Another prompt I didn't post... was still getting into the relative swing of things.
I felt strange as i awoke. Strange being the polite way to put it. I felt as though my… erm everything was rearranged. I felt new body parts i didn't have before. Large ears atop my head, a tail of sorts and four legs. Well my arms felt like legs and my legs felt like legs.
"What a nightmare," I thought confused, my head still spinning from my dream, "What's with all this 'save the world' nonsense aren't heroes supposed to know what their up against?"
I'm no hero, hell i can't even talk, how can I be a hero of i can't communicate with anyone? Isn't communication key in just, anything really? How was I gonna save anyone?
I glanced down at my new body, orange and black fur, One tail that just felt heavy it ended like a mop, little spherical "Bristles" at the end, a layer of black fur tipped the end of my new tail.
I was lying on a bunch of sand, water lapping in from behind my new tail. I was in a beach, an empty one at that. I didn't notice any trees nearby, only in the distance from the faded greens I could barely make out.
"And in today's episode we try to find out what the hell i am!" I thought jokingly as i glared down my new body still delirious from anything notable going on around me.
"Um…" A voice squeaked from in front of me. I glanced up to see a worried looking Eevee with the normal brown fur and cream-colored collar and tail tip. She wore a faded purple scarf that looked too big, around her neck, with a strange emblem on it. Next to it a badge that was a dull gray, it too had the emblem the scarf had.
From my "expansive knowledge" of critters, I assumed that we were both foxes, from the ears, to the one fluffy tail we both had.
"Are you ok?" She asked me quietly crouching down to my level. Her faded Orange-Amber eyes full of concern.
I glanced at myself once more, my thoughts still in a rush. Then back to her and nodded.
"Thank goodness!" She yelped falling back into a sitting position, "I just saw you here and…" Her thoughts seemed to drone off as she looked away shyly.
"Not used to social interaction?" I wondered, "Or is she just shy?" Did i care? Frankly as of now yes, she may have been my only way to find shelter. My thoughts continued my inquiry as she struggled to look at me, "Is it me? Is it what I am now?"
"What's your- ...umm name?" She asked quickly forcing herself to look at me. She clearly wanted to be invisible, to not be noticed but had started a conversation with me making sure I was okay.
And that's when I realized she had no idea I couldn't talk. I internally swore at myself for my own insolence and forgetfulness, as well as my inability to speak.
I pointed at my mouth and shook my head, unsure if sign language existed here. If it did, I probably should've tried it in retrospect.
The Eevee didn't seem to get it, she just tilted her head to the side and stared at me confused, "Uh... What? Are you hungry or something?" She asked shrugging a bag over her shoulder, sk it was in front of her. She quickly flipping through a bag on her shoulder, "Because I just ran out of berries earlier... sorry."
I rolled by eyes, not at her, but at the circumstances of our meeting, and glanced around me. My eyes met the sand below me. I lifted a paw, noticing the mark it left in the sand, and an idea came to mind.
I stood up out of instinct. I seemed to get walking and standing almost immediately, and began to trace my message into the sand. I used my new tail for most of the lettering, despite me not having one before using it just felt right.
Eevee stared at me in a confused awe as I wrote. The words projected on the sand like paint on a canvas.
"OHHHH." She gasped suddenly once I had written "can't talk" in the sand. She looked away, her ears flattening against her head, her face flushed red.
"You can't... talk?" Eevee said poking my side, "Like, are you a mute? Or can you just not talk?" The Eevee titled her to the side after her question. awaiting an answer.
My heart lept from my chest at her question. I enthusiastically nodded in return, my eyes lit up excitedly,
She laughed nervously as a result, "I feel really dumb now about…. Eheheheh…" She spun her paw in a circle trying to hide her embarrassment, "The motion you made."
I rolled my eyes again and nodded at her. "At least she gets it now," I internally said before glaring at her again, "And i don't think A mute is the correct way to put it,"
"Why don't you come back with me?" She offered fiddling with her paws nervously reverting back to the nervous wreck of an Eevee i was "talking" with before.
"With you being a Nicket I'm sure the guild can be of use to you," She continued, "And vice versa Nicket are good at thieving and having one on our side may be helpful for some missions." She explained now rubbing her head with a paw.
"Like I have anywhere to go." I sighed I internally, releasing a huff of air and begrudgingly nodded at the Eevee.
Her whole face brightened at my response.
"Thankyouthankyouthanyou!" She yipped clinging to me suddenly.
I jumped and glared at her trying to show my displeasure. But who knew being mute would make it hard to do that.
She opened her eyes after her sudden hug. Noticing my glare, she jumped away her face bright red.
"I'm Rea it's a pleasure," She said hurriedly trying to hide her embarrassment.
She held out a paw wearily, as if she expected me to bite her. I hesitated for a moment rummaging through my options before accepting her paw.
From what I could remember Nicket were considered thieves(as if her saying that wasn't enough), in almost every sense of the matter. They lied, they cheated, and they stole to get what they wanted, or anything of value.
I considered myself the opposite. I was not a thief and i was for sure not going to steal anything. I was better than a Nicket, I wasn't a Nicket, I. Was. Human.
Yet here i was. Stuck as a thieving fox, with no voice. How could I defend myself if i couldn't even talk? If Iwas always no matter what, to be considered a thief, talking would be a trait, a necessity, I would want. Sign language didn't seem to exist here, and I didn't really care to test that, from what I could tell, or Rea just didn't know any sign language to begin with.
When we began our walk, Rea seemed to constantly glance in my direction as we walked, as though she was paranoid or scared that I'd do something. Three steps glance, another three steps glance. It was getting on my nerves. What did she expect me to steal off of her? Her musty scarf?
I rolled my eyes at her antics, when you can't talk you learn to distract yourself more by taking in the world around you, as well as taking closer notes at what everyone was doing. And speaking of "everyone" there was only the two of us, so all of my attention was on her more or less.
We walked for several more uneventful minutes in silence. The path looked pretty nice though. The path was surrounded by trees, they were spread far enough apart, so you could see in between them. The path was quite wide as well, wide enough for another set of Rea and I to be next to each other.
Slowly she began to loosen up. Her glances slowed to a halt and she seemed less tense as she walked. She began to look less at me and more at what was around us.
Rea's eyes fell on a flower bush as we walked past one sticking out into the path. She stopped and sniffed at the flowers. She smiled at nobody and gingerly took one.
I raised an eyebrow at her. We had stopped to pick a flower? What was the point? Didn't we have somewhere to be? Maybe... I was being too impatient.
Rea glanced at me noticing my look of confusion, "It's for… someone special…" She said shyly looking away and back down the path where we were headed.
My confusion and annoyance fell slightly after she said that. Someone special eh? "She has a crush… Why am I good at noticing these things?" I looked the Eevee up and down, "Well she wasn't very good at hiding it either."
"S_sorry for the hold up, let's get going." Rea apologized quickly before turning away and continuing on the path.
She seemed even less paranoid of me as we walked on, since I hadn't attacked her with her back turned. She finally realized i wasn't going to steal, or attack her. Now her mind seemed distracted, she was hardly paying any attention to the path ahead. She was now worrying about something else. I assumed that special someone.
Part of me was hopeful to meet another Pokémon. I hoped someone understanding and open. Unluckily for me, I didn't have to wait much longer for my next interaction where only one of those would happen.
"Looky who it is," A voice sounded from behind us, sounding stuck-up already.
Rea seemed to freeze where she was. I turned around with an annoyed eyeroll, already not liking their voice.
An Alolan Vulpix stood behind us with a triumphant look on her face. Next to her was a white and red Zorua, one I had never seen before. She wore a look of boredom as well as a red scarf matching her red fur atop her head. The Zorua sighed at her teammate.
"Hey, Miyuki," Greeted Rea. She had a tone of… fear and embarrassment in her voice as she greeted the Vulpix and Zorua. She sorta shuffled In front of me as if to hide me. Rea's face flushed red as she hit the flower she had picked behind her, "H-hey Yce…"
"So that's her crush," I noted, noticing her stumble with her greeting and blush on her face.
"Tsk tsk Rea, Rea, Rea," Miyuki the Vulpix sighed aproaching her slowly. The Vulpix's accent was a heavy Galarian and matched Rea's slightly. She sounded more stuck up and confident sounding, than Rea sounded. I stepped away and I felt the Zorua pat my tail. She gestured next to her as she sat down, I narrowed my eyes at her but sat next to the bored Zorua.
"You've gotten desperate enough to team with a thief?" Miyuki remarked snottily as she circled her. Yce pat my back with a paw as if she was calming me down.
"He's not a thief…" Rea replied non-convincingly, her face faltering, "He's my teammate."
"Are you?" Yce whispered to me curiously, glancing over my shoulder at me.
"Here we go again," I muttered to myself. I pointed to my mouth then shook my head, similarly to what I did with Rea.
The Zorua blinked at me before nodding. Then to my surprise began gesturing to me in sign language.
"Really? Do you understand this?" She motioned to me.
My face actually lit up, happiness began to overtake the dullness and annoyance that I had been feeling since my arrival.
"Yes!" I signaled back to he with ferociousness, "Finally someone who I can communicate with!"
She smiled lightly at me before switching back to talking, "I trust that you aren't a thief right? Your not going to steal from Rea?" The Zorua glanced back at the two foxes ahead of us, then back at me.
"Of course not!" I replied with a shake of my head, "Its just a stereotype, that I'm unfortunately under." I frowned at the Vulpix berating my guide.
Yce noticed my glare and nodded, "Yeah Miyu tends to get a little over the top," Sighed Yce shaking her head, "She means well, she wants to avoid all risks if possible, but her means are… not so great."
I released a snort mixed with a laugh, "Yeah, I can tell." I motioned back to her. Miyuki at that point was going off on Rea about the risks of have a Nicket on her team.
"He'd choose any valuable over you!" Miyuki growled angrily, she stomped her paw on the ground, "Anything remotely shiny, he's gonna take! And I don't think you know this but our guild is fuuullll of shiny things," Miyuki continued stomping to Rea's side.
"You don't know that…" Rea squeaked quietly shying away from the Vulpix. I winced feeling bad, Rea was going through all this because of me, because of what I turned into.
"What's your name by the way?" Yce asked me, pulling my attention back to her and away from Rea.
"Akio, That's my name, Akio." I replied after a moment. I nodded at her and smiled.
"Does Rea know?" Yce asked me glancing back at the Vulpix and Eevee, who were now angrily talking back and forth about how it was just a stereotype and how stereotypes are there for a reason.
I shook my head, "No, I wasn't sure she understood sign language, so i didn't try, i just wrote, 'Can't talk' in the sand," I explained moving my paws as quickly as I could.
Yce nodded after a moment and smiled at me, "I trust you Akio," She said quietly, she then lowered her voice, "I'll try to get Miyu to leave you alone, she'll grow on you," The Zorua explained before standing and approaching the Eevee and Vulpix.
"That's enough Miyuki," Yce interrupted stepping between the two Pokemon, "The Nicket is fine." Yce added turning to her teammate.
Gliss gave her a bored unamused look, "Your delusional," Miyuki replied lifting her chin indignantly, "Nicket are liers and thieves, he's lying to you."
"Would a mute Pokemon lie? Then talk to me a perfect sigh language?" Yce replied matter-a-factly, her eyes half closed and bored.
Miyuki blinked at her teammate, then at me. She stared at me for a few seconds. I stared back, not backing dow. The Vulpix then glared back at Yce.
"He lied, to you, th-through sign language," Miyuki stammered losing her confidence. Her face faltered as Yce looked at her with dullness.
I rolled my eyes and approached the group. Rea was glancing up at Yce thankful look in her eyes, Yce was waiting for me, and Miyuki glared at me.
"So… are you gonna translate?" I asked Yce quickly, managing to get her attention, trying to avoid Miykui's glare.
"Yeah, I'll translate," Yce replied with a nod. I nodded back and began motioning, Yce simply said what i motioned aloud.
"Hello, My name is Akio, I appreciate you Rea for offering me a place on your team and would gladly accept," Yce translated earning a smile from Rea and a frown from Miyuki.
"Yes!" Chirped Rea jumping at me clinging to me via a hug, "I knew i could trust you!"
I rolled my eyes a small smile forced it's way ontu my mouth. Yce smiled at us before finishing the translation.
"I apologize for the paranoia, but a assure and promise you, I won't steal, from anyone."
Miyuki huffed before turning away, "Your word will not be enough, actions always speak louder," The Vulpix remarked angrily, "We'll wait and see what you do, In the meantime, Let's go Yce, we've got a mission to do," The Vulpix didn't bother looking back as she began to walk the opposite way, i could tell by the way she walked that she was pissed off.
"H-hey Yce?" Rea asked the Zorua shyly, releasing me and looking down
"Yeah?" The Zorua replied turning to her.
Rea handed her flower to Yce, shoving it in her face, "Th-Thanks! For everything," Rea yelped quickly, looking away from her.
Yce just smiled before taking the flower. For the first time a managed to get a decent look at it, The flower had red petals matching her scarf and fur, with a bright yellow center, matching her eyes.
Yce proceeded to place it in her fur atop her head and smiled, "I'll see you soon Rea."
Rea's cheeks burned a brighter red as she stuttered trying to find a reply.
I rolled my eyes not wanting Rea, my new teammate, to have a panic attack.
"She says You're welcome, and see you," I motioned before Rea could utter an intelligible word.
Yce nodded before rushing after Miyuki, who hadn't looked back since stomping away.
"Thanks Akio," Rea sighed shaking her head, "I just can't talk to her at all." the Eevee shook her head.
I shrugged at her in reply. "There goes my translator." I thought irritably.
Rea only smiled at me, "Lets head to the guild," She said stepping forward in the opposite direction Yce and Miyuki went, "Time to register as a team!"
