Winona gasped for breath, her body aching all over from slithering nonstop for hours across rough stones and itchy grass. The hills rolled out all around her, and it felt like they'd barely gone anywhere.
Mortria seemed completely unphasedand was always several feet ahead. She also refusedto talk, which only made Winona focus on her aches all the more.
The sun was beating down on the grasslands now, and Winona felt very exhausted and uncomfortable from the heat. Occasionally her tail darted around to wipe her forehead, even though there was nothing to wipe off. Her scales felt very dry and irritable, and she felt a very desperate desire to take a dive into a river or some other body of water.
Finally, Mortria stopped. "We shall stop for now."
Winona gave a relieved sigh and flopped face-first into the dirt. But it did not change how thirsty and dry she felt.
"Is there any water?", she mumbled.
Mortria replied calmly, "That shall be your first lesson. Any witch can summon her basic necessities when she needs them. If you want water, you will create it."
"But I dunno how…", muttered Winona.
Mortria repeated, "If you want it, you will create it." She slipped out a hollowed-out nut from under her cloak and slid it over to Winona. "Fill that up, and the lesson will be complete."
Winona stared at the cup. She wanted to shout that this wasn't teaching her anything, but she was too timid and exhausted to do so. She needed water.
Winona glanced up at Mortria again. The Ninetales was like a brick wall - silent and unmoving. She was clearly waiting for Winona to fill the cup.
Winona looked back down. She hadn't learned any magic words or fancy movements, but maybe that wasn't how this world's magic worked. The problem was, she didn't know how it did. Simply wishing for water wasn't doing anything, though, that was for sure.
But what would?
She started running through options. Maybe the pendant could help her, but she wasn't sleeping at the moment. Maybe she could try thinking extra hard about water or hoping that some god would take mercy on her. Maybe she could just fall over and die.
That last thought was concerning, but Winona realized it also had an odd sense of familiarity. As if she'd had morbid ones like that for a long time.
She wasn't sure how to feel about that.
Shaking her head in a failed attempt to clear her mind, she focused on the cup again. She once again wished for water to fill it up, pouring her fatigue, desperation, and thirst into it this time. She hoped that forcing her emotions into it would trigger something.
No water appeared.
Winona plopped her face into the dirt, despondent. She couldn't do anything! Mortria must be feeling very disappointed in her right now…and Winona knew that that was probably gonna make Mortria unwilling to help her out any further. The Ninetales wouldn't want an apprentice who couldn't do anything.
But as Winona's thoughts started spiraling, a large raindrop hit her face.
Winona blinked and looked up, to see storm clouds that had definitely not been there before. They seemed to form a small circle above her specifically, and as she watched rain started pouring full force from them, soothing her scales and filling her cup. Winona pulled herself up, to see Mortria giving her an unreadable look.
"So, you needed water, and it came to you.", the fox commented, "Next time you won't be so quick to give up on yourself, won't you?"
Winona ignored that little jab and drank from the cup. It was very cool and refreshing, and she felt very relieved. After she drank her fill, she looked up at the rain and wondered what to do now.
Mortria said, "Alright, now that you're satisfied, dispel the rain. You're sending a giant signal to any enemies in the area."
Winona looked up at the storm and willed it to go away. But all that happened was a crack of thunder, as the clouds grew thicker and darker. Winona started feeling drained of energy, which only got worse as she panicked and her emotions started running wild.
Mortria shouted, "Cut it off! Get your emotions under control!"
Winona struggled, but she didn't think she could do it. Her fear and depression was pressing down on her again, and she felt a dim memory flash - of her hiding under a bed, muttering about worthlessness. But it was instantly gone again, crushed under the tidal wave of emotion.
"Stop dwelling and shut your storm off!", Mortria roared, her eyes glowing furiously. Winona flinched, terrified by Mortria's glare. Winona imagined shutting off a faucet (not that she remembered quite what that was), struggling to get her feelings locked back up.
The rain stopped, and the clouds turned gray and started splitting. Now that it was gone, Winona felt dizzy, her vision swimming and doubling. All the energy she'd had was gone.
Mortria strode over, her fur soaked and pressed down over her body. Her cloak, however, looked almost perfectly dry. Her face was cold and stern, and Winona shrank beneath it.
"So you have plenty of power, but no control.", Mortria commented, "As many witches start out. We can work on this."
She prodded Winona with her paw, and Winona struggled to get up. Mortria tsk'ed disapprovingly.
"You used too much magic here.", Mortria commented, "One of the first things to learn is that magical energy is a finite resource, produced by one's natural aura. As a Dratini, you have far more than most, but it is still very easy to use too much at once and burn yourself out. You must show more caution and exercise restraint."
Winona moaned and flopped forward. She didn't want to hear a lecture right now, or at all if she could avoid it.
Mortria curled her lip distastefully. "At least you could pretend to be paying attention. I am trying to teach you something."
Then suddenly she sat straight up, fur bristling and ears pinned back. "We need to run."
"Huh?", asked Winona, "Ack!"
Mortria grabbed Winona by the scruff of her neck and threw her onto her back, before immediately loping down the road, her nine tails waving behind her.
Winona was thrown back into the tails, and she struggled to hang on. The thick wet fur rubbed against her scales, itching them, and Mortria's cloak was constantly billowing in her face. But somehow, she held on tight as they ran.
The young witch wondered what had gotten Mortria spooked. But she couldn't look behind herto see what it was. All she could do was hold on as they ran.
An odd chill seemed to creep up, and the sky turned darker. Mortria sped up even more, panting for breath as Winona was bounced along behind. Something big was coming after them, and it felt as if they were trying to outrun the night.
An endeavor that was always futile.
Winona noticed Mortria use her teeth to seize onto her cloak as they kept running. In a fluid motion that had clearly been practiced for years, Mortria spun around, drawing herself in close, and pulled the cloak over her entire body. There was very little light from outside, so Winona could not see what was happening. All she knew was that Mortria was terrified of something, and now they were hiding under this cloak. Winona wondered why they were still here, instead of moving farther.
Above, there was a shadow as something large moved overhead. But for some reason, it didn't react to their presence at all. It stalked around the area, before letting out an agonized growl and dissolving. But before it fully vanished, a strange voice rang out.
"I remember you, Mortria. You may have defeated me once, but mark my words, the time of the Darkness is coming, and even you shall be consumed by the rising storm. Even your magic tricks will be rendered meaningless, when my word becomes reality. And I will enjoy. Your. Eternal. Suffering!"
Then it shifted to Winona.
"You have placed your faith in the wrong Pokemon, poor little girl. Mortria has many secrets, many skeletons in her closet. And when you learn what that witch has done, how she abandoned her allies, you will weep in betrayal and hopelessness. And I will be there to drink it."
After that, it was gone. But Winona couldn't shake the chill of those final words.
Could she trust Mortria, or had she made a fatal mistake? (-o-)