Title: Stand Your Ground
Rating: T, mostly for blood and language
Genre: General
Summary: On an isolated island where giant spiders rule as apex predators, a storm forces a Trapinch off her sandy beach home into the surrounding, Galvantula-infested forest. Out of her element and incredibly vulnerable, can she survive long enough to evolve and escape the island?
Author's Comment: Decided to share this story here. It takes place on the same island Popcorn the Joltik, from my other story, is from. I hope you guys enjoy this!
Chapter 1
3 years living basically on your own on a savage island ruled by giant spiders.
Many might find the notion difficult, if not impossible, but she was born into this environment. To her, this is just the way life is and you just have to make the best of it. Really, it's not too bad once you get the hang of things.
With the full moon looming high above her, the Trapinch pauses in her search for a new spot to make her new hunting pit to scan her surroundings for danger.
All around her are the hunting pits of other Trapinch; she's always wary with every movement she makes whilst up on the surface. She's well aware that her species are indiscriminate with what prey falls into their pit and will even eat their own kind. Hell, she herself has indulged in a few of her trapped brethren in the past…
Speaking of which, she is starving. It's been weeks since her last good meal, and she plans to make this hunting pit huge, to better the chance of something slipping in. The best time to do that was nightfall, when the cool beach air was just right, as well as being a time where your chances of running into a Galvantula was somewhat reduced. Being caught out of the sand by a Galvantula is pretty much a death sentence and she shudders at the thought of slowly, and leisurely, being eaten alive…
Fuckin' sickos, that's what those spiders were. Trapinch never made their prey suffer once they dragged the victim under the sand. A quick snap of their insanely powerful jaws could cleave any small Pokemon in half, no matter their armor; in fact, they're one of the only Pokemon on this island that can eat even Steel- and Rock-types! Personally, she preferred biting off her victim's head. The sooner they're killed, the better, as there's always the chance of getting injured in a struggle.
Snapping out of her thoughts about food, as that's only making her stomach yawn hungrily, she continues her work, pushing herself backwards through the sand, half buried. The sand accumulates over her head, which she tosses every now and again with an upwards flick of her head. A distinct furrowed pattern in the ground has formed from her work, giving her kind the rather deceivingly endearing nickname of 'doodlebug'.
She pays no mind to her artistic talents, as she's focused on feeling out the condition of the sand. To the untrained eye, all the sand here is the same, but to a Trapinch, it has to be just right. In the most ideal condition, the sand should be finely grained and stable enough to maintain the conical shape of the hunting pit, but still unstable enough to give way under the feet of a struggling prey item.
It's a pretty time-consuming task, finding these right conditions. Competition over space can get quite fierce.
Stopping her backwards movement for another moment to once more scan for danger, she sees nothing of concern. A few other Trapinch building new hunting pits here and there, some Wingulls and Pelippers resting on the calm ocean surface… and some dark clouds gathering on the horizon…
Staring at these clouds intently, our Trapinch sniffs the air to find the familiar scent of storm clouds. Probably another electrical storm, as those are common here, but it's always best to play it safe, just in case it rains…
So much for filling her empty stomach. Looks like she'll have to postpone her hunting for another day…
Pulling the rest of her body from the sand, she glances at the gathering clouds one more time before starting to dig, this time with her forefeet. Burrowing deeper and deeper, she makes sure to leave enough room for her to turn around, as she needs to clog the entrance tight with sand. It has to be able to seal out any water.
Burying herself deeper and deeper, filling in the empty space behind her as she goes with more sand, she eventually comes to a stop. This should be deep enough to avoid any rain that'll seep through the ground. Shifting and making herself comfortable, she settles in for a nap. Might as well take advantage of the storm to catch some extra sleep, safely tucked underground and out of sight from all danger…
Pain. The first thing she notices as she wakes from her slumber is a hell of a lot of pain. All across her back and on top of her head was the deep burning agony. Forcing her eyes open, she sees she's still buried in sand… sand that's now wet.
Jolting, the little Trapinch doesn't know what going on. She's nowhere near the shoreline and no rain should be able to penetrate this far down. But it is, somehow, and it even seems to be seeping further down yet! She has to get out of this death trap!
Instinctively, she tunnels upwards, towards the surface. The wet sand pains her as she moves, but she knows that she has to get out of the ground and if she can endure the pain long enough to understand the situation, then she could plan a course of action!
Breaking the surface, she holds in a cry of pain as heavy raindrops, heavier than she's ever experienced before, falls upon her exposed head. Gusting winds going at violent speeds rages all around her, enough to bend the trees of the nearby forest. And the ocean….
Huge waves crash upon the sandbank, much further down than the waves and tide usually reach. In fact, a surge of frothy white water is charging for her right now!
She doesn't even have time to retreat into her burrow, much less barricade the entrance, as the wall of water crashes over her. Burning pain wracks her body as the wave floods her burrow and pulls her violently from the sand. She can't breathe, she can't even see, as she's sent tumbling, tumbling further down the shore.
The pain.
The pain is almost too much for her to bear and as the wave dumps her back on the sand as it recedes, she can barely keep herself conscious.
She has to get off the beach…
That's the only thought running through her pain-riddled brain. She has to get away, now, or else she will surely perish! Her body shaking, she forces herself up on her stubby four legs, said legs sinking under her weight into the wet sand.
Her eyes focusing on the nearby forest, she tries to hurry to it as fast as she could. Every movement, every step in the soaked ground brings yet more burning pain, the rain dropping down onto her not helping in the slightest. Her vision is growing increasingly blurry as consciousness becomes harder and harder to hold on to.
She has to make it.
A deep rumble can be heard behind her and she doesn't need to look back to know that yet another wave is chasing her!
She tries to move faster, but the sand makes it difficult to accelerate and she almost falls forward onto her chin at times. She feels the burning of more water as the surge rushes past her, engulfing her once more in its painful grasp.
Tumbling again, she's sent further down the beach, eventually settling on the wet sand once more.
Her body remains motionless for a brief moment before she coughs out some water. Her body trembling in sheer agony, she almost doesn't want to move. She almost wants to give up right here and now. But she refuses this and forcing open an eye, her blurry vision is greeted with the greens and browns of the forest.
Almost there.
Trying to stand, she only gets half-way before she sinks back down. No, she won't let herself die here. She's so close to evolving, and she can't let Death take her just yet! And so, she drags herself inch by inch towards the forest. Although the rain is merciless, at least the waves aren't reaching her. And once she gets to the forest, she can find shelter and rest her agonized body.
Finally, after what seems like a torturous eternity, she feels the sand beneath her give way to leaves. It's an unfamiliar sensation, but she couldn't care less as she takes a moment to rest from her ordeal. How she just wants to slip into the blackness…. The sweet blackness where she can escape the pain….
No, not yet. She has to find shelter. Although the canopy does shield her from most of the rain, there are still heavy droplets here and there. And surely, any predator that comes across her body in the open would take the opportunity to indulge her flesh.
So shakily, she pushes herself on, towards a hollow tree. It's more than large enough to shelter a Trapinch like her, and it seems strong and sturdy enough not to uproot from the wind.
There. Breathing heavily from her exertions, the Trapinch finally reaches the tree and collapses on the bed of leaves and moss; it takes everything she has not to lose consciousness. No, as much as she wants to, she can't as she hears a hiss coming from above her the moment she entered the tree's threshold.
Looking up, she can barely make out the outline of another Pokemon. It's spiky, and huge, with four long legs bracing it on the walls around them. Her heart stops as she recognizes the figure.
Galvantula.
Of all the things she has to share this shelter with, it was the one predator on this damn island that can kill her. She should leave, but as she glances towards the outside world, the wet outside world, her weary body doesn't budge from its spot. Looking back to the Galvantula, she opens her jagged jaws to hiss back at him. If she's lucky, her little threat display will encourage the spider to leave instead.
But no, the Galvantula growls and sparks, the blue light giving her more to work with in terms of identifying her 'room-mate'. He's a young spider with teal-colored eyes, his wet fur making him appear a bit smaller than usual despite his show of intimidation.
A show that doesn't seem to work as the Trapinch sharing his tree opens her jaws wider. In such close quarters, a fight with this Trapinch will be fatal, despite her obviously weakened state. So he doesn't engage; instead, climbing a bit higher up the trunk to a safer distance. A disgruntled grumble can be heard from him.
Knowing that they've just reached a shaky truce, the Trapinch returns her attention outside. The gusts of wind that makes it inside the tree brush against her soaked body and she shudders at the cold. As if that's what she needed to add to her troubles: not only is every inch of her Ground-type body agonized from the rain and waves, and not only does she have to share this tree with a sociopathic arachnid, but now she should add potential hypothermia to the list.
Shaking her weak body as best she can to get as much burning yet freezing water off of her as possible, she feels dizzy from the movement and rests her massive head on the ground below. She can hear the Galvantula shifting above her, but she ignores him as the blackness starts to return, once more offering her a chance to be free of her pain.
She doesn't want to accept it. With her 'shelter-buddy', she'd rather not lose consciousness. But the choice is not hers anymore as her exhausted, burning body makes the decision for her and she slips into unconsciousness, hoping beyond hope that she will wake up again…
Yet more pain is what greets her.
Not only is her body aching from her exertions and not only is there still the lingering burning sensation from the water that previously drenched her, but now she has a deep stabbing pain on her side. And it gets worse as something sharp pierces her flesh and starts tugging.
Yup, that did it. At this agonizing sensation, she reflexively jolts her head up towards the source and hisses explosively. The young Galvantula that has been nibbling at her flesh backs off with his own hiss, some blood matting the fur around his mouth.
Shakily getting to her feet, the Trapinch keeps menacing the spider as she backs deeper into the trunk, purposely cornering herself to protect her vulnerable body. The Galvantula is standing outside the tree, the storm having long passed and his fur now dry. He was hoping to catch a quick bite to eat, but unfortunately the comatose Trapinch wasn't as helpless as he'd thought.
Making a mock lunge, he jumps back as she snaps her jaws at him, remaining glued to her spot. She knows what he is trying to do with the move: get her to charge at him and expose herself in the open, where the spider's superior speed and agility will give him the advantage. Well, she's not having any of it, and after a few more mock lunges, each met with only a snap of her jaws, the Galvantula huffs and turns to walk away.
There's easier prey out there anyway.
Relaxing just a little, the Trapinch wants to go back to sleep, but the pain on her side needs attention. Turning her head, she sees the small gouge in her side, bleeding quite a bit. But it's not as bad as she thought it would be; luckily she woke up before hefty damage could be done. Shifting closer to the wooden wall, she presses her wound against it to stop the bleeding, wincing in pain as she did.
After a few minutes, she pulls away and turns back to the outside world. The rain seemed to have stopped and the wind is now nothing more than a gentle breeze. Forcing her aching body to move forward, she cautiously peeks out to make sure the coast is clear.
There's no sign of the Galvantula.
Sighing, she wonders what she should do now. She's injured, tired, and oh-so-very hungry. She couldn't stay here, as the Galvantula might come back and she certainly won't find food by sticking around. She should go back to the beach. Hopefully, the waves will have calmed down by now.
Limping out of the tree, she stumbles her way towards the beach. Her small eyes, although dreary, remains open to scan for danger as she moved. Luckily, she meets no obstacle as she reaches the border of the forest, beholding the beach…
It's practically in ruins. Littered all over the place are branches and logs and other remains of smaller trees. What wasn't covered by forest debris was instead covered with debris from the ocean. Seaweed and washed up Tentacool… as well as the drowned bodies of other Pokemon. She sees many of them are small Pokemon, no doubt blown away by the strong winds into the ocean and then swept back ashore by the current.
Perhaps she can indulge in the feast, regain her strength? Perhaps she can find a clear spot for herself afterwards, build a new pit? Perhaps she can clear some of the debris if she can't find a spot? She wonders if her weakened body will be up to the task.
Stepping onto the sand, she immediately pulls back with a cry of pain. The sand was still wet…
Her eyes moving back and forth between the wet sand and the beckoning beach, the Trapinch doesn't know what to do. She can't handle any additional pain, but the forest is not an ideal spot for a Trapinch. She wonders if maybe, she can find a dry patch of sand somewhere on this island…
Who's she kidding? She has nowhere to go. She should dismiss these stupid hopes and bring herself to reality. She has to go back into the forest, at least until the sand dries back up. Hopefully, she'll survive long enough.
Turning back, she stumbles towards the forest, passed her hollow tree, into the great unknown depths…