Leafeon's Compass – Chapter One
"…and don't forget to- Kaivo, are you listening to me?!" An angry Leafeon asked sharply for just about the hundredth time that morning.
Kaivo turned his head and looked blankly at the female Leafeon glowering at him. "What?"
Growling in frustration, she swiped her paw at a handily crafted bowl made entirely of rock, knocking it over and spilling the yellow contents onto the cave floor. Angrily she began raking her claws on the cave wall and smudging the yellow markings she had made previously, trying to teach him. She turned to Kaivo, who was still sitting there, just staring at her.
"I hope you at least learned something, because I refuse to take time out of my day to come and teach you the same thing everyday when you don't even pay attention!" The Leafeon took in a deep breath and swiftly lifted herself up off of her haunches, strutting out of the cave and muttering rude comments about the young male Leafeon who still had not moved a muscle.
He rolled his eyes. None of the stupid tutors his parents hired could ever capture his interest; all their lessons were the same. First it had been Premier, then Deuxième, and now Tierce…. There was only one word that described all of them, and that was 'boring'.
Agitated, he turned his head back to the hole dug by one of his Leafeon ancestors to allow sunlight, oh the bright sunlight, to waft into the room and dazzle his shining creamy sand colored coat. Impulsively, he walked over to the hole and stuck his head out through it, gazing at the dancing trees and whispering winds of the outside world, how he longed to be free…
"Enough of that," he consulted himself, pulling his head back into the dim cave. "Prince's do not gaze at the foliage, or stick their heads out windows!" He puffed out his chest, trying to give himself fake confidence, and strutted out the path that Tierce had left on his chocolaty brown paws. His parents weren't going to be happy with him…
---
And indeed, they weren't.
His father's frown pierced him harder than a thousand Beedrills' poisonous stinger. And Ejiki, a member of their Leafeon pack, had been stung by just one, and he was in the infirmary for just about a whole moon. He had described what enormous pain that sting had given him.
Kaivo desperately tried not to look into his father's eyes, instead focusing on his small brown nose, or the bright green leaf-like lock of hair on top of his head.
"Son," It seemed like forever before he finally spoke. "What have I told you about paying attention to your tutors?"
"Yes father, but-"
"No 'buts' about it." He said sternly, his forever present frown still plastered onto his rough, masculine features.
"But father! All they do is talk!" Kaivo shouted without regards to the punishment. "It's not fair that Aki gets all the Alpha training; what happens if he gets killed, then who's going to take over if you won't teach me anything?!"
Before he could get a reply though, his mother, who had been lying at the back of the cave the whole time, stood up and spoke up in his defense. "Rei, he is your son. Aki has already had plenty of training…" she paused, hoping he would get her hint. When he didn't, she continued, "Maybe you should give Kaivo a few lessons? Maybe, if he pays attention, then he'll learn something…"
Rei sighed as his mate finished. Frustrated, he rubbed his paws along his temples and closed his eyes. Once he opened them again, he had come up with an answer. "No."
Reina frowned. "But Rei, he's your son."
"I know that, Reina, but Aki has to be Alpha in my place someday, and I can't let training him," he said heartlessly, shoving his paw in Kaivo's direction, "take away Aki's Alpha lessons! Maybe, oh, I don't know, if he would pay attention, he would learn about how to be an Alpha from one of his tutors and be able to put that to good use instead of just lazing around like a foolhardy, lazy, Prince!" He concluded irritably. Reina only stared at him with a fierce, intent look.
The Alpha of the Leafeon stood up, and padded out of the Alpha's cave, Aki following right behind him, a smug look smeared all over his face.
After they had retreated out into the daylight, the Alpha female gave her son an apologetic smile and a ruffle to the top of his head before following suit and exiting the cave. Kaivo watched all his family leave the cave, until he was left alone in the faintly lit cave to look alone upon the cave that would never belong to him.
---
Sunrise. It was a beautiful time, the sun just peeking over the horizon, glowing pinks and oranges scattered across the canvas of the sky. The black silhouettes of the trees were just starting to come alive with color; the sun's vivid rays splashing light upon the green of the still leaves and the rough brown bark.
Kaivo sighed as he watched his favorite time of day come into play, his leaf-like tail swinging in back and forth motions absently. He was usually cheery at this time of day; watching the sun rise up into the sky and feeling the warmth wash over his glistening fur. But today, and every previous day since his father had pretty much rejected him, which had been a week ago now, was gloomy for him. Aki was busy all the time too. He and his older brother used to have such a strong bond…and now…
As he shook his head to rid himself of his thoughts, he glimpsed down at the Leafeon of the pack; they too were watching the sunrise. Most of them were perched in trees, their heads towards the event that marked the start of their day. Some pregnant mothers were just exiting the caves below his on the cliff, and his mother was lying out of the edge of the Alpha's cave, which was right above his. But his father and Aki were up a long time ago, probably out somewhere hunting for local Cherubi, since Leafeon were herbivores. Usually, they didn't need to eat, because their cells were a mix of plant and animal, giving them the ability of photosynthesis. But on the cloudy, rainy days, they would just eat leaves, or occasionally a Cherubi. The Eevees, although it was not yet birthing moon, would eat Cherubi until they evolved. Kaivo's mind wandered again and he thought back to his Eevee days, when his life was simple.
The sun rose higher into the sky and it seemed like all the members of his pack rose simultaneously, climbing down their nesting trees in patterns they didn't even realize they created, giving the forest some look of organization.
He sighed and laid his head back onto his paws. He knew if his father caught him lying around his cave, he's be in sure trouble again, so he raised himself back onto his sprout sporting paws, and began climbing down the side of the cliff, where the Leafeon he passed nodded out of their caves, and the ones on the ground stopped to nod their heads at him too. The path leading down the cliff circles around Alpha rock, where his father made announcements and such. Kaivo paused, looking longingly at the rock, and walked on.
---
A large, strapping young Leafeon sunk into the bushes around the watering hole, where another younger looking Leafeon was lapping up the water quietly and solemnly. He shifted his weight under his paws, watching the young male with great hatred, getting ready to pounce. His auburn eyes scanned the surroundings, watching for any sign of another life. When there was none, he locked his eyes onto his target.
As he took a step forward, there was a crack. Aki looked down only to see a broken branch snapped under his forepaw. Swearing under his breath, he ducked down quickly and watched the Leafeon at the watering hole, whose ears had twitched and who was now looking around cautiously. The young male turned and headed back in the direction of the pack grounds. Once he was sure his brother was out of earshot, Aki growled loudly and batted the branch he had stepped on out into the water, leaving ripples in the pond as he sulked away after his younger brother.
---
On his way back from the watering hole, Kaivo pricked up his ears as he heard another crack, similar to the one that had come from around the watering hole. He listened all around, his leaf-like ears twisting and turning, trying to find the direction the sound. Once he was sure of himself, he turned to some bushes to his left, staring keenly at the spot he thought housed the sound.
He was right. There was a rustling in the bushes a little ways from him, and a long, leaf-like thing slithered through a bush and disappeared from sight. Curious as to what the sound was, he tentatively stepped into the bushes and lowered his sensitive nose to the forest grass, smelling the scents around him. There was one of a Delcatty, not surprisingly, since they moved about often and never kept a permanent nest. But there was another scent too, and it was that of a Leafeon. This confused Kaivo.
The only ones who left the pack grounds this early in the morning were the Alpha's and their family, and nursing mothers. Strange, because it wasn't birthing moon yet, and this scent wasn't of his father or mother. He continued to search the smells; a faint Grovyle, a Stantler, the faint aroma of the Stun Spore of a Dustox…
But the Leafeon's scent was strongest. It was so close, he could taste it…
Curiously, he took another step.
And another.
He was almost enveloped in the odor of the Leafeon, and the funny thing was that it smelled familiar. Suddenly, his nose touched something. He looked up from the grassy forest floor and recoiled back once he saw what he had bumped into.
---
"Daaaaaad!!"
The young Leafeon bounded through the undergrowth, and as the bushes raced past him, leapt through the air, soaring over the last shrubs before the clearing in which his pack made their homes. Many whispers erupted from the crowd, turning their heads as he raced through the parting Grass Pokemon up towards the Alpha's cave.
He collapsed from exhaustion once in the depths of the cave. "…Dad…da…Dad…," he panted, the sunlight from the many windows in the cliffside cavern dappling his moist coat.
Reina looked at her son worriedly. "Son?"
Kaivo looked up. "Mom…Mom…where's…where…DAD!! Where's Dad?!"
She gave him a questioning look. "Son, you know your father's out with Aki this time of day…" she said, becoming even more concerned.
"Right…right…I knew that," he gasped, taking a deep breath and standing up. "But I saw something!"
"Well, whatever could have made you run like that?" Reina had a feeling she wasn't going to like what her son was about to tell her.
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Wow, that was kind of short, but hey, I couldn't find a way to make it any longer. This and chapter 2, which will be coming to you soon, were supposed to be merged, but I felt like leaving you with a cliffie. Not much to say…it's late…So, hope you enjoyed! P.S. sorry if you got an e-mail about this 2 times; the page breaks I used didn't show up so I went back to my old " --- " thingy. Sorry!