'What if he dies?!'
'For the love - Rob, calm the fudge down and listen to me. Preston. Is. Fine. Okay? Freaking out won't do anything' Jerome spoke for what felt like the hundredth time that hour, his Canadian friend doing nothing to stop his own panic and just pacing around the room. 'The bacca's right, y'know. This timeline's different, I'm sure that Preston's okay.'

Ah yes, the disembodied voice had returned. After apparently "checking on" another group, the odd character (Who had said that she was called The Author, for whatever reason, and had an obsession with talking about plotlines) returned to the three and gave some half-useful advice every now and then. This was slowly growing frustrating, but as per usual, Rob decided to suppress his other emotions and attempt to focus on something he figured was more important 'Why d'you keep going on about "Timelines"?'
'Aha, no. It's not important information right now, okay? Just focus on the lava mob for now.' She scolded gently, before the air discolouration caused by her presence faded from existence. Jerome let out a quiet growl of annoyance at this, but followed the Author's advice and turned back to check on his Texan friend's pulse.

Unnatural, rapid, hard - No change. He then turned his attention to Rob, who kept glancing at everything in the room as if it were to attack him 'Rob, I'm not even kidding, you need to calm yourself down.'
'I'm the definition of calm,' The wolf hybrid scoffed, attempting to hide his feelings even further while his fluffy friend watched him with a sad yet hard expression 'Y'know what? I don't care. Go into the living room and sit down with Mitch.'
'But I-'
'Now.' Sensing the danger in his tone, Rob flinched before looking down and nodding slightly. He was just about to take a step out of the door before they heard a quiet cough, their gazes turning to see Preston pushing himself up weakly. 'What... What happened?' He spoke hoarsely, his eyes unusually bright for his condition.
'Well long story short, you passed out. A random ghost thingy came and told Rob and Mitch that they needed to find me, I dropped down from the trees and was all like "Oh hey guys!" So now we're home, and you've been unconscious for the past hour.'
'We-We're home; In the mountains? Oh my - How is everybody?!'
'...Crap'

~+~

'Choco! Choco, buddy, where're you at; I need social advice!' Lachlan called, using his hands as a megaphone whilst Vik just smiled and shook his head. They could be found in one of the clearings that the hybrids now called their home, fresh berry bushes growing from the treeline. Small treehouses were suspended from the branches, with more modern wooden huts scattered along the ground. He could hear people laughing and talking, the occasional cry of a baby, but Lachlan ensured that they stayed hidden incase anybody recognized him.
Well... Tried to.
'Oh hey Lachlan, you're back - Woah, new person.' A new voice called from the branch of an old tree, using her legs to support her as she hung upside-down. 'Ah! Uh - Hey, Minx, you alright?' The blond stuttered, pushing Vik behind him as the brunette shrugged carelessly 'I suppose, yeah, but who's the cutie?'

The comment made Vik flush red as he reappeared, looking at the ground as his taller friend sighed quietly 'Minx, no. You already have a girlfriend' He scolded the girl jokingly, who gave a cheeky grin as a red robin landed on her outstretched hand 'Yes yes, I remember that perfectly well. In all seriousness though, who's the kid?'
'He's older than me, actually, and he's... An old friend of mine. Anyway, we're looking for Choco. Have you seen him anywhere?'
'I saw him going towards the mountains earlier, he probably went to his house - He's been trying to regrow some plants in the area, poor kid' The robin somehow spoke, causing the Brit to squeak and jump behind Lachlan in alarm. The younger teenager just snorted, the joyful sparkle in his eyes beginning to return after so many years of staying dull 'Cheers Krism, anything else I should know?'
'Another blond guy was following him, that's all I know. Sorry I couldn't help you any more'
'No! No, this is perfect - Where did Vik just go?'

~~~

'So, uh... How's life been since the battle?'
'Average, I guess.' Choco sighed as the two walked, keeping his hood thrown up against the chilly breezes that blew over the mountains. 'We managed to build a small village thanks to Harvey's magic and Colby's strength, but it always had this weird feel to it. It just - Wasn't home, I suppose.'
Kenny nodded at this, staying silent for the time after his friend's response. He was used to it, after all; He had been "mute" for almost five years.

'What about your village, anything interesting there?' The blond shrugged gently, closing his eyes as he did so before opening them again. He was tired, yes, but they were still making their way towards the hybrids' new home 'Kenny? You alright?'

'Oh, I, I'm fine, sorry about that' He muttered quietly, with his voice having an undertone of "Lemme go to bed". His golden friend shook his head fondly at this, holding out a wing to stop him from moving any further and turning to face him properly 'Kenny, how long have you been up here for.' He asked, with the question sounding more like a demand than anything. A concerned demand, though - He was in no way hostile.

Kenny just smiled softly, waving the bird away with an offhanded response of "Stop worrying, I'm alright." and running a hand through his hair. Choco was slightly offended by his attitude, but decided to say nothing as they continued to walk through the old battleground. Though it was faint, they could both see splatters of blood along the dirt. A tree hand began to grow through a body at one point, showing the skeleton still encased in the trunk 'After so long, remnants are still here...'

The scene was truly haunting, especially for the boys that had witnessed it first-hand. Attempting to dismiss the thought, Choco continued to walk forwards. Over the very ground that had cracked and broken, releasing the Orespawns, the ground that was still weak-

'Choco!' He heard a sharp yelp, followed by the crumbling of earth as something sprang out and pinned the teenager to the ground. Spinning around, he met eyes with a figure that made his heart jump. There he was, a body of steel with piercing blue lights for eyes.

The eyes of Matthew Nucciarone, the robot that had broken his heart. 'Matt? What the... What are you doing?' The bird hybrid asked shakily, stepping forwards as Mat kept his "friend" pinned against the floor.

'Aha, Choco! Long time no see, sweetheart.'

'Choco what the fu- Ack!' Seeing his friend in such a position brought back memories. Awful memories, of when the cyborg had done the exact same thing to him. 'Don't you dare sweetheart me, Matt. What are you even doing here? You left all those years ago, and you know you're not allowed back - Brandon will kill you if he finds you here.'

'But I'm sure you wouldn't let that happen, right Princess?' By this time Kenny had stopped struggling, silently swearing and screaming at the boy that was literally sitting on his torso before he flinched. 'Princess? Choco, what the fudge is he on? Is there some kind of drug in the air - Am I gonna die if I breathe too much?!'

"Oh no, this is bad... If I say anything, Matt's gonna hurt Kenny, but if he doesn't find out from me and Matt tells him then Kenny'll hurt me!" While lost in his thoughts, he didn't notice Matt standing up. The robot jogged over to Choco, resting a finger under his chin and forcing his head up 'Now now, you shouldn't worry so; You might lose all your pretty little features! Oh, wait, already did, Shame you can't fly anymore, huh?'

Noticing the fact that Matt was blatantly insulting the golden hybrid, Kenny pushed himself up - Despite the fact that the air had been knocked from his lungs - and pushed between the two angrily. He gently shoved Choco behind him, noting the slight shaking and heavy breathing coming from the feathered teenager, and faced the robot with a dangerous flare in his eyes 'Don't you dare insult my friend that way, Matt - What gives you the right?'

'Oh, it sounds like the little birdy never told you - You weren't the first one here, I was!' He giggled, the metallic tune of his voice making it sound even more scary. The blond flinched at this revelation, glancing back as Choco looked down. 'I-It's... It's true.'
Slightly shocked, Kenny looked between the two before shaking his head. Matt was still making fun of Choco, no matter what their relationship had been 'You heard what he said, Matt, you'd better leave. This place seriously isn't safe.'
'Well it wouldn't affect me, but it would effect you. Didn't you know that the air past the barrier is poisonous? You're dying, Kenny, and he's known ever since day one.'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nooch wat r u doin.

Nooch.

Staaaaaaaaaaaahp.

*Lachan yelling in the background* ONLY NOOCH.

Yeah Rob it's not important right now just focus on the lava mob jeez.

See you all in the next chapter, and have a great Morning - Afternoon - Evening - Dawn - Dusk - Midnight - Paranormal Timezone!