"Miss Natiya, you must get up. It's morning."
An androgynous voice spoke with modest volume. In a spacious but profoundly empty room stood an Audino. Standing over a bed, watching. The room harbored only one bed and one bedside cabinet. Two narrow windows on the opposite side of the room provided natural light and fresh air. The gentle morning breeze made the curtains wave lightly in the wind. At the moment, something, or rather, someone was occupying the bed. Although completely covered by the blanket. Soon after the Audino spoke, a pointed tail with a dark blue tip reared itself out one end. Out the other slowly emerged a pale blue snout. Followed by a pair of equally pale and equally blue ears, as well as ribbons similar in looks to the tail, though smaller.
It was a Glaceon. A sleeping beauty in every sense of the phrase. As the blanket slowly slid off its back, its feminine features became very clear. Dazzling purple eyes with a somewhat menacing stare. A pronounced regal-like chest. And a very smoothly curved backside. However, one feature made this specimen stand out - muscle. A volume of muscle usually only ever found in men, resulting in shoulders fairly broad for a female.
"What's the time?" Natiya uttered with her low, feminine voice.
"Fifteen to eight, miss." the Audino replied politely. Natiya took a deep breath and sighed. More wakeful by the second.
"Fetch the gauze, now." she somewhat insolently commanded the Audino servant.
"Right away, miss." the servant replied, giving a slight bow before leaving the room. Completely unbothered by her tone of voice. As they left the room, Natiya let out a silent grunt — "Males." she thought to herself condescendingly.
Not but a minute later, the servant came back holding a roll of black fabric. Natiya reflexively stretched out her right paw toward the Audino, who proceeded to wrap it and the whole lower half of the limb in said fabric. It had adhesive properties, similar to tape. Primarily used for the reinforcement and support of the bones and joints.
"How's my mother?" Natiya asked in a mellower, ever so slightly concerned tone.
"Mistress Madeline has been bedridden for two weeks thus far. The local medic is becoming hesitant to treat her further, saying it's akin to trying to patch a sinking ship," he replied, his grip on Natiya's paw becoming a touch gentler and noticeably more quivery. While delivering the message in as a neutral tone as possible, fear coursed through his body being in such proximity to her. While she is young, she is a temperamental bruiser. Not necessarily known for taking well to disfavorable news.
Natiya clenched her eyes shut. One of her eyelids twitched as she tried to contain her frustration and anger. However, after a deep breath, all seemed to be well as she had composed herself enough to utter a response:
"Very well then, thank you."
"Do you wish to see her in the other room, miss?" the Audino calmly asked as he finished wrapping all four of Natiya's paws in the black gauze.
Without saying a word, the Glaceon proceeded to leave her room and enter the candlelit hallway. Just across from the door to her room was a wide wooden door with a masoned frame. The door itself embellished and decorated with a variety of incredible details and serpentine motifs. Surely, such a presentation must withhold something of great importance. And withhold it did. Natiya pressed her paw against the door, pushing it open ever so slowly. The hinges made a soft, high-pitched creak. The faint light of the hallway illuminated and revealed what was inside: a canopy bed worthy of a royal, half a dozen completely shut windows lining the walls, and cabinetry galore. As breathtaking and eye-catching as it was, it was irrelevant to what, or rather, who Natiya saw laying in that beautiful canopy bed.
The soft, orange-tinted candlelight illuminated the wrinkled face of a sleeping Umbreon, which slowly opened its eyes as a sliver of said light painted itself across its face.
"Mother, it's me." Natiya softly uttered as she approached the bed.
"Natiya…" the Umbreon turned its head toward the Glaceon with visible struggle, speaking in a weak, tired, yet still deep tone. "You're here… are you alright, my child?" she continued.
"No, are you going to be alright? Evan told me the medic was hesitant to treat your illness further," Natiya wasted no time getting to the point, being in obvious concern over her mother. The Umbreon, Madeline, turned her gaze to the floor in sadness with a touch of shame upon hearing her question. She couldn't even look her daughter in the eyes. Truly unorthodox behavior coming from a strong, iron-willed woman like her.
"I don't know, dear." Madeline sighed, replying the only way she felt was appropriate.
"What do you—" Natiya stuttered, attempting to reply, only to be cut off.
"Listen to me. Do not let this uncertainty hinder you. I raised a resilient and capable young madam. Even if my days are limited, your best days are ahead of you. You're Natiya Adalhard, and bearing that last name as well as my blood is an honor above all. Even in my absence, sweetheart, I'm confident you'll run this household with every drop of confidence and coordination as your mother," Madeline sounded off with a shocking amount of emotion and sentimentality, heavy breaths on each pause, "I'm proud of you, Natiya."
Her daughter, on the other hand, was taken aback and flabbergasted by what she was hearing. She was not used to such tender words coming from one of the strictest, most rigorous, and forbidding people she's ever known. All her life, Natiya saw Madeline as an instructor first and "parent" second. More a sergeant than a nursemaid. The woman who had taught her to prioritize strength, independence, and impassiveness was now laying in front of her; old, ill, weak, and completely vulnerable. She was speechless against a flurry of emotions in her mind.
"I'll be leaving now, mother. I will come back later."
Madeline received a seemingly cold and emotionally devoid reply from Natiya before her daughter gently turned around and quietly left the bedroom. The ill Umbreon looked on as the door clicked shut, shedding a single tear. Heading down the hallway and toward the front door, Natiya was clenching her teeth. Her mother's words were echoing in her mind. An amalgam of sadness, frustration, and disappointment filled her being. She was trying her darndest not to cry or produce so much as a sob.
A moment later, Natiya was just outside the front gate of the estate and out on the main street of the town of Motus. The orange tinge of a morning sky was slowly fading into a delicate blue as the sun rose further up. The main street itself and all the smaller side streets and alleys were paths made of mesmerizing patterns of cobblestone. Wood-and-wattle houses aplenty with townspeople out and about. Although Natiya headed toward what was dead ahead of her on top of a little green hill. The Motus Guild Hall. An embellished building with a gray stone base but a fairly contemporary wooden upper structure; the most prominent feature being the massive, shingled gable roof slightly overhanging both ends of the building.
In the roomy lounge of the building, Pokémon of a variety of species were relatively silently and peacefully enjoying their morning at the guild. Mumbly chatter of multiple Pokémon calmly speaking in tandem and the occasional ring of a glass stein as members went back and forth between the centerpiece of the lounge — a small bar — and their seats on the numerous wooden benches laid out around the room, carrying drinks for them and their teammates. The atmosphere was homely and hospitable.
Suddenly, the big arched front door of the building began creaking and slowly coming open. The bright white daylight of the outside offset the cozy warm orange and red tint of the numerous candlelights lining the walls of the room. All heads turned to the blinding light. Lo and behold, it was Natiya. The room fell silent, and nearly all motions ceased. Stern, judgemental, unsympathetic looks faced the Glaceon.
"What are you all looking at?" Natiya remarked loudly and angrily at the unpleasantly staring crowd. Still, nobody talked back. The noiselessness persisted. She growled in displeasure.
Light footsteps began to echo in the prevailing silence. In a hurry, down the stairs connecting the lounge to the upper floor(s) came a Minccino.
"Miss Natiya… the guildmaster wishes to see you immediately," the little guy huffed as he was catching his breath.
Natiya started making her way across the room and to the stairs, feeling every ounce of pressure and judgment as she walked by the numerous tables. As angry as she was and internally blamed everyone in the room for what was supposedly coming, anxiety and nervousness managed to creep up from the depths and gradually erode her stoic, sulky face. Even for a seemingly tenacious apath like her, three hundred and sixty degrees of mean stares were a bit too much to bear. But, as soon as she climbed the stairs leading onto the next floor, the mumbly noises of interpersonal chatter downstairs resumed. And so, a weight was lifted off of Natiya's chest. Not that she would let anyone know, though.
Right in front of her, the guildmaster's office with its doors wide open. Inside, a Gardevoir was sitting at a desk, looking right at her, with its hands clasped on the table. The effeminate figure spoke:
"Come in, Natiya. Have a seat."
Natiya walked into the compact yet tidy office. The guildmaster had a wall of books neatly organized behind her, as well as a window to her right and a door to her left. In front of the desk, a cushioned stool, upon which Natiya now sat.
"Do you know why you're here?" the Gardevoir asked unassumingly.
"It's them, isn't it? Just couldn't keep their mouths shut," Natiya said with discernible annoyance.
"I beg to differ, Natiya. It's not them. It's you." the guildmaster replied calmly as ever, "I have received numerous complaints regarding your behavior, and—" she continued before being quickly cut off by Natiya:
"And what? Let me guess: I'll get discharged because these snowflakes can't handle someone being blunt to them? Give me a break, Tyra," Natiya remarked snidely with a touch of sarcasm. Despite her impudence silencing the guildmaster for a second and making her sigh in aggravation, the somewhat tense conversation continued.
"Firstly, do not address me by name. Secondly, you are not getting discharged from the guild," Tyra attempted to reassure Natiya, before continuing "By a significant margin, you are one of our most efficient and prolific assets. Completely losing you is out of the question.
"However, we are well aware of what is going on behind closed doors, my dear. The standards and traditions your family holds itself to. The Adalhard name you carry has a lot of respect and power tied to it around these parts. Your late father was one of the founding members of the guild. But, it does not excuse you from treating your peers and guildmates so poorly. A cornerstone of this organization is an environment of equality, and your lack of conformity is proving to be problematic and a hindrance to the workflow of several members."
Tyra explained, demonstrating a composed but imposing and dignified tone throughout. On the other hand, Natiya was left frustrated and fuming at the response she received, seeing it as disrespectful and very discourteous.
"What do you know? I don't care if my father, of all people, was one of the founders of this crummy place. I am not disrespecting my mother's will for the sake of 'proper' conduct!" Natiya scowled at Tyra, raising her voice in anger.
Guildmaster Tyra fell silent for a few moments. While processing Natiya's evident insubordination and general lack of respect or civility, her face did not present anger or any emotion akin to it for that matter. Instead, her face was one of disappointment. Regret. Guilt, even. Below the surface level, something was incapacitating Tyra's ability to get agitated or lash out even in the slightest. She quickly mumbled unintelligibly to herself before taking a deep breath and giving Natiya one last piece of her mind:
"I guess that merits what I'm going to say next even more:
Adalhard Natiya, you are hereby suspended from all guild activities and aren't permitted to enter guild grounds for a period lasting 60 days.
All tools and possessions loaned from the guild will be taken back, effective immediately."
Chapter 1, end.