~August 31st, 2025~

The three trekked towards the state of Arizona. The sun beaming on them, Okame, Maxie, and Sage had been traveling incessantly on foot to Arizona for an hour.
Sage dug through their bag, pulling out a juice box. The lead hunter drank the juice as they continued traveling. Maxie himself hadn't been too bothered by the fierce heat, used to the heat that he had to tolerate in his own home before ITEV came into a miserable existence. The air was filled with the soft sounds of sore feet walking across dry, dehydrated grass. Chirping crickets accompanying the slight noises.

They continued walking across the plain, "so, have any of you guys been to Arizona before?" Okame inquired, looking over his shoulder to look back at the two. Sage shook their head with a slight shrug.

"Nope...I don't travel much." They gave an awkward smile, Maxie gazed around at his peaceful surroundings.

"I haven't either, this'll be my first time." He stated with a cheerful whistle, using his hand to block the glaring sun from his eyes. Okame gave a chuckle, subtly shifting his backpack to one shoulder.

"I think you guys will like it...if you like that...dry...desert kind of land." He smiled slightly, Maxie stretched his arms a bit.

He gave a grin, "perhaps I could get a tan." He joked a bit, Sage snickered, discarding their empty juice box in their bag.

"Yeah, it honestly doesn't sound too bad." They admitted, trailing off. Okame smiled gently,

"I'm pretty sure by the end of this mission we should all look like burnt potato chips." He added on, earning a laugh from Sage. A structure appearing in the distance. It seemed collapsed and abandoned, it had been made of dark red bricks. Sage perked up, noting the building. The lead warrior accelerated their pace, curiosity tugging at them.

Maxie went up to Okame, tapping the other boy on the shoulder gently, "hey broski, you have some sunscreen I could borrow?" He asked, feeling the temperature around them rise. Okame nodded, he pointed to his bag.

"Sure thing broski. It's in the second smallest pocket." He smiled, Maxie tugged at the zipper, gently opening it up and retrieving the sunscreen. He sprayed some on himself, returning it back to its place in the alphabeta's travel bag.

Okame shot him a thumbs up, continuing the way towards the faraway structure. A few moments later, the trio arrived. Maxie and Sage observed the structures. They were indeed collapsed, the red bricks of the crumpled building dusty and chipped. There had been four once standing buildings that surrounded the middle. Which had a broad circle in the middle. The circle was divided into four quadrants,

Each quadrant was labeled. Okame looked around, a grin slowly spreading onto his face. "This is the Four Corners Monument." He explained, Sage looked at the circle and the quadrants. The lead hunter read each one, they labeled: Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, and Colorado.

Maxie continued looking around, carefully observing the collapsed structures. "Woah, cool." He breathed out, placing a hand on the ruined building. "Too bad I forgot what a monument was-" he muttered, taking a sip from his water bottle. Okame just smiled.

"So I suppose these will help us find our way to Arizona?" Sage asked, pointing to the labels. Okame strode over towards the lead warrior, looking down at what the other had been referring to.

He nodded, "yup!" He chirped. Sage gave a grin.

"I low-key can't wait to get there." She commented, receiving a smile from the alphabeta. Maxie noticed the two, accidentally walking on top of something as he strode towards his friends. He looked down and removed his foot off of the object that had been in his path. He delicately picked it up, recognizing it as a small brown leather wallet. He cautiously opened it, presented with an ID of someone who went by the name of 'Jeffery'. The last name had been scratched out.

The ID showed a dark-haired boy no older than 18 who had emerald green eyes. Maxie eyed the money that had also been in the wallet. Looking up from his newly found item, he blinked. "Hey Broski, who is Jeffery?" He asked, waving the high rank towards him.

Okame trotted towards the other boy, "I had a classmate named Jeffery." He explained, then peering at the ID from Maxie's discovery."Okay, I don't know that Jeffery-" he admitted suddenly, unable to recognize the figure from the ID. Maxie snickered, storing the wallet, ID, and money away in his backpack.

Sage ran over to them, grabbing Okame's shoulders by surprise. The alphabeta eyeing Sage with genuine amusement. "Moneeeeey!" They cheered, "although what would we need money for? Everyone is quarantined at home anyways."

Okame started walking towards Arizona, following the monument's guide. He pulled out his water bottle, drinking a bit of the fluids. "Woah Woah, Broski, I have to go number one! Is there...a restroom anywhere?" Maxie asked Sage wheezed a tad bit at the outburst. Okame himself spat out a bit of the water he had been drinking, coughing.

"J-just go wherever you want. I suppose the bathrooms were crushed in the collapsed buildings, if there were any in the first place." He stammered, "just do it in a private area-," he swiftly added on. Maxie walked off.

"Welp! At least no one is around." He waved his hand a bit, walking to an area behind the collapsed structure. He swiftly did his business, finishing up and dashing to catch up with his friends. He shoved his hands into his pockets, casually with a minor whistle. "That was pretty relieving." He commented, drinking some more water and taking off his vest.

Okame looked back at him and gave an awkward smile." good to know-" he responded.

~A Few Hours Later~

The temperature around the group had risen once more, leaving the three sweating and begging for shade. Maxie and Okame continued to walk, Sage sluggishly following as their gaze went blurry from the heat. "Can...can someone please tell me, I-if we still moving? I can't feel my...legs." They slurred out, exhausted from the excessive heat. Their limbs shaky and weak.

The lead warrior stumbled on their tired legs, falling down in the hot sand. "Crap." They breathed out, wiping sweat away from their brow. Okame and Maxie walked over to them, Okame crouching down.

"You good?" He asked, passing Sage a bottle of water, Maxie asking the same question. Sage looked at the two with droopy eyelids and unfocused eyes, sloppily drinking the water and pulling out an apple from their bag and eating it for the vitamins. They swallowed with difficulty the bites of apple. They didn't answer the question.

Okame naturally focused his attention on Maxie, "Hey, Maxie. Think you could scout out and see if there's any places nearby with shade we could camp in?" He asked, the delta nodded.

"Of course." He responded, walking off a few feet from the two others. He narrowed his eyes, looking around.

Okame watched Maxie stride off, rubbing Sage's back comfortingly. Sage slumped a bit, "what noooooo, I'm fineee-," they insisted.
Okame looked at Sage.

"Sage, you're not fine. You're having heat exhaustion, do you know what the mortality rate for that is?" He frowned, Sage stayed silent, looking at Maxie, who had returned.

"I found a cave." He reported, "it's close, and the shade should make the temperature in it cooler." Okame nodded, slinging Sage's arm over his shoulders.

"Good job, Broski, lead the way." He gestured with his hands, cracking a small grin. Maxie smiled and led the others towards the cave. It being a bit high up. He looked back at Sage, weary.

"Think you can climb up?" He inquired the lead warrior.

Sage only had the energy to give a shrug. "I don't know.." they trailed off, exhausted. Okame looked at Maxie.

"We can help them up." He explained, nudging Sage up towards Maxie, who had went inside of the cave. Maxie grabbed Sage's hand, helping Okame haul her up into the shaded cave. Okame joining them inside, the trio panting from the terrific heat and effort. "This is better than the constant sun, definitely." He stated, he turned to look back at Maxie and Sage. "Sorry guys, I should of have waited until it got cooler before we left." He gave an apologetic smile.

Sage gave the alphabeta a small pat in the back, "iz fineee." They slurred, giving a goofy smile and thumbs up. Maxie nodded in agreement.

"Yeah don't worry broski. It's all good." He responded. Okame nodded, feeling some tension in his shoulders release. He dug through his bag, pulling out the first aid kit he had packed. Offering some medication to Sage to help with their heat exhaustion. Sage hastily took it, feeling better after consuming the medication.

Okame retrieved a cloth from the kit. He crawled to Sage, "alright, I'm gonna need you to lay down." He stated, cautiously watching the lead warrior slump down on the nice cool stone cave floor.

"Teh floor iz nice." Sage slurred.

Maxie snickered, "you got a thing for floors?" He wiggled his eyebrows teasingly. Okame tugged frantically a cloth out of the first aid kit, pouring a tad bit of water on it. He placed the wet cloth on Sage's head. It cooled the lead hunter down.

"Better?" He asked, looking at the tired other. They managed to give a small hug to the alphabeta.

"Yeah, thanks." They softly said as they slowly drifted asleep.

~1 1/2 Hours Later~

Okame shifted around impatiently, attentively watching Maxie, who had been cooking some bread and lizards. Sage slowly sat up, sniffing the air. "Yo! What's that?" Sage pointed at the food.

Okame gave a hearty chuckle, "dinner." He stated with a smile. Sage threw their hands up in the air in joyful celebration.

"Oh hell yeahhhhh!" They cheered, Okame and Maxie gave a laugh, the delta passing out the food evenly. They wolfed down on their rations, them all sending their thanks towards Maxie. The trio finished their delicious food, Sage sneakily storing a cooked lizard into their bag for later. Okame looked at Sage.

"You feeling better?" He asked, Sage shot him a thumbs up.

"Yup!" They responded with a grin.

Okame stretched a bit, "awesome! so you guys want to play truth or dare?" He asked, Sage hummed in response.

"Sure! Don't see why not. I haven't played it in a while anyways." They admitted, Maxie straightened his posture with a shrug.

"Yeah why the heck not?" He grinned, Okame smiled. The delta pointed at Okame, "seeing as it was you who proposed the idea, you can go first broski." Maxie stated.

Okame put on his thinking face. "Hmm....Sage." He stated, looking at them. Sage perked up a bit. "Truth or dare?" He asked.

"Dare-" The lead warrior immediately blurted without thought. Okame thought a bit, his face then twisting up with evident amusement.

"I dare you to sniff one of Maxie's armpits." He laughed, Maxie snorted. Sage wrinkled their nose, scooting closer to Maxie, however. Maxie raised one of his arms.

"The hell...okay-" Sage smelled Maxie's armpit, immediately moving away after satisfactorily completing the dare. Maxie laughed and put down his arm as Okame continued to giggle uncontrollably. Okame regained his ragged breath from the constant laughter.

"Alright Sagey Wagey, your turn." He smiled, Sage turned to look at Maxie.

"Maxie, truth or dare?" The lead warrior asked, Maxie stretched a bit.

"Dare." He stated, Sage nodded in acknowledgment.

"I dare you...to...act like a cat until your next turn-" they grinned, Maxie blinked and got on all fours, instantly giving a small meow. Okame snickered and pat the delta on the head, teasingly. Maxie gently leaned into Okame's pleasant touch, similar to a feline.

"Okay now you're a talking cat." Okame smiled, "your turn, Catxie." He joked. Maxie sat down like a cat.

"Ayyy." He grinned as Sage pet his back, "Why are you stroking me?" He laughed. Sage smiled and gave a shrug. "Alright, Broski. Truth or dare?" He inquired eagerly. Okame straitened.

"Dare." He answered. Maxie thought for a moment, then pulling out his phone. The delta unable to thin of any dares.

"Well crap, no service..." he muttered, putting it away. "...anyone here wear a bra?" Maxie asked, Okame snorted at the odd question.

"No," he responded as Sage shook their head. Maxie thought for a moment.

"Hmmmm, alright." He pulled out a marker from his bag, "take it and color one of your teeth black." The delta dared, Okame laughed and took the marker.

Sage scooted closer to watch, "I gotta see this!" They laughed as Okame covered the front of one of his teeth in black marker. He handed it back to Maxie. Okame turned to Sage with a grin,

"True or dare, Sage?" He chuckled, Sage didn't bother to think about their response again, immediately responding with the request of another dare. Okame opened his mouth to give his friend the dare, his statement interrupted by the low growling that had came from the ominous shadows. "Alright...Maxie you're free from being a cat..."he trailed off, wiping the black marker off his tooth.

He pulled out his phone and turned on the flashlight, merely exposing what had caused the fierce growl.

"Well damn..."

———————
Rosia panted in the fervent heat and humidity, wiping away sweat from their forehead. They coughed a bit, "you guys all doing alright?" They asked, looking at Crystal, Geo, and Tommy. Tommy looked back at the warrior.

"I'm doing alright, you?" He responded, rolling up the sleeves of his hoodie. Rosia tied their sweatshirt around their waist.

"Pretty good." They grinned. Crystal followed Tommy's lead with their arms crossed, this is absolutely ridiculous...it's so hot...Well...no room for weakness. The lead hunter pondered as they pushed themselves to continue walking feebly. Geo sauntered forwards with their group.

Geo gave a groan, slumping over as they trudged towards their destination slowly. "Oh my god! It's soooo hottttt." Geo whined piteously, "it's hot back in Mexico but holy hell, this is so baddd." The Warrior complained bitterly. Tommy shot a glance towards Geo and the others.

"Just keep going, once we get all tired and feel like we are gonna pass out. We can sit in the shade and rest for minute-." Tommy merely started. Geo crossed their arms.

"Nah I'm good! I walked five miles bare-footed in Mexico. It's just the heat that's cooking me alive." Geo boasted with a smug look. Tommy looked at Geo. He opened his mouth to say something, being nudged to the side as Rosia ran forward past him. The warrior ran towards a building in the distance. Tommy looked at Crystal and Geo, who shrugged.

The lead hunter waved his hand for the other two to promptly follow, running after Rosia. The group arrived at the structure, Crystal looked up at it. The building was a hospital. "Guys we should be at the Cancer Center." Crystal pointed out with a grumble. Tommy shrugged, entering the doors of the hospital, the others in his group following closely behind. Geo collapsing on the filthy cool floor of the air conditioned building.

Tommy shrugged in dismissal, "the Cancer Center can wait, there could be some cool things in here." The group looked around, a few flinching as a booming noise sounded around them, the lights went off and the energy was shut down.

Crystal naturally tensed up, Geo screamed incoherently. "Well this is just great, anybody got a torch or summit?" Tommy asked as Rosia dug into their backpack, pulling out the flashlight that they had packed for the trip, they turned it on. The flashlight lit up their way efficiently as Crystal retrieved their phone. The lead hunter carefully turning on the flashlight, it wasn't as helpful as Rosia's flashlight, but it did help in exposing their surroundings. "Epic." Tommy gave the two a thumbs up.

The lead hunter strode around the hospital, seeming too unbothered by the sudden noise and energy shortage, Geo followed behind. Rosia looked towards the right, reading the labels on a sign that lead them to the bathroom. To their relief, it was unisex. Rosia willingly entered the restroom, attempting to turn on the lights. They were unable to, they shrugged and did their business. Crystal went into the bathroom as well, expecting it to have stalls instead of it being a singular bathroom.

Crystal winced in surprise, "sorry!" They shrieked, Rosia shifted uncomfortably.

"Turn your butt around or else I'm gonna think that you're a nonce!" Rosia scowled awkwardly as they tried to finish up their business quickly. Mentally slapping themself for forgetting to lock the bathroom door. Crystal shuffled to the corner of the bathroom, turning away. The lead hunter embarrassed. Rosia finished up as quickly as they could, forgetting to flush as they gently washed their hands and left the restroom in a hurry.

Crystal approached the toilet."..."doing their business and flushing, unlike Rosia. They joined Rosia outside of the bathroom. They both trotted to the cafeteria after seeing Tommy and Geo safe and sound, doing their own thing.

"Find anything, Tommy?" Geo tilted their head, watching impatiently as the lead hunter scavenged through some broken cabinets. Tommy shrugged, picking up some discarded useless pills.

"Eh, nothin. Just some pills." Tommy impulsively threw the pills away, then running into a gurney, a wheeled stretcher. "Oh look! A bed...on wheels-." He commented, merrily rolling the gurney back and forth as if it were a toy car. He hopped onto it. Geo looked at the unusual mechanism with instinctive caution.

"I don't think that's a bed...it's that thingy where you move people in it. I don't think it's a good idea to touch it." Geo earnestly advised, wearily. Tommy shrugged.

"It'll be fineeeee." Tommy insisted, "beside, we could go faster with it." He grinned, Geo shrugged, starting to push the gurney slowly.

"Alright...where do you want me to push you?" Geo asked, noticing Tommy focusing his gaze on a long hallway."Okay! Get ready! Vroom vroom mothe-"

"Language!" Tommy scolded as Geo started pushing the gurney and Tommy as fast as they could, the gurney making a terrific rattling sound as it sped down the hallway with Tommy and Geo. One wheel popped off, sending Tommy and Geo crashing into the room. They hit a wall, the critical impact severely shaking a bin. Piles of discarded contaminated needles fell on top of the lead hunter. Tommy scrambled frantically away from the needles, yelping a bit at the sight of needles sticking out of him.

Geo swiftly got the first aid kit from their backpack, "crap crap!" They tried helping Tommy, carefully removing the needles as they gave them bandages and disinfectants. Something softly tapped Geo's shoe, the warrior flinching a bit in surprise. Relaxing at the sight of a simple blood tube, blood samples... Geo took the blood samples, the red liquid oddly light. They stowed it away carefully in their first aid kit. Geo's gaze flicked at the room window, seeing a figure move out in the distance. Tommy clutched their bleeding, bandaged arm as Geo peered out of the window. No sign of the figure. Only muddy footprints.

Geo almost fell at a deafening sound, then followed by eerie silence. In the distance a shrill scream from Rosia was heard.

"What the hell!" They yelled in fear. The brilliant lights of the hospital flickered on, Geo looked around. Their gaze scouting their surroundings, which were the same, just now exposed under the building's lighting. Footsteps came thundering towards Tommy and Geo, them both tensing as Geo prepared their knife. "Tommy and Geo-" Rosia's voice spoke as they looked down at the two. Tommy narrowed his eyes, unamused.

Geo staggered up onto their feet, then peering out the window and staring fiercely at the muddy footprints that were outside of the hospital. They frowned. Crystal approached the window as well, looking out of it and noticing the tracks as well.

"Someone is here..."

———————
MaL, Melon, and Compass peacefully trotted along the grassy clearing. Enjoying the soft chirp of birds and the calming rustle of leaves. Compass whistled merrily a small tune as she continued walking forward. Melon looked at both MaL and Compass, seeing as none of them were going to start a conversation anytime soon. Melon gave a smug grin,

"I WANT STAIRS!" Melon bellowed. Back in BA, Melon's love for stairs had been a small inside joke that no one could really understand. MaL flinched a bit at the lead hunter's passionate outburst, then relaxing a bit and letting out a chuckle. Compass laughing along with the lead healer, the two not contributing to adding onto the discussion. Melon faced towards MaL, "MaL! Give me stairs now!" She demanded jokingly.

MaL laughed heartily, merely shaking her head. "Can't, my pockets don't fit stairs." The lead healer joked along. Melon gave a playful groan, then running over to Compass. She wrapped an arm around the delta's shoulders, shaking them slightly.

"Compass! Give me stairs!" Melon pleaded with fake sadness, Compass peeled Melon's arms off of her slowly with a laugh. She gently brushed off her shoulders.

"Hell no! They are alllll for me!" Compass challenged with a teasing smirk. Melon gave a dramatic gasp, grabbing Compass by the back of her shirt, tugging her back a slight bit.

"Whatttt?! I want some!" Melon whined, Compass gave a snicker, looking at the lead hunter. She smilingly shook her head, causing Melon to give a small whimper, "give meeeee!" She pleaded with fake drama. Their playful discussion was cut short as a tremendous bang sounded nearby, MaL jumped a bit at the sudden noise.

The lead healer looked towards the direction of the distinct noise, Melon perked up a bit. "The hell? Melon, your stairs are going to have to wait. Something's goin' down." Compass told Melon, who instantly released the back of her shirt. MaL lead the group towards the source of the loud noise, the trio tentatively approaching an abandoned strip mall. Melon looked around, spotting the bathrooms.

"Ooooh-" Melon chirped, dashing off towards the restrooms before her pack mates could catch up. Melon shoved herself into the bathroom, her face twisting in profound disgust at the unsanitary room. The toilets look as if they hadn't been washed in weeks and the sinks were covered in an odd dark rust. A heap of expiring soap on the vile ground, which had been covered in ants, dirt, and cockroaches.

"Some..." Melon kicked open a stall forcibly, "body once to-" the door hit the bathroom stall forcibly, sending it back towards the lead hunter's face. Striking her in the nose. Melon held her face a bit, muttering a few curses as she dropped precipitously onto her sore knees, head above the toilet as she clutched onto her stomach. She retched as she vomited into the already disgusting toilet, finishing, she staggered to her shaking legs. The lead hunter left the bathroom, looking around. Melon left dizzy from the sickness and nausea of smoking earlier.

MaL searched around for anything useful, going into an old shoe store. She looked around, most shoes torn up, too large, or too small. She scavenged the shelves, coming across a bagel, what's a bagel doing in a shoe store..? The lead healer ponder as they stared at the food, storing it in their bag. Well...I'm not complaining. She continued searching diligently. Coming across a deceased cockroach, MaL pet it, unaware that the bug was dead.

MaL trotted outside of the abandoned store, coming face to face with Compass. The delta found a water fountain, filling up one of her bottles with the water. "Find anything?" MaL asked, gently scratching her arms a bit. Compass twisted the cap back on top of the bottle.

"Nothing much." She admitted as she shoved the bottle back into her bag. The two winced at a deafening noise similar to the loud bang they had heard earlier. Compass and MaL approached to what seemed to be a pharmacy. The entrance was blocked by multiple shopping carts that had most likely shifted around and collapsed. "Let's try to get these out of the way." Compass muttered as she tried to push away some of the carts littered in front of the entrance. Melon joined the two.

MaL shoved some more carts away as Melon hopped into one of them, sending her flying into a pillar. The lead hunter was flung back down to the ground. She held her cheek, it cut and bleeding from the hit. Compass signaled for MaL to continued gently removing the shopping carts as she kneeled down next to Melon. "Hehe, my cheek is on its period." Melon commented as she looked at the blood on her finger that she had wiped on her cheek. The lead hunter dazed.

"You good, girl?" Compass asked, looking amiably at Melon as she rolled over a bit, playful.

Melon gave a laugh, lying on her stomach and giving her legs back and forth, her chin propped up by her arms. "Girlllll, you cuteeee. Shut uppp!" She teased, softly patting Compass' head. Compass gave a concerned look, unable to keep amusement from showing up on her face however as she gave a soft laugh.

"Your booty is wild! I can respect that but god damn Melon." She shook her head with a chuckle, standing up and ridding of the last shopping carts that blocked the pharmacy entrance. Melon gave a small whine as she felt her nose feel a burning sensation, Compass dragged Melon up by the arm. The lead hunter slumped and leaning on Compass. The delta pulling Melon along by the arm.

"Woahhhh, you strongggg." Melon slurred as Compass sat them down, the delta instantly receiving some bandaids from an aisle in the abandoned store. Compass treated the lead hunter's injury, putting some disinfectant and bandages on Melon's cheek. The delta put the remaining items into her backpack for future situations. MaL searched around in the aisles, unsuccessful in finding any romiplostim.

Melon tilted her chin upwards, directing her gaze onto MaL. "MaL! How old are you? You think it's legal to have babies?! Babies that can roll down stairs?!" She asked as the two other pack members laughed, MaL snickered and checked the health department aisles. She moved on into searching for romiplostim in different areas of the store. Melon gave a low groan.

"My eyesssss, they burrrn! I need something for my eyeesss!" The lead hunter wailed.

Compass looked back at the other, crossing her arms with a perplexed frown. "The hell am I supposed to do to help your eyes? Give you a kiss?" She smirked, Melon gave an exaggerated stunned face.

"Mhm! Yes! I would like a Compie kiss." She leaned forward eagerly with a grin. Compass gave a small playful scoff.

"Pfft, sure." She snorted with a laugh, giving Melon's eye lid a soft kiss. "How about that? Feel better?" The delta asked sympathetically.

Melon scooted closer towards the delta, tugging a bit on the other's shirt. "Noooo! On the lips-" she insisted with a small pouty face. Compass playfully rolled her eyes.

"Alright, but only for you." She laughed, giving Melon a quick peck on the lips. "Happy now?" She smirked, Melon gave a happy nod, a blush evident on her rosy cheeks. She leaned forward for another affectionate kiss from the delta, the two snapped apart from each other, their eyes wide as they heard a shrill scream come from MaL.

———————
Sabre tapped their foot as they waited for the precise directions towards the Sayo Clinic to load. They checked back at their reception, which was low, but still present. The lead healer perked up as they finally were presented with the directions, quickly taking a snapshot of them. They gently waved their hand for Rose and Feather to follow, the two trotting along.

Sabre closed the tabs on their phone to save battery, apps and articles about war museums, police stations, fire departments, tool, hardware stores and more. They casted a whimsical glance towards Rose, who discarded of an empty juice box she had just drank.

"You gotta stay hydrated all to time." They started in a sing song tone, "to not pass out and die." Sabre grinned, Rose noticed the minor tune. She rustled in her backpack, taking out a second juice box.

Feather looked up from her phone with cheerful smile, looking at her two packmates, "Indeed, you want some?" Rose laughed.

Sabre gave a smile, making some finger guns and pointing them towards Rose. "Nah, I'm good. Thanks, though." The lead healer smirked, Rose gave a small chuckle, storing the juice box away once more. Feather stayed silent, gently shoving her phone back into a pocket and walking with her hands clasped together. My legs are killing me....well, it could be worse... I just hope my friends are okay. Feather thought, continuing to trek by Rose's and Sabre's sides. Sabre grinned, furrowing a brow.

"Thinking about your friends, eh?" They questioned, Feather perked up. The lead healer astonished as they stared back at Sabre.

"Wait, how did yo-" Feather started, Sabre held up their hand with an amused laugh.

"Easy to tell." Sabre gave a teasing snort, looking back at Feather. Feather tilted her head slightly, "oh come on! I've spend the past few days with you. I've picked up a few things or two about you, to be honest." They grinned.

"Like..?" Feather trailed off, intrigued.

Sabre crossed their arms knowingly and gave a smug grin, "Stuff." They teased, Feather decided to not pry, just giving a kind smile and shrug. They continued walking.

The lead healer's thoughts buzzed around in their heads like a tornado. Feather's wonderments spreading on into Sabre's own head. Sabre forced the thought of friends away. "So, where you guys both from?" They ask, merely focusing on their comrades.

"Southeast Europe, The Balkans, Albania." Rose answered specifically. Albania...my home..I hope my family is okay, whatever happened to them. They must be in New York with sis now...that is if they're alive.. The lead hunter thoughts were cut short by Sabre.

"That's oddly specific." Sabre responded with a fake dramatic solemn tone. Then turning to Feather for her response. The lead healer gave a small, apologetic, shy smile.

"I-it's a little personal...sorry." She explained, carefully pulling out her phone and checking through it once more, her expression clouded with slight worry.

Sabre smiled,"I shall ask no further questions then, your honor."They brushed some hair out of their face, straightening their hat and their posture as they turned around to face Rose, offering them a hand."The United States, New York, Long Island." They replied, just as specific with their response as the other high rank was.

Rose perked up, excitement dancing in her eyes. "New York? My sister is there!" She chirped. The lead healer grinned.

"Your sister is in New York? There are many phenomenal doctors and scientists there. If any place finds the cure, I place my bets on there." Sabre nodded, their gaze darkening as they turned away from Rose. "Unfortunately, I've heard that in the poor districts of New York, the sickness has spiraled out of control..."

Rose gave a sigh, trying to sneakily wipe away the tears that brimmed her eyes. "I haven't seen her in a long time.." she admitted, her voice slightly cracking from the terrible sorrow. Feather gently placed a soft hand on Rose's shoulder.

"I'm here for you, just so you know." The shy lead healer gave a smile. Rose sniffed a bit, nodding appreciatively.

"Yeah I'll be fine, she's in Astoria...do...any of you know if anything has happened there..?" She asked, a bit worried on what the answer may possibly be.

Feather shook her head with a grim expression, "unfortunately...no.." she sighed apologetically.

"Sickness-wise, no. I've heard there's been a societal collapse there however. But if she's anything like you, Rose, she's a survivor." Sabre comforted the lead hunter, who had her hand over her agape, shocked mouth. Rose shoved away the pessimistic thoughts and the terrifying imagination and probable scenarios that clouded her mind.

"Thank you...I talked to her a while back anyways, she's alive and in good spirits." Rose started with a shaky breath, cracking the smallest of smiles. She directed the conversation towards Feather, "so...Feather...how is your family? Have you talked to them?" She asked.

Feather blinked, then shoving her hands into her pockets. "Well...no, they caught the disease. I hope they recover." She explained, promptly kicking a small rock."I'd rather not talk about it."

Sabre noticed the change in conversations, they stayed quiet as they looked up at the sky, continuing on their way towards Idaho. Who would even want to think about their past life, nowadays? Everything is gone. They gave a mental sigh, trying to clear their head. Think about something else, Sabre. Something else. They advised themselves, alright, the BA members. Brutal Assassins. What a misnomer. More like Fluffy Bunnies if you ask me. Sabre smiled a bit at the thought. They don't seem brutal, and only few seemed like survivors. Okame's a decent leader from what I could tell. He gets stressed more than I thought, makes him come off as less confident, if I'm telling the truth. Smart as hell though, however. Sabre admitted.

Tommy...how to describe Tommy. British. Sabre could sum up, Compass was nice. Pretty cool. Pretty smart. Pretty pretty. Sabre smirked to themselves, giving themself a mental scolding. Not for the likes of you, Sabre.

The trio stopped in a shaded spot near a few trees, they could scale down a small hill and reach the river if they desired to. Sabre handed Feather and Rose some cooked rats. "Quick break?" The lead healer asked, Rose and Feather giving their thanks to Sabre for the food.

"We are all gonna die one die, might as well make it less painful.." Rose muttered, staring down at the rat that Sabre had given her, the lead hunter forcing herself to take a bite of it. Sabre trotted over to a birch tree, filling their now empty water bottle with sap water for future possibilities. Rose finished up her rat, rising to her legs and wiping the dust and dirt from her legs. "I'm going to look for some more food resources." She told the two.

Sabre and Feather nodded, "alright, stay safe. And don't go to far, lunch time won't last forever." They grinned as Rose wandered off. They continued harvesting the sap water.

Feather perked up, seeing a small shape move from behind the trees. "Hello..?" She whispered gently, a small gray-ish tan wolf pup revealing itself from the hiding place. The pup's ribs were clearly visible, and it took no time to conclude that this pup was starving to death slowly. It ran a pink tongue over its fangs and parched lips, eyeing Feather's food.

The lead healer's heart beat fast, elated at the rare sight of seeing a wolf pup so up close. She tugged a piece of her cooked rat off and slowly nudged it towards the young canine. The pup kept its ears pressed to its head, tail tucked as it slowly approached Feather, suspiciously sniffing her hand then the food. Feather watched uneasily, excited to encounter a wolf but slightly afraid if it decided to attack, hungry for a meal much larger than a cooked rat.

The wolf pup seemed to ease a bit, looking at Feather's hand and giving it a small lick. Then swiftly picking up the offering of the cooked rat, running off back into the forest. The canine looked over its shoulder back at the lead healer, who was in awe. The pup ran off after taking a good look at her. Feather gave a wide smile, looking down at the hand that the wolf pup had licked, she glanced back at the direction it left. A large grin situated on her face.

She looked over her shoulder, seeing Rose. The lead hunter talking to Sabre in a hushed voice.

"There are two people. They're loud and have weapons. You see them?" Rose asked, pointing to two walking figures that were next to the river. Sabre nodded, holding out a sharpened stick that could easily pierce through skin.

"Yeah. Reckon we should approach them? They could have some information about the area." Sabre looked at the lead hunter, Rose shook her head.

"No, let's just stalk them. They're talking loudly, so we may be able to hear their conversation." Rose advised. Sabre nodded in mutual agreement.

"Good idea, you take left and I take the right? If they spot one of us and attack, we could easily ambush them." Sabre concluded. Sabre playfully hummed the 'Mission Impossible' theme song, hiding behind a tree and peering keenly at the two strangers. Rose hid behind a bush as Feather stayed at the eating area. Too lost in her thoughts about the wolf encounter.

The two strangers felt Sabre's and Rose's presence. One of them was average height with brown eyes and brown hair. They wore an orange hoodie and some trousers, whereas their partner was slightly shorter. They had light skin and some gold-brown hair, their eyes also brown. They wore a white shirt and skirt as well. The two bared knifes and backpacks. They looked around, trying to detect what caused the disturbance in the air. Sabre narrowed their eyes, still hidden.

Well, seems that I have the height advantage. I can take them perhaps. They looked back at Rose, the lead hunter threw a stick towards the two for a distraction. The stick inadvertently hit the taller stranger right on the forehead, causing them to scowl a bit, a barely audible 'ow' coming from them as they rubbed their head, both of them taking out their weapons if they needed to defend themselves.

Sabre moved out of their hiding place, double checking that their knife was in their pocket. They shot a small glance towards Rose. Stay hidden, I'll deal with them. The lead healer came out of their hiding spot. "Hey." They greeted with a slight wave. Their expression a bit blank.

The smaller newcomer spoke first, "h-hi-," they continued holding up their weapon.

"Sup." Sabre responded cooly, moving towards them slowly but still keeping a distance.

The other newcomer looked at Sabre wearily, "are you a friend or foe?" They asked. Sabre grinned.

"Depends on who you are, chances are, a friend, most likely. But pull anything, and you'll regret being born, my man." Sabre responded firmly, giving a small grin to reassure them that they weren't that appalling. The tall stranger opened their mouth to say something, soon knocked to the ground as Feather tumbled down the hill, tripping on a rock. The lead healer fell into the raging river, Sabre, Rose, and the two newcomers rushed to help her.

Feather was sucked under the frigid waters of the river, the rapids tossing her back and forth as each second made it harder and harder to breathe. She was tossed around like a shirt in the washing machine as she fought for critical consciousness and air. The lead healer felt a hand grasp her wrist as the two newcomers and Sabre helped Feather out of the cold waters. "T-thank you..." Feather panted. The shorter stranger smiled, patting Feather's wet back.

"No problem." They responded as their companion gave a thumbs up. Rose came running over, relaxing once she saw Feather out of the water. The lead healer bundling up in all of the jackets and sources of warmth they could find.

Rose turned towards the two newcomers fiercely, "alright, identify yourself." She demanded sternly, the two took a step back, careful to not fall into the river and suffer the same consequences that Feather had just faced. Sabre gave a small laugh, more relaxed.

"Yeah, or else we'll continue multiplying." They joked with a grin. The two newcomers looked at a Rose.

"Who?" One asked.

The second one fiddled with their sleeves, "I am...Uh..."they stammered. Rose gave a small sneer,

"Yeah. You've got a name, haven't you?" She snapped, hoping to come off as dominant to remind the strangers to not mess with her. Sabre opened their mouth to say something, Rose waving her hand in dismissal, silently telling Sabre to not spill anything yet.

Rose gripped onto a rock, preparing to throw it if she had to. "Identify yourselves, then." She threatened a bit, prying as the newcomers put their hands up in defense.

Sabre intervened, swinging their arm around Rose's shoulders. "We'd love to hear your names." They shot a glare at Rose, "and we do not permit violence, do we?"

"Mhm, we come in peace." Rose sighed, dropping her rock. The two seemed to ease a tiny bit.

"My name is Branch." The taller newcomer, 'Branch' explained. The other nodded, weary as they looked at their shoes.

"And I'm L-Luna." She responded. "We are from BA." Luna explained.

Luna was a hunter of BA in comparison to Branch, who was a lead healer. While on a cruise towards the United States, he got separated from his parents. Upon meeting Luna, who had also been in the cruise. It was later figured out that the two had left the cruise at the wrong destination. Days later, news went out on how the cruise sunk due to a mishap. The two turned to meet up with BA for help and company.

Sabre clapped their hands, "aye! And I think that Rose was just about to murder you right then and now! We are on a mission that Okame sent us on, to find the cure of ITEV. You could join us if you'd like to." Sabre winked, Rose nodded.

"Sorry about my attitude, I'm just as kind as I appear as online." She gave a warm smile, patting Feather on the head, the lead healer still shivering from the cold.

"Unless she is threatening you with rocks." Sabre piped up, teasingly. "Or throttling you, of course." They added on with a grin. Rose nudged Sabre playfully.

"Shush." Rose snickered. The group laughed, including Feather, Branch and Luna. The laughter from Feather gradually turning into a cough as Feather shivered more furiously.

Sabre's gaze clouded with worry as they looked at Feather. "You okay there, soldier?" They asked. The lead healer's blood went cold, remembering ITEV's symptoms. Which included coughing and shivering. They shot a glance back at the river. The water...