Chapter Two
Fog surrounded Arric, he could not see any further than three feet in front of him. The mist coiled around him and no matter what direction he looked, he saw only darkness.
"Hello!"
Arrics' voice rang out into the cold darkness and he listened with baited breath for an answer. Nothing. He could not decide which direction to head. He could smell nothing, the ground beneath his paws felt like solid stone, not an ounce of grass to tickle his toes. He began walking forward to try and see if he could find anything in this place. Arric could not remember how he even got here. He had only opened his eyes and found himself here.
"Is anyone here?"
Again his voice rang out and a low growl answered. A cold feeling began to crawl its way up his spine, sending the fur all over his body to stand on end and he stopped dead in his tracks.
"Tak?" Arric called.
The growl grew louder and he could hear the dragging steps of something large in the darkness. He could suddenly feel the massive creature, shrouded in shadows where Arric could not even catch a glimpse of him. Its presence filled the atmosphere around him. Claws scraped against stone as it drew closer, the growl growing in a snarl, deep inside the creature's throat. Arric turned on his heels and ran, his heart hammering in his chest. He had to get away, anywhere than where that creatures was.
"Arric!"
The creatures roar thundered in his ears as if it were right behind him. Arric screamed, willing his legs to go faster but they felt like he was trudging through mud. The darkness began to envelop him, closing in on him. His chest felt like it was being squeezed and every breath become harder and harder to take in.
"Arric! Wake up!"
Suddenly confused, Arric turned to face the creature but his legs did not want to work and he stumbled, falling to the ground and waking with a start. His fur was slick with sweat and his heart still pounded in his chest. Arric looked around him and saw that he was back at the clearing, the morning sun poking its rays through the tree tops.
"Arric!"
The sound of his name made him jump and he looked up from the ground to find Vesper, the Flareon Tribe Leader, glaring down at him. His fur coat coloured like the blaze on an inferno, Arric could almost feel the heat from the colour itself.
"Yes Master Vesper?"
Arric rubbed the sleep from his eyes, his head still groggy from the nightmare but was pleased that he had been awoken before the horrid creature had gotten to him. Stretching out, Arric watched as Vesper sighed angrily, leaning on the cool bark of the tree next to him. His amber eyes blazed with a fury that Arric had come to know was its usual look, whether he was angry or content. Vesper, crossed his arms across his chest, his thick bushy tail, a much lighter shade of red, twitched with agitation.
"I didn't bring you into this tribe to give it a bad name boy." Vespers voice dripped with anger.
Arric dropped his gaze to the forest floor below. Vespers' mate had found him alone in the forest as a child, no recollection of where he came from. She brought him back and convinced Vesper to take him into the Flareon Tribe and Vesper has not let him forget since.
"I understand Master Vesper." His gaze and voice still low, "What is it that you wish from me?"
Vesper raised an eyebrow before striding over to Arric and placing a hand on his shoulder. His touch was warm like most Flareon, a natural fire blazing inside them. The Flareon stood a full two heads taller than him and compared to him, Vesper was a mountain of a Pokemon, with wide shoulders, thick legs and a well-muscled body from a hard days labour.
"I would have figured after all Lea and I had done for you, you would have considered pledging for Flareon. I understand it is a choice you have to make yet…." Vesper sighed, letting his voice trail off and his arm drop. Turning away he started to walk off, "You are to take the other five to the Flareon Territory by tonight. See that you do."
Arric nodded as he watched the Flareon leave, balling his hands into fists. It was not his fault he did not know which Tribe to pledge too. None felt right, he had not even been to any of the other territories a plan Arric suspected was for him to pledge Flareon because he knew no better. Turning on his heel he headed out of the clearing and towards where the other five were preparing themselves for the journey ahead. He found that they had already been up for a while waiting for him. Arric felt his cheeks burn red but he shook himself before addressing the group.
"Alright, are we ready to leave?"
Grace bounced over to him, her eyes sparkling with enthusiasm and the others made their way over. Arric nodded and faced towards the tall mountains where the Flareon Territory was and began walking with the others following.
"So we are headed to Flareon Territory first?" Quin piped from the back of the pack.
Arric looked over his shoulder at him. The small Eevee clutched to his pack with a white knuckled grip and Arric could tell that he was not used to travelling, let alone across the continent from territory to territory.
"That is where Master Vesper told me to take you so I would assume so. He wants us to get there by nightfall, so the pace will have to be a bit quick. Are you alright to do that?"
Quin nodded and quickened his pace to walk next to Grace, who smiled warmly at him. Tak took place beside Arric while Hannah and Bree took up the rear. Arric looked over at Tak and noticed that he was slightly taller, had much darker brown fur and his eyes were golden. He never seemed to have an expression other than calm content and Arric assumed it was the Umbreon influence. They were known to be cold and expressionless, preferring the night to day.
"I heard Master Vesper grumbling to Master Lycia about you last night."
Arric winced and then shrugged, "I'm a disappointment to the Flareon Tribe, tell me something I don't know."
Tak glanced at him with a questioning look, "Master Lycia assured him you would make the decision best for you. Her views on you are surprisingly positive."
"Well I appreciate it."
He shrugged and left Arric with his thoughts. The group made it halfway towards Flareon Territory before breaking for lunch at a nearby stream. The forest was becoming sparser as they headed towards the mountains and the air was becoming more dry and hot. Together they ate the fruits they found in the forest before leaving, sitting on the cool grass to rest. Grace and Hannah were cooling their feet in the small stream, while the others sat nearby.
"Does anyone know which tribes we will be seeing in order?" Hannah asked as she kicked gently in the water. Her light tanned mane had been decorated with feathers and beads, twisted into the hair that draped her face.
"I think it is Flareon, Vaporeon, Glaceon, Leafeon, Jolteon, Umbreon, Sylveon and finally Espeon." Arric answered, remembering Vespers numerous lectures on the small pilgrimage they were to take before the Evolution Ritual.
Grace groaned and flopped herself on her back in the grass, "Why do we even need to go on this trip anyway? We already know who we are pledging for."
"Not everyone." Quin glanced nervously at Arric.
Grace propped herself up on her elbow facing towards Arric. He ignored her questioning looks as he munched on an apple.
"Well? Why don't you know who you are pledging for?"
Arric shook his head, finishing his apple before looking at her sideways and shrugging. She puffed her cheeks pouting and plopped back on her back again. "We could save ourselves a trip and skip visiting the Sylveon Tribe. We all know no one here is going to pick that."
Arric raised his brow in surprise, Tak snorted his disgust and Hannah whirled on Grace, "First it's tradition and second that is very disrespectful to Quin."
Everyone glanced at Quin who visibly shrunk back smaller than he could ever look, opening and closing his mouth finding something to say. Grace looked apologetic towards him, "I'm sorry Quin. I just thought since you were pledging Vaporeon, it would be less stressful for you to get the trip over and done with. I know travelling doesn't sit well with you."
Hannah scoffed angrily, "You are only pressuring him because you want him to join Vaporeon, you can't do that."
"You're one to talk Hannah." Bree chided.
Hannah glared at Bree, "Come on Bree, you know Jolteon is the best, you live there! They are strong, fast, powerful, why else would you want to pick anyone else, especially Vaporeon. What is so great about being able to swim and breathe underwater when you have the power of the sky at your fingertips?"
Arric and Tak gave each other an awkward glance but refused to say anything. Quin wished the ground would just swallow him up. Grace huffed loudly, "Vaporeon are strong, and they command the oceans, lakes and rivers. We are calm under pressure and contribute food to the other tribes willingly! What does Jolteon do? They bully and hide away and are nothing but troublemakers!"
Bree, Hannah and Grace argue further until finally Bree stands up, her fists shaking in anger at her sides. She points at Hannah, hackles raised, "I am sick to death of you and Master Volke pushing me to pledge Jolteon!" She quickly points to Grace, "You have no right to push a pledge on anyone, especially not me or Quin! Maybe I want to be something else but it is my choice. I'll pledge for whoever I want and I'll be darned if you two are going to convince me otherwise!"
She stormed off a small way from the group and sat by the stream, crossing her arms across her knees and plopping down her head. Hannah looked down at the water sadly and fell silent. Grace rolled over to face her back to the group and the three boys finished their meal in silence. Arric finally stood and brushed his hands on his legs.
"I think it's time to get going if we are really going to make it before nightfall."
Tak, Quin, Grace and Hannah gathered their things while Arric walked over to Bree. Her face slightly damp from tears and she sniffs, wiping her face as Arric approaches.
"For what it's worth Bree, the fact that you want to choose something you want is admirable."
Bree smiled up at Arric, stood and shook her fur out before joining the group. They continued on in silence with Bree walking beside Arric, Hannah with Tak followed by Grace and Quin. They followed the stream towards the mountain, each one of them lost in their own thoughts.
Arric leads them across the stream and up a small path that started to make its way up the mountains. The path began to get steeper and rockier, little vegetation could be found and by the time they reached the peak of the small mountain, the group is out of breath.
"How far is this village Arric?" Hannah asked between breaths.
The sun has started to set and Arric groaned to himself, knowing they probably would not be making it by nightfall. "At least a few more hours. Come on."
Carefully he leads them down the other side as the air around them starts to heat up, making their effects even harder, their fur sleek with sweat, throats dry from the air.
Night falls as they round the bend and Arric can hear the sounds of his home village up ahead. Quickening his pace he takes the group through a small archway that signals the entrance to the village. Huts and small buildings made of stone and wood line small walking paths in the canyon of the mountain. The walls of the canyon reaching high up into the sky, small paths leading to ledges and small buildings can be seen built into the sides of the canyon above. Flareon of all shapes and sizes can be seen busying themselves with their nightly rituals, lighting fires, cooking, chatting with each other. Their blazing coats range from the deepest scarlet to the brightest oranges. It was like a sunset moving across the village. They stared as Arric lead them along the main path towards Vespers' home.
"You guys live in a canyon?" Quin asked with awe, his eyes wide as he took in the ledges that surrounded them.
Arric pointed to the houses that were built into the sides of the canyon ledges, "Most of the buildings up there are where Flareon live and more communal areas are down here, to accommodate for visitors."
They passed a large kitchen area with many stone tables and chairs lined under the shade of a veranda for where crowds could sit and eat. The smells of cooked meals wafting out and making their mouths water. Arric lead them down a smaller path and they soon came to Vespers' home. A large building made of stone and wood, a small chimney jutting from the roof. Lea and Vesper greeted them as they arrived, a warm smile spread across Leas' face as she hugged each of them. Her large body enveloping Quin in a tight embrace, "Oh this one is so tiny and adorable Vesper!"
Vesper shakes his head as Quin pried himself away from the large Flareon female, looking dazed and clapped Arric on the shoulder, "You actually made it at nightfall. I was expecting you in the morning."
He sized up the six of them critically before spreading his arms, his voice booming with a large grin on his muzzle, "Welcome to the Flareon Tribe!"