Mnementh watched over the sleeping Nightfur, monitoring the change while he slept. I don't want him to be sad... he had so much he could do as what he called a Lucario, with that strange energy. Mnementh saw a box that Nightfur had been tinkering with, in an attempt to preserve what capabilities he had with the strange energy called aura. The chemicals responsible for Nightfur's change would, for the most part, remove his capability to do so. Mnementh gave Nightfur a quick scan, and picked up the box. Time to do my teacher a favor. I didn't protect him, and this happened.
Nightfur dusted himself off. After being knocked over into the dust on the floor of the cave for the twelfth time, he and Ironpaw were tired. "See? I said I'd protect you!"
Ironpaw smiled, despite his exhaustion. "I don't think you'd be protecting me. I think I'd be protecting you!"
Myrtle watched the exchange, smiling. It seems that those two would get along quite well. She pulled out some of the berries from the alcove where the stored food. "Boys, I have lunch for you two!"
Nightfur and Ironpaw turned their heads simultaneously. They looked back at each other, and they both said the same thing at once. "Race ya!" Nightfur managed to beat Ironpaw by the tip of his nose, and they took the berries that Nightfur's mother handed them. As they ate, the sound of metal striking metal could be heard coming from outside.
"Mother, what were you talking about last night, about learning the craft?" Nightfur asked innocently.
Myrtle's looked at Nightfur, scorn in her eyes. Nightfur's tail drooped, knowing that he was in trouble. "Nightfur, you know better than to listen to other people's conversations."
"I'm sorry, Mother."
"I know you are, Nightfur. Don't do it again."
They ate their lunch in silence after that point. Ironpaw, after eating, went and sat down at the opening of the den. Myrtle looked at the two of them, and smiled. "I think you two are ready to go outside. Just stay within the clearing. I don't want you getting lost."
Nightfur and Ironpaw looked up at Myrtle with shock. Ironpaw was the first to find his voice. "You mean that we can..."
"Yes. And hurry, before I change my mind, you two," Myrtle replied, a smile playing across her face.
Nightfur quickly turned, running out the opening to the den. "Race ya!" Ironpaw turned a second later, running hot on his heels.
"No fair! You got a head start!"
Myrtle watched the energetic boys run out into the clearing in which their den was located. She sighed, as they began exploring. A voice spoke up behind her, one that was familiar.
"They grow up quick, don't they."
Myrtle turned, fur on the back of her neck raising, when she recognized the voice, and saw who it belonged to. Sitting behind her was an Eevee, facial, chest, and front leg fur darkened as if covered in ash. There was a small pouch around his neck, and a metal disk rested in the center of his forehead. Calming herself, she smiled, glad to see an old friend. "Æthin... how'd you get in the den without me noticing?"
Æthin smiled, as a slight breeze picked up, coming from outside, blowing into the den. "You know me... there isn't any place the wind can blow that I can't get to. How's your mate doing?"
"Hold on... I'll go get him. He can tell you himself."
Myrtle went out of the den, to Sorrel's forge. "Sorrel, we have a guest. I think you want to talk to him."
Sorrel's replied, angrily. "I don't have time to visit! The billow's broken, and if I don't get it working, I'm going to have to start over on the piece I'm working on!"
Æthin calmly appeared beside him, literally out of thin air. "I can fix that, if you want. How hot do you need to get the metal?"
Sorrel jumped, as Æthin's sudden appearances often scared people and Pokemon. Sorrel looked at Æthin, shocked. "You?! I haven't seen you since I was a young Riolu!"
"Yes, it's me. Now, how hot did you want the metal?"
Sorrel just stared, before coming back to his senses. "Orange hot. What I'm doing needs it to air cool, not water cool."
Æthin began to mutter something in some strange tongue, what seemed to be the human language of Latin. "In auræ tenuis." A gentle breeze picked up, blowing right into the fire, heating the coals to the needed temperature. "I think that solves our problems... now, weren't we going to have a talk?"
" Æthin... thank you."
"Don't mention it. I've done it many times. You two have most certianly grown up since I met you two as young Riolu."
"Speaking of age... you look like you haven't aged since I first met you, Æthin," Sorrel looked at the Eevee with a smile. "Care to share why?"
Æthin smiles, shaking his head no. "I'd like to, but then again, I don't want to. If you're still around, I'll tell you after I take on a student."
Myrtle looked at the two boys still playing in the clearing. "You don't think that one of them could..."
"Oh, no. The gift I have seems to only appear in Eevee. I'm still going through the library of books and scrolls at my place... I have yet to see any instance of the gift appearing in another species... that isn't legandary, mind you."
Sorrel looked at Æthin long and hard. "I still can't believe that you look exactly the same as you did when we first met. Wasn't that when my father had an issue with getting his forge started for the first time that year? The year with all that snow?"
Æthin tilted his head, thinking. "You know... I think you're right. Didn't I joke about finding a rock outside the den, and how it was so cold I could evolve into a Glaceon just by looking at it?"
Myrtle nodded. "I remember that story. Speaking of stories... have you heard about Sorrel's brother?"
Æthin's voice took on a sad note. "Unfortionately, I have. I feel sorry for young Ironpaw... though I think he's got the best foster mother and father in the world." He smiled for a second, before his voice became serious. "But his family isn't the only one. Across the continent, there have been cases of metalsmiths and their families being killed... all of them true. Pokemon are turning their back on the practice of shaping metal, it seems. 'Too human', they claim. It looks like, pardon the pun, that being a smithy is a dying trade."
Myrtle looked at Æthin, eyes wide in disbelief. "But... thats... no. There must be some mistake."
"I'm sorry, Turtle, but there's no mistake." Æthin tried lightening up the mood, using his nickname for Myrtle, which came about after she lost a race to the Eevee.
"Æthin... I hate to do this," Sorrel began, "but I want to... no, need to ask you a favor. Could you keep your eyes on Nightfur and Ironpaw, incase anything..." Sorrel doesn't finish the statement, not wanting to say it.
"I'd be honored to watch the children of my closest friends." Æthin stood up, streaching out his body. "Now... I think it's time I got to know the two of them."
A/N: Well. Tension is rising. Gravity Hurts (+1 respect if you can guess what that's from) I have to say, I'm enjoying writing this. I think I'm going to need some characters for later though. So here's the plan. The first 5 registered users (sorry guests... but the account is free. So get one.) to provide a review with an OC w/ a moveset will manage to land a spot in one of the upcoming chapters. Personality will be useful... though I have a feeling that anger is going to be the feeling that you'll see. So, NinjaLayor out, and I'll see you with the next chapter!
Update: At the request of a fellow PS user, I have removed any mention of him... even if it was minimal.
