This chapter is a decent bit longer than I'd expected it to be; it's over 7,000 words, making it officially the longest one yet. There were some moments that made me laugh, and others made me almost want to cry.
Also, we're now at 4,000+ views, which is awesome.
Current music: I Wish You Were Here - Dropkick Murphys
BELLA FOX, 18
As it turned out, I responded to the antibiotics a lot more quickly than the doctors had expected. Over the next two days, I felt a lot better; my head was no longer as painful as it had been, and I was a lot more lucid while awake.
That was the good news, but it was also the bad news, because I was also having lucid nightmares. Every time I woke, I would sit bolt upright in the hospital bed, clutching a hand to my neck, trying to make sure it was still there.
At one point, in the night, I was lying awake in bed, scared to sleep for fear of having another nightmare. I wouldn't soon forget the bizarre scene of that dinner party where Cody had attacked me.
Cody didn't attack you at the dinner party. He attacked you on the campus of GPU. Don't dwell on dreams, because real life is almost as frightening.
Anyway, as I fought to keep my eyes open, I overheard a pair of nurses talking to each other about something, or, more accurately, someone.
"She's recovering faster than expected, which does happen, but I think something else might be going on here" one of the nurses said to the other.
"Eh, I wouldn't jump to conclusions too quickly," the other nurse replied. Both voices were female, but the one who'd just spoken sounded somewhat older (and more experienced) than the other. "People recover at different speeds, and part of that has to do with their baseline of health. Genetics, as well as sheer luck, also play factors in this discrepancy."
"Yeah, but her bite's almost gone now; it was horrendously infected just a day ago! Not even! Could she be more durable than any of us thought?"
It didn't take long to realize that they were talking about me. I should have suspected this before, of course; they were still in my room, after all, and believed me to be asleep.
"Joy, you know that you're supposed to think logically when you're a nurse, not emotionally. It would seem that we don't differ in our hearts; we differ in data and facts. I don't think there's any reason to suggest that Ms. Fox has any supernatural ability."
The younger nurse (Nurse Joy, I assumed), shot back loudly, abandoning any pretense of letting me sleep. Which, as stated above, was a good thing.
"I'm not suggesting that she has supernatural abilities!" she all but yelled. "What I am suggesting is that there's something we don't know about her case, something I can't remember seeing. Her wounds are healing so quickly, and that would seem to imply that…".
"She's only becoming a partial Lycanroc, Joy, not a full one. At this point, you might need sleep even more than Ms. Fox does, for you sound like you've gone crazy. But we should probably continue this argument somewhere else."
Honestly, I wouldn't mind that. Even if this Meowth-fight is keeping me awake, it's still frustrating to listen to.
"Fine," the younger nurse replied curtly. "I'm just saying, we should be ready to discharge her tomorrow. And that's not normal for someone who sustained such an injury."
Both of the nurses left the room, leaving me alone with my thoughts.
My condition was improving much more quickly than it seemed the nurses had anticipated, which was good news in and of itself. I might only have been here a few days, and still not had much energy, but I was starting to get more than a little bored here.
The elder nurse had suggested that a partial Lycanroc, which is what I was apparently becoming, didn't heal as quickly as a full Lycanroc. This made some sense, because Pokemon bodies were more resilient than human bodies. Still, I had a lot of questions, with few answers.
What does it even mean to be a full were-Lycanroc? Is that what Cody is? Did he heal so quickly after being bitten as well?
Cody. As much as I desired answers, I seethed every time that name crossed my mind. How else could I feel about my assailant, the one who had ruined my life forever? As far as I was concerned, hatred and fury were the only logical responses.
We'd been getting along pretty well; indeed, I'd thought we were becoming friends those few weeks we knew each other prior to the incident. But that had likely just been a cover; he'd lured me in and, when I wasn't expecting it, turned on me.
To say the very least, that wasn't something friends were supposed to do to one another. And, the more I thought about it, the more enraged I became.
The following day I was released from the hospital. I could have gone home with my parents, an option they had given me. I could have waited until I regained my full strength to return to the university, but that's not what I chose.
Instead, I returned to the campus of Greater Pastoria University that afternoon, hoping that people wouldn't pay too much attention to me. This was wishful thinking, though, and I knew it.
I was reminded of times when I'd come back to school after being absent for a day or two, and would always get a lot of questions about my well-being. The people asking them had good intentions, but that didn't mean I appreciated being bombarded with well-wishers.
This is going to be at least an order of magnitude worse.
In order to give me more confidence, I released Azure from her Pokeball. Had she not been there that night, Cody very well may have finished me off, so her presence was rather calming, even if it was also a reminder of that incident.
I'm not going to call it an "incident", because that trivializes what happened to me. It was an attack, and everyone knows it.
"Hey, Bella, I'm so sorry!" shouted a voice from behind me. By this time I was almost at the residence hall, about to enter.
It was a male voice, but it wasn't Cody's. Had the voice belonged to my attacker, I would not have faced him, to say the least; I would have simply called the campus police and had him arrested.
I turned to face the source, and saw that it was a young man with green eyes and black hair. He wore a loud orange T-shirt as well with a strange symbol on it that I couldn't place.
Although I didn't speak to him often, I knew who this youth was. It was Max Saint Lawrence, Cody's former roommate.
"Sorry isn't going to make it better" I snapped back, probably sounding like a child with my choice of words. However, I didn't care at that moment.
"Well, that only makes me want to apologize again" Max replied, sounding genuinely sorry. "He was my roommate, so I do feel a bit responsible."
I remembered an old saying, which I decided to use. "You realize that you're not your roommate's keeper, right?"
The black-haired boy frowned, raising an eyebrow. "Where is that from?"
"Never mind. The point is, you don't have to feel responsible for everything he does. He's his own person, and he's the one who chose to bite me. It's not your fault."
"Trust me", Max said, "I didn't want to believe it either. If my roommate needed to be a were-Lycanroc, I would've liked a memo beforehand so that I could have switched. I'm just glad he never bit me."
My face turned red, but not out of embarrassment. How could Max say that in front of Cody's victim? That had to be one of the most tactless things he could have chosen to say!
Although I now felt furious at Cody's roommate as well, I responded in a much milder tone than my own emotions would indicate.
"Do you realize how insensitive that sounded? If you go to a funeral, you don't say, ``Glad it wasn't me", do you?" I spoke testily, but not very loudly, because there were other students, both human and Pokemon, walking past us.
Max put his hands up defensively, like a criminal suspect about to be apprehended. His eyes widened, and I noticed a bit of sweat on his brow, as though he'd just been running.
"No, you don't," he responded. "And trust me, that's not what I say at funerals. But sometimes it does feel like the Cody I knew is gone, and not just because I haven't seen him in the last few days."
I shook my head. "I really don't care about him anymore. I don't care where he is, as long as he's not hurting anyone else."
I thought back to the first time I'd met Cody. At the time, when he'd asked to sit at the same table as me, I had believed him to be just like all the other boys who were constantly looking for any opportunity to get my attention. It seemed as if all of them wanted to be my boyfriend.
And then I remembered Alec, my actual boyfriend. Really, I didn't know how much I still wanted to be with him; perhaps all boys were like Cody. They might be sweet and friendly on the outside, but they hold the capacity for immense cruelty and deception on the inside.
I looked back at that meal we'd eaten together and wondered why I had never thought to ask him, Why haven't you told anyone you're a were-Lycanroc?
Of course, there was a simple answer: I'd had no clue. But, as evidenced by what Max said next, he did.
"There's something else you should know, Bella," Cody's former roommate told me cryptically. He was scratching his chin sadly, as though he hated the fact that he was forced to disclose the information.
"What's that? What could you tell me that's worse than what I'm already going through?"
With a deep sigh and a thousand blinks, Max looked me right between the eyes.
"There were signs beforehand. Not that he was a lycanthrope, necessarily, but that there was something going on that I wasn't aware of. If I'd known more, I would have told as many people as I could, but…".
"Hold up, what were the signs?" I interrupted.
"Well, Cody had to take this weird-looking medicine. It was the color of...well, you don't want to know what it reminds me of. And when I asked what it was, he got really defensive about it."
And he had a right to be, I thought, hating that I agreed with Cody for once. Usually that information's supposed to be confidential.
Still, given how apologetic Max looked, I didn't stay angry with him for long. I didn't burst out at him, and I didn't want to, since I still had so much to ask.
"Is that...wolfsbane? The medicine he has to take?"
Now that Max mentioned it, I thought I could remember, through the feverish dreamy haze, one of the doctors mentioning that I'd need to take wolfsbane around the full moon every month. It was a vague memory, though, and I wasn't sure why they hadn't waited for me to be more lucid before breaking the news.
Anyway, Max nodded. "I think it must have been. And then, every month or so, he'd head off to a different apartment every few days. Knowing what I know now, this must have been when he transformed into a Lycanroc. They didn't want him to endanger the other students."
But then why did he go out on Halloween night and attack me? What broke his resolve? Are there maybe Ghost Pokemon out that day, since it's supposedly the scariest day of the year? Not that I really believe that, but that's all I've got.
I didn't have anything else to say, but something else spoke for me.
The mobile phone in my pants pocket rumbled, and I realized that somebody was calling me. I pulled it out of my pocket and checked the number.
As much as I have come to despise this person, I don't despise them enough to publish their phone number in this book. The number, however, was one that I recognized as Alec's.
"Someone's calling you" Max said unnecessarily. "I'll leave you alone, then, while you answer."
Max pulled his card key out of his wallet and held it up to the door. I heard the lock disengage, and then Cody's former roommate entered the residence hall, presumably headed for a room that felt too big now that he was the only one in it.
I clicked the answer button, then held my phone up to my ear. "Hello?"
"This is Bella, right?" Alec's voice asked me.
I rolled my eyes, not caring that my boyfriend wouldn't be able to see me do so. "Alec, you don't need me to tell you that. You know my number; isn't it on your phone?"
"It won't be for much longer."
Wow. That's savage of him. And then I realized what he meant, and I immediately felt the rage welling up inside, as if I hadn't had enough people to be angry at already.
"You're breaking up with me? Why?" I questioned frantically, casting around for any reason that Alec would choose today of all days; other than the obvious one, that is.
"I heard the news, and I'm not going to date a dangerous woman. That's what you are, Bella. You're the dangerous type now, whether you like it or not."
I raised my voice as much as I thought I could without anyone else noticing. I still got a weird look from another female student as she walked by, so I can't have been too successful.
"You're going to dump me over something I didn't choose? Do you honestly believe that being a were-Lycanroc is a lifestyle decision or something like that, rather than an attack I had no control over?"
And then came the words that hurt the most. Alec hadn't exactly been a good romantic partner, that much is true. I was well aware that he'd never fully trusted me, even though (in my opinion) he had ample reason to.
"Truth be told, I don't care whether you chose this or not. Lycanthropy doesn't care about that. All I know is that you're dangerous, Bella, and I don't want to be with you anymore. I don't associate with beasts."
"Fuck off" I said simply, ending the call. I sat down on a nearby bench, head in my hands, trying to unpack everything my now ex-boyfriend had just said to me.
I wasn't really that upset about no longer being with Alec. Truth be told, I'd been considering ditching him for some time, and was looking for the best time to do it. It was, however, rather disappointing that I didn't get to make the move.
More importantly, I found myself agreeing with Alec on one thing. It was perhaps the most hurtful line he'd snarled at me over the phone, one that has far more potential to cause pain than sticks and stones.
You're the dangerous type now, whether you like it or not.
All I know is that you're dangerous, Bella, and I don't want to be with you anymore.
I don't associate with beasts.
Unless you've been compared to a brutal creature by someone who's supposed to care about you, you have no idea how much it stings. Especially if at least part of the comparison is accurate.
Now that I was a full were-Lycanroc who would need to take wolfsbane regularly, I knew full well that there was every possibility for me to slip up. If I forgot even one dose, I might go berserk just like Cody had.
But no matter what, I won't do what he did.
CODY HARVARD, 19
By the end of my two-day stay at Lycan Hollow's inn, I fervently wanted nothing more than to relive it over and over again.
While I wasn't the type of person to pray, I found myself doing just that as I sat on my bed that first day. I would have loved to come face-to-face with Celebi, that green onion fairy who had the power to travel through time and space. At a minimum, Celebi would be able to slow down these two days to a crawl, so that I could live in this moment for as long as possible.
It wasn't just that I loved it in the village. A bigger factor was simply because I wanted to put off the inevitable that awaited me back in Skylock. My time in Lycan Hollow was giving me a chance to put everything aside.
There was no Wi-Fi or cellular service at the inn. Of course, this was irrelevant for me due to my not having brought any electronics. That being said, I found that I didn't "need" to be connected as badly as I had at home. There was just something about being here that made some of my worries leave my mind.
I spent much of my first afternoon in my hotel room, sleeping on and off. Now that the adrenaline had worn off from the flight here, my energy had faded fast, and the sleepless night had caught up with me.
It didn't hurt that the bed was extremely comfortable, even more so than the one I was used to at home. It took next to no time for me to drift off.
My dreams defied clean categorization. The first time I slept, I felt nothing but a vague happiness, one that I couldn't quite place. In hindsight, it was probably just that I knew I was safe here, at least for now.
When I woke up a few hours later, a very excitable young Rockruff was bouncing up and down on my bed. Although I had to weigh a lot more than this Rockruff, the little guy was jumping with such force that bounced slightly with him.
"Cody! You're awake! Let's play!"
Of course, it was Jeremy squealing with what sounded like joy. Who else would it have been?
"I can't," I replied groggily. "I'm too tired."
"You won't be tired after we play!" Jeremy asserted excitedly, a claim that seemed ridiculous at first. Perhaps he wanted me to "fake it 'till I make it", as some would say.
And then the Rockruff looked up at me with those pleading eyes, and suddenly the idea of declining Jeremy's offer, of telling him to leave and stop bothering me, seemed very hard.
"You can give me a tour of the village," I suggested. "Just try not to go too fast, I'm just waking up."
Jeremy laughed, a pure, simple sound that was irresistible. You just couldn't not love it.
"Trust me, the mountain air will make you feel brand new! It's amazing at this hour!"
I sat up in bed and followed Jeremy out of the room, down the stairs, and to the front desk, where Gregory the innkeeper was still typing away at his computer.
I gave Jeremy a curt look, hoping to send the following message: Let me do the talking.
Once Gregory had gotten to what seemed like a good stopping point on his emails or whatever, he looked up from his keyboard. "Oh, hello, you two. How are you enjoying your stay, Cody?"
I smiled. "I'm loving it here. In fact, Jeremy's going to give me a tour of the village."
"Thank you for showing our guest around" Gregory told his son. "Just make sure you're back by six; that's when we'll have to head home for dinner."
At that moment, I wondered where Gregory lived when he wasn't at the inn, as well as who took over for him during this time. Somebody had to be behind the desk, ready to welcome newcomers.
I didn't press him on this question, however. Now wasn't the time.
Anyway, Jeremy led me out of the hotel and down the hill into downtown Lycan Hollow. I use the word "downtown" very loosely, because there really wasn't much of a town here, just an assortment of homes and businesses placed here and there haphazardly, with no roads to speak of. In all honesty, it felt more like a summer camp than an actual place where people lived.
If I'd thought Lycan Hollow was gorgeous in the morning, the midafternoon light put it to shame. I realized then that in the midst of all of the week's events, Daylight Saving Time had ended. As such, it got dark a lot earlier.
It can't be later than three or four, I thought, but the sun's already starting to get lower. It seems like it's happening even earlier up here, since it's further north than Skylock.
The way the orange sky reflected against the lake was quite something. The sinking sun cast long shadows over the fields and dirt paths that passed for roads here, and the air felt colder. In spite of this, there was almost no wind.
At one point, we passed by what must have been the "central business district." Again, it wasn't much, but there were a few shops selling Pokeballs, other items, and things that I could only guess what they were.
"Ruff Puff's Bakery is right there!" Jeremy exclaimed, running down the path with a new spring in his step. "They have the best poffins!"
I frowned. "You'll spoil your appetite, Jeremy."
Even though I knew the Rockruff boy would return to the inn eventually, just like he always did, I did something that, at that moment, I wasn't that proud of.
I followed Jeremy down the dirt "road", passing a few storefronts and an ATM. Then, he swung open the door to what was clearly the bakery, and leaped inside.
"Kid, the last thing you need is more sugar," I muttered sarcastically. It was as though Jeremy had spent the last several hours on an IV drip of caffeine; how on Nexus could he even have this much energy?
Nonetheless, I entered the bakery, where all manner of delectable-looking treats were on display. They would have made anyone, even those with sufficient discipline to maintain a strict diet, drop to their knees and beg.
Jeremy was staring up at the bakery's owner, a beige Lycanroc with an apron and chef's hat. It didn't take me long to notice that the Rockruff kid had the same pleading eyes that he'd used on me to great effect.
Hopefully the baker doesn't fall for it as easily as I did. Because if he does, then I hate to see just how hyper this kid becomes.
"How may I help you, Jeremy?" the baker (whose name, judging by what Jeremy had called the bakery, was probably Ruff Puff) asked the Rockruff kid. "I also see you brought along a visitor."
Jeremy began swaying back and forth, but still looked about as coherent as one can look while as hyperactive as he was. He grinned, showing his fangs in all their glory.
"Yes, this is Cody! And I came to show him this place!"
The Rockruff boy's excitement was palpable, just like a kid on Christmas morning. It very well may have felt like Christmas to Jeremy, to be surrounded by everything he was craving.
Ruff Puff looked down at me from the counter. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Cody. I take it you're not from the village?"
"That's right" I replied, trying to be careful with regards to how much information I put out there. I'd only tell the baker what he needed to know.
"I thought so. Lycan Hollow's a small enough town that it feels like everyone knows everybody else. Anyway, since you're visiting, what would you like?"
The variety of pastries available was quite striking. They had poffins, yes, but there were also glazed donuts, all sorts of cakes with fruit or candy on top, many varieties of tart, and, what caught my eye the most, these large cookies that looked to be lemon-flavored.
I pointed at the lemon cookies. "A half dozen of those, please."
Ruff Puff smiled as he put six of the cookies in a bag for us. Then, he asked me another question.
"If you're not from Lycan Hollow, where are you from?"
"I, uh…". I trailed off, not knowing if it would be wise to give away my hometown. Then again, being that there was no reception here, it's not like the average resident could find my name online (and my social media presence was non-existent.)
In the end, I decided to tell the truth.
"I'm from Skylock, a small town near Pastoria City. It's okay. Anyway, how much will it be for those cookies?"
I became all too aware of my lack of funds. I had not brought a single cent with me, and I felt rather embarrassed at that fact.
Fortunately, Ruff Puff didn't seem bothered by this. "You can have them on the house, since you are a guest, and we treat guests with the utmost respect."
"On the house?" Jeremy asked frantically, wagging his tail. "But how am I going to get onto the roof?"
I shot the Rockruff kid a glare; how could he not know what that expression meant? But, just in case he was genuinely ignorant, the baker explained it to him.
And so we walked out of the bakery without paying a dime. I took a bite of one of the cookies, which were rather doughy, but crumbly at the same time. They weren't quite sweet, but certainly not sour either. In other words, they were basically heaven in the form of baked goods.
Jeremy looked at me with those pleading eyes again, and leaped towards me like a pet Lillipup trying to be playful. He tried to get the bag in his mouth.
"No cookies for you, I'm sorry" I told him, holding the bag in my mouth and raising it as high as I could.
"Why not?" Jeremy all but whined.
"Because you don't want to be full before dinner. And besides, you have too much energy already. If I give you a cookie, it's not going to be pretty."
"Then why do you get to?"
"Because", I told him simply, "I'm an adult. I don't have to eat dinner when my parents want to. It turns out, there are some perks to adulthood too."
Jeremy still looked like he wanted to complain, but I shot him a look of parental authority (even though I wasn't nearly old enough to be his father.) He got the message that there was no arguing with me, and so he stopped.
I led him back to the inn; even though the network of narrow paths through the village was confusing, my sense of direction was strong enough to know where I was going, at least. And for that, I was very grateful.
The rest of my time in the Lycanroc colony passed a lot more quickly than I would have liked. Time waits for no man, and it doesn't wait for were-Lycanroc either.
Since the inn did not have its own restaurant, I took my meals at Mayor Lumine's house. Although I believed that many establishments here would give me free food, I didn't want to test that theory, just in case I was wrong.
As for eating itself, not using forks, knives, and spoons was something I needed to get used to. There's nothing quite so hard as unlearning something that's been drilled into your brain for as long as you can remember. And yet, something felt good about it, like this was the way Mother Nature had intended.
And then I'll have to unlearn it again, because as soon as I arrive in Skylock again, my ass is going back in the slammer. Does this never end?
I slept very well at the inn, and the nightmares about Master Goldenheart, which I'd almost forgotten about at this point, did not return. Perhaps there was some supernatural component to Lycan Hollow that warded off nightmares, but I thought it more likely that this was due to me being the happiest I'd been in five years.
The harsh reality is that all good things must come to an end. While I'd enjoyed these two relatively carefree days, I'd always known they couldn't last. Nothing gold could stay.
I am not just a wolf. I am the dangerous type of wolf. That's just how the world sees me.
On the morning of my departure, I was eating breakfast once more with Mayor Lumine. We were on the porch, talking about how brave one would need to be to swim in that frigid lake, when I asked him a simple question about his family.
You see, now that I'd been here for two days, I'd noticed that the mayor clearly lived alone. At a minimum, I'd never seen him with anyone who was obviously his relative. (Pokemon of different families have certain "tells" that are hard to describe, but they basically let you know what family they belong to.)
I'd thought it was an innocuous, inoffensive question, but the mayor clearly did not see it that way.
He didn't yell at me; had he done that, it would have been easier to bear, and I would have felt less guilty. Rather, he looked away from me, towards the lake. It was much like how my parents would act when they weren't angry, just disappointed.
After a long, heavily awkward silence, he said, "Well, Cody, there are certain things I don't feel like talking about. That's one of them."
"I'm sorry" I replied. "I didn't know…".
"There's no need to apologize," the mayor told me. "Really, there isn't. I just...that's not a subject I feel comfortable discussing right now. Perhaps, once I get to know you better, I'll tell you more."
We already know each other pretty well, I should think. I didn't say those words aloud, simply because I had no desire to make Mayor Lumine more upset with me.
It didn't take me long to remember once more that there was a good chance I would never see the mayor again. I would never again visit Lycan Hollow, and I would once more have to face a world that didn't exactly appreciate me.
"I'll tell you something" I blurted out.
Mayor Lumine, as though he'd just been given a stimulant, suddenly perked up and looked at me. "What is that, Cody?"
I knew how unwise it probably was to disclose this, but I was already committed. There was no going back now.
"I don't know if you knew this yet, but I'm actually in some serious trouble back home. In fact, that's one of the reasons I was so eager to escape to this place."
When the mayor simply nodded without saying any words, I took that as a signal to continue speaking. My response was rather long-winded, but this was by design; if not justifying my actions, I at least had to explain them.
"You see, back in Skylock, I bit a fellow student. But I'd been taking my wolfsbane, so it should have made me harmless. But it didn't work, because it hadn't been refrigerated."
Mayor Lumine frowned. "When you bit the student...how did it feel, in the moment? Did you get any satisfaction from it?"
I shook my head. "It wasn't like that at all. It's like my body didn't even belong to me; I couldn't think straight, but I know that had I been in my right mind, Bella wouldn't be a were-Lycanroc."
There was another silence, which was intermixed with the sounds of Flying type Pokemon chirping in the distance. Even without the birds, this gap in the conversation managed to be very loud indeed.
The mayor smiled at me sadly. "I wish I could tell you that you're an anomaly, but I can't, because that's not the case. A lot of were-Lycanrocs learn the importance of taking their wolfsbane the hard way, when they harm someone they care about after neglecting to take it. It's really quite sad."
"Are there a lot of those werewolves here?" I asked, because I wondered if there was anyone just like me. I also wondered if, had the village known the truth, they would still have been so accepting towards me.
"There are some. That's probably one of the reasons our Guardian sent for you the other day; it knew you were in trouble, and wanted to help you out of that situation. But yes, a number of them are on the run from the law."
I frowned. "Wouldn't the authorities know that we're not doing this on purpose? That sometimes these things just happen?" Come to think of it, I was surprised this hadn't occurred to me more often.
"In a perfect world, they would. But unfortunately, the law is not as understanding as we are. There's no polygraph test in the world that can prove a person didn't mean to commit their crime, so the justice system treats all cases of acquired lycanthropy, i.e. when a were-Lycanroc bites a human, equally, for better or worse."
"But that's not fair! They should give us the benefit of the doubt!"
It was then that the mayor gave me one of the most important pieces of wisdom that I carry to this day.
"Life isn't fair, Cody. You say that werewolves should be given the benefit of the doubt, but that's because you are one. Now, ask yourself this: If you were a member of the general public, and you wanted to keep your children safe from the werewolves of Sinnoh, what policies would you support? Would you want to be lenient to those who infect others with this disease? Or would you acknowledge that, as some would say, shit happens?"
I realized that the mayor was right. It's not like I had much reason to distrust what he said, but he had a point there. This needed to be looked at objectively.
"It is rather unfortunate," the mayor continued, "that you have ended up on the wrong side of this dilemma. I wish it didn't have to be this way; in a perfect world, we'd strike a balance somehow."
I sighed. Even though nothing had been confirmed that I hadn't already known, I felt as though another nail were being driven into my coffin.
"So I have to go back to Skylock and surrender myself to the police. And then who knows what'll happen?"
"It's your decision, Cody," the mayor responded. "You're always welcome here, but as soon as you leave, you will be in legal jeopardy. Indeed, you are right now, you're just deferring it."
I looked around the valley in which I'd spent the last two days. The lake was still that perfect crystal blue, the mountains still stunning with the glaciers at the very top, but something felt different this time.
"I can't defer it any longer," I told Mayor Lumine. The moment I uttered those words, I knew they were true. I also knew that, even if it didn't feel like the right decision at that moment, it would be the best choice to make in the long run. I shouldn't anesthetize myself from the realities of my life.
"A noble decision, to be sure" the mayor responded. "And I can tell that you have courage, for that's exactly what it takes to make the right decision even when it feels like the wrong one."
I chuckled nervously. "I don't feel very courageous. I'm just doing the right thing. There's a difference."
In response, the mayor simply winked at me. "Is there, though?"
Leaving me with that thought for a few seconds, we sat there in silence. Then, Mayor Lumine spoke again.
"If you're heading back today, we should probably get going. We can summon Fearow pretty quickly, but I think you'd rather get the trip back over with."
"I loved flying here" I replied, recalling what had to be the most exhilarating experience I'd ever had. "It's what happens when I get home that I worry about."
"Understandable. Anyway, follow me."
Along the way to the field (which I was pretty sure was the same one I'd landed in the other day), I tried to soak up as much of the village as I could. All of these Lycanroc and Rockruff lived in peace, both with each other and the surrounding environment, at least as far as I knew.
It really was a special place, and it was very difficult to accept that I'd most likely never see it again. Even if they told me I was always welcome, the authorities in Greater Pastoria would see it differently.
Eventually we arrived at the field of tall grass, and the mayor plucked one blade from the ground.
"What are you doing?" I asked him, but he ignored me. He did, however, answer that question within seconds as he blew on the blade like a kazoo.
Once he was finished blowing on it, Mayor Lumine turned to me. "This is how you summon one of the Fearow Guardians. I promise you safe travels back to Greater Pastoria, but as soon as you arrive, we will not be able to protect you."
I nodded to show that I understood, and then the mayor made me one last offer.
"This is your last chance, Cody. I want you to make your decision based on what you want to do, not what I want or what the police want. Because it's your life."
My mind was already made up prior to this statement from Mayor Lumine, but I'd be lying if I said that his words didn't make me reconsider for a moment. I could put everything else behind me and just live here for the rest of my life.
And yet...I couldn't.
I shook my head. "I'm leaving. And I don't want you to think it has anything to do with you guys here. I say this with the utmost honesty: You villagers are some of the kindest, happiest creatures I've ever come across."
"Don't worry, I understand," the mayor responded, giving me a sad smile. He then looked up at the sky. "Look, your ride's already here. How's that for speed?"
I arched my neck to see where Mayor Lumine was looking. Sure enough, there was a golden birdlike Pokemon descending from the morning sky, wings spread wide like a parachute in order to slow its descent.
"Pretty darn quick, this Fearow is" I said, snorting with mild laughter.
"Yes. Now, if you're sure you want to leave, just climb onto its back. I can help you with the straps; it's a lot harder when you're not used to having four paws."
Once Fearow landed, I did as I was told, and Mayor Lumine helped me put on and tighten the harness. I looked up at the cloudless blue sky, knowing that I was about to fly again. How amazing would that be, to have a once-in-a-lifetime experience more than once?
But I wasn't nearly as excited this time. There was plenty of dread present; my breakfast wasn't sitting well in my stomach. To use one analogy, if Lycan Hollow was my nice comfortable bed, I wanted nothing more than to wrap myself up in the covers and go back to sleep.
Eventually, though, you just have to face the day. You have to accept that you won't be able to escape to your dreams until the next night. In much the same way, I needed to live in the real world, no matter how desperately I wished to do otherwise.
"All right, we're all set," the mayor said, stepping back. "Just tell the bird where you want to go, and it will take you there."
"Sure" I responded, addressing nobody in particular. Grabbing Fearow's "reins", for lack of a better word, I commanded: "Take me back to the clearing where you picked me up two days ago."
Fearow spread its wings and began lifting us into the air. As I looked southward towards the horizon, I made myself a promise.
I'm going to live with whatever happens. With my stay here in mind, I won't complain, even if I spend a long time in prison.
I wasn't going to let my resolve crumble. In a perfect world, I wouldn't need resolve, but, sadly, that's not the world I lived in.
And there you have it, that's the fourteenth chapter of Werewolves of Sinnoh! If you have not followed this story yet, I'd greatly appreciate if you did; it helps out a lot. But no matter what, thank you for taking the time to read this far.
Because this was a long chapter, I'll give you guys some extra time to process it. I will wait four days before posting the next one, as agonizing as it may be for me. From here on out, I will post on Sundays and Wednesdays until we reach Chapter 20 (I'm currently on Chapter 17.)
I'll see you guys next time!