Heart's Like The Tides: Chapter 4 – Fair's Fair
Disclaimer: I don't own pokemon.
Authoresses Note: I'm sorry for the wait. I've been swamped with exams and such. Luckily I finished last week and now I've got plenty of time to write some chapters. Oh and I am going to say that there will be very little of Wasaki in these next chapters. He's not really relevant till later on in the story.
Egon crept towards the Pidgeot bond to the tree. He had almost reached him when a voice suddenly called out.
"Hey! Who do you think…Oh it's just you." Followed by the Persian guard leaping gracefully out of the bushes.
Egon nodded. "Sorry to startle you. I'm here to give you a break by taking over as his guard for awhile." Egon told him.
The Persian narrowed his eyes slightly, as if trying to detect a lie. "By who's orders?" He asked shrewdly.
Egon put on his boldest look and looked the Persian directly in the eye. "Andromeda's. Now step aside." He hissed. The Persian didn't waste anytime in moving out of his way. Even if he had found Egon guilty of lying it wouldn't have mattered much. Egon could easily take him down.
The Persian trotted out of sight. He wasn't running but he was obviously trying to get out of there as fast as he could without trying to look like too much of a coward. Egon turned back to the Pidgeot who had now woken up.
"Well there goes any plan I had of escaping." He said monotonously. Egon raised an eyebrow, or rather the skin above his eye lid.
"You don't fear death do you?" Egon asked as he moved closer.
"I've come close to death before. Sometimes by accident and sometimes because of something I might've done to put myself in that position. But I don't regret putting myself in obvious danger. I do it for the ones I care about and they're done the same for me many times. You wouldn't understand that though. You only care about yourself and you only do things for yourself. Hurting others never bothered you did it?" Avis taunted.
Egon clenched his fists. "Shut up! You don't know what you're talking about! I don't even know you but I've concocted a plan to get you free at all risks to myself. I lied about the orders from Andromeda and when they find that out they'll surely kill me." He hissed at Avis.
"Why do you want to free me?" Avis asked.
"Because it's the least I can do. You're right. I've never done anything for anybody except my brother. But I've never really done anything for myself. I've only done things for Ignazio because I can't refuse him anything. He raised me when our parents died and always told me that when I was a fully grown Charizard I'd be able to pay him back. He expects me to follow all of his orders without question. He's also a lot bigger and stronger than I am. What am I supposed to do if he were to get angry with me? I can't fight back. But despite all that I'm here trying to do something good for once." He told Avis.
Avis nodded. "That's noble of you. But the way I see it you shouldn't even try to set me free. Your brother won't be happy if you ruin his chance for power. In return of your kindness I'm going to say please don't let me go. Instead long after I'm gone please do something noble for my friends. Your brother is just using you. If you never stand up to him then you'll never be free of him."
Egon was shocked. "But you've got a chance to go free! Why won't you just take it?" His mouth had dropped open.
Avis shook his head sadly. "There's never been any hope for an escape. You're brother's monitoring the skies and even if I got past him the Persians would alert him of my escape. I'd lead him right back to Derak even if I had a head start. Besides he'd surely over take me."
Egon had tears coming to his eyes. That wasn't right at all. "But that's not fair! You've always been so good and now you're just letting yourself die!" He cried out as tears poured down his face.
Avis had a single tear fall down his face. "Don't worry about me. Just please all I ask of you is to change your ways. You'll know when the time is right. Just please help my friends." He pleaded.
Egon nodded his head in respect. "I will. I promise." He took his clawed hand and shook Avis's partially available talon.
"You know. I didn't know you too well and I won't get the chance to get to know you much better but I think that we could've been great friends." Avis said.
Egon smiled but his eyes filled with tears once more. "I didn't know you well but I think you're the only thing close to a friend I've ever had."
"You're a good pokemon Egon. I saw that from the beginning. Now go and change guards so you don't have to see anything that happens to me." He told him.
Egon nodded. "I promise to stand by my promise to you no matter what." He said before turning around and looking for the Persian guard once more. His plan was to say that he'd made a mistake with the orders he was given.
Avis watched him go and smiled. He knew that he could trust Egon to stick to his word.
The Absols had spent the night in a field of tall grass. Most had managed to get to sleep but some had only tossed and turned in vain. Derak was one such Absol. He tossed for the umpteenth time before a white paw was placed gently on his back.
"Just relax Derak." Abha said sleepily. He turned to face her.
"I can't help it. We're really in a mess this time. We've got no shelter and I'm so worried about our pack. Especially you and Ines. You're both pregnant. If anything happened to the unborn cubs or you two because of me then I'd be beside myself with grief." He said worriedly.
"Don't worry. We'll all be fine. Just go to sleep. You need rest and I'm sure that you'll think of something soon." She nuzzled him gently. He accepted the nuzzle gratefully. Finally sleep began to set into Derak after Abha had calmed him down and he was gently snoring soon enough.
Abha bit her lip as she had he own fears. She got up as quietly as possible to go somewhere alone and think. She found a secluded patch of grass and sat. She looked down at her slightly swollen stomach and placed a gentle paw on it. She was excited to have a baby but there was something nagging at the back of her mind.
A rustle in the bushes behind her caught her attention. She looked behind her to see Ines walking into the bushes. She smiled at her friend as she sat down beside her.
"Evening Ines." Abha said. Ines laughed gently.
"More like morning. You shouldn't be up this late, it's dangerous." Ines said.
"I couldn't sleep." Abha said simply. They sat in silence for awhile before Abha spoke up.
"Do you ever wonder about your baby?" She asked quietly. Ines perked up an eyebrow.
"What do you mean?" She asked.
"Well it is his son or daughter right?" Abha asked. Ines widened her eyes, catching on to who he was.
Ines looked thoughtful. "Well for awhile I was so frightened. But then once he was gone I knew I had nothing to fear. It is Wasaki's offspring but it doesn't have to be Wasaki. He isn't Wasaki. I will love him unconditionally no matter what. I just hope that the others in the pack will accept him."
"Him? How do you know it's a him already?" Abha asked with a smile.
Ines smiled back. "I just know. What do you think you're having?" She asked.
Abha sighed sadly. Ines looked thoughtful when she didn't get an answer. "Hey there. What's bothering you?" She asked.
"Well it's just that…I'm worried." She replied. "I don't know what my offspring will be. I'm so confused as to who the father is going to be."
Ines widened her eyes. "You mean?"
"Yes. Wasaki might be the father of my offspring. I had to do it. I had to agree to be his mate in order to make things a little easier for the pack. And being a mate comes with certain err responsibilities. Well that's what he told me anyways." Abha said as tears came to her eyes.
Ines rested her head on Abha's neck. "It's going to be okay. Even if Wasaki is the father Derak would never leave you or the child. He'd stand by your side." She comforted her.
Abha sighed. "Thanks Ines. It's good to have you as a friend. We should be getting back now."
"Okay let's go then. You sure you okay?" She asked.
"Yeah I'm sure. Thanks again." Abha said as they both started walking out of the bushes and back to the sleeping pack.
Abha found Derak and settled down beside him. She buried her face into his mane and fell back into a deep sleep.
The next morning Derak woke up at sunrise. The pack was also rising by the time he was fully awake.
"We've got to find shelter and safety. I think that's our main priority at the moment. Then we can see about what's going on with our attackers." Derak said as they gathered around him.
"But where will we go?" An Absol asked.
"I know of another Absol pack. They're much larger than us after all the members we've lost so hopefully they won't mind taking us in. The leader was a friend of my father's." Derak said.
They Absols had to walk through a large forest in order to get to the boundaries of the other pack grounds. Unlike Derak's grounds these had very small cliffs and were primarily covered in forest with no fields. There was also a small lake in the center of the lush grounds. In all they were very nice grounds.
"Who are you?" An Absol demanded as the group stood at the border. Derak stood up straight.
"I am Derak. I am the alpha of the lands south of here. I was hoping to speak with your leader. He was an old friend of my father, Ragnar." The Absol looked at him suspiciously.
"The leader you speak of died a short time ago. His own son rules here now." He said.
"I'm sorry to hear that. But may I speak to your leader. We mean no harm. As you can see our numbers are small and we are weak from little food." Derak said.
The Absol didn't lose his suspicious look but gave in. "Fine. Follow me." He said roughly. The group of Absols lead by Derak followed the Absol. Other Absols from the pack gave the visitors suspicious looks. They didn't seem like a friendly bunch. Finally they reached a large den made of woven sticks and branches.
"This is where our leader lives. His name is Malo however you shall address him as Sir. Also the others you've brought must remain out here. We can't take any chances." The Absol instructed.
Derak nodded his thanks and started to move inside. He felt a little nervous about leaving his pack so he gave Abha a quick nuzzle to show her to be brave and try to keep them out of danger. He walked into the den and saw an Absol sitting in the darkness.
Clearing his throat he slid into a bow. "Good Morning Sir." He said respectfully. The Absol turned around to face him before walking into the light. Derak could see him clearly. He was shocked to find that he was younger than Derak was. His mane was barely fully grown.
"Rise. Who might you be?" He asked. His face held no expression as he looked at Derak.
"I am Derak. Son of Ragnar. I am the alpha of the pack south of here." He said.
The Absol flicked his eyes up for a second as if thinking. "South of here you say. I received an Absol who came from a pack south of here just yesterday. He said that the pack grounds were burnt down by a pair of Charizards. Is that the same pack that you lead?" He asked.
Derak nodded. "Yes that's my pack. We were attacked and we were hoping that you could provide us with shelter. We'll find our own food off your lands and we won't bother your pack members. You are our last hope right now." Derak told him.
"I'm sorry to here about your situation but the Absol, Pollard I believe his name was, said that the Charizards were coming for you and would stop at nothing to destroy you. Even if that meant destroying everything around you." Malo said.
Derak's eyes widened. "Please. It's only for a short time. My mate, she's pregnant and so is another female in my pack. My father was good friends with your father. He often spoke highly of him." He was pleading now.
"Let's call in the other Absol. I'll need his input to make my decision." Malo said before calling to the Absol who had escorted Derak and his pack in. Shortly afterwards Pollard was brought in. He smirked at Derak as he passed.
"You called for me Sir." He said haughtily.
"Yes. This is Derak the alpha of your pack correct?" He asked.
"Yes Sir."
"And why did you leave?" Malo asked.
"This leader here has a large army of pokemon after him and was offering us no protection. He is a terrible leader." He said before smirking at Derak.
"I saved you! I saved you from a tyrant leader how could you even stand there and call me such things!" Derak hissed.
"Silence both of you." Malo said. He turned to Derak. "You don't seem like a bad leader or a bad pokemon. But the fact remains that you have enemies after you. I don't know why they're after you but I can't keep my pack in danger. You cannot stay." He said.
Derak lowered his scythe sadly. "However I do have a proposal for you." Malo said.
Derak's ears perked up. "What kind of proposal?" He asked.
"You said that you had expecting females. I am not heartless. I will offer those females and any other hurt or injured or frightened Absols shelter. But I am sorry that you are not allowed to remain here."
Derak nodded. "That is more than fair. I truly appreciate your offer. Would I be allowed to go conference it with my pack?"
"Yes. Take your time." Malo said.
"Thank you Sir." Derak said before trotting out of the cave. He gave Pollard who was sulking a triumphant smirk. However he knew that some goodbyes were ahead of him and that they wouldn't be easy. He walked towards where his pack was waiting. Abha walked forward.
"What did he say?" She asked worriedly as she saw the grim expression on his face.
"He said that I cannot stay-" He started to tell her. Worried looks set in on everybody's faces.
"-but he is graciously offering shelter to anyone who needs it. That means that Ines and Abha are going to stay here and get shelter. Also anyone who wants to stay here and be safe is more then welcome." He said.
Everyone still looked worried. Abha stepped forward closer to his face. "I'm not staying. If you're leaving then I'm going to follow you anywhere." She said boldly.
"No. You're staying. It's safe here and right now I need to handle this myself." He told her.
"You can't handle this yourself! This is huge and you're just one Absol!" She said angrily.
"You're staying and that's final!" He said angrily. "Ines too. Everyone else decide what you want to do quickly because I don't want to endanger anyone any longer! I'm the alpha here and that's how it goes!" He ordered.
Abha stomped off growling and took her place back in the pack. Derak hadn't wanted to yell or pull the I'm-the-leader-listen-to-me trick but he wanted her to be safe. Several Absols, the ones who were going to stay, moved to where she sat. Ines followed and soon only eight Absols, a mix of five males and three females, were left going with Derak.
"Thank you." He told them gratefully.
Malo walked out of the den. "Who is going to be staying?" He asked.
"That group right there. There's nine there. I hope that's not too much." He said.
"That's fine. Have you said your goodbyes yet? I don't want to rush you." He said.
Derak shook his head no and Malo nodded before walking back into his cave. The Males going with Derak said goodbye to their mates if they had them and the females who were going were going with their mates. The ones staying were either too old too fight or too weak.
He approached Abha. She turned her back to him. "Please don't let me leave on a bad note."
She growled but turned around to face him. "You're selfish! Leaving your mate expecting. Do you expect me to raise our offsring fatherless?" She growled.
"I'm just trying to do what's best for you." He said.
"You're trying to run away again. You think that if you out run the Charizards then they'll lose interest. But that won't work this time. They will track you down to the end of the earth and you're leaving yourself open by leaving us here. You just want to run away from your problems again!" she accused him angrily.
"That's not true! I've gotten a lot of crap in the last few days but I wouldn't have expected it from you!" He snarled. She was getting on his nerves. Whether it was the pregnancy or not she shouldn't have said that.
"Go. Go on then. Do what you want." She said before walking away angrily.
"Fine!" He shouted and turned around angrily. He walked over to Malo.
"Thank you for your kindness. I will be leaving now Sir." Derak said.
"It's no problem. Good luck Derak." He told him. Derak nodded and turned to get his remaining followers. Rounding them up they started to leave. Derak looked back one last time but was met with sorrow as he saw that Abha was there. His heart felt like it had twisted up but it was better this way. She'd be safe. And hopefully she'd realize that sometime.
Egon knew that they'd be taking Avis down anytime now. It was almost dark and the Persians would be getting hungry. It just wasn't fair that Avis had to meet his end this way. Or any way at all.
He sighed as a Persian walked up to him. "You're Egon right?" He asked.
"Who wants to know." He said disinterestedly.
"Well Andromeda told me to tell you that you're brother would be away for awhile. He had to do a task for her. He's going to go find Derak." The Persian informed him before leaving.
At first Egon felt anger that his brother had to go take down another good pokemon but then realized something. Ignazio was gone. Ignazio was gone with no contact with the Persians for awhile.
Egon leapt to his feet and spread his wings. There was no time to lose. He would do something noble for once without fear of his brother finding out right away. He roared and took to the air hoping that it wasn't too late for Avis.
Authoresses Note: Well there's the chapter. Expect the next one out shortly. I have a lot of time on my hands now. I hope you enjoyed.