"Rustfur, wake up!"
Ever since Rustfur had fallen from the tree, Sapphire hadn't left his side. Both Needlefur and Torrentpaw had tried approaching Rustfur, but Sapphire had turned them away with a cold stare. Despite this, Fireheart and Leafpool were determined to be with their son. When Sapphire glared at them, Leafpool merely returned the stare.
"Go away." Sapphire said quietly, looking at Rustfur's unconscious form.
"No." Leafpool replied stubbornly. "We're his parents, and we're staying right here."
"Fine."
Fireheart and Leafpool lay down next to their son, opposite Sapphire. Shortly after, the crunch of paws on gravel indicated the approach of another creature. Fireheart looked back over his shoulder and spotted Swiftclaw walking towards him.
The Espeon had heard from his parents that Sapphire wasn't letting anyone near Rustfur, so he looked towards the blue-eyed Eevee and politely asked,
"May I see how Rustfur is doing?"
Surprisingly, Sapphire didn't argue at all. She merely nodded slightly, not saying anything.
Swiftclaw nodded in response and padded over to Rustfur. He lowered his head to Rustfur's small chest and listened intently.
When he pulled his head back, he had a contented smile on his face.
"He'll be just fine. He's going to be quite sore, but he didn't sustain any serious injuries."
At hearing this, Sapphire's ears stood up straight and her eyes lit up.
"Really?" she asked hopefully, glancing back at Rustfur.
Swiftclaw nodded and smiled warmly.
Almost laughing with joy, Sapphire turned around and crouched down near Rustfur's head.
"Rustfur, can you hear me?"
When he didn't respond, Sapphire gently licked him on his cheek.
"Mom?"
Lealpool quickly stood up and stepped to Rustfur's side.
"I'm right here." she quietly responded.
Rustfur slowly opened his eyes, and although he couldn't see clearly the face in front of him he could distinctly smell his mother and father. He could also smell two familiar scents, but he had trouble assigning faces to them in his groggy state of mind. When his vision cleared, he was greeted by a pair of shining blue eyes. Immediatly, he recognized who it was.
"Sapphire? Is that you?"
"Mmhmm." she murmured quietly.
"Ow..." Rustfur grimaced with pain as he slowly sat up. "What happened?"
"You fell out of a tree."
Still sitting, Rustfur looked back over his shoulder. He hadn't noticed his mother and father sitting behind him until his mother had spoken up.
"Well, that explains why I'm so sore." he quipped, experimentally stretching his right hind leg.
"Easy, Rustfur. Don't force it." cautioned Leafpool.
"Don't worry Mom, I'm fine." he assured, not wanting to seem weak in front of Sapphire.
Slowly and with a good deal of effort, Rustfur willed himself to stand up. When he reached his feet, he was trembling like a leaf in a heavy breeze. He thought he was going to collapse from exhaustion when he felt a warm body press up against his side steadying him.
"Rustfur, take it easy. I know what you're trying to do. You're trying to show me that you're strong. You don't have to prove anything to me, I already know that you're strong." Sapphire said quietly, nuzzling Rustfur gently.
"Well, Rustfur, maybe now that you're awake you can tell us who your friend is."
Both Rustfur and Sapphire looked up at the voice.
"Swiftclaw?"
So that was the other presence Rustfur had detected.
"This is Sapphire." he answered warmly, looking towards the smiling blue-eyed Eevee sitting next to him. Rustfur quickly looked around and asked, "Where's everyone else?"
"Sapphire turned most of them away." answered Fireheart."The only two she didn't turn away were Ravenpaw and Softpaw. That's only because they're watching Dusk."
"Your new friend can be quite stubborn when she wants to."
Sapphire glanced over her shoulder and fixed Leafpool with an intense glare.
"Excuse me!?"
Once again, Sapphire's quick temper had boiled to the surface. Rustfur turned his head slightly and lightly drew his tongue over Sapphire's trembling shoulder. As he did this, he felt her body stop shaking and her breathing returned to normal.
"I...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to explode at you like that." Sapphire solemnly replied, turning to face Leafpool.
"Think nothing of it." Leafpool said calmly. "In fact, you remind me of myself when I was younger. I had quite a stubborn streak back then."
"Really, Mom? I didn't know that."
"Yep." Fireheart answered. "I'm surprised you didn't inherit your mother's stubbornness."
"I'm rather surprised as well. Both of my parents were very stubborn." added Leafpool.
"Excuse me, but Rustfur told me that you were an orphan. Is that true?" asked Sapphire.
"Yes, it is." Leafpool said quietly. "While I am an orphan, I did know my parents very well. My mother was a Vaporeon and my father a Glaceon. I knew them for about two months."
"Oh, I see." responded Sapphire.
In the brief silence that followed, a low gurgle could be clearly heard.
"Heh, I guess all the excitement today has made me hungry." Rustfur said sheepishly.
"We'll get you something." offered Fireheart, beckoning Leafpool and Swiftclaw with a flick of his head. Sapphire began to follow when Rustfur stopped her.
"Sapphire, wait." he began slowly. "I...I've got something to tell you."
While he looked for a way to tell Sapphire how he felt, she spoke up.
"Actually, Rustfur, I've got something to tell you too."
"What is it?"
"I've been thinking," she started hesitantly. "I need someone to talk to."
"You can talk to me whenever you want. I'll always listen."
"Thank you, Rustfur." she said quietly, staring into his soft brown eyes. Rustfur stared back, lost in Sapphire's ocean-blue eyes. Neither of them knew how long they sat like this until,
"Aachooo!"
The pair jumped with fright at the violent sneeze. Without realizing, Sapphire huddled up against Rustfur's side for protection. Rustfur scanned the area where he had thought the sneeze had come from, ready to fight if he had to. Although he was still extremely sore he was prepared to defend Sapphire. When nothing happened for about fifteen minutes, Rustfur let the fur along his spine return to a normal, flattened position.
"I guess whatever it was is gone now." Rustfur said quietly, glancing down at Sapphire. "Was there something you wanted to tell me?"
"Y-yeah..." she replied, her voice cracking slightly.
Rustfur noticed this and asked in a slightly concerned voice,
"Is it about your parents?"
Sapphire nodded slightly, chewing on her bottom lip and tears forming in the corners of her cerulean eyes.
"Sapphire..." he began in a comforting tone. "You don't have to tell me until you want to."
"No. I...I need to tell someone about this. The sooner the better."
"Are you sure?" asked Rustfur.
"Yes." Sapphire answered, in a voice filled with determination and just a touch of sadness.
"Okay. Tell me however much you want to. I'm here for you." he replied softly.
"Thanks." she began quietly. "I knew my father for a short time. About a month actually." Sapphire paused here, and when she resumed speaking, her voice carried a distinct sob. "My mother died after giving birth to me. Normally, she wouldn't have had a problem, but while delivering me, she became incredibly weak."
"If you don't mind me asking, why did she become so weak?" Rustfur inquired.
"The moon." Sapphire quickly answered.
Rustfur's eyes opened wide with a look of realization as he flashed back to when Needlefur was telling him about when Ravenpaw was affected by a blue moon. His eyes grew even wider as he put two and two together; if Sapphire's mother died because of a blue moon, then Sapphire's mother must have been an Umbreon. If Sapphire was born during a blue moon, and including the fact that blue moons are incredibly rare, then that meant...
Rustfur almost fainted when he realized this. Sapphire felt him sway slightly and asked,
"What's the matter? Are you okay?"
"Y-yeah, I'm fine." he stammered quickly shaking his head to clear his thoughts. "Just one question though."
"What is it?" sniffed Sapphire.
"Was your mother an Umbreon?" Rustfur hesitantly asked.
"Yes." Sapphire replied, eyes wide in shock. "How'd you know?"
"When you mentioned your mother being affected by the moon, I guessed that your mother was an Umbreon."
"But how did you know that Umbreons were affected by a blue moon?" asked Sapphire, still astonished.
"The Umbreon you saw earlier today was affected by it about two years ago." Rustfur answered. "Please continue." he finished.
"Okay." she started. "Since you already know what my mother was, I suppose I should tell you about my father. My father was an Espeon, and even though he possessed powerful psychic ablilities, he preferred physical combat. He would only use them to protect me. But one day even they weren't enough. About a month after I was born, several Absols controlled by Team Galactic attacked us." Sapphire spat out "Team Galactic" as if the very word was venomous. Sapphire then continued in a low voice, "That day was the worst day of my life. My father was doing a excellent job of fighting off the Absols, until one of them got behind him. Sinking its teeth into his hind leg, the Absol caused him to collapse. The other Absols the leapt upon him, clawing and biting fiercely.
'Sapphire, run! Now! Get as far away from here as you can!'
I didn't argue. I turned and ran into the forest as fast as my legs could carry me. A short time later, there was a large explosion accompanied by shouts of pain. I then heard footsteps quickly getting closer. Terrified, I dove into a low bush, trembling with fear. I held my breath as the humans ran past my hiding place. When they had left and I had stopped shaking, the intensity of the situation hit me and I cried myself to sleep, having lost both of my parents."
Sapphire paused again, but only because she had broken down in a fit of sobbing. Rustfur felt her shaking and shifted his position so her head was resting on his shoulder. Seeing Sapphire in this kind of pain was tearing him apart on the inside.
"Sapphire, I'm so sorry." he said softly, almost in tears himself. Nothing more was said until Sapphire had calmed down enough to speak.
"Whew, now that I've told someone I don't feel so bad about it." sighed Sapphire.
"I'm glad you feel better." Rustfur said, smiling softly.
"Actually, my parents did give me something good."
"Really? What?"
"First off, because I was born during a blue moon, some of the radiation passed through my mother and into me." she explained. "You can probably guess what it affected." Sapphire laughed, winking at Rustfur. "Second, due to both of my parents having psychic abilities, they were passed to me in the form of enhanced sight, hearing, and sense of smell."
"That helps explain how you fight so efficiently." Rustfur commented. "Maybe one day you can teach me."
"Of course." Sapphire answered warmly.
Rustfur was about to thank her when he was interrupted by a loud gurgling noise.
"Ugh. Not again. I forgot how hungry I was. I wonder when they'll be back with food."
As if on cue, Fireheart stepped into the clearing, followed by Leafpool and Swiftclaw.
"Wow, that's convenient." Rustfur was slightly startled at his father's sudden appearance.
"Rustfur, we've got some food for you and your friend." Leafpool called out.
"What did you find for me?" Rustfur asked eagerly.
Fireheart placed the small leaf packet he was carrying on the ground and answered,
"Pecha berries."
"Awesome!"
Sapphire jumped slightly at Rustfur's exclamation. Despite still being slightly sore, Rustfur leapt up and tore open the small packet of berries. He fell upon the pink berries with a healthy appetite. Swiftclaw approached Sapphire with another small packet. He dropped it at his feet and asked politely,
"We didn't know what type of berry you liked, so we guessed. Is that okay?"
"That's perfectly fine. I'm used to eating all different kinds of berries. I've had to find food for myself for quite a while. I'm not particular to any one berry." she answered, nosing the packet open.
Several small, bright red berries spilled out. Sapphire sniffed one lightly and instantly identified it.
"Cheri berries. A little spicy, but they'll do."
Sapphire bent down and bit into the perfectly round crimson berry. A small amount of the berry's red juice dribbled out of the corner of her mouth as she chewed slowly. She noticed this and quickly lapped it up. A strange noise caused her to look in Rustfur's direction.
'Ppppbtth! Mom! Stop!" Rustfur spluttered as his mother lovingly cleaned his face of pink sticky berry juice.
"I'm done. I'm done." Leafpool laughed, withdrawing her head from her squirming son. "Now that you've had something to eat, do you feel better?"
"Mush better." he replied, slowly standing up.
"Good." Fireheart stepped to his mate's side. "My mother wanted to talk with you as soon as you woke up."
"All right." he agreed, starting after his parents. Sapphire stood and trotted after Rustfur. He started slightly when he felt Sapphire brush lightly against his tail.
"You're very lucky, Rustfur." she whispered into his ear. "You've got two parents who love you very much; you shouldn't be ashamed of that."
"Thank you." he whispered back, a kind look in his brown eyes.
Fireheart and Leafpool furtively glanced over their respective shoulders at Rustfur and Sapphire. She was helping support him as he walked. His head was resting on top of hers and he didn't notice his parents looking at him. Fireheart and his mate then glanced at each other.
"Remember when we met?" asked Fireheart quietly.
Leafpool nodded slightly.
"I sure do. Those two remind me a lot of us."
Rustfur and Sapphire continued closely behind Rustfur's parents, unaware of ther conversation taking place right in front of them.
_________________________________________________________________
Author's Notes:
Expect to hear (and see) a lot more about Sapphire's parents throughout the rest
of A Sapphire Shines in Sinnoh. I know what you're thinking: "How can that be possible
if they're both dead?" Trust me, you'll find out soon enough.
To those who don't feel like waiting to read chapters that I have not yet posted,
allow me to refer you to my deviantArt page under the same name; "Eeveexpert".