If you feel so inclined, please visit my Poll.

A/N: Well, isn't this a nostalgic sight?

This story is dead, well and truly. Parts of it live on elsewhere, certainly, but ALB, A Legend's Beginning, is dead and gone. Well, not gone.

It was gone though, and for that I would like to apologize. I did all my loyal followers very dirty, as the kids say. I deleted this story, completely and utterly. What made it all worse, was that I didn't even give any warning. For that, I apologize. I was in a very bad place for a very long time. So, though it's not deserved, I ask your forgiveness.

This story was the first story, the very first, that I'd ever written. As such, in my humble opinion, it's trash. I fell into the glorifying OP shite that most SI's do, and that is a… well, not something to be proud of imho. Of course, in the grand scheme of things lore wise, the MC really isn't that OP. Just is compared to the average Joe, but that's irrelevant.

I won't be continuing this story, but I will be keeping it up on the site. If you're new, I hope you find something to enjoy in it, and if you're returning, I really don't deserve you guys and gals. I don't know if I'll ever write under this account again, but if I do, it won't be for a long time… though I do have other stories on the site. Please, enjoy the story, and I'm aware that it is not a masterpiece by any stretch of the word.

Which reminds me. I'll respond to reviews, but this story is so old and out of date for my writing that any advice people would give me is completely irrelevant, so don't feel pressured to do so. After all, this story is like, five years old or so.


Disclaimer: Aurumn does not own Pokemon nor any of its affiliates. He does, however, own this story and the characters found therein.

{What do you want?}
[Another chance.]

The first thing that his brain registered was pain. Horrible, agonizing, gut wrenching pain. He let out a small groan and rolled onto his back, with his eyes still closed. He opened them slowly, and stared at the ceiling, trying to process what had happened. He was brushing his teeth, getting ready to turn in for the night when he had heard loud noises in the hallway. He had opened the door, only to see three men wearing ski masks and a handgun leveled at him. Before he could even blink there was a loud bang, followed by a searing pain in his chest as he collapsed on the bathroom floor, before apparently blacking out. Well, he thought, I'm still breathing. Guess it ain't that bad.

He shifted his gaze to where his hands were, pressed against where the most pain was at. Moving his hands away from his body slightly, he checked his injury. Well, maybe it is. The only thing he could see was blood, so dark a red that it looked black. That can't be good.

He slowly attempted to stand on his feet, using the counter on his right to support himself. Now standing, he looked down at his slim figure, white shirt stained red by his blood. Damn. I liked this shirt. He stood there for a moment, before the sheer idiocy of his thought struck him. Just got shot and I'm worried about my shirt.

He heard another noise coming from outside the bathroom door, which had partially shut when he had collapsed, leaving barely a crack open. Right, bad guys still inside house. He contemplated going out into the hall and beating their collective asses, until he realized that in his current state, he wouldn't stand a chance. That was when he remembered his cell-phone in his left front pocket. I'm an idiot, he thought to himself. He slowly sat down, placing his back against the cupboards, pulling out his phone as he did so.

"911, what's your emergency?"

"My house is being robbed, possibly with my family being held hostage. The address is 595 Tower Court, SE."

"How many robbers, are they armed and is anyone injured? And are you currently inside the home?"

"They are definitely armed. Only saw three of them, all with sidearms, but there might be more. As far as injuries goes, I've been shot once in the chest area at close range, and I'm starting to feel delirious. I am sitting in our bathroom at the moment."

"How bad are you bleeding? Are you able to stay on and talk, or are you at risk of being found?"

"Can't tell, the entire front half of my body is red. I can't talk much longer, already pushing it as is…. Are cruisers on their way?"

"Yes sir, they should be there any minute."

"Good… I don't think I'm going to be conscious, maybe even alive for much longer. I've lost a lot of blood, it was probably close to 2 hours ago that I got shot. I blacked out for a bit, so I'm not sure, but my bathroom floor is covered in blood…"

"Sir, try to stay awake!"

"Sir?"

"Sir, are you still there?"

POV: Staff Sergeant Wolfe, 7 Years Later

He woke with a start, sweat streaming from his body as it was wracked with tremors. Every single time, he thought. Every single damn time. For the life of him he couldn't understand why his brain insisted on remembering that night. It's been 7 fucking years! 7! Just forget it already! No matter how much he yelled at himself, he knew that he would probably never forget that day for as long as he lived. Hell, he just had to look at his chest to remember it. The scars were right there, plain as day. Sometimes he could still feel his bullet wounds.

The absolute worst part of his dreams though, is that it was never from his perspective. Always watching either his brothers or his sisters. Never his. Every night, it was the same exact thing. Every night he was one of the people he held most dear.

Every night he saw the faces of the ones he lost.

I had to play fucking hero. I just had to fight back, he thought. I just had to get my brothers and sisters killed. He sighed softly to himself. "I suppose I should get on with my day. Might as well start early," he said to himself. He glanced at his alarm clock. It read 3:43 am. "Ughhhh…" he groaned

Suddenly there was a furious pounding on his door, followed by a voice saying, "Sergeant, you need to get up. Something's going on. Something big!"
Wolfe groaned again. "Alright, I'm on my way. Give me five."
"Yes Sergeant!" the person, who Wolfe assumed was a Private, yelled. What a dumb fuck, shouting at 4 in the morning. Fuck him, he thought. If there was one thing that Wolfe hated, it was loud people in the morning. Horrible on the ears, and the mood. He instantly decided that today was going to be a bad day.

"Great," he muttered. "My luck I'm gonna get shot today. Again." He actually had a reputation on base and with buddies for having the shittiest luck, or the greatest luck depending on how you look at it. He'd been shot a total of 32 times in his entire six years of service. Plus three times prior to service, but nobody talked about that.

Wolfe slowly rotated his body on his cot and placed his feet on the ground, before burying his head in his hands for a few moments. Then he stood up with a grunt and cracked his back, before he threw on his uniform. I hate these damn things, he thought as he tied his boots. They take to long to put on and they're hot as fuck. Can't be helped I guess, at least they look nice. Camouflage uniform on, he made his way to the entrance of the tin hut that served as his room.

Once outside, he immediately reached into his pocket and pulled out his cigarettes, along with his lighter and lit one. As he pocketed the lighter, he noticed the messenger, who was indeed a private, look at him with disgust. Wolfe snorted in amusement but didn't say anything as he started walking.

"You know Sergeant, those things are killing you," the young man said.

Wolfe just snorted again, before replying, "Private, if I wanted to be preached at, I would go to church."

"I'm just saying Sergeant, think of your family back home. They already have to worry about you with all of this bullshit going on here. The least you can do is give them one less thing to worry about, right?"

Wolfe glanced sideways at the private, before looking forward and saying, "I don't believe that I stuttered Private. You ain't my pastor, so don't preach at me. Also, I can guarantee that my family isn't worrying one bit about me, smoking or not. Now then, if you don't know the situation, don't say anything. I smoke for a reason."

The private just looked at him with a questioning look, before saying, "Why won't your family worry about you? Sure, everyone fights with their families, but at the end of the day you still love each other."

Wolfe just sighed, still looking forward. They walked in silence for a moment, before he began speaking again. "Private, I appreciate you being concerned with my health, but don't bother. I'm a dead man living off of borrowed time anyway. This here cigarette is just speeding up the counter a bit."

He stopped talking for a moment, before answering the privates question. "I know my family isn't worried about me Private, because they're all dead already, and my son doesn't even know I exist."

The private gasped and stopped walking, although Wolfe didn't. He knew the way to go. Let him think on that for a while, he thought to himself. A nice lesson in not judging others.

POV: Lura, 926 Years Before Big Freeze

The first thing that she remembered was seeing him, right after she hatched. He was large and tall, with brown eyes, pink lips, pale cheeks, with brow curly hair and a roundish face. She instantly decided that she loved this creature in front of her, even if it was a bit odd looking. She loved him. "Eevveee!" she shouted at him, with a big smile on her face as she leaped towards him.

He chuckled as she fell flat on her face in front of him, before picking her up and smiling at her with his kind brown eyes staring into her own. She found herself hoping that her own eyes were such a lovely shade of brown. "Why hello there, my adorable little eevee. Welcome to our world," he told her. "My name is Gary Peterson, and you will be Lura Peterson. I hope that you like your name!"

Yes, Lura Peterson thought. I do like my name. No, I love it. And I love you Gary, and I always will.

Her first days passed by very quickly for her. Day one was all about learning to walk, and meeting the family, which was Gary and his parents, who he addressed as Mom and Dad. Lura figured that since he called them that, she would call them that to, although it probably wouldn't have mattered. She found out quite quickly that, for some reason, Gary and his parents couldn't understand her.

Day two was all about her learning her surrounding. She found out that the Peterson's were farmers, with a couple Miltank and well as a few Tauros. On top of the other pokemon, they also had a couple different crops, such as berries and wheat. Lura like the smell of the berries, and enjoyed the company of the Miltanks, although the Tauros came across as rude to her, so she stayed away from them. She learned from the Miltank named Bertha that Lura was a pokemon known as Eevee, and that supposedly they were quite uncommon.

After that her days blurred into becoming weeks, weeks into months and months, into years. She learned a lot along the way, such as that the Peterson's were considered to be peasants, and as such they owed their Lord a portion of all the food and milk that they produced. Lura was slightly confused as to why they owed someone anything, but Bertha told her that it was because he provided them with protection in the form of patrolling soldiers and keeping bandits and wild pokemon away from their house and barn.

As the years went by, harvests came and went, and the Peterson's managed to get by every year. And Lura was happy. Life was peaceful, her family was loving, and she enjoyed every minute of it. That is, she did until something happened to Bertha, twelve years after the day of her hatching.

One day, as Lura was talking to Bertha, the Miltank started coughing. And coughing and coughing and coughing. Lura just stood there, gazing at her with concern, which quickly turned to horror as she began coughing up blood.

Immediately Lura turned around and sprinted outside of the barn, shouting as she went. "Gary!" she shouted. "Gary, come quick! Bertha is sick!"

While she knew he wouldn't be able to understand her, she hoped that the urgency of her voice would let him know something was wrong. It did, and he came bolting out of the house as fast as he could. As soon as she saw him, Lura turned and ran back towards the barn. As she ran she heard footsteps pounding behind her and knew that Gary was following behind closely.

As soon as they entered the barn Lura noticed that Bertha was still coughing, mouth covered in blood. "Oh shit," she heard Gary mutter. He ran to Bertha's side and put a hand on her back, trying to soothe her. It didn't work, as Bertha continued to have her violent coughing fit for a long while. The whole time, Lura was running about with worry, asking Bertha repeatedly if she was ok. Her only answer was more coughing.

Finally she stopped and weakly sat down, breathing hard. "I… I think I might be sick," she said softly. Lura could only nod as Bertha decided to lay down and sleep.

Over the next few weeks Lura's worry grew as Bertha got worse. It got to the point where Bertha couldn't even move from her stall, and Lura was banned from the barn so that she didn't catch it. Lura could only watch from a distance as her friend was slowly dying. When that fateful day finally came, the Peterson's all sat at the kitchen table and discussed things.

"It's a bad omen is what it is," said Dad. "Never seen this kind of sickness before, and it happened right at the end of harvest. Something bad is about to happen, I feel it in my bones.

Gary just shook his head before speaking. "Dad, it's not a bad omen. These things just happen, sometimes right out of the blue. There's nothing we could have done, so we shouldn't dwell on it."

"All I'm saying son, is that I think we should all be cautious in the field and in general. If I'm wrong, then I'm wrong. I won't argue for a bad thing to happen, hell I hope it doesn't. But I know what the people my neighbors are talking about, and what the nobles and townsfolk talk about. Something is coming. Something bad."

Gary simply sighed. "I know dad, and to make you feel better I will be a bit more cautious when I'm out. Doesn't change that nothing is going to happen."

"I hope that you're right. Meanwhile, let's get back to work. Harvest ain't gonna happen by itself."

Lura thought about that conversation for a while. Bertha was gone, so she couldn't get her opinion on it. This was something that she had to figure out by herself. She swore to herself, that if something did happen, she would be ready.

Days passed, which soon turned to weeks, until finally, a month had passed. Lura still missed Bertha, but she had her family to help her cope. Didn't change the fact that her childhood friend was gone, and that she would never see her again.

One night, about six weeks after Bertha had died, the Peterson's had a visitor. It was a man, dressed in a black cloak that shadowed his face so that no one ever got a clear image of it. He spoke in a deep, calming voice that compelled you to listen to him. He asked Lura to take him to the owner of the farm. She had nodded, and led him to Gary's dad, who was currently talking to Gary himself.

"What can I do for you sir?" Dad had asked.

"Mr. Peterson," he started. "I felt that I should warn you. A certain individual is talking to me, trying to arrange a contract. He wants you and your family dead. He hasn't said why, but I don't necessarily need to know the reason. Supposedly you have something that he wants. Something he wants bad enough to charge my price and have you killed. You seem like a nice enough family, but I must warn you, for the sake of your wife and your children, that you must flee."

Lura just stared in shock at the mystery man, along with Gary and his father. Finally, the elder man found his voice.

"I beg your pardon, but I swear I just heard you say that you were told to murder us."

The man was quiet for a bit, before talking again. "You heard correctly Mr. Peterson. Although I wouldn't call it murder, as I am warning you right now."

"But you are still willing to kill innocent people! And for what reason!" he half shouted.

"Calm yourself sir. It is merely business, something that I am sure you are aware of. After all, you are a sort of business man yourself. Just my business involves darker methods."

This time Lura had to speak, even though she knew he probably wouldn't understand her. "That isn't business, that's murder!"

The stranger looked at her. "Some might see it that way, little eevee, but we all must make a living somehow. I don't have the skills to be a good merchant, nor the desire to be a pawn in some foolish nobles war. I am simply a mercenary and an assassin. That is all that I am capable of."

Lura and the rest of the Peterson's stared at him in shock. Finally Gary spoke. "Y-you can understand her?!'

The man turned his attention back towards the humans. "Indeed I can. I am aware that most cannot, but all of my kind can."

"Your kind? You mean to tell me that you aren't a man?" Dad asked incredulously.

"No, I am indeed a man. Just something more, if that makes any sense."

Gary shook his head, then said, "Alright, lets get back on track. You are being hired to kill us."

"That is correct."

Dad spoke again. "I… I honestly don't know what to say. I've never been in a situation where someone has straight up told me that they were going to kill me and those that I love."

They all looked at the assassin, who remained silent. Dad then said, "What exactly do you want us to do? And can we do anything at all to change your mind?"

The man just looked at him for a moment, then said, "If you want my advice… Leave. Pack up and leave. Move to another territory. I am already going against my normal conduct by talking to you and telling you this. If you were to go to another place, I wouldn't follow. It is highly unlikely that he will be able to pay my fee for the distance. As for what you can do to change my mind, there is nothing. Once I've been paid I will complete my tasks, of that there is no doubt."

"Why warn us then? Why not just show up and slaughter us once you were paid?"

The man chuckled quietly. "The answer to that is both simple and complicated. Lets just say that when I did my research on your family I found that you were all pretty innocent. A few problems in your history, such as the legitimacy of your son, or the fact that you have another son conceived by a whore. He's doing well by the way. He ended up being a soldier and is currently garrisoned in Nor."

Gary immediately turned his head to his father, who was looking stricken and embarrassed. "Is… is that true father? Am I really not your son?"

"No, he is your father, of that do not doubt. And a good man at that. He's worked hard to atone for his sins, as has your mother. Do not let your trust in them falter, especially as you may not have all that much time left."

Dad found his voice again. "How is it that you know of these secrets? Some of them are so hidden that even I have forgotten them."

"I have my sources, and lets just leave it at that. Nothing stays secret forever."

Gary stared at the man again, before saying, "I think that it's about time that you leave. I don't believe that you are welcome here any more."

The man nodded once, before speaking again. "Of course, I would not want to bother you for long anyway. I merely ask that you think on what I have told you. At the moment I am not your enemy. You might even consider me a friend if you like. I can guarantee you a month of peace, but that is all. If you are not gone you will surely die."

The mercenary then made ready to leave. Before he walked out the door however, Lura called after him, "Wait! You can understand me, so can you answer a couple questions for me?"

The man looked back at her, and then shrugged.. "Sure, why not." He then turned towards the men around the table. "Your eevee has a couple questions for me. Would you be alright if I answer them?"

Gary looked concerned for a moment, then shrugged. "I don't see the harm in it."

The man nodded before making his way over to where Lura was standing on the floor and sat down. "What would you like to know?"

Lura nodded once and then sat and began her questions, of which she had many. "Why do humans wear those fabric thingies?"

"They are called clothes, and we wear them to keep us warm and to protect our modesty."
Lura nodded again. That made sense. "What are you called?"

"I have many names, but you may call me Wolfe."

"Okay Wolfe, did you have anything to do with Bertha, our miltank who died about a month ago?"

He shook his head. "No I did not, although I was aware that you had a miltank, I was not aware that one had died. How exactly did that happen?"

Lura looked down sadly. "One day she just got sick and started coughing up blood. As the illness progressed, she became weaker and weaker. She finally died about six weeks ago."

"Ah. I have to say that I am sorry for your loss. I know what it's like to lose the ones you care about."

This surprised her. "You say that, yet you would still kill all of us?"

"Only those required by the contract. If I am honest I would rather not, hence why I warned you all. Think of me what you will, but I do not like taking the lives of innocents."

Well that's surprising, if what he talks about is anything to go by, she thought. "And do I fall under the contract?"

"No you do not little one."

Lura was startled. "Why not?"

He chuckled. "Because I flat out told them that I will not kill an eevee or any evolution of such, no matter the price."

She blinked. "Why?"

"Personal reasons little one. That is all I can say for now."

She nodded again, although she was curious about it now. "Can I see your face?"

The man hesitated, then said, "If we were alone little one I would. However, we are not so I won't."

"Okay," she said. "I can understand that. If I were to follow you outside would you?"

The man was silent for a moment. Then he said, "Why do you want to see my face so much, eevee?"

"It's Lura, not eevee, and because I have never met a human who could understand me before."

He sighed softly, then said, "Well then Lura, I must tell you that I will allow you to see my face outside, but at a price." She frowned. "And what price would that be?"

He chuckled again. "Nothing much I assure you. Just two things. One, if it comes to pass that I must kill your family you will not hate me, for I am not really a murderer, just merely a tool, much like that of a sword. If you are stabbed by someone, do you hate the dagger or do you hate the man wielding it?"

Lura hesitated. "I would hate the man wielding it."

"Exactly. Then consider me the dagger being wielded by another man."

She sighed. "I can't guarantee that I will not hate you but I won't hold it against you."

He nodded once. "That is all I can ask of you."

She hesitated, then asked, "And what was the second thing you want?"

Wolfe was silent for a moment, before speaking again. "I ask that you allow me to give you a gift."

She frowned. "What kind of gift exactly?"

"Just my mark on your shoulder. It will help you later in life, as those who see it will know it as mine, and will leave you alone for fear of retribution. Also, should I be near you, you will not have to fear any harm coming to you, as I will know when you are in trouble and will be able to protect you. I must warn you though, Lura. My mark does have its drawbacks. Should you accept it, it will never disappear. Also, if you are ever in direct contact with me, I will know all that you feel, both that of which you are aware, and that of which you are not."

This time Lura thought hard about it. This mark would forever tie her to the man who may or may not kill her family. She looked towards Gary and his father, who had been staring at Wolfe ever since he had revealed his name. Gary's dad caught her gave questioning look, thought for a moment, and then said, "I would accept Lura. I know of this man and his reputation. If I'm completely honest, if I were to die I would rest easy knowing that you would be safe. So long as you have that mark you will be protected beyond measure, more so than anyone else possibly could, no matter their numbers. He's the reason that the Memories lost their foothold in our land, driving back over one hundred men all by himself. If anyone can keep you safe, he can."

Wolfe looked at the man, seemingly surprised. "What is your name, Mr. Peterson?"

"Charles."

"Well Charles, I am glad to see that you understand what I offer, as your son clearly does not."

Lura turned her attention to Gary, who looked outraged at the thought of anyone marking her, good intentions or not.

"Are you crazy father! This man just threatened to kill us! Yet you would willingly let him claim her as his own?" he shouted.

Lura snapped her head back towards Wolfe, who was facing Gary calmly. "What did he mean by claiming me as your own?" she asked.

He looked towards her before speaking, "It was an old belief that if one was marked, they were the property of the one marking them, much like branding. Modern times, however, see it as more of a promise of affection, as most mark their wives and kids. You don't need to worry though, Lura. That is not the case of my mark. It is uniquely my own. However, others would see you as either my mate if it's a pokemon or my pokemon if it's a human. But that is not the case, nor should you see it as such."

Gary glared at him. Then he said, "No. I refuse to allow you to do that. She is mine and mine alone, you will not take her from me."

This struck Lura like a blow. He spoke of her like she was property, or a pet. Not as a member of the family. She lowered her ears sadly.

Suddenly there was a loud smacking sound, followed by a grunt of pain and a crash. Lura jumped and looked back towards Gary and his father. Gary was currently laid out on the table holding the side of his face, looking at his father in shock. Charles on the other hand, looked absolutely pissed.

"Stop being so fucking selfish! Think about something other than your own greed! I am sick and tired of you being so damn prideful in yourself! First off, Lura is not yours. She is her own, you are merely her guardian. She is probably smarter than you, so don't claim ownership of that! She is not a slave. Second, while I am not particularly keen on dying, if I must I would prefer to die knowing that someone I care about will be safe for the rest of her life. Now get your ass up to your room. I don't want to see you for the rest of the night."

Gary looked at him, still holding the side of his face. He dumbly nodded and made his way up the stairs of their small house. Lura herself was shocked. She had never seen Gary's father so mad at him. She felt a little guilty knowing she was the cause of it, but also felt a little warmth knowing that she wasn't thought of as a pet, but actually part of the family.

Charles looked at Wolfe for a moment before speaking. "I am sorry that you had to bear witness to that. I know that, if we were to die, you would be more than capable of guarding over her. Now if you'll excuse me, I should turn in for the night. I will talk to my wife tomorrow about moving. I thank you for your warning, although I cannot thank you for the message that it carries. I am glad to have met you, though at the moment I wish I never had."

"I understand Charles, and I'm sorry I had to convey such a message. But business is business."

"I am aware. Good life to you, Wolfe."

"And you as well."

Gary's father made his way up the stairs towards his own room, leaving Lura alone with Wolfe, which made her more than a little nervous. She kneaded her paws on the ground nervously, before saying, "I can agree with that price as well. Can we go outside?"

Wolfe nodded. "Of course."

He lead the way outside, holding the door open for Lura courteously. She nodded her gratitude at him before walking over to the top of the hill where the setting sun would give her the most light. He followed behind her steadily, not seeming to be in any hurry. On the contrary, he seemed slightly apprehensive. When Lura reached the top she sat down next to the tree and watched him approach.

When he finally reached the tree at the top he just stood there with his back towards Lura, watching the sunset. "You know, I've always liked sunsets. It's a sign that night is coming and the moon is on its way. While most people people enjoy sunrises more due to it being a representation of hope. Similarly most people prefer the daytime. It's easier that way I suppose. But I love the night, particularly the moon. She and I are old friends."

There was silence for a moment, as Lura didn't know what to say and he appeared to be waiting on an answer. Then he continued speaking.

"And what about you, Lura?" he asked while turning his head to look at her. "Do you prefer the night or the day?"

She thought for a moment. Then she said, "In all honesty I've never really been awake at night. I've always been asleep by now, ever since I can remember. So I honestly couldn't tell you which I prefer."

He nodded once before turning back towards the sunset. "So would you do me a favor then? Would you stay up with me tonight for a while?"

She frowned. "Is it safe?"

He laughed. "Lura, right now I can guarantee that you are the safest eevee in existence for as long as you are with me."

She hesitated a bit, before saying, "Well, I suppose I could if you wanted me to."

He nodded again. "Thank you." The he turned around completely to face her, before falling on one knee. "You said you wanted to see my face, right?"

She nodded. "Well, no time like the present I suppose." He reached up to his deep hood before giving it a sharp tug, pulling it away from his head and revealing him to her.

He was a most unusual looking human. He had short brown hair, so short that it was almost nonexistent, with a smooth face, indicating that he shaved. His face was pale, although it was slightly tanned. He had high cheekbones with a firm nose and a strong jaw. His eyes were a piercing grey color, and they seemed to hold an untouchable sadness, one that Lura couldn't help but want to cure. If Lura had to guess and age for him she would have guessed he was 23. When all was said and done, Lura thought that he was a very handsome individual, for a human anyway.

He blinked once and suddenly she couldn't read his eyes, which made her slightly sad though she didn't know why. Then he smiled at her softly and said, "Well there you go Lura, you're one of the few people who have seen my face in recent times. Hopefully I didn't disappoint."

Lura just shook her head. "Why do you talk like you're so old? You can't be older than 25, which is still young for a human, isn't it?"

He laughed at her. "I appreciate that Lura, but I am much older than I look."

"How old exactly?"

"Old enough that you wouldn't believe me if I told you the truth."

She frowned. "Alright, you don't have to tell me. Can you at least tell me how you are able to understand me?"

He shook his head. "No, that's something that I cannot do." She sighed again.

He laughed at her. "You sigh an awful lot for such a young eevee."
"I'm sorry, it's just how life has been for me recently."

"It's unfortunate that you have to deal with so much so young. If it's any consolation, most of my family died when I was 15."

She looked at him, shocked. "What! How did that happen?!"

He sat down with his back pressed against the tree trunk, facing towards the last of the suns dying rays. "That's also a story for another time. Perhaps I'll tell you it sometime."

"But not tonight?"

"No, not tonight."

They sat in silence for a while, watching the sunset. Lura had to admit that, though he showed up with horrible news, she did enjoy his company. He was relaxing and held a calming aura about him. Every now and then she would look at him to see him intently staring at the suns fading rays. She found herself wondering when he would mark her. Just as she was about to speak he held up a hand, motioning for her not to speak. She looked at him questioningly.

He just shook his head. She turned back towards the sunset. Sooner than she would have thought, the suns light faded fully. As soon as it was fully dark, Wolfe spoke again. "Look up."
She did and gasped in awe. Above her were stars, countless stars twinkling beautifully in the night sky. And perhaps most glorious of all was the moon. It was almost full, and just seemed to radiate grace and beauty.

"So do you have an answer yet?" Wolfe asked. She nodded mutely. "I'm glad. Now, if you would like, I can mark you now."

She looked at him. "I'm ready now."

He nodded. "Alright. I need you to look at the moon for me." She did so, admiring its beauty again. "Alright, now I need you to focus on me and the moon. Nothing else. Can you do that?"

She nodded, not taking her eyes off of the moon. Staring at it, the only thing she could think of was Wolfe's grey eyes, and how stunning they were. She had never seen eyes like his before. Then she thought of his voice. How it was so calming and relaxing.

"Alright, good. Now, I'm going to touch you for a moment, but don't worry. I won't hurt you." Lura didn't answer.

"Alright," he said. "Now breathe." She did so.
In.
Out.
Then darkness fell over her as she collapsed.