Chapter Seven
The first two days the six Eevee spent their time navigating the tree top village. Each of them enjoyed the various activities that the Leafeon were well known for and they were relieved for once that nothing had cut their visit short like the other villages. Arric found himself leaning on the railing that surrounded the platforms attached to the thick trunks of the trees. The wood felt smooth under his hands, sanded down by a Leafeon long ago and carefully handcrafted into the decorative handrail he now leant on.
Beneath him, Arric watched as a group of Leafeon played hide and seek in the undergrowth. The idea of the game was the reach the far side ladder of village before found by the person who was "it". Several Leafeon waded through the long grass like sharks, hiding in bushes and behind trees.
Arric watched with baited breath as a small brown Leafeon sauntered her way through the undergrowth, barely visible to even him who had a pretty good view of the whole playing area. Her form melted into the shadows easily and it was hard to keep an eye on her when she ducked down into the grass below, only to pop up a few feet away. Arric understood now just how easy it was for them to completely miss the Leafeon village, let alone find any Leafeon in the forest itself. The way they dissolved so easily into the forest surroundings made him feel that without Nia's help, they would have been lost forever. The Leafeon slunk closer to the dark green Leafeon who was It, sneaking almost right under his nose before leaping out, grasping the ladder in her hands proclaiming, "Not It!"
Chuckling Arric turned around to rest his back against the railing, scanning the platforms nearby to spot any of his friends. Feeling the calm atmosphere around him with each breath he took in made the nightmares and mysterious surrounding the Evolution Ritual melt away, a calm settling inside him. He spotted Tak chatting with a few Leafeon males as they played a short game of jacks. The dark Eevee rested back with his arms across his back, chatting cheerfully with a brown Leafeon while the other two Leafeon with him took turns in the game. Tak looked over to Arric and gave a small wave of greeting before turning back to the other Leafeon.
Sweeping across the platform, Arric made his way along a bridge to the next platform searching for the others. He found Hannah, Grace and Bree weaving baskets with a group of Leafeon. The group roared with laughter as Hannah held up her basket that looked more like a mangled birds nest. Bree helped her pull it apart before guiding her hands to weave the long leaves along the stick frame. Arric chuckled to himself and kept walking, hoping to find Quin where he found him yesterday at the far end of the village. Crossing another bridge, Arric felt it sway gently under him. It was still sturdy enough to hold several Leafeon at once yet light enough that a strong enough breeze would rock it. It still took Arric a short time to get used to walking on the bridge to begin with and he always felt a wave of relief when he safely planted his feet on the platform on the other side. He never felt afraid of heights before but the thought of falling from such a height made his heart race.
Taking his time to stroll through the village, Arric took in the small huts around him. A lot of them looked like square tents, with large logs framing the hut, smaller sticks, large leaves and cloth stretched between the frames with a door at the front to allow entry. Inside there were bed cots to sleep on, a few counters and a short wooden table. The Leafeon preferred to sit on cushions that surrounded the table, it saved more space and was easier for them rearrange if needed. Arric thought back to his time growing up in the Flareon village. The culture of working together was similar to how the Leafeon ran things but none of the Leafeon organized a roster. Everyone just seemed to know when it was their turn to work on a job.
Arric rounded a corner approaching a slightly bigger hut than the others. It was Nia's personal home and when Arric entered he found Quin exactly where he left him yesterday. The small Eevee was huddled over a small bench, in his hands were a pestle where he was making quick work with a mixture of herbs in a stone mortar, his expression locked into concentration. Beside him Nia carefully directed him, pointing out each herb to him explaining the properties and what they were best used for. Quin nodded furiously at her every word, his eyes bright with enthusiasm as he grabbed each herb, studying it carefully, feeling its texture, bringing it close to his snout to breathe in its scent before placing it into his mixture.
Arric took a seat at the other side of the bench, gaining a warm smile from Nia. Her dreadlocks were pulled back into a high ponytail at the back of head with a thick piece of cloth. Whenever she moved, Arric swore he smelled the sweet scent of flowers in the air but when he paused to breathe it in, the scent was gone. When she looked at him, her bright eyes seemed to swirl from a brilliant bright green to the deepest jade and he could not help but feel all his worries melt away when she smiled. It was like he was intoxicated, a soft fog filling his mind, blocking all the worries from rising up from the depths of his mind. It had made it impossible for him to bring up any kind of conversation about the Evolution Ritual and even though Arric knew he should be frustrated; the feeling never came.
Was Nia using her powers to mess with me? Arric shook his head to try and clear the fog from his mind and instead focused on the pair in front of him.
"This mixture will be helpful for treating burns." Nia's soft voice sounded like a fresh stream over polished stones, "You apply it to the burns and then wrap in a bandage, reapplying daily."
Quin nodded and placed the salve in a small flask, placing it inside a small shoulder pack that Arric never saw before. It was perfect for holding several flasks without being too bulky. Arric could see the glint of a few flasks already tucked in the many pockets inside. Nia lifted from her seat and stepped over to a small cabinet that was tucked into a corner of the hut. Opening the doors, she rummaged through the many bowls and sacks she had stored in there. The Leafeon took out two small sacks and a bowl full of petals before returning to the bench to place them down.
"Now we take a few of these petals and make sure you crush them good with some water, not too much, you want to make a paste."
Quin eagerly followed her direction, grinding up the petals into a paste. Nia opened one of the sacks and smelled the contents, nodding her approval before offering it to Quin to smell. He breathed in the scent suddenly becoming overcome with coughing and sputtering from the strong scent. Nia chuckled patting his back as he regained his composure. She continued to instruct him on preparing the concoction watching with gentle eyes as Quin mixed the herbs. Nia leant her head in her hands as she peered over at Arric, a small smile on her lips, her eyes shining brightly at him with something Arric could not place.
"So my child, have you come to watch our little protégé or have you come for a specific reason?"
Quin looked up from the mortar with a start. He had not realized that Arric was sitting there. He stumbled with the pestle, knocking the mortar off the bench, squeaking in panic as it fell to the ground, only to be caught by Nia's tail. Her laugh rang out like bells as she placed the mortar back onto the bench, stroking Quins ears gently, "Hush dear, there's no need to panic."
The small Eevee took a moment to compose himself, looking over at Arric sheepishly, "I'm sorry Arric, I didn't even realize you were there."
Arric shrugged taking a petal from the bowl and twirling it in his fingers, "Ah that's okay Quin, I could see you were busy. What are you making?"
Quin was buzzing with excitement, he reached into the small bag at his hip and pulled out the flasks, setting each one on the table before him.
"Oh Arric, Madame Nia has been teaching me to make salves and potions! This one is for burns, this one is for poison, this one is for when you get paralyzed and this one is to help with sleepiness!" He pointed to each one excitedly, his face bright with happiness, "Madame Nia says I'm pretty good at it and I asked her to teach me as much as possible before we leave tomorrow so that if I make any mistakes or anything else happens during our pilgrimage I'll be useful for once!"
Arric smiled at his friend. It was the first time he had seen the Eevee truly happy. Nia watched them carefully, slowly standing and stretching out her arms, "Quin dear, I think I'm going to go for a walk to take a break, you should as well. Go and find your other friends and have some dinner."
Quin nodded and gathered the flasks, placing them back in his bag before bounding out of the room, a large smile plastered on his face. Arric went to follow him when he felt a soft tug on his arm.
"Come Arric, take a walk with me will you?"
Nia left her home with Arric beside her. She walked across a bridge to a platform that was a level higher than the others, she stopped at the railing, leaning both hands on the rail and looked down over the village below her. Her leaf tail flicking at the end softly side by side. Arric joined her, looking down at the Leafeon carrying on their daily tasks. He spotted Quin with his friends, the Eevee was bursting at the seams with joy as he pulled out each flask to show Grace, who could only smile and nod as Quin rambled so fast that Arric was sure she could not keep up.
"I know you have questions Arric. But I don't think it's wise to ask them."
Arric turned towards Nia. The tribe leader still watched her people below, a small smile on her snout but her eyes seemed focused on something Arric could not see, her mind looked as if it were somewhere else. Arric cleared his throat, it suddenly felt dry.
"Madame Nia I know that the Evolution Ritual has only been around a short time. I want to know why everyone has been lying to us?"
Nia sighed, sliding her hands over the railing under her in circular motions. She suddenly looked so tired, her usual glow seemed to dim and when she turned her head to face Arric, her eyes were cold.
"Did Vesper or Karn tell you this? Those boys could never keep things to themselves, Volke especially didn't like the idea of the ritual."
Her voice still held its softness but Arric could sense something underneath that he could not recognize. A cold chill crawled up his spine and he shook his head,
"No, Master Vesper always made it seem like the Evolution Ritual was the only way this had been done. Karn was a little busy with the Gyarados attack to answer anything." He made sure not to mention Ilia and dared to take a step towards her, desperate for answers, "Why is there a choice now and why hide things from us?"
Nia turned around to lean her back against the railing, her head tilted up to face the sky. Her eyes searched the sky through the treetops, the oranges and reds of the beginning sunset creeping its way over the horizon. Nia sighed, a long sigh that sounded as if it was the conclusion to an inside battle.
"We wanted things to change."
Arric gave her a confused look and she searched his face, squinting at him in the fading light. The sound of laughter and loud chatter caused one of her ears to turn back but she kept her eyes on his. Arric shifted on his feet, feeling uncomfortable as she watched him.
"Change what?"
Nia shook her head, "I can't answer that my child. Just trust me when I say that it's better this way. Eevee have a choice now and it's best not to question it."
She stepped away from the railing, a dark look crossed her eyes as she looked down at the village below, "You must tell no one of this Arric."
Suddenly she was in front of him, hands grasping his shoulders as she looked down at him, her expression a mixture of desperation and anger, "You need to focus on finishing this pilgrimage. Forget about the past and stop asking questions. Nothing good will come of it and you will be walking a dangerous path if you choose to pursue this."
Her voice was almost a hiss and she let him go walking back down the bridge they had come from. Arric stood there stunned. He finally let out a breath he did not realize he was holding. Ilia was right and if Nia asked him if the other tribe leaders had told him.
All the tribe leaders are keeping this secret.
Arric growled to himself. Nia would not give him any answers and he still had more questions! He rubbed his face, his mind filling with a fog and he swore he smelt flowers on the wind as Nia left. Exhaustion suddenly washed over him in waves and he felt himself stumbling over his feet as he made his way back to his hut. The world began to spin around him, the scent of flowers growing stronger as he got closer to his hut. He fumbled with the door, cursing under his breath until he finally opened it, flailing his arms out as he almost fell flat on his face.
I need to sleep, so tired. Where was I before? How did I get back here so fast?
A soft grip on his arm made him spin around in panic, the room spun around with him and he felt his stomach lurch. His eyes drooped as sleep threatened to take over him. His gaze followed up the hand that held him, along the arm until they stopped on the bright green eyes of the Leafeon Tribe Leader.
"I'm sorry my child." Her voice heavy with regret, "Sleep now and tomorrow you won't remember tonight. Tomorrow you leave but for now sleep and forget."
"No, I don't want to forget! I want answers!" Arric slurred and he tried to struggle out of Nia's grasp. The grip on his arm grew tighter, the smell of flowers filling his nostrils and mouth until he felt like he was suffocating.
"It's for your own good Arric. I don't want you to come to harm. Shhhh, sleep child."
Arric felt his body grow heavy, his struggles growing weaker as his eyelids threatened to close. He mumbled his protest but his tongue felt like lead. Nia placed him softly on his bed, placing a blanket over him. She sat at his side gently stroking his face as he slowly drifted off to sleep. When she was sure that his breathing was slow and deep and he was fully asleep she slipped across the floor towards the door like a shadow, pausing only to look back at him, sorrow seeping into her eyes and across her face.
"Your answers will come Arric. But I'm afraid you won't like them."