Chapter Four:

Warrior Wisdom

He turned a corner and found himself at the southern-end of the lake, looking out at the familiar crystal-clear water, growing gradually deeper as it neared the great tree.

He moved forward and looked around. Both the lake's waters and the earth surrounding it were deserted. A Starvia swooped down onto the tree and began to pluck leaves off of its branches, no doubt for building a nest for her group, but she took no notice of him and he ignored her. There was a much more pressing matter on his mind. Where was Pip?

As if in response to his question, he heard a noise from somewhere close by. A faint, quiet scuffle as something moved against leaves. It had been so quiet he was unsure if he had really heard it. He listened closely, moving his ears towards the sound.

He heard nothing.

Unperturbed, he closed his eyes and directed his Aura Senses towards the noise.

Then he found someone, and hurried along to the eastern-end of the lake.

It was Pip. His small body enveloped in pure-white Aura, and his heartbeat pulsing sad, drooped waves from the core to the very edge of his Aura in a slow, even rhythm.

He opened his eyes and found himself staring directly into a large Rhododendron patch reaching up almost as high as the neighbouring trees. He looked down and saw a leaf larger than those next to it tied by the stalk with its body facing downwards, as though it had been put there deliberately. He knelt down and reached for the large leaf, but before he could touch it, there came a hiss and flap of wing-beats overhead, and the Starvia perched on the tree above him and began to harvest more leaves.

He moved swiftly with his back towards her and pretended to be gathering leaves from the Rhododendron, not wanting to seem as though he were up to something; Bird-Pokémon were infamous for spreading rumours.

He turned around and continued to gather more leaves until he looked up as though by chance at the Bird-Pokémon. She had been watching him curiously, and when he looked at her, she nodded respectfully and he nodded back.

"Gathering those for lunchtime?" she asked, nodding towards the food in his arms.

"No. I just needed some peace and quiet."

The Starvia made a concurring note. This was a reasonable reply.

"I'll leave you to it, then," she said, picking up the little bundle of leaves in her talons and taking flight.

Once he was sure she was gone, he turned back to the large leaf and moved it to one side with his foot. Behind it was a small, narrow tunnel which looked as though it had been diligently cleared by someone.

He didn't want to alarm Pip, however, so he straightened up, took a few steps away, and called to the side,

"Pip? Are you here somewhere? Come on out, it's me."

He waited for a responding voice to call from within the tunnel, but none came.

He tried again, with the same result.

Finally he crouched to all fours, holding tightly onto the berries and fruit, (though he couldn't help but drop a few) pushed the leaf aside, and crawled into the tunnel, calling as he went,

"Pip, I'm coming in."

"HEY! How did you get in here?! This is MY hiding place!" came Pip's indignant voice once Howl was framed in the tunnel's end.

"It's a good one. I'm impressed," he replied, crawling out into the open and smiling kindly.

Pip blushed, but did not look away; for his eyes had found the food in Howl's arms.

Howl, however, pretended not to have noticed, and instead looked all around the area.

It was as though he had crawled his way into a relatively small, but very serene leaf-formed dome. The sides were formed of foliage which had grown together so tightly that it was made into an almost solid wall; the ground beneath their feet was earthy and bare, and the only gaps were that of the tunnel and a small circular hole in the roof through which the bright sky was visible.

"Well, well…" Howl said, his eyes lowering to Pip again, "This is a very comfortable place. How did you find it? I don't suppose you made it yourself, did you?"

"N-No," Pip replied, still gazing longingly at the contents of Howl's arms,

"No, I…" But at that precise moment, Pip's stomach gave an enormous rumble quite disproportionate to its size.

Howl chuckled, but not mockingly, and Pip's cheeks were flushed to the pink shade of a Pecha Berry.

"Why're you here, anyway?" Pip asked.

"I thought it would be good if we ate together. I expect you're tired of being on your own."

Howl moved to one side and dropped the food into a pile, digging out the leaves among them and setting them carefully next to one another on the ground like a mat.

Pip watched him for a moment, apparently taken aback. But then a little frown appeared across his face.

"What do you mean? Why would it be good?"

Howl paused halfway towards placing the first few berries on top of the leaves.

"I mean it would do you some good," he said bluntly.

They looked at each other in silence, Pip's expression becoming increasingly more puzzled with each passing moment.

Howl continued,

"No-one has seen you for a long time, little one. Some Pokémon think you've run away, and some never even knew you were here in the first place.

But you've been hiding away in here all this time, haven't you?"

Pip seemed to have frozen at these words. His ears gave a violent twitch and his tail went rigid, but he shook his head all the same, and kept his mouth shut tight.

"No…?" Howl repeated quietly.

He looked hard at the little Eevee before him, trying to break his will to hide the truth.

"Then why is this 'your hiding place'…?"

Pip said nothing. He seemed unable to speak at all. He glanced around restlessly, determined not to meet the Lucario's piercing gaze.

Howl, however, was much more determined. He moved away from the food pile and sat down directly ahead of him, crossing his legs and settling his paws in his lap.

"Pip… tell me the truth. Why are you hiding in here?"

Silence was the response.

"Are you afraid of everyone?"

The effect this simple question had was exactly what he'd hoped for.

Pip wrenched his eyes away from the ground and glowered at him furiously.

"NO!" he said loudly, his voice echoing back and forth inside the dome.

Howl didn't so much as flinch at the sudden increase in volume, but sat perfectly still and comfortable, as if he were completely at ease.

Pip looked away again, his eyes falling to the ground, and spoke to his own feet.

"I just… I don't care. I don't want to be with anyone else. I'm fine on my own.

So… So you can just go away! Leave me alone!"

Howl said nothing, and his expression remained coldly calm.

"Go away!" Pip repeated hotly, "Please," he added when Howl's eyes

narrowed a little.

"No," he said finally, "I'm not going anywhere until you've answered my question truthfully.

Why are you hiding in here?"

"I did answer your question! I'm fine on my own! I don't want to be with anyone else!"

"And is that the truth?"

"YES."

"So. You want me to believe you aren't afraid of everyone… and yet you want to be left alone - in this 'hiding place'?"

Pip twisted his mouth, and his tail gave an awkward twitch, but he nodded stubbornly.

But seemed to regret this action at once.

Howl looked disappointedly at him.

"That's not a very good lie, is it?"

The Eevee's fur bristled angrily, but Howl merely looked back coldly and held out a paw, saying,

"Sit," indicating the empty space between them.

"I wasn't asking…" he added when Pip opened his mouth to retort.

Pip's expression was then suffused into a mixture of great incredulity and anxiety.

"I don't want…!" he began, but with one look up at Howl's expression, he couldn't finish, and moved with lowered ears and tail to the designated spot and sat down with averted eyes, all resolute and contrary emotions wiped out completely.

He was only a child, and no match for the natural sense of authority Howl could command when he wanted to.

"So, Pip," he went on,

"I suspect I'm getting pretty warm, but I'll give you the benefit of a doubt just in case I'm completely off the mark. From what I can see, you don't appear to be truly dishonest, so I'll ask you one more time: Are you afraid? And if you are – why? I might be able to help you."

Pip muttered something inaudible.

"What was that?" Howl asked, but the little one shook his head, saying,

"Nothing, sir."

"No, tell me what you said."

"I… S-Sir…!" Pip shook his head more vigorously than ever, and Howl understood he'd said something he was too ashamed to repeat, so he moved on,

"So why have you been hiding, then? You're not afraid, apparently. Then what is the reason?"

Once more Pip said nothing, but he had not altogether ignored him this time.

Howl's eyes moved over him swiftly, and he had noticed the Eevee's front paws were trembling violently, and at first he'd thought that may have been out of nerves, but he then caught a sight of the little one's eyes, which were glistening on the verge of tears.

He thought he knew why Pip had been hiding away for so long, but had only acted oblivious so that he might be told why openly.

There was no question of it in his mind now, however. He was convinced.

"Pip… look at me."

His voice was much gentler, and much more empathetic, and perhaps it was only that which made Pip obey.

"Little one… have your reasons for hiding had anything to do with your mother and father?"

Silence hung in the air.

Not even a breath of wind disturbed the trees above.

A minute passed, and neither of them said a word.

Howl waited patiently, until finally, just when he'd been about to break the silence, tears formed in Pip's eyes and began to flow steadily down his cheeks.

"I see…" Howl said quietly.

Pip blinked hard, trying desperately to stem the flow of tears, but it was overwhelming. Eventually he lowered his eyes to the ground and cried in earnest, all shame forgotten.

Howl kept silent and let the little one cry. Waiting until he had at least brushed his eyes before speaking.

"I know how you feel-"

"NO, YOU DON'T!" Pip shouted suddenly, glaring up at him through tear-filled eyes, "You don't know how I feel at all! You - You…!"

His voice gave out under the strain, and he broke down again, sobbing bitterly.

"Don't I…?"

Pip fell silent as abruptly as if Howl had shouted right back at him, and lifted his eyes just high enough to see his face.

"Do you think I haven't suffered as you have…?

Think I've never lost anyone important to me…?"

His tone was quite calm, but Pip had sensed something in it, and was aware at once of a tension in the little enclosure.

"It isn't easy to lose the one most dear to you… is it, Pip," Howl went on solemnly,

"You just don't know what you're supposed to do anymore.

You lose what precious faith you have.

You feel as though an immense part of your own life has been stolen from you, and that you never truly appreciated before just how much you needed it.

Without that missing part, you feel as though your own world is starting to crumble all around you, piece by piece, and that it won't stop until absolutely nothing remains.

And in the end, you feel like it would just be easier to do nothing at all ever again. To not feel anything anymore, and hide yourself away from everyone and everything else, so that at least you might not ever feel pain again."

Pip shut his eyes tight as more tears streamed down his cheeks.

"Am I wrong?"

Pip's mouth thinned, and he gave a little sniff before brushing his eyes again on the back of his paw.

Howl took that to mean 'no' and continued,

"But… I'm afraid doing nothing is simply not an option, especially for you.

You are far too young to just give your whole life up."

"No…" said Pip tremulously, "No…! I don't want - Please - Just don't!

I don't wa-"

"You don't want to hear it? Too bad.

You've had time to grieve all on your own. Now it's time to stop grieving and talk.

To other Pokémon. To me."

There came another long silence, broken only by Pip's shuddering breaths and the occasional sniff.

Howl kept the silence so that Pip could have his turn to speak if he wanted to. But he said nothing, and avoided his eye.

"It seems to me as though right now you're angry at your parents for leaving you here on your own, and that is perfectly reasonable."

Pip pretended not to have heard him.

"You may feel betrayed… You might feel as though your parents have abandoned you…

But I'm envious."

It was Howl's turn to look away, his turn to address the earth around him.

"I've never known my mother and father…"

He heard a small intake of breath.

"You… You don't know who your parents are?" said Pip in a voice of mixed disbelief and shock.

"No. I never have," Howl replied, shaking his head.

"Do you… D'you have any brothers or sisters?"

"No. No siblings, no parents… no family."

"You… You're… alone?"

Howl looked up suddenly, finally managing to make direct eye-contact.

Pip seemed to have become suddenly breathless. He had even stopped crying, though his face was still wet with tears.

"You on the other hand…" he began, but Pip suddenly broke out,

"But I'm alone too! My parents are gone! They're probably both de-"

"You still have your parents; both of whom were willing to sacrifice everything for you."

"What?! What're you talking about? I don't still have-"

But something in Howl's expression made him break off at once.

"Shall I continue?" he asked quietly.

"U-Um… I-I

…Sorry."

"You're forgiven," he said flatly.

"Your father…" he went on, "Well, we both know the sacrifice he made.

He was completely willing to put his life on the line to ensure that you and your mother reached The Forest safely.

What he did was noble… but I have to be frank: I believe the sacrifice that your mother made was even more noble."

Pip looked anything but in agreement, but suppressed what was clearly on his mind. Howl smiled in appreciation at this, and asked,

"Do you know why she left you? What was breaking her heart more than anything else?

You were listening to the two of us talk on the night she ran away, weren't you?"

"I… I dunno."

"It's all right. You can be honest. I'm not angry with you."

For the first time, Pip met his gaze deliberately, without even blinking constantly, or glancing here and there.

"…Maybe…" he said finally.

Howl gave a small chuckle, and Pip's mouth twitched as though he'd been almost tempted to laugh as well.

"Well then, let's just 'pretend' you weren't," said Howl, returning to seriousness,

"She told me that she felt as long as she was with you, you would be miserable. You may feel sad now, but she obviously thought that this would be nothing compared to how you would feel if she were with you…"

"But… why? Why did she think that, sir?!"

Howl could do nothing more than shake his head helplessly,

"I don't know," he said, "Believe me, I wish I could give you the answer…

but I don't have it. However, there is one thing I can say with certainty:

She made the sacrifice for you so that you would be happy again someday.

She left to find your father because she knew that he was the one who you admired, who you relied upon, and who you would miss more than anyone else.

Even though she herself had only just made it here, even though she could have stayed safely with you, and even though it meant putting her life at serious risk once again…

she was still ready to throw all of it away just so you could be happy again."

Pip's expression was unreadable. He simply stared, lost for words.

"You are lucky, little one. Truly lucky to have parents like them.

Though the loss hurts… you should be proud, all the same."

Pip's mouth hung open slightly, as though he were just a breath away from speaking, but then, slowly, an expression of deep contemplation spread across his face. Strangely, and for almost no reason at all, Howl was reminded by this of the time when he had talked to Lopunny in the raging storm of the night, under the shelter of the overhanging rock. They had been secluded then too.

"Now then," Howl said after some minutes,

"I think I've trespassed on your hospitality long enough…"

Pip looked up at him, puzzled.

"Sir?"

Howl had uncrossed his legs and begun to make his way back towards the tunnel.

"I've given you a lot to think about, so I'll leave you alone for now. The food over there is yours, so help yourself."

"But… sir, wait!" said Pip uneasily, "What about… You said you'd teach me…"

Howl stopped on his way into the tunnel and looked back over his shoulder.

"Yes, I know. I haven't forgotten," he said, "If you still want to learn, I'd be happy to teach you. But first you should consider what I've told you, don't you think? I'm not going to let you just disappear again as soon as our lessons are over. And if you try that, I will find you.

You understand?

If you come back to us, you stay with us."

And with that, he ducked under the roof of the tunnel and left.

Hello again, Readers! Sorry for the unforgivably long break, but I'm back now, and I haven't given up on posting the rest of the story! I have been busy, but I'm not going to write an extra paragraph so you'll feel sorry for me. I should've been more consistent with my writing, but I had other, finding-an-apprenticeship / job-related things keeping my occupied. I could have managed to finish writing this chapter around last month, I think, but... You know...

...The new Zelda.

Anyway, now that I'm back, I just wanted to apologise to any I've made wait, and hence promise that I'll do my best to make sure all future chapters were worth it.

-Thanks! -Relic.