This story is the product of a plot bunny I got on a plane the other evening while reading Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: The Dreamstone by Slink34884. I recommend that story. However, my story is not going to be about the Dreamstone or anything else in that one.

I hope my fellow Americans are having a pleasant spring break. It's given me plenty of time to write, although that will change once college starts up again. However, I think I can have a chapter ready every 4-5 days.

With that out of the way, here's the first chapter of PMD: Wolf Quest!

Packing for a planned vacation is difficult enough. It involves making sure you have everything you need, while also remembering that it's ideal to travel light if at all possible. These decisions can be challenging, but at least you have time to make them.

Packing for a quick getaway to escape those pursuing you? That's much harder.

With every second that passed, my stomach dropped closer and closer to the floor. My paws were shaking as well, to the point that I nearly lost my grip on several cans of food.

I'm wasting time. I have to get out of here, because if I don't, I know what's going to happen!

I couldn't pack too much food; the cans would weigh me down, and I wouldn't be able to run as fast as I wanted. I also couldn't pack too little, or else I wouldn't have the energy to run as far as I needed. It was a delicate balancing act.

Okay…do I need a compass? Or can I just wing it?

I had no real destination in mind, only away from my nightmare. All that mattered was to put as much distance as possible between myself and the enemy; I might end up in a fiery pit of hell as a result, but I couldn't worry about that right now.

Finally, I got to the point where I felt I had finished packing. Carrying a backpack on one's shoulders is difficult as a quadruped, but I'd gotten enough practice in the past that this was the least of my worries.

Of course, on all of those occasions, I'd been able to take my time. That was a luxury I didn't have now.

I hoisted my bag onto my back and ran out of our apartment. Every second counted; they'd be coming for me momentarily, so I had to make my getaway sooner rather than later.

Huffing and puffing, I began sprinting down the cobblestone road I lived on. There weren't too many Pokémon out and about, which was both a good thing and a bad thing. Good, because not as many people would notice my desperation and wonder why I was acting this way. Bad, because if they found me and tried to harm me, there would be fewer witnesses to stop them from doing that.

The farmer's market, on the other hand, was just as bustling as usual. Despite the chilly, drizzling rain, vendors were selling everything under the sun, and there were any number of people buying their goods.

I know this, because as I approached the entrance to the park where the farmer's market was held, I briefly paused, thinking about my options. Every second I stayed still was an invitation to death, but I needed time to make a choice.

Ultimately, the fastest way out of the city was through the park, and that was the only thing that went into my calculus. Speed was to be valued over all else, because if I wasn't fast, I wouldn't make it out of Ilion City alive. And if I died, nothing else would matter.

Sprinting through the outdoor market, I upset a cart of apples being wheeled by an Abomasnow, which resulted in all of the golden delicious fruit tumbling out onto the ground. I heard someone, most likely the Abomasnow, utter, "Why, you little…" angrily, but I wasn't going to pay him any mind. I might feel guilty about it, but I didn't have time to process it just yet.

The sight of a Lycanroc dashing through the farmer's market must have shocked a lot of the shoppers; I heard many gasps, and I felt sorry for the poor old ladies who might have had a heart attack as a result.

But did I feel guilty? Hell no.

Ultimately, it wasn't my fault. There was no reason for me to stick around and apologize; in a perfect world, I'd be able to beg for forgiveness later, but I couldn't do that if I was dead.

Most of the rest of the city was quiet; it seemed that almost everyone who didn't have the good sense to be indoors with a hot drink was at the farmer's market. On the slick streets of Ilion City, I nearly fell multiple times, but the backpack I was carrying still stayed firmly around my shoulders.

And then I saw it: The archway that led out of the city. Much like most of the buildings in Ilion City, the gate had a rather dilapidated appearance, but it might as well have been the pearly gates of heaven. I made a beeline for them.

That's when the water on the streets caught up to me, and I fell backwards, landing on my rear end.

My eyes watered, and I gasped in pain. Landing on one's tail isn't the most serious injury a Pokémon can suffer, but it's one of the most painful. I leaned over, feeling as though I were about to throw up; nothing came out, however.

I don't have any time to waste. There's no rest for those on the run. Shake it off, Eliot, you can do this.

It's incredible what you're capable of when your back is against the wall and you're high on adrenaline. Within half a minute I was back on my feet, stepping a bit more carefully this time, but still moving as quickly as I could.

The guards of Ilion City, two twenty-something Lucario carrying spears, shot me awkward glances as I ran past, but they didn't do anything to stop me. They couldn't, really, because I was too fast for them. They weren't about to spear an innocent citizen of their own city to death, were they?

Unless they're in league with him. Then they might.

After I was clear of the gate, I was scampering through the autumn landscape of the Mist Continent. It was rather jarring just how suddenly the city gave way to the countryside; there were no suburbs to speak of here.

The air was pleasantly cool, and the drizzle wasn't too thick. If I hadn't been so terrified, if I hadn't been in such a hurry, I would have been exhilarated. I would be having the time of my life.

I ran until I was exhausted, and then I slowed to a jog. As I stepped through rivulets of rainwater along the path, I began to regret having sprinted so quickly at first; this had sapped much of my energy, leaving nothing in its place but force of will.

Breathing quickly and shallowly, my paws splashing through wet ground, I resolved to keep this pace for as long as I could. Whenever I felt as though I couldn't keep running, his face lurked in the back of my mind.

Those eyes…they were watching me wherever I went. I could run a hundred miles away from Ilion City, but they would never stop tracking me. I would be at their mercy until such time as they finally caught up to me.

Eventually, I ran up against an invisible barrier. Long-distance runners call it "the wall." It's the point at which one's energy reserves are so depleted that staying on pace becomes exponentially more difficult.

I can't stop here. If I can't run, then I'll have to hide.

The southern part of the Mist Continent bordered the ocean, but the beaches weren't the type where people would relax and sunbathe. No, these were rocky beaches, hemmed in by cliffs on either side.

Once I reached the water's edge, I decided that I would take a quick break. It only needed to be long enough for me to get some of my energy back; I had no interest in sleeping here. There were a few pine trees along the edge of the rocky beach, but they didn't provide much cover.

Opening my backpack, I got out a can of rice and beans, using my grip strength to remove the lid. It was harder than it usually was, since my paws were soaking wet.

The rain was picking up now, to the point where I knew it would be impossible to light a fire. It was just as well, really, since building a fire would be tantamount to sending up a signal and yelling, FIND ME HERE!

So I couldn't cook the beans. As one might expect, they were fairly unpalatable as a result, but I reminded myself that I needed the strength. It took a lot of grimacing, but I finished the can.

And yet, I found I was still hungry. Still, I knew that I couldn't use up any more of my food right now, or I'd regret it later.

I returned the can to my bag. Maybe it would be of use later.

After putting the empty can back in my bag, I rummaged through the backpack once more to see what else I had.

Two water bottles? Check. Map of the Mist Continent? Check. Photograph of my family? Check, although I almost wished I didn't have it.

And then I remembered…something I could have used right now, but had neglected to bring with me: The compass.

I bit my lip until I tasted blood, for I could hardly accept that I'd forgotten something so important. It wasn't the be-all, end-all; I believed I was facing southward when I looked at the ocean. But having a compass would have, at a minimum, assured me that I wasn't going in circles; that would make me a sitting Golduck.

So yes, it was pretty disastrous that I hadn't brought that item. Frustration welled up within me as I watched the waves crash against the shore, getting higher and higher to the point that they almost drenched my fur. (Not that it mattered, of course, since I was already soaked to the skin.)

I put my head in my paws. I wasn't going to give up, exactly, but it was hard for me to feel optimistic at this point.

If I stayed here, perhaps they wouldn't think to look on this beach. Perhaps they'd expect me to keep going, thinking that Eliot wouldn't be stupid enough to sit in one place.

It was wishful thinking, but it was all I had.

Without warning, I leaned over, tears filling my eyes. I began bawling like mad, so forcefully that I could barely see anything. I wept for the life I'd just lost, as well as my own stupidity. Such a simple decision could have saved my life right now.

I didn't care how much noise I was making; I didn't even know if I could be heard over the increasingly intense rain. All I knew was that I'd hardly ever been more devastated in my eighteen years of life.

Elijah…I can't believe I failed you like that. I'm so sorry…I hope that one day, when we meet again, you can forgive me.

I don't know how long I sat there on the rocky shore, my fur becoming increasingly saturated with rainwater and tears, but I eventually decided that enough was enough. I needed to keep moving, or else it would all be for nothing.

Once I was back on my feet, I made my way into the sparse forest that covered much of the region. The trees' boughs provided some cover from the rain, but not enough; it was still pounding on me.

Despite my speed, I was doing a good job at staying upright. The ground was rather muddy, making it easy to slip and slide, but I managed to avoid that for the most part. It was as though, through the adrenaline, fear, and fury, I'd managed to develop a sixth sense regarding how to avoid rocks and roots.

That is, until I tripped over one of the latter. I felt my toenail get chipped off, and I howled in pain, but to add insult to injury, I landed in a mud puddle.

Dirty water blanketed all of my fur, causing me to shiver so violently that it seemed I might never be warm again. It took me some time to get up, and once I did, I used a special technique my parents had taught me to dry out my fur.

My parents…I can't fail you two. I just can't.

Drying out my fur didn't work that well. Not only was it a (very) temporary fix, but it also sapped a good bit of my strength, and I found myself panting once I'd done it. But I had to keep moving, because there was simply no other choice.

And so, limping along, I covered some distance. I don't know how many meters or miles it was, but eventually the sky started getting a little darker. It would be hard to keep moving in these conditions without a compass.

I sighed. Not only did I lack such a basic navigational instrument, but the most rudimentary such instrument of them all, the sun, wasn't an option anymore. At some point, I would have to bed down, and I had nowhere to go.

And then I slapped myself upside the head. I was even dumber than that, because I'd also forgotten to bring a tent or a sleeping bag. Of course, I didn't know how to pitch one, but I could be a fast learner when I needed to be.

The slight pain from my claws made me grimace, but I knew that a lot more discomfort was in store for me. First, though, I had a lucky break.

Once the sky's color had shifted from gray to a cool, clear blue, I looked down to find myself in the middle of a clearing. Small umbrella-shaped objects protruded out of the ground.

Mushrooms!

As soon as I had this realization, however, I frowned. There were three things to consider before I could use this field as a food source.

First of all, many mushrooms were poisonous. Choosing the wrong one to eat could make me violently ill, or worse. It would be quite anticlimactic to escape Ilion City only to be felled by making the wrong decision.

Secondly, mushrooms weren't good raw. I didn't know how to cook them, and besides, I had serious doubts in my ability to build a fire. And, as stated above, building a fire wouldn't be wise for the most obvious of reasons.

Finally, if I stole food from its rightful owner, there would be consequences. I wasn't eager to find out what those consequences were; at the very least, I would have a guilty conscience.

But if I'm truly desperate, surely the owner would understand, wouldn't they?

It didn't take long for that question to be answered.

"Halt! Who goes there?" came a rather low-pitched, crabby voice from my right.

I turned in the voice's direction. It belonged to a Breloom, standing to his rather pathetic full height and glaring at me.

"I was just…exploring to see if there was any food. I'm terribly sorry, sir, but could I have just a few mushrooms?"

My voice quavered as I asked that question, but I hoped I didn't sound too desperate. Unfortunately, the Breloom only looked angrier after that.

"Absolutely not, Lycanroc! Trespassing on my property and trampling all over a field of mushrooms is deplorable!"

In hindsight, I should have realized that there was no way the Breloom would let me take any mushrooms. In fact, I would be lucky to leave this field with my life. In my exhausted, shivering state, I didn't like my odds if I needed to fight.

"But…you're a Breloom. Isn't eating mushrooms a little weird in your case? Isn't that…".

I could tell that I'd set him off. The Breloom spat at me before yelling his response.

"It's not cannibalism! For that, Lycanroc, you shall pay!"

Well, that escalated quickly.

The Breloom was readying a Mach Punch at me, and I was beginning to think that this was the end. I jumped out of the way, but part of me worried that I'd still get hit somehow.

Suddenly, there was a blast of fire nearby. I blinked; the evening light was so dim, and this fire so bright, that the latter hurt to look at.

"It was an honest mistake, Breloom!" a feminine voice exclaimed. "I'm sure Lycanroc didn't mean to hurt your mushrooms! He's just alone in the woods; he's desperate!"

I turned in the direction of the voice. Its bearer was a majestic, tall Ninetales, colored so brightly she practically glowed in the dark. As for her color, it was…

"Hot pink?"

The Ninetales glared at me as she motioned for me to run away. "That's not my name, you know!"

I frowned. "How am I supposed to know your name when I just met you?"

The Ninetales didn't respond until we were out of sight of the mushroom field. Once we were several minutes away, she swiveled around to face me.

"Is that any way to treat a girl? Moreover, is that any way to treat someone who just saved your life?"

"That Breloom wasn't going to kill me" I insisted. "He just wanted to get me away from his field."

"You don't have any way of knowing that, Lycanroc. Trampling over a mushroom field is usually a big no-no, so you're lucky I was there. And if you get hurt this far from civilization, only Arceus can help you."

I sighed. The Ninetales was right, of course, even if I didn't like to admit it. I'd made yet another rash decision today, and it had nearly cost me everything. It had almost made my escape worthless.

We tramped over the muddy ground for a while as it got darker and darker. Despite this, I could still see my savior clearly through the evening twilight, and eventually, night. And I could barely believe it.

How many Pokémon are so kind to someone they've never met? It would have been so easy for this Ninetales to just let me get hurt by the Breloom, and just let me die, just like that. Instead, she'd decided to intervene, even though she had no idea who I was!

My heart was still pounding so intensely it threatened to shatter my ribcage. That being said, the adrenaline was fading, and I started to notice once more how wet, cold, and tired I was from running for much of the day.

"So what is your name?" I asked the Ninetales, because the least I could do was to be polite.

The hot pink Pokémon turned to face me, smiling. Perhaps she had forgiven me for calling her by her color; whether or not it was a source of shame for her, it was a fairly serious faux pas in my view.

"Rose," the Ninetales replied, showing her perfectly white fangs. "In a way, calling me 'Hot Pink' wasn't far off. Still, you shouldn't just assume someone's name before you know it."

"Noted" I said. Then, deciding that I should trust her in return: "My name is Eliot. I'm from Ilion City."

Rose's eyes widened considerably at that revelation. "That's quite a ways away from here. It's not great weather for a hike, you know. Why are you so far from civilization?"

I rolled my eyes. "I could ask you the same thing."

"It doesn't matter," Rose replied curtly. "You, Eliot, should consider yourself very fortunate that I was here. And look at yourself - you're a mess!"

I looked down and saw that I was still partly covered in mud. And, now that the "excitement" of earlier had faded, I could hear my teeth chattering violently. It was then that I knew what I needed: To warm up.

Rose led me down to a nearby peninsula jutting out over the crashing waves thirty feet below. The surf was so powerful that every wave resonated like a cannon blast.

"You'll need to dry off", the Ninetales said matter-of-factly, "or else you'll get hypothermia, and that's no fun. Do you have any firewood here?"

I frowned at Rose. "We're out in the open, and it's really chucking it down. I think you know the answer to that question."

"It's no big deal. You can help me find some; if you move a bit, you'll warm up more. Let's meet back here in ten minutes."

One pro of being a Lycanroc, or a Pokémon in general, was having superior night vision to a human. That being said, since I was a Lycanroc of the Day form, it still wasn't as impressive as a Midnight Lycanroc's would have been.

It wasn't very hard to find a few twigs and sticks here and there. Most of them were sopping wet, though, and the thought of Rose actually using them to build a fire sounded ridiculous.

But then, she is a Fire type. So maybe I shouldn't be so shocked.

Ten minutes later, I met Rose back on the peninsula. "Stand back," she said.

I did as I was told, and the hot pink Ninetales breathed deeply, igniting the wood to build a little inferno. As the fire grew, I felt the heat of it radiating out, and my fur started feeling a little less soaked.

But then I realized something.

"Isn't it a bit dangerous to build a fire here?"

Rose frowned at me. "It's been pretty wet today, I don't think a forest fire would last very long in this weather."

"That's not what I said," I replied. "The people chasing me…we're sending up a signal for them if they want to find me. Building such a fire seems unwise."

Rose was very quick to shake her head. "That's not important, Eliot. We need to get you warm and dry, no matter the cost. But if you don't mind me asking, why are they chasing you?"

I frowned. The Ninetales might have trusted me, but I didn't quite trust her enough with this story. Even if she'd protected me from that Breloom, there was still some lingering wariness.

"I'll tell you some other time" I replied. "I don't really want to think about it right now."

Rose seemed satisfied by my white lie. "If that's the case, then we can set up the tents now. We need shelter."

For some reason, I hadn't noticed the backpack Rose had been carrying. Perhaps this was because it was the color of mud; it was ideal if you wanted to hide. I became ashamed at that moment of my bright orange one.

Although I was warmer than I had been, I was still shivering, and stepping away from the fire to help with the tents didn't exactly make things better. I didn't have much outdoor experience, so I can't say I was terribly helpful.

The whole time we were working to pitch them, I could scarcely believe my good luck. Not only had Rose helped me escape the mushroom field, but she'd also rescued me from my own stupidity. Not bringing a tent on such a rainy day meant I was practically too dumb to live.

Once the tents were finally up, I was getting soaked again. During the time we'd been setting them up, Rose had seemed to want to make small talk with me, to ask me more about my life. However, I wasn't in the mood for that; all I really wanted was to get in my tent, curl up in my sleeping bag, and not have to think about this disastrous day until tomorrow.

Despite my exhaustion, sleep did not come easily to me that night. Perhaps the wetness of my fur made me feel too uncomfortable to drift off, or maybe it was the residual anxiety I'd been carrying around all day. Whatever the case, I kept tossing and turning to the sound of the rain pounding against the tent's roof.

How much would it suck if the tent collapsed in on itself? Then I'm going to be even more miserable.

Eventually, sheer fatigue caused me to fall asleep. Once this happened, however, I sank into a vivid nightmare, the likes of which I'd hardly ever experienced before.

I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter of Wolf Quest. I'd appreciate if you guys rate and review so that I know what you all think. And then I'll see you guys for the next chapter, so stay safe, everybody.