Shadow eyed the Beedrill apprehensively. It had four notable legs, the two front ones replaced with deadly sharp stingers, and another stinger was located at the base of its abdomen. Its semi-transparent and veined wings vibrated with the ominous buzzing that many young Pokemon were taught to fear above all other things. The hornet's red eyes glared at the two Eevee, but Leaf was still oblivious to the danger.
Shadow shuddered, keeping half his attention on his brother. While Shadow himself had only basic battle training, Leaf had none at all. Their parents had started to talk about giving him some practice with some early survival and defense tactics when the weather warmed up more, but they hadn't gotten the chance to follow up on that conversation.
If either of the Eevee were going to be attacked, Shadow knew he was the only one that could fight back. And if those stingers pierced even half as well as they looked like they would, Leaf probably wouldn't survive the attack at all. He was too young, and too small.
The Beedrill's buzzing rose in volume, beginning to sound like there was an entire swarm of the things and not just one. Shadow wanted to retreat in haste, in the hopes that the Beedrill was giving a very threatening warning and wouldn't attack if he backed off, but he didn't dare leave Leaf where he was. The Beedrill could turn its stingers upon the younger Eevee next, and Shadow couldn't allow that. He had to keep the Beedrill focused on him instead; it was the only way to keep Leaf safe.
Fear gripped the Eevee's heart and his throat tightened. His mouth felt dry, like he hadn't had water for weeks, and when he tried to get Leaf's attention, only a weak rasp came out, lost amid the din of the hornet's vibrating wings. What he was about to do was nothing short of suicidal, but he had no other options.
Shadow shifted his stance, lowering his body closer to the ground, his eyes locking with the Beedrill's own, and he growled the best he could, showing the hornet his sharper teeth. It was purely bravado, but it got the intended result. The Beedrill lunged in his direction and swiped its foreleg at Shadow. It was so fast that Shadow saw nothing more than a yellow and black blur moving towards him, but he had known it was coming, so he had already thrown himself sideways. His paws scrambled to find a solid grip on the grass so that he could pivot, but the grass was still damp with dew, and he lost a second in turning.
The Beedrill buzzed angrily and lunged again, this time coming around towards Shadow's side. The Eevee pounced forward into the charge, getting under the Beedrill's leg and plowing headfirst into the insect's abdomen. The hornet was knocked backwards by the collison, but recovered quickly. Too quickly. Shadow barely had time to get his bearings after landing before the hornet had struck again, its stinger grazing his shoulder as it passed.
Shadow cried out in surprise and pain, staring at his injury in bewilderment. The wound was shallow, but it burned like fire within his skin. To think it hurt this badly from a glancing blow...there was no telling if a direct hit would kill him immediately or just make him wish for death as his body succumbed to agonizing pain.
Perhaps hearing his brother's cry, Leaf sat up, looking around in alarm. Shadow saw the movement out of the corner of his eye, and turned to yell a warning, or maybe even an order to get away from the scene. Before he could even finish forming the words, the Beedrill slammed its body into his side, and he went sprawling across the grass, the wind knocked out of him. Leaf whimpered and ran nearer to his older brother, but that would put him directly into the danger zone.
"Get away, Leaf!" Shadow shouted, and rolled back to his feet, his eyes searching the sky frantically for any sign of the hornet.
The angry buzzing seemed to echo among the closely knit trees, making it impossible to determine where the source was, or even what direction it was coming from. Panic was starting to overtake Shadow's mind, creating a haze of emotion that blocked out any thought of strategy. Everywhere he turned offered nothing but a blur of color and confusion, and the only thing that remained undistorted to his vision was the young Eevee huddling nearby.
"Leaf, you need to go! Leave the forest, I'll catch-"
A blur of yellow. Shadow screamed in agitation and fear, throwing himself onto his stomach, pulling his tail closer to his body. He felt the Beedrill's stinger graze his lower back, and the burning pain erupted from the thin line the hornet's weapons carved into his fur.
Blackness surrounded Shadow's vision, and the sounds of the forest faded away to a muffled buzzing sound in his brain. The pain remained with him, but instead of burning within his shoulder and back, he felt the burning within his chest and throat. He gasped desperately, his lungs pleading for air, but each time he inhaled, the pain in his chest escalated, and it felt like his heart was being crushed from within.
Yellow blur...
Those eyes...
"Take Leaf and go! Keep him safe! We'll catch up!"
His eyes searched the blackness desperately, looking for Leaf. He had to protect Leaf! He had to keep him safe no matter what...
The buzzing grew louder, the sound approaching like a distant storm. Quiet rumbling that penetrated Shadow's brain, dispelling the blackness that had settled over his vision. He had his face planted in the green grass, but managed to force his head up. His brother was in front of him, tears running down his cheeks, his entire body shaking with fear and anxiety. From the corner of his eye, Shadow could see the yellow hornet approaching, but it moved so slowly, like the entire world had slowed to a halt. Its stingers were pointed towards the younger Eevee in front of him.
Keep him safe.
Shadow's body ached, and every muscle voiced its protest, but the Eevee paid that no notice. He had one thing he had to do, and his will paid no heed to his body's opinion. Shadow put every bit of his energy into his legs, and propelled himself forward, pushing Leaf backwards, away from the incoming Beedrill's flight path. His eyes flicked to the side, watching the glint of silver approaching, so slowly, but sure to intercept him.
"I'm sorry...this is all I can do..." Shadow whimpered. His eyes burned with stinging tears and he closed them, bracing himself for the impact, and the pain that would follow. He hoped it would be quick, and that spilling his blood would satisfy the Beedrill into sparing his brother.
The strike never came. Long seconds dragged by, but still nothing happened. The buzzing in the air was louder, and he could feel the wind of vibrating wings directly beside him, where death had been scheduled to arrive moments earlier.
"Shadow! Wake up!" Leaf's voice pleaded, but it was so distant-sounding, like a voice from a dream. Tiny teeth dug into his ear and tugged, and the older Eevee whined in protest and pain. Another tug on his ear and Shadow opened his eyes.
His vision was blurry, but he could see the brown shape of his brother on one side. There was still the buzzing of Beedrill wings directly to his other side, and he craned his head up to look at the source, unsure why it was there, and why he didn't have a poisonous stinger imbedded in his side.
It may have been his imagination, produced by pain and tear-streaked vision, but the Beedrill seemed smaller than before, and was gazing down at him with something that he could have sworn was concern. He didn't know how to read insect facial expressions.
Something landed on the grass in front of Shadow's muzzle, drawing his attention to it instead of the Beedrill. A familiar sweet scent greeted him, and he recognized the pinkish color as one of the berries he and Leaf had eaten before. Shadow stared at it with slightly crossed eyes for a moment, then leaned forward and nibbled the fruit. The sweet juices soothed his dry throat, and within seconds, his vision began to clear up, bringing the world into sharper focus.
"Thanks Bee-Bee!" Leaf chirped happily. The Beedrill buzzed its wings and then its presence vanished, leaving the forest feeling eerily silent, and Shadow infinitely confused. "You okay, Shade-oh?"
"I don't know," the older Eevee replied, wincing a little as he sat up. "What...what happened?"
"Come look!" Leaf said excitedly, dashing over to the spot where they had seen the Kakuna that had started the whole mess. Utterly confused, Shadow followed, taking care not to agitate his injuries. When he caught up to the excited Eevee, he found him standing beside the Kakuna, but the cocoon had been ripped open, leaving behind nothing but an empty shell, the casing of what had held the Pokemon inside.
Shadow just looked at the cocoon's remains blankly. Leaf was smiling brightly at him, as if he fully expected the shell to be a clear explanation.
"What am I looking at?" Shadow blurted out finally.
"Bee-Bee's shell!"
"Who's Bee-" Shadow began, but then it clicked. The Beedrill that had been next to him when death passed over him, the Beedrill that had dropped a curing berry in front of him. That Beedrill had been the Kakuna that Leaf had insisted on trying to play with. It had matured from the cocoon phase in time to call off the aggressive Beedrill that would have skewered him.
Leaf was smiling happily, and his tail wagged as he watched Shadow's face. The older Eevee was stunned, completely shocked into silence. Shock slowly melted away and glorious relief swept over him instead. He wrapped his forepaws around his younger brother and hugged him close, unable to keep the flood of tears back any longer.
They did not linger in the forest after that. Shadow was still wary of the other creatures in the forest that may have overheard the fight with the Beedrill, and he was in no state to try to fight anything else right now.
Of course, that'd imply he was ever in a state to fight. His stomach churned at the thought. There had been just one hostile Pokemon facing him, and he never had a chance to beat it. He had gotten crushed utterly, and had given in easily to panic and fear. Luck, and only luck, had enabled him to survive at all, and whatever basic training he had was nowhere near enough to take care of himself, or protect Leaf.
Leaf was sadly no better off. He didn't know the first thing about battling, so he would be dead weight in a real fight. The combination was not encouraging. Back home, they had relied on their parents for protection, and had never had any real problems. Their parents had been capable battlers, maybe not amazing, but Shadow didn't really have a standard to compare them to.
So what were they to do? If something had happened...and their parents weren't going to show up here, then the burden was entirely on Shadow. He would need to practice. He would need to improve his own fighting capabilities, and teach Leaf how to hold his own as well.
Why hadn't the parents come? Part of Shadow wanted to head back home, and see with his own eyes what had transpired. But even just entertaining the thought made his blood run cold. There was the chance he'd find nothing at all, and be even more lost and confused. And he also knew there was the chance he'd find the answer in a form he did not want to envision, much less expose Leaf to such a sight.
No...he'd have to either wait here, and cling to the final rays of hope that the parents had simply been delayed...or he could assume the worst and face the great unknown of the real world. He didn't know which prospect was more terrifying.
"Shadow?" Leaf said quietly, startling the Eevee from his thoughts.
"Yeah, Leaf?" Shadow asked, pausing to look back at his brother, who had stopped walking.
"I'm sorry I caused you trouble," the Eevee mumbled, and sniffled. Shadow blinked, noticing the dampness around the younger Eevee's eyes.
Shadow hesitated, unsure how to respond at first. While Leaf had caused a big issue today, the sheer sincerity of the young kit's guilt was off-putting. He was looking so miserable right now that Shadow feared the slightest breeze would cause him to burst into inconsolable tears.
Shadow sat down and beckoned Leaf close. Once Leaf had sat down beside his brother, Shadow placed his tail around him comfortingly, and silently stroked his back. "It's okay, Leaf," he said, feeling a little awkward to be using the same method his dad had used a few times when he himself was a kit. They would sit down together and look over the river beside their clearing, and just watch the sun dip below the horizon. Or rise, depending on the time of day.
Leaf was quiet for a long time, which Shadow took as a sign that the comfort was working. He took a deep breath, and gazed up at the sky. Their trip to the forest had consumed almost the entire day, although finding their way through the maze of trees and plants may have contributed to the time, and at least Shadow had the foresight to have Leaf eat a few more of the berries before they left.
They couldn't stay out here, though. The area was ill-suited to feeding them for long, and the forest was too dangerous and hostile to risk frequent trips. They would need to travel again, but that could end up being just as dangerous as the forest, if not worse. No, they would need to stay a little longer, maybe get some form of battle practice in before venturing out further.
"You're not mad?" Leaf asked finally. He looked up into Shadow's eyes, his brown eyes shimmering with tears, but his body much more relaxed.
"No, I'm not mad. Not at you," Shadow said seriously.
"Who are you mad at?" Leaf wondered. Shadow bit his lip, unsure how to respond to that at first. He stared at the horizon for a few moments, the sky in the distance a brilliant orange as the sun descended further, like a giant laying down to sleep.
"I'm mad at myself," he answered after a pause, looking back at Leaf. "I'm not a very good brother. I'm trying too hard to be a parent." He winced internally, hoping that Leaf wouldn't be reminded to ask about the parents' whereabouts. The young Eevee had obsessed over the parents' absence for the first two days of their time away, and only just recently had dropped the subject.
"You're a good brother," Leaf protested. Shadow managed a weak smile, even as the Eevee nuzzled him.
"A good brother can keep you safe," Shadow said quietly. "I need to be able to look out for you, but not control you. I'm not good enough to do that yet."
"You look out for me lots!" Leaf argued firmly.
"I'm not strong enough to-"
"You don't need to be!" Leaf insisted, his eyes firm and serious. "I can help! I can become tough too, and help you take care of me!"
Shadow couldn't resist a smile at that. It was just too cute for words, and for whatever reason, it did make him feel better to hear it.
"Okay, I'll take you up on that," Shadow said with a playful grin. "But don't go trying to grow up too fast, all right?"
"Fine, but then you need to let me help take care of you sometimes!" Leaf giggled, his tail wagging. It didn't make much sense, but Shadow didn't care. It was better to see Leaf happy and energetic than sad or nervous.
"Yeah, yeah, we'll see, Leaf," Shadow said, rubbing his brother's head playfully. The younger Eevee giggled again and swatted at the offending paw, only for Shadow to move it out of reach and come back to scratch gently at his ears, at the spot he had learned was a major ticklish point. Leaf giggled hysterically, at first trying to bat the paw away, but eventually reduced to rolling on the grass playfully, just enjoying the attention.
Their game went on for another minute or two, only to stop as the last rays of the sun disappeared over the horizon. Leaf cuddled close to his brother, a little breathless yet from their playing.
"I love you, Shadow," the little Eevee murmured. The words made Shadow feel warmer than a day of sunbathing during the summer, a warmth that flowed through his entire body and made his throat tighten, but in a good way. It was the same feeling he had felt long ago, when the young Eevee had broken free of his egg, and had been introduced to the family for the first time.
"Love you too, Leaf," Shadow said quietly. Leaf giggled, but then stopped abruptly, as did Shadow, as an odd white light struck his eyes, forcing him to squint against the blinding glare.
"You're glowing," Leaf remarked. Shadow raised a paw to his face for inspection, only for the white glare to intensify, as if the light was emanating from his paws themselves. The warmth of his body continued to spread and envelop him from the inside out, and Leaf made a sound of excited admiration before the bright light disappeared, leaving Shadow feeling a bit disoriented.
"What was-" Shadow paused abruptly. Even to his own ears, his voice sounded...different. Slightly deeper, but not ridiculously so. A subtle pitch difference, but noticeable all the same. Leaf was staring at him with his mouth hanging open slightly, and Shadow was tempted to tell him to close his mouth, but when he playfully stepped nearer with the intent of touching his paw to Leaf's chin, he stumbled and fell over. His legs hadn't responded correctly for some reason. But when he looked down to see if they had gotten entangled in something, he could only stare.
Black fur now covered his legs, and from a cursory inspection, the same fur color covered his entire body. It was becoming clearer to him now: the body warmth, the brilliant white light...that could only have meant one thing.
Wait, why did he have a forked tail?
Shadow blinked oddly at the appendage. Sure enough, he had a longer, skinnier tail instead of the bushy Eevee tail, but it ended in a fork, like an Espeon's. But it was nighttime, wasn't it? Shouldn't he be an Umbreon?
Closer inspection at his legs also revealed the absence of the Dark-Type's trademark rings. Yet...the black fur.
Oh, this was giving him a massive headache. As he touched his forehead gingerly with one paw, he felt an odd sensation on two levels. His paw felt the hard surface of some sort of smooth stone embedded in his forehead, and his brain reacted unfavorably to the touch. It felt like something had struck his brain directly for a split second, and his headache exploded in intensity.
"A-are you okay, Shadow?" Leaf asked nervously.
Shadow looked up, tears of pain forming in his eyes, and his gaze met Leaf's. Then the world spun and blackness consumed his vision.
