Hissing, shouting, and the sounds of flesh tearing. Two bodies fall to the ground; one living, one not.
This is where Eraqus' story begins. Fourteen years he's lived in the Village of Eden - A small, quiet town in the middle of virtually nowhere in the eastern mid-western part of the region. In his younger days, Eraqus was carefree. An uncontrollable bundle of optimism and enthusiasm. He was the light of the village, some would say. But every light fades eventually, and Eraqus' time was when he had just turned fourteen.
It was a day as normal as any other. Eraqus snuck out of his house, wearing a small cloak that a friend had given him. Said friend was...A thief, yes. Said friend had also been training the Zangoose in stealth, but he'd never use it to steal...More than food. That was only when funds were low, too. In any case, stealing was not what the Zangoose was thinking about when he left. No, he was thinking of something he'd never done before now; leave the village. He was fourteen, now, he figured he was responsible enough! Basket in hand, the Zangoose set out to the forest outside to gather fruits and berries.
...This wasn't so bad. The forest was calm, quiet and peaceful. His basket was plenty full, and he was on his way back, now. The Eden was in sight!
Then, a sudden chill made him slow to a stop. Something was behind him. Curious as he was, he stopped to listen...
A Seviper, a slender, black shadow, crept along the ground behind the Zangoose. By the time Eraqus turned around, the serpent was on him. He blacked out, but he remembered a stinging pain in his neck and his right hand. He'd been bitten, bruised and slashed, and what he saw when he awoke horrified him.
Bruises, lacerations and bite marks dotted his body, but the most outstanding injury was what was on his neck. On the side of his neck, a large patch of fur melted away, as well as some flesh, leaving a horribly ugly scar. He'd been poisoned...But, how? His immunity should have kicked in. To this day, he has no way to explain it. There was blood on his claws as well. Had he fought back blindly? Did he kill someone...?
Traumatized by the event, Eraqus refused to leave his house for months afterwards. It wasn't until about a yea afterward that the next chapter in his life would begin.
It wouldn't be until years later that Eraqus would realize that that Seviper was a member of a dangerous group of Pokemon, who caught wind of his death. They promptly set out to seek their revenge. They wouldn't stop until Eraqus was found.
He awoke to fire.
The group had raided Eden, setting fire to every building and monument they could find. They attacked innocent Pokemon, killing many. Reha, Eraqus' older sister, rushed the younger Zangoose out of the house, where his parents were waiting.
But, something wasn't right. He saw something, from the corner of his eye. A shadow, zipping about the air just above the fires. A...Frogadier? As the family escaped, Reha in front and his father bringing up the rear to make sure they weren't being followed, the mysterious Pokemon fired something; knives. They landed with precision, square into Deo's - Eraqus' father's back. They stopped immediately when they heard him.
"Do not stop just for me! Go, now, while you can! I'll be fine!"
"Dad, no! I'm not leaving you!" Wrestling himself from Reha's grip, Eraqus raced over to the downed form of his father, while the Frogadier advanced. He glared up at the water type, the fire reflecting in his orange eyes.
The Frogadier said nothing, but raised a slender blade above the Zangoose's head. There was a...Sadistic aura about him. Suddenly, he was pulled away by the arm, his other reaching for his father. Everything went silent. He couldn't bear to see what came next, and he shut his eyes. His father was gone, as well as his old home.
He had no idea where the carriage was taking him. But he knew where he was going to take his family. Deo put his trust in him, he could feel it. He would have to buck up and become a man, because now, he was the only who could take care of his family.
Years would eventually pass. Well, two years, exactly. Two years of traveling, hardships, and the struggle to find a new place to live. When he was seventeen, he came across the desert. He'd been everywhere else he could think of. He'd heard stories of a grand city around a huge tree there. He had to see if the stories were true. Him, Reha, and Reala - Eraqus' mother, traveled deep west into the desert. On the brink of starvation, a miracle happened.
"Hey, stranger! You three, there! Are you in need of assistance!?" A Charmeleon, cloaked in a leather curiass with an iron short sword strapped to his side. Noctis was his name. He rescued them, and brought them to his home; Sand City.
There, they were housed, given food and shelter.
"So, Eraqus. What were you doing out there with your family all by yourselves?" Was the question he was asked. Eraqus told the Chesnaught everything. "Ohoh...Well, lad, I'm quite terribly sorry for your loss, and you have my deepest condolences. May you find better home here in Sand City. In fact...I have a proposition for you."
From there, he was offered a job. A job at the Guild. That Chesnaught was their Guildmaster, and he was offering him a job. Of course, he took it immediately. It would give him money to provide for his family, as well as a home for all of them. The Guild was big enough. A big, spacious tree...The tree! He'd found the city he was looking for! For the next two years, he worked as hard as he could, rising through the ranks to become the best guildmember he could possibly be. He wanted to do his father proud, wherever he may be. A scarf made by his mother wrapped around his neck; both a symbol of his bold, fiery nature, as well as to hide the scars of his past.