Survivors - (Tsuki, Shadowfax and AmyMarie)

[Tsuki]

Gabriel panted for breath but didn't have enough air in his lungs to run after Ash or ask her to reconsider. He watched her leave and felt powerless to stop her. He wanted to run after her but knew she wouldn't appreciate it. He sighed after a while and slowly made his way back to thr doctors office where Sam was waiting for him. He looked up at him and smiled weakly.

"Don't worry Sam. They won't come back. I'll look after you."

He wish he could convince himself. Ash had been so certain that they would return and it unnerved him slightly. Was she right? Would they return? He shook his head and looked back at Sam.

"Why don't I teach you how to hunt?"

[Shadowfax]

Sam blinked with sadness clearly in his eyes when Gabriel told him not to worry. He was sad Ash had gone, and though he'd not say it he didn't feel as safe without her around. But at the mention of being shown how to hunt, Sam's eyes brightened and he smiled gently.

"How to catch pigeons? Yeh, i'd like that. It would be a great thing to know how to do!" The boy said with genuine enthusiasm.

Meanwhile, on the outskirts of the town the men had come to a halt and looked about them to check they were not being followed. Fortunately for them, Ash had gone in the opposite direction so they were safe from ambush, at least from her.

"So now what? There are three perfectly able slaves there aswell as shed loads of medical supplies" The man called Greg said.

"Damn it, I know that! We will go back, tell the boss and ask him to give us more men" The man called Tyler said.

"Oh... Well.. That will make things easier. He'll like that girl. She seems to have fire and that kid will be handy for climbing through windows and small gaps for raids" Greg said thoughtfully.

"Exactly, and that guy will be a useful soldier, once we convince him to join us" Tyler said darkly.

Both men laughed and headed towards the small town they had come to call their home.

[Tsuki]

Gabriel smiled and beckoned to Sam to follow him. He led him out onto the roof. The sun was just setting and the air had turned rather cold. He shivered slightly before wandering over to a small coffee table. On it was a small catapult and a bag of marbles. He turned to look at Sam.

"This is the perfect time to hunt birds as they will be returning to their roosts. The idea is to hint the bird so it's stunned. Shooting a bird is no good as they are fragile and you can ruin the meat inside. So stunning is the best option. But you need to hit them as they fly over the roof. No good hitting one and it falling in the trees over there."

He pointed and smiled before loading the catapult with a marble.

"Marbles work just as well as stones. I've always collected marbles since I was a kid and realised how useful they can be."

He had a dart board hung up on the fire exit door and hit it with the marble. He then turned back to Sam.

"Before we tackle real prey, try hitting the dart board"

He passed the catapult to Sam and the bag of marbles.

[Shadowfax]

Sam listened to Gabriel's words with deep interest. When the marbles came out, Sam had to suppress his child side and focus on the task at hand. This new world was a tough one and if he wanted to survive, he needed to grow up fast. That thought made Sam feel sad, but at the same time he knew that he needed to let go and the sooner he did that, the sooner he'd be able to grow.

He gently took the catapult from Gabriel and looked up at the target he had pointed out to him. Sam had never fired any sort of weapon before, so he just went on what he'd seen on TV before. He pulled back the rubber part of the catapult, the marble secure in the little pocket and released his finger. He didn't hit the board this time, but he managed to chip a bit of the wall next to the board.

"oops" The child muttered.

**

Tyler and Greg arrived back at the village a few hours later to only anger their leader. He had not taken too kindly to their failure and they had paid for it through a beating. The leader had however granted them another six men to return to the hospital to capture the three survivors and bring them back.

"If you fail, I will kill you both on your return. If you decide not to return, then you will be hunted!!" He had yelled.

Tyle and Greg winced at those words and decided they would risk their lives if need be to bring these three back. As the evening started to draw in, the eight men began to walk back to the hospital with their weapons close by.

[Tsuki]

Gabriel smiled as Sam hit the wall next to the target.

"Hey. Not bad for a first try. But keep on practising. You know what they say."

They practised long until the night and Sam improved greatly. He could hit the target but not the bullseye yet. But it was better than nothing and Gabriel was pleased with his pupil's progress. A cold wind picked up and began nipping at his finger tips. He shuddered and put his fingers in his pocket. This cold would do no good for his chest and he looked over at Sam who was collecting the marbles from the floor to put back into the bag.

"Hey Sam let's call it a day and get in and get ourselves warm."

He coughed slightly and hunched his shoulders against the cold before heading over to the fire exit. Sam followed behind him and before long they were curled up inside the doctors office with a fire burning to keep them warm, oblivious to the danger that was coming.

[Shadowfax]

Sam enjoyed his time with Gabriel that afternoon. By the end of it, he could hit targets easily and managed to get a bulls eye at one point which he and Gabriel both celebrated. When Gabriel mentioned calling it a night, he nodded eagerly as he realized how hungry he was all of a sudden. The young boy winced however as his friend coughed, but he seemed to recover pretty quickly that time.

"What will we have for dinner tonight then?" Sam asked as they walked down into the hospital.

**

The men had reached the city and Greg began to try and navigate. They had to think hard to find the hospital signs and eventually they were on the right road. The other men grew impatient as they walked through the town. They never drove anywhere for petrol was hard to come by these days. They had cars for special occasions though. This however, was not special enough apparently.

[Shadowfax]

Sam enjoyed his time with Gabriel that afternoon. By the end of it, he could hit targets easily and managed to get a bulls eye at one point which he and Gabriel both celebrated. When Gabriel mentioned calling it a night, he nodded eagerly as he realized how hungry he was all of a sudden. The young boy winced however as his friend coughed, but he seemed to recover pretty quickly that time.

"What will we have for dinner tonight then?" Sam asked as they walked down into the hospital.

**

The men had reached the city and Greg began to try and navigate. They had to think hard to find the hospital signs and eventually they were on the right road. The other men grew impatient as they walked through the town. They never drove anywhere for petrol was hard to come by these days. They had cars for special occasions though. This however, was not special enough apparently.

[Tsuki]

Gabriel smiled as Sam asked him what they were eating.

"Where I come from, dinner is tea. If you're living here your probably best saying tea so we are on the right page."

He winked at him in a joking manner to show that he was only playing around. He then looked over at a smaller freezer than he had installed a while ago. The freezer had been used to keep medication in but now Gabriel used it as a place to store meat and to prevent it from going off and smelling. Not only was it unpleasent but it may attract stray animals. As much as Gabriel liked animals, he was not willing to share his catch with them. He looked over at Sam and motioned his head to the freezer.

"You choose. You've done well today."

[Shadowfax]

"I don't understand.. It's dinner you have in the evening" Sam said sounding rather confused (Oh.. Do not even go there ;D)

When Sam saw the freezer however he beamed and ran over to the door, then opened it to see what was inside. There were various birds in there such as Seagull, Pigeon and even a hawk. Though they didn't look very appetizing, Sam knew that once it was cooked it would taste fine. But until then, he pulled a face as he handed Gabriel the seagull.

"I guess we could try this one"? He said trying his best to sound excited.

[Tsuki]

Gabriel chuckled.

"Nah. It's tea in the evening. Dinner midday." (I went there )

He found it amusing that Sam was confused by this and rolled his eyes. It was clear Sam was Southern. He would get him saying Northern phrases in no time. He saw Sam turn up his nose as he looked in the fridge and smiled weakly. He wondered what Sam had expected. There were no buggers or chicken nuggets to be had nowadays. They had to use what they good. When Sam brought out the seagull he grinned.

"Fish Fingers it is then."

He took the gull from Sam and placed it fairly close to the fire to let it defrost faster.

"One day I'll show you how to cook if you like? It's always useful to know these things. So. Did you know Ash before she saved you?"