Author's Notes: Thanks for reviewing, as always. Not much else to say, except that my computer went down over the weekend and I need to get Chapter Twelve up by Wednesday, so there will be another chapter coming tomorrow…and the day after that. Anyway, I hope that you enjoy them!
Chapter Ten: The Forest by Night
Once outside the temple, Tobias made for the back gate as instructed. The temple quite literally backed up onto the Dakrill Forest, the trees therein stretching tentative boughs over the wall, crowding ever closer to the fiery building. This gate had no attendant, an aspect that made it perfect for quiet entries and exits--much like the one that Tobias was about to make. He pushed the gate open, noting how it swung easily on oiled hinges. Many people found this path convenient, it appeared. It was probably Alex's preferred method of entry. Stepping beyond the high wall that surrounded the temple, Tobias found himself almost immediately overshadowed by massive trees. Lifting the small lantern high, Tobias found that its range was disappointingly short, bathing him in a cheery glow but hardly illuminating the surrounding area at all, and painting what it did shed light upon in garish caricatures of shifting shadow.
Tobias sighed, covering most of the lantern so that only a narrow beam of light burst from it, illuminating the path that lay before him. If there were any other people wandering the woods at this hour, it would be best not to attract their attention, and a brightly glowing lantern would do much to advertise his presence. Taking a deep breath and trying to muster whatever courage he might have, Tobias set out along the rough trail.
Chevron was so intimidated by the towering trees and thick underbrush to either side of the path that he pressed close to Tobias's side rather than romping out to explore as he normally would. Having been born and raised on the plains, he was used to being able to see in all directions, impeded only by the tall grass, not caged in by grasping boughs and catching briars. Naturally, Jinx felt right at home. He took flight cheerfully, hopping from branch to branch above as Tobias walked carefully below. Occasionally he would leave entirely, off on some unknown errand.
Tobias soon began to forget his fear of the forest, chill and weariness soon flooding in to fill the empty space in his mind. The nights were still very cold at this time of the year, and his new clothes did little to protect him from the icy wind that regularly swept through the area, rattling through the still mostly naked tree branches. The path was muddy and treacherous from early spring rains, the ground thawing slowly and turning into an unpleasant layer of muck on top of cold solidity. As this was his second night of being deprived of sleep, Tobias soon found his concentration wavering. He had difficulty lifting his feet, walking with head bowed and lantern held high to illuminate as much of the ground as possible. It was for this reason that he did not notice the eyes.
Incredibly large, nearly an inch and half in diameter, they shone out in the darkness with an eerie blue glow. Jinx had departed on one of his runs to an unknown location, leaving the treetops unguarded. Watching the guide with interest and perhaps a hint of malice, the lamplike eyes bobbed among the tree branches, the only sound heard as a result of their passing an occasional small scrabbling, as of claws on wood, and the creaking of limbs, easily mistaken for the wind. Chevron, preoccupied with cares more down to earth, was no more aware of them than his guide. Nose to the ground, he was sniffing it with intense interest. Numerous Pokemon unknown to him inhabited this place, leaving tantalizing trails of scent behind.
Indeed, it might have been that Tobias would never have become aware of the eyes' presence before their owner attacked or fled were it not for Jinx's sudden return. The Murkrow fluttered back to perch on a nearby tree branch, peering down to make sure that his guide was still intact. As it appeared that all was in order, Jinx hopped forward onto the next branch, only to find it occupied.
Rather than landing upon a rough, solid tree branch he crashed into something soft and warm, something that recoiled at the contact. Suddenly, two huge blue orbs appeared before him, the soft thing shoved him away contemptuously, and Jinx found himself suddenly falling backwards. Still dazed by the sudden appearance of the huge, lamplike eyes, it took Jinx a moment to catch himself. As he did so, he started up a racket loud enough to have woken every hibernating Ursaring from there to Glitterpeak. Tobias whirled around, instinctively locating his Pokemon's cry. Jinx was fluttering down to earth, still screeching like mad, and there hovering over him was one, no, two, now three pairs of huge, glowing eyes!
Tobias froze, cold forgotten as adrenaline began to surge through his veins. The trio of Pokemon, for he assumed that was what owned the three sets of eyes, shifted their glare from the Murkrow to the guide. Tobias gasped and backed away as a keening shriek emanated from their direction. Tobias wildly swung the lantern at them in hopes of discovering what sort of creature they belonged to. The thin shaft of light swept across the eyes, causing them to disappear as suddenly as they had come, as though the meager glow was enough to harm them. Tobias caught a flash of brown fur, the quick movement of a clawed foot, and then the creatures were out of the illuminating lantern light. Tobias, beginning to calm down some, swung the light back and forth across the trees, but could not discover where the Pokemon had run to.
Jinx was clearly not satisfied by their disappearance, however. He fluttered up into the treetops once more, red eyes piercing the darkness far more effectively than the meager lantern. "Are they still here, Jinx?" Tobias called. The Murkrow swiveled his head around the area once more for good measure, then nodded slowly.
Tobias stared apprehensively around. What were those three Pokemon? He shivered, and not entirely from the cold this time. Taking one more nervous look around, he turned and started down the path once more, this time more alert. Jinx followed above, putting any further excursions on hold as he patrolled the area around his guide diligently, peering out into the darkened woods on either side of them.
Time passed, and nothing else out of the ordinary happened. Tobias's strength, temporarily bolstered by fear, began to seep away again. Chevron, however, was only just working up to his fully energetic state. Growing bolder, he ranged farther and farther away from guide and fellow teammate, occasionally darting into the undergrowth. Tobias was too weary to keep very good track of the Zigzagoon's movements, trusting him to take care of himself. He began to plod along in a near stupor once more, thinking only of the next few feet and longing to be at his destination, or at least somewhere warm where he could lie down and rest.
Suddenly, there was a loud growling from the brush to the side of the path. Jinx crowed loudly and dived down to see what the commotion was, only to be knocked backwards by Chevron, who came hurtling through the air as though thrown by some invisible opponent. Tobias, revived once more, moved to shine the lantern in the direction that the Zigzagoon had been catapulted from, only to have the light within suddenly go out! Plunged into near total darkness, Tobias felt terror welling up as the six sinister eyes reappeared amongst the bushes, seeming even larger and more malevolent in the lack of light. "G-get it Jinx!" he stuttered in panic.
Jinx flapped forward to oblige as the three Pokemon moved out onto the path. Tobias squinted at them, trying to make out their forms, but the sparse light of the weak, sickly-looking moon that hung in the sky cast more shadows than light. He had the impression that they must be about as tall as his knee, but that was about all that he could discern. Then, moving with amazing precision and coordination, all three Pokemon darted out of the way of Jinx's attack and retaliated. Tobias could make out only the Murkrow's red eyes and the shadow of his bright yellow beak and legs, but he could tell that he had taken a hit in return by his indignant cry and sudden swerve. The other Pokemon were maneuvering around to strike again, remaining in perfect formation, and Tobias noted that they deliberately stayed in the shadows, avoiding the moonbeams at all costs. Jinx dove to try and attack again, then suddenly froze in midair as the eyes suddenly glowed a baleful yellow. Jinx lost his nerve and pulled up short, only to be battered backwards by some sort of counterattack.
"Come on Jinx, you can do it! Don't let them scare you!" Tobias called from the sidelines, trying not to let fear leak into his voice. Jinx crowed resolutely in response, diving forward to attack again. He must have struck, for the action caused a keening screech that set Tobias's teeth on edge. The eyes darted away, appearing to gather themselves for a strike, only to be hit again by another unseen Pokemon. Chevron, deciding that three against one was not a fair fight, had joined the fray, apparently hitting with a sand attack.
He must have not hit directly, because two of the Pokemon didn't seem to have been affected, but the tallest had apparently taken the attack, for its eyes suddenly began to wink on and off rapidly, as though it were blinking desperately to rid its large eyes of the grit. Jinx and Chevron took the opportunity to attack together, and the three Pokemon found themselves beset by an angry Murkrow and a valiant Zigzagoon. They soon began to flag, lashing out at one opponent only to be struck by the other. Two pairs of eyes disappeared suddenly, and Tobias assumed that their owners must have fled. Only the tallest Pokemon remained now, battling desperately against its two irate opponents. Then it, too, turned tail and fled away.
Though he was not thankful that it had decided to attack him in the dead of night, Tobias was loathe to see it get away. After all, here was a Pokemon that he had never even heard of. Why not try to capture it while he had the chance? If he didn't, he'd never get a good look at the creature and might never find out what it was. "Jinx, don't let it get away! Use pursuit!" Tobias called, reaching for the empty chime that still hung at the belt around his waste.
He couldn't see the beam of dark energy that the Murkrow sent to wind around the fleeing foe, but he heard a thump, as though something had been pulled down out of a tree, and thrashing in the undergrowth that put him in mind of a pinned creature trying desperately to escape. He rang the chime with the command of "Capture!"
The chime's echo resounded throughout the still forest, causing Tobias to wince. If there was anyone nearby, they would certainly know that he was here now. What did it matter after Jinx's outburst, anyway? He could make out the mist that the Pokemon had been converted into, glimmering as it slid through the weak moonbeams on its way to the chime. Soon the bronze device began to shudder violently, the runes etched on its exterior dancing with light and flickering erratically. Violent tremors rocked the chime, sending further jarring notes into the night air. Grasping it firmly, Tobias began to grow worried. Shouldn't the capture be complete by now? Still, the Pokemon struggled against its bonds, refusing to surrender. At last, however, the trembling died down, the chime's violent outbursts silenced.
Tobias heaved a gusty sigh and lowered the now-occupied chime, hooking it back onto his belt. He didn't want to let his new Pokemon out just yet, when he wouldn't even be able to see it. Instead, he opened his pack and felt around in it. Shoving aside the familiar heaviness of his guide book, rooting between the pouches that held his herbs and berries, he delved down to the very bottom of it, where lay the items that he had not used yet. His fingers brushed a smooth metal surface that he assumed to be the compass with which he had been endowed. He pushed that aside as well, fingers falling at last upon his flint. Opening his darkened lantern, he struck a spark, trying to relight it. After numerous exasperating tries and more than one fervent wish that he had a fire Pokemon with him that would be able to do the job with ease, he at last managed to relight it.
Holding the once again lit lantern up, he prepared for another mind- and foot-numbing stroll through the dark woods. As he stepped forward, however, he heard a very unsettling noise.
It was the sound of a voice, a human voice, not too far from where he now was. Freezing, he covered the lantern completely, listening intently to try to discern whether the other traveler was friend or foe.
"Are you sure it was coming from over here?" the voice asked.
Something growled in response, a sound that put Tobias in mind of a very large, carnivorous creature. What's worse, he was positive that he recognized the voice.
"Yeah, well, who would be up at this hour? Sure, nighttime is always a good time to find nocturnal Pokemon, but most people intent on doing go a bit deeper into the woods where they actually live. And if it is some harmless guide, we've just got to ask him some questions and be off on our way."
More growling. The bottom dropped out of Tobias's stomach as he realized at last who the owner of the voice was: Seargeant Danklake, without a doubt. Tobias jumped and nearly cried out at a sudden weight on his shoulder. Six pinpricks of pain identified the culprit as Jinx, who had come in for a sudden landing. The bird muttered something urgent into Tobias's ear, then took off, circling in front of Tobias, red eyes watching him anxiously. He flew forward along the path a bit, then came flying back to hover in front of his guide, uttering further small noises. Tobias guessed that he wanted his guide to follow. Seeing as he really had no other course of action in mind, he obeyed, stepping cautiously to try to avoid tripping over any roots or falling into any sort of holes. He kept his ears open, however, and a nervous glance over his shoulder showed him another lantern, bobbing around the trees some distance behind.
"I can't believe I got stuck doing this," Sergeant Danklake grumbled irritably to his companion, whom Tobias guessed must be the Arcanine Defender. "That little stuck-up kid sends us out crawling around the forest in the middle of the night on the off-chance that the Talltree boy might be skulking around for some reason. Honestly, if he wanted the job done, the brat should have gotten down off of his high horse and done it himself. I have more important jobs to do."
Jinx was growing more agitated, doing his best to spur Tobias onward. Tobias reluctantly increased his pace to a slow jog, doing his level best to be silent. He heard the sound of small paws nearby, confirming that Chevron was keeping up. Tobias ignored the further grumblings and growlings behind him, trying to put them out of his mind. Escape should be his first priority. Much to his horror, his foot was suddenly snagged on a root that bulged up from the ground. He managed to catch himself just short of falling, but the hasty move jarred his chimes and they gave voice with a disgruntled clanging.
"Wait! It's coming from over there!" the Sergeant cried excitedly. There was a great crashing in the bush as he and Defender made for Tobias.
Recovering as quickly as possible, Tobias began to run forward, no longer caring if he woke the entire forest with his thrashings. Jinx flew on ahead, occasionally cawing encouragement to his guide.
"Halt! Who are you?" yelled the Sergeant. "I command you to stop in the name of the Rareview guardsmen!"
The order only speeded Tobias along in his mad dash. He stumbled through dips in the ground, shoved unheeding through bushes, and nearly brained himself on a low-hanging bough. The bobbing lantern was gaining, inexorably drawing closer and closer to the fleeing guide. He tried to stay out of its erratically swinging beam, but had to concentrate more on his feet and his Murkrow. He thought distractedly that he seemed to have left the path, a fact that vaguely worried him, but not nearly so much as the thought of his demise or imprisonment. Who knew what would happen when the irate Seargant caught up with him?
He suddenly burst from the trees and into what appeared to be a large clearing. The darkness seemed to fall more heavily around here, swallowing up even the sound of Tobias's frenzied crashing. Still Jinx goaded him onward and through the clearing. Tobias was only too happy to comply, dashing across it as though his life depended on it, which it very well might.
He had only just barely reached the trees on the opposite side of the clearing when the lantern-toting pursuer broke through. Suddenly the clearing came to horrible life. A terrible cacophony of caws and cackles rent the night air, followed by a great rushing as of many wings. Tobias's pursuer yelled and threw the lantern's beam upward to illuminate a great cloud of Murkrow diving downward at the intruding human. He shrieked and turned to run, bumbling into Defender, who had come up behind him. Murkrow fell upon him in a great dark wave, tearing into the intruder with beak and claw.
Still more came, the trees relieved of their dark burden. Bird after bird descended, flapping after the retreating human, who was still yelling and shrieking as they continued to attack. There was a burst of flame as Defender retaliated, the fiery gush revealing that the Arcanine too was beset by dark forms. The sounds of battle were soon heard, growls and cackles that fell over one another in a confused jumble.
Tobias had been frozen through all of this, looking back in horror and relief. Jinx brought him back to reality by once again alighting on his shoulder. He apparently mistook Tobias's shock and horror for relieved gratitude, cackling in a pleased fashion. Further yells sounded in the distance, indicating that the Sergeant had made good time in his mad dash through the forest. "Jinx, did you tell them to do that?" he asked his Pokemon.
The Murkrow shook his head, the brim of his feathery "hat" obscuring his eyes. "They're-they're not going to kill him, are they?" Tobias asked in a small voice. Jinx was unresponsive, pondering. Then another head shake, accompanied by a rather nasty cackle.
Tobias gulped. "Jinx, that's not right! I don't like being chased after, but I don't want whoever the Sergeant to be killed or seriously injured either. After all, he was only doing his job. And especially not like that," he added, envisioning the hundreds of tearing beaks and talons.
Jinx merely turned to look at him blankly. He then leapt off of Tobias's shoulder again, fluttering to a tree branch overhead. He was no longer leading the boy forward, merely waiting to allow him to take the course that he wanted.
Tobias walked on for as long as he felt able, trying to put as much distance between himself and the horrible Murkrow grove as possible. At last he felt that he could walk no longer, sinking down against the trunk of a tree in exhaustion. Tomorrow he would dig out his compass to try to determine which way he should head and he'd have a look at the mysterious Pokemon that he had captured.
Unrolling his bedroll, he shivered beneath the sheets despite the warmth of Chevron, who had as usual crawled into be with his guide. Though he sank readily enough into sleep, he was tormented by nightmares of swarming darkness and disembodied claws that tore at him whatever way he turned. Jinx remained awake, red eyes piercing the darkness of the forest as though it were lit as bright as day.