Part Two:
The Forgotten Lands
Chapter Thirteen:
Caged & Wounded
Rowan and Sally struggled to keep on moving, each of them bent double, clutching their stomachs and sweating with exertion. The rocky ground beneath them was unstable, and more than once they had placed their foot on an uneven space only for it to break away and tumble inexorably down the slope in their wake.
Cold wind suddenly whipped the hair from their eyes and Sally turned hers up towards the sky, which, since that morning, had become a boundless veil of dark, ominous grey.
She heard Rowan grumble and followed his gaze towards the Pokémon practically sprinting ahead of them, stopping only briefly every now and then to ensure they were not split up.
"Rowan," she said wearily, "if I didn't know any better, I'd - well... I'd almost think you were unhappy about something."
"No… you think?" Rowan snapped without looking at her,
"The mountains…! Why is he making us go through the mountains…?!"
"Well… maybe it's quicker!" she said desperately.
"Quicker? Quicker?! Maybe for him, but not for us! I mean, look at him! He's making this look like a leisurely stroll!"
"I'm surprised to hear that from you. Either you're exaggerating right now, or you're not very fit for a wandering job-hunter."
"I chose to be a wandering job-hunter 'cause I thought I could take it easy!" he said, and slumped onto his hands and knees as soon as he'd managed to surmount a small ledge in their path.
"I hate hard work…!" he groaned finally.
"Come on, you two, don't fall behind. Keep moving," said a familiar voice.
"C'mon," she said, shaking her companion by the shoulder, but Rowan groaned again.
"I can't," he said, "I can't. This is… This is agony."
"Yet you've got the energy to complain about it," she responded curtly, now trying to take hold of his arm and pull him to his feet.
"Sally…" he said tremulously, looking up to her with pleading eyes, "Can you carry me?"
"I… I'm sorry, what?"
"Come on…! Just 'til we catch up to him! I'd do it for yo-"
"What are you two doing?!" their guide's voice snarled, "Keep moving!"
"Coming!" she responded at once, dropping Rowan's arm and moving ahead.
"Hey!" Rowan called, "Sally!" –and she heard him scramble to his feet and hasten to follow her up the slope.
When they had at last managed to catch up, they found their guide bent to one knee with his head bowed and eyes closed as if in slumber. Sally was about to alert him of their presence when she caught sight of the two black appendages that hung a little below his ears on the back of his head. She had never given them a moment's thought before, but the way they were now made her alive with wonder. They were flowing noiselessly out to either side as though held by an invisible hand, hovering lightly in the air as though suspended beneath water.
Sally felt a sudden desire to reach out to one of them, to inquire about them, to know just what they were! But she mastered herself and held back. Howl stood up and then, just like that, the appendages fell limp again. He looked here and there towards two alternate routes for them to take, then at last said, "This way."
Sally could almost feel Rowan's rush of indignation, and in truth felt slightly nauseated by the decision herself.
They had spent much of their energy on the journey so far, and with barely a moment to rest, they were already being directed across another path that looked nothing short of laborious.
But she didn't dare complain.
For the most part, the three of them spoke very little - aside from Rowan's continued mutterings whenever the path ahead took its toll, and Sally was busily taking in the surroundings and mesmerising the view of the world below. Never before had she ventured into the mountains, and if the situation had not been so serious, she would have been treasuring every second.
Howl had been almost completely silent since he'd returned from The Forest and seemed to be focusing all his attention on navigating, which they could understand reasonably enough.
Eventually they came to the start of yet another slope, and Sally - unable to bear the muttering any longer - had begun to strike up conversation with Rowan.
And of all things, their topic gradually shifted into an endless talk about none other than their guide, who was still striding ahead.
"No. I only found out about it last night," she said, "I didn't know who he really was any more than you did."
"Why's he even here, though? I mean, why'd he come back?" Rowan asked.
"No idea, now that you mention it. He showed up at just the right time. If he hadn't come back, those villagers probably would have…" But she couldn't bring herself to voice the rest of that thought.
"…Did he say anything about why he'd come?"
She shook her head.
Rowan looked uneasy.
"I don't like it. The Demon of The Forest just happening to appear like that…"
"Why not? Personally, I think I was pretty lucky. If you really need to know, why don't you just ask him?"
Rowan's mouth thinned and looked away to avoid answering.
"What I'm curious about," she continued, "is this human friend of his. He said she lives on an island, right? How d'you reckon they know each other?"
"Maybe he was being held by some monster hunters and she set him free?"
"Hmm… maybe. I don't think so, though. Judging by what we've seen, I don't think he'd be so easily captured."
"Maybe it was when he was little! Like, when he was too young to fight back!"
"Can't be! Humans haven't been here that long. Also, that's horrible, Rowan. Don't even talk about baby Pokémon getting caught by those sick creeps…"
There was an uncomfortable silence.
"Well…" said Rowan at last, "what do you think, then?"
Sally pondered.
"I think maybe he met her about the same way he met you. Maybe he realised that she was good and she let him stay with her. If she lived on an island when they met, then she wouldn't have to worry about getting caught nearly as much as the rest of us. Nobody would go searching nearby islands for anybody living there when there are plenty of townspeople's homes to scour from top to bottom."
"If that's the case, why would he have left and become the so-called Demon of some random forest?" he pointed out, "Where's the sense in that?"
"Hey, yeah. That's actually a good point… So maybe they did get caught? Maybe he left because he didn't want to put her in danger anymore?"
"Maybe they had a really heated argument and he left."
She scoffed.
"Maybe!" he insisted, "I know I wouldn't want to be stuck on an island with somebody who I'd had a big fight with!"
But she said flatly,
"No.
No, no, no. That's a dumb idea and you're dumb for thinking it."
"Takes dumb to know dumb."
"Whu-? Since when?!"
They stopped then because they had caught up with their guide, who had settled on a rock waiting for them, gazing out into the distance.
Rowan held back, but Sally walked to his side and looked across the land below.
"Is that the village?" she asked, pointing towards a little cluster of objects atop the boundless fields of green.
"Yes," he replied.
She scoured the road for a moment more.
"…And there's your forest," she added, "It looks massive even all the way up here."
"Mmm," he said indifferently.
"Howl…? What do you think the villagers will do now? Will The Forest be okay without you there?"
"They won't be trying to invade it. If they have any common sense, they'll prioritise licking their wounds before doing anything else, and I did my best to make sure they'd be occupied with that for a while. And The Forest isn't defenceless without me. It'll be fine."
"That's good."
"So, hey…"
They looked around. Rowan had finally found his voice, and was glancing anxiously at the Pokémon.
"Those villagers – a-and the soldiers too…
Did you…
Did you kill them?"
The Pokémon shook his head.
"No. I held back enough for them to live. They're still alive. All of them."
"You… were holding back?" Sally said, remembering how ferociously he had fought against so many armed opponents.
"Why?" said Rowan, "What does it matter to you if some humans die? What do you care?"
A blaze of anger gleamed in Howl's eyes.
"Why?" he said, "Why do you think?"
The Pokémon stood up slowly and Rowan took a few steps backwards.
"Wait!" said Sally swiftly, "Howl, he didn't mean anything by it, it's just - well,"
She struggled to find the words as the crimson glare flicked towards her instead,
"You… You are called the Demon of The Forest. I-It is kind of a surprise to hear that you let your enemies live even when they were trying t-"
"Who do you think I am?" he said, "You thought the villagers had me figured out when they gave me that nickname? Even though they explicitly despise Pokémon regardless of whether we've done anything to them or not?"
"No!" she said desperately, "No, of course not! We… Well… W-We know you're not-"
But Rowan intervened before she could finish,
"Sorry," he said,
"You're right. You're right, I-I shouldn't have assumed that you…
…Argh…
…I'm sorry."
Howl eyed him warily.
"Thank you," he said, "…I accept your apology."
He looked away towards the mountain path and continued on, beckoning them to follow with a flick of his paw. Sally and Rowan's eyes met, and, despite the sincerity of both their apologies, each saw the same mirrored expression on the other's face, signalling to them both that Howl's answer had been just as much a surprise to Sally as it had been to Rowan.
Half an hour later, when the last remains of greenery around them had reached their limit into the highlands and the sky above had become an even darker hue of grey, the three came to an abrupt halt.
Sally and Rowan peered round, and saw just why Howl had stopped so suddenly.
The path before them had broken away and become nothing but a wide slope of unstable footing leading relentlessly down and further down, whether to the very bottom of the mountain again or to a sudden, sharp drop, if they attempted to move across it, their fates would be one and the same.
"What should we do?" Sally asked the back of the Pokémon's head, "Should we maybe go back?"
"No. The other pathway wasn't much safer than what you see before you," he said.
"So how're we gonna get across?" said Rowan.
The Pokémon was silent, and then once again they saw the appendages behind his ears reach out to left and right as though feeling for something in the air.
"What…" Sally began to say at last, but then the Pokémon turned his gaze to the left, and Sally and Rowan followed suit.
A large cluster of ancient vines had grown up along the wall beside them, attaining an undisturbed twenty-or-so metres before Sally saw them curl over the edge of the wall onto another patch of flat earth.
"There," he said, "We should be able to climb up that wall."
His gaze swept over the two of them, taking in their trembling legs and heavy breathing.
Sally could tell that Rowan was fighting with all his heart to not speak what was on his mind, but the effort alone was enough to shape his expression into one a toddler would have no trouble deciphering.
"Something on your mind, Rowan?" the Pokémon asked dryly.
"You've got to be kidding!" Rowan blurted out, "That's way too high! And we've been moving nonstop for hours!"
"Please, Howl," said Sally, "I'm sorry, but I have to agree. We're tired. I'm tired. If you say that's our only way forward, then, like it or not, we sort of have to believe you, but… can we please just rest first? Get our strength back?"
His eyes moved to focus unblinkingly on her.
"I'm afraid we can't. Not here, anyway."
"Why not?!" Rowan cried in desperation, and Sally had to grip his shoulder in an attempt to calm him.
"Haven't you two noticed? Take a good look at that sky. Don't you feel the moisture in the air? It's been getting stronger by the minute. It's going to rain, and soon. If we rest now, it could start pouring down on us, and then climbing that wall will be impossible. It's the only way forwards and we need to take it now while we can.
I'm aware that you're tired, but I warned you that this wasn't going to be an easy journey. Once we're over the wall, we'll find some shelter and then you can have your rest."
Rowan's fingers curled into fists and his breaths trembled heavily. Sally followed the vines from the roots to the tips and felt her stomach clench like a vice.
Climb a twenty-metre-high wall? She might have found it possible if they had come across it nearer to the beginning of their journey, and if she'd had a full stomach to boot, but now?"
The Pokémon's growl of a voice interrupted her thoughts.
"Of course… if you two can't handle this, I won't think any less of you. It's not too late. Just say the word and I'll take you back."
"Take us back?" Rowan repeated scathingly, "To what?"
"Level ground."
They fell silent.
Sally squeezed Rowan's shoulder for comfort and breathed a heavy sigh.
"No," she said, "No. This is our best course of action."
Rowan nodded gloomily.
"Yeah," he said, "We can't go back. Not now. We've got to keep moving."
The ghost of a smile flickered across Howl's face and he nodded in turn.
"As you wish."
He took a step closer and held out his paws.
"All right then. Both of you, hand me your backpacks, and take off the cloaks too while you're at it. The less weight you have on your shoulders, the easier the climb will be.
Don't worry," he added as Sally made to speak, "I'll be fine. You just worry about yourselves."
So they obeyed, stuffing their cloaks into their already-cramped luggage and handing them to the Pokémon, who shouldered Rowan's satchel and Sally's rucksack without a word before turning and gripping onto the trailing plant and hoisting himself up.
"Come on. The sooner we start this, the sooner it ends."
Sally shifted a glance at Rowan.
It just so happened that the exact words the Pokémon had said coincided with Rowan's outlook on just about any unpleasant task that day-to-day life could conceive.
"Yup," he said, the corner of his mouth twitching, "can't argue with that."
The two of them finally followed suit and began to climb the wall as well.
Howl took care to remain close to them at all times, so that whenever they were unable to find further leverage, he would be able to descend to them and instruct on where to place their feet and hands, always making sure that they stuck close together, never rushing ahead or falling behind.
He showed no signs of fatigue, despite more than once having to physically pull one of them up to keep them moving.
He guided, encouraged, bullied, aided, nagged, and even fumed at them whenever the need arose.
"Hey!" he snarled, glaring towards Rowan's unmoving figure,
"I saw that! Did I, or did I not tell you to keep on moving without looking back?!"
"Give me a break!" Rowan cried, "The more forward we go, the more high up we go, and the more high up we go, the more I need to look down - I can't help it!"
"No excuses! Suck it up and keep moving!"
"Sally!" Rowan moaned, his voice carrying down the wall directly to her ears,
"Is following this person seriously our best course of action?!"
"Bite your tongue!" Howl snapped before she could respond, "Do I look like a 'person' to you?"
Sally gritted her teeth and forced herself onward.
"Just keep moving!" she replied, "As long as we hurry, we can beat the rain!"
The words had barely left her mouth when she felt a single drop of liquid patter on the top of her head, closely followed by a second, a third, and then suddenly the sound of it crashing to the ground overwhelmed her senses and forced an anguished cry from the two humans.
"What was that, Sally?!" Rowan shouted, "Something about beating the rain?!"
"Ah, shut up!" she spat, but then her foot slipped and she cried out as her body fell suddenly limp, clinging desperately onto a single large strand.
"Guys!" she called, "Guys, I need-"
The vine snapped away from the wall and began to slide out from underneath its entangled fellows, steadily picking up speed as she began to descend along with it.
She heard Rowan's voice bellow her name and amidst the panic, her pulse thundering in her ears, the rain hammering down all around, she heard the voice in her mind tell to hold on and not let go, and though she tried to obey, the sodden vine slid through her fingers and she had a horrible sensation of falling for only a split-second when there came a sudden grab on her wrist.
A sound carried from closely above. A quiet, but sickly sound of something tearing; being tugged apart by some force, and then a roar of pain echoed within the open air and shook her to the core.
She turned her gaze upwards and saw Howl – teeth clenched and body trembling – clutching onto the row of vines above with one paw and the other keeping a firm hold on her wrist.
Then her eyes fell to the trail of blood flowing along his waist from the dark opening in his stomach.
"Cursed…
…VILLAGERS!" he roared, his hold tightening painfully hard before he began to grunt and lift her up towards the wall again, causing more blood to gush from his open wound.
She gasped as it began to drip freely from the ends of his fur.
"No, no, no, stop, stop!" she pleaded, but he took no notice and tossed his head meaningfully. She understood and grabbed a fistful of foliage once more and began to climb – without the slightest care for her own safety any longer! Ignoring the stabs of pain in her palms as the prickly root hairs pierced her skin like needles, barely noticing the dull, nauseating feeling in her tired limbs!
Of the three of them, the first to reach the top was Rowan, who saw her on his trail and said, panic-stricken,
"What's happened?! Sally, you OK?!"
"Never mind about me!" she blazed, and turned her head back down to see their Pokémon guide panting with every step he took, but still moving determinedly onward.
"Here!" she called, dropping onto her front and plunging a rubbed-raw hand down to help.
He heard her call and scrambled higher up before accepting her assistance.
She felt his weight alone nearly pull her back down.
Rowan offered his hand as well, and together they pulled their companion up.
He crawled dazedly forward, breathing heavily, and whole body vibrating from a steady, almost rhythmic growl.
"What's happened to you?!" Rowan demanded, falling to his knees beside the Pokémon,
"Is that - blood?! Wh-What - S-Sally, what's-?!"
She put her arms around Howl and guided him to sit back against a rock, seeing the cobalt fur on his hips smeared with red.
"Let me see," she said, trying to coax his paw off the tan-coloured fur on his torso.
"It's nothing…" he grunted, "The freshly-grown skin's just torn a little… I'm fine…"
"No you're not! Just move your paw away now, for crying out loud!"
He closed his eyes and breathed deeply for a moment, then finally did as she told him to.
"What do you see?" he asked, "How deep is it?"
Sally felt nauseated by the question, but peered closely and said,
"Pretty deep…"
He sat up straight and, after a few more shuddering breaths, pressed his paw firmly down on the open wound, moving it circular motions and fingers burrowing deep beneath his fur.
"Well…" he said, "I don't think any organs have opened up again… at least."
His paws clenched and his limbs shook violently as he struggled to his feet.
"What are you doing?!" she cried, "We need to-"
"We need to find shelter," he growled, "We'll sort this out once we're out of the rain…"
His first few steps caused ceaseless trembling in his legs, but at the moment she and Rowan hastened to his side and made individually to support him, he stopped and looked at them both.
"I can walk on my own."
He slipped his arms out of their grasp and continued, and despite his back being arched slightly and a paw clutching his stomach, his pace was completely steady.
Sally and Rowan exchanged a look with each other, and without so much as a word, each understood exactly what the other was thinking. They hurried after him and retrieved their luggage, shouldering as much of his burden as they could, and walked closely on either side of him, each prepared to catch him the instant he so much as stumbled.
After they had been moving along the rocky trail for quite some time, Howl's pace began to decline, and his breaths became more and more audible. His head, however, remained upright and scanning the surroundings for a safe place to rest.
"Hey, wait!" said Rowan suddenly, "Look over there. I think I see a cave!"
They followed his indication towards a ledge and moved away to get a better view.
There was indeed an opening in mountain's rocky wall.
"Better not get our hopes too high. It could just be a fissure," said Sally.
"Does it really matter?" Rowan insisted, "Cave or fissure or whatever, all we need is a spot to keep us dry."
"If it is a cave… it could be dangerous…" said Howl, and his fatigue was all too clear to them now,
"I'll go and check."
Immediately Rowan and Sally said,
"-No!-"
"-No!-"
And put out their arms to stop him.
"I'll go," said Rowan, "You guys stay here, and, Sally, make sure he doesn't mutilate himself any furth-"
"Thanks, but no thanks. If you go alone, you're liable to do something stupid if something comes up. How about you stay here and stop him from damaging himself while I go?"
"Aww, Sally, thanks so much for believing in me, but if it isn't safe, I'd much rather I'd be the one who found out than you! I don't want you getting hurt!"
"Just who d'you think you-"
"Enough!" Howl snapped, "We'll go together, then. If it turns out to be dangerous, at least I can still protect you. Let's move, already, the rain isn't getting any warmer."
He strode ahead towards the ledge and leaned against the wall briefly, regaining his breath. Perceiving his intentions, the two humans immediately wrenched their eyes away from one another and hurried onto the ledge before he could so much as reach for the threshold. He looked at them wearily as they simultaneously offered their hands.
But reluctantly he accepted, and allowed himself to be pulled up by the arms.
"So, it is a cave after all," Rowan thought out-loud as they peered inside.
"Looks dark," said Sally, "Rowan, you've got a lantern, right?"
Before he could reach into his satchel to get it out, however, Howl had stepped into the cave and raised a paw before him, and seemingly out of nothing, a strange blue fire began to glow off his forearm, a fire of the very same midnight-colour Sally remembered seeing before when the burglars had caught her.
So she had been right! That had been Howl's doing!
They followed him in silence.
The blue flame lit up the cave's narrow walls, and fairly soon they found themselves nearing a corner heading deeper in.
But as their footsteps shifted rocks on the ground with a clatter, a high screech suddenly rent through the silence and froze them stock-still in their tracks.
"Wh-What was that…?!" Sally gasped.
"Get behind me – now!" said Howl, and then the flame was suddenly dispersed.
She made to feel around her to get a sense of where to go, but then she felt Howl's large paws steer her against the wall, and judged by a muffled yelp that Rowan had been moved in the same manner too.
"Quiet!" Howl commanded.
Sally sensed him move in front of her, and heard him continue,
"Follow me. Move as quietly as you can.
I don't know what's ahead; it sounded small, but we shouldn't take any chances. Be ready to run."
Sally nodded - before remembering he could not see her anyway, and followed the sound of his feet treading deftly ahead of them.
In the silence she thought she heard a voice muttering in the depths of the darkness, and was about to try and alert the Pokémon when she suddenly felt him grip her shoulder and hold her to the spot.
She felt behind her for Rowan and held him back too.
Howl peered around the corner of the cave, and Sally noticed there was a faint glow of firelight gleaming off the opposite wall and silhouetting the Pokémon's pointed ears twitching towards the muttering.
She had only just caught sight of them when there was another shrill cry from just around the corner – a rolling, piercing, and unmistakably anguished cry.
Then she heard a metallic rattle – as if something was being shook – and caught an enraged voice speaking a garble of words she couldn't understand.
Howl moved forward and stood directly in the middle of the cave's floor, in what would be plain view.
Then his whole body began to glow; began to radiate that uncanny blue fire.
The rattling sounds stopped abruptly, and Sally heard a sharp intake of breath.
Howl's blue glow suddenly shone blindingly bright, and Sally had to shield her
eyes which had only recently adjusted to the perpetual darkness.
Then, from just beyond her sight came a frail cry of absolute terror.
She edged anxiously forwards and looked around the corner.
There, seated atop a large patterned rug, and back pressed as closely to the end of the cave as could be, she saw a man in old, tattered clothing who looked as though he had been living outside of civilisation for years.
As she moved carefully out from behind her cover, she saw a trickle of sweat drip down his forehead, and when Rowan finally peered round the corner and stood beside her, the man clenched his teeth, as if what he saw was something terrifying.
He spoke.
Neither Sally nor Rowan understood, but Howl did, and responded:
"We merely seek shelter from the rain, stranger. We don't have any reason to cause you trouble. And if our presence really does bother you, we will stay closer towards the exit until-"
The man raised his voice and shook his head wildly, cutting across the Pokémon before he had the chance to finish.
"We mean you no harm," he said calmly, but the man shook his head again and pointed a shaking finger not just at the Pokémon, but to all three of them, blathering and wailing profusely.
"What?" Howl said, baffled,
"Wait, slow down. I think we're on very different pages here. What are you-"
The man shouted, his garble of words resounding through the narrow room and he shrank back against the wall, shaking like a leaf.
"What's wrong with him?" Sally asked timidly, "Howl? D'you understand what he's saying?"
"I understand the words, I'm just not getting the sense."
He crossed his arms and frowned.
"I don't think his mind's all there.
…He thinks we're ghosts."
"Wh-?!
Ghosts?!" said Sally.
"Something along those lines," Howl replied, "Vengeful spirits, perhaps? He keeps saying we've come to haunt him for all the things he's done."
"What… What has he done?" Rowan asked.
The Pokémon shook his head. He was no clearer on the matter.
"Is he… a bandit?" Rowan enquired, his face uneasy, "Some kinda… former gang leader or-"
Then the sound returned once again and cut the conversation short.
The rolling shriek, the sound of metal wiring being battered, and the flutter of tiny wing-beats.
Howl's blue glow illuminated their surroundings completely, revealing certain things which they had not been able to take note of before:
A cluster of wood and stones that were the diminishing remains of what had been the man's campfire;
An old, rusted set of armour that lay beside the hilt of a broken blade;
And a cage that hung from the ceiling in the very back of the enclosure – a cage only about a foot wide.
And inside the cage was a tiny Bird-Pokémon, easily recognisable by any other Pokémon as an Pidgey.
When Howl's gaze turned sharply towards her, she cried out and twittered wildly, battering her wings against the bars of her prison for all her worth!
The Demon of The Forest took a slow, purposeful step forwards.
The cave-dwelling man reached sideways and picked up a small dagger.
He spoke again, though his words meant nothing to the two humans, and Howl gave no indication he'd heard him.
He was watching the man rigidly, like a predator ready to leap on their prey…
He took another step forwards.
The man suddenly yelled and charged - weapon held high - and Howl's reaction looked instinctive.
He placed his left leg in front - towards the man's weapon - and brought his left forearm up against the man's wrist, preventing him from attacking, and at the exact second his offense had been halted, the Pokémon brought his right paw around and struck at the man's temple, stunning him. Then he twisted his left paw, grabbed his opponent's hand and tugged the knife out from his grasp.
All this had transpired in barely a few short seconds when Howl stepped back from his dazed opponent, raised a powerful leg and thrust it hard into his chest.
The man was thrown off his feet and crumpled against the back wall as the Pokémon drove his weapon straight into the wall beside him and snapped the handle off the blade as if it were a twig.
Knowing he would meet no further resistance, Howl strode over to the cage, closed a paw around the bars and wrenched the door off its hinges completely, letting it fall with a clatter.
Breathing heavily once more, Howl reached into the cage and held out his paw.
The tiny, twittering Pidgey stumbled clumsily towards him and hopped into his palm as he gently lifted her out.
The Demon of The Forest spoke softly and held the little creature close to his chest, letting her feel the warmth of his fur and the beating of his heart, conveying to her that this was not a dream, that it was real, that she was free at long last.
"Please," he said, returning to the two behind him, "could one of you hold her for me?"
Immediately Rowan approached and cupped his hands together.
"Be careful," said Howl as he passed her over, "She is very weak…"
"I will," he replied, and true to his word, Rowan held the little creature as carefully as if it were made of glass.
The Pidgey lay shivering on its side and breathing erratically as miniscule streams of water fell from its eyes and began to form a puddle in Rowan's palms.
Sally felt an overwhelming rush of pity and brushed her index finger across its cream-coloured feathers, wiping away the strand of tear.
'It's… crying,' she thought all of a sudden, 'A Pokémon… is crying…!'
Howl's paw was withdrawn from her line of view and he turned slowly back to face his fallen attacker.
"Explain."
It was no more than a single word, and yet Sally and Rowan each felt an unnatural chill pass over their bodies at the sound of his voice.
The cave-dwelling man stuttered, and barely seconds after he had formed what they could be sure were separate words, Howl snarled,
"Don't play dumb with me…!"
The man's voice grew desperate.
"To what purpose…" Howl began, his tone deceptively calm,
"…HAVE YOU BEEN KEEPING A HELPLESS, INNOCENT CHILD LOCKED IN A CAGE?!"
Sally almost cried out and clasped her hands on either side of her head, feeling as though her skull had just been split across the middle.
Her whole being had convulsed in pure shock, and despite no vocal sounds being made whatsoever, Howl's voice had left a ringing in her ears that was almost deafening.
She couldn't even hear the man's response, and suddenly she found herself being buffeted out of the way as Howl strode past them, dragging the man along the ground behind him.
The man struggled and beat against the Pokémon's paw, trying to free himself, but to no avail, and was dragged around the corner towards the exit.
A small click went off in her mind, snapping her out of her reverie, and Sally hurried after them and clutched the Pokémon's shoulder.
"Howl! Wait! Calm down, please! He's clearly not right in the head - We don't know the full story here!"
Howl gave no response or acknowledgement of what she'd said but to reach with his free arm and forcibly dislodge her grasp.
"Howl!" she implored.
The man suddenly reached for her and grabbed tightly onto her skirt. She pulled herself free, horrified and disgusted simultaneously, wanting to reason with their guide and save this poor, mindless fool from what was surely about to come, but was prevented from taking another step by the very stranger she wanted to protect!
"Howl! The soldiers! The villagers and even the burglars!
You didn't kill them! Please!"
As they reached the outside, the man finally began to relent his struggling and allowed himself to be dragged away for only a few moments more when Howl came to an abrupt halt and hurled him viciously forwards.
Sally felt a wave of cold billow over her and sprinted after them, refusing to believe what she had just seen!
As she drew close, however, she heard the fall end considerably earlier that she'd been expecting.
As she struggled to stop herself, she heard the man groan and saw him struggle to his feet on the ground a few feet below, close – dangerously so – to the edge off the cliff, but still had not fallen beyond it.
He backed away weakly, his arms raised, and spoke directly to the Pokémon who walked right up to the threshold of the ledge and glared down at him.
"Kill you?" he said coldly, "…That was not my intention. Make no mistake, human, I care nothing for you. Just looking at you disgusts me and fills me with rage…!
…But your life isn't mine to take.
Now, get out of here. This is my cave now, you hear me? Mine! Consider it a bargain for me to not beat you to a pulp right where you stand."
The man's eyes widened and he gestured to the area around him as he spoke with a definite note of desperation and panic.
The Pokémon laughed: a cold, humourless, bark of a sound.
"Well, how unfortunate for you. You should have thought about that before you charged at me with a knife.
We're not spending the rest of our lives here; we'll be gone by tomorrow, if not in a few hours.
…But.
If there is a hint of sanity left in you, let it be aware of this:
Do not try to follow us and get your little prisoner back. I do not ever wish to see you again. I won't look for you, nor will I so much as spare you a second's thought.
…But if you ever dare show your face to me…"
Sally heard a low, thunderous rumble and glanced sideways to see the flame-red eyes narrowed and white teeth bared in a snarl,
"I will make sure… that you know the suffering you have caused that child!
Every. Last. Shred of it."
The man backed away on trembling legs, muttering and lips quivering.
"Now…" Howl said, lifting his paws and creating a sphere of the same dark colour as the fire that still wreathed around his whole body, licking at the air and hissing ever so silently,
"Spare me your mindless babbling…
and leave my sight!"
Howl twisted his upper-body round and threw the sphere down directly at the ground beside the man. Upon impact, the sphere burst in an outward rush of blue haze and lifted him off his feet a second time and landing on his back, where he rolled over at once and scampered away in the direction they had come from.
The rain hammered down on them as they watched him disappear from view.
The instant he was gone, Sally heard a groan.
Howl's paw clutched at his stomach, and he managed to stagger away from the edge before she caught him by the shoulders.
"Hey! You all right?"
Out the corner of her eye she saw the flames slowly diffuse - or rather, shrink back into the Pokémon as his breathing became more rattled. They had not been true fire, she thought: they were something beyond her understanding. Something the Pokémon had utilised that slept within his very own body – and his body was to where they would return.
"Not… exactly…" he answered, "I've… felt better."
Rowan stepped out from the cave's mouth and took hold of his shoulders too, and together they steered him back out of the rain, where Rowan finally had the privilege of putting his lantern to use.
"Oh man…!" he gasped as the light fell upon their guide's spoiled waist and leg.
"You've lost quite a bit of blood," said Sally, swallowing down bile.
"Hah… Well… that explains a lot," said the Pokémon, smirking slightly.
"I-I don't think you appreciate just how serious this is!" said Rowan, "Sally? What do we do?"
"What?! Why are you asking me – I don't know!"
"Well, I sure don't know either!"
She ran her hands through her hair desperately,
"Uh… S-Stitching! We need to clean it, stitch it and dress it! We need a needle, and I-I think I have some thread in my pack."
"No!" Howl snarled, grabbing her wrist, "No… What I need… is Oran Berries. For now… just stop the bleeding. Use a rag – anything'll do, just stop the bleeding and find Oran Berries…"
"How can you think about food at a time like this?!" said Rowan.
"But… how?" said Sally, "They can't grow all the way out here in the mountains, can they?"
"As a matter of fact, yes they can, and do," he replied, "Oran Trees… are almost everywhere…"
The Pidgey stumbled on her weakened little legs, but fluttered lightly up onto Howl's chest-spike and stared, transfixed at the dark, open wound below. She made a low chirp, which meant nothing to Sally and Rowan, but a smile curved Howl's lips and he responded vocally,
"I'll be better soon. I don't need you to worry about me…"
She gazed up at him with melting eyes and chirped again before flapping her wings once, twice, and finally taking to the air.
"Wait," he said, and looked to Rowan and Sally again before switching back to his telepathy.
"Sally… come closer."
She was hesitant, but obeyed.
"Hold still…"
The Pokémon reached a paw forwards and touched a finger to her forehead, and at once her mind's eye was flooded with the crisp-clear image of a small tree, barely reaching up to her knees, in full bloom and bearing large, round blue fruits at the ends of its jagged branches.
"That is what I need you to find," said the Pokémon's voice, and as she felt his touch withdraw, the image vanished in a heartbeat, and she struggled to collect and memorise every little detail before it was lost.
"But… where?" she asked.
For an answer, Howl and the flying Pokémon spoke to one another before he returned her gaze,
"She will guide you to one she finds. Bird-Pokémon have exceptional eyesight. She's young, but I'd still wager her vision is better than all of ours put together when she takes to the open air."
Sally was silent for a moment or two, digesting the information she'd been given.
"Just find those trees?" she asked, ignoring Rowan's demands for explanation.
"And bring back as many of those berries as you can carry," Howl confirmed.
She nodded.
"OK, got it."
-and with that, she emptied the contents of her rucksack onto the floor there and then, sifting through it all until she found a small towel and folded it over twice before grabbing a roll of bandages and stealing a nervous glance up at the Pokémon. He nodded his approval, and she placed the towel firmly over the wound, wrapped the bandages over and over and tied the knot as tight as she dared.
He gritted his teeth, but did not allow the faintest of sounds to escape him.
"Thank you," he said, "Now go. And please… do be quick."
She grabbed Rowan's arm and pulled him along, confused and angry in her wake, and with one final worried glance and a chirp, Pidgey followed after them, leaving Howl alone.
He growled as he clutched his injury.
"Nice going, Guild-Mon…" he grumbled, "Becoming a burden to the ones you're supposed to protect… Good job…"
Authors Note:
Sorry for the delay on this one, but I was working an apprenticeship for the last month and didn't have as much time to write as I would have liked. Hope this chapter was up to scratch and don't worry - I'm already about halfway done on the next one and have every intention of posting it up this month and getting back on schedule.
Just wanted to say a quick thank-you to some recent peoples who have left guest reviews and another thanks to those who have started following this story!
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-Alright, I'm out!-