Chapter 2: The Journey up the Mountain

Davyn had made good time to the bottom of the mountains. It took only ten minutes for him to run six miles across the forest terrain. Krysta had been clinging on to him for dear life with her eyes half closed, the wind rushing past her face. It was a thrilling ride with sharp turns around trees and jumps over various obstacles. She was lucky to have held on for so long.

"We're here!" Davyn said panting lightly.

Krysta opened one eye all the way, then the other. The cliffs loomed over them, grey and rocky with a few specks of green trees. The very peaks were not visible through thick grey clouds that hovered above. A cool chilling breeze blew in from the valleys and made her fur stand on end.

"You can let go of me now...I can't breathe," Davyn said.

Krysta flushed, loosening her grip on his abdomen. She rolled off him, plopping to the ground and quickly returning to her feet. Sniffing around, she sensed tiny auras emanating from the mountains. They were faint, but distinctly stronger than anywhere else she had searched. Doba was right, there were stones here.

She turned to face Davyn.

"Well then, I appreciate the ride. I no longer need your services. You may leave now and let me go on with my hunt," she said her head held high.

"You want me to leave? How will you get back home stubby legs?" He joked

She leered at him angrily.

"When I have found my stone, I will have the means to return on my own four legs."

"What if you don't find one?"

His words stung. She felt shadows falling over her eyes with a single bead of sweat sliding down from her head. Her little self confidence felt like it got punched in the gut. Though she tried to act natural, Davyn saw that he has upset her.

"Hey, I didn't mean it like that. It could snow heavily any minute now, and you might not find anything before then."

Krysta shivered in the chilling wind. As much as she didn't want to admit it, he was right.

"Fine, you can tag along. But don't forget that I'm the leader of this expedition! " she said, holding her head up proudly.

"Whatever you say Krysta," Davyn laughed, giving her a funny looking salute that made her angry and embarrassed.

"Just give me a second to warm up," he added. Krysta watched as Davyn concentrated, his eyes closed. After a moment of silence, she began to feel an aura emanating from his body. The aura grew larger until the two and their surroundings were engulfed in the invisible energy. It suddenly became much warmer and brighter. The sun peaked through the dark dense clouds, shining lovingly on them, like a sunny day in spring. Krysta relished in the warmth briefly her bushy tail swaying happily. She stretched her back out, relaxing a bit as the cold left her body. It was incredible that Davyn had the ability to control sunlight, she thought. she quickly turned around to see him giving her his usual sheepish smile.

"Show off..." She said quickly looking away. She put her nose to the ground, following a trail she hoped would lead to her stone.

The trail was steep and gravely. Pebbles occasionally got stuck between Krysta's toes. She shook them out, staying focused at the task at hand. The scent was growing stronger as they hiked further up the mountain. She sensed energies forking into different directions, and chose to follow the strongest of them all. Davyn trotted behind leisurely, rejuvenating the suns intensity from time to time. The clouds grew darker and were rolling in quick. Krysta worried that Davyn's prediction might come true. It felt like a curse upon her.

After an hour and a half of travel, Krysta collapsed onto her belly, exhausted. Her legs felt like rubber, and her fur was dripping with sweat.

Davyn came up to her.

"You okay Krysta?" He asked, nudging her lightly.

"I'm fine! I'm just taking a break," she said defiantly. Even after a moment, try as she might, she couldn't bring herself up. She was already so tired, and it irritated her. The scent was so strong that she could almost taste it. But she couldn't take another step, and she was parched.

She gave her nose a break and perked up her ears. Tree branches made a rippling sound as strong, howling winds blew pine needles to the ground. She heard distant snoring of a Noctowl, awaiting the sun to set. She listened around until her ears picked up the sound she was searching for. It was the sound of running water.

"There's a stream not far. A little to the right of where we are," she said.

"Thirsty? Can you get up?"

"Of course I can," she lied. She willed for her legs to get up, but they refused to support her weight, and she couldn't get more than a centimeter off the ground before plopping back down.

She felt herself being lifted as Davyn grabbed her by the scruff again.

"Damn it! Put me down..." She said slowly. She was too tired to yell, let alone complain. He carried her gingerly towards the stream. Krysta sighed, dangling from his jaws completely embarrassed. Despite her humiliation, she was really happy that Davyn was here with her. She was very grateful for his help, even though she wouldn't admit it.

Davyn gently lowered her near the stream bed. The water felt cool on Krysta's tongue, and she took big gulps. She stood up,feeling slightly better but still lacking the energy to continue the hike.

She looked around for Davyn and found him sitting patienty near a bare apricorn tree.

"Feeling better?" He asked, lowering his head to meet her level.

Krysta sat down in front of him.

"A bit. I don't know how much further I can go. I know it's there, I can feel it."

She couldn't believe how close she was, and yet her body felt like giving up already. She wondered what it would be like, when she finally found it; when she would finally put her paw on it and absorb its power. Would it feel exhilarating as the energy flowed through her veins? Would her transformation be painful? She didn't know what to think.

"What was it like?" she asked aloud.

"Was what like?"

"Evolving." She looked up at him with eyes pleading that he gave her an answer.

"It was... frightening," he said after some thought. "To be honest, I'm not even sure how it happened."

Krysta gave him a funny look.

"What do you mean?"

"It didn't happen the way the others did. I didn't find a stone."

Evolution without a stone? Was that even possible?

"So, how did it happen?" she asked.

"Well, I was exploring the darker parts of the forest. During my search I stumbled upon an angry Breloom who was sitting on top of a very mossy boulder. I had no fight with him, but he went after me for no real reason."

Krysta nodded.

"So you two fought?"

Davyn nodded back.

"I was scared. This guy was three times taller than I was. And his claws. They were so quick. I barely evaded his punches. Eventually, I took him down. He fell knocked out. I swear there were swirls in his eyes." He took a minute to find a way to explain what happened next. "Then...I just evolved."

Krysta didn't believe him.

"Just like that? You can't be serious." She thought he was just teasing her again, but he nodded with sincerity in his eyes.

"I wish I knew...otherwise I would have told you how sooner. Then we could have both been Leafeons together."

Krysta moaned sadly. She would have very much liked to evolve with Davyn. The two late bloomers they were called, the last two to find their evolutionary forms. They had said they would find it together, but Davyn had gone and done it ahead of her. Since then, she hadn't spoken much to him until now. She felt bad about negelcting her friend out of jealousy.

She rolled onto her back to look up at the tree. Rays of the intensified sun shown through the open space between leaves and branches. She spotted a lone, pink apricorn dangling daintily on a branch. It was on the verge of falling. An energizing apricorn could be just what she needed.

"Hey Davyn? Can you reach that for me?"

Davyn looked to where her paw was pointing and spotted the giant pink sphere.

"Hmm, take a few steps back ," he said. She rolled back onto her feet and moved away from him. In a near instant, the leaves on the ground began to move around him. They twirled and spun as they orbited him until they all stopped, frozen and suspended in the air. Krysta watched with amazement. Like magic, Davyn sent the leaves up to the apricorn branch. The flurry of leaves moved so fastans precise, they cut through the branch and the apricorn fell to the ground undamaged.

"Impressed?" He asked, noticing her look of admiration. Her face soured. What was with thst smug grin he had. Jerk...

But before she could respond to him there was a loud crack from above them. A piece of the apricorn branch fell down, directly smacking Davyn on his head.

It took a moment for it to register.

"Gwahh!" He cried out in pain, clutching his head with his paws. Krysta failed to keep a straight face. She burst out laughing as Davyn whimpered and rubbed his head. She pulled a big piece of dry bark and soaked it in the freezing cold stream.

"Here, hold still," she said, placing the wet bark on his head. She held it there for a while, patting a whimpering Davyn. After a while, the swelling went down, and the redness was gone.

"There, all better you big baby," Krysta teased.

Davyn sighed with a look of relief mixed with embarrassment.

Davyn sliced the fruit, handing a half to Krysta. She felt a surge of energy rushing through her as she sipped the juice from the apricorn. She looked up and saw Davyn was still rubbing the bump on his head. She took the oppurtunity to run it in his face a little. It was only fair.

"Geez. Big fully evolved leafeon. Master of all that is natural and growing. Defeated by a branch!" She laughed.

"Hey!" He protested. "I wasn't beaten by anything!"

"I'm pretty sure the branch won the fight," she took pleasure in seeing his cheeks be the one to turn red this time.

"And you call me the jerk?" He said, looking away from her.

Krysta brushed up against him.

"Just getting back at you, that's all," she said playfully. He looked upset now, but he knew she was only teasing, just like he had.

"Fair enough," he sighed. Firmly, he placed a pawon to krysta's head.

"I may have lost to a branch, but I won't lose to you, short stuff,"

Krysta grumbled, trying to shake him off. Davyn let go and started walking up the trail again.

"Shall we go, my tiny leader? It will be dark soon."

Krysta mumbled a plan of revenge to her self and quickly sprinted to catch up with him.