Hello, everyone! Ta-Ni here. Finally, I find time to write and upload another chapter for you all. I sincerely apologize that it took so long, but I just couldn't find the time to sit down and write. Hopefully, the next one won't take as long. Enjoy!

I marched long and hard into the forest, pretty much ignoring Eve behind me; once she pointed me in the right direction, I followed my own senses to keep going that way. To her credit, she kept up with me, even at this harsh pace, and didn't try and engage me in pointless banter. However, when night began to fall, she finally spoke up. "The sun is setting; we should start looking for shelter for the night." Once more, I ignored her and kept walking. She tried again. "Sol, are you listening? It would be best if we take shelter for the night, and continue in the morning!"

"Not really," I mumbled quietly. Louder, I said over my shoulder, "Why should we? I wasted enough time in that blasted…hospital…and want to make up for it now. Besides, I've travelled by night before without incident, and you can't say you cannot, either; you claimed you wanted to be an umbreon when you evolved, so much be at least partially nocturnal." I keep going and add, "There are also less two-legs about, at the very least."

"However," she countered. "There are more true nocturnal Pokémon around instead, like those houndour and houndoom you ran into earlier. Any 'training' I had when I was younger was lost when I evolved differently than intended, so I'm pretty much walking blind. Please, let's stop for the night; she's waited this long, so I think she can wait a little longer." I'm not sure if she's talking about Nana or the ninetales I'm looking for, but it doesn't matter. She's being more of a burden than a help right now, I thought. She's way too pampered to handle living out here, and she is SLOWING ME DOWN! I should just ditch her. I growl quietly, and continue walking.

Suddenly, something wraps around my waist, carefully avoiding my tails, and brings me up short. I look to see she was ONCE AGAIN grabbed me with her ribbon feelers, and was standing ground against me as I struggled to break free. "You know, I don't appreciate being mon-handled so often," I commented dryly, and pull with all my weight. However, despite being half my size, her grip on me holds firmly. Her voice is just as firm, with no sign of strain, as she says, "I am here to advise you, one way or another, and I ADVISE we rest for the night! Now, are you going to take my advice, or am I going to have to drag you there?"

I struggle once more, if only for pride's sake, but it's no use; I sighed and followed as she half-led, half-dragged me to a shelter made in the roots of a large tree. It's barely large enough for the both of us, and as we settled in, she didn't let go of me in the slightest. She insisted I lay down first, and then she cuddles in beside me, laying between me and the exit. I try and make her uncomfortable, saying, "I don't think your trainer would approve of being so clingy toward me."

She scoffs. "You and I both know the second I let go of you, you'll take off. So, I'm not letting you go until you fall asleep. Besides, this is purely platonic; my one and only love is Brian, so don't try any funny business. Now, go to sleep!" A soothing aura seeped into me from the ribbon around my waist, making my eyelids heavy; she was essentially drugging me to sleep! I tried to shake off the effect, but it was too much, and I slipped into dreamland.

I wander under a vast starlit sky. Looking up, I can see multitudes of stars, each representing the lives and events of my ancestors. This is the vast knowledge I can draw from as a ninetales, learning from those that came before, whether they have passed on or not. Curiously, one star seems brighter than the others, and I find myself drawn toward following it.

The star brightens even further, blotting out its neighbors until my entire vision turns white. Then, suddenly, I find myself in the forest again…no, this is a different forest. It's similar to the one I grew up in, and yet slightly different. Ahead of me, another ninetales basks in the setting sun, drawing strength from the fading heat in preparation for nighttime. I realize I'm viewing a memory.

Suddenly, the ninetales senses something; her ears perk up, and she turns to see a two-legs standing across from her. The figure seems familiar, but I can't place it from within the memory. He shouts something in challenge, but I cannot make out the words, and then suddenly a large dragon materializes from nowhere. Again, it seems familiar, but nothing comes to mind. the dragon attacks, but my ancestor dodges easily. Brushing her tails against the beast, she cripples it, then knocks it out in one blow.

My ancestor walks away, as the two-legs makes the dragon vanish again, but then he lunges toward her. As his fingers brush against her tails…

A brief brilliance blinds me and some force knocks me out of the memory; I blink to clear my eyes and find myself back in the starry void. However, the images of the two figures, the two-legs and the dragon, remain vivid in my mind, and I recognize both of them clearly now! The dragon is the same one that visited me when I was a kit, the one looking for his trainer. And the two-legs is the form I chose to borrow for my illusion back at the hospital!

Ah, one more step closer.

I start at the sudden voice, and turn to find the xatu standing behind me. "What do you mean?" I ask. "Are these figures important to me?"

Yes and no, it replies. What you saw was indeed a memory; a recent memory from the one you seek. However, it is also tied to your past, and possibly the future.

"I-is that why I feel some sort of connection to the two-legs?" I ask. "What does he have to do with me?"

I cannot answer that; only she can, it replies. I will mention this, though. You will require the assistance of your travelling companion in the future, so it is in your best interest to be a little more…civil.

He started to fade; no, everything was fading. One by one, the stars winked out, and…

I woke up, finding myself alone in the little shelter. Sunlight was streaming through the cracks in the roots. Eve was nowhere to be found, but as I rose and walked out of the shelter, she appeared from the underbrush, slowly carrying what looked like a half-eaten stantler. She noticed me and said, "Found this lying around, so I figured it would make a good breakfast. Sleep well?"

I nodded, but didn't mention my dream. Once more, I could sense someone else watching me from the shadows, but my senses couldn't detect anyone besides Eve and I. Why had the xatu come to me in my dream? I thought as I tore into the stantler meat. What did he mean about Eve? Remembering my earlier antagonism toward her last night, I mumble, "S-sorry."

"What?" she asks. A little clearer, I said, "I-I'm sorry about last night. I didn't mean to be so stubborn and snarky. I'm not used to being around others, and I was also afraid I was running out of time. I know I have a long way to go, but I feel every second I'm away from Nana, she could be in greater danger."

Eve walked up next to me and nuzzled into my shoulder. "I can only imagine what you're going through, but that's all the more reason to trust me. At the very least, I can offer moral support; that's what sylveons do best. Now, let's finish up; we have a long way to go to reach the mountains." I offered her a weak smile, feeling a little better, and return to my breakfast.

And there you have it. I tried not to make it too filler-y, but I'm not sure where exactly I want this story to go. Any advice would be appreciated, so please read and review!

And may your Ember never fade in the new year!