A/N: I'm back guys!

Chapter 2:

Settling In

I was a bit surprised to learn that the Zoroark elder was very kind and allowed me tell my story. At first I thought I would go through some extreme tests of initiation or something, but it just turned out that I only had to tell the full truth.

It was a bit odd, having to tell him that I was actually (or supposedly) a human, who woke up in the body of a Zorua, with no other memory of my human life besides my name and my Pokemon partner who was also a Zorua. I even told them how I was attacked by the Liepards, Zoroark saving me, and Audino looking after me until I had recovered. I could tell that the other Zorua and Zoroark were interested in my tale, but wasn't sure if they could believe the part of me being a human. But that doesn't their decision to believe it or not; everything was based on what the Elder decided.

When I was finished, the Elder looked at me for a long time, as if he was trying to look into my heart to see if I was really telling the truth. After some very long minutes, he eventually decided that my words were ture, and allowed me to stay with the pack for as long as I needed to. I should've known it would happen. And yet, I'm still relieved that I could stay.

The first thing I had to do once I was approved was to get myself acquainted with the other pack members. I figured that getting to know the adults first was top priority, since they had some authority over the younger ones like myself when it came to certain things. The females took a liking to me right away, especially one who had two pups of her own. The males acted indifferent towards me at first, so I decided to keep my distance until they warmed up to me after a while. And finally, I had to get myself acquainted with the Zorua pups...you could imagine how that went.

"Were you really a human?"

"What was it like?"

"Do you really have a human name?"

"Can we have names too?"

"Were the Liepards scary?"

"Did you die?"

Oh, story time's going to be so much fun, I could tell...I don't know how many times I had to keep explaining myself to the pups, but I lost count after four. I was so glad the adults were nice enough to get the pups to back down so I could take a quick breather. I managed to find this nice shaded spot near a tree and laid there for a while. Who knew talking could be so exhausting...

"Tired?" My ear twitched, and I looked up to see the Zoroark who saved my life (I could recognize him by his voice).

"A little," I admitted "I think my own story has been burned into my head...I've told it so many times now."

Zoroark laid down next to me, making sure to get under the shade himself. "...What will you do now?"

My ear twitched again. "Hmm?"

"Are you staying here or leaving?" I could tell he wasn't trying to be blunt, but it just ended up sounding that way.

"W-well, what choice do I really have?" I murmured, being slightly caught off guard from the question. "I don't know how to survive on my own, nor do I know where to go or who to seek out if I left...I have no choice but to stay here with you all." It was true; you already saw what happened with the Liepards, and that's just the beginning. There are so many wild Pokémon out there - some more dangerous than the Liepard pack - and since I'm not used to this body yet, I will most likely end up dead on the first night. On top of that, even if I did manage to get past the other Pokémon, I wouldn't know how to navigate through this forest. And it's hard to tell if there was a city or little town anywhere in the area, so I was screwed either way.

It was a harsh reality, but I'm fortunate enough to accept it.

"Understandable," Zoroark nodded "There are safety in numbers, and you still need to rest up from your last incident." He paused for a moment, clipping the blades of grass in front of him while looking thoughtful. "But you don't have to stay with us forever, though. I know you want to find answers as to why you are in your current state."

"I can only leave when - or if - I recover enough of my memory to know what or who I need to find to get my answers. But the odds of that happening are slim to none..." I yawned and stretched, and absent-mindedly climbed back into Zoroark's mane. I don't know why I had the urge to do that, but I could only guess that it was an instinct written into all Zorua when they're around their evolved species. Luckily for me, Zoroark didn't mind. Plus, it was really comfortable and warm in there. So comfortable in fact, that I actually started to nod off a bit. I haven't realized how tired I actually was until now. I can't necessarily count the first night since the only reason I fell asleep was for the simple fact that my body had to shut down in order to recover from my near-death experience. But this was an actual feeling of sleepiness. I felt so comfortable and safe with Zoroark - and the whole pack - to the point where I knew I could rest easy here. It's that same feeling you get when you're at home, tucked in your bed under the covers, feeling the warmth and security you feel when you're in your own home when getting ready for bed.

Home...What I would give to go back, or at least remember what it was like. I wonder if my parents were worried about me, if I had any friends or siblings who felt the same way, and how long I've been gone. If only I could remember who those people were and where they lived, so I could have an easier time discovering who I was back then. But that also brings up the question as to why I transformed into a Pokemon, and why my memory was wiped out in the process. Was it because the human Luna no longer exists in this world? Or is it something more?

Thinking about it wasn't going to help me, and I think my body knew that too. My mind became blurry as I dozed off, allowing myself to let go and succumb to sleep. And at least now I could safely say that I know I will be able to wake up the next day without fear.

. . .

"What is that creature doing in here?!"

"I...she was injured and I wanted to -"

"I don't care what excuse you have, take it back where you found it!"

"But Papa -"

"NOW!"

. . .

"Poke! Poke! Poke-poke-poke!"

"Urgh..."

"C'mon sleepyhead! It's morning!" Groaning, I slowly opened my left eye, only for it to burn slightly when I felt the sun's rays hit it. My internal clock was telling me that it was still early; probably six or seven, no less than eight in the morning. If it were up to me, I would've slept in, but that's hard to do when you have a kid poking and yelling in your ear. On top of that, I was in a middle of a dream (I think) when the kid decided to come by. So now I can't remember what it was about...Talk about annoying.

"Okay, okay...I'm up..." I mumbled, yawning and stretching before sitting up. My eyes had adjusted to the light, and I managed to open them, only to see one of the Zorua pups from yesterday. It was one of the younger males; he was no more than a few months old. I remember him because he was one of those pups who kept running around my feet (well, paws now) when I first came. He's very rambunctious and full of energy. On top of that, he had this habit of poking any and everything foreign. It was cute at first, but now it's getting a little irritating.

"Hi!" he squeaked "Let's play."

I made a face. "I just got up, so I don't really have the energy to -"

"RAWR!" The pup suddenly leapt at me and bit my ear, causing me to yelp and stand on all fours. It didn't hurt - it was no more than a little pinch - but he did it so suddenly that it caught me off guard. He started pulling at my ear while making slight growling noises, prompting me to grit my teeth and pull back. I was always up for a game of tug-o'-war, but not when one of my body parts has to serve as the object being tugged.

"Let go..!" I growled. The pup didn't hear me - or chose to ignore me - and kept tugging. Now I was getting really annoyed. I bared my teeth and prepared to give him a bite (just a nip on his paw or something to tell him I wasn't kidding around) of my own when I was finally saved from the pup's iron jaw.

"That's enough. Let her go." In an instant, the pup finally released my ear. Sighing, I rubbed it with my paw, making sure there weren't any scars or puncture wounds anywhere (which there weren't; the pup was too young to give me any major scars). Fortunately, there weren't, so I turned my attention back to the pup, who was looking slightly guilty. I looked over to see that one of the adult female Zoroark coming over. She was the mother with two pups who had taken a shine to me when I first arrived.

The pup's ears and tail fell as he nearly crawled over to his mother, who shot him a slight disapproving look before smiling at me.

"I'm very sorry if he disturbed you," she said calmly "He managed to slip away while I was taking care of his sister." As if on cue, another Zorua pup popped her head from her mother's mane, looking a bit drowsy herself. She yawned while her brother joined her in the crimson fur, but he remained hidden.

"It's okay," I say "he wasn't bothering me." Zoroark gave me another kind smile before she left with her pups to rejoin the other adults, leaving me alone.

Wait...I wasn't always alone. I was with Zoroark (I really need to consider giving them names) last night, right? Where did he go? And how the heck did I get out of his mane without realizing it? Did he move me?

I looked around the group hoping to spot him (I know he's smaller than the other adults), but it was difficult to distinguish him from the other pack members since all of them look the same. Besides his size, I knew his voice too, but I was too far away from the others to hear them directly. I didn't want to go over there and look for him myself since I wasn't entirely sure if the pack had accepted me or not. Then again, I didn't want to sit here looking awkward with nothing to do...I guess I could walk around and explore the area a bit and use it as an excuse...

I stretched one last time before getting up and started walking around. I found a few dens that belonged to the other pack members, the food storage, and the leader's den. Besides that, this place was pretty bland. I saw the pups playing with one another under their parents' watchful eyes just a few feet away. I made sure to keep my distance; don't get me wrong, I love kids, but not early in the morning.

"Awake, are you?"

"Huh?" I turned to see my Zoroark coming over. I felt my tail trying to wag in happiness, but I managed to fight it. Regardless, I was glad to see him again.

"Good to see that you're up," he says to me "I was looking for you."

I blinked. "Really? What for?"

"I have a few things to do out in the forest, but I wanted to know if you would like to come with me." I was going to jump on the opportunity immediately, but I didn't want to seem rude and just leave the pack since I just got here. I know I was going to regret this, but it was the right thing to do.

"Sorry, but I think I'm going to stay here," I told him "I want to get to know everyone more. Since I'm going to be staying here, I thought I should get myself acquainted with everyone..."

Zoroark nodded. "I understand. Getting to know about the other pack members is a must. But always remember that if you need anything, the Elder and myself will be here to assist you."

"I really appreciate everything you've done so far," I said softly "I just wish there was some way I can repay you..."

Zoroark chuckled lightly. "You don't need to. I was only doing what was right. Besides...if our places were swapped, I'm sure you would've done the same thing for me. Now, if you'll excuse me...I'll be off. Be back soon." And then he took off into the forest. Some of the other pack members watched him leave, or were completely oblivious to it. I figured that it was his daily job and it was of the norm around here, so I shrugged it off and started wandering around again.

As I walked around aimlessly, I took a subtle interest in the group of females and their pups near the middle. It looks like they were either babysitting or they were all together for a play-date. I felt more comfortable with the females than I did with the males - besides the Elder - so I decided to start with them first.

I was a little cautious on approaching them at first, but the adult females - and the pups - seemed to have welcomed my presence. I felt more confident and went over to them, and the pups immediately crowded around me and started sniffing at me. It got really uncomfortable, and I guess one of the mothers sensed that, so they called their pups back to them so they wouldn't bother me. The female from earlier was here too, and she apologized for the pups' behavior yet again. She's really nice; I like her a lot. She reminds me of my own mom...if that's what my mom acted like when I was a human. I hope she did.

"I'm not intruding, am I?" I asked them.

"Of course not, dear," one of them replied "You're more than welcome to come here anytime you like."

"Actually, we wanted to ask you a small favor..." another one said sheepishly. Oh boy...I could only imagine what this would be. "I really hope this isn't too much of a burden, but we were hoping that you could watch our little ones while we go out and forge for food."

So in other words, they're asking me to be a last-minute babysitter. Nice. "O-oh. That's not a problem; I love kids."

"We're so sorry to put this burden on you at such a short notice," a quieter female murmured. "But we're short handed when it comes to watching them all."

There's about ten of the little buggers; who would watch them? "There's no need to apologize. I'll be fine, I promise."

"Yaaay!" One of the smaller female pups started running around me like an excited Lilipup. "We're going to have lots of fun!" Soon all of the pups were crowding around me and yipping excitedly. The mothers gave me an apologetic look before they left to join the other foragers. I felt like I became a instant mom of a litter in five minutes.

I knew I was going to regret this...

E/N: Finally...finally updated this! Still can't believe there are some people out there who actually likes it. I like the concept myself, but I didn't think it would go well. I'll do my best to add the next chapters as quick as I can.