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Chunks of the world transform into zombie-like creatures every other month. What will you do to survive?", "count": "3", "submission_left_submission_id": "2037338", "submission_left_file_name": "2944102_TobyRave_red_sky_-_page_1.doc", "submission_left_thumbnail_url_huge": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/huge/2944/2944102_TobyRave_red_sky_-_page_1.jpg", "submission_left_thumbnail_url_large": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/2944/2944102_TobyRave_red_sky_-_page_1.jpg", "submission_left_thumbnail_url_medium": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/2944/2944102_TobyRave_red_sky_-_page_1.jpg", "submission_left_thumb_huge_x": "300", "submission_left_thumb_huge_y": "198", "submission_left_thumb_large_x": "200", "submission_left_thumb_large_y": "132", "submission_left_thumb_medium_x": "120", "submission_left_thumb_medium_y": "79" } ], "description": "[center]Alex's journey officially begins!\n\nPage 1 post winner: @Darkflame215\nWinning Post: \"Julian's jome\" (Which I assume meant home)\n\nIn Page 2 of the series, the group decides to head back toward Julian's home to see if they can find their horse friend. We learn a little more about how the group operates and survives during the Red Months. Now it's your turn to decide what happens next in our story.\n\nHere's how the decision phases work in this series. I will list several options to give you ideas. You are always welcome to add in your own ideas or suggestions in your posts. Decisions for each one will be made with RNG. This is to prevent it just being a popularity contest. However, each person may decide something different. I'll explain after giving choices.\n\n-----------------------------------------\n\nYOU HAVE CHOICES!\n\nDECISION: How to survive? You can be as descriptive or general as you want here. If your post is really specific, I will do my best to include everything. Keep in mind that you only control Alex's actions, so try to keep it to just what Alex will suggest/do himself. Actions for other characters will be a suggestion on Alex's part, but the character will act per their own personality.\n\nMINDSET: What mindset is Alex using with the above decision? Is he scared, confident, tired, timid, excited, etc.?\n\nOTHER ACTIONS: Anything in particular you want Alex to do? Keep in mind who is around and what description I gave you for the area. \n\nAUTHOR'S NOTE: Tear is not available for this page.\n\n-----------------------------------------\n\nMake your post down below answering the above three choices. If you 100% agree with everything that someone posted, you may comment on their post saying \"I agree with this\" thus counting that item as two. All options will be assigned a number based on the order they've been posted. A Random number generator will choose the post which decides what happens next. Occasionally, the actions will be independent of each other, but not often.\n\nThis... is Red Sky... What will you choose next?[/center]", "description_bbcode_parsed": "
Alex's journey officially begins!

Page 1 post winner: \r\n\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDarkflame215\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t		\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDarkflame215\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Winning Post: "Julian's jome" (Which I assume meant home)

In Page 2 of the series, the group decides to head back toward Julian's home to see if they can find their horse friend. We learn a little more about how the group operates and survives during the Red Months. Now it's your turn to decide what happens next in our story.

Here's how the decision phases work in this series. I will list several options to give you ideas. You are always welcome to add in your own ideas or suggestions in your posts. Decisions for each one will be made with RNG. This is to prevent it just being a popularity contest. However, each person may decide something different. I'll explain after giving choices.

-----------------------------------------

YOU HAVE CHOICES!

DECISION: How to survive? You can be as descriptive or general as you want here. If your post is really specific, I will do my best to include everything. Keep in mind that you only control Alex's actions, so try to keep it to just what Alex will suggest/do himself. Actions for other characters will be a suggestion on Alex's part, but the character will act per their own personality.

MINDSET: What mindset is Alex using with the above decision? Is he scared, confident, tired, timid, excited, etc.?

OTHER ACTIONS: Anything in particular you want Alex to do? Keep in mind who is around and what description I gave you for the area.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Tear is not available for this page.

-----------------------------------------

Make your post down below answering the above three choices. If you 100% agree with everything that someone posted, you may comment on their post saying "I agree with this" thus counting that item as two. All options will be assigned a number based on the order they've been posted. A Random number generator will choose the post which decides what happens next. Occasionally, the actions will be independent of each other, but not often.

This... is Red Sky... What will you choose next?
", "writing": "Julian's home, huh? I suppose double checking there is as good a place as any. Julian's home is more or less abandoned. After the incident with Julian's parent, I adopted him into the group, and my family adopted him into ours... unofficially that is. He didn't mind the unofficial adoption and just appreciated having a family to be with. But every once in a while, Julian would like to go back to his old home, making sure it was kept up and cleaned. A lot of the home looked the same as what it looked like before the incident. Even though we've already checked there, I guess we can go back. It's your choice, after all. \n\n[center]---------------------------------------------------------------------[/center]\n\nDay 5, Red Month, Cycle 462\nTime: 8:45 AM\nWeather: Red Sky, Mostly Cloudy\nTemperature: 57° F\n\nI thought for a moment, trying to think of where best to go. Then, as if right on cue, the beings that control my life gave me a direction to go.\n\n\"L-Let's go take a look at Julian's home again, just in case. It was one of the first places we looked a couple of days ago, maybe he's there or some indication of him having been there.'' I said, trying to sound convincing. \n\n\"Ughhhh.... That's all the way on the other side of town, Alex!'' Sammy said, still whining about the search. It was much nicer when none of us changed and we could all just be together. \n\n\"Sammy, I'm only going to say this one more time. Shut. The FUCK. Up. Or next time you change, we'll just abandon your ass and leave you to the hunters. You want that?'' Taylor said, very clearly pissed. It wasn't that they didn't care for Sammy. They just didn't like to hear the whining and cared for the group just as much as the rest of us.\n\n\"Come on Sammy. You know we'd be running around looking for you like this when you change next. We have to keep our heads and stick together. We're all Julian has. So let's keep going and find him!'' Pat said, trying to calm it down after Taylor's outburst. She nodded in my direction and I flashed a weak smile at her in return.\n\n\"Alright, alright. I.... I'm sorry. I just wish he was with us already. That's all.'' Sammy apologized, seeing the worry, frustration, and sadness on my face. Normally, he'd be all flirty with me and trying to get me to cheer up. But after five days of searching for Julian, it was difficult for him to get to that point again.\n\n\"It's fine guys... Really. I... I'm fine. I just want to find him. So let's go. Maybe there will be some sort of clue that he's been there so we can find him.'' I added on, moving past the group and starting to walk in the direction of Julian's house. I've had to go to his house several times to retrieve him, and I'll never forget the gruesome sight I saw when I first met him............\n\n[center]---------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n[b]FLASHBACK[/b][/center]\n\nDay 16, Red Month, Cycle 426\nTime: 5:03 PM\nWeather: Red Sky, Clear Skies, Sun setting\nTemperature: 71° F\n\nIt was a normal day for me, travelling the city in search of supplies. My mother had changed at the start of the month and my father was hard at work trying to keep her safe and sound. During the red months, a lot of non-changed would wander the streets in search of food, water, and other supplies necessary for survival. Not that I ever spent much time talking to them. I was only 54 cycles old (Just over 9 years old), but with this particular lifestyle, you tend to mature quickly. It's either adapt and survive or hold on to childhood and MAYBE survive. My mother and father wanted to make sure I knew how to survive. Especially after my older sister was mistakenly killed by Hunters. My parents were never the same since.\n\nI was a little way from home in a relatively run-down part of the city. I actually liked looking here for supplies as there were more places to hide than the bigger parts of town. That did mean that the Changed had an easier time of hiding too, but they didn't try to hide often. They mostly searched for easy prey whenever they could. And you could usually hear a Changed coming from the feral growling and snarling they made as they walked around.\n\nSuddenly, as if on cue, I heard the growling sounds of a Changed. I ducked down and pulled out my baseball bat. I never tried to kill a Changed, knowing that it wasn't their fault that they became what they did. I always tried to incapacitate them by attacking low. All methods of survival that I learned over the cycles I've been alive.\n\nThe growling I heard was getting louder, but not necessarily closer. And I realized that it was more than just one growling Changed. I could distinctly hear two different \"voices''. A third, much smaller, but more coherent voice cried out.\n\n\"Mom! Dad! Please stop!!'' Yelled out the voice of what I assumed to be a small child. I cautiously made my way toward the voice, wondering if I could save the child from his parents who may have changed when the sky turned blood red. The growling and sounds of attacking continued as the boy's voice became more frantic and less understandable. I knew I had to hurry if I wanted to save the boy. I could start hearing other growling from the nearby area, the Changed hearing the sound of attack.\n\nAs I turned the corner, I saw a house with an open door. It was an older house that needed work but was still standing. I could hear the sounds coming directly from that house so I beelined it directly toward the front steps. I charged up them, peering inside the door with my bat drawn. I was not prepared for what I had seen. Two equines, both changed, had been tearing apart at each other in front of a small horse boy. I could see limbs and appendages removed, and it was clear that neither of the two Changed would make it out of this alive. As the male equine tore off the female's leg, the female equine had been working on the head of the male. With one last pull, the male's head was severed, but the female had lost more blood than she had hoped, and both slumped over. The male was already dead, the female dying and slowly passing away. The floor, the walls, the ceiling... All of it was covered in a bloody mess. And on the floor, on his knees, was the small horse boy, his mouth wide open, though no sound escaped him. He was truly speechless and when I got to know him, I knew he had a right to be.\n\nI tentatively stepped closer to the boy who paid me no attention. He just reached out to his parents, watching the breath leave his mother as she was slowly trying to claw her way to him. She dropped to the floor and let out the remainder of her air, passing from this world like the male before her.\n\n\"M...Mom? D.... Dad?'' He said, whimpering slightly. \"Why? Why...? W-w-w-w-WHY?!?!'' He suddenly cried out. I took that time to rush forward and clamp my hand around his mouth. He started squirming and trying to free himself, but I held on as much as I could.\n\n\"I'm not a Changed and I'm not a Hunter. But there are both prowling around outside. We need to be quiet and get them to move on!'' I said, turning him to face me so he would have an idea of who I was. As he looked at me, he buried his head into my chest and started sobbing uncontrollably. \n\nI could hear the snarling coming from outside. If I didn't do something soon, I was worried that there would be two more dead ones in this house. \"T-Tear! Can you do anything? Block out the sound, divert the Changed, something? Just please! Keep us safe!'' I said out loud. The yellow fox materialized before me and winked. \n\n[i]\"Your wish is my command.''[/i] Was all he said before disappearing. The door suddenly closed, and I could hear the wind picking up outside. I wasn't sure what Tear was doing, but he was keeping us safe, or rather... keeping me safe, just like he always did. I sat there, holding the boy closed to me as he cried himself to sleep. I looked down at him and deduced that he was much younger than I was, and desperately needed help now. And so began our time together as we joined into the group. The horse boy introduced himself as Julian to me. I took him with me to my place where I helped care for him along with my father when he wasn't tending to my mother. I vowed that when the Blue Month came that I would help him give his parents a proper burial like they deserve. Julian and I had been together ever since\n\n[b][center]END FLASHBACK[/center][/b]\n\n[center]---------------------------------------------------------------------[/center]\n\nDay 5, Red Month, Cycle 462\nTime: 12:26 PM\nWeather: Red Sky, Overcast\nTemperature: 65° F\n\nThe temperature rose as we moved across the town. The Changed were prowling about as they usually did, but we knew how to avoid detection as much as possible. Despite travelling around in a group, we knew how to work together. If we had to split up, we knew the town well enough to just name a location and meet up there with each other. Most of the time it worked well. Sometimes, not as much. But this was one of those ``most of the time'' times. \n\nI looked up to the red sky above me, noticing the cloud cover had grown considerably. I wasn't sure if it was going to rain or not. It was impossible to tell with the red sky. But the sun was concealed by cloud cover and the air around us was darker. It was harder to see and that made it trickier to see Julian. We were en route back to his house. I was leading the way, being the most familiar with the direction to get there from the number of times that I've walked with him there. \n\n\"We're close, right?'' Sammy was the first to speak. This time, it wasn't in a whining tone. He was curious. Despite his whining, Sammy's wolf instincts made it easy for him to find one of our own. The group was like his pack and he cared for each of us in different ways. \n\n\"Yeah. About... 10 minutes til we get there, I'd say. That is, depending on the Changed and Hunters along the way.'' I stated, keeping my eyes sharp and looking around. Tina looked over at me and nodded. \n\n\"Right. Time to head to the skies. Taylor, you with me?'' She said, looking over at the dragon who merely nodded in affirmation. The two winged creatures took off and flew on ahead. The two often flew together, each with a different role. Being an eagle, Tina had the best eyes of us all. She usually flew around, trying to find whatever we might be searching for. Taylor would join in the search during a blue month, but during a red month, they had a different task: Looking for Hunters. Taylor's thick dragon hide often could withstand whatever weapons were used against us. As such, they looked carefully for threats to Tina and acted as protection for the eagle. The two were a great team and there was no denying it. \n\nMeanwhile, on the ground, Pat, Sammy, and I continued making our way to Julian's house, keeping an eye out for Changed and Hunters. Sammy took point to sniff and look around for whatever we were searching for. Pat acted as the cool and collected voice, usually able to talk down Hunters if they suspected we were Changed. (Not that someone could really be mistaken as such, but Hunters weren't the brightest of them all.) I acted as brute force for the Changed, making sure they stay away from the group. Sammy backed me up when needed. \n\nWhen the group was complete, Julian was our speedster. If we needed to get in some place quick and get out quick, he was the one to do it. Being the smallest and the fastest, he did his job well and loved being able to contribute. In combat, however, he and Pat would usually find a safe place to hide and prepare to provide medical attention if one of us needed some help. Pat always carried the major first aid supplies, acting like our own little private nurse. All in all, the group worked well together which is why we've been able to survive this long. \n\nWe continued down our path toward Julian's house. Minutes passed and I knew we were almost there. Just about two minutes to go. We'd be able to see it around the corner soon. 'Please Julian. Please be there so we can keep you safe...' I thought to myself as Sammy pressed on. Suddenly, his ears twitched. I heard it shortly after. The growling and snarling of the Changed. Not just one either... Several of them.\n\nI took a light from my pack and shined it in the direction of Tina and Taylor a few times. Taylor eventually saw and motioned for the two to head back to the group carefully. As they landed, Taylor simply said \"Changed, or Hunters?''\n\n\"Sounds like Changed'' Sammy said quietly, sniffing the air and looking around. \"I can't make out how many of them there are though. And no idea if one of them might be Julian.'' He added on, trying to make out the smell of the horse boy we all knew well. \n\n[i]\"That's not all... Listen carefully...\"[/i] Said a voice in my head. I wasn't expecting Tear to speak up, but I did as he suggested and could hear the roaring of an engine. No wait... Two of them. Hunters were here too. They were on the prowl and looking for the Changed that were in the area.\n\n\"Damn. Hunters are here too. Hear them?'' I said out loud, looking toward the others. They all listened and heard the vehicles too. \n\n\"If Julian's out there, this fight is about to get bloody quickly.'' Sammy said, snarling a little like a Changed himself. He was definitely protective of his pack and it showed in situations like this. Pat rested her webbed hand on him.\n\n\"Calm down a little Sammy. We don't want them mistaking us for Changed, do we?'' She said, trying to be the voice of reason as usual. \n\n\"Tina. Can you look around and see what's around us? And.... Maybe see if Julian is here?'' I asked. The eagle nodded as she stepped ahead of us, looking around the corner. Suddenly she gasped, looking in the direction of Julian's house.\n\n\"It's him! Julian's here!'' She said, trying to be quiet. \"But... We've got trouble.''\n\nI stepped forward and looked around the corner toward Julian's house. My heart skipped a beat as I saw the golden-brown fuzz of a familiar horse right in front of the house we were headed to. He was looking around and growling just like the other Changed. But he was definitely smaller than the others. If they decided to attack, he likely wouldn't make it.\n\nThere were approximately 8 other Changed on the road, walking around and looking at each other. Julian was likely relying on his speed, but it was hard to say what happened in the mind of a Changed. If they got close enough, he might just strike out. And that could be the end of our friend. \n\nComing down the road was a beat-up car with about three people in it. From a different direction, another car could be heard though not seen. These were likely the Hunters. I had no doubt that there were more than just the 9 Changed here, and the Hunters knew it as well. They were here to annihilate an entire street worth of Changed and then celebrate afterward. They wouldn't care that one of them was our friend.\n\n\"Damn... This isn't looking good at all.'' I said to the group, relaying the information to them. I thought about our location and what we could possibly do. All of us pulled out the weapons we had, prepared to fight. They were all melee type weapons, meant to incapacitate the Changed and Hunters but not kill them. We each also had a gun for emergencies but tried not to use it. It was time to make a choice. But the choices that I made... well, they aren't up to me, are they?\n\n[center]---------------------------------------------------------------------[/center]\n\nHere's the info I can give to you about the location we're in. Think slightly run-down, suburban neighborhood. My group is alongside the shop wall facing Julian's house in an alleyway between two stores. One of them is a convenience store that has long been shut down and ransacked. The other is a former small grocery store. Again, ransacked and shut down. Other shops are on the same street as ours, but only a couple are still running (somehow). Across the street are some run-down houses, evenly spaced apart. Most of the houses are empty due to lack of nearby resources. \n\nTo the left of the alleyway is the car with three likely Hunters. They are a little far down the road, but they would be here soon enough. This is also the direction that Julian is in. And the direction of four of the eight other Changed. To the right are the other four that I can see. To the right and down about two houses is another road that branches off from the shop road. This is the direction that the other car can be heard from. It's possible that this car isn't filled with Hunters, but I'm not terribly convinced of this. Not many drive their cars around during a Red Month except for the Hunters. If your car gets surrounded by Changed, you still won't have an easy time of it.\n\nJulian is about three houses down, in front of his house. He's making his way into the house, but two of the Changed down this road have kept their eye on the small changed horse and headed in his direction. Even at full sprint, they would likely reach the house before us. So... What should we do? It's up to you now.", "writing_bbcode_parsed": "Julian's home, huh? I suppose double checking there is as good a place as any. Julian's home is more or less abandoned. After the incident with Julian's parent, I adopted him into the group, and my family adopted him into ours... unofficially that is. He didn't mind the unofficial adoption and just appreciated having a family to be with. But every once in a while, Julian would like to go back to his old home, making sure it was kept up and cleaned. A lot of the home looked the same as what it looked like before the incident. Even though we've already checked there, I guess we can go back. It's your choice, after all.

---------------------------------------------------------------------


Day 5, Red Month, Cycle 462
Time: 8:45 AM
Weather: Red Sky, Mostly Cloudy
Temperature: 57° F

I thought for a moment, trying to think of where best to go. Then, as if right on cue, the beings that control my life gave me a direction to go.

"L-Let's go take a look at Julian's home again, just in case. It was one of the first places we looked a couple of days ago, maybe he's there or some indication of him having been there.'' I said, trying to sound convincing.

"Ughhhh.... That's all the way on the other side of town, Alex!'' Sammy said, still whining about the search. It was much nicer when none of us changed and we could all just be together.

"Sammy, I'm only going to say this one more time. Shut. The FUCK. Up. Or next time you change, we'll just abandon your ass and leave you to the hunters. You want that?'' Taylor said, very clearly pissed. It wasn't that they didn't care for Sammy. They just didn't like to hear the whining and cared for the group just as much as the rest of us.

"Come on Sammy. You know we'd be running around looking for you like this when you change next. We have to keep our heads and stick together. We're all Julian has. So let's keep going and find him!'' Pat said, trying to calm it down after Taylor's outburst. She nodded in my direction and I flashed a weak smile at her in return.

"Alright, alright. I.... I'm sorry. I just wish he was with us already. That's all.'' Sammy apologized, seeing the worry, frustration, and sadness on my face. Normally, he'd be all flirty with me and trying to get me to cheer up. But after five days of searching for Julian, it was difficult for him to get to that point again.

"It's fine guys... Really. I... I'm fine. I just want to find him. So let's go. Maybe there will be some sort of clue that he's been there so we can find him.'' I added on, moving past the group and starting to walk in the direction of Julian's house. I've had to go to his house several times to retrieve him, and I'll never forget the gruesome sight I saw when I first met him............

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FLASHBACK


Day 16, Red Month, Cycle 426
Time: 5:03 PM
Weather: Red Sky, Clear Skies, Sun setting
Temperature: 71° F

It was a normal day for me, travelling the city in search of supplies. My mother had changed at the start of the month and my father was hard at work trying to keep her safe and sound. During the red months, a lot of non-changed would wander the streets in search of food, water, and other supplies necessary for survival. Not that I ever spent much time talking to them. I was only 54 cycles old (Just over 9 years old), but with this particular lifestyle, you tend to mature quickly. It's either adapt and survive or hold on to childhood and MAYBE survive. My mother and father wanted to make sure I knew how to survive. Especially after my older sister was mistakenly killed by Hunters. My parents were never the same since.

I was a little way from home in a relatively run-down part of the city. I actually liked looking here for supplies as there were more places to hide than the bigger parts of town. That did mean that the Changed had an easier time of hiding too, but they didn't try to hide often. They mostly searched for easy prey whenever they could. And you could usually hear a Changed coming from the feral growling and snarling they made as they walked around.

Suddenly, as if on cue, I heard the growling sounds of a Changed. I ducked down and pulled out my baseball bat. I never tried to kill a Changed, knowing that it wasn't their fault that they became what they did. I always tried to incapacitate them by attacking low. All methods of survival that I learned over the cycles I've been alive.

The growling I heard was getting louder, but not necessarily closer. And I realized that it was more than just one growling Changed. I could distinctly hear two different "voices''. A third, much smaller, but more coherent voice cried out.

"Mom! Dad! Please stop!!'' Yelled out the voice of what I assumed to be a small child. I cautiously made my way toward the voice, wondering if I could save the child from his parents who may have changed when the sky turned blood red. The growling and sounds of attacking continued as the boy's voice became more frantic and less understandable. I knew I had to hurry if I wanted to save the boy. I could start hearing other growling from the nearby area, the Changed hearing the sound of attack.

As I turned the corner, I saw a house with an open door. It was an older house that needed work but was still standing. I could hear the sounds coming directly from that house so I beelined it directly toward the front steps. I charged up them, peering inside the door with my bat drawn. I was not prepared for what I had seen. Two equines, both changed, had been tearing apart at each other in front of a small horse boy. I could see limbs and appendages removed, and it was clear that neither of the two Changed would make it out of this alive. As the male equine tore off the female's leg, the female equine had been working on the head of the male. With one last pull, the male's head was severed, but the female had lost more blood than she had hoped, and both slumped over. The male was already dead, the female dying and slowly passing away. The floor, the walls, the ceiling... All of it was covered in a bloody mess. And on the floor, on his knees, was the small horse boy, his mouth wide open, though no sound escaped him. He was truly speechless and when I got to know him, I knew he had a right to be.

I tentatively stepped closer to the boy who paid me no attention. He just reached out to his parents, watching the breath leave his mother as she was slowly trying to claw her way to him. She dropped to the floor and let out the remainder of her air, passing from this world like the male before her.

"M...Mom? D.... Dad?'' He said, whimpering slightly. "Why? Why...? W-w-w-w-WHY?!?!'' He suddenly cried out. I took that time to rush forward and clamp my hand around his mouth. He started squirming and trying to free himself, but I held on as much as I could.

"I'm not a Changed and I'm not a Hunter. But there are both prowling around outside. We need to be quiet and get them to move on!'' I said, turning him to face me so he would have an idea of who I was. As he looked at me, he buried his head into my chest and started sobbing uncontrollably.

I could hear the snarling coming from outside. If I didn't do something soon, I was worried that there would be two more dead ones in this house. "T-Tear! Can you do anything? Block out the sound, divert the Changed, something? Just please! Keep us safe!'' I said out loud. The yellow fox materialized before me and winked.

"Your wish is my command.'' Was all he said before disappearing. The door suddenly closed, and I could hear the wind picking up outside. I wasn't sure what Tear was doing, but he was keeping us safe, or rather... keeping me safe, just like he always did. I sat there, holding the boy closed to me as he cried himself to sleep. I looked down at him and deduced that he was much younger than I was, and desperately needed help now. And so began our time together as we joined into the group. The horse boy introduced himself as Julian to me. I took him with me to my place where I helped care for him along with my father when he wasn't tending to my mother. I vowed that when the Blue Month came that I would help him give his parents a proper burial like they deserve. Julian and I had been together ever since

END FLASHBACK


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Day 5, Red Month, Cycle 462
Time: 12:26 PM
Weather: Red Sky, Overcast
Temperature: 65° F

The temperature rose as we moved across the town. The Changed were prowling about as they usually did, but we knew how to avoid detection as much as possible. Despite travelling around in a group, we knew how to work together. If we had to split up, we knew the town well enough to just name a location and meet up there with each other. Most of the time it worked well. Sometimes, not as much. But this was one of those ``most of the time'' times.

I looked up to the red sky above me, noticing the cloud cover had grown considerably. I wasn't sure if it was going to rain or not. It was impossible to tell with the red sky. But the sun was concealed by cloud cover and the air around us was darker. It was harder to see and that made it trickier to see Julian. We were en route back to his house. I was leading the way, being the most familiar with the direction to get there from the number of times that I've walked with him there.

"We're close, right?'' Sammy was the first to speak. This time, it wasn't in a whining tone. He was curious. Despite his whining, Sammy's wolf instincts made it easy for him to find one of our own. The group was like his pack and he cared for each of us in different ways.

"Yeah. About... 10 minutes til we get there, I'd say. That is, depending on the Changed and Hunters along the way.'' I stated, keeping my eyes sharp and looking around. Tina looked over at me and nodded.

"Right. Time to head to the skies. Taylor, you with me?'' She said, looking over at the dragon who merely nodded in affirmation. The two winged creatures took off and flew on ahead. The two often flew together, each with a different role. Being an eagle, Tina had the best eyes of us all. She usually flew around, trying to find whatever we might be searching for. Taylor would join in the search during a blue month, but during a red month, they had a different task: Looking for Hunters. Taylor's thick dragon hide often could withstand whatever weapons were used against us. As such, they looked carefully for threats to Tina and acted as protection for the eagle. The two were a great team and there was no denying it.

Meanwhile, on the ground, Pat, Sammy, and I continued making our way to Julian's house, keeping an eye out for Changed and Hunters. Sammy took point to sniff and look around for whatever we were searching for. Pat acted as the cool and collected voice, usually able to talk down Hunters if they suspected we were Changed. (Not that someone could really be mistaken as such, but Hunters weren't the brightest of them all.) I acted as brute force for the Changed, making sure they stay away from the group. Sammy backed me up when needed.

When the group was complete, Julian was our speedster. If we needed to get in some place quick and get out quick, he was the one to do it. Being the smallest and the fastest, he did his job well and loved being able to contribute. In combat, however, he and Pat would usually find a safe place to hide and prepare to provide medical attention if one of us needed some help. Pat always carried the major first aid supplies, acting like our own little private nurse. All in all, the group worked well together which is why we've been able to survive this long.

We continued down our path toward Julian's house. Minutes passed and I knew we were almost there. Just about two minutes to go. We'd be able to see it around the corner soon. 'Please Julian. Please be there so we can keep you safe...' I thought to myself as Sammy pressed on. Suddenly, his ears twitched. I heard it shortly after. The growling and snarling of the Changed. Not just one either... Several of them.

I took a light from my pack and shined it in the direction of Tina and Taylor a few times. Taylor eventually saw and motioned for the two to head back to the group carefully. As they landed, Taylor simply said "Changed, or Hunters?''

"Sounds like Changed'' Sammy said quietly, sniffing the air and looking around. "I can't make out how many of them there are though. And no idea if one of them might be Julian.'' He added on, trying to make out the smell of the horse boy we all knew well.

"That's not all... Listen carefully..." Said a voice in my head. I wasn't expecting Tear to speak up, but I did as he suggested and could hear the roaring of an engine. No wait... Two of them. Hunters were here too. They were on the prowl and looking for the Changed that were in the area.

"Damn. Hunters are here too. Hear them?'' I said out loud, looking toward the others. They all listened and heard the vehicles too.

"If Julian's out there, this fight is about to get bloody quickly.'' Sammy said, snarling a little like a Changed himself. He was definitely protective of his pack and it showed in situations like this. Pat rested her webbed hand on him.

"Calm down a little Sammy. We don't want them mistaking us for Changed, do we?'' She said, trying to be the voice of reason as usual.

"Tina. Can you look around and see what's around us? And.... Maybe see if Julian is here?'' I asked. The eagle nodded as she stepped ahead of us, looking around the corner. Suddenly she gasped, looking in the direction of Julian's house.

"It's him! Julian's here!'' She said, trying to be quiet. "But... We've got trouble.''

I stepped forward and looked around the corner toward Julian's house. My heart skipped a beat as I saw the golden-brown fuzz of a familiar horse right in front of the house we were headed to. He was looking around and growling just like the other Changed. But he was definitely smaller than the others. If they decided to attack, he likely wouldn't make it.

There were approximately 8 other Changed on the road, walking around and looking at each other. Julian was likely relying on his speed, but it was hard to say what happened in the mind of a Changed. If they got close enough, he might just strike out. And that could be the end of our friend.

Coming down the road was a beat-up car with about three people in it. From a different direction, another car could be heard though not seen. These were likely the Hunters. I had no doubt that there were more than just the 9 Changed here, and the Hunters knew it as well. They were here to annihilate an entire street worth of Changed and then celebrate afterward. They wouldn't care that one of them was our friend.

"Damn... This isn't looking good at all.'' I said to the group, relaying the information to them. I thought about our location and what we could possibly do. All of us pulled out the weapons we had, prepared to fight. They were all melee type weapons, meant to incapacitate the Changed and Hunters but not kill them. We each also had a gun for emergencies but tried not to use it. It was time to make a choice. But the choices that I made... well, they aren't up to me, are they?

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Here's the info I can give to you about the location we're in. Think slightly run-down, suburban neighborhood. My group is alongside the shop wall facing Julian's house in an alleyway between two stores. One of them is a convenience store that has long been shut down and ransacked. The other is a former small grocery store. Again, ransacked and shut down. Other shops are on the same street as ours, but only a couple are still running (somehow). Across the street are some run-down houses, evenly spaced apart. Most of the houses are empty due to lack of nearby resources.

To the left of the alleyway is the car with three likely Hunters. They are a little far down the road, but they would be here soon enough. This is also the direction that Julian is in. And the direction of four of the eight other Changed. To the right are the other four that I can see. To the right and down about two houses is another road that branches off from the shop road. This is the direction that the other car can be heard from. It's possible that this car isn't filled with Hunters, but I'm not terribly convinced of this. Not many drive their cars around during a Red Month except for the Hunters. If your car gets surrounded by Changed, you still won't have an easy time of it.

Julian is about three houses down, in front of his house. He's making his way into the house, but two of the Changed down this road have kept their eye on the small changed horse and headed in his direction. Even at full sprint, they would likely reach the house before us. So... What should we do? It's up to you now.", "pools_count": 1, "title": "Red Sky (A CYOA Series) - Page 2", "deleted": "f", "public": "t", "mimetype": "application/msword", "pagecount": "1", "rating_id": "2", "rating_name": "Adult", "ratings": [ { "content_tag_id": "5", "name": "Strong Violence", "description": "Strong violence, blood, serious injury or death", "rating_id": "2" } ], "submission_type_id": "12", "type_name": "Writing - Document", "guest_block": "f", "friends_only": "f", "comments_count": "1", "views": "98" }