Shinx called out, with no answer. She ran on, fearing whatever lurked in the fog. She called out again, her fur ruffled. She cried again, with no response. Her eyes began watering, but she forced the tears back. Shinx sat down, the fog thick around her, and called out one more time. This time she heard a voice, if one would call it a voice. It seemed so far away and quiet, it could have been Shinx imagining it. But the Shinx strained to hear it, her last hope.
Shinx could only make out a few words. "Your...Destiny...it's--"
The voice was cut off as Shinx woke up, under a tall leafy tree. She'd been having the same dream ever since her parents left her. Three months ago. Shinx slowly stood up, her head aching. She walked into the open, staring at the sky on the crest oh a hill. Suddenly, something hit her from behind and she tumbled down the hill, crashing into a rock jutting out from the groud at the bottom.
Shinx groaned. An Electrike stood on top of the hill, staring down at her. He shook his head and murmured "sorry" repeatedly.
Destiny stumbled back up the hill and tapped the Electrike's shoulder with her tail. "Why the rush?"
"I'm sor-" the Electrike began, but Shinx cut him off.
"No, it's ok. Just...what were you doing?"
"I was...uh...you're quite thin, aren't you? I can see your ribs...um...I can...er...I'm Tsuya. What's your name?" he said, rushing the words out in a confused jumble.
Shinx sighed. It would be hard to talk to the Electrike if he kept avoiding the subject. "Eh, I'm...Destiny. Now please tell me why you were in a rush." Destiny? Where'd that come from? That dream...
"Nice to meet you Destiny. I'm sorry I ran into you, I was...in a hurry..." Tsuya sighed. "Y'see, I'm not comfortable talking about why I'm here..." Tsuya's eyes were trained on the ground. "Wait, why are you here?"
Destiny blinked. she hadn't expected this question. "I just roam around here. I don't have a place to live, and I decided to sleep under the tree," Destiny replied sharper than she'd meant to. Tsuya flinched backwards, then he puffed out his chest.
"I live nowhere. Not like I want to; I chose to adventure." Tsuya glanced at the stars, then back at Destiny. "Hey, I know! Why don't you come with me? I would like a little company."
"...Okay. Just let me get my rock." Destiny fought the excitement bubbling up inside of her, trying to walk back under the tree indifferently. The stone was completely smooth and nearly perfectly round, and a light gray color. It had a thin chain through a small pinhole near the edge. Destiny put it around her neck and turned ack to Tsuya. "So where are you headed anyhow?"
Tsuya started towards the north, pointing with his muzzle towards what could've been a mountain range, miles in the distance and about a centimeter tall from his stand-point. "I don't know what it is, but it looks like mountains. I'm going there."
Destiny started following Tsuya. They walked for an hour before coming to a small village. "Destiny...I'm such a dunce. I forgot food and water. D'you have any money on you?" Tsuya glanced at the ground again, his face turning bright red under his fur. But before waitin for Destiny's answer he raced into the village.
Destiny stared after him, not following. Then the smell of warm bread drifted to her, and she carefully followed it to the end of town, where there sat a large bakery. Destiny casually walked in as if she worked there. But it seemed deserted. Destiny slipped through the back door and followed the smell to where the pastries were kept. On the third shelf she smelled the loaf. Destiny rose to her hind paws, her forepaws resting on the bottom shelf. She jumped up high, but couldn't get high enough. On her way down her paw caught on the shelf and dragged it down after her. The Shinx didn't even know it was coming until pain flooded her skull and her vision went black.
Destiny woke weary. The smell of bread surrounded her, which reminded her of what had happened. She was still trapped under the shelf of pastries, which were on the floor all around her. She picked up the scent of the one that had led her here in the first place, and dragged it towards her body with her paw. She grabbed it with her fangs and scrabbled up, but the shelf was crushing her. She slowly inched forward, the shelf's edges scraping against her body, until she could breathe again. She wiggled her back paws out, and the shelf fell onto her tail. Destiny bit down hard on the bread which muffled her cry, and yanked the tail out. Destiny sat panting next to the shelf, dropping the bread next to her.
The door slamed, and Destiny's blood froze. The baker walked into the back room and started yelling. Destiny ran towards the door, but the baker wouldn't budge and she skidded backwards after colliding with him. She snagged the loaf in her jaws and flashed past the baker, but he wasn't done yet. The baker quickly grabbed a rolling pin and chucked it after Destiny, banging into her waving tail. Destiny stifled the cry of pain as she ran, not looking back.
Destiny stopped in an alley a ways away from the bakery and caught her breath, then wandered in search of Tsuya. Tsuya appeared sitting on the road out of the village, apparently waiting for Destiny or at least searching for her.
Tsuya stoofd up upon seeing her. "Where have you been? I thought we were gonna buy some food!"
"I didn't have any money anyways," Destiny spat, ticked.
"You could've told me!" Tsuya noticed the bread she had. "Where'd you get the bread then?"
"I...stole it."
"Stole it? Why would you do that?"
"Look, the baker's probably coming now, so let's go!"
Tsuya paused, glaring past Destiny. "Fine."
The two anxiously fast-walked out of the village until they were between two sharp drops, under a stunted tree. "So what happened?"
"I smelled the bread. So I followed the scent to the bakery, but it was on a shelf that was too high. The whole rack came crashing down on me when I attempted jumping for it. So I...blacked out, and that's why I was gone so long. When I woke up, the baker came in, so I ran with the bread, which had fallen next to me."
"Why go for bread so high? Why not just take something within reach?"
"Because. I smelled it clearly. I knew exactly where it was, so I thought going for this loaf would make it easier to avoid...what happened. I could just grab it and go."
"What do you mean? Couldn't you just see where the others were? They must've been at eye level, right?"
"Tsuya..." Destiny stared past him, at something which Tsuya didn't see.
"I'm blind."