The Fire Within, version II.
Awwww… why hasn't this fic had any reviews? I'm sure it would have if it was a legend shipping fic… c'mon guys, give it a go!
Oh, and to avoid any confusion:
Turn = Year
Moon = Month
Sun = Day
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!
Chapter 2 – The Curse of Love
A sea of Eons crowded around Blackflame, bombarding him with annoying questions. I felt kind of sorry for the guy. I know for a fact that if I were in his position, they would all end up frozen. Surely he could turn invisible and sneak away…
"Hey, Coldfire!"
I turned to see Stonehenge grinning back at me. The arrival of a new pack member seemed to only excite him more than usual. "Wanna go hunting?" he inquired, wagging his scruffy tail.
I sighed. What harm could it do? Besides, I was hungry. I hadn't eaten since yesterday, and the sun was starting to set. "Sure," I muttered.
This only seemed to excite him more. Brown eyes shining, he scampered for the exit. Sometimes it was a little tiring having a hyperactive Quartzeon as a friend. "Let's go to the forest! I'm sure all the rodents will be preparing for the night!" On that note, he dashed out the huge cavern.
I followed him at a slower pace, distracted by what had unfolded.
"Hey." A deep voice called me back. Ugh, what did they want? My stomach was beginning to growl. I set a warning scowl on my face, but dropped it as soon as I had spun around and seen who it was.
Blackflame, solid once more, looked at me with amusement. "I see you left as soon as you could. Don't you like your pack mates?" His voice was light and curious.
I felt my muscles tighten involuntarily. Who was he to question my motives? I considered biting back with a snappy retort, but decided to give the guy a break seeing as he was new. Instead, I just shrugged my shoulders and replied: "I prefer my own company."
The Requeon nodded. "You do, however, seem rather fond of that excitable Quartzeon. Is he your mate?" The formality in his tone was forced and edged with sarcasm.
At this remark, I couldn't help but laugh at his preposterous comment. Stonehenge, my mate? "No," I chuckled. "He's just my friend. Do you take me for the kind of eon to have a mate?" I narrowed my eyes, eager to see what he would say next.
He grinned at me widely with new, white teeth. The gesture sent a little shiver down my spine. I didn't get why. Before my conscience could interrupt, he continued. "No, I suppose not. You do seem, uhhh…" - His red hued eyes darted around the room for effect - "Rather selective."
I narrowed my eyes. I'd just met this fellow and he was already commenting on my love life. "What do you mean?"
Grin still inset, Blackflame sat back on his haunches, curling his thick tail around his body and pretending to inspect a razor-sharp claw. "Oh, I've been all over this island, hon. Seen plenty like you. Give off all the wrong vibes because they're supposedly too different."
I snorted at his ignorance. How dare he assume something like that? "You've got no idea what I've been through. If you did, you wouldn't say that."
"Oh, really now?" came the smart-assed reply. "And what happened?" His eyes challenged me, dared me to surprise him.
I usually didn't share my pathetic back-story with others, let alone strangers. But I wanted this eon to know just how wrong he was.
"When I was two turns old, just a foolish young Eevee, I frequented this water hole. It was the only water source around where I lived, up in the North. One day, when I was getting a drink, I noticed another Eevee on the opposite side. I found out from my parents that his name was Demetrius and that he lived with his family near the water hole. I ended up quite good friends with his brother, and he invited me over to play a lot. The whole time, I was captivated by his brother. A foolish teenager, I began to fall in love.
"He didn't see much interested in me, though. He acted superior to me, and didn't acknowledge me much. Since he was much older than myself and his brother, he soon evolved into a Vaporeon, taking on the name Sleetfisher and began to pursue another Vaporeon. I watched them link tails by the lake, and gaze lovingly into each other's eyes for nearly a turn. It was heart wrenching.
"His brother, who evolved into the hypo Quartzeon you see today while on a trip to the desert, returned and encouraged me to talk to him. His name is Stonehenge, by the way. He's been a good friend to me for as long as I can remember. I listened to his advice and confronted Sleetfisher.
"I really poured my heart out to him. Told him all the things I'd felt. He was disgusted. He told me he'd rather… he said some really horrible things. He ran off to be with his Vaporeon, and I've never seen him since.
"Stonehenge was leaving; Quartzeon don't live in the North. I decided that there was no point in me staying up there and having to see Sleetfisher and his mate all the time. So, I came to join this clan."
Blackflame's jaw hung open slightly, his eyes were blank. For a moment there was silence as I stared at him as intensely as I could. Then he gulped. "Wow. What a story."
I nodded. "It could have ended a lot worse, and I'm thankful, but I've made a deal with myself to never fall under that curse again."
The Requeon was reflective for a moment. "That's a sad way to live. I mean, sure, first loves are painful, but when you progress, you find something that fits comfortably." He looked at me, eyes tender.
He did have a point. But I was astonished that this eon that had just evolved moments ago could be so wise. "How old are you?"
"Six turns."
Oh my Mew. He was a turn older than me and he'd just evolved. "How come you didn't evolve naturally, then?"
He shrugged. "I journeyed a lot."
I sighed. "Look, I'm sorry. I don't even know why the Turnback I've told you all this. I promised Stonehenge I would hunt with him, and he's probably wondering where I am."
Blackflame nodded and got to his feet. "Okay. I'll see you around I guess."
As I ran across the clearing to where the forest starts, I saw Stonehenge emerging from the dense growth, a Rattata in his jaws. It was beginning to get dark, the setting sun staining the clouds a deep pinkish red. Stonehenge approached me with a concerned expression on his bloody face. "Where have you been? I was getting worried."
"Oh, sorry. I got caught up talking to Blackflame. Did you know he's six turns old?" Stonehenge raised his brow and placed his meal on the ground. "You can have some of that, if you want. I'm not really hungry.
"Thanks," I replied, and stripped the purple fur off the broken body in order to bite off a hunk of meat. Quartzeon kill their prey with stones, so the bones were all shattered and a disgusting pulp oozed out a fracture in the skull.
Having seen that, I lost my appetite and pushed the food back to him. "What did he want?"
I tried to avert my gaze from the bloody mess in front of me. "He was curious about why I left early, and he accused me of being selective, so I told him about Sleetfisher."
I saw Stonehenge stiffen. He didn't like talking about his brother, after what he'd done me. "I just wanted him to know what he was saying."
"Ok," he said shakily. "I'm going to my den now. See you tomorrow." With that, he picked up his tea and ran off to his den, ears and tail drooping in distress.
I decided to at least get some food my way, so I froze a Rattata for myself and carried it back to my den. As I ate in my bed of ice crystals, I couldn't get my mind off how stupid I was to tell all that to stuff to a Requeon I barely knew.
But for some reason, I trusted Blackflame. He was older than me, and much worldlier. His advice seemed feasible, too.
I figured if I was going to be cursed again, that I wished it to be someone like Blackflame to capture my affections.
Sorry about the back-story. I hope this doesn't make her a Mary-sue. I don't think it does, personally, since a lot of people go through this, and that doesn't make them Mary-sues.
Anyways, I have to ask: who's your favourite character so far? I personally like Stonehenge; he's the reason I pitied Mike Newton in Twilight… for reasons that will become clear later.