Gloria scanned everything in her vision extensively as she crept along the cobbled path, dragging Hop behind her. The pair roughly searched for the Wooloo that had stupidly rolled itself into the Slumbering Weald. They had barely entered the forest before the Pokémon disappeared out of their sight, into the twisted paths and patches of shrubbery.
She wasn't too sure why her parents had made her promise not to enter the Slumbering Weald, but she was ten now and what her parents didn't know wouldn't kill them. She was more than capable of looking after herself.
The Slumbering Weald groaned with a soft wind that twisted through its hale trees, giving the impression that the entire forest was humming, as though it were a huge living entity. Pokémon that Gloria hardly ever saw or didn't know at all flitted in and out of sight, flying from tree to tree, running from bush to bush.
Her heart pounded with excitement; she'd always been curious about the "forbidden forest" in Postwick. A forest that supposedly no one had entered in like fifty years. Stories of dangerous Ghost Types wandering the foliage, waiting for a human to stroll in always plagued her town but she wasn't stupid. Adults exaggerated things, and she hadn't seen a single Shuppet or Duskull in the ten minutes they'd been in there.
"Gloria, please, I don't wanna be here", Hop squeaked, trembling in her hand.
His head whipped back and forth, brown eyes widening at the slightest sound of wings or a tree branch snapping. He was trying desperately not to think about what was beyond the heavy fog that sat on the Weald like a wet blanket, making everything feel heavy and slow.
Gloria abruptly stopped, huffing in irritation and stomping her foot, "Hop! There's nothing here!"
She turned to start scolding him but her eyes softened when she saw the fear in her friend's, and she squeezed his hand lightly, "You can't leave me alone in here to look for the Wooloo! Come on, it'll be fun! You don't wanna stand outside with my brother, he's boring".
Hop swallowed harshly and exhaled, taking a few moments to think. Gloria knew he was terrified, but she really wanted him to come explore this place with her.
"Victor is probably bored out of his mind. Stay with me".
She pouted a little, hoping to make Hop feel a bit guilty, "Please?"
He sighed in defeat and nodded, "... Yeah, ok".
Gloria let go of his hand to leap into the air, throwing up her fist, "Whoo!"
She tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear and surveyed the forest, ignoring Hop's grimace.
"We'll just go a little bit further, the Wooloo has to be around here somewhere, I don't know how it would've gotten this far in the first place-"
Her train of thought was abruptly cut off as Hop shrieked;
"What the fuck is that!"
Gloria jolted at her friend's cussing, and quickly turned to see a blue canine-like Pokémon staring directly at them less than ten yards away.
Her heart began pounding, she seemed to forget how to breathe. It emanated a mystical and regal aura, almost demanding the attention of the two children. She noticed that the creature had scars all over its body and part of its left ear was missing, like it had just come from a devastating battle.
Hop seemed to notice as well, and somehow found his voice under the frightening aura of it, "L-look at it! It's hurt".
The creature blinked slowly but made no other movement, continuing to stare observantly at the pair.
Gloria felt like her heart was about to leap from her throat. Shaking, she held out her palm towards it, putting on what she hoped was a kind look, "It's ok, we're not here to hurt you".
The dog's monotonous gaze fractured slightly, and it took on an apprehensive look towards the brown-haired girl. Sensing its distrust, she pulled back her hand slightly, "I promise. We only want to help".
Gloria looked over her shoulder to Hop, giving him a sharp glare and jerking her head slightly towards the dog. Shaking like a leaf, he managed to drag himself over to her side, still subtly hiding behind her shoulder.
The children and Pokémon remained locked in a stare, waiting for the other to move.
She mentally grabbed for any idea that could possibly help the creature or get them away, but she couldn't seem to hold onto anything solid enough to run with it.
How am I supposed to help this thing…
She moved forward again, albeit a little too abruptly, holding up her palm towards the creature once more. The Pokémon broke its eye contact with the pair of children, lifting its head into the air and letting out a piercing howl, causing them to both jump aggressively.
Gloria yelped at the creature's cry, grabbing onto Hop. Her heart felt like it was about to burst from her chest, thrumming against her ribcage painfully. Suddenly the temperature dropped significantly, making Gloria's breath come out in puffs of mist. All around them the fog seemed to be getting denser, closing in around them as if to constrict them.
Gloria and the creature made eye contact again, and the creature gave a slight bow of its head towards her before backing off into the compressing fog.
Gloria jumped again as Hop grabbed her hand, suddenly making a break for the way they came, "We need to go!"
She allowed herself to be dragged along by him, panic rising as the fog seemed to affect her mind, causing her thoughts to become hazy and disjointed.
"Hop! I can't- I…"
Her hand slipped from his and she hit the ground hard, vaguely registering the damp grass beneath her.
Darkness bordered her vision, growing larger and larger, cutting off her senses. She was vaguely aware of Hop hitting the ground next to her and crying out in pain.
She feebly attempted to grab onto him, but her brain seemed to not be connected to her limbs anymore, and with tears in her eyes, she gave up fighting the haze and let the darkness overcome her vision.