This is when I feel the action truly starts in Wolf Quest. This chapter isn't the longest, but I still think it's a decent length.

I'd like to thank everyone, as usual, for supporting this story. Remember to review, favorite, and follow after you read this chapter. With that out of the way, enjoy!

Thankfully, I didn't have any more dreams for the rest of the night. Perhaps Arceus had decided that after such a distressing flashback to my past, I deserved a reprieve. Or maybe he hadn't been paying attention. Either way, I wasn't going to complain.

I woke up before Axel the following morning. Leaning over to look at his bed, I saw that the Umbreon was still dead to the world. And, judging by the time on the clock, we could afford to give him a few more minutes of sleep, but not more than that. Sooner or later, we'd have to leave for the guild HQ.

Once I entered the kitchen, I saw that Rose was stirring a pot on the stove. She smiled as she did so, which can't have been easy, given that the spoon was between her teeth.

Ignoring that this couldn't be sanitary, I sat down at the coffee table. That's how I'd eaten my meals in Ilion City, and it was how I'd eat them here. It was important to maintain some semblance of normality however I could.

The food Rose was stirring smelled pretty good. "Omelets?" I asked.

The Ninetales nodded, not taking her eyes off her cooking. "The previous tenants here kept the fridge well-stocked. Nothing's past its expiration date either, so I think we're good to go. I guess Axel's not up yet?"

I nodded. "Yeah, he's still asleep. Should I wake him?"

"That's probably a good idea. We need to arrive at the Explorers' Guild as early as we can, because we're going to have to take on a job today. And they might all be taken by the time we get there."

Part of me would have been relieved if there was no job available. I'd get another day to relax, to process my new life. But it would be short-lived; eventually I'd have to face reality.

"I'll get him up," I told Rose. Then, I returned to the bedroom and leaned over Axel's bed.

"Whazzat?" the Umbreon muttered groggily. He'd evidently just begun to stir, but I still found it funny to say the following to him:

"Wakey wakey!" I exclaimed.

Axel's eyes fluttered open, and then he glared at me. "I'm not a child anymore, Eliot. You don't need to wake me up that way; a simple 'good morning' will do!"

I sighed, rolling my eyes. "Fair enough," I said. "But we need you to get up now, we need to reach the castle before all the jobs are taken today."

I was able to coax Axel out of bed pretty quickly, and we both re-entered the kitchen. It was then that Rose was done with her cooking, and she laid the omelets on plates, which she then placed on the coffee table.

Breakfast was pretty quiet at first, not least because we were enjoying the food. If Rose had been a good cook on the trail, she was positively stellar at it when she had more ingredients and the proper technology available to her.

The eggs had just the right texture, and the breakfast sausage she'd sliced into it had the correct "snap" to them. I could find nothing to complain about, not that I'd been looking for it.

"So what kind of job do you think we'll take, Eliot?" Rose said about halfway through the meal.

You couldn't have made me flinch more intensely if you'd bashed two cymbals together right in front of me. I'd deferred to Rose so much the first few days, but now she was trusting me. Axel, too, gave me a deferential glance.

Of course. I'm the leader.

I sat up as straight as I could. I spoke slowly and awkwardly.

"Ah, yes. Well, maybe we should do a retrieval mission first. Get an object or something from inside a dungeon. That'll be a lot easier than a rescue mission, where we would need to bring a living being out of there. And…".

I trailed off, remembering something vitally important. Having seen other exploration teams back in my old hometown, I knew that there were some things explorers never forgot to bring. Escape Orbs, Antidotes, an ample supply of berries, and of course, their badges.

"Agarth said the badges would be available there 'tomorrow' - which, of course, is today now. They should be ready at the castle."

"Awesome" Rose replied, fluffing her tails a bit more. "In that case, if you're both done eating, we might as well head out of here."

We cleared our plates and did the dishes. Just because this flat hadn't been in the best shape when we'd first rented it, that didn't mean we had to keep it dirty. Indeed, Rose insisted that we were tidy.

The skies above Angelcaida City were considerably brighter than they had been yesterday. As we made our way closer to the castle, we saw the sun shining against the water's surface.

The streets, too, were far more lively. The numerous sidewalk cafés were full of Pokémon enjoying the morning, many of them with the characteristic scarves or badges typical of explorers. Every so often, when we'd pass a local, they would wave at us.

I suppose we're locals here too, now. No wonder they're so friendly.

When we arrived at the castle, there were a number of other Pokémon milling around. Some of them were clearly part of teams, whereas others were there alone. Rose, Axel, and I walked up to the front desk, where Agarth was sitting in the exact same position he'd been in yesterday. It was as though he'd never left that chair.

"Good morning" the Torkoal told us somewhat sleepily, and then I saw that his eyes were slightly glazed over. Perhaps he had indeed stayed there all night.

"Morning, Agarth" I replied. Being in the leadership role would take some getting used to; I'd been expecting Rose to greet Agarth, but then realized that this was my job.

"What can I do for you three today? I guess first, though…how was your first night in Angelcaida City? Did you find an apartment to stay at?"

Yes, we did. Of course, it was in the shittiest part of the city, where it looks like a Rattata chewed through everything. And it's all thanks to you guys for giving us such a small stipend!

Of course, I didn't say that out loud. Instead, I said the following: "Yes, we did. It's not the nicest place, but it'll get the job done."

The Torkoal nodded. "Yes, that is what many teams start with. The good news is that there's plenty of upward mobility in the exploration business; you just have to be a strong team. It's been said before, but teamwork makes dreamwork."

We all cringed at the last three words. Realizing that he'd said something odd, Agarth grimaced.

"My apologies. I'm not necessarily endorsing the use of that phrase, I'm merely telling you guys that it's a popular one. Anyway, I have to give you all your badges, don't I?"

He's not about to break this promise, is he?

Fortunately, Agarth was a 'mon of his word. He opened one of his desk drawers and produced three circular badges, each about two inches in diameter.

The badges were bronze on the outside, but a golden sun had been painted in the middle. They were so bright that they were almost hard to look at. Agarth cleared his throat.

"Listen carefully, you three. These badges are not only to aid others in identifying which team you are, but they serve a practical purpose as well."

All of our ears were perked up, especially mine. If Agarth's advice might save my life later, I needed to know it.

"If the three of you become separated inside a dungeon, then one must simply press their badge as though it's a button. This will immediately summon the other two members of Team Morningstar to that member's side."

"That sounds useful" Axel replied, smiling and wagging his tail.

"It's awfully useful" the Torkoal told him. "There is, however, a catch. Perhaps Arceus decreed that no artifact could be too powerful, or maybe there's some other reason, but there's something else you three need to know about these badges."

"What's that?" I asked.

"This function, of summoning the others to your side, only works once a day. And that applies across all three badges. After that, the feature will not work until the following sunrise. So before you press that button, you should be damn sure that you really need to."

"Understood," Rose replied. I realized then that this was the first time she'd spoken since we'd entered the castle.

"Indeed," Agarth said. "Anyway, if there's nothing else, you guys can go look for a job. Or you can explore more of Angelcaida City, or just rest up until you do decide to take a job. It's up to you three."

Just then, we heard rapid, heavy footsteps approaching us. The steps were so cacophonous that I could feel the vibration against the floor.

I turned in the direction of the footsteps. A male Delphox, who appeared to be elderly, was heading right for the front desk. He held his wand at the ready, as if he expected to have to blast something out of the way at any moment.

Given his apparent age, it was impressive how quickly the Delphox could move. It was as though he were trying to channel his inner Pokélympic sprinter.

"Delphox, what brings you here today?" Agarth asked, frowning. "You're not part of an exploration team; at least, it doesn't look like you are."

The Delphox frowned as well. "Thanks a lot, Captain Obvious. But I need help; that's why I came here!"

Axel and I glanced at each other, as if to say, Are you thinking what I'm thinking? Maybe our first job is to help this guy out.

"What do you need help with, Delphox?" the Torkoal replied, trying (and failing) not to sound exasperated.

"First of all, the name is Austin. Second of all, my grandson is missing! He lives with me; I woke up this morning and he wasn't there!"

Austin leaned against the desk and began sobbing. "He's in the Toxic Forest; at least, I'm pretty sure he is! But for obvious reasons, I can't just go in there myself and rescue him!"

Agarth frowned. "Then why did you come here, if not to take on a job of your own?"

"Because I'm too old!" Austin wailed. "I need someone to find my grandson! If not…I don't even want to know what happens!"

He mentioned the Toxic Forest…that name doesn't sound very promising.

"Nonsense," the Torkoal replied. "Age is just a number, Austin Delphox. It shouldn't stop you from saving your grandson if you truly love him."

"We'll do it" Axel interjected.

I gulped, but not out of surprise that Axel, after crowning me the team leader, had temporarily usurped the role. Rather, I could scarcely believe that we'd found our first mission so quickly.

The old Delphox turned towards us. "You will?"

"Yes. We've been looking for a job we can take on, and this seems as good as anything else. Besides, we see how much you need help, and we're not going to turn down a guy in need."

Austin's eyes lit up, as though he'd just gotten twenty years younger. "Thank you so much! I don't know how I'll ever repay you!"

"We have to find your son first, though," Rose replied. "Don't count your Torchics before they're hatched."

"Of course not," Austin said, sniffing. "I shouldn't get my hopes too high, but still, it means so much to me that you're going to try."

"It's no problem," I told the old Delphox. "I'm the leader of Team Morningstar, and I'll make sure we do whatever it takes. We'll do the best we can to find your grandson; what does he look like?"

Austin's eyes began to water as he answered; it must have been a hard subject for him to talk about. Still, just like me, he was doing his best.

"He's a Braixen, as you can probably guess. He's fourteen years old, and he's a little too brave for his own good. That's how he ended up there, I think."

I frowned. "How do you know that he's in the Toxic Forest?"

"A dream" Austin responded sharply, as confidently as one might say that they'd read something in a book, so they knew it was true.

"Okay" I replied. "He's a Braixen, fourteen years old, so probably not fully grown. We'll find him, guys."

Outwardly, I was trying to project confidence. If I was going to head this team to the best of my ability, I had to make Rose and Axel believe I was capable of being a leader. And a good leader never quits.

On the inside, however, doubts remained. But I tried to squash them, at least for now.

Half an hour later, we left the general store in Angelcaida City. We'd purchased twice the supplies we'd thought we needed, just in case some of it got lost. In particular, we packed a lot of Antidotes, since it was called the Toxic Forest after all.

Of course, this strategy had its downsides too. Our backpacks would be heavier than they would be otherwise, and the Toxic Forest turned out to be a good distance away once we'd consulted a map of the Angelcaida Region. We'd likely be on the road for over a day before reaching the dungeon.

I corrected myself: It would definitely be over a day. If we entered the dungeon in the evening, we'd be trapped there overnight. And I did not like the idea of spending the night inside a poisonous woodland.

It became clear after a while that we had indeed made a mistake; at a minimum, I shouldn't have carried as much. But that would require my teammates to carry more, which would slow the rest of us down too.

No, the best way to handle this would just be taking frequent breaks. After all, slow and steady wins the race, or so they say.

A couple days ago, it had been rain soaking me right to the bone. This time, it was the sun that felt overwhelming. It was sunny in Ilion City sometimes, yes, but I couldn't remember ever carrying a pack this far in that weather.

"We…need…a…break" I panted eventually, sitting down and opening my backpack.

"Next time, give us…some more…notice" Rose responded somewhat annoyedly, but she sat down as well and grabbed a bottle of water. She raised it to her lips and chugged it down.

"I'm pretty hot" I said weakly after I guzzled half of a water bottle. "It's a warm, warm day."

"It's not that hot out here, Eliot," Axel asserted.

"Easy for you to say. You don't have as thick a fur coat as I do."

"We'll stop for three more minutes," Rose said curtly. "And then we have to move again. I don't care if you guys need more time; we have to make it to the dungeon by tomorrow morning so that we can save Austin's grandson in time."

I milked those three minutes for all they were worth. I don't want to sound as though I'm naturally lazy, but I was already panting from the morning of trekking.

Rose was true to her word, too. She ordered us to continue after what felt like a couple of minutes, and then we were on our way, just like that. She did, however, allow me to set the pace, so I went in front.

Of course, being in the front had its downsides as well. Whenever we were attacked by a feral Pokémon, I would be the first one to feel the brunt of said attack. I'd have the least warning, so I would rely on my reflexes.

Fortunately, this didn't happen very much. Despite my exhaustion, my reflexes were still quite keen, so I was able to dispatch all of our foes with only a couple of scratches.

Other than that, the afternoon was uneventful. Using the compass we'd bought at the general store earlier, we were able to navigate in the direction of the dungeon. As stated above, I went in front and set the pace, whereas Rose was right behind me; she served as our navigator. Axel brought up the rear.

I didn't want to jinx things, but our first mission so far felt like it was going well. We were working as a team should work, dividing the responsibilities evenly and helping each other out when needed.

It was only a matter of time, obviously, until something went wrong. And even if this didn't happen before we reached the dungeon, things would be a lot more dangerous once we were immersed in the Toxic Forest. Who knew how many threats lurked within it?

After several more hours, Rose called for a break. By this time the air was getting cooler, and the sun's position cast long shadows over the gently waving grassland. We couldn't have too much more daylight left.

We sat down, and I felt bugs crawling against my fur almost immediately. It might have only been a phantom sensation caused by expecting this to happen, but it was still uncomfortable nonetheless.

How surprising is that? Roles have reversed; now I'm the one who wants the break to end sooner!

"The Toxic Forest is probably about four more hours away," Rose said, looking at her map and compass, which she'd set down in the grass. "I don't like the idea of traveling by night, and besides, the dungeon won't let us in until morning."

"Then that's fine," Axel chimed in. "We can set up the tents in an hour or two."

"I just hope they're waterproof this time" I blurted out, snorting. "Because if it rains…".

"Eliot, look at the sky," Axel said. "Do you honestly think it's going to rain tonight?"

"No," I replied. "But you never know."

"For the record, Eliot, these tents are waterproof. But you don't need to worry so much about what we've packed. I thought of just about everything."

A few minutes later, we kept going. The ground sloped gently uphill, which wasn't too noticeable at first, but became thoroughly draining once we'd been on this incline for some time. I would have been dripping with sweat if my fur didn't absorb it all.

We were only on our feet until the sun sank below the horizon; then, we laid out our tents again. Rose had made sure to pack three, so that nobody would have to share. (Although, come to think of it, we'd have to head back the same way we came with Austin's grandson, wouldn't we?)

After eating some dry rations, which were basically only bearable when a swig of water was used to wash them down, the three of us got in our respective tents and tried to sleep until morning.

Despite the fact that I'd been through a dungeon before, pre-battle jitters were taking over my body. Even if it wasn't truly a battle, sleep did not come easily that night.

It probably didn't help matters that the ground was hard, not like a mattress at all. But I reminded myself that this was only temporary, and that hopefully, tomorrow night, I would have my real bed back.

At least I didn't have any nightmares when I did sleep. Not only was this good for my own mental health, but Axel and Rose didn't need to hear me thrashing around in my sleep either. They'd earned their rest for being such good teammates.

Perhaps the pressure's getting to me. Yeah, maybe we took on too big a job for the first mission, but if worse comes to worst, we've got Escape Orbs. We can always leave, even if that means we fail. But failure's not an option.

I'm not sure how much I slept. All I do know is that I woke up to sunlight creeping in, illuminating the inside of the tent and adding considerable warmth.

I sighed. Today was the day: Either we'd complete our first job, or we'd go down in history as a team that bit off more than they could chew. Now was our chance to prove ourselves.

"You up, Eliot?" Rose asked rather loudly. "I've got breakfast ready, and then we'll need to make the final push towards the dungeon!"

"Yeah" I yawned. "You don't need to be so loud, Rose."

"Well, I thought you were deeply asleep," the Ninetales replied as I climbed out of the tent and sat down next to her. I saw that Axel, too, was sitting outside of his tent on the short grass, which was covered in a fine layer of morning dew.

As we ate, something else occurred to me, something I hadn't considered in some time.

Rose seemed to be on edge. In between bites of her food, she would occasionally cast a long glance around at the landscape, as though she expected an enemy to come flying in from somewhere. As she did so, her tails would sometimes swish around, which caused me to flinch; the last thing I wanted was to touch one of them, since I'd be cursed if that happened.

"You okay, Rose?" Axel asked the Ninetales. "You look like something's bothering you."

"I'm fine" she insisted, in a tone that suggested she wasn't telling the truth and was only saying that to get the Umbreon off her case. "There's nothing wrong."

Does this have to do with those voices we heard in the Forest of Eternal Night? If so, that doesn't sound like there isn't anything wrong.

Still, I knew better than to pry. Rose would tell us the truth when she was ready to. There was no need to worry until we needed to; we could plan ahead, yes, but we could only prepare for so much. It was better not to dwell on those things we couldn't prepare for.

Even so, the rest of breakfast tasted like cardboard. It was almost a relief when we were done eating and started packing up our tents. Then it was time to go.

For the next few hours, none of us spoke very much. The only times we needed to talk were when Rose announced we'd gotten a bit off course and had to re-route. But this only happened twice, and by late morning, we'd arrived at our goal.

By this time my legs were aching from the exertion; just over a day of travel hadn't been kind to them. However, I suspected that this was just something I'd need to get used to. One day, this job would no longer tire me out the way it was right now.

"Here we are," Rose announced, looking up from the compass she held in her paw.

Of course, it's not like she needed to tell us that. The Toxic Forest had been visible from several miles away, and the entrance was certainly what one would expect for a Mystery Dungeon. There was what looked like a swirling portal through the trees.

There was also a thick purple mist that hung over the forest, and it smelled like rotten eggs. We were still over a hundred yards away, but a mere whiff of it made me gag.

"I don't want to go in there," I muttered. Something about the dungeon felt foreboding, even more ominous than normal. So much so, in fact, that I'd been willing to say that and potentially compromise my position as leader.

"Well, we've got no choice," Axel replied. "We're not going to fail at our first job. Do you have any idea how much it would tank our reputation if we did?"

I gulped. "A lot?"

"That's putting it mildly, Eliot. More importantly, that old Delphox is counting on us. His grandson needs us. We're not going to let them down."

I nodded, swallowing so that I didn't vomit. "I never said I wouldn't do it. It's just…you know what? Let's get in there before I lose my nerve entirely."

At first, things were going well enough, even if they were unpleasant. The stench grew more pungent the closer we got to the entrance, to the point where I was afraid to open my mouth, but we walked through the portal anyway.

The interior of the dungeon, if anything, was worse. The odor was so powerful that I almost tasted it. The taste of toxic air is something I don't recommend anyone experience, ever; I'm not even going to try and describe it.

The very best thing one can say about this dungeon was that there weren't many roots on the paths. It was a good thing, too, because a fine layer of purple mist covered much of the ground, to the point where it was hard to see the roots. Had there been as many such obstacles in the last dungeon, my ankles would both be shattered beyond repair.

I hope this is a short dungeon, four or five floors at most. I don't know how long we can spend here before something gets us.

At the third fork in the road, things fell apart, to put it mildly.

We had two options; we could either continue straight along the path, or we could turn left and hope for the best. Really, we'd be hoping for the best either way, since both paths looked identical from here.

"I say we go straight," I said. "It's better to stick with the devil we know, is it not?"

"Not necessarily," Axel replied. "We don't know what each path contains. But that also means your guess is as good as mine. By all means, if you say to go straight, let's do that. Any objections, Rose?"

When the Ninetales didn't say anything, I took the initiative and led the way down the straight path. At the time, I didn't think much of it.

As it turned out, however, this was a mistake.

"Weezing!" Rose exclaimed in fright.

Truth be told, I was frightened as well, for the Purple Poison type I saw in front of me wasn't one I could just swat away with my claws. Any physical contact would risk me getting poisoned. We did have Antidotes, but I'd rather not need one so soon.

"Get out of the way, Eliot!" I heard Rose shout behind me.

I did as I was told, even if it was a bit cowardly of me, and then a blast of heat rushed past me. It seemed Rose had just used a Flamethrower.

I was so relieved I could barely breathe. "You…just…did that?" I panted, giving the Ninetales a glance.

"Yes. He'll be stunned, but only for a few moments, so let's run down the other path!"

I didn't need to be told twice. We sprinted back through the forest until we reached the fork again, then switched to the other trail.

Although we were away from that Weezing, I somehow felt even more cornered than I had before. This was probably because if this other trail was blocked by an enemy, we'd have no recourse.

"Why did you only stun the Weezing?" Axel asked Rose. "Wouldn't fire kill him, and wouldn't it be wise to kill him?"

"It's quite simple" the Ninetales responded, somehow able to muster the air to do so. "If you kill a Poison type, all of its toxins will become aerosolized, and breathing it in is extremely hazardous to one's health. Trust me, you'll thank me later."

So the choice had been to either face aerosol poison, or take the unknown path that led to who knew where. The choice was obvious at the time, but once we reached the next clearing, it didn't seem so obvious in hindsight.

Rose gasped once we were in the circular "room." I couldn't tell what time of day it was outside thanks to the purple haze, but I saw that many small streams of purple water were converging into a shallow pool in the middle of the clearing.

"What are you so scared of, Rose?" I asked her. "There's nobody here; you can relax."

She glared at me. "You can never relax in a Mystery Dungeon, Eliot. I thought you in particular would know that."

I shrugged. "Fair enough. Still, is something bothering you?"

"Yes," Rose replied, shivering. "I can feel their presence. They're here, somewhere in the Toxic Forest, not far from this clearing!"

"Not far" ended up being an understatement, for seconds after Rose finished her exclamation, an Oshawott who looked about my age jogged into the clearing. He leaped over the nearest stream, which is what made me certain this water was dangerous; an Oshawott wouldn't stay away from said water otherwise.

"There she is!" the Oshawott practically squealed. "We've found her team!"

My heart sank, and dread rose within me. I'd never seen this body before, but the voice sounded familiar. I may have been a few days removed from it, but I wouldn't forget that voice any time soon.

"You're from Team Nightlock" I stated, trying to keep my tone level. I couldn't sound too angry or frightened; I couldn't give the Oshawott that satisfaction.

"Is that a question or a statement?" asked a deeper male voice. From behind the Oshawott sidled a relatively tall Riolu.

"Shut up, Requiem," the Oshawott snapped. "I'm not in the mood for semantics. Not when she's right here!"

"What was your name again, Oshawott?" I asked. "Beef? Soup?"

The Water type appeared incensed, and I knew I'd pushed his buttons there. "The name is S-T-U. Stu. But that doesn't matter. Soon, nothing will matter for your companion over there."

"Stu, Requiem, we can't just argue like that" announced a deep female voice. From right behind the Riolu stepped a Pokémon whose species I recognized more than others, not least because it was my own.

A Midnight Lycanroc, with a giant tuft of white and red fur in the shape of a mohawk, stood next to Requiem. She glared at us, her red eyes glinting with fury.

"But-" Stu protested, only to be cut off by the female Lycanroc.

"To answer the Day Lycanroc's statement, yes, we are Team Nightlock. We've tracked you three down to the midst of the Toxic Forest, and we won't stop until we get what we want."

Axel frowned. "I mean, Stu said the quiet part out loud. You three want to kill Rose, but why? Is that your job; you three are an exploration team, after all!"

"That question was uncalled for," Requiem muttered threateningly. For a Riolu, he could certainly sound intimidating when he wanted to. "You don't need to know our reasons, just rest assured that we have them."

"But", the female Lycanroc told us, "you should know one thing."

"Oh, yeah? What's that?" I shot back.

The other Lycanroc gave us what can only be described as a Death Stare™. Then, she said a line that chilled me right down to my spinal cord.

"This isn't strategic. It's strictly personal."