This fanfiction is based off of an O.C. I made for a friends story. His name is Aurumn48, so please, feel free to check out his side of the story (A Legend's Beginning), as my character only made an appearance in the latest chapter. My story will roughly revolve around his, so if you don't understand certain parts, it may require you to read his story to understand. Big shoutout to my friends Wickedhex (Twins of Discord), Nathan (He writes, but doesn't post, unfortunately), and Toxic Machamp (That Sylveon's Cruel Beginnings). Aurumn and these three all inspired me to write this. Without further ado, on with the story!
-!-
Most pokemon don't have the privilege of remembering all of their life. Most pokemon can only remember back to maybe four or five years old, and know everything they've learned instinctively. But I was different. I remember my hatching.
-!-
My egg fell over and I crawled around blindly for a few seconds before I felt someone pick me up and rub a cloth over my eyes. I looked up and saw what I knew was a human, but how I knew, I have no clue. At first I was a little scared, but the look in his eyes, as well as the way he was holding me let me know that he wasn't going to hurt me.
Pretty soon I grew tired and snuggled deeper into his grasp. He chuckled lightly and said, "Well you're a cute little guy, aren't you?" I just looked up at him and yawned. "Heh, yeah, I'd be a little tired too, after all that struggle with your egg. Well come on. I have a nice little bed in the back for you", he said, picking me up.
He carried me down a small hall to a cloth covered entrance. He parted it, and when I looked inside, I saw a small room with a bed of straw and some cloth over it. There was a smaller bed beside it made of the same material, so I assumed that one was for me. He set me on the smaller bed, which i quickly started moving around in to look around me. Aside from the two beds, the only other things in the room was a small table with a gas lamp on it. There was a small squared-off window, outside of which were trees, a few bushes, and a fair bit of snow.
The human grunted and sat down on the larger cloth bed beside me. "I'm going to go ahead and tell you, because I don't want to hurt you later on in life," he said. "I'm not your father, I found your egg a few days ago. Someone had left it in a basket on my doorstep."
When I heard this, I was pretty sad. Why would someone abandon me? I hadn't done anything wrong. He seemed to notice that I was sad, so he picked me back up, set me on his lap, and started petting me behind my ears. I really liked it, so I started gently pushing my head into his hand. He kept at it, and slightly tilted his head down, probably thinking about something.
"You know, I could be your father. If you want me to, that is," he said. "I never had-", but I didn't let him finish as I leapt up towards his chest. He was knocked over onto his back as I started nuzzling into him. "Papa! Papa!", is all I said, over and over again. When I think on it, I couldn't really help it at the time. I was overjoyed beyond belief.
He moved me off of his chest and chuckled lightly as he sat back up. Grinning, he said, "I'll take that as a yes then. Heh, looks like you aren't that tired anymore." "Nope!", I replied grinning. "I'm too happy to be tired!"
"Well then, Mr. "'Too happy to be tired'". Would you like to see the rest of the place? There isn't much, but it is home." When I nodded my head yes, he stood up and motioned for me to follow him. We walked out of the bedroom and I followed him through the hall into the "common room", as he called it.
I saw the remnants of my egg laying in a small basket filled with straw. The rather small egg was on its side, its flawless brown and tan exterior ruined by the missing top section. It was sitting in front of a small stone hearth, the last few embers of a dying fire still burning away. I don't know why, but to this day, the memory of that fireplace has stuck with me. He had a small wooden thing with strings, which I later learned was a violin, resting in a rather comfortable looking rocking chair. Beside that was a decently sized table, on top of which were several books of all shapes and sizes.
After some looking around, he led me into another room, this one he called his "kitchen". This room didn't have much in it, mostly various vegetables and different berries. He saw me looking at the berries and smiled.
"Here, try this. It's a cheri berry." He placed the small red berry in front of me and I nosed it gently, smelling it slightly before I picked it up in my maw. I bit into the berry, and immediately I fell in love with the taste of it. The flavor, while not exactly sweet, left a wonderful warm, tingly feeling in my mouth that I found rather pleasant.
"This tastes pretty good. I like it!" Papa, because that's what I considered him at that point, smiled at the obvious delight showing on my face.
He picked me up and started rubbing between my front shoulder blades. "I think that that is about it. Well, except for the storage closet. But you probably don't want to see that." To his surprise, I was rapidly nodding my head. I wanted to know everything about the place I would be staying the rest of my life.
"... Alright then.", he said, walking over to a small door I hadn't noticed before. It seemingly blended in with the rest of the wall, so it probably could have gone unnoticed by someone who wasn't looking for it. This door was different from others. It seemed to slide to the side instead of opening like many I've seen.
When I looked inside, I saw some kind of hard covering. It was shaped a little bit like Papa, so I automatically assumed it was his. I touched it, but immediately drew my hand back. It was cold and extremely hard, whatever it is, but it definitely wasn't cloth.
I looked up at Papa questioningly. "What's this Papa?", I asked. He picked up some kind of headpiece and said, "This is my old armor. A long time ago, I used to work as a mercenary. A mercenary is a person or pokemon who works to protect others, fight in battles, or if necessary, kill a target. I fought in many battles, and I've killed many people, but that is in the past."
"I retired after I was sent to kill a man named Wolfe. Despite my skill with a sword, he bested me. For some reason, he decided to spare my life. I'll never know why, but I will always be grateful. Now I'm just an old man who lives by himself in the mountains."
I nuzzled into him, trying to comfort him since he seemed sad. At this action, he smiled. "Well I guess that last part is no longer true. Would you like to look around outside? It will be a little cold, but since you're an Eevee, you should be alright."
I looked up at him, a little confused as to what he just called me. "Eevee? What's that?", I asked. Papa laughed aloud. "Why you of course. You are a pokemon!"
"Pokemon? But you just said that I'm an Eevee." Papa chuckled, saying "An Eevee is a type of pokemon. One of many in the world." "There are more?! When can I meet them?!" I exclaimed excitedly.
"Whoa, one step at a time! I know that you are a curious little fellow, but you just hatched today. You have to rest at least tonight before I introduce you to anyone.", he said, rubbing at my head again. I blushed at his words. I knew I was curious, but I suppose it was in my nature at the time. "Yeah, I guess I am. That's not a bad thing is it?" he asked.
By this time we had made it back into the living room, and Papa was pulling on his boots so we could head outside. "Well I suppose it isn't, but sometimes asking too many questions can get you put into situations you don't want to be in. Do you understand, little one?"
I nodded my head yes. "I understand Papa. I'll try to learn more by watching, rather than asking."
He smiled. "Good! Now, as for you meeting other pokemon, we are running a little low on food supplies. Tomorrow you and I will be making a run into Daric. Daric is the closest town with an open market, so we will need to restock there. You are too young to be home alone, so you will be coming with me there. I think you will like Audrina. She's the pokemon I get my berry supplies from, as well as the occasional linoone. Along with her, you can meet several pokemon there. The only problem is that it's a full day's trip there. Are you willing to walk back at night? I will be carrying the supplies, and I don't know if I can afford an inn." I smiled confidently at him and said, "With you Papa, I could handle anything!" Papa laughed again. "I'm sure you could. For now, let's focus on exploring outside for a bit."
He opened the large door to our cottage, but stopped me before I could bound out into the snow. I looked up at him, a little confused as to why he stopped me, when I noticed a little grin on his face.
"Why did you stop me?" I asked. "Because there is only one way through the snow that falls in the Doxah mountain range," he said, picking me up. The way he was holding me was a little weird, but at the time, I didn't think to question it. Arceus, do I wish I had. "And what is that?" I asked. "By getting put into the middle of it all!" he exclaimed. At that, Papa threw me outwards into the snow, and with a slight 'poof' sound, I vanished from sight.
Papa was right about one thing. Had I run straight out into the snow, I would not have been ready. I would have turned around and run straight back into the cottage. Yes, snow? It's cold.
Once I got over the initial shock, I started pawing around in the snow, trying to find my way back to the warmth of the cottage. Unfortunately for me, fate had other plans. On my first try, I came out on the edge of the woods opposite the cottage. When I looked back, I could see Papa sitting in the doorway, with his hand over his mouth. He was obviously trying his hardest not to laugh.
I huffed. "It's not that funny." I took one step back into the snow and sank in with a loud 'oof!' Papa completely lost it, rolling on the ground as he shook with laughter. I growled, more than a little miffed at the fact that Papa was laughing at me when he was the one who got me into the little mess. Then I got a devious idea of my own.
Quietly digging, I slowly made my way back to the cottage through the snow. I made sure my body was covered in the stuff as I went. When I finally was out of it, I looked at Papa again. He wasn't laughing anymore, but he was still on his back panting, trying to get his breath back. Perfect. I crouched down, took a running leap, and landed on his chest. He looked down at me, smiling until he saw all the snow built up on my fur. "Oh sh-," was all he got out before I started shaking.
When I finally stopped, Papa's entire upper half was covered in bits of snow. I giggled, and flicked a little bit of snow off of my tail into his boot. The little shiver he gave because of it satisfied me greatly. I stepped off of his chest and tapped his nose as I passed him, walking back into the living room.
Papa sat up with a start and stepped back inside. Normally he would have left the door open, but it was getting dark outside, and the mountains had a habit of getting chilly at night. He put some logs and tinder in the hearth, lit it, and turned to me. "Is there anything you'd like for dinner tonight, little Eevee?"
I thought for a moment. "Can I try a new kind of berry Papa?" I asked. "Sure, but all I have right now is Oran and Pecha berries. You ate the last of the cheri berries earlier." I giggled. "Oops. Sorry papa. I guess I was just hungry." Papa rubbed my head and said, "It's alright little one. Food won't really be a problem. If worse comes to worse, I can always forage and hunt for food. Now. Which berry would you like?" I thought for a moment and pointed to the pechas. "Can I have a couple of the pecha berries?"
Papa placed a small bowl filled with some rather plump, pink pecha berries in front me. These berries, once I bit into them, left a very sweet flavor in my mouth that exploded across my tongue. "This is delicious!" I exclaimed, popping another one of the berries into my mouth. "I'm glad you think so. Personally, I prefer a little spice, like the cheri berry you had earlier."
I looked up at him. "That was supposed to be spicy? It tasted a little sweet to me. Left a slight tingly feeling in my mouth, though." Papa laughed again. "That was probably the spice! Haha, I never thought I'd meet a person or pokemon that thinks a cheri berry is sweet! I guess I should tell you now that I gave it to you as a prank."
I very nearly deadpanned when he told me this. "You did? Well, it wasn't very effective…" "I can tell!" he replied. " I don't know if you've figured it out yet, but I do love to play pranks every now and then."
"Oh, I figured it out alright. If you throwing me into the snow earlier wasn't clue enough, the fact that you laughed at me when I got turned around and came out on the wrong side sure was.""I couldn't help it! It was funny!" I growled. "Maybe, but you could have helped me by coming out there to pull me out of the snow."
I had finished my pecha berries by then, and Papa had put his and my dishes on the counter. He stood there for a few minutes, cleaning out our few dishes with a wet cloth. When he was done, he dried his hands and picked me up.
"Oh Eevee. Poor, sweet little Eevee. Now where is the fun in that? Come on little one. Let's relax for a little bit. I might play a song for you later on." At that, he walked into the living room and set me in front of the hearth.
Papa moved the rocking chair over beside me and sat in it himself. We must have laid there for more than an hour, listening to the crackling of the fire as it warmed our skin.
Eventually, I let out a long yawn and stood up, stretching my legs out as I walked over to papa. "Papa?" I called. "Yes, little one?" "Thank you for being willing to take care of me. I know you didn't have to, but you did anyway because you care for me. So thank you." He smiled happily and pulled me up into his lap. "It's no trouble little one. I've always had a soft spot for pokemon. They have saved my life many times, occasionally giving up their own in turn. It's those pokemons' bravery that I am forever grateful for."
I hugged up closer to him. "Pokemon must be really nice." "Most actually are. But make no mistake. The world has its fair share of bad pokemon too. Now, I believe I mentioned a song?"
He held up his violin for me to inspect. I admired it, loving the look of the pine wood that made it up. It accented the shiny, metallic color of the strings perfectly. When he played the first note of the short but sweet song, my eyes grew starry with delight. How could something so small make such a beautiful sound, I wondered. About halfway through the song, I grew still, not really breathing as much as listening to the sound of the music as papa played it through.
When the song was over, I cuddled deeper into his lap. "That was wonderful Papa." I said, yawning. Papa let out a little yawn himself. "I'm glad you think so little one. My own Papa taught me how to play. It is a skill not easily forgotten." "Could you play another?" I asked. I wanted to hear at least one more song before the night was over. "Maybe later, tomorrow evening perhaps. For now, it is time for bed. We have a long journey ahead of us tomorrow, and we'll have to set out early. Who knows? We might run into Elisia."
"Who is that Papa?" I asked. This was the first time he had mentioned another person or pokemon, so I was more than a little curious. "Elisia… well, she's a lot of things. I guess she could be considered a wild pokemon, since she lives in the forest. She likes to venture into town a lot though. Always spontaneous, that one. She visits me sometimes at night, often calling me her only real friend. Though I suspect that that will change when she meets you. She loves playing with pups, especially considering her own… difficulties. But that's not for me to talk about. She may tell you sometime."
"She sounds… interesting. I don't think I would mind meeting her." "That's the spirit little one. Now come on. It's off to bed for us."
Papa stood up from the rocking chair and headed back to our bedroom, with me close on his heels. He parted the cloth opening for me to walk through, and I climbed into my bed. I curled up into a small, furry ball, and I closed my eyes. Papa walked over to me and laid a blanket on top of me. "Good night, Eevee. My son."
He laid down on his own bed, minus a blanket since he had just given it to me. He shivered slightly, but was then still as he fell deeper into sleep. A little while later, I woke up to a light snoring. I looked up to see papa on his back with his hand over his chest. When I realized he had no blanket, I immediately stood up and dragged the blanket over to him. I carefully laid the blanket back over him, nosed his hand off to the side, and curled up on his chest.
Automatically he wrapped his arms around me, trying to get close to the source of warmth. I didn't really mind though, as I loved him, and didn't mind being a little closer. Eventually, I closed my eyes and found sleep once again.
-!-
"Wake up little Eevee. It is time to prepare for the trip to Daric." I looked up at Papa, still slightly tired, but ready to go. "Alright Papa. Just give me a moment to stretch my legs." "Okay. Make sure you stay awake now. When I was younger, someone could wake me up, and I would seem like I was alright. Not five minutes later, I would be back asleep." "Yes, papa." I said, heeding his warning as he turned around to open the door covering.
Suddenly I had a very full feeling in my lower half. "Uh, papa?" "Yes, little one?" "Could you tell me where the restroom is? I kinda have to go…" "Hehe, not a problem." He picked me up and took me outside, the both of us letting out a little shiver from the snow that had fallen while we were sleeping. He set me down in front of the tree line and simply said, "Pick a tree."
So, while I hunted to find a more… private area for me to do my business, Papa walked off to go finish preparing for our trip. He grabbed the remaining pecha and oran berries, slipped them into his satchel, and headed around towards the back of the house, where another fenced in area sat. Within the enclosement lay a sleeping Tauros, who sat up slightly when Papa stepped near him. "Good morning Jim. Sorry to bother you, because I know you don't like snowy days. But it's that time of the month again. Head on out front, and I'll go grab the cart." With that, Papa walked out of the enclosure to go get said cart. Jim, once he had stood up and stretched each of his own legs, walked out of the enclosure and stood in front of the cottage.
I came out of the woods some time later, and was more than a little surprised to see the Tauros standing there while Papa hooked a cart up to him. "Hey papa? Who is this?" He stopped working momentarily and glanced at me. "This guy? He's your source of survival. Say hello to Jim. He's a Tauros, and a pokemon, like you." "He's a pokemon too?! Cool!" I raised my paw and waved at him. "Hello Jim. How are you?" I said cheerily. I didn't even get a full response as he just snorted at me, annoyed that he had been woken up from his sleep so early in the morning.
Papa walked over and picked me up, setting me in the cart as he climbed up into it himself. "Don't be like that Jim. He's coming with us, whether you like him or not. Besides, you're probably just grumpy because I woke you up." At that, Papa snapped the leads, and we were off. I curled up in his lap again, snoozing lightly while listening to the bumpy sound of the cart wheels meeting the gravelly earth. We went to round a corner, and I looked back at the cottage. The little brown building barely stood out in the clearing, looking as if had been there forever.
A little farther down the road, papa slowed the cart down for a moment. "Why are you slowing down Papa? Don't we have to make it to Daric before nightfall?" I asked, confused as to why we were slowing. He never got the chance to respond as a slim, black figure suddenly jumped into the back of the cart next to me. It straightened up slightly before turning to Papa.
"Papa huh? Three questions: With whom, how long, and who is this?" it said in a very feminine voice. Papa smirked and pulled Jim back up to speed. "Nice to see you too Elisia. To answer your first two questions, no I am not, nor do I plan to, be in a relationship. To answer the latter, this is Eevee. We haven't really bothered with names. I found his egg about a week ago. Someone had left it on my doorstep. I couldn't really just leave him there, the poor fellow would have been killed by the cold."
Elisia let out a little giggle. "Well that's all fine and dandy Francis, but you still haven't introduced me." With that, she turned to me, a little smile on her face. Papa straightened up himself, not really surprised at her rather bouncy attitude. "Alright then. Eevee, meet Elisia. Elisia, meet Eevee. Oh, Eevee. I suppose I should also tell you that Elisia is a pokemon, like you. A houndour, to be more specific."
I grew more excited when I heard this, but I stopped myself before I could ask her a thousand different questions. Papa had warned me the night before not to ask too many questions, or I could wind up in a situation I didn't want to be in. Instead, I looked her over , taking in her features. She had black fur, and it was rather short. Because of this, she seemed rather sleek in appearance, except for the two bone-like ridges that spanned her back. Each one of her four legs had a bony ring on it near her paws. There was also a skull-like shape on her forehead, which gave her the illusion of eyebrows. All of this was accented by her reddish muzzle and underbelly.
"Ahem. Eyes up here Eevee. Staring at a girl's body is not the way to make a good first impression." Elisia said. She grinned as embarrassment showed clearly on my
face.
"Hehe, sorry if I bothered you Elisia. Papa taught me that sometimes it is better to watch people than to just ask a whole bunch of questions. He said it could keep me out of trouble."
"And he's absolutely right! Your Papa has saved my butt quite a few times, often when I had asked the wrong person or pokemon one too many questions. Why do you think I live out here?" She shook her head, laid down beside me, and closed her eyes. "You would be wise to listen to any "lessons" your Papa may teach you. Who knows? It may save your life one day."
We continued talking for the next few hours and pretty soon, time seemed to not be an issue. Elisia grew tired later on and laid down in the back, snoozing the last leg of our journey away. Around mid afternoon, we went over another hill and I smiled when I saw a large group of buildings in the distance. I hopped up beside Papa and nudged him. "Papa? Is that Daric?" I asked, pointing a paw towards the building.
"Indeed it is, little Eevee. I think you will like it. A lot of the people and pokemon there are pretty friendly. If we have any time left, I'll introduce you to some of my old friends. But our first stop is the market. We have to gather our supplies." He continued telling me different details about the small town as we neared it; how it thrived on its mining industry, the main composition of the pokemon there (mostly dark and ice types), and many other things.
Not long after that, we reached the town, and I hopped into the the back of the cart to wake up Elisia. I nudged her side gently."Elisia? We're here." She rolled over onto her other side and covered her face with her paws. "Five more minutes…" She moaned out.
I laughed at the funny sight, saying "Hihi, nope! You've got to get up! Papa said the market is up ahead, so me and you need to get out of the cart so the food can be placed in it."
"Ugh, Fine. Give me a second." She stood up, stretched her legs out, and hopped up into the front of the cart in Papa. She nudged his arm to get his attention, and he turned to look at her.
"Well, if it isn't sleeping beauty. Have a good rest?"
"First of all, I don't even look like that sylveon. Second, I am most definitely not a princess. Third, yes I did, thanks for asking. But I have somewhere to be. An old friend is in town, and I plan to stop by his room at the inn."
Papa smiled. "Well then. It has been good to see you Elisia, but if you really have to go…" "I do. Goodbye Francis. Oh, and Eevee?" she said, turning to me. "Yes?" "Keep him straight. He may look in control right now, but he does have trouble with his past sometimes."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"...Nevermind. Just, if you ever see him crying, comfort him. Please. It's very important. Also, try and keep him away from the armor. That's the source of all the trouble. I don't know why I haven't made him get rid of it yet."
"Maybe he might need it one day." I said.
"Maybe, but let's hope that day never comes. Besides, what use is armor without a weapon? He'd never be able to defend himself, much less fight back."
I hopped up front beside Papa and pushed my way under his arm, looking back at Elisia. "Why would he need to fight back? He said he left that life behind, so why would someone attack him in the first place?"
"Many reasons, Eevee, revenge being one of them. Not many people or pokemon appreciate having members of their family killed. Anyway, I've got to go for now. Goodbye for now, little Eevee; remember what I have said."
With that, she turned around and walked away just as we pulled into the marketplace. Papa kept going until he was about halfway through the market, and he stopped the cart in front of a stand that was rather low to the ground. Pulling me into his arms, he hopped off the cart and walked over to the stand, not really looking at the different produce on it, but rather the pokemon who stood behind it. I took a moment to look her over, noting her light grey fur and the red, fan-like feathers on top of her head. She also had a yellow oval shaped mark in the center of her forehead, as well as some rather sharp looking claws.
"Well, if it isn't my old pal Audrina. How you been girl? Still stiffing your customers with your sleazy tricks?", he said.
"That's young pal to you, old man," replied Audrina, smiling. "And no, I haven't been stiffing my customers. But when you're helping feed a family of four, prices for your food will be a little high. But then you come along. With you, I don't even have to bother with raising my prices. You already buy out most of my produce."
"Hehe, that's true. Oh, that reminds me. Audrina, meet Eevee. I found his egg on my porch about a week ago on my doorstep, and I've been taking care of him ever since. Eevee, meet Audrina. She's the pokemon I mentioned yesterday. She's a weavile. She's actually only about three years older than you!"
"I bet I can guess that this time, you're actually going to buy out all of my produce. Anyways, it's nice to meet you little Eevee. Tell me, do you like Lum berries?"
I looked back at her, having been a little distracted by all the berries on her stand. "Huh? Oh, sorry, I wasn't paying attention. It's nice to meet you Audrina."
"Hihi, that's alright Eevee. I said, do you like lum berries?"
I tilted my head, a little confused. "What's a Lum berry?" Audrina gasped, feigning offence. "Why, it's only the best berry in the world! Here, try one. It's on the house." She handed me a berry that was about the size of my paw. It was greenish in color, and it had a smooth exterior. "Thanks!" I said, already liking her. I bit into it, and my eyes went wide at the starburst of flavor in my mouth. The flavor was… complex, to say the least. It was spicy, yet cool, sour, yet sweet.
"This tastes awesome!" I said. "I know right?" replied Audrina. "There isn't a creature alive who doesn't like them!"
"Mmm! Thanks for the berry!"
"No problem. You seem like a cool 'mon. Hey, old man, I can watch him for ya if ya want. I know you have to go through a few more stalls, shouldn't be more than an hour."
Papa turned around from the cart. The entire time Audrina and I were conversing, he was slowly moving the produce from Audrina's stand to the cart, but since the stand was rather small, he only filled up about a quarter of it. "Hmm? Oh. Well, he can, but I guess it's dependent upon what he wants. So, Eevee." he said, turning to me. "What do you want to do? Would you rather stay here with Audrina and talk while I gather the rest of our food, or would you rather come with me?"
"Hmm… I guess I'll stay here with Audrina. I have a few more questions to ask her if she doesn't mind."
Audrina smiled. "I don't. Ask all you want, little Eevee. It doesn't bother me."
"Then it's settled." Papa said. "Eevee will stay here with you while I go gather the rest of the food." He turned around, and threw a pouch over his shoulder. It landed on Audrina's stall and spilled open, revealing around 500 pieces of poke. Audrina let out a little gasp. "Hey old man, this is way more than necessary. Come get it, I don't know what I'm supposed to do with the extra."
"Share it with your siblings. You did say you have to help feed them, right?" "Well yes, but you didn't have to help me. We have a garden, so it's not really necessary." "Regardless, keep it. I have more than I'll ever need anyway. Besides, I've got more."
He reached into the cart and held up four more pouches of similar size. Then he turned to me. "I'll be back when I've used three of these up. The fourth is for an inn, because it will be too dark for us to head back at that point. I will see you in a little while, little Eevee. Try not to cause Audrina too much trouble."
With that, he hopped up into the cart, snapped the reins, and left off down the street. Audrina and I stood there waving at him until he rounded the corner, albeit a little slower because of the food. Audrina turned to the stand and started packing it up, folding the legs under the little table. She left it lying there, waiting for the next person to come use it since the stands were public property. She turned to me, saying "You got a few questions for me? Fine, but we gotta take all this money by the house first. Jeez, they're gonna think I robbed the bar down the road…"
"Why would they think that? Just tell them that Papa gave it to you."
"Papa, huh? Anyways, I know. Still, they're big on honor and all that crap. I'm not, obviously, so they wouldn't put petty theft beyond me, even if I say I wouldn't steal."
"Sounds like a mean bunch."
"Maybe, but they have their perks. Without them, I'd probably be living on the streets." "No you wouldn't. Papa and I would take you in." When I said that, she stopped and turned to me smiling. "There is just no end to your positivity is there? Hehe, I guess it's good to know I have friends like you two."
She and I continued chatting as we walked down the streets, her pointing out the different buildings and their purposes as we passed them, and me nodding along, doing my best to understand. Soon, we neared a small building with a large garden towards the rear of it. It didn't take me long to determine that this was Audrina's home, with her confirming it by pulling out a small key from the bulging satchel at her side. How she managed to fit all the coins from the pouch inside it, I'll never know.
"Bienvenue dans mon humble demeure, jeune Eevee." "Huh? What did you say?" I asked, more than a little confused at her words. "Sorry, it's something I usually say when I welcome someone into my house. I said, 'Welcome to my humble dwelling, young Eevee.' It didn't bother you, did it?"
"Nah, that was just a little confusing. It'll take a little more than that to bother me." She smiled at me, obviously a little happy that I wasn't mad at her.
"Good. Now that we're here, I believe that I should introduce you to everyone." She opened the door and walked inside, leaving it open for me to walk in after her. I knocked the door shut with a small kick just as Audrina let out a yell. "Sis! Big bro! I'm home from the market!"
From the other room came a yell equally as loud, shouting "Big bro isn't home, and I'm busy!" Audrina let out a sigh and walked into the room, flinging her bag at the source of the response. "Hey, what- *SMACK* Ow!" What was that for?!"
I walked into the room to see Audrina standing over another weavile (though this one was a little smaller than her), who was rubbing it's head. I noticed that while she looked a lot like her older sister, only one of her eyes was red. Her other was yellow, and was slitted like a snake's eye, but I didn't want to question it. Unfortunately, she chose that exact moment to notice me.
She narrowed her eyes at me, saying, "You do know staring at a girl's body is not the way to make a good first impression, right?" I blinked. Oops. "That's the second time today that I've been told that." I muttered to myself.
"Uh, sorry about that. Sometimes I look over people before I talk to them." She scoffed. "Don't worry about it. The name's Audina. Don't confuse me with Audrina, even if we're supposed to be twins. Do you have a name little Eevee?"
"Well, I go by Eevee."
She deadpanned, saying "I know that, but what's your name?" Audrina intervened at that point, saying "That is his name. He lives up on the mountain with old man Francis. He calls the old man 'Papa', and the old man calls him 'little Eevee'". "Ah. Well that makes some sense. But still, why doesn't he give you a name? Won't that get confusing?"
"Well, maybe…" I said, "But I don't see any other Eevee's around. Do you know of any?"
"No. But I do know an Umbreon that passes through town occasionally. He goes by Zero, and he's a real funny guy. The way he carries himself just oozes confidence, and there are more than a few guys and gals who like him for… other reasons. Hey hold up a second, just how old are you kid?"
I rubbed the back of my head with my paw. "Well… I just hatched yesterday, but I've been told I'm really smart for a kit." Audina let out a rather dramatic gasp. "Yesterday?! What are you doing up! You should be at home, resting."
"That's not really an option. Papa couldn't leave me home alone, but we were low on food. So I had to come with him."
Audrina stepped up at that point, obviously a little annoyed at our exclusion of her. "I hate to break this up, but I need you to store this Audina. Big bro would just go waste it on gambling and that alcohol stuff humans drink." She proceeded to dump the pokecoins out of the satchel onto the table, giving a little giggle at the look on Audina's face.
"Geez sis, what did you do? Rob the local bar?"
"Called it. Anyways, no, little Eevee's Papa decided it would be good to buy out the entire stand with a rather large excess of money."
"Why would he do that? Doesn't he need that money?"
"Apparently not. He had four more pouches just like it, and he said he had more. I heard he used to work as a mercenary. That true little Eevee?" They both turned to me, and I nodded my head.
"Yes, but he says it's all in the past."
"Whatever." Audina said. "Yes, I'll take care of the money. You two get back to whatever. I know you Audrina, and you two are probably going to the cafe by the market, am I right?" At that, Audrina gave a little giggle. "You know me so well sis. It's actually kinda creepy sometimes."
The two shared another laugh, we exchanged our farewells, and Audrina and I set out for the cafe.
-!-
We arrived at the cafe a short time later. I looked up at the small blue sign that hung over the entrance, which read Glacier Cafe. Since I was a quadruped and couldn't open the door, Audrina opened it and I stepped inside, her shortly after.
When I looked around, I could see each part of the cafe was designed for mainly pokemon to use. The individual tables were set low, for ease of access for the other quadrupeds like me. The decor, while rather simple, had a glow about it I could not place. Perhaps it was the centerpieces on the tables. They were shining blue shards of ice that cast a cool glow over the tables. It was obvious pokemon weren't allowed to touch them, if the glass jars over them weren't clue enough.
We stood by a table with a pokemon behind it, obviously waiting for us to say something.
Audrina spoke up before I could, saying "Table for three, please." Wordlessly, the pokemon walked, or rather floated, ahead of us with us following it. The pokemon, who Audrina whispered to me was a froslass, showed us to a table close to a window, one of the only ones actually.
"I give it about ten minutes until the old man shows his face looking for you. In that time, I can answer any questions the little trip from earlier didn't. After that, I'm headed home for the night." Audrina said.
I nodded my head, thinking for a moment. "Well, you were right when you said that side trip would answer most of my questions. I guess the only one I have left is, when can I meet your brother?" When I said that, Audrina let out a little sigh. "I'm not sure that's the best idea. Big bro is… difficult, to say the least. He's very hard to talk to, and the few pokemon and humans he does hang out with are the unsavory type."
"What do you mean by unsavory?" I asked. "I mean that they're troublemakers. There has been more than one occasion where they've committed crimes like theft. He's actually banned from this cafe. Honor, my ass. He has none."
At that moment, Papa walked into the cafe. He looked around before spotting me and Audrina, and with a little nod to the froslass server, walked over to us. "I thought I might find you two here. What's the matter Eevee? The market too boring for your tastes?" He said, smiling at me.
"Nope, Audrina had to take the money home, so we walked over there. I met her sister Audina. She seems nice." Papa sat down cross legged next to me and scratched between my ears, to which I clearly announced my happiness. We sat there for a few minutes like that, chatting away while Papa scratched at my head. The froslass from before came back, carrying three plates. One had a pile of cheri berries, one had a pile of lum berries, and one had a pile of pecha berries. The froslass set the cheri berries in front of Papa, the lum berries in front of Audrina, and the pecha berries in front of me. With a little bow, she turned around and floated back to her stand.
"Uh, Papa? This is nice and all, but we didn't place any orders. How did they know what we would want?" I asked. Papa started to answer, but Audrina interrupted, saying "I think I can answer that. The person in charge of food stores in the back is a friend of mine. He's a rather nice Gallade, which is a psychic type. He probably read our minds when we walked in the door, automatically knowing what we would like to eat." "Ah, that makes sense."
We sat there for a little while eating our meal. When we were done, Papa stood up. "Well, it's been nice seeing you Audrina, but Eevee and I have to go. We need to rent out an inn for the night, as it has gotten too dark for us to safely make the trip home." "Fine, but at least let me accompany you to the inn." she replied. I stood up with a start, looking outside. It had indeed gotten dark outside, and a few stars were beginning to appear. Papa handed the froslass 100 poke, at which the pokemon's eyes grew wide. Already accustomed to this, we grinned and stepped outside.
There wasn't that many people or pokemon walking around, as it was nearly time for them to go to sleep. We walked over to the inn, which was actually only across the street. Standing in front of the doors was a very familiar Houndour and an Umbreon.
"Ah, there you are Elisia! I would have figured that you left and went back to your den in the woods," said Papa. Elisia turned to us with a start and grinned. "Francis! So good to see you! I was actually going to stay here for the night with my friend. Allow me to introduce you. Wolfe, meet Francis. Francis, this is Wolfe."
Wolfe grinned. "I would say thank you, but it looks like you know me already." Confused, I turned to look at Papa, who I saw had a dumbfounded look on his face. "Papa? Are you alright?" Without taking his eyes off of Wolfe, he said, "I'm fine Eevee. Do you remember the mercenary that I said spared my life? Well, this is him."
I turned to Wolfe, who crouched down to my level. "Hello, young 's your name?" I smiled at him, saying, "I'm Eevee."
-!-
That was the first time I met Wolfe. Wolfe was a major influence on my life, as he often told me stories of different adventures whenever we met. I saw him a few more times over the years, the most recent being my 14th birthday party. Unfortunately, he couldn't make it to my fifteenth. If he had, maybe things would have been different. Maybe Papa wouldn't have been killed.
The day of my fifteenth birthday, Papa got me one of the pieces of ice used to light up Glacier Cafe. It was explained to me that they were actual pieces of a glacier from the north, and this shard would evolve me into a glaceon. He had already taught me about all the possible evolutions for me, but my favorites by far were the Umbreon and Glaceon. Without speaking, I reached out and touched the piece of ice.
The change was instantaneous. My fluffy brown fur flattened closer to my body and turned blue. Two dangles formed under my ears, and my eyes tinged blue. Audrina and Elisia, who were attending the party, both clapped and stomped respectively. Papa picked me up and gave me a little hug.
"I believe I can no longer call you Eevee, can I? Well, happy birthday glaceon." I blushed at his words and said, "Thanks Papa. I love you." Then I blinked, surprised at the deepness of my own voice.
Elisia saw me blushing and let out a laugh. "It seems that no matter how old you get or how you change, you'll still be the same blushy Eevee on the inside." Papa nodded. "That's for sure. So, did you get everything you wanted for your birthday?"
"Not only was I given something to help me evolve, I'm surrounded my dad and my best friends in the world. What more could I want?" Audrina bumped my side and said, "I could think of a few other things."
She said, grinning at me. All three of them let out a loud laugh when they saw my face was even redder than before.
"D-don't joke about that!" I said, more than a little embarrassed at her insinuation. Her grin just grew wider. "Who said I was?" Papa tapped me on the shoulder. "Son, if you need a room, Elisia and I would be more than happy to step out for a bit." he said, winking at me. "THAT'S NOT FUNNY!" I shouted. Ever since I turned 14, Audrina had been showing more and more of an interest in me. Both Elisia and Papa had caught on quickly, and they were not afraid to capitalize on it to play with me. They knew it got me flustered, but it was obvious that they didn't care.
"Hehe, you know I'm messing with you Ee-, I mean Glaceon. I won't force you into something you don't want to do." Audrina said, giving me a hug. I smiled and nuzzled her back. "Thanks Audrina. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I'm not interested in you, I'm just… not ready for that sort of thing."
With that, I let go of her and turned to Elisia. We nuzzled each other for a moment, and when she backed away, she smiled. "Whatever manages to catch you as their mate, be they male or female, will be damned lucky." I blushed again. "Thanks Elisia. The same goes for you too, even if you're already spoken for."
Indeed, Elisias' mate, who had elected to stay home, was another female houndoom whom Elisia had met in Daric. Together, they took care of another young Eevee whose egg they had found. The Eevee, Elisia had told me, was sick, and her mate was at their den taking care of it.
"Well, I hate to cut this little get together short, but Glaceon and I have work to do in the morning. Besides, you two may be dark types, but that doesn't mean you will be safe after dark." Papa said. Elisia sighed. "Yeah, you're probably right. Let's go Audrina. Don't want your big bro to start screaming again."
They both hugged Papa and stepped outside into the darkness, shouting farewells over their shoulders. Papa shut the door and turned to me. "Well Glaceon, I guess we need to turn in as well." After Papa had snuffed the fire, we headed back to the bedroom we both still shared. I may have been 15 years old, but I was still young enough to cuddle with Papa. He laid down flat on the bed and I curled up on his chest, a position we had used for the past 15 years. I waited for him to fall asleep, still remembering his occasional nightmares before I bothered going to sleep myself.
-!-
I woke up with a start, hearing loud banging noises coming from the kitchen. I also heard some shouting, but it was muffled enough that I couldn't really discern the words. I rubbed my eyes with a forepaw, stretched, and trotted into the living room. At least, I would have, but I ended up stopping in the hallway. Across the living room, I saw several pokemon and humans standing in a circle around Papa. The pokemon were all psychic types, mainly Gallades and a Meowstic, and were holding Papa up in the air. He was in the process of shouting at one of the Humans. "I told you, I don't know who that is. I don't have your money, so don't threaten me or my family." The Human laughed at him. "Then I guess we'll just have to force you to watch while I cut your precious son to pieces."
A look I had never seen before came over Papa's face. He started struggling against the grip of the psychic type, but no matter how much he tried, he couldn't escape. The human raised his hand, making sure everyone was watching him, and backhanded Papa across the face. Papa kept struggling, but he was just backhanded again and again.
Finally, Papa just gave up, panting. The Human got really close to his face. "Have you given up already? Come on, I was just getting started!" he said, obviously amused at the torment. Papa spit in his face, and the glob was visibly dripping. "Fuck you, asshole." he said. The Gallade and the Meowstic both snarled, and the human pulled out a knife. He held it to Papa's throat, saying "You're going to regret ever defying us."
At that moment, I rushed from my spot in the hallway and slammed into the back of the Gallade. With an audible "pop" sound coming from it's back, the Gallade collapsed, crying out in pain. The Meowstic and Human both turned, more than likely surprised at seeing one of their companions on the ground with me standing over him.
Papa, the psychic grip on him released, hit the ground running as he slammed into the knife wielding human. While they struggled, I turned to the remaining opponent, the Meowstic. It jumped at me, and I tried to sidestep the jump, but messed up my footing and toppled. The meowstic landed on top of me, choking me in a psychic grip of it's own. I kicked out, trying to knock it off of me, but to no avail. My vision blurred, starting to go dark when I felt it suddenly release.
I looked up, and saw Papa standing over me. The Meowstic was on its side beside me, the knife from the Human buried in its side. I looked over at the Human, now dead. There was a deep slash mark in his neck.
Papa helped me to my feet. "Are you alright, son?" "Yeah, I replied. Just a little shaken up. That Meowstic was strong." "Good. Because it's not over yet." he said, reaching into the hidden closet and pulling out his sword. "What do you mean, Papa?" He plunged his sword into the back of the Gallade's neck before turning to me. "I mean there's still one more pokemon. Meowstics normally travel in pairs, so I don't doubt that there is still one more here. Somewhere."
We started searching the house together, making sure to keep each other in sight. I silently nudged the door to the bedroom open, and Papa stepped in first. I made to step in after him, but Papa stopped me with his foot. I looked past him into the room, noticing the other Meowstic sitting where I had been sleeping, maybe ten minutes ago. This one was darker than the other, and sat in a very relaxed position, seemingly not scared of us.
"Took you long enough." it spoke in a very feminine voice. Papa sighed. "Look, I don't want to kill you, but I will if I have to. Leave, and I won't pursue you."
The Meowstic snickered. "You just killed my mate. If you think I'm just going to walk away from that, you are sadly mistaken. I'm much stronger than my mate, so you won't find me so easy to kill."
Papa and I both stepped forward at the same time. Before we could take another, the Meowstic leapt into the air, it's eyes glowing. Suddenly I was flung backwards, landing in the hallway. I leapt back up, trying to run back into the room, but was blocked when the door slammed shut in my face.
I smashed into the door multiple times, trying to get through so I could help Papa. Despite my efforts, I couldn't break through. The door was jammed shut. Several loud crashes later, the door slowly opened. I cautiously pushed it the rest of the way open, and gasped at what I saw. The meowstic was grinning, half it's face covered in blood, but not its' own. Papa was on his back, his own sword buried to the hilt in his chest. Blood was bubbling out of his mouth, but I didn't notice. I was too busy screaming. "You- YOU KILLED MY FATHER!"
The Meowstic broke out into laughter, hysterical at the misery it was causing. "Of course I did. He had it coming, the bastard." When I heard what she said, my vision blurred, turning red. All I remember after that was brief flashes of light, and the sound screaming.
When I came out of my rage, the Meowstic was nowhere to be found. Then I felt something wet on the top of my head. I ran my paw across the top of my head and looked at it. The fur was stained red. I looked up, and finally saw where the Meowstic was. It was on the ceiling, it's' obviously snapped legs frozen to it. A look of abject horror and pain was on it's face, or what was left of it. There was a large shard of ice buried in it's chest.
Its throat was slashed open, and one of its eyes dangled uselessly off of its face.
I stumbled away from the corpse, tripping up and landing on my side on the bed. I couldn't take my eyes off of it. "Did… did I do this?"
With a slight cough, Papa gave me a reply. "You did son. And I'm proud." "Papa?!" I cried, running over to him. I nuzzled hard into his side in an effort to comfort him. "Ow- ow, watch the sword!" The sword, still stuck in his chest, was the source of most of the blood pouring from him.
"Its looks… like this is the end of the road for me, son."
"Don't say that!" I cried. Papa raised his hand to my head, rubbing along it. "Son, think." He said. "We're miles from Daric, the only town that could patch me up temporarily. Even then, they don't have a capable enough healer. They couldn't fix this wound." He coughed again, and I gave the side of his face a little lick. "Papa… I can't lose you. I don't know what I could do without you!"
He smiled, the last of the life fading from his eyes. "Anything you want, son. I love you.." With that, he closed his eyes and breathed his last. I sat there for about a minute, processing everything that had happened in the past hour. Then I stood up and walked into the kitchen. I looked at the bodies of the Gallade, the male Meowstic, and the Human. Before I could stop myself, I was running out the door, trying not to vomit. I landed in the snow, dry heaving since I hadn't eaten anything. And I screamed, long and loud until I passed out.
-!-
In the five years that followed, I wound up pledging my service to… someone. She called me her solution. As silly as it seems, that didn't affect the mild hate that formed for me when it came to psychic types and humans. I worked as a mercenary, trying to find out what could have caused the attack against my father. I grew more and more skilled, so much so that the "Memories", another nation's army, hired me to fight for them.
I was placed on a special team with four others, A magmar and her sister, a Blaziken, a Machamp, and a Scyther. We were a good team, when we were all there anyways. The Scyther, Crux, often disappeared with a few other Scyther's, and he almost always came back covered in blood. It disgusted me.
One day we were sent on a mission to lure out and capture a white Vulpix and a human mercenary, whom Crux had been having difficulty with. While the mission started out rather nicely, everything went downhill once Crux went to go get the mercenary. He came back to us, wings missing and pouring blood, after the mercenary had fought him, which wasn't the plan. We helped him to our encampment, during which time I noticed a dagger sticking out of his shoulder, in such a way that we couldn't remove it without him losing his arm. Despite our efforts, however, he still lost his arm on the way there, leaving just the dagger in it. In his rage, the field medic who had to remove the blade lost his life. While Crux rested up in the medical tent, everyone else stood guard outside of it. I went to report to the leader what had happened.
I arrived at the tent, but stopped, the coppery smell of blood heavy in it. I looked in, and immediately turned around, running as fast as I could to get the others. The inside of the tent was coated in blood, and several people's corpses laid everywhere, their own guts strewn about. Our commander was laid up against the side of the tent, a chest wound gushing blood.
I rushed past the other three into the tent, and I could see a cloaked man standing near where Crux lay sleeping. I threw a shard of ice, just barely missing him as it slammed into the wooden frame beside him. We got in between the man and Crux, trying to force him to back off.
"Not on our watch human." I said, already a little angry that he would attack a sleeping opponent. I stepped forward, but Blaziken stopped me with an arm. "Don't rush things Temna. That's an easy way to get yourself killed." I glanced up at her, angry that she stopped me. Nonetheless, I stepped back. We took defensive positions, and Blaziken spoke to the man, saying "He's right though. You won't be killing that scyther tonight, not while we're standing. Besides, he's injured. Where's the honor in killing a crippled fighter?"
At that moment, the machamp stepped in. "You're wasting your breath. He's a human. He can't understand you." The man spoke up, saying "Oh, yes I can, dear friends. I'm not like most humans. As for honor, well, I don't figure that Crux deserves an honorable death."
"We're not your friends." I thought, getting more and more angered by the human. "So far as me not killing him while you're standing, well I've always enjoyed a challenge." Before we could make a move, he moved both of his knives to his palms, flicking one at the Magmar and the other between the arms of the Machamp. The one flung at the Magmar sank into her neck, and the one flung at Crux sunk to the hilt in the side of his skull.
We looked at the two in turn, with each one causing us to become angrier than before. "I believe you were mistaken." He said. It disturbed me how he sounded when he said it. He almost sounded cheerful. Blaziken screamed back, saying "Was it necessary to kill Maddie!?" So, her name was Maddie. I'll remember her, short though the time that I knew her.
"I took out my target, and the one I considered the biggest threat to me. So yes. Yes it was." Blaziken seemed to get even angrier, if that was even possible. "Oh, you're going to pay. Temna, Dirk, you with me?" We grunted our approval, and got into offensive positions. Two human guards ran over to help us, and I eyed them angrily. "Damn Humans. Always getting into things that don't concern them."
"Well, well. Five versus one. This ought to be interesting." He reached up and unclasped his cloak, letting it fall to the ground behind him. I recognized him, but what little surprise I held turned into rage. It was Wolfe, the man I had known so long ago. "You!" I shouted.
Wolfe turned a curious eye on me, but as he did, a dark blur impacted the two human guards. Blaziken turned to the little mess. "Who are you?!" She shouted at the dark Flareon, who had just stood up.
"Flare." He responded shortly.
"Why would you help this human!?" "I actually was just after Crux, but he took care of him for me. So, I figured that I would help him out. After all, five versus one isn't exactly fair odds." I just glared at the two furiously.
"Hey, fire bird, you take care of him, alright? Dirk and I have this guy." Not even bothering to respond, the Blaziken took off, running straight at the Blaziken. Rolling my eyes, I flung an ice shard at Wolfe, who dodged it as well as the lumbering form of Dirk. I managed to fire off one more ice shard, but Wolfe sent out a wave of dark energy, sending the both of us tumbling backwards. I made to stand up just as Dirk's body slammed into me, causing my leg to snap. "Well, shit." I thought, just before I blacked out.
-!-
I woke up sometime later, when a splash of water hit my face. Standing in front of me was an Umbreon, a Vulpix, and an Espeon. The Espeon was looking at me with a slight smile, and a bucket was floating beside her. I made to move towards the Espeon, aiming to wipe the grin off of its face. I was stopped though, this time by a chain around my neck. I pulled against it, trying to escape. When it didn't budge, I tried to freeze it off, a trick I had learned the last time I was in a situation like this.
"Don't bother." Came a very feminine voice. I looked up, over to the Espeon who had gotten the Umbreon and Vulpix's attentions as well. "I'm limiting you're abilities, so you can't 'freeze your way out'.
The Umbreon made his way over then, a grin of his own on his face. "Well, I see you woke him up." He said in a very familiar voice. The two continued chatting for a second, completely ignoring me. I sat there listening for a second, before I finally recognized the voice. "Wolfe?!"
Well, this is Awesome! I love how the first chapter is, as does Aurumn48, who was willing to support me and act as my editor. Thanks bro, I couldn't have done it without you. Uh, let's see... Reviews are always welcome, be they positive or negative. Please, let me know what you think. As for you haters, well, before you start whining, "He stole Aurumn's dialogue" and all that shit, I'm letting you know now that he gave me permission. If you don't know who Aurumn is, please, search up his story as well and read it. Parts of my story may not make sense to you if you don't, but I'll do my best to clarify. I'm really proud of myself, and of this story, because like I said, this is my first time writing one. Thank you all for reading, and I wish you all a great day or night.