The Poochyena does not do much these days but reminisce. The gravesite has long since been abandoned, the last of its souls put to rest, and the last of those who remember the souls buried here have moved on themselves. Still she remains, guarding and waiting, holding on to their stories.
Sometimes, the souls come back for a visit. They are bound to the graveyard, but she takes good care of it for them, and maybe,, depending on who it is, they'll share a new story and tell her how they're doing. She likes those visits in particular- they're all her pups, in a way, and she loves enjoys hearing from them.
Still, no matter how much she longs to know, she learned not to go digging for stories a long while ago. She had been young and foolish and she hadn't quite realized the power stories held-hold- quite yet. She knows now not to poke but to wait, and she is good at waiting.
And often but not quite always, the stories do come to her. There are many kinds of souls, but all the ones she has met have wanted to be listened do, to be remembered, and so eventually they come and share.
She's good at remembering. It's all she ever does anymore, really; even the Pokemon never come around anymore, kept away by tales they were told as pups of the blue-eyed demon haunting the graveyard. She's- flattered, almost, by it, and occasionally she wonders idly who told that tale first and why. Not that it matters, in the end, but something in her still wants to know.
It's not that she is unwelcoming. She has never- could never- turn away a soul who means no harm, and this bright-eyed little pup is of course no exception.
They're a bit frightened of her at first. Everybody is. But then they look up at her and decide, in that way only a pup can, to trust her, and she has long since forgotten the word for the feeling that rises up in her chest.
They tell her they're called Dusty. They ask her name and when she replies that she has none, look...upset, of all things. "I'll call you Reimi," they tell her, and she has been called many names (Storyteller, Watchman, Many-Eyed One, Listener) but she decides that she likes this one best.
They sit there together in silence for awhile, but eventually they ask for a story, their eyes sparkling. And, the Poochyena thinks, it has been awhile since she's been able to tell a proper story. They are meant to be told, she thinks, and she knows the souls will not mind.
"...They are not all happy," she says at last.
"That's alright," the pup replies. "Sometimes, those are the best."
A/N: I may continue this with either stories for canon characters or OCs? Still, this chapter works fine as a standalone! May edit later.
