Sneasel

Winter was a harsh time, even for Ice Pokemon. A Sneasel hid under a pine tree, resting before she would move on again in her search for food. Her body was well-equipped to handle the cold, with a lower than usual body temperature, slick black fur that resisted forming ice, and clawed hands built to handle clearing snow and ice. However, the Pokemon suitable for prey were wary, hiding in hibernation or keeping low and unnoticed.

As the forest darkened, she left the shelter and headed back out into the powdery snow again. The whiteness forced her into jumping from tree to tree, to hide her dark form. The leafless branches caused erratic shadows; skill kept her hidden. All it took to stop her, though, was a faint crack in a branch above her. The Sneasel drew in closer to the rough bark of the oak.

A short shower of a snow clump was all that happened. Not willing to risk it being another predator creeping about, she sniffed the air around her. Warm-blood, another female, a faint sweaty tang that indicated a Fight Pokemon but with a touch of strong aura like a Psychic... Medicham. It wouldn't eat her, but it might fight and injure her.

It would be best to ignore the Medicham, but an extra scent caught her attention. Eggs. She loved eggs as her favorite food. At this time of year, they were hard to come by. Would it be worth tussling with the Medicham for? The Sneasel moved around the tree, then leapt to another to follow the scent.

As she came in sight of the nest, another scent caused her extra caution. A male Medicham was coming from the opposite direction. The Sneasel scuttled along a branch and hunkered down. To blend in better, she adjusted her thin tails to look like small branches and held as still as she could. She watched as the male came into the clearing.

A tree had fallen in a previous season; it lay ice-encrusted as it deteriorated by its trunk. However, it was not in the position it had fallen in. The Medicham pair seemed to have moved it to better secure their nest. The female gave him a friendly greeting. After responding in kind, the male embraced her and nuzzled his head against her neck for a moment. Then he told her something; the Sneasel couldn't tell what exactly he was saying, but he pointed off into the woods. He was probably giving her a report of some kind. With that settled, the female left the clearing to search the woods herself.

So there was a pair here. That made things more difficult for the Sneasel. If she got caught, the male guarding the nest could easily call back the female. While she might be able to take on one of the Medicham, both would cause her trouble. It would be easier to find some other meal for today.

But it seemed like forever since the last time she'd had an egg. The scent of the nest enticed her nose, causing her to lick her lips. Due to the stump and fallen tree, she couldn't tell how many eggs the pair had. Probably not many since it was the dead of winter. And if they didn't have many, they would be extra cautious in protecting them.

Thinking, the Sneasel scrambled away from the clearing. The eggs were too tempting. Even if she could only get away with one, she wanted it. And if she was going for it, it would be best to make a good plan.

She went back to the path she had traveled before her rest and started sniffing around. After moving around a few trees, she found what she was looking for. A territory marking from another Sneasel, this one a male. While she traveled from place to place in the winter, the males stayed in one area, fighting other males for resources and trying to get the females to stay after winter. Whatever this one was like, he'd be useful for getting to the eggs.

After some searching, she came to a small frozen pond. The male Sneasel was there. He had carved out a hole in the ice and was trying to lure Magikarp to the surface by splashing the water lightly with his hand. The method required patience, but it was workable.

To get his attention, she jumped onto a branch loaded with snow, then dropped down onto the ground with the falling snow. He turned quickly to the sound, bringing his clawed hands in so that he was more ready for an attack. On seeing her, he relaxed and whistled a friendly greeting at her. He then waved her over, inviting her to fish with him. Or to be impressed by his fishing skills.

The female Sneasel scurried over to her peer, but refused the offer. Pointing back to where she'd come from, she informed him of the eggs that were close to his territory markings. That interested him; the male Sneasel left his fishing hole and came over with his ears pricked up. They discussed the problem of dealing with the Medicham parents for a while. Then they went into the trees to get to the clearing.

As they got closer, she noted that her partner in crime was getting antsy, sniffing about and checking the surroundings. It must be out of his territory, she figured, or in an area that he was competing for with another male. It didn't stop him, only slowing him a slight.

At the clearing, the female Medicham was nowhere in sight. Her scent remained in traces, so she couldn't be that far off. The male was meditating, sitting in levitation a few inches above the old stump. While they had some protection from being immediately detected, the father would be more aware like this.

The male Sneasel checked the scene out, then pointed out a few things: a nearby pine tree, a cluster of rocks, a human footpath, a hollow oak with a sizable hole in the side. Then he ran along the branch, leapt as far as he could, and landed on the Medicham's head. He jumped onto the fallen tree and brandished his claws.

The Medicham glowered at him, then blocked his claw slash effortlessly. He went to kick the smaller Pokemon away, but the Sneasel hopped backwards and clawed his leg before going into the snow. Taking the bait, the Medicham jumped over the tree and tried to attack on the way down.

Of course he would go for the bravado method, the female Sneasel thought. The males always had to be doing something impressive. It did give her an opening to sneak down the tree and go check out the area. Following the scent, she found the nest inside the rotted stump, disguised with a large piece of bark. There were three of them, half buried in dirt. She wasn't sure how they were keeping the eggs warm; maybe they were intentionally slowing the growth until spring.

At any rate, one of them was now hers. She snatched up the nearest one and ran off with it. She stopped by the group of rocks by the footpath, to check on the presence of the female Medicham. Nothing at first. Did she have time to go back and get a second egg? Might as well try. She scooped snow around the egg to cover the green spots, then ran back to the clearing.

The male Sneasel had thrown snow into the Medicham's eyes, then confused him with dark energy. While the tall Pokemon stumbled around trying to find his foe, the thief went back to the stump. There was a crunch in the snow nearby. The female Sneasel tensed, then snatched the second egg. As she secured her hold on it, the female Medicham entered the clearing. She looked right to her nest and saw the real problem. She screamed in fury, causing the female Sneasel to bolt with the egg.

Giving an insane sounding battlecry, the male Sneasel launched himself right at the angry mother and slashed his claws across her face. Then he hurried after his peer, calling ahead for her to hurry up. The female Sneasel changed directions to head for the first egg she had stolen. However, she stopped in a blink, then ducked under a nearby pine.

There was a human on the footpath, a large and bulky human who wore a giant backpack and thick hiking boots. The male Sneasel joined his peer under the pine tree, watching where they had come from. Curious at the odd mound, the human gently brushed away snow from the egg. He looked over it, puzzled.

Then the female Medicham stormed into the area. Although looking for the Sneasel pair, once she saw the egg, she went right for it. The human, noticing her temper, backed off with his hands up. The mother took back her egg and went to the clearing with it. In her mind, it was better to save as many of her offspring as possible.

But once her mate's mind had cleared from the confusion attack, they would certainly try to divine the missing egg's location with their Psychic powers. The male Sneasel sniffed around, maybe checking for the presence of his rival. Then he waved the female to follow him.

They zig-zagged around the forest floor, holding onto the rare winter egg. The male was quite tense until they got to the trees where his markings began. After passing that invisible barrier, he acted much more playfully, jumping and flipping about in a cheerful victory celebration. Near the frozen pond, he pointed out another pine that provided good shelter.

The female set the egg down in there, then thanked him by patting his forehead. She offered to share with him. But even though he loved eggs as much as she did, he declined it. Instead, he skidded back over to his fishing spot and went back to his patient luring.

He was just showing off again, the female Sneasel knew. But he had to be strong. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to get away with clawing an angry mother Medicham in the face. It might be worth her while to hang around here for the rest of winter.

…

Sneasel Platinum entry: A smart and sneaky Pokemon. A pair may work together to steal eggs by having one lure the parents away.

I went for a National Geographic kind of story here.