A/N: I'm sorry for the wait for this chapter... I really haven't had much time to work on my stories. Since school is coming to a close very soon, updates should be a lot more frequent.
Chapter 6
"Come on Myrone!" The Flareon roared at her sister, fur bristling, "That thing will cook you alive!"
"I don't doubt it." Was the reply, as Myrone turned and was gone in the bushes with a flash of purple and the ruffle of leaves. Pyrone glanced one last time at the bony creature, and returned its growl with one of her own. It was charging another blast of fire; she could see by the way a small orange glow appeared under its eyes.
Pyrone was ready to take a fire bath, ready to laugh at the creature when its attack did nothing to her seemingly so flammable mane. But she never got the chance, at that moment another creature appeared from the bushes in a flash of cream fur, and in the blink of an eye had tackled the Shelgon in such a way that it tipped over. Tetzleflame sent a fiery glare in her direction that could have peeled the bark right off of a tree.
Nothing, not even the glare that she was getting, could have moved Pyrone from the spot then. She watched as the elderly Ninetales turned away from her with a snort, and kicked at the Shelgon between its eyes, sufficiently ending its blaze. "Come with me." Tetzleflame growled as he turned and slunk back into the bushes, "It's about time that I had a word with your mother."
"This, dear Randry, is a Gloom. You don't want to mess with a Gloom." A Jolteon droned off boredly to the excited tyro. When Zellen had auditioned for a tyro, he had not wanted this one. She was not only chatty, but also whiny. Still couldn't catch a Pidgey. Though it almost made sense, she was born to the Pokeball, and had no siblings. Hadn't had much exercise as a kit, and now her mouth was the first thing that got the said activity each day.
Zellen was even more annoyed when another mentor showed up, and it happened to be Noric. He left Randry to her own devices, and stormed over to the Flareon. "I thought the Training Grounds were mine for the day?" He asked heatedly, motioning with his head the surrounding clearing, with low branches and flat ground, a perfect place to undergo practice battles.
"Pyrone assigned me here today as well. Said you might need some help." Noric's eyes danced over to Randry for a second, and he seemed to purr, "So here we are. Ready to practice jumps Teala?"
The Jolteon watched Noric's tyro nod tamely and walk over to the center of the clearing, getting into a jump-worthy position. He glanced back at his own, where Randry was still sniffing the Gloom with interest, and immediately a flare of jealousy sparked. "Randry!" He hissed, "Come over here and get ready!"
"For what? A play battle? Oh, I love mock fights! Please tell me that's what we're doing!" The Eevee rattled, bounding over and coming to a halt in front of her mentor. Zellen gritted his teeth and shook his head. "Ooooh, I know, we're doing tumbles?" He shook his head again, "Defense strategies?"
"No Randry." Zellen sighed, "You're going to learn jumps with Teala."
"Jumps." She repeated, "But I hate jumps!" Her mentor sighed once more, and only pointed at the free space next to Teala with one paw.
Back at the Whitefang Pack's camp, three forms appeared through the surrounding dry bushes, which clattered together well enough to alert the pack of their presence. Pyrone and Myrone guided the leader of the Eaglefire Pack through the brittle undergrowth that had formed on the ground ever since winter set in. It seemed that the bitter plants had a will of their own to survive as the air grew colder, they had developed bristles that were sharp enough to hurt the mouth of any warrior who tried to pull them up.
As the three passed by her, Freda raised her nose to the air, her belly clenching at the sickly burning smell that was coming off of each of them, as if they had somehow set their pelts on fire. This is not good for the kits. She thought, gently rubbing her belly with one paw. "Freda," Pyrone said, turning back to gaze at her for a moment, "Come with us."
She felt awkward falling into step with Tetzleflame when the leader's eyes turned to bore into her. "Are you going to be alright?" He whispered to her quietly, so no one else would hear.
"I'm fine." She replied in a biting tone, refusing to meet his eyes, "You don't have to ask."
The old Ninetales chuckled, "My congratulations to you and Kashen." He said, and simply took a step away from her when Freda growled a warning.
They came to the end of the clearing, stopping in front of a large rock just barely sheltered by a covering of lichen and dead tangles of vines. Blazewind's mellow voice was a gentle hum from the inside of the rock, just barely hearable past the curtain of vines that covered the den's entrance from view. Pyrone held her ears alert for a moment, before calling, "Blazewind, you have a visitor."
A pause came by, until Blazewind pushed the vines away and peered out, "Ah, Tetzleflame." She said. Freda was surprised at how tired her grandmother looked. Her fur was neglected and spiking out at angles, her eyes—normally so full of cheer—were dull. "Come in, then." The small group followed her into den, until it was Freda's turn to squeeze into the rock, and she paused. Normally, warriors never ventured into the leader's den, unless it was a dire emergency. But still, the others had entered without a problem— "Freda? Are you out there?" Blazewind's voice floated out.
Freda shook her head. I've got to stop thinking like a tyro. She sighed and brushed through the curtain of vines, wincing when a curled leaf broke off and stuck in her pelt. Blazewind's scent hung in the air like a fine mist, it tickled Freda's nose as she sat down next to her mother. The sand that made the den's floor was gritty, but a welcome change to the brittle plants outside.
Not to her surprise, Makos the Vaporeon sat next to her grandmother, with his usual calm demeanor. He had been Blazewind's deputy ever since they'd gotten back to the forest from that escapade with the Team Rocket humans. "What can we do for you?" He rumbled.
Tetzleflame cast a glance around at the eons grouped around him, and took a deep, steadying breath. "I am here to talk about the Shelgon… we need to get rid of it as fast as possible, Blazewind. It will destroy the forest! Now I know some of your Vaporeon warriors are capable of freezing water, and they are going to be useful-"
"Wait, how do you know?" Pyrone said.
The old Ninetales hesitated, his gaze again shifting, and Freda knew that he was keeping something back. He was about to say something more, when a yowl started up from the Jolteon on watch, "INTRUDERS! WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!"
There were echoing yowls of the same thing throughout the camp, and the group jumped to their feet. Blazewind and Makos raced out first, and Freda remained behind and alone, relaxing into the indent of sand that her grandmother had just been sitting on. The den was daunting without another creature sharing the space. Shadows raced across the top, changing with the shifting light coming from the opening and its swaying curtain.
Voices came from the outside; one side was full of unfamiliar baritones that sounded like they were coming from very large creatures, and then came the normal voices of a few eons blurting out at once. The walls around her muffled the sounds, making Freda slowly inch towards the exit to hear the words. There was no growling going on, just tense silence.
Freda pressed her nose out of the den and took in a deep breath. No fighting, just a heavy load of fear-scent. She exited the den, and saw the rest of the pack clustered at one point around taller creatures that easily could've seen her over her pack mates' heads. But instead of staring at these creatures, like the rest were, her gaze locked on something far more interesting.
Kashen.
He was a flash of black fur as he pushed past several eons—one a very tart-looking Jolteon who had Randry by his side—and bolted over to Freda's side. The yellow rings upon his ears glowed as he bent and touched noses with her.
Freda's paws twitched as she launched herself at him, bowling the Umbreon over and standing upon his belly. "Expect the unexpected." She quoted Makos at him as they both purred in amusement.
"Hello to you too." Kashen squirmed out from under her and sat, soon having her snuggled next to him. "I'll tell you all about the Absol-"
His offer was cut short when one of the huge white creatures bellowed, "Kashen! Stop flirtin' and c'mon!"
Reluctantly, he turned back to Freda and touched noses with her again. "Tell me you'll be back soon." She murmured.
"I'll be back soon." Kashen said, and bounded off again. Watching him go, Freda wondered if that was a promise, or not…
Mordecai turned to Kashen as soon as they were back in the forest with Tetzleflame in tow, heading towards the Eaglefire Pack grounds. "So, what's her name?" He asked past a very wide Absol-grin.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Kashen replied, trying to keep his voice level, and failing.
"Oh, you know." He persisted, "All I want to know is her name…"
"She's Freda."
"Freda. That's nice." Mordecai and Tarrim exchanged glances, but remained silent.
Ember lifted her head off of Din's flank, who had cheerfully agreed to carry her through the forest. She murmured, "How's she doing?"
"Well." Kashen said agreeably, his eyes shining and distant, "But… I would be able to tell you more, had a certain one of us not been in such of a hurry…" He gave a shady glare to Wren, who matched his glare with one of his own.
"We're here for a reason." The young Absol snorted, getting a nod of agreement from Maggie, "Not to watch you flirt."
"Hey now, that's not fair!" Mist chimed in.
Before Wren could get a word in edgewise, Tetzleflame growled, "All of you stop. You're not here to argue either."
"He has a point." Tarrim said, thenfell silent before he was scalded by Tetzleflame's scowl.
Tetzleflame led them to a clearing that had less of the sweet grass than the other parts of Eaglefire's grounds. Instead of the grass, there were berries that were dark blue and plump, big enough to make their parent plants sag. The old Ninetales paused at the edge of the clearing and tested the air, his eyes suddenly widening. "We'll have come back later." He said quickly, whipping around and running straight into Maggie.
"We're here now." The female Absol said impatiently. She pushed past him and moved into the clearing with a swagger in her step. The rest exchanged glances and turned to Tetzleflame, who briskly shook his head, but Wren and Mist slowly followed her anyway.
"Listen." Din murmured with his head tilted upward. Kashen listened, and could discern only a faint growling breath underneath the regular breeze flowing through the trees. The three Absol where just turning around to return to them, when Tetzleflame darted forward. He was as low to the ground as a Ninetales could get, running as fast as possible. The sound of a creature exhaling was heard then, loud and clear, and when Tetzleflame got to a certain point, he leaped…
…And intercepted a blast of fire aimed directly at Mist. A burst of fiery embers spread in all directions off of Tetzleflame, and the sound drowned out Din's exclamation of, "Good timing!"
Tetzleflame motioned frantically, and the three Absol joined the other group, keeping their bounty still in their mouths. Another flame blast came, and this time Tetzleflame dodged, but realized this mistake too late as the fire hit the first of the berry plants and set it aflame. The berries upon it burst and then shriveled up until they were nothing but black dust.
Looking from the group clustered just behind one tree to the berries that were quickly setting alight one by one, Tetzleflame bellowed for the rest to get out of there, and that was exactly what they didn't do. Tarrim jumped forward, sparks flying from his snowy form, followed by the rest of the Absol, excepting Din. He hovered over the berries that they'd managed to pick, sniffing at one as he continued to support Ember.
If the group in front of it fazed the Shelgon, it gave no sign of it. Instead, it let off another blast of fire, which was met halfway with a retaliation of thunder and fire that arched up over the tree heads. Mist's attack was the only one that was aimed directly at the creature, since the ice would've melted before contact. The ball of ice shattered at the Shelgon's feet, making it balk and screech. Its attack ended.
"You, Absol." Tetzleflame ordered as he streaked past Mist, "Come with me!" He was chasing after the Shelgon, and beckoned with his tail. The creature was moving faster than it appeared to be able to, and had quickly disappeared.
"What about the plants? Do we leave them to burn?" Tarrim asked, turning to Kashen.
The Umbreon shuffled his feet and said, "How would we be able to put them out?"
"Simple job!" Was the reply. Tarrim turned to the burning bushes and his eyes narrowed. A slight gust of wind passed through the trees. Tarrim concentrated even further, and the gust became a gale with effectively blew the fire away.
As quickly as it had come, the wind faded away, leaving a shivering Ember and a very ruffled Kashen. The Absol seemed to think nothing of it. "There aren't any berries left." Din noted, "But I recognize what these are…" The Absol was grinning.
"Out with it already!" Maggie snapped.
"They're in the Ceremonial Valley." He said and bowed his head, "Our ancestors left-"
"We are not going to take berries from the Ceremonial Valley." She growled, "They are forbidden. You know what happened to the last fool to try it."
"But this is different." Din insisted. "We don't have enough to heal all of the clan."
"We can split them. Besides, there might be more bushes around here somewhere."
Ember was shaking her head weakly, "Only a whole berry-" Cough. "-Will cause a full recovery." She murmured.
"Oh, that's right." Mordecai said, gently plucking Ember off of his friend's shoulder and setting her down next to one of the berries. "Maggie, if you've failed to hear, the only ignasia berry patch was right here. But there are some in the Ceremonial Valley, which the rules state we can never eat."
Kashen noticed that the Absol's eyes were beginning to glow an eerie red as he continued, "And so a Foreseer must have seen this would happen a long time ago, and how many cases would come across. Only fifteen bushes have ever grown in the valley. We have five berries now. There will be only twenty cases of flame sickness in Mountain Clan."
Mordecai's voice seemed to ring and echo in the air, and Kashen shuddered slightly. He cast a glance at Tarrim, who took no notice, as he was busy staring at his twin brother. "Well, then, let's go." Wren said and even he sounded startled. "Mist better get back soon…"
"Speak of the Murkrow." Din chuckled, motioning to his horn where she'd pushed through the undergrowth and was heading back to them.
Ember let out a large sneeze, blowing brown smoke everywhere. She'd finished her ignasia berry by then, and was already looking a bit better, though her voice was still a whisper when she asked Din to pick her up again. But before that could happen, Tetzleflame was standing over Ember, looking down his snout at her. "Daughter." He said quietly, but that was all that he said, before the old fox gave a heavy sigh and addressed the others, "You have what you want. Now get out of my territory."
Tetzleflame then walked away, his tails held low. "What's his problem?" Tarrim asked.
"I don't think he trusts Absol." Mist said with a shrug, "Oh well. Where to now?"
"We drop off these berries, then go get more at the Ceremonial Valley." Mordecai answered, taking one in his mouth and sauntering off. Mist and Wren took the remaining four and followed.
Taking this for as good a time as any to ask, Kashen fell into step with Tarrim, who'd chosen to walk to the back. "You look like you want to ask something, Dark One." The Absol murmured.
"I do."
"Well?"
"About your brother. Is he is… okay?"
Tarrim looked up at where his brother was still in the lead, "He's fine." He muttered, "Just showing off."
"Showing off?" Kashen echoed.
"Yes, showing off." Tarrim grumbled. He glanced at Kashen, "Our father was a Foreseer. But only Mordecai and our sister have showed any of the power to become one as well."
"Ah, I see." The Umbreon replied, noticing that the Absol had not adverted his piercing gaze.
"Are you going back to your lover now?" Tarrim sniffed. "…Or is she coming with us?"
Kashen shifted nervously at the second question, "I want to go back to Freda. Surely you Absol won't see that as too bad of a thing?" Mist, who was just ahead of them, turned her head slightly and looked upset, but the Umbreon took little notice.
"Of course not." Tarrim answered, "We know where to find you, after all." After a pause, the Absol gave Kashen a friendly nudge in the direction of the Whitefang Pack's grounds. "Off with you. But do keep in touch, okay?"
"Alright." Kashen said, chuckling as he bounded off with one last wave of his tail.
Soon afterwards, the group of Absol and single Vulpix were back around Blackstar Pack's land. The sun was setting by then, leaving them with little light to walk by. "My paws are going to hurt in the morning." Mist sighed when they finally stopped for the night under a large tree.
Wren sat down next to her and yawned, "Me too." He'd stopped being so biting ever since Kashen had left.
Ember was already asleep by then, curled up into a ball. She didn't know that Din had chosen to fall asleep with his head resting on her side. But one thing she'd fallen asleep knowing was that somewhere back in the forest, there was an Umbreon and Flareon curled up together, both very happy to see each other. That thought made her dreams very warm that night.