Four years ago today, our journey with Slink, Eve, and Vix began. We've also recently hit 15,000 views on FFN.
Guys I just want to thank all of you so much. All of you reading this story is a lot of the reason why this story is still alive and kicking even after four years. Wherever the next year takes us, especially with the final chapters of this story on the horizon, I want to thank you all for caring about my little family of foxes.
Before we begin I have two massive thank yous. First, of course, to deerestlove who beta read for me and helped get this chapter into as good of shape as it is. Second to AG_systems over on AO3 who kept me sane the last three months and helped me though all of the blocks I hit while writing this one. Check out their story, Shatter on AO3.
Alright, enough stalling. I hope you enjoy.
"Gone?" I echoed. "What do you mean she's gone?"
There was a long pause. "Slink… I… she's not in her room. I've searched the whole house. Abby even looked through several of her 'secret spots'. She isn't here. We don't know where Vix is."
I could feel my heart pounding in my head. "Where else could she be? Have you gone to the Society yet?"
"How do you think I got the Gadget to call you?" Sierra kept his voice even, though it quavered slightly. "Though I don't know what help the Society will be. The attack has everyone busy. I don't know how many are free to help look. Especially if we don't know where she has gone off to."
"She can't have gone too far," I insisted. "When did she leave? Surely she couldn't have gone far?"
"No," Sierra said, his voice cracking, "I told you, she hadn't left her room since you guys left. She could have been gone for hours."
"She could be anywhere by this point," Eve said. "Oh, Vix."
"I'm so sorry," Sierra whimpered, his voice growing thicker. "You entrusted me to watch Vix and I — "
"We aren't blaming you, Sierra," Eve reassured. Meanwhile I was petrified, my whole body tense as my claws tore into the soil beneath me.
"I'm going back," I said, not really caring if the others could hear me.
"What?" Eve turned to me, almost dropping her Expedition Gadget as she did.
"I'm going back home. I can't just leave Vix alone."
"But Slink," Sierra tried to argue. "There is no way you'd make it here and back in time. You of all Pokemon have to be there. Besides, unless you know where she is, how do you expect to find her?"
"I can't just ignore this!" I knew it was ridiculous. I knew stopping Smoke should have been my top priority, but I didn't care. Not until I knew that she was safe.
Eve placed a paw on my shoulder. "Slink, please listen to me. We have to keep going. Vix will be — "
"Eve, our kid is out there alone! I can't just — "
"I know, Slink. Trust me, I wouldn't abandon her either. I'm saying we don't have to go looking for her."
"What do you mean?" Sierra said, just as confused as I was.
"You're right. We don't know where she is, and we don't have the time or resources to find out. But we don't need to know that. We just need to know where she is headed."
"We do?" I said. My mind was muddled and thick. I couldn't unravel what she was hinting at.
"Where is she going?" Eve asked. "She wouldn't just run off. Does that sound like her? No. She left for a reason. There is only one place she would go. She's coming to help us."
"Help...you… you mean with the Hatred?" Sierra chimed in. "Does she even know where to go?"
"She would," I said, my mouth going dry. "Of course she would. We told her. The same time we told you, Sierra. Besides, even if she didn't know, there are dozens of Teams headed down there. She could easily follow them. With her experience and powers, she could follow without them even knowing."
"I wouldn't put it past her." Eve sighed. Her tone was one of exasperation, but when I looked at her, I saw a flicker of something like grudging pride cross her face.
"What do we do now?" I sighed.
"Do you guys need me down there?" Sierra jumped in.
"No," Eve insisted calmly. "You've still got Abby to worry about. We don't want to drag you into danger."
He didn't sound convinced. "If you need me, call. I can worry about my daughter and you guys at the same time. Please stay safe."
"Of course. See you when we get home. And we'll let you know when we find Vix." I sighed as Eve put the Gadget away. The ground rose to meet me as I crumpled to my belly, my head on the ground with my paws rubbing over my snout. "Dammit, dammit, dammit!"
"Slink, it's okay. She'll make it," Eve tried to reassure me. "She shouldn't encounter any Hatred members, and besides, she's probably sticking close to an expedition team."
"She shouldn't be out there at all. That stubborn little…" I sighed, wilting into the ground. I tried to calm my breathing, forcing myself to focus. It felt like lifting a boulder, but I pushed myself to my feet. "Alright, let's get going."
"Going?"
"We need to be at the island when Vix gets there. Depending on when she left, she could be almost a day ahead of us at this point." For a moment, I let myself look out over the valley, taking in the calming scent of its grasses. From our vantage point, I could see the shadows of sparse clouds ghosting over a flaxen sea. The sun perched atop the Groudon spine beyond, its golden halo suffusing everything in warmth. It was so peaceful, and it hurt to have to turn my back on it. I gazed up at the mountain we had just crossed. "Let's get going."
"But Slink," Eve called, "you… you wanted to…" she paused. "You don't have to go. I'll go get Vix if you want to stay and… do what you need to."
That coaxed a smile from me. It took all of my willpower not to look back. I knew if I did I would be tempted to take her up on her offer. "No. We stick together. Besides, Vix comes first. It...it'll still be there another time. We'll be back." She still looked uncertain, so I wandered over and pressed my forehead to hers. "Aren't I supposed to be the one getting upset here?"
She laughed, pressing closer so her head was against my chest. "One of us should." She sat back, turing to stare up the mountain as well. "You know, we've only got a couple hours of daylight left. If we head back the way we came we'll probably get trapped inside the Dungeon, if we even get there before it shifts." She pulled out her Expedition Gadget and started tapping at it. "There's a non-dungeon pass about half a day South of here. It's right next to the island too. Are there many Dungeons in the valley?"
"A couple," I said, "but they should be pretty far from the road."
"Seems like a better route to me, then. We can at least make some progress tonight." She replaced the Expedition Gadget in her bag, looking at me expectantly.
"Lead the way," I said gesturing. "We should hurry. Not much time left."
The path zigged and zagged down the side of the mountain, descending steeply into the valley below. Soon the craggy rocks and trees yielded to green and amber grasses. The road was little more than a narrow rut carved into the earth. We trotted through the meadow until we reached the river, where the road split. One fork North that would eventually reach Lake Ogon, one that trailed South, and finally a crumbling stone bridge that stretched over the river.
Eve led the way down the left path, but I hesitated just a moment at the crossroads. The Crimson Peak loomed over the valley. I hadn't been this close since the last time we had taken on the Hatred. I hoped this wouldn't be the last time I saw it.
Eve gave me a sympathetic look when I turned back to her. "You okay?"
"Not really," I said. "But we should go."
The valley, being in the shadow of the Groudon's Spine, was already pretty dark by the time we reached the river. About an hour later, it grew hard to see the road and I could barely discern the mountains from the darkening sky. Soon the stars were out, bright without the competition of the moon. I was half-tempted to use Fire so we could press just that little bit further, but the multitude of dry grasses convinced me not to. The Society was spread thin as it was. They didn't need a wildfire to deal with.
We found a relatively cozy spot at the base of a squat tree near the riverbank. Neither of us had considered that, without a Dungeon, we couldn't use a disc to make camp. The near pitch-darkness made it difficult to prepare a bed for the both of us, or to make even a small firepit to cook with. But we did, and once we were done, we were both more than ready for sleep. The fire had died down to embers, the faint red glow the brightest light for miles. I curled close to Eve, who purred in response. Time to at least try and sleep.
But sleep was hard to find. No matter how long I lay there, eyes closed, I couldn't drift off. Worry writhed within my stomach. The image of Vix curled up alone on the side of a road somewhere kept appearing unbidden in my head. I felt so helpless. For the first time in quite a while, I wasn't worried about the battle to come.
My own worries were so loud I almost didn't notice the fact that Eve's deep, even breathing was missing from the usual sounds of the night. She was lying awake too. I almost wanted to say something. Talking was surely better than this horrible, anxious silence. But I had no idea what subject could ease our worry, and I'm sure Eve had the same problem. Eventually I bumped her tail with mine, and she curled hers around it.
We probably only got a collective six hours of sleep that night. Our mental connection worked against us. Whenever one of us snapped awake from a stray thought or a nightmare, so did the other. Several times I could have sworn I heard footsteps in that strange twilight between waking and sleeping, but then they'd fade as soon as they came.
Then there were the dreams, feverish and incoherent. Occasionally I'd get flashes of clarity: Sierra and Abby in a dilapidated version of our house, laughing madly as it slowly crumbled around them, Vix in the middle of a meadow, sleeping peacefully as it blazed around her, Eve rooted to the spot, looking helplessly at me as — with a loud crack —the rocky ceiling crashed down on her. I tumbled like a piece of flotsam through my own mind, gasping for breath at every turn.
Finally I snapped awake one final time to find that the world was suffused in an orange-pink glow. The sun was just creeping over the lip of the Scale mountains. I almost leapt to my feet. The nervous energy I had been holding onto all night could finally be directed at something. Unfortunately, Eve seemed to have rolled so that she was lying across my back.
"Eve," I hissed, "Eve! Wake up." I got no response. "Come on Eve, wake up. We've gotta get going." Still nothing. With a grunt of frustration I flailed out with a paw, finding Eve's body and nudging it. In the moment it didn't even occur to me that Eve's fur wasn't nearly as long as what I was feeling beneath my pads.
"Slink," came Eve's voice, not from above me like I'd expected, but from the side, "that's not me." Her voice sounded detached, almost resigned. I was just confused. Who was on me? And why was Eve so calm about it?
I wiggled again, trying to escape from beneath the weight on top of me. "Wait, Slink. Stop. Don't wake her up. Here." A pulse of psychic and the Pokemon was gently lifted from my back. I rolled to the side, looking back in time to see Eve lowering Vix back down.
"How...how is she here?" I said, staring at the Vulpix like I half-expected her to vanish at any second.
Eve shook her head. "She was here when I woke up." She was sitting by Vix's head, tenderly stroking her curls. "She'd have had to travel all night to catch up to us."
"But how'd she find us?" I said, moving closer. A pit grew in my stomach as I took a closer look at Vix. Her fur was even more frazzled and dirty, the shadows beneath her eyes even deeper than when we had first found her. Partially-healed scratches lined her side. It appeared that she had barely made it to our camp before collapsing. She was splayed out on her side, only half in the nest. Ash stained her hindlegs and fanned-out tails, which had somehow entered the firepit. "Oh, sweet girl," I muttered, pressing my nose to her forehead.
"We can ask her when she wakes up," Eve said, her voice strained with worry. "For now, we should let her sleep. At least we don't have to worry about getting to the island today." The whole time she spoke, her paw didn't leave Vix, still stroking gently. "I'll call Sierra. Tell him that she found us."
"Right," I said, "I'll just…" I had no idea what I could do to distract myself.
Eve gave me a wan smile, recognizing my plight. "You could get started on breakfast," she suggested. "I think we could all use a hot meal."
With a nod, I turned back to the firepit we had made last night. I carefully lifted Vix, settling her fully into the nest There was a small pile of kindling still set aside from last night. By the time Eve had returned I had a merrily crackling fire going. I settled a couple of apples around the edges to roast in the embers. Eve had laid a flat rock across the middle. A handful of berries were baking atop it, along with a few slices of bread and several strips of dried meat.
Eve and I ate very little, watching Vix as she slept.
Finally, after several long hours, Vix began to stir. She curled up tighter, shivering a little. Then her eyes blinked open. She looked confused for a second, and then her eyes widened. She lifted her head, looking at the two of us guiltily, then rolled onto her stomach and stretched. She stayed like that for a while, her back to us, shoulders hunched like she expected a blow.
Neither of us knew what to say to her. But the dilemma was solved for us when Vix's stomach gave a loud growl. Really it was more of a roar. "When was the last time you ate?" Eve asked, concerned.
"Dinner. With you." Vix said, her voice little more than a whisper. Eve and I exchanged a horrified look. That was three days ago.
"Well, we have plenty of breakfast here. Eat." Eve commanded. Vix turned slowly, still keeping her head down. She took unsteady steps toward the fire, examining the foods on offer. She half-glanced up at the two of us before lunging forward and scarfing down down everything the could get her paws on.
"Vix, slow down," I warned, putting a paw on her shoulder. "You'll make yourself sick."
She looked up at me, finally meeting my eyes. When she returned to the food, she did pace herself, at least a little.
Eventually, every scrap of food had disappeared. Eve had even found a couple of Chesto berries in her bag, which Vix had snapped up gratefully. "Feel better?" I asked. She nodded sheepishly, still not looking at us, still holding herself low like she expected us to explode.
"Do you want to go wash that stuff out of your fur?" Eve asked. "I know it will be uncomfortable, but you'll probably feel better after." Vix didn't respond.
"Vix?" I asked. "Is something wrong?"
"Aren't you gonna yell?" Vix asked, finally looking up at us. Before we could say anything she rushed on. "I know I shouldn't have just left, but… I kept having nightmares about it. I… if you didn't come back… I couldn't… I couldn't just wait." She was trembling, her eyes red, though not from exhaustion.
I stepped forward slowly, doing my best not to startle her. Vix automatically buried her face into my chest. "Vix, have we ever shouted at you like that?" I rubbed her shoulder soothingly.
"Well, no, but…" Vix whimpered, "aren't you mad at me?"
"A little," Eve replied, moving closer as well, "but I care more that you are safe. Trust me, we are going to have a long conversation about this later, but for now all that matters is that you are alive and safe." Vix nodded into my chest, but still didn't look up.
"So," I asked finally, "how did you manage to find us? We didn't tell anyone that we were going to cross the Scales."
Vix finally looked up. Despite everything, a slight, mischievous smile crossed her face. In response she brought forward one of her tails, the one that she usually wore her bracelet on. The tail uncurled, revealing an Expedition Gadget. And not just any Gadget — it was mine.
"Wh- how did-?" I said as I reached for my bag. Sitting where the Gadget usually was was Vix's "good-luck charm" that she had given me. "Why you little sneak," I said with a grudging smile.
"Can I have my bracelet back?" Vix asked as I took my Gadget from her.
Eve regarded the Vulpix for a long moment, a bit of a disapproving frown on her face. She reached out to Vix with her tail, trailing it gingerly over the line of cuts on her side. "What happened here?"
"Oh that? It's nothing." Vix said quickly, though she winced as Eve touched it. "Feral Zangoose. Caught me by surprise when I was crossing the mountain. But they came off worse," she assured us.
Eve sighed and even let slip a small smile. "Here, we should fix that before it gets infected." Her fur began to glow, her whole body illuminated with the same pink light as the rising sun. She laid a paw on Vix's side, who flinched back from the touch, but relaxed soon after. When Eve pulled her paw away, the wound was gone except for a few hairless lines in Vix's fur. "There, much better."
That done, Eve turned to me. I could tell that there was a lot she wanted to say, but she held back. Instead she said, "So what now? We don't have to hurry down to the island now, so… do you want to…"
She knew exactly how I would answer, the asking was just a formality. Our connection was still strong, and she knew where my mind had been for the past couple of days. "We can make it by this afternoon. We can spend the night there and then continue back this way tomorrow. We'll only be one day behind."
Eve smiled. "We have a few days to spare. We already agreed to do this, so don't feel guilty about it."
"Wait, what? What's happening?" Vix chimed in, looking between the two of us curiously.
I turned, my gaze gravitating towards the Crimson Peak. "Home, Vix." I said. "Do you want to see where I grew up?"
The main street was paved with bricks. It was such a trivial thing, yet one I remembered vividly. That was probably the best way to describe the little town nestled in the crook of the river. Small, certainly, but all the more charming and memorable for it.
Or at least that's how it had been.
The Apothecary my mother had bought herbs from seemed to have changed owners; a shiny new sign bearing a very different name hung over a freshly painted storefront. A bookstore my father had frequented had been completely demolished, the land swallowed by an expansion to the Expedition Society satellite office. There were even smaller things, like a Mudkip playing in front of a house where a family of Dragapult had lived. It wasn't that anything had drastically changed. It simply felt that the Fennekin that had lived in this town for more than a decade wasn't me. The tiny changes that had accumulated in the last two years combining to make me feel alien in a place I had belonged.
I tottered down the street in somewhat of a daze. Eve and Vix trailed behind, occasionally reaching out to steer me back onto the right track. There was the theatre my sister had performed in years ago, the restaurant my parents had taken me to for my sixteenth birthday. Thousands of those little memories washed over me in waves. I nearly stumbled, but Eve caught me, pulling me back to my feet.
"Vix," Eve called as she pulled me aside, "hold up a second. We're going to take a break."
The Vulpix, who had her paws pressed up against a store's front window a little ways ahead, turned her head as Eve called out to her. She didn't move closer, simply remaining where she was as Eve sat down. I stood uncertainly for a moment before sitting down next to her.
"It's a cute little town," Eve said eventually. Her words at least managed to give me something to focus on. "Seems like a cozy place to grow up."
"It was," I said, mostly to myself. All of my memories, my whole life until two years ago was this town. But despite that being in this place felt wrong. Nostalgia was still smothering me, but beneath it, a darker feeling chilled my blood. This wasn't home anymore. It would probably never be home again.
"So where to next," Eve finally said, nudging my shoulder and snapping me out of my thoughts. "Anywhere you specifically want to go?"
I shrugged non-committedly at this. This wasn't the response I had wanted to give, but answering with "the whole town" probably wasn't particularly helpful. Instead I said, "Depends on how big of a hurry we are in." I pointed up the street towards the Crimson Peak. "We've still got a ways to get to the house. Probably still a half-hour walk."
Eve glanced up at the volcano as well. "That's fine," she said, "we can take a little more time to look around the town, maybe find some lunch, and then we can head up to the lake. Sound good?"
I nodded slowly. "You know, if you and Vix don't want to come with me, I can go by myself. You two could look around or find an inn where we could stay tonight if you want."
Eve shot me a look, but instead of the grumpy or exasperated expression I had expected, she looked confused and conflicted. "Is that what you want?" Her voice was little more than a whisper. "I understand that you might want to be alone for this. Vix and I would love to be there with you, but if you'd prefer we stay behind I understand."
For a long moment I didn't say anything. I didn't know what I wanted. Eve waited a moment, listening for my answer. When none came she continued quickly. "It's alright. Just think about it. Ready to keep going?"
Again, I just nodded, my head full and muddled. Eve and Vix moved closer to my sides as we started again down the street. This time, I was more focused. A simple brick building had come into view. A quiet power radiated from it that sent a drop of warmth into my stomach. That's why I was doing everything I could not to look at it.
When it came into view, the sight tore at my heart more than I had expected. It was ridiculous, I knew, especially considering I was also planning to visit the place where my whole family had died, but the sight of my father's Enchanting Studio threatened to overwhelm me. My throat tightened as I recalled the years I had gone with him to work in the mornings before school. When I had played underneath the tall tables and workbenches as customers brought in items for him to enchant. I could almost smell the jars of paint and hear the sizzling sound of runes being traced.
But what was the building now? I wasn't sure if I could stand seeing it empty and abandoned, or worse, with someone else's name on a sign above the door. As we approached, I stared determinately straight ahead, quickening my step so I wouldn't be tempted to even peek. As we passed in front of it, though, Eve and Vix slowed. They moved closer to the building and stopped to examine it. I slowed too, hoping that they would eventually stop investigating and move on with me. Instead, she called to me. "Slink, come look at this."
How could they know what that specific building was to me? Of all the buildings we had passed without a second look, this was the one they wanted to stop in front of. "Come on, Slink," Vix called. "You need to see this. It's…" she trailed off with a little sigh.
I whirled on the spot ready to tell them that I really didn't want to be here and could we please move on, when I caught sight of the side of the workshop, and my jaw dropped. A massive mural covered the side of the two-story building in various shades of red orange and yellow. Three Delphox stood, arms stretched over their heads. Their wands were held aloft, their tips touching. A flame flickered where the wands met, seeming to dance and flicker despite being paint on stone. Directly below the flame a Fennekin sat, looking up at the fire with wide eyes and an almost wistful expression.
For an infinite instant I stood there, mouth agape. "Who… is this… what…?" Eve tapped my shoulder, pointing towards a large bronze plaque by the building's edge. It read:
Passing the Torch
In the Summer of 63, three Delphox tragically lost their lives at Lake Ogon. Flare, his mate Mystic, and their daughter Blaze were murdered by those calling themselves "Team Hatred". These three faces have been immortalized here at the site of Flare's Studio as a tribute to three compassionate members of our community who were taken far too soon.
Painted by Alphonse Smeargle
The plaque had tarnished and worn down a bit, but the paint on the bricks was impeccable, still vibrant as though it has been painted yesterday. For a long moment I stood there, drinking in every single detail of the mural. The strands of fur on their arms, the tiny details on their wands, the expressions on the Delphox's faces.
I drifted forward slowly, fixated on my parents' faces. They were almost exactly how I had remembered them in life. I wondered for a moment if the artist had known them. Tentatively I reached out and placed my paw on the painted Fennekin. The moment my paw touched the surface, dozens of flickering, red runes blazed to life across the wall. They were everywhere, all different sizes, different symbols — different handwriting.
My paw seemed to be glued to the wall, otherwise I might have stumbled back. I read each symbol, slowly piecing together the enchantment that they had all combined to imbue. Push...Water… from one. Air...Protect… from another two. Then, from four more: called out with the voice of a different Delphox: Heart...Change...Protect...Fire. A dozen smaller runes twinkled like red stars, tributes that ensured not only that this memory would never fade, but that it would also give off the feelings that they had given me: warmth, comfort, and safety.
"Slink," Eve had whispered after a long moment. I turned back to her, my eyes watering. A few people had stopped on the street, and even more slowed in their passing, blatantly staring at us. No, at me. I watched their eyes flicker from me to the Fennekin on the wall. I shrank back, shriveling under their gaze. Then Eve stepped forward between me and them. I was dreading the moment when one of them would speak. When they'd ask if I was the Fennekin, or would offer condolences I really didn't want to hear.
"Alright, keep moving. Hey, why don't you mind your own business." Vix stood, head and tails high, growling at the crowd. The majority of them politely moved on, a few shooting glances at us back over their shoulders. The few stragglers held their ground, until Vix's tails ignited and Eve's gem blazed to life. They almost ran away.
Vix turned to face us, a proud smirk on her face, tails wagging. She and Eve shared a laugh as they watched the Pokemon hurry away. I watched them, still crouched against the wall. Heat radiated from two runes that I was pressed against. The fear and shame I'd carried since arriving lessened slightly at the sound of their laughter.
"Slink, you okay?" Eve asked, turning back to me.
"Er, yeah." I said straightening up. "Thanks for that." Eve nodded back with an understanding smile. I took one last look at the mural behind me before speaking again. "I uh… I'm ready to go… if you are. I…" I took a deep breath. "Listen, if… if you're both alright with it, I'd love for you to come up to the lake with me."
"Of course," Eve said taking this as permission to move closer, rubbing against my side.
"Wait, you weren't going to take us?" Vix said in mock annoyance.
That teased a laugh from me. "Of course not." How could I have even considered going alone when the two of them were all that made this tolerable Warmth filled my chest, a warmth that had nothing to do with the Dreamstone.
The lake was beautiful. Just like how I remembered. Miles wide, completely filling the valley between two massive rows of hills. The water glittered a stunning turquoise beneath the sun and as smooth as glass. Sand spilled from the hills as they neared the water, a stunning black against the water, grass, and sky.
Distant laughter and sounds of splashes wafted toward us as we approached the North side of the lake. The dirt road beneath us was narrow, roughly hewn into the side of the hill beneath the dappled shadows of a small copse of trees. It was peaceful, but that peace just gave me more room to think, to dread.
Since we had left town, it seemed like time and space were taking great leaps forward. We were leaving town, we had crested the hill overlooking the lake, we were only a couple of houses away. Now, the bizarre mix of excitement and dread in my stomach forced me to a stop. The short road leading to the place where everything had changed seemed to stretch into infinity. Each step I took seemed to take an eternity.
Something warm pressed against my side. I flinched, the world snapping back into scale as I remembered that I wasn't alone. "We're here," Eve said. "Whatever you need."
And then we were there, suddenly in front of where I'd lost everything. The house, having been built into the side of the hill, had left behind an oddly shaped scar in the earth. Only a single post remained standing, like a gravestone. The wood was charred black and covered in a layer of moss and algae. A piece of red cloth had been tied to it. It was faded and tattered, fluttering weakly in the breeze.
Further back, the chimney, which once rose above the surrounding trees, had been reduced to a pile of crumbling rocks no taller than me. The rusted corner of something metal jutted out from beneath. The rest of the of the rubble had just degraded: turned to cinders, rotted away, and was now covered in so much dirt, moss, and reemerging plant life that I barely recognized any of it. If I hadn't lived there for over a decade I might have just wandered by the mound, dismissing it as an oddly shaped hill.
For a brief moment I wondered if anything might have survived the fire. A small piece of my mother's jewelry, the tattered remains of one of my sister's books, a scrap of my father's bag. Of course, after so long the remains had either been looted, ruined by the elements, or buried beneath the collapsed foundation. With an awful jolt, I remembered that this was my fault. I tried to convince myself that it had been necessary to escape, but that didn't stop the guilt.
But there was something more important than the ruins. In the wildly overgrown yard, only a few feet from the road, there were three trees planted in a loose triangle. The middle one, furthest from the road, was a wispy Aspen. To the right was a steely Cottonwood, and on the left was a squat Apple Tree. I drifted forward, slowly, unconsciously drifting towards the trio. It was like stepping into a different world. Wildflowers dotted the roots, sweetening the grass' bitter, earthy scent. Seeds borne on cloud-like fluff fell as thick as snow from the cottonwood.
An unsettling sensation like Joltik crawling beneath my fur washed over me as soon as I got close to the trees. They radiated a strange Psychic power, like a rancid scent clinging to the air. Psychic power, a thousand powerful enchantments, slowly rotting away. My legs numbed, then suddenly buckled. I lay on my stomach, legs stretched out behind me, my mind entirely focused on boughs and leaves and trunks. And then suddenly there were tears running down my cheeks, my shoulders shaking as grief overtook me again.
Soft footsteps rustled the grass behind me, and then suddenly Vix was lying by my side. She had two of her tails draped over me, squeezing tight.
Eve sat on my other side at what I think she believed to be a respectful distance. I wished she would draw closer, but I could feel discomfort radiating from her. A helpless feeling as she agonized over how best to help me. I could understand her hesitation, given the flood of emotions and memories that were washing over me.
The low hanging branches of the apple tree looked strong. The trunk splitting close to the ground made a perfect spot to climb up or just sit. I could imagine a Briaxen perched there, half hidden among the leaves, a book in one hand and a half-eaten apple in the other.
Several twigs littered the ground around the Cottonwood. Some the same size as my mother's wand. Without thinking about it, I summoned one of the sticks to me, turning it over with my mental grip. I snapped it in two, revealing the dark star nestled in the wood. It looked so different without Fire and Psychic power smouldering through it.
But I was most drawn to the Aspen. I tripped over the tangled nest of roots between the three trees as I approached it. Its dark eyes stared down at me, and I felt a tingle in my stomach. A tree just like this one had grown just outside my bedroom window when I was little. I put my paw on the trunk, feeling the power flowing through the wood. At my touch, hundreds of runes flared to life, criss-crossing the bark like chains. They blazed bright for a moment before several dozen fizzled out at once, their power exhausted.
"Hey! Get away from there!"
I jumped, nearly falling over myself trying to turn and find the speaker. A splash of bright yellow against the road and sky.
"Show some respect! Get away from those." Eve and Vix hurried back to the road, looking politely ashamed of themselves. I stayed planted stubbornly by the trees.
"I said get out of there! Have some respect for the dead!" the Boltund shouted as she drew near. She rounded the corner, sparks of electricity flickering about her paws. For a long moment, she stared at me, enraged — then recognition flickered across her face. She relaxed, the energy crackling about her feet fading. "Slink?"
I flinched. "Hello, Kay." I hadn't expected to see her. In fact, I had been hoping to avoid her.
"Slink, oh thank Arceus!" She surged forward and hugged me. Eve and Vix both shot me very confused looks, but I merely sighed in resignation. "We were so worried. We hadn't heard anything from you in so long. I thought the Hatred had gotten you too. It's such a relief to see you safe."
She stepped back, looking me up and down more closely, her tail whipping energetically behind her. I took the opportunity to examine her as well. She seemed small for a Boltund, though that could have been the stoop in her shoulders. There were a few thick streaks of silver in her fur too. She certainly looked much older than the last time I had seen her, but I had to imagine that she was still as fast and as stubborn as a Zebstrika. "I'm fine, Kay. Really I am. Just… a lot has happened since..." I gestured vaguely at the house.
She nodded. "Right, right, sorry. So what brings you back?Just to visit or…?"
"We were just passing through. I wanted to come see the place and make sure that things were...okay here." My voice cracked again as I spoke. I really hoped that she wouldn't ask more. Thankfully something I had said distracted her.
"We?" She turned around, seeming to notice Eve and Vix for the first time. "Oh hello."
I forced a smile. "Kay, this is my mate, Eve, and our daughter, Vix. You two, this is Kay. She lives next door and was good friends with my parents." Kay blinked at the words 'mate' and 'daughter' but otherwise didn't react.
"It has been an eventful two years," she said with a smile. "It is very nice to meet you both."
"Uh, nice to meet you too, Kay," Eve said, moving over to sit beside me. "Sorry, we didn't mean to disturb things."
"No worries," Kay said waving a paw, "I didn't mean to scare you. Only locals really know what happened here. I try to keep strangers away from it." She looked pointedly at me. "The least I could do, really."
I swallowed around the lump in my throat. This was a question I needed the answer to. "Who buried them?"
"I did, dear. I couldn't just leave them there." I nodded, trying to keep my breathing even. "They told me how it was done. I couldn't cremate them, unfortunately, but I did everything else I could. Honestly, I didn't think their wands would grow with all the damage from the fire." She grimaced. "I did it all correctly, right?"
"Of course," I said quickly. "It's…" — I looked over the scene again and took a deep breath — "perfect, and peaceful. Really, Kay, thank you."
"It was the least I could do," she said quickly. "I only wish I could have done more. The Hatred, who'd have thought they'd go after them? And to burn it down in their wake, as if they hadn't taken enough. Disgusting." I did my best to bite my tongue. She couldn't know what she was saying, but she was getting a bit close to the line for me. Perhaps it was best to end things.
"It's getting late," I said, not looking at the Boltund, "we should head back to town before it gets dark. It was good to see you, Kay."
"So soon," she said sounding worried. "Was it something I said? I didn't mean to be insensitive. If you wish, I won't bring it up again."
"No really, it isn't you," I lied, "we just need to go. We're headed South tomorrow, and it would probably be easier to head back to town tonight. It would save us a couple of hours journey tomorrow."
Kay looked like she wanted to say something, but she didn't. "I… I understand. I'm sorry, Slink. You and your family would be more than welcome to stay the night at my house if you wished. But if you really prefer to head back to town, then I wish you the best."
Guilt seized me. It wasn't her fault. This was entirely my problem. She was just concerned about me. My whole life she had looked out for me, and even in death she was still watching over my family. Still, I couldn't shake my discomfort. I could apologize later, I guessed. But I couldn't stay the night, I just couldn't.
"Dad?"
If anything could snap me out of my own head, that one barely-whispered word was it.
"Can... can we… stay?"
Another wave of guilt crashed over me as I turned to look at Vix. My preoccupation had blinded me to how she was doing. I should have realized that one night of sleep and one meal wouldn't be enough to help her recover from the last couple of days. She was sitting at Eve's feet, hunched over. She looked bad, like she was going to collapse at any moment. I doubt she could have made it back to town, at least not without Eve or me carrying her.
Eve stroked Vix's back with her tail. She gave me a resigned look, seeming to say "this is still your choice." I sighed, there was only one choice I ever could make.
"Kay, I'm sorry but… would you mind putting us up for the night?"
The Boltund smiled eagerly, and her tail snuck in a few quick wags before she stilled it. "Of course. Of course." She looked Vix up and down. "If you want, I can take the little lady on ahead. See if we can't find her some food and some rest. You two can stay a little longer if you want."
Vix stared at the two of us, wide-eyed. It was clear that under no circumstances did she want us to leave her alone.
"No, we'll come too."
Kay nodded and then started back off towards her house, trusting us to follow. "I'm very proud of you," I said to Vix after a few minutes. "You kept yourself together for longer than I ever could have expected. I'm sorry I was… distracted today. That wasn't fair to you."
She walked in silence, and for a moment I thought she was too tired to say what she was thinking. But eventually she spoke. "If my mother had had a grave, I'd have wanted to see it too. You needed this. I just wanted to be here with you. Sorry I couldn't do any more."
I nudged her gently with my shoulder. "Don't be sorry," I said firmly, "and besides, maybe it is for the best." I shot a look over my shoulder. "You gave me just a little more time."
That night, I waited. I tried my best to lie still and silent, eyes closed, but I didn't dare let myself fall asleep. I rested against Eve, who had Vix curled up against her chest. The bed was too small for all three of us — both of my left legs hung off the side — but Vix insisted, and the two of us knew that she needed it.
I waited in suffocating darkness for hours, listening for the usual sounds of sleep. Vix's snuffling snores were the easiest to find, and a weight from my shoulders. The change in Eve's breathing was subtler, but eventually it came. Even once I was certain they were both asleep, I forced myself to wait out a painful ten minutes. Nothing changed, and yet I was still apprehensive. Eventually, I willed myself to sneak away, doing my best not to jostle the others. It was more of a slither, letting gravity do most of the work until I was on the ground.
With every near-silent footstep, I had to resist the temptation to stop and listen. With every slightly-squeaky door I opened, it took everything I had to not look over my shoulder. I wanted to do this alone, and quickly, before I changed my mind.
And then I was outside. Humid air filled my lungs, still almost as hot as the day. The moon was a tiny sliver peeking down from the sky. The lake reflected the pale light, the only indication of where the sky ended and the water began. I started off towards the road, feeling my Fire spread through me until I glowed with it. Then I reached the road and turned to face the way we had come.
Fwoosh. Flames exploded from me as I took off running. My muscles screamed from the sudden burst of speed. I was a blinding streak in the night as I pushed myself to my limit. Everything I had held inside since arriving fueled the flames, turning them white hot.
Then it was over. The light, the heat, the pain all stopped as I came to a shuddering halt. I stumbled the last couple of steps before collapsing to the ground, right in the middle of those trees. Their roots wove together just below the surface, making a nest-like structure. A patch of soft soil in the center made for a comfortable bed, encouraging me to settle down as I stared up at the towering trunks.
Decay tinged the feeling of the runes, but the warmth of my family's magic still clung beneath it. I placed a paw on my chest, feeling the slight warmth of the Dreamstone just below my skin. Silently I willed it to come to life. To leave me and fill the grove with its power. Please, I begged it silently, I want to talk to them again. But that wasn't what the Dreamstone was for. It pulsed feebly beneath my paw, like an apology before fading away. It was wishful thinking, I knew, but being here, knowing what was to come, I wanted to talk to them more than ever.
"Hey there." The words rang like a shout in the near-silent night. My heart pounded as I turned on the spot, half expecting to see my mother or sister standing there. Of course, it was Eve.
"What are you doing out here?" I asked, settling myself down again.
"I felt you leave. I wanted to make sure you were okay." She kept her distance, seemingly unsure if she was welcome.
"I... I wanted to be alone," I said without looking at her. "I didn't mean to worry you."
"Oh... right," she said. "Sorry, I can go if you want."
I didn't answer her right away. I didn't know what I wanted. Being out here in the dark, it was lonelier than I had thought. I didn't need to hide from Eve, especially when she just wanted to help me.
She took my silence as permission to stay. "It really is beautiful," she said as she moved closer. "Is that how all Delphox are buried?"
"It's traditional," I said. I still couldn't decide if I really wanted her there or not, though talking with her was almost comforting. I'm sure she knew it.
"Any reason why?" she said as she settled down at my side. She remained a short distance away still, not touching or crowding me.
"To keep our magic from dying, I think. The best wands come from Delphox trees, and are more likely to connect with a Braixen. I'm pretty sure my mother's wand came from her grandmother's tree." I stared wistfully up at the Cottonwood. "It's comforting, you know? To think that some part of you will live on after you die. That it will become a big part of someone else's life." I paused for a moment, taking a deep breath. "It's how I'd like to be buried."
"We are not having this conversation, Slink." Eve said firmly.
"You know what we are going into. If something goes wrong — "
"I said I don't want to talk about it!" she snapped. "You aren't going to die."
"I'm not planning on it," I replied while fighting to keep my voice even. "I don't want to die. But we don't know what is coming. This is just something we might have to face."
Eve sighed. "Slink, I can't think about that. I just can't. If you died… I don't know what I would do with myself. I'd never be the same again." Before I could respond, she plowed on. "And what about Vix? She'd probably never recover. Slink, she drove herself to exhaustion because she was worried about us. One of us actually dying…"
"I know." My voice cracked as I turned back to the graves again. I knew exactly how she would feel. This whole day served as a reminder of that. "I'd never want to hurt either of you like that. I feel it too you know. The idea of you, of either of you… it makes me feel sick to even think about it. But they want me dead. They always have. There is always a possibility…"
"There is always a possibility, Slink. Every mission we've ever done could have ended tragically, but we made it through. Every other fight with Smoke, we survived. We will make it through this one too. We have to."
She laid her cheek against my chest, shivering slightly despite the warmth. "Can I ask you something?" I said into her ear.
"Depends on what it is," she replied into my fur. "So help me if you make me promise to bury you or something, I swear to Arceus..."
"Well, now that you mention it..." I said, trying to stifle a laugh. Eve stared, exasperated, until her composure cracked and she started giggling too.
"Is that all?" she groaned as she relaxed back into me.
"Well, no. Actually, it has to do with Vix."
"Right," Eve said, her laughter dying. "What are we going to do with her?"
"I don't think we can keep Vix out of this fight. I'm sure we could leave her with Kay, but what's to stop her from following us again? And if she worries herself to death, I'm not sure I'd want to have her stay behind."
"But what are our other options?" Eve said. "It is way too dangerous to bring her along. I know she can handle herself but…" she paused, perhaps realizing that she was about to step over the line she hadn't dared cross a moment ago. "If she got hurt or… or worse. We can't risk that."
"Well, when we get there, maybe there will be another team that can keep an eye on her. She might be a good help with evacuation or something. That way she'd still be there and know what is happening, but she won't be in danger."
"She crossed the continent by herself because she was worried about us." Eve shook her head. "I know what you're trying to do, but do you really think that this will keep her out of the fight?"
"I have one other idea," I forced the words out before I could stop myself, "but you won't like it."
"What did you have in mind?"
I took a deep breath, steeling myself for what was about to happen. "The last time Vix was taken by the Hatred I chose to protect both of us, and it nearly cost us everything. I… we can't let that happen again. So that's why… if that happens and you have to choose between protecting Vix and protecting me, I want you to save Vix."
The flood of protests I had been expecting never came. Eve's eyes were wide, her mouth working, but nothing was coming out. Finally in a strained whisper she gasped out, "Slink… I... I can't… I don't want to make that choice."
"That's why it's not a choice. That's the point. If the situation happens, I want you to save Vix. That's my choice."
"There are other options, Slink. We don't have to think like this."
"Vix needs someone. She can't lose both of us. I won't let her grow up like that. I know Sierra would take her in a heartbeat, but it isn't the same. She needs her mom or dad."
"She needs both of us!" Eve argued, her voice growing sharper.
"I know. I'm not planning on it being necessary. Just if it is… that's what she needs."
Eve clamped her mouth shut. I'm sure she didn't trust herself to say exactly what she was thinking. "Shane isn't a part of the Hatred anymore. And even if he were, I doubt he would be enough to protect me from Smoke again. I'm in just as much danger as you are, so if we do this, I want to make it a pact. I want you to promise me too."
I studied her, and she met my gaze determinedly. She knew exactly what was going through my head. How hypocritical I was by making her promise to give me up while being unwilling to do the same for her. "Is that what you want?"
"No. I don't," she said with a huff. "I want us all to walk away from this. I want this to be over so we can finally be happy. I don't want this Slink, it is the last thing I want. But you're right... this could happen. And if it does… I want you to make it out. I want you to be together and have a chance to be happy." She slumped against me as her words seemed to register in her own mind. "It feels awful. Even considering this."
"Eve, I'd never make you do this if you didn't want. Just because I'm comfortable with the idea doesn't mean I should expect you to be too. The way I see it, I'm trusting you to watch my back, unless Vix needs you more. Nothing wrong with that, right?"
"I guess." She pressed her face into my chest again. "Guess we'll just have to wait and see." Those were her last words of the night. She drifted off, trusting in me to keep her warm and safe.
As for me, sleep never found me that night. I didn't let it. This place, this moment — t was simply too precious. The heavy silence didn't feel lonely with the four of them there. I wished I could freeze this moment and live in it forever. My feelings had stilled and settled. Grief and sadness still lingered, but they had been muffled by a feeling of contentment and acceptance.
Yes, tomorrow would bring a worried Kay, an irate Vix, and saying goodbye to all of this once again. The coming days would bring great hardship, and not just for us. But then and there, that didn't matter. Not during one last quiet night surrounded by those who I loved the most.