Flying 3.5: Ancestor Stories
Pixie
[3:01:29]
You reform in cool night air. Eggbreath chirps beside you, before breaking into a relatively low grumble about the cold. You can faintly smell Eyerock nearby, but it's a little hard to track in total darkness.
And it is very, very dark. Darker than the cave that Thirdborn dared you to enter when you were two-tails. It does not act like darkness should. There are streams of light zig-zagging across the sky like cracks on a pane of ice. They do not make anything else bright.
"Why is it still dark?" Or why was it dark in the first place. Skysong never gave you a good answer.
"People are saying an alien. A 'neckrazema.' It showed up, ate a moon goddess, and stole all the light. Supposedly. No one really seems sure…"
Oh no. The Moon is important. You will have to scream at the moon-eater until it gets scared and gives her back. Skysong ignores you as you start screaming. Eggbreath joins you. It might help, even if the hatchling is not at all intimidating. And never will be. Whatever nonsense Skysong says.
"Anyway," Skysong says loudly, intending to talk over your scream. Eggbreath stops. You don't. She goes on despite you being busy. Very rude. "We're back in Hau'oli. I can let you guys out more often. And, um, Pix?"
Fine. You will continue screaming later.
"Genesis left. She took her eevee with her."
You start screaming again. This time out of joy.
[09:00:00]
Much has happened in the last few days.
You have continued your screams. The necrazema has not backed down yet. It's okay. It will in time. Then The Moon itself will thank you.
Skysong's habits are different now. She mostly just stays in bed, sometimes going outside for very short walks. It is terrible. Even moreso because there are lots of smelly humans crammed into your space. One has a fluffy sparkslinger. You got Eggbreath to see it as food and after two (failed) hunts, she's now in her ball and away from Skysong almost all the time. When Eggbreath was out a few days ago you told her that everyone and everything had been eaten by a giant fox. She believed it. Stupid. Fox breath smells much better than the wind outside.
Eyerock is somewhere else right now. You know that Skysong prefers her as a guide. Even though she is horribly hot, ugly, and immediately obeys all orders without question. But at least the rock knows her place. You growl at her to leave and she at least looks away. She doesn't try to steal food from you. Once she even attacked something when you asked. It is hard to talk to her, but she is a useful servant. You just need to make sure that Skysong doesn't rely on her as a guide. Maybe you can attach sharp icicles so that Skysong stops wanting to touch her. Yes. That could work.
A door opens and one of the strange humans reenters the room. Bedding rustles and her sparkslinger gives its dumb "baaaaa" and then they both at least pretend to be asleep. Eyerock near-silently floats back into position, hovering behind you over Skysong's hindlegs. You know humans don't like to be observed when they mark territory. Eyerock keeps doing it. Someday she'll get caught and Skysong will hate her and it will be great.
You press harder against Skysong's side and one of her arms reflexively moves to cuddle you.
Life is good.
[09:15:49]
Life is terrible.
Skysong rolled over onto you and your tails are still sore. And she didn't even give you food when she ate breakfast! Sure, she gave you foodrocks later, but you know she had eggs. You would have liked them more than she did.
{They're limiting what people get,} she said with her mind. {They wouldn't be happy if I gave some to you.}
You let her know that this is not an adequate reason to deprive you. She finishes her meal without responding.
She barely even let you explore when you go outside, even telling you to hurry up and pee before you're done screaming at the necrezema. With a huff of displeasure, you mark over Eggbreath's marking and walk back to her, graciously accepting the leash even though she had done nothing to earn your help.
Her messaging stone buzzes almost as soon as you reenter the building. "Message from: VStar. Read it: Yes or No?"
"Yes," she says. {Pix, can you find a place to sit down?}
You guide her towards the scent of the metal things humans like to sit on. Eggbreath jumps up beside her before you can. Rude. You shoot cold air in her direction, forgetting that Skysong was also there. Oh well. She deserves it, too.
"Mission Alert: Capture one finneon per team member, within legal size limits. Location: Hau'oli City. Flashlights and fishing poles may be rented from the central office. Expect waitlists for equipment rentals."
You have not heard of finneon, but you know what 'fish' are. They are good. "Fish!"
"Not for you, Pix," Skysong mutters. "Sorry." Unfair! You deserve fish after everything you've been through this morning.
Skysong stands up but Eggbreath does not jump down. Why? You can hear her breaths in the air, near Skysong's heart. Oh. Why does she get carry-cuddles and you don't? Extremely rude. You hear Skysong's cane extend to full length as she starts walking forward. "Pix, can you warn me if anything comes up?"
Nothing does. You follow behind Skysong as she can use her cane to scout for anything that you might miss, unlikely as it is with your excellent senses. It doesn't take her long to enter her shared room with Bloodrage. It does not sound or smell like the strange humans are present. "Mist and Titania out?" Skysong asks.
"Yeah. Probably out back with Tatty's chinchou."
"And Fiona—"
"Don't know, don't care."
Eggbreath jumps off the bed and heads over to the other side of the room. You hear her sniffing around, probably seeing if the sparkslinger is near enough to kill.
"You get the text?" Skysong asks, lowering herself onto her bed. Bloodrage himself is above her on his. Odd. Humans usually like to look at each other when they talk. Maybe that doesn't matter in the dark.
"Yup. You gonna call them to get on the list?"
"No. Will you?"
Bloodrage sighs dramatically. "I'm under thirty. I don't call people if I can help it. Plus, uh, vocal dysphoria."
"Oh." Cuicatl sprawls out on her bed. You jump onto her chest just as Eggbreath rushes back, cutting Eggbreath off from it. She doesn't fight you because she knows that she'd lose, and she settles onto the much less comfortable legs of your trainer. "You want to talk about it?"
"No. Can you just make the damn call?"
"I would but…" She lowers her voice. Not low enough that you and Eggbreath or Eyerock can't hear it. Wait? Where is Eyerock? You can't smell her. "My gift doesn't work over phones. And my actual English isn't that good."
"Eyerock isn't here," you tell Skysong. Because that's much more important than whatever she's going on about.
"Eh." She runs a hand through your headfur. It is very pleasant. "Nocitlālin says she's out back with Mist and Titania. She'll come back when they do."
"What?! You don't let me go places without you."
{We'll talk about that later. Promise.}
Bloodrage says some stuff but you ignore it because it isn't important. Instead you plot your revenge. On Eyerock. Or Skysong. Or the neckarezma. Or all of them. You're definitely moving Skysong's stick again. Maybe moving her bag of sickly sweet smelling tooth-cleaning cream. Perhaps you can put it into the toilet. She hates it when you do that.
"Already a waitlist. Somehow. They'll text me later," Bloodrage finally says.
[9:23:51]
Skysong has been poisoned.
She has not left her bed since she got back from the bird-smelling human. She will not talk to you. Or Bloodrage. Eggbreath hasn't been out of her ball since then but you doubt your trainer would talk to the dumb baby over you. Maybe she's silent talking with Eyerock. The rock is here, hovering in the corner. Sometimes she even lowers down to touch Skysong before deciding otherwise and pulling back up.
Skysong has slept once or twice, never for long. Otherwise she's been quietly marking her bedding with saltwater. Humans think it is disgusting to use urine to do it, but it's fine as long as the salty water comes from their eyes. They are truly strange and lost creatures.
Eventually you have to very subtly tell your trainer that it is time for you to mark your territory. You start by flicking tails against her wrist. Then paw her face. Accidentally. Then maybe howl a little. In her ear. Bite the ear? No. Too far. But mouthing it is not a bite. She doesn't react except to gently swat you away when she feels your teeth. Rude. They are very good teeth. Much better than hers.
"I think she wants something," one of the nameless humans says.
"Yeah." Skysong starts to get up. For a nameless human! And not you! She stumbles towards the door without grabbing her white stick or asking you to go along. You go, of course, since the last time you let her out of your sight she got poisoned. Bloodrage follows, quietly at first and then more loudly once they eventually, awkwardly make their way outside.
They talk while you scream at the moon thief.
"You good?"
"Yes."
He doesn't seem to believe it. "Anything happen?"
"I had tea with her sister and one of her pokémon. That's all."
Bloodrage dramatically exhales. Quietly. Not like a scream. "Alright, who am I beating up?"
"I guess I should say I'm sorry."
"Uh. What? Nah, she hurt you."
"To you. Sorry to you. I found out she had a hawlucha and… yeah, I get why you hated me."
He doesn't answer immediately. Just listens to you scream. Until you stop and go to mark your territory. Wait. No Eggbreath mark. Hah! She forgot to let the baby out. And you are not going to correct her.
"Thought you already apologized."
You aren't going to complain about a chance to stay out longer. You start exploring, Eyerock following close behind.
"Then I'm sorry again."
He grunts. "This isn't how you act when you're mad. Seriously, did she hurt you? Threaten you? Because if she did—"
"Don't." The word is almost sharp as it hangs in the air. You glance back towards them, exploration ignored. "Maybe you're fine if your parents loved you, but if they didn't…" Her speech breaks up into distress calls and saltwater marking. You trot back to get carry cuddles and help her feel better. She accepts your offer. Eventually Bloodrage finds a place to sit so they do, but she still holds you up to her chest.
"I—what does that mean."
"Forget it," Skysong mumbles. "Just go away."
"You said that your mom is a pro trainer, right? Did you run into her or—"
"She's fucking dead, Kekoa."
He goes quiet for a long time. "Anything else I should know?"
Cuicatl laughs. Joylessly. Not quite like the bone-human's terrible, mocking laugh. But not like her usual ones. "You mean 'what else are you lying about,' right?"
"Yeah, pretty much."
Again, humans are bad liars. It was only a matter of time before Skysong's were revealed, even by a particularly dumb and angry human.
"Not much," Skysong says. "She was a pro battler. She did leave me—well, my dad," her heartrate abruptly picks up with the correction, "a hydreigon. Just… please leave." Her voice breaks down to almost a whisper at the end and more saltwater starts to flow. "Please?"
Bloodrage gets up, even takes a few steps towards the fire-type pokémon lighting up the doorway, before he abruptly stops. "Really, though, who should I beat up?"
"My teacher…" Skysong sits you down in her lap and gives you a quick headpat. "She has a monster bird. Please don't attack her."
"Monster… bird… Fuck. Did it talk to the dead, or use their voices or—"
"Yeah."
"Oricorio. Listen, Cuicatl Ichtaca, whatever it said—they're liars. Horrible liars. I thought about getting one, once, but then I started reading about what they do to people and—just don't listen to it, okay? It wasn't your Mom speaking."
Skysong says nothing. She barely reacts at all.
"Cuicatl—"
"Go. Away."
It's practically a bark with fangs bared. One final warning to leave her territory before a fight starts. She couldn't back the threat up by herself, but you're there so it is a very serious one.
"I… fine." And he finally leaves.
"He wasn't lying," Skysong mutters once the door slams shut. "If he was, it would hurt but I'd deal. He wasn't. Everything he said was…"
Him? Dead people? Oh.
"The brother you think you killed?" The whole thing is silly. Not only did she not kill her brother, but even if she had she shouldn't feel bad about it.
"Did kill."
"No, you didn't." You really are going to have to do more to train her. If she lies in bed all day because she's sad about something she shouldn't be sad about, then you will get fewer walks. And that's terrible. "He got poisoned or a cut got runny or," you stretch out and yawn despite yourself, "something like that." You barely remember what, exactly, happened, just that she was being particularly strange during that talk. Said that she'd killed someone when she hadn't. Said that she would never leave you. All lies, even if it sounded like she believed them.
One small detail does surface, though, because you do have a very good memory.
"Your brother asked you not to tell people he was hurt?" It makes sense. Don't want to appear weak. Become prey.
"Yeah…"
"So how is it your fault?"
"I miss him," she says, even though it isn't an answer. "And…" she trails off for long enough that you start to doubt she will continue. Your gaze drifts back up the sky, dark and scarred. Maybe a bird flies under one of the cracks. Or a cloud. Or a giant metal human bird. "If one of us had to die, it shouldn't have been him."
Now she's making absolutely no sense. Are more than just her eyes defective? She is alive. The living are supposed to survive. It's their entire purpose. And in any case… "No. If you had died instead I wouldn't have met an almost adequate servant."
"Almost?" There's some lightness in her voice. That's usually good. "Just 'almost' good enough?"
"You will leave me."
"No, I won't," she lies. "Come on. Let's go back inside."
She never did let Eggbreath out. At least that is victory.
Human stories are incredibly weird. To start with, there are a lot of them and they name them weird things. Like "Finneon's Wake." And then they have pokémon talk like humans. They are also visual stories and now there's nothing to see anymore. But you're very smart so you can follow along.
A male fish pokémon mates with a female and lays eggs. Then a predator attacks and the mate and all the eggs but one are destroyed. Are you supposed to hate the predator? From the way the sparkslinger's human reacts you think so. Why? Humans eat fish. Lots of things eat fish. Fish taste good. Where do humans think the fish comes from? And if they hate hunting so much, how do humans always have so much to eat?
The male raises his one child all by himself. This is apparently a big deal. For humans, maybe. One ninetales can raise seven kits perfectly fine with only four or five dying. Eventually the fish child gets kidnapped by humans because fish are very dumb and do dumb things. The human story at least gets that right.
This is boring. Much worse than vulpix stories. You curl up, head resting among your tails, and go to sleep.
[10:23:20]
Skysong pats her belly and Eggbreath jumps up. She somehow ignores your very formidable hiss and plops herself down in front of you to receive the scritches that are rightly yours. "Alright, ready to record. Pixie, could you be quiet for just a little bit?"
You scream in protest but eventually quiet down and curl up near her feet. Fine. If that's what she wants. You'll comply. For a little bit. It's more fun if you scream when she isn't expecting it, after all.
Skysong talks to no one at all, which is particularly weird. Occasionally she'll do a growl, explain what the lizard talk allegedly meant, and then have Eggbreath repeat it. It's all meaningless. "What are you doing?" you finally ask.
{My voice is being recorded. It will help other people learn how to talk to dragons.}
"That's stupid. Who would want to talk to stinky, scaly things? They should talk to foxes. We have much more interesting things to say." In fairness to her, she actually puts her rock down and tells Eggbreath to get off of her. "That… might not be a bad idea? A lot of people have ee—vulpix." But her mistake was made. You loudly correct her. It would be better to learn lizard speak than to talk to eevee. They have nothing to say but lies.
"Of course, of course. Let me just check… Search: Fox language translate psychic." You hear her reach for something and when the sound does play again it's quiet. She finally sets the rock down after a very long conversation. And you don't even here her say 'eevee' once. "It's been done. Sorry, Pix."
That makes sense. Humans should have figured out talking to vulpix first.
"But I guess… I could make it a book of myths. I talked to the talonflame a few days ago. And Alice and Renfield told me a lot of stories. With some from you and Noci… I think it could work."
"Myths?" You think you know what she's talking about but… not quite. That happens a lot when talking to humans. But not with her.
"Old stories. Where ninetales came from. How the world was made. Why eevee are the worst."
Oh! Ancestor stories. Avalanche told you many. And Skysong should know them since they are very important. But she wants to know them. That means you can get stuff from her.
"I want fish."
"Can't give you a finneon, Pix." She starts petting you. You lean into it, of course, but that will not be enough to bribe you. "Maybe a fresh magikarp tomorrow, if we catch one. Would that be nice?"
Hmm. Can you get more?
"And an egg."
"I'll see what I can do."
Not a promise. You need more. "And a long walk."
"When the light comes back."
"But it will be hot then!"
"Long night walk? Or in a cave?"
She's negotiating down. You're at the limit of what you can get, probably. You'll take your fish and egg and night walk.
Long ago and across the sea, one clan of humans torched the city of another clan as humans are wont to do. In the blaze, the nest of the Rainbow God was burned. As the Rainbow God descended to survey the damage, he found the bodies of three foxes who had ran into the temple to pray to the Rainbow God to spare the pokémon who had played no part in the calamity. But they had gone unheard: the Rainbow God had been too focused on the burning building to hear their prayers. He was filled with shame and revived them into beings so powerful they would never again live in fear of humans.
Generations passed as the Rainbow God aimlessly wandered the skies of the world, refusing to nest again in the world of humans. Eventually his flights led him back to his old temple. There he found many foxes like the ones who he had revived years before. He cast a shadow shaped like a fox and descended. He asked the foxes why they stayed in the ruined temple.
The matriarch answered. "To keep the grave of our ancestors safe and await the return of the Rainbow God, so that we might thank him for his kindness."
The Rainbow God was moved to reveal his true form. As the foxes looked on in awe, he gave his response to the matriarch.
"For your devotion and service, I will bless you and set you apart from the other foxes. You will be my emissaries and guardians, protecting humand and pokémon alike and enforcing the will of the gods."
Ashes poured from the god's wings and became bound to the foxes, transforming them from ordinary eevee into majestic ninetales.
A clan of humans engaged in an expedition of discovery. To ensure they stayed in the good graces of The Worldtraveler they brought along a family of ninetales to transmit their prayers and pass on the word of the gods. They arrived on the shores of a new land after many moons at sea.
Alongside the humans the ninetales went from island to island, meeting each guardian in turn. The island gods received the ninetales warmly and each conferred a small blessing unto them. The Sea Guardian gifted them control of the weather itself. The Thunder Guardian gifted them even longer and more beautiful fur. The Mind Guardian gifted them some of her great wisdom. The Earth Guardian gifted them even greater longevity.
After receiving the gift of the Earth Guardian on the largest island, the ninetales were summoned to the top of the world to meet The Moon. The goddess was so impressed by the stories, devotion and wisdom of the ninetales that she became jealous of the Rainbow God. She decided that she must have the foxes for her own. After luring the ninetales to sleep, The Moon cast a spell on them and extinguished their flames. Cold, cold ice was left in its place. The foxes could never again tolerate a long voyage across the warm seas. Instead they were bound to the mountain and could never leave her for long.
To this day the ninetales honor their covenant with the Rainbow God to guide humans and pokémon and protect the sacred mountain of the Moon. For even if she is a jealous god, she is a god nonetheless.
So your mother told you as her mother told her.
Eggbreath slams her tail down. "Unfair! Mother told you stories but not me!"
What? Why would your mother have told—oh. She thinks you're her sister. As if something as ugly as her could be related to you.
Skysong ruffles the foul-smelling and ugly feathers on Eggbreath's neck. "I'll tell you some, then. Let's start with… The Split Gods." The story is entirely in lizard talk. Not that you care. It's a lizard story. There's no way it's as good as fox stories. Just hearing it might make you dumber.
[12:11:30]
You're woken up by an insistent chittering somewhere above you, punctuated by an occasional spark of electricity. What? It sounds like Bloodrage's stupid bug he's been letting stay out and around his stupid fur-raising stone. But why the sparks?
"I heard you," Skysong mutters. "And I'll tell him."
"Wha…" Bloodrage mutters from his bunk.
{Your grubbin would like to talk to you.} The sound is faint. Just a tiny echo in the back of your mind you could ignore if you wanted to. You know that she has a link between you, her, and Eggbreath. Most of her messages to other people are sort of hearable, though. Of course, you won't tell Skysong that; it could make for useful spying in the future. {He says he's close to evolution. He wants you to let him go now so he can bury himself.}
One fewer pokémon! Excellent! You never liked that bug to begin with. But Bloodrage's heart is beating faster and his breathing starts to sound almost angry. If breath can be angry.
{Tell him that he'd be safer with me watching over him until he evolves again.}
{I tried.} Skysong sighs, aloud, and the rise and fall of her chest carries you with it. {But he doesn't like you or your trumbeak.}
A trumbeak is a bird that pecks far too hard and you hate it. Actually, why can't he just get rid of the bird and keep the bug?
{Tell him again.}
Skysong goes silent for a little bit. Then the bug starts chattering again, much louder, and apparently moving upwards. Then the chatter stops at once and you think you can see a hint of red in the air. Ha. It got sucked into its ball and now you can sleep in peace.
{Can we go outside so that I can talk to him? You can repeat the words to translate.}
Never mind.
"Kekoa, can we just… not?" Skysong sounds exhausted, even for someone who just woke up.
Bloodrage considers this for a long, long time. Long enough that Skysong is already mostly asleep by the time he answers.
"Fine."
[12:14:51]
"Do you still want to talk about earlier?" Skysong asks as you and Eggbreath finish marking your territory.
Earlier? "About what?"
"Going places on your own."
Right. You are very angry about that. "I'm better than Eyerock and should be able to go wherever she goes! And she's a rock! Rocks are dumb! Foxes are smart! Get rid of the rock!"
Your trainer sighs and pats her lap. Eggbreath jumps up on one side of the bunch and you jump onto the other. No. Bench is yours. You scream at her and Skysong flinches but Eggbreath just keeps doing happy pants before giving a pathetic baby roar of her own. "Quiet down, please."
"Her first."
"Roar match!" Eggbreath starts screaming again before Skysong withdraws her to her ball.
"You are her older sister," Skysong says. "You could set a better example."
"Don't want sisters."
"I get that. But we're at three. I can have six. And having a pokémon that can teach other pokémon to behave would be good to have on a team. Irreplaceable, even."
If you won't be replaced no matter what, why would you need to make yourself irreplaceable?
"I want to go on my own," you repeat.
She drums her claws next to you. "Later. It's not safe now." You start to calmly voice your disagreement before she very rudely cuts you off. "Noci's made of metal. There's not much that can hurt her. I care about you and don't want you hurt. But when the light comes back—"
Right. It's time to scream at the sky again.
Skysong patiently waits for you to finish. When you're done you jump back onto her lap and she continues.
"When the light comes back and we get some more training in, I'll let you wander around the campsite while we travel. Even at night, if you want. Unless the area is so dangerous that I need you nearby to protect me." She scratches your ears and you lean into it because she's learned how to do it just right. "I need you to protect me right now. Please."
Her scratches makes a very good argument. One that you can accept for now.