Drums of War Chapter 1
A New Partner
He closed his eyes sat back against a sun warm rock face and listened to the throbbing beat of the drums as they kept the march in time. The valley below was nothing special; just a scrap of land caught between two countries with greedy leaders. By day's end what few crops weren't burned or trampled would be watered with the lifeblood of man an mon alike. At least the drums gave the few farm folk left in the valley time to run. He opens his eyes to see a girl with a eevee heading straight up his hill. Her aura glowed with panic and determinant. He sighed and stretches - time to get to work.
Tristina ran like her life depended on it, because it did. Armies had all to many uses for a passably good-looking girl; if she survived being caught in the battle, that is. "If I can just make it to the cliffs."
He fell into stride with her as she crested the hill. He was glad he had taken the time to let the valley folk get used to him over the past year.
She just cast him a startled look and keeps running. She didn't know why the traveler was running with her, but know was not the time to find out. Especially not with the drums growing louder, with scouts likely to be moving ahead of both armies. She loosened her belt as she ran and pulled her tunic up enough to make a pouch about her waist then tightens the belt before scooping the eevee up.
He looked north as the first houndoom's howls echo down the valley. "Celebi had better be right about the girl; I hated fighting fire-types when they run in a pack." He turns, putting his back to the cliff as the eevee slid into the pouch she made with her tunic.
She starts to climb. Tristina works her way up the cliff easily, her escape route long-planned and practiced. She soon pulls herself into the cave hidden halfway up the cliff, grabs the rope she stored there, and drops one end for the lucario still backed against the cliff. "Come on."
He turns and grabs the rope climbing as fast as he can up to her, just managing to pull himself into the cave and getting the rope up as the first houndoom jumps at the cliff.
She lets eevee out of her tunic and adjusts her belt before picking up a heavy pack and a lantern. "Can you communicate clearly with humans?" She looks over at him with old eyes in a young face.
He shakes his head, "Lu lucar rio." Before falling in step with her, ready to follow where she would lead him.
"Well, you're welcome to come along. We are going to the mountains where it is too hard to move whole armies about. " She lights the lantern and heads deeper into the cave system, clearly having a good idea where she is going.
He fell back a little and looked as her aura, only to find it calm, sure, an more developed that was typical of those without training. "So she does have guardian potential after all." He found it hard to look away from her bright aura until her eevee nearly tripped him.
Eevee looked up at him, "Eyes forward before I bite you. "
Tristina looks back at them "Kimmie don't be rude! He is stuck in a cave with us; let him try to figure us out." She smiles at her eevee companion.
His heart beats a little harder when she smiles and he jerks his gaze away! He looks around the cave they walk through trying to keep his breathing even. "Kimmie remind me to hit Celebi if we survive this trip."
Kimmie looks up at him, "That is the second time you have mentioned him. What does he have to do with any of this?"
She stops and holds out a hand to stop them. Before taking several steps forward and bowing. "We give thanks to the Keepers of the Cave for safe passage. "
He moved into a fighting stance when a large graveler moved out of the shadows.
The graveler bows or nods--kind of hard to tell. He waves them to the left-hand passage before patting her on the head. "Grav ler aveler."
"Thank you." She smiles takes a double-handful of moss-covered river rocks from her pockets, and places them in graveler's hands. "I will miss you be careful. "
Graveler pats her again and waves her down the left-hand passage again before setting down in the right-hand massage blocking anyone from coming up behind them.
Kimmie runs at Tristina's side as they hurry down the passage. "It will have to wait till we get out of here, but lucario you will tell me."
He just grunts and switches to aura sight. "Golbat ahead to the right. "
She slows and looks at him moving at a fast walk with the his eyes closed, never missing a step. She catches her breath and looks away. She hears a rustling and looks up to see a colony of golbat. If they had still been running they would have woken them.
As they near the exit, Kimmie creeps forward and sticks her head out to look around. Upon finding no soldiers have made it into the inaccessible hanging valley with its patch of forest, she calls softly.
As soon as they are out of the cave, he scoops Kimmie up and heads into the forest, heading for cover.
"Hey, where do you think your going with Kimmie? " She follows, trying to take back her partner. "Give her back."
He passes her Kimmie and pulls her down into the bushes just as a fearow passes over with a scout on its back. He watches from the shadows until it passes before offering her a paw up.
She takes his paw and lets him pull her up. "You can sense them coming?"
He just nods and keeping her hand in his paw, leads her into deeper cover.
Kimmie hops out on Tristina's arms. "Okay start talking."
He lifts the outer edge of a bramble thicket to reveal a hollow inside with soft moss. "Celebi collects useful beings. I am one. He dumped me off in this mountain range and told me a potential female Aura Guardian was going to need help, protection, and teaching. I suspected her for some time, but have not been close enough tell today to be sure."
Tristina leads the way into the hollow and curls up to rest. "We are going to have to travel at night, Kimmie. "
Kimmie gives him a long look and eventually nods hurrying to curl up with Tristina.
He slips into the tight space and pulls the edge of the bramble back down to hide them.
Night Travel
He yawns and stretches as the sun starts to set, checking on the girl and her eevee before slipping out from under the bramble the find something to eat.
Kimmie slips out behind him. "So you taking off already. What happened to teaching her."
"I am not leaving; just getting some berries. Unless you think it a good idea to travel on an empty stomach? " He quickly finds a berry bush and picks a large leaf to put berries on. Once the leaf is full he eats his fill from the bushes passing Kimmie every other one.
"We should get back to her she will wake soon." Kimmie turns to run back to Tristina.
"Wait!" He turns looking towards the sky, his eyes closed and aura sensors floating as his ears twitch. "Noctowl, little armor, no humans. Get her she can eat on the move. "
Kimmie looks back at him then bolts for Tristina.
He moves into a clearing sets down the makeshift bowl of berries and takes his stance. He begins to forming an Aura Sphere and holds it, letting the light call one of the noctowl down to him. Waiting calmly even after Kimmie returns with Tristina.
At least one of the owl pokémon lands in a nearby tree, "You wish to parlay fighting type?"
He absorbed the Aura Sphere back into himself bowing, to the armored noctowl, "I would request safe passage for three non-combatants over the high pass."
"You speak for the girl?" The noctowl eyes Tristina and softens a little.
"I speak only of my intention to get her safely away from the wars of men." He keeps his eyes on noctowl, giving her warriors respect.
Noctowl turns her head upside down, then upright. "Take the girl over the high pass as you will, Aura Warrior. We are tasked to hunt soldiers not children." With that the noctowl took to the sky again.
He picks up the berries and passes them to her before leading her toward the high pass in the dark, stopping to help her when she stumbles.
"Where are we going?" She realizes that he is not only traveling with them, but leading as soon as she asks the question.
He points up to the pass were the moon is just rising over the mountains. Then moves his paw in a hurry motion. "We need to be over by morning. "
Kimmie bounds up the almost non-existent trail then turns to watch as he steadied and guided Tristina. "Why by morning?"
Tristina works her way up the trail understanding Kimmie a little in the way of long-term partners. "Morning? The human scout with the fearow? "
He nods as they pick up the pace over a smoother section. "Yes."
Kimmie moves with them staying a little bit ahead while she thinks. "We are going into the wilds aren't we."
Tristina trips and scrapes a knee. "Where else Kimmie."
He gently pushes her down to set, and examines her knee. "I am sorry but you are right the lands of man won't be safe for a few years at best."
She touches the back of his paw, "You have a reason for coming with us don't you? You would be welcomed by either side. Or could avoid them easier on your own. "
He nods, and helps her to her feet. "We really must work on having a talk soon."
Kimmie looks at him oddly. "You can do that?"
She limps up the trail as the pokémon talk determined not to slow them down.
He offers Tristina a paw up as they climb. "Yes and no with time and meditation I can establish an aura link that is kind of like telepathy and empathy mixed together but is not exactly like ether and is not psychic in nature. "
Kimmie skids on a scree slope that the trail crosses and barely scrambles back to them.
Tristina sets and hugs Kimmie close. "Don't worry we can do this remember we trained for crossings like this. " She removes the rope from her pack and ties one end around Kimmie's waist. "There we go now we hold this end so you can't slide to far and you run your end to the other side and find a big rock to wrap it around. "
He watches them with interest. "Clever she is lightweight and better able to cross. By wrapping it around a large rock she can help you cross safely. " He pats Tristina on the back and nods.
Kimmie hops out of Tristina's lap. "I can do it." She looks up at them, then takes off bounding and scrambling across the shifting slope.
Tristina pins the end of the rope under her heel and lets the length play out through her hands calm and steady.
"She is across." He touches Tristina on the shoulder when Kimmie calls and gently takes the rope wrapping it around one wrist and gripping it tight before waving her across. "Go," He then grips with both paws and braces.
Kimmie makes an extra loop around the rock and watches worriedly as Tristina crosses.
She was halfway across when the trail seemed to dissolve under her feet with a clatter of stones. She clung to the rope as she struggles to get her footing, finally managing to do it she finishes crossing and drops to her knees to hug Kimmie.
He starts across winding the rope as he goes shortening the distance he can slide with each loop of rope he gathers in. As the rocks start to roll under his paws he starts to run coming off the scree slope not far down slope from them.
Tristina lets Kimmie go and takes hold of the rope helping pull him up.
Once he is on the trail he untangles himself from the rope and rests a paw on her shoulder. "Good job. "
The rest of the night was spent on a seemingly endless journey upward. Tristina was a little shocked when he was there at every turn catching her when she stumbles, carrying Kimmie half the time, an steadying the rope every time they had to cross the slope.
He looks down at the other side of the pass as the sun rises and is relieved to see it is less steep and forested part way up. "We might just make it. "
A New Day
They just made it under the trees before the first scouts flew over head. He gripped her wrist to keep her still until they pass before moving deeper into the forest looking for shelter.
"Do you have a name?" She picks up Kimmie who is basically asleep on her paws.
He shakes his head even as he lifts the outer branches of an evergreen to reveal a hollow carpeted with dry pine needles.
She follows him into the pine scented darkness with a yawn. "I think I will call you Zoltar then."
He nods slowly and waits until she is asleep before slipping out to look for food.
Kimmie opens her eyes to watch him leave, "So shines brightly interesting name." She yawns and snuggles closer to Tristina.
Tristina woke slowly sore from there long night hike over the pass only to find a pile of fruit, roots, and plants in the middle of their makeshift shelter Zoltar sleeping across the entrance.
Zoltan opens one eye yawns and goes back to sleep it is only just past midday.
She stretches slowly, rolls over, and closes her eyes breathing slowly. "Thank you Zoltar. "
Evening
Kimmie pats Tristina with a paw as the sun starts to set. "Time to move."
Zoltar sets up as Tristina groans and sets up with a yawn. He starts dividing the food. "Kimmie we should forage on the move and if she has something to carry extra do so for times we can't find anything. "
Tristina watches them as she accepts the food she is passed. "We need to keep our eyes out for a safe place to settle and prepare for winter it is already mid summer. "
Zoltar nods eating an apple. "What is in the pack?" He glances at Kimmie. "We also need to learn to communicate. "
Kimmie pats the pack and looks up at Tristina.
She tilts her head slightly. "You want to see what is in the pack?" She dumps her pack so they can see what she managed to assemble over the last three years.
Zoltar takes the pack and repacks it taking inventory. Two good knives with sheaths. He hands her one and waves for her to wear it. A leather working kit, two balls of twine, flint, several packages of seeds, a change of closing, a blanket, a small pot, an axe head, an awl, and her rope. He nods approving and hands her one of the balls of twine an waving at the remaining fruit.
"Twine and fruit," she frowns thinking about it then smiles and starts making loops and tying knots making a net bag in short order. " Is this what you want?"
Kimmie eats a plum watching them work out some communication.
Zoltar nods. "Yes" He eats the last of his breakfast waving at her to eat. "We need to get moving and find water soon."
Tristina eats and slips on her pack strapping on the knife, and loops the net bag on her wrist. "Let's go wherever we are going. "
Zoltar stands and lifts the pine branch so they can get out. "Kimmie please scout."
Kimmie darts out easily blending into the woodland dusk.
Tristina ducks out and looks around. "I never planned this far because I couldn't think of anywhere to go other than away. "
Zoltar pats her on the arm and starts walking south. "Let's head somewhere warm for the winter. "
She shrugs and follows him, stopping when he does to pick fruit eating some and adding some to her twine bag.
Kimmie slips out of the bushes and leans against Tristina's ankle. "There is a stream over that way."
Tristina picks Kimmie up and sets her on top of the pack passing her two of the pairs she is picking.
Zoltar carefully heads in the direction of the stream ready to protect them if needed.
Tristina stays quite catching Zoltar's caution about approaching water. It would be good if they could follow the stream but if that was dangerous? "Zoltar would traveling along the stream be safe?"
Zoltar holds out a paw and tilts it back and forth, even as they come within sight of a small clear stream. He takes one last look with his aura sense before relaxing a bit.
"So safe and not safe." She looks at him. "No safe but others who come for water might not be?"
Zoltar nods and pats her on the shoulder, before walking into the stream and taking a long drink lifting his head several times to check their surroundings before drinking again.
Tristina stayed alert until he was out of the stream the took her turn trying to copy him as best she can he nods when she exits the water.
Zoltar leads the way down stream moving away from the water as the banks grow lower. He turns up hill. "Marsh land would not be good place to get stuck. "
Kimmie jumps down and heads out to scout again. "We should travel in daylight soon we will move faster."
Tristina trips an Zoltar helps her up. "Come on let's find a place for you to rest."
Zoltar finally settled on a tree cave made by a fallen tree held up by a bolder. "This will do." He waves her in and settles down to meditate troubled by how he is to teach when they can't talk.
Tristina sat beside him and tried to copy what he is doing unknowingly giving him of the answer.
He starts with a simple breathing meditation if he can't explain he can show her and meditation can help him from an aura link.
Kimmie slipped out of the bushes with a rabbit only to find them setting and breathing funny with there eyes closed. She pats Zoltar on the leg to get his attention.
Zoltar opens his eyes and nods at her. "Go job Kimmie." He rests a paw on Tristina's arms. Before opening the pack and getting the pot.
She blinks and looks at him only to have him stand and offer her a paw. Tristina lets him pull her up before she sees the rabbit and that he had the pot out. "You want me to make soup so it goes farther?"
He nods approving and waves her an Kimmie away from camp to clean the rabbit, before he heads for the stream to get water gathering roots and berries along the way to use as well.
They had the soup on in short order an Kimmie get settled in to watch. "What were you doing earlier?"
"Trying to teach her meditation by example she was doing alright for not having instructions." He watches as Tristina carves chopsticks.
"She has always learned fast and bean good as figuring out what pokémon want to say to her." Kimmie pulls a twig out of her fur and spits it out. "Maybe a side effect of that aura thing you are going to teach her about."
Tristina finishes the chopsticks, and stirs the soup before starting on a comb.
"Partly but she is also quiet intelligent." He adds wood to the small fire.
Six Months Later
Zoltar slowly moved through the fighting forms in a movement meditation leading the exercise by example, while his focus was inward on forming the aura link.
Tristina gasps and almost loses her balance as she feels something snap into place.
"That is it just breath and follow the forms to the end." He slowly finishes and turns to face her bowing. "You are doing well Tristina."
She bows after finishing then sets down hard. "How?"
"An aura link." He sets down facing her. "I have been teaching you to meditate so that we can communicate clearly. We have a lot to talk about."
"Why Zoltar why did you follow me that day? Why did you lead us here?" She looks around the warm coastal forest and thinks about the small orchard and long abandoned farm they had made a home. "Why have you taken the time to teach us how to survive?"
"I knew this place because I lived here long ago when the farm was new I helped plan the orchard. As for why I followed you, and have been teaching you. Celebi sent me to your valley to find, protect, and teach a potential aura guardian. You, but it is a path none should follow blindly. I find myself reluctant to set you on that path." He looks away.
"Who is Celebi?" She stands stretches and offers him a hand up.
"Celebi is a time hopping pain in the neck mythical pokémon. He collects useful beings. He has a good heart. At the same time he is very old he forgets that those of us who live in and with the flow of time are, inclined to view sacrifices made differently." He walks with her out of the forest to the sea cliffs overlooking warm blue-green waters.
"That is why you don't want to teach me isn't it. The path of the aura guardian is one of sacrifice." She watched the water with him.
"Few guardians ever have families, the travel is near constant, always working or fighting to maintain the balance. I can't think of one that lived past middle-aged. I am still young for a lucario barely three hundred, and I have already seen seven aura guardians to their grave. I find myself unwilling to do so again." He glances at her. "Even with training you don't have to be one."
She looks at him for a long time. "You mean I don't have to try to make things better. I can let someone else take the risks, make the sacrifices, and build a better future. I could stay here, safe, and hidden, forget that I could change things? Or do you mean I don't have to take that path and leave you alone again?" She takes his paw and pulls him into a careful hug. "Let's take that path together let's make a difference together. I will always be with you till the end. "
He buried his face against her shoulder and hugs her back. "Fine but don't you dare die on me."
"Come on don't worry about that I have a lot to learn first so let's get to work. " She smiles at him. "I have no intention of dying anytime soon so you had better train me well. "
As they walked back to the farm he looks at her and away. He had known the choice she would make but he had hoped. "The exercise we were doing is a movement meditation and fighting forms."
She takes his paw. "When I start having to slow down we can retire when you think it is time and teach others. Maybe if there were more aura guardians they would live longer. "
He looks up at her, "maybe. Yes that is a good idea." Zoltar nods feeling better she was good at planning.
"Will I understand Kimmie know? " She smiles and leans down to pick flowers quickly weaving a crown and drops it on Zoltar's head.
Zoltar shakes his head. "The aura link only allows me to talk to you but when you advance enough in your aura skills you will be able to make a temporary aura link with any pokémon. The reason the one I made took so long as because it it permanent you would have to work to break it."
"What was that ball of light the night you talked to the noctowl?" She picks some wild onions as they talk having learned not to ignore food when it is there to be gathered.
"That was an aura sphere it is a fighting type move that can be learned when you have control over your aura." He helps her carry the onions. "Why onions?"
"We can plant them in the garden." She smiles, "So it is a move I can learn?"
He looks at the onions then at her and nods. "Yes but you will have to work hard."
Three Years Later
"Hay Zoltar what are you doing up here." Kimmie hops from branch to branch until she can set beside him.
"I am avoiding Tristina." He sighs and looks out over the forest.
"You know that won't work you trained her." She cleans her paw of sticks sap.
"To well there is nothing more I can teach her here." He looks at their sylveon companion. "Just as you have need of a challenge to keep growing so does she and I don't want to risk her."
Kimmie looked behind them and down to the snug cozy farm that was home. "You have not been happy about the idea of leaving from the beginning." She looks back at him. "You feel safe here and want to keep her safe."
"She has grown to be the heart of me. I don't think I can handle losing her." He stares at his paws. "I have lost to many to do this again."
"You think too much. She practiced aura linking with me. We knew all that each other felt while it lasted. Do you really think she doesn't know how you feel! She will be careful for you." She starts down the tree. "The question is will you live for her as she does for you. As you are I think you will be to reckless trying to protect her."
He clenched a paw and pressed it to his heart, could he do it could he lead her back into the war torn lands and let her face all the risks, he did not think he could but if he couldn't why have him train her did Celebi make a mistake.
In The Cottage And Garden
Tristina tucks the last of the travel provisions she has been saving up into her new pack and makes sure everything is secure. "Kimmie are you ready?"
Kimmie nods but points with a ribbon feeler at a empty string bag hanging by the door.
"You think we should gather fresh from the garden and orchard to take with us?" She takes several string bags from around the room and grabbed her finely carved walking staff. " Okay let's go pick."
Zoltar sighed and climbed down to help when she started harvesting the garden and orchard. "So today?"
"It is either go or set here and worry about going." She hugs him tight from behind.
He relaxes somewhat, "I can't help being afraid for you."
She lets him go smiling. "An you think I don't worry about you and Kimmie? You know better than that. Worrying about each other is what family does."
They tie off the last of the string bags to the pack when a whispering hum shakes the forest and the trees glow with a soft moving green light.
"It looks like we have an assignment." He sighs and hands her, her walking staff. "Let's go find him."
Unexpected Future
Celebi was taking a nap in a tree when they found him looking very tired.
She glances at Zoltar takes off her pack and starts gathering dry branches. "Kimmie will you get water please?"
Zoltar helps her build a small fire and start some berries roasting.
By the time Kimmie was back with the water Celebi was drifting down from his tree half asleep.
Tristina takes a skewer of oren berries and passes it to him before putting another one over the fire. An sets the pot of water by the fire with mint.
"Thanks Tristina of all my aura guardians you're the only one that ever thinks I might like something other than raw fruit." Celebi makes quick work of the first skewer.
Zoltar rubs his eyes with a paw. "Celebi this is the first time she has met you."
Tristina passes him a roasted apple. "Zoltar does he look tired to you?"
He nods, "She is right what is going on Celebi?" Zoltar pours steaming mint tea into a wooden mug and passes it to him.
Celebi yawns, "I am moving aura guardians around we have a shortages in some time frames and more than enough in others. You lot are headed for one of those times."
Kimmie stretches and hops into Tristina's lap. "Why us?"
"Her age. There is no war in that time frame but young people travel about with pokémon having small battles that are competitions of strength and skill rather than being deadly. And pokémon get free health care." He yawns, "Our most effective guardian then is an untrained child."
Zoltar nods, "So what exactly is our assignment?"
"We have a psychic type to build her a past. She will report to a professor get a pokédex an a starter. Then you all will travel around, collect others with aura guardian potential and start training them. Disrupt any groups threatening the balance but let the law take care of it from there. Do the trainer thing. Oh and there are things called pokéballs get some for Zoltar and Kimmie. " Celebi curls up and falls asleep.
"Well sounds like we will be mostly staying out of trouble and searching for potential guardians." She smiles at Zoltar, "I guess we know why Celebi picked you to train me know."
He takes an apple and eats slowly thinking. "If people your age travel freely, we will have to be on guard about the way males view you. If you still lived with humans you would be married by now. They may marry later if they travel at your age but, they likely get up to the same things that lead to hasty marriages."
Kimmie laughs, "Between you two any male thinking to make Tristina his mate is going to end up afraid for his masculinity. No the real problem is, that anyone around us long is going to figure out the two of you are in love. An don't deny it I you both stink at hiding it."
Zoltar looked away hoping his fur hid his blush.
Tristina just shrugs, "What is there to deny I feel what I feel an there is nothing wrong with it. More than one village widow married a pokémon the second time around or just lived with. Humans and pokémon can't normally have children so it is not encourage at least not for those my age. Unless that has changed I think we should just be honest about our feelings."
Zoltar jerks around to stare at her wide eyed. "Tristina in most of the world what you are describing would be taboo."
She blinks, "Oh. Why Arceus made humans to live and work together with pokémon surely she knew some would love each other?"
Kimmie covered her eyes, "Tristina we are talking about humans not pokémon. You know we, know it is the love that matters. Humans are not always so willing to let others live their lives."
Zoltar nods, "She is right Tristina humans are far less inclined to accept love for love's sake."
Tristina takes one of Zoltar's paws. "Then we do our mission and live our lives as we want. We don't have tell anyone how we feel but I won't lie about it either."
Kimmie nods, "As long as you understand that you may face harsh criticism or worse if humans are not accepting in this time Celebi is sending us to."
Zoltar squeezes her hand gently.
"I can deal with that so long as you two are with me." She looks into the dying fire. "I am willing to go to a strange time and place but you are two are the heart of me and that I won't give up." She meets Celebi's half open eyes making sure the little time hopper understands that the aura guardian he has arranged for came at a price.
Celebi smiled slightly and closed his eyes as talk turned to funds and financing, an how to recruit potential aura guardians.
Kimmie waves a ribbon feeler, "Don't worry about recruitment just invite them to travel with us. You couldn't stay away when he was training. They will probably volunteer to train with you when they see you two practicing. "
"You think they will be drawn to it because of their potential?" Zoltar thinks about how Tristina had seemed to naturally follow his lead in training. "Maybe."
"Maybe not I started copying you because I wanted to understand you better an spending time with you and doing what you did seemed like a good way to do that." Tristina starts to tidy away the things used for lunch.
"Tristina you can tell them what you are doing if they don't want to train with you two would they really make good aura guardians any way?" Kimmie yawns, "We should all take naps we need to be rested for travel when he wakes up. "
They put out the fire and Kimmie goes to sleep but Zoltar hesitates then reaches for one of Tristina's hands. "You love me?"
Tristina takes his paw and moves to set close to him. "Of course I love you, have for years and you know it."
He leans against her a little. "You know we are aware of each other's emotions but it is hard to tell the love someone feels for family from other kinds of love."
She turns her head and meets his eyes before kissing him nice and slow. "Then let me be clear for me it is you or no one. I love you with all of me. If your love is not that kind then I can accept it."
Zoltar kisses her deeply pulling her into a tight hug his chest spike nestling between her breasts. "Thank Arceus I love you so much and I was so afraid you thought of me as family."
Kimmie opens one eye and smiles slightly. "Sleep you two or I will make one of you carry me."
Tristina laughs softly at Kimmie. "Just wait sister mine one of these days you're going to understand."
Zoltar pulls Tristina down on the soft moss to cuddle the contentment of having her in his arms at last washing away years of stress.
Morning
In the morning Celebi yawns and looks around finding the the little camp shrouded in morning mist. Tristina an Zoltar where snuggled together in a blanket fast asleep and Kimmie was missing. He was about to get up and get an apple when a twig snapped.
Kimmie walked into camp with a string of fish, "Good morning." She yawns and taps Tristina, "Come on sleepy head clean the fish."
She crawls out of the blanket waking Zoltar in the process. "Okay I am up. Thanks for fishing Kimmie. " She takes the string of fish and moves away from camp to clean them while Zoltar and Kimmie gather firewood.
Zoltar strikes sparks with a flint and one of his hand spikes feeding the fire until it is going strong then taking out onions and cutting them up before getting out the salt as Tristina comes back.
"Celebi do you want fish or should I roast you some fruit?" She puts the fish on spills stuffed with onions and sprinkled with salt.
Zoltar folds the blanket and puts it away and puts away everything not being used. While Kimmie adds sticks to the fire.
"I like fish thanks. " He watches them work together everyone knowing what to do and that they can count on the others. "You really are a team aren't you not just a family. "
"Of course we are how do you think we managed all these years just three of us?" She stretches and smiles.
After they all had eaten and the fire was safely out Celebi moves in front of the little group and gathers them up in a psychic grip as he draws them up and into the time stream with him leaving only quickly fading footprints behind.
