- this -will- hurt a bit, sorry- and then we'll get Lovey to take some medicine, okay?" He was rather worried she might pass out, so a lot of talking seemed like a good idea. A thought struck him. "Do you remember the alphabet song? Could you sing it while I get stuff done?"  

[Tori Honoo]

His silent courteous apology was lost to her as she slowly opened her eyes and stared off into the distance, too tired and weak-willed to even react to it anyway. She listened absently as he continued to talk his plans over with the person on the other end of the line, then finally turned her gaze to him as he approached her again. "I...this morning?" she answered quietly, not trusting her voice, though she wasn't sure it would have worked well anyway. The flask was accepted with a shaky hand, the other still wrapped around the eevee under the cloak. The suggestion to lay Lovey aside was met with an incredibly hesitant look, almost pleading, though she shifted a little and sipped at the contents of the flask. She knew splinting her arm wouldn't be a particularly pleasant task for either of them, and another pang of guilt crept through her numb shell. "The alphabet-t song...? Wh-Why?"  

[Gwennythe]

"It'll give you something to focus on if you have to remember it, so I think you might be less likely to fall asleep or something... And if you did fall asleep, I'd know right away because you'd stop in the middle of the song or something." Lin explained, not totally sure of his own reasoning, but it seemed a good idea to him.
"Yeah, I know you want to hold onto her, but she'll be fine. Moriko's there, the cloak's warm and the sooner we get your arm set, the sooner we can give Lovey some herbs and you can have her back where you have her now, okay?"  

[Tori Honoo]

His reasoning was sound once he had explained it, and she nodded slowly, setting her head back against the stone behind her as she began to hum, then eventually sing, though it was far from the alphabet song. Instead, she offered a shaky, but soft, song, too cold and tired to be embarrassed about having an audience this time. Hesitantly and with a bit of difficulty, she laid Lovey aside, right next to her leg, though she refused to take her hand from the little eevee's fur collar. She would not be separated from her, if she had anything to do with it.

That done, she looked to her wrist, risking further inspection. Immediately, what color was left in her face drained and she closed her eyes, though her song continued quietly.