A young Starly stared longingly at the wispy white clouds and deep blue sky ahead of her. Her mother was overprotective of her, and wouldn't allow the young Flying-type to go out for more than half an hour on her own. She turned to reenter their home, a small hole hollowed out of a tree, and shook her mother awake.
"Luna... What is it?" she mumbled, struggling to keep her eyes open. Her daughter was certainly a much earlier riser than she was, though she was used to this by now.
"Ma! You're awake! Can I go flying?" Luna gave her mother a big grin, stretching her wings a bit to show off how they'd grown. Her wings were much more rounded than most Starly's, and the entire top part of her beak was slate gray. Her mother adjusted her pinkish orange, glossy headband, and nodded in consent. The Starly's eyes lit up as she fluttered around the Staraptor, her soft brown eyes sparkling with glee.
"Just don't go too far, love," Luna's mother called as the young Starling Pokémon ascended through the canopy of the forest.
Luna flew over their forest, watching everything going on below her. In not too long, she would have to leave her home in search of a flock, but she tried not to think about that. She instead let her mind clear as the breeze rippled through her feathers. Eyes closed, she shifted her wings for easier gliding.
As she settled in for a nice, long flight, Luna's eyes snapped open as she heard a small call for help. She dove towards the source, curiosity getting the best of her, and found a small quadruped Pokémon stuck under a fallen tree. He was clearly panicking, and couldn't get anything coherent out, but he gestured wildly at the large trunk that was smashing him. Luna immediately began pushing at the immense prison, but no matter what she did, it wouldn't succumb to her one foot tall frame. She frowned, thinking, when an idea struck her. She took a few steps back, narrowing her eyes, and charged towards the tree with a powerful Tackle. The tree finally rolled off of the poor Bite Pokémon, who immediately stood and shook himself off. He grinned at his slightly shorter savoir.
"Thanks! I'm Peter, Poochyena. Do you live around here?"
"Luna, Starly," she nodded. "I live about a fifteen minute flight from here, in the Wilderbrook part of the forest." Peter nodded.
"That's a pretty good part of the forest. Not that this isn't, but it gets pretty dangerous at night," he shivered.
"Wha? Why's that?" It had never occurred to the young Starly to put a word such as dangerous on her precious forest, but she was never out at night, and wouldn't know. Peter was a Dark-type, though, and was likely partially nocturnal, so she assumed that he knew this first-hand.
"It wasn't always this way, but in the past few months, a hoard of Shuppet have been terrorizing anyone who wanders too far from their home after nightfall," the young Poochyena explained in his best spooky story voice. "As the moon rises and the sun falls, you see their eyes- Blue. Indigo. Yellow. They peek out from behind trees when your back is turned, closer... Closer... Closer... Until BANG!" He jumped at Luna, causing her to flutter a good three feet into the air. "They tower over you and suck away all of your emotions!"
Luna landed, her fear replaced by doubt. "Sounds like a story your mother made up to keep you from wandering too far," she chided. Peter shook his head vigorously.
"I've seen them, though! They're real!" He whipped his tail against the ground in agitation.
Luna laughed. "Well, if you insist. Hey what kinds of games do Poochyena play? I don't know many other Pokémon my age." The dark gray hound grinned.
"They're not games a toothless bird like you could enjoy," he laughed. "But there are some universal games I know- Hide and seek!" Peter was surprised at Luna's dumbfounded stare. "You... Don't know how to play? It's easy! One Pokémon counts to ten while the others hide, and then he tries to find them!"
The two played until well after Luna's curfew, Peter beating her by a landslide, having scent on his side. They were both nothing but smiles and giggles, though, until he noticed the sun beginning to dip towards the horizon. He rolled out of their Tackle-based playfight, leaving Luna standing triumphantly over him. "Luna, I have to go-" He was interrupted by a howl in the distance. He sighed. "That's my mom, looking for me," he explained before howling back.
A few moments later, a sleek Mightyena stepped into the clearing. "Peter! I was wondering where you were, you were supposed to be home over an hour ago!" She noticed Luna and tilted her head. "Who's this?"
Luna bowed her head in apology. "I'm Luna, Starly. Sorry if I kept him out too late," she mumbled, tensing as she remembered her own mother. The Mightyena gave her son a hug and smiled at the young Starling Pokémon.
"No, dear, you're fine. Would you like to stay the night at our home? It's much closer," she offered. "I can contact your mother when we get there," the older Bite Pokémon added, noticing the young Flying-type's hesitation.
Luna grinned and looked over at Peter, who nodded excitedly, before agreeing. "I've never had a sleepover!"
"That's because you've never had any friends," the Poochyena smiled, giving her a playful shove. The three made their way to a comfy little den, and the two friends quickly got comfortable on the grass beds while Peter's mother, after asking Luna where she lived, bounded off to speak to the Staraptor.
"Tell me more about the forest," Luna said as she began preening herself in preparation for bed. Peter thought for a moment.
"It used to be a very safe place," he began. "I would spend hours at night watching the moon, speaking with the Hoothoot, and sometimes my rival, a Meowth named Jex with darker fur than the rest of his species. We both share that defect, so I guess that's why we singled each other out," he laughed. Luna showed no intentions of going to sleep until he was done speaking, so he decided to get to what he knew she was curious about. "Well, like I said earlier, it began a few months ago. I was out, basking in the starlight, when Mom howled for me to return home. Of course I stalled, wanting to prolong the moment, when a Shuppet popped out of nowhere." He shuddered.
"Did it attack you?" Luna asked, but Peter laughed at the worry in her eyes.
"Of course it did, but I fled before the ghost managed to hit me with its freakish Knock Off. Run Away does come in handy sometimes," he grinned. It faded slightly when he noticed Luna's worried expression. "Hey, what's up?"
"If you had been born with Quick Feet, you might not have gotten home."
"But I did."
"Other Pokémon were not- and won't be- as lucky. Peter, we have to do something about this!" She stood, frustration surging through her small body. "I can't, we can't just sit here and do nothing while those awful Puppet Pokémon roam freely through your home!"
Peter put a paw on her shoulder, keeping her from flying out of the den recklessly. "Luna, look. You're a low-level, one-foot tall, unevolved Starly who's lived most of her life sheltered in a tree." He looked into her dark brown eyes, daring her to protest. When she indignantly stayed silent, he continued, "I understand you wanting to do something, but you can't do it alone."
"Then I'll form a Rescue Team!" she cried, pulling away from the Poochyena. Just as she was about to dive for the exit, Peter's mother returned, a reddish burn on her shoulder. Peter was beside her in an instant, demanding to know what had happened.
"My, you're just as protective as your father was," she sighed. "I got hit by a Shuppet's Will-O-Wisp, nothing to worry about. It'll heal in a few days."
Luna fluttered her wings angrily, and stormed out of the den. "I'll do it, Peter! Watch me!"
The Poochyena and his mother glanced at each other as the young Starling Pokémon flew into the rising sun.
A/N
Hello! This is my first fanfiction, as well as the first thing I've written in a few months (At least). Because of that, I realize my writing may be a bit rusty right now... Any (constructive) criticism is highly appreciated!
I'll try to update this as often as I can, and as soon as I find my tablet pen, I'll be making a cover for it. Sorry this chapter is so short, I'm going to try to make them at least twice this long in the future.
This was originally going to be a webcomic (Found at prtd dot smackjeeves dot com), but that kind of failed as the format didn't exactly work out for me.
I'm not exactly sure about what category or rating to put this at, as I'm not entirely sure the details of what's to come, but I think I guessed about right.