Talo of Amity
By Crystalryu
Better summary:
While trouble brews in the east, two very different creatures are born during the same unsettled times, and with futures dramatically intertwined. Talo the runt nidoran is sent from his home and learns from a befriended enemy what he must do to create peace for the warring sides.
While thinking of an idea for the next chapter of AI, I came up with this story. I wanted to try something new, and human-free, that would be something I could work on when I was at a loss for ideas on an adventure for Veri. AI will still be my first priority, but if you ever get bored with reading it you should see what's going on with this one. Let me know what you think!
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It was early summer in the temperate forest, not too cool, not too warm. The sliver of the moon hung high in the waning light of the dusk sky. Most of the trees by now were full, and at the peak of the day they provided an excellent cover from the heat, although the downside to the shade was that this was when the mosquitoes grew extra sociable. Well, the female mosquitoes at least. It was a pattern of all creation that the matron side to every species was the lesser worth but more assiduous member of the natural twofold wedlock.
In this part of the world, and for most animals in fact, that seemed to be the unwritten law of nature-that the female be the hardest laboring peon of the two sexes, and to never think twice about it.
This was no different for one experienced mother, a rather cumbersome but quite beautiful nidoqueen, who lay curled up beside a great willow on a small knoll in a higher region of the forest. In a bed of compost not two steps away rested three, speckled bay eggs no larger than a grapefruit.
The mother had birthed litters several times before, all with her current mate, and she had been fortunate to never once lose an offspring. The blood of her and her mate was strong, and it made the veins of their children irrepressible to disease, predators, and the elements. She herself was in her twenty-seventh summer, not an old age but no adolescent either. She was a decent size larger than the average nidoqueen, at a staggering sixteen hands high. Nearly as tall as her mate, none of the neighboring nidoqueen had ever once dared to challenge her. She was a prize of the finest for any male, with beautiful azure scales that hadn't quite lost their luster and large bright eyes that spelled kindness but dominance. She was a proud breed; proud of the six broods she had given the world in her lifetime, and this one was no exception.
It was nearing nightfall, and she had expected her mate to have returned by the time the moon had become visible, but he was nowhere in sight. She opened her eyes without lifting her head, and then moved to check on the nest beside her. She sighed a breath of relief, for their time was near and right now she was too exhausted in anticipation for the return of her mate to put energy forth in assisting her offspring. If their time did in fact arrive tonight, she would graciously tend to them, but on the inside was thankful that she could rest. The female grunted as she made an effort to get up, and twitched an ear as she heard leaves crackling underneath the feet of something approaching. She turned in the direction of the sound to see that it was not the nidoking, but only a furret foraging for stored food in the undergrowth. She heard another sound, and turned to see a large, lavender figure lumbering up the hill toward her. She perked up her ears and her eyes lit up in excitement.
When he reached the family, he nuzzled his mate in a long, warm greeting as he always did upon return. He placed a gentle claw on her muzzle, and the nidoqueen turned to her nest. Her mate moved her head so that it was facing her again.
"Nika, you worry too much. They'll all be fine. Look at yourself- you've been worrying far too much. Let's both rest now,"
She was calmed because her mate was, but her worry still lingered in fragments. She wondered what her mate had found out while he was away.
"How have the birds found the skies to be? Are there quarrels with the winds? What about the gatherings in the east? You know about the advances of the Ether'e…"
He didn't respond. "Tell me, please! Viro, I must know. If the temper of the clouds brings any danger at all to our young then I need to know,"
Viro took a deep breath and released it slowly. He could tell by the eagerness in her voice that she really was dying to know what he had found.
"They, they say that nothing has arisen as of yet, although they are unsure. And, Nika, you are a devoted mother. If anything was to happen I'm sure that you'll find a way to keep them safe. If needs arise I can make plans to head for the caverns under the waterfall. But don't worry, everything will be just fine."
He nuzzled he once more before they curled up beside each other under the willow tree.
Three suns after the return of Viro, Nika could sense that it was indeed time for her litter to arrive. In mid-day she heard familiar chirping noises from inside the thick shells and for the next two hours she lay next to the nest, waiting for their time to arrive. Finally, the first shell gave way and a tiny snout could be seen pecking through the egg with a tiny horn. Then the next nidoran appeared, and then the third. This was the smallest of all the litters she'd ever had, but she was no less proud. When three tiny heads could be seen peeking up at her in the dim morning light, she couldn't help but smile- this moment never got old.
Viro was watching from a distance, watching his children enter the world while making sure that nothing intruded on this moment. Down below the nidoqueen rose to her feet and stood over the nest, looking down lovingly. It was at this time that she had a longing to give them each a name, names that would display their proud heritage until the day thy died. She thought long and hard.
The first egg cradled a male, fully developed and with quills that were already large and full of venom. Kiet would be his name. His sister, who lay cuddled up beside him, was as blue as a midday sky and with needlepoint teeth that were already nipping her brother in a playfully antagonizing manner that only a sibling can give. Vea seemed perfect. In the old tongue Vea meant that one had evident leadership skills, but beauty as well. Her other brother, a lilac creature of smaller size, lay still half in his egg in the corner of the nest. Nika smiled as she saw this, and knew at once that he would be her pride and joy for this round of family life. He was tiny, and an off lilac, but beautiful nonetheless. His quills were small for his already dwarfish body, but he did something that Nika had never seen any offspring do before. In his difficulty breaking a hole large enough in the egg to crawl out of, he withdrew himself inside, and turned a full 180 degrees before poking his tail end out of the hole first and crawl out with ease. It was nothing overly remarkable, but for a newborn this amazed her. At that moment she knew just what to call him; Talo would be his calling. It was a name that nidoqueen throughout history knew, for it was the name of the original Talo- the first nidoking to take one female as his mate. It was said that he had been a cunning and wise leader, and had worked a plot to overthrow the herd leaders that kept the laws of the harem in tight check.
Now Viro came down from the hill, and nuzzled Nika as he watched the three below him squirming in the morning light.
"They're hungry," he softly said to his mate with a smile. He noticed Talo in the corner making his way to the other two. "What's that one, there? What did you decide to call him?
"Talo…" She looked up proudly at him. The nidoking seemed surprised.
"Talo," he repeated to himself. "Talo…I like that name. It somehow seems to compliment him well. And the other two?"
"Your daughter Vea, and her brother Kiet…"
"Good, good. Beautiful as always. The next year is going to be a blessing," He kissed his mate on her muzzle.
But even in the cool of the morning, not all was well in the forest. For not far away, on the other side of the Raging River, another creature was becoming a mother, although this morning was not as joyous as with the nidoqueen. In a den dug into a hill of soft dirt lie a female houndoom, who was birthing for the first time. She was young; only in her third season. She had been reluctant to mate in the first place, and after she had finally given in, her time had come now, but there were complications with the birth. She was in pain. Her mate sat with a worried expression beside her while the rest of the pack sat anxiously outside in the dim light.
She winced as a sharp pain rippled through her side and felt the first of her litter push through. As the contractions quickened, her mate could clearly see the first of the tiny slate-gray eggs on its way out. After several more pushed from its mother the wet, orange-sized egg plopped into the soft sand. By the time dawn broke the rest of her litter, all five of them, were laying in the wet sand.
When it was all over, she lay there, panting heavily, chest heaving up and down, tongue lolling out. Within the hour the mother had breathed her last breath- her pain was finally over.
Now that he was without a mate, the male houndoom thought long and hard about what to do. Because the strict law of the houndoom pack was so that only a mother could give calling to her children, the pack debated for the next several hours over who should take charge of the orphans aside from their father. After much quarrelling, the pack agreed that Lena, an old she-wolf with a kind heart, should take control of the pups. They also decided that the pups would not be told of this day, and that, as always, the pack would all work to raise them.
Every single houndoom there knew that in a matter of hours the pups would arrive, and Lena used the long silence that had descended the creep away and prepare herself for what was to come. The old dog had given two litters herself, so she would know what to do. But still, a litter of five rowdy puppies was quite a handful, and she took a deep breath to calm herself. Blind in one eye, and a limp in one hind leg made her appear as though her time should have come long ago, but she still had a little life in her, or at least she thought. The sun was high in the sky when someone approached her from behind.
"Ma'am, the eggs are stirring. Akron wishes that you be there,"
It was Reno. He was the scrawny omega of the pack, but one of the nicest creatures she'd ever known.
"I'll be there in one moment, Reno. Thank you." There was something in her elderly voice that didn't feel quite right to him, but he turned around to report back to Akron.
Akron was the leader of the pack, and the father to the pups. He had been on top for nearly two seasons, and the seven other members of the pack had remained loyal to him ever since. Lena rose to her feet with a sigh and trotted over to the crowd of canines. Many an arrowed tail was wagging, as hatchings were among a favorite sight for any a houndoom in a pack. Akron sat proudly to the side, and when he saw Lena approaching, he gave a stiff grunt to tell the others to back away. It was important that the first thing that a pup sees was its caregiver, or at least they believed. Lena gently laid herself beside the cluster of eggs and breathed in deeply as she often did.
Not a minute later a soft whimpering could be heard from inside two of the eggs, and then suddenly one of the eggs broke on top to reveal a tiny head. Its eyes were already open, and it glanced up at Lena with large eyes filled with hope. She smiled softly to herself as she took a silent admiration to the first pup that filled her old heart with so much joy. As she watched from the corner of her eye another egg wiggle back and forth, she thought restlessly for a name for the first young one. She glanced a few steps away at the body of their mother lying in the sand; she knew that they would take care of the body as soon as all of the pups had hatched. Then, suddenly a name came to her. Rosso had been her first mate, her first love. This pup was exactly that.
"Rosso…" she whispered silently to the pup.
Another pup came out, and a third. Several minutes went by and the last two eggs didn't move. She had been so anxious to seem them all. She looked up at Akron.
"Stillborns…" he said softly. She could see that his eyes were filled with sorrow.
"Maybe they're just late. We should give them more time,"
"No Lena," His voice was louder now and stern. "Pups are never late. We will place them with their mother in the earth."
She tried to speak out, but knew that it was not her place. That was the one thing about Akron that made her stiff. He was stubborn at times, and very adamant about any decision he made, especially if the whole pack was to be affected. He was no doubt a great leader, courageous and wise, everything a leader should be. He never let his authority get to his head, but he did at times express his views very strongly.
As the other members of the pack dispersed, Lena watched as Akron rose silently to his feet and pad without a sound over to the body of his dead mate. Lena did not want her children to see their lifeless siblings of mother. She knew that they would be taken care of well, but something in her gut told her that something was wrong. That one day something terrible would happen to these three pups, Rosso.
Lena knew that she must do a lot of thinking over the next few weeks. She wanted what was best for her young. She had heard of the aggression brewing on the other side of the mountains, between the creatures of firetongue and the others of the lowlands. It was a topic that had troubled her for moons now, for she had been to the far side of the mountain in her younger days and had seen the turmoil in its early stages. If a war were to break out, she would have to get away- and take her pups with her. The old she-wolf sighed once more as she laid her head on her forepaws in deep thought.
After Nika had nursed her three children, Viro had asked if she desired a break and so she took part of the day for a walk while her husband stayed home with the nidoran. She had no particular place of destination, but decided to go to the meadow to look for plechaberries. As she lumbered along the hillside, she thought about her conversation with Viro a few days before about his news from the east. He had been away for nearly a quarter moon visiting his cousin at the base of the mountain. His cousin was familiar with much of the valley and traveled often. Although Nika had never seen one, she knew that the creatures of firetongue had been bickering for seasons. Many of them, she had heard, were large and therefore needed large territories, which conflicted with the smaller fauna in the valley. The firetongue had not always been here either, for it had been passed down for a few generations past that something strange and even more powerful then the firetongue themselves was pushing them out of the highlands and into the valleys.
As she walked Nika heard birds of species that she did not know sing loud calls from high in the canopy. Some were beautiful, while others were ruffled and mangy with calls to match their appearance. In all her years she had only learned the name of one bird- the murkrow. Her own grandmother had told her of the annoying scavengers when she was a nidoran, and as she grew she had witnessed on several accounts the feeding frenzy of murkrow that gathered around anything that had just died. She knew that they were good for nature, cleaning up the dead, but they were also quite stupid and overly annoying.
All this thought of birds put Nika into an almost imaginative state. Her thoughts wandered far away to what lie beyond the mountains, or perhaps what was past the forests to the west. She did not know it, but beyond the woods lay the sea; the vast expanse of water that would dumfound any creature who had not at least heard of it. Nika was nearing the meadow now, but knew that it would be all too soon before she would have to return to her young.
The field was considerably large, perhaps a half-day's travel across, and most of it was what lay before her now; a seemingly never-ending plain of tall grasses and wildflowers. Here was where, if you were lucky, you found a lone plechaberry bush growing in a thicket or out in the open. The small peach berries had always been a favorite of hers as a child, and whenever she had a new set of young she always tried to make it appoint and get them some. Overall it was quiet, besides the field crickets and the wind, and without much trouble Nika stood at the edge of the meadow and spied a bush right away.
It had grown up against the side of a large boulder that lay half-buried in the earth. The bush itself grew fast, but the berries took somewhat longer to fully ripen. Nika made her way to the bush, smiling to herself at the ease of the find, but stopped suddenly and stood stock still, listening as closely as a doe does when on alert. Something was moving through the grass around her. If it was heading for her, she was not sure, but there was indeed something there. For a brief second the wind died completely and in that moment there was clearly a swift movement in the grass to the left. She turned to look, but there was nothing there. Then there was movement to the right. She shifted her head in that direction but again, there was nothing to be seen. Whatever it was was playing games with her. Was it friend of foe? It was most likely not a friend, because everyone that knew Nika well knew that she didn't like to be surprised.
From nowhere something sprang up from wherever it had been hiding in the grass and the instant it appeared Nika knew what it was. The large male houndoom leapt high into air from the grass and snarling, landed in front of her. It truly was a frightening sight, an enormous male hellhound with curling horns and snarling fangs, but Nika was not as intimidated as she had been startled. She had seen this many a time before. These were the largest predators in the area, and they often hunted the smaller creatures in the forest, sometimes even young nidoran. Nika stood her ground; she knew the attack strategy of this enemy and knew that her size and bulk gave her an added advantage. One thing troubled her in the back of her mind however. These creatures usually attacked in groups- where were the others? Then it hit her. They wanted her to focus on the alpha while they moved in on the sides. She frantically looked to the left and right.
Sure enough, four others were closing in on her from all sides. She had let her guard down for once in her lifetime, caught up in the thoughts of war, and she was now surrounded. Nika had to think quickly. At least she was not near enough so that they could scent her young. Then there came up calls amongst the pack that surrounded her. They seemed to be talking to each other about what to do. Nika could not understand them however, and so, for a moment, she just stood there on high guard as she helplessly listened to the predators converse around her.
"I'm telling you, she's too big. We're almost sure to get taken down. Can't we go look for prey elsewhere?" one of them snarled.
"No. Not now. We've looked too long and hard for food. The conflicts in the east have driven much of the smaller prey out of this area. If we all attack together, she should go down quick," He was interrupted by the young male who had first spoken.
"Akron, you're mad. Look at it- its huge. You're sentencing this pack to death. If you would have moved us north last spring like Lena advised then we would not have to come to a desperation such as this. Perhaps your mate would have been spared," His voice became louder.
"Silence Kerr. We have pups to feed now. And I'll have you speak no more of her. Why can't you be more like your brother? Reno takes his low rank with humility. I gave you the status of Beta because you showed intelligence. Now show me that you have just that, Kerr." His voice grew to nearly a howl as he shouted to the entire pack. "I'm going to try for the throat first. Then everyone else move in. Remember to stay away from its tail and do not fail me. We feast well tonight!"
With that he charged at the nidoqueen.
Nika saw the houndoom charge at her, and swayed to the left as he sailed past her. He landed in the dirt and sprang around to leap back at her. This time her got a hold of her right ear and at this signal the others leapt on her. Two of them got a grip on her shoulder and another missed as it jumped at her exposed throat. When she spied that it missed its mark, she swung around and knocked it with her tail. She made a hit to its flank that sent it to the ground. Nika looked frantically around for the fifth one that had not attacked yet. She spotted it making its way toward the fallen houndoom. Nika saw this as an opportunity and grabbing the dog on her ear with her forearms, flung it at the two in the grass a few steps away. As she worked to throw the creature, as it was a fully grown male and quite heavy, and not to mention the two still hanging off her shoulder, she groaned over the strain but managed to get it over her head. The dog went sailing through the air and collided into its pack mates. It apparently hadn't expected this.
By now Nika had blood dripping from her ear, shoulder, and part of her face where she had been scratched by a flying paw. Her collarbone was aching badly as the two still gripped onto her. She tried to reach one of them, but her free arm was too short. In desperation she opened her jaw wide and bit down on the face of the closest one to the front. It yelped in pain and released its hold. Her hide was thick but their teeth were sharp. Nika could not reach the final dog with her arm nor her teeth. Then out of the corner of her eye saw the large male leap for her. Instinctively she turned so that the male's new point of contact was the animal still hanging off of her shoulder like a stray leaf. It did not expect this move either and sank its fangs into its colleague.
The victim yelped loudly as it was bitten, and when the large male realized who it had just wounded, it opened its jaws, wide eyed at the sight. Apparently the cunning of this lumbering creature had been underestimated by the alpha. He looked back, breathing deeply, at the two still lying in the grass where he had collided into them, and at the other two lying bleeding beside the panting nidoqueen, and let out a long howl. When he had finished he leapt away into the grasses and out of sight as the others followed him. Within a minute the nidoqueen was standing alone again in a field of trampled and bloody grass. Her shoulder pained greatly, and the blood from her ear was trailing down her back. Sighing deeply, she moved slowly to the plechaberry bush and plucked several ripe fruits from its branches before making her way back to the nest under the hot midday sun.