The first sounds were the chirping Taillow, waiting for their mothers. Then, came the rough rustling of the grass as Rattata and Raticate ran about. The slight whoosh of the wings of Butterfree and Dustox could be heard above your head if you listened carefully. Yes. Yet another day had begun at Groomdusk village.
A young Eevee rose up from her warm hammock made out of fresh leaves, her ears pricked. The sound of Butterfrees' wings was always the one thing she heard most, despite everyone saying they couldn't hear any Butterfree at all. Some believed there weren't even Butterfree there to begin with. She would usually just shrug and keep her firm belief that they were there, and she heard them. Slowly creeping out of her hammock, which was placed strategically low so she wouldn't fall off a great distance in her sleep, she dropped down to the ground as quietly as she could. Being careful not to wake the other Eevee, she carefully opened the wooden door to the big tent.
Stepping out into the warm sun, she smiled as she let it envelop every inch of her bright brown fur. Ah, this is the life! She scanned her surroundings like she did every morning. Groomdusk was a small village that never changed much with the years. It was known for being one of the oldest Espeon village around. There were a few tents made of mostly wood and dried palm leaves from the trees on the area, each housing up to fifteen Eevee and Espeon. Her tent, however, was the only one with more Eevee than Espeon. Twitching her nose, she remembered she was wasting time thinking about the obvious. Without missing a beat, she hurried along the dirt path to the main square of the village.
It was a rustic little area, with pebbles covering the floor in the center. A medium-sized statue of a fierce-looking pokemon, not much taller than two full-grown Espeon, stood on the pebbles, with a small pond beneath it. She remembered her mother telling her once that it was a village tradition, that when two Espeon chose each other as mates, they should host a ceremony and perform the sacred ritual in front of the statue to get the sun's blessing. The young Eevee wondered what it would be like to meet her mate as Espeon.
"...Well,well! Look who we have here!" A hoarse voice sounded from behind her.
Excitedly, the Eevee spun around to greet one of the elders of the village. It was an old female Espeon by the name of Enainus. She quickly bowed in respect, as it was custom in the village.
"Lainym, why are you up so early today? Usually, we elders don't start coming until 6." She chuckled to herself and gestured to the stone sundial next to the statue, which was used to tell the time in the village. Another Espeon of around her same age approached them. Lainym recognized him as Enainus's mate, Gasath. Ever since she was an egg, Enainus and Gasath had cared for her in the moments her parents were too busy. She wasn't left alone a lot, it's just her parents had a lot of work to do, tending for the village and all, or so she had always been told by Enainus as she craddled the young Eevee in her front paws. Since her grandparents had already passed away before she was born, she liked to refer to Enainus as her grandmother. Lainym flashed a cheerful smile.
"Sorry, grandma! I guess I went to sleep earlier last night!"
Enainus smiled tenderly. "Just take care of yourself, little one. Remember, we are always here in case you have nightmares..." Lainym nodded, then remembered something important. Something from the night before. She proceeded to stare at Gasath expectantly. The elderly Espeon chuckled.
"Oh, I know you're curious, young Kricketot, but do you really want to hear another this early in the morning?"
Lainym pouted. "Come on grandpa, you promised!"
He tilted his dead down in defeat. "Alright, alright, let me think of one..." With slight difficulty, Gasath walked over to the pokemon statue at the center of the square and sat down next to it. Laynim padded over to him, followed by Enainus. Gasath's violet eyes shone with excitement. "Say, have you ever heard the legend of the Umbreon?"
Lainym tilted her head to one side. "'Umbreon'? What's that?"
Gasath chuckled. "Oh, this is a good one." He cleared his throat, and even with his voice weak and horse, he began.
"Ages ago, long, long before our time, Kricketot, the sun and the moon were in a fierce war. On one side, there were us, the creatures of light, Espeon. On the other... were the creatures of the shadows, our opposites... Umbreon. I believe you haven't seen an Umbreon before, even in our library's picture books. There used to be long ago, Kricketot, and I remember reading them, but then the elders of my time decided to take them away. Something about them being a bad influence? You see, Umbreon are the very embodiment of darkness. Their bodies are dark, with their eery red eyes staring, draining away everything-"
"Gasath! You'll scare the poor child!" Enainus glared at her mate from where she was standing near the statue.
Gasath turned to look at Lainym. The Eevee had a startled look on her face.
"Are Umbreon... really that evil?"
The elder male chuckled. "Oh, do not worry, Kricketot. No one has seen an Umbreon around for almost a century."
Lainym stared at the ground. "But even so... no one's ever left the village much to look for one." She gasped. "Could they... still be around?!"
"Hold on, let me finish."
Lainym sat down eagerly to listen to the rest of the story. Gasath cleared his old throat once more.
"Like I was saying, the Umbreon were our enemies in that bloody battle. They were seeking to gain control of this territory by force... So they could envelop it in their darkness. Of course, we as a tribe of Espeon who hold the power of the sun, could not let that happen. We fought, but their numbers were vast. We were going to lose the battle, we thought. There just weren't enough of us. Then, when we thought all was lost..."
Lainym started bouncing up and down excitedly. "What? What?"
Gasath chuckled and gestured for her to sit down with his paw. "Now, now, Kricketot, settle down. I'm just getting there." He sighed deeply, as if he was trying to remember. "...When all hope was lost, the great Solgaleo appeared before us. He destroyed the horde of Umbreon and saved us, and to this day we are thankful to Him."
Lainym grinned, her eyes shining. "The great Solgaleo... He was truly amazing!"
Gasath smiled and looked up at the big statue behind them. It looked like a large, pale Pyroar, but much more mighty and strong. "That statue... it was made before I was born, before my parents and before my grandparents. It was to honour the great Solgaleo. He is our savior."
Lainym looked at her paws. "...But then, where does Arceus come in?"
Gasath ruffled the fur on the top of her head. "You will son catch up to that on your religion studies, Kricketot." Lainym smiled at him as Enainus observed them, her tail moving in the air.
"Nym! What are you doing?!" A voice shouted from afar. Lainym, already used to this situation, stood up immediately, her ears perked. Another Eevee about her own age came running up to her. Lainym's muscles relaxed as she recognized her best friend.
"Oh, hi Caidea..." She attempted to smile, but the other Eevee was too fast and was already pushing her forward.
"I've been looking all over for you! Come on, we'll be late for the lessons!" Caidea struggled as pushed her friend forward, who wasn't really moving at all.
Lainym's eyes widened as she processed what Caidea had just said. "Ah!" She turned to her foster grandparents. "Bye-bye! I gotta go to my lessons!"
Enainus smiled tenderly. "Goodbye, little one."
Gasath chuckled. "We'll be seeing you, then!"
As the two Eevee ran out of sight toward the large tent at the back of the village, Gasath grunted with pleasure as he stretched his front paws. "Ah... Let's go back, my paws are killing me..."
Enainus chuckled. "It seems in some time it probably will kill you if you keep going out on nightly walks to the food stock!"
As the morning went by slowly, it seemed nothing could go wrong. Life was peaceful and monotonous, and that was good, Lainym was told. It avoided any unnecessary interaction with the outside world, they kept their traditions and cultures together, and it was just generally easier. Soon, another generation would be born and the cycle would start again. And again. And again. That's how it was in their village, Lainym was told, and that was how it would ever be. Still, Lainym couldn't help but feel, deep within her, that something was coming.
Maybe not now. Maybe in a long time. But it was coming, and it would shake the village, their beliefs, and hers down to their very core.