The Border was a strange place. And yet, in a way, it was also the sort of place where Ettie felt free, in a sense. Wide open wilds, stretched across the numerous floating islands that made up this place - and much of it felt mostly-untouched by anything that could be attributed to 'civilization', even if it would be strange for there to be settlements and the like in what was ultimately purgatory. There was something in the air though, that always made Ettie feel the desire to move, to simply run as far as her heart's desire would take her. To let herself go free, and simply return to the roots she knows as a wild beast.

Perhaps, if it ever became safe enough to wander in here with just the pack and herself, she would - exploring all that this place had to offer, whilst letting go of the boundaries that humanity posed. But for now? She had others, to help look after - namely her fellow expedition-mates - as they crossed a glassy-silken bridge onto a new island, in search of something. Specifically, a place to set up a base at - though in Ettie's own words, a den.

The young wildchild rode atop Anne's back - and though her pack was with her, the only others out of their pokeballs at this time would be Haru, Barbara, and her newest addition - a mightyena by the name of Madame. They would take point in keeping an eye out for any potential dangers in their surroundings - be it environmental, spiritual, or otherwise - and Barbara was large enough and perfectly content to bear a human on their back, if anyone made the request. On top of that, would be the two corvids - Adrea and Astus, who were periodically scouting ahead and returning to report back to Anne and Ettie.

It's when the honchkrow and murkrow both return - Adrea roosting on Ettie's lifted arm - that the wildchild would glance to the others. "Flock found something," She spoke - before glancing back to Adrea and asking "For den?"

The murkrow nodded with a hearty crow, gesturing with her wing someplace to the northwest - where the island goes from gently sloping plains, to something more craggy and mountainous off in the distance. She puffs her chest proudly with a slight upturn of her beak - seemingly taking credit for the find... At least, until Astus would make a displeased croak in her direction.

Ettie giggled as the two corvids began to banter/bicker - and reaching into her bag, she pulled out some treats for the both of them, as she turned her attentions to the rest of the group. "We go?" She asked - pointing in the same direction that Adrea had indicated, once her hand was freed up. They may as well get a move on, before whatever constituted 'night' fell here - if there were any particularly nasty dangers in a given area, they usually came out with the dark of night.

Present:

Callan Young , Josh Devlin , Johanna Joy

Now that Josh knew what to expect, the Mauville Gym Leader could come prepared for further investigation beyond Mount Pyre's rift, where the souls of the dead, as well as many hostile ghost-type Pokémon in general, wandered. He brought Kokusho and Sidewinder, two dragon Pokémon quite adept at hunting such otherworldly foes. They would also be exploring the rift at night, meaning fire-types would be valuable; that was what Suzaku and Simba were for. Neither of those two would keep him awake in the sleep-inducing environment that was The Border.

Ettie's birds seemed to be onto something. When Josh was about to agree to follow on his Flygon, Verte, a big yawn came out of his mouth instead. That prompted the dragon-type to vibrate his wings sharply, not getting quite to the speed of a BUG BUZZ, but loud enough and fast enough for the travelers to hear the hum. His thighs stung for a few seconds, but the strong rattle did its job of waking his rider up. "Th--thanks..." he moaned. "Good save."

The rest of their trip to a small cavern where they could make camp was uneventful, though Josh stumbled onto slightly jelly legs once the four had assembled. When Callan suggested a fire in the late afternoon, Josh jumped to help, withdrawing Verte. "I have Simba here to help light it," he offered, sending the adult lion Pokémon out, who nuzzled Josh then walked toward Ettie.

Food and shelter, safe to say, were more than handled. Anne was able to confirm that the cavern was vacant of any prior occupants, (though then again, what would live out here - besides spirits - that'd take up residence in a cave?) All the whilst, the group got right to work on setting up a campfire - and Johanna had brought plenty of food! Haru and Barbara were quick to help out with this - gathering branches and tinder from the surrounding area, and bringing them back to put into a pile for the campfire.

As Simba approached Ettie, the young girl would blink up to him, before smiling and reaching up to scritch him on the cheek. "Hello Friend!" She greeted the pyroar, before giving him a gentle nudge in the direction of the campfire, "Ettie-friends want help with fire," She informed Simba, before adding "Then we rest and eat!"

Which, from there, it didn't take long for the campfire to get put together. Once it was properly lit, Ettie would let out her other packmates - the canids happy to get a chance to stretch their legs and mingle with one another in what was a (relatively) safe space. "Stay close," Ettie reminded them - reaching down to scritch Rascal behind the ear in reassurance. "Safer in group!"

Princess and Duchess both would approach Johanna - idly sniffing at the young woman. Princess would be staring at the sandwiches hungrily. Duchess, meanwhile, was just happy to try and make friends - lightly nipping at Johanna's fingertips in an attempt to get her to play!

Ruffian and Rascal, meanwhile, took to checking out Callan. He seemed to put on a somewhat tough persona, compared to the other humans here... But Ruffian could be tougher! The lillipup would hold his head high and puff his chest. And Rascal, watching Ruffian's behavior, would attempt doing the same - puffing her chest, and looking Callan in the eye!

Finally, of the pups, there was Pago - who observed Josh with idle curiosity, tilting his head one way and then the other. The human was pretty friend-shaped, if you asked him - perhaps he'd make a good spot to lay around on, rather than on the hard rocky ground. The second that the racer was seated, he'd find himself with a certain seel climbing into his lap - yawning briefly.

Ettie giggled at the pack's shenanigans; retrieving a few of the sandwiches that Johanna provided, she'd begin to share them with the pack - tearing off bitesized chunks for either herself, or for one of her packmates. She wouldn't eat Johanna out of house and home though - she had brought some food of her own as well, after all - fruits and berries, with rations like dried meats and cheese! But, as they ate, something was on Ettie's mind...

"Friends... Howl with pack?" She'd ask - glancing to the others. This was the first time she got to spend the night with the other three, as far as she could recall... "Pack howl together, before sleep!" It was something that helped affirm eachothers' bonds, in Ettie's opinion - to just howl together as one, for the sake of it, whilst they were winding down for rest. And even if Callan or Josh or Johanna weren't packmates in the same way she was - they each had their own packs, after all - she still felt they were friends, to have been adventuring together like this!

Present:


Callan Young , Josh Devlin , Johanna Joy

Yagyu's restless, wandering spirit was nowhere to be found, which was a big relief. The only memories of the twin swords were in the hearts of Josh and those who had experiences with him. While he wasn't too personally invested in the team's exploration of The Border afterward, Josh was not without motivators to do his best and keep his friends safe. He was doing this for illeana reyes , and for the League. She had tasked him with gathering an understanding of the workings behind as many of these otherworldly spaces as possible. "You made ham sandwiches just for me? You shouldn't have!" Josh graciously accepted, snatching a second for Simba once he was done lighting the fire that would keep them warm throughout the night. "Delightful," he complimented her as he took his first bite. The ravenous predator, with his much larger mouth, simply scarfed the entire thing in a single bite.

"Aww..." Josh cooed as he found himself sandwiched between an adult great cat and a young sea lion. "What a cutie," he gently pat the Seel. "When Pago grows up, we have to go swimming together, Ettie . Whether that's at my Gym or in the open seas of Hoenn, it would make for a fun day together. Both of us and our water Pokémon." He tilted his head toward Callan Young and Johanna Joy . "And if you two have water Pokémon that can carry you in the sea, you would be welcome to join us."

"I don't have much of a singing voice, and Simba isn't much of a howler," Josh answered. The Pyroar, however, did let out a bellow alongside the howling Callan and any others that may have joined in. While it wasn't too loud, Simba may have overpowered the others' voices just a bit. "He's such a good boy, isn't he?" The fire Pokémon made another purr as Josh massaged him in just the right spot after the bedtime howl stopped.

While Josh's music preferences were of the more electronic variety, and sinister-sounding tunes at that, he recognized a good acoustic tune when he heard one. "Another TERAVOLT special," he idly remarked. "You're just as strong in your second field as I am mine." He was, of course referring to racing versus musical performance. "And speaking of racing, did I tell you, Callan? Thanks to Top Champion kyle lopez , I finally got to live my dream of riding Raikou. Would be a hell of a bedtime story to share with you before we turn in."

Duchess seemed to enjoy the attention - yipping happily as she danced about Johanna's hand, before rolling over and wiggling playfully in the dirt as her belly was tickled. Her tongue lolled as she gave the woman a cheery bark - leaning in from her position on her back to alternate between licking and nipping at her fingers! There'd be faint bits of static from the electrike's fur - and Johanna's hair may gradually begin standing on end as a result - but otherwise, it seemed Duchess has a decent grasp on not shocking people by accident.

Princess, meanwhile, was content to just enjoy some of the food provided while she watched Duchess have her fun. Lazy as ever, she'd be leaning against Johanna's side as she ate - gaze relaxed and halflidded. When Astus and Adrea landed nearby though, the Snubbull would take the time to tear off bits of the sandwich - sharing with the two corvids.

Ruffian and Rascal, on the other hand, were of mixed feelings. On one hand, they were trying to be big and tough (despite them being amongst the smallest of the pack, and Rascal sounding like a squeaky toy.) It was hard to be looking tough, when someone was just casually scritching them! But, on the other hand, Callan certainly knew his way around giving dogs a proper scratching...

Gradually though, they'd both simply sigh and relax into the touches - even if a bit begrudgingly on Ruffian's part. He supposed he could put up with this, for now, he'd tell himself - denying to himself that the scritches felt good.

And then Pago, finally, would get his chance to climb up into Josh's lap - and as he was pat, he'd let out a content hum. This was nice. He was content to just lay here like this, for however long he'd be allowed to - and yawning a second time, he'd close his eyes as he rested his head on his flippers, folded atop Josh's knee.

Ettie perked up as Josh mentioned Pago though, to which she nodded - giggling and smiling warmly. "Yeah!" She agreed - stepping closer and leaning down to gently scritch Pago behind the horn. "Pago help-swim, even when not-big. Strong!" She spoke praisingly. Even if he wasn't a dewgong, Pago was strong enough to let Ettie hang on while they swam around sometimes - like a kickboard - to help her go a little faster than she would've otherwise.

Though, when Ettie proposed them all howling together as a group... Josh declined to join in - and Ettie couldn't help her expression falling with disappointment briefly. "Oh.." She hadn't entirely expected Callan or Johanna be interested in joining in when she brought it up - she recognized they probably didn't know her too well. But she had kinda hoped Josh would've. It wasn't about singing voices or whatever, to Ettie - she didn't care if he wasn't good at howling, that wasn't what it was about, but... Maybe she should've explained it better? What words would she even use...?

But much to the wildchild's surprise, Callan would begin to howl - even with his mouth muffled by a sandwich. Ruffian and Rascal both perked up at the sound - and catching on, they'd begin to howl with. One by one, the voices of the canids rose into a chorus - one that even Johanna joined in on - and Ettie, her expression lighting up, would throw back her head to howl as well! Adrea and Astus began to crow and caw as they circled above, as if to try and add their voices to the chorus as well. Even if Pago couldn't quite howl in the same way they did, he'd let out drawn-out bellowing 'bwark's all the same, too!

To feel the sound rise up from her chest, to feel it reverberate with her packmates and friends down to her bones, with the unsaid statement of 'yes, we are together' hanging in the chorus... This was right.

As the howl tapered off, Ettie would breathlessly giggle with a giddy sort of joy, wiggling like a dog trying to wag a too-short tail. Running up to Callan with a bark, she'd hug him close and as tightly as she could - which, with her small size, was probably not all that overwhelmingly strong - nuzzling her cheek against his shoulder. Then she'd let go, so that she could run up to and bearhug Johanna too, nuzzling against her shoulder with a little yip just the same!

Anne, watching Ettie's excitement, would just let out a fond sigh. Her sister, she swears...

Ettie soon settled back down into a seated position though, even as she happily wiggled in place for a little longer. She watched as Callan pulled out a guitar and began to play it - her pack beginning to settle down around her as they listened to the music. A number of the canids began to yawn widely, clearly ready to sleep the night away - though some of the older canines, Anne, Barbara, and Madame in particular, would keep watchful eyes out for the rest.

As Johanna approached, these eyes would settle onto her briefly - though only Anne's lingered. The lycanroc was willing to accept the proximity, even if she still needed more time before she could form a proper opinion of the woman besides 'stranger'.

Ettie was more than happy to spend time with her, however - and at the comment and question, she smiled brightly. "Pack make Ettie happy! Pack feel-like home!" Ettie spoke readily, reaching back to pull herself closer to Anne and snuggle up against the large lycanroc's side. "Anne sister! Grow-with, learn-with - in 1-1-9!" She explained, gesturing with each pokemon she named. "Ruffian, Duchess, Princess, meet together. In Mauville! They, uhm... Strays?" Ettie spoke - pausing for a second to try and find the right word. The three didn't have any trainer, any pack, when she first met them - just each other.

"Rascal, Astus, meet in 1-2-0, when-meet Josh! Barbara, Adrea, also 1-2-0, when-meet Toki-ranger-friend!" Ettie continued to explain. She wandered route 120 a lot, honestly - and a bunch of her pokemon were from there, as a result. But given the proximity to Fortree, which she felt like was the town she was most familiar with, was anyone surprised that she tended to wander the routes near it? "Madame in 1-2-0, too - when pack explore alone." Then last but not least, "Haru meet in 1-1-1; really rocky! And Pago meet near-Mauville, when snowboys!"

Though, speaking of Toki Akiyama , she wondered how he was doing - it'd been a bit, so maybe she should go visit Fortree again, soon!

"Pack make Ettie happy... Ettie want pack happy, too." Ettie spoke in conclusion, though - and reaching up, she'd gently tug Johanna's shirt in a wordless invitation for her to sit with the pack. They could all snuggle together, in one big dogpile (ha-) this way! ...

...

... Though, as the darkness of night came in - and as the shadows grew ever longer... Anne couldn't help but note the way that they began to move. Swaying, flickering, twitching like unsteady marionettes. The lycanroc growled softly - unsettled - drawing Ettie's attention.

"What wrong, A-..?" Ettie asked - though her voice trailed off as she, too, began to see the movements of the shadows. Though there didn't seem to be anything necessarily threatening about it, seeing the movements of the shadows not match up with the motions of the shadow's owner... "... Ettie not like..." She'd state with a frown, similarly unnerved by it. It felt wrong - what was going on..?

Completed:
'begin building a base camp/settlement of some kind'
'attempt to spend the "night", surviving the elements or any threats.'
'during the night, the camp's and your shadows will flicker and move in odd ways'
Present:


Callan Young , Josh Devlin , Johanna Joy

Josh rubbed his tummy after finishing up Johanna Joy 's sandwich. "That bread is really good. Where did you buy that from? It's better than any I've bought in any grocery store in Mauville," he asked. While Alto Maren bread wasn't as healthy as whole wheat bread, did it ever taste good.

Ettie , likewise, bad brought out her entire pack at the campsite, much like Josh did for her. The big difference is her pack was small enough that she didn't need acres upon acres of land to show all of them off. Josh felt bad for putting his own pride over a group participation; he felt it would be embarrassing to howl at the moon, but didn't want to voice it to Ettie directly. "I... I'm sorry for recusing myself like that, Ettie." The girl had a relationship with her Pokémon beyond that of even Josh; she knew exactly where she had met every one of her Pokémon and could recount their history in striking detail. "You... you really care about your Pokémon, don't you? Every single one of them. I've had so many people give me the stink eye over keeping so many Pokémon. And that's why I like you. We both understand that no matter how small a role they play in our lives, every one of our Pokémon matters."

Josh could tell that Callan Young put as much of his soul into his music as the Mauville Leader did into going fast. The passion was there, and he could see eye to eye. He even sent out Verte, his Flygon, to hum his wings in unison with Callan's song the best he could. While they weren't visible, anyone who knew the species well could tell exactly how Verte was singing along. "That's what CIAN MAHER told me. I'm not giving up hope. I truly believe that even if it wasn't Johto's Raikou trying to reach out to me in those nightmares, there's a Raikou somewhere in need, with us trying to find each other. But until I have a lead, it's something I'll have to keep in mind. For now, though, I have to focus on illeana reyes 's wishes to scout the rifts. That and the Champion Assessment. That's right, Callan. I'm going to apply for the Champion Assessment."

At Callan's call to battle, Josh loosed his Hydreigon, Kokusho, who looked as bloodthirsty as a Pokémon could get. He also hopped onto Verte's back, the Flygon humming a shrill note with his wings and rattling Josh awake if he wasn't already.

As Josh apologized, Ettie would blink for a second - a little surprised, but... She'd smile gently, and nod - a quiet acceptance of his apology. "Ettie love pack - Ettie hope pack love Ettie, too. All pack matter." She spoke easily in agreement, reaching down to scritch Princess - who had relocated to the wildchild's lap - behind the ear. "Howl-together... Show feeling. Show is-pack. Is-friends, is-family." Mulling over it for a moment though, she'd glance to Josh's pokemon - and mention with warmth "Josh-pack... Probably love Josh, too." With how much love and care Josh seemed to show for his own pokemon, she was sure that his pokemon wanted to do right by him, too.

But with the coming night, the shadows had begun to behave strangely - and at Callan's call, the camp would come alive as the group prepared for a potential fight. Anne would get up, lips curling as her eyes darted between the shadows. Barbara snarled, sparks dancing amongst her fangs. Madame would even give a pre-emptive Howl, to get everyone's blood pumping in preparation! The pups would group up - Duchess and Rascal both seeming nervous and unsettled, even with Ruffian and Princess both to help watch everyone's backs. And above, Adrea and Astus circled - crowing and cawing, as if to goad the foe(s) into revealing themselves...

... But, as it turned out, there wasn't a threat at all - and Johanna would be the one to realize this. At her scolding, a sableye - Angelica - would reveal itself, and a number of the pack would begin to relax. Though, a few of them would shoot the sableye unamused glares - Ruffian in particular curling his lips with a hint of hostility. Anne would press a paw down against the lilipup's back however, in a silent command to not pick a fight with their own ally.

Angelica had something to share, though - namely, that it had been interacting with some of the local spirits - ones who apparently were planning to go on a march through the Border come sunrise. Ettie's eyebrows raised with curiosity - and glancing to the others, she'd suggest "We follow? In-ves-ti-gate!" as she pointed to the shadowy imagery of the soulmarchers. It sounded like something that could be fun to investigate, especially if the group was as friendly as Angelica seemed to imply.

Either way, with a potential plan for the 'morrow in mind, the pack would begin settling back down to rest once more - Anne appearing to be taking point, in keeping first watch for the beginning of the night.

Present:


Callan Young , Josh Devlin , Johanna Joy