Warring Parrellels

[Damien]

Kole angled his body sideways so Goro could pass him. He hung back, his eyes carefully watching Haxx. In response to the digital creature's unspoken question he rose an eyebrow. "You think?" he asked softly before turning back down the tunnel, his tail curling slightly. "Haxx, you're going to hate me for this.... but Frisk," he glanced backwards at the toon,"carry Haxx along, I'm afraid my strength needs time to recharge..." he tapped the metal bands around his arms to make his point clear. The metal was glowing a soft red, making it look as if his body was washed in blood. "If anything goes wrong, hollar, and, uncover Haxx's mouth. You will listen to what he says, I need to go check up on Goro..." he began walking, gripping the flashlight tighter,"I just hope he'll say what is on his mind to me..." With that he took off down the tunnel, the tiny patters of his bare feet echoing within the dark corridor.

After about a minute Drake's hands reached out and grasped at Goro, small moaning whimpers escaping him. A nightmare. About what however was unclear, the words tumbling past his lips in panic were inaudible.

Kole emerged behind Kail, his pace slowing. Gingerly he laid a fur less hand onto the human's shoulder. However he wasn't concerned with the teenager, his eyes focused on Goro, and his almost invisible trembling. Gently he nudged Kail out of the way and jogged up along the reptile's side. "Hey..." he began softly, glancing at Drake, apparently he wasn't the only person with bad memories... "Is everything alright?" he continued looping an arm around Goro's shoulder with a small grin, obviously trying to cheer the other up. "I know you aren't big into discussing your feelings... but if you do need someone to talk to... I'm here for you..." The prime-ape paused before glancing back at Kail, which he knew could hear his speech. "The same goes for you... you know... if it wasn't for the war, we could have been friends..." Another faint smile. Kole always did this, trying to ease some of the fear many humans experienced at this point. "We don't sell to 'pigs' or the abusive..."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Outside the close entrance two hawks flew in and landed on the ground. Their bodies melting and growing, giving wa to a more human shape. The larger hawk transformed into an equally large human, about a half a foot larger than the other. His eyes were a sharp crystal clear blue as they scanned the area. His long dirty blond hair windblown, as if caught blown by a strong gust of wind and stayed that way. The small hawk came up to only to the other's shoulder when his form shifted completely. His equally sharp blue eyes widened and darting around aimlessly from nervousness. His relatively shorter blond hair fell like the average humans.

Both humans had the same faces, pointed noses and sharply angled chins, thin mouths. However on the taller one his features portrayed a look of silent confidence and remained emotionless. The smaller's face betrayed every emotion, his small stature to the other made even smaller as he crouched forward, as if scared from an attack from the bushes any moment.

Brothers, there was no question about it, the two were related, every physical aspect of their bodies, aside from height, was almost identical. However, the larger one's shoulders were broader, and his build was made of more muscle than his brother's. The two were dressed in nothing but two tan pairs of shorts, allowing every curve of their body to be shown, along with how the muscles were structured underneath the skin.

"Hawken..." the smaller one began taking a fearful step backwards. "Maybe we shouldn't follow... can't we just report back and give the location of the trapdoor away?"

The larger one, apparently named Hawken shook his head as he plucked a feather from his chest. "No, for all we know we could be leading them to a dead end or an underground maze, we have to find the exact location of their city..." he reached into one of his pockets and pulled out a small, flat metal square. "Set in the tracking device," he instructed as he pressed the square into his arm, making it stick fast. Than something odd happened, the metal changed color and texture, completely bleding into the skin. "We'll be fine Eric, they'll be able to find us as long as these are up and running."

Eric shook his head quickly, however he set the tracking device over the right side of his chest. "Ok... but only because you said so..."

Hawken nodded grimly as he searched around for the entrance, that was most likely hidden among the foliage, no match for his still bird-like eyes. "Remember, hang back behind me, we shouldn't be spotted if we keep our eyes and ears open, along with being silent, which we are perfectly capable of doing. Recap, who are we facing?"

Eric bit his lip, his face screwed up in concentration. "A toon, unpredictable. A being composed of digital data, 'he' seems to have several cards in a device along his arms that activate special abilities, prevent him from reaching them and his effectiveness in combat is reduced to a manageable percentage. A monkey, he is agile and fast, bands around his arms create a field around him that increases his physical capabilities, what out if we confront him in an area with many obstacles and structures, how in the open his effectiveness in combat is reduced. A lizard... or some kind of reptile, a swordsman, his muscles heavily compact, possibly almost as dense as a brick wall, if not not denser... if-" he paused.

"-If encountered in combat transform and fly out of reach as fast as you can, however that will likely be to slow. Avoid confrontation at all costs, any battle will result in failure," the large male finished for the other before putting a finger over his lips and opened the hidden trapdoor, before the pair slipped in silently.

[Frisk E. Coyote]

"Aye aye!" The Toon saluted the monkey, a little too hard at that as he managed to slap his forehead and knock himself onto his back, the trademark ring of cartoon bluebirds hovering above him and tweeting before he shook them away by shaking his head clear. He normally would have had a hard time moving Haxx, but as it was funnier to harm someone in a full-body cast when trying to help, he easily dragged the Digimon behind him with one arm as he toddled forward.

The blue reptile's muffled grunts of pain as he bounced up and down on the uneven floor and his muffled cursing punctuated the endless talk the coyote was spouting. He was getting angrier and more frustrated by the second.

Goro said nothing as Drake's hands grasped at his chest, managing to grab hold of his open robe. He didn't acknowledge Kole, even as the prime-ape draped an arm over his sturdy shoulders, until he spoke. "Yes, everything is... alright." He replied. "I had unintentionally allowed my memories to overwhelm my Musou, thus breaking my concentration and blank mind. I would not have attacked Haxx that way otherwise... but alas... I am only mortal." He shut his eyes and took a deep breath as he placed Drake on a table, gently easing his hands away from his robe.

"Nonetheless... thank you. I appreciate your concern for my state of being, but a disgrace of a swordsman such as I, is unworthy of such care." The raptor added with a quiet sigh, sweeping back the plume of blue feathers on his head with a hand. He drew Ephemeral from it's scabbard and fluidly gave it a twirl between his fingers so the blade passed right through the table and Drake's head, leaving both unharmed, before sheathing it. He had cut the human's nightmare and dreams altogether, an ability Ephemeral had that he found quite invaluable, leaving Drake in a peaceful, dreamless sleep.

The area they were in served as a miniature clinic of sorts, with two examination tables, one of which Drake was on, and several cupboards filled with medical supplies. There were also buckets and sponges for cleaning wounds with, and Goro pulled one of those up. He placed a thumb on the orb between Force of Nature's hilt and sheath, and rolled it around until it took on deep, translucent turquoise color. He drew it, and instead of the straight metal blade, the sword had a billowing blade made of clear water, which bubbled and steamed slightly.

The raptor raised it over the bucket and with a flick of his wrist, filled it with warm water, sheathing the sword again so the orb returned to it's neutral transparency, then drew it again. This time, the blade was metal once more. He used it to carefully cut Drake's damaged and bloody clothes away. "There is so much blood... he must have harmed himself very badly." He murmured, pouring half the contents of his bucket into another one, handing it over to Kole, along with a pair of sponges, and nodded toward Kail. Perhaps the human would feel better if he did not feel grimy, or dirty.

Musou faded away completely as he started to give Drake's slender body a sponge bath, cleaning away all the blood from his face, his arms, torso and legs, wringing the bloody water from the sponge so it splashed onto the floor and sank into an area of soil. His heightened senses were back to normal, but he was not particularly worried as they were pretty much safe in the hideout.

Frisk, on the other hand, was playing a guessing game with Haxx, who was cussing and yelling at the toon (incoherently) through the bandages. The coyote was about to free his mouth when Haxx froze, his eyes darting around, his tone changed to one of urgency.

"What's that? We're gonna play charades?" Frisk clapped his paws happily.

Haxx was yelling at him to stop guessing and free his muzzle, because the silent motion sensors he left all around the huge underground hideout were starting to go off, one by one. Only he could hear it in his head, and he had to warn the others! From the pattern of the alarms, the intruders seemed to be heading the wrong direction, away from the clinic, but it was only a matter of time before they explored that entire area and made it toward them. He decided he to play charades with the Toon, and hoped to The Great Programmer that the Toon would understand.

"Gee, charades sure is hard when you just lie still like that!"

Haxx rolled his eyes. They were fucked.

[Damien]

Kole frowned deeply. "A disgrace of a swordsman? You can't be serious, you can move faster than most people can register, heck, I don't even Haxx can see it when you move at full speed, and his brain functions surpass many organisms. As for the emotion thing, every sentient being has to deal with them, and honestly, you deal with them far better than most people. You're not a disgrace," the primate said firmly before blinking at the bucket in his arms. His gaze followed Goro's nodding as his furless face turned a few shades redder. Apparently the monkey was shy. "Err..." he walked over to the human and handed him the bucket.

"I'm pretty sure you can wash yourself..." The flustered Kole turned away, biting his lip.


The two brothers stood a safe distance from the clinic without being able to be seen, but allowing their sensitive hearing to pick up on the conversation. It took them longer than expected, Hawken was right about the maze of tunnels, it was easy to get lost.

The smaller of the two frowned. Something was wrong, judging by the sounds, even by the two silent humans (their bodies being moved around etc.) he could only hear four bodies. Worried he signed (sign language) to his brother. "Where are the other two?"

The older frowned and replied,"I don't know... keep an ear out from them..."


Drake let out a groan, as the last of the blood slipped away from his body. He felt as if his mind was being split open with a chisel. His hand twitched slightly before he reached and rubbed at his forehead. His brain was being bombarded with the usual information of thoughts and ideas. However at the moment it he couldn't make sense of it, and it make his headache worse. "Ohh... make it stop..." he growled closing his eyes tighter. "Anyone have any aspirin?" A little known fact, but as well as easing pain aspirin, and other similar drugs, had the effect of dulling a psychic's abilities, which was why Drake asked in the first place.

[Idalia]

Kail nodded, flashing a shy smile at the monkey. Once again he was forced to re-evaluate his opinion of the group, and he couldn't come up with a single reason to hate them. Sure, most people would hold a grudge over the whole captive thing, but even with that, his life had already been more pleasant than before they'd come. Without any noticeable hesitation, Kail removed his shirt, folding it and setting it to the side, with his surprisingly well muscled torso revealed, he slowly began washing himself, reveling in the feel of the warm water on his skin. He'd already decided that unless he had some form of privacy, or they forced him to, he would leave the pants on, and be content with washing his upper body. "If.. You don't.. There might be some in my bag.." he said in reply to Drake's question. "I um... I like to keep a decently well stocked first aid kit close at hand.. Being the smallest in the camp.. Who knows when I might need it.."

[Frisk E. Coyote]

"If only all it took to be a swordsman was skill and combat ability..." Goro sighed a little sadly. "A swordsman values honor and principles above all others. I am a warrior. I should be in the war, but instead, here I am, kidnapping youths with almost no combat ability and raiding human settlements. It is not like I want to do this-" He was about to go on, but he stopped himself before he said anymore. "It is better that the rest is left unsaid. I should just fulfill my duty without complaining."

The raptor bowed his head quietly at Kail. "I deeply regret having to take you from your home. You have my sincerest apologies, but you are not obliged to forgive me. I am a disgraced swordsman unworthy of forgiveness."

The saurian nodded at the human as he offered them his medicine. "Thank you. I have not heard of this... aspirin... you humans speak of, and I am uncertain if our medicine will numb his pain. This is why we brought the small canine and the Digimon with us, they heal without the use of medicine." Goro explained, and picked up Kail's bag, holding it up for him. "How are you feeling, Human?" He asked Drake.

[Idalia]

Kail blushed as he searched the bag. "I.. It wasn't much of a home.." he said softly. "Even with people like you.. Who are very different looking.. People still hated me for being different from them." he felt a twinge of guilt at thinking so badly of his fellow man, but given the circumstances, he wouldn't dwell on it. After a minute of seaching, he drew a small bottle out of the side pocket. "Here it is.. . Two pills are usually enough, but three is still safe, and would probably be a good idea with how much pain he is in.." he said.

[Damien]

((I deeply apologize, one for I didn't realize this was posted in and two because my computer died on me again and I just managed to get it working again, I really need a new one... anyway, sorry for the delay))

______________
"I feel like my head is splitting open, so stop thinking," he muttered squeezing his eyes tighter,"your thoughts are the equivalent of me screaming in your ear, times ten, at the moment..." Luckily, while although he couldn't understand anyone's thoughts at the moment he could still understand speech. "I'm not trusting that blue collection of data or the bundle of physic by passes with the state of my mind. Haxx made me go berserk in the first place."

Kole sighed at Goro's words,"Do you think I want to do this ether? It was this or starving to death... considering the job I had before the war doesn't exist anymore..." he sighed heavily trying to ignore both the humans as he ran a hand through the fur of one of his arms.

Drake snorted and snatched the bottle of pills, with surprising speed, before Goro could grab it. "Oh really?" he asked, his voice dry,"what was your job before the war?" He opened the cap, his eyes still tightly closed and poured three pills into his palm.

"Oh? The psychic is asking questions instead of finding the answer for himself? If you must know... I was a manager at a mall.... or supervisor rather..." Kole scrunched up his nose at Drake and frowned.

"It doesn't work like that," Drake replied numbly screwing on the cap of the aspirin, his chronic headache already starting to subside, to bad his abilities will be a little unreliable until the medication was out of his system. "I can only read things that are ... near the surface let's say... like the... foul memory of yours... something within your own mind triggered it, while you weren't actively thinking about it it was still lurking at the edge of your mind... I can read deeper but usually that overwhelms my... senses... and I go unconscious if I push to far, sensory overload..."

He paused rubbing his forehead, eyes still closed. "Ugh, stupid headaches, I always get them really bad..." he coughed tossing the bottle back to Kail. "But that being said, I can easily extract information that I want... like... let's say I wanted to know your favorite color... immediately you begin thinking about it, without conscious control. Then, I just have to read your thoughts and-" he stopped mid sentence and sat up, rubbing at his temples. "Dammit! I fucking hate my emotions sometimes! Allowing me to overreact. Great job subconscious!"

After a few moments he opened eyes letting out a groaning sound,"I think the medication finally took effect, sometimes I love my body's high metaboli-" he stopped and frowned. ".... where are my clothes?"

[Frisk E. Coyote]

OOC: Keep on fighting, Dray-Dray!!

IC:

"You are not obliged to trust us, and neither are we asking that you to. At the end of the day, we have still marched into your settlement and taken you from your homes. Regardless of how well or how bad we treat you, we are at fault, and it would be foolish of us to expect you to trust us." Goro stated coldly. "...However, this does make me even more grateful for the undeserved level of trust and cooperation with us you have shown." The raptor bowed his head at Kail as if thanking him.

The green reptile squeezed Kole's shoulder. "I understand. This is an ugly and thankless profession, but each of us have our reasons for taking it." He said in an almost tender tone. He was not currently in the state of Musou, and this allowed him to empathize more, feel more emotions, and show things like compassion, or guilt. "If emotions are your burden, Human, I can have Haxx produce one of his collars for you, those peculiar ones that ease one's thought processes." The raptor offered.

"If you do not wish to be degraded by such things, alternately, I can train you in the basics of Musou, The Art of the Blank State." Goro added, crossing his arms. "It is a form of active, locomotive meditation certain swordsmen use to clear their minds of needless thoughts and emotions, allowing for better concentration. I doubt an intelligent being such as yourself will have trouble understanding the basics."

Goro gestured at the torn and bloody pile of clothes at the end of the examination table. "They were ruined, so I removed them." He stated simply. He removes his swords and the haramaki around his waist that they were wedged in. He then takes his robe off, exposing his lean, solid physique, as well as the long, deep scar cutting across his torso from shoulder to hip. He pulls his haramaki back on and wears his swords again, this time, only his body wrappings prevented him from being completely naked. He tosses his robe over to Drake, knowing that humans were rather perturbed by being naked. His race however, rarely wore clothes as their genitals were all hidden.

"This will have to suffice for now. We will find you some clothes in the bunk rooms later."

[Damien]

Kole's eyes dimmed and he nodded solemnly, his fingers once again tracing the metal band around his bicep. Lisa, he couldn't let her starve... "Yes... well lets hope the war ends soon... no? So we don't have to continue this work..." he sighed and focused his eyes back on both the humans.

"Collar...?" there was that icy cold hatred, running through his veins like poison. Destroying his rational thought and causing his emotions to spiral out of control. No. With a sharp hiss Drake let out the breath of air he has been holding for the past few seconds. His hands unclenched on his thighs, leaving behind nail indentations in the skin. The darkness at the edges of his vision blurred and faded away. "No. No collar. No collars. Period."

Musou? Now that seemed interesting. Learning such an... 'art' would certainly help him control his abilities. And- A dark grin spread across Drake's face, but vanishing a split second later, replaced with an almost bored expression. "That is... not a bad idea..." he replied cautiously. His mind was set. He was going to learn this... musou...

His eyes traveled over to the torn bloody cloths. "I... really did I number on myself..." he stared sadly at the torn clothes, catching the robe in one hand and quickly slipping it on. Without a word he stood up and made his way over to the clothes. Still silent he reached into one of his torn pockets and withdrew something, closed within his palm. "..." quickly he slipped the objected into a pocket within the robe.