A/N: Before you start, I should give you a heads up. This story contains a male human x male Zoroark pairing so if that isn't within your tastes I advise you do not read it. I can't force you to read it, nor can I force you to not read it, but I wouldn't want you to waste your time reading about something you don't like.

If some things don't make sense, it would be a good idea to read Zoroark's chapter in my Unova guide before or after this story, so you can answer any questions you might have.

If you're still happy to continue, please enjoy!

Walking. That's what Zane had been doing for at least four hours now. Nevertheless he still adamantly trudged through the forest; trying to ignore the sense of exhaustion that cried from his weary legs. If his legs were sentient beings Zane was certain they would be assaulting his ears with a slew of profanities and pleas to rest.

But he couldn't rest yet, not until he'd left this forest. This forest was where people vanished often, sometimes never to be seen again. It should have been a comforting fact that corpses were never discovered near this forest, but the pertinent lack of evidence only unnerved Zane even more. At the sprightly age of 19 and with a promising career as a Pokémon professor on the horizon, he had no desire in being taken from the world of life just yet.

Zane paused for just a moment to fumble with his backpack, which slid off his tired shoulders and landed with a thump onto the layer of leaves coating the ground. Zane angrily swiped away the cloud of dust that kicked up in response as he reached into the confines of his backpack. He shunted his empty water bottle and last smidgen of chocolate aside, once again trying to ignore the fact that his vital resources had run low. From the very base of the bag Zane pulled out a small device, something that even a young child would recognize. With a flick of his wrist he snapped its lid open, biting his lip anxiously as the power light lazily flicked to life.

'Pokenav operational. Where do you wish to go?'

"Waypoint One, home." Even though there was not a single soul present, Zane still did his best to prevent his soft voice from wavering in anticipation.

'ERROR. Unable to find 'Waypoint One'. Unable to find current location. Current coodinates defy laws of physics. Battery at 4%. Shutting down…'

With a single bleep the Pokenav died, his final hope of escaping relatively quickly now gone. With an admittedly girly roar he rose his arm and threw the pokenav back into his backback, not caring if the blasted thing shattered into a million pieces. For his entire duration in this forest it had repeated the same words over and over again in that apathetic, monotonous voice. Each time signifying just how bad the situation was becoming.

With a sigh he threw his backpack onto his shoulder and continued on with his aimless wander. It occurred to Zane that perhaps this was his punishment for straying from his daily routine in the most obscene fashion possible. Every day for years now Zane had kept to his strict day-to-day schedule; Getting up, attending class, eating meals, going to sleep, it all occurred at the same time each day. After all, a diligent professor like he wished to become must be punctual and professional!

He had to walk past Lostlorn Forest every day to make it to college and thus he had become quite acquainted with its ominous fringe; but he had never bothered to go any closer than he needed to. It wasn't that he was scared of the forest, heavens no. Stopping to dilly-dally among a clump of trees like that would interfere with his schedule, something he could not allow. But today had been the last day of the semester and for once he realised he would have much more spare than on his hands than usual. For just this one day he had decided to probe just a little deeper into the forest as he walked back home, his natural curiosity overriding his sense of order just this once. When he became a professor he wanted to specialize in habitual observation so wandering around forests would become a commonplace thing in his future. For now he was considering this little deviation a 'warm-up' for what was to come.

But this one little deviation might have just cost him his life. For this whole time the scenery had not changed in the slightest, it was as though he was walking in an infinite loop; doomed to collapse in exhaustion due to his own futile attempts. He was out of water and his only remaining food was that bar of chocolate his teacher had given him. Even though his stomach was rumbling in hunger he didn't want to eat it in case he needed to spend the night here, a possibility that was steadily increasing.

Suddenly Zane cried out in alarm as something snagged on his foot, causing him to stumble forward and collapse in a heap on the ground. Instinctually he rolled over and awkwardly scrambled to his feet, ready to fend off whatever Pokémon that was after his blood. But to his surprise there were no bloodthirsty Pokémon present. In fact he wasn't under attack at all; he had merely stumbled over a car tyre sitting next to a large orange rock, coated in vines and moss.

After the ringing alarms of panic had worn off in his head Zane stooped closer to examine the cause of his fall. His soft brown eyes widened in realisation as it occurred to him, this was no orange rock, it was a rusty old car!

You couldn't blame him for mistaking it for a rock. Thick springy moss had heavily coated the base of the vehicle giving the illusion that it was one with the ground, and wide ropy vines crisscrossed haphazardly along the roof and sides, concealing any evidence of the item's true nature. In fact the forest had been so successful at its attempts to destroy this foreign object that you might not have even noticed it among the dark greenery at all.

Timidly Zane reached out and swept some vines to the side and leant in through the driver window, ready to leap out should some upset Pokémon still live within. The sun had just begun its gradual descent past the horizon, causing the fading sunset to filter golden light through the tears in the metal frame. Dust motes stirred by the human's invasion spiralled mid-air as though they were rejoicing this sudden gift of flight. As he carefully scanned the interior of the vehicle Zane nodded as his suspicions had been confirmed. The entire thing had been gutted, leaving only a sole chair and the rusting skeleton behind. It was evident that someone had purposely taken it all apart while the car had still been here, but considering the natural growth eating at the car that must've been a long time ago.

A less observant person would have left the marvel at that and continued on their way, but a single small detail caught Zane's attention. At the very centre of the single seat sat a suspicious pile of Oran berries, sitting there as though someone had placed them there on purpose. Was this some Pokémon's house? If so he should get out of here before-

A sudden swishing behind Zane made him whirl around in panic, but it was too late. Two unimaginably powerful and furry paws snatched his wrists and slammed them against the ancient vehicle, pinning him to the spot. Futilely he kicked madly against his captor in a desperate struggle to escape from this untimely demise, but it was no use. With blinding speed his attacker struck his chest, making him double over as he gasped for air.

Realising his fate had been sealed, Zane looked up with one pleading look to see who would be the one to end his life. Staring back at him were two light blue eyes, narrowed in hostility.

"You shouldn't be here, human." The Zoroark growled in a low tone.

"I'm sorry! I got lost! And now I can't find my way out of here!" The panicking human wailed as he sunk his head in submission. A Zoroark. Form what he'd heard they were highly territorial and a possible reason as to why people went missing. He was certain he wouldn't be leaving here alive.

Wordlessly the Zoroark pulled him away from the rusted remains and held him suspended in the air, flashing his sharp eyes up and down the trembling human's body just once before fixing him with another serious gaze.

"Do you have any Pokémon on you?" Even though it spoke in a serious tone, Zane could readily sense that there was no amount of hostility within it. It was almost as though the Zoroark was treating this as some sort of normal routine.

"Po-Pokémon? No! I've never had a single one! I never hurt a Pokémon either!"

The Illusion Fox dropped the startled human to the ground and slipped the backpack of his back. With one swish he emptied its contents out onto the ground and began to examine its variable contents. At that moment Zane was now presented with the opportunity to flee. If he wanted to he could leave his items with the Pokémon and flee as far as he could, screaming for help all the way. Granted the Zoroark would probably pounce on him in a heartbeat and end his life right then, so that might not have been the wisest decision. But something at the back of Zane's mind gave him the impression that this Pokémon meant him no harm.

He had been telling the truth when he said he had never owned a Pokémon. At the age of ten his parents refused to let him leave the house with a 'lethal variable' and from then on an opportunity to have his own Pokémon never presented itself. Perhaps that's why he was trying so hard to become a professor, so he could always be surrounded by the many fascinating species in the world? But even though he'd never had his own, his friends sure did. And Zane had become quite accustomed to observing them battle against wild Pokémon.

It was always the same scenario. They would be walking harmlessly through nature, upon when a wild Pokémon would leap out in the way and obstruct their path, its body tensed for battle and a feisty glint it its eyes. Understandably there is a plethora of reasons as to why a wild Pokémon would attack a human, but regardless of the cause it always came with the same result.

It was true that the Zoroark had leapt upon him, and at first it was tensed for battle with a serious glint in its eye, but the similarities between Zoroark and a typical Pokémon ended there. Any other Pokémon would have attacked him while they had the chance, but this Zoroark had only asked him a question before stopping to examine his items… was he being robbed?

Quietly Zane got up onto his feet and stared warily at the busy Zoroark. It sniffed at the empty water bottle before dropping it again, then picking up a biology textbook and flicking through the pages. In the other paw it picked up the dead Pokenav and opened it immediately, frowning with frustration when the power button failed to work. It may have been a hallucination, but Zane suspected that Zoroark might have understood that it was no longer working.

"U-Um, excuse me?" The human called out timidly, regretting the unwanted attention he was drawing to himself. In response the Zoroark paused its search and looked up at him, the tense frame of its body prepared for battle if need be.

"Yes?"

"A-Are you stealing from me? What are you doing?" The human continued, shifting on his feet in uncertainty. The Zoroark scowled at him in anger before returning to his search, this time at a quicker pace.

"Of course not! A Zoroark would never steal! I'm checking you items to see if you have any weapons or hazardous substances." After completing its 'search' and hopefully being satisfied with the result it began filling the bag with its contents, now dirtied by the forest floor.

"Um… You can talk…" Zane muttered again, realising with shock that he'd been conversing with a talking Pokémon just now. If he survived this debacle something like this would make him famous among professors! This would get him the scholarship for sure!

The Zoroark looked up at him and to the boy's surprise he flashed a toothy grin.

"Of course I can! Every Pokémon can speak. If you are meaning that I can speak in human tongue, you shouldn't be surprised. There are plenty of Zoroark that can speak in human." With that he tossed the bag back to the human, who fumbled clumsily with his trembling hands to pick the bag back up. With his items returned the human glanced up at the waiting Zoroark, frightened yet curious about what was going to happen now.

"Like I said, you shouldn't be here. Humans are not welcome here." The Zoroark glanced up at the sky causing Zane to follow his gaze. The sun had now slipped past the horizon, and it was becoming notably darker each second.

"If it were still daytime I would return you to the fringe of the forest, but now it is too late to leave. Our curfew is now up and not a single soul may enter or leave the forest until dawn." The Zoroark looked back at the human, not a single trace of hostility remaining in its powerful gaze.

"Come. You may rest for the night at our village, and we will return you in the morning. You shall not be harmed at any stage, I can assure you." With that the Zoroark turned away from him and indicated for him to follow. "Of course we are not forcing you to comply; you may stay here on your own if you wish. But there are dangerous creatures within this area, and I am certain you will not survive. Follow me if you value your life."

The Zoroark began walking in the opposite direction and in the dusky light it was already difficult to see him disappearing among the trees. Zane paused in uncertainly for just a moment before sprinting after the Pokémon. Zoroark payed him no attention as the human caught up, gasping for breath hastily. Zane sneaked a glance at the Pokémon strolling beside him, examining its body properly for the first time.

He had only seen Zoroark in pictures, but this specimen looked exactly the way they had been depicted in all the dusty books he had read over the years. It had a long, slender body coated in thick, soft grayish-brown fur. While it was quite sleek and stuck close to the body of Pokémon itself, it looked like the kind of fur you could cuddle with forever. It had evidently powerful legs that took each step swiftly yet gracefully, almost serenely if you thought hard enough. It's thin yet muscly arms swayed gently at its side as it briskly went along, the sharp claws at their ends twitching occasionally. In the dim light Zane wasn't certain what they were made of, but it was certainly sharp. But not a sort of wicked sharp, it was an almost soft and gentle sort of sharp. They were kind of claws you could hold without fearing injury, but in battle would prove to be certainly lethal. Was this the result of gradual evolution?

Zane couldn't help but let his eyes be drawn to Zoroark's massive mane, which bounced lively with each step. The way it characteristically swished side to side gave the impression that it was a sentiment thing, dancingly joyfully as it kept up with its owner. If Zane were any younger he'd be tempted to tug on it, or run his fingers through it at the very least.

Zoroark unexpectedly glanced at the human and frowned in confusion, before looking back ahead again.

"You've been examining my body very thoroughly for quite some time now. What's the matter? Are you trying to evaluate how dangerous I am? I've already informed you that I have no interest in hurting you."

Zane broke his gaze away from the curious Pokémon and stared at his feet as he trudged awkwardly along. Truthfully he was grateful that it had become so dark, otherwise Zoroark would have seen how furiously red his face had become.

"Oh, no! Not at all! I'm just curious is all…" He muttered shyly. Even in the darkness he could see the Zoroark's white teeth glint in the darkness as it chuckled to itself.

"Ah, that is understandable. From a human's perspective we are a very rare species, aren't we? Sorry for misunderstanding." Zane was taken aback for a moment when a realisation dawned upon him; Zoroark's voice had changed almost completely! Back at the rusted car its voice had been gruff and tense, like thick wire being pulled taunt. But now its voice was soft, smooth and gentle, in fact it was almost feminine!

"Um… Zoroark? Are you male or female?"

Again Zoroark looked at him, but this time with genuine surprise. Zane was getting the impression that Zoroark had been either astounded or severely offended by this relatively harmless question.

"W-What are you playing at, human? Of course I'm male! Female Zoroark are rarer than gold!" The fox shook its head before carrying onwards.

"Sorry! I didn't mean to offend you! It's hard to tell a Pokémon's gender straight away, and I was just curious!" The human cried out. Instinctually he gripped his bag in fear of this powerful Pokémon's wrath.

"Curiosity killed the Purrloin they say. But I'm not offended in the slightest; I was just taken aback by such an unexpected question." The Zoroark flashed the human another slight smile before disappearing up ahead. Zane hadn't noticed it until now, but the trees were gradually becoming closer and closer together. Back during the daytime there would have been at least a metre between each of the tall proud trees, but now there was scarcely four feet between each trunk and he was finding himself having to squeeze between each trunk. The witless human gasped as his bag became snagged on a dead branch, throwing down to the ground. For a moment he lay down on the ground, inhaling the sweet scent of decaying leaves. Up ahead he could hear the crunching footsteps of the Zoroark grow distant as he disappeared up ahead.

Fear set itself deep into Zane as he pulled himself back up to his feet and realised he couldn't see an inch in front of him. Timidly he reached out and felt the rough bark of a tree in front of him, searching for a way to move around it. But past that tree was another one, and another one… As he nervously shuffled forward the trunks seemed to merge together, becoming a solid wall of living wood. Was this an illusion? Had he gone blind? Did that Zoroark lead him to a trap with the intention of killing him?

The panicking boy blindly gripped a tree in fear and held on for dear life. So long as he stayed here and didn't move, things would turn out as favourably as they could. For the first time since he found that old vehicle he contemplated just what was happening to him. Here he was, the most promising student in his class, cowering in the dark confines of Lostlorn Forest. If he had just ignored that single deviant thought and gone home like any other day, he could be at home right now studying for college, while being reminded by his parents how worthless he is…

His parents…

They weren't even his real parents. They were simply the people who took him in after his real parents decided that science was more important than their own so-

A paw suddenly resting on Zane's shoulder made him scream out loud in surprise. In response the paw softened its grip on his shoulder and became almost kindly in nature.

"You fell behind. Are you having trouble keeping up?" The tone of Zoroark's voice was soft and, if Zane listened carefully, might have contained a trace of concern.

"Y-yes, It's too dark for me to see anymore…"

"Ah, my mistake. I forgot humans do not have the strong eyesight that we Zoroark do, please forgive me for my error." With those words Zane suddenly felt something furry enter his hand. "Here, please hold my paw. That way we cannot get separated." Zoroark continued. Zane shivered slightly as Zoroark took his paw in his hand and interlocked their fingers; forming a tight grip that could not be broken. It was so furry and warm that it surprised Zane that something could feel so… nice. Is this why he always saw young children cuddling their Lillipup and Purrloin in public?

With Zoroark firmly holding his hand Zane had no trouble following and keeping up with his rescuer. The lack of space between the trees forced them to keep their bodies close, almost rubbing against each other. On multiple occasions Zane was pulled close enough to get a whiff of Zoroark's natural scent. To his surprise it wasn't a nasty smell like he had anticipated; in fact it was quite lovely. Zoroark smelt fresh and clean, but not 'fresh and clean' like the artificial perfumes and deodorants humans coat themselves in; but actually fresh and clean, it could be compared to how a woodland forest would smell on a spring morning after rainfall. In comparison humans would smell like filthy, sweaty beasts of burden. An unexpected pang of embarrassment shot through Zane; could he possibly smell that appalling to Zoroark?

"Um… The forest has been thick for quite some time now… Where are we going?" Zane asked his guide quietly. Zoroark keep his gaze focused ahead as he answered the boy's question.

"We are heading into the deep centre of the forest, where our villages are found. That sparse area with the vehicle that I encountered you at was only the fringe of the forest itself."

"E-eh? You mean I spent all those hours of walking right by the fringe?"

"Indeed. I had been watching you for a while before I intervened. If you had turned to the right and walked for about ten minutes you would have found yourself back on the path that lead to the human lands." Zoroark spoke matter-of-factly, as if being dragged by Zoroark into the deepest, darkest area of a forest with no supplies and no chance of getting help was a normal thing for humans to do.

"But I walked to the right! I walked in every direction! None of that helped!" Zane wailed, being entirely aware of how whiny he must appear to the Pokémon present.

"I am aware, and I must apologize for something in relation to that. Do you know what powers we Zoroark and our offspring possess?" Zoroark enquired.

"Of course, Pokémon abilities class 101. Zoroark and Zorua have the ability to weave illusions to deceive anyone they wish…" Zane trailed off, realising the reason he was in this situation. Taking Zane's silence as an indication he wasn't going to finish his response, Zoroark filled in the details for him.

"That is correct. You see, nearly all Zoroark stay well away from the edge of the forest and remain hidden deep within our villages, where humans will never wander far enough to find us. It wouldn't matter if they did, because our villages are hidden by layers of illusions anyway. The only Zoroark that go near the perimeter of the forest are scouts and guards, such as myself." Zoroark paused to sneeze and then apologize hurriedly, before continuing his story.

"But the Zorua, who are young and energetic, love to play near the fringe of the forest. They have a deep fascination with humans and thus they try their absolute best to lure humans into the forest, so they may use their illusion abilities to trap them there for as long as they like. And there you have it, the Zorua have secured a new playmate for the day."

"Ah, so that's why I couldn't find my way out…" Zane muttered shamefully, suddenly feeling much more inferior to the Pokémon beside him.

"It couldn't be helped. Although even I was surprised that you didn't hear or see those young Zorua at least once, especially when they put that pile of Oran berries in the human car right in front of your nose." Zoroark chuckled ever so slightly at the last remark, making Zane's face blaze beet red once again. To save face he desperately began to steer the conversation away from his own incompetence.

"You said something about a curfew… what's that about? And why did you suddenly help me like this?"

"Once the sun slips past the horizon and night begins, an illusionary barrier is erected within the forest, surrounding the whole perimeter. Unlike most of our illusions which are mere tricks of the eye and ears, this is both a proper physical and magical barrier. Once erected, no living thing may enter or exit the forest. This way the Zoroark villages do not have to worry about being invaded at night." Zoroark paused to scrape something off his footpaw in disgust before proceeding the take Zane along.

"But unfortunately thanks to those naughty Zorua, sometimes humans become trapped here during the night. We Zoroark rule the majority of the forest, but there are still Pokémon scum who would happily prey on a defenceless human. Zoroark are a peaceful species and human are not our enemies; thus we cannot allow one to become threated while within our territory. Therefore, any guards or scouts that find a human within the forest after the curfew has begun will take it back to their village, where the human will be kept safe for the night."

Zane was stunned. Up until this moment Pokémon, to him, had been nothing more than stupid creatures that did their master's bidding. The fact that a species could have such an organized routine similar to his own challenged everything he had thought about Pokémon, and quite frankly it unnerved him.

"So that's why you…"

"Indeed. It was too late to return you to the fringe of the forest by the time I intervened, so I had no choice to do what I am doing right now. I am also terribly sorry for hurting you like that straight away. But I had to make sure that you didn't have any Pokémon or weapons on you before returning to our homelands. There have been incidents where humans have gotten lost on purpose, only so they can be brought back to our homes to try and capture us for whatever cruel reason they had in mind. Due to their wicked intentions we have no choice but to ensure that every human we rescue is harmless beforehand."

Even though he had done nothing wrong Zane still felt terrible. For all this time he had regarded Zoroark as a threat, something that would eventually cost him his life. Not only was he the one saving Zane, but he had also considered Zane to be the real threat! He wondered if every wild Pokémon felt the same way as Zoroark.

Almost in an instant an orange light appeared up ahead in the distance, as though it had come from nowhere. Since every other direction was pitch black it was the only thing that was noticeable. Zoroark began to pick up the pace and in response the light drew closer and brighter with each step. Finally they were just a few metres away from the source of the light and it was now bright enough to see Zoroark's face again. Up ahead Zane could see some sort of tall wooden fencing blocking off whatever was on the other side. From what Zane could see it was made of dead and dry branches all tied together with vines. Within the fence was just one archway, the source of the very bright light was flickering from through there. But before moving any closer Zoroark stopped and looked the human boy straight in the eye.

"Just beyond this fence lies my home village. I can assure you now that no one will intend you any harm and you will be treated as one of our own for your whole time here. But please don't be surprised if everyone stares at you or makes a fuss, our particular village is not used to human presence and we haven't had a human here in at least a century. Now, come."

Zoroark indicated for him to follow, but Zane remained where he was and pulled Zoroark back towards him. Now it was his turn to look the confused Zoroark in the eye.

"Um… Zoroark… I want to say thanks for rescuing me and everything… I think I'd be dead otherwise… You're a really sweet guy…" In an instant Zoroark twisted his head around to face the other way, as though Zane had just slapped him across the maw. For a moment Zoroark stayed that way, awkwardly twisted away from the startled boy, before shyly turning back. To Zane's confusion and amazement Zoroark was blushing, quite severely too.

"It… is not something that requires gratitude… it is merely a part of my-" Zane thoughtlessly reached out and grabbed Zoroark's' other paw and interlocked his fingers with his own; causing Zoroark to jump at the sudden intimate gesture.

"No, I really mean it Zoroark. All my life no one has ever shown interest or even payed attention to my existence at all, so the fact that you've worked so hard just for my sake… it makes me so happy." Upon hearing those words Zoroark sighed shakily and stood back with a clumsy little half-step. For his entire time with the human Zoroark had stared straight into his eyes whenever they had been talking, but now he found himself unable to hold his gaze for ever a second, his eyes instead flitting about nervously as they tried to avoid the human' enticing gaze.

Zane himself was slightly confused. He was aware that his sudden gesture of gratitude was a spur-of-the-moment thing, but he did not expect such a gregarious response from the normally placid Zoroark. In just seconds he had gone from a serious and competent village guard to a shy and bashful boy. Why did that one sentence invoke such an emotional reaction from an otherwise sombre Pokémon? For just a few moments both of them stood there in the dim light while Zoroark shuffled timidly, thinking of something to say. Realising they both still had their hands interlocked, he broke the contact before scurrying over to the archway, speaking just once sentence before disappearing through it.

"P-Please come."

With the surprise of Zoroark's coy reaction wearing off, Zane took one deep sigh before following him through the archway.