Chapter 1

Freda was jolted awake that night by a black paw. "Later…" She grumbled, swatting at it irritably.

But when it continued its assault on her head, she finally gave up and pulled herself awake. She blinked the sleep from her eyes and made out the silent form of Kashen, wide awake, staring back at her. "I know, I want to be sleeping too." He said in reply to her fierce glare, "But there's something you need to do for me."

"Well?"

The Umbreon padded forward and gently touched her on the nose, in the way he had learned that she really liked. A warm shudder ran through Freda's body as he pulled back, ruby eyes filled with compassion. "No matter what happens, I want you to know that I… like you a lot Freda. I'm going to be going for a while, and I don't know when I'll get back. Perhaps in a day, perhaps moons from now."

He looked away, as if the conversation was becoming increasingly embarrassing. But he continued on, more quietly, "Because of this, I had Pyrone reassign Randry to another warrior. Not you, of course, I doubt you'd ever forgive me. And Blazewind already knows I'll be leaving again."

"But where are you going?"

"That's not important now. You and I both know you can't come with me. I'll hurry back as soon as I can."

"Kashen!" She barked when he was turning to leave. The Umbreon stopped with the black fur on his back raised alertly. He turned his head to one side to observe her with one eye, and a slight nod was the cue that he was listening, "Whatever you do, feather-paws, don't get into too much trouble. Don't worry about me, the secret's safe here."

He nodded again, and Freda watched him pad away into the surrounding darkness. It was something Kashen just simply did; he'd go out for some exercise in the forest for a while and not come back until he was satisfied with his musings. But this time it seemed different, like he was doing this for a reason other than himself.

Whatever it was, Freda knew he didn't dare say where exactly he was going. Too much risk in having a pack member with an upset stomach overhearing them. So she just sighed, and placed a paw on her belly thoughtfully, before curling up and falling asleep.

Ember sighed to herself as she crept along out of Eaglefire camp. She passed her brother along the way, and after touching noses with him, continued heading north. By her calculations, she'd be out of the forest in two days, and onto more rocky terrain.

Nobody knew of her plans, it was all perfect. The runt would leave and not be missed, she'd even take a burden off her father's back… it was perfect.

On the border with the Blackstar Pack, the tiny Vulpix stopped for a rest in the last fading patches of sweet grass. Even now her plan was going well, nothing was following her, so she was alone. Or so she thought.

Two ruby eyes watched Ember from a distance, and when she stopped to rest, Kashen decided to show himself. Using the teleporting Faint Attack, the Umbreon nearly landed on top of her. "Hey!" She exclaimed as she dodged clumsily. Ember glared at Kashen, who was standing where she'd been resting just a moment ago.

"I thought that perhaps you'd want company." Kashen smirked, "Permanent company that will follow you around wherever you go."

"No, I'm fine. Go 'way."

Ember shrank back from him, thinking crazy, muddled thoughts like 'Does he know?' and 'What will he do?' but Kashen just kept a serene face, which scared her more than any words he could have said.

"Relax." He finally said when she had almost burrowed under the ground to avoid his gaze. "I understand. At least I think I do."

Ember said nothing, just stared at him. A flick of her outer tails told him to continue. "You were left out during the meeting because of your size. It's a prejudice thing that's going on. You're just like me. When you would have become a tyro, you would have to work twice as hard to make up for you size and to prove you're just as good as your brothers and sisters. Just like I had to do when I first came here."

"So you think you know what I'm doing?" The Vulpix concluded.

"Nope, I know exactly what you're doing. You're running away. And I'm coming with you, just…"

Kashen shook his head and sighed, "Just because." Ember murmured, "I think I know what you mean by that. But…"

"Why didn't I turn you in? My goodness, have you seen Tetzleflame when he's angry?" Kashen mewed with laughter and padded up to her, "Come on, I'll take you to the Absol pack, and perhaps stay a while. But there are things back here too for me." He looked back the way of the Whitefang Pack, and subconsciously, Freda. "Enough speeches! Come on, before we're spotted!"

Ember blinked as he sped into a trot and into Blackstar Pack grounds before tearing after him, yelling, "Hey, I'm supposed to be the fast one!"

Kashen snorted at a feather on the tip of his nose that the Pidgey dropped when it had flown up into the tree. "I thought you were supposed to be a warrior." Ember teased from a patch of tall grass that came up to her shoulders. The Umbreon growled under his breath at her and launched himself up into the tree after the little bird.

"I am a warrior." He replied steadily as the bird dropped from the tree from a bite to the throat. "Besides, I'm still a better hunter than you are."

"True, mister warrior, but you're too late for this Pidgey!" Ember snickered at his expression as she bent over the bird and took a bite of its soft underbelly.

Kashen jumped down and landed by her side with a soft thump. "We came this way for a reason." He told her, "This is a part of Blackstar territory that's rarely hunted on, as it's close to that." With one paw, he motioned to the deserted street that many a Pokemon took pains to avoid crossing. Humans did not seem to notice that their machines tended to injure those of the forest, or even kill them.

"We'll still be scented here. And then my mum and dad and your pack are all going to know that you're with me." She replied.

"I go out for walks all the time, its makes no difference to my pack. They already know I'm gone, but not where. And you know, your parents might not freak out as badly if they know I'm here with you." Kashen stood and struck a pose that flexed his lean muscles.

Ember laughed at him and replied, "Perhaps, but they won't freak out anyways. This is for the good of my pack."

The Umbreon didn't reply to that, but instead cuffed her around one ear and yowled, "Are you going to share, or what?"

"My cub, my cub!" Wailed Flamedance mournfully to the small crowd of Tetzleflame and her two remaining cubs. "See? You see Tetzleflame? This is what you get when you try to keep her from what is rightfully hers!"

The cubs exchanged glances, and it was the glossy-pelted female, Flame, that spoke up. "Mum… we've gotten a report on her scent trail… it appears sometime along the way a member of the Whitefang Pack joined up with her. We think it's Kashen."

"Kashen? The Umbreon?" Flamedance looked to Tetzleflame, who inclined his head. "Then there must be something up if Kashen's coming with her… but, Tetzleflame…"

"I am sure that they will stay out of trouble. Do not worry love." He replied, gently nuzzling her shoulder. "After all, it's not like they're visiting the Absol pack or something, right?"

They had still not run into any sign of anything that could have reported on them by the time that the scent of Blackstar fell away on the dying amounts of trees. "We're out of the forest." Ember said with awe, as she looked around at the big rocks, bigger than her, but not yet big enough that she couldn't climb or jump over them.

"We should stay alert though, I think I scented the Absol Pack already…" Kashen replied with his mouth open, testing the air for any scent of the mysterious creatures that had been put to a worse name than the 'stupid' Mightyena.

The stories were the few and the large, the ones telling of the savage Absol that could make a living in the cruel mountain world. They were said to be huge, larger than the biggest and strongest of the Ninetales, outweighing the buff Mightyena, and having canines far sharper and more deadly than any creature of the forest.

Tetzleflame was one of the only creatures to have seen the Absol in their natural territory and still alive to tell what had happened. He was, to the more experienced eye, terrified of them.

He had said that they blended in with the snow perfectly with white pelts of long fur and a black tail, claws, eyes, and horns of black. The horns were what was scary about the creatures, the horns were where an Absol could shook out a beam as cold as ice, or a shocking bolt of electricity, and worst of all, a scorching flame.

The days in which members of the forest visited the Absol pack, for after Tetzleflame had paid them a visit, none of those brave enough to go to the mountains ever came back.

They had set their paws on the sloping ground of the first mountain when the scent hit Ember, a tangy, musky odor that reeked of rotting berries. And seconds later, a shaggy white body came crashing down at the ground before her, hitting it with such force that she stumbled to her knees.

Looking down at her was a huge… thing whose eyes burned like black fire. "State your business here." He, at least it sounded like a he, grumbled commandingly.

Ember swallowed shakily and exchanged glances with Kashen before whimpering, "We come in peace, from the forest."