Chapter 1: Sylvan

"When time has nowhere to flow but forward, a new generation prospers. Bring new mysteries and settle old disputes. Let bygones be bygones."


Author's Note:

Edit: Hey guys! Just in case you've read this chapter before and you're confused by the sudden change of its content, I recently made a revision to the end of book 2 that fixes quite a few pacing issues that I felt were too big to ignore. The flashback that was formerly here has been moved to the chapter called "Control" and this chapter now serves as an intro to book 3. Sorry for any confusion this may have caused, but I was really struggling with damage control on this one. See ya next chapter!

- EMG


3 Years Later:

Bright pink eyes stared into mine, vibrant and alit with childlike joy. Occupying the rest of my vision were twists of green and yellow. Not to mention the occasional patch of adorable brown. What the heck am I talking about? The adorable face of my son of course!

The snivee in question and I were currently locked in a stubborn bout of staring. Two years old and I couldn't beat him once in a staring competition. If anything, he got my competitive spirit! Oh! And if you thought I made a typo, guess again. Things got even weirder. I didn't think it was possible, but nature found a way to combine a snivy and an eevee. Needless to say, we didn't get an answer from the doctor. Just a dropped jaw and a shrug. Anyway, you guys don't care about that.

His name's Sylvan. Cool name huh? He's a real cutie, honest. Oh yeah! He looks just like any normal snivy...if that snivy had patches of brown fur and big pointy eevee ears. Got the cream-colored neck fluff thingy too. Never could figure out what to call that. Mane? Maybe. The brown fur went down his arms. It covered those shoulder blade leaf things too. Come to think of it, the fur didn't go any lower than that. And if you think he ended up with an eevee nose...he did. Cute huh?

The little guy didn't seem to care about these oddities. Instead, he chose to laugh as I gave in and blinked. "I win!" He exclaimed jovially, celebrating with that smug look I knew all too well.

"Sure did!" I chuckled, hoisting the little one onto my back. I sighed. "Let's find your dad huh? I don't think I can take another loss today." The little rascal just snickered in response.

It had been three years since Alex and I decided to take a break from exploring and just relax. All of the stress from the time gear situation, Shade and zion (or magic for the unknowing in our group) had started to get in the way of our relationship, so we decided to take a pause...then that pause got longer. Not that it meant I hated exploring or anything. Quite the opposite. Sometimes you need a break on the way to the top. (Also, I tried leaving Sylvan with Mom for a day to go exploring and Ally got mad) As for the rest of the group, when they heard we were going on hiatus, they took it as an extended vacation and kept in touch.

"Mama? Can you finish your story while we walk?" The little one pleaded. I smiled back at him.

"Sure thing sweetie." The little guy loved hearing about my old adventures. I just didn't have the heart to tell him no. Plus, he really seemed interested in storytelling. I felt it was important to support his interests early on. "Pay attention now."


The Beach:

"And that's how time was fixed! And a lot of other things too..." I finished telling Sylvan my story just as we made it to the beach.

Sylvan giggled childishly. "That was an awesome story Mama!" He smiled.

I chuckled. "Was it now? Well just wait until you have your own adventures to tell. I bet those'll be way more awesome!" I smiled back. We made our way down the beach to the spot where I first met Alex. Sure enough, the snivy was there waiting for me. Lisa, now thirteen, sat next to him.

Alex smiled at me as Sylvan slid off my back, sitting between us. "Ready for our first family date?"

"You bet!"