Information

Ernessa
Legacy Name: Ernessa

The Glacier Pherret
Owner: Asylum

Age: 12 years, 5 months, 1 week

Born: November 18th, 2011

Adopted: 12 years, 5 months, 1 week ago

Adopted: November 18th, 2011

Pet Spotlight Winner
May 20th, 2016

Statistics

• Level: 1
   
• Strength: 10
   
• Defense: 12
   
• Speed: 10
   
• Health: 10
   
• HP: 10/10
   
• Intelligence: 5
   
• Books Read: 5
• Food Eaten: 0
• Job: Unemployed

Alone.
Never before had that word carried the sting it did today.

Ernessa carefully walked around the shards of a broken window, cracks of sunlight streaming through the opening. The ceiling above her was cracked, plaster falling down at every movement she made.
'Hello? Is anyone there?'
Silence greeted her cry; the same result as the other times she had hoped to hear a response.
It had only been a few hours and already Ernessa was frightened. She had woken up earlier that day, to find the world she once knew in disrepair. A few dusty medical supplies sat in her room, evidently not having been used for some time. Her house spoke of many months of neglect, and the surrounding buildings showed similar signs. There was nobody. No bodies, no blood, just belongings strewn about. A few cars were wrecked, and the only sign of life was the occasional bird overhead, but that was a rare occurrence.The plant life was overgrown and unchecked. Garden beds now were festering with weeds, and hedges grew beyond their bounds. The cupboards in all the houses were bare, only a few canned goods remained. Ernessa stuffed the foodstuffs and a few water bottles into a worn and beaten backpack. She then began to walk, her slender frame out of place among the devastation. The haze in her mind slowly was clearing, but everything still seemed unreal. She hoped that the next town over would hold to it some answers.

Four months later....

Ernessa's breath came in heaves as she scrambled atop the ruins of a building, jaws snapping at her heels. She pulled herself up onto a rickety concrete platform, her grip the only thing preventing her from sliding off onto the dangerous ground below.
She wished everything was dead.
The packs of rabid dogs that roamed outside the cities had easily found her, and unlike the encounters in the past, she hadn't escaped undetected.
'AH!'
She let out a cry as a jagged piece of metal sliced her leg open, the pain clouding her mind. The shock of the wound, coupled with four months of living alone, took its toll. She could feel her body growing heavy, her grip weakening. Her free hand struggled to locate the lifesaving contents in her backpack; an old gauze bandage, and a makeshift torch. Her grip loosened even further. Any second now, she would drop, and the dogs would rip her to shreds.
'HEY! Back off you mangy creatures!'
A strong voice barked out across the fading scene, the setting sun making it hard to see who was speaking.
'CRACK!'
A shot rang out, and the whimpering of a dog pierced the twilight sky, the animals quickly fled, their prey no longer defenceless.
Just before she passed out, Ernessa saw the rugged face of a man looking at her, having bent over her stricken form.
'Hold still, you've lost a lot of blood...you'll be alright.'
That was how she met Hokanu.
-
The weeks went by much faster, now that Ernessa had someone to talk to. She had to admit, of all the people to find in the wasteland, Hokanu was a good find, (both in looks, and in survival skills.) He had a partly-shaven face, which seemed never to fully go away, and light dirty-brown hair. He helped her forage, pick a good spot to set up camp, and his simple presence provided a means of security. He seemed to remember all the things she couldn't; what plants were edible, how to hunt, and numerous other skills Ernessa had long since forgotten.

It didn't take long before Ernessa was head-over-heels in love with him. She didn't say anything, but slowly she was working up the nerve to voice her feelings.

The day began like any other. They ate a quick breakfast, and set off across the rolling hills. A few maps they had scavenged indicated a possible settlement to the north. It would be a nice change from...this. They had found bodies recently, mass graves, indicating, or at least hinting, at what had happened to the population.
Amidst the death and destruction, they had found another friend; a dog apparently named 'Bushwacker', because he only responded to such. He was a golden retriever, hair somehow not too long as to catch on briars, but thick enough to insulate from the cold.
The dog seemed to latch onto Hokanu like a long-lost friend. Ernessa couldn't help but laugh at how adorable it was.

They came to a particularly large hill, and Ernessa waited while Hokanu scouted ahead for a passable route. It didn't make sense to go wandering around if a path exist-
'Don't make any sudden moves miss....'
Ernessa drew a sharp breath, a few camouflaged figures quickly surrounding her. A few had guns, others carried crossbows.
'She doesn't look sick...maybe she's immune too?'
'Maybe; she might be feral though. Miss, what is your name?'

'Ernessa...Ernessa is my name.Who are you people?' She managed to stutter out.
The leader, a tall man with grass stuck to his clothing looked down at her, shrugging his large shoulders.
'My name is Kaleb. I'm the leader of this party, who are some of the survivors. Our main town is a few hours away from here. You're the first person we've seen in weeks, outside our homes.'
Ernessa looked at him expectantly, gesturing to the mountain with confusion.
'You mean me and Hokanu...right? There are two of us.'

The group of individuals slowly shook their heads, a few of them turning away. Kaleb shook his head slowly, kneeling down to look Ernessa in the eye.
'Ernessa, that's a result of being immune.'
She shook her head, almost laughing at the thought.
'That's ridiculous. There was a dog-'
'Named Bushwacker.'
One of the group spoke up, then turned away again.
'And he had light brown hair...'
'The dog found you after about a week or so?'
As the group gave a perfect description of the man Ernessa loved, she couldn't help but shake her head.
'No....that's not possible....'
Kaleb put an arm around her shoulders, sighing sadly.
'I've seen him too, all of us have, at least this group. It's a side effect of when the virus interacts with you. It just takes time for it to happen...I'm sorry.'
He paused, pointing out across the mountain with a large hand.
'You're welcome at our settlement. We can make it there before nightfall.'

The group walked away, giving Ernessa a moment to try and collect her thoughts, but they all paused as the new survivor turned back to the mountain.
'Hokanu! Are you there?!'
Silence greeted her cry, just like in the beginning of her journey. This was the final blow, and Ernessa's shoulders slumped, tears streaking her cheeks as she followed the group to her new home. No matter what, she'd never forget the man that saved her, imaginary or not.
'Thank you....Hokanu...for saving me.'

Sharp eyes watched the group leave, and the man's light-brown hair blew in the wind as he silently left them behind, his pacing swift.
'Come on Bushwacker....'
The golden retriever bounded alongside its master obediently as they aimed towards the nearest city.
'I think I'll settle down soon. She's the one to go back to. For now though, it's best if they don't know. It's good to see the others we've saved are alive and well though'; he nodded to the dog, and shouldered his pack; 'let's go save someone, one last time.'

Story by Frode
Idea by me!
Overlay by Griffin



By Cipher


By Emotional


By Liore

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