railerat

Like most teenagers' bedrooms, this one looked a bit of a mess. Well, maybe more than a bit. It was at peak untidiness, half a degree away from being mandatorily cleaned, lest she get a chewing out. But she was putting that off until she felt less like putting her head through a wall. Or at least until her other urge subsided. Unfolded clothes were piled near the bed, and again by the closet door--a few mismatched socks and a pair of ratty jeans could be seen pushed up against the wheels of her computer chair, and in the half-lit room, they made a sad spectacle indeed. The girl sprawled out on her bed, long legs stretched out before her;

 Ascher's world narrowed quickly, reducing down to a few basic functions, basic senses. He could hear his breath and heartbeat as he leapt nimbly from the limb of an oak, catching himself on the leafy branches of  the next tree. The pulse of electricity, the steady hum told him where to go, his eyes scanning desperately for the flash of white on the forest floor beneath him. His sharp claws and strong toes gave him purchase, long tail acting as the perfect counterbalance as he ran along the lengths of the trees, showering the ground below with leaves and dry sticks with every jump, every cleared landing. Jigo... But he had no time

 Ascher worked through the night, helping Amble unearth the remains of his partner. There would be no rest for either of them until it was done; they worked tirelessly, wordlessly, until--as the Vulpix-orange sun began to tint the trees and clouds with its hazy spray of light--the distinctive pink slope of Luce's corpse emerged from beneath the rubble at last. It was not so much a moment of triumph as it was one of finality, though. She was not a pretty sight. Mottled black with the settling of her blood and swollen with putrefaction, her remains had begun decomposing visibly since the time of her death, and were no longer attractive in any s