Bonding
Violet eyes expand, the weariness of sleep never gracing their bearer as I look about the shallow dug I call camp before my vision snaps to the upright mass of cobalt. Deep crimson orbs, every bit as sharp and aware as my own greet me, a long sigh slips past my maw before I make my way over to my ward "How you feeling?" I inquired, my voice filled with the gravel that has come to be synonymous with early mornings "I am fine human, I am not so weak as to be rendered broken by such a battle" she responded, her voice silky smooth yet possessing an edge of incredulity as the notion that she is any less than in perfect condition is an insult of the highest order… no matter how accurate the statement was.
Her fur was matted, large stains of maroon caked her tan vest while various patches of fur possess a charred edge and if she weren't covered in fur, I'm certain she would have a few splotches of blackish blue on her form. In short, she looked like shit. I crouched down to meet her at eye level, keeping a neutral expression, I began changing her bandages "Its Jackson and you will not be pulling the whole tuff guy act here Luna, I had to carry you back here and I knew exactly how injured you were Before you decided to commit death by fire chicken" I stopped my lecture once I finished, fishing a few Oran from my harvest along with a pair of blue strawberries 'Raust' I mentally labeled the fruit and passing them to the bemused canid. "I got some bad news for you though" I directed toward my patient a quick once over of her current state with some reference to her other less visually apparent injuries 'almost all of her more open wounds have closed, I don't know if its thanks to the salve or if her recovery time really is that short, but her more internal injuries are still an issue' I decided to commit "Judging from what you went through last night, I'll say it'll be a month before your good enough to travel, add a couple weeks for you to be at a hundred percent" I watched as she absorbed that little tidbit before her brows furrowed in apparent frustration, not long after she simply closed her eyes and releases a strangled sigh accepting the news. 'It's honestly kind of scary how human those gestures were, I got the gist of her thought process by just the facial expressions and her short muzzle doesn't even hamper them'.
Munching on an Ipapa only for my lips to tense at the sour liquid entering my mouth a soft chortle emanating from my side dashed my hopes of the action going unnoticed 'Well I made my bed, time to lie in it' mental pep talk complete, I finished the fruit and collected my spear. I decided to do a bit of fishing, before on a whim, I stopped at the entrance turning around enough to see the jackal in my peripheral "Luna I'm heading out to fish, I won't be far or lon- BOOM!
"Don't move" with that I left purposefully ignoring the indignant chuff that was her response 'Now where oh where did that explosion come from' my rhetorical question was delivered as I stared at the blatantly obvious rising pillar of ashen soot clouding the otherwise picturesque forest scenery.
The explosion I heard moments ago still echoes in my mind, its deep rumble unsettling the peace of the wilderness. Every instinct in my body told me to proceed with caution, but the urgency of the situation propels me forward. 'With what happened last night, I honestly won't be surprised if something dangerous followed us back' Information being key, I continued on with the hopes of finding the source of the disturbance. The earth beneath my boots feels alive, pulsating with tension. I know this area decently well, lots of free time and a desperate need to keep active pushed me to explore the *safe haven* I found myself in.
The forest canopy above is thick, allowing only fractured beams of sunlight to filter through, casting long, dancing shadows along the forest floor. Indigo orbs, sharp from years of patrols scan every movement in the undergrowth. Every rustle, every snap of a twig, is a potential threat. My mind raced, calculating possibilities, but there's no time to slow down.
The spearhead glints as a beam of light reflects off its surface, a reminder that like with Luna, a predator can become pray, all it takes is the right beast. The air begins to thicken with the scent of soot but just below is a putrid stench, one in which I sadly had some familiarity with, the smell of burnt hair and scorched flesh disgraced my senses, the closer I travel to the explosions epicenter the more potent the sensation.
Eventually, I reached a clearing, the area being scorched black, trees turned to charcoal while what foliage did remain crumbled beneath the slightest touch, ash on the wind, off to the side I spotted the source of the rancid smell, from its looks, it might have once been quadrupedal, it was scorched black leaving behind nothing but a charred corpse. As I made my way closer to the lump of ash, I began making observations "Body shape confirms canid decent, large, I'd say around four feet at the shoulders, V shaped muzzle so definitely not a wolf, heck Luna's more U shaped than this thing's. Honestly if I didn't know any better I'd say you were an overgrown pood- CLANK! My musings were cut short as my boots made contact with a distinctly metal surface. Looking down, I noticed what looked to be a upturned metal basin, kicking it over its classification was immediately changed, the object was indeed LIKE a basin only it was quarter inch thick with large divots around its rim reminiscent of a puzzle piece, looking around, I spotted an identical object only this one was imbedded into a tree on the other side of the artificial clearing.
Using some scrap cloth I've taken to carry in one of my many pockets, I picked up the metal object off the floor, noting its not miniscule weight. Carrying the object to its twin, I proceed to forcibly remove it from the ashen remnants of the tree.
The sound of steel clashing was heard as I made my way toward camp 'on the bright side, I'm sure that explosion scared the shit out of everything within ear shot, so I won't be meeting any more Pokémon. At least for a while… Good, I'm stronger now, but I have absolutely no idea what I'm capable of right now, if that Blaziken called my bluff both Luna and I would be dead'.
Entering the clearing, I spotted the aforementioned Jackal simply laying on her back, eyes burning a hole in the limestone ceiling the only expression that could even hope to summarize the way she's feeling is-
Luna's POV
Boredom, sheer, mind numbing boredom. That's what I feel at the moment when once my time was under constant occupation from completing tasks asked of me to learning the necessities for my future station, even my free time was filled with training both physically and my aura. But to be forced to simply stay in one spot it's infuriating, demeaning… Boring.
As I finished counting the stalactites for the 12th time, categorizing them in terms of length, colour and shape I detected the sharp clanking sound, with a flick of my ear I confirmed that the sound in indeed was coming toward the 'camp' as the human puts it.
As the sound continued to approach, a quick check revealed that yes it was indeed the human, I looked at my surroundings once again and I began to form a few questions regarding my caretaker. There are a few ramshackle devices spread around the area from a drying rack to the few hand woven baskets that sit with produce, but that was it, they were all clearly HIS there is nothing here to indicate there are others. At first, I had simply assumed that the rest of his group were scouting or exploring… possibly hunting but as time goes by, I've come to understand he does these things himself, not to mention the only bed there is here is the… one I'm on 'Why would this human give his bed to me, I still can't fathom' ones bed and to a lesser extent one's home is a place in which they are at their most vulnerable, it's their place of rest and comfort to allow one a short reprieve is understandable and to share a sleeping space in an unfamiliar area is reasonable, after-all, its safer if something were to attack. But to completely relieve your BED for another and simply sleep on the floor is absurd'
That 'situation' aside, it is clear the human is alone here which is peculiar as though my knowledge on his kind is limited. They are typically averse to being alone, preferring numbers and living in their settlements with their comforts, for one to be this deep in the wilderness by themselves is most unusual.
My musings were cut short as the topic of them appeared at the fire side, dropping what appeared to be…. Wait are those Forretress' shells 'Right the explosion from earlier' anyway the human then flips both of the metal casings on their curved edges before passing one of his hands through his slick locks, after which he pulls back the appendage, glaring at it in a look of what appears to be disgust.
His attention then returns to the shells as he takes one, fills it with ash and place it atop a hastily crafted stone stand above the stone incased campfire. Not long after he leaves, returning with water which he uses to promptly fill the impromptu pot.
'Ok what is that human doing' I thought observing the irrational actions of the man. I finally decided on simply confronting him myself as I ever so slowly make my way onto my paws, stumbling before shifting my weight onto my right limb and limped over to the human, by the time arrived he was scrapping out a whitish substance from the surface of the shell into a container before switching pots in favor of the second, which upon closer inspection holds sliced Orin berries submerged in water laying within the metallic shell.
"Human what are you doing?" I inquired, in response he simply provides an amused smile and a slow shake of his head "I see you found a solution to you boredom" I do my best to straighten my posture as I cross my forelimbs, turning my head up "I was simply curious on what you were doing… and yes I may have been a little bit bored".
He simply provides a chuckle "Don't sweat it, I don't mind you being inquisitive" then his face hardens slightly losing the subtle curls that tore at the edges of his mouth instead they were replaced with the slight furrowing of his brow "But make shore NOT to push yourself just to state you curiosity" he warns while removing something from the bubbling concoction "Yes I understand, which is why I took my time coming here no extra strain on my body" reassured the humans face softens a touch "Well to answer your question Luna in light of recent evens I'm making something we would both enjoy quite a bit" the human cryptically informs while mixing both substances "And that is? " really, I mentally groaned he's almost as cryptic as father, a sly smile slips on his face, his grin filled with mischief and his aura filled with what I have decided to label amusement "Just a little thing called soap."