Willow Day 16

I was close; I could feel the trees calling to me, the whole forest reaching out. I kept my pace steady along with my breath, pushing thoughts of Aiden to the back of my mind and focusing on only what I was doing now. I hadn't eaten or slept, continuing through the night to reach where I was now. I knew that when I stopped, by stomach would be tearing away at me and my legs would collapse on me but this was why I kept moving, continuous, even.

A single pidgey flew above me, singing loudly to the surroundings around it. I looked up to see the remainder of its flock congregate from the trees and bushes along the path and join it in its song. The joy of the chorus. Feeling the tears well up in my eyes no matter how hard I fought, I looked to the ground. My clothes were dirty and speckled with holes and my shoes were in a worse state. I hated to think of how I looked. Red puffy eyes from crying, tangled purple hair and cuts and grazes all over my body. Thank God this hell would be over soon.

I guess I had learnt my lesson, which would please Tor. Eugh that was the part I was going to hate most. His smug smile, judging eyes as he lorded over me the fact that he controlled whether I ever became a Pokémon again. I never gave him a reason to hate me; I guess he just found one.

***

I never realised how low the branches were here, how strong you had to be to push through them and deal with the grazes and bloody injuries later. This was no place for beginners. I stumbled into a pathway, lit only with small gaps between the trees. They ignored me now, not recognising me, not welcoming me back. I hadn't expected there to be a huge parade for my return but I had expected Tor to be here.

Nothing but silence echoed around me.

I remembered this, when I would hide in the backgrounds and watch the trainer. I was no trainer but any human was treated with caution. No Pokémon would come near me now. I was tired, hot and now devastated. I had wanted this to be over. As soon as I arrived. This was my home.

I fell to the ground, letting my tears roll and cries of anguish and desperation scream from out of me. This had never been fair but now, to leave me? This had been just a game to him.

'Aww, you didn't enjoy the game?'

I looked up to see the same ghost-girl floating above me. She smiled her teeth a whispy white. Staring at me for a moment, she frowned biting her bottom lip then changed into a glaceon. It twirled for a moment, as if inspecting its new form then turned its attention back to me, the same dark smile lingering on its lips.

'I did tell Tor you would return.'

That caught my attention. I sat up, ignoring the aches my body made. I stared at the ghost straight in the eye, or the thing they had.

'Tor? You spoke to him? Where is he?'

I still had time, if I could just find him, plead, and beg. I didn't care now about my dignity, I needed Quiyelle, it was my home. I reached my hand to grab her and grasped nothing. The blue tail twitched, as if it had felt something but its smile just grew.

'He will find you if it is meant to be. If not, worse things could happen.'

They were growing bored of me; they floated on their back staring lazily up at the sky. I stared at them, mouth open at their lack of caring. I couldn't attack them, as much as I wanted, so I just yelled. All the obscenities that Lyle and Aiden had taught me now came into use (we had to fill the time up in the hospital). The glaceon turned an eye in my direction, as if amused with my outrage, and then disappeared. Damn.

***

'TOR!'

I had nothing fuelling me but my desperation and hope. He owed me this, for all the deceit and lies he had given me over the years, and this punishment. I forced my way through the greenery, thrashing furiously, causing the Pokémon who hadn't heard me to scuttle away hurriedly. I muttered all the things that I would do to him, gouge out his blood red eyes, tear out his black heart, pull out his stupid tails one by one, somehow avoiding the infamous ninetails curse.

An arm gripped me and I turned around, expecting to see Tor or one of his cronies, but there was Aiden, panting and marked with sweat. My eyes widened, barely noticing Lyle hobble in behind him with Flint and Belle.

'How-did-you...?'

Aiden smiled, his body still catching up with his oxygen debt that had built up. Lyle began to make his way over, smiling but gritting his teeth in pain with each step, until Aiden put out a hand to signal 'stop'.

'I will tell you when we talk. Properly.'

He was still breathing hard but his eyes stayed firm on mine, serious. I looked to Lyle and smiled, wondering why he was here. Surely Aiden would have saved time if he kept him in hospital; it would probably been safer for Lyle there too.

'Why don't you go take a rest Lyle? I'm pretty sure that however you got here, it would have taken some effort.'

He seemed upset and reluctant to leave but Belle tugged at his trouser leg, obviously exhausted herself. Which left me looking at the bent-over Aiden. I had never seen him this tired. I was so curious to find out how they left the island, how they found me so quickly, but that would be added to all the other questions and things I wanted to say.

***

'You know, I'm impressed.'

I sat on a log, staring at the dusk sky. A splash of colours filled the air, soon to fade into night. Why was I giving him a second of my time? A second chance? Perhaps I needed the answers, before he could no longer give them to me. The truth.

'With what? Me?'

He lay on the grass below me, staring up towards the same sky. His eyes never dared to reach my face now.

'No, how you got here so fast. How did you do that?'

'Belle knows surf. Or at least, now she does.'

'But all that way? What about Lyle? Surely she's not that strong.'

'You don't give her enough credit, she's pretty gutsy. And Lyle. Admittedly, I did use my 'Pokémon ways' to get a group of lanturn to help. They were pretty mocking about the fact I was fire type.'

Somehow, that didn't surprise me. How did that old saying go? Where there's a will, there's a way? Well, Aiden certainly had a strong enough will. I could presume that they ran the rest of the way here, using Flint to help Lyle.

'Why did you go through all that? You knew this would happen inevitably.'

'I needed to explain myself, Willow.'

'Then go for it, tell me exactly why you lied about who you were.'

'I never lied. Never. I just didn't tell the exact truth. I had been a vulpix, hers, once. For years I travelled with her and those were the parts of my life I enjoyed most but then, suddenly, she left me. Abandoned here. All those years working together...'

He clenched his fists, sitting up, hunched over. These memories were the ones that were sticking with him, the worst ones.

'I was heartbroken. I had loved her. But Tor found me and made me a bargain. I could become human if I did him a favour in the future. Of course I said yes, I would have done anything to escape the memories of my Pokémon life. But they stayed with me. I ran into her, eventually, when she went back to her hometown. As soon as we met each other, both human, we fell in love. Of course, I already was with her. But then, it was as if it all fitted, as if it was all meant to be like this.'

I couldn't bear to look at him. He relived these thoughts with such joy, and I sat there knowing that I took them away from him.

'Then Quiyelle?'

'Yes, Quiyelle. She was so determined to go back there, to catch such strong Pokémon and as much as I warned her against it, she snuck off without me, leaving me just a note. Of course I went after her. I knew Tor was there, he could do anything to her. I couldn't let her be hurt...'

He laughed to himself, a dark chuckle.

'Much good that did. I arrived just after the accident, I didn't see it, I didn't see her, but Tor found me. He explained it to me then called up his favour I owed him. To escort you to her family. Of course I refused, but Tor told me there was worse that could happen to Hannah than dying and he could sort it so that they happened. I didn't know if he was bluffing or lying but, what else did I have? I accepted.... and only then, after my years of free living, did my memories start to disappear. If I hadn't had argued with him.... who knows....'

He looked up again, at the first pinpricks of stars. I couldn't think of what to say, the right thing to say. I'm sorry? That wouldn't make up for it and he already knew that I was sorry. So we sat there, silent, until it was unbearable.

'Her mum, when I went to visit her.... said you, came here to.... to... propose to her...'

I spat out the words, unbelieving them to be true but there was a niggling, a strong force that thought it could be true.

'And if I was? I told you I loved her, but she's dead now.'

'It's important.'

'Really? That important that you ask whether I was going to propose to my now dead-girlfriend?'

He sighed, covering his face in his hands. Now was not the time for talk. He reached in his pocket and pulled out a box, I opened it and a silver, diamond ring shone there. My hopes were dashed; I was an evil person for doing this to him.

'It's beautiful.'

'Yeah...'

This moment, no words could be shared, no sound except those of the cool wind shaking the trees. It was too calm now. The aftermath of the storm.

'Did I disturb something? Except, I'm pretty sure I heard my name being called before.'

Tor walked out from the undergrowth, his voice baring no evidence of caring that he had just disturbed our intense conversation, it was just smug.

'Tor.'

I gasped his name, I hadn't seen him in weeks but he still managed to chill me to my core. Aiden just stared at him, his resentment for him shown in his gaze.

'So you're back. Fun trip? I presume that you want me to change you back before you forget everything Espeon, or is it Willow now?'

'It's still Espeon and allow me one last minute to say something to Aiden privately.'

'Espeon, you forget I am a busy creature, I have been filling your boots for the last few weeks, I do believe I owe you nothing.'

'You won't allow her one minute?'

Aiden stood, his posture aggressive towards Tor. I stood up, scared of what Tor could do to him.

'Ah Aiden, you're back. I must say I thought you would kill her. I guess I was wrong. Good show.'

'Show? Was this just amusement to you? Where is Hannah?'

'Her body is fine.'

'It better be you damn-'

'Stop it Aiden, you know what he can do.'

I stood between them, knowing that Aiden was getting close to Tor wanting to kill him. And I was sure that killing someone was in Tor's range of expertise.

'Ah I forgot about you Espeon, and I do believe your minute's up. Shame you had to waste it on arguing Aiden.'

I turned to shout at Tor and argue, plead my case, but the sudden pain shot through me again. I could remember it in my thoughts but it was nothing like the real thing. Pure pain as my body was being shrunk and changed once again.

My clothes incinerated off me, leaving me naked. My hair grew all along my body, but shorter. My fingers withdrew into my palm, and that in itself shrank, covered in soft pads and fur. My ears grew out long and changed position in my mutating skull. From my back end the spine pierced through the skin and grew, splitting into two to make my tail. My breasts shrank back and suddenly nipples appeared all the way down my stomach. My leg bones broke and reshaped into smaller, stronger back ones. My gem broke free from the chain around my neck to my forehead and with that I opened my eyes, my white pupils, to see the world again. Clearer. My memories were back and they overwhelmed me. Espeon, that was my name. I was no human.

Sensing him, I twisted back to see a human staring back at me, shocked. I growled at him, hissing brutally and he backed away from me. I looked forward to see a ninetails laugh, supposedly at me.

'She is herself again. This was the creature you befriended. But don't worry; she'll remember all the pain you put her through soon enough. This is just primal instinct.'

He looked at me, his red eyes gazing at me. I arched my back, threatening, but his eyes were deep. I was drawn in, too late did I realise his trap. I drew weary and with a final look, I collapsed asleep on my side. Hypnosis.

---

Wow, this is very late. But I have been very busy with GCSE revision and just general work. But I see that the end is nigh, obviously. But I will try to make these last few ones longer (better) and not so far apart.

Thank You

MoonLynx