Sup guys and gals, it the Bigshot once again. This time I'm here with a different take on my little tf writing montage. Your gonna have to bare with me through this first part since beginnings aren't really my strong suit. Hopefully after this chapter I can get into the full swing of things. And in case your wondering, no I am not abandoning my other story 'Fabled World', I'm simply giving it a break for awhile while I try and figure out now to progress it. Was it a good idea to start another story while I already had one going, probably not, but I chose my fate when I posted this.
Now here's chapter one of my new story 'Umbra Aeternam'
I stoked the flame as best I could, the small fire being the only thing keeping me warm during this cold winter night. I sighed as I tossed the final stick in, relinquishing the only thing keeping me alive, for without that fire, I would surely die. I wasn't sad about dying though, not like I'm really had much to live for, not like anyone would miss me. I was just a homeless loner, no one to care for me or even bother to look at me. I was used to this life though, having lived it for about twenty years or so. To be honest I don't even know how long I've really been alive, twenty was just a guess.
I had survived so long by sheer luck and determination, all because I wanted to spite my parents by living one more day. They, in an ironic twist, had been the reason I had even lived this long. They thought I would have died out in that forest, but somehow I survived.
Honestly though, I was tired of it, of this life. What's the point of living if you have nothing to live for.
That's all I could think of while I watched the flames die down, finally losing the final bits of fuel that kept it going. Normally I would have gone out to find more, but this time I didn't have the heart to even so much as move. I just wanted it all to end, to finally stop suffering the life I lived.
"The world won't miss me...and I won't miss it." So with that said, I laid down to sleep one last time, closing my eyes and letting the cold night air finally end my pain.
Come on Dante, its time to wake up.' I heard someone say and I opened my eyes to investigate, only to be greeted by nothing but a brilliant white light. I looked all around me, trying to figure out where I was, but the light was the only thing I could see.
"Hello?" I yelled, hoping to find the source of the voice. My reply was a light, even brighter than before, appearing before me. I had to shield my eyes from the ethereal shine to stop it from blinding me. I gave the light a few minutes to die down and lowered my arm to look at what caused the light, only to be struck speechless as I stared at the most amazing thing my eyes had ever seen.
There before me was none other than Arceus itself, the literal god of the universe was right in front of me. I instantly fell to one knee in reverence, my head bowed and my eyes closed.
'Please stand young one, I wish to see your face.' Arcues told me. I lifted my head to look at its beautiful form before meeting it's shining green eyes. Its eyes showed kindness as it stared back before lifting its hoof towards me. I stared at the offered appendage, trying to comprehend what was happening, before hesitantly taking it into my grasp.
'Hello Dante, it is a pleasure to meet you.' It said before taking it's arm back and placing it sturdily on the 'ground'. I still stood there, completely speechless. The god of the universe was actually talking to me, me, a nobody. 'Now, now, young one. Everyone is important in my eyes, no matter who or what they are.'
My eyes shot open and I stared at its eyes once again. It must have been reading my mind, that, or the rumors that it knows everything are true.
'Rumors are rumors child, I do not know all, for my creations are too unpredictable to truly know everything.' It said and moved its head closer to me. 'What I do know child, is that you have been, what the humans call, dealt a bad hand in life. You have tried to play your cards right, but you knew it was pointless. That's why I'm here, to offer you a second chance.'
"...Why?" I finally asked after working upon all the courage I could. It did its little eye smile and asked me 'Why not?'
I had no answer, other than I wasn't worth giving a second chance. I didn't wait to go back into a world that hates me, treats me like I'm less than worthless.
'Oh, but you misunderstand, I would not be sending you back to live the life you did before, this would be something much, much better. I will give you a life that can be lived, as I know you have always wanted. You are also more than worthy to receive this gift, for you heart is pure, even in spite of the life you had to endure.'
"But why me, I'm no one important, I'm just some dreg that the world forsook." I replied. Arcues shook its head and placed it's hoof on my shoulder.
'Like I have said before Dante, you are not worthless. you matter to me. You are my child, and I care for all of my children.' It stated and shushed me before I could protest any further. 'Please stop my child, allow me to give you this gift and let you live once again.
I stayed silent and nodded, not wanting to start on argument with a god. He nodded back and tapped my forehead with a hoof and my consciousness left me as soon as he made contact.
"Someone turn off the lights." I groaned and tried moving my hand to shield my eyes, but found that to be impossible. My arm just wouldn't go up high enough to reach my face. I cracked an eye open to try and see the reasoning behind this, only to see a pitch black furred paw in front of me. I stared at it for a minute before trying to stand to my feet, which was just as impossible.
I ended up rolling onto all of my paws and standing up like I was on my hands and knees. I was surprised to find that this felt natural to me and took a few steps, trying to get used to my new, what I assumed, quadruped form. It wasn't really all that difficult to get used to my new form, but I really wanted to know what I was. From what I knew about Pokémon, I could take a reasonable guess that I was an Umbreon, if the yellow rings and jet black fur were any indication.
"Huh, Arceus wasn't kidding, he really gave me a second chance." I said to myself and did a little canine stretch before shaking out my fur, trying to fluff out the coat. I looked over next to me, seeing the still warm firepit I had used last night. "But why me."
I shook my head and started to wander in a random direction, going off to explore the world from my new perspective.
That was five years ago today. Since then I have wandered the world like I had always done, never staying in one place for too long. The only difference between now and then, was that I no longer feared the Pokémon out here. I trained and battled to survive, as a result, I was much stronger than I ever could have been in my previous form.
There were drawbacks I had to deal with for the longest time. I was still weak so I was easy picking for any wild Pokémon that decided to make me its next meal, and I have also had to deal with trainers constantly trying to capture me. For the longest time though, I believed Arcues was a liar. This life was not much better than the last.
I was still alone, homeless, and unloved. I was used to this life though, and simply chose to survive like I did before. I was not angry with it though, anger was an emotion I had long since forgot. I was never happy or sad, I just...was. I saw no point in emotions anymore, they would only serve to get you killed out here.
Emotions are what drive people and Pokémon to make poor decisions like the Mightyena that had attacked me last week. His emotions are what led him to attack me without any provocation except that I had entered his territory. He fell quickly, me barely breaking a sweat before knocking him unconscious.
I sighed at the memory. It has been a long time since I had fought a fight worth remembering. Nowadays my foes usually fell to just one Shadow Ball. I longed for a good battle, for that adrenaline rush that brought me excitement and even just a hint of joy, but alas, that hasn't happened in the least three years.
Even now, as I battled the trainer before me, I just couldn't get myself going. He had sent a Machoke at me, which fell like a domino from my assault. I was actually hoping he had at least something I could have a fair fight with, but he just scurried away after realizing that he stood no chance.
I sighed and started walking in the opposite direction that the trainer had ran in, intent on getting as far from any humans as possible. I was strong, but there was no doubt that he would come back with friends, and I could only take on so many at once. This meant I had to move once again, after only about a week of being here.
"Place is gonna be swarming with trainers when they hear there's an Umbreon nearby." I said and sat down next to the nearby stream. I lapped up some of the cool, crystal clear water to quench my thirst, then looked at my reflection from the surface of the water. What I saw was the face of an Umbreon staring back, its ruby red irises looking back into mine.
I still haven't gotten used seeing a Pokémon face staring back at me in the reflection. The fact that I was now one was difficult to comprehend, but here I was and how I have been for the last few years. Despite this change though, my life has pretty much stayed the same. The only difference was that I had better chance of survival than I did as a human.
My ears twitched when I heard a small disturbance behind me and pivoted to face behind me I crouched down and growled threateningly while I listened and waited for whatever was out there to show up.
"Easy there killer, no need to be like that." I heard someone say with a hint of amusement. The tone confused me and I picked myself up from my crouch slightly. "There we go, you look better when your not threatening me."
"Enough games, show yourself!" I growled and shot a small Shadow Ball in the direction I heard the voice coming from. A figure leapt from the bush and over the attack, landing squarely on its paws and looking back at the destroyed bush.
'A Jolteon?' The bright yellow and white fur stood out in contrast from the lush green forest as its dark brown eyes looked back at me. The Jolteon was probably male from the voice and the fact that it was slightly larger than a female.
"My, my, you've got some power now don't you? Almost took me out right there." He laughed. I narrowed my eyes in confusion and tilted my head, dropping my stance entirely. I didn't sense any ill intentions from him so I didn't worry too much about my well-being.
"Can I help you?" I asked as I turned around to face the stream again.
"No, but I think I can help you." He replied and sat down next to me. I glanced over at him, but otherwise didn't move.
"Elaborate please."
"Sure thing, first off, my name is Jules, pleasure to meet you Mr..."
"Dante." I stated and turned to look at him once again. "Now what did you mean by you could help me?"
"Well, I couldn't help but watch the battle you had with that trainer, and I think you're perfect for us."
"Who's us?"
"My clan." He answered. I rolled my eyes and sighed. I guessed I was in another Pokemon's territory, and this wasn't the first time I had received this invitation. I had stumbled upon the territory of a Houndoom a couple years ago. After seeing his entire scouting team fall to me, he extended an invitation into his pact as his bodyguard. I refused the offer though, not wanting to be used like I knew he would try to do to me.
"Thanks but no thanks." I said and got to my feet, starting to make my way out if the area. He cut me off though as he jumped ahead of me, blocking my path. I regarded him with a bored expression and he went about trying to convince me.
"Now come on, why would you refuse a chance to be part of the clan?" He asked.
"Because I have no desire to be used by some tyrant pack alpha."
"No, no, we have no alpha, we rule by council." He said, making me eye him questioningly.
"Council...now that's a new one, but the answer is still no, I can't really trust you, no offence." I had no desire to be made a fool either. I have a rule about listening and following people I just met...don't.
"Oh come on, will you at least come and see it, if you don't like it then you can go." He offered. I narrowed my eyes at him and asked.
"And how will I know you won't try and attack me?"
"I'm not stupid, there's no way I'd be able to take you on." He answered. I stared at him a little bit more while I contemplated his offer. I could tell my eyes were beginning to unnerve him as he awaited my response, his legs were getting restless and he looked to be pretty fidgety. I finally came to a conclusion and focused on him.
"Fine, I will see what you are offering me." I said before getting right up in his face with a threatening glare. "But if I discover that you are deceiving me, then I will end you and your clan. Do we understand each other?"
"Yes, of course." He answered quickly and backed away from me before turning around and gesturing for me to follow him.
"I think you'll really like the clan, everyone there is an eeveeloution just like us so you'll fit right in. There are also some pretty females there if your looking to start a family, no better place to raise a kit." Jules started saying, but I couldn't care less. I was not going to get my hopes up until I laid eyes on this place.
The fact that he said that everyone there was an eeveeloution did intrigue me though. I had seen quite a few eeveeloution around here back when I was human, but I had no idea where they hung out at. Now I get to find out if its even worth my time.
The concept of a family also intrigued me. Family meant that you had a home, something I have never had before. It would mean I would be able to sleep without one eye open, to actually have someone care whether I was dead or alive...someone to love.
"I also have to tell you that, if you do choose to stay, you'd have to get approval from the council. If they approve of you staying, then you'll have a brand new home." I grunted too show I was still listening, but otherwise I didn't really care. While it sounds a lot better than some crummy pack, I wasn't going to give it the five star rating based on opinion.
"It's gonna be about a days trip till we reach the clan, so why don't you tell me a little more about yourself." I glanced at him briefly before putting my eyes back to the front.
"How about we just walk, I'm not the type for conversation." I said with finality. He nodded with a noticeable frown before turning to look ahead of him. I sighed when I realized in might have been a little hard on him. "I'm sorry Jules, its just that I haven't lived the best life so I have a hard time trusting anyone, heck this is the longest conversation I've held in five season's."
"Its okay, I kind of figured you were like that, you really do seem like the quiet brooding type." He said and reached out a paw to pat my back. I went absolutely ridged from the contact, and I had to hold myself back from reflexively snapping at him. "Now come on, if we hurry we can get there by sunup." He told me and started walking again with me trailing behind him.
Like I said, not all that great at intro's. Hopefully things will get better when I get back into my zone. Anyway, tell me what y'all think about the beginning, I love feedback so don't be afraid to send some.