Difference and Acceptance

Hey Guys! here's the next chapter, hope your enjoying this, I appreciate any comments you have on this! With Fall approaching the Lucario are beginning to gather food for winter. enjoy!

Fall was approaching. The days were becoming cooler, the skies stayed clear most of the time although it rained occasionally, and the trees were starting to get tinges of red, orange, and yellow to their leaves. Luna had learned that throughout fall the adult Lucario would be gathering food for winter, and although most of the riolu were too young to help, a couple of the older riolu would be helping them. Luna decided she wanted to help, even if she was too young to help she would still try.

Luna walked over to where her father was. Roxas was picking mushrooms near where Luna first came to the pack. "Can I help, Daddy?" Luna asked him, Roxas looked over at her after picking a mushroom and putting it in a basket, "Sure you can, sweetie." Luna smiled and went to pick a mushroom, "careful Luna, some mushrooms aren't safe to eat," he said, crouching down and pointing at the mushroom she was going to pick, it had a red top and white spots, "I'll show you which ones you can pick." He got up and led her to some mushrooms, "now, these," he points to a creamy colored mushroom, "and these," he points to a mushroom with a light brown top, "are safe to eat, and taste good too."

Luna picked one of the light brown topped mushrooms and put it in her mouth, chewed, then swallowed. She smiled, "it is good!" So they picked mushrooms and as she did Luna looked around, at the trees with their leaves beginning to change color, a family of rattata scampering by, and an old noctowl that had landed on a tree branch and had gone to sleep. Then, She noticed the spot where her parents were buried. A tear appeared in her eye as she looked, then turned her head and brushed the tear away with a paw while reaching for another mushroom. A startled paras scuttled away and she realized she had almost grabbed one of the mushrooms a paras has on its back, "sorry paras," she mumbled as she went back to picking mushrooms, a little oddish walking by cheered her up a little by smiling at her.

Once the basket was full Roxas picked it up, "come on, Luna!" so Luna said goodbye to the oddish and took his paw and they walked back home. When they got back Luna noticed Emerald wasn't there, so she asked her father, "where's momma?" Roxas ruffled the fur on her head, "She's off picking berries, why don't you go help her?" Luna smiled and hugged Roxas, "ok, Daddy." She ran off to the part of the forest where the berry bushes were and found Emerald picking berries and dropping them into some baskets she had with her.

"Hi momma!" Luna said happily as she wrapped her little arms around her mother's legs, Emerald smiled and scooped her up, giving her a hug. "Hi, Luna! Where you helping Daddy?" Luna nodded, he taught me which mushrooms I could pick, and I almost picked a mushroom that belonged to a paras and I saw an oddish too!" Emerald smiled and chuckled, "sounds like you had fun! would you like to help me?" Luna nodded, and began to pick some pecha berries from nearby bush. But when all the berries she could reach had been picked, she looked at some that were slightly higher than she could reach and flapped her little wings and struggled to get up to the berries so she could pick them. She managed to grab a few before she fell, Emerald caught her before she hit the ground.

"Look momma, I got some!" Emerald just smiled as she placed her on the ground, then took the berries from her and ruffled the fur on her head. They filled the remaining baskets with Oran, Nanab and Qualot berries and then went back home, Roxas was waiting for them. "Look at all the berries we got, daddy!" Luna said as she hugged him. Roxas smiled down at her, "wow that is a lot! thanks for helping today!" Luna laughed, "your welcome, daddy!"

Later that night, Luna lay sleeping between Emerald and Roxas, but she was having a nightmare, she was remembering the time the houndoom pack had attacked her and her parents, and sadly her parents were outnumbered and were killed by the pack and their leader, as she saw her father get killed, saw him fall from a fierce attack, heard her mother cry out in sadness, she woke with a start, and tears welled up in her eyes. She began to cry quietly, trying not to wake her parents, but Roxas heard her crying and woke up. Seeing that Luna was crying, he gently wrapped his arms around her in a hug, letting her cry, her tears wetting his fur, Emerald woke up as well and looked up sleepily to see what was going on, and seeing her daughter crying, came over and hugged her as well.

"What happened?" Roxas asked as he gently rubbed Luna's back. Luna sniffled and rubbed some tears away before she tried to talk, "I...I had a dream about what happened to my mom and dad...and it scared me so I woke up, but it made me sad!" she started crying again. Emerald gathered her into her lap, kissing her on top of her head, "oh, Luna, it's ok, I'm sure your parents miss you very much, and we'll make sure those houndoom never try to hurt you." Roxas nodded and Luna looked up and smiled. "Now", Roxas said, "how about we go back to sleep?" Luna nodded sleepily in agreement and cuddled between Emerald and Roxas, Luna went back to sleep.

Luna had a nightmare but her parents made her feel better, aww! tune in next time for the next exciting chapter of Difference and Acceptance!