18 Feb 2012
This story actually started back in like... 2010 or 2009. Kinda got sidetracked for a long while though, but I'm trying to pick it back up~ Needless to say, that means there's probably some revising to be done. We'll see what happens. Hope you enjoy though.
But first, since this is the very first chapter, some preliminary notes might be needed. First, the story is done entirely from the pokemon's point of view. Because of this, there may be a limited understanding of certain points. Also, there is a main character, the identity of which won't be hard to figure out, but there will still be some amount of POV-shifts. Second, I'm not going by game/anime/manga regions, towns, and other confines. Pokeball mechanics may be different too. Third, there will be blood, minor language, ect.
...Also, I think I have a bad habit of making the characters rather moody and junk most of the time. xD Anyways!
Part 1 - The New Arrival
A small, brown figure sat alone atop a steep hill overlooking the expanse of forest below cast in the darkness of nightfall. The silver moon and the dazzling stars above shone down on the landscape before him, making it appear vaguely silvered itself. A cool wind breathed and ebbed around him, carrying with it the familiar scent of the wilderness. It was a rich scent of the trees and of the earth, of everything he knew he belonged among. Everything before him was beautiful to behold in his distant hazel eyes. Every shadowed tree was magnificent in its own right, as was the forest that it was but a small part of. The only sound that hung in the air was the soft, naturally flowing rhythm of the wind as it howled around him, meeting with the long fronds of grass and the broad leaves of the trees to create a soft rustling as the unseen hand made them dance under its spectral touch. Khida closed his eyes and lifted his short muzzle higher into the night air, trying to savor the feeling of the wind against his fur, and the natural song around him that played compellingly into his mind.
Pokemon of the forest would never forget just how beautiful their forest was, whether it was cast in the warm glow of sunlight, or the contrasted light of the stars under the cover of night. But a pokemon's home was ever more precious. Always more dear. Only recently had he started thinking about it. ...Was this place his home? Until now, Khida had never given it thought. He tried to survive when times were hard, and occupy his time as best he could when he had too much of it... But he never realized just how fond he truly was of this place. Not once did he ever see it as clearly, or as tenderly as he did now. It occurred to him, in his subdued silence, his painful stillness, that what he was feeling was a sense of deep loss. Was this what it's like for all pokemon, faced with such a proposition?
Khida's thoughts spun around his head, all seeming useless to him, all unable to help him escape this fate in any way. However, another realization dawned over him but a moment later. Like a ripple on the flawless surface of water, a foreign presence was disrupting his peace, drawing nearer to him with every passing moment. A frown played negatively across his face as he waited for the pokemon to make her way though the trees. He thought to himself about how easily it was to detect her approach. ...She really didn't know how to conceal her presence properly, did she? He knew she was an eevee, like him, but a forest pokemon she was not, and she'd have a hard time approaching any.
Finally, the other pokemon appeared through the underbrush to his right. She wordlessly padding over to his side, stopping about a foot away from him. Khida glanced sideways at the smaller eevee beside him, a frown still on his face. Neni, her name surfaced in his head. He only barely remembered it. Without saying a word, she sat down and quietly took in the view of the forest below. The forest that was his home. He couldn't guess how she saw it, but he knew it didn't mean the same to her, going on much more than the look on her face. Her eyes returned a glance back at him for a brief moment, before returning to the forest again. In that instant, he got the strong impression that she was nervous about being here with him now. He guessed she was trying to see what he saw, but Khida knew that would be impossible for her. She would never know what the forest meant to him. She couldn't. In all likelihood, she had lost touch with her roots when she became her trainer's pet.
Neni then shifted her position so that she was facing him more frontally. He knew from the start she came with something to say to him, and it looked like she was finally working up the nerve to say it. But, Khida made no attempt in looking interested to hear it.
"It's not so bad you know... being a trainer's pokemon." She started, trying to be as unoffensive as possible.
He let out a soft grunt as a response. Yeah, right...
"Sarah's about as good as trainers come... She cares a lot about her pokemon... She's really kind, she takes care of us, and well, she's a great person to be around..."
Khida glanced at her again and gave her an irritated look. A small amount of rebukement flashed in Neni's eyes, however, she continued, undeterred, not entirely to Khida's pleasure.
"I remember the first time Sarah took me in... It took a long time to get used to things, but after I settled in with her it was a wonder, and before long, everything just seemed to fit together. Like, we belonged together. Every day since has been fun, really, because something new was always awaiting us the next day, and the day after that. New scenery, new pokemon... Plus there's the battles too."
She paused to give a small sigh before continuing.
"When Sarah found me, it was like a dream. Or more, a wish granted by Arceus himself.
"See, I was wounded and bleeding, left to fend for myself, but I couldn't... Not like that. That's when she found me. She gave me one look before she took me into her arms. Her skin felt so soft, and so warm, but then I was so cold... Sometimes I still have nightmares, where I'm alone and scared. But, then I wake up and see her sleeping face, and I couldn't be more grateful then. That night, she saved my life, and I guess I'm glad I can repay her by being her partner. It's not like it I don't enjoy it, either.
"...Though maybe that puts me at more of a disadvantage than you. You see, I didn't have much to leave behind. My old life was at fualt for the way Sarah found found me. But the new life she helped me find, traveling the world with her other pokemon, who feel more like my family than anything, is so much better than anything I ever had before... I mean, I guess I had a family before her, but it's different."
She paused to look at him directly, her voice still soft.
"If you give it a chance, you may like being with us."
After a moment of silence, she looked like she was unsure of whether or not her words had any effect on him. They didn't, he confirmed with himself. She silently studied his face, a confused, partial-frown across her mouth. She really didn't know what to make of his reaction, but then he was basically half glaring at her, half trying to ignore her.
"Like I said..." She forced herself to continue. "...we see lots of interesting places. Some are amazing really. We've seen quite a few forests too... Many are even as beautiful as this one here..."
At that, he bore his fangs at her.
"No place is like here." He growled fiercely, holding in a snarl. "Maybe you can throw it in with any other place, but I can't."
Khida didn't feel as angry as he let on, but he had to deter her somehow. Judging by the almost hurt expression on her face and her flattened ears, he at least put a dent in her courage.
He just wanted to be left alone. By her, by her trainer, by every last one of them. He didn't want a part in what they were forcing on him, but it seemed they were okay with not giving him a choice in that matter. He couldn't escape, he tried, but it wasn't possible. He had to go along with it, but he wasn't about to pretend to be pleasent to Neni, or any of them for that matter.
Khida continued to let his glare drill into her, before angrily turning back to the forest once again. Neni seemed increasingly uncomfortable, and more confused than before about how to go on. Perhaps, she would give up and return to where her trainer was camped nearby, he thought. Though, as time passed she just sat there in unhappy silence.
"Well..." She finally spoke. "All I'm asking is that you at least consider giving it a chance... Okay?"
His eyes flicked to her, and she tilted her head as she gave him a softly pleading look. She seemed to be waiting for some kind of response from him, but he saw to it she was disappointed. Without fulfilling her request, he silently turned away, giving no indication that he was even listening to her at that point.
"...Goodnight, I guess..." She said, sounding discouraged.
And with that, she padded away, her tail swaying low to the ground behind her. Khida waited for her to disappear completely, and with her absence, a certain peace returned. He flicked his ear in annoyance regarding the persistence of a certain pokemon. However, he felt just a little bit lighter after their recent encounter, but he couldn't place why.
Still, Khida had no intention of being a part of their 'family'. Now, he was left alone to his thoughts of what the next day would bring him, and his painfully short time to enjoy the last night he would spend in the forest that was his home. It's not like he'd have much to contribute anyway, if he did somehow become a part of it, so why would they try? All he can say though, is that that quilava sure didn't seem to take it easy on him. His shoulder and back were still sore from when he was sent sprawling into a tree. …And into a rock, the ground, the tree again…
Family... right. It can be a family for her, never for him. Since when did he need a family anyway?
"Well... I tried."
Neni said, crossing back into the orange light of the now low flames adorning the center of the clearing. The sleeping forms of a handful of pokemon and a human cast long shadows that crept up the base of the trees around them that marked the camp's boundary. Soft breathing and occasional low snores hung delicately in the air, carrying with it a sense of serene peace and warmth. A single pokemon was s0till awake to greet Neni upon her return, its lithe form lying watchfully over the top of a rock painted orange and black in the dim firelight. A faint glow surrounded the pokemon's torso as faded flames of a different origin adorned its grayed back, making it look like the quilava was slowly burning. Between the two sources of light, its face took on a sinister appearance underneath the shadows edging its features, but Neni didn't give a single thought towards her long time friend being any manner of such denomination.
"He's... hard to get across to." Neni spoke again, lowering her ears dejectedly. She couldn't help but feel a little crestfallen over her earlier exchange.
"I expected as much. You can see it on his face, he's not the friendly type." Scarlet returned with a matter-of-fact tone.
"Yeah... I guess." Neni said, her eyes falling to the ground as she recalled the male eevee's white fangs and piercing eyes.
"But I thought, you know... If we could him a friendly welcome... or show him we understand where he's coming from, he might be a little more at home here with us." She persisted, shifting uncomfortably.
"Home, is exactly what we're taking away from him. Don't forget that." Scarlet returned. "And every pokemon takes that differently, so you can't always say you understand their side of it. Besides, yours was a special case. Many pokemon live happy lives in the wild."
Dirty, too. The quilava mummered under her breath, almost too quiet for Neni's ears to catch.
"I know, but... That doesn't mean we can't try to make it a little easier, right?" Neni tilted her head, hoping to find encouragement from her friend.
"We can try," she returned, sounding like she was opposed to the idea herself, "...but in the end, whether or not he fits in is his own doing. I'm not gonna expect much from him, though."
"...Well, I'm going to do my best to get through to him. No matter how he acts, he's still a part of our group now. We owe him the same as we owe the others. After all, we're all here for Sarah's sake, that's our place now, and I think... If given time, he'll come around." She finished, an edge of determination in her voice.
"...You might be expecting too much, Neni, but it's not like we can close our eyes and he'll disappear." ...unfortunately, Scarlet muttered under her breath again. "Time will tell if he belongs here or not. Don't think the punk is gonna get away with treating us however he likes, though." Scarlet finished sternly, letting her eyes fall closed.
Neni's ears lowered a little once again. Scarlet's dislike for the newcomer was easy to see.
...Now remembering how tired she felt, she let out a loud sigh before continuing.
"I really can't ask too much, but please, at least try to keep peace with him? For me?"
Scarlet took her time before replying, seeming to think carefully on it.
"...For you, I can try. A little, anyways. But there's still a long list of things I won't tolerate from him."
"Thank you, Scarlet."
Scarlet gave only a grunt as a response, before curling up on her perch. Neni felt a little more relieved hearing her promise. Scarlet could be rough sometimes, but Neni had known her long enough to trust that she really would try.
"You should get some sleep, Neni. You won't want to be tired tomorrow." The fire pokemon pointed out, before laying her head down to rest.
"Yeah..." Neni replied quietly, more to herself than anything.
Without any further exchange, she resigned to leave her friend in peace. Neni silently padded over to where Sarah was curled up in her sleeping bag and laid down next to her unconscious form. Neni brought her tail around over her nose, forming a tight ball of dense brown fur. She could already hear Scarlet's breathing slow as the fire pokemon drifted off into slumber. Gradually, Neni joined her. As sleep overtook her, her last thoughts went to the newcomer to the group, the eevee that wanted no part of it. ...Would this work out?
End of Chapter 1... Some revisions since last version
