I had no idea who Zef actually was or why he was there to save me. But he found a small cave and made a fire pretty quickly, so I wasn't complaining. Not to mention finding me a few berries to snack on. Very gentleman-like.
I laid by the fire until I stopped shivering, and he was sitting across from me. Fur takes forever to dry.
"Feeling better?"
I shrugged, which was a bad idea because I was still sore. Wasn't good for my chest wound either, had to keep putting pressure on it. "Fine." Fresh blood still stained my paw when I checked, making me cringe. Probably be a while before that heals again. I took a deep breath, laying back down on the hard ground after some quiet time. "...Thank you… for saving me." It was difficult to say that.
"Part of the job," he said, confusing me before gesturing at my chest. "Once you're strong enough to walk you should come with me, that wound still needs to be disinfected and bandaged."
"What do you mean 'part of the job?'" I asked, fearing that he was to bring me back to the city. It was then that I noticed his arm-band on his left of a green tree in front of a grey shield with the number forty-three. You can't blame me for being suspicious. I know cops have Pokémon but to go so far out from the city? And how did he find me so fast?
"I'm a ranger," he answered confidently, must have loved his job. "Been one for the past twenty or so snowfalls."
"...Like the ones on tv?" Stupid question but that's the only place I've ever heard of them. The weavile just laughed at me.
"I'm afraid not Scruffy, certainly not like that 'Defenders of Emerald Forest' show. No, mine's a bit more... mundane." Oh good, so not celebrity Pokémon diva. That show was trash anyway.
"Then how did you find me? And my name's not Scruffy!" Even the stink-eye didn't faze him.
"What makes you think I was looking for you?" The sudden smirk he gave me got on my nerves. But the question made me hesitate; although it was a relief to hear him say that, I couldn't bring myself to explain what happened if he wanted to know. "Scruffy." I rolled my eyes and scoffed before carefully turning around to lay facing away from him and the fire. He chuckled before getting up to stand by the entrance.
"Are we there yet?"
"You want me to carry you?" Ugh... "Thought so."
I felt like someone who had to run a marathon a day after she ran a marathon, who never ran a marathon before. I was that sore. Honestly, I'm not one-hundred percent sure why I followed him later that evening. Sure he told me he wanted to bandage up my opened scar, which hurt like hell by the way and it still bled slightly, but I could've went my own way. It's not like he'd force me to go.
Would he?
I guess it was because he was one of the first Pokémon to be nice to me… and he saved my life; can't forget that one.
His place was far though. I admit I was slow and fell a few times, but still. "You don't need to worry about me staying long," I told him, feeling a sharp sting in my chest that made me clench it, growling.
"Is that so?" he asked, giving me a strange one-eyed look. "And where will you be going then?"
I stayed silent because I didn't know. Where would I go? But I did know one thing at that moment. "Somewhere to get stronger, so I can take care of myself."
"I see. Are you going to look for other riolu and lucario?"
I shook my head. "They're the ones who gave me up in the first place; I don't need them." Of course, curiosity got to my better half. "But… do you know where they are?"
Zef hesitated when I met his eyes, he seemed to want to ask something but turned away. "Not exactly, but if I remember correctly they are usually found nearby mountains."
Either way, I wasn't going out to find them anytime soon.
I was dead weight by the time we finally got to where he was taking me, half-kidding of course. If Zef hadn't carried me the rest of the way, I wouldn't have made it. Plus I was starting to get used to being carried by him; it was nice, I ain't going to lie. But don't tell him that, he may never do it again.
From where he saved me, to his place, we had to go through a forest, around a small lake, and up halfway up a mountain. By the time we reached the small cabin that had a tower for a lookout, my chest was bleeding pretty bad; I could feel myself just, fade away. What a weird feeling that was.
Oh and guess what? Zef had a twin brother. He met us by the door when Zef put me down. Looked exactly alike besides their fashion sense of an arm-band, which the brother simply wore on the other arm.
Bet you can't guess what his name was?
"Zeph, where the hell have you…" Weavile number two saw my dying self and rushed over. "What happened?"
"I found her taking a dip in the rapids. Is Keath here?" Funny. I was hurting too much to amuse myself.
"No, he went to the city," the brother answered, unimpressed, but held the door open for us before we walked inside the luscious cabin. It really was nice to be inside a warm place again. "Why?" Zef helped until we reached a small chair before telling me to sit. I wasn't going to argue; wasn't in the right mind to anyway since I was on the verge of passing out again.
"Just help me and get disinfectant and some bandages, I'll fill you in later."
I swallowed hard as I slouched back, leaning into the wood of the chair which for some reason, felt like a soft bed.
First time in the wild and I'm already down for the count. Unbelievable.
"Hey, kid… I need you to stay awake now. You'll have plenty of time to sleep when we bandage that wound."
"Huh?" I slowly opened my eyes, seeing two Zef's in front of me. When did I fall asleep? "I'm seeing two of you," I muttered, pointing to both weavile, amused. I was so exhausted my brain barely functioned. Zef cloned himself, right? How many did he make? Stupid questions like those began to make sense for some reason. And I believed them until Zef nudged me, moving my paw away from my bleeding chest.
"Owwww," I warned him, now fully awake, narrowing my eyes. "Gentle!"
"Don't worry, I will," the original Zef said as he chuckled at me, applying the healing juice, which I thought would hurt more than it actually did. "My name is Zephyr after all."
"Like I know what that means, Zef," I retorted, grinning a bit.
"It means a gentle breeze." Another awkward moment rose and I got uncomfortable when he came close, but let him handle me anyway. From the disinfectant to the white padded gauze, he impressed me with what he knew. Before I knew it, Zef finished wrapping the bandage on my chest and around my back. "How are you feeling?"
I looked at him. "I've been better. Tired really. But, thank you." It was nice to be looked after; I've never really known that and it got to me. The other weavile watched from behind Zef, staring. "Who are you?" I asked, getting his attention.
"I'm Zarax, Zephyr's twin brother."
I yawned. "And what does your name mean? Not too gentle?" It hurt to laugh. He just rolled his eyes, but it made Zef smile, that's a win for me.
"Har, har," Zar spoke.
"Alright, alright, save it for tomorrow," Zef ref'd, bumming me out. I sighed and laid back while he cleaned up before turning to me. "You're free to stay the night here kid, as well as bunk with us if you want a more comfortable spot to sleep."
My mouth churned at the idea, but the thought of going outside again in the condition I was in… One night wouldn't hurt. There weren't any comfortable spots when I looked around the room; it was all wooden chairs or benches. "...Would it be ok?"
Zef just shrugged. "It's fine, we don't use the beds anyway." Why I got up right away? I really don't know, even now. I like to think that a clean bed meant paradise, so I did what the heart wanted. The heart is always right you know. Then again, that choice ended up with me crashing to the floor if not for Zef and Zar coming to my aid. "Easy does it kid, we're not in a hurry."
"My saviours," I teased with a rough voice, finding balance on my own two wobbly feet again with their help.
Zar spoke up. "We'll be expecting a kiss later on as a reward."
I blushed, cracking a faint smile when we entered the small room. "For you, maybe a high five." I then turned to Zef weakly, barely meeting his eyes in my embarrassment. "But for Mr. Gentle, sure." He did save my life after all.
"Oh look at you, swooning over my brother." My head felt tingly and I suddenly got too hot from that accusation. "Looks like Ashe's going to have some competition," he said, missing a swipe to the face.
"Wha-... That's…" I failed to say, my mind going a mile a minute. "Just put me down," I demanded, nudging them off me before landing on the small bed by the window.
"Ignore him," Zef told me as I snuggled under the blankets. "If you need anything we'll be in the living room for the next hour or so." I'm not even sure I remember what he actually said; I was so comfy!
