Chapter One
Birth
Warmth. That was all that existed. An ethereal presence was that sensation, a comforting pillow of release. It moved everywhere, but it was nowhere. It comforted, but also grew in agony. It burst forth, and then didn't burn. Where was it? What was it? Was it real?
Was he real? He turned over in the confined space, the constant warmth taking form in a wet variety, congealing around his little body in a protective manner. He must be real. He could feel himself existing; hear his heart beating in the liquid. His eyes, could he open them? … No. He could feel them moving, but he saw nothing. Maybe that was best.
His paws… He could feel them now. Small things they were, curled in front of his body, keeping close as they finished their development. This… development, was it?... Did it hurt? It all felt so fast. He curled tighter into a ball, suddenly frightened.
Then… voices. Voices? Where were they coming from? He perked his ears, angling his small head ever so slightly to catch a shiver of sound. They were so… familiar; comforting. He found himself relaxing in spite of his worries, his small heart easing back into its normal pace. Their words made no sense to him, but that hardly mattered. All he wanted was for them to continue; to continue into oblivion.
One voice pulled at his attention more than the others, suddenly sliding into his awareness with a silky touch. It caressed his ears with loving tones, causing him to twitch in euphoria. It stopped for a moment, sending him spiraling into worry. It began again, this time louder than the last. He felt a tapping in his world, a small jerk that scared him every time it echoed. The melodic voice sounded again, but it didn't soothe. It sounded… worried? He started to worry.
The tapping suddenly exploded into his world, shattering his reality in one quick burst. He felt a stinging sensation on his fur as it was kissed by the cold air, and a blindingly bright light assaulted his hardly closed eyes.
He whimpered as he entered the world.
EC
Eladriel gazed down in worry at the shivering body of the Pichu as he slowly emerged from his egg, his eyes still closed and his fur soaking wet with blood. The matriarch scooped the teeny Pokemon in her arms, ignoring the wetness that seeped into her soft fur. She wiped the remnants of blood from his eyes, running her paw along his forehead. "Will he be alright?" She whispered, not taking her eyes from the Pichu in her embrace.
Sorbolis, an elderly Raichu, limped forward from his resting place to Eladriel's shoulder, gazing down at the Pichu with his milky eyes. The older Pokemon furrowed his brow, musing for a moment with his arms clamped firmly behind his back. "It's hard to say." He sighed, shaking his head. "Jegrelias never manage to even glimpse the sun, what with all the dangers of the forest. This orphan is lucky to have drawn his first breath."
Eladriel gave a half-glance the elder's way. The Pikachu stood, keeping the Pichu secured against her warm body, using her heart-tipped tail to keep her balanced with the extra weight. "It is good that the scouts found him in time, then." She murmured, her eyes clouded with memories. "Why Neli'a left him here is beyond my knowledge."
"She may not have had a choice." Sorbolis replied, shaking his head. "The spirits of the woods are weakening, my dear. Our long standing peace is about to shatter."
Eladriel looked up towards the glittering heavens, squinting slightly as the noon sun penetrated its boundaries in the canopy and pierced her eyes. A foreboding wind danced along the spines of all present, sending fur and leaves alike into a flurry.
"So it begins."
EC
Live… Life… Was he alive? Air bled in and out of his lungs, filling his head with stars. He sputtered, trying to stop this painful action, but his body refused, insisting on bringing the air back into his ravaged body. He still existed, that much was certain. But this was different. This existence was colder, harder. No warm, liquid substance offered to insulate him from the world. He was bared to the world, his back exposed to the forces of life. He shivered involuntarily, wishing dearly for the warmth that had comforted before. The Pichu heard something, and he drew farther back into the recess that he now knew as his existence. His eyes were still held shut, as though they had been sewn that way. The unknown enemy drew ever closer, finding the Pichu in an inescapable predicament. He shivered, and started to cry, not knowing what else to do with his knowledge of a single day of life.
But then, everything was warm. A force enveloped him in a protective barrier, soothing him. That… That voice… That voice from his previous existence. It swallowed him into its delicate tones, blurring his fears into dust. A soft pressure issued on his sides, and he felt the ground leave his touch, but he was not afraid; not anymore. The warming voice filled him, and he accepted this new existence gladly.
EC
-Four months later-
"Don't venture too far!" Eladriel called to the diminishing forms of the youngest clan members, rising to the fullest height of her back paws to see their direction of motion.
"You worry too much, matron Eladriel!" The eldest Pichu, Reighgar, replied over his shoulder as he bounded over the fallen log that symbolized the end of the nursery. "We won't go past the great sycamore!"
Eladriel shook her head in exasperation, falling back to her heels, and tucking her tail around her paws. Reighgar was a known liar, but she wasn't allowed to keep them in the nursery past their seventh moon. Clan life came first; the Pichus couldn't be babied forever.
A sudden rustling broke her from her thoughts, though Eladriel did not move. She shifted her weight backwards on her haunches, waiting for her opportunity. Not a moment later, a rather small, four-month-old Pichu came scampering out of the bushes that lined the nursery walls, headed straight for the outlying undergrowth. He skidded past Eladriel, intent on escaping, but was stopped in his tracks by a sudden grip on the scruff of his neck. The matron Pikachu hoisted the Pichu into the air, turning him around as she did, so as to see his guilty face.
"Oh, matron!" He squeaked, squirming in her grip in a futile attempt to escape. "I want to go with Reighgar and the others!"
Eladriel placed her free paw on her hip, and asserted her most potent look of annoyance. The Pichu immediately went limp, his lower lip quivering, and his small eyes downcast. "Now, Tolithus, you know very well that you're too young to go out into the Watchguard. I'd be up to my ears in complaints if I let you out there."
"But Hevandrus got to go! And he's only three-and-a-half moons!" Tolithus sulked, folding his little arms across his yellow-and-black furred chest.
Eladriel sighed, shaking her head. "You aren't allowed to leave the nursery until you are-"
"Seven moons old, I know." Tolithus chanted, still curled up in a ball of annoyance. "You don't make the others stay in the nursery." He added quietly, turning his head away.
"Enough of that!" Eladriel growled, shaking Tolithus slightly. The Pichu whimpered, covering his head with his paws. The matron Pikachu sighed again, rubbing her eyes with her paw. She relaxed her grip on the small Pichu, and he fell lightly to the earth, looking cautiously at the matron. Tolithus took a tentative step backwards, his head cocked slightly, with one back paw raised in the air. "Oh, very well. I do suppose you deserve a day away from the nursery." Eladriel stated, but as she lifted her eyes, she found that Tolithus had already disappeared into the undergrowth after the other Pichus. Eladriel's paws fell to her side as she watched the undergrowth finish its struggle and grow deathly still. "Oh, dear child. Please be careful." She whispered into the winds. "Neli'a… Watch over your son, I pray… An ill wind impregnates the land."
EC
Tolithus charged deep into the dense foliage of the Watchguard, the first outpost of the Clan before the Black River, his yellow fur streaming behind him as he ran. The small Pichu felt utterly exhilarated, his eyes straining to catch a glimpse of every wonder the forest had to offer. Leaves glistened in the morning light, their collections of dew blinking like the stars of the heavens. Trees groaned and swayed in the light breeze of the day, speaking to each other in their silent language. A flock of Pidgey cooed overhead as they woke, their elder caregivers out looking for food. Hoothoot and Noctowl murmured softly in their nests as they rested for the day, waiting for the cover of darkness before they awoke. The entire forest was filled with the scent of adventure, beckoning Tolithus forward. The Pichu readily accepted the calling, diverting his course without a second thought, leaving the well-worn path far behind. He practically floated above the ground as he ran, so cheerful was he. Tolithus leapt over a fallen tree, crashing down to the soft layer of decomposing leaves. He rose and shook himself, a grin still etched on his face.
A noise reverberated from his right, freezing Tolithus in his tracks. The Pichu cocked his head in wonder at the noise, and turned, crawling forward into an Oran bush, keeping his belly low to the ground. The blue berries caressed his head as he crept forward, tempting him to reach up and nibble on their tasty depths. But he shook his head in defiance, determined to locate the source of the disturbance first. Berries came second.
The Oran bush suddenly thinned, leaving Tolithus' head exposed to the light. He quickly pulled back, tucking his ears behind his head to make his body a smaller object of interest. The creature that had made the noise didn't move, an indication that it had not heard Tolithus' presence. The Pichu poked only his nose out from the bush, his black eyes staring under the cover of the leaves.
A female Nidoran nibbled at a sapling not a pawlength away from Tolithus. Her nose moved up and down at a frantic pace as she chewed, indicating that she still looked to her surroundings even during mealtime. She bent down quickly, and scooped up several clippings of grass into her mouth, then reverting to her nigh vertical method of eating. Her ears swiveled as she caught wind of something in the air.
Tolithus scooted backwards, glad that the pungent scent of Oran berries masked his own odor from the sensitive nose of the Nidoran. The Pichu continued to hide, unaware that the Nidoran was non-hostile. Pure exhilaration filled his veins as he watched, feeling like the Pikachu scouts of the Blood Corps. that kept Fearow away from the nursery. Tolithus angled his body to the unsuspecting Nidoran, his shoulders hunched, his tail pointed towards the heavens. Small sparks of electricity bled out from his cheeks, arching along the branches of the Oran bush, and dancing on its crown. The Nidoran hopped away a few steps, her back to Tolithus now. She continued her grazing, this time chomping down on the fruits of a Pecha bush. She made contented noises as she chewed, obviously enjoying her meal.
This was his chance. Tolithus inched forward out of the bush, keeping his ears down to minimize the displacement of air as he moved. The Nidoran turned slightly, causing Tolithus to become completely immobile, but she simply turned to nibble on a leaf that tickled her ear. Tolithus grinned, spiriting away to his right, brushing the edges of the bushes. The Pichu let loose a touch of electricity, allowing it to coat his fur in a protective barrier against potential physical attacks. His fur pointed outwards in small spikes, small twines of electricity arching along their tips, making him look several times bigger. His lips pulled back over his small pointed teeth as he snarled, his eyes narrowing to slits.
The Nidoran's ear swiveled around on her head. Her head soon followed suit, and she squeaked in alarm as she saw the electrified Pichu. "W-who?" She stammered, taking a step backwards.
Tolithus hissed and spat, his spine curving to its full height. "Don't play games!" He shouted, his mind racing in enjoyment. Now he truly felt like a member of the Blood Corps.. "You're here to attack the hatchlings, aren't you?"
The Nidoran shook her head rapidly, fear clouding her eyes. "No, I'm just here for the berries! I didn't do anything!"
"Liar!" Tolithus chimed, inching forward in his crouch, causing the Nidoran to take a few steps back in alarm. "Leave or I'll attack! I swear I will!"
The Nidoran squealed, turned tail and ran. As her blue fur disappeared into the undergrowth, Tolithus let out a cry of victory, raising to his back paws and discharging his stored electricity into the undergrowth.
But at a great cost.
Being as untrained as he was, some of the lancing electricity sparked back at the source, attacking its maker with a full blast. Tolithus was hit by his own attack, hard, and was slammed onto the earth by the sheer force of his backfiring move. His fur crackled and burned as the electricity left a savage burn on his flank. Tolithus let out a cry of agony as he lay there, gripping the grass tightly with his paws as though to alleviate the pain. "Eladriel!" He cried, tears streaming down his face. "Eladriel!"
No one heard the crying Pichu. He lay there for hours, sobbing in agony, until, at last, he cried himself to sleep.
The sky was dark when he awoke, the sun bleeding down below the horizon. Tendrils of darkness seeped forward in the forest, cradling the land in their dark embrace as night slowly took hold of the forest. The nocturnal Pokemon awoke from their daily nap, sending the dark forest into spirals of motion. Zubat and Murkrow swooped overhead, picking off the Caterpie that had wandered from their safe nests. A pack of Poochyena prowled the darkness, looking for whatever herbivorous Pokemon that dared explore the night.
Tolithus unclenched himself slowly from the tight ball of yellow fur he had become during his painful rest, his eyes still glazed over. He rose unsteadily to four paws, quivering as he did so. The Pichu tried to take a step forward, but pitched forward onto the earth. He lay there for a moment, wallowing in self-pity, then rose again. Tolithus spat out the dirt that had managed to enter his mouth on his descent, looking up to the sky for an indication of time.
He immediately began to panic when he noticed the encroaching darkness that threatened to envelope him. Tolithus gazed around wildly for the direction of his home, terror overtaking his reason, telling him to flee. A small patch of light burned on the horizon, drawing Tolithus' attention and his hopes. Lights… Could they be from the Clan? At night, the elders of the Clan would wait on the borders of the Grove of Eternity, sparking electricity into the sky to warn off any nightly attackers, their power both a ward and a beacon. Was that their call?
Tolithus staggered towards the light, gaining speed and confidence with each step, his blood pounding away the pain in his side. Soon he was running, blurring past the foliage of the forest, his breath coming out in painful gasps as he ran. Tears blinded his vision, so scared was he, that Tolithus could hardly see where he fled. But he scarcely cared.
The light expanded into a burning force, smacking Tolithus hard, and slamming him to a halt. The Pichu scrunched up his nose at a revolting smell, perking his ears up in confusion. He had only been at the Grove of Eternity a few times previous, but it smelled of new beginnings, of hope and love, but this scent tore at his nose with painful gashes. And that light… The elders sent up a soft, angelic yellow light into the skies, but this light… It was the color of blood, carrying along with it the same acrid tang.
This wasn't the Grove.
That realization sent shivers down Tolithus' small form, and he staggered backwards out of the reach of the bloody light. He cowered down close to the ground, trying very hard to not be noticed by the shapes that moved around in the heart of the demonic light.
Tolithus didn't know the species of Pokemon that prowled around the burning grove. Their fur was as black as the abyss. Their maws were stained the color of blood, and they wore skulls proudly on their brows. Bones the color of dead silver traced their spines in a perpendicular pattern, with only two protrusions per beast. Worse were the bigger monsters that dotted the edges of the smaller Pokemon pack. They had devilish horns curving back over their skulls, and wickedly tipped tails that whipped about in the fire. Tolithus whimpered as he watched the beasts spit fire from their jaws, coating the once serene forest in an inferno. Several of the smaller creatures had captured a flock of Pidgeys, all of whom they were raucously tormenting with flecks of fire spurting from their fangs. When one of the small birds could take no more of the searing torture and lay down to die, the monsters readily ripped into its still living body with obvious pleasure, splattering the burning land with boiling blood.
Tolithus couldn't watch anymore, but just as he turned to flee, another beast emerged into the fire. It was unlike anything that Tolithus had ever seen, walking on only two of its legs, with the other two, rather smaller appendages folded in front of its chest. It had no maw, but a rather smashed looking face with fur lining only the top of its head. Unlike the creatures it walked with, it had not a single patch of fur covering the rest of its body. Instead, it had on what looked like pure white Stantler skins, with a red symbol emblazed on the front. It barked orders to the rest of its pack, speaking in a language Tolithus could not understand, and coming to a standstill at the side of one of the largest monsters. The rest of the beasts lined up in a perfect flicker of motion, ignoring the fires that still licked at the forest walls.
Tolithus scampered backwards, skidding into the forest with all the speed he could muster. His heart pounded into his ears as he heard the war cries of the beasts behind him, their howls tearing a hole into his soul. He rushed on and on, fears driving him forward like a spear into the night. His left paw ripped savagely against sharp rocks as he ran, causing a deep gash to tear into the pads on the bottom of his foot. But still he ignored it, leaving a glistening trail of blood behind him in the forest light.
He ran for past an eternity, leaving the red light far behind. The glowing bloody eyes of the monsters followed him where ever he went, however. Tolithus couldn't discern if they were real or imagined, causing his senses to run in an overdrive, confusing the Pichu to a greater and greater degree. He rammed his eyes shut, running blindly through the woods.
Tolithus suddenly came to a shattering halt as he crashed into something rather solid, bowling over the thing that barred his way. He screamed, raking down with his small claws, trying to bite whatever he could of this new threat.
"Tolithus! Tolithus, stop!" A familiar voice crashed into his fear filled world, suddenly drowning him in realization.
"E-Eladriel…?" Tolithus stammered, opening his eyes only a fraction, still unable to believe that it was the matron whom had come to his rescue. The kindly face of the matron Pikachu stared back at him with relief in her eyes.
"Oh, Tolithus! You're safe!" Eladriel cried, rising to her paws, and placing the battered Pichu on the earth in front of her. Her maw curved into a smile as she ran a paw over Tolithus' forehead, smoothing down his ruffled fur. She cupped his face in her paws, gazing down at his eyes with a scrutinizing gaze. "You look like you had quite the adventure. I'd say its time for you to go back to the… Tolithus, what happened?" Eladriel gazed in absolute horror at the savage burn on the Pichu's flank, the dark mark still glistening red from the touch of electricity. She fussed over the wound, wiping away what blood she could to better asses the damage.
"I-I used an electric attack…" Tolithus admitted, cringing at Eladriel's touch.
"What?" Eladriel exclaimed, looking up from her work to the guilty Pichu's face. "You used an electric attack?" She fell back a step, her eyes wide. "So…so early. How did you manage to do it?"
Tolithus cocked his head. "I dunno. I just…wanted to."
Eladriels stare of wonder soon faded into a glare of disappointment. "You know the rules. No Pichu under six moons may unleash an electric attack without the supervision of a Pikachu. You could have killed yourself!"
"I know… I'm sorry, matron." The adrenaline started to wear out of Tolithus' body, causing him to cringe in pain at his injuries. "But… Eladriel!" Tolithus bowed forward in fear. "I-I saw something in the forest. Monsters… M-monsters that breathed fire!"
The Pikachu froze, her eyes suddenly gazing far out into the night. "What? Monsters?"
"They were big and black… Th-they wore bones on their bodies, and…and ate the other Pokemon of the forest!" Tolithus shuddered, trying to recall the beasts as best he could for the matron. "Their mouths were covered in blood… And there were bigger ones… Bigger ones with horns and devil tails…" The Pichu looked up at the frightened gaze of the matron, tears falling from his small, black eyes. "What are they?"
Eladriel didn't answer for several moments, her eyes still gazing out into the distant beyond. "Houndour and Houndoom…" She whispered, visibly trembling in fear. "Their fire… The scouts have been tracking them for days. They said the pack had diverted course, and wandered far from the Clan…" Eladriel's gaze suddenly stabbed at Tolithus, fear bleeding from her eyes. "Where did you see them?"
Tolithus pulled back from the matron's sudden change of mood, fearful. "I-I don't know. I followed their light."
"Light?" Eladriel paused for a moment, and then slowly lifted her head to the heavens. Her eyes widened, and her breathing quickened as she saw the great burst of light in the night sky. It had grown in massive bounds since Tolithus had first encountered it, revealing that the dark pack was on the move. "Oh no…" Eladriel whispered, backing up a step. Without preamble, the Pikachu scooped up Tolithus in her arms, swinging him over her back as she crouched down on all fours. "Hold on tight, child," was all she offered before Eladriel charged into the undergrowth.
The Pikachu leapt over fallen logs and decaying leaves, their pungent scents overridden by a darker smell on the air. Pidgeys took flight from their nests, screeching in alarm at the approaching doom. Nidoran, Rattata, Furret, and all other manner of forest life scurried out of their hiding places, crying in fear as they attempted to escape the oncoming inferno. "If we hurry," Eladriel gasped between breaths, never slowing down. "Maybe we can warn the Blood Corps. in… time…" The Pikachu slowed to a sudden, horrified halt as she gazed upon the Grove of Eternity. The great trees that lined the edges of the Grove were bathed in a bloody fire, their limbs snapping and crackling under the heat. Dozens of black shapes bled into the Grove, fire blasting out of their jaws. The dark Pokemon eagerly snapped up any Pikachu that wandered near their reach, and gladly exploded the rest of the Clan with the deadly blaze that escaped their bodies. The Clanborn scampered about the Grove in a frenzied panic, attempting at all costs to save their own lives.
Eladriel froze for a fraction of a second, the terrible light of the Houndoom's fire dancing in her eyes. "Sorbolis…" She whispered. The matron Pikachu rushed down the slope, slipping several times as she did on the blood of the newly dead. Tolithus buried his head deep into Eladriel's fur, trying with all his might to keep out the cries of the dying. Eladriel skidded to a stop in front of an alcove under several rocks. A small spring trickled into the gap, keeping the foliage around the rocks safe from the deadly inferno. The matron reached behind her, gripping Tolithus on his scruff. She swung him around, and roughly stuffed him into the niche, keeping one eye on the activity around her. "Tolithus," She whispered, crouching low to the ground to keep her voice out of reach to the enemies. "Stay here. I'll be back for you."
Tolithus watched in mute horror as his caregiver turned, and sped off into the night, her tail vanishing into the fire. The small Pichu, unexposed but afraid, curled into the back of the damp cave, and wrapped his tail over his nose. He shivered in absolute terror as a smaller black beast came charging past his hiding spot, but the little Pokemon went unnoticed. He listened to the cries of the dying, saw their blood splash onto the earth not an inch away from the opening of his cave. Fire licked the entrance of the rock, threatening to enter, but the life-giving spring kept it at bay.
Then, as suddenly as it had begun, the earth went silent.