Chapter 1

I remembered the first time I'd seen a sunset. The chill dusk air, the stone still warm from the summer afternoon. I didn't need to be up so early, but my sister had lured me with the promise of something amazing, and acrest the bluff was the perfect place to see it. I remembered gazing at it, enthralled by a sight never seen from amidst the forests, counting the colors that painted the sky. I had told her it was better than starlight, she had said, "But not the moon." But now, as I ran through shrubs and trees, I couldn't care less that it was sunset.

Leaves and branches charred beneath my paws, the scent of smoke choked the air. I breathed it in trying to cool my burning blood. I ducked, a branch blurred overhead. This was dangerous, this was too fast. The trunks and rocks formed a tight-knit weave, just a slip in attention would have you limp on the ground. But neither could I stop. Momentum barreled me ever forward, my footings were too brief to do anything but push left and right, and I had to pick my line in the brief moments I bounded through the air. Oak to birch, birch to bush, I turned, ducked, and stumbled in an ever maddening test of skill; I ran as a houndour should.

A trickling sound met my ears, whiffs of petrichor caught my nose. The thought came to me to follow it.

Left, leap, off a tree, through a laurel, I tracked it with relentless vigor. Nothing could stop me, not stone, nor hole, nor piercing thorn. I, was the master of this forest. Fast as wind, fierce like rain, I was the blazing force that stalked these lands. The ground rushed by, I pushed ever faster. Thoughts and musings melted away and instinct led my path. The trickle loudened, the smell was sharp. It was a stream, fresh water, and I was drawing very close. A log fell towards me, I dodged. A trice later and I would've been crushed. But, of course, that would never happen. I was the master of this forest, nothing could stop me!

The earth beneath me slipped, my weight and speed flung me forward. My back hit the ground. I tumbled, then stopped. And just like that, my fragile game was done.

My senses began settling. In place of ripping breezes, there were rustling leaves. Instead of blended hues, I stared at an unmoving scene. My maw hung open, half-filled with scraped up dirt. I panted hard, my breath seemed to glow. Realization struck like lightning, I was about to burn.

Fire types are always hot, the hotter you are, the easier it is to ignite fire, our skin could sear, our fangs could cook. Yet, if one, say, basks for too long, well, our bodies are made to burn. And as I laid there, I knew I would soon ignite.

I scrambled to a stand. I couldn't burn, no not now! If I caught fire, then the grass would catch fire. If that burned, so would the flower, then the trees, then the forest! The pack would be left exposed and all the food would burn. It would be doom!

I spun around, I needed a way to cool down. My thoughts locked on the stream, I was chasing the stream! And there it was, not ten meters away!

I stepped towards it, but my knees buckled. I tried to stand, but my limbs went numb. A cold ball of lead formed in my chest.

Going that fast, so brazenly blitzing, it wasn't easy. All the weight and speed of a galloping beast, all my balance and strides, it was all maintained through the strength of my legs, legs that would have exhausted themselves to unimaginable degrees in trying to keep my pace. That tiredness, it was all held at bay by battle-lust and spirit, wasn't it? And now, having stopped, having given up my impetus to encroaching fatigue, I had brought myself to my knees.

I tried again to get up, to groan, even. Nothing moved but my heaving chest. I laid staring at the trees, the roots, the pebbles, at the stream so close, it was so close! But I couldn't make it, no iron will nor determination would save me. It was a matter of rocks and wood. I could not move. That was it.

I heard the patter of crunching leaves and snapping sticks. Panic stabbed my heart, something was coming to eat me. Whether claws or fangs, I was paralyzed and defenseless. It would take its time knocking me out and slitting my throat, carving me up to take to its family. From the sound of its gait, I knew it was small and had a tail, perhaps a pikachu or one of those things that lived near lakes.

I continued to listen, trying to guess its species. I had always known death would find me one day, but now with it at hand, I flinched to think about it. Anything to not think of its approaching sneak, anything to let me forget my doom. Perhaps it was just walking by, already full and pleased. It certainly hadn't just prodded me with its sharp implement.

"Houndhour," a voice called through the woods. "Stop, Houndour! You're going to crash! Stop!"

My hunter hesitated. "You're a houndour," it muttered. It scurried off.

A black form broke through the trees, sleek, big, strong, it landed from a leap with a hurried grace. It was my sister, Houndoom. She had saved me. "Houndour," she said. "Oh, you're alright." She restood her stance, her slumped relief pushed aside in favor of a scolding one. "Houndour." She marched over and locked her teeth around my neck. "Ahh, you're hot! Where's the-" She spotted the stream and pushed me to it.

It's an uncomfortable thing, rolling like that. My legs were splayed without reason, my claws dug in at awkward angles. Dirt filled my eyes, dirt stuffed my mouth, and the very sensation of being rolled by another was bizarre. It rather hurt.

The flow of a brook washed over me, I breathed in steam. It wasn't particularly refreshing, and it gave more way to intellectual interest than emotion. The liquid washed over my eyes and left in them a stinging film. It entered my mouth, coated my tongue, and followed into my throat, giving my mind the pleasant experience of simultaneously eating, drinking, and tasting dirt. In my ears, it warped all sound, making the voice of my thoughts seems louder. And it flowed over my body in the most uncomfortable way, each part and particle touching and leaving in such a sequential pace that it felt like rubbing against an unnaturally large ivy to the point where you think it's a bayleef or serperior. My verdict was a negative one.

After half a minute of this, just as the water began to return to its expected qualities of cold, painful, and panic-inducing, I was rolled out of the stream and let to dry. If it wasn't such an awkward thing to say, I would have congratulated her on knowing me so well.

She dipped a paw in and splashed herself as well, then turned to me to continue her nagging. "Houndour," she said. "Why did you run off like that? What was your point, what were you trying to do?

The hunt is almost over, they sent us to find water for the pack. That doesn't mean prancing through the forest like a tyranitar's chasing you! What would have happened if you fell off a cliff, or into a pond, or found another pack of something else! Death, that's what I say! And think of how hot you got! You remember what mom says about catching ablaze: don't do it. So why did you risk it? Why run like it will rain? And look how you lay. You can't even move! They sent us both for a reason. What would have happened if you collapsed in a fight? You could die, I could die, we both could die, and the pack would be left in thirst! Is this what you want to do? This reckless, stupid- you can't. You can't!"

A small smirk came upon me as she went on and on. Feeling crept back into my body and my exhaustion flared as my chest twitched with laughter. She was a terrible ranter. Her tone was forced, her confidence behind her words were fake and flacid. She mimicked how scolders move, shaking her head, walking in circles, hitching up in exasperation, but there was no enthusiasm behind it, no sense of frustration. If she went on any longer, I would've fallen asleep.

"And think of what would happen to everybody else! Every one of us is invaluable, the pack would starve! And-"

"Sis," I muttered, straining to speak.

"What?" She froze mid step.

"You're sounding like mom."

She stared, mouth half open.

"You're not even angry. I know you're older and need to look after me and the thousand other things she says, but you are really bad at it. Stop, okay, or I'll tell everybody you sing lullabies."

"Wha-

You can tell?"

"I live with you, I fight with you, we eat together, we get in trouble together, yes I can tell. You never talk that much and, ahh, it's making me bored and dizzy. Everybody knows you'll stop me if I ever get too stupid, and it's not like you'll actually convince me. These ears have heard it a hundred times, and this heart has never cared."

For a moment, she hung there, eyes still in confusion. Then, she sighed, dropping her shoulders and sitting down. "Yeah. Yeah, I know. It's just, how will I ever lead the pack if I can't keep my little brother from dying? Watching over you is what I'm supposed to do, and they still want me to coddle you like a hatchling, and with how reckless you are, sometimes I think I should! Every time you get hurt, it- it really does feel like my fault. But I know I can't be like that! You're fierce and brave and smart enough, you're going to get cut and bruised and I can't stop that. I worry too much.

One day, everybody we know will be following my lead. And the thought of it is just… so much."

"Don't worry, sis." I tried to grin. It looked more like a sneer. "I'm not dead yet! Besides, I'll grapple you if things ever get boring."

She smiled. "Oh, the dejected mess I'd be If you weren't around." She nuzzled my neck. "Say, I think I saw an-"

"Oran berry? Please say oran berry."

"Yeah," she said, plodding off a stone's throw away before coming back and placing one at my nose. "Lucky find."

I sniffed the round, blue fruit. It was the size of a small apple, but colored muted cobalt, with the shape of a hefty stone. I stretched and shuffled to get it between my teeth, and bit down until I hit the pit. It was a messy job, my teeth sliced it to shreds and slivers, but my tongue could only swallow them one by one, all the while, juice leaked out. Its flavor was simple but hearty, sweet yet round. It was a sensation that dulled sensation, calling your mind to focus on the taste as its essence worked to heal your wounds.

My numbness began to fade, a clamor of aches took its place, but that too was solved. I flicked my ears and bent my knees. Both my commands were responded to perfectly.

I stood up, shaking off my fur.

"Feeling better," she said.

I nodded. I took a look around.

By now, twilight had turned to dusk. Darkness and shadow cast across the forest floor, swirling and flowing through the branches and between the trees like a maelstrom of encroaching night. My vision stayed sharp, peering through the storming dark like it was nothing but deep, clear water. The sky still clung to its hues of blue, stray stars peeking through the canopy leaves. The brook beside us trickled on, its pebbled banks glistened in the last of the night. I gulped down a few uneasy sips and choked on a flake of bark. I sputtered.

"Not." I coughed. "Fresh."

"As in?"

"Lake water. It's been stagnant for a while."

"She looked westward, upstream. "If there's a lake then water types will be nearby. We wouldn't want to rest here."

I nodded. "They should be done by now, the hunt, I mean."

"Eyes on the sky, Houndour. They could be any second now."

I turned my gaze to the eastward sky. One they finish, we would need to rally them, call them to our water so they could cool down and drink. I had never missed the Rally Sign, no one ever had, but everybody worried they would. It was one of those things I would whisper to Houndoom to scare her.

A massive plume of flame shot into the sky. It rose and bloomed, burning like a huge, skybound rose before it waned and melted into the star studded sky.

"There," I called, and Houndoom dropped to a stance. I did too.

"Three," she said. "Two, one."

Heat surged through my body, fire danced in my throat. I breathed in, then blasted the flames high into the night. A swirl of red dazzled me, engulfed me. I felt my sister's flame too, bright and orange, much hotter than mine. Together, our fires blazed abright the forest and heavens, entwining and twisting in a glorious display to mirror the rising sun.

I cut my flames and she cut hers. We came together, back-to-back, watching deep into the woods, ready to fight.

"The pack won't be the only one who saw that," Houndoom said.

"I know. How long do you think it will take them?"

"Five minutes if we're lucky, half an hour if they want to talk."

"And how many times do you want to get picked up by pidgeotto, and flail around until I save you?"

"Shut up. Be on guard!"

We stood, ready and waiting, growling at every rustle of leaves, snapping at every gust through the trees. The seconds stretched long and thin, the next minute never seemed to come. The pace of our breath rhythmed our step, each bark and flare was followed by the other's. My jaw felt loose, relaxed, yet eager to bite and kill. My chest felt free and deep, filling and falling in easy motion. It was confidence, the spirit of battle that stripped your inhibitions bare and let you pounce and sprint on the teeter of cliffs and stand your ground in the midst of fissuring earth. It had a thousand names—vigor, strength, valiance—but you never thought of that in battle. All you knew was that something would soon bleed.

A paras lunged from the side. I caught it in my maw and tossed it aside.I growled, letting embers flare from the gaps in my teeth. The paras backed off.

"All good," Houndoom asked.

"Yes."

"Anymore?"

"I hope not."

Then, the air began to take on a strange quality. It felt heavy and dusty, my lungs refused to take much of it in. Our steps became dischoroused, mine trailed hers, the hers slowed too. The fire in my throat extinguished, lethargy gripped my limbs.

"That's- that's sleep powder," I said. "It's everywhere!"

"It, it is? Oh gods," she muttered. "Okay, okay. Muster your flame!"

"What will you do?"

"We'll blow them away, burn them."

"But." Another took its chance. I bit it, crushing it between my sharpest fangs until it ceased to struggle. I threw it aside, unconscious, but alive. The sound of a hundred more legs scuttled behind the trees. They had swarmed.

"Three," she said. "Two-"

"We don't have time. Now!"

Smolder filled my nostrils, the flickers, then pure, burning heat. I coughed it out, throat clogged with the powder, sending my fire in wide arcs to burn as much as I could. At the edge of sight, the eyes of the paras glinted, festering and wide. They were hungry.

Embers pattered onto the leaves below, if rain could ever burn, it would be like this. The paras muttered.

"What will we do? They defy our sleep!"

"Who cares if they're asleep. We have them surrounded. Rush and storm, we'll stab them to death. The Seal will protect us!" They chanted a racket of clicks. My sister swore.

"Face us, and you'll die," she said. "We are not alone, more of us are lurking near. Would you, little Bug types, like to war with a pack of flaming beasts of the night?"

"We'll have you cut and sliced in minutes," one said. "And you look like an awfully good meal."

"You will die."

"Then so be it. I sell my life so we can feast!" So, the gnashing brood set upon us.

A crawling blanket emerged from the trees, a wave of eyes, a sea of teeth. They climbed over each other, stragglers were thrown to the front, brave ones leaped ahead. They were and army, an army of flying, hungry insects, and our flesh was their grail.

Houndoom looked at me. "T'is our end."

"Steel your faith, they are on their way."

"But not in time."

"We will carve our own time, and we will carve it with tooth and claw."

She smirked. "You never give up, do you?"

"My corpse will catch brightly ablaze and burn them all to ash!" I blew out smoke.

"And so it will."

A paras pounced for my neck. I sprang to the side, letting it crash into stone and tumble into the brook. No one caught it.

One of them latched onto my back, a claw stabbed my leg. I yelped, hobbling away, but only found myself in the clutches of more. The one on my back striked at my neck, the ones surrounding bent their legs, preparing to jump on and do the same.

Then, a tide of purple light shocked through the air. It swept from above me, an expanding sphere that hummed and crackled, blasting away the paras like rocks in ragin currents. They flung into the forest, treetops, and littered the base of trunks, all knocked and fainted by a single force.

"No," someone said. "My soldiers will not die today."

I turned around to see who it was.

Above me floated a creature, pink and small. Its eyes glowed pale like starlight, its tail sliced the air like claws through skin. It didn't sneer, nor smile, nor frown. It held still, calm, confident, radiating the power of its fulgent soul. It was a god.

"Mew." My sister bowed.

"Stellum." I bowed my shoulders, keeping my weight off my injured leg.

"You know me," he stated, voice cold and distant. My breathing shook. "Good. I know you too. I've been watching." He scouted his right, then his left. "Things are afoot. It is time we meet." He waved his and the shadows became purple. Psychic whisps peel off ground, the dark the light. We were surrounded in psychic terrain, and it was a strange place.

The gurgle of the brook fell soft and muted, the wind ceased to sound. Everything was still and quiet like a stranded child, alone, helpless, condemned to the starvings' hunger. Silent, except for the beating of our fragile hearts and our shallow, shaking breaths. Mew spoke.

"War comes. I will not face it alone.

The world is on a verge, restless whispers are already uttered. It will be fought by not only you, but by us, through you. We will change the course of lives, clash in the shadows of your battles, and raise mountains, tempests, and seas to claim a day's victory. And when the next dawn rises, we will do it all again.

The wrath of the elements have lain silent, but the scent of your blood will draw us out. Those of us who refuse to fight will be branded as oathbreakers—disregarders of the ancient alliances that bind the skies to the peaks of mountains and keep the seas from flooding shores. And once Fire is set against Water, the Moon against the Sun, thunderbolts will strike the ground and ice will freeze the clouds. Our hearts will bleed."

Houndoom looked to me, swallowing hard. I didn't return her gaze lest the terror before us think it a slight.

"I have much to gain in this," Mew said. "But I will need soldiers. Soldiers that win battles I cannot fight, soldiers who will spill blood in the face of peace, soldiers who will follow me till death and through the abyss beyond. I need cunning, valiance, and above all, loyalty.

Only two I have found are worthy." He looked into our eyes. My strength fled, my chest clenched. "From this moment on, you are under my protection, I swear it. Until time ends and all is dead, may our souls be bound in requited service."

Houndoom froze. Mew waited.

"I-I swear to… serve you till gods force us part," I stammered.

"I… swear."

Mew nodded. "And may it be so." He grabbed the air, and two objects appeared in his hand. He tied one around each of our necks. "Bear these symbols proudly. They'll show them you dictate with my authority." He paused. "Your pack has arrived."

On the border of Mew's terrain stood a row of burning Dark type hounds. Some were waiting, some were pacing, all were staring. Staring with tense, restless eyes.

"I will leave you be." He turned to fly off, but stopped. "And beware, when the others have claimed their champions, they will be eager to hunt you down. Who could pass a chance to slay the knights of the great Lord Mew?" He took to the sky and disappeared into the night. His purple light faded.

Everybody rushed to us, checked us, hugged us. Cries and questions flew through the air. 'Who was that;' 'were we alright;' 'what happened?' Father quieted them.

"Hold," he called, his voice gruff and exhausted. "It's not wise to linger. We have chased the Venusaur for three days, it wouldn't be wise to test our endurance any further. Let's put ourselves out and smother our fires. We will rest at the clearing, further from any place water types might linger. Houndour and Innie." He gestured at my sister. "Will explain this all tomorrow," he said, almost asking for permission. I gave a small, timid nod.

The matter was settled. Everybody cooled down, taking turns dashing through the water. And once that was done, father led us west, through the woods, trekking for another hour.

I didn't remember much of the walk. I and my sister brought up the rear. None of us spoke. Every log we jumped, every ditch we crossed, it all looked the same. My sense of time was blurred, the simultaneous feeling of having walked for days and having just departed sang in a senseless chorus that pushed all other thoughts from my mind. I kept on brushing with Houndoom. We would have hugged if we could.

Eventually, we arrived. A modest clearing, nice and flat. They took to the center, laying down and falling asleep in pairs, my ones. A field of dog shaped flowers, that's how I saw it, like those open plains of amber grass where I hatched. Mother tossed us the liver before staggering off and falling by father. So, we were left alone. I and Houndoom, brother and sister, left to keep watch through the night. Through the beautiful, silent night.

Problems: Mew isn't scary, tension isn't well established, inconsistencies with Houndoom and Houdour's characterization (future issue)