Me: Ermahgerrrd, I'm sooo excited for this chappie. :3
Copper: You're excited for all of them here on out. Ha. xD
Me: But this one is super unique and takes a change on the story and stuff! And I'm also really, really scared because there's gonna be a lot of shocking things in this one. *Shudders*
Scarlet: …W-why are we here instead of Shard or Th-Thun—?
Fawn: HOW DARE YOU WRITE THAT LAST CHAPTER AND MAKE SHARD SO SAD AND HURT HER AND AAAGGHHH! *Attempts to pounce with tiny claws drawn, but Copper tightly grasps her fluffy tail, holding her back* LEMME GOOOOO!
Me: *Ignores Fawn and addresses Scarlet* If Sharunder showed up right now, I'll be in for a world of hurt by Thundie, and Shardy would completely drown that world in tears. Nuh-uh, I do not want to live through that… U_U
Scarlet: Eep…
Fawn: YOU ARE A CRUEL, CRUEL SNIVY AND I WISH YOU WOULD FALL INTO A PIT AND GET STUCK THERE! :(
Scarlet: A-ah! That's s-so mean. ;_;
Copper: Reeeeel it back a bit, Fawn. You can get your revenge when Shadow is sleeping.
Fawn: *Growls, but listens* Yeah, good point… hehe…
Me: I'M NOT OKAY WITH THIS. O_O
Scarlet: W-we're just fennekin cubs. We're not th-that bad… not like you'll be burned or any… thing…
Star: *Sneaks up behind Fawn with a mischievous grin* I'll fetch the whip cream. ;)
Fawn: Muwahaha… :D
Me: Oh, phew. What a relief. ^^
Star: And by that I mean THE WHIP CREAM OF NIGHTMARES AND DEATH.
Fawn: YEAAAAAH!
Me: *Faints*
Scarlet and Copper: ._.;;
Aqua's POV
I didn't recognize a thing here. Despite the warm sunshine outside, it was darker and colder than at the beach at night, and I really wanted to see my family again because it was really bad here and I didn't like it. Not this beast, this… thing. I didn't even have a clue to what kind of Pokémon kidnapped me and I was scared. So… scared…
A cold breeze blew into the den and chilled my thick fur and I shivered from more than just crying. It billowed and whistled louder than some other noises within this cave, but only for a small bit. My sobs turned squeaky until the wind subsided, and then I choked down the rest of the emotions trying to reduce me to a wailing and bawling mess. I didn't have the energy to go through a cycle of crying again. I didn't know if I could stay awake long enough to do so.
Steady, weak crunching kept echoing off the hollow walls. It was a slow, steady, never rushed sound, and each snap and tear convinced me to shiver more and more and never raise a peep, never voice against the monster holding me in captivity. The monster would snarl and hiss and wield scary claws and bare scary fangs if I did and… I just needed to survive until Mom or Dad or Brother saved me, whenever it would happen. My horrible situation would soon be a memory to smile at as a vaporeon because I'd never see the bad monster again, maybe, hopefully…
Why hasn't Brother rescued me yet? Is Brother even-?
Another crunch, and then a sickening splatter new to my ears. Drops and bits of a liquid sprayed onto my back and I timidly glanced over my shoulder, gasping at obvious spots of red and a yucky stench. I caught a glance of the beast as its giant teeth ripped into a small Pokémon's body again with more snapping and more tearing and the crunching of… of dead Pokémon… of chewing…
I wish I couldn't hear it. I buried my head into my tear-soaked tail and muffled my sniffles, thinking that I would become the next meal if I didn't cover up my cries.
"It's not as disgusting as you might think." I didn't like that voice. It was deep and threatening and I flinched every time it spoke up. "Ya'know, you look pretty appetizing, sprinkled with blood like that. Ah, it's so tempting…" Those purrs were just as bad as the crunching. Purring should've shown happiness, but… but happiness from killing… th-that was not… good… And the noises started up again.
CRRRCKKK… CRRRCKKK…
SPLTRTRRrrtrtrt…!
My fear became too unbearable and so I raised my head from my tail, needing to make my wail heard, needing to make a noise in hopes my family would come. "M-Mom, Dad, Brotherrrr… w-waaaaahhh…!"
The crunching stopped and the monster yowled. I forced myself to stop screaming and sniffled uncontrollably instead, but the beast was still annoyed, and its heavy paw steps grew louder and louder. "The littlest things set you off. Why won't you just shut up?" The ground shook as two black paws landed on either side of me. Eep.
I bit my tongue and pawed wildly at my eyes swollen badly from crying, wiping away tears and covering my mouth because I was scared of screaming again. I almost did too when red-tipped claws hooked into my scruff and jerked me up into the air. The monster lifted me up so its hot, blood-scented breath hit my face and I couldn't pry my eyes open to squint even if I wanted to. "Next time, I'll slice open your stomach and rip you inside-out. Enjoy the thought." The beast uncaringly tossed me into the back of the cave and I gasped for fresh air, but the gross, coppery smell of the blood was strong throughout the entire cave and I hated it. Killing was wrong. Blood and threatening to hurt was wrong.
Crying into my tail had become so bad that I actually hiccupped. It shook my body and could be frequent enough to attract the monster's attention again, and… I didn't want to die. No one should've died—the Spring Festival was supposed to be a happy thing, so why had it turned out so horribly for me? For Brother? Where was Brother, anyways? When would he rescue me… if, if he did? If he could? If he was alive still? If, if, if? Brother! Where are you?!
Night eventually came. The den's floor was soaked red from my kidnapper mindlessly ripping apart its prey and spilling unmentionable things everywhere. Only thoughts from Maplewood and playing with Brother and running around through autumn leaves helped me through the day, helped me remain… sane… I felt so drained after my teary outbursts that I couldn't cry anymore. I wasn't sure if my voice was all right or if I could even talk, but I refused to risk trying unless I spoke into my tail, and that sure didn't reassure me much. So, I sat in the darkest shadows of the den, listening to the torturing rips and crunches being torn out of sweet, innocent, dead Pokémon… from the beast opening them up… until the monster ate all the meat off their broken bones and ran out of things to chew with and claw at. Not just things, of course, but living things, sentient things, that were reduced to being just things.
Nice, pretty stars spread across the darkening sky when the monster said, "I don't want to bother carrying you around as I hunt, so… stay." Those sharp eyes pierced through me as the beast showed off a blood-soaked paw. "Don't forget my warnings. You know what will happen." I nodded quickly, wordlessly. I didn't want to provoke my kidnapper, especially since it was giving me time alone.
It stalked out into the flowers and tall grass outside, and I wanted to cry without any restraint until I couldn't anymore, but I was still dried out. It hurt to merely move my legs that had stiffened from laying down for half the day. But, with the opportunity to run, I wanted to crawl up onto my sore legs and search for Mom and Dad outside, but I felt incredibly tired and it still hurt to move. I regretted not taking a nap earlier, but all the crunching made it really hard to and I didn't want to be the monster's next thing to slice up while I slept. The beast could easily track me down if I ran, anyways…
A sudden thought popped into my rampant storm of them: Would Brother give up if this happened? I blinked a couple times. I hadn't thought any thoughts with courage and bravery for a long time, so it surprised me. If he was also trapped in this stinky den and really tired as well, but he had this chance to escape, would he take it? I considered it for a moment. I nodded resolutely. Yeah… heck yes! Of course Brother would, even with that thing's nasty threats! I shouldn't give up, I won't give up! I'll just make it easier for Brother to find me. Yeah!
It took a lot of struggling, but I stood up and made for the den's entrance. Despite feeling super drained, limping around red stains, horribly torn pelts, and strikingly white bones caused my tears to dampen this floor more. There were even fresh paw prints from when the monster left, and they were of a nauseating red as well, yet I managed to smile the slightest bit when I stepped outside. Nice, pretty grass under nice, pretty stars. I rushed to stumble through a field of tall grasses and many, many flowers until I reached the trees, and I moved to the closest tree and leaned against its dusty trunk, completely exhausted already. I wanted to curl up against the tree's base and close my eyes for a bit, just for a few heartbeats…
Brother wouldn't do that. Get up, Aqua! Up, up!
I did so with a bit of a grunt and slapped myself. It instantly woke me up even though it was weak, at least for the moment. I cleared my throat and tested my raspy voice: "Gotta w-walk on, for B-Brother… sniff…" And I did, I walked on. Hoping to disguise my scent and knock the monster off my track, I pushed through thick areas of vegetation when I could, and I walked in a twisty pattern between trees and shrubs. If I knew anything from playing hide-and-seek with Brother, doing all of this was helpful for hiding. Thunder would easily track my scent otherwise, even when I insisted it was cheating…
I put all of my effort into doing this until I could hardly limp anymore, and then I realized… I was lost.
"Ahh, n-no… This, this is almost worse! Where am I?" Even with my tired and itchy throat, talking helped keep me calm, so I mumbled anything that came to mind as I began to wander. "At least it's really peaceful… I-I'm okay, the monster is gone, it won't find me before Brother does… I m-miss you, Mom, Dad… I wonder if any be-berries are around here? A b-bah-berry sounds nice right now…"
After an undetermined amount of time passed—it was a lot, probably—my paw hit a ragged rock. I cried out hoarsely, tripped on it, and heavily fell to the ground. I was so tired… so, so tired, and earlier thoughts crawled back.
I should've taken a nap. I should've… If only I ignored the crunching, if only I hadn't left Mom's side and snuck off to find Brother… If, if-
My body tensed, my nose twitched. I had smelled a weird smell. It was tangy and salty and sharp… It was saltwater. My face scrunched up in confusion. I can't be by the ocean already, can I? I'm sure I was carried a big way before ending up at that thing's evil den… Despite the conusion, thinking about coming across water was rejuvenating. I never had much of a chance to enjoy Sugarsand's beach while I was searching earlier—it certainly wasn't the best time while running away, though—but I would rather rest on soft sand instead of giant thorn bushes or a hard oak tree. I really needed a break. "I-It's decided." I struggled to my paws, almost not able to actually stand, and limped after the salty smell, expecting a pretty expanse of water with nice, calm waves shining in the nice, pretty starlight.
My very shaky paws carried me to the clearing where the smell was strongest. But, there wasn't as much sand and water as I expected: just a lake, and a small one at that, with no sand at all. No regular lake would smell like saltwater—there wasn't any I knew of, and Maplewood had a lot of lakes so I would know. Curious, I walked to the lake's edge and sipped water gingerly, and then I spat it all out with no hesitance. "Y-yeah… uck… this is saltwater, all right…" Even though the thought of a saltwater lake was kind of interesting, I was really disappointed. Without drinking or eating anything that day—the monster had refused to pick berries or escort me to the nearest pond—all I wanted was a nice drink and some fruit, but a stupid body of saltwater could satisfy neither of those things. If I had been more attentive while wandering, I probably would've found a berry bush and maybe a normal lake. Also, swimming always improved my mood, but my fur was all dry and bristly from wading through the shallow tide at Sugarsand and I'd hate to worsen it with more saltwater. I couldn't even swim here! This place sucked!
Suddenly, a voice. "Heeeeey! You! Eevee! Thing!"
I jumped so high that it was like Brother zapped me. I was startled, but the shout didn't have a menacing tone like the monster's did, and this stranger sounded pleasant and… squeaky. When I turned around and spotted a Pokémon around my height, all my traces of fear faded, and a lot of relief flooded in. "U-um… hi. Hello," I lamely replied, but I was too tired to care about sounding cheerful.
The yellow Pokémon, which I knew was a girl from its scent and voice, advanced from nearby shrubs with a cheeky smile. She held her ears high as her fluffy yellow tail waved casually. With a prance in her step, she strolled over and sat down from a safe distance, but she suddenly looked disturbed. "Ah, I have to say… you look like a mess up close, eevee. Your fur is all spiky and blarrrg right now and… Whoa!" She cupped a tiny paw over her tiny nose. "You reeeeek! What is…" I fidgeted as she sniffed the air cautiously a few times, and then her eyes rounded. "Is that… blood? Hope… h-hope you're not some predator with an ironically cute appearance, hehe… You're not, right? Please tell me you're not. "She seemed ready to stand again, regret clear in those red eyes. This Pokémon's words offended me at first, but it was just the truth.
"W-well, I'm not sure what a predator is, but I love chasing beautiflies and rolling down hills like any other cub. Today's just been a rough day… "
"If it involves blood, a bad day is an understatement! Alsoooo, ya miiiight wanna take a bath. You don't want your mom to be grooming that out." After sticking her tongue out in disgust, she gestured at the lake. I sighed, not wanting to bathe in saltwater again. But it was better than stinky blood. "Hey, but before you do… What's your name? I'm Fawn, the bravest fennekin in aaaall of Sugarcane! Consider this an honor." She snickered and winked playfully.
"I'm Aqua… an eevee of Maplewood."
"Oh, Maplewood's a little far, right? Not too far but I guess far enough and… I hope you enjoy the rest of your time in Sugarcane." Her grin spread wider as she held out a paw, but she instantly pulled it back, her smile vanishing again. "Eh, let's leave paw shaking for after you wash off, huh?" She laughed awkwardly as I swept my gaze over the water's unbroken surface. I gave a hard sigh, or maybe a light groan, and dived in.
With my bad mood getting worse and worse, my bathing ended painfully with a foolish mistake on my part. I rolled around along the lake's shallow edge, forgetting Mom's constant warnings about saltwater's pain. Even with my eyes closed, water slipped through the corners and into my eyes and it burned like a spicy berry. I leapt out with a startled yelp and instinctive whimpering, and I bubbled with frustration when I saw my friend, or whatever the fennekin was to me, on her back and squeaking with laughter. "Meanie!" I yelled, and she laughed some more. She found my pain funny and it reminded me of the monster.
When she wouldn't stop laughing, I shrugged off my little grudge and thought, Look on the bright side! The monster won't find me now. It's impossible. And Fawn's just having fun… Some of this mocking is worth being… alive.
"You just looked so irritated, hehe… sorry… ahh, so funny!" If the cheerful Pokémon could hear my thoughts, I knew she wouldn't be so carefree.
I sounded a bit angry as I added: "Then stop snickering!"
"Ahhh, that pout, though… heh…"
"Meanie!"
"Hey, I'm just joking! Chill out, eevee." Another snicker. "Ha, get it? Like water! Chill out, Aqua."
"Yeah, that is sooo funny."
She wiped that big smirk off her face with a smaller one, but it was better than further mocking. "Um, anyways." She looked more serious than before and her smirk turned to a sheepish smile. "If it isn't too personal, mind if I ask why you're in such a… a bad condition?" I narrowed my eyes. "Sorry for being upfront, but I'm not gonna sugarcoat anything when there's blood. I'll leave this alone if it's too serious, but…" I didn't want to think about it if I could help it, and so I acted as if I could scald the fennekin with my glare. "Okay, fine, fine! Sensitive much?"
"Can you please stop joking? It's been really bad for me today."
"It's hard to understand if you won't teeeell meeeee…" She whistled innocently while looking elsewhere, and I hardened my glare. She glanced back before quickly looking away again, rolling her eyes. "Sorry. Just trying to break the ice, that's all." Miss Insensitive slowly laid down and got herself comfortable, crossing one forepaw lazily over the other and relaxing her large ears. She directed me a tired stare. "I haven't met any cubs outside of my clan, so I want to us to be friends. I'd like us to hang out a bit if you're not in too much of a rush… Please?"
Am I being the insensitive cub, maybe? After a bit of thinking, I answered myself silently with a little yes. Mom taught me about this: if I couldn't remember saying anything nice, I was probably the mean one. I didn't want to be like the monster! I had some time to talk too since the monster totally wouldn't find me. "Uh… I have a question, if that's okay." Her relaxed ears perked. "This lake, this weird water… Why is it salty? Are we by the beach?"
"Oh, that." She shrugged like she didn't know but answered anyways. "I've asked my clan's chieftain about this once, and he said it's related to underground streams or something that go into the ocean, but I think he said that because he didn't want to explain the real story. He's not a fan of storytelling." A sigh. "Geez, Joey's a real stickler. Everyone thinks I'm stupid but I can figure out ocean water doesn't flow back into the ocean." Her head fell dejectedly onto crossed paws and I sighed, lightly shaking my head. That's all I could think of for conversation—well, a topic that didn't pry into Fawn's personal life, anyways.
"I think I've pieced together the true story, though." I blinked at her, interested, but then my curiosity withered away. My change in emotions must've showed. "Hey, this is based off facts! Mostly!" I took a few heartbeats to roll my eyes and bite back a groan, and then I moved a paw in a circular motion. She got the message and her expression brightened. "Okay, okay! This is a legit theory, honest! Also, it'll be reeeeally entertaining…" Her voice lowered to a whisper, she added, "It has legendaries."
I sighed. This is gonna be fake. But, well… Fawn with stories is way better than that monster with its 'food'. I sat down and stared forward dully. Mom, Dad, Brother… I just want you to show up. Anyone. I'll wait here until then. Just find me.
"So, you know how the Swords of Justice with Cobalion and Virizion were born here, right? Except for Keldeo?" It took a moment, but I recalled Dad mentioning this a bit on the way to the Spring Festival, and so I nodded. "Great! Well, according to what I've heard from around my clan, there used to be a lot of activity with legendaries in the past, before Sugarcane became so populated. Articuno once took a nap where Frosty Hills is today, Victini burnt down a few trees that eventually became Orchard Hillside, and Treacherous Chasm was formed by Rayquaza misaiming a Hyper Beam along with a mighty, fiery sneeze from Ho-Oh that burned all the trees."
"Are these tall tales?!" I yelped.
"They'd be myths, technically… I mean no! I apologized for troubling you so much, and you think I have the nerve to still be so rude?" I stared at her in disbelief. Fawn huffed and pouted. "Y'know… my clan used to live by a volcano with lots of nice fire-types, but we moved because a bunch of humans, tourists or something, started making weird dens that messed with the environment there. We've moved to Sugarcane since a couple'a wise Pokémon said not even one human has come near here before, and that explains the old activity: legendaries were only around because there were no humans." She paused and, after her eyes blanked of emotion, she scratched the side of her face. She looked confused "I think I've gotten a bit off track. This is about Kyogre, right?"
"Kyo-?"
"Ah, I'm stupid! Sorry! I swear I'm not getting old and losing my memory. Ahem…" I rolled my eyes again, but I smiled a bit. Fawn's reactions were funny. "See, Kyogre and Groudon, the rulers of land and sea, fought once near here, or so this one ninetales said once… I can't remember if her name was Tales or Nine. One of those. She was really sweet but feisty when she needed to be… she dated an absol, I think. Cute stuff. I got into loving other couples because of them. Anyways, Kyogre won the battle, and the land Groudon was on curved in and became Salty Gulf, or Sugarsand Beach. Now, time for my theory!" All of that was pure fact, apparently. Brightly smiling, paws shuffling, she explained, "Kyogre and Groudon couldn't leave such a tame mess, right? Just a simple hole in the land? Well… that's actually really major and shouldn't be taken lightly, but at least a few lakes or islands must've been made during the battle. Thus, lakes of salty water! They're probably like puddles to Kyogre, hehe…"
During her rambling, she had jumped up onto all fours and paced, and so she finished off her tale while standing tall and glowing with pride. She reminded me of Mom. Also, I jittered with so much excitement like I ate one too many berries. My doubt on Fawn and fear of the monster finding me went away, and the thoughts of being near legendaries thrilled me to the core. I could be standing right where Suicune once stepped, or maybe I really did bathe in water splashed around by Kyogre. This was how I felt when I heard of the Swords of Justice from Dad: super amazed! "Are you sure this is true?"
"Duh! I wouldn't lie! Sugarcane stands out compared to other forests for its cool background, and so Pokémon from all over live here. I think. Actually, I don't think a lot of Pokémon here know about this, but that's because the past is so long ago and stuff. Maybe not enough stories were passed down or something. Well, regardless… this theory is spot on!"
"W-wow… I hope other legendaries outside the Swords of Justice still come around. Brother would love—" Memories rushed back and I choked on my sentence. The happy atmosphere fading, Fawn raised an eyebrow suspiciously and stared hard, red eyes worried.
"Did you run away from home?" she asked
"Wah?!"
"You did, didn't you?"
Her dark eyes and heavy frown were scary. "N-not at all!" She sat down stiffly, her stare unwavering. "Honestly! That's the complete opposite of what I'm d-doing! I want to return home, not—"
"You're running away from someone, though. Right?"
"St-stop pressing!"
"Are you?"
"Yes! A monster's been cha-a-asing me… It's hard to explain."
Fawn 'tsk'ed and I felt on the brink of the tears. I didn't like this stress. "Aqua, it's bad to run from your problems. I mean, I'm kinda hip… hypor, pro, craty… hypocritical, that word, because I sneak away from my clan often, but… you're totally not the bold type." I blinked. This fennekin blurted out the randomest things sometimes. "I run around because I'm following my dreams, to be an adventurer, and I'm always somewhere near home anyway. Usually. But you, you're travelling, so unless something major has been happening then you shouldn't sneak away."
"Stop assuming things, geez… This is really a monster! I have good reasons to run away!"
"That's a rude nickname, don't you think?"
"It's true!"
"Suuure.
"Why can't you listen with such big ears? That… uh… th-they are also ugly!"
"I'm trying to be helpful here, excuse you!" Her entire body tensed and I flinched, expecting a pounce. But, she didn't, probably calming herself before doing something regretful. With that heavy frown still there and her forehead wrinkled, Fawn was either struggling to think of something or was annoyed by my… childishness? Was that the appropriate word? I wouldn't argue against it: I was childish. We both were, obviously…
I came up with a decision. I would let Fawn speak, and then I would leave. Simple plan. An okay plan. I really wanted to see Brother again, even if my fur did look worse than his… and I couldn't stay in the same place any longer. I wasn't exactly the patient type.
"When I was moving to Sugarcane, my clan suffered horribly." Another story. This would not end well. "I'm glad I listened to the adult fennekins whenever something bad happened. My clan lost nearly half its numbers due to predators, natural disasters, rough areas, starvation… One of my cub friends died, taken by a hungry talonflame, and… y-yeah…" My gut churned and I felt grounded by my guilt. Why had I been so mean earlier? Being mean always led to a lot of unnecessary sadness… I was the meanie here, not Fawn. "Out of all the Pokémon in my clan, young Pokémon died the most. So many newly hatched fennekins and immature fennekins were lost, and it's because cubs should not travel. We're stupid. Our thoughts suck. If not for moms and dads, we wouldn't able to survive.
"Aqua… You were covered in blood. I won't pry, but you're going through some bad stuff, and you should try to stop all violence that you can. Family shouldn't die from fighting each other, and it's why I… I-I haven't seen my dad… in a long, l-long time." With that, we both were on the verge of tears because everything seemed so sad and I really wanted Brother by my side, but the only yellow shoulder around to cry on was Fawn's. It wasn't like we could keep all of this sadness trapped inside us… With a gulp, I timidly limped to the fennekin's side, and she softly pressed teary red eyes into my messy pelt. We both stood in silence, and it was all super weird and uncomfortable and strange, but neither of us openly sobbed as I expected. I was dried out, anyways.
When there was no wind and a wavy half-moon rippled in the dead center of the lake's dark, calm waters, Fawn sighed and my awkward hug with the stranger ended, and I had to speak up. "Fawn…" I hated apologizing, but I had to put Fawn ahead of myself. Especially after that story. I also didn't want another awkward hug… "I-I'm sorry. I've been such a meanie, and I shouldn't be…"
She waved a paw dismissively. "Nah, it's okay." Then, "Ugggh, all my friends would laugh at me. I'm always so tough."
"You don't always have to be, I don't think…"
"Yeah, I guess. But then how will I ever be an adventurer?"
"Uh… good point?"
More silence. Very awkward.
"Um…"
"Aqua?"
"Yeah?"
"Be careful with that term, please." I blinked. "Y'know: monster. As the saying goes, no monster is just… born. They're made, and if they can be made then they can also be destroyed… and remade… and improved… My clan's chieftain can't bring my dad back, but Joey has learned from his… m-mistake, his murder…" She trailed off in a way that begged for words of comfort. But I didn't know what to say… I just stayed silent and fidgeted some more. "Don't tell anyone about this."
"A-about your dad?"
"No! Don't tell anyone that I cried! No, wait… Don't go around saying stuff about Daddy, too. In fact, nothing leaves this conversation, 'kay? It's all too feely and bleh."
"Uh… o-okay, my muzzle is sealed."
"Welp, that's a relief." Another awkward pause. "Well, thanks for talking to me—I'm going back to looking for- gah! Arceus, Arceus! How could I forget?!" She slapped a paw to her forehead and I winced at the swearing. "I can't believe I stopped to chat while I'm doing something so important! Uhh… Aqua, if you find two other fennekins, can you ask them to return to the clan? The Fennekin Clan? We were playing hide-and-seek and I never found them one round. And, and… Scarlet, girl, looks exactly like me but kinda smaller. Copper is her brother, and he's… well, we all look pretty similar. Two fennekins. A girl and boy. That's all you need to know." I only nodded. I was tired of talking, and my spinning thoughts were distracting enough. "It would be great if you found them… but keep yourself safe, Aqua."
"Yeah, good luck… Hope you find Shannon… and… Cooper?"
"Nooo! Scarlet, Copper! Shannon isn't even close to Scarlet!"
"Ah, sorry… b-bye…"
"Ha, yeah… byesies!"
We parted, headed into opposite directions, and I broke into a dash when I passed the first cluster of bushes, hastily tracking my faint scent. Our little skirmish about the names left my head as I ran and ran until my legs couldn't take it and I slowed to a speedy limp of a walk. I hastily weaved past all the plants, all the while teary eyed, and followed the weak scent marks showing where I walked earlier. I was stumbling back to where I fled from in the first place… It seemed so stupid but I knew it would all turn out for the better.
When I stepped paw into the field of weeds and flowers, I hadn't noticed how close the monster was: it had almost left the area in search for me before I appeared. My paws left the ground and I felt a rush of wind until I suddenly collided with the thick tree trunk I rested on earlier, and I couldn't breathe until my squinting eyes met the angry yellow ones right over me. My heart pounded so hard and fast that I barely heard the creature's hissing and crackling black fur, but it was there, and I felt the fear that I knew I'd feel. Probably too frustrated for words, the monster didn't yowl any threats and wordlessly scooped me up in those powerful jaws and back into the cold, scary cave, back into the darkness with tears and blood and death, where I could've never escaped from again.
The monster pulled its head back and sharply snapped it to the side, tossing me roughly into the tear-soaked shadows of the den. I fell on something warm. "You are not leaving again." No threats, no cuts or bruises… just that statement. The monster turned its back, swiping a fresh zigzagoon off a new pile of bloody food and unleashing all its hate through claws. That in itself was scarier than any threat. Fur flew, and the crunching was worse than ever. I moved away from the warm, wet, dead thing I had fallen on as I watched the monster tear apart the small Pokémon rip by rip by rip, ripping until there wasn't anything else to rip and the cold-pawed murderer panted with exhaustion.
Yellow eyes glared at me, paws dripping red. "Stop staring. Eat your food."
"Y-y-you're…" The dead Pokémon I landed on wasn't food. It wasn't. It shouldn't. "…wr-wrong…"
Even though the zigzagoon was torn unrecognizable, the monster still managed to quake with rage and give off a mad, mad hiss. It was angrier than before, not even the slightest bit tired. "I am not a berry picker, so shut up and accept my kindness or I'll feed on you next."
"This isn't f-f-food…"
I couldn't stop shaking. "St-stop it! Stop!" I refused to flinch, even as the monster took a step closer and bared pointy, red-clotted teeth. I leapt closer and screamed until my voice hurt. "If you really want to kill me, I wouldn't still be alive! I'd already be dead! You wouldn't sc-scare me into behaving. You would not give me food, and this isn't even food but your idea of it, and your idea is wrong! We should be eating apples and berries, not… n-not…!" I pointed a stiff paw at the limp body in the shadows. "This isn't food, you monster!"
If I was dried out before, I was half-dead then. Everything ached so much that it hurt to stand and I fell down and wanted to cry out for Brother, but I couldn't. My throat was aching too much and I was dizzy, hungry, thirsty, tired… I wanted to go home… but I couldn't. It was so stupid to return to a bloody den with a bloody monster that stained me with the smell of bloody, bloody death. Fawn was right: cubs were stupid, our thoughts sucked. I should've stayed by her side and helped search for her missing friends instead of returning to that cold, scary place. It was a mistake… such a mistake… but I couldn't… help it…
Suddenly, I felt a stunning dose of fear. The monster took a paw step closer, another and another. Red claws, red teeth, ready to hurt. I was so tired but scrambled to my paws anyways and forced sorry after sorry out of my abused throat. Almost tripping over my tail multiple times, I backed into the shadows, but then I bumped into the lifeless Pokémon that my kidnapper wanted me to eat and exhaustion returned to my legs. With a high-pitched yelp, I collapsed onto the small Pokémon's side and buried my head into its cold fur because I wanted to not look at the monster and to keep myself from crying, but I was dried out anyways.
This cold fur would remain cold and it always would be… I should've cried since the Pokémon still smelled alive, but I couldn't even if I wanted to. I could still smell sweet pollen on its fur… the freshness of grass, the crispness of spring air, the oaky scent of trees, and the… the…
Fawn's scent. I smelled Fawn on this Pokémon.
I quickly lifted my head and stared down. Yellow fur. Large ears. Fluffy tail. Another fennekin…
It was… Fawn's missing friend… one of them.
Her friend was dead.
Her friend was dead.
This male fennekin had a nasty gash in his neck and he was dead.
I thought I had been dried up. I had witnessed so much, and I didn't even know this Pokémon personally… but tears filled my raw eyes and they soaked my dirty paws and it hurt to accept that I came back to the den because of Fawn's speech only to find out she was wrong, Fawn was wrong, because the monster couldn't be anything but a monster. The horrible, blood-thirsty thing wanted me to eat Fawn's friend, this dead fennekin, and nothing was going to be all right and Brother wouldn't save me and I would just die right there and never evolve into a vaporeon and… and… it all became too much. I gripped tightly onto the fennekin's unnaturally cold fur in sick denial, and reality blotted out.
Nothing felt right when I woke up. My left leg burned really bad, a headache tore through my sensitive head, and my whole body just felt tired and abused overall. I tried to get up, wanted to be sitting up instead of tummy-down on the rocky floor, but I slipped and smacked my head harshly because my legs shouldn't have been so long. They were weaker and longer than usual and… and blue.
Wait…
My legs weren't supposed to be blue. I shook my head and blinked four times to make sure my eyes weren't playing tricks—my eyes felt really different too, by the way—and they weren't. My legs were longer, and they were blue. They were slim and elegant and blue. Am I…? Y-yeah, I think I am. I'm a vaporeon. Woohoo! This is so coooool!
My excitement easing, my new sight clearing, I got past my blinding bliss and saw I wasn't just blue but had blue fur, and that shocked me. Vaporeons did not have a pelt—they had smooth skin, rounded and slick like a pebble in a storm, and it was of a dark aqua color. But, these new legs were light blue, soft and short. Rubbing my bigger paw pad against it gave a soft feeling with a texture like powdered snow.
These couldn't be the legs of a swift water-type. I was a glaceon.
My emotions were super, super wild and went everywhere for the next moment. I felt disappointed, then sad, then angry. There was no way to turn back into an eevee or become a vaporeon, and I really wanted to smack something when I realized this. I quickly became confused because I didn't know how or why I evolved, and then I growled a little, frustrated that I didn't know. Then I recalled the monster and the limp fennekin and, sure enough, small and bristly strands of fur like soft hay stuck to my blue, furry paw from holding onto the dead fire-type. I gasped in sudden shock and fear for my life, looked around frantically for the beast of black fur, but a woozy pounding from my headache struck and all I wanted was to lay down.
So, I did, and I let the whole moment soak in so my mood swings stopped. The monster was on the other side of the den looked busy with something else anyway, so I didn't have to worry a lot just yet.
After I calmed as much as I could, I found the source of my wooziness. I wasn't feeling bad just because of exhaustion: a large, bloody scratch slithered down my left front leg from the shoulder to halfway down. The pattern reminded me of a seviper, and the monster probably left it when I fell unconscious, no doubt. The cut was deep enough to make myself even dizzier by staring… so I glanced away and inspected the rest of my body, but I focused on the nearest thing instead when I saw red stains on my blue fur. The dead, male fennekin. Since the monster wasn't spouting death threats over my shoulder, I could take note of subtle details on the little cub… as much as I really disliked the idea.
Sniffing his fading scent confirmed my earlier guess of him being male. This was Cooper… no, Copper: two P's, one O, not the other way around. For a few heartbeats, I thought that there was no guarantee that this was actually Copper, but I remembered Fawn's scent had been on him earlier. Her scent was mostly gone by that point so I probably was asleep for a long time, but this male fennekin had been hanging around Fawn, and so this had to be Copper.
A weird glistening in his fur caught my eyes. After a moment of debate, I nervously reached out, and I didn't realize it was such a cold and frosty stone until my paw pad touched it, but not simply just my paw. My new fur and skin didn't sense the cold, and even my paw pad only noticed a little bit of the chill. Did this mean I would suffer from warm temps more often? Would I ever be able to walk on a beach again? Get into warm water again?
I shook my head roughly: there were more important answers to find. Inspecting the mysterious, strangely cold stone further, I decided that this somehow connected to my evolution. It made sense, right? It was the last thing I touched, probably… but whenever evolutionary stones were used, they glowed brightly before disappearing. It happened with a Thunderstone when Brother evolved, but maybe it was different for glaceons?
There was a familiar sound and it kept my questions at bay. It was sniffling, definitely sniffling. It distracted my rambling thoughts and my eyes whirled to find the source, and my eyes found the giant beast. It was laying down and practically motionless in the center of the den, bloody paws thrown carelessly over its bloody face. For a heartbeat, it looked as if the monster was sleeping, but its back moved sharply in rhythm to the sniffling and I realized something I never thought possible: the monster was crying. But monsters didn't cry, right? Scary things in bedtime stories never cried.
Was Fawn right? Was this monster not really a monster? Was returning to that den actually a smart idea? Maybe… just maybe, I could talk to it and it wouldn't scare me into silence. But it had to have left that nasty scratch on my leg and could easily hurt me again… but maybe…?
"U-uh… Monster?" It didn't seem to hear me. "Um, h-hello? Mon—"
"Ruby."
"Wh-wha—"
"I am not a monster. My name is Ruby." I gulped and nodded despite the monster, Ruby, having its eyes covered. The thing… it… Ruby didn't add anything onto that. Silence ensued, and during this pause I decided to at least try to figure out its gender, to stop thinking of it as 'it'. The decision was hard, though: the heavy stink of blood masked its either boyish or girlish scent, and I couldn't decide its gender by the always threatening tone. The name Ruby seemed girly enough, so I based assumptions off just that…
"I-I'm Aqua." I expected her to snap or yowl something about not caring about my name or anything about me: she didn't. "Um, you say y-you're not a monster, b-but…" Don't push it, my thoughts berated, but I decided against listening. "…you… you kill, so, uh, you h-have to be a m-m—"
She lifted a large, bloody paw from her face and slammed it down, nearly splitting an already devastated bone in half. It could've been slammed into white powder from the strength, especially since the loud thump of the paw echoed so loudly that I felt my nerves shake. S-scary, I thought. I heard another sound, a pathetic, squeaky one, and realized I had shrieked. My surprised voice made Ruby slam her other paw down, hiss in frustration, and I almost fell backwards from that.
Ruby seemed ready to stand up and spin around to face me: her body tensed up and everything. But, with one large exhale, her body relaxed and slumped against the cold, dusty ground once more. She looked very, very defeated. "I give up," she said. No yowling, no hissing: she simply said it. If anything, it could've been a sob, or an almost-stammer… Ruby contrasted the image of a bloodthirsty monster she had been living up to. "After all of this… I am done. Eevee, I have chased the idea of popularity relentlessly, wanting it back so dreadfully bad after I lost it… but it's not worth anything. I give up."
I didn't understand half of what she said, but I had too many questions to ask already. "So you're… y-y-you're not a… monster?" I knew I sounded stupid, but I wanted to clear up all of my assumptions, and then I'd say at least something positive. As Mom always reminded me… if I couldn't remember saying anything nice, I was probably the mean one.
"I didn't want to hurt you, to draw blood, but I did." I remembered my seviper-like scratch. I unconsciously reached for the mark and winced at my cold touch. "I didn't want to make a habit out of hunting when emotional, but I have. I didn't want to become a kill-happy monster, but I am. I didn't want to have a… a black heart… but I do."
That was a strange way to put it but it seemed to fit. Ruby wasn't a monster… but… she had a black heart? Whatever that was? I knew it was bad and she didn't want this badness, so Ruby didn't deserve this black heart. Maybe it was a sickness? Or maybe, just maybe… Ruby didn't want to kill Fawn's friend, but it this black heart made her do it? It hurt to think about it, but it seemed too sensitive of a thing to ask about.
"I believe you."
She raised her head slowly. Yellow eyes, teary eyes, glanced back and met mine. Her paws were wet but not from tears, and they had left messy red spots all over her face. Blood dripped from her whiskers. She had devoured a considerate amount of… life… while I was asleep. Without any heed for her horrifying appearance, she simply said, "No one ever has." With all that red, I understood why. Honestly, I did believe Ruby and that she had a black heart, but… she was still a monster. I could understand her emotions and claims but she killed so many, and she killed Fawn's friend. She was still a monster and nothing could change that.
Reluctantly, I opened my long, blue snout for another question again, to ask if she knew about that strange stone in Copper's fur… but the growling of my stomach cut me off. Even with all of the meat around me, hunger had the nerve to use bad timing and make itself heard. I wanted to ignore this… so badly… but Ruby wanted to care. "Eevee… If you really insist on not eating meat, I will fetch some berries." My eyes widened at this as she stood up, but despite all of the tension and the surprise and the fact that I managed to come to terms with the monster, I thought about a juicy Oran and licked my lips. I was so hungry, I couldn't think straight…
"I don't want to tire you further as I do this, so… stay." With her bloody face and bloody whiskers and bloody, monstrous everything, Ruby stalked out of the den, and I did stay this time. I fell asleep in a good, dry spot with no red and no bodies and had the greatest nap of my life.
Aww… Seriously, just aww. You can interpret that as either a happy or mortified aww. Or… something… My brain is all over the place after this, sorry. xD Hey, bet you didn't expect all the cray-cray stuff that occurred in this chappie. Hopefully. It's not like I hinted in the first chapter or anything that Aqua would become a glaceon… ha… hahaHAHAHAHAHA—! *Is slapped with spatula*
Also, a lot of things I never planned to happen… happened… in this. Like evolution. And Fawn's special story myth thing. Does anybody remember that one time when Shard watched Thunder and Faolan battle and Faolan won and Shard wrapped up Thunder's wounds with seaweed found in a weird lake? Originally, I was gonna edit that out from earlier chappies, the saltwater lake part… but not anymore… x3 Okay guys, next chappie should come out in another two weeks. Yayz. If plans go awry, I'll edit in a definite publish date thingy at the end of this A/N with an apology about lateness… like "Sorry for the lateness because BLAH happened, but… Next Chapter: X/XX"
Wait. Le gasp. Aqua stood up to Ruby. Therefore, Aqua has more courage than Shard… :O *Explodes*