Hey again. This chap we get a bit of insight into Shard's past. Enjoy :3 WARNING: chapter may be a bit... Emotional.
Shard lay in bed quietly. His new 'home' was a small shack in the gardens that he'd moved some furniture into. It had been his choice, as he wanted to feel a small bit of freedom and independence. He sighed softly. Meeting his new 'boss' had been...awkward. The baron of the psychic kingdom, Nathanial Blake, had given him an odd look when Elise had presented Shard to him. He had pulled the boy aside and given him a list of things he was to do as Elise's guard. It was funny really. The old espeon seemed as protective as Shard's own father had been toward him. His father had described the espeon as a 'bitter old smart ass who was as stubborn as an ox'. From what shard had seen, the man was certainly not been bitter. He'd even joked around with the umbreon as if Shard were his own son. This led Shard to question his own beliefs. It left a bitter taste in his mouth.
He sighed again, trying to sleep, but his mind would not allow it. It wasn't unusual really, umbreon were nocturnal by nature. It would take him time to adjust to his new schedule. So there he lay, lost in his thoughts until sleep finally carried him away from his problems.
Elise sat on her window sill. She couldn't sleep. Questions were running through her head. How had Shard wound up with the traders? Just who was he? The young espeon sighed softly, gazing at the umbreon's home in the gardens. He was so...different from what she'd always heard about dark types... They came through every now and then, but kept mostly to themselves. Even the manor's servants stayed in their work areas mostly. What was more, the umbreon was well groomed and well built, something not typical in the dark lands where food and resources were scarce. Something was telling her that this umbreon wasn't some random boy off the streets. He was polite, calm, and not at all impressed with her family's wealth. Shard had been more interested in her than anything. Honestly, she was just as curious about him. He turned her theories about dark types on their head, and that made her uncomfortable. She rested her head against the cool glass pane, her thoughts running wild. It would be several hours before she finally drifted to her bed and drifted off.
Shard ran as fast as he could, tears racing down his cheeks. He was an eevee again, terrified of...something. He could hear the pounding of hooves. He turned to look. His mother was running behind him, terror in the female umbreon's eyes. Then their pursuer came into view. A gallade on the back of a rapidash. As he closed in on the umbreon, he extended his blades. There was the sound of the blade arcing through the air, then through flesh. Shard watched as his mother fell, lifeless. Blood had sprayed upward, coating the rider. All around the eevee were the dying screams of dark types as the allied fighting and psychic types ripped the town apart. The boy hid, crying, where the ballade wouldn't see him. Hours later the sounds of the massacre had faded. Shard crept out of his hiding place. The small, unarmed village was in ruin, the ground scorched. The smell of ash and blood hung heavy in the air. Shard found his mother's body, laying with her with a soft whimper, pleading in vain for her to wake up. The boy's father found the silver furred child, and together they buried the most important person in their lives. The remains of the village were rebuilt, the baron's manor in their center. The area would forever be called the 'Dark Lands'. While the other kingdoms pretended it had never happened, the dark types never forgot. They become forever untrusting of the others. The a scene drifted. He was resting on a hill, his back against a sturdy oak tree. The smell of spring flowers drifted on a gentle breeze as the last rays of a vibrant sunset warmed his dark fur. Beside him, her head on his shoulder, slept a beautiful espeon. A single name crossed his lips... 'Elise'
Shard shot up from the memory-turned-dream, his chest heaving and a cold sweat dripping from his brow. 'W-what the hell!?' He thought in panic.
So, bad? Good? Give me some feedback. Wonder what Elise is dreaming up. We'll find out next time :3