My Clandestine
BY PDOTL
Meowth breathed out shallowly, the paranoia eating away at him. He had wandered off the road and started his escape among the tall grasses. It was relatively quiet, but every Pokemon call had him jumping and looking over his shoulder. It felt like at any moment he could be found by the Rockets and dragged back to Persian's clutches.
But he pushed on, thinking of the sea route that lay just beyond this route. With any luck he could find a boat to slip on without notice and get off at the next port. After that, he didn't know what he would do. But he was Meowth and he could get through any situation.
The sun sat high above and sent golden sunbeams directly to Meowth's unprotected back. Without fur to cover his skin, sunburn was inevitable, and without water, dehydration was too. Meowth stopped and looked up, shielding his eyes with his hand. There wasn't a cloud in the sky.
"My luck sucks," he muttered before looking down at the ground.
His mind said go, but his legs said no. So he plopped down and laid his head against the ground. He lay there for hours, letting his exhausted body recover and the occasional breeze caress him as day went by.
The sun was just a few hours away from setting when suddenly the grasses rustled around Meowth and his eyes shot open. He was up in a second; tense where he stood, listening closely to hear where it was coming from. Just as he was about to bolt to his left, the grasses parted slightly in front of him and a Spearow strutted into the picture, lightly fluttering its wings. Meowth relaxed his body and let his fists swing back to his side. A relieved laugh passed from his lips and he let out a sigh.
"Only a stupid little Spearow. Nothing to worry about." He continued his chuckles as the Spearow glared in annoyance.
Meowth stopped mid-laugh and looked down at the Spearow, his eyebrows furrowed.
"What you lookin' at, shortie," Meowth asked irately before tilting his head back to laugh again. The sunshine caught his coin and it flashed a brilliant molten gold. The Spearow's eyes widened and followed the shiny object. Meowth stopped and frowned at the strange look on the Pokemon's feathery face. The bird started walking forward, fluttering its wings to hover upward. Meowth grunted and swatted it down, grinning mischievously as the bird fell to the ground with hard thunk, kicking up dust and coughing. If Meowth had still had a tail, it would have been swishing side to side at the moment.
"Finally someone who's feeling some of the pain I've been through the last few weeks," Meowth thought bitterly. The Spearow sneezed and coughed as the dust invaded its senses. Then came the raucous calls mixed in with the coughs and sneezes.
Meowth grimaced and covered his ears to the noises the bird was making. It sounded like it was choking.
"Would you shut up already," Meowth yelled before kicking the ball of feathers out of his eyesight and into the grasses. For a few minutes the calling continued until they finally just ceased. Meowth waited, then finally let go of his black furry ears.
"Yeesh, now that that's finally over, it's time to move on," Meowth said before turning around.
"Cawww. Cawww."
Meowth stopped and looked over his shoulder, "What the hell was th-"
"Bam." Meowth was sent hurdling backwards by a blow from a feathery blob. Meowth glared and spat out some feather.
"What the hell?!" He looked up and was met by a crowd of black beady eyes. A gang of Spearows was watching his every move, above, a Fearow was circling, cawing angrily and looking down its beak at him.
The feline humanoid paled and his eyes grew two times its size. "I'm in so much trouble," he muttered right before the Fearow dived. Meowth just barely dodged a Drill Peck that snagged and ripped his T-shirt. Unfortunately, he was not able to dodge the peck attacks the Spearows orchestrated simultaneously.
It was like a thousand needles were piercing him, only bigger and more ruthless. The Fearow ascended again and started circling once more, Meowth noted absently as he tried to swat away the many birds that were determined to break his rib cage open.
"Damnit, you stupid birds. Damn you, Persian. Damn you, Giovanni. Damn you all," Meowth yelled angrily, he was starting to tear up as breath started to become harder to draw.
And just like that the Spearows hopped off him and backed up, watching maliciously, but all the same backing off. Meowth breathed out a sigh and let a smile play peacefully on his face as the wind decided to pick up and play with his bangs. Then he looked up at the shadow that blocked the afternoon sun and froze. Above he could see the Fearow from before diving down at him, talons poised for one hell of a Fury Attack. Like prey captivated by an Arbok's stare, Meowth watched, helplessly still as the Fearow's sharp claws came closer and closer.
"Koffing, Smokescreen." A putrid black smoke covered the sky and Meowth lost sight of his attacker. His heart started beating again and his wounds started to throb. "James," he whispered hopefully as he lay. Above, the air started to clear, but before the clear blue of the sky could reveal itself, the enraged visage of Persian flooded his eyesight.
"You, little ungrateful rodent," Persian seethed before he kicked Meowth's side, sending the hybrid into the brush.
"I should have left you to be killed by these mangy birds. It would be a proper fate for such a stupid,"
Meowth winced,
" fucking moronic inbred disgrace for a living being I have ever seen," Persian calmly intoned. To Meowth it sounded like he was screaming. Persian stared at Meowth for a moment before snarling a grabbing the smaller humanoid by the shoulders, lifting him up and pushing him to walk. Meowth stumbled a few steps, but was grabbed by the arm before he could take a stable step. Persian's nails bit into his abused flesh, but he stayed quiet and looked down at the ground in front of him, numbed by the near fatal incident that would have occurred.
"Persian-sama, we captured the Fearow and as many Spearows as were left," one minion informed and gestured toward a small pile of Pokeballs. Meowth looked at the pile and felt a deep-rooted hate boil beneath the surface of his skin. If he never saw a Spearow or a Fearow again in his life, it would be too soon.
Persian eyed them wearily and sighed. "Transfer them to headquarters when we get back to Vermillion. I truly have no desire to see any Spearow for a while. This whole fiasco is to be forgotten. None of this ever happened," Persian addressed the whole group, ending with a sweeping glare just for measure.
"Yes, sir," several goons replied. Once the Rockets started to file out, presumably towards the road, Persian turned to Meowth and tightened his grip. Meowth looked up and got caught in the fire brewing behind the amber eyes. He looked like he was about to say something, but instead he started to drag Meowth after the dark-suited humans, not even glancing back to see the younger one stumble along. Behind them, the sun began to set, washing its hands of the day's activities.
"You don't have to drag me anymore, I'll walk, geez. There's really nowhere to run anyway," Meowth growled stubbornly, trying to wrestle out of the older one's grip.
And he was right. There really was nowhere to go. They were currently in the most lavish hotel in Vermillion. The hall they were taking to the presidential suite was carpeted with a thick forest green rug and had renaissance paintings hanging every few feet on either side of the wall. Meowth stared at one. They looked almost like the ones that Jessie and James and him used to steal before the twerp came along. Meowth wilted and unknowingly stopped struggling. Those were the days… stealing what they could and camping out under the stars, so much better than this.
"Stay there," Persian said as he pushed the Meowth onto the bed. Meowth hissed as his aching body collided with the firm mattress. "You could try to be a little gentler," Meowth grumbled quietly, adjusting so that his face was not smooshed into the heavy comforter.
"Would you like to say that again, a little louder? Or have you forgotten that I still have superior hearing?" Persian snarled, slowly approaching with every word. Meowth bit his tongue and looked sideways at his foe. In the dark, he could only see his outline and the glowing catlike amber eyes.
Persian stopped and formed a malicious grin. "Do you have something to say? Little boy."
Meowth's eyes faltered and he slowly settled down, deeper into the mattress.
Persian smirked. "That's right, just give up. You should get used to that from now on."
Meowth glared and snorted, barely muffled as he snuggled into the downy pillows. He was shocked out of his light slumber by the nails scraping at the back of his neck. He looked up and stared into Persian's cold eyes.
"I'd appreciate," his nails scraped down Meowth's cheek, leaving a bleeding trail, "Some respect from the miserable creature I saved twice in the past two days."
"I wouldn't have had to be saved the second time if it wasn't for you," Meowth thought sullenly, making sure to keep his face blank.
Persian pulled back and examined the other's face. The silver eyes looked dull and the pale brown hair looked white in the moonlight that crept through the curtain. The younger humanoid showed no emotion on his face, and the mark he left kept bleeding. He stood.
"Get some sleep, little Nyasu. Tomorrow we go back to business. We are behind schedule because of you." Meowth blinked silently, until Persian pushed him down and walked away, sighing in annoyance. He looked back as Meowth slid the comforter up to his neck.
"Don't move from there. You leave, and I will know," Persian said, eyes glowing eerily before he exited the room.
Meowth sighed and let himself relax again. His cheek was still bleeding, but he was too tired to deal with it. Time went by, and Meowth's eyes drifted closed but sleep did not take over.
Hours later, still awake, Meowth heard the door open and creak closed slowly. Muffled footsteps approached the bed, and he tried to even out his breathing, faking sleep. The footsteps stopped at his side and hovered there for a few moments before moving to the other side of the bed. The mattress dipped and Meowth tensed up.
"Go to sleep already," Persian's voice rumbled tiredly, a few inches away from Meowth's left ear. The younger boy nodded once and relaxed, turning on his side and giving up to slumber.
Next to him, Persian looked at him with sleepy drooping eyes. He breathed one last stress-laden sigh and followed Meowth to dreamland.
A/N: It has been a while, but it's summer and as I have just gotten back from a trip in Europe I've been trying to keep myself occupied.
Really it was the reviews that did it. I might not get a lot, but they are so sweet that they made me want to write more for you readers. :)
Hope you guys liked the chapter even though Meowth got abused again, but I guess it just wouldn't be Persian if he let a stain to his rep just go.
Next chapter will be more fun, promise. Can't say when the next chapter will be done, but it will be nicer to Meowth I guarantee.
Also, reviews that make me smile help too. winkwink.
