Author's Note: Only one or two more chapters after this before I get to the chapters I still had. I don't think they will help much, though, because I have several switches to make on them. -EeveeInHeat
Silver
- Chapter 11: Family Opinions -
Silver was pinned on his side as the Pokemon tackled him in an embrace. However, his attention was on the fact that the Pokemon had said his name. Looking up at his assailant, he saw that the light purple Pokemon was actually an Espeon, though he was sure he hadn't met it before.
The Espeon fell away as Eve tackled it in the side. Silver hurriedly got up and stood next to Eve. "What was that for?" Silver demanded.
"Silver, it's me," the Espeon said.
Though Silver didn't recognize the Espeon, he thought he recognized the voice slightly. Eve stayed tense beside him. "Who are you?" he asked.
The Espeon smiled and giggled at him. "Honestly, don't you remember your own sister?" he asked.
"Rose!" Silver exclaimed, finally remembering the voice.
The Espeon giggled again and nodded. "Where have you been?" Rose asked. "Our parents have been running themselves ragged trying to find you."
"I was caught in some net and taken-" Silver started.
"Explanations later; first, you need to come back to the den," Rose stopped him. She turned and headed back into the undergrowth, her two tail tips motioning for him to follow.
Eve looked at Silver worriedly. "Rose is my sister," Silver explained. "This must mean we're near my family's den. Will you come with?" Eve paused hesitantly, unsure of what to do, before simply nodding.
Silver started after Rose, and Eve stayed right at his side. Following Rose through the forest, Silver started to remember his surroundings. Eventually, he recognized right where he was and wasn't surprised as they came upon the old den.
Rose immediately went in, calling, "Mom, Dad!"
Silver paused at the entrance and took a breath. He walked inside, Rose still right beside him. Rose went on into their parents' room, still calling out to them. As Silver waited, he looked around and once again took in the place he had lived at for so long. It felt like it had been forever since he had last been here, even though it was only a week or two. Other than the entrances to the two rooms, the small den was mostly plain. Nearby, the stockpile of food was heaped up, ready for the coming winter. This once again reminded Silver how food would be scarce soon.
"What?" a voice exclaimed from farther in the den. Pawsteps could then be heard as his parents came out of the room. Silver only saw his Umbreon and Espeon parents for a moment before he was in a tight embrace from his mother. "Silver, my son, are you okay? Where have you been?"
Silver tried to respond, but had to wait until she finally let go. "Yeah, Mom, I'm okay," Silver responded.
"I was so worried," his mother said, nuzzling his face. Now that he wasn't trapped in an embrace, he saw that there were still tears stains on her cheeks.
"I'm sorry, Mom," Silver replied, nuzzling her back.
"Who is your friend?" Silver's father asked.
Silver glanced back and saw Eve behind him, as though she was trying to hide. "This is Eve. Eve, these are my parents," Silver introduced.
"H-hello," Eve timidly greeted, staying behind Silver.
"So, I'm guessing you have a story to tell," his father said, sitting down.
Silver nodded and began to tell them what happened, leaving out Ace and Flame and how he had found Eve. He didn't want his parents having to worry. "And finally, Rose found us and brought us back," Silver finished.
"Well, we're glad you're back," Silver's father said. "It's about dinner time. Why don't you pick something out to eat, if you're staying that is," he added.
"Of course he's staying," his mother interrupted.
Silver walked over to the pile, Eve followed close beside him. Silver looked through the pile and was about to pick his piece, but saw Eve looking hesitant. "Go ahead," Silver promptly, motioning to the pile. When Eve still hesitated, he realized what was wrong; there were no sweet berries on the pile. "Wait here; I'll be right back," Silver said.
Eve watched him nervously as he went outside. Going around the side, he found his memory still working. Beside the den, there was a Mago berry bush hidden in the undergrowth. He picked a few and came back. Eve calmed down when Silver finally entered the den again.
"Here," Silver said, placing the berries down, "Some Mago berries."
"T-thank you," Eve replied, picking them up.
Silver picked a few berries for himself and sat against the wall. Eve sat next to him, their pelts slightly touching. After they finished their meal, Silver asked Eve her opinion. "So, do you want to stay here a little?" he asked.
Eve looked down at her paws, thinking. "I-I'm not s-sure. Do you w-want to?" she asked.
"Well it's late already. Why don't we stay the night and let you sleep on it?" Silver suggested.
"O-okay," Eve agreed.
Silver was about to tell his parents, when he saw Rose about to leave. "Rose, where are you going?" he asked.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you," Rose replied. She came over and sat down. "When you disappeared, I went out to help look for you. While looking, I met a Poochyena named Jack. Well, we sort of started meeting. I know I was supposed to look for you, but . . . well, Jack was so nice and sweet and . . . Anyway, after a while he . . . he told me he loved me, and I evolved. I stay over at his den now. I was just going back over there," she explained.
"So I guess you got to evolve into what you wanted," Silver said.
Rose blushed and shuffled her paws. "Uh, if you're going to be staying, I can bring Jack over to let you meet him tomorrow," she suggested.
"We'll be staying the night at least," Silver said.
"Okay, I'll be back here tomorrow morning," Rose said, getting up and leaving.
Silver got up, Eve quickly getting up as well. He led her into the room he and Rose had once shared. The place was still set up as though he had never left. Both his and Rose's nest were still in order.
"Uh, this is the room where I used to stay," Silver said. "That was my old nest and that was Rose's old nest." A silence crept up as they wondered what to do. Silver cleared his throat uncertainly and said, "Uh, so you can have whichever one you want."
"Oh, t-thank you," Eve murmured. She walked over to Rose's nest and curled up on it.
Silver went over to his old nest and curled up on it. The nest was a definite improvement from lying on the cold ground night after night. However, as he closed his eyes, he missed the feeling of his and Eve's fur rubbing against each other's.
Even inside the den, the cold winter air swept in on a breeze. With the den's construction made out of rock, the cold air easily sapped the warmth that was left. Silver curled deeper into the nest. Winters were always hard with the cold. If they stayed any longer, he would need to gather more leaves for the nests.
When another breeze came in, Silver glanced over at Eve. She was shivering as well from the dropping temperature. Gathering his courage, Silver got up and padded over to her. Eve glanced up as he stopped next to her. Silver paused, unsure what to say. However, without saying a word, Eve scooted over, leaving enough room to for him to lie down beside her. Silver curled up next to her, grateful for her silent acceptance.
Will it . . . will it go this well if I tell her? Will she return my feelings? Silver wondered. What will she say if I told her that . . . I love her?
As he wondered about it, his eyes grew heavy and he fell asleep.
(0)
Silver yawned as he woke, accidently waking Eve beside him. Getting up, Silver led Eve down the short tunnel into the main area of the den. Silver was surprised to see that he had woken at dawn, even without the light shining on him. His parents seemed surprised too as they came out of their room.
"Morning, Dad, Mom," Silver greeted.
"You're up early. Well, eat your breakfast so we can go berry gathering. Just because you had a little adventure doesn't mean you get out of chores," his father replied.
Silver once again slipped outside and got a few more Mago berries for Eve. She accepted them gratefully again and they sat down to have breakfast. They had just finished eating when Rose walked up.
"Hey, we're here," she said.
Silver looked over at his father, who nodded his permission. Silver got up with Eve and headed outside to meet Rose's mate. Right outside, a small Poochyena sat looking around lazily. Unlike the Poochyena Silver had seen at the city they went through, this Poochyena had softer features, without scars or the desire to fight in his eyes.
"Silver, Eve, this is Jack," Rose introduced. "Jack, this is Silver, and this is Eve."
"Hello," Jack greeted.
"Hello," Silver responded. Eve stay quiet beside him, pressing against him some.
Jack grinned as Rose sat down beside him. "Rose has told me a lot about you, Silver," he said. "I'm glad to see you're okay."
Silver smiled back. "Rose told me how you two met," he replied.
Jack grinned even more. "Did she say how she fell in love after our first meeting?" he asked.
"Jack!" Rose complained, her cheeks reddening from his teasing.
"I love teasing her," Jack told them, chuckling.
"She always disliked that," Silver agreed, also chuckling. Rose continued to blush harder as they laughed.
"So, does that little Eevee speak?" Jack asked.
Eve pressed slightly closer to Silver. "Uh, she's just shy," Silver answered for her.
"We've got to go," Rose said, getting up.
"Nice meeting you," Jack called as Rose led him away.
"Bye," Silver called back. Silver and Eve headed back into the den.
His father was standing near the entrance as they came in. "Are you ready to go?" he asked. Silver nodded and they started to go out, Eve still following.
"Uh, Eve?" Silver's mother started. "I actually wanted to talk to you, alone."
Eve stopped and looked hesitantly at Silver. "Go on; I'll be back soon," Silver said. She paused before nodding a little and heading over to his mother. Silver watched her for a moment, concerned, before following after his father.
His father was silent as they went through the forest. It didn't take long before Silver realized that something was on his father's mind by the way they passed a few berry bushes without picking anything.
After a while, Silver finally stopped and asked him. "What do you want to talk about?"
His father chuckled. "I guess you didn't forget about me," he replied. "I do have something I want to talk to you about, though. What really happened to you before you got back here? Even in this short time, I've noticed that you've changed. You're more mature, calm, and independent. You're even less trustworthy than before."
Silver looked down at his paws for a second, unsure how to answer. "I don't really want to bring it all up, but I guess it was being taken out of a protected home. I saw the world in new eyes and how others act. Having to survive almost by myself and encountering humans; I guess I'm just not as naïve about the world anymore," Silver tried to explain.
His father was silent for a little, before nodding. "Well, I can respect you not wanting to talk about it, though I bet it's an interesting story. That's not all I wanted to talk about, though. You and Eve aren't just friends, are you?" he asked. "I saw how you were treating her."
"I like her, a lot. I-I think I'm in love with her," Silver said.
"What about her?" his father asked.
Silver sighed and lowered his head. "I . . . I don't know," he admitted.
"She seemed pretty attached to you earlier," his father noted.
Silver shook his head. "She was . . . treated badly in the past and now doesn't trust anyone easily. I don't know if she likes me the same way I like her."
Silver's father laid a paw on Silver's back. "What about her trainer?" he asked. "Are you willing to be a captured Pokemon?"
Silver paused. "Maybe . . . If she likes me, too . . . I guess I wouldn't mind."
"Well, just give her time, son, that's all I can advise," he said. "Now, are we going to gather some food, or not?"
"Okay," Silver said, getting up.
After gathering a load of berries from nearby bushes, Silver took them and headed back toward the den while his father continued gathering a load for himself. When Silver got close to the den, he could somehow tell his mother was aggravated by the distilled way the air was. Anxious, Silver picked up his step.
When Silver entered the den, his mother was facing Eve, a stern expression on her face. Even with Eve's back to him, Silver could tell that she was distressed by whatever his mother was saying by the way she had her head, tail, and ears lowered. Silver quickly put the berries down and came up to them. However, before he could try to intervene, Eve suddenly turned and darted away out into the forest.
Silver turned to go after her, but his mother moved into the way. "Move," he said, surprising even himself that he had just told his mother what to do. However, all he could think about was how Eve looked as she had run.
"Silver, I've got to talk to you first. You need to let that Eevee leave. She's way too secretive, probably meaning she has a shadowy past that she's hiding. You shouldn't be around her. She's a bad influence and will give you nothing but trouble," his mother lectured.
Not thinking of the consequences, Silver instantly responded. "I know her and what's happened. She's anything but a bad influence. I love her, and I'm not about to leave her. If she can't stay here, then neither can I," Silver yelled back.
Before she got over the shock of his words, Silver dived past her and dashed into the forest. He followed the trail Eve had left before. Soon, Silver started catching up and finally found her. Eve was lying in the middle of a tiny clearing. Even from the side of the clearing, Silver could hear her sobs, her shoulders shaking as she cried.
Eve's head whipped around as he stepped into the clearing. The tears were still fresh on her face as she looked at him. A look of confusion was on her face as he came up to her. "W-what-" she started.
"Shh," Silver whispered, pressing against her. "No matter what my parents say, I'm not going to just leave you out here alone. I promised to take you to your trainer, and I will." But what's more, I love you and will follow you anywhere, he added silently.
"T-thank y-you," she whispered, leaning against him.
A rustling nearby made Silver look back. The black form near the clearing clarified who it was. "Wait here one second," he murmured. Walking back into the forest, he saw his father waiting for him. "Hey," he greeted.
"Hey there, son," his father said. "I heard what happened."
Silver looked down at his paws. "I . . . I shouldn't have said that, but I was so worked up at the moment . . ."
"No need to apologize," his father said, stopping him. "Your mother wasn't exactly being diplomatic either. She just sees you as you were back before you left. She doesn't want to lose the old Silver she remembered. However, you've changed, and I can tell you're mature enough to make decisions like this. . . . You're not coming back, are you?"
"No," Silver murmured. "Tell Mom I'm sorry for what I said and that I know she was just looking out for me, okay?"
His father nodded. He touched his nuzzle to the top of Silver's head. "Be careful, okay?" he asked. Silver nodded. "And remember you always have a welcome home here."
"Thanks Dad," Silver said.
"Now go; Eve is waiting," his father said.
Silver went back to the clearing and up to Eve. She got up and leaned against him as they headed away into the forest. Though he could still hear his father's words ringing in his head, he somehow felt that he would never see his family again. As long as Eve was with him, though, he felt he would be alright.