The rest of the evening was spent getting settled into their temporary den. Much to Shadow's chagrin, the cave was pitifully small. While it was possible that the Espeon had simply been spoiled by the other dens he had occupied in the past, the notion did little to appease his vexation.
The cave had clearly been built with the intention of housing a single Pokemon, with only a little additional space carved out for storage space, or to house guests. It was lucky, perhaps, that both he and Ember were relatively small Pokemon, because in the absence of many personal belongings or a stockpile of food, there was plenty of room for them to cohabit the den comfortably, but any additional residents would have made the cave feel claustrophobic.
At least this discovery clarified what the Machop had probably meant when he said that his friend had 'outgrown' the den, and it also explained why the cave had been repurposed into a storage space for the Geodude and Graveler, rather than housing any of the Fighting-types.
If the size of the den bothered Ember, she hid her disappointment well. Then again, it was likely that the Charmander's expectations hadn't been very high, and the cave did fulfill its needed purpose of providing shelter from the elements. Considering this was intended to be a very brief stay, Shadow supposed he didn't really have much to complain about.
Food had been the next priority, and Shadow realized, with a pang of discomfort and embarrassment, that he hadn't eaten anything since that morning. Ember was probably in a similar boat, because Shadow had overheard the fire lizard's stomach rumbling during the hike up here, even if Ember didn't complain or otherwise draw attention to the matter.
"I'm going to try and scrounge up something for us to eat," Shadow announced, but then paused and tilted his head uncertainly at the Charmander. "Um...what kind of things do you eat?" he wondered. Normally, he might not have asked this sort of question, especially since there probably wasn't much of a selection, but he figured it was better to ask now than to risk bringing back something Ember would consider inedible or offensively unappetizing.
"Meat or fish is preferable, but fruit is also acceptable," Ember answered promptly, not the least bit bothered by the Espeon asking about her diet. Shadow simply nodded, and exited the cave. He had assumed, based on the fire lizard's claws and teeth, that any form of prey would have been acceptable, but he wasn't confident that he was in any condition to go hunting. He still felt sore and fatigued from the events of today, and he didn't even know what sort of prey was worth pursuing out here on the mountains.
He considered looking for the Machop group again and asking about viable food sources, but as he sniffed around in search of their scent trail, he picked up a different trail, and another idea wormed its way to the forefront of his mind. A smirk tugged at his mouth and he adjusted his course to follow the second trail. This was probably a gamble, but if it worked, then it would be faster and easier than any of the immediate alternatives...
Shadow returned to the den a half hour later, remembering at the last second to announce his arrival prior to going inside. His fur blended in flawlessly with the nighttime shadows, and the last thing he wanted to do was startle the Charmander by appearing without warning.
"Brought you something," Shadow announced, depositing the carcass of a bird Pokemon onto the den floor, feeling strangely proud of himself. His forked tail flicked behind him, and he couldn't quite shake the feeling that he was presenting the spoils of his trip in the hopes of receiving praise from the female. Probably a predator instinct, now that he thought about it, or a habit left over from when he had first learned to hunt and fish from his parents.
"That was fast," Ember noted, bringing her tail flame nearer to inspect the Espeon's prize with sufficient lighting. Her nostrils twitched slightly, and she lightly prodded at the trophy with her claws. "Do you prefer cooked meat?" she wondered.
"Uh, either's fine, but I'm used to uncooked," Shadow admitted. Aside from the luncheon with Astrid and Renard, fire was not usually available, so cooking his food was usually out of the question.
Ember gave him a look. "Either way, I'm taking this outside," she said, getting up and carrying the carcass outside the den. "It's a bit cramped in here, and I rather not make a mess in my sleeping space," she explained, unsheathing her claws before swiftly and skillfully separating meat from the bones, and discarding the inedible portions over the side of the mountain, while using controlled bursts of flame to incinerate stray feathers and similar.
"Do you hunt?" Shadow wondered, observing the process in awe of how practiced the Charmander seemed to be.
Ember snorted in amusement. "No," she answered bluntly, and the Espeon cocked his head inquisitively. "I've been with Adrian for the past two years," she explained, double-checking to confirm that she had extracted all the edible meat, and then used a burst of fire to incinerate what remained, before discarding the bones over the side of the mountain. "It's not considered 'okay' for trainer-owned Pokemon to hunt local wildlife," she continued with a casual shrug. "Messes with the ecosystem or something."
"So...how are you so good at um...preparing the prey for eating?" Shadow asked.
"Just because I don't hunt doesn't mean I don't know how to de-bone something," Ember retorted waspishly. "Sorin did the hunting when I was younger, so I Iearned the skill growing up, and Adrian cooks at home, but is just terrible when it comes to handling meat, so I get practice."
"Who's Sorin?" Shadow wondered. It may have been a deviation from the present subject, but not knowing the names of the people or Pokemon someone was referencing made it a little harder for him to follow the conversation.
The Charmander tensed and fixed him with a long stare, as if determined to uncover the purpose he might have for that information. The silence went on just long enough for Shadow to consider retracting the question, only for the fire lizard to return her attention to the meat she was preparing.
"Sorin is a longtime friend of Kaito's," Ember replied, expelling a small tongue of flame over the meat to sear it within seconds. Once satisfied with the appearance of the cooked meat, she halted the stream of fire and cast the Espeon a sidelong glance. "And I'm Sorin's daughter."
Shadow blinked, more mystified by Ember's choice of phrasing than the answer itself. "So...Sorin's your father?" he asked.
"Was that unclear the first time?" Ember retorted, plucking a piece of meat up in her claws and putting in her mouth. She chewed thoughtfully, then nodded and gestured for him to help himself. Shadow frowned slightly.
"Well...no, but...I just don't get why you said it that- never mind," he sighed, lowering his head and eating one or two pieces of the meat from the pile. The meat juices seemed to sizzle on his tongue, catching him by surprise. When he lifted his head, he saw Ember giving him a dirty look. "I'm sorry, was I prying too much?" he asked, his tail twitching nervously.
"What?" she replied, sounding genuinely confused by his reaction. "No, not that!" She jabbed her claws at the pile of meat between them. "You're eating straight from the communal pile!" she griped.
Shadow blinked. "Uh...what?"
Ember slapped her forehead in exasperation. "We both get our food from the same place," she explained. "You're supposed to take what you want and eat it away from the other pieces, not just put your face where everyone else eats from," she grumbled.
"Oh," Shadow said, flushing slightly in embarrassment. He really wasn't sure why it hadn't occurred to him not to do that. Maybe it was because usually the group's food was portioned out individually, or if he and someone else were sharing the spoils of a hunt, they ate directly from the carcass if it was too much trouble to separate into portions. "Um...I don't think I touched too much," he said, in a weak attempt to placate the Charmander's annoyance.
"Forget it, it's not a big deal," Ember insisted. As if to reassure him that there really wasn't a serious problem, she used her claws to select another few pieces of meat, not even bothering to try and distinguish whether or not those pieces may have come in contact with Shadow's mouth. The Espeon flashed her a sheepish smile and the next time he went to take more food, he used his paw to pull his selection closer to himself and devour it separately from the community pile.
They continued to eat in silence until the rest of the meat was gone, which took an astonishingly short time. "Thank you," Shadow said, licking his paw and wiping his mouth clean of any lingering crumbs or meat juices.
"No problem," Ember murmured, and then frowned as she examined the state of her claws. "Although, I am definitely going to need to wash up, now," she said bluntly. Shadow nodded.
"That's fine. Is it okay if I escort you, or would you rather I stayed here?" he asked. Ember gazed around at their surroundings, but judging by the way she was squinting, her night vision was lacking, even with the help of the full moon peeking from behind the cover of clouds.
"I'd actually prefer if you came with me," she sighed. "You didn't happen to find a calm body of water when you were out scavenging, did you?"
"Afraid not," Shadow answered. Ember shrugged, and started walking towards the river, the Espeon trailing behind her. The plateau was deserted compared to how it had been when they first arrived, but there were still a few Pokemon dotted here or there.
They chose a section of the river furthest away from other living creatures, and Shadow sat down, keeping an eye out for any Pokemon that might pose a threat to them. Ember knelt down by the river's edge and washed her paws in the running water. She then glanced self-consciously in the Espeon's direction, which served as his cue to focus elsewhere while she used her wet paws to scrub at the dirt clinging to her scales.
Once she had finished, they headed back to the den in silence. Shadow was too tired to even care about the current state of his fur, and the prospect of getting some sleep far outweighed any other concern. It wasn't until they had gotten back and were preparing to settle in for the night that Ember took issue with the situation.
"This isn't going to work," she growled. Shadow cast her a weary glance. The Charmander had stretched out at the rear of the den, with the blue gemstone stashed in a narrow gap of space behind her body, whereas he had opted to curl up in the center of the den, so as not to infringe on the Charmander's personal space.
"What is it?" he asked, silently praying that whatever issue she had could be resolved quickly and easily. Ember restlessly shifted her position two or three times before answering, each motion punctuated by an aggravated growl. "I feel like you might literally be the worst roommate I could ever ask for," Shadow deadpanned. "If acting as a living nightlight wasn't bad enough, you also toss and turn and growl far more than should ever be allowed."
"I hate sleeping on ground level," Ember grumbled. Shadow gave her a blank look.
"What?"
"I've always preferred sleeping on an isolated, elevated surface," Ember clarified, rolling onto her stomach and attempting to use her arms to cushion her head, but evidently didn't find the result a sufficient improvement. "It sometimes helps to recline against Aureia's shoulder, but that's usually just until I doze off."
"You know, if you wanted me to be your pillow, you could have just asked," Shadow deadpanned.
"I normally hate other people in my sleeping space," Ember argued, her cheeks flushing crimson. Shadow made a big show of looking around at the diminutive den.
"Good luck falling asleep, then," he said, closing his eyes and resting his head on his forepaws. After a brief pause, he cracked one eye open. "Seriously, would it help to use me as a pillow?"
Ember fixed him with a wary look, obviously skeptical of him making the offer without prompting. Shadow took a deep breath, recognizing that he was going to have to explain himself.
"You see, this is going to be one of the only nights I've spent away from my brother since he was born," Shadow explained solemnly, his tail twitching with a hint of anxiety, not wanting to dwell on how Leaf might be worrying about him. "He often sleeps cuddled against me, and right now, it feels really strange for me not to have that. Some nights, I fall asleep just by matching the pace of my breathing to his, or just savoring the warmth and company his presence provides. It's gotten me through a couple of rough nights in the past."
Ember blinked at him, still skeptical, but also a little moved by his explanation. After a few seconds, she heaved a sigh and gestured for him to come nearer. He got up and approached her, and the Charmander shifted her position to recline on her side, then tapped the ground to indicate where she preferred him to lay down beside her. Once he had gotten comfortable, Ember again shifted her position, this time to accommodate his body shape, and rested her head on his back. The Charmander's scales were pleasantly warm, and Shadow purred slightly, as Ember's natural body heat and the slight pressure applied by her weight began soothing some of the tension in his muscles.
Sleep closed in relatively quickly after that.
When Shadow awoke the following morning, his immediate reaction was to silently hope the entire experience had all been the product of some bizarre dream, and that he'd find himself back in the safe, familiar confines of A/C's den. Even without opening his eyes, however, Shadow knew that this was wishful thinking at its best. His surroundings carried an unfamiliar scent, and his body felt warmer than usual, as a side effect of sleeping so closely to a Fire-type.
The Espeon grimaced as he slowly opened his eyes. Sunlight was peering into the entrance of the den, and judging by the uninterrupted rhythm of Ember's breathing near his ear, the Charmander was still asleep. At some point during the night, Ember must have adjusted her positioning, because her head was now resting on his shoulder (which felt slightly numb), her left arm was draped over him in a loose embrace, and he was uncomfortably aware of the warm, damp, and slightly sticky spots on his fur that indicated that the Charmander drooled in her sleep. Okay, so that wasn't too much different from when Leaf slept cuddled against him, but it was a little more of an unpleasant experience when taking into account that he and Ember were recent acquaintances.
Shadow lay still for a few minutes, debating on how to go about getting up for the day. He was reluctant to rouse the Charmander just yet, but any sort of abrupt movement would almost certainly result in that outcome. However, staying completely still would only ensure that his shoulder would remain asleep, and other parts of his body would likely follow suit. His best bet, then, was probably to slink away from her, which could give him time to wash up and maybe find them something to eat so that they could focus on figuring out what their next course of action should be.
He felt much more well-rested and energized this morning than he had last night, so he might even be able to hunt on his own, rather than repeating his previous method of following a small pack of Pokemon and then running off with one of their catches when they weren't looking. Shadow couldn't resist smirking at the memory. His fur blending in with the shadows was an underutilized trick in his arsenal, especially since even Astrid admitted that she could barely see him in darkness if she didn't already know he was there.
Shadow glanced behind him, taking note of where Ember's tail flame was located, and then slowly inched out from beneath the Charmander's sleeping form. He focused briefly, supporting Ember's head with a small psychic field, and then slipped the rest of the way out. He immediately cringed as his shoulder was bombarded by the sensation of pins jabbing into it, and he just barely kept focus long enough to ease Ember's head down, so that his absence wouldn't be met with a sudden influx of gravity.
He held his breath as Ember shifted in her sleep, and her eyelids fluttered open moments later, seemingly aware that something about her sleeping space had been altered. She sat up with a wide yawn, and her tail flame rose back to its normal strength, causing Shadow to realize just how much smaller the flame was while Ember was asleep.
"Good morning," Shadow stated pleasantly. Ember blinked blearily around the den, but soon focused upon him, a frown tugging at her mouth.
"How long have you been up?" she wondered.
"I just woke up a few minutes ago," Shadow replied. "I didn't want to disturb you, so I was just about to head out to wash up and try to find us something to eat."
"You need to wash up again?" Ember asked, stifling another yawn and stretching her arms. "Thought you did that last night..."
"No, I was too tired to bother," Shadow answered. "And even if I had, I'd probably need to do so again. I think you drool in your sleep."
Ember flushed and self-consciously touched her claws to her mouth, as if expecting to find saliva clinging to her lip. "Sorry," she muttered.
"It's not a big deal, honestly," Shadow insisted, speaking as gently as he could. "It's not the first time someone's drooled on me, and probably won't be the last. If anything, it's just the more literal version of 'drooling over me'," he added, slipping into a playful, light-hearted tone to better indicate that he was joking.
"Yeah, well...I don't usually 'drool over' males, either," Ember growled, with a trace of defensiveness.
"Fair enough," Shadow answered airily. "Since you're up, though, did you want to come with me?"
"And watch you bathe? No," Ember retorted flatly.
"How about just to talk with me while I groom?" Shadow suggested. Ember shot him a skeptical look, and he shrugged. "I want to try to work out our plans going forward. I understand that it's my fault we're in this situation, so I owe it to you to try and resolve the problem. However, we can't make progress if we don't discuss our options."
"So why do we have to do that while you're grooming?" Ember demanded. Shadow tilted his head at her blankly.
"We don't. It's just a more productive use of our time. I thought time was of the essence," he answered seriously. Ember didn't say anything, instead focusing on her claws. Shadow sighed softly. "Never mind. I'll go wash up, and...are you hungry? I can find us something to eat, and we can figure things out after that, okay?"
Ember gave a noncommittal grunt in response, and Shadow sighed before walking towards the den entrance. He paused and looked back at the Charmander, who was now examining the claws of her other paw.
"I'd appreciate it if you at least gave me straight answers to my questions. I'm psychic, but I'm not a mind reader. I don't know what's wrong if you don't tell me," he said. Ember glanced towards him, but simply nodded in acknowledgement. Shadow sighed again, but decided not to press the issue any further. He had hoped, after the previous night, that Ember might have lightened up a little about personal space, at least when regarding bathing and grooming routines, but for whatever reason, she seemed especially moody this morning. The best course of action in his eyes was to give the Charmander some space and hope her mood improved later. There really wasn't anything else he could do right now.
With that in mind, the Espeon left the cave.
