Chapter 14

When I came back to consciousness, the first thing I did was scream. The first hints of pink were touching the horizon to the east, and I was miles up in the air. It was then I noticed the claws of a giant bird Pokemon wrapped around my torso. I looked up but all I could see was an ocean of blue feathers and I couldn't identify which Pokemon literally held my life in its hands... claws. Whatever.

The panic eventually subsided, although, I had latched onto the claws of the Pokemon holding me and I refused to let go. I resigned myself to watching the world pass underneath us as we made our way to an unknown destination. My silver hair whipped wildly around my face as we soared but despite this annoyance, I had to admit, the view was incredible.

The northern mountains got closer as time went on the closer the mountains got, the thicker the clouds became. By the time the sun had fully appeared, my view of the ground was completely obscured by the cloud cover.

Despite it being a warm summer morning, the air grew increasingly colder as we neared what I assumed to be our destination: the mountains. I spent the rest of the ride trying to keep myself from freezing, although, there wasn't much that I could do.

It was around midday when I noticed we were finally descending. The ground below us looked so similar to the clouds that it took me several moments to realize we'd broken the cloud cover. We were circling a field of pristine white snow, surrounded by mountains in almost every direction. Snow covered every visible surface and the condensation prickling my arms was an uncomfortable reminder that I did not have the right clothes for this weather. I was not looking forward to being down there.

I'm not exactly sure what I expected the bird to do once we reached our destination. Land and... I don't know, give me directions or something? But I certainly wasn't expecting it to just drop me from 20 feet in the air. I had been holding on to the bird's talons, but the release took me completely by surprise; I lost my grip and plummeted.

My scream was unceremoniously muffled by my landing in a snowdrift and my vision went white. I panicked until I realized it was just snow on my face. The fall didn't physically hurt me, but the intense cold shocked me and tore a gasp from my lips.

I stood up and shook the snow out of my clothes. A sudden gust of wind and a soft thwump behind me told me that the bird had landed. I turned around, wrapping my arms around myself as I looked up at the Pokemon.

"You just had to drop me, didn't you?" I said, not trying to hide my shivering. The bird gave no response other than cocking its head at me curiously.

This was my first proper look at the Pokemon that brought me here and the more I stared, the more I was sure I'd never seen it anywhere before. I didn't recognize this Pokemon from any of my books or even the Pokedex. And I was pretty sure I would've remembered seeing anything about a giant blue bird Pokemon with a sharp crest of ice above its eyes and a deep blue tail as long as its body.

It took a step toward me and lowered its head to get a better look at me, just as I leaned in to peer at it. Its piercing red eyes sparkled with intelligence. As we stood there, assessing each other, I recalled a vague memory of reading a Pokemon Myths and Legends book that mentioned a legendary bird Pokemon in the mountains. Supposedly, It would help travelers that got lost in the mountains.

"So, you brought me up here... now what?" It lifted its head and looked very pointedly to the south. I followed its gaze, the south was the only direction not blocked by the mountains. "Is... there a town in that direction?" I asked, tightening my arms around myself at the thought of walking all the way to a town in this weather.

The Pokemon returned its attention to me. It shook itself and ruffled its feathers, looking at me as if to say, "Figure it out." Then, with a dramatic beat of its wings that sent snow flurrying into my face, it left the ground behind.

I watched it go, suddenly feeling very alone.

"Well, it's no use just standing here freezing to death," I said to no one.

I started wading through the snow in a southern direction. It was more wooded in this direction, I hoped the trees would give me some protection from the elements.

My hometown used to get snow in the winter and I always looked forward to the first snowfall. I thought the falling snow made everything look so peaceful. But that was much different from the snow I struggled through now. The snow back home was soft and powder-like. Terrible for snowballs, but wonderful all the same. Here, it was much icier. It froze onto anything it touched and it was nearly impossible to traverse. Every step I took broke the fragile surface of the snow and sank until it reached my knee. It was only minutes until my clothes were soaked and I was shivering violently. It was slightly better once I reached the tree line. I was still soaked and shivering, but the wind couldn't touch me among the trees.

One thing I appreciated about cold environments like this is the fact that sound travels incredibly well in cold air. It was thanks to this fact that I heard the telltale sounds of a battle long before I saw it.

I found myself crouched behind a tree trunk watching a wild Pokemon battle with wide eyes. An Aurorus stood at the mouth of a cave, its long neck arched menacingly. The two flowing sails that extended from the top of its head to the bottom of its neck were flared out. Its large blue eyes were narrowed to slits as it glared down at a Weavile.

The Weavile's dark body was only a blur as it attacked. Its long white claws left deep gashes in the Aurous's blue skin. The Aurorus roared in pain but managed to bite down on the frill that extended past the Weavile's head. It launched the Weavile into the air and I was sure that would be the end of it. But the Weavile righted itself mid-air and landed perfectly, looking no worse for wear.

The Aurorus snorted and snarled at the Weavile who prepared for another attack. As the Weavile began to move again, a strange mist began to cover the area. The air grew noticeably colder as it spread. I leaned out from behind my hiding place, straining my eyes and trying to see what was going on but it was hopeless. When the mist finally cleared again, the Weavile had been frozen solid. It stood in the same position as it had before, claws outstretched and ready to attack, but it was still.

With the fight over, the Aurorus swayed on its feet. I wondered if it was going to faint, but then it shook itself and walked back inside its cave. It was then I noticed several other Weaviles dotted around the little clearing, frozen in the same manner as the one I'd just seen. A shiver ran down my spine, this one not caused by the cold.

I glanced at the cave the Aurorus had disappeared into. I was afraid to admit it, but the sun was on its way down and I would almost certainly freeze without shelter tonight. I crept toward the mouth of the cave and peered in. I couldn't see any sign of the Aurorus, but a pained moan echoed from the depths and I ducked back out.

I wandered in the clearing "gathering courage" until the sun dipped behind the trees and I no longer had a choice.

It was at least dry in the cave, if not warm. I stumbled over the uneven ground until I found an alcove that would shield me. I tucked myself into the alcove and pulled my knees up to my chest. I started working the feeling back into my toes, trying to relax. Eventually, I leaned against the wall and shut my eyes, but the unrelenting chill in the air would not let me sleep.

I sighed, sitting up once more. I ran a hand over the Pokeballs secured to my belt. I hated to subject my Pokemon to this environment, but their body heat might be the only thing able to get me through the night.

I let out my Pokemon and waited as they acquainted themselves with the new area. Luna Immediately wiggled her way into the space beside me and lay down. I patted her fondly as she tried to get comfortable. Shock and Red wandered about, exploring the cave a little. Crystal walked up to the mouth of the cave and for a moment I was worried she was about to run out into the night. But then a gust of wind blew through and she chirped indignantly and scampered back to me.

Red, done exploring, shivered against the cold and squashed himself between me and Luna. I stroked him absentmindedly.

"If you c-could evolve into a Flareon right about n-now it would b-be appreciated," I stuttered through my chattering teeth.

Shock, who was not yet used to his larger form, wandered over and tried to climb into my lap. He only succeeded in draping himself across my body. It was uncomfortable at first, as I got a face full of fur, but I couldn't complain about the temperature anymore.

I was just getting comfortable when another moan echoed from deeper in the cave. My Pokemon all perked up at the sound and although I would've liked to ignore it, I knew I would regret it. Shock complained as I shoved him off of me and I groaned as the cold air hit me once again.

Luna, Shock, and Crystal were all on their feet, ready to follow me, but Red just rolled over. He blinked, giving me a rather pathetic look. I caved and scooped him up, placing him on my shoulder. He let out a happy little merp and licked my ear.

"S-stop that!" I giggled as we pushed deeper into the cave.

The ground sloped downward slightly and the air only grew colder. Red managed to worm his way into the front of my shirt, to which I protested but was unable to prevent.

At last, I emerged into a larger space, followed by my entourage. When my eyes adjusted, I saw a large shape, that had to be the Aurorus, curled up in the middle of the room. It raised its head as we approached and I froze. It no longer seemed angry though, in fact, it looked almost sad.

A little braver now, I kept advancing. When the Aurorus didn't react, I walked up to it and tentatively reached out a hand. It hummed softly as my hand met the side of its neck. It was cold to the touch and I desperately wanted to pull away, but I didn't.

Red poked his head out of my shirt to see what was happening, his long ears tickling my face. I tucked him back down and carefully moved around the Aurorus, who watched me carefully.

I drew in a breath when I saw what this Aurorus had been curled around. Tucked against the belly of the Aurorus was the unmoving form of an Amaura. My mind went to the revives I held in my bag, but in my heart, I knew it was no use. Its body was too still.

I noticed the gashes along its body before I had to tear my gaze away. Tears were forming in my eyes and I didn't try to stop them from falling.

I looked back up at the Aurorus. "I-I'm sorry," I stammered. "I'm so sorry."

Another sorrowful cry filled the cave and I cried along with it. Ignoring the cold that emanated from the Aurorus, I stepped up and wrapped my arms around its long neck. Red squeaked in protest, but I ignored him. After a moment, the Aurorus bowed its head, accepting my gesture.

I sat down close to the Aurorus and my Pokemon joined me, once again covering me in a blanket of fur. Not knowing what else to do, I began talking to the Aurorus.

"You know, until I saw you, I had no idea that you even existed," I began, trying to keep my voice steady as I wiped my face dry. "Everything I've ever read about you told me your kind were extinct. It's pretty amazing that you've lived out here like this without anyone knowing."

The Aurorus rested its head on the ground and watched me as I talked. I didn't know if it understood what I was saying, but I got the feeling that an understanding wasn't necessary, the intent said everything.

I talked to it for as long as I could. I told it stories about how I got in this position, I introduced it to my Pokemon, most of whom were asleep, and generally tried to take our minds off of the situation. There came a time, though, that I couldn't stay awake any longer, and I drifted off to sleep underneath a warm blanket of Pokemon.