And here's another chapter guys :) Hope you don't mind that it's a little longer than usual, but this one is actually kinda special to us. Took us a few tries to get some moments right, but we finally got the result we were looking for.
So this one only has two point of views, we might just keep it like that from this point on. Don't worry, we'll still include all the characters in on it, not just these two in this chapter.
No fanfic of the week spotlight this time, we didn't get to read any.
No shoutouts this week XD. But as always, read, review (if you'd like), and enjoy.
Chapter 7: Beach Day
With Ryker…
At the moment, Ryker was sitting down at a table. It had an umbrella for shade standing through the center, though it wasn't opened. He didn't mind anyway, it was just heat. In his hand was a cup of water. It was purified and chilled, courtesy of the Akirari currently playing with the beach ball in the water with the others. In his other hand was one of his books, halfway finished and he presumed that he would finish it by the end of the day.
However, despite it being opened and in his hand, the Fenrir wasn't reading it at the moment. He was actually staring at the waves. He was in deep thought, ignoring his cup of water, ignoring his book, ignoring passerbies and at one point, a volleyball that almost grazed the top of his head. He had been like this for only a few moments, but as fingers snapped in front of his eyes and brought him back to his full senses, he felt as if it had been for ages. Blinking, the Fenrir gave Roxanne a raised eyebrow as he set down and closed his book. Remember to call her by her nickname. he thought to himself, recalling how he made her frown by almost saying her whole name. "Do you need something, Roxy?"
"Nope, just wanted to know why you're sitting there brooding?" Brooding? Was he brooding? He was only reflecting, did his expression somehow give the impression he was? Noting to himself to work on his neutral expressions more, Ryker shook his head and gestured to the open seat across from him. She sat down and crossed her arms with a hand under her chin, her eyes narrowed in worry. Roxanne was only wearing a two piece skirted bathing suit, having discarded the large shirt she was wearing over them earlier when she and the others decided to get in the water. The two piece was purple in color. "You ok?"
"I was not brooding, there is nothing wrong." Ryker answered. "I was just in thought, I tend to do so whenever there is nothing to be done." Roxanne mouthed "Oh." in understanding and smiled.
"Yeah, I noticed." After a laugh, she thumbed at the water where Aurora, Hugh, and surprisingly, Rift played some sort of extreme game of catch with the beachball. As they played, other people made sure to give the group of three a wide berth in case the ball somehow came their way. "And what do you mean? There's plenty to be done...You're not afraid of water, are you? Or drowning?" At his blank look, she dismissed the last question.
"I do not do well in socializing, as you probably know by now. Nor do I find interest in playing around, I would rather keep to myself." Roxanne sighed and rolled her eyes, an action Ryker found amusement in for some reason.
"What DO you want to do then?" She seemed irritated a moment before, but she seemed more curious now. And as Ryker opened his mouth to answer, she quickly pointed a finger at him. "EXCEPT for training or running or spacing out. Reading doesn't count either, you do that a lot too...Didn't you just start that book when we got here?"
There is a difference between spacing out and reflecting. Ryker thought as he promptly closed his mouth. Roxanne waited for him to give an answer but when he didn't say anything, she almost facepalmed.
"Why don't you get in the water with us?"
"I would rather not."
"Why not?"
"It is just my decision." He saw her smile twitch and wondered if he had angered her. Though, that did not seem to be the case as she ended up giving a short giggle before shaking her head.
"You're making this pretty hard, Alpha. Come on, just have some fun." She stood up and offered a hand, to which Alpha eyed warily despite his neutral expression. He subtly glanced at his book before glancing at the water. "It's just going to be us, the others don't even have to be there." Ryker looked at her, curious of her last statement. "As long as you're having fun."
Well, it does not seem that bad anyway. "I suppose I can go then." Standing up, he realized Roxanne was still waiting for him and when he gave her an arched expression, she gestured to his shirt which was still on. "Of course, thank you for reminding me." He took off his shirt, folding it and placing it on the table. At that moment, Roxanne broke out into a larger smile and grasped his hand. Alarmed by the foreign contact, Ryker could only blink as she led him over to the water. Once they reached the soaked edge of the sand, she released his hand and waded into the water with slow steps. Once she was waist-deep, she turned around and beckoned him to follow her example.
Nodding slightly, Ryker casual stepped in and went deeper into the water before stepping next to Roxanne. "It feels nice, doesn't it? It's not too cold, but it's not too warm."
"The temperature does seem balanced." Ryker replied as he watched her casually lowered herself in the water so that it was at chin-level. She then closed her eyes, randomly wading in different directions though never straying too far from her original position. Ryker diverted his gaze to the horizon before scanning the rest of the area, seeing Aurora and Hugh splashing each other rather violently. He also saw Oculus casually settling in the water, being careful and briefly launching himself into the air with every wave that came. Rift was actually swimming by himself, and Ryker could hear the Alakazam humming contentedly to himself.
It was when a wave parted at his middle that Ryker finally decided to follow Roxanne's example. He lowered himself into the water stopping when it reached his shoulders. Ryker and Roxanne stayed like that for a when suddenly, the latter submerged into the water. Realizing she wasn't coming back up, Ryker submerged the rest of his body into the water and blinked the blurriness away from his vision as he looked at her.
Roxanne, with bubbles escaping her mouth at short intervals, was scanning the sand and occasionally skimmed her hand along the surface. What are you doing? he asked her, momentarily forgetting that she was not adept in mental conversation. Just gesture, do not try to reply with your thoughts. You may accidentally send more thoughts than you mean to. She nodded her understanding. One could accidentally project a private or personal thought if they weren't careful, including mental images.
Roxanne gestured at various points at the sand, indicating at a pinkish-white shell before picking it up and presenting it to him. She then made a bored expression at a generic brown shell that didn't really feature any notable details like the pink shell did. Ah, so she was looking for some unique shells. Nodding, Ryker decided to aid her in her search for shells and felt around in the sand as well.
Before too long, they had several shells in collection. They had to resurface a few times for oxygen and to deposit the shells a short ways from the water, as well as change their location when it seemed like there were no more shells in the spot they were digging around in. In total so far, they had gathered nine different shells, each a similar size though unique in shape. A good amount was found by Ryker, actually, something that sparked a sort of a challenge between the two. If he had to be honest about it, Ryker was beginning to find his time with Roxanne fun. Despite the fact that their way of communication was limited most of the time, he found that it didn't really matter much. It was just fun overall.
The Fenrir suddenly spotted something peculiar, instantly recognizing it upon further inspection. He picked it up, turning to Roxanne who was still focused on finding more shells. Hold out your hand. he told her.
She paused in her searching and turned around, showing him her palm with an expression of curiosity, possibly expecting an extravagant shell or something along those lines. But instead, Ryker placed something that was rather...alive to be just a shell.
Roxanne's eyes raised in excitement as the hermit crab walked around on her palm. It's shell wasn't mundane, either, but rather an interesting shape. It resembled that of a Samurott's helmet, only a lot smaller in scale. Roxanne beamed at the Fenrir after a moment, indicating for them to resurface. Nodding, he followed her up.
After a gasp for her, Roxanne grinned. "Where'd you find it?" she asked as she rubbed the top of the hermit crab's shell with a finger. "It's pretty small...cute." Ryker had to agree, the hermit crab was actually quite small for its size. Perhaps it had a stunted growth.
"It was just scuttling along when I found it." the Fenrir answered.
"I'm going to keep him." Well, that was rather unexpected. He had figured that they would leave it at the beach when it was time to go out to eat or leave. He didn't realize that she would be even interested in keeping the hermit crab.
"You are?"
"Yeah! I'm gonna name him Alphy."... What? Did he hear her right? Slightly craning his head, he made sure there was no water in his ear before doing the same with the other. He then shook his head, taking care not to spray Roxanne with water droplets.
"Excuse me?" Roxanne briefly looked up at him before returning her attention to the hermit crab.
"I'm going to name him Alphy. Cute name, don't you think?"
"... "
"I think it is.. Yeah, his name is definitely Alphy." Sighing quietly, Ryker could only smile in amusement as they made their way back to their spot on the beach. Aurora and Hugh were waiting for them, actually, Oculus and the ever-silent Rift were making a fairly large sandcastle with the Noctowl transporting buckets of sand and dampening them with water.
Sitting down in their chairs, with Aurora and Hugh on chairs they had brought to the table, Ryker briefly flared into flame when he saw that no one was looking. His body instantly dried, and he made sure all of his fur wasn't standing on end, lasting down a few that were with a hand.
"Hey, you have a hermit crab." Hugh said with interest as he leaned forward to eye the crustacean closely.
"His name is Alphy, I'm bringing him back to the house." Alpha hid his slight exasperation, though he was more amused at the subject, as Hugh blinked at her statement. "I'm sure I can find a plastic tupperware we don't use to put him in."
"You guys hungry?" Aurora asked, not giving Hugh the chance to question Roxanne's choice of names. "There's a seafood restaurant over by the Gym, 4.5 out of 5 stars."
"That sounds expensive, actually." Oculus muttered. Hugh nodded in agreement, an action Ryker was almost confused about. He realized that Hugh and Roxanne were still wearing their translators, and they were apparently incredibly waterproof. Expensive indeed.
"I will pay." Ryker said, causing them to protest. Only Aurora kept silent about it, she seemed not too concerned. "It is fine, I have another home in Kanto and for a time, I worked as armed escort for a rather popular hotel that celebrities usually go to." That quieted their concerns, though they still thanked him. "Think nothing of it."
Ryker recalled a night where he stood outside a private suite as an armed guard in the hotel he had mentioned. There had been an attack on the celebrity he was guarding, a famous pop artist if he recalled correctly, that he had to prevent. It had been a gunman who got in by threatening everyone he came across with a rifle and gunning down the other guards, both security guards of the hotel and private bodyguards like Ryker used to be.
The gunmen had eventually reached the floor Ryker was on and the Fenrir had no choice but to disarm the man and snapped the man's wrist when after being threatened by a hidden sidearm.
Blinking the memory away, Ryker questioned the group, "Should we go now and eat?" They nodded. "Please lead the way, Aurora." The Akirari nodded and donned her shirt and shorts from earlier over her blue two-piece. Everyone got into their casual clothing as well, though Roxanne had to throw on shorts that Aurora had produced for her seeing as the human only had an oversized shirt for their day at the beach.
Buttoning up his collar to the neck and leaving the rest opened, Ryker and the group followed Aurora who led them towards the Gym. At one point, the Fenrir offered to transport the hermit crab Roxanne now owned to the house. And when she accepted the offer, the hermit crab was transported to the house with a wave of the hand via a curtain of shadows. The Fenrir assured her that the hermit crab was safe and sound when she voiced her concerns. "I'm actually a big fan of seafood." Oculus decided to supply as they walked.
.
"You don't say?" Hugh laughed, knowing how avian creatures like the Noctowl usually prefer fish and the like. Oculus only laughed along.
"I only like certain types of seafood, you won't ever find me eating something like squids or octopi. And most things in sushi...No eel for me.." the Akirari shivered. "And you, Rift?" she asked as Rift was right next to her.
I do not have a taste for the fancy things like, just the simple and satisfying ones like shrimp or the occasional crab leg.
"I love lobster, and crab puffs too!" Roxanne contributed as she listed her thoughts from the top of her head. "Eh, I guess I'm like Aurora, I stay away from mollusks and cephalo's. But I'm willing to try new things." She nudged Ryker with an elbow, something that he found less irritating than he thought it to be. "What about you, Alpha?"
"I have no preference." Ryker said as he rolled up his sleeves. He suddenly stopped, narrowing his eyes at the unknown on his shoulder. Behind him, an Original, a Great Dane, stood with a smirk. He towered over Ryker as well, standing at a staggering seven feet tall and a few inches. He was quite muscled, sporting a shirt that was tight enough to expose his fitness along with sports pants. "Is there a problem?" Ryker asked, casually folding the last inch of his left sleeve up.
"Heard this chick calling you Alpha and if it means what I think it means, which I'm pretty sure it does, then we have a problem indeed." His grip on Ryker's shoulder tightened, and it seemed to irritate the Great Dane as the Fenrir didn't show any signs of discomfort. Ryker was actually analyzing the Original.
Very large muscles, though that is more unhealthy than it is beneficial. However, with how they are a lot less defined and are focused on size, they are probably just for show. He is a low threat, I should try to defuse the situation without needing to fight first. "Oh?" Ryker said as he turned around to face the instigator. The rest of you can go to the restaurant, I will meet you all there. "Can you clarify what exactly is the issue?"
Okay then. Aurora replied, he could tell she had full confidence in him. "Alright, guys, let's go. Alpha will be just fine." At the their visible discomfort of leaving the Fenrir there, she only smiled and shrugged towards Ryker. The four seemed to calm when they remembered who they were talking about.
"I'd check who you're calling Alpha, babe." the Great Dane said as he crossed his arms. "At this beach, I'm calling the shots. Not some weakling like him." He indicated Ryker's person. "Look at him, that's not muscle! That's chump! Me, on the other ha-Hey!" The Great Dane growled as Aurora, Hugh, and the two pokemon began to walk away while Roxanne remained behind Ryker.
"Be there soon, Alpha! We're hungry and we don't want to wait too long!" Aurora called back. The Great Dane growled again.
"Now you'd better get-!" he started as he moved to shove Ryker out of the way. However, to Ryker's and the Great Dane's surprise, Roxanne stepped up and smacked away the Original's arm.
"Hey! You back off!" she said with grit teeth. "Listen, NO ONE is 'calling the shots' here, a public beach. And you don't go around picking fights, talking shit about others just to satisfy your ego." She then paused, taking a breath to calm herself and not noticing either the Fenrir or the Great Dane staring at her in shock. "Now, can you please screw off so me and my friends can go eat. If not, I can always tie a rope to your neck and another to bind your arms and legs together to a tree. I'll then tie the rope around your neck to a hyperactive Rapidash or some other equine and let it run while you're stuck to the tree." she said in an eerily calm tone.
"..."
"..."
Roxanne held out her hand for the Great Dane to shake. "So are we good or do I need to start getting the rope?" The Great Dane nodded and nervously took her hand, wincing as she tightened her grip around it before letting go. In that brief contact of hands, Ryker realized the way Roxanne's hand had been position. It had been in a higher position, her fingers angled downwards towards the Great Dane's hand. And she even had a stronger grip...Ryker recognized her end of the handshake, it was the handshake of those who did not submit. "Cool, see you later!" The Original turned tail and left, leaving Ryker and Roxanne alone on the sidewalk. "I always got your back, Alpha, even if I'm way weaker than you." She gave him a quick hug with an arm before walking towards the direction the others went.
...That was...impressive. The tiniest of smirks made its way on Ryker's face before he began to follow her, his tail subtly twitching as he tried to suppress his current emotions. Even when they caught up with the group, went inside and got their seats, he was actually still focused on what had happened earlier before he and Roxanne caught up with the others. He was still smiling, in fact, despite how it barely changed his expression visibly. He felt great gratitude, also feeling very warmed by the very action of her acting to defend him. It had actually alarmed him at first, the fact that she threw herself in front of the Great Dane who could have very well harmed her. The Fenrir had almost resorted to violence. But amazingly, incomprehensibly, it was unnecessary. Because of her and her acts of selflessness. Ryker only knew, aside from the two Arceus, Hugh, and even Aurora, only one other. Only one other of whom, gave him a warm feeling of similar caliber. A similar warmth, though this time was different. Perhaps, I can talk to her tonight. Nodding to himself, Ryker made a mental note to do so.
…
It was noon and the sky was getting dark, the air cool and the ocean spray more constant. Ryker was currently alone. He was taking a walk, the others were in the hotel by the Pokemon Center playing whatever they could find in the arcade if he recalled correctly. The Fenrir was walking along a dark path which had no signs of anyone ever really using it. After having deemed the path and the general direction he was headed devoid of people via the updraft, he knew that no one would interrupt them.
He walked quite a ways from the beach area, finding himself somewhere along the mountains that made up the wall in the ocean west of the city. When he found a suitable rock, he sat down and let out a sigh. Smiling lightly, Ryker raised a hand palm outward in front of his chest. In the next second, dark matter of sorts materialized from his clawed hand and formed into a solid horizontal object. At first, it was hard to tell what it was. But as the edges refined themselves and details appeared on the surfaces, it was clear to see that the object was a sword.
Black and serrated along the edges of the blade, the sword was about four and a half feet long in length from pommel to the end of the blade. There were no features that stood out on the sword except for the fact that it was serrated and that there were slash-like engravings along the edges and across the middle of the blade. There was more detail on the guard, which was formed in the shape of fangs curved towards the blade on the sides. There was a colorless gem in the guard with some sort of black void pulsing within. The same type of gem could be found in the pommel. The last defining feature of the sword was the tattered dark gray cloth wrapped around the hilt which extended past the pommel a little ways.
"You are finally awake, Daina." the Fenrir said as he stared at the gem within the guard. "How was your sleep?" An ethereal yawn answered him, seemingly from within the gem as it flashed briefly.
"It was really nice, can't really get comfortable much in this piece of steel though." The voice had a feminine tone, resembling someone in their late teens. Ryker only chuckled as he lightly tapped the blade with a finger.
"You know, it is not steel. It comes from-."
"Your homeland and doesn't exist here, yadda yadda. I know, nii." A soft laugh. "Wow...I should sleep like that more often. I feel pretty rested...well, as rested as a soul can be." Ryker shook his head.
"The last time you were awake was a few days ago, Daina. We both know that you only need to rest for two days at most every month to keep your soul attached to my sword. And even then, you do not even have to rest unless you exert yourself."
"You know I like exploring these places!" the voice, Daina, defended. "I'm not native to these regions, and I want to explore every place I can." she added with a matter-of-factly tone. Ryker only chuckled again, nodding.
But it is taking less time for her to regain her strength, it only took a few days this time rather than a week. With time, she can wander from my sword for far longer without risking losing her hold in this world. he thought. He recalled the day he met her, bleeding on the floor before her and dying.
…
He lay there, panting heavily and dying. Of all the days he decided to try and get used to this anthropomorphic form, it happened to be the day he ran into a damned dragon Original. Even though the drake was now dead, there was still evidence of its existence. Namely, the slashes and bites covering Ryker's front. His abdomen was the most damaged of his body, though there were less wounds there than everywhere else on his body.
The Fenrir closed his eyes. So, he was going to die. He knew that he had no more energy to heal himself, neither did he have any to even move. He was going to die because his damned anthropomorphic form had a hard time responding to his will.
Blood and darkness...Jeanne would be incredibly disappointed of him, Darko as well. This was only his third assignment, and already, he was going to perish with very little contribution under his belt. Opening his eyes, Ryker scanned the area. He was in the center of a massive crater, flames still licked at the ground in several spots. Rubble and mounds of dirt littered the area as well, most likely due to him being thrown to the ground or the dragon crashing a few times.
In any case, the Fenrir's ears twitched as a gasp sounded from behind him. He inwardly growled as he recognized the scent as female and human. The entire village was supposed to be searching in the nearby mountain caves due to a rumor someone had spread about hidden treasures being within….The job was easily done thanks to a subtle suggestion to a random villager through telepathy. The villager thought it was some sort of holy deity speaking to him.
But Ryker was not some holy deity.
He heard quick footfalls make their way towards him. Trying to look through the blood flowing down his right eye, as his left was injured shut. What greeted him was a girl. He would soon learn that she was 15, about a year and a half younger than him, and that the only reason why she wasn't with the rest of the villagers was because she was actually on the way to the local Pokemon Center to try and register for an appointment to be a Trainer. She had dark chestnut hair and brown eyes, wearing a dainty red dress that flowed around her ankles. She stood at a height of 5 feet tall, short compared to the Fenrir.
She looked shocked at his appearance and the destruction around them before her expression changed to concern. "I'm going to try and help you, okay? Stay there!" Before Ryker could do anything, she ran off.
It's not like I can go anywhere anyway. Ryker thought, temporarily discarding the fact that a human girl had just left to help him in someway. He waited for several minutes, feeling his body losing warmth and weaken even further. It was when he thought he was going to lose consciousness was when she came back, first-aid kits in her arms.
They later found themselves at the base of a nearby hill, the girl managed to help him over. His wounds patched up for now, the Fenrir sat up and prepared to leave only for a hand to stop him by the wrist. "Where are you going?"
Why did she even care? "Back to my employer." Ryker answered, beginning to walk away again.
"My name's Daina." Stopping and glancing at her, he raised an eyeridge. She still sat there, beaming like an innocent child. Though, he could see in her eyes that she probably dealt with more things than she let on. "You should stay until you heal up, you know? It's not good to move around while you're hurt."
"I'll be fine." he replied curtly. Daina seemed to pout, also glaring at him. Ryker didn't seem to care and spread his bandaged wings.
"Wait!" Irritated, Ryker turned to face her again. Daina picked up the teapot she had brought-the Fenrir had no idea why she had done so-, and set it down on some glowing embers that remained in the destruction. "Have some tea first!" she almost demanded, Ryker blinking before shrugging, furling in his wings before walking back towards her...
…
Before he could recall the rest of the memory, Daina snapped him out of it. "Nii-iiii? I've been calling you for the past minute!"
"I apologize, little one." Ryker replied, amused as he practically felt her happiness emanating.
"You haven't called me that since I turned sixteen!" she said happily, humming and causing his sword to vibrate. Ryker almost rolled his eyes, shaking his head as he stretched his neck. It popped before he stretched to the other side and producing the same noise. Ryker knew that she had always liked being called "little one", ever since they became brother and sister in a sense. "Anyway, what were you thinking about?" Ah, she always knew whenever he was in deep thought.
"I was just remembering the day we met." he answered. He felt her happiness flare for a moment.
"I'll always remember that day! I remember seeing a bunch of fire and hearing some explosions!" She paused to, he assumed, remembered more of the day. "And then I saw you and we became friends after I got your grumpy ass drink some tea.." Ryker snorted at this, humoring her by pretending to be indignant. "And then I convinced you to fly me around-"
"And that was only because it was on the way to the nearest Pokemon Center." Ryker clarified, though she ignored him.
"-and then we just hung out for the rest of the day...And then, I died." Her happiness seemed to deflate at her last statement and Ryker frowned, gripping his sword tightly. He still blamed himself for trusting the informant, the one who gave him the location of the target in the first place that day. Had it not been for him, she would still be-. "I know that look on your face. You're still blaming yourself, aren't you?" He didn't answer. "Stop it, Ryker, you couldn't have known that he worked for the dragon guy. He's the one killed me, not you."
Yes...The informant came from the Hall of Origins to their location near the Pokemon Center for a supposed "report". It had resulted in him taking the two in a surprise attack, with the Fenrir being too slow and weak to stop the blade that pierced her heart.
The informant, whoever his true identity had been, was then a red smear in the ground.
It was only because he came to care for her that day. She had cried, a lot. She had told him of her dreams to travel, of how she didn't want to die yet...of how she didn't want to leave her new friend-no, she called him "brother" for whatever reason, after having only known him for a few hours. Touched and feeling close to almost leveling the entire area, Ryker thought of only one thing he could do of the time.
And that was to attach her soul to his sword. It was the first time he had ever done something like that, but that didn't stop him.
Over time, they had grown significantly close like family. She would converse with him in his thoughts most of the time and other times, she'd sleep to regain her strength to keep holding herself to his sword. Despite all this though, Ryker kept Daina a secret. Not even the two Arceus knew of her. And the reason why was so that none would try to get him to allow Daina to pass on.
And neither of them wanted that.
"You know, Ryker, I'm still very grateful for what you did." Ryker glanced at his sword. "At least I'm still..around." Even then, he didn't respond. "Nii?"
"Of course." Ryker finally said, smiling a little. It was a weak one, but still a smile. Ryker knew she was smiling back at him, despite being a soul. He then let out a quick yawn, his sword dematerializing at the same time.
"So I see you're becoming closer to them." Daina commented, her tone was almost teasing in a way. Ryker raised an eyeridge at that, scratching the nape of his neck to rid himself of the sudden itch that developed there.
He knew what she was trying to say. He was getting better, socially. Subtly, but gradually. He was slowly lowering his defenses around the group, even though it wasn't by that much. He'd feel himself almost relax around them, when they weren't training. It was also strange to him, that it worked in such a while. "It" being what, he wasn't sure. "I have already had this conversation with Jeanne." he said after a moment.
"No, you two had a conversation about Roxanne getting closer to you." She was definitely saying it in a teasing tone. "Or should I say, 'Roxy'?" Ryker snorted again, not really feeling like retorting just yet. "Come on, nii, you know you want to consider her a friend."
"...Of course, as with Aurora and Hugh." Ryker didn't include Rift and Oculus for a few reasons. In all their time together thus far, the two pokemon mostly kept their distance from him except for training and they rarely talked with him. Rift, especially, though it was probably in his nature. "But…"
"But?"
"I do not-"
"Use contractions, nii, you'll sound a lot less weird that way. Haven't I told you before?" Ryker couldn't help but to roll his eyes at that. He had used contractions back when he was younger, around the time the two of them met, but somewhere along the line, he ended up not using contractions very often.
"I don't know if I can-."
"Trust them?"
"What is the point of asking me a question if you are-...you're not letting me answer?" His answer was in the form of silence from her. "But you guessed right, I really don't. I would like to, but I can never be too sure."
"...That's pretty cold of you, Ryker. All this time-the training, working with Hugh to scare the living hell out of them and letting Roxanne sleep outside with you that night, working together with Aurora and talking with her about the kind of sports and dares she likes to play with her friends on leave-" Yeah, Ryker didn't know how he and the Akirari fell into that conversation, but he had humored her and actually participated in talking. "-And...wait, where are we?"
"A Giratina made an attempt to try and kill Hugh and Roxanne yesterday. Today is a day off from training, and they planned for all of us to spend the day at the beach nearby."
"So what did you do all day? Swim?"
"I helped Roxanne collect shells after she convinced me to leave my seat on the beach, found a hermit crab that she ended up keeping, and we ate out at this seafood restaurant. Before we went to the restaurant, someone stopped me and the two of us almost engaged in a fight. However, Roxanne...diffused the situation by stepping in front of me, before the Original, and talked him down and sent him on his way." Ryker then scratched his chin, absently rubbing the spot his chin spike would be underneath the illusion he had casted. "At the restaurant, we ate our lunch and Aurora told several jokes, one or two was actually slightly amusing. We then split off outside the restaurant, Aurora went with them to play in the arcade section of the hotel by the Pokemon Center and I came here because I felt your soon-to-be though now it already happened, awakening." A straightforward report, one not much different than the ones he would tell Jeanne at the end of every assignment.
"...One or two sentences would've worked, you know?" Ryker practically felt her facepalm.
"You asked me, that was my answer."
"AHEM! Back to what I was saying, and now, you even enjoyed yourself today at the beach and actually gave in to Roxanne wanting you to get in the water. If you didn't trust them, I don't think you'd even go through the trouble of even coming out here, let alone helping someone you supposedly don't trust or care for look around for shells then having lunch with them in a group. At the very least, we know that you consider them friends. And I think you trust them too, even though the only reason why you're around is for the training."
And you thought I was talkative. The Fenrir thought, chuckling to himself.
"So stop bullshitting yourself over this Ryker, stop hiding. Stop running away...You've already accepted them as friends, you clearly trust them despite your doubt..So why don't you start accepting help instead of pushing them away?"
"Keeping everyone away is how I have gotten this far." Ryker replied coldly. He ignored Daina's rising frustration. "Trust, and I mean trust as in the one that would not get you killed, is not easy to give. Trust, the one you would give to one you care for...I believe is even harder. The latter has led to many betrayals in my past, you being involved in one of them-" He felt Daina shy away at that last statement. "...I know that I may be being too callous about it, but know that it is hard for me to see past it all. I would rather keep myself closed to keep things simple, and to perform efficiently without distractions, without hesitation, without mistakes."
"...Since when did you become so...so...sad, nii? If you really believe that, then what happened with me on that day? Were we not complete strangers to each other back then? Wasn't I a human?"
"I don't trust humans, or people in general, for they'd turn tail and abandon each other at the slightest amount of fear or turn on you from greed, or irrational fear...It's what killed my family, I believe, from what I've gathered from the fragments I've recovered…" Ryker inwardly winced at the words he had told her one day, sometime after binding her soul to his sword.
"Do you not trust me then? Are you just going to shut me out then?...If you haven't started already?"
"Of course I trust you." Ryker said before he shut his mouth and growled, biting his tongue in frustration and tasting copper.
"You have your answer then." Daina said, stern but warm. "If you still don't believe it,then at least consider it sometime today. If you don't start now, you'll just wander." He felt the air around him grow warm. "Think about it, nii."
…
With Roxanne…
It was when she found that it was past midnight and he still did not return, she decided to just sleep. They had failed to find Alpha in Cianwood, then Aurora brought them back to the house and reassured them that he would be fine. Maybe the Akirari was right, it was Alpha, after all. He was a Fenrir, he wouldn't be in some sort of trouble.
But that didn't really cease her worrying.
Yawning and hoping that Alpha would come back in the morning, Roxanne fell facedown to her bed, exhausted from the day's activities. She shifted, facing the left side of her room. On the desk was a clear bowl filled to about half of the way up. There was a mound of sand within, resembling an iceberg as half of the mound was submerged and the other half was mostly dry. On the sand was a miniature castle of sorts and crawling around it, was Alphy, the hermit crab. Decorating the area around the bowl was an assortment of shells, the ones Alpha helped collecting with her.
She lay there, staring at her desk for a while. When she felt her eyes begin to droop, her vision began to shimmer. Roxanne blinked, perceiving what seemed to be a young woman, about her age, maybe younger. She had a red dress, its color slightly faded. Her hair was in curls, long enough to reach the middle of her back. Her eyes were of the warmest browns Roxanne had ever seen, though they were dim...as if she was sad, if the wan smile she wore wasn't enough of an indication.
She walked up to Roxanne, the latter felt her breathing steady and her core warm from the entity. Roxanne wondered if what she was seeing was real, or something conjured up due to her weariness. If she did happen to be real, was it a ghost? Someone she knew?..No, she didn't look at all familiar. Oh, or maybe she was one of those passed on hex girls Roxanne had heard so much about.
"I think you're the only one who can help him. The others too, but mostly, you." the apparition spoke.
"Who...Who are you?" Roxanne managed to say, tiredly blinking her eyes and trying to rouse herself. The apparition only smiled.
"Someone close to someone close." she winked. Roxanne didn't understand at all. She closed her eyes to blink, only to find that she couldn't open them again. "I helped him break free of his chains, his shackles, and break away from most of the horrors that plagued him. Reach for him and don't let go..." the apparition continued, and Roxanne felt small warm hands envelop her own. "But he still has his muzzle. His voice, his cry for help, is still silent. Help him out of it. Keep an ear out and listen for him…" Roxanne was still trying and failing to understand what the apparition was telling her. It was all so..surreal. "And lastly, he still has his collar. The ultimate bind. But, he is lost, trapped and wandering in circles, not able to progress very far. Show him the way, set him free, but still hold him close and dear…" Roxanne strained to hear her, though she felt herself losing consciousness very rapidly. "But before you do anything, you'll have to get past the cage he has set around himself. Break through it! Rip it apart one bar at a time and show him that it. is. not. needed!"
…
Roxanne gasped as she sat upright, clasping her hands to her chest and breathing heavily. As her heart began to calm its beating, she looked around. The apparition was gone. There were no traces of her. Roxanne's hands radiated their own natural warmth and there were no otherworldly pair of hands holding them. Sighing in relief, she lay back down.
That was a freaky dream. Roxanne thought. She rubbed her eyes, finding with surprise that there was no crust. She didn't even feel tired like she was before. Or maybe, she was only feeling tired in that dream? Whatever it was, she didn't care. She was glad to be in normalcy. To make sure she was fully awake, Roxanne shook her head furiously, even going as far as smacking herself in the face and pinching her arm. Satisfied that she was indeed awake, she sighed again. Closing her eyes, she tried to get some more sleep.
And then, she heard it.
The gale of wind that usually came with him landing, the soft but rough sound of his pads impacting the ground, the slight increase in warmth but at the same time, the cold of his disposition radiated...Could it be?
Getting out of bed, noting to herself how her hearing was a lot stronger for some inexplicable reason, Roxanne left her room and quietly rushed downstairs. When she got to the front door and opened it, a gust of air met her. She caught the smell of smoke with barely a wiff, which was another thing she noted to herself. Her sense of smell… Throwing aside that fact for now, she stepped outside. She almost felt exasperated as yet, another new development made itself apparent. She could make out the contours of many objects in the dark, though only several feet ahead.
And then, it hit her. A sort of..stronger...sixth sense. Acting on it without thinking much of the feeling, she faced towards the left and spotted something walking towards the trees. She grinned at the sight of him.
Speedily walking towards the retreating Fenrir, it was when she got within a few feet of him that the Fenrir turned his head to regard her with an expression of curiosity. Roxa-Roxy? What are you doing out here so la-?
She sighed as she felt his fur brush across her face. It wasn't as soft as his tail, though even his tail had a rough feel to it, but it was still comfortable. So comfortable, in fact, that she suddenly felt all her fatigue return to her and…and...
…
Roxanne scanned the area, finding herself in a clearing. There were trees everywhere around her, wildlife off all kinds either briefly made their appearances or sounded their existence from all around the forest.
She didn't feel like getting up, so she instead brought her legs up to her chest and took in all the details around her with a smile. It was beautiful there, beautiful and so very peaceful. She felt like she could just sit there forever without a care in the world.
And then, the air grew unbearingly hot. And yet, a very cold presence neared.
Roxanne almost screamed as a towering...thing lumbered its way towards her. There was no distinguishable feature as it was covered in black blur except for its eyes, which were a horrifying blank white. It left behind bloody puddles wherever it stepped and as it came closer, the forest grew more silent and still. Roxanne, still not on her feet and almost paralyzed with fear, retreated away inch by inch.
When she thought it was going to close the distance between them, it stopped. It simply stood in front of her, staring-no...glaring at her. She could feel its growl growing in its throat and the ground underneath its feet churn with its aggression. When she realized it wasn't going to come any closer, she tentatively tried reaching at it. The thing recoiled, a vicious snarl escaping its maw. When Roxanne withdrew her hand, she noticed its snarl slowly subside, it only grew louder and more threatening the closer she reached towards the thing.
She then reached too close, shouting in surprise as a powerful barrier crackled to life around the snarling thing that was before her. Her eyes wide, she quickly withdrew her hand, breathing heavily again. In that moment, when she made contact with the barrier, she felt it all. All the hate, the distrust, the sorrow, anxiety...the fear...
Heart hammering in her ears though keeping her composure, she noticed the metal parts that adorned the thing. It had shackles around its four feet, a muzzle around its mouth, and a spiked collar around its neck. The collar had a metal plate, obviously intended for the thing's name to be engraved in. However, it was scratched across. And very viciously at that, to the point she could no longer discern what it read.
Wondering what to do, Roxanne only looked into the thing's eyes. She could hear the growling starting to grow again, though it wasn't as aggressive. So, figuring that she didn't really have much choice to do anything else, Roxanne reached out once again. This time though, she kept her hand low towards the ground, palm up. And she progressed very slowly.
The thing slowly took a step back, rearing its head before slowly, almost curiously, sniffed at her hand. Roxanne felt its cool exhales leave through its nostrils and almost prayed it wouldn't bite her hand off. It was very close, but for some reason, the barrier wasn't keeping her at bay. It was still there, as evidenced by the black crackling near her hands, but it was less violent.
Suddenly, the thing came closer to her. But this time, it was different. She felt no aggression from it, and the forest came alive again. The thing was almost touching her now, and what it did next shocked her.
It curled around her and rested its head at her side. Smiling at the new development, she carefully raised her hand. The thing only looked up at her, its eyes seemingly developing some life as opposed to its earlier blank expression. There was also something else there, something that wasn't there before... Recognition? And as she reached towards the being, without fear and with no growls from the thing, she noticed the smiling apparition sitting daintily on the thing's back as she heard sounds resembling the cracking of glass. Before long, the cracking turned into creak. Then, very loudly, something shattered…
…
"You're finally awake." Roxanne opened her eyes and yawned, feeling herself being placed gently on a bed. "You shouldn't suddenly up and fall asleep outside without warning." Fully registering her surroundings, Roxanne saw Alpha standing in his anthro form above her. She noticed that she was in her room again, and that it was her bed that he laid her on.
"It's..morning?" she asked, looking out the window. Alpha nodded.
"You came out and fell asleep on me." the Fenrir stated, causing her to redden and feel awkward about her actions from the night before. "I didn't know what to do, whether or not to wake you up or to carry you back to your room. I apologize, by the way, for coming in, but I had to get you in here sometime." So he carried her back?...That was really nice of him.. "Anyway, I didn't know what to do last night, carrying you back to your room risked waking you up. So, I just let you sleep and did my best to keep you warm last night." He indicated his tail with his last statement.
"You came back." was the first thing she ended up saying to him. She was smiling too. "I was worried, you left Cianwood without a word and I thought something happened. The others thought you were fine, but I wanted to know for sure." This actually caused the Fenrir to look...sheepish? Since when did he ever look like that?!
"I wanted some time alone." he said, "Some fresh air and the like and a break from the public." Roxanne nodded, finding his reasoning to make sense given who he was and how introverted he tended to be.
"You also sound...different." she said, raising an eyebrow. She couldn't exactly put her finger on it, though there was definitely something off about the way he spoke. At this, Alpha's eyeridge twitched-and she almost swore that he looked a bit exasperated-and he waved a hand.
"I was told to start using contractions, and so I have been since yesterday. It's that noticeable, isn't it?" Grinning and threatening to laugh at the ridiculous answer, despite how much sense it made with him, Roxanne nodded. "I'll try to keep talking as such for now, I am not sure if it sits well with me."
Roxanne shrugged, still smiling. "Either way, welcome back, Alpha." Alpha nodded and turned around.
"I suppose I'll see you later for training." he said as he started to leave.
"Don't suddenly leave again, I'll go looking for you if you do!" Roxanne replied immediately, beaming at him as he turned his head to glance at her. "I'll see you out there in a bit, Alpha."
And then, to her great satisfaction and surprise, he smiled at her.
"Until then, Roxy." He then left the room and closed the door behind him, bowing his head at her as he did so. Roxanne sighed happily and lay back down to rest a little more. In her moment of bliss, she temporarily forgot about the peculiar dream she experience the night prior…
...
"You made it past the first step. Now, keep going..."