Kindred Flames: The Start of the Hunt
#8 of Kindred Flames Series
Hey. Finally got this new chapter done. When was the last time I updated??? Late June? Anyway. Like many others here I'm not good at writing short chapters so sorry. Please comment rate and enjoy. Tell me what you think! :3
Pearl and all other characters in this story belong to me. Pokémon does not.
The Start of the Hunt
" This is just............unbelievable........."
There should probably be more complicated thoughts going through her mind right now. Like maybe for example, "Who are you?" "Where is Lilly?" "Where am I?" "Why did you take me to this place?" "What exactly are you keeping me here for?" But no.
There she was. Standing in the middle of a sparkling, waterfall kissed ravine with her muzzle hanging open like a fool. For once no words sprung to her lips. No intricate speech that portrayed her intelligence and maturity flowed from her mouth, smooth and unbroken. No, definitely not.
But could she really blame herself? In the course of one short day she had been launched into a rescue attempt, separated from Lilly, beaten senseless, and then dragged through the forest for hours until finally, she was let go. In this clearing, surrounded by imposing rock walls and caves teeming with strange Pokémon that refused to show themselves to her, leaving her completely alone........ facing her rescuer turned abductor. Who could only be described as well.......unbelievable.
Overwhelmed as she was, she was quite finished with looking like a weakling who needed to be saved or even worse, looking like an idiot who didn't know how to conduct herself properly. She usually demanded more respect than that when she met new Pokémon. She pointedly forced her gaping jaw to close and smoothed her currently ruffled pelt before allowing herself to carefully look over her captor for the first time.
He was an Absol.............
An Absol with a fur coat that was darker and more luxuriously black than the night sky itself. It flowed like liquid silk over his body and managed to shine beautifully even in the dimmed light of sundown. It was as if he had captured the stars and placed them within the smooth contours of his coat. This shiny fur smoothly covered his muscles which were obviously toned by a life forged in the wilderness, and blew softly in the breeze as he stood in place.
His ruby red eyes stood in stark contrast against his ebony fur. They glowed like smoldering, fiery, embers which reminded her of Pearl's similarly smoldering gaze and she felt a wave of unwanted admiration crash over her as she allowed her own gaze to roam up his sharp, curved head piece and down his slender legs that ended in large paws and formidable looking hooked claws.
She didn't know why she was so profoundly affected by the appearance of another Delta-species. Hell, she lived with a Delta-species everyday of her life and she thought she was used to it. She guessed it was just..... unexpected to be rescued by such a naturally rare and elusive type of Pokémon.
She was so lost in her thoughts that she jumped slightly when a loud rather exasperated sigh interrupted her. Her head snapped up and she found herself blushing with shame as she read the look on the Absol's face. He looked mildly irritated, and his muzzle was set in a tight thin line, an expression she'd seen on Pearl's face countless times when people seemed to.............suddenly forget their manners around her.
"I-I'm really sorry for.....uh.....staring. It was......rude of me," she stammered as she flattened her ears and finally looked away from him. She stood there in an awkward silence, head bowed, burning under his stare for what felt like hours until it was broken by a carefree, feminine laugh.
She reluctantly raised her head in curiosity to see yet another Delta-Type Pokémon trotting towards them.
Hazel's breath practically caught in her throat.
She had thought the Absol's beauty was stunning. This......... Ninetales, made the ebony canine look positively drab.
Her shorter more fluffy coat was a glorious shade of warm, orangey, ginger that reminded her of sunsets. This toasty, warm shade of auburn covered her entire body except for her paws and underbelly which were snow white like the freshest of winter flurries.
Her tail tips as well as the fur tuft between her ears were an even darker shade of ginger, making them almost appear red. Her eyes were a beautiful,mossy green and they looked very much like tiny shards of emerald that twinkled and shone with kindness and humor.
"Still letting people bother you like that Shadowfur?" the ginger Ninetales laughed. Her voice was light and undeniably attractive. Hazel found herself smiling slightly as she watched the vixen tease the Absol.
He whipped around with a growl, casted her a furious glance, and then seemed to realize with a start, who he was addressing and....much to Hazel's surprise and confusion......he immediately bowed to the vixen. He curled his front paw under his chest and bowed his head low to the ground until his curved blade scraped the mottled stone beneath him.
She paused for a moment before nodding to him slightly, accepting the display of reverence and submission before turning her intensely green gaze upon Hazel.
"Shadowfur, is this the Pokémon we were asked to find?" she questioned gently. Her emerald eyes were resting firmly on her while she talked to him.
"Yes I believe so, but..... Gingersong I found her in the.....forbidden section....of forest." he whispered as he straightened himself from his bowing position. "She was being attacked by one of the poachers Pokemon, but for what reason I do not know. She has an..... average coloring," he sniffed, scrutinizing her with a sharp intelligent gaze.
She felt like she should retaliate against that seemingly insulting remark, but for some reason she didn't believe it was her place to speak just now, plus she deserved it for staring him down earlier. So she simply stood and watched closely.
The Ninetales also said nothing but it was obvious from the look in her eyes that she was shocked. Her cheery demeanor had vanished and silently, she walked past the Absol and motioned for him to follow with one of her nine auburn tails.
He immediately began to obey and then paused as if remembering she was still sitting there, turned back, and nodded, telling her that she was to follow as well. She immediately got to her paws, ignoring her growing feelings of claustrophobia in regards to the closed in ravine, and followed behind the Absol with anxious haste, casting nervous glances around herself as the hidden Pokémon shifted and murmured in the shadows.
As she followed the auburn Ninetales she couldn't help but notice the air of authority the female radiated. Her chin was level, her ears were perked, and she held her tails high and proud as she walked. She wouldn't be surprised if this Ninetales was a natural born Alpha.
Hazel also couldn't help but wonder what these Pokémon wanted with her. The Ninetales, or Gingersong as she was appropriately named, had asked the Absol if she was the Pokémon they were asked to find.
"Who would be asking to find me that knows these Pokémon?" she thought nervously.
On top of all that Hazel knew for a fact that "shiny" or "Delta" Pokémon were extremely rare. They were the product of a harmless genetic mutation that warped their normal markings into something completely different and gave them a considerable amount of extra fighting power.
They were simply born stronger than the rest.
Needless to say it hardly ever happened except for in specific family bloodlines. Scientists have been trying to isolate and replicate that specific gene for years, so that they could engineer Pokémon with supercharged attacks. But all efforts had come up short or been shut down due to the wrongness of it all. Pokémon were not tools to be used for science.
Yet in the course of one day she had seen two in one place and heard of another, the Pikachu, being taken from the same area.
She was just about to work up the nerve to ask exactly what was going on here when Gingersong turned sharply to the left, away from a large cave in the rock face that Hazel had previously assumed they were headed towards.
The ravine was circular in shape and the rushing blue pool formed by the glittering waterfall cut into the stone floor slightly, giving the whole camp a crescent-like shape. They had walked along the pool until they were no longer standing directly in front of it, but instead were making their way towards the side.
Hazel had completely forgotten exactly what it was she was going to demand of the two Pokémon by the time they had finally arrived at their destination. She was at a loss for words once again.
After the Ninetales had veered to the left and walked towards the side of the waterfall a small path, shiny and slickened with moisture, came into view. To anyone standing near the front tunnel entrance to the ravine it would've appeared as though the group was walking behind the waterfall and disappearing.
In reality there was a sizeable cave hidden behind it that was obviously carved into the stone face by the relentless pounding of the water. There was a tiny shelf of stone jutting out that allowed them to walk along its narrow face so that they could reach this cave. The two Pokémon hadn't even stopped to reassure her as they effortlessly trotted along the moist path, apparently completely oblivious to the nearly deafening roar the waterfall was producing directly next to them.
After being thoroughly soaked by the steady spray of the waterfall, and wondering with an irritated growl how Gingersong and Shadowfur had managed to stay completely dry, the group finally reached their destination.
Upon entering she had to pause momentarily and squint until her pupils dilated and her eyes adjusted to the very dim lighting of the cave. Two bundles of foliage had been lit ablaze and were burning steadily in the corners, bathing the cave in the warm, orange glow of a fire.
Both Gingersong and Shadowfur had sat down next to each other and were now staring at her with painfully open curiosity. Gingersong was the first to break the tense silence that had settled over them all.
"What's your name young one," she questioned gently, her mossy green eyes glinting with interest.
"Hazel," she replied in a small voice, averting her gaze, and trying hard not to show the irritation she was sure sparkled dangerously there. Of course to a Ninetales everyone could possibly seem young considering some lived to be centuries old and aged flawlessly, but that didn't stop her from growing even more irritated at the lack of respect she was receiving from both the Absol and the vixen. What Gingersong said next only soured her mood further.
"That's an odd name," she murmured. "Are you perhaps owned by a human? Were they the ones that gave you such a strange name?"
Once again Hazel forced herself to bite back a stinging retort about how she'd lived her whole life without hearing names as strange as theirs and that if anyone should talk about being strange it sure as hell shouldn't be two Delta-Pokémon .
Instead she forced herself to answer calmly. These Pokémon were unaggressive now, but she wasn't going to anger or insult them and take her chances with whatever punishment they decided to exact upon her.
"Yes I'm a captured Pokémon," she replied.
She could've sworn she saw sorrowful pity flash in both of their eyes.
"Of course...." Hazel thought dully. What would wild Pokémon know of the unbreakable bond that a human and Pokémon could forge between one another. They probably saw it as a life of slavery and confinement. She didn't bother nor did she feel like explaining it to them.
Gingersong soon nodded with a thoughtful look decorating her features, and continued on.
"If you're owned why were you wandering our forest all alone? Why was your human not there to tell the others to leave you be?" she questioned firmly. "The wild forest is an unforgiving place for Pokémon who've been softened by a life with humans." she stated, her eyes narrowing dangerously as she dropped into steely silence, expecting an answer.
"I'm aware of the dangers this forest holds," she began. "My trainer let me and my friend wander a little ways ahead of her so we could visit a special place here without dragging the whole group off course." she replied in a guarded tone. She didn't appreciate her trainer's intentions being questioned and picked apart this way. It felt....... wrong.
"You claim that you're aware of the dangers of this forest," Gingersong began. "But if that were true you would've know as soon as your mother kitted you to stay away from the gated clearing," she stated in an increasingly condescending tone.
"Even my most clever and skilled fighters have been captured by the humans that dwell there. The fact that you've travelled there and gotten into trouble is only proof that you don't know what you've gotten yourself into." She said. By the time she'd finished her tails were coiled at the tips and her eyes were narrowed to angry green slits.
Hazel wasn't sure how to react to the sudden hostility the vixen was radiating. This was obviously an exteremly tender subject that was now being discussed between them. To say she was scared of the Ninetales was a gross understatement.
"You human trained Pokémon have lost your natural instincts. You think you can just prance back into the wild life you left behind and survive? Well you and your friend now know better, don't you?" she growled, her claws scraping angrily against the stone beneath her."
"We've lost so many of our clan to those monsters," she whispered softly. "They go out to hunt for their mates and kits and they never return."
Her voice had now begun to take on a wistful, pained, tone, as if she was at that very moment yearning for her lost loved ones.
Once again Hazel's head was left spinnig at the drastic change in mood.
"We send out search parties every time, but as soon as the sun sets on the third day that they've been gone I can't even bring myself to put on a reassuring front for the kits that wail for their lost parents....We all know what has happened to them by then,"
She was no longer looking at Hazel as she spoke. Her now misty gaze had wandered and become distant and foggy, as though she was focused on something far, far away. That moment of tender vulnerability only lasted a second before it was gone, back behind a mask of dominance and brisk authority.
"When your friend recovers you should get back to your human and leave immediately," she stated sharply. And with that the stunning, ginger, vixen rose to her paws and strode out of the cave only pausing to address Shadowfur one last time before disappearing.
"Oh and Shadowfur, make sure to alert Robinwing and Stormwind. Let them know that no one is to leave the sanctuary under any circumstances for the time being. Those are direct orders," she said firmly. And then she was gone.
Hazel was silent, unsure of how to respond to what just took place. If she had heard correctly she'd just been banned from leaving this place. She wasn't sure whether she should chase the vixen down and protest or simply book it out of this place and escape before she could be stopped.
But even as she contemplated it she knew neither plan would work out. Her muscles still screamed at her from the punishment they'd taken and she doubted she would get very far, even if she managed to escape, which was unlikely in and of itself.
Besides, the Ninetales had seemed thoroughly upset and very serious when she spoke of the shutdown of the sanctuary and the loss of her "clan members,"
"So those must be the Pokémon in the clearing...." She thought, quickly putting the missing pieces in place. She had seemingly stumbled upon an established pack of Pokémon who, by the sound of Gingersong, were being targeted by the poachers.
She would have to think of these facts later. They had also made repeated references to "her friend," was it possible that they could have Lilly here in this camp?
"I'm sorry for Gingersong's outburst," Shadowfur began, dipping his head apologetically. "Her mate was one of Pokémon taken by the poachers." he added. "
"His name was Bluefang and he was one of the greatest warriors known to Eterna. It was a true tragedy......" he mumbled sadly to himself.
"It's okay," she whispered consolingly.
In reality the outburst had really stung, but that wasn't what was really occupying her mind right now
"Y-you know my, um friend?" Hazel stammered nervously, temporarily pushing all worries about other problems aside.
He gave her a look that seemed as though he was thankful for the change of subject.
"Is your friend by any chances a Leafeon?" Shadowfur answered.
"Yes!" she blurted shooting to her paws with her blue eyes widened in shock. Do you know where she is? How do you know that!" Hazel yelped desperately.
Her voice had risen to a fevered pitch and her sharp yelp echoed loudly off of the enclosed cave walls. She knew that she had startled the Pokémon, but it didn't really matter. She'd never be able to show her face back at home if she returned without Lilly. Everything else shrunk in comparison to that.
"We found her wandering the forest before we rescued you," Shadowsong said, calmly ignoring her frenzied outburst. "She was carrying a Poochyena pup with her that was very near death. We offered her help and in her exhaustion she accepted, but before she would let us lead her away she told us that we had to help her friend back in the gated clearing. She thought you would die without assistance.
"And she was right..." Hazel thought glumly as she avidly remembered the sickening thuds of the Charizard's footfalls as it slowly closed in on her unmoving body.
"And that's how I found you," he finished with his intense red gaze trained on her.
"Where is she now!" Hazel cried back. Hardly hearing what the Absol had said last.
"She's in the infirmary right now, resting with the Poochyena. It's in the cave with a lichen curtain covering the entrance."Shadowfur replied in his deep voice. "But you probably should wait to disturb her she's-"
Hazel was already out of the cave, sprinting towards the center of the ravine. She almost slipped and fell into the turbulent pool of water below her when she ran across the thin, slick ,rock shelf that led back to the front of the waterfall and away from the cave.
As she ran she hardly felt the water spray that soaked her to the bone and immediately froze to her icy body now that her temperature had healthily dropped low again at the return of her strength.
She half skidded half scratched her way over the unforgiving stone floor as she ran. Her paws were allowed no traction on the smooth stone and soon began to sting as the tenderized flesh began to wear thin and split open at their harsh treatment.
Still she didn't slow until she had rocketed through the thin, green, curtain of lichen that obscured one of the larger caves from view.
Like the last cave she was in she had to wait for her eyes to adjust before she could see anything, but she soon made out the lithe form of Lilly curled up in a nest of moss and bracken.
At the sound of her noisy entrance Lilly's body stirred and unfurled slowly before turning towards her. She was standing completely still, choked with relief.
"L-Lilly?" she whispered.
"Hazel!" came her elated reply.
"May!" Pearl barked sharply as she paced anxiously outside of her tent. She pawed the ground impatiently and nosed at the flap that led to the inside of the structure, ignoring the irritated sounds the sleeping Pokémon of her group were now making.
That was it. She'd been polite and patient up until now, but she knew May was ignoring her and action needed to be taken now. Hazel and Lilly still hadn't returned, and it sure as hell didn't take that long to get to the Mossy Rock and back. Something was wrong, she could sense it.
She let out an impatient growl as she unsheathed her claws, and with a skilled flick of her paw the entrance flaps fluttered to the forest floor, tattered and neatly shredded. She marched into the sizeable tent with her tails churning behind her and roughly prodded her sleeping trainer with her nose.
She sat back on her haunches and waited silently as her trainer's soft blue eyes opened and squinted against the light.
"Wha-what? Pearl what are you doing?" May sputtered as she attempted to rub the sleep from her eyes, only to receive another sharp prod in her side this time accompanied by an impatient bark. She had been sleeping rather peacefully, dreaming a lovely dream about winning another ribbon this time with Chris audibly cheering her on from the stands........
Beginning to doze again, she was immediately snapped out of the sleepy stupor she had again unknowingly fallen into by the soft but extremely strong tails of her partner wrapping around her waist and dragging her outside. She was fully awakened now as the harsh rays of morning sunlight bathed her squinting eyes in daylight.
"Pearl, what's gotten into you!" she cried, her hands fumbling fruitlessly at the furry vices she was now entrapped in. The only reply she received from her vixen was an indifferent flick of the ears and a low growl.
Pearl took a couple more long strides before releasing her from her grip, leaving May sitting on the dew dampened ground and shivering in the frosty morning air. As soon as her vixen had moved away from her she sprang to her feet, crackling with irritation.
" Pearl what in the hell are you doing! It's like six in the morning. Do you even-" she stopped short, silenced by the look on Pearl's face. It was the perfect display of desperation and anxiety.
"Pearl?" she whispered softly, drastically changing her tone and tentatively placing her hand between the vixen's ears to stroke her silky fur. "Is-is there something the matter with you?" she asked feeling anxiety of her own begin to tighten her chest. All signs of anger were lost as Pearl let out an unhappy whine and whirled around trotting away from her and softly whimpering again.
May immediately began to follow without question. Any idiot who had a decent bond with their Pokémon could understand what their partners wanted, and right now May could tell Pearl was trying to show her something important.
Was she sick? Was someone hurt? She couldn't help but allow herself to worry as she sped up her pace in an attempt to match Pearl's hurried trot.
She had just begun to catch up to her vixen when she heard a groggy, questioning call, sound from behind her.
"May is that you? What are you doing up so early?"
She turned to see Chris on his hands and knees with his head poked out of his tent's flaps. He was rubbing the sleep from his eyes and his jaws were parted in a tired yawn as he too began to shiver in the frosty morning air.
"Oh, um....... nothing really," she stammered anxiously, averting her gaze and shooting a quick glance at Pearl. In all honesty she really couldn't come up with a better explanation than that. She wasn't sure what she was doing up or what Pearl was trying to accomplish.
"Huh..... well alright then," he mumbled, clearly not awake enough to care to question her vague answer as he shuffled his way backwards into his tent.
The rustling coming from inside of the tent had only just died down when Pearl let out a series of sharp barks that sounded painfully loud in comparison to the soft, lulling sounds of dawn. The rustling in Chris' tent almost immediately started up again, and in response May could hear soft, tired protests coming from Chris as Stella clumsily maneuvered her way around her sleeping trainer in the small space the tent provided and bounded over to Pearl, shaking out her silky black fur and blinking her piercing golden eyes against the sun's rays.
As soon as the feline neared her, Pearl starting frantically barking and yipping to the Luxray who growled softly in response before wheeling around and trotting back to her tent, her long star tipped tail flicking back and forth. She ducked her head and moved half of her body inwards, leaving her blue hindquarters hiked high in the air as she shuffled slightly in place.
Moments later she backed out, ears quivering as she drew her tongue across her jaws and sat back on her haunches. May simply stood there watching with confusion until a grumbling, irritated looking Chris moved his way out of his tent, squinting in the light and drawing a hand across his check which glistened with saliva in the soft morning light.
"What do you want Stella," he growled under his breath, shooting an exasperated look at his regal partner who simply stared back at him, her tail wagging slowly behind her. He sighed receiving no response from his partner and glanced around, his eyes coming to rest on her.
He stared at her as if it was the first time he'd seen her this morning.
"May? Wha-" he was cut off by Stella who reared up, placing her large feline paws on his shoulders as she licked his cheeks, before dropping back to all fours and bounding over to Pearl who waited with a rather satisfied look on her face.
Chris, effectively silenced by Stella's abrupt actions glanced around, looking extremely confused and soon settled for lifting his hands high in the air and then allowing them to slap against his thighs in a display of pure indifference before turning around, back towards his tent.
"I think they've decided it's time to get up," he mumbled. "Even though it's six in the damn morning," he added before reaching into his tent and grabbing his belt, from which his Pokeballs hung.
"I guess so," May whispered to herself, turning around and grabbing her own belt from the far corner of her tent. She sighed feeling the soft warmth of her sleeping bag under her palms as she crawled back out, Pokeballs in hand. She was still so tired.....
She turned around to see twin beams of crimson light flashing about the clearing, engulfing Chris' still sleeping Pokémon in their almost magical, radiant glow as Chris returned his Pokémon, leaving Stella where she was. She too began to set about returning her Pokémon as well. Pausing towards the end of her task as her hands grasped her two remaining Pokeballs......empty.......empty.
She felt as though she had been punched in the gut. The words left her lips in a breathless whisper. "Lilly.....Hazel," She swallowed hard attempting to surpass the growing lump in her throat and took a moment to calm herself, to attempt to beat down the crashing wave of incapacitating panic that was about to overtake her
"Chris," she said in a trembling voice. "Have you seen.....Lilly or Hazel around? They were supposed to return yesterday morning," she waited for his response, digging her teeth into her bottom lip.
It only took one day tops to get there and back if you took your time. This morning's day marked the third day they'd been gone The second day they'd been missing she hadn't panicked. If they had decided to sleep somewhere in the forest because they didn't want to travel during the night or simply because Hazel had overheated in this blistering weather and needed to rest in the shade than that was understandable...but three days.
He paused thoughtfully in response to her query, letting his tent which he was packing up drop to the forest floor. It only took a single moment before sudden realization seemed to hit him as well.
"The poachers," he whispered drawing his hand over his hair which was now laden with sweat and getting up slowly as if sudden movement would worsen the situation. "You're sure they aren't here?" he questioned peering around to double check her claim.
"Yes! Chris I'm sure!" she snapped back at him, her voice now brimming with panic and desperation. "We have to go now, we have to begin searching for them," she began rambling to herself as she messily shoved her belongings into her pack and hurriedly disassembled her tent,
"I'm so stupid, stupid, stupid!" she thought ever ignoring the now suddenly unbearable heat of the sun that beat down on her back turning her pale skin an angry red.
With a final jerk of the zipper on her pack she sprung up and wheeled around only to collide with Chris who without missing a beat clasped both his hands onto her shoulders and shook her slightly forcing her to halt.
"Chris what are you doing, let go of me!" she commanded. Taking little time to react she began twisting to free herself from his steadying grip. Her voice was an attempt at anger but it came out little more than a childish whine that hinted at tears, which her glistening eyes now confirmed.
"It's going to be fine May," he whispered as he pulled her into a reassuring embrace. "Lilly and Hazel are smarter than that. You trained them well and you have to put a little more belief in them."
He sighed softy, his warm breath stirring her hair ever so slightly, before taking a slow step back and calling to Stella who was obediently by his side in an instant her golden star tipped tail flicking back and forth.
"Our best bet is going out and tracking them ourselves," he stated. His voice changing in an instant from lulling and comforting to brisk and matter-of fact. "It's lucky we have an Arcanine on our side," he said, pausing for a moment before motioning towards her in a coaxing manner when she failed to respond.
"Huh?....oh," she mumbled to herself trying unsuccessfully to inconspicuously wipe the moisture from her eyes as she turned her body slightly and grasped Phoenix's ball from her belt before tossing it into the air, releasing the blazing canine.
"His naturally skilled nose combined with Pearl's and Stella's should make it simple for us to track their scent," he said patting a still bleary eyed Phoenix gently on the head, who rumbled contentedly in response.
"Yeah, I guess so," she said, mentally bracing herself and forcing the last lingering remnants of panic and weakness out of her mind. She had a task to complete. Family to save. Now was no time for dawdling and worrying.
"Okay you three, I want you to listen to me very carefully," she said taking a deep breath as she crouched down until she was at eye level with the trio. "I want you to try and find any remnants of Lilly and Hazel's scent and track it as best as you can," she said firmly, willing them to understand.
Pearl and Stella both seemed unmoved, ready, relieved even. They exchanged an even glance before immediately returning their undivided attention back to her.
Phoenix abruptly rose to all fours his soft, tired, brown eyes lighting up with sudden lucidity and eagerness at the importance of this hunt.
He drew his tongue across his nose and turned to Pearl who nodded to him and whined softly. Ears perked he turned away from her holding his normally swishing golden tail still as he concentrated, sniffing and tasting the soft breeze for signs of the missing Pokémon.
"They aren't used exclusively in law enforcement for nothing," Chris mumbled in a seemingly impressed tone, while shifting his pack into a more comfortable position on his shoulders as he watched Phoenix continue to scent the air. Now joined by Pearl and Stella.
The fiery canine paced a little, pawing at the soft dirt under-paw before suddenly going rigid and letting out a sharp bark. Muscles coiled under his crimson fur and without hesitation he shot off into the dense undergrowth, plowing a clear path with his massive paws and shoulders through the interlacing flora of the forest. Pearl and Stella burst out after him with May and Chris directly behind them,
"I guess this is what you were trying to tell me huh girl," she managed to gasp through her quickened breathing as she peered down at her rosy hued vixen. Pearl turned her head so that her fiery red gaze was boring into hers. She gave a sharp nod accompanied by a bark and tossed her head sending her plush fur rolling along her body before springing away from her to run alongside her beloved Phoenix, and join her pack mates in the hunt for her loved ones.
"Are you sure you can walk little guy?" Hazel asked gently as she watched the young Poochyena struggle to limp around the ravine for the third time today.
"I'm fine, I promise," he barked back, flashing her a toothy grin to reassure her as he scuffled around in circles, his tail wagging contentedly despite the strain he was putting his still recovering body through.
"That's great," she sighed in a voice too quiet for the young pup to hear. It had been two days since the incident in the forest, marking this the third day she and Lilly had been away from home.
Lilly had insisted that they immediately set out to return to their trainer once they had both rested up. But Gingersong had spoken against it, the danger was too great and even if she had authorized it Hazel just couldn't bring herself to leave the injured pup behind.
It definitely wasn't for lack of a safe place for him to stay. This sanctuary she had been brought into was apparently one of four major strongholds in Eterna that provided a safe-keep for specific Delta-Pokémon who needed to escape the heavy poaching their coats invited. All four of these strongholds specialized in protecting certain types of Pokémon.
For example, the stronghold in the rocky mountains to the east mainly held various dragons such as Charizards, Dragonites, and Salamence. To the west by the main river, Floatzels, Vaporeon and other water types thrived. The one she was in now, known as the northern sanctuary mainly specialized in Absol, Ninetales, Arcanine and the occasional Luxray or Stantler, sometimes Mightyena.
All four strongholds were concealed and well hidden within various places in that area such as the widened out stone ravine of the north or the half submerged cave that the western water stronghold dwelled in.
The Pokémon here were like one giant family, and together they hunted and provided for the kits females might bear, as well as actively supporting the elderly. Gingersong was the designated leader of this particular stronghold, and she had granted her, Lilly and the pup apparently named Mikko access to her clan's resources until they made their way back to their trainer.
And here is where the problem arose for her. The second Mikko regained consciousness he began spouting some story about how his friend had been kidnapped by the poachers and their pack of Houndoom.
Much to her shock and disbelief he had described his friend as a shiny Pikachu who had practically raised him ever since he fled his pack. Immediately Hazel's mind had flown back to the police officer, warning her and her group about the poaching incident in which a well known Delta-Pikachu was poached.
Somehow she knew deep inside that the Pikachu this pup was talking about had to be the same one the authorities were so worked up over. Apparently the police had been massively downsizing the dire state of this issue. Because according to Gingersong and the other three strongholds at least twenty three shiny Pokémon had been taken while hunting for necessary provisions or simply traversing the forest in total.
But even knowing these morbid facts Mikko refused to believe that his friend was gone. He was just so pitifully innocent that Hazel just couldn't bring herself to leave him or tell him otherwise. Maybe she could get him to come with them, back to May once the patrols that had been organized by Gingersong managed to locate her as well as the rest of her family somewhere within this mysterious place.
"Oh, hi Hazel!"
She was snapped out of her thoughts by the cheery voice of a female Ninetales, ringing out to her. She looked up, her lips immediately stretching into a pleased smile as she recognized the golden pelt of one of her many new friends here.
"Hey Sunfeather," she called back blinking good naturedly and dipping her head respectfully.
Apparently most Pokémon here were named for their fur color or for certain feats they had achieved. Skilled fighters usually had fang or claw somewhere in their names like Tawnyclaw a dark brown Mightyena with astonishingly powerful slash attacks or Grayfang a Silver Arcanine who simply couldn't be bested when it came to battles.
Those skilled in the art of healing others usually had moon, leaf, star, or shine in their name like Dappleshine a green and soft yellow dappled Ninetales who had taken care of all three of them while they had been recovering.
But for the most part, as in Gingersong and Sunfeather's case they were named for what stuck out about them.
Gingersong's voice was elegant, pretty and song-like, she as well as others here could listen to the alpha-vixen talk for hours.
Sunfeather was a golden hued Ninetales with crimson splotches in her fur that when looked at just right appeared to be large red feathers falling all throughout her coat. Her eyes were the same shade of crimson as these "feathers" and her tail tips, leaving her underbelly a soft, snow white.
The vixen was a sweet good natured friend, who'd been ordered by Gingersong to look after her as well as Lilly and Mikko. Essentially she was a babysitter but it didn't seem to bother her as it probably would anyone else here.
As a matter of fact, she'd never seen the vixen upset before, and even now as three plump bellied, squeaking, little Vulpix kits battered the ends of her ruby tipped tails, she hardly seemed to notice and instead kept on walking towards her, the breath taking smile on her face never wavering.
"I was sent to inform you about the results of the latest search patrol," she said once she neared her, pausing momentarily to shoo the tumbling kits back towards the camps designated nursery.
" Did you find something?" Hazel questioned, half heartedly wagging her tail. She could tell by the way the golden Ninetales held herself that they'd found absolutely nothing. No signs, no scent, no nothing, for the third day in a row.
"Nothing today," she mumbled, dipping her head apologetically, "But tomorrow's another day, and it'll be four new Pokémon out there looking for your human," she said in a contrastingly cheery tone, aiming to comfort and encourage her.
"Yeah I guess," was all she could force herself to say back.
"If they keep searching at this sluggish rate, they'll never find my family," she thought sullenly.
Normally they'd be able to send out more than one patrol a day. An early morning, afternoon, and late night patrol, but the danger that permeated this forest was keeping Gingersong from letting so many of her warriors out at once.
The fear that none of them would return was just too great. The three patrol tactic was one that was used under natural circumstances, and the danger the humans presented was making this forest anything but natural.
She was in the process of getting up and walking away to clear her head when she spotted Lilly trotting towards them, obviously interested in the results of today's search. But as she neared the group she too could sense the lack of excitement and her small face fell in disappointment.
"Nothing?" she questioned in a voice that suddenly sounded more tired and impatient than anything else.
"Unfortunately no," Sunfeather replied dipping her head once more, this time in the crestfallen Leafeon's direction.
"Oh," was all Lilly said back. She sounded a thousand years older than she really was, this stressful experience was already aging her. Her tail fell until it drug in the dust as she turned and made her way back towards the waterfall without saying anything else to either Pokémon.
Hazel turned her head with a disappointed sigh, unable to watch Lilly's depressing retreat, only to see Mikko watching the whole exchange with wide golden eyes that portrayed a mixture concern and confusion. He stood unsteadily on his three good legs, pausing as if unsure of how to proceed. He turned with his ears perked to watch Sunfeather leave before shaking out his shaggy gray coat and hobbling over to her.
She couldn't help but feel a tad bit better as he finally reached and sat down next to her, his tiny fluffy tail swising back and forth as he held his recovering front paw gingerly off the ground.
He sat in silence, wordlessly comforting her with his purely innocent and simple presence. Giving her what she yearned to receive from Lilly, who'd become rather distant in her effort to deal with the consequential loneliness at being separated from May.
"They didn't find your human, huh." He said as he scuffed a tiny pebble across the ground with his good paw.
"No, not yet unfortunately," Hazel replied reclining into a lying position and turning ever so slightly to the side, inviting the pup to lie against her belly as he had taken to doing in recent days. He eagerly obliged and began wagging his tail back and forth as she groomed his ever tangled fur with quick precise strokes, every so often making sure to blow her ice cold breath through his fur as he seemed to enjoy.
She figured he must get considerably hot under all that thick smoky fur and it seemed to be true because he openly showed his content at being cooled by her contrastingly frigid body temperature. She usually had to sleep alone and rarely cuddled with anyone for this very reason but it didn't seem to bother him. This was only one of the many reasons she found herself growing fond of the pup.
"That kind of stinks, I guess" he replied after some time, letting out a tired huff and moving in closer to her.
She usually would've laughed at the young pup's simplicity and blunt attitude but two words made her pause in confusion.
"You guess?" she questioned pausing in her grooming to look him over. "Why would that be a good thing for any of us?" she said her tail flicking back and forth, "Mikko you do realize how important it is that I find my trainer right?" she finished, watching him intently as he began to avidly avoid her gaze and flick his one torn ear in discomfort.
"Yeah, I-I know it's just that-" he broke off. His brow furrowing in confusion as he desperately searched for the right words.
That was another attribute the pup possessed that she had quickly noticed about him. He often got lost mid sentence as if he had been expected to say the right thing his whole life and wasn't sure what to do with free speech. She wasn't sure if that was an attribute he'd been born with or one he'd recently received from one to many blows to the head from that savage Granbull.
Nevertheless he usually recovered his composure after a couple seconds but what felt like a minute had passed and he had still said nothing, the thought induced wrinkles on his forehead only growing deeper as he continued to think.
She waited silently her intense blue gaze trained on him. Now thoroughly interested in what he had to say, even more so than she had been when she first asked the question itself.
"I guess that if you go before they find Brother Pikachu, I'll be alone again." He finally whispered his tail going still as he placed his head on the mottled stone ground between his paws.
"I don't really like being alone, 'specially at night." He mumbled looking away from her, shamefaced.
She gave him a smile that masked her sadness and pity for the young Pokémon. The thought of him wandering the forest all by himself....no wonder he had almost gotten himself killed.
Despite the sadness that now seemed to be permeating the air in this sanctuary, there was still a little bit of a positive side to what he'd just said. It paved the way for her to finally talk to him about coming back with her. She didn't think she could bear to tell him that the chances of his friend being alive were next to none but maybe she could convince him that he'd be better off not wandering this vast and dangerous place all by himself....
"Mikko you don't have to leave when we find my trainer," she began. It was now her turn to pause, unsure of how to word her proposition. She knew that many wild Pokémon held a certain level of disgust towards the thought of being captured but nevertheless she had to try with him.
"What I mean is," she stated, shifting her position until she was looking at him again. "You could come live with me and my human for a while," she said, only to quickly backpedal in response to the blank look on his face. "At least until we can find Brother Pikachu." She added. "I know that my trainer knows about the.........bad people who took your friend, we could help you find him," she said hopefully, silently willing him to understand.
"Your human knows who took Ciello?" he yipped his whole demeanor shifting as he stared at her with wide eyes that now held an unmistakable glimmer of hope in their golden depths.
She immediately began to feel guilty. She wasn't really lying to him but she wasn't disclosing the whole truth either. The chances of him ever seeing Ciello or "Brother Pikachu" again were next to none, but how could she tell him that.
"It would crush him," she thought sullenly, forcing herself not to frown and consequently confuse him even further.
"They know about him being taken, yes" she said quietly. "But they don't know exactly where he is, if you stayed with us we could definitely look for him together, you'd have a better chance of finding him than if you were all by yourself."
"On top of all that," she added, gaining momentum, "You'd be fed every day and well protected and you definitely wouldn't be anywhere near alone. All of my master's Pokémon would love you." she said, flashing him a smile and forcing herself not to think about Pearl and her engraved hostility towards his species.
He paused for another long moment, seeming to mull it over as she went back to grooming his thick fur.
"That sounds nice," he finally barked, a hint of thoughtful uncertainty still permeating his voice. His tail once again began to swish behind him, portraying his simple content. She watched him hopefully, glowing inside. He couldn't deny her logic no matter how young he was, she didn't have to leave him behind.
"I hope we find your human soon," he finally mumbled as his eyes began to droop with exhaustion. He must've already tired himself out with all of his eager hobbling around. It only proved how much he still needed a guardian, she thought as she watched him. The simplest of tasks left him literally out cold in the middle of the sanctuary. But she digressed......
"Me too," she thought with a sigh as she curled protectively around his tiny form to wait out the duration of his early morning nap." I hope we find my family soon too...."
Lilly sighed as she hooked her claws into the twig the Shinx and Vulpix kits were playing with, and tossed it back to them for what could've been the thirtieth time. Their multicolored coats shimmered in the light, highlighting their plump round forms as they scuffled and swatted each other's blunt muzzles so that they could be the one to bring the twig back to her.....again.
Since this morning's disappointment over the absence of her family she'd busied herself with mundane tasks around the sanctuary. This morning she'd tidied up the infirmary, then gathered food, and now she was supposed to watch over the clan's kits while the parents relaxed for a bit.
She didn't mind.
If she was idle for too long that feeling of emptiness and fear would threaten to swallow her up again and leave her slender form trembling until she forced herself to believe that that would not happen, that she would be reunited with them no matter how vast this forest was.
She just couldn't bear the possibility of never seeing her trainer again. This was the third day that the clan's patrols had failed to catch her family's scent. No matter how often she pleaded, Gingersong simply wouldn't sanction more frequent searches. She could understand why, what with all the human danger lurking around every corner, but it still didn't make it any easier for her to bear, sitting on her paws all day while her family endangered themselves looking for her.
While Pearl endangered herself looking for her. If those monsters saw her shimmering, rosy, pink coat, from what she had heard from everyone here, they would not hesitate to kill her.
A chill ran down her spine at the very thought of her best friend being murdered.
"Oh Pearl....." she whispered under her breath.
That was why she had been devising a plan, a plan to sneak out of the sanctuary and search for their family herself.
She could feel it, these patrols were never going to find her family. How could they? They didn't know May's scent as well as they knew their own, they didn't recognize her voice from miles away, they couldn't sense her nearness like she could. No, she'd have to do this herself.
She knew she could never convince level headed Hazel to come with her, especially not with that injured Poochyena glued to her hip. If she didn't know any better she'd say Hazel was playing mother to that feral pup. Convincing her to leave him here would be much too difficult and time consuming. She'd have to go on her own.
Plus, she knew the forest well enough to survive there. She'd evolved in this forest and like all Leafeons she had an inexplicable connection with this mysterious and beautiful place. If all else failed she'd simply return to the sanctuary and deal with Hazel's endless scolding and burning anger.
She would leave in the early morning, before anyone could wake and stop her......
"Are you okay miss Lilly?"
She refocused her gaze to see one of the female shinx kits peering up at her with obvious curiosity in her golden eyes. She recognized the odd looking reversed markings on the kit and sighed as she saw the twig resting at her paws. She always wanted her to throw it farther than the last time...........
"I'm fine Wind," she said, forcing a comforting smile as she hooked the twig in her claws and hurtled it across the ravine once more.
The tiny kitten scampered after it, easily outrunning the kits that raced after her with even quick strides that were so fast, her stumpy legs seemed to blur.
As if she was riding the wind.
Youngsters didn't receive their full names until they'd proven themselves as honorable Pokémon , she was sure that when that shinx grew up she would be called Windrunner, Windspirit or some other name that showcased her blinding speed.
If not that, her markings were enough to earn her a name all by themselves. If you took a normal shinx that possessed a coat that was half aqua in the front and half ebony in the back and reversed it, you'd have Wind. Her face was pitch black and her hind was as blue as the sky on a clear day, it gave her quite the astonishing look.
"Lilly?"
She turned at the sound of her name to see the mother of the kits known as Frostmoon, padding towards her.
"Thank you so much for watching them," she purred, smiling as her three kits including Wind bundled over to her and ran excited circles around her paws, yipping a happy greeting.
"It was no problem," she replied, sliding into an arching stretch before beginning to pad away. "They were no trouble at all," she added over her cream colored shoulder.
The day had passed without any incident. She'd made small talk with Hazel during dinner, and complimented Mikko as he showed off how well he'd begun to walk again, without giving in to the guilt of deception that nagged at the back of her mind all throughout.
She felt bad lying to Hazel like this, but there was no other way that she could go about this. She couldn't worry about sparing feelings, this had to be done for the good of the both of them.
So now she lie curled up in her nest of fern leaves, breathing in the cool, crisp, scent of the coming dawn. It was time for her to make her move. She rose to all fours on silent paws that were still dogged with fatigue and slid out of the cave she was dwelling in, being extremely careful not to brush against Hazel or Mikko who were both curled up against each other, appearing to be deeply asleep.
The second she cleared the cave she made a hasty dash for the entrance, any sounds she would've produced were drowned out completely by the constant roar of the waterfall.
She was in the process of sliding the round rock the blocked the entrance out of the way when she heard an irritated huff sound from behind her.
She spun around forcing herself to hold in the fearful squeak that had shot into her mouth at the unexpected noise. The roar of the waterfall must've masked the sound of her approach there was no way......
Nevertheless, her heart fell like a stone, along with her ears and tail.
"Where exactly do you think you're going?" Hazel questioned in an accusatory tone, slowly closing the gap between them as she padded towards her.
"To the bathroom," Lilly said in a tired tone, feigning exhaustion . She contemplated adding a yawn for good measure but decided against it, settling for praying to Arceus that Hazel would simply nod and go back to bed.
There was no chance of that.
"You're really going to try and lie to me right now?" Hazel growled her passive expression twisting into that of betrayal and anger.
"I know you're trying to sneak away and find our family on your own," she added before Lilly could retaliate. "Honest Pokémon don't jump out their fur when they're caught going to the bathroom," she mumbled her icy eyes narrowing.
"And what're you doing to find them, Hazel!" she snapped back in an effort to defend herself.
"Nothing!" she barked before Hazel could respond.
"Those patrols aren't ever going succeed, you know that!" she snarled.
What looked like hurt flashed in her sister's eyes and she instantly felt guilty for her outburst.
"Wait I didn't mean it like that," Lilly stepped forward, anger spent, and lowered her head in an attempt to console her sister, but Hazel stepped away, hackles raised in fury.
"So you were just going to leave?!?" she shouted, glinting fangs now bared towards her.
"You were going to leave me here?" she repeated in a softer tone as if she couldn't make herself believe it.
"No I would never, I was going to bring them back to us," Lilly whispered willing her sister to believe her.
She didn't seem to, the accusation and hurt in her gaze didn't falter and she simply continued to stare at her with those unnerving blue eyes.
"Hazel? What's goin on?"
Both sisters turned at the sound of Mikko's tired voice.
Lilly could see her sister make an effort to change her angry expression into something a little more comforting for the pup.
"Nothing Mikko, go back to bed," she urged, pointing her nose towards his nest.
"Why are you sad?" he questioned seeming to have decided to ignore her last command.
"I'm not, sweetie just go back to bed," she repeated.
He didn't move.
She watched as Hazel turned back to her and took a deep breath before continuing.
"First of all this plan is stupid, reckless and wrong," she began.
Lilly had to supress a sigh as she prepared herself for one of Hazel's infamous lectures.
"Second of all I can't believe you didn't tell me. I'm your sister and you're supposed to trust me," she continued.
"Third of all I love you too much to stay angry with you,"
"And lastly, you're crazy if you think you're going without me," she finished with a meek smile as she trotted past her and shoved the boulder aside with ease.
"Don't ever lie to me again," she whispered licking the top of her head before glancing towards the sky. "We better leave soon," she said referring to the soft pink light that now tinted the sky, signifying the coming of dawn.
She was rather suddenly brimming with happiness and excitement. She wasn't going to stop her! She was going to help! She was stupid to think she could do this without Hazel. Her sister was so smart and resourceful and skilled, but the pup......
Hazel must've noticed her concerned glance because she answered her without being prompted.
"He's coming with us," she said firmly, leaving absolutely no room for argument.
"But Hazel he's injured," she whispered.
"Nu-uh," he yipped from where he was standing as he began to eagerly limp around in circles at a pretty impressive speed, attempting to prove his point.
A smile played across her sister's face as she watched Mikko and she knew that Hazel really had bonded with the pup. She couldn't hurt her like that by forcing her to abandon him.
"Fine he can come too," Lilly mumbled, hiding her smile as Hazel let out a satisfied purr and motioned to the pup who ran over to her, his tail wagging so hard his whole body wiggled with it.
"Where're we going, Hazel?" the pup whispered eagerly as if this was a fun game, quickly catching onto the fact that they were supposed to be quietly sneaking away.
"To find our family, Mikko." She replied, taking a deep breath as she plunged into the crisp undergrowth of the forest, in desperate search of her family.
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