Chapter 2

Before Alzack could ask her what was wrong Sera whistled to Furret who came bounding over. She had climbed his back and was ready to take off when Alzack stood up to stop her. He stood in front of Furret trying to get Sera's attention. She hissed quietly but addressed Alzack none the less.

"Let us help!" He spouted suddenly, Froslass coming up beside him. "Froslass and I make a fearsome team, and if there's trouble we can help."

Sera wanted to tell him no but the Tailow chirping in her ear told her of precious little time. She couldn't argue with him and Alzack looked like he'd made up his mind as he stood there resolutely.

"Fine. Just don't fall behind." She said fiercely and whipped through the trees leaving Alzack in the dust. Sera didn't care if Alzack followed or not. What she'd gathered from the baby pokemon wasn't much. All she understood was it was alone and it's parents along with a few other pokemon that tried to help were in danger. Whether this was danger from trainers or rogue pokemon she didn't know.

Sera was broken from her thoughts as a whinnying Ponyta, carrying a very focused trainer on it's back, zipped ahead of Furret. Sera blinked at Alzack, trying to comprehend how he had caught up to her so quickly. The thought was never finished, Sera told Furret to speed up, Furret was now running as fast as he could while dodging trees. Alzack kept pace on his Ponyta beside her.

A few minutes later and Sera lost sight of the Tailow as it flew between the bushes. Furret easily cleared the bushes in one jump leaving Ponyta to crash through them, the brambles causing it to whinny in pain. Furret's back fur was on end as they looked around the clearing they had just came to. The baby Tailow was no where to be seen but Sera was sure she could hear it. Tiny urgent chirps came from a spot Sera couldn't quite place.

She had Furret look around and sniff the ground for anything unusual as she looked around the clearing. Furret was anxious, she could feel the nervousness coming off him, projecting into an over territorial nature. Alzack dismounted his pokemon and put it back in it's pokeball. He kept a watchful eye, circling the clearing and searching for clues.

What the hell? Is there nothing here? Sera felt uneasy at the thought of the baby Tailow urging her along only to find the clearing it led her too empty and devoid of any living creature.

No. There was definitely something here. Sera could see the clearing's dirt and grass had been stirred up, branches were broken and thrown aside suggesting a struggle between...what looked to be a pack of Swellows and one large footed pokemon. The more she looked around the more Sera noticed giant claw marks dug into the dirt, much too large and odd in shape to be any pokemon from this forest. Whatever it was had caused a ruckus. She pointed Furret towards the pokemon's footprints. He got the scent and tested it in the air. Suddenly Furret hissed, his lips fell back into a snarl and his fur raised higher almost covering Sera's mouth.

If Furret had seemed uneasy before he was downright terrified now. Sera tried to pet his neck to calm him down but nothing worked. She told him there was nothing to worry about and they had to follow the scent but Furret just shook his head. He refused to go any further and to make his point he sat down in such a way Sera tumbled off his back.

"Furret!" She whined. Furret remained sitting and didn't look at her, keeping an eye on a broken path through the bushes into which the footprints led. Furret looked back at Sera, as if to say, You wanna fight that thing go in there and do it alone.

Alzack came up to Sera as she got up and brushed the dirt off. "You okay? What's wrong with Furret?"

"I'm fine. I don't know what's got into him but he's being positively stubborn today. Anyway, whatever that Swellow was worried about is too big for us to take on alone. If it's got Furret riled up then we should be scared." Sera remained staring into the bushes as if they would provide some sort of clue. Alzack stood silently trying to process what this meant.

"So what do we do?"

Sera stared into the bushes a while longer hoping an idea would come out and hit her in the face. "I have somewhat of an idea." Sera said and turned around walking into the trees again. She called to Furret who was more than happy to walk away from the danger.

"Somewhat of an idea? What is it?"

"It's a dangerous one." Sera explained climbing onto Furrets back once more. "One you should stay away from. Get out of here as fast as you can and warn the other trainers; Viridian Forest is too dangerous."

Alzack protested immediately. "What!? Dangerous? What's the danger I can't just leave if it's that bad. And what even where those footprints? I've never seen a pokemon large enough to create those."

Sera didn't have time to argue, but she knew Alzack wouldn't budge. So she settled on an easier way. She touched Furret's neck in a way that signalled him to take out whatever was in front of them. Before Alzack knew what hit him a giant furry paw came down on his head.

With Alzack unconscious Sera lifted him onto Furret's back making sure all his things were on his person before taking off. Furret made a quick trip to the other side of the forest. Sera left Alzack hidden in a bush by the path that led to the town where he said his home was. It wasn't the safest place for him but it would have to do.

When Alzack woke up Sera would be long gone, and she was. Sera and Furret raced at top speed through the trees once more. If something this big had entered the forest why didn't we see it? It must have been recent, She thought. Sera had been distracted by Alzack most of the day and even though she patrolled in the morning neglected to patrol when evening came. She cursed her stupid mind for getting involved with the boy and neglecting her duties. This was the last time Sera let herself get caught up in human contact.

Within a few minutes Sera came to her destination. Furret stopped beside a forlorn cave, ivy tendrils hung in front of the entrance. Moss covered the ground as Sera dismounted and approached the entrance. She pushed aside some of the ivy as she entered, Furret waited patiently outside.

There was another pokemon, when in times of great trouble, Sera could call upon for aid. This creature was her one and only trump card. She rarely came to see it, in fact she hadn't entered this cave in two years. Before she had to announce herself the creature knew she was there.

A faint glow of the moon shone through a hole in the roof onto a moss covered rock resting in the middle. The glow intensified when Sera drew closer. Radiant warming colors started to come from the moon's light, now the rock was circled by an aura borelius.

Sera respectively bowed before the shimmering rock. A voice entered her mind through telepathy. Why have you come here?

She answered back the same way. I fear the forest is in grave danger, Furret sensed-

Grave danger!? The voice interrupted. I see no such thing. The forest is calm and in peace. Do not trouble me with worrying about nothings. The creature was agitated, it showed in it's voice.

But the forest-

Is perfectly peaceful! You need not trouble yourself there is nothing of danger in this forest. Next time you come here with such news think better of it.

The voice faded and so did the light, Sera couldn't believe it. She didn't care if this creature was far superior to any others of it's type this was down right rude. Surely a problem big enough to make Furret abstinent to follow was enough to trouble anyone. This pokemon didn't seem to think so.

Sera cursed under her breath and exited the cave. Furret could immediately tell something went wrong. He came up to Sera curiously. She kicked away a large branch in her frustration. Furret pushed his soft fur into her neck, absentmindedly she pet the large Furret's head.

She turned to Furret. "You're not going to like this. But we have to go after that thing."

Furret looked at her like she was crazy, she knew her Furret well and could read his thoughts by his expressions. You've gotta be crazy?

"Maybe I am. But we have to find out what made those footprints."

No way! I'm not going after it! Furret stubbornly sat down again.

"C'mon bud! If we don't protect this forest who else will?" Furret looked towards the cave. Sera sighed. "She's not going to help us this time. She just told me I was worrying for nothing."

Then she's right and whatever was there is gone now? She's never been wrong before.

"I don't by that. Something inside me is not right. I just know something dangerous is here. I can feel it."

Furret humphed his disapproval but reluctantly agreed to help her. You and me together right? He asked her.

She jumped on his back and replied with a smile. "Always." She clicked her heels to his side and he took off. Sera didn't know what was out there but she had to find out. There was a dark foreboding about the forest now. It was no longer the peaceful quiet nights she was used to. Everywhere she looked she could see ghost pokemon hiding in the shadows, or were those her imagination? She tried not to focus on their laughs as she plunged through the forest.

As Furret rounded a corner before bounding into the clearing, Sera caught a glimpse of a white coat and a curved black spike. She saw it, Absol, the pokemon that foretells disaster.