[Juniperstar45]

Darkcloud hissed impatiently but Icyrose ignored him, "Well in this case, yes it is saving someone." She rounded on Darkcloud meaningfully. He rolled his eyes, "Thanks..." He eventually muttered. "Your welcome."Icyrose spit out, the welcome was not sincere at all. "But what our flowers do is let us communicate from farther distances. So say I was in...ah, the Wilt'no desert! If you were part of my Squall, I could grow a flower and speak to you. There's only one condition though, you would have to touch the flower too. So hypothetically of course if you wear to run away, I would be sending dozens of flowers popping up out of the ground so that I could tell you not to go away." She finished triumphantly. Darkcloud rolled his eyes at her smug look, and made a really bad imitation of her crystal clear voice, "I can grow pansies and say hi to my friends by using them!" Icyrose's body shuddered, her eyes glinting with hatred. "Can it you little cat..." She muttered through her teeth. Darkcloud stuck his nose in the air, "Fine, fine, Flower-Grower!" Icyrose crouched down but put her head to the earth, it was a calming position. She quivered for a long while. Then her head shot up, "We must keep going to Healing Springs...I know Honeystripe from, a long time ago...and it would kill me if she went out like this!" She choked out, biting her small lower lip, she wanted so badly to point out that it was all Darkcloud's fault. He twitched. "We'll she's not staying with our group for very long..." He growled at Mars, sneering at the word she. Icyrose wailed, it was the only thing that would keep her from ripping his little head off. "Don't push me you little cryptic cat!" She insulted him again. Then she turned pained eyes to Mars, "I-I'm not sure actually."

[jobiehanna]

"Guys! Calm down. At least pretend to get along, for my sake. I can't stand it!" Mars exclaimed. He was ready to rip his hair out. He walked over to Honeystripe and scooped her back up into his arms. Her fur was cool to the touch. He hugged her closer to his chest. "Which way to the Healing Springs?" he asked. "We can figure out where you'll go after we take care of Honeystripe," he said to Icyrose as he went to stand next to Darkcloud once again.

[Juniperstar45]

When Mars had his back turned Darkcloud hissed at Icyrose. She stuck her nose in the air and turned her back on him while they began to walk. "'K, firstly we need to get out of this death trap of a forest..." She looked over at Darkcloud and scowled. He glared back. "Now once we get away from there, we'll take the path to the..." She trailed off, perhaps running through some directions in her head. She lead the way silently, then Darkcloud muttered, "She walks like a troll!" Icyrose whipped her head around, "Please, don't call me names." She was trying to honor her agrement with Mars but it was harder then she imaigned. Darkcloud chuckled.

[jobiehanna]

Mars followed quielty after Icyrose and Darkcloud. He chuckled to himself at their bickering. Then he looked down at Honeystripe's still features, moving slightly when she breathed. If only she where walking beside them. He let a sigh escape him lips. Then he turned his gaze back to the road ahead of him.

[Juniperstar45]

Icyrose smiled at Mars, "Aww, cheer up! She'll be better! By the way," She turned to Darkcloud as well, "What where you guys doing waaaaay out here anyway?" She smiled and a faint rosy color spread across her face, "You, um don't need to tell me if it was personal..." She stuttered on her feet. Darkcloud hissed, "Well, I actually freaked these guys out after the eruption of the Nori." He laughed. She nodded, "Wait so then..." Icyrose bounced on each foot like she was deep into thought. "Um, wait just one moment. I-I think we might be lost..." She flapped her wings and took off in the air. Her speedy dartings obscured her from view in the light fog that began to engulf the group.

[jobiehanna]

Mars turned to Darkcloud. "Lost?" He exclaimed, his mouth gaping. They couldn't be lost. They were finally getting somewhere, and now they were lost. The fog was surrounding them slowly. "I hate fog," he murmured.

[Juniperstar45]

Darkcloud plopped on the ground. "Great..." He swipped a paw madly at the fog. "Go away!" He hissed angerly. He could barely see Mars now, and he was sitting two feet away from him! "Mars?" He asked anxously.

Meanwhile Icyrose was battling her way through the haze. She flapped rapidly but the damp air around her was bringing her frail furry wings down. Spiraling now, Icyrose collided with a few tree branches. "No, not now..." She whimpered. "You can't do this Sage!" Was the last words she choked out.

[jobiehanna]

Mars looked around blindly in the dense fog. He blinked his eyes, looking for Darkcloud. He couldn't see him! He heard him, but his vision wasn't much help. "Darkcloud?" he called out and stumbled towards the voice. He stopped moving, thinking better of it. If he went further, he could get even more lost. "Darkcloud?" he called agin, still looking around. If possilbe, his head would have spun around the whole way, like an owl's head.

[Juniperstar45]

Darkcloud sat down and looked around. Not even Mars' voice was audible. He bounced back onto his feet and began sprinting through the fog. Suddenly, his agile feet flew out in front of him and he crashed into a log. "Ouch, dang!" He gazed dizzily at his bloody foot. He muttered a string of profanities as he felt his stomach roll with nausea. One of his only weaknesses was the sight of blood. He felt his small knees buckle underneath him, his face hitting the cool ground. "Mars...?"

Icyrose's eyelids lifted slowly. She was extremely stiff and tangled in a pile of branches on the ground. Her thoughts where all in a jumble, like someone was constantly spinning her. The only thing that she could distinctly tell was the smoldering pain in her left wing, the twisted muscles in her ankles and her strained neck. Her body was all numb to add on top of being in pain. The pain was starting to ebb now; a dark fog was clouding her now, keeping her shrouded from view.

[jobiehanna]

Mars continued to look widely around. He couldn't hear is Darkcloud had answered his call or not. He carefully placed his foot out. Then the other. He called out for Darkcloud constantly as he waked though the ever thick fog. This was hopless. He didn't think they would ever get out of this place.

[Juniperstar45]

Darkcloud struggled with his slow thoughts. Move, get up, twitch, do something you idiot! He was barely aware of anything, if there was a thunderstorm and seventeen bears clawing at his face, he probably wouldn't have been able to defend himself. Our little group is falling apart...we need Honeystripe healed, NOW! His eyes fluttered open momentarily, but quickly shut again.

She was not much better off. Icyrose clung to her last wishes, like she was mentally planning on dying or something. She had heard of this kind of fog, the Elders had spoken about it before but those were merely legends. This was the real thing, the Dark Fog. Yup not very creative our ancestors where but it still is dark in every way, shape and form. It immediately sucks its prey into a fog and they all become totally paralyzed. Not literally but the prey becomes extremely baffled and can't find a way out. Well it worked... Were her last thoughts.

They were both unconscious now, far, far away and unknown of the others condition. The faint ruffle of wind alerted all the life that was dwelling around them. "You must do this alone. Whether you like it or not. Save them or you will be alone. Good. Luck."

[jobiehanna]

Gah! Mars couldn't see or hear anything! He was frustrated and lost in the wilderness. Darkcloud and Icyrose were nowhere close, or he would have, hopefully, been able to see them. He sped up his pace. This was rediculous! If he could find someone, anyone, maybe he wouldn't feel so lost and hopeless. He was watching the ground as he walked. He fell foward when his toe hit the rotting log. Honeystripe flew out of arms. "No!" he gasped as he landed, rolling, on the ground. He looked wildly around and scrambled to his feet. At least he hadn't landed on her. He looked around, seeing nothing he went onto his hands and knees. He scrambled foward and felt the fur beneath his hands. He went closer to the body, and instead of finding Honeystripe, he had found Darkcloud. He gasped at the sight of his foot. Mars picked Darkcloud up with his arm and continued to search the ground with his other hand. He found Honeystripe close by and sat Darkcloud down. He checked Honeystipre for wounds, and found none. Then he sat down next to the two unconscience bodies of his friends. He slapping Darkcloud on his cheek. "Wake up," he pleaded with the unconscience figure. He slapped Darkcloud again. If he had a bucket of cool water, maybe that would wake him. He decided to shake him. Where was Icyrose? He called her name, knowing that he couldn't be heard. It was very dark, and the fog was too dense, his voice couldn't penetrate it. He stopped shaking and slapped his face again. He pleaded again with Darkcloud to wake up.

[Juniperstar45]

Darkcloud quickly felt pressure all over his body. [i]Death can't be this punishing...why won't you just let me die![/i] Then he was in a dream world, on a boat. It rocked in the wind, the blazing blood sun was leaving a trail of light across the salty sea. His eyes began to burn when he stared to long into the sun. He felt sick too, the rocking was so fast, not normal for a boat. Dead Coast maybe? He heard whispers of his name floating around him. Besides the fact that the boat was unnaturally shaking fast, Darkcloud felt calm, at ease until he recognized the voices on the wind. He felt like someone just slapped his face, Was it Mars? Mars? Who is Mars? Who am I? What...? This was not a happy world. He quickly felt like a bunch of heavy things where lifted off of him, like someone opened the box he was in and he could see the sunlight. "M-Mars?"

Icyrose was lost as well, not quiet in a pleasant dream world but still not the real world. She had been transported to the past, her memories where flawless! It was the night she was sent away from the Squall, but Sage had told her something that she thought was puzzling. All of her confusing words were making sense. "Ice. You must leave." "What why? Is this about the stupid-" "No sweetie, it's something else. Your time is now to redeem yourself, go save them and come back. But three strikes and," She made a grunting noise, "You’re out honey!" "Wha-" "Leave now Icyrose, don't come back if it's easier, just leave!" "Sage..." "NOW!" That was probably the scariest time of her life. Her entire Squall had turned on her in less then a human heart-beat! She struggled to forget the snowy forest ground and the glinting of Guardian Sage's eyes. Her words burned like acid, every single syllable, painful. Icyrose flailed on the ground, she was recovering now, and it didn't take her long to heal if she had Sage on her side. Maybe she was watching...maybe she was helping?

[jobiehanna]

Mars' face lit up at the flutter of Darkcloud's eyes. He was speechless. "Y-you're alive!" he exclaimed. He backed up a little to let him have room to breath. "We need to find Icyrose," he said. "I have no idea what to do, though!" He was talking nonsense, the excitment in his voice that Darkcloud had said something was evident. "Can you walk?"

[Juniperstar45]

Struggling with the clouds that where still hanging thickly that were in both places, physically around him and in his head, he mumbled something unintelligible, even to himself. "There's no way I'd be trying to ditch you now..." His sarcastic words came out as mush. He flexed his body once and grunted, trying to hold back a screech of pain. What the heck? Why am I so banged up? The pain was mostly radiating from his left hind paw, it was slowly trickling up from there until it reached his waste where everything was all numb. But he couldn't help but make his eyes bug out, "Hey, hey, hey. You thought I was dying? What's wrong with you man?" He hated it when people got all emotional, but his tone wasn't very assertive. He lifted his paw and punched Mars lightly on his shoulder. It would have been harder but his exhaustion and his pain boiled his muscles all down to dust. He laid limp for a moment, that seemed the best way to stay nonchalant about his agony. Then his stomach jolted, "Where's Honeystripe?" He asked immediately strained and tensed, his words clear and every emotion more pronounced. Darkcloud began to apply weight to his legs. They shrieked in pain as he struggled to get in a more comfortable position. It didn't help that he was stiff on top of all this.

Dead? Dying? Dead? Dying? Icyrose fought with her mind in the parallel universe she was in. Dead? Nope not yet. Dying? Possibly...