[color=fff200][b][h3][center]~Ryley Grisdoe~[/center][/h3][/b][/color]

Of course Avery couldn’t be found nearby. Of course. Nothing could be that straightforward with that airhead, could it? Ryley and Melody had searched for a while, trying to find that helpless kid. Oh, and of course Fern helped as well. After a fruitless search, Ryley threw his hands in the air, giving a small sigh.

[color=fff200]“I give up. He’s probably wandered off on his own or something.”[/color]

Well, there was another alternative, but Ryley didn’t want to say that one. If Avery had actually confronted the Onix again… No, it wasn’t smart to dwell on that. For now, the two of them needed to head out. Hopefully they’d encounter Avery, or someone.

[color=fff200]“Let’s get moving. We should try and find the others before it gets too dark.”[/color]

The sun was already beginning to set, providing a vast array of colors lighting up the sky. Needless to say, if they wanted to find the others today, they needed to hurry. Ryley recalled Fern, giving a kind nod, and took off at a jog. He had no real idea of where he was going. He just started heading back the way they came, and hoped for the best.

[hr]

A couple of hours later, darkness was taking it’s toll across the route. Ryley could often hear a stray Hoothoot here and there. Dammit… this was starting to look bad… He and Melody still hadn’t run into any trace of their group, much less human contact. They would need to set up camp soon… and having only two people wasn’t the best case scenario.

Ryley glanced over his shoulder to see how Melody was holding up. She seemed to be fine for the most part. They had grabbed a quick drink of water a while ago, so they should be good on that end. Hunger on the other hand… Ryley turned his gaze forward. They could worry about that when they set up camp.

A very small snapping noise off in the distance caught Ryley’s attention. He signaled to Melody to stay quiet as he listened in. It seemed to be distant enough not to be a threat, but his curiosity made him tune in. There! It happened again! Though this time it was more like a pop. It was barely audible, so it was hard to distinguish. What was making that sound…?

An optimistic thought crossed Ryley’s mind. At this point, he would follow that thought, despite the risks being wrong held. He motioned Melody to follow, but stay silent. If he was wrong, he sure as hell didn’t want to attract attention. He walked slowly towards the sound, staying alert for anything that may come. However, another noise made him lower his guard.

[color=fff200]“Thank Arceus… I think that’s the others”.[/color]

Ryley took off at a jog, not caring for precaution at this point. He craved for the safety numbers brought. As he began to draw closer, he could make out some of the words being spoken. 

[color=f7941d]“W-at… e-ery--dy… t-?”[/color]

Was… was that was Avery…? What the hell Avery… what the hell… That airhead was probably enjoying the company of the others while he and Melody struggled and despaired over finding him and everyone else. That aside, however, those words struck something in Ryley. It almost sounded like they hadn’t found most of the group… not a good sign.

[color=662d91]“If… aw-y… Onix… t-ey’re fin-… Unless… another… pokemon… you know…”[/color]

And that sounded like Abigail. A small part of Ryley hoped that she would be one of the ones they hadn’t found. However, at this point, he was just glad there was another person. 

There was a small break in the conversation, silence except for the occasional snap, crackle, and pop. Ryley and Melody approached closer, the light of the fire now quite visible. He thought he heard a third person speak, but it was too hushed a tone to make out what was said. However, it was just good knowing there were at least three people there.

[color=662d91]“Quiet you. Let’s ignore the jerk”.[/color]

...Aaaaand there was Abigail again. Unless the third person had said something insulting, then those words were very… Abigail’y’. Couldn’t really put it any other way than that. ...It really would be a lot easier on the group if she was one of the missing people.

Ryley continued to jog through the forest, until he finally broke through some shrubs into an opening, a very small camp having been set up. There was Avery, Abigail, and Blake, all there. Only three of their original eight… That meant they were still missing three. Not as bad as missing half, but he had hoped they were only missing one, or best case, none. 

In any case, he had just burst into the campground out of nowhere, and a word or two needed to be put in to avoid an awkward situation. Loading witty comment in three... two... one…

[color=fff200]“Things got a little rocky back there, huh…” [/color]

...Dammit... Brain, what the hell are you doing? ‘Rocky’? Seriously? That’s the best you can do? Ugh… well, he was tired, and he didn’t want to talk too much. That was a fair excuse, right? For now, a warm fire sounded really good right now. Ryley walked over to the heat and sat down beside it. 

[color=fff200]“Sorry… that was bad. Too tired to care right now”.[/color]