A/N: This was supposed to be out about a month ago, but school has kept me busy. It will continue to update quite slowly until the end of summer, sorry! But I promise it's not dead, so stick around and I'll see you with the followup to this chapter soon enough.

Frosty Feelings

"Tempest!"

All eyes turned to Nip the moment the name spilled out of his mouth. The looks he received varied from disdain to surprise, but that was nothing new. For a moment, under the scrutinizing looks, he worried he had been wrong, and that he was only causing trouble with a stranger that would bite him later.

But when the ninetales eyes lit up with recognition, the feeling subsided, and Nip knew for certain that he was right.

Ignoring a shout for him to stay where he was, Nip dashed forward towards the ninetales. But he only got a few bounds along before he faltered and stopped, overcome with feelings of anxiety and fear. Why was Tempest here? Had he, too, been sent after him? Would he defend him, or would he kill him? Perhaps neither? Fear and indecisiveness rooted him to the spot, and he instinctively shrank down, watching Tempest with wide eyes for any signs of movement.

"I'm sorry, Whisper! He ran off and I couldn't keep up with him!"

Nip's ear twitched at the voice. He turned his head slightly and caught a glimpse of Haru slowing to a stop next to Whisper, her sides heaving with effort. Nip ignored her, turning his attention back to Tempest. The ninetales in question had not stepped towards him. In fact, he had instead collapsed onto his side, though his head was lifted up to stare at Nip.

Hesitantly, Nip began to step forward again, reaching a paw out to gingerly touch the wound on Tempest's neck. He didn't know how old it was, but he could tell that it had been there for a while, still not totally healed and stinking. Tempest responded to the touch by baring his teeth, making Nip flinch and shrink away at first. But when he did nothing further, nor said anything, he finally felt safe enough to relax. For the moment, at least.

"What… Who did this to you?" Nip asked breathlessly.

Tempest said nothing, only holding Nip's gaze.

Anxiety clawed at the sneasel's belly again, though now for different reasons. Question after question flashed through his mind. Why wouldn't he answer? Could he answer? Perhaps the injury kept him from speaking. Was it temporary or permanent? He knew Tempest knew how to take care of himself; even a wound this bad should have been better taken care of than this. So why wasn't it?

And what brought him here? He'd shown no real aggression towards him, and yet the likelihood of him arriving here by chance seemed impossible.

"What are we waiting around for?" He heard Vale shout, snapping him out of his thoughts. Whipping his head around he caught sight of the manectric slinking forward, crouching low to the ground with sparks bouncing off of his bared fangs, ready to sink his teeth into whoever moved first.

Tempest, too, turned his head, and struggled back to his feet before stumbling forward so that he was between Nip and the approaching guard. But his condition hardly let him stay on his feet.

"Vale! Stand down!" Whisper snapped, breaking Vale's concentration and intense gaze.

"But-"

"Your opponent is subdued, Vale. Disengage."

Vale grumbled something under his breath but relented. He stood up straight turned to take a few steps back.

Satisfied, Whisper turned to Nip. "Ignoring the fact that you shouldn't be here," she began, stealing an annoyed look at the flaaffy that was supposed to be watching him, "you seem to know this strange ninetales. Explain yourself."

Nip looked up to Whisper, then to the rest of the pokemon surrounding him before shrinking into Tempest's fur. He swallowed, sucking in a breath of air before answering. "Tempest is… was… is… my mentor," he began. "He taught me… most of what I know. My fighting skills, hu… how to track something and survive in the wilderness, all of that. He offered me a chance at getting stronger when most of my… former kin were trying to steer me away from the path of a fighter."

Whisper looked up to the other guards, trading an uneasy glance with several of them. "Do you know why he's here?"

"Not at all," Nip replied, lowering his gaze. "I haven't seen him since…" He trailed off. Tempest would know what he did, and the entire village knew now, too. But trying to say it himself left a vile taste in his mouth.

"...Since I left our resting grounds," he finished.

"We should drive him out," Vale warned, his voice coming out in a low growl. "He might help our prisoner try to escape." He took a threatening step towards Tempest. Nip, without thinking, moved to put himself between Tempest and the aggressive manectric, the air around him growing cold.

Before either of them could make a move, though, Whisper stepped between the two, holding up a wing on either side. "Both of you stand down. Nip, if you so much as raise a claw at me, I'll call a new vote and let that mawile drag you out of town, I swear to any god you hold dear.

"And Vale, you are not in charge here. What we do with the ninetales is up to the village as a whole to decide. Not you. Do you understand me?"

The mere thought of Umbra made Nip shiver. He forced himself to relax, the air around him returning to normal, and dropped his gaze to the ground. Vale, meanwhile, also averted his gaze, muttering a quick apology towards Whisper.

The hawlucha growled, lowering her wings. "Glad you two could see reason."

Now that the sounds of battle had died away, a handful of villagers had made their way over from the square to investigate the situation. Nip watched as Whisper looked over the crowd until she locked eyes with one particular pokemon.

"Lecha, would you please escort both Romi back to the clinic, then meet us at the guard's hut to deal with this… 'Tempest?' You can treat him there. Stati," she paused to gesture to the flaaffy, "you go with them too. Vale, I want you to fetch Jhorlo and tell him what happened, please. Then don't come back. I can't deal with your aggression right now. You were due for a break anyways. I'll be taking Nip back to his holding cell for now, until we have a chance to discuss what to do."

Vale responded with a grunt before turning to run off. Nip felt a paw lightly press up against his back, signaling for him to move out of the way as Lecha approached Tempest, giving his wounds a quick look over. As Whisper began to lead him away, he heard the medic call out, "Twi! Twi, go make me a sitrus poultice! And bring me another sitrus berry and an energy seed."

Whatever happened next, Nip didn't see due to being shepherded around the corner so that the scene was out of sight. Still, he couldn't get thoughts of Tempest out of his mind. What did his appearance mean? He'd shown no signs of hostility towards him, but the fact that he was here couldn't be chance. Had he followed him here? Was he, too, here to kill him? Had his moment of anger turned even those that cared about him against him?

An anxious, guilty pit formed in his stomach. His silent questions were left unanswered as he crossed the threshold back into the guards' hut. As much as he would rather be back with Tempest, trying to get answers and making sure his mentor was alright, he felt it best not to draw Whisper's ire any more than he already had. But as he was locked back away and things fell quiet, his unanswered questions continued to plague his mind.

Perhaps, with a good word from Tempest, he could convince the villagers to let him leave. But after his less-than-positive departure from the tribe, would Tempest even be willing to vouch for him? Would he be able to vouch for him, for that matter? Or had that wound taken away his ability to speak entirely?

Shimmer found it quiet at home that day. Too quiet. Boringly quiet. Quiet in a way that made her uncomfortable. There was hardly a single emotional aura in the house, just the quiet, stewing flicker of an emotional aura that she suspected was Umbra. Sure, Muse was here too, but everything about the dark-type's mind and emotions were an enigma, like a deep, dark void in a vibrant world.

"Muuuusy," she whined, draping herself dramatically over her friend and bodyguard's back, "can't we please go do something already?"

The absol let out a sigh, dropping her head to rest it against one of Shimmer's prized pillows. "As much as I would love to go somewhere, Shimmer, your father asked us to stay and keep an eye on the house."

Shimmer groaned. "I know that. But it's so boring. Surely it won't be a problem if we just go out for a quick walk around the square, or maybe to see my Toshi, right?"

Even if she couldn't read Muse's emotions with her psychic powers, there were a few things Shimmer knew about her friend, and about her reactions. For one thing, she could tell from the way she tensed beneath her that her will was crumbling. Muse could never say no to her for too long.

But to Shimmer's surprise, Muse managed to hold her ground this time. "Not right now, she insisted. "Maybe tonight around dinner, we could go down to the square for food. But let's stay here for now, okay? Besides, didn't you want to keep an eye on Umbra?"

Oh, right. Shimmer let out a huff, sliding off of Muse's back and adjusting herself so that she was sitting and leaning against her. "I hate it when you have a point. Fiiine, guess we'll stay here and be bored."

"I don't know, don't you think the quiet is kind of nice for a change? It seems like there's always pokemon coming and going around here."

Shimmer supposed Muse had a point. Sort of. She may not have an absol's sharp senses, but she did have psychic powers. Psychic powers that picked up on the comings and goings of most visitors. Still, she had gotten pretty good at tuning out most of it over the years, unless she felt a particularly strong spike of emotion.

Like the anger that had come off of Umbra in waves the last couple days, since Nip had been brought back to town. She was silent for a moment, her mind dwelling on the thought, before she blurted out, "do you think we made the right decision? About Nip?"

"Hm?" Muse didn't raise her head. "What makes you say that, Shims?"

"It's just… you and I both think there's something fishy going on, right? And it's good to give someone a second chance and all, but… What if he doesn't change. What if other pokemon end up getting hurt, and it's our fault because we decided to give him a second chance. I mean, he's already hurt two different groups of pokemon. He didn't deny Umbra's claims, and…" She took a deep, shuddering breath.

"I'm afraid of having blood on my hands, Muse. And what kind of a leader to-be am I if I can't help but second-guess myself?"

Muse raised her head, pressing it up against Shimmer's shoulder. "Hey, no one can be confident all the time, trust me. I'm always second-guessing my actions. It's just the way I am."

"Really?" Shimmer asked with a wistful tone in her voice. "You always seem so certain, though…"

"I have to," Muse replied. "I have to make my decisions whole-heartedly. That's my job as your bodyguard. And if I had followed the prophet path my mother took, I would have to appear certain so as to not make others worry. Just like you do. Look, it's okay to have doubts, Shimmer, because I'm here to listen and confide in. That's what friends are for, right?"

Shimmer took a deep breath again, a smile creeping onto her face. "I guess you're right. Thanks for trying to help me feel better, Muse. I'm just worried about what's going to happen next, I guess. With both Nip and Umbra here, and all, and we still don't know what your premonition was about. It's a lot to worry about."

"I know." The absol pulled her head away, dipping it as she closed her eyes. "But for now, try not to think about it. Relax. We can worry about Nip when your father gets back, and we have the free time to worry about it, right?"

"I suppooooose. But it's sooooo boring right now!" Cheered up a bit, Shimmer was back to her normal, bubbly mood. Was it a façade? Kind of. But considering how ugly her real feelings were, and how much disrespect she'd receive as a leader for showing that side of herself, she could bottle it up and put on a cheerful look.

Speaking of leadership… a good leader had to be strong, right? With nothing better to do, she decided that a good use of her time would be to practice honing her powers. Both to practice and as a show of how much better she was feeling, she spent a few minutes levitating various items around her room: a few trinkets her dad had found or bought for her over the years, a couple pillows, a sundial that had gone unused for some time now, and a carefully constructed bidoof plush that she'd had to go to the next town over for. Creepy? Maybe a little. But it was as close as she had to the real thing, so she wouldn't let anyone shame her for it.

Soon, she had all of the inanimate objects floating in the air. She spent a moment rearranging them, but quickly grew bored. Levitating inanimate objects was easy. And there was no way she'd be able to get a grip on Muse; the dark type slipped through her psychic hold like nothing more than smoke. Only the most powerful psychics could take hold of a dark type. One day, maybe she'd be able to do it. But not yet.

With her options for levitation exhausted, she decided to try stretching the reach of her natural senses. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and imagined first her home, then the area around it. Sensing only Umbra's emotional aura, following behind a blank spot that she assumed was one of the purrloin siblings, and Muse's blank spot, she took another deep breath before pushing her senses further, slowly expanding the radius as she strained, scanning for any type of emotional pulse. She was rewarded, after a few minutes, with a quick read of a pokemon hurrying by a bit of a way off. There was a slight nervous twinge to their emotional state, but nothing really out of the ordinary.

For a moment, she considered focusing and diving into Umbra's psyche. Maybe she could figure out how many of Nip's claims of the mawile's cruelty were true. But she hesitated and held back.

Dad always told her that it was rude to read people's minds and memories, after all.

Instead, she continued to try and strain her senses a bit further. For her troubles, she picked up on a sudden spike of anger and frustration. She squeezed her eyes shut just a bit tighter, grunting at the sudden overwhelming emotions.

Concerningly, as she continued to feel the emotional aura, she realized that it was moving closer, heading in their general direction, and fast.

She broke her concentration with a pained gasp, her sense sucking back inward to her general area.

At once, she felt Muse tense up, raising her head to look back at Shimmer.

"Shims? What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, fine," she groaned, bringing a hand up to her temples. "Just… wasn't expecting that. Someone's coming, and they're not happy."

Muse began to stand, trying to not disturb Shimmer as she did so. "Stay here, I'll go check it out."

Before Muse could leave, however, Shimmer grabbed hold of the thick fur around her neck, hoisting herself up.

"Nope, not letting you go alone," she announced. "I'm gonna be a leader one day, so I gotta go with you, right? Di-plo-ma-cy."

"Why are you saying it that way?" Muse mumbled, before realizing that not only was it a question she wouldn't get answered, but that there were more important things to worry about. And there was no way Shimmer would back down. "Very well, but stay either behind me or on my back, please. It's my duty to protect you. What would your father say if I let you get hurt because I was careless?"

Shimmer started to giggle but caught herself and covered her mouth. No, she shouldn't make fun of Muse's seriousness, even if she did wish she'd lighten up a bit. She was just doing her job.

Carefully, she turned the latch on her door with her psychic powers, saving Muse the trouble of trying to do so with paws - even if it was built in a way that allowed pokemon with paws to easily push it open - and ducked her head as Muse pushed her way through the door.

Quietly, they made their way down the hall and towards the entrance, trying not to disturb Umbra as they moved to intercept whoever was coming their way. Even without extending her senses, Shimmer could feel the pokemon's emotional aura now, burning bright with anger. Despite her better judgement, she probed just a bit further, trying to read just the surface thoughts in hopes of figuring out who was approaching, and what their intent was.

That was an okay use of her powers, right?

How could Whisper think this was a good idea? Allowing another one of those into the town, I swear no one thinks things through anymore!

Shimmer pulled her probe away. "Hey, Muse, I'm pretty sure it's just Vale. Don't know what he needs, but it seems like it has to do with Whisper somehow. Aaaaaannnd he's pretty ticked off."

Muse hummed in response, dipping her head. "Do not worry, I'm sure he means no harm to us, but I will protect you if anything goes awry."

Shimmer fought the urge to roll her eyes. Muse meant well, but she could be such a stick in the mud sometimes.

The two stopped just outside the front entrance. Unlike most homes in the area, the villa had actual doors, as opposed to just a cloth covering. Dad was always worrying about keeping her safe after all. Not that he didn't have his own secrets, as she was sure he did, but she liked to think it was more about her.

They waited no more than a few seconds before Vale burst through the door, panting.

He looked around wildly until he spotted the duo, and then hesitated.

"What brings you here at this time of day?" Muse asked, only dipping her head for a greeting.

Vale's response came out in gasping, huffed breaths. "Whisper sent me… to speak… with Jhorlo." He slumped forward, struggling to stay on his feet.

Shimmer let out a thoughtful hum, then addressed Vale. "I'm afraid you'll have to talk to me instead," she announced. "Daddy's off on a trip to talk with Aunty Hearty. Come on, Muse, let's take our guest off to get a drink, don't you think?"

"Whatever you think is best, Shimmer. Come with us, Vale." Dipping her head respectfully, the absol turned and began to walk. Vale sputtered in indignation for just a moment before resigning himself and following.

"We really... don't have time for this," he grumbled.

Shimmer waved her hand. "Come on, don't be such a worrier. Whatever's going on, it's not going anywhere. You seem more angry than anxious, so it can't be that bad. Let loose, it's gonna be fine!"

Once they were in the kitchen - a simple room with a lower counter to accommodate shorter pokemon, and a taller one perfectly suited for a gardevoir, as well as a set of cabinets that held most of the dishes and food, and a simple stovetop and oven - Shimmer climbed off Muse's back and made herself busy pulling out a cup and two bowls. Using her psychic powers, she pulled the lid off of a moderately sized container in the corner of the room and dipped both bowls and the cup in before placing the containers of water on top of the lower counter.

Despite his previous grumblings, Vale took a moment to greedily lap up the water before speaking.

"A ninetales showed up today. Weirdly colored. Pale blue. Never seen anything like it. I'd think he was one of those shiny mutations you see every once in a while, but he used ice attacks, not fire. He got in the way of Romi's cart and tried to muscle his way past, but she wouldn't let him by, and it turned into a fight."

Shimmer frowned, trying to piece together what it meant. Normally, they wouldn't come up to her dad immediately after an event like this… unless something really bad happened.

"He didn't kill Romi, did he?" she couldn't help but ask.

"Oh, gods no! That's not the problem at all! We beat him without too much trouble. He was in horrible condition. The problem is… well, he seems like he's somehow knows that sneasel. But he can't – or won't – speak. I think Whisper wanted Jhorlo there to discuss how to handle things."

Shimmer stole a glance over to Muse, who stared back levelly. If she knew her friend, it looked like she had the same idea. Gently, she placed the cup back on the counter. Then she slammed her hands down, slapping it open-palmed. "Well, that settles it! Looks like I'll just have to go instead!"

Vale gawked for a moment, blinking a couple times before he remembered his manners and shut his mouth. "You? You… you can't be serious."

"'Course I am!" Shimmer replied. "Father says I'm gonna be a leader someday, so I got to start somewhere, right? Besides, it's not really like you have a choice. Dad won't be back till late tonight at the earliest."

The grumpy manectric let out a grunt. "Fine. Just. Go on down to the guard's hut. I believe that's where they took him. I'll be down there later."

"You're not coming with us?" Muse asked, tilting her head in surprise.

Vale let out a grunt. Shimmer felt a nervous flutter come off of him. "Oh, I have a detour I need to make. Something I want to check out. Besides, Whisper wanted me to calm down before I came back."

She felt the nervous emotion grow stronger and stronger, the longer she took to respond. She swore she saw him twitch, tremble, as if withering under her gaze.

"Shimmer?"

She felt Muse lightly nudge her in the side. Finally, she closed her eyes and turned away, forcing a disconcerting, sing-song voice. "Fine, fine, see you later then, Vale!"

Shimmer took just a moment to stretch, then practically danced out of the kitchen and all the way back to her room, Muse following behind much more slowly and seriously. There, she picked up a bag and a few basic goods, including a couple berries and coins. This was her chance to show off how much she'd learned, and she couldn't let it go to waste!

Vale hadn't come by first thing in the morning, and Umbra hadn't known whether to be confused or relieved.

Things had been quiet since the afternoon before; Lotte had guided her back to her room without a word, returning just a bit later with an oran berry, a cheri berry, and some slice of meat that she couldn't identify.

She stewed in her anger and frustration late into the night, until she had drifted off into an uneasy sleep.

And now, here she was, quietly being guided away by Lotte towards the woods.

"Vale will meet us soon," the purrloin explained as she led the way. "He was unable to get away from guard duties today."

"So, what, you are just… okay with… all this?" Umbra asked, holding her arms out wide. "Whatever Jhorlo has you doing? Were you assigned to this role as a child? I thought the village did not work that way."

Lotte paused, looking back and tilting her head. "What? Oh, no. Not really. Jaques and I owe him our lives, though. So, we just do as we're told and keep our noses out of his business."

She continued to pad along, occasionally glancing back to make sure Umbra was following.

The duo made their way around the edge of the town center, getting a few glances as they passed by. But no one much seemed to be about. Whether that was a good thing or not was questionable at best.

Soon they were coming up on the edge of the tree line. For just a moment, Umbra thought about the fact that she could easily kill or even just injure Lotte and get away. But leaving meant the risk of losing track of Nip. She could go right in and kill him afterwards, but there were too many witnesses, and it would leave her fighting through a crowd to escape afterwards. No. As much as she hated to, she needed to bide her time for a bit longer, watching and waiting for an opportunity to present itself. Even if it was under that loathsome purugly.

Lotte stopped in a clearing just a short distance into the woods. She climbed up onto a fallen log and stopped, turning to lay down on it while facing Umbra, and the rest of the woods as a result.

"It shouldn't be long now," she announced, her tail flicking back and forth on occasion.

It would be so easy to just walk away right now. To disappear into the woods and never come back.

But without proof of Nip's end, she could not return home. Or rather, she refused to return home without making sure Nip could never come back. Without proof of his demise, she would be an outcast for her failure. And she refused to be an outcast.

Frustrated, Umbra settle down in front of the log to wait.

Leaves rustled in the wind as the sun slowly climbed high in the sky. She could hear the sound of prey mon scampering amongst the undergrowth around them. Not giving chase was agonizing. But then again, chasing small little rattata and sentret was not her style. Absentmindedly, she brushed a hand against her injured ear, taking a few moments to inspect it impressed with how much and how well it had healed already.

Finally, she heard the thundering footsteps of a mon racing in their direction. Lotte must have heard it too, as she stood up with her tail raised high. Umbra also stood up. A moment later, Vale burst into the clearing, huffing.

"We'll have to make this quick," he announced coming to a stop just in front of them. "We had some… trouble with the berry shipment."

Lotte tilted her head, but said nothing, inviting Vale to continue.

"Another one of your lot showed up and raised havoc," he said, turning his gaze on Umbra. "Some weird looking ninetales that Nip recognized. Ring a bell?"

Umbra froze in place. No. It could not be him… could it? "Did… did he say his name?"

Vale grunted in response. "Nope. Don't think he could though. Nip called him Tempest, though. I had to run fetch someone to deal with that. Jhorlo wasn't in so I had to send Shimmer down instead. I don't know how long I can stick around before the others notice I'm gone So let's get a move on already."

He turned and began to walk further in the woods. Umbra hesitantly followed behind. He began to explain the rules and regulations of how and where Jhorlo expected her to hunt, so as to not raise suspicion. But she was only half paying attention, her mind stuck on this new information.

If Tempest is here…

Her job just got even more complicated.

The guard's hut was a flurry of activity, with Stati – the flaaffy – keeping watch while Siles and Whisper busied themselves with work. Anu had come down to from the temple, nervously sitting cross-legged and alert next to the cell they'd placed the ninetales in for holding. The door to said cell was just slightly ajar, allowing Lecha easy access as she busied herself wiping and cutting away matted and bloodied fur so that she could get to his wounds easier.

The ninetales himself had quit trying to fight back by now, eyes glazed over as he absentmindedly stared at Nip in the cell over. Nip himself was watching Lecha work, sitting up against the back wall, his ear and his tailfeathers twitching occasionally. Otherwise, he was completely still and didn't even acknowledge the entrance of Shimmer and Muse.

Whisper looked up from her work, and Shimmer felt a flash of relief course through her, only for it to be replaced with frustration when she realized Shimmer was the one that had arrived, not Jhorlo like she had expected.

"Shimmer…" the hawlucha began, clicking her claws together. "I was… expecting some with more… I was expecting your father."

Blunt, very blunt. "Sorry, dad's out of town, so I came in his place instead!"

Whisper let out a long sigh. Shimmer didn't miss her exasperation. "I see. I guess we can just wait and deal with this when-"

Shimmer raised a hand and cut her off. "Nope, nope! It's totally fine. We at least figure out what's going on now, right? We can always figure out what to do about it when dad gets back."

She received an apologetic smile, and swore she felt a flash of pity. "I appreciate the offer, Shimmer, but-"

"No, no, no. It's fine, really!"

"Besides," Muse added, stepping in, "would it not be better to learn the situation now, before they have time to come up with excuses, or a good cover story?"

At that, Whisper hesitated. Shimmer laid a hand on Muse's back to show her thanks. Finally, the hawlucha let out a sigh. "Very well, I suppose you have a point there. I'll tell you what we know, and then we can work things out from there."

The three of them gathered around the table at the center of the room, Whisper taking a seat on one side and Shimmer and Muse sitting on the other. Shimmer did her best to pay attention as the hawlucha began to explain the situation, telling her about the fight, as well as Nip's apparent relation. About half-way through the story, however, she felt something poking at the edge of her senses. She turned her head expectantly through the doorway.

Whisper's words died in her throat when she noticed that Shimmer was no longer paying attention, and instead looked in the same direction. "What is it?"

"Well if you want to know what's going on Haruru, you should just come inside and listen."

There were a few seconds of silence, followed by a quiet swear, before a very embarrassed Haru waddled her way inside, taking a seat by the table without speaking or looking up.

Whisper let out a long breath before continuing, finishing the story.

"Well, now that we brought him here, we wanted to speak with Jhorlo, and decide how to proceed. Logically, we should hold a judgement, as he's attacked our villagers. But we have no idea why he attacked, other than that we wouldn't let him by, and he's obviously in no condition to talk, let alone travel. But at the same time, I'm hesitant to keep him here, where he may break Nip out."

"Hm… this is quite the problem," Shimmer agreed, forcing herself to be uncharacteristically serious. She had to think! If she were her dad, how would he handle the situation. Ideally, they'd hold a meeting and pass judgement, but it's hard to pass judgement on someone who wouldn't explain themselves…

"Shimmer…" Haru began, speaking for the first time since she'd arrived. "Why don't you just… I don't know, use your psychic powers to poke around in his brain and see where he's from and why he's here?"

Shimmer stiffened, avoiding the bidoof's gaze. Certainly, she'd already broken her dad's instructions once today, though not without good reason. But at the same time, it just felt… wrong to look into people's heads, especially as deep as Haru was suggesting. A cursory glance at current thoughts was one thing, a deep dive into memories though?

She turned her head to look back at the ninetales. Lecha had left by now, leaving a few berries at his side. He had not gotten up from where he'd been laid out, but he did seem more alert, keeping an eye on Nip while occasionally stealing glances at the rest of the pokemon. His emotions were difficult to discern, clouded by turmoil, but there was one thing she could feel radiating from him: relief.

Nip was much harder to read, his typing leaving her only with body language to go off of. He had pulled his legs up to his chest and sat staring, not daring to look away, as if the ninetales would disappear if he did.

"Well?" Whisper asked.

Shimmer turned back around, and realized that everyone was staring at her, waiting for her to make a decision.

"I, for one, think it's a good idea. If you're not up to it, I can always get Essra to do it," the hawlucha added.

She stood up quickly. Perhaps a bit too quickly, as she had to take a second to find her balance. "No, no don't worry about it. It's fine. It's fiiiine. Just let me take care of things. I don't want to have to worry about it."

Whisper gave her a skeptical look, then relented, settling down to wait.

Slowly, though refusing to show hesitation, Shimmer approached the cell, taking a seat in front of it. She was no fool. The bars would hold to some level of brute-strength attacks, but they couldn't hold either of the pokemon inside forever, should they try to escape. It was kind of nerve-wracking, to say the least, and she couldn't help but wonder how the Enforcers dealt with it. Did they have better ways of holding pokemon?

She heard Muse rise and approach her, laying down just behind. She let out a quiet hum, but did nothing more to acknowledge her presence, instead focusing her gaze on the ninetales.

Breathe in. Breathe out. Her eyes drooped shut as she focused and reached out for his mind.

Snow.

Words and thoughts were not the first thing to come. Instead, she saw snow, a light flurry of flakes falling all around her. Around him. She was watching a memory through his eyes, she thought.

Nip, I'm sorry. I swear I'll get us out of this situation, and make sure no one hurts you again.

The snow grew harder, blowing into a flurry that whited out her vision. Fractured flashes of memory danced before her eyes.

...

An older ninetales, pushing him back into the bushes, telling him to stay hidden.

...

He stands proud in a grassy clearing, other pokemon surrounding and watching him, nearly quivering with excitement and nervousness and anticipation.

...

He's in that same clearing again, but now his tails drag the ground tiredly. There's a mangled body at his feet, and blood on his fur. He feels like he should feel horrified, distraught, but he just feels… empty.

...

Now he's out in the snow again, waiting for something. When will Father be back? He thinks to himself. The wind picks up, blowing flurries of snow. And then he spots a bright red feather in the distance.

...

A young sneasel sits in front of him, beaming proudly as he presents the body of a rattata. He swells with pride and tells Nip what a good job he's done.

...

"Must you leave, Tempest?" The elderly Persian asks him.

"I am sorry, I cannot call this my home any longer. I have lost everything now. My father. My mate. My… You know I was always an outsider here. I will never return to Kyurem's people, but I must find my own path now."

…

His eyes are closed, or else it is dark, He nuzzles up to someone, to his mate, and tells her the story of Kyurem.

…

"What is wrong, Nip?" he asks the sneasel. "Surely there is something the elders can do?"

"I'm fine." Nip insists. There's a flash of sadness in the vision. "I just… I have to get through to them eventually, right?"

…

A flash of fangs in the moonlight. Tempest lets out a call of alarm, but it's cut short as he's ripped open. He falls into the grass, left to bleed out soaked in moonlight.

Why…

…

GET OUT!

Shimmer fell back with a gasp as the ninetales struggled to his feet, his muzzle twisted into a snarl once again. Suddenly, she was quite glad she'd sat down before attempting the psychic connection..

"Shims!" Muse cried out. She quickly rushed to stand between Shimmer and Tempest, allowing the kirlia to use her body as a way to climb to her feet. "What happened? What's going on?"

Shimmer swallowed slowly, trying to digest and put together all the memories she'd seen, trying to figure out what was and wasn't important.

"I… think he's here as a friend of Nip's. But there's something that concerns me more."

Muse tilted her head and stared while Whisper approached to close the cell door. "What is it?"

Even with that brief flash, the emotions in the scene were enough to give Shimmer a revelation that somehow was horrifying to her. "That wound. The one on his neck…" She trailed off, bringing a hand to rub at her temples. "That was intentional. Someone, for some reason, wanted him dead. And if he somehow survived, they didn't want him talking."