The Origin of Pokéality:
Camp Trip Terror
One solitary, indigo-colored car drove up a long and winding road enshrouded lightly by fog. On either side of the road was a seemingly never-ending forest of conifers. These trees have practically dominated New Hampshire and, some could even say, have wiped out almost all deciduous trees in the state. Inside the car sat three boys in their late years of adolescence. They chatted amongst themselves joyously, anticipating their camping trip of which they had planned months in advance. The driver, a diffident seventeen year-old with short, light brown hair and a slender build, kept his keen, brown eyes on the road, making sure not to lose track of the white and yellow paint lines in the mist.
The sixteen year old in the passenger seat had his body twisted around so that he was facing the other sixteen year old in the back. His black (very dark brown) hair was almost completely hidden by his black and blue winter tassel hat. He laughed and joked with his friend, who relaxed in the back with his legs strewn to the opposite side of the car. This one had short, golden blond hair that was parted to the side. His hand was gently stroking the fur of his pet Mightyena, who was lazily curled up into a ball and lying on the seat.
The group had been traveling for thirty minutes. Finally, much to the driver's relief, the road ended at a large, circular cul-de-sac. There were no houses for miles, so most would think it awkward for a road to just abruptly end in the middle of nowhere. However, this was the area of which the road would secretly turn into a hiking trail. The boy with the hat's father had been camping on that mountain since he was a child, and so he had showed his son the trail. Not many people knew about this spot, so it was basically free of all human life.
Secluded and peaceful.
Sure enough, no other cars were parked at the dead end, indicating the lack of human presence atop the mountain. The driver parked his indigo car and exited (actually, it was the boy in the passenger seat's car), along with his friends and the mightyena. They then proceeded up the unfrequented dirt trail. The blond boy had a large bag attached to his back, which presumably held his sleeping bag. The others carried their own sleeping bags as well, along with smaller bags full of leisure-associated stuff or food. The handle of an old boom box rested in between the pet canine's teeth.
The path was long and at a twenty degree incline, which normally wouldn't be so bad to traverse up, but considering the group was hauling significantly heavy packs, it was a tough twenty minutes of travel. Once they arrived at the camp, they set their stuff down and sighed in relief. They then took a moment to scan the area.
Surrounding a small pile of fermented wood was a large stone terrace with stone benches. Next to the terrace was a table and a set of chairs made of sweet-smelling pine planks. On the other side of the terrace was a small, green, and murky pond nursing lily pads and reeds. Around the camp site was (typically) an endless array of the domestic conifers, which completed the scene and enhanced the camp, giving a beautiful yet somewhat eerie feel to it. Most of the trees exceeded fifty feet, so if someone were to look towards the horizon, he would only see lines of grey wood. But, if someone were to look towards the sky, they would only see a canopy of lush, concentrated needles, that of which, for the most part, block out the sun from the forest. The area was dark and foggy. It was unsettling for the group, but they figured a little fog wouldn't hurt anybody.
Day one of seven...
The boy who had driven the car sat on the stone wall that fenced and separated the pond from the terrace. He gazed thoughtfully at the lily pads. "They should be flowering around this time," he mused.
Hearing this, the host of the trip, the boy with the hat, spoke up. "The waterlilies? There's too little sunlight for them to bloom."
"This place is so, uh, monochromic."
"It is, but that's what makes it so ravishing."
The sitting boy simply nodded in agreement and went back to eyeing the murky depths of the pond. Once the others had sorted their things out, he spoke again, without averted his eyes from the water. "You sure we shouldn't come back another time?" No one answered him, though. The blond boy was fiddling with the CD player while the host was frantically digging through his bags. He finally broke his glance from the pond and looked at the host. "Are you sure we shouldn't come back later?" he repeated. "Hello? Mmm? Matt!"
"No, we're not leaving," Matt, the host, finally responded, fishing from his backpack a bundle of rope. "The fog will pass. Taylor, catch." He tossed the bundle to the blond kid. "For the hammocks."
"I don't have a hammock," stated the sitting boy plaintively.
"You'll have to sleep on the ground. It won't be that bad, okay?" Matt left his bag and wandered away from the rock platform and towards the beginning of a slope leading to the peak of the mountain. He stared around at the trees and pondered for a moment. "However, you may not be sleeping with us." He turned to look at Taylor. "If we're sleeping in the hammocks, we should probably hang them up here." He pointed towards four trees on the slope. He then turned to the sitting kid. "Nik, unless you want to sleep on a slant, you're going to have to sleep near the fire or higher up the slant where it flattens out."
"Yes, make Nikolai sleep up there!" Taylor laughed, looking up the mountain.
"...I'm not sleeping up there," Nik insisted. "You sure you can't find a flatter place to set up your hammocks, Matt?"
"All the other nearby trees are too spread out, I'm afraid," sighed Matt.
"Fine. I'll sleep by the fire." The Mightyena approached Nik. He scratched her chin affectionately.
"Right!" Matt returned to his backpack and extracted the pieces of his collapsible rifle. He assembled it in mere seconds and made his way towards the border between the camp and the forest. "I'm off. Hopefully, I'll be back before it gets too dark, alright? Alli, come, girl!" The Mightyena left Nik and ran to Matt, happily yipping.
"Don't get lost," said Taylor. "And don't get my Mightyena killed, okay?"
"I won't get lost as long as I have her. Later." With that, Matt left and soon disappeared into the woods, carrying the gun over his shoulder. A prolonged amount of silence fell over the two.
"I'm going to go set up the hammocks then," Taylor broke the silence. He gestured to Nik, beckoning him for help. Nik nodded and reluctantly stood from his comfortable spot. They tied the hammocks to their coordinated trees with the bundles of rope. Afterwards, they transported logs from an assemblage next to the table and into the fire pit. As the first log was thrown on, it landed on the other, previously charred logs, which collapsed and crumpled in a cloud of black and white flakes. The logs were then deluged by a heap of crumpled newspapers and dead pine needles, thus providing an easy start for the fire.
It was burning vigorously within seconds. Satisfied, the two boys rested themselves upon the surrounding benches. Taylor had the archaic boom box on his lap, inspecting it while his hand was shuffling through a bag at his right. He pulled from the bag two CD cases and presented them to Nik, who pointed at one of them before Taylor hid the other back in the bag. He inserted the remaining, chosen one, with Camp Mix 1 written on it in marker, into the boom box. The music played quietly as Taylor set the system down and leaned back, sighing.
"This is going to be awesome."
"Yeah. This place is a little creepy, though, huh?"
"Yeah, spooky. But look, the fog's already cleared."
Nik looked around in astonishment. He hadn't noticed the subsidence of mist until just then. Relieved, he leaned against the backrest of his bench and closed his eyes, feeling the warmth of the fire emanating onto his legs.
You are young, darling. For now but not for long, under control.
The sun crept downward until the campsite was almost completely immersed in darkness. Matt eventually returned with the mightyena, dragging half of the tense body of a Stantler by its horns behind him. He looked at Nik and Taylor, grinning. "Sorry I'm late."
"Matt, how!?" Taylor stood up, clutching his head in wonder.
Matt laughed and let go of its antlers. "I'm going to go back and get the other half. Taylor, you can prepare it." He set his gun down on a bench, along with a large, blood-stained knife.
"You can't go back there," Nik said, folding his arms, concerned. "It's too dark now."
"It's not that far away, come on. Besides, if I leave it, it might attract...unwanted pokémon."
"Nik's right," Taylor affirmed. "It'll be pitch black, soon."
Matt shrugged and complied. He grabbed his knife and began lacerating the Stantler's chest. He then eviscerated it through the incision. Nik had to look away to prevent himself from becoming light-headed. "Taylor, can you start boiling some water?"
A metal grid was placed over the fire, a pot of water on top. Matt marinated the cut meat in the water as it boiled and added his supplied vegetables and seasonings. Hours later, the group ate and finished the stew quickly. Happy and content, they cleaned up and sat back down to relax again. The roaring fire lit up and hued everything red within twenty feet. Beyond the reach of light, the vast landscape was black.
Find me and follow me through corridors, refectories – and files, you must follow, leave this academic factory.
Nik sat beside Matt on the bench. Taylor and his pokémon sat across the fire pit. Taylor was rambling on about something that the others found uninteresting while stroking Alli's soft fur. Matt yawned and looked at Taylor, his bored facial expression begging for him to shut up. Behind Taylor was a tree, similar to the rest, but something hung from the side of this one that caught Matt's attention.
"Dear God!" Matt's glance was affixed on the form on the tree. Taylor twisted around to look at what was freaking Matt out so much. He looked around for a moment, oblivious to the tree's ornament. Finally, he let out a horrified gasp and stood up, backing away. Nik saw it too: A rattata's limp and putrefied body was nailed grotesquely to the side of the tree. Matt burst into laughter. "What the—huh?"
"The last people who were here must've did this," suggested Taylor. "Hunted it and forgot to eat it, probably."
"That's cool, way to clean up after yourselves."
Alli huffed, rolling her eyes, and laid back down. She had already noticed the rattata when they had arrived, with the help of her keen eyes and sense of smell. Why the kids hadn't noticed it sooner bewildered her.
"I can't smell it," stated Nik, perplexed. "I'm not complaining, but..."
"Maybe the fog had been dwindling the smell. We should move it."
"I'm not touching that. Not even with a stick."
"Well, we'll move it if and when it starts to stink." Matt shuddered slightly. The macabre fact that a dead pokémon that had been nailed to a tree had been unnoticed by them the entire afternoon was extremely unnerving. Even so, it wasn't stinking or harming anyone, so the boys ignored it.
One by one, we close our eyes and return to that place, and a thousand nights went by.
The remainder of the night was uneventful. Matt hung up their food on a tree deep in the woods, as not to attract any Ursaring to the campsite. After, he and Taylor went to bed, snug in their separate sleeping bags and their separate hammocks, leaving Nikolai to sort his sleeping arrangements out by himself. Suddenly, with the dead rattata and all, the terrace didn't seem so appealing to sleep on. He groaned, making his way past Matt and Taylor and up the hill. Fifteen meters from his sleeping friends, the hill flattened out. He dropped his sleeping bag and pillow onto the ground and took off his jacket. He then got in his sleeping bag. It was huge and warm, fit for an Eskimo. He relaxed and took in the sounds of the light-rid forest. The chirping of the Kricketune and the calls of the Honchkrows. He suddenly fell into a deep, undisturbed sleep.
The music player had been paused and was quiet. The crackling of the fire and the calls of the night pokémon were the only noises to be heard. Deep within the woods, far away from the campsite was the rear half of the Stantler. A humanoid beast, its identity concealed by the darkness, was leaned over the Stantler and was feasting off of it. It ate until it was full and let out a satisfied sigh, cocking its head towards a distant speckle of flickering red light. The light... could it be? It must be. Energy. Energy means heat. The beast shivered and stood up. It must have been its lucky day. It made its way towards the light, dragging the corpse along with it by its hind leg. When it arrived at the campsite, it immediately noticed the presence of humans, so it retreated a safe distance away and spent the night there. It scratched at its groin and sniffed sadly. The heat was being guarded by humans.
Day two of seven...
Nik awoke and sat up, rubbing his eyes. 'Slept well,' he thought to himself. 'And I wasn't mauled by any animals, too.' He examined the area in which he slept. Above him was a tree, one of which was significantly shorter than the rest. Its trunk was bent diagonally in a creepy fashion. What was really strange about this tree, though, was that it wasn't a conifer. Nik could not recognize its species, but it bear no needles, but rather flat, green leaves that resembled smaller ones that of a Maple. It was oddly the only deciduous tree in site, and perhaps even the only one on the entire mountain.
Nik left his sleeping bag and walked down the hill, not taking much interest in the tree. Matt and Taylor were already up and eating their granola bars.
"Morning, Nik," Matt greeted.
"Good morning," Nik responded, sitting next to Matt. "Man, I still can't believe you got that Stantler," he chuckled.
"Lucky, eh? Oh, the other half! Should I get it?"
"No, we still have plenty left. Besides, something probably ate it already."
"No Ursaring came. We still have our snacks," Matt grinned. His hat was off and his strait, 'black' hair glistened in the dim light. The boom box was turned on again after Nik woke up, playing a different CD as yesterday's. "So, you slept up the slope?"
"Yeah," Nik replied, scratching his neck and eyeing the rattata.
"Creepy, isn't it?" Matt said, referring to the pokémon.
"I was afraid It'd bite my neck off in the night. It wasn't that bad sleeping up the hill. I missed you guys though. I was so lonely!"
Matt laughed and handed Nik an unopened granola bar package. Taylor was playfully roughhousing with Alli over the last bar.
The day consisted of wandering around and swimming in a nearby creek. There was no fog that day, to the group's relief. The crystal clear water (of which they had been collecting in empty gallons) was cold, so the group decided to exercise before swimming to get a sweat going. A soft volleyball was used to kick around throughout the forest. The kids set up goals and formed teams of two. Nik was partnered with Alli, much to his resent. However, Nik and Alli ended up getting the ball in their opponents' goal the most, although Alli did most of the work. She would nudge the volleyball forward with her nose at such great speeds. She was considerably agile, too. She glared at Nik disdainfully for having doubted her. He responded with a chuckle as he apologetically patted her head.
Swimming in the cool water was very refreshing after the group's exertion.
That's the way to see the end, glowing out along the river bend. It's not goodbye, my only friend. Yesterday started over again.
The night went by quickly. The group filmed a short movie with Matt's camera, documenting the mountain in a parodic fashion. They ate stew again and went to sleep shortly afterwards. Nik was once again stationed at his semi-maple tree, alone. The Beast of the Gloom lurked closer than it had the night before. Yes, it had been spying on the group from afar for nearly 24 hours, a succubus of espionage. The campfire beckoned it to come closer with its bursts of sparks and flickers. It held back, though. It had no idea who these humans were, and it was afraid they could harm it. Despite its predator-like character, it really meant no harm to the group. It was cold and, worst of all, it was... well – questions will soon be answered. Luckily, it had the leftovers of the Stantler, so it was no longer hungry, but it had spent several days alone in the cold woods, weak and starving. It wondered if it should enter the group's territory, just to heat itself for just a mere minute. It couldn't just sit there and watch the humans. It had to make its move. It decided against it, for the human's had already gone to sleep; it was too late to encounter them. However, it did attempt to creep to the fire, but paused when it heard the low growl of the mightyena on the other side of the camp. One of the kids groaned and squirmed in his hammock. The beast sniffed the air, getting a whiff of the decomposing rattata. It forlornly retreated into the darkness before disappearing.
Day three of seven...
The day comprised of pretty much the same stuff as the day before. Eat breakfast, explore, kick the ball around, swim, explore more, and eat dinner.
Mass romantic fool wears Foster Grants. His books on tape ring try like everyone wants to say 'I love you' to someone on the radio, radio.
Rather than immediately going to sleep after dinner, though, the group journeyed back to the creek. They frantically shined their flashlights in every-which direction, giggling, scared out of their wits. They sat by the stream and lay down. Because of the stream, there was a thin line of sky above that wasn't blocked off by the canopy. Stars spotted the sky and glistened artistically. They talked to each other while staring at the stars in a trance.
"What happens if something takes our food in the night?"
"Simple. We go home early."
"But it's so nice here. I'd build a cabin here, and you guys can live with me, hunh?"
They discussed the idea for ten minutes until they were interrupted.
"Guys," Taylor sat up and gaped at Matt and Nik. "I think Alli just growled." The rest sat up and gave their attention to the mightyena, who had been sitting next to them the entire time. All was quiet.
"Taylor, I don't—"
Taylor shushed Matt, holding a finger to his face. An alerting grumble emitted from the mightyena, and in a brief second the boys had scrambled to their feet in a frenzy. "Come on, Alli, we're leaving." They quickly walked back towards the speckle of fire in the distance, occasionally looking behind them in a distraught manner. They returned to the camp and gathered by the fire, shivering in fear.
"What... was she growling at?" Nik stared blankly in the direction of which they came.
"An Ursaring, probably..."
"Or a ferocious demon!"
Matt shook his head, scowling.
"I'm scared. Let's go to bed."
Nik shuddered at the idea of sleeping by himself on the hill. The others left him, but he did not follow. Instead, he slept by the fire that night, trying to disregard the dead rodent as best he could.
Day four of seven...
In the early morning, the fire died out. Nik woke and sat up. The landscape was still fairly dark, but he could manage to make out most of the camp with the light from the rising sun. He stared at the pit of ash, still half asleep. A crumpling of leaves sounded at his left. He jerked his head in the direction and made out a figure standing stiffly ten meters away from him. He wanted to rub his eyes, but his hands were numb inside the sleeping bag. He stared impassively at the form.
Suddenly, a low, feminine voice echoed in his head, as if it were his sentient conscience. "You're awake... I-I was wondering, can I-I heat myself up by your... uh – fire? Please?"
Nik's eyes widened, but his vision was still blurred. "The fire's out," he muttered, his voice nearly inaudible. "Who are you? You can't... stay..." He dozed off for a split second before waking up with a start. He scanned the area but the thing was gone. Was it just a dream? He shook his head and laid back down, falling asleep again instantly.
After breakfast, the group walked five kilometers, following the stream down to a beautiful valley. The mountains had lost their fog several days before, yet they still retained their mystical and enchanting atmosphere. The stream cut through the valley, surrounded by cooled igneous rocks with long, winding caves carved into them. The group explored the caves for several hours before leaving and heading back to their station. Their spelunking trip had exhausted them greatly. They sat by the fire and ate the last good meat of the Stantler. Matt would have to start hunting again.
Show me the dirt pile and I will pray that the soul can take... three stowaways. In a passion it broke, I pull the black from the grey but the soul can wait. I felt you so much today.
Alli barked at the darkness, startling the three. Finally, after days of hiding, the beast presented itself to the group who stared at it in awe. It stood at the edge of light and darkness, staring intently at them, helpless and hoping for shelter. It was a bipedal with a menacing appearance, its body fur dark grey, its dagger-like claws blood red just like the puff of hair growing from its head and hanging only a foot from the ground. A large, teal marble placed around the braids of hair served somewhat as a tidying band. Its shoulders were long and sharp. Its seemingly sly face eyed Nik, who stared back, hypnotized by wonder and fear.
"H-Hello," its voice, that reverberated within the kids' heads, was gentle and soothing, indicating that it was a female. "I talked to you this morning," she said, keeping her eyes on Nik. She slinked closer to the fire, closing her eyes and letting out an appeased sigh, feeling the heat on her fur. "I asked about staying here for a bit before, but you rudely denied."
"W-What are you!?" Taylor was trembling, ready to run.
"Well – I don't know," the beast replied solemnly. She was a zoroark, a usually deceitful pokémon and a literal illusionist. She nor the boys knew what she was, but her species had been recently discovered and has been sought after by scientists and biological researchers. Without their permission, she collapsed to her soar knees and took in the heat of the fire, captivated by ecstasy.
"Hey!" Matt gasped. "What are you doing?" he stammered. She responded with a grunt.
Nik continued to stare at the zoroark, his mind full of a thousands thoughts and questions. This must've been the creature who talked to him that morning. It wasn't a dream; the beast was real alright. Alli wearily approached her, taking in her scent. The beast shifted her head towards the mightyena and rested her hand (paw?) upon her head. Alli staggered back slightly, startled, but them calmed and licked the zoroark's hand.
"Might... yen. Yen."
"Dang," said the zoroark, studying Alli. "Female." She glanced back at the boys, who had retreated from the bench and stood cautiously behind it. That is, Matt and Taylor stood behind the bench. Nik still sat, now unfazed by the frightening appearance of the unknown Pokémon before him.
"You seem pretty worn out," Nik observed. "You want to stay here for the night?"
"Tuh!" Taylor exclaimed. Nik shushed him.
"I thought you didn't want me in your camp," Zoroark's ears perked upwards, her teal irises sparkling with interest.
"I recall being half asleep when you asked me."
"Well... thank you," she scratched her neck. "Do you... have any food?"
"We have a rattata," Matt spoke up. Nik twisted around to glare at him.
"I figured you wouldn't be eating that," she said blithely as she stood and made her way past the kids, who edgily leapt backwards, preparing to fight. She looked at them, muddled, as she ripped the rattata from its nail and returned to her spot by the fire. She then began wolfing it down. She paused to look at the boys' horrified and disgusted expressions before continuing on her meal.
Matt walked to his bags and unsheathed his hunting knife from its casing and presented it to Zoroark. "I'm sleeping with this, for your information. I expect you to be gone by tomorrow evening." He turned to Taylor and Nik. "You two can deal with the food tonight. Hang it in its usual spot. Goodnight." With that, he left them alone. Taylor sighed. As long as Alli was okay with the beast, then so was he. He collected the food and entered the murk of the woods, heading to the tree of which they had usually tied the bag of food to.
Zoroark stared at Nik. He stared back uneasily.
If you've a lesson to teach me, don't deviate, don't be afraid. Without the last corner piece I can't calibrate, let's get it ingrained.
"So, you don't have a name?" Nik asked.
"Well, I have multiple names. None of which you'd need to know. What's your name?"
"Nikolai."
"Huh. Sounds rather biblical," she teased.
"Have you read the bible lately?" Nik smirked.
Zoroark chuckled and laid herself down on the stones. "Thanks again, Nikolai. I won't steal from or kill you in the night, I promise."
Nik nodded and left her and Alli with his sleeping bag. He comforted himself under his tree and fell asleep.
Day five of seven...
"Are you ready to go?" Matt inquired hopefully.
Zoroark groaned. "Can I at least play a game with you all? A game with the ball."
"Soccer?" Matt was taken aback. He looked around for the volleyball, but it had been hidden underneath the hoard of sleeping bags and backpacks. "How did you know – have you been watching us?"
Zoroark looked down, refusing to reply in any way.
Matt frowned and folded his arms. "Fine, we'll play a game. You can be on Nik's team. No unsporting plays, such as killing opponents." He received a grin from Zoroark. "Alli, I'm afraid you'll have to ref."
Alli snorted and wandered off into the woods. Nik joined the beast, smiling. "Let's try our best, alright?"
"Let's send them to their graves."
They walked to the accustomed soccer arena of the forest and readied themselves.
"All you have to do is kick the ball in between those two trees, and prevent them from kicking it in between our two trees – those over there. We can pass to each other; don't be afraid to pass to me."
"Okay..."
The game started and finished an hour later. Nik and Zoroark lost, but only by a few points. They had been laughing the entire time at how Zoroark didn't actually know what she was doing. Although, she did have quite a powerful kick, but she lacked precision. Nonetheless, she managed to score a few goals, cheering and earning a pat from Nik every time.
"Time to go," Matt eventually reminded her. She gazed at him in despair, her eyes pleading him to let her stay another night.
"Come on, Matthew," Nik said. "Couldn't you see how cold and hungry she was last night? She has nowhere to go. I mean, hasn't she gained your trust by now?"
"...All a part of the scheme," Matt muttered, eyeing Zoroark. "Oh, alright," he finally approved. Zoroark clasped her hands together joyously and thanked him.
The group spent the rest of the day collecting water from the creek and swimming in it (Zoroark was excluded for reasons regarding her already frigid state) before heading back to the camp to eat. All the while, Nik and the beast grew friendlier with one another, much to Matt and Taylor's concern and dismay.
Day six of seven...
It was three in the morning when Nik was woken up by the soft nudge of Zoroark. He stared up at her, straining his eyes to try and see her better. Her fur ruffled gracefully in the calm breeze. "You... What's wrong?" Nik grumbled.
"The fire went out," she said, twiddling her claws as if she were embarrassed by something. "I don't know why... I-I was wondering... could I sleep with you?"
Nik sat up and, rubbing his eyes, replied, "Are you really that cold?"
"You don't have to if – I mean—"
"Sure," Nik groggily unzipped his sleeping bag. "Hop in..."
Zoroark hesitated, surprised by Nik's easy malleability. She carefully slid her legs into the sleeping bag, then positioned herself so Nik could zipper it back up. It was big enough for both of them facing away from each other. However, their backs were still in contact with one another's a decent amount. They didn't mind this, though. 'One step closer,' she thought to herself. They fell asleep instantly, engulfed in each other's heat in the confinements of the bag.
They awoke simultaneously in the late morning. She thanked him sincerely before they walked down the hill and met up with the others. It was the group's last full day on the mountain. Fortunately, it hadn't rained at all (making the emergency tent and tarp they brought useless). The weather had been fairly good, thus making the camping trip quite successful.
You will not find it in me, simply because I can't wake and find it in me; I'm in a coma.
The day was like all the rest, however. Soccer, swimming, exploring, dinner, bed.
Day seven of seven...
Zoroark stood by the fire, unable to sleep. It was the middle of the night, and no matter how warm the fire, there was still a cold longing inside her that kept her awake and restless. In her grip was one of the few recycled gallons of water that the group was supplied with. She opened the gallon and poured the water over the fireplace, emptying it completely and dousing the fire. She placed the gallon back onto the table and slinked up the hill to the deciduous tree where Nik slept. She had been separated from her own tribe of Zoroarks and Zoruas a week before. She had been cold and starving before she had joined Nik's group. Not only that, but there was a dark urge welling deep inside her that needed to be satisfied. Alas, she needed specific members of her tribe to satisfy her needs... Or did she?
She rested her hand on Nik's shoulder.
"Let me guess," his lively voice uttered, causing Zoroark to recoil. It was apparent to her that he had been awake before she had approached him. "The fire's out."
"Y-Yes... Nikolai, can I?"
Nik sat up and unzipped his sleeping bag. She got in and he zipped it back up. Instead of positioning herself away from him, though, she faced towards him, nuzzling his neck with her snout. Nik looked at her anxiously. "What are you—"
"Nikolai, listen... I don't know how to say this..." She looked him in the eyes, biting her lip nervously. This had to be done. She had to relieve herself somehow. "I'm in h-heat... can you please..?"
Nik shifted away from Zoroark in the bag, shocked. "Wh-what!? You..!"
"Nik, please, I know it might sound crazy, but I've been separated from the rest of my pack, and since then I have had no one to mate with."
"You want me to mate with you?" Nik whispered, his eyes wide. "But I'm a human... that's bestiality! I don't do that... No one does that."
"Nik, I don't want us to do it for lust – or even love. I want us to do it because if we don't, my uterus will probably implode and my insides will blow up! Help me out as a friend."
Nik scowled at her, his arms flailing out of the sleeping bag, trying to pull his body out. "I'm not! I don't do that."
Zoroark seized Nik with her hands and brought him closer to her. "Please... I'm begging you, I need this." Her warm breath expelled against Nik's neck.
Nik cringed and shuffled his legs around slightly. To his horror, he realized that she had actually managed to arouse him. It was then that he remembered how he hadn't relieved himself in over a week. Suddenly, the idea of bestiality wasn't so appalling. 'No,' he thought, trying to force the idea out of his mind. 'If I give in and my friends find out, they won't be my friends anymore. They'll tell my school mates. I'll be a worldwide outcast; the kid who had sex with the Pokémon.' He shuddered. "Couldn't I get you pregnant or something?" Nik tried to reason with her. "And-and what about that guy who contracted AIDS from a Pokémon? Huh?"
"That was a dying, foul Ambipom. And how on Earth could you be able to impregnate me? Come on, this doesn't have to be long, Nik, please!"
Nik hesitated before finally answering, "Fine... But we're doing this to relieve ourselves, nothing else."
Zoroark let out a sigh of relief. The maple-like leaves of the tree above rustled in the calm breeze.
Nik turned to her, waiting. 'Now what?'
She suddenly leaned towards Nik and locked her lips with his. He cocked his head backwards, not used to the feel of an animal in such close contact with him. He then reluctantly returned the kiss. Their lips changed positions, their heads tilting as Zoroark's tongue slid its way into Nik's mouth, pressing against his canines and then pressing against his own tongue. They broke from their kiss, a trail of saliva vibrating between their lips. The kiss was unnecessary, since the act of them mating wasn't for lustful purposes, but Nik hadn't refused. She situated herself on top of Nik, seductively smiling.
"No lust," Nik warned.
She rolled her eyes and nodded. Her right hand made its way down to his jean zipper. She fumbled with it but didn't succeed at unzipping it. Nik sighed and nudged her hand away with his. He unzipped his jeans and pulled them down a little bit. She lifted her rear so she could pull his underwear down. She felt the tap of something against her groin inside the sleeping bag. "Mmm," she mused complacently. She wasn't a virgin, so luckily for her, Nik didn't have to go through the whole 'careful tearing of the hymen' operation. He felt around her groin until his forefinger and middle finger found her vagina. He quivered, disgusted with himself. He pulled apart the saturated tissues of her clitoris, making room for his penis to enter.
Nik stared into Zoroark's eyes. She nodded and pressed herself down upon him. Nik gritted his teeth while she let out a sharp breath. She let her weight pull herself closer to Nik, enveloping him more and more. She then pushed herself away from him slowly, before once again falling towards him. He reached around and clutched her back. She kept repeating this procedure, causing her breathing to stammer and intensify. She pushed herself up, then pressed herself down. Pushed herself up, then pressed herself down. Her thrusts gradually increased in speed, as did her breathing.
Nik closed his eyes, thunderstruck by the unbelievably enticing sensation he was experiencing. Their bodies were a ticking metronome. A while later, their pace rapidly increased as they overwhelmed each other with a sudden burst of tingling ecstasy. Zoroark let out an elongated moan, muffled by the silk of the sleeping bag, as she clenched her inner walls together around Nik. Nik flexed all the muscles in his body as he flooded Zoroark's uterus with ejaculated semen. Her thrusts slowed down until she collapsed on top of Nik, who wrapped his arms around her tenderly.
"Thank you," she panted.
"Don't mention it."
The two woke up around the same time they had woken up the previous day. They exited the bag. To Zoroark's amusement, Nik had to clean himself with an abundance of dried leaves.
"I could just lick it off," Zoroark suggested.
"Don't be sick."
They returned to the rest of their group at the bottom of the hill. They were busy packing up. Matt paused what he was doing to look at Nik. Squinting, he muttered something uncomprehendingly. Nik felt a sudden pang of guilt and regret, just as he had expected to feel post-sex. 'Could they have heard us? Or worse... could they have seen us?'
Matt continued what he was doing; inserting the remaining foodstuffs into its bag. "Almost ready to go. Thanks for helping us, Nik," he said sarcastically.
"Didn't know you'd be up so early. Sorry." Nik turned to Zoroark. "I guess this is goodbye."
She looked at the ground. "I guess so," she said plaintively.
Nik handed her his sleeping bag. "You should keep this."
"What? Why?"
"You'll need it. Besides," he kept his voice quiet. "...it's dirty anyway."
She smiled and hugged Nik before taking the sleeping bag and heading off towards the depths of the forest. "Thank you all, you saved my life," she called.
"Don't mention it," Matt replied.
After Zoroark left, the group finished packing up and said goodbye to the campsite. They walked down the mountain and got in their car (which thankfully had not been broken into). They travelled throughout the winding roads as fog started to roll in among the mountains, just like when they had first gone there. In the car, Matt drove, rather than Nik, and Taylor sat in the passenger seat. Alli was coldly glaring at Nik in the backseat, as if to say 'I know what you did.'
"So, Nik," Matt spoke up. "...did you have fun the previous couple nights?"
"What do you mean?" Nik questioned, his heart rate beginning to speed up.
"The past two mornings, that creature wasn't by the campfire. Instead, she was on the hill with you. Care to explain?"
"Oh," was all Nik managed to say. A long silence filled the indigo car. Nik had to say something quickly to dismiss any suspicion Matt and Taylor had. "The fire went out, so she asked if she could sleep with me to keep from freezing."
"You two slept in one sleeping bag? A little cramped, don't you think?"
The tension was at an uncomfortably high level in the car. "Yeah, she may have died."
"I was woken up last night by Alli," Taylor said, scratching his chin. "She seemed a little in distress, for whatever reason. I hushed her and listened carefully. It was the weirdest thing, I-I think I heard some weird grunts coming from up the hill."
"Y-You think that was us?" Nik shrilled, his fingers tightly gripping the seat. "You think that... we—"
"Were banging?" Matt interrupted.
By this point Nik was gnawing at his knuckles, beads of sweat rolling down his forehead. He groaned and cursed aloud. Of course he wouldn't have been able to keep this a secret. Damn creature and her loud moans. Damn her to Hell! "Yes, I had bestial sex with her! And, compared to my ex, she put out a lot better and it felt like bliss!" Nik threw his hands at the car's door handle frantically. "Let me out of the car, I'm walking home."
"Woah, woah, woah, Nik, calm down," Taylor said, looking back at him, concerned. "I can understand why you would do that, not having masturbated in a week."
"What?" Matt voiced, shocked. "Taylor, how can you say that?"
"I don't know... I get some pretty kinky thoughts when I don't masturbate for a long time. Matt, tell me you don't get desperate."
"Nikolai, relax, okay?" Matt ordered. "You've done a sick thing, but we're not going to burn you at a stake, alright?"
"Why would I do that?" Nik ceased clutching the car door's handle and buried his head in his hands, talking to himself. "I had no control over myself. She begged me, she was in heat..."
"We're not going to think of you any differently, okay? Plenty of people have had bestial sex before. All of them are dead now, but regardless..."
Nik lay back and relaxed. He stared at the mightyena, who nodded approvingly. He furrowed his brow. For the rest of the trip, the boys sat in awkward silence. Nik was dropped off at his house.
"Take a bath, kid," Matt gave a grin, reassuring Nik that everything would be fine. Nik still had a feeling of remorse in the pit of his core that ate through him like gangrene.
'My life is over.'
Matt then dropped Taylor and Alli off next and said his farewell to him. Taylor entered his house, Alli by his side. "Mom!" he called. His mother walked around the corner of the room and greeted him.
"You never called! What the heck?"
"Sorry, nothing bad happened, so why would I need to call?"
His mother sighed. "Good to know you're okay. Take a shower. Did you brush your teeth at all?"
"Yes, calm down." Taylor went upstairs to his room, where he sat at his computer desk. Alli sat in front of him. 'Shower time,' Taylor thought to himself. 'Time to relievemyself, too.'
He turned his computer and checked his email. He was about to get up to go to the shower when Alli's intent stare caught his eye. She looked at him longingly, as if in need of something. Food? No, she was fed a heap of leftover meat that morning. She wanted something else. The lips of her muzzle curved upwards, forming a libidinous smile. Taylor stared back, a thousand thoughts running through his mind.
Finally, after a minute of hesitation, he returned the smile.
Under Control - The Strokes
The Dark of the Matinée - Franz Ferdinand
Eastern Glow - The Album Leaf
Splendor - M83
Mass Romantic - The New Pornographers
Pioneer to the Falls - Interpol
The Jeweller's Hands - Arctic Monkeys
Coma - Muse
Silvania Park, New Hampshire.
Thanks for reading. Feel free to check out my other stories if you're keen on morbid reads.