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My eyes snapped open as the aftershocks of a nightmare flooded my mind. I jumped out of my bed and tried to shake off the cold shivers I was getting from leaving my bedroom window open. I leaned against my bed and ran my hands over my face. My god! What kind of a nightmare was that?! I thought. For the past few weeks I had been plagued with nightmares. They were small, just not as bad as this one.
Then I heard a rustling behind me. I jumped and turned around to face my window. It was just a tree brushing up against the window. I glanced up at the sky; a major storm was brewing out there. I shivered again but didn't close my window. I glanced over at my nightstand. It was only one a.m. God dammit! Why couldn't the dream wake me up later?! I glanced over at my other nightstand and saw my sketchpad and a couple of pencils. I grumbled. Well I'm not going to be going to sleep anytime soon... I slipped a sweatshirt on over my tank and put on running shoes. I checked the soles to make sure the grip was still good and grab my messenger bag. I slipped my sketchpad in along with a pencil, some lead, and two erasers. I also took an energy bar and a bottle of water since I had no idea how long I'd be out.
I pulled back my hair, grab my cell, and two poke balls, and stepped onto the edge of my window. I jumped. Caught the branch of a nearby tree and swung myself out and tumbled to the ground and started out at a brisk jog. Soon I started sprinting up one trunk and into the branches. I immediately felt at home within the small canopy; jumping through the branches, feeling them give way under me. The reason why I was in Alamos Town was because of the Space-Time Tower Annual Climb and the parkour competition. So yeah, I am a part-time climber and part-time parkour athlete.
Travelled a lot, with my little Metal Mouse named Met and my Cyndaquill as companions. Soon I found myself within the infamous garden. I jumped a little further till I found a tree that could keep most the of the wind away from me. I swung myself onto one of the lower branches and dropped down onto the ground. I dug out my sketchpad and pencil and flipped to a blank page. I placed the tip of the pencil on the page and paused. Art block... Damn.
I couldn't even try drawing the bizarre dream I had. I bit the tip of the eraser and scrunched up my eyes trying to think of at least something to draw. Anything. I threw my head back up against the tree and sat there; just sat and listened to the wind blow through the trees. I didn't know how long I sat there but something caused me to jump out of the slight doze I was in. I looked around. All I could hear was the wind through the trees. Then, there it was. A groan, like that of a wounded animal.
Adrenaline pumped through me as I quickly packed my stuff and got up. I then tried to track the noise as I ventured deeper into the garden. I had forgotten how big it was. I looked back and tried to keep track of where I was going. I shook my head and thought, Doesn't matter right now. What I can do is climb one of the trees and find the main path and head on from there. I strained my ears whenever I lost the noise in the wind. The wind began to really pick up when I found the source.
Underneath a tree, a large, black, rippling shape had nestled itself beside the trunk. I couldn't get a good look at it but from what I could tell, it was unlike anything I had ever seen before. I quickly lightened my footsteps to try to get a better look but stopped when I saw a small dark crimson puddle on the ground. My hand flew up to my mouth to stifle a sudden gasp that was about to escape. Whatever it was, it was hurt. I should help it. But how? I bit my lip and glanced around. Nobody else besides me was out. Crap! I looked down on the ground, and as if placed there for this occasion, there was a stick. Great. I slumped my shoulders and closed my eyes as I took one step forward. CRACK! The snap seemed to echo throughout the garden. The figure by the tree jumped and made an effort to turn and rise but whatever wound that was inflicted kept it from doing so.
Um... "Hello?" I called out somewhat softly, "Are you okay?" I began to edge myself around to the front of the tree. I kneeled down and crouch-walked over. When I was able to get a good look, I fell back onto the ground. What I was staring at was one of the legendary creatures. Darkrai. As if he could hear me, Darkrai opened one blue eye and stared at me. For a moment, all we really could do was stare at each other. Suddenly, Darkrai winced and turned away from me. It seemed like he was cradling the arm that was facing me. I dropped onto my hands and took about as close a look as he would allow me. There was a deep gash on the one arm that was facing me and several cuts on his chest.
I sat back on my legs and rummaged around in my bag till I found a pocket knife which I had left in my bag from a previous climb a couple weeks ago. Darkrai moved slightly as I unsheathed the knife. I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye. I set the knife down and shrugged out of my sweatshirt. For some reason, Darkrai seemed fearful or worried. Like he was afraid I would harm him. I figure I should say something. I sighed. "I'm not going to hurt you," I told him. He watched me warily as I laid out my sweatshirt on the ground and glanced back at the gash on his arm. I sized up the wound and estimated the length I would need to cut from my sweatshirt.
I carefully began to cut the sleeve and as soon as I finished, I pulled out my bottle of water and faced Darkrai. "Hey," I said softly. I was kind of afraid he'd attack me or fade away. "Look, I'm gonna try to help you but I need you to relax. I mean, how could a girl my size hurt some big, badass fellow like you?" I laughed and he seemed to relax just a little. I scooted a little closer and tentatively reached for Darkrai's injured arm. He gave it to me and I gently rinsed it with some water. I used a spare piece of fabric from my sweatshirt to wipe off the excess blood and water. Then, I reached for the piece of cloth that I would use for bandaging.
"This may hurt a little," I warned him. Darkrai appeared to tense almost imperceptibly as I began to wrap the cloth around his injury. Then, as gently as I could manage, I began to tie the knot. I quickly tightened it to staunch any blood that may come out later. I let go and Darkrai relaxed a little after the pain from the knot ebbed away. "You okay?" I asked him. He nodded slightly. I motioned to his bloody chest. "May I...?" Darkrai repositioned himself so I could clean him. I could feel him watching me as I dabbed at his wounds. "Should I even ask how you got these cuts?" I asked as I paused in cleaning and looked at Darkrai. He looked away for a moment, as if not exactly eager in sharing his ghastly story.
"Okay," I shrugged, "I get the message. You're not eager to tell me." Probably shouldn't push the subject. I went back to work. It continued like this for a few awkward minutes. "There," I said when I finished. I then grabbed another piece of cloth and dried him off. I reached into my bag and took out my two poke balls. I activated them and Met and Cyndaquill popped out. "Met, could you deploy a protective healing shield around us and have the shield take the brunt of the storm? Cyndaquill? Could you light a small fire to keep us warm and maintain it?" I asked. The two set to their tasks. Suddenly, a light blue shield surrounded us and blueish-white particles floated down. These would help speed up Darkrai's recovery process.
I felt heat at my back and turned around to see Cyndaquill light a small fire. While this was going on, Darkrai watched on curiously. "What are you doing?" he asked me. I stopped and looked at him. Did he just...? It was the first time he'd spoken to me. "Well, did you think I would just leave you here in this vulnerable state?" I asked him. "I don't know," he replied.
Cyndaquill laid next to fire and dozed off. Met climbed into one of the branches above us. I got up and stretched for a moment before sitting a couple inches away from Darkrai under the tree. The storm had picked up and raged all around us but it was peaceful inside the shield.
The fire swayed, tossing light into previously darkened spaces as a slight breeze penetrated the shield. I shivered as the cold current passed over me. Mind you, all I was in was a tank shirt and sweat bottoms. I had lain what was left of my sweatshirt on Darkrai, figuring he might get cold. I must have zoned out for a little while because I jumped slightly when I felt something bump up against me. I looked down and Darkrai was leaning against me. My eyes widened in surprised. My guess was that he must have seen that I was cold and offered his warmth. I smiled slightly and scooted a little closer. When I looked at Darkrai again, he was asleep. Go figure. It seems like Mister Prince of darkness needs sleep too, I thought. As gently as I could, I dug out my sketchpad and pencil.
The night passed without incident.
When dawn approached, I woke to a stiff back. I grimaced and stretched my arms over my head. At my feet, both Met and Cyndaquill were asleep still. Something bumped into my left shoulder and I looked down. Darkrai's head was resting on my shoulder. I smiled and suppressed a laugh. I laid my head back against the tree and closed my eyes as the sun began to warm my skin.
About an hour or so passed when I felt Darkrai stir against me. I slightly opened my eyes and watched him. He seemed to have fully recovered. The shield that Met had deployed earlier this morning had disappeared. I had expected Darkrai to vanish since it must have looked like I was still asleep.
He didn't. Darkrai waited until I fully woke up. I cracked my back and stretched. I looked over at him as he was watching me. "Yay! You stayed!" I exclaimed. A soft sound escaped him. I cocked my head to one side. The sound was low and musical. Is he...? He's laughing! I thought. Darkrai was actually laughing. "Did you think I would leave you in such a vulnerable state?" he asked. I began to laugh as I realized he was asking me the same question I had asked. "I guess not," I laughed.
I motioned for him to come over to me so I could undo his bandage and examine his wound. He floated over to me and I undid the knot. I set the bloody fabric on the ground and examined his arm. It was fully healed. I glanced at his chest; the cuts were gone as well. And no scars remained. "Looks like you're good," I told him. He nodded. A breeze blew through trees and it made him bob slightly since he was floating. Paper rustled behind me and I turned around in time to see it flipped to a piece I was working earlier this morning.
Darkrai got curious and floated over. He reached down and picked up my sketchbook. I got up and walked over to him. The piece I was working on was one of him when he had fallen asleep on me. "I couldn't resist," I told him and my face turned deep red. "Before I came to the garden, a nightmare had scared the hell out of me and woke me up. I couldn't go back to sleep, so I decided that a early morning run would do me some good," I began, "I reached the garden and sat down under a tree and tried drawing. But, I ended up having an art block." I paused for a moment when Darkrai looked at me funny. "When you can't draw anything for awhile," I explained, "It's temporary, as you can see," and I motioned to the my sketchbook.
"Anyway, I found you and when you... fell asleep on me, I got my inspiration," I concluded. Darkrai nodded and handed me my sketchbook. "Thank you," he told me. "Hey! Anytime!" I replied.