Ch.21: A Parent's Love! The Sacrifices We Endure!
The torrential rains beat down on the mountains, causing mudslides to run down to ground level. The storms seemed particularly powerful today as tree were being pulled from their roots and carried down like abandoned canoes. The winds stripped the standing trees of their leaves and scattered them along the currents. Lightning struck down rhythmically, zapping one tree after the other and splitting the tops open.
Despite this, Willow pushed through the storm while protecting the satchel hidden under her raincoat. She felt her paws slipping out from under her as more mud surged past her, but she anchored her claws as far as she could and trudged with twice the effort. She ascended the mountain path as the wind blasted in her direction, nearly blowing her hood off.
Come on, this is just a breeze, she thought, now digging her hind claws into the mud. This is nothing. Nothing at all. She forced her eyes open against the wind and rain and marched forward.
A lightning bolt struck the base of a nearby tree, blowing it apart and causing it to tip forward onto Willow. By pure instinct, her legs exploded with muscle, fur rustling and veins bulging, and accelerated herself into the falling tree. She flew up to where the path wrapped around and caught the edge. As she did, the falling tree landed on the lower path and fell apart into a jigsaw puzzle of pieces.
Willow pulled herself up, then sheathed the sword she had clenched in her teeth. That shaved another five minutes. She staggered for a moment as she put pressure on her hindlegs. So weak, though. I need to rest. She shook herself awake and kept marching against the wind. The Storm Zone is becoming agitated. Does it sense disaster, or does it intend to blister the land of evil? I pray its intentions aren't leaning toward massacre.
After another fifteen minutes of fighting the storm, Willow reached the top of the mountain. Before her stood a shallow cave with a campfire flickering its soothing light. Willow pulled back her hood and shook the excess droplets off her face. She dropped the satchel beside the cave entrance and collapsed in front of the fire.
"Sweet, sweet warmth," she moaned, rolling onto her side. "Just five minutes. Five minutes to rest."
However, the ailing chirp of her little cave mate pulled her away from rest. She lifted her head and peeked over the fire, spotting Courtney laying in the back of the cave, wrapped in a cocoon of her blanket with a wet cloth draped over her forehead.
"Momma…" Courtney called out in a hoarse, whimpering tone.
Without hesitance, Willow picked herself up, grabbed the satchel, and walked over to her daughter. She plopped the bag down and opened it up to a pile of berries. Willow lifted Courtney's head and held a berry to her mouth. "Open up, sweetie." Courtney wrapped her trembling lips around the fruit and sucked it in, slowly mashing it between her teeth.
Willow lifted the washcloth and felt Courtney's forehead. She frowned, feeling the heat rise through her paw. "How you holding up?" Willow asked.
Courtney swallowed her food, then attempted a smile. "I…I am getting better, Momma."
Willow smiled back and caressed her head. "Get some sleep. If you have the strength, try to eat your food, too. Momma needs to rest for a bit, okay?"
Courtney nodded. "O-Okay, Momma." She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.
Willow leaned down and kissed her head before walking back to her spot. She lay down and closed her eyes, hoping to drown out the downpour beating outside. Then again, the maelstrom in her own head may keep her awake instead.
It had been ten days. They've been hiding out in the mountain for ten days, and Courtney's fever wasn't getting better. It constantly fluctuated between calm and agonizing. Willow wasn't even sure if fevers were supposed to last this long, especially for a young child. She had fevers before, but she would get better in a few days at most. She wasn't equipped to deal with one like this.
Traveling was out of the option, too. Willow refused to risk the chance of finding a doctor in the weather raging outside. It could agitate and worsen Courtney's fever, or delay their chances of finding a doctor at all. And with bandits and shadows razing the region, Willow would have to fight with a sick child strapped to her back. They were too far away from any villages or towns, too. The Storm Zone was the worst place to get trapped in.
Now more than ever, I need a miracle. Willow curled up and covered her face in her forelegs. I'm out of options. Please, just something. Anything. Anything…
The rain continued its furious downpour into the night, with only the faint beacon of the mountainside cave shedding light on the dark curtain. Despite this, Willow and Courtney were able to sleep through it in part to their perilous journey. Courtney squirmed in her sleep, but was otherwise resting. Willow lay curled up by the fire with an uncomfortable grimace twitching in her expression despite her relaxed form.
Thunder sounded briefly after the sky flashed hot white, highlighting the crooked trees swaying against the wind. The sound did nothing to rattle the two from their sleep. Courtney was too sick to react, but Willow was just used to this kind of weather even if it was more severe than usual. It didn't compare to whatever torment rattled in her sleep. The thunder might have even served as a temporary distraction.
Another flash from the sky highlighting the brief instant of a tree collapsing. The sound dampened amidst the rain, impossible to hear for the untrained ear. Again, it did nothing to rattle Willow awake.
Among all the barbarous sounds and howling winds, however, the clicking of claws against stone reached her.
Willow's eyes snapped open right as lightning flash through the sky. She rubbed the sleep out and looked outside the cave. A dark sky met her gaze. She scanned her immediate sightings and saw nothing but the usual outside. She rubbed her eyes again and lay back down.
"Must've imagined it," she whispered. She yawned, then tried to go back to sleep.
Click. Click. Click.
Willow's eyes flew open once more, this time with her fur standing on end. "This is either a very detailed dream or…" She stood up and picked her sword up. As she strapped it on, she looked back once at Courtney before throwing her raincoat on and heading to the front of the cave. "I'll just take a quick peek outside."
Rain pelted down on her hood as she poked her head outside. The darkness combined with the downpour made it difficult to see anything or anyone. She forced herself to step all the way out and survey the immediate area. She hesitated on calling out for someone, though the fire in their cave may have already outed them.
Willow kept her sword hidden under her coat and snuck along the rounding path's edge. "Is anyone out here?" she called out, her voice lost to the storm. She swallowed a lump caught in her throat, then called again. "If you are seeking shelter, I ask you reveal yourselves right now. If you cooperate, I may let you stay the night. If you are seeking something else from us, I ask you turn back and seek your own shelter."
Her eyes wandered over the edge, noting the sharp drop awaiting her should she be ambushed. The night sky and rain made for the perfect cover to take out unsuspecting travelers. She read stories of campers mysteriously dying in the Storm Zone on these types of nights, stories of fiction and newspapers.
"And if you choose to impose on us," Willow continued, "I can't guarantee your safety after tonight. If you pray to Arceus or one of the other Legendaries, make your peace now."
Lightning flashed, flooding the terrain in pearly white and exaggerating the shadows of small rocks into jagged mountains of horror stories. Willow captured the image of the land in one swift glance. Her sword poked out from under her raincoat, ready to unleash at her command.
Her mind overclocked with adrenaline. She withheld herself from making too drastic a movement. The slightest shuffle of her hindlegs withholding the speed of a Ninjask burning through her nerves. Her sharp reflexes forced to slow to a crawl as her eyes darted across each individual raindrop crossing her vision. She maintained a façade of control, but held back the destructive instincts to lacerate anyone or anything that came at her.
With no response made from the second party, not even an attempted cry through the rain, Willow's mind locked onto one possible course. Her sword glided out from its sheathe, so close that Willow could make a passing glance and take the weapon in her teeth.
"If you associate with no god…" She clamped her claws into the wet earth and reached for her blade. "Pick one and pray."
A blinding flash exploded across the sky, lighting up the entirety of the terrain for three seconds. So why, in that moment, was Willow still partially in shadow?
Her eyes shrunk. She dared a look over her shoulder, then met the snarling, hungry gaze of a monstrous shape looming right over her. Red eyes beating down on her, pincer-like claws snapping together, and large tusks coated in a viscous drool, all attached to the imposing, segmented body of the insectoid whose size rivaled giants. It reared its arm back, making a mechanical clicking noise as the entire arm compressed like a concertina.
Willow's sword had already left its scabbard as the creature rocketed its compressed arm into her. Sparks blew off between the clash, but the punch threw Willow off the mountain path and into a tree. The tree groaned and tilted away from the mountain, but remained rooted to the ground.
Willow hung from a branch and shook the throbbing headache off before locking back onto her attacker. The creature leaped off the pathway and onto the tree, putting more weight against it. It swung its claws, digging into the tree and peeling off a layer of bark. Willow clambered higher up the tree and jumped back onto the mountain. The creature hissed and shot its extendable arm at her.
Willow caught the pathway's edge, but felt a set of pincers grab her ankle. She dug her claws in and pulled against the monster's strength as it tried to reel her in. The wet ground costed her traction. She continued digging into the earth to find her anchoring.
"K-Kill…Kill…m-m-must kill woman…" she heard the creature grumble. Its voice was broken and garbled like the throat was pureed by razor blades. "Devil woman…m-m-must kill devil woman."
Willow bit down on her hilt and sliced into the ground. A section of earth came loose with her, snapping the creature's arm back with its own elastic tension. Willow swung the severed earth and smashed it into the monster's face.
The tree roots unearthed and caused the tree to tip over the mountain. Willow kicked off the monster's face and grabbed the side of the mountain. She turned back in time to watch the tree slide down the mud, disappearing into the darkness below.
Willow climbed back up onto the mountain path and rolled herself onto the surface. She lay on her side and took a moment to catch her breath. Her sword fell out of her mouth and clattered in the mud.
"That wasn't a bandit," she whispered to herself. "That definitely wasn't a bandit." She gritted her teeth. "It's one of those…things that attacked the shop." She stood up and peered over the edge. "But I killed them all, right? Did I miss one? Or is this one avenging the ones I massacred?"
BANG!
Willow's eyes widened as something flew past her face and exploded against the mountainside. She turned and saw the remnants of a boulder crumbling before her. She looked back down, then jumped away from the edge as another rock clipped the path.
The clicking sound returned. Willow darted her eyes through the rainy atmosphere, but could hear the clicking from all around her like the chittering of Galvantula. The alert state of her mind made it difficult to concentrate on a single source.
Willow's eyes fell upon her sword, which still lay in the mud. She scanned her surroundings, then leaped for it. However, before she could reclaim it, the ground split open beneath her with a claw appendage seizing her neck and slamming her into the mountainside. Willow gasped as the pincers pressed down on her throat.
A wider hole opened afterwards with the creature rising, caked head to toe in mud. It kicked the sword down the mountain, then approached Willow. It garbled an unintelligible sound, peering down on her with disdain and single-minded fury.
Lightning illuminated the world once again, shining new light on her attacker. A deformed Drapion, wrapped in a layer of darkness. Willow recognized this one based off the scars it bared. Permanent scars left behind after being struck with her now-disposed sword. A jagged cut right down between the eyes, a severed shoulder, a missing leg she hadn't noticed earlier, and a number of weapons still embedded in its body. A dagger to the throat, an axe buried in the back, and knives jammed through the arms.
Willow glared into its murderous gaze. "Y-You're…tougher than you look, I'll give you that." She struggled to speak with the pincer squeezing on her throat. She hissed, but didn't show weakness in her face. "Dragged your half-dead corpse all to finish me off, huh? You shadows really are one-note killers."
"Devil…woman," Drapion grunted. Black ooze spilled out from the wound in its neck.
"You think I'm scared of you?" Willow taunted, curling her claws into its arm. "If you think what I did to your army back in the village was brutal, you picked the wrong night to piss me off."
"Devil woman."
"Either die a swift death…or I'll butcher you," Willow threatened, a dangerous gleam shining in her eye.
Drapion responded with a roar that blew back her fur and the raindrops on her face. Murky saliva pelted her face. Willow suddenly raised her hindleg and kicked Drapion in the chin, knocking its head back. As she did, the dagger in Drapion's throat came loose and spun through the air.
Drapion shook its head and compressed its free arm for a blank point punch. Willow caught the falling dagger in her teeth and spat it into the monster's left eye. It recoiled and screamed, loosening its grip enough for Willow to free herself and dropkick its torso. Drapion caught itself before it slipped over the edge and fired its compressed punch.
Willow sidestepped, then lunged with a bone-shattering headbutt. She grappled its head and smashed her forehead into it again. And again, and again, and again, and again! Blood sprayed like a geyser with each furious assault to the monster's skull. Bones cracked, tusks came loose, and black blood stained Willow's white fur.
Willow finished with one last headbutt, throwing all her weight into it, and pushed the corrupted scorpion over the edge. It anchored into the ground just in time, but let itself wide open for Willow's frenzy tackle. She and the Drapion went flying and tumbled down the mountainside. Willow unleashed her fury into its face, clawing and ripping through flesh.
They crashed into the ground with Willow dismounting and landing in a patch of mud. Drapion retaliated with a barrage of compressed punches. Willow skidded across the mud with a hair's worth of distance from the punches. Each punch pierced a hole through the trees or tore a large enough chunk to topple them.
One of Drapion's punches sped toward Willow. She dodged, but this punch curved after her, nailing a direct shot into her side. Willow skidded off her back and slammed her head into a tree. Drapion picked itself up, roared at her, then grabbed a rooted tree. Its arm inflated with muscle, pouring all its strength in to rip the tree from its roots and wield it like an exaggerated club.
Willow stood up and gasped as Drapion reared the tree back, then swung it, pushing through a curtain of rain like a sonic boom. Too delirious from the last hit, Willow tensed her muscles and took the full force of the club. The bark dug into her skin, drawing blood and rattling her innards. She skipped off the mud like a thrown pebble, crashing through trees before sinking into the muddied ground.
Drapion charged the fallen Absol and swung down. Willow's hindlegs shot out of the mud, intercepting the tree with a kick that staggered the monster. Willow rolled out before it could slam the tree down on her, then rammed her forehead into its abdomen.
It wailed and beat down on the ground with its club, shaking the earth with each consecutive hit. Willow snaked through the attacks, using her horn to parry the closer shots. The rain kept getting in her eyes. A few close calls left grazes on her legs and sides.
The whole of situation started dawning on her. Her soreness and injures that accumulated over the journey had dulled to a numb pain thanks to the adrenaline shooting through her body. It was the only thing keeping her going. Her senses worsened the more she endured the storm, the terrain was unsuitable for standard combat, and her opponent was basically a walking corpse. Sooner or later, that adrenaline will run its course, and Willow will take the full brunt of her injuries, leaving her wide open for the killing blow.
When was the last time I ever had to fight with such savagery? she wondered as she kept dodging the endless wave of attacks. It doesn't matter now. All that matters is killing this thing here and now.
Upon sidestepping one of the attacks, Willow spotted something sticking out from the mud. Her discarded sword perfectly impaled into the ground. Quick as could be, she sprung right as the Drapion brought down the tree and slid toward her sword. Drapion swung the tree across the mud, creating a wave that tracked Willow.
She grabbed the hilt before being swept into the mudslide, throwing her against a tree. She picked herself up right as Drapion slammed its club into her, smashing her between the two trees. A bloodied gasp caused her to drop her sword. Drapion reared its club back and pounded into her again, taking the tree down with her.
Willow rolled into the mud and clutched her chest. She felt the cracked ribs seething inside her. She tried to pick herself up, but Drapion slammed its club down and buried her in the mud. The monstrous scorpion roared and assaulted Willow with a merciless flurry of slams, rippling the muddied earth with each thunderous impact.
Lightning illuminated the blood spouting from Willow's wound. Any attempt to move was met with a swift pounding back into the wet ground, not a second to catch her breath. She felt the stress in her horn, which felt like it could snap off any second. The adrenaline's pain-numbing properties were beginning to wear off. Each impact with the tree sent horrific shocks through her body that aggravated the individual cuts under her bloodied fur.
And she still pushed on. She pressed her paws into the ground and forced herself to rise, even as she was smashed back down. Her senses were dulling, but her fire kept burning. Teeth grinding together, claws shredding into the dirt, bones wailing with stress; every cell of her body cried for mercy, yet screamed with rage. No matter what came down on her, a single unwavering thought exploded through the electrical impulses of her mind, racing with a relentless fury akin to an unstoppable eruption.
Protect. Courtney.
Drapion brought his club down on Willow once more, but it would never reach her. Willow roared with animalistic fury and swung her horn into the tree, slashing right through. The severed half flew over her and sank into the mud. Drapion attempted to ram her with the now splintery end, but Willow met it with another headbutt that forced it to a dead stop.
Drapion recoiled and dropped the tree as it split in half. It blinked at its broken weapon, then looked ahead at Willow, who panted with a blood dripping from her forehead and over her face. The mindless creature took a step back, feeling a quiver in its posture—nay, a tremble. The fury of its opponent, the fury it witnessed during the massacre in the village…
Those were mercy kills.
Willow scooped her sword up and rushed the stunned scorpion down. It recovered from the shock and fired one of its compressed punches. Willow clenched her teeth tightly around the hilt and sliced down the middle of its arm with a geyser of dark blood spraying in her face. With a twist of her neck, she sliced the monster's arm off.
Drapion reached behind its back and yanked out the axe, swinging it down on Willow. She spun and countered the hit, knocking the weapon out of its hand. Willow kicked its legs out, then bucked the monster through the mud. It dug its claws into the earth, but went flying again from Willow's follow-up dropkick to the face, snapping the monster's neck back.
Drapion's eyes burned hot, springing itself forward and shooting a blank point punch into Willow's face. Willow's face twisted into an ugly grimace. She pounded her hindlegs into the earth, anchoring herself, and pushed her face against the punch. She kicked mud into Drapion's eyes, making it stagger long enough to cut its hand off by the wrist. Drapion wailed and retreated away to seal off the wound.
Willow wasn't finished. She wouldn't give that monster a second to catch its breath. She rushed it without missing a beat and sliced into its body. Deep gashes opened up and sprayed blood into the mud. Her movements made her nearly invisible, a tornado of bladed winds slicing and dicing into the flesh.
Drapion kicked its healing factor to maximum power as it raised its freshly healed stump and bashed Willow across the head. Shadows bloomed from the stump and wrapped Willow up like a net. Drapion then swung Willow overhead and smashed her several times into the ground.
"What…are you?" Drapion growled as darkness spilled from its shorter stump and formed into a jagged blade. "You…no magic. How are you…alive?"
Willow snarled through her bindings. "Don't underestimate Pokémon, monster."
Drapion roared and thrusted its blade at Willow. Willow tossed her sword out of the net, straight into the air, and caught the scorpion's shadow blade in her teeth. Drapion gasped as she clenched down and broke the hardened darkness in one bite.
"You came here to hunt me, right?"
Her sword came back down. She twisted inside the shadow net and kicked the sword. It impaled through Drapion's head, ripping through whatever brain matter was intact. Drapion screamed and dispelled the shadow constructs to try and rip the sword out.
"I got bad news for you."
With the net gone, Willow catapulted off her legs and rammed her head into the hilt, digging and ripping the sword through more brain matter. She bit down on the hilt and grappled her now terrified opponent.
"You were never the predator."
She threw all her weight into it and kicked off Drapion, breaking out in a spin and shredding through Drapion's head multiple times. The monster's screams faded into the pouring rain as its head flew off into an unrecognizable glob. It plopped into the mud and sank below, never to be seen again.
Willow landed and stepped away from the decapitated body. It stood in place, unmoving for a moment, before toppling over into the mud. A dark mist seemed from the wounds, returning the body to its natural purple and blue coloring.
Willow sheathed her sword, then spat on the corpse. "Never…ever come near my daughter or me again." She turned and started her way back to the mountain for the long climb.
Three steps in, she lost her balance.
It took Willow a while to realize she was tipping over. Everything moved in a slow blur, even the mud when she splashed down into it. She couldn't tell immediately, but her vision was getting darker. She felt her blood pouring out into the mud. Her thoughts turned hazy, unintelligible. A flickering light in her eyes gave out as her mind sank into darkness.
She could barely see the light of the campfire at the top of the mountain. She tried to reach out to it, but her arms wouldn't obey her commands. Her body couldn't respond to anything, not even basic senses. She wasn't sure if she was breathing or not. The world grew dimmer with the passing seconds.
Must…protect…Courtney.
Splash. Splash. Something was walking through the mud.
I can't…abandon her.
A single flash of lightning briefly illuminated the terrain for her, allowing her to make out the faint sight of legs entering her vision.
She is…my only reason…to live.
Her hearing dulled to where she heard the unintelligible mumbles of whatever stood over her. She didn't know what happened afterwards as the world sank into pitch black.
I have…to protect you. Courtney, I need…I need you. You're all I have left…of him.
She didn't have the strength to rise out of bed. She didn't have the drive to face a new day, seeing all those smiling, uncorrupted faces. She didn't have the heart to leave home to attend the funeral.
Garret's funeral. Her father's funeral. So much death to wake up to.
Ava and Morgan went, though they didn't want to draw any attention to themselves. It was too painful for them, too. They could've saved Garret, but Garret wanted the final to be between him and Alex. No more blood needed to be shed, Ava told her. That was Garret's intention when he went to confront their possessed friend.
Willow turned onto her back and ran a claw over the gauze wrapped over her chest. She remembered the smell of burning flesh when her possessed fiancé blasted a hole straight through her chest. She should've been dead. She shouldn't be wallowing in her misery now. And yet, here she was, cured of the reaper's presence for a second chance at life. A renewed cycle to live off of.
All at the cost of losing her fiancé and her father.
Her father was a stubborn, proud man who never accepted failure. He pushed Willow to the peak of physical performance, turning her into the fighting genius she was today. She had him to thank for everything. So why…why was his parting gift to her a second life?
She didn't even have the luxury of hearing his final words when he traded his life force away. She was unconscious for days, ignorant to the tragedies at play, and she couldn't do anything to stop them.
Willow placed her paws to her face and sobbed into them. She may put on a guise of confidence and levelheaded coolness, but the years have made her an emotional wreck. It was one bad thing after the other, and she was ignorant to the consequences. She could've done some if she knew.
She should've pleaded to Clara to stay in her village, set up her shop here, so they could've been closer. And perhaps fate would've allowed her to live.
She should've pleaded with her father not to use that taboo spell for her sake. The greatest honor of any warrior was to die gloriously in combat. It was a legacy worth living.
She should've stopped Alex from leaving. She should've consoled him, help him through the pain of losing his people. If he never left, maybe she could've healed his broken heart.
She shouldn't have wavered facing against her possessed fiancé. Her single-minded determination to protect her family crumbled facing the man she loved.
She should've…she wished she could've stopped Garret from confronting Alex. Maybe, just maybe, they would both still be around.
Her tears fell onto the bedsheets, choking with tense, ugly sobs. It was one tragedy after another. How long until she was all alone, no one to comfort her? What if everyone died? What was left for her? How can she face the future if only death came at her? What did she have left to live for?
How could she live holding her father's life in her soul?
Willow choked through her cries and pressed her face into her pillow. "Just end me now. I can't…I c-c-can't deal with this anymore." She grazed a claw against her throat. "I don't want this anymore. I can't…l-live like this anymore. I can't—"
Through her cries, another echoed through the house.
Willow's eyes widened to the cries of a baby just in the other room. She lifted her head, blinked through her tears, and looked out her door. Sad, defenseless cries of a creature all alone and with no one protecting it. As if in a trance, Willow slid from her bed and exited her room.
She pushed open the door to the neighboring bedroom and spotted the crib sitting in the center. A mobile gently spun over the crib, swinging the decorative stars over the creature inside. It did nothing to soften its wails.
Willow stared at the crib as tears ran over the dark circles under her eyes and flowed across her cheeks. She approached the crib, careful not to creak the floorboards, and hoisted herself over.
A tiny, helpless Absol swaddled in her blanket, wailing for comfort. All alone, scared, and unsure of the world. Willow saw herself in the baby's distress.
She wiped her tears away, then picked her daughter up. "Courtney. Sweet, sweet Courtney…" She sat on her haunches and cradled the baby in her arms. "How long have you stayed silent while your selfish mother sank into her grief? You poor thing. My poor baby." Willow bit her lip. "Are you scared of being alone? Or were you scared for your mamma? Did you cry for me, to make sure I was alright?"
The baby's cries softened as she swayed back and forth. She cooed and nestled into her mother's forelegs. Willow held her under her bandaged chest and nuzzled her tiny head. Fresh tears landed on Courtney's blanket cocoon.
"I-I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry, Courtney. How can I think of wasting this new life and leave you scared and alone?" Willow trembled and hugged Courtney closer. "I won't let anything ever happen to you. I will protect you from everyone. I won't lose…anymore family."
Willow tensed up as a paw touched her cheek. She trembled as she touched the paw and gazed down at the tiny Absol. She gurgled up at her mother with an innocent ignorance. Eyes of wonder reflecting back at Willow. She grabbed the paw and gave it a gentle squeeze.
"We don't have to be alone," Willow whispered. "We can heal together. Just the two of us." Her lips quivered into a tearful smile. "No matter what, always remember: your momma is strong. She will never, ever let you down. Momma is your…guardian angel. She will always, always be there to protect you. My sweet, sweet Courtney…" She kissed her forehead, then reclined onto the floor, cradling Courtney in her forelegs.
"My sweet Courtney…"
The feeling of clarity dawned onto Willow as her senses reached her. Though still surrounded in a murky darkness, she felt herself coming to. From the pain she felt everywhere, she confirmed in her haze that she was, thankfully, alive. What didn't add up was her location. Last she recalled, she collapsed into the mud. Now? Hard rock floor. She felt dry, too. Had the rain let up? No, the mud wouldn't harden this much, and she could still hear rain.
Her vision started returning. Through her closed eyelids, as well as the sensation hitting her face, a warm glow sat in front of her. A campfire? In the Storm Zone? Was she back in the cave? How? Courtney certainly couldn't have. Did she drag herself up the mountain even while unconscious? If so, and if she wasn't blistering with pain, she would definitely claim herself as 'Best Mom'.
She struggled to open her eyes, not helped by the fire blinding her. She opted to opening one eye toward the ceiling, gradually adjusting to the light. She rolled onto her back and hissed from a shot of pain. The rocky floor covered in tiny rocks pressed into her skin, aggravating the flesh. She rolled back onto her side, biting her lip to hold off the pain.
Her eyes finally adjusted to the light, allowing her to peer around the fire. She spotted the swaddled form of her daughter, laying in the same spot she left her. However, she saw something else sitting beside the little Absol. A lithe figure with lavender fur brushing Courtney's head with their paw. Willow's protective instincts kicked in. The pain started to subside.
"S-Stay…away from—" Before she could rise, a heavy paw gently pushed her back to the floor. She could've easily fought it off, but the aches in her muscles made it impossible to find her footing.
"It's alright," a deep voice responded as the paw patter her shoulder. "Try not to move too much. You've had a rough night."
Willow's rage faded as quickly as it started. "Who…?" She tilted her head and looked up to the large figure standing over her. A Pyroar, a male one. She tilted her head some more and saw the first aid kit sitting nearby. Willow grazed one of her claws against her body and noticed the bandages under her clothes.
"I'm terribly sorry," the Pyroar said. "I would've had my wife patch you up, but I'm the more medically trained of us. I made sure to be quick, but thorough. You had some serious injuries all over yourself, but I made sure they weren't infected."
Willow lifted her paw, seething from the aches, and saw the dried black blood in her fur. "What happened?" she groaned.
"We'd like to know ourselves, to be frank," the Pyroar said. "We happened upon this mountain for shelter right when we heard the commotion. When we saw the light in this cave, we figured this was your shelter."
Willow squinted at the campfire. "My…My daughter—"
"She's unharmed," a new voice spoke up. The figure caring for Courtney, a mature-looking Espeon, faced the injured Absol. "She seems to have a really bad fever, though. She may have caught something out here."
"C-Courtney," Willow wheezed.
"We have medicine," the Espeon assured. "I gave her a spoonful that should help ease the fever, and some water." She sighed. "I'm glad we arrived when we did. Lucky you."
Willow blinked her weary eyes, then closed them as a long exhale left her mouth. "She's safe," she mumbled. "That's all…I could ask for."
Willow slept throughout the night, earning a long deserved rest. She woke once more to the smell of berry bacon and other delicious, sizzling smells. She winced as she picked herself up, just enough to where she could rest on her legs. She blinked a few times before looking over to her newfound company. The Pyroar cooked the food while the Espeon pouted at her husband.
"Owen, please hurry, I'm hungry~," she whined.
Owen chuckled. "Since when do you get so worked up over bacon? I thought you told me 'there is no way I'm letting that greasy slab of filth touch my tongue'."
She huffed and rolled her eyes. "Well, I have to make sacrifices to my refined taste buds and…I will admit it has a delectable taste."
"I think you mean addictive."
"Shut up and give me the bacon!"
Owen threw his head back and laughed. "A few more weeks on the road, you might insist we go camping on our next vacation."
"Do not sass me, dear." The Espeon turned away and huffed. "…Preferably somewhere less humid and dangerous." Owen hid his snicker.
Willow pushed herself up until she was on her haunches. The pair noticed her movement, with Own saying, "Well, good morning, sleepyhead. How are you feeling?"
"Like shit," Willow grumbled. She rotated her shoulder blade and winced from an uncomfortable popping sound. "Ooh, that was a mistake."
"Getting yourself into that tussle last night was a mistake," the Espeon said. "I have the bloodstains on my jacket to prove it." She sighed and shook her head. "Even so, I'm glad we found you when we did, miss. Admittedly, we weren't sure if you were the aggressor or not, but our worries alleviated when we brought you back to your cave here."
Willow bowed her head. "I'm eternally grateful for your help." A concerned look came up. "Speaking of, how's my daughter?"
The Espeon nodded over her shoulder, where the little Absol snoozed. "She still has a fever, but it went down. She just needs some rest and she'll be better in no time."
Willow sighed, feeling a weight leave her chest. "Thank Arceus. I don't know what I would've done if it got worse."
"I guess you were forced to flee your home," Owen inquired.
"Unfortunately. I didn't pack for the journey as well as I should have. I had to get out of there and protect her at all costs."
The Espeon sighed. "Yeah, we…understand the sentiment."
Owen pulled the pan off the fire and slid equal portions onto three plates. "Food's ready."
"Oh, finally!" The Espeon pulled it over with her telekinesis and ripped into the bacon. Owen laughed as he nibbled on a hash brown.
Willow took her plate and inspected the meal. Biscuits, hash browns, and berry bacon. She almost felt new tears forming as she inhaled the aroma. "Oh sweet Arceus, actual food." She threw a biscuit in the air and chomped it down in one bite.
Owen laughed. "You must've been hungry."
"Starved. I foraged to keep my daughter fed." Willow swallowed, then asked, "These aren't poisoned, right?"
The Espeon shot a deadpan glare. "A bit rude to assume we waited to poison you."
Owen grinned. "Besides, with the injuries you took last night, I'd be more concerned about my own neck than whatever poison we had could do to you."
Willow closed her eyes and chuckled. "Fair enough." She stabbed the second biscuit with her claw and nibbled on it. "I suppose I should introduce myself to my saviors. I am Willow. A pleasure. And you've already acquainted yourselves with Courtney."
The couple nodded in return. "I'm Owen. This is my wife, Elise."
"Nice to meet you," Elise said with a wave.
The trio ate their breakfast in relative silence, filled only by the pattering rains beating outside. Willow's eyes kept wandering to Courtney, relieved that she was looking a bit better than yesterday. Some divine revelation must've been called upon for her sake.
She went for the hash brown and chewed through half of it before asking, "So, what brings you folks all the way out here? Didn't get an update on the Storm Zone's lovely weather?"
Elise groaned. "Don't remind us. I still have mud clumped up in my fur somewhere."
"There's always a nice stream to bathe in."
"Equally disgusting."
Owen laughed, then explained, "I called in some favors from associates of mine to transport us around Mysto. I'm in the weapon dealing business, so I have quite the list of favors to call from. We're actually from the Earth Zone. Been traveling for a few weeks now. It really did save us the walk. Can't imagine traveling this far by walking." He sighed, now expressing glumness. "Unfortunately, when we reached the Storm Zone, there was an altercation with some bandits. No one died, but we had to escort them to the closest town that was still running. We've been traveling on foot the last three days. Couldn't really do much about the storm, so we had to tough it out."
"I hated it. So much," Elise added.
"I still say you love camping," Owen joked.
"Anywhere but here, thank you." Elise rolled her paw. "We happened upon here for shelter, found you, and…well, you know the rest."
"Quite the adventure for you two," Willow said, finishing the last of her hash brown. "But why take the trip at all? You folks don't look like you travel much, at least in these circumstances."
Elise sighed. "Believe us, we didn't want to. I couldn't bare the idea traveling Mysto while society was collapsing. The business isn't doing well due to the crime waves all over Mysto. We really couldn't afford traveling in these conditions, but…" Elise faced Willow, sadness in her expression. "I think you know best that a parent would do anything for the sake of their children."
Willow frowned. "You don't mean…"
"Our daughter," Owen said. "She left with her friends months ago. We've always worried about her hanging out with them, but we're trying to be supportive of her decisions. Then all this started up, and we've been worried sick. We couldn't contact her, didn't even know where she was."
"She didn't like us interfering with her life, but our nerves got to us the worse things got," Elise said, tears in her eyes. "Our poor baby is out there, and we couldn't do a thing about it. So, we decided to leave the comforts of home and search all of Mysto until we find her, bring her home, and make sure she is safe."
Willow narrowed her eyes. "All of that just to protect your daughter?" She closed her eyes and chuckled. "Yeah. Yeah, I think I would know something like that. She must be really special to you two."
Owen frowned. "We haven't been on the best terms with our daughter as of late. Never approved of her life choices, always spoke poorly of her friends, and kept pushing her into a future she didn't want. We only wanted what was best for her, but…"
"We ended up pushing her out of our lives," Elise finished. She closed her teary eyes and wiped them. "We're trying to make amends. I don't care if she chooses never to speak to us again. We just want to make sure she's safe and sound."
Willow stared at them for a moment, then smiled. "You know something?" They faced her curiously. "The fact you're both out here, putting yourselves at risk just to find her, speaks volumes of the kind of parents you really are." She snickered through her teeth. "Regardless of whatever friction came between you all, you clearly raised her the right way, with lots of love."
They blinked through their tears, then smiled back. "Thank you," Owen whispered. "That means a lot."
"A few kind words aren't enough to repay what you've done for me," Willow assured. She straightened up and cracked her neck, earning another painful jolt. "Ooh, that was also a mistake."
Elise sighed. "Speaking of mistakes…in hindsight, we may have jumped the gun on our expedition. We were hoping to come across her, but we failed to account for the—"
"Vast amount of land you had to search?" Willow teased.
"We were panicking, alright?!" Elise snapped.
"Hey, hey, I might've done the same thing if I was in your shoes." She scratched behind her head. "Are you two low on supplies, by chance?"
Owen checked inside his bag. "We've got about two weeks of rations left."
Elise groaned. "Super."
Willow smiled. "Just so you know, I haven't been wandering aimlessly. I actually do have an intended destination. I know a family on the outskirts of the Aqua Zone. Their son frequents the shop quite a bit whenever he pays a visit. After this all started up, he swung by once and asked if I needed a place to hide. I declined, though I regret it now."
"You sure it's a good idea to drop by unannounced?" Owen asked.
Willow shrugged. "He offered, I'm sticking with it. Anyway, I'm asking if you want to join me on the road."
"Are you sure?" Elise asked. "We just met."
"You saved my life and helped my daughter. Plus, I can tell you're good people." She grinned. "And do you really want to spend more time out here and run the risk of another ambush?"
They opened their mouths to protest, then clamped them shut. "I suppose we've been lucky avoiding direct confrontations," Owen admitted.
"And you're clearly the most dangerous thing we've encounter on this trip," Elise added jokingly. Willow chuckled. "If you're really offering, and since we'll be walking in circles sooner or later, I guess it wouldn't hurt to tag along."
"Well then, I look forward to our journey together. And I hope we find your daughter along the way."
Elise sighed. "We hope so, too."
Willow set het plate down and walked over to Courtney. She sat down and nestled Courtney in her forelegs. Her forehead did feel cooler than last night, and Willow hoped it stayed that way. She cradled Courtney, rocking her back and forth, then laughed under her breath.
Oh, you hate when I do this to you, but I can't help myself. You're still my baby. Willow leaned down and pressed her bandaged forehead to hers. Like Momma always says: she'll protect you no matter what.