FSE

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The sky was beginning to grow dark and the forest once again resumed it's normal workings. A Lucario carrying a bandaged Charmander could be seen, headed north to the Cliff of Wrath. It has been about four hours since Qagan finished with the poachers and he is growing weary. Qagan has been camping out for six nights trying to spot humans poaching in the Keldan Reserve, reports of missing Pokemon were rumored around the forest. When Qagan heard of these disappearances he decided to investigate, he felt the presence of Tucker long before he found him. Then Qagan smelt him, few humans stink of such evil and death.

He also got the scent of the flame this Charmander smelt of, but he disregarded this smell as something his own mind created. He was shocked when he found this creature in the forest, They tend to stay in the Keldan Crater to the northeast about thirty miles. Qagan kept these thoughts to himself as the cliff came into view. "Home is within view, can't wait to get some sleep." He muttered to himself quietly. "Still gotta get a fire going once I get there." The Lucario let out a long yawn. Another ten minutes of walking revealed the enterance to his cave. The cave was lit, a fire was already going. This caught him by surprise, he wasn't expecting anybody to be there.

Qagan stopped twenty feet before his cave entrance. "Whose in there?" He called out while switching arms to carry the Charmander to his left arm. Raising his right arm to the entrance. "Show yourself now and I won't kill you!" he promised. He saw a Raichu exit the cave, his yellow cheeks sparking wildly. The Raichu looked at the Lucario and his cheeks stopped sparking and a wide smile stretched across his face.

"Goddamn, you scared the shit out of me Qags!" The Raichu stated, relieved. Qagan began walking towards the cave again.

"I didn't know you were coming back so early, Shokan" Qagan stated simply, a smile also spreading on his face.

"Yeah, well... Mom got on my nerves..." Shokan sighed. "What's up with the baggage?" he asked.

"Found her at the poacher's shack." Qagan said. "She's probably gonna be here awhile."

"Don't worry Qag, at least she's alive at all. I thought the poachers were just rumors." Shokan said. Qagan raised a small stone bed next to the hearth. "What was she doing way out here in the forest?" Shokan wondered aloud.

"I'm not sure, They tranquilized her when I saw her. " Qagan answered "She lost a lot of blood before I got to her. I'm sure that's why she's in a coma, she should come around in a couple days. Tomorrow I'll gather some food." He put the Charmander on the slab. She was breathing steadily, Qagan looked at her for a second longer. She felt different than the other living things around him, but he ignored these thoughts and faced Shokan again.

"Thank you my friend." he calmly said.

"For what?" Shokan asked.

"For coming back early." Qagan answered simply. "I'm going to get some sleep, I'm going to get up early tomorrow to get firewood." Qagan told him.

"Alright, anything you need me to do?" Shokan asked.

"Watch over the Charmander for me, once I'm done with firewood I'll need longer to get the food." He answered as he opened the stone door to his room. "Goodnight Shok." he mumbled as he closed the door.

"'Night." Shokan said as he threw the last pieces of wood into the hearth.

Shokan awoke to the sound of birds coming through the entrance of the cave. He looked into the hearth in the center of the room. There was still many embers at the bottom, and it was still warm in the cave. The Raichu let out a large yawn and stretched, and slowly stood up to continue stretching. He walked over to the slab which the Charmander slept on, She was still completely knocked out. She looked comfortable though, he went out to the entrance of the cave and looked to the right of the front. There was a large stack of firewood. "Damn, that guy works fast." He said to himself. "It's still early..." as he checked the position of the sun, it couldn't be later than nine o' clock.

He gathered five pieces of wood and brought them inside. He set them by the hearth and tossed two in to keep the embers going. he walked over and slapped a square on the wall twice with both of his front paws, the square seemed to be swallowed by the ceiling. Cold air blew out kissing Shokan on his warm cheeks. There was a giant block of ice at the far end of the room that kept all the items cold and fresh inside of the room. he grabbed two small clay pots full of water and walked out of the room, he set them next to the charmanders bed. He went back into the cold room and grabbed a small pack full of apples, on his way out he tapped the wall twice with his right paw. The door slowly came from the ceiling and closed silently on the flat floor.

Shokan set the food next to the jugs of water. He went to the other side of the hearth next to the wood and sat down. He stared into the fire as he tossed another log down the hole. He looked back at the charmander, still sleeping soundly. something felt strange to him, he couldn't name it but it made him feel... uncomfortable. Like something bad was going to happen, He quickly banished the thoughts for being unreasonable. He lay down and closed his eyes, uneasy thoughts gnawing at the back of his mind, and drifted into a light sleep.

Two hours go by uninterrupted by movement or noise. The Charmander begins to stir, her nightmares are becoming vicious. It awakens Shokan from his nap and looks at the bandaged Charmander, She is twitching wildly and her lifeflame is very large.

"Shit..." he curses to no one in particular. He stands up and runs to the slab she's laying on and grabs her hand. she grips it and immediately her eyes shoot open. Her breathing steadies as she tries to comprehend the new reality around her, her lifeflame returns to normal size. She can see a ceiling above her, it looked incredibly smooth and polished. She felt like she was being calmed down by a power that was not her own. There was a warmth in her left hand, she looked over to see a Raichu holding her hand with a worried look on his face.

"Are you alright?" the Raichu asked quietly.

"I... am fine" She said shakily. The fear in her eyes was very clear and fresh.

"Where am I?" she sat up and looked around. The whole room looked like it was polished to a fine shine. Only there was Hearth in the middle of the room about five feet deep and half full of ash and ember, The room itself was a perfect cube shape with some square markings in the wall.

"You're safe in this home, you're at the Cliff of Wrath." Shokan stated calmly. She was still looking around, last she remembered she was walking through the forest on her own.

"How... did I get here?" She asked staring at the Raichu with eye's of the deepest emerald green. They took in every detail around her like a camera, he knew she would remember his face to the exact detail. "You'll have to ask Qagan, he's the one who saved you." he said as he sat on the slab next to her, being careful not to set himself on fire with her lifeflame. "What is your name?" he asked softly.

"My name is... Teya" She answered, still a little shook up from her nightmare. "And what is yours?" The Raichu smiled at her.

"Pleased to have your acquaintance, my name is Shokan." His large smile made her smile a little. "You hungry?" he asked suddenly.

Her stomach growled loudly, there was an echo in the cave. "I'll take that as a yes." He laughed. Teya looked down at her stomach, there were bandages wrapped around her.

"Wha..?" She stammered.

Shokan looked at her. "Oh... uh, Qagan'll have to explain that to you. He didn't explain much to me." He told her while handing her an apple. Teya examined the apple while she held it. It was bright red, and abnormally large. She took a large bite and chewed. This was the best apple she'd ever eaten, the flavor exploded in her mouth.

She swallowed the delicious mouthful, only to find herself stuffed. She put it next to her on the floor, and waited for Shokan to finish his. He scarfed it down to the core, he threw the core into the hearth.

"So," She said nervously, getting the Raichu's attention. "How did you meet this "Qagan" that you speak of?"

Shokan looked at her for a second before answering. "He's one of my closest friends, known him since I was a Pichu." Shokan answered reflecting on those long past days. "He actually saved me too. From a pack of Zangoose that were trying to make me their afternoon snack. Beggars can't be choosers if you're starving I guess, Pichu's not being known for having much meat on their bones. I ran as fast as I could, but they were catching up pretty quick. That's when I ran into some pretty solid legs, the Zangoose stopped dead in their tracks. Qagan was standing right there staring the all Zangoose down and he said. "If I were you, I'd rethink my meal!" I'd never seen a face look quite so dark as Qags that day. One of the Zangoose tried to attack him, and met it's bloody demise. It seemed like a controlled explosion came from his right hand and incinerated the Zangoose, leaving a charred and bloody corpse. Sending the rest of the pack running like mad away from him. He looked down at me and smiled, "Now, where do you live little one." he picked me up and brought me back to my mother and father. That's the short version anyway, We continued seeing each other and hanging out. Now we're roommates." Shokan finished.

Teya looked into the fire. "He sounds like a nice pokemon." She said with a growing smile. "A little gruesome though."

Shokan looked into the fire also. "He tries to protect the Pokemon in this area from the Humans." He said in understanding. "But he also protects the younger Pokemon too. Even from other pokemon." they both sat in silence for a couple minutes. "So, what's your story Teya? Why did you come here?" The Charmander sat for a second staring into the hearth.

"I come from the Keldan Crater, and my father is the chieftain of the Charizard in the crater. My father kept all the Charizard working together hoping that all of them would welcome a chance to live peacefully, but it seemed some of them started arguing about where they wanted to have their homes set up and how large they would be. Most of them wanted to stay close to my fathers home as to stay under his rule and wisdom. Others wished to live farther away to be able to farm the sacred Ruby Fruit next to the lava flow. The Ruby Fruit only grows in the crater next to the hottest of the lava flows. Needless to say that there would not be enough room to let more than one Charizard to farm the fruit, yet there were five Charizard who wanted to farm there. This started an argument of who was most qualified to do the job. My father tried to hold the tribe together, but ended up getting caught in the crossfire... I left to come see if there were any Pokemon that will help in returning the tribe to its former beauty. I've only asked a couple of Pokemon but they refused, thinking it was a trap." Teya finished, her gaze fixed on the hearth.

Shokan continued to look at the troubled Charmander. "I'm sure Qags will help you." Shokan said smiling. "But for now you should get some rest. Qagan should be back in a couple more hours." Teya nodded and laid back down. Shokan stood up and walked over to the three remaining pieces of firewood and threw them into the hearth. "Shokan?" Teya timidly asked.

"Yes?" Shokan answered while sitting down next to the hearth.

Teya looked over to him. "What kind of Pokemon is Qagan?" she asked.

Shokan looked her in the eye. "He's a Lucario." He said simply. Teya looked intrigued at this. She rolled over and fell into a deep sleep.

The fire in the hearth cracked and popped. Teya's mind was starting back up, recalling all of the events that happened before she lulled into sleep. She sat up and watched the fire, It danced and flickered beautifully. As if it were trying to entertain her with it's glowing charm. It reminded her of home. She noticed the raichu Shokan was fast asleep by the hearth, snoring lightly. She smiled as she looked back to the enchanting fire. "Then in the end there were none." A deep voice sang. "The moon did not mourn their passing nor did the stars." the voice continued to sing sadly.

Teya looked around herself but could not see where the voice originated. "The sun knew not what had been done." Teya jumped off the slab and listened. "The deeds would go unremembered by the trees-" She looked to the entrance to the cave, that's where the voice was coming from. "and the fortunes of all shall remain the same." Teya walked towards the entrance slowly hearing this sad story. "Until they unite and build again, hating their allies and trusting their foes." Teya came to the entrance and saw a figure sitting against the cliff to the left of the entrance and holding a pipe in his right paw, smoke rising from the hole in the top. "Then the fighting resumes and all is lost." The figure finished. She walked over to the figure seeing it was a lucario. "This must be Qagan" She thought to herself.

Qagan looked over to her.

"Come, sit next to me." He ordered looking into her eyes. Teya looked at the Lucario curiously, she had never seen the likes of him, he was slim and tall. As tall as she was and he was sitting. His eyes were a piercing blue, they seemed to hold her in place. Qagan was inspecting her as well, She couldn't be more than three feet tall, She was more round like most Charmanders but not fat. Her skin was bright red and not an orange like most other charmander, and her belly was yellow. Teya sat next to him, he looked back into the sky.

"How are you feeling?" Qagan asked her with concern barely audible.

"I'm feeling fine. Just a little tired though." She yawned. Qagan took a puff from his pipe and blew a smoke ring.

"Good." he said. "You can take off those bandages, you're fully healed I'm sure."

Teya looked at the bandages across her stomach. "What happened to me?" She asked, cutting the bandages with one of her claws.

Qagan looked at her. "You were captured by a poacher." He stated grimly. "He was going to skin you and sell your hide to other humans to wear or use as a flame retardant." The Charmander continued removing her bandages. When she looked at them they were covered in dry blood where they were on her back. She threw them aside.

"Must've cut me good, did you scare them off or something?" She asked looking at the Lucario.

"I tried that the first time..." Qagan explained. "I - I killed them this time."

Teya looked shocked. "B-But..." She studdered.

"Quiet." Qagan said calmly. "I do not wish to speak about it." They both sat in silence for a long time. Teya was looking through her mind, finding reason to run into the forest and not look back. She regained her sanity and thought about the situation he had to face at the time. She looked over to Qagan who was staring at the moon, appearing to be deep in thought.

He looked over to the charmander. "Do you want to hear a song?" He Queried.

Teya looked into his surprisingly beautiful eyes, as he did hers.

"Is it the one I just heard you sing?" She asked curious.

"No." he answered. "I read it in one of the Human books. I found it to have the same basic theme though." Qagan looked back to the moon, puffing on his pipe. "I would love to hear it." Teya answered. "Home is behind the world ahead, and there are many paths to tread, through shadow to the edge of night, until the stars are all alight. Mist and shadow, cloud and shade, all shall fade---all shall fade" He finished. There was a tear rolling down his cheek. Teya was sitting and looking at the moon, the song made her think about losing the moons beauty, tears were beginning to well up in her eyes. "Such beauty should never be wasted." He said looking at her.

"I'm very glad when I can save anything that lives. For life itself is the ultimate beauty." He looked at the moon again. "But for the others captured by the poachers, I was too late." He puffed on his pipe some more and tapped it out on a stone next to him. "Death is truly a waste..." He finished, setting the pipe on the ground next to the stone. He looked at Teya and smiled. "At least I managed to save you though." Teya looked him in the eyes, she could see his genuine happiness and made a smile of her own.

"Thank you..." She told him. "I'm truly sorry you had to go through the trouble of saving me."

Qagan looked shocked at this. "No need to apologize." He replied sternly. "It was no trouble at all. Never apologize for actions not dictated by yourself. I chose to help you, and it shall remain my choice." Teya noticed a change in his eyes. They seemed to have a tint of red to them, but only for a moment.

"I'm glad you chose to help me." She said shyly.

Qagan gave a large smile. "I am too." He said.

They sat in silence, enjoying the full moons light coat the forest in a blanket of its beautiful color. "You better get some sleep." Qagan told her. "I want to know what your doing way out here. Must be pretty important from what little Shokan told me when I got back."

Teya stood up and looked into his blue eyes. "Yes." She replied. "It is very important. I'll explain it in the morning... I feel very tired, and it's a long story."

Qagan raised an eyebrow. "Alright, when you wake up I'll be there."

Teya walked back into the cave and hopped up on the slab. She laid down and stared at the ceiling. Her mind wandered and she could hear a voice. "From his mind to yours, the truth shall be seen. The way he saved you was bloody and unclean."