((Meh. xD I had this really awkward moment with one of my best guy friends. So awkward. D:))

Lana inclined her head at Svali, a bright smile on her tan and rather bloody face. Lana met Damien's eyes and her smile quickly disappeared. She shuffled her feet awkwardly and began to tell Svali everything that had happened. She excluded some things, like unimportant conversations. She did a pretty good job of summing everything up.

"And that's pretty much it. And now we've found you," Lana said, a slight smile appearing on her grimy face.

((Fail. D:)) 

((Lol. Tell me what happened?))

Damien nodded, satisfied with Lana's summary of what had happened. Feeling awkward and wanting to break the ice a little, he said "So... Svali, is it?"

The girl nodded, so he continued.

"What about you? I mean, like, what happened? Why were you alone and... on the ground?"

Svali looked at Damien, a strange ex
pression on her grimy, bloody face. "I um..." she said, not looking either of them in the eye. "It's a really long story, and I'm tired. I think we should focus our energy on something more productive than storytelling."

She smiled at Damien, then Lana. "We could maybe try to find water?" she said. "Or food. If we survived, there must have been some plants or animals somewhere too, right?"

~~~

Krael sighed. He had really hoped Seth would be back before the five minutes were up, but he hadn't, so now he was going after him.

Grimacing in pain, Krael forced himself to his feet. Bending down awkwardly and nearly falling in the process, he yanked the knife out of the ground.

"Alright, Seth." Krael said. "You had your chance, now I'm coming after you."

He took one staggering step in the direction Seth had gone, then another, and another. Soon, he was running as quickly as he could, knife in hand, after Seth. All the while, Krael's only thoughts were of how terrified he was at what he might find.

((Meh... Okay, so I walked up to him and I was like, "Hi!" And then he said, "Hi, how are you?" I'm just like... "Good...?" And then we just stood there and stared at each other and it was really creepy. T_T" I was like... NYEEEH. xD))

Seth kept running, grimacing when he landed heavily on his right foot. He nearly tripped and fell, but kept his balance because of his steady pace. He thought he saw something, like a blur. Is that Krael?! He thought, surprised. It was pretty near where he had left Krael. Seth had only traveled a league or two away from Krael to find the river, and it took him half the time to get back because he was running now.

"Krael!" He shouted loudly, his voice echoing, the only sound in the desolate area.

((Fail. D:))

---

Lana shuffled her feet yet again and glanced at Svali, her heart too emotional for her to say anything. She had thought that Svali was dead, and was glad the girl was okay. She completely ignored Damien now, and was now only paying attention to her friend. She tried to wipe the memories of her brother out of her frazzled mind and her brain felt fried from the events that had happened that day. Sighing, She rubbed her temples and didn't even look in Damien's way, almost forgetting about him. She was thinking very hard about the explosion and the flare and desperately needed food.

She suddenly realized something, and blurted out loud, "I hope there are plants, because I'm actually a vegetarian." She tapped her foot thoughtfully. "I've never eaten meat before, and if there are only animals, it doesn't matter, because I'm not going to start now."

Sighing, Lana sat on the dusty ground, feeling exhausted and tired, her eyes clouding as she bent forward, scratching at the ground in frustration and agony, her wounds throbbing slightly. 

((Ehehehehe xD Awkward. I've done that before.))

Krael stopped abruptly, startled by the sudden noise. "Seth!" he shouted back. He started running again, faster than before now that he had a goal. For the first time in a long while, he was genuinely glad to see another human being.

Picking up the pace even more, but then slowing again because it was too painful, Krael ran towards Seth. Since they were both running, it was only a matter of seconds before the two reached each other.

"I thought something had happened to you," Krael said immediately, clenching his fists as another bout of pain surged through him, but smiling nonetheless. "Did you find anything?"

~~~ 

((Lol. The vegetarian thing reminds me of the time I ate chicken from KFC's on a dare xD It was disgusting, but I got two bucks o3o))

Svali nodded. She understood, a lot of her friends were vegetarian. Damien, on the other hand, looked horrified.

"You mean to tell me," he said, frustrated at Lana's stubbornness, "That you would starve to death rather than eat meat? You really are an idiot."

Even as he said it, Damien stepped back a little in case Lana decided to use the knife. Somehow, he doubted she would in front of Svali, but he had no way of being sure. He shook his head at her stupidity.

((T_T" What?! Why? D;))

Lana twisted around to look at Damien. Her lips were curled in a wry smile.

"Yes, I would rather starve. Let me put it this way: If you were a cow, and someone came up and ate you, would you like that? Or maybe, if a cow came up and ate you! How about if a pig came up and ripped me apart and ate me in front of you?"

She prodded him lightly, but firmly. "I find it disturbing that we kill innocent animals to simply eat them when there are so many other ways of finding nourishment, such as fruits, vegetables, and so on. It is my decision. Why should it matter to you, my friend?"

It was the first time she had acknowledged Damien since meeting Svali, other than explaining who he was. She turned around swiftly, the blade of the knife shining almost hungrily, whining for blood.

---

Seth grinned sheepishly at Krael. "I wouldn't let anything bad happen to me. I've still got you to take care of, you great lump! Anyways, I did find water! It's this way!" Seth didn't wait for Krael's reply. He was much too eager. He pumped his fists into the air and ran off, but stopped abruptly, realizing that Krael would probably be running slower because of his various injuries. 

((...Why what? D:))

"They're just animals. It would be ridiculous to starve to death if you didn't have to. See these?" He said, opening his mouth and pointing to his canines. He was doing his best to seem angry, when really he was just horrified by the thought of Lana dying.

"They're designed for tearing meat. That means humans were meant to eat meat. Does a wolf feel bad when it eats a deer? No. And it's because that's the way it was meant to be. You would be going against nature to-"

"Damien," Svali said, a not of warning in her voice. She didn't want this to escalate into a fight. She had a feeling Damien would lose anyway.

"Does it really matter?" Svali said. "I mean, we haven't found any animals, so we don't have the choice to eat them in the first place. In fact, we haven't found any food, and we never will unless we stop arguing and go look for some. Please." 

~~~ 

"Really?" Krael said incredulously.  "Lead the way, I'm right behind you." 

((T.T Fail.)) 

((Why would you eat the meat? xD))

Lana whipped around, her eyes fiery and flaming. She ignored Svali's soft pleading.

"Are you just a human? Don't forget: humans are animals too. Saying a deer is just an animal would be like saying you're just an animal." She bared her teeth slightly, her hand inching slightly toward her sleeve. "Wolves can't live on anything but meat. It's their nature. But humans can survive on plants instead of just meat because we're built differently. We have a choice, and I choose to not eat meat. What's it to you?"

Lana stalked away, leaving without another word. She nearly tripped because of her ankle, but she kept her balance and began walking a little faster without straining her injury. She didn't dare go any faster, but she drew her knife. She didn't want to use it, but if Damien came after her with intent of violence, she would have to defend herself, wouldn't she?

---

Seth laughed cheerily and matched Krael's pace. "It took me about two hours or so to get to the river, but I was walking then. So if we run, we'll probably be able to reach it in only one." 

((...Because I got two bucks xD))

Angry at Lana's stubbornness and at how wrong she was, Damien started to follow. He only made it two steps before Svali reached out a gentle hand and placed it on his arm, stopping him.

"Don't," she pleaded. "It won't do any good."

Damien opened his mouth to make a snappy retort, but he stopped himself. He nodded almost imperceptibly, to show that he agreed, that he wouldn't follow. Svali smiled. She was used to having to break up fights, having lived with Krael her whole life. 

"Good," Svali said in her usual soft, gentle tone. "I'm going to go talk to Lana, now. You... probably shouldn't come."

She smiled apologetically before turning on her heel to go after Lana.

"Wait!" She called after the retreating figure of Lana. "Please, Lana."

Even the simple act of saying her name caused so many emotions to go swirling around in Svali's mind. Guilt at having left her, happiness at the fact that she was okay, fear at what she would do if she found out that she had been abandoned and left for dead.

~~~

((Do you know if we have to censor minor curses like h*ll and d*mn on the forums? :/)) 

D*mmit, Krael thought. More running. That's going to feel just fantastic.

"Okay," he said, accepting that it was the best course of action. The sooner they got to the water, the better.

He started to run, not at his fastest, but enough that Seth wouldn't have to wait up for him. Krael had to limp slightly, which he hated, since it made him look weak. Occasionally, he would try to put his full weight on the injured leg, only to have lightning pain explode through it. I guess I'll settle for limping, he thought, as he looked back to make sure Seth was following. 

((I honestly don't know. D; I wouldn't do that for a million bucks. T_T .... Okay, maybe for a million. xD))

"Go away," Lana hissed. "If you want me to come back, go send Damien, and let's see if he's still angry at me for having an opinion." Lana flashed the blade of her knife threateningly, and continued limping away, leaving jagged trails in the dust and sand as she struggled to put as much distance between her and her two former companions.

As Lana started walking away again, she started walking even faster, forgetting about the pan. She instead turned her mind to Seth, thinking about her funny, kind, trusting brother. Seth could be so naive, but Lana missed him more than ever now. She would kill Damien and even Svali just to see him again, if only briefly. A single tear stained her pronounced cheeks, her green and blue eyes swirling with emotions. She gritted her teeth, stopping the flow of tears.

She vaguely remembered a conversation she and Seth had had before. It seemed like years ago...

"Oh, shut up Seth! You're such an idiot."
"How come you're always so... sour?"
"Because I've got you as a brother. You're such a wimp!"
"Well, I must agree with you for once. You are tougher than me. You're the toughest person I ever met, Lana. But that's not always a good thing. You have so much fire in you soul and you have such an aggresive, hard spirit. Your personality is rather cruel and cold. You don't allow anyone to get to know you. You have too much pride."
"..... You're pathetic,"
"See what I mean? You don't allow anyone to truly be your friend; not even me. Just.... Take a chance and lower your walls for once, Lana. You don't have to be like this just because you're bullied all the time. Relax, and stay with a group of friends so you guys will always have each others' backs. I'll always look after you, sure, but someday, I won't be there."

Lana hated the fact that Seth had a point. She remembered this conversation, and she knew that Seth would've wanted her to forget about Damien and her argument and just stay. But she couldn't bring herself to do just that.

"Sorry, Seth," She whispered quietly to herself. She continued struggling forward, her eyes cold again.

"Lana!" Svali said, briefly considering following Lana, but she knew it was hopeless. She sighed heavily before turning back around and rejoining Damien.

"So," Damien said, watching Lana leave. "How'd your little talk go? I can give it a shot, if you'd like."

Svali glared at Damien.

"Be my guest," she said.

She sat down about twenty feet away from Damien and absent-mindedly scooped up a handful of sand, letting it run through her fingers. 

I'm sick of it, Svali thought. Her green eyes were wet, making them look like pools of liquid emerald blanketed in shadows. I'm sick of people fighting all the time, and for what? What does it accomplish, except to make everyone miserable? 

Lana reminded Svali of Krael. She was surprised at the comparison she had subconsciously made, but it was true, to a degree. They were both fiery and easily angered, as well as stubborn. Granted, Lana seemed to have a strong sense of justice, where as all Krael was was... Krael. Svali also knew they were both good people, and she was worried about both of them. Lana was alive, but hurt. Krael could have been anywhere. 

Out of the corner of her eye, Svali could see Damien standing up and running over to Lana.

"Wait up!" he called to her. "Come on, don't do this. Look, I'm sorry, okay?" 

~~~

 "How much longer?" Krael said, gasping from the pain and from running. He had always hated running.

"I mean, we have to be close, right?" 

The pain was constant and throbbing, spiking in intensity every time he put even a minuscule amount of weight on his injured leg. Which was probably about 3 times a second.

Krael cursed quietly to himself, wishing the pain would just stop already.

Lana felt a sickness in her stomach. She heard Damien's voice, and hesitated. Her eyes were cloudy and emotionless when she finally stopped and turned around to face Damien. She stared at him for a while, her arms crossed, her dark hair framing her heart-shaped face. Her button nose and pink, Cupid's bow shaped lips gave her the appearance of a pixie, her eyebrows in a frustrated 'V' and her blue and green eyes swirling. Her curly ringlets were still shiny, with smears and streaks of dried blood in them. Her black hair had a bluish sheen to it in the bright sun, her dark brown highlights had a golden sheen to them.

 "Why would you come after me? Aren't I just the stupid vegetarian to you, Damien?" Her voice was full of hate, venom, and spite. Her eyes seemed to ridicule the thought that Damien was apologizing. She pursed her lips, still clutching the knife so tightly the skin on her knuckles turned white.

---

"Shouldn't be too long," Seth huffed, slowing his pace down so Krael wouldn't strain himself too much.

((Fail. D:)) 

((Lololol. Sorry I haven't posted Dx I actually saw this the minute you posted, but then I got distracted Dx))

Damien looked at the knife, clenched tightly in Lana's fist.

"No," he said. "that's not true at all. Just... just listen to me, okay? And put the knife away, it's making me nervous." 

He looked at Lana, searching her face.

All trace of anger gone from his voice, Damien said "Do you know why I said those things? Do you know why I reacted that way, Lana?"

He paused, then stepped closer to Lana. He was fairly certain she would never use the knife. If she did, well, so be it.

"It's because I couldn't bear the thought of anything happening to you. It made me feel physically sick. I was horrified when you said you would rather die than eat meat, and not because I think it's wrong not to eat meat. I couldn't care less. I only care that nothing else happen to you. I don't know what I would do if it did."

Damien stared at Lana for a moment before continuing. "So I'm sorry, Lana, If I offended you. I just... I just don't want you to die." 

He looked at her a second longer before turning back towards Svali and sitting down near her.

Damien saw Svali gaping at Lana. He imagined her standing there, glaring at him. He resisted the urge to turn around and see if she would follow him.

Still staring, Svali said "So how did your little talk go?"

~~~

"Good," Krael said, gratefully slowing down to match Seth's pace. "I feel like I'm about to collapse." 

((I fail more Dx)) 

((NYEEEH. I fail more! *wants to win* xD))

Lana looked shocked when Damien told her this. She carefully put the knife away, slipping it up her sleeve again. She took a slow step backward, her face unsure. She strode back over to Damien and Svali, but didn't acknowledge Damien's prescence. Lana didn't know how to handle things anymore. She was so confused. She was also unsure about how she felt about Damien. Her eyes glittering in the light like a wolf's, she sat down next to Svali, ignoring both of her companions. Her face was thoughtful, her eyesbrows meeting in a 'V' as she considered everything that had just happened.

---

Seth held back a snort as he stared at Krael unsuredly. "Are you okay? We can rest, if you want." Seth shuffled his feet, pausing to glance at the sky. Why was the sun still up? This was so weird... It should've been sunset by now. He pointed this out to Krael.

"The sun's still up when it would've normally have been sunset by now. What do you think is wrong? Did the flare cause the sun to stay up longer? I don't want the sun to be up forever. What about the night and the moon and the stars?" Seth sounded concerned, tired, confused, and just plain miffed. 

((Actually that's fine. You can fail more... I guess... If you want to xD))

"No," Krael said. "I'm fine. Just tired and thirsty." And pretty much every part of my body hurts like hell, he added mentally.

When Seth mentioned the sun still being up, he looked upwards. Just as he had said, it was sitting in the same position in the sky.

"Whoa." Krael said. "I'm no astrologist or astronomer or whatever, but I'm pretty sure that's not normal. The sun only sets because the Earth spins, right? Does this mean the Earth isn't spinning anymore? If it's always day here, then some other part of the world must be stuck in perpetual darkness. Did the flare screw everything up so bad it messed up our orbit?"

~~~

 Svali awkwardly sat between Damien and Lana, wondering what to do. She wanted to suggest, once again, that they find food and water. She was afraid to talk with the two of them fuming on either side of her, though, so she simply sat in silence.

((I changed my mind. I fail worse e.o)) 

((xDD I'm so odd. owo))

"Nyeeeh...." Seth let out the weirdest sound he had ever made in his life. Shaking his head, he muttered a few choice curses under his breath and continued on, loping with an easy stride so that Krael didn't strain himself.

((Fail. D:))

---

Lana was the first to get up. She tucked a few stray strands of hair out of her pixie-like face.

"We need to find food and water. Most importantly water though." Her voice was strangely quiet and calm. She glanced briefly at Damien, her harsh and unsure gaze softening a small fraction. But then she whirled around and stared at the sky. She uttered a harsh curse and turned around to face Damien and Svali again.

"Look at the sky. It should be evening by now. What the heck is wrong with this stupid planet?" 

((HAHAHAHA! I can't stop laughing xD Seth going "Nyeeeeehhh" made my day. Except I kind of imagined him making this noise. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fP4pks9CtSE))

Krael continued running. The only thing spurring him was the promise that if he could just keep going for another few minutes, he could have water.

((Faaaaiiillll.))

~~~

Damien stared straight ahead, ignoring Lana. Svali simply nodded and stood up, looking at the sky and then at Lana.

"Which direction do you think we should go?" Svali asked Lana.  

((Omg. I fail so hard. *wears dunce hat with crown on top.* No seriosuly though, this is the hardest i've failed in a while.))  

((xD NYEEEEH. <3 Seth is so totally beastleh.))

Lana blinked, crossing her arms. "I don't know..." She turned around to stare at Damien, her eyes still slightly cloudy with confusion. Her voice turned a little unsure. "How about... that way?" She pointed to the direction she thought was south. You really couldn't tell with this kind of world, now that the sun was going to stay up at its midday position.

Lana felt a little confused because Damien was ignoring her. Why would he say that and then just ignore her? Probably because she hadn't said anything to him yet either. Sighing, she rubbed her temples and started walking in the direction she assumed was south, blinking as the sun hit her eyes and temporarily blinded her. Sweat covered her brow, and she wished that she could pant like a dog for once without seeming crazy.

---

Seth grimaced as he nearly tripped. He heard the slow, soft rumbling of the lazy, slow-moving river. He let out a hoarse shout and spurred himself forward, ignoring the fact that Krael couldn't go as fast as Seth right now because of his injuries. Seth hit the ground when he accidently tripped - he wasn't doing too well today - rolling over to the river and dunking his head in, creating bubbles as he tried to speak while his head was still in the water. Grunting unhappily, but good-naturedly, Seth scrabbled heavily to his feet, wiping the water from his face.