Chapter Four:
The snow blew fiercely across the land sending a freezing chill into my body, that stuck to my bone. I looked across the barren snow field to see Anthony and Ryder yelling back and forth at each other. I ran to them as fast as my legs would go, and the unforgiving snow would let me. As I approached them, I seen the snow beneath them was littered with blood. Anthony was yelling at Ryder, and Ryder was yelling back his replies, the words seemed to jumble together. But out of the screaming I under stood why they were fighting. It was because of me. Anthony had a bloody nose, and red checks from being hit time and time again, and Ryder had a bleeding lip, were he had been hit and his tooth ripped through the skin along with a swollen purple ring around his left eye.
I tried screaming to stop the fight but it was as if the words got taken with the wind, and lost without a trace. Neither of them noticed me, as I watched the yelling turn back into punching kicking and screaming.
Anthony hit hard, but Ryder was fast and accurate. The sight disturbed me when blood started to platter across my clothes, and melt the snow around them.
"Ryder, please stop..." I wept, "Anthony you too please..."
But still they didn't notice me. All of a sudden Ryder gave a large kick into Anthony's rib cage, as I listened to the high pitch squeal of the air being forced out of his lungs and into the crisp air. Ryder begun laughing, but Anthony quickly tripped Ryder and had him on the ground smothering him in the snow.
Anthony flipped Ryder over, and put his two massive hands around Ryder's neck, then squeezed upon it with all of his mite. Ryder begun choking, and his face turn snow white while his veins grew more and more blue with the lack of oxygen.
"She will be mine." Anthony stated.
I begin crying out loud, then felt shaking, as the figures blurred away.
"Lizy! Lizy! Please wake up, it's a nightmare!" My dad yelling shaking me from my terrible sleep.
I panted heavily as if I had been running for hours without stop.
"I'm so sorry I didn't-"
"Hun, it fine. Do you want to talk about it?" He asked cutting me off.
"No not really. What time is it?"
"3am."
"Ok dad, go back to bed, yet again I'm sorry maybe tomorrow ill talk? I fell like I've gotten no sleep though... so maybe I can't try to get some now..."
"Ok, yell if you need me please."
"I will."
With that he walked out. I looked around the room, Spook had a worried look on his face as he floated above the bed, and Snowy snuggled in close to me as if she was saying "it's ok...I'm here."
I went to the bathroom, to splash cold water on my face because of my nightmare, I was covered in sweat, and my tears had run down my face causing salty smears.
When I came back into the room, Spook and Snowy were laying on my bed, waiting for me.
"You guys willing to cuddle with me...?" I asked.
They both nodded, so I got into bed, and snuggled up next to the, stealing their warmth and love, until I felt comfortable and safe enough to go back to sleep.
I didn't dream again that night. And when I woke up in the morning I felt more tired than when I went to sleep the night before. Dad was already waiting for me in the kitchen, as I wobbled into it with bags under my eyes.
"Well, good morning sunshine!" He exclaimed sarcastically.
"Ha-ha." I replied.
"I made snow-man pancakes!" He exclaimed.
"Awe dad!"
"I felt it was fitting to make them look like snowmen in this weather."
"Good choice." I said.
I know he did it to cheer me up also though, he always makes me pancakes when he knows I'm upset.
Once pancakes were done, I sat down with my dad and we ate together in silence.
"That was amazing dad, thank you." I said with a full mouth a fluffy pancakes.
"You're welcome, now go get ready, we will be gone for a week out there, so pack warm, and only essentials."
"Ok."
I cleared my plate, and put it in the sink then went to take a shower before making some pokechow up then packing.
I warmed the shower up while gathering my clothes up. Then once it was warm, I stripped down to nothing and got in. The steam from the shower filled the room quickly and opened my pores allowing the sweat for my nightmare to be cleansed. I shaved, and washed my hair, then soaped down. I stood there thinking again about my nightmare for a few moments, before shutting the shower off and wrapping my towel around my body, to dry off.
I blow dried my hair, then got dressed and made Spook, and Snowy their pokechow.
"Breakfast!" I called walking into my room.
Snowy's ears perked up, then she slowly opened her one eye to look at me. She stretched, and hopped off my bed. Spook floated up in a blink of an eye, and quickly flew to the kitchen to get his food.
Snowy walked slowly to the kitchen. When she reached her bowl, she sniffed it for a moment, then begun chomping away at her food. I looked to Spook who was already half done his.
"Well, look at you!" My dad noticed Snowy.
"Yea, she evolved last night when her and Spook were practicing." I said.
"A Glaceon, interesting. She evolved so young too."
"Well, when it's their time, it's their time you know?"
"True enough. What an interesting choice on her part. She could have be one of six types, and she chose Ice."
"I guess she didn't want a name change?" I said rhetorically, as we both laughed.
"I'm going to pack, take your time guys, I'll be ready soon." I said looking at my pokemon.
I walked back to my room and stared at the pen and paper on my desk. I decided to quickly write to Anthony before I left.
"Dear Anthony,
I want you to know that the farm has a son he is my age and we do hang around a lot. Now, I'm not saying to worry or anything like that ok? He is a really nice guy, and a hell of a trainer. His name is Ryder, he works on his dads farm. He taught me how to hunt Sneasels, and he allows my pokemon to play with his, and his sister's. I think you too could get along great. You alike in some ways.
But besides that, the Eevee dad bought me, Snowy, evolved last night into a Glaceon. It was awesome, she looks so amazing, we are working on ice moves right now too!
Dad and I are going camping, together, in the woods to do research for the next week. I looked every pokemon up there are some really cool ones, and powerful ones we may encounter.
Anthony, I haven't heard from you in a while. I don't know if you have forgotten me or have been too busy, or just haven't gotten my letter. but when you do write me back, I have a lot on my mind. Feel better please.
Lizy."
Once done I folded it neatly into an envelope, and put a stamp on it. I planned on dropping it off on our way out of town at the post office.
I started packing my things in my dad's big duffle bag. I packed a pillow, two blankets, four thick sweaters, some pants, a scarf and gloves, a flashlight, a oil lantern, and matches.
I went to the kitchen, packed up canned food, and oatmeal for dad and I, and pokechow for our pokemon. Along with a couple frying pans, and bottled water.
"I think I'm ready." I said aloud.
"Well, get your coat, and let's go!" he exclaimed.
Snowy and Spook followed behind me, as I grabbed my coat, and bag along with my pokebelt with their pokeballs attached to it, and the letter for Anthony.
My dad released his Dragonite, and asked him politely to carry the duffle bag. Which he did, then followed between my dad and I closely.
We stopped at the grocery store to grab a few more essentials then continued our way to the forest. The marked part in are map, was to the north west corner of Glacia, just a few miles east of the coast, and a about ten miles south of the mountains.
"You packed the tent, and sleeping bags right?" I asked
"Yes dear, along with a blow up mattress, and small self heating packets that are so small they can go in our shoes and gloves, if needed."
"Oh, ok. Cool."
"So what pokemon live around were we are going to be?"
I explained what pokemon lived there, along with some interesting facts about them and what to watch out for. Then my father and I made some small talk before a silence fell over us, as we walked through the dense tree littered forest.
The snow was melting away in the town which we had just left, but in the forest were the sun barley hit the ground, it still homed a lot of the snow. The trees glistened in the sun, like chandeliers, from the snow covering them. Some trees bottom branches were dropping slightly from the sunlight melting the snow on them slightly making it heavier on the trees skinny branches.
"Hey, this is a Sneasel print, I know this one most from walking with Ryder."
I said noticing the scratched tree, along with the two pronged claw prints in the ground where it had walked.
"Oh, and what do you know about Sneasels?"
"Well, it's a sneaky pokemon that eats eggs of bird pokemon. Also, it may sometimes travel in pairs to help each other find eggs. Also, they can learn pretty powerful move like; Faint attack, Icy wind, and Metal claw."
"Oh?" He said thinking something over in his head. "They don't seem like too much of a threat. I don't think it's a pokemon like that we have to worry ourselves with," He noted.
"True enough."
We kept walking in the forest for a few more hours.
Snowy ran ahead of us, sniffing around and playing in the snow, while Spook stayed by me, not wanting to play. Him and I had been on 'missions' before with my father, he knows to take things seriously enough to not go out and play unless I give the ok, or he knows that we are in a safe place.
The sun was beginning to set, and we were only at the three quarter way mark on our map.
"Dad, I think we should stop and set up camp for the night. I don't want to be out here wandering around when the night creeps in." I said.
"Good plan, let's find a tree we can pitch our tent under to help protect us from wind, and the possible snow."
I nodded, and had Snowy hunt out a large tree within a five minute walking distance.
Moments later, I heard a loud bark coming from the right of us, she must of found one suitable. We walked to were the barking came from.
The tree she picked, was a large Pine tree, with a notch carved into it by wear from the weather close to the bottom, where its large roots touched the snowy ground, then made their way into the soil underneath.
"Wow, good job Snowy!" I exclaimed seeing the marvellous tree.
"Agreed." My dad said petting he on her head lightly.
I was in charge of setting up camp, while my father and his Dragonite gathered wood for a fire.
"Spook, Snowy, I'm going to need your help." I said.
The both looked at me and nodded as if ready to go on my command.
"Ok, Spook do you see the branch above the hole in the tree?" I asked.
I pointed to a large, sturdy looking branch about ten feet off the ground, above the trees notch.
He nodded.
"Ok, I'm going to attach a rope to part of the tent, and you're going to fly it up there and bring the slack back down to me so I can tie it off, and make the tent more sturdy."
I grabbed the tent poles, and liners out of the duffle bag, along with rope, I attached the tents top seam to the rope, and gave it to Spook. He flew up high, and rapped the rope around the tree limb once, then brought the other side down to me.
I grabbed a peg out of the bag, and tied the end of the rope to the peg, before pulling the rope tight, until the tent lighted up enough for us to get in and out. I then stomped the peg into the ground.
"Ok, Snowy I need you to hold the pegs for me, and follow me until all the pegs are put into place."
She ran over to me, and grabbed two pegs in her mouth. I walked to the left side of the ten, and grabbed the wire that pulled the front left outward, Snowy quick behind me, gave me the peg once needed, we continued until all four sides were completed.
"Well, looks good guys, now we need to go find some leafy branches, that we can put down on top of the snow. Do you think you two can do such as I brush some of it out of the tent with the hand shovel?"
Snowy barked in agreement, and Spook flew off with her, as she turned to the forest and disappeared out of sight.
I got the small gardening shovel out of the bag, and begun gathering as much snow in it was possible, and bringing it outside the tent. I places the scoops of snow around the tent, so that if it were to snow and be windy, there would already be a small barrier so it could seep into the tent.
About ten minutes later, after I had gotten a quarter of the tent cleared on the inside, Snowy and Spook returned. With them, they had a couple branches with pine needled attached to them.
"Well, good job guys but we are going to need a lot more. I'm going to come with you to make this go a little faster ok?"
After about ten minutes of scrounging around in the forest for branches and twigs, We came back to the camp with as much as we could carry. We laid them beside the tent until I cleared the snow out of the bottom and put it around the outside.
"Hey dad, you guys got lots I see."
My father and Dragonite were slowing walking back to the camp, I could see that they both had arm full's of freshly cut logs in their arms.
"Yes sir-re! Sometimes he comes in handy." He said looking at Dragonite, "Sometimes." He winked, and laughed at him jokingly.
Dragonite just rolled his eyes, he was used to my dad's terrible humor. Dragonite knew he was part of the family. My dad had told me the story of when he got Dragonite, And how they instantly connected. Dragonite actually saved my father from wild pokemon, in the west beaches of Cataria, were he was born. My dad and Dragonite have been friend since, and I don't think Dragonite regrets anything. Even though my father picks on him, he knows dad loves him as much as his own children/family.
Dragonite was so much part of our family he ate with us at the dinner table every night (aside from when dad, and him were gone on a mission.) as well as came on every family trip with us, and even watched movies with us on family night. He also, gets the family there own Christmas presents, as we do for him.
"Oh, dad." I said laughing with him.
"I have the tent almost finished, might I ask why you brought the tent with no bottom?"
"Well, that's a great question. Unfortunately, I thought that was the one with the bottom..."
I gave him a dirty look, before finishing up clearing the snow, and putting the branches down as ground cover.
My dad pulled some wood in a small circle near the tent, but far enough it wouldn't burn it. He then made a teepee with some small sticks, and used a couple pieces of news paper as kindling, before lighting the fire.
I got the food out, a begun cooking it over the open flame I the small pots I brought.
I listened to the fire crack the logs, sending little fiery chips into the air, as I watched the flames climb then descend, again and again. The flame were a vibrant shade of red nearest to the logs, then faded into a sunflower yellow the farther they got into the cool air.
Spook and Snowy we laying down in the snow relaxing from the days walk, and gathering wood for the tent.
"You going to tell me what has been eating away at you?" My father asked serious now.
"You would get bored if I did." I said solemnly.
"Now, hun, it's better to talk about it then to let yourself hold it all in."
"Well, dad, its guy troubles..."
He cringed at the thought of me being with guys, let alone me having a 'relationship issues'
"Oh? Well, I'm pretty bad at relationship advice. I mean, your mother had to ask me out because I was to chicken too..."
I laughed at that thought out load, my father was a very confident man, but he was right, when it came to relationships, he never really understood. I think it was because there is no book that tells you exactly what to do, how to do it, and when.
"That's fine, I'll just tell you then, see if you can help."
He nodded, then waited for me to begin, as I stirred the pots of food slowly.
"Ok, well. You remember Anthony. You met him last year a few months after I had went to Roggenrolla Valley, the time you came with me?"
He nodded, then gestured for me to go on.
"I don't know how me and him are going to work out."
"What happened?"
"Change of heart."
"Meaning?"
"Well if you must know, I think I like someone else, but to be truthful, I want to keep to my work mainly."
"Lizy, your whole life doesn't have to revolve around work. You are young, and already very smart and successful. Have some fun. But not too much, I'm still your father, I'll kill any boy who touches you."
I laughed, at his serious face and evil glace to me when he said the words "boy," and "touch" in the same sentence.
"That's fine dad, you can do so. And I know that, but I want to able to have a beautiful house, a big yard, and nice things when I'm older."
"You can't move out. Your my baby girl!"
I shot him a dirty look.
"Ok, ok, I'll be real. Lizy those things seem to matter to you now, but when you get older, and have nobody to love, and hold, you will regret a lot of the things you did. And over working. You would have a big, beautiful empty HOUSE. Is that what you want?"
"No..." I said with a sigh.
"Then, when we get back. I want you to either sort things out with Anthony, or move on. So one day you too, can have a HOME."
"Good plan dad."
The food was done. Spook, Snowy and Dragonite all huddled around the fire with dad and I eating our food in silence. As dad told us 'heroic' stories of the 'good days'.
I went off into my mind as I watched the array of dancing flames. I thought about what my dad had told me, and how much I didn't want to be with Anthony. He was right, work wasn't everything, family was. But I have Spook, and Snowy. They're family right? But would their love and affection be enough. I think of them as companions... Not children like my father and his pokemon. Would I ever want a baby? Would I even have time for one...
"Snap out of it, And eat up. We have a lot to do this week." My dad said snapping me out of my daze.