(I'm SO sorry everyone, but I've been stuck on this- and now I'm losing this laptop, so I HAVE to post what I have. I promise I'll try to work more on this soon, but for now this chapter is INCOMPLETE. So, don't read it just yet)
A few days had passed since Lance broke Xela's leg and in doing so reduced her to a defenseless, sickly female. Since then, the Absol had recovered considerably. The cuts on her face and other parts of her body had healed and were just about gone, and she'd recovered enough strength to get up and limp short distances. Her leg was still broken, it would be for another week or so, but thanks to the splint Lance had put on it she was able to move around without fear of permanently crippling herself. Granted, she had yet to leave the cavern at all during her recovering. Partly because she tired out to quickly to make it to the exit. Partly because Lance refused to let her leave- he was being a bit protective. Oh, and partly because whenever she got up, Veil followed her around like a lost pup. Honestly, it was kinda cute, having him pursue her the way he was. The way his big, robotic eyes lit up whenever she spoke to him, and the way he'd tilt his head when she held eye contact with him for longer than a minute- he was a whiz at staring contests. Sometimes when she was lying down, he'd just sit beside her, or go and find her something to eat or drink.
Most of the time he came with small plants and berries, though on a few rare occasions he'd returned holding the eggs of bug or bird type Pokemon. Believe it or not, she had a taste for insect eggs- their sweet and sour flavor was incredibly addicting. During her stay in the cave, she'd managed to learn a few interesting things about the little mutated Larvitar- the first being that he was actually capable of eating. She'd seen him do it a few times, and the first time she spotted him doing it, she had no idea that he was eating- nor did she know how to react. In any case, Veil's strange looking horn and tail were what acted as his means of gaining nourishment. From far away one wouldn't be able to tell, but up close one could see thousands of thin "Wires", which built up the entire structure of Veil's horn and tail. Well, it just so happened that these wires were good for more than one use. The created heat- as in a very intense heat. Xela had dared to touch her claw to them while the Larvitar wasn't looking, and the contact actually melted off a good portion of her nail. That was how Veil ate. He either shoved his horn or stuck his tail into nearby stone or soil, and the wires that built up his appendages melted, or "Dissolved" the minerals in them. At the same time the wires absorbed any required nutrients- thus, the Larvitar was able to "Eat".
As an added note, considering that he'd managed to melt her claw, she was positive that he could devour things other that dirt and stone if he wanted to. She'd also learned that the Larvitar's mutation had made him immune to the effects of water- he was a steel type. He was also a fairy and a ground type- if he was any other elements, she had yet to sense it. She'd also discovered that Veil actually liked getting wet, and she had to admit it was neat watching steam rise from his body whenever he got water on him. For one reason or another, whenever water came into contact with his skin he'd heat up to the point of boiling it off of his body, and it would evaporate into a thick white steam that looked a lot like smoke. Another thing that she'd noticed was that Veil and Lance seemed to hold a mutual distaste for each-other. Whenever they were both in the same place, which was basically when they were both inside the cave, they'd cast each-other dirty looks. Honestly, she wasn't surprised that the Larvitar didn't like Lance- but she still wanted to know why the Zoroark had chosen to attack Veil in the first place. She'd tried asking once or twice, but the only response she ever got was a weak glare and a quiet grunt- so she knew Lance wasn't about to talk.
Speak of the devil- the stoic Zoroark strode quietly into the cave and cast the Larvitar an icy glare, and as usual Veil shot the look right back at him. Then he walked over to Xela and knelt down to pick her up.
"Lance? What are you doing?" Xela asked curiously as the Zoroark hoisted her up and proceeded to carry her towards the exit of the cave.
"We have to go..." Lance said quietly, the markings on his face lighting up for a split second as something flashed behind his eyes. Wait, she'd seen that happen before- it usually meant that he was nervous. Nervous about what exactly?
"Lance, whats wrong?" Xela question, noting that the Zoroark's eyes seemed to be darting around as if expecting an enemy to jump out at them. Strange, they weren't even out of the cave yet, and he was acting as if they were being followed. The Absol took a hesitant glance around them- they were being followed all right, but not by anyone that would do them harm.
"Lance, its just Veil. No need to be so nervous." She said calmly. Lance on the other hand only continued to snap his head in the direction of any movement as if expecting something to jump them- but it was only ever Veil trying to follow without getting to close. Hold it- she just realized something. She wasn't wearing her vest, and the Zoroark certainly wasn't carrying it. She opened her mouth as if to chew Lance out for forgetting her vest, but then Veil darted out to run up behind them- he was carrying her vest. Ah, he'd followed so she wouldn't leave her belongings behind.
"Wait Lance, Veil's got my vest- let him catch up will ya!" She said loudly, her voice demanding. She wasn't about to leave her stuff behind. Had it not been for her busted leg, she probably would've started to kick him. Much to her surprise, the Zoroark turned his head to snarl at her.
"No! We have to go- now!" Lance growled, before picking up his pace in order to ditch the pursuing Larvitar. However, just as they reached the edge of the cave, he stopped abruptly and sniffed the air suspiciously. Had it not been for Xela's strong sense of smell, she would've been confused- but as soon as she caught a whiff of the air outside the cave, she knew what had the Zoroark so riled up. Humans- there were humans in the area. From the potency of their scent, she knew that there were a lot of them.