Hello. Chapter 3- 3 is a magic number right?
CLAIMER: I own Shadow, the story idea, and the characters.
DISCLAIMER: Someone owns Pokemon. (BIG HINT- it's not StarDragon X)
Moonlight's Shadow
Chapter 3: No Mercy or Mercy?
The whole pack seemed to be in a complete daze. Shadow looked around her, growing dizzy and faint. Wherever she went she seemed to see Umbreons, blackness, and fear. It wasn't possible, it couldn't be- Shadow trembled, her head down and shook. Of all her fears that would be true- this was the biggest. Though even in that hazy lazy day known as 'yesterday', she had not expected this. Never. Was even the gods cold to her? Was she some sort of curse to be transformed into this monstrosity? There was no hope for her anymore.
Shadow howled to the sun. She howled to the gods, to the pack, and Akara. She howled to the land and the sea- the sky, the moon and the stars. She howled to the unknown and the spirits and forces. She howled to whatever creature who might listen to her. She howled in grief and sorrow. A howl that pierced through you, ripped through you, reminding you of every sad event in your life.
Pokemon heard it, Humans heard it- everyone heard it. Trainers stopped their battles and Birds stopped their flight. A houndoom stopped in its hunt, a dragonite stopped in midair. Every living creature or thing heard the noise. Every spirit or force heard the noise. And they stopped to listen.
Tear drops fell to ground and Shadow's heart throbbed as she felt her new power. And for the one time in her life, her whole entire life- Shadow was not afraid of this black force. In fact, she liked it. She let the darkness wash over her and as it did a ripple of energy went out and spread over the pack- seemingly suffocating everything that was under it. Even in the pack's previous dazed state, they seemed to be immobilized and unmoving. Under a spell.
"What went wrong?" cried Shadow, "WHAT?"
Shadow eyeballed the Priestess of Evolution, for once forgetting all protocol and behavior. The Espeon shook her head weakly and shrugged. She was the only one not powerless under Shadow's dark cape of energy.
"EVERYONE KNOWS WHAT I FEAR!" screeched Shadow, "EVEN THE GODS SHOULD KNOW!"
The Espeon gave no answer but kept shaking her head.
Shadow hissed and a jolt of her black power struck out suddenly and held Akara by the neck, raising the priestess into the air. It was almost like a real hand, that power that held Akara. Ready to strangle, ready to kill. Shadow laughed madly.
"You were one of the most powerful ones in the pack priestess! But now! No look at you. You cannot even withstand me. Maybe in this state will you give me an answer!"
Shadow tightened her hold on Akara. The helpless Pokemon coughed and sputtered.
"WHY?" cried Shadow, "WHY?"
"AM I A CURSE TO BE AFFLICTED LIKE THIS?"
Akara gasped for air, trying to find the breath to talk.
"WHY! WHY! WHY!" screamed Shadow, "GIVE ME AN ANSWER! WHY AM I LIKE THIS?"
This time the answer was different: the Espeon drew a long breath and uttered three single words.
"I don't know."
Akara's body hung limp for moment in the grip of the 'black hand' before Shadow's feelings of grief and unhappiness washed away to shock of what she had just done. She recalled her power feeling eerie as she felt it inside her. The Espeon dropped to the ground and lay there- crumpled up and lifeless. Akara the Espeon, Priestess of Evolution was dead. She had just killed the second most important person in the pack- she had just killed a warrior more experienced in fighting then she was. She had just killed one of the few Pokemon who had shown her any signs of affection- she had just killed a Pokemon who was the main reason she was in the White Paw Pack.
The black shadow over the pack vanished and they snapped out of their trance. For a minute or so, there was silence in the air as brains clicked and clacked to work out what happened. When they comprehended the pack seemed to erupt with noise. Wailing and crying filled the air while the four Pokemon directly around Shadow growled and snapped while shedding tears of their own. A Flareon bounded over to the dead body of Akara and wept miserably. For once, no one was afraid of Shadow's eyes.
Winterchill slowly got up and walked to Akara. There were tears in the Vaporeon's eyes as he comforted the Flareon who was weeping uncontrollably at the body. The Flareon, Akara's sister held the head of her sister against her cheek and cried the deep sorrow. Winterchill, after stroking Akara's head, walked slowly to Shadow.
"I will answer your question."
"The Gods do things for their reasons which will benefit our world. I do not know whether you are a curse or not but I do know that you are now a danger to the pack." Winterchill stopped.
"I once thought that adopting you was a good idea- to give you love, to give you care. But now, after what-what happened…" There was a glance at Akara.
"My thoughts have changed. You have used your powers for evil and I cannot allow that for safety in the pack."
Shadow had her eyes glued to the ground and began to chant softly, "Have mercy on me, have mercy on me…"
"Kill her!" wailed Akara's sister looking up, "Her powers are immense and they have already been used for destruction and death!"
"Yes!" agreed another, "She is a curse to the pack. We all have seen her eyes- she is too abnormal to be normal."
"Have mercy on me, have mercy one me, have mercy on me, have mercy on me…" Shadow
"Give her what she has given to Akara. Give her death." said Blaze.
The whole pack started to chant now, chanting like Shadow did,"Kill her! Kill her!
"She has disrupted us from the day she came! She is not a true member of this pack!"
Winterchill gazed at his fellow pack members before turning to Shadow. There would indeed be a mutiny. The newly evolved Pokemon was shaking from head to toe- standing in a puddle of tears.
"Mercy…Mercy. Mercy. Have Mercy…"
Winterchill lifted Shadow's chin up with one of his paws. The Umbreon stopped chanting.
"For even all the trouble and dangers that you may have caused the White Paw Pack… I will not- I cannot kill you."
Shadow's shaking stopped.
"Than-"Her mouth was closed shut by Winterchill's paw.
"However." Winterchill dropped his paw to the ground, "This act of murder will not go unnoticed."
Shadow's eyes widened as the Vaporeon swiftly turned to face the pack.
"Give her murder!" screamed one.
Many heads nodded.
"A death for a death?" questioned Winterchill, "What good will that do?"
"A death of an insane powerful evil Pokemon for a death of a well cherished, well loved, kin!" An Espeon spat it out at Winterchill, being sure to glare icily at Shadow.
"I'm a curse… A curse I am but have mercy on me…" whispered Shadow.
"She says so herself," declared an Umbreon, hearing what Shadow said, "She admits what she is- a curse."
There were several murmurs of agreement on this as the pack members turned to talk to each other.
"We cannot let this vile monster go and wreck havoc on the world. We must stop her before she goes on. Death is the only answer."
As Shadow shook her head upset and distraught, silently chanting for mercy, one Jolteon spoke up and Shadow's ears perked up.
"Clearly the young one's powers were out of control. She was very much upset. With training it could be amended." He said.
The pack began to murmur amongst themselves again. Shadow began to chant again to herself.
"Have mercy... Have mercy... Have mercy..."
"Kaz, she has just killed Akara! Do you really want to chance another of her killing anyone else in our pack? Even your young one?" cried Akara's sister.
The Jolteon called Kaz glanced at his son; a newly evolved Espeon then shook his head and said no more at the time being. Kaz's son looked questioningly and sacredly at the Umbreon who was shaking and chanting quietly in the center of them all. Kaz shook his head while drawing his son closer to him. Winterchill looked at the Pokemon around him. His family, his kin, and most of all his pack. Was he giving it all up for one Pokemon? A Pokemon who had murdered and already caused trouble in his pack? It was like a single Abra against a raging horde of Dolphans. He could dodge and evade but sooner or later he'd had to answer to them.
"Not death, perhaps… but exile." said Winterchill slowly. Shadow shook her head wildly. It couldn't be happening. She might as well be killed then be avoided and shamed by other Pokemon for the rest of her life.
"That will suffice…" said Akara's sister.
"Give her exile." Said Kaz agreeing, "It is better then death."
But he knew with his heart that it probably wasn't. As did most pack members. But then, the greater the punishment, the better for the 'monster' was the though of most of the Pokemon there.
"Exile." An Umbreon nodded his head agreement. The others did to with little bits of statements as they did. Finally as the pack members nodded their heads Winterchill sighed.
"Is there no other option?"
"Have mercy! Have mercy on me!" pleaded Shadow, a final time.
Winterchill moved closer to the Umbreon.
"Stand up." Shadow obeyed automatically- what else was she to do?
The Vaporean took one last look at the pack- the pack who was shouting him on to do this deed- before turning to do his duty. Taking a deep breath and one mighty swipe, he clawed the forelegs of Shadow, leaving two 'x' shaped gashes in the Pokemon's legs- one on each leg and clearly visible. That was the mark of one who was exiled. Shadow gasped in pain but she did not lick the wounds, she only stared emotionlessly at the pack members who were smiling grimly at her. Winterchill turned to face the pack, tears in his eyes.
"It is decreed by I Winterchill, pack leader of the White Paw Pack that Shadow, of one years old and an Umbreon is to be exiled for murder of a fellow pack member who did no wrong against this Pokemon and did not provoke her to form any type of attack.
Winterchill turned to Shadow, "We will let you go soon- run as fast from this pack as you can. Do not look back, do come back. For if you do, death will be your fate. You may not come in contact with any pack member or our territory. Never again use the name White Paw for your pack. You have none. There is no mercy given for one such as yourself."
No mercy.
Dramactic- but! 3 is a magic number.
-StarDragon X