Family Bonds: Chapter 6
Chapter 6
Innocent laughter could be heard echoing through the forest. Rapid footsteps echoed playfully through the trees followed by more giggling and shouting. The butterfree in the area flew overhead surveying the source of the laughter as they made their daily flights to stretch their wings. As they looked down, they saw two charmander chasing each other happily. Their tail flames following behind them, burning brightly and dancing playfully in the wind.
"I'm gonna getcha!"
"No you're not!"
The first charmander dove forward and tackled the other, and the two rolled on the ground giggling.
"Toldya I'd getcha!"
"No fair. You're too fast."
The male charmander smiled broadly. He had always been slightly faster than his twin sister, so it was a little unfair for the two of them to play tag with each other. He was usually nice though. Even though she was a little slower than he was, he would generally pretend to misstep or pretend to be tired so that she could catch him after a while. Tag was her favorite game, and he wasn't going to ruin it for her just because he was competitive. She loved running around and she never seemed to get tired of it, and the time she got to spend with her brother made every moment even better. It was something that she felt she could be her brother's equal, even if he was holding back - but she didn't know that.
He was stronger than she was and he was also more daring and brave. He would often take the two of them to scary places where she didn't feel safe, but he would always walk unafraid. She loved watching him be brave which was one of the reasons they were wanting to go to the river.
He had claimed that whenever the "bad pokemon" were gone, and they were free to go outside again, they would go to the river so that he could show off his bravery. He loved it whenever he made it through something unscathed, because it was his way of showing his sister that he was strong. She was always scared for his safety, but she was always very happy whenever he made it out of something ok. Sometime when the two of them were wasting time in the cave during the previous week, she had tried to come up with things that she was sure he would be too scared to do.
She had come up with a list of things that she would like to watch him do, and the main thing that she wanted to see was the reason they were at the river. She had bet him that he would be too scared to go into the river. He was concerned at first because of was a fire type, but he would never let his sister know that he was scared to do something. In fact, he wanted to make her even more impressed.
He said that not only would he go into the river, but he would go across it to the other side and then come back. Granted he had led her to the narrowest part of the river he knew, but she didn't seem to notice. After the two had arrived, he suggested that they play tag (something he knew she would never turn down) so that he could mentally prepare himself a bit for what he was about to do.
They had played tag for what seemed like hours, and the two were having so much fun that they had both forgotten about the dare. Now they were both rolling on the ground together laughing in their entertainment. Wrestling with each other like they were doing now was another one of their favorite activities. Drek had the advantage though, because he had recently discovered that his sister was incredibly ticklish whereas he was not.
He tried to play fair and not resort to it whenever they were playing, but despite the fact that he would oftentimes give his sister a helping hand, he would never actually let her win in the end. He was too competitive to ever lose at something, so if he ever feared that she might somehow get the better of him, he would bring her defenses down by tickling her enthusiastically.
During their playing, his thoughts flashed back to the reason they were there in the first place. He had always been the brave brother for his sister, but even he was a little bit scared to try to cross the river by himself. Maybe if they continued playing then it would be too late for him to have to do it and they could go home. Maybe she had forgotten about it in the fun that they had had so far that day.
As he daydreamed, he had stopped paying much attention to their wrestling, and before he knew it, his sister was now sitting on top of him, pinning him to the ground. His mind snapped back as his competitive nature took over. He couldn't let her win, so he had to resort to his ace in the whole.
He brought both of his tiny claws up and began tickling her furiously. She began to laugh uncontrollably and squirm on top of him, but she didn't get off of him. She was determined to finally beat him in something, and she wasn't going to let him get out of this one. He picked up his pace and dug his tiny claws even deeper into her flesh as he struggled to find some way to get her off of him.
She laughed even harder and tried speaking, "S-Stop... haha... Stop it... haha!"
He knew that she would relent eventually; she always did.
"Haha... Please.... stop....hehe."
He wasn't going to let up. She had to cave in at some point.
"Stop...haha...I'm gonna... haha!"
He kept up his furious tickling. The only way that he would stop is if she gave up. He was glad that he wasn't ticklish. He couldn't imagine the thought of being completely helpless by something as simple as that. He smiled smugly as he continued to listen to her laughter and feel her wriggling on top of him. He was going to win, and nothing was going to stop him.
It was then that he felt it. His smile faded and he stopped tickling her as warmth started spreading over his chest. He looked up at his sister. She was trying to recover from her fit of laughter, but at the same time, embarrassment was stamped across her cheeks. She looked down at the mess still being made, powerless to stop it from happening. He didn't know what to do, and simply lay there awkwardly until she had finished.
She backed off of him slowly, tears starting to form in her eyes as she said, "I'm... I'm sorry brother! I.... I didn't... mean to..." She started sniffling, trying to control herself. She looked down at his soaked belly and lost control of her emotions as she began to cry.
He pushed himself up so that he was sitting, and he looked at his sobbing sister trying to find out what to say. It was all his fault that that had happened, but she was the one crying. He hated seeing her cry. He had accidentally made her cry a few times before when their roughhousing got a little too intense, and he always felt horrible afterwards.
"Don't cry Ser. Please don't cry. It's my fault."
She continued her crying. Nothing he was saying was getting through. A thought passed into his mind, and he decided to go with it.
"Looks like I'll have to get in the river to clean myself up."
She stopped her crying almost immediately and stared at him through watery eyes. Was he really going to do it? Curious concern entered her mind and began to push her embarrassment away. She had been wanting to see him brave the river for a whole week now. And now he was finally going to do it?
He smiled proudly as he watched her calm down before saying, "Well, I have to get clean somehow, and since that's why we came here, why not do both at once?"
She smiled as her eyes began to dry up. "Are you really gonna do it brother?!"
He smirked confidently and stood up saying, "Of course I am. Just watch!"
"Be careful brother!"
He began walking toward the river's edge with long, sure strides. Inside, he was getting more afraid with each step, but no matter what, he couldn't let that show. He was going to continue to be the brave sibling he always had been. He had been scared in the past, but he always came through triumphantly as long as he made himself keep going. He held up a single claw up to his sister similar to a thumbs-up gesture before saying, "Don't worry Ser. I'll be fine." He had made it a habit to make that gesture to her whenever he was about to do something dangerous; it had become one of his little signature traits.
He reached the river's edge and stopped, looking down at the crystal clear water. He could see his reflection dancing on its surface, and he could also see the bottom of the river at the same time. At least it wasn't very deep. Maybe he could just walk across if he was lucky. Some part of his mind doubted it, but it was good to remain hopeful. He inhaled a deep breath and let it out on a heavy sigh as he raised his right foot and lowered it into the running water.
As the water touched his leg, a slight stinging sensation coursed through his muscles. It didn't necessarily hurt, but it wasn't pleasant by any means. He sighed again. What had he gotten himself into? He summoned up the necessary courage he needed and he inhaled deeply again as he brought his other leg into the mild current. He looked down at his feet, and trembled slightly as coldness washed over him. He had gone into the river successfully, but he had pushed his ego too much and he still had to cross the river and come back safely.
He lowered himself slowly down into the cool water so as to wash the fluid from his chest and belly. Every droplet of water that made contact with his flesh sent the same stinging feeling that he was feeling on his legs. He told himself that he would get this over with as quickly as he could so he could go away triumphantly and never have to venture into the river again. After he was satisfied with how he had rinsed himself, he inhaled deeply again and began slowly walking toward the opposite bank.
His heart rate quickened as his nerves began settling in with every step he took. Every time his feet inched forward on the slippery rocks, more of his body became immersed in the harsh liquid. Regardless of his nervousness, he continued onward unfaltering. He had to prove that he wasn't afraid to his sister. In no time, he was almost halfway across, but his body was almost completely immersed in the water. The slightly increasing current made it more difficult to maintain his footing with each step.
He kept his tail flame raised as high as he could, making sure to keep it out of contact with the water at all costs. He had made it past the center of the river and the water level was at the top of his neck. If the river were any deeper, he would have had to learn to swim on the spot. He maintained his breathing as best he could to calm his nerves and he continued his slow and careful trudge through the running water. Every step that he took was another step to the safety of the other side, and at this point, there was no point in going back since it was farther away.
Much to his satisfaction, the depth of the water began to lower as he neared the edge of the river. Joyous, his heart rate jumped a bit as he was only a few glorious steps away from safety. He reached the other side, and quickly lifted his soaking body out of the cold. He turned his body to face his sister, smiled, and gave her the reassuring thumbs-up gesture.
"Yay! You did it brother!"
"Toldya I could. Want me to bring you something back from this side?"
She bounced up and down happily, "Sure!"
"Alright, let me find something."
He turned around and began searching for something to bring back. Something then caught his eye and he ran to grab it. He disappeared from her sight momentarily, but he returned hiding something behind his back. He was going to make it a surprise for her, so she'd have to wait until he got back.
Although he didn't want to, he made his way back to the river's edge and climbed into the water, careful to keep his secret present hidden from his eager sister. He began backtracking to the other side just as he had done before. He still wasn't any more keen on the idea of having to make his trek, but he couldn't stay on the other side forever. However, he was more confident now that he had made it across once already.
He increased his pace a little more than his first crossing, and in no time, he was up to his chin in water again. It wouldn't be long before he made it, and then the two of them could continue playing together until it got dark. However, that would be delayed moreso than he had anticipated. In his confidence and eagerness, one of his feet slipped on one of the algae-covered rocks, and before he could react, his body plunged into the water, tail flame and all.
He felt himself being carried downstream as he flailed his body in panic. He instantly felt weaker from his tail flame being underwater, and anxiety started to flood his senses. He tried touching the bottom again hoping to be able to stand up, but the river had gotten deeper making it impossible. In his struggling, he managed to get his head back out of the water and gasp a breath of air. He couldn't figure out where he was and he could hear his sister shouting from somewhere, but he wasn't sure exactly where.
He managed to keep his head from going back under, but his tail flame continued to stay below the water's surface. He got his bearings and noticed that he was being swept toward some protruding rocks. His vision started to blur as his tail flame struggled to stay lit. The last thing he could remember was closing in on one of the bigger rocks before he passed out from exhaustion.
He heard the distant cries of his sister vaguely in the back of his mind. His head was pounding fiercely and it took all of his strength just to open his eyes to see where he was. All he saw was water, but he wasn't moving anymore. The sound of his sister's yells became more prominent and clear as his mind came back to reality. His strength was slowly returning to him, and he was able to lift his head up and crane his neck to see where he was.
By some miracle, he was on top of a rock and his tail flame was slumped over its rough surface, slowly beginning to burn more fiercely. His lower body was still in the water, so he extracted it and rested on top of the rock. He heard his sister scream again, but he couldn't see her. He had no clue how far he had been carried down the river, but she had to be looking for him. He shook his head trying to get his pounding headache to go away, but that only seemed to make it worse.
He brought his right claw up to his forehead and wiped the remaining water from his face. He looked to his left and saw as luck would have it a cluster of rocks that extended to the edge of the river. His tail flame was now burning almost as brightly as it was earlier in the day, and he found the strength to stand up. He felt a little off balance from his headache, but he was able to keep his footing, and he started stepping carefully over the glorious path of rocks.
He finally made it back across and slumped down on the wonderful grass as he tried to fully recover. While he sat there, his sister's voice sounded very loudly and he looked up to see her running toward him. She had tears in her eyes again from what he could see, and before long, she had reached his side.
She said worriedly, "Are you hurt brother!?"
He winked at her and gave her the thumbs-up gesture with his right claw. Before he could react, she threw herself at him, hugging him tightly. The hug caught him a little off guard, but he returned it affectionately.
"I was so scared you were hurt!"
"Nah; I'm fine. Don't worry about me."
She hugged him even more tightly before saying, "Are you sure you're alright!?"
"Yeah, I'm perfect."
He glanced down and noticed that by some random chance, he was still clutching the item that he had gotten for her in his left claw. He had no clue how he managed to hold onto it or how it didn't seem to get damaged during the chaos of what just happened, but he wasn't going to question his luck. He pried himself away from his sister and held up the object to her.
He said, "I got you this leaf."
She looked at the leaf and saw why he had chosen that particular one to grab. It was huge for one; it was bigger than any leaf she had ever seen. And it was a dark orange with a yellow stripe down the center. It reminded her of a charmander, and it was really pretty. She took the leaf from his claw and held it up to the sun, mesmerized by its size and colors. She giggled and said, "I will treasure it always brother."
He smiled, glad that he could make his sister happy. After she had had her fill of looking, the two of them walked back together to where they had begun their day's activities. They resumed their game of tag, and continued playing until it started to get dark. Their laughter continued to echo through the surrounding forest as they played, unaware of the passing of time. Before long though, the sunset was upon the two and they begrudgingly decided that they should head back home.
Seria carried her present with her, making sure to keep it from getting damaged as long as she could. The two walked back briskly so as to return before night fell upon them. They had made the mistake of staying out too late before, and their parents had gotten onto them about it. They wouldn't tell their parents about the river incident. They never told their parents about Drek's dangerous adventures because they were afraid of being confined to the cave.
They got back just as night fully hit, and the only light came from the moon and their two tail flames as they neared the cave entrance. When they got there, the two looked in and saw complete darkness. That was strange, normally their parents were waiting with a fire burning fiercely for them to get back. Maybe they had left to go looking for the two of them? Whatever the reason, they were out a little later than they had promised, and they didn't want to get in trouble if they were in trouble.
He whispered to his sister, "Let's hurry up and pretend to go to sleep. That way they won't punish us when they get back."
She whispered back to him, "Good idea."
The two made their way into the darkened cave from the extremely limited light from their tail flames. They managed to get to the back of the cave where they normally slept together, and they lay down upon the cave floor. They closed their eyes, but they weren't tired, so they began chatting in a low whisper as they often did at nights.
"You don't think mommy and daddy went to that place without us do you?"
"Don't be ridiculous Ser. They would never go to Charizard Valley without taking us with them. Daddy told me so himself."
"What do you think it's like there?"
"I dunno. Daddy told me that he's never been there, but he had heard rumors about it. It's supposed to be a wonderful place for fire types like us."
She yawned, "I hope we get to see it brother."
"Don't worry Ser. I'm sure mommy and daddy will take us there one day."
"I hope you're right brother. I really wanna see it."
"Me too."
He waited for her to respond, but she just lay there, and pretty soon he heard her steady breathing telling him that she had gone to sleep. He yawned deeply himself and got himself comfortable. His mind flashed back to the day's events, and how lucky he had been to survive the river experience. He had never had such a close call before, and he wasn't too keen on experiencing another one anytime soon. As his mind raced, he thought a little about Charizard Valley, and how his daddy had described it. He just had to see it with his sister one day, and he would promise her to take her there when they were able. His thoughts began to blur together, and before he knew it, he slowly drifted off to sleep as well.