From: Date: Mon, 20 Jul 1998 21:54:48 EDT Subject: Soldiers, MOVE OUT! Note: this comes before (and after) the rain mischeif of Teri's... you'll see where that part fits in. ^_^ sorry for any confusion. -teri, stana, and ian. "Well, you two took your sweet time," Clip grumbled as Teri and Stana walked back from the lake. His sword was clean(or as clean as it could have been) and he wanted to get moving. As far as he knew, most of the reavers were dead and the rest gone, and yet there was still this lingering feeling in the back of his mind like something was there, but wasn't there before. He cursed himself (which wasn't usually something he did...well, not often anyway) for being nothing more than a filthy mortal. Imagine! He, a Unicorn, trapped in a human body! Why, he could remember days past when he-- but that was the problem; he was having a hard time remembering. Remembering his herd. Remembering what it was like to be a unicorn. He needed his alicorn, and these two HUMANS, and their arrogant little HUMAN companion were slowing him down! "Well, aren't you cheerful?" Teri chided, trying to fight down the urge to blow this self-absorbed jerk into the next world. Deciding that focusing on him would only temper that fire, she scanned the area for... "Hey! Where's Shinji?" Stana knew what the reply to that would be. "Why should I concern myself with him?" Clip would have said. That is, if he had had the chance to, anyway. "Aw, I didn't think you cared!" Shinji had shouted from somewhere above them. He tried his best to sound convincing. He really didn't want the others to find out about his little moment of weakness a while ago. Of course, if Teri really could read feelings, she would know in a second. But hey, can you blame him for trying? He lept down from the branch he was lying on, landing several feet from where Stana was standing, a the smirk on his face quickly going into a grin. Clip scoffed. Yes, this one was deffinitely arrogant. Shinji paraded around for a moment more as his three travelling companions watched in the time it took for them to cover their surprise at his sudden appearance. Well, Clip didn't particularly care-- but... >WHACK!< "Oww!" Teri scowled. "I thought you were another monster! You're covered in gross shit and you smell like ass!" Clip and Shinji frowned at the explitives-- Clip because he'd never heard them before, and Shinji because the colloquialisms didn't quite translate into his language. Teri threw up her hands in exasperation. Stana, trying to hide a smile, walked over to the remains of her pack and shouldered it. "Well-- we'd better be going, don't you think?" She looked up. "I have no idea how far it is until nightfall, but--" "A few hours-" "Scant hours," both men said at the same time, and then glared at each other. The girls blinked, and Stana deftly continued. "Yes, then that settles things. We need to get as far away from this.. place," she shivered, "as possible before we set up camp." Teri daintily picked her way over to her bag-- complete with a small hole in the black leather. A whole with crispy-fried leather bits along the edges... Teri's face flushed with fury. "Ok, get your little butts out here RIGHT NOW!" she yelled, and the other three whipped around. Clip's sword was out, Shinji was crouched in defense, and Stana had her bag over her face-- just as Two jiy wobbled slowly from the tree tops and close to Teri. She glared right at them. Holding the bag up, she shook it. "What is the meaning of this?" The Clear turned on its axis slowly, and the other turned a rosey color and whirred softly. "No, I dont' care how sorry you are! You ripped my bag!" She leaned closer to the two globes, suspended in the air. With nearly dripping menace, and the others could only assume she was Projecting as well, she continued: "This.. bag... saw me through Italy... through working as a Temp at Aetna... this bag was going to see me through college. NOW WHAT?! What do i carry my stuff in?! Hellloo?" She turned away in a huff, clutching the bag to her and inspecting it. Perhaps.. part of it could be salvaged. Her companions were frozen, watching. Teri glanced up and her eyes narrowed. "What?!" Stana cleared her throat and pulled her hair back into a pony-tail. "I think we should make camp... reeeal soon." <> There was a crash of lightning, and the rain stopped. Teri looked at Stana. And blinked. Stana blinked. Shinji blinked. Clip ate another oak leaf. And promptly spit it out. "Phaugh!" said Clip in an oh-so-attractive manner. "This tastes like limenberries!" Teri's stomach rumbled. Shinji backed up. Teri shot a glare to Shinji. "I'm not going to eat you. God. I like my meat rare but not THAT rare. Besides, you don't moo, do you?" Shinji blinked. "Moo?" Teri shook her head. "Not good enough." Shinji looked very, very confused, and edged warily around the girls to stand next to CLip, who was clawing the remains of Oak leaves, which happen to be very bitter when you're not under a hunger spell, out of his mouth. Shinji looked at the mushed and mushy leaves that were falling to the ground. "Better not let Teri see that," he said with a wry grin; his cockiness had returned now that he was in no danger of being eaten, "She'll get upset by your hygeine." He snickered. Clip stopped, and looking SHinji directly in the eyes, said: "Did I ever tell you that I like raw meat?" Shinji's mouth dropped. Stana, who had been silent for quite some time, wiped the saliva off of her chin and shouldered her bag. "Like I said what seems like DAYS ago, we should head off someplace to make camp." Teri nodded. "Yeah-- it feels like we've been here for months. Sheesh. Time flows much differently here." "Here?" Shinji said, still watching them all carefully. Teri gave him a scathing glance. Clip chuckled. When Shinji shot him a questioning look, Clip shrugged, still smirking, and said, "Mortals." Shinji blinked. Things were just too confusing for him right now. His stomach rumbled. He turned to grab his bag-- and his three companions were already nearly out of sight.. "hey-- hey, wait up for me! hey! guys!" "Hay is for horses," Clip mumbled, and Stana giggled. Clip looked ready to start off on another one of his anti mortal tireades so Stana took the bit in her teeth and just started walking off. Teri edged in "you don't know where you're going..." "Hush up." Stana answered through gritted teeth. "I'm making a dramatic exit." Clip and Shinji eventually retook the lead, Clip largely silent and haughty, Shinji thoughtfully quiet. Stana limped a bit now and then, pushing past the pain in her knee. She had worried that this chronic illness of hers would kick back in and she was right. Teri marched on beside her, shooting a half confused glance at the man-unicorn every once in awhile. Clip sensed that the mortal student healer was weakening, and stifling his impatience it was he that finally called a halt. It would not do to have no knowledge of mortal injuries on this trip. Like it or not he was fettered with these mortals until he could retake the trail of the Princess again. Shinji was about ready to protest when he saw Stana sink to the ground with a sigh of relief so unfaked that he took pity. "Stana?" Teri asked "Hey Stana? What's going on?" "No-nothing." she said between breaths, trying hard not to grab her knee and start rocking theatrically to and fro. She was fighting the temptation barely, it wouldn't help her feel better, it would however give her a feeling that she was at least doing SOMETHING about it. "Just an old injury that keeps popping up...sorry to keep you guys waiting on me." "We can make camp here." Shinji said patiently "it's getting late anyway and we should have a camp going by then, Clip can you help me with the firewood??" The other snorted in derision and was about to say something that Stana knew would make her flinch and blush in embarrassment...she just knew it so she flinched and blush prior to save her the trouble after the Unicorn put his hoof in his mouth. But Clip stopped in mid breath and cocked his head, puzzled and angry as he seemingly searched for his train of thought. Teri dropped her eyes against the strong emotion that slammed into her but then she felt nothing at all. Stana, who understood more than the others guessed, was looking at the man with her heart in her face, tears threatening to spill over. Then she too lowered her head until her ponytail brushed her cheek. Without another word Clip stlked off with Shinji. "Well!" Teri said "that was surprising. Now about your leg...." "It's fine." Stana objected, beginning to straighten it out, she hissed in a breath and let it out in a loud "hoo boy!" "You were saying?" Teri implied smugly, gathering her backpack. "Elevation right?" "Right enough I guess. Nothing else to do with it." Shelet Teri place her prized bookbag underneath her knee to prop it up. "I hate this." she sighed meaningfully. "I mean this is driving me nuts! I'm a bloody invalid at 21!" "Nothing they can do for it?" "More surgery." "And that worked reeealll well the first time around huh?" "Exactly." Stana answered. The two looked up as the guys carried an armful of wood back each. Without a comment Shinji set about preparing a fire. Clip went off to a corner in the dark to mope Stana supposed.