The Will to Change CH3
One Can Only Laugh.
The Wyrdeer fur kept him warm, and he decided to pay far far more attention to his surroundings and not relax like an idiot. He was after all, on a large mountain predominantly home to a myriad of powerful ferals. It reminded him almost of how Mystery Dungeons seemed to have so many ferals inside that called it home. Coronet and most hidden areas filled with ferals were like that though. He grunted as a stiff wind blew his cloak back, chilling him to the bone. It shook him from his musings that were to get away from acknowledging how much light frostbite seemed to hurt, it wasn't dangerous yet, just painful. The frigid rime clung to the outer reaches of his body, on his feet, the base of his claws. And even the tips of his stalks on his head.
The vibrant hues of his scales became far more dull in the cold, like a lizard he needed to sunbathe, and that was what gave his scales a gleaming luster, in the dim cold of Sinnoh his scales had become far more dull over time. He suddenly stopped, listening closely. Turning to look down the mountain, he felt vibrations that felt like conflict..?
Hundreds of feet below him, lie the Ursaring he remembers passing to head up the mountain. They were growling and hissing at an Ursaluna that seemed to want something. It was hard to tell the reasoning from his vantage point, but he saw both of them size each other up, while the Teddiursa made an odd whimpering noise, hiding in a tree.
The Ursaluna roared in an explosive pitch, careening toward the Ursaring! The Ursaring responded by crouching low and trying to flip the Ursaluna on its back to slam it downward, but the Ursaluna bit the arm that the Ursaring used to slam them, sending them both tumbling to the floor...
The Ursaring's body type let it recover far faster and it smashed its claws into the Ursaluna's eyes, blinding it and kicking it away. The Ursaring's arm hung limp after the Ursaluna bit it, but both disengaged, the Ursaluna deciding it wasn't worth it, skittering off in defeat.
He was shocked, how did an Ursaring beat that Ursaluna? Ursaluna has always tended to be far more powerful than Ursaring, and yet in a contest of strength between two similarly strengthed mon, the Ursaluna managed to win. He watched the Teddiursa slide down the tree and jump onto its mother's shoulder, giving them a nuzzle.
Was that where it got its strength from, its will? Another living thing. It felt alien to how he knew nature was supposed to be. It was cruel, unforgiving, was he lied to? This felt far too kind for such a visceral place. He frowned deeply, turning to continue walking. Hugging his cloak and the Wyrdeer fur to his body so it didn't blow off and cool him down even more.
He still found himself thinking back to the bear and its cubs, it confused him in such a manner that even an hour later he was still thinking about it. Though he finally reached the toughest portion of the climb... There was no longer a proper path, only rock face and small holds that Skiddo and Gogoat used to scale.
He discarded the Wrydeer Fur, keeping the fluff from it on his cloak like an accessory. He dug his claws into the wall, and used his tail like a hinge, flipping up a bit higher, and stabbing his claws back into the wall before he dropped. He slowly made his way upward, seeking a small cave or alcove he spotted a few dozen meters above him. He felt a terrible chill, a whisper of the wind reached his ears and he jolted, spinning his head to look around. Nothing.
He felt watched.
He finished his climb to the cave entrance, clicking his tongue loudly to bounce the noise around the cavernous and dark entrance, his pupils widened a bit to take the light in. Didn't seem inhabited? He turned to sit and gaze out at Sinnoh and the distant shores, Mt. Chimney, and the landscape, the snow fell gently now as the wind died. It was oddly quiet, with gentle winds, and the sounds of his breath making steam in the air.
"Is this what peace feels like?" He looked up, as though asking Arceus for the answer to his question, it was serene, truly. He laughed softly, eventually falling to his side, and laughing boisterously and loudly, it was funny, he was such an idiot, how had he never not once just sat to watch the sights, the sheer depressing irony of that made him laugh. What else was there to do? He tried anger, sadness, and guilt even trying to make a fake sense of honor in the hopes of erasing his negative feelings.
The comedy of his situation wasn't lost on him, and the ghost to his left agreed, the Froslass continued to giggle along with him- What?
He turned, abruptly as the Froslass grinned at him, his scowl only made the ghost snicker harder. He internally was a bit worried, ghosts never seemed truly feral. They all started as something alive, so maybe the ghost just wanted a good laugh..?
"...Is this your cave, shade?" He asked slowly, turning to glance at the cave entrance. The Froslass nodded easily, waving the odd cloak hand things around and covering their mouth with it. Still quietly observing.
"I apologize for intruding then.." He eventually bit out, red with embarrassment, his stupid choices aired to some random ghost. He had to get out of there and never mention it again. "Have a good... Day? Night? Whatever the time may be." He gave a real bow and turned to climb up further, the ghost only laughed harder, clearly understanding why he fled so quickly.
This sucks.
He eventually climbed further up, finding another alcove. He checked this one thoroughly this time. Finding only a Sableye that hissed at him and skittered off to whatever treasure horde it had hidden in the cave. As much as he wanted it, he just started a fire at the lip of the cave, using dragonbreath to spark the brilliantly violet dragonflame to life. Keeping himself warm, he folded his cloak like a pillow, adjusting the rocks under him so they felt more soft. Just dozing off, though he didn't let himself fully sleep 'lest he get ambushed.
His sleep was completely peaceful for once, he woke up feeling invigorated. The fire was just dim smoke and a few sparks by now, it was dark out, he slept near the evening and awoke at some time in the night. He gathered his cloak, unfolding it, putting it back on, and snuffing what was left of his fire. Looking up the mountain, he seemed halfway up? He could probably finish the journey up to the ruins. He looked back at his area... Climbing at night wasn't the most pleasant, especially if he didn't fly or dig. He walked back to his little area, manually carving out a little incline in the floor to curl up and rest in.
And so he slept, awaiting the final day of his journey up Coronet.