Author's Note: I think it's about time this story had an update, now that life has finally settled down. My apologies for those who have waited for so long. I don't know if this chapter lives up to your expectations, but I can at least assure that the updates in the future will be much more frequent. If nothing else, I will always hold to the promise that no story I post to the public will be abandoned to stagnate forever.

As always, I appreciate your thoughts and reviews. Whatever critique can help keep this story on track is most welcome. Writing can be challenging when the only editor and critic immediately available is myself.

Chapter 28

SOMEONE GET THIS PSYCHOPATH AWAY FROM ME!

You think YOU are the only one suffering? None of us can sprout legs and run from the crazy meatbag either, you know. You're just gonna have to take his crazy ramblings like the rest of us.

B-but listening to his rat is destroying my faith in the animal kingdom! I'm just a sapling! I'm SUPPOSED to have happy, healthy childhood! WAAAAAAH!

You're gonna find that few of us grown-up trees hold our walking meatbag neighbors in high regard, kid. Grow some bark already! Besides, haven't you been listening to the grapevine lately?

The what?

Sheesh, were you planted yesterday? It's only the biggest source of news ever for trees. Don't you remember the other crazy rat? The one that toasted the elder tree?

No, not more psychopaths!

Don't get your branches in a bind! The ghosts are planning to use that dude to prune Mr. Abstinence outta these woods. Yeah, they're both crazy, but at least one of them has enough sense to try to get laid. He's already got the hots for one of the females that patriarch's terrorizing, so he's got every reason to play Mr. Action Hero. He'll save the herd and finally snag a chick for himself.

B-b-but isn't that the same rat that nearly did nasty things with one of our cousins?

Yes, but that's quite understandable. She'd be a fine little flower to pollinate, if you know what I mean. Heh heh heh!

EWWWWW!

The first thing Charon needed, more than anything in the world, was a bath. So delayed it had been by the drama that had unfolded that the rest of the group unanimously agreed to head out and get it over with. Now that the perception of hostility and evil had mostly withered from Cassandra's eyes, the pikachu agreed to direct them to the nearest body of water with some reluctance. While she didn't see Charon as a serious threat anymore, her opinion of his character was far from admirable.

"How come you didn't get a bath the first time you left that hole in the ground?" she had asked the raichu.

"Well…" Charon couldn't tell her about that. "I couldn't find any water to bathe in, so…I came back to ask for directions."

"I'm surprised you didn't get lost finding your way back," the pikachu remarked mockingly. Charon could only grumble in defeat.

The walk to the water proved uneventful, save for one aspect: the pikachu firmly kept up her guard. Although she led the group at the front, she had insisted on keeping Ivy by her side. Lily, not one to let her role as a caretaker be so tyrannically usurped, also insisted on keeping the offspring by her side as well. With neither willing to compromise, the two maidens and the little one ended up walking together as a row of three, one eye on the path ahead and another glaring contemptuously over Ivy's head at each other. Calien, left by his lonesome, quietly followed the trio close behind them, shaking his head at the petty rivalry for custodial rights over the pichu. Charon, relegated to the back with only the yearning chikorita and the solemn gastly for company, was left to simmer in his frustrations.

Part of him wondered if he would've been better off not letting the opportunity to claim Cassandra's body slip from his grasp, but he knew far too well that it simply wasn't the right time. Nothing good would've come from it, he had thought, Cassandra would be devastated. Everyone would hate me and it wouldn't have done anything worth shit about that damn patriarch. And what would I have gained? Little more than what I'd get from jerking off. Gah, At least Katar isn't preaching to me about it.

Upon reaching their destination—a modest pond some distance from Botana's home—the group nearly exploded with the joy of salvation from their filth. This pond, left untouched by wind for the moment, stood calm and devoid of waves, oblivious to the animals soon to disrupt its tranquility.

"It's about time we got a bath. Come on, Ivy!" Cassandra stole the offspring away in a sprint as she hastily charged across the shore towards the awaiting water. Ivy yelped in surprise as she was snatched from the vulpix's side like free candy in a kindergarten class.

"HEY! Wait for me!" Lily immediately protested. Not caring that the water would weaken her strength, she took off in equal haste after the two rodents. Water splashed everywhere around the three of them as they cut a straight line into the pond, not stopping until the water rose up to Ivy's waist. It was at that point the three females came to a dead stop and realized they had overlooked an important detail about that body of water: it was perfect for members of the polar bear club, which was a nice way of saying that the water was really damn cold!

Charon, Botana, and Calien looked on from the shore with pity as the three females shivered and chattered their teeth in unison. Cassandra and Ivy gathered close against the vulpix for her significantly greater heat, nearly smothering her for a warm escape.

"You s-s-shouldn't have run like that," Lily scolded the pikachu.

"S-s-stuff it will y-y-ya!" Cassandra shot back.

The raichu sighed. "I've forgotten how cold morning water can be," he remarked, as he walked on to take his bath, "Might as well grin and bear it."

The large rodent waded into the chilling water, opting not to make as much of a scene as the girls had done. Botana, as expected, followed the rodent closely. He did not reject her company, but he remained alert in case she attempted to cross the line. As the water flowed over his feet, however, he realized that the male vulpix wasn't joining him.

Charon turned to question him. "What's the problem, Calien? The water's cold, but it's not going to kill you."

"Someone has to stay on guard," Calien stated, sitting alone at the shore. There was no haughtiness or paranoia in his tone. Rather, he stated those words with the acceptance of one who has endured too many a storm.

The gastly, Katar, floated by Calien's side without the fox's knowledge. He silently casted a gaze upon the male vulpix that couldn't decide whether it was pity or outright mockery. Calien felt this gaze upon him, sending shivers down his spine.

Charon did his best to ignore this. "When I'm done, we can trade places," he assured Calien, turning away to tend to his bath.

The raichu was hesitant to approach the three females further into the pond. Instead, he splashed the chilling water upon his body by his lonesome closer to shore, save for the nearby chikorita who quietly stayed close for warmth. He scrubbed the filth away with his paws as he watched Lily, Ivy, and Cassandra tend to their own dirtiness. His mind worked on deciding his next course of action. In his attempts to concoct the perfect plan to rescue the pikachu herd (and the forest along with it,) he realized he needed more information from Cassandra to have anything resembling a sensible plan. But every time his eyes fell upon the pikachu bathing in the pond, the mental equivalent of a neon sign flashing 'SEX" quickly derailed his line of thought. He'd quickly turn away in embarrassment, sometimes with the pikachu glancing uneasily at him, only to repeat the cycle over and over again.

"He's eyeing me like a prize," Cassandra whispered to Lily with unease.

"He'll behave," Lily tried to reassure.

Charon's mind bounced back and forth between the two subjects, trapped in a deadlock. There seemed to be no end to that futile exercise. Those thoughts, however, literally washed away when Botana, craving a bit more attention from the object of her affection, playfully dumped a bucket's worth of water upon his head with her leaf.

Charon yelped and sputtered, "Aghffpf!" In his initial shock he spun to face the mischievous prankster with eyes that popped wide open. The chikorita giggled at him.

"You are cute when drenched, Charon," she remarked cheekily.

As water dripped all over him, the raichu felt something click inside his brain. He immediately found himself doing something he hadn't done in a long time: break into a fit of laughter. It seeped out of his mouth in a low chuckle at first, quickly gaining momentum into a nearly uncontrollable outburst. All eyes fell upon this scene, slapping the rest of the group with hopeless confusion, Botana most of all. The line between joy and psychosis proved more often than not to be thin.

And then, the raichu made a sudden declaration to the chikorita: "Two can play at that game!"

"Eh?" Botana's response betrayed even more confusion, with no small thanks to her language barrier. The pear girl didn't have a clue where this scene was about to be headed.

Without warning, Charon snatched Botana into his grasp. Her deeply harbored fantasies had only a moment to be cruelly teased, for before she could squee at the thought of finally seducing the raichu, Charon proved to have other things in mind. The raichu lifted the chikorita's green, stumpy body high above his head, right before he made a beeline dash to deeper water.

Charon cackled with glee as he ran. His sprint violently sprayed water everywhere in his wake. He drenched Lily, Ivy, and Cassandra as he passed them by (despite their hasty attempt to escape such a fate.) Cries erupted in pandemonium from all the females present, especially the chikorita on the raichu's impromptu thrill ride as the air rushed past her face. And then, Charon threw her like a soccer ball.

"Dios miiio!" Botana yelled as she soared through the air. Her flight was short-lived as she belly-flopped into the pond with a splash, submerging the whole of her body before her head popped out of the water's surface with a gasp. Only her head and the leaf upon it could be seen above the water as the chilling temperature seized her body.

Charon hunched over, waist deep in the pond, as he broke down into even more fits of laughter. To say that Calien, Katar, and the two surrogate caretakers were mortified was something of an understatement. Ivy, however, remained silent and shy.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Cassandra shouted. She at once snapped at Lily nearby, holding the pichu close to her. "I don't care how much you vouch for him, that guy's freakin' nuts! Give me one good reason I shouldn't be running with Ivy right now. One good reason!"

Lily stood there before the pikachu, soaked and miserable. Charon's laughter continued to ring in the background as she struggled to perform even more damage control. "Cassandra, he's been through an awful lot. Please, don't judge him so quickly. He does want to help. It's just-"

"He has been doing so much for so vaporous and uncertain a reward that it is a clear test of his stress tolerance, if not his sanity. I certainly can relate," Calien chimed in from the shore.

"You're not helping, Calien!" Lily shot back irritably.

"So you're blaming me for him having a few screws loose!?" Cassandra exclaimed at the vulpix.

Lily hesitated to give a definite response. "I'm sorry, but you must know how desperate he is!"

"Yes, it is rather sad when mating a plant is more likely to happen," the male vuplix quipped.

"Calien! Shut up already!"

Cassandra threw up her paws. "I can't believe you're serious! You ARE blaming me!"

At that moment, Charon's laughter quickly morphed into exclamations of pain. His body had finally caught up with his mind to remind him of the terrrible state of his wounds. "Agh! My shoulders!" The raichu promptly fell upon his back as his paws crossed over his chest to grab at the most painful spots.

Cassandra shook her fist at Charon, fed up already with arguing with Lily. "Serves you right, you big oaf! All you've done is make a mad ruckus out of everything! And why in the world did you do that to her?" She pointed sharply at Botana. "Look at that poor girl. She's close to bawling her eyes out enough to make this place a saltwater pond!"

The pikachu was right on that observation. The chikorita was already whimpering with a quiver in her lips as she walked with shivering steps towards the raichu, escaping the deeper water. As that water lowered to her belly, her bare skin glistened with moisture.

"Tengo frio, Charon." Botana's pitiful tone was like a lover betrayed.

Charon groaned from the ground. With the rush long-gone from his system replaced by cold, harsh reality, his demeanor was far more reserved. "I only meant it in fun," he explained to both of the females, "It wasn't supposed to hurt."The raichu carefully rose back up upon two feet, cautiously avoiding further stress to his shoulders. "I haven't had any sort of fun like that. Not since I was a pichu. Guess the excitement got to me."

At that moment, Charon closed the distance between the chikorita and himself. "Let me make it up to you," he told her, as he wrapped his paws around Botana to hug her against his chest. The chikorita's face pressed against his fur, fresh and clean from the bathing. She could do nothing but stand petrified with a palpitating heart in his subtle embrace.

The raichu's actions quickly disarmed the renewed hostility Cassandra had against him, as well as assuaged the concerns the others had for his sanity. Lily breathed a sigh as she turned to the shore to place her paws on dry land—but not before encouraging the pichu to come along with a gentle prod of her muzzle. Ivy inexplicably harbored a crimson tint in her cheeks, her eyes looking back at the raichu, as the two females departed from the unfolding scene between the two grown rodents.

The pikachu, with her focus strictly on Charon now, wasn't so quick to let her paranoia go away in whole. "You're lucky she's easy to please, but it'd take more than a hug to change my mind about you," the pikachu warned him.

"I could start by saving your herd," Charon replied, maintaining his hug upon the chikorita as she began to coo, "I'm sure that'd earn me those brownie points; but if I'm as big an oaf as you say I am, You're going to have to help me with that plan."

Lily shook herself dry upon the shore, much to Katar's disdain. She and her mate-to-be quietly changed posts, allowing Calien to bathe and keep an eye on Botana, Charon, and Cassandra in silence. The gastly followed closely, for he knew Charon was navigating a dangerous minefield.

Meanwhile, the raichu's request left Cassandra uncertain as to how to proceed. The chastising behavior she reaped upon the raichu now submitted to newfound anxiety. She bit her lip as she realized she would rather run away from the crisis of her herd rather than attempt to find a means to correct it.

"Drawing a blank?" Charon asked.

Cassandra narrowed her eyes. "I never gave it much thought, okay!?" she snapped, turning her back on him to simmer in her frustration. "I wouldn't know where to start. There's just so much wrong about my herd right now...I don't have a clue how to fix it."

Botana rubbed her face into Charon's chest, indulging in the intimacy with a goofy grin. She shared the same mindset as a kid in a candy store.

"Well...we could start small. Is there anything I could do about what made you run away crying last night?"

Charon, along with the rest, had yet to know about the incident that left Cassandra so vulnerable in the twilight of the woods; but the mere mention of it made the pikachu become even colder than the pond.

"I...I almost forgot." The pikachu's voice grew faint. Her experience that night began to play again in her head, bringing the pain of that incident back into her conscious.

Katar floated by Charon's ear. "Don't press too hard, or you'll break her," the ghost whispered. The warning made Charon pause as he worked out the best words to use to prod the pikachu's knowledge a little further. The lake's surface laid flat as most held still in their places, anxious to see how the scene would play out. Botana was the exception, for she was lost in the bliss she found in pressing herself affectionately against the raichu.

"I was so close...so close to getting what I wanted. And then the patriarch had to steal him away!"

Cassandra suddenly shrieked as she repeatedly pounded the lake, erupting the water surrounding her and disrupting Charon's thoughts. "I hate him! I hate him! I wish he was dead!" The pikachu poured out all her frustration and hatred upon the water, abusing it violently. Charon and the others, even Botana, who forced herself away from Charon in light of Cassandra's breakdown, couldn't bear to look away as the female continued to pummel until she was slowed and brought down to all fours by exhaustion. The pond did nothing but reflect the revived despair in her face to her gaze. It quietly accepted the tears she went on to shed.

Charon gritted his teeth. Dammit...

It was at that point Katar floated in front of Charon's eyes, intercepting the rodent's view of Cassandra. "Charon, there is something you should know. The demon's minions have been watching the rodents closely. They saw what happened. They also know where the patriarch took her mate-to-be."

"At what point were you going to tell me she already had a boyfriend?" Charon whispered angrily.

Katar paused. "The demon was expecting you to be more...aggressive. Had you taken her last night, there would've been at least one offspring in the herd's future."

Charon could only glare. "Your warden's a manipulating prick," he whispered back.

"And I'm his messenger and slave," Katar replied bitterly.

"Charon? What are you doing? She's talking to you!"

Calien's voice snapped the raichu's attention away from the gastly. Concerned gazes had fallen upon him again, for it appeared he had gone into an inexpicable daze before them, whispering gibberish below his breath. Cassandra was directly facing him now, looking up at him. She was wiping the tears out of her eyes and cheeks.

"Sorry...sorry. I was thinking, I didn't mean to ignore you," Charon blurted out, silently cursing the ghosts inhabiting the woods, "What was it you said to me?"

Cassandra repeated herself: "I said we need to find out where the patriarch's taking all the guys. We've got to rescue them from that bastard before it's too late."

A question immediately came to Charon's mind, and he put it out without much hesitance: "Cassandra, what about the females?"

The pikachu narrowed her eyes. "They're scattered and hopeless...and some of them are in their heat. I can't trust you to go to them without you aiming to take them. You snatched me away without much of a thought, remember?"

The raichu frowned. "We need all the help we can get. I'll rescue the males, but you've got to get the rest of the herd together, Cassandra. We're not going to end this crisis until we can all stand against the male responsible. You've got to believe me: I'm not going to mate with anyone until we know the herd can have a future."

He pointed to Lily and Ivy. "Let them help you."

"Wait, what?" The maiden vulpix was surprised by the suggestion, but immediately afterwards she was booming with enthusiasm. "Of course! I'll help out! Anything to help Ivy have a home again! That sounds good to you, doesn't it Ivy?"

The pichu shyly nodded.

"Well, there you go, Cassandra," Charon went on with a grin. "You're willing to do this for me, aren't you?"

The pikachu, seized with conflicting reasons, couldn't decide upon her answer for what felt like an eternity in her mind. But then, she finally responded: "Okay...I'll do it. I'll get the girls together. But if you've got a harem on your mind, you've got another thing coming! I'm serious!"

Charon sighed. "Note taken," he replied back, "Then Botana, Calien, and I will go rescue the males."

"Eh?" Botana, yet again, had no idea what she was about to be swept into, as she cocked her head in further confusion.

"Wait a minute!" Calien objected, "I am also willing to help, but you are separating me from my mate-to-be. Should I not go with them to ensure they are protected, at least, especially Lily?"

"I'm not some damsel in distress, thank you very much!" Lily rebutted, "I've got as much of a flame as you do. Charon's the one who needs help. He's in a far worse state than we are!"

"Yes, but at least he still has good depth perception," Calien remarked.

Lily held strong. "You're not going to win this one, Calien. You're going with the raichu and that's final!"

The male vulpix grumbled. "Yes, dear, whatever you say...anyhow, Calien, what of the pear? Would it not make sense for her to go with the rest of the females?"

"Well...normally, yes," Charon admitted, "But I have a feeling she'd sooner drown in this lake than be separated from me. It can't be helped."

Botana continued to glance at the vulpix and the raichu, in the dark about most of the conversation.

"It's settled, then," Charon confirmed, "We'll spend this day getting the herd together again. The females will go to Botana's home and the males will come to this pond. We'll bring the two together before dusk. And, it goes without saying that we can't let the patriarch catch on. I don't doubt he'll want to kill us.

His eyes fell upon Ivy. "We have his daughter. Her return ought to bring back some hope. But don't let her father know she's here. We don't know what he would do."

The pichu's gaze held straight down to the ground, refusing to lift up her head.

"Let's be off," Charon concluded, "And end this tragedy."

Quiet nods were shared all around. With a plan and a deadline set in stone, the two groups went about their separate ways. Cassandra led one group, with the herd's most sacred treasure as her rallying call and the maternal dedication of the maiden vulpix as her shield. Charon led the other, backed by fire, flora, and the hidden networks of the dead. Both embarked on an expedition with their respective company to seek out the members of the rodent herd. As of now, they were all divided and weak. But if the raichu and the maiden pikachu succeeded in their quests, their renewed strength as a united community would be enough to overthrow the patriarch's destructive reign.

At least, that was their hope.