**This story is dedicated to my friend, JadedWarrior.**

The wind screamed wildly making the downward pour feel like needles against my face. The pain, however, was not physical. Being one with such mental control I wretched at the thought of someone catching me in such an unstable condition, at least I would if I could focus.

My mind swirled with memories of us playing together, running together, and being happy. Now, my heart was black. Black and cold. Cold and dead, just like him.

I nudged the cold wet corps in front of me as tears, masked by the rain, fell from my large empty eyes. The gem on my forehead grew dull from my lack on concentration. My ears hung low and my tail as still as the baby in front of me.

A low cry escaped my throat in a futile attempted to wake my kitten as if he were asleep. He was happy and healthy just hours ago.

While I was in the forest gathering berries the winds were telling me that something was wrong. However, even I couldn't predict what was to come. About half a second before I heard the cry I dropped the berries and ran as fast as I could. The cry finally reached my ears as my paws dug into the earth seeming to slow me down with every step. It wasn't until the cry cut off did the world around me slow. The insects seemed to be stuck in the air, the leaves on the trees were more still then my heart. When I finally arrived to the clearing the Swellow had my baby in its mouth. My eyes glinted and a fifth of a second later the Swellow lay on the ground dead, my baby still in its beak. His blood running form the bite marks on his throat and back. That's when the rain began to fall and my heart began to shatter.

How could I have not foreseen this? No matter how many times I ran the scenario in my mind, I could not find a way to get to him in time. I could never get to my baby. He was destined to die that day; just as I was destined to cry that night.

Destiny, however you look at it, is never inherently cruel. Destiny works one of two ways. Either something wonderful happens and an unrelated terrible event takes place, or, there is a terrible event followed by something wonderful; something so wonderful that it makes that one terrible thing no longer terrible. The fact that, that terrible event could go away was the only thing that allowed me to hear the crying that night.

"Mommy! Mommy!"

It was a human. I could never understand human speech but their minds were as easy to read as the pouring rain. I closed my eyes and turned from my dead kitten. I kept my head down as my tail began to twitch and the gem on my forehead turned bright red. I still couldn't focus. My mind kept returning to the body behind me.

"Mommy . . ."

The voice was getting weaker. It sounded like a child. I tried to focus and to my surprise, it was a child. He was cold, wet, scared, and lost.

I stood on all fours and giving my kitten one last glance, I sped off. I followed the sounds of the cries. His thoughts were only of one thing. His mother. He wanted her – no – needed her to be with him and she wasn't. The child was having the same thoughts as my kitten before he was murdered.

As panic struck my heart I dug my claws deeper into the muddy earth, pushing me faster.

Where was he? Why couldn't I find him? I couldn't let another die!

"Mommy?" The child spoke as I grew closer.

I pushed through the bushes and saw a sad muddy face looking around. The smell of saline revealed his tears. I gently stepped forward letting out a short sound; humans always seem to respond to sounds.

"Huh?" The little boy turned to face me and screamed, "Get away! Don't hurt me!" However, I could not understand him. All I knew was that he was terrified.

I sat down and closed my eyes. I brought our minds together and used Calm Mind. After a few seconds I could feel his mind relax.

"Are you going to hurt me, Kitty?" He was still scared of me.

I stood and approached him slowly. His body tensed and I sat back down.

After a long two minutes, the rain began to subside and the little boy ousted his hand. I touched my nose to the palm of his hand, taking in his scent at the same time. When he moved his hand to the top of my head a little bit of the pain in my heart reseeded.

"What kind of Pokémon are you?" The boy asked. I only understood one thing and that was Pokémon.

"Espeon!" I chimed my breed. As with all Pokémon the only thing humans could understand was our names or any variation of them. It was a sad truth but legend spoke of two powerful Pokémon who could communicate with humans. But that was only legend.

"You're an Espeon? I gotta ask Professor Oak about you. My name's Von!" His thoughts were happy and they warmed me. "But . . . mommy will be mad because I'm not home yet . . ." He was sad again, he wanted his mother.

I got to my feet and called to him. He looked down at me and I began to walk. I glanced back and saw that he was following. I knew of a human town near by. Hopefully the humans there could help this boy.

Once we arrived in the human town the child and I were instantly surrounded by people. I hissed at them and blocked them from Von, I couldn't let him get hurt. Something deep down was telling me to stay by his side.

"That's okay Espeon, that's my family!" He cheered his thoughts filled with joy. The woman in front of me was filled with both fear and relief. She was the boy's mother. I withdrew my claws and sat down besides the boy. He rubbed my head then ran into his mothers arms.

"Mommy! Mommy! That Espeon brought me back! I was lost and I didn't think . . ." Von was so happy to be with his mother again. I watched her withdraw a poke ball as she eyed me.

Was she going to attack me? I had done nothing wrong.

My eyes narrowed slightly and a growl escaped my throat and before my eyes a Starmie was standing in front of me. I prepared myself for battle but Von wiggled out of his mother's arms and stood in front of me.

"No mommy. He's nice!" He said as his mom tried to reach for him but he quickly grabbed onto me.

"I do believe you mean, She," A human dressed in white spoke as he approached us. I have never been around so many humans in one place before. It was unnerving. My ears twitched with every sound. This was all so new.

"So, it's a lady Espeon?" Von spoke snapping me out of my own thoughts.

"Yup, did you catch her?"

I wish I understood humans. I knew they were talking about me but I didn't know exactly what they were saying.

"No . . . Lady came to me."

Von couldn't be too old. Humans age a lot faster then Pokémon. He had to be around five or six human years.

"You've named her already?"

I felt him squeeze me.

"She's a lady so, her name is Lady!"

I watched the man in the white coat reach into his pocket and pull out a poke ball. I froze. Were they going to capture me?

"Well, Lady has to decide. She's a very powerful Pokémon. You can only catch her if she wants to be caught." The man said as he handed Von the ball.

Von released me and sat on his knees.

"Wanna be my friend, Lady?"

His thoughts were warm and reminded me so much of my kitten. It was still too soon to get close to anyone. I stood and turned around.

"I guess that's a, no." The man spoke.

I began to walk away but stopped when I heard the little boy cry. I turned around and without thinking I trotted over to him and tapped my nose against the poke ball.

Destiny doesn't give warnings. Not even the best psychics can't know their own destiny for sure. All I knew was that Von was now my kitten. He called me Lady and played with me everyday. I could feel the love returning to my broken heart. I would not let destiny take this kitten away from me. Nothing will take Von away from me.