Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon, nor do I have any connections to it. It would be nice if I did though…
Chapter 1:
My Father. My Master. My Alpha.
There is no way for me to determine when I first became aware. The first thing I knew was warmth, and the sense of absolute safety. I did not know the words for such feelings, only the feeling itself. Words came soon enough though, granting me true consciousness, and an identity along with it.
As time passed, a sense of tightness made itself known. Compared to my former state of almost complete freedom of movement, this was nearly intolerable. But something, instinct perhaps, warned me not to depart from my safe haven just yet, despite the prison it was fast becoming.
And so I waited. And waited. For what, I did not know. My already limited movement grew ever more restricted. But I endured, until that same intangible something that had ordered me to wait told me it was time to escape my prison. I obeyed with some hesitation, realizing now that there would be no turning back once I left the warmth and safety. But enduring this prison when there was another option was out of the question.
I reached out with one limb and nudged against the barrier blocking me from freedom. My cramped prison lurched drastically, despite the gentleness of the force I had exerted. Curious, I pushed harder. This time, I broke through, much to my surprise. Cold air rushed in, and I retreated from the unwelcome sensation. I knew instantly I was not meant for the cold, it was my opposite. My enemy.
"C'mon! Keep going!" A male voice urged me. "There's no way in hell you're giving up now!" The voice was commanding, and seemed to hold no doubt that I would obey.
And so I did. I pushed again, and again. The hole grew wider, and with one last shove, I was free. I tumbled out into the frigid air with a whimper, my limbs in a tangle. Within seconds I was being cleaned off roughly and wrapped in something soft and warm.
" 'Bout time, ya silly Houndour." The powerful male voice spoke again. "I've been waiting for you to hatch for months." I opened my eyes for the first time, squinting at the bright light. I peered up at the owner of the male voice, blinking rapidly in an attempt to clear my vision. My instinct told me this was important. The voce was male, which made it my Father, not my Mother. The voice was commanding, which made it my Master. And, most important of all, the voice held power, and held no doubt of my obedience. This was my Alpha, then, leader of the Pack. This was the one I must obey without fail, to guard from enemies and to further his goals, whatever they may be. My vision cleared, and I got the first look at the Alpha.
He was watching me intently with onyx-black eyes, the same color as his spiky hair. His face was thin, almost gaunt, as if he didn't eat enough. He was wearing all black, cargo pants and shirt. One ear had a blood-red stud earring. Around his neck was a silver pendant of what looked like a flame. The way the silver was shaped made it look like the flame was flickering as it shifted with the movement of the Alpha's breathing.
"You hungry, Houndour?" Alpha asked. "I can't have you starving to death, you're going to make me powerful." A sharp pain in my stomach made itself known to me, almost seeming to have been awoken by Alpha's words. Through it, I wondered why my Alpha wanted power. For whatever reason, I would do my best to help. I would do my duty.
"Here, eat this." Something was shoved into my mouth. I began to suckle automatically, flooding my mouth with a rich, creamy liquid. When it was gone, the bottle was removed. "You still hungry Houndour?" I shook my head, surprising the Alpha. "What? You can understand me already?" I nodded.
"Yes, Alpha." I barked. However, it came out as: "Dour! Houn!" Alpha bared his teeth in a pleased, savage grin.
"Cool. I thought it would be awhile before I could use this." He held up a silver collar with a small mechanical box on it. "This is a translator collar. I stole it for you." He laughed. "Stole you, to. Stupid kid wouldn't have known your worth anyway. He probably would have dragged you around like some common pet." I snarled indignantly, picking up on my master's scorn. I was a Pokemon built for battling, not as a pet! My rightful anger was distracted when Alpha snapped the stolen collar around my neck and unwrapped the towels surrounding me. The cold was not as painful this time. I was growing stronger, it seemed.
"Well, say something already." Alpha prompted. "If you're going to be my companion, we're going to need to get to know each other." I shifted in place nervously and sat up, already in control of my body.
"What would you have me say, Alpha?" I asked respectfully. The voice the translator gave me was deep, surprising me. "And why is my voice so deep?" Alpha smiled and reached out with one hand. I tensed, but he just stroked my head gently, making me growl low in my throat with pleasure.
"For the deep voice, I have no clue how those things work. And to be honest, I don't care." He began scratching behind my ears, making me croon in delight. "Anyway, why are you calling me Alpha?"
"You are the leader of the pack, the Alpha." I replied, stating what I believed to be obvious. "A younger and weaker member does not call the Alpha by name."
"I like the sound of that." Alpha commented thoughtfully. "Alpha, the Pokemon League Champion! Yeah, that is definitely going on my Trainer's License. I'm sixteen now, that should be old enough to change my name legally as well…" I blinked, bewildered. Alpha was a title, not a name. But. If that was what he wanted, I had no problem with it.
"As you wish Alpha." I paused nervously. "Alpha, what is my name to be?" Alpha considered it for a moment.
"How 'bout Beta? That's the position right below Alpha, right?" I swelled with pride. My Alpha wished for me to be the Pack's Beta!
"I would be honored, Alpha." I replied, sitting up straighter. My ears twitched as I heard something. My well-developed ears honed in on the sound, identifying it. Footsteps. "Alpha, someone is coming." Alpha scowled and picked me up, turning to face the door just as it opened. There standing in the doorway was an angry, tired-looking woman.
"What's with all the racket?" She demanded. "Some people are trying to sleep, you know!" I growled quietly, not liking the way she was speaking to my Alpha. Could she not see that my master was far above her in status? She had no right to speak to him in such a tone.
"My Pokemon egg just hatched." Alpha replied stiffly. "My apologies, Mother." This woman was Alpha's mother?! I stared at her, wondering how a weak-looking woman like this could be Alpha's mother. Said woman met my eyes and sneered. I bared my teeth at her, daring her to approach me. My Alpha did not like her, which meant I did not like her. Finally the woman spoke again.
"This means your leaving, right?" Alpha nodded, eyes narrowed. "Good. And don't come back." My eyes widened. Young as I was, I knew parents were supposed to care for their young. That was the way it worked, for Pokemon at least. But as I have grown, I have come to realize that humans break all the rules of Nature, despite the fact that their lives would be better if they simply obeyed.
"I wasn't planning on it. Just don't come whining to me for money when I win the Johto League." Alpha's mother sneered at both of us now.
"With that mongrel? Good luck with that, you brat." With those final words, the blonde woman left.
"Beta, we're leaving tomorrow." Alpha placed me on the ground and sat down about five feet away from me. "So start walking." I took a cautious step forward, sliding one black paw along the floor.
"Sir, what is the Johto League?" I asked, continuing to move forward unsteadily.
"It's a competition between Pokemon trainers. To participate, we have to collect eight Badges from Pokemon Gyms." I crept a bit closer.
"Why do you wish to win, Sir?" Alpha scowled.
"To show all those idiots that I'm better than them." He smirked. "You know, the only humans that have done anything good for me was Team Rocket, the biggest known criminal organization. They attacked the Pokemon Center here in Cherrygrove. I took advantage of the chaos, snuck in and stole your egg while it was there being checked by Nurse Joy." I tumbled into his lap, triumphant just as he finished speaking. He scratched behind my ears in reward, making me rumble in pleasure.
"So this Team Rocket is powerful?" I questioned. Alpha considered it.
"Some are. Their power lies mainly in numbers. There are hundreds of low-level Grunts." He sighed. "The higher-ups, though… Damn, they're strong. Someday, I'm going to be as strong as them, and then all those idiots who made fun of me…" He left the threat unfinished.
"I will do my best to make sure that day comes soon, Alpha." I said firmly. "I will do my duty." Alpha smiled, a real smile instead of a smirk this time.
"Thanks, Beta. But don't forget, we're a pack. We work together." He chuckled. "We're a pack that fights for themselves, and only ourselves."
"And no one will stand in the Alpha's path, or they will suffer our wrath." I snarled. "You shall do whatever you wish."
And so the Pack began.
End Chapter 1A.N.- I hope you enjoyed it. If you like and have the time, review. I accept anonymous reviews, so those without an account are welcome. If you see any mistakes, be sure to tell me so I can fix them. -Okami