Aurora had cried herself to sleep, her sobs smoothing into soft breathing. I didn't bother to move her, being incapable of doing so, and not wanting to wake her up. I fell asleep too, after much thought and contemplation about what was to come in the future. And that's how I found ourselves when we awoke in the morning.
"Good morning," I opened my eyes to an unfamiliar voice. It sounded like a female, and it was a female, confirming that when I looked over to the speaker. A leafeon was sitting peacefully some distance from us, her tail swishing from side to side. She watched me patiently with earth-colored eyes, warm and soft, contrasting with her growth. I felt myself start to blush, realizing this leafeon had found me and Aurora at a rather awkward moment. I glanced down at Aurora, who was sleeping peacefully, her head on my chest, with arms wrapped around me. The rest of her body was laying to the side of me, so that her spike didn't coincide with my body. Reluctantly, I nudged her awake.
"Aurora," I whispered, "it's time to wake up."
"What is it?" she mumbled sleepily, "What happened to Mandite?" Mandite was usually the one who was kicking our heads and yelling at us to go get up and at 'em. But, looking around, I didn't see Mandite at all. Where is he?
"Are you two hungry?" Both of us turned to look at the leafeon, who had stood up on all four of its brown, delicate paws. Wanting to be polite, I said,
"Only a little bit," The leafeon nodded, and with a gesture for us to come and follow her, she bounded away into the undergrowth. Unsure what to do, I remained sitting. Now fully awake, Aurora sat up as well, pulling away from me. Our eyes met, both of us not knowing what to do. Should we follow this stranger?
"Come along!" we heard her voice in the distance. And so, with a little difficulty, the two of us stood up and followed the leafeon through the sparsely scattered forest. Making out her pale body winding through the shrubbery on the ground, we continued to follow her some ways, across a tiny brook, happily babbling as we passed over it. The sun shone brightly in the sky, and the wind was cool, bristling with the autumn leaves, tumbling through the air. It was comfortable – the temperature was not too hot, nor too cold; it was mild, and finely tuned to my liking. It gave me the nostalgic feeling of home, where the weather there was just the same, kept moderate with the sea breeze. I noted with satisfaction that the leafeon had indeed chosen a nice place to live.
The lithe pokemon came upon a type of burrow built into one of the few hills in the surrounding area. Upon it, ferns and clovers grew lusciously, their food powered by a ray of light that touched upon them with a gentle finger of warmth. It wasn't a small hill – the home spanned ten yards in radius, with various openings along the sides serving as a little porthole to view the world. It was a lovely hole in the ground, not muddy filled with who-knows-what, nor sandy, where dust continuously pours down from the ceiling – it was a tidy burrow, symboling comfort at a glance.
As much as I liked it, though, I was too tall to fit in through the opening. So, Aurora and I waited outside, admiring the natural spectacle when the leafeon came out side holding a broad-shaped by the two tips. In the little hammock the position made were several berries and herbs, smelling as though they were washed by a spring rain. She set it down upon a flat-surfaced rock that lay nearby, and sat back to watch us, grooming herself with her soft pink tongue, rubbing a earth-colored paw across her face.
As I took a rather large, blue berry – an oran berry – I began to ponder some things. Where was Mandite? Who was this kind and generous leafeon? And why was she helping us, strangers to her?
The first question was answered by Mandite himself, who emerged from the burrow, decked in his armor. He seemed to be smirking beneath his mask as he approached us.
"So, you guys are finally up I see," he commented, "How are those arms treating you, Lucario?" I swallowed the remains of my oran berry, its wonderful richness spreading from my taste buds throughout my whole body. I suddenly felt much better, the stiffness in my arms slowly loosening tension.
"Much better," I said, and Mandite nodded, picking up an oran berry to examine.
"These are very much like the maxim tomatoes you find on Popstar." Mandite muttered to himself, "Yes – the tissues are the same, and so are the vitamin and mineral content." Not particularly caring, I helped myself to a more, foreign type of berry, bulbous with a pale blue sheen, sprouting strange purple and yellow growths. Taking a bite, the texture was crisp, as that of an apple that been sitting in the snow for some time. It's as dry as a fortune cookie, with a curious blend of a tangy sour flavor enduring throughout each bite, and ending with a bitter tone by the time I swallowed it. Interesting, but not precisely my favorite. I was never so fond of dry berries.
As we continued to eat, chewing a particularly satisfying pecha berry, I decided I would inquire the identity of this leafeon.
"Who are you?" I asked her, after swallowing my share of pecha berry sweetness. The leafeon looked up serenely, her soft brown eyes gazing calmly at me.
"My name is Lily," she answered. Lily... Was she -?
"I thought you would pass this way some time soon," I heard a deep, raspy voice greet me from behind. I whipped around, recognizing the voice belonging to an absol, smiling a toothed-half smile, padding his way towards me, the wind and red leaves brushing through his long, white fur. Lily the leafeon stood up, and bounded over in fluid leaps upon her tiny paws to Dhenalix. She greeted her mate by affectionately rubbing the scythe-less side of his face with hers, giving him a gentle rasp of her tongue against his cheek. In return, Dhenalix nuzzled the top of Lily's head, making some sort of chuckling sound. This passionate greeting made me smile – in a sad way.
"Hello again, Lucario," the absol finally said, his crimson eyes shining. Lily had his side to leap to the top of their burrow, plucking off several growths of ferns before dashing inside. I watched her leave, forgetting to say hello back, pondering such behavior. Dhenalix, noticing this interest, paid no mind to my discourtesy, but instead explained,
"She is adding materials to the nest," I nodded, knowing they had an egg to take care of. The absol sat on his haunches in between Mandite and I, joining us for breakfast. Even though Aurora and I had eaten our fill – I wasn't quite so sure about Mandite, though – there was still plenty of berries to spare the travel-worn pokemon. So, I patiently waited for Dhenalix to speak, watching him eat quietly.
After he had downed his second, the absol was ready to engage in conversation.
"So," he said, settling back casually, "what happened while I was away?" He probably seen the bandages on my arms, triggering the question. I blushed slightly, recalling the reason why I had these bandages in the first place; what was Dhenalix going to say when he hears about that? I really didn't want to say it, but who was I to leave his question hanging? So I did tell him a brief summary of our travels through the Scarred Lands; the nightmare, the encounter with Cresselia and Darkrai, the separation, the search, the rescue by Mew, the reunion, everything up until now. Except for all the talking between Aurora and I – that was something I would discuss freely. Dhenalix, who had been quietly listening, occasionally nodding or smiling while he did so. When I finally finished, Dhenalix sat, thinking for a moment before he spoke.
"That's quite an eventful month you've experienced there," he acknowledged, pawing the ground, "all those Legendaries – and the fact you are indeed related to Sir Aaron's lucario." During the time I was telling that part of my narrative, Aurora seemed extremely shocked, as Dhenalix remained studiously observant. It made me wonder what the two would think of me now. Dignified? Or a lame descendant?
"You knew?" Mandite asked, also noticing that the absol didn't seem quite as surprised as he expected him to be. The absol shrugged.
"Not exactly," he said, "I thought it was a rumor when I overheard Giratina speaking to Darkrai talking about that. It's one of the only things Mew has kept 'hush-hushed' - but Mewtwo found out sooner enough. Then he told everyone." All the things Dhenalix knew about Legendaries made me wonder how did he know such things. I knew he was already a messenger for Giratina, but either than that, I knew nothing else.
"Dhenalix," I asked, "how do you know these things?" The absol cocked his head to one side.
"Giratina has sent me on so many errands I believe I have seen and talked to all of the Legendaries, and in turn I listen to what they say." he answered slowly, "So there was one point when everyone started to talk about Sir Aaron's lucario's descendant. I didn't believe them exactly – until now." He smiled at me, but it quickly disappeared as Lily was calling to him from inside the burrow.
"Dhenalix," she cried, "did you move the egg again?!" The absol leaped to his feet in panic.
"No," he called back to his distressed mate, "it must have rolled around again!" And stepping back from the rock a few paces, he muttered,
"Pardon me," and jumped clean over us and galloped into the the burrow. We watched, wondering what was going on. Mandite slipped another berry underneath his mask, blinking as we heard the two couple's voices, and an occasional glimpsed them through the portholes along the side. The only thing that startled me after some time was when Aurora abruptly stood up, ran over to the entrance, and scooped up something in her arms. When she turned around and called out Lily's and Dhenalix' names, I could see the white egg, with a creamy brown swirl running from the bottom and curling at the middle, smooth as the surface of a still lake. Lily was the first to dash out from the burrow, and, taking one glance at the egg breathed her thanks. Aurora knelt and slowly placed the egg in front of its mother with a soft and gentle expression on her face. Being a female almost of age, I could guess that she was beginning to have a feeling for children – it was a step before she was ready to raise her own. I blinked, watching her. I know time flies, but that fast? I must be careful with my time – Aurora could be gone before I know it. It felt a little awkward at that point to think that Aurora soon could be a mother herself – I wonder what it would be like if I actually did see her sometime in the future, introducing her little riolu to me?
As Lily carefully rolled the egg back to its nest, nudging it with her muzzle, Dhenalix exited the burrow, walking over to sit next to me again. He looked a little overwhelmed, but he was grinning at the same time.
"That little one is going to grow up to be like me, I expect," he said, chuckling, "he's already rolling about in the world."
"It's a he?" Aurora asked, curious. Dhenalix looked a little surprised with himself, and shook his head, laughing.
"We hope it is," he admitted, "that would be nice – we already picked out a boy name for him." Aurora raised her eyebrows, and so did I – not because of the name. Mandite just calmly looked at the speaker.
"Well, I have to say there is some disagreement," Dhenalix said, pawing the ground, "Lily wants – if it is a he – to name him Dhenaghi, but I really like Niobi."
"They both sound good to me," Mandite said finally, after remaining silent all this time. Dhenallix made a shrugging movement, pawing the ground again, and taking the seeds from the berries to plant in the three troughs his claws made. With a compassionate motion, he covered them with earth.
"They will grow fast, with the nurture of the sun and rain – and love," he added, looking up at us with bright, crimson eyes, "Lily loves the little shoots of new growth." For a moment, I wasn't sure if he was talking about children or the berries, but in a way, it could apply to both. It surely applied to my childhood – that went by extremely fast. For a few moments, we sat thinking, pondering our own, individual thoughts.
"So," Dhenalix said, breaking the silence, "where are you three heading to now?" Mandite decided it was his turn to speak.
"To the beach!" he said happily. I frowned – although I knew we were going to end up at the place of my childhood wanderings, the coast, I never thought we would be there so quickly. It was the last stop, and we were very close to it. In fact, I could recognize the smells of this forest from the last time I had passed through here; not exactly in this direction, but through the forest. According to my memory, the forest will open up into a grassy field, which would then be replaced by dunes of white sand, with the occasional dune grass perched atop crests.
Aurora and Dhenalix alike seemed to realize that the journey was beginning to close as well. I glanced at my female companion and friend, who suddenly looked so forlorn and broken. She was thinking of the aftermath, as well as I.
"Do you think there is a portal over there somewhere, or do we have to keep searching?" Mandite asked the absol. Surely he must know something about it, due to the fact he has been around Giratina, the creator of the doorways to worlds. Dhenalix thought for a moment, closing his eyes to concentrate.
"I believe so," he said, opening his eyes again, "Yes, there is one, definitely. It's in a rather remote area, but I'm am confident you will be able to reach it." He gave us an encouraging smile, the optimistic soul lifting our spirits. The four of us rose to our feet, signaling the start of a good bye. Looking up at me, flashing a grin, he said,
"Take care, Lucario," Dhenalix, "perhaps we may meet somewhere again in the near future?" I nodded, grateful that the only news Dhenalix brought was the fact there was indeed a portal at our final destination, and not some other, mysterious and ominous herald of death.
"I suppose," I answered back, "Good luck with your kid," The three of us began to walk away from the little oasis, Dhenalix giving us a bow as we headed our way out.
"May your feet travel lightly, your souls whole-heartedly, your mind clearly," Dhenalix called, before turning to go back inside his burrow, "and then your road would be much more pleasurable to travel by." I wasn't quite sure what he meant, but it sounded very poetic and inspiring. With a final wave of his scythed head, he had crept into the dark of the his burrow, still lit by the single ray of sunshine. Before us, the landscape will become more and more familiar to me, until I have reached the shores where I have been born.
But we can't go to the exact shores I grew upon – that would be my parents' territory, and even though I'm their child, they would defend it fiercely. Unless I had a chosen female to be my mate; however, I know that is certainly not the case. So, easily dropping my homing instinct, I switched towards a different direction to make my way towards the coast, and not towards my parents' territory.
As expected, the trees started to thin out and grass grew in their place. Tramping along the final grassland before the sea, the three of us walked side by side. Aurora, on my left side, trotting her feet high to avoid picking up burrs, was watching me for some time. I finally glanced back at her, and judging by the look on her face, I could tell she wanted me to answer a question she had burning in her mind.
"What is it, Aurora?" I asked her, smiling.
"Are we going to see your parents?" she asked. I realized that I hadn't told her the traditions between lucario parents and child. If there was one thing I didn't teach her all these years, it was probably that. Now was the time to fill in that gap.
"No," I said, shaking my head, much to Aurora's confusion, "according to code and tradition, when riolus evolve into lucarios, then they must leave their parents to fend for themselves. They will never return to the place where they were raised unless they come back with... With..." I felt too embarrassed to say "with a chosen mate", for Aurora, even though I told her we weren't going to see them, may get the wrong idea. I certainly didn't want her to think that I was taking her to the western coast for that reason. But, Aurora demanded some kind of answer, staring at me with her perpetually flowing and flickering gaze.
"Sacrifice," Mandite filled in a word, speaking in a hissing tone that sent chills up my spine. It didn't help that his gaze seemed to be staring through me as his yellow eyes were fixed upon mine behind his mask. I knew he was joking, but he acted that little moment out very well.
"... Really?" Aurora asked, timidly. I realized, shaking the fear from me, that she also had been bewitched. Mandite started to chuckle, his eyes becoming pink.
"No," he said, still laughing to himself, "did you really believe me?" Aurora lost her scared expression and glared at Mandite, who was still laughing.
"That's not funny, Mandite," she scolded. The warrior stopped shortly, and peered up at her innocently, remaining silent.
"You're right, Aurora," he said sincerely. But Aurora seemed to know what was coming next, in spite of this.
"Mandite, don't -"
"It was HILARIOUS!" Mandite squealed, and pointed, "I wish you saw the look on your face!" Aurora rolled her eyes, as Mandite continued to cackle and snicker, the horrified look on Aurora's face still envisioned in his mind. I sighed, glancing up at the sky. Just to think that maybe in a week, or maybe in just a few days, that this was all going to be taken away by time. Then it would be just Aurora and I, until I leave her with Zhoke. Then it would be just me and my shadow again, with the occasional visit to Dhenalix. That's at least one thing that I would have left in my empty world – that optimism is starting to catch up on me.
"Lucario," Aurora asking for my attention, noticing that my mind had wandered afar, "are you okay?" I blinked and looked down at her, smiling a little bit.
"Sure," I said, and then admitting, "but the burrs are really bothering me, now." I motioned to the many, spiky growths that clung to the black, short, fur on my legs, and strewn through my tail.
"You think you had it rough?" I heard Mandite's voice say, grumpily. I looked further down towards the ground to see him stare glumly back, his cape and gloves covered by the burrs. Aurora, too, glanced down at the little warrior and then her eyes brightened, as she snickered. Mandite shot her a glare.
"It's not funny!" he cried indignantly, waving his burr-brandished gloves.
"Oh, that's right," Aurora said, smirking. Mandite's eyes widened with recognition.
"It's hilarious!" Aurora said happily, and started to laugh and point at him.
"Just shut up!" He said, pretending to seem like he was about to cry, "I'm a lot closer to the ground than you guys!" I chuckled, amused by the whole little scene playing before me, as the two poked fun at each other. Yes, I thought, it would be very sad watching the two go away – but I am glad I have gotten to know the two well. I can't mope forever, so I might as well start trying to be cheerful about the final length of this journey.
"Ya know, Lucario," Mandite said, huffing as he picked his way through the prickly blades, "I don't think going this way was such a great idea – there better be some place to sleep AWAY from these burrs." I laughed as Mandite made some sort of goofy face, pulling some of the burrs from his gloves. But he has a point - these were beginning to become rather itchy.
"Sand won't be that far away," I said confidently, "we'll reach there by nightfall." There was a uniform sigh of relief from the other two, and I snorted.
"What's the matter?" I asked them, teasingly, despite my own discomforts with the nagging plant seeds. Mandite glared at me, but that was it.
~*~
"Lucario?" Aurora sat down next to me as I was picking some burrs from my tail, "what's that crashing sound?" We had finally made it to a place where the soil became sand, pilling into the crests of dunes, so soft and fine. The sky overhead was dark, with twinkling stars pinned and splayed across it. The moon was waning, but still glowed ever so brightly, casting silvery light all over the sloping landscape. The three of us sat around a small campfire we managed to light, leaning against one of the few, smooth boulders that poked out from its sandy blanket. It was a beautiful night.
"It's the ocean," I said, tilting my head to the side to listen to the calming rhythm. Closing her eyes, Aurora leaned her head back against the boulder, listening with a serene smile.
"I like its lullaby," Aurora said, sighing. I nodded, taking in the sight of her in such a carefree state, before returning my attention to my tail. Mandite was having suffering from the same petty chore, except the warrior had a longer way to go. His mask was off, the fire casting light onto his troubled face as he plucked burrs from his cape.
"How are you doing, Mandite?" Aurora asked casually, already done with removals. Mandite answered with a frustrated, "Hmm!" but said nothing. Chuckling, I scraped off the last bits of seeds from my blue fur before I allowed myself to rest against the stone, smoothed by the corrosive sand. But the sand here, despite all the weathering it had done, was fine and absent of shards of pokemon shells, making it delightful to dig my feet into. It was nice to feel the sand, listen to the ocean's heartbeat, and smell the sea air again, making me feel like I was a riolu again. Memories of childhood, so simple and fragile, for a breath of time shatters the delicate glass so easily. But here I am, back again, and this time I have grown physically and mentally. Mandite began to hum to himself, as he picked his way through the tedious chore of removing burs. Usually his humming were tuneless, much less on harmonizing pitch, but tonight it sounded just right with the crashing of the waves on the beach, not so far away. It sounded a little like a desert spirit, like a singular flygon spiriting in the yonder, alone and free. It sounded like there was hope, a prayer in the time of darkness. For once, I wanted Mandite to sing.
"What's that song?" I asked him. Mandite glanced up from his cape, brushing away a pile of burrs he had collected.
"It's a lullaby Uncle Tally used to sing to me," he said in a longing way, "he only sang it to me when I woke up from nightmares as a baby... He said that it was inspired by an old fable told by maidens to their children as they cried before going to bed."
"Your uncle can sing?" Aurora asked him, joining the conversation. Mandite exhaled sharply, folding his stubby arms to the best of his ability.
"He is a famous singer," he said firmly, "he wrote the entire song and music to go along with it." With this fact, I was rather impressed, even though I haven't heard any of the lyrics – but the tune sounded good to me.
"I can't sing it for you guys if that's what you want," he said, in a frank manner, "but I can hum it." Mandite suddenly lifted his spiked cape and pulled something from it, a blue rectangular object seeming to materialize from the cloth. Upon a second glance, I could see it was a small, blue book, many of its pages ruffled from wear and tear. Mandite flipped through it, finally stopping at a page.
"Here are the lyrics," he said, handing the open book towards me.
I took the book, holding the delicate object with both paws. Aurora shifted towards me so she could read too.
Hush now,
Close your eyes now,
the sun has fallen,
You and I will meet in the morn',
hush.
Hush now,
Don't cry now,
You will meet me in the morn',
But for now,
hush,
Sleep now,
And dream of the day that came before,
night is calling,
Shadows falling,
Let your dreams take wing,
Close your eyes now,
you're here in my arms,
Just sleeping.
Into the Night,
For now we part,
You must rest for a new day,
Into the Night,
Dream under the stars,
Let yourself fly across the moon
Into the Night,
You must wait for the light,
Only then we meet again,
Into the Night,
When the sun peaks the horizon,
We will be together,
But now I part you and walk
Into the Night.
Hush little one,
Lay down your sweet and weary head,
Hush now,
Why do you cry?
What are these tear tracks for?
Hush now,
Soon you will see,
All of your fears will fade away,
You're safe here in my arms,
just sleeping.
Hush now,
Light fades,
Into the world of the Night,
Through shadows falling,
I bid you farewell,
Until the morning light,
Then you and I will meet again.
Hush now,
Please don't cry,
Hush.
Into the Night,
For now we part,
You must rest for a new day,
Into the Night,
Dream under the stars,
Let yourself fly across the moon
Into the Night,
You must wait for the light,
Only then we meet again,
Into the Night,
When the sun peaks the horizon,
We will be together,
But now I part you and walk
Into the Night.
And through the Night,
As you lay here dreaming,
Safe in my arms,
You're only sleeping,
Here I await for you,
Through shadows falling,
We walk into the darkness,
And wait for the sun rising,
Then we meet again,
Only then,
But as for now,
You and I are fractioned,
and drifting
Into the Night.
As the two of us read, our mouths forming each word, Mandite hummed the tune to his little lullaby. The words comforted me greatly, making me feel safe, but yet feel rather somber. Even though I could tell that this lullaby was meant for a mother and child, where the mother tells the child the parting was only for the night. But I felt that this little song could translate into many more meanings than one. We asked Mandite to hum the tune again, and the two of us, Aurora and me, whispered the words once more.
By the time we decided we had enough of chanting the lullaby for tonight, Mandite had finished his little burr picking and used his cleaned cape to cover his small body, his glowing yellow eyes peering from the makeshift den. He held the little book in front of him, flipping through the many words of notes he had taken over the years. Aurora, feeling content and drowsy, closed her eyes to sleep. But I, turning over the many stones of experience, knowledge, and memories, I gazed up at the stars, untouched and as pure as they were thousands of years ago, listening to the ocean crash upon a distant shore. Along with Mandite's stray fragments of humming, the sounds and sight of this serene area allowed my mind to ease. It was nice that I had two great friends to be with, instead of just me and myself alone on the sand.
And on this tranquil, calming night, I have come to share the last few moments with my friends, before the sea of Time comes and takes the tide away.
Mehr... Is it just me or does this chapter stink? -_-
Well, I want to give the thanks to all my readers, expecially the ones who support me through reviews - I could never thank you guys for the encouragement. Thanks for reading, to all of you! ^^