Chapter Six - Dwelling in the Mountain
Special Thanks to: Polarissb
Evening paced around the den while Echoes groomed the gray cub. The other three sneasels waited impatiently for their younger brother to be cleaned so they could go play.
Come on, Echoes," Evening sighed. "He doesn't need to be cleaned because playing will mess up his fur."
Echoes gave the gray cub a few more licks, then let him go. "He at least needs to look good getting there."
"Maaaaaaaa, hurry uuuuuuuuuuuup!" the female whined. "We get to go outside!"
The weavile straightened up and nodded to Evening. "I'm ready now."
The gray cub shook his fur out, messing half of Echoes's work up. He smiled at his parents, then joined his clutchmates.
"Now, we're going outside, that is established." Evening said, the sneasels shaking their tails in excitement. "But we need to let you know of several rules to keep you safe." He looked over at Echoes and when she nodded, he continued. "First rule: no going out of mine or Ma's eyesight or earshot. If we can't see or hear you, we can't help you."
"Second rule," Echoes continued. "If you see a swooping bird of prey, hide under a rock with a small opening and squeeze into the back. The bird won't be able to catch you if you do this."
"And the third rule is don't bury each other in the snow." Evening ordered. "We may lose you and some big pokémon may step on you."
"And lastly, the fourth rule is don't go near the cliff. You could fall and get really hurt." Echoes looked over their little heads.
"You four understand?"
The sneasels either nodded, said, "Yes, Da," or both.
Evening nodded. "Good, now let's go."
The absol took lead in their group with the sneasels in the center and Echoes taking up the rear. After a few minutes, the family reached the outside world. The sneasels squinted in the sunlight, enthralled at the brightness.
"WOAH!" the gray one gasped, breaking the silence. "LOOK AT ALL THE SNOW!"
"THERE'S BUNCHES OF IT!" the female added.
The sneasels hopped around, crunching the snow beneath their paws. Evening had sometimes brought snowballs into the den and let the sneasels play with them. The gray one would try to crunch all of it under his paws, but the black one would steal some and play by himself in the corner. The blue-feathered one and the female would argue with the gray one to stop destroying the snow. Finally, they would play with the snow, sometimes getting it in their parents' fur, until it melted away.
Never before had they seen this much snow before.
All played around, except for the blue-feathered one. He stared up at the bright blue sky, eyes wide in awe.
"What are you looking at, son?" Evening asked him, trying to meet his gaze in the sky.
The blue-feathered cub didn't speak, only stared.
"Son?" the absol gently nudged his son's side with a claw, which was nearly as big as his eyes.
The sneasel looked at his father. "The sky…it's so beautiful…"
Evening looked up at the sky with his son. "You know what? It is."
"What is it like up there?" the little pokémon asked.
The absol paused. "I don't know. Maybe cold." He looked down at his son. "Come on, let's go join your siblings. They look like they want to play Hillside Boulder."
The sneasel looked back up at the sky. "Will the pretty sky still be there?"
"Yes, it will."
The sneasel hesitated a little, but then began running in the direction of his siblings, now rolling down a little portion of the mountain. Evening followed close behind to join them, only supervising.
The sneasels obeyed their parents during the outing and no one got hurt, to the relief of their parents.
Now that the cubs were fully weaned from Echoes's milk, she could go out and relax by herself if she needed it while Evening watched the cubs play in the den. Her leg had healed a little, but her limp remained. She didn't mind it much, though, as she had figured out how to walk and occasionally run with the slightly odd placement.
A few days later, the parents brought the sneasels to the garden. "We're going to play a game." Evening said. "Ma is going to go into the garden and bring out a part of these trees. I'll tell you what it is, what part of the tree it is, and what it can do." Echoes left into the small trees as the absol kept explaining. "When you get older, the game will change."
Echoes came a few moments later with a blue berry with long, curly leaves. She also brought some pink leaves, little white flowers, and long, tangled roots.
"Let me see," Evening said, looking over the plant parts. "It seems that Ma brought back parts of a rawst berry bush." He took the berry and set it in front of the cubs. "You can sniff it and touch it. Don't eat it yet. We'll give it to you later."
The sneasels poked and sniffed the berry as if it were a dead bug, their eyes wide with interest.
"If the berry is firm, that's when it's perfect for eating. These can be used to heal burns by either eating it or chewing it to a pulp and slathering it on the burn." Evening took the leaves. "If your stomach seems to be upset, you can always eat these as a side or to accent your food." He looked over the roots and flowers. "These don't provide any noticeable aid, but it's good to learn what they look like. The root is edible, but if you find a flowering rawst, it's better to wait until it's fruited."
"Your turn to get something." Echoes said, flicking him with her tail. "I'll cut up the berry and share the leaves."
While Evening was out getting the next fruit, each of the sneasels got one bite of the rawst berry.
"Leck!" the black one spat. "It's bitter!"
"I like it!" his sister retorted. "It tastes good!"
"I think it's fine," the blue-feathered one said.
The gray one shrugged. "It's okay."
Evening returned with four tiny red berries, bluish leaves, white flowers, and a twisted root.
"This here is from a cheri tree." Echoes said, looking among the items. "The berry is soft and usually that size. They can be used to help with stiffness in the muscles, especially ones caused through electricity."
This continued for an hour or two until Evening and Echoes let their sneasels play in the garden until it was time to return to the den.
On their month-and-three-week anniversary, Echoes brought in five slate tablets and covered them with ice. "Weavile is well-known for having a writing system unlike any other pokémon. Humans are the only creature that we share this trait with. The writing is slightly different in different packs, but it's largely the same." She handed out the tablets and placed hers on the wall, which she sealed to it with ice. "Firstly, we'll go over objects. This means 'rock'." She drew a symbol on the wall with her claws. "Mimic the symbol on your tablets."
The sneasels drew the symbols. While drawn a little crudely, they could still be identified as the symbol.
"Good job," Echoes said, nodding to their attempts. "Let's keep going." She blew ice over the indents to cover their work and did the same with hers to continue their writing. She would sometimes melt the ice to show them if they dug too deep and scratched the stone beneath.
When the sneasels were just a few days past their two-month-anniversary, the family sat in their den and waited for Evening to give an announcement.
"I think it's high time we give all of you names." He looked over at Echoes, who held an ice tablet. "Your mother and I have been considering them for a while and we think these will best suit you." Evening smiled at the gray sneasel. "Your name is Chill Wind Billows Mountain, but like how we have one word we are called rather than using our full names, you will be called Chill. This is for your unshaking personality."
Chill smiled at his parents, shaking his fluffy little tails in excitement.
Echoes showed him the tablet. "This is your name in writing. See that slash to the left of the words? That means it's not just an ordinary word, but a name." The name itself took nineteen characters, aside from the name character.
Evening turned to the female. "You are Flurry of Warm Early Winter, like it is now and like your speckled pelt. In conversation, you will be called Flurry."
Flurry gave a little bounce at the new name, somewhat approving of it.
The absol turned to the blue-feathered sneasel. "Your name is Azure Sky of Great Grandeur for your curiosity and…well…blue feathers. Azure is what you will be addressed as."
Azure widened his eyes, thumping his blue tails on the ground.
Evening then turned to the eldest, the black sneasel. "From now on, you will be called Slick Black Stone by River for your wit and charisma…and the fact that you're as black as the stones you slip on."
At first, Slick brightened as his name was given, but pouted at the final reason for his name.
"I like having a name!" Flurry squeaked. "No more hey-yous forever!"
The other sneasels yipped in agreement, even Slick.
"Now, why don't we go outside to play for a while?" Echoes offered. "You deserve it."
The sneasels promptly agreed and the family went outside and played for the rest of the day.
Evening found himself in the field with the human metal bird again. He was alone once again, only the metal bird roaring it's great roar and the wind whipping his long fur.
Here again… The absol dared not to get any closer.
Good night, Black Evening.
Evening whirled around, on high alert. He studied his surroundings. Where are you?
I am behind the thing you fear.
Evening found a greater absol standing just beyond the metal bird. From a distance, the greater absol looked drastically different with black where there was white and white where there was black.
Who are you?
I am one of the deities in Weavilian legend. I am the Bringer of Sunlight and the Bringer of Nightmares.
The lesser absol tried to make out more of the greater absol's features, but couldn't because of the distance.
Come here, Black Evening.
He stood and started to walk around the metal bird.
No, Black Evening. Walk under it. Face this fear.
I'm not afraid of it.
Then why do you refuse to come closer?
This will be safer.
You feel threatened by what you do not understand; this creates fear.
Evening paused, watching the greater absol from afar.
Here, I will show you the metal bird and quell your fears. She raised her wings to the sky. But first, you must come over here under the metal bird.
The lesser absol hesitated. What will it do?
The greater absol said nothing.
Evening looked at the metal bird towering over him, it's great wings always spread. Will it crush me?
She gave no reply.
Why aren't you speaking?! he screamed in his mind, making the greater absol blink just a bit. Why won't you help me?!
I am. Now come.
But I don't know what it will do… What will it do? What am I to do if it does something?
The greater absol glared at him. She walked under the metal bird as if it never existed and stood tall over the bowing lesser absol.
You fear the unknown, she said, her eerie teal eyes locked on his form.
I do not know what to expect from something I have never experienced. He lowered his head to the ground in respect. Forgive me, Bringer of Nightmares.
She said nothing, only staring at him.
Greater Absol? Evening asked.
Coward!
Evening flinched.
Fear of the unknown is natural, but you fear too much. She spread her wings out, smoke-like shadow drifting from her form. This fear will be the end of you one day.
Forgive me, Bringer of Nightmares.
Look at me, Black Evening.
The lesser absol met his gaze to the greater absol's. Yes, Bringer of Nightmares?
Face fears. Go to the land you left behind in fleeing from the beartic. Assess it. Return before dawn. Be the mate Echoes Sung at Moon's Rising needs you to be. Be the father your cubs need you to be. You have my blessing, but that will not ensure a successful trip. Do you understand?
Evening nodded. Yes, Bringer of Nightmares.
Good, she said, folding her wings to her sides. Go now, Black Evening. Grow and protect.
She launched at him, startling him awake to the frost in his fur.