Chapter Ten
"AMARI!" Burgand reached out towards the girl, but she was gone before he had a chance to blink. Calron let out a roar and raced towards the trees. Burgand let out a curse and quickly followed, using the flame on Calron's tail as a beacon in the fading light. The Charizard came to a stop and looked around quickly for any sign as to where Amari had gone. He let out a frustrated growl and looked back at Burgand with a helpless look.
"Don't worry," he told the Charizard. "We'll find her. She can't have gotten too far."
Calron blew smoke out of his nostrils and nodded. Together they began searching through the dense forest, calling out Amari's name. Burgand made sure to stay close to Calron. It was growing darker and the bright flame on the Charizard's tail was a comforting light. A twig snapped in the distance and Calron's head turned towards it. Before Burgand could say anything the Charizard took off towards the noise, leaving Burgand in the dark. He reached towards his belt and let out a loud curse when he discovered that his pokémon were back at the camp.
He let out a frustrated sigh and ran a hand through his hair. Burgand stood there in the dark forest trying to figure out what to do next. He heard something move behind him and he glanced over his shoulder. His eyes scanned over the shadows surrounding him, feeling his heart beat a little faster.
"Amari?" he called out to the darkness. Silence was his answer. He looked around with a frown and wrapped his arms around himself. Somewhere off to his left he heard a female scream pierce through the dense forest. His head whipped around in that direction. "Amari!"
He took a step towards the scream, but something hit him in the back. He let out a startled cry as he felt something tear through his shirt and rip at his back. He felt blood run down his back from the gashes as he fell to the ground. He tried to roll over but there was a weight on his back, pinning him down. He whimpered as something dug into his skin, creating more slashes. He managed to turn his head to see a Sneasel crouched on his back, its claws stained with his blood. Burgand opened his mouth to call out a warning to Amari and Calron.
The Sneasel quickly covered his mouth with a clawed hand. Burgand shut his eyes tightly against the pain from the tip of its claws piercing through skin. He struggled against the pokémon, trying to buck it off of him, but was failing. The sharp tangy scent of blood was all around him and Burgand felt himself grow dizzy. As his vision began to blacken, he sent out a silent plea for someone to save him.
X X X
"MAGNAR!" Amari sobbed out as she stumbled through the trees. It was growing darker and her anxiety was rising with every step she took. Her breath came out in tiny gasps and tears began to form in her eyes. She tripped over a tree root and tumbled to the ground. She laid there and sobbed bitterly for a moment before calming down enough to sit up. Amari looked around the forest and wiped at the tears running down her face. You have to calm down. Now is not the time to panic.
Amari took a deep breath and nodded to herself. She got to her feet and looked around. All that surrounded her was the thick foliage of the forest. She couldn't see if any pokémon were around her, but the fear of their possible presence was enough to keep her on edge. She took another shaky breath and slowly walked forward. To her left she heard something rustling in the trees and turned to face it. She stood there looking into the darkness, her heart in her throat.
"Magnar?" she called trying to keep her voice calm and level. She took a cautious step towards the source of the noise, shaking from head to toe. Her foot landed on a twig and snapped it in half. She let out a gasp as something shot out from the trees at her. She let out a scream as something sharp sliced at her shoulder. Hot blood flowed from the gash and she quickly covered the wound with her hand, pressing down hard to try and stop the flow.
Her eyes darted around frantically as she tried to catch her breath. Something flashed by her once again, this time cutting her cheek. She stumbled to the ground, still clutching at her shoulder. Amari looked up in front of her to see a dark green pokémon with one pink ear and sharp claws. It sneered at her, its eyes glinting dangerously in the fading light.
"Sneasel,"she whispered feeling her fear grow. It narrowed its eyes at her as its manic grin grew wider. It let out a mocking "Snneeee…" and stalked closer to her, all the while clicking its claws together. Amari scrambled away from it as fast as she could. She stopped when she felt the rough bark of a tree against her back. Her breathing was fast and her heart was hammering in her chest like a frightened Pidgey. The Sneasel was close enough that she could feel its breath on her. She shut her eyes tightly and whimpered as the Sneasel reached a clawed hand towards her.
"CYNDA!" Amari's eyes snapped open as Magnar leaped out from the trees and tackled the Sneasel to the ground. It let out a surprised squeak as it rolled on the forest floor, a safe distance away from Amari. The girl sat there, watching with bewildered eyes as her Cyndaquil charged towards the Sneasel, letting out a ferocious growl. The Sneasel recovered quickly and slashed at Magnar with its razor sharp claws. "Magnar, look out!"
Amari jumped to her feet and watched with bated breath as Magnar followed her command and dodged the Slash attack. He backed up till he was right in front of her, his teeth bared. Amari clutched at her injured shoulder tightly as she racked her brain for any idea how to get out of this mess. She knew Sneasel was a Dark Ice type which meant it was weak to fighting and fire attacks. She let out a groan and leaned weakly against a tree. And I have the only fire pokémon in existence afraid of fire.
The Sneasel grinned at them both and began to advance towards them once more. Amari let out a frightened gasp and looked down at Magnar.
"We have to run!" she managed to say. "There is no way we can fight this thing, not now at least."
Magnar looked back at her and shook his head. Amari opened her mouth to say something until she noticed something odd about her Cyndaquil. The spots on his back were starting to glow and smoke was rising out of his nostrils. Her eyes grew wide as flames burst from the Cyndaquil's back, glowing brightly in the darkness surrounding them. She stood dumbfounded as Magnar opened his jaw and shot out a jet of flames. The Sneasel had no time to react before it was engulfed in the fiery stream. Magnar closed his mouth, ending the attack.
The Sneasel stood there for a moment, its eyes blank, before it crumbled to the ground. Magnar turned and looked up at Amari, his back still aflame. She stared down at him and blinked a few times before falling to her knees. Magnar inched towards her until he was practically in her lap. The flames on his back had died down, but still glowed and washed them both in warm light. He sniffed at her cheek and gently licked at the blood trickling from the cut. Amari let out a breathless laugh as tears streamed down her face, causing the cut to sting.
"Guess you really don't have arsonphobia," she said beaming proudly down at her Cyndaquil. Magnar gazed up at her, obviously pleased by her pride. She struggled to stand, the scent of blood making her dizzy. Amari shook her head and started back towards the direction of camp. "Come on boy. I have a feeling that wasn't the only Sneasel in the area."
