"I never thought that I would have a pack," Theresa chattered away into my ear. We were sauntering down the trail, each step bringing me closer to the moment of truth. There was no way I could not tell Chance about Nokto, He has to know, AND before we get there.

"Even though being in a pack isn't exactly how I thought it would be. In my daydreams we were all Victini and all girls. We gossiped about people and told stories from our pasts while sitting around a fire doing each others hair and nails," she said dreamily, no doubt imaging the scenario in her head.

"Uhmm.. well that sounds great and all but-..." I started to say, trying to pry away from the conversation.

"BUT," she stated boldly," This is just as great," she reassured to me, like I cared. "I am so grateful for this pack. We are so different, yet we all click, isn't that weird? We are like some twisted family, where you're the mom and Chance is the..," her voice faded and her eyes clouded with a distant thought.

Okaaaay... This is odd. "Theresa, I have to go talk to Chance about something, be right back," I turned around. I'm a really bad friend for bailing on her when she seems so concerned about something, but I needed to talk to Chance. I'll have to comfort Theresa later.

I to see Chance and Jack following us, slowly making their way down the trail, whispering to each other in hushed voices.

"Well, well, well, what are you two girls gossiping about," I asked.

"You know, Violet, just about the latest Fall fashions. I hear that curly hair is really in style this season and I'm trying to convince Chance here, to give a try," Jack retorted without a blink of an eye in false high falsetto voice.

Chance laughed and continued with the lie," Yeah, you know, I've been thinking I need to change my style. What do you think?," he stopped and propping up his hair with his paw and looking off into the distance, kind of like a model.

I chuckled," Absolutely: curls, they would be so you. Hey, Jack, can I talk to Mrs. Fall Fashion over here?"

"Sure thing, little darling", he drawled in his best southern accent and galloped ahead of us, but not so far ahead that he was next to Theresa.

"What's up," Chance asked me as we strolled together in the new morning light. The day was so precious and beautiful, to bad I was about to ruin it.

"I need to tell you something that happened while we were separated," I told him. Surprisingly, my voice didn't crack and it was strong and sturdy. Chance just listened, he didn't say a word and his eyes were cool and calm. I took a deep breath and squeezed my eyes shut, "Chance... Noktosaidhewasinlovewithme," I say it so quickly, I wasn't sure if I really said it. I open one eye to test the water, but nothing. There were no explosions, no screaming or dropped jaw. Chance was still walking, he hadn't stopped; he wasn't steaming or shaking with rage, there was nothing.

"Chance," I ask skeptically and paused before continuing," Did you hear wha-..." Before I could finish, he was standing in front of me, he moved so quickly I didn't see him until he was there. His eyes were swirling with a dark green clouding the cheerful hazel color, making his eyes look intense and guarded. In a mater of milliseconds, the polite, happy, loving Chance I knew was a distant memory. He was now closed and cold, staring me down with his placid yet afflicted eyes.

Before I could explain everything he spoke with a blank, sharp tone that cut the air, "Do you love him?"

Wait...What?! Really? Do I love him? He can't be serious. "You can't be serious," I scoffed at him. I dont believe this!

He never blinked, he never looked, and his eyes never changed," Do you love him?," he repeated slower, putting emphasis on each individual word.

Did he go crazy? What just happened?! "Chance... Do you-," I choke," Are you-... I mean, how can you think... that I-I" I stop and close my eyes, drawing in a long slow breath of the cold morning air, trying to compose myself and my thoughts.

I open my eyes and see him, still there. He hadn't moved, I half expected him to run away and never look back, but here he was. He breathing was slow and forced, his eyes were scanning my face, waiting desperately for my answer, like his life depended on this moment. Those eyes. The eyes that were my anchor to reality, and still were. The eyes that understood and excepted me for everything I was, those beautiful dark green eyes. The eyes that were always overfilling with joy, now looked like they could just shattered and fall from his face like tears.

"No," I whispered barely audible, shifting my eyes downward, unable to look at his dismal eyes. "How could I love anyone but you, Chance."

Without even a second passing of my response Chance asked," What happened? Tell me everything," his muscles relaxed slightly and he sat down curling his big poofy tail around his feet. Even though he seemed slightly calmer, his eyes were still guarded with his dark green iris'.

I sat down too, wrapping my six tails around me for comfort, taking a deep breath," Well, there isn't much to tell," I confess, glancing up at him.

"Obviously, something happened, Violet," Chance spoke quietly and for the first time breaking the eye contact to took down at the dirt.

I looked past him down the trail, but it was deserted. Theresa and Jack were nowhere to be seen, they hadn't noticed that we had temporarily stopped.

I guess it's better that we are alone for this, I think silently.

I refocused back on Chance, but he was still look down sheepishly, as if he was in trouble.

I'm so sorry Chance, I never wanted to hurt you. Now it's my turn to look down sheepishly," He kissed me yesterday," I tell him as a tear escapes my eyes and rolls silently into the dirt, staining the earth. "He said he loved me and that I had to leave so he would forget about me, then he kissed me and went to go get you," I finish with more tears rolling into the dirt. "I don't know what led him to that conclusion, I was horrible to him. Accusing him of kidnapping me, thinking he was a demon, and when he bit you, I lost it. I have never been so harsh to anyone else in my life."

"So... it's just a one sided thing? You don't love him, at all," Chance asked raising his head.

"No Chance," I reassured him quickly," I don't love him at all. How could I? I already have you, what more could I need?," I looked into his eyes conveying my point. His dark green shields were slowing fading away, but not completely. "I can't lose you Chance," another tear escapes me" that's why I had to tell you," my voice faltered. "I can't lose you."

In an instant, his eyes were back to their rich honey color, the horrid green was gone. He took a step closer to me and lowered his face to mine, his eyes were warm and welcoming. "You could never lose me, Violet," he spoke so gently and so confidently, my heart melted. The tears were uncontrollable, I couldn't stop them from falling.

"Can you ever forgive me," I ask him, terrified of his answer.

He smiled sadly" There is nothing to forgive, Violet. I believe you. That nothing happened, that it was just... just a big...," he furrowed his brow," I don't even know what to call it. And accident?," he questioned.

I took a sign of relief and nuzzled into his fur, breathing his oaky, pine cone smell, "I don't know, either and I don't care. I'm just glad it's over."

He rested his head on mine, making me feel safe and warm," Yes, " he reassured me," It's over."

"Chance?," I asked into his fuzzy chest.

"Hmm?"

"How could you think I loved him?," I was too afraid to look at him so I stayed there, buried into him. His body tensed slightly at my question.

"I didn't. Deep down I knew that you didn't love him, but I had to ask. I had to hear you say that it wasn't true," he spoke immersing his snout into my hair.

I pulled away to look at him," So, you're not mad? At all? At me or Nokto?"

He chuckled," No, I'm not mad...well not anymore," he confessed. I tilted my head silently asking him to continue. "Well.. when you said he kissed you, I almost lost it completely but then I... I...," his voice trailed away and he looked into the distance.

"But then you what," I persisted.

He turned back to me and smiled, making my knees shake slightly. "I thought about what I would have done in his position. Rescuing an elegant Vulpix and spending time with her and her one of a kind personality. Staring in to those deep, breath taking eyes... I would fall in love too," he chuckled softly, "I'm just glad I found you first."

My brain was fuzzy and my stomach was full of butterflies. "I don't deserve you, Chance."

"Nor I, you," he says with an old English accent, which made me laugh. I loved him so much, and I knew that he loved me. That's all I could ever ask for.

"So..., what do we do now?"

"Hmm.. good question. Well, we still need to know about your cast, so... I say we continue onward."

"To see Nokto?"

"Yeah, I mean why not? Afraid your going to catch feeling for him," he teased.

"Shut up! That's so not funny!," I swatted at him with my paw, but dodged it easily. "Are you sure? I don't want you put in a situation where... where you might lose your temper"

"As long as I know you love me and not him, he can't faze me. I mean, how can I be mad when I have the girl of my dreams? And, it doesn't even matter to me that he thinks he loves you, this isn't about him. It's about you. We need to make sure that your leg is okay and how to properly take care of it," his eyes glistened with concern.

"Okay," I agreed reluctantly. "Let's go," and we both turned down the trail to catch up to Jack and Theresa.