Memories of the Beginning
Note: After quite a bit of thought I've decided to re-write this little story with a few changes. While the plot line is the same, I have gone through and re-worded some things, as well as corrected a couple errors that I had missed the first time around. The main reason for this is that it was indeed a bit too long since I had been working on this story. My attention has been divided amongst various tasks and what not as of late, leaving little time for hobbies such as writing. After trying to begin again from where I left off, I found I simply could not get the -feel- of the story back, thus the re-write. Plus, formatting with my old processors was a pain, so I switched to a new one and had to re-write anyway. I drew from the original story completely for this, only making additions, subtractions, or edits as I came across them rather than starting from the ground up. I've also changed the paragraph structure a bit. The way it was going would have the story chapters ending int he low 50's or something, so I grouped it better. I've added on what would have been chapter 3 to this, so there is something new. So, welcome to the all new (sort of?) Chapter 1.
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any other copyrighted characters . However, this story is my original creation. If you wish to use any or all if it in any way shape or form, please contact me and ask first. Chances are I won't have a problem with it, but I ask that you are courteous about it.
With the formalities out of the way I'd like to thank everyone for taking the time to read a first time authors scrabbles. This story is something of an ongoing experiment, so I fear it may be rather dull at some parts (or all.) It does involve scenes of descriptive (if I've done my job right) violence that might offend some readers, so please take note of that before you continue. Any kind of criticism or suggestions, constructive or otherwise, will be greatly appreciated. However, please note that I am attempting to invent certain aspects which may not be correct or even detailed at all in the Pokemon world brought to us by Gamefreak. So, I'm afraid commenting on things like "This and this don't work that way with Pokemon" will be a bit unnecessary. Now then, without further delay, on to...
Divinity
Chapter 1 - Memories of the Beginning
"Somehow I'm not surprised that you're still here." A worn but kind voice called out softly. The sudden surge of sound caused a black furred Pokemon that lay against the heaps of rubble to awaken instantly. An intense growl dwarfed the mans voice in an instant and made him recoil with a light shudder. "I don't think Amina meant to live like this, you know. I'm sure right now if she could see you--" The man began once more, giving a pause, then thinking better of it and quieted. For a long while the two stoic figures remained still as a light fluttering breeze brushed past and roused a feeling of life in the Pokemon that lay against the ground. Finally it lifted it's head and glanced to the man. Perhaps it was the understanding smile of his old friend, or even the reflection of his broken form in the mans eyes, but a feeling of dread came to him.
"It'll be two years in about a month, I don't see how she'd be able to see me now, Lance." The Pokemon spoke in a tone weak from exhaustion as well as poor health conditions.
Lances smile widened at the sound of the Pokemons rather human-like voice. Indeed it had been nearly two years since he had heard it, so even the rather disagreeable string was a landmark for progress. Lance used his foot to clear away a pile of loose debris before taking a seat next to the Pokemon, using his hands to sweep the cape he insisted was fashionable away so as to remain comfortable; something told him he was gonna be there quite a while this time. His wise eyes glanced quietly through the destruction that lay before him before settling on the ground between his legs. Thinking carefully, he reached into his vest pocket to pull out a small nutritional capsule and twirled it about in his gloved fingers. "If you don't eat more, you won't last much longer like this Umbreon." He said with a touch of sincere concern to his clinical diagnosis. The Umbreon beside him pulled his gaze away, drawing it to the rubble just as Lance had.
"Please, use my name. I like that much better." Though he attempted to feign a neutral tone, the weariness that seemed to sap the very life out of him could not be masked. The smile never left Lances face as he popped the capsule into the air shortly then caught it deep in his palm as it fell.
"Let's make a little deal. You eat this, and I'll use your name, okay?" Lance asked calmly. The Umbreon looked quite annoyed at the gesture, finding that the thought of taking help from others in his condition was akin to weakness. There was no denying the fact that in the past few months his health had degraded severely, but he felt it was nothing he couldn't remedy himself, if only he had the incentive.
"Normally in a deal, both people ask for something that would benefit them in some way." The Umbreon spoke quietly.
Lance brought his hand down and opened it, the tablet within rested at an odd angle because of a wrinkle in his glove. "This will benefit me. You still have friends you know." Lance said, careful not to actually speak the Umbreons name as to tempt him more to consume the small morsel. The Umbreon glanced to Lance's hand, eyeing the request carefully. It was small and grainy looking with an odd series of letters stamped into it. Though he had never seen it before, he knew Lance was still someone he could trust, even if it was him that...
With a shake of the head the Umbreon pushed away the painful thought and forced his mind onto another aspect of the deal that was presented to him. If he did as he was asked, he would hear his name spoken once again. Even imagining it brought a feeling of pleasure to him. It was the name Amina had given him, the name that made him her own, and even if it wasn't her tender voice speaking it, he was desperate to hear it again. Desperate to cling to even the slightest threads of the life he wanted back but could never have. Nodding in defeat, he craned his neck, wincing slightly as the stiffness in his muscles caused a great deal of discomfort to surge through him. With one deft movement he took the capsule between his teeth and closed his mouth, pulling away from Lances hand and chewing roughly. It tasted horrible , like eating the remnants of a shattered rock, but his task was short lived as within seconds the object disappeared down his throat. "Thank you, Oren." Lance said happily. "You don't need to be worried, that was just something like a big meal, except small. It'll help make you stronger once you've had a chance to process it."
The effect of hearing his name was exactly as Oren predicted. All at once a flood of relief came to him, but it's effect was so temporary that it left him beckoning on the edge of something, wanting so very badly to reach it. Oren closed his eyes and focused on the feeling of humanity returning to him once again again, basking in its luxurious glow as if he'd never get the chance to again; for all he knew, that might be the case. Finally as it was all gone he was empty once again, in a cold darkness though the bright sun shone overhead, warming his physical body to a point of discomfort. There would be no warming his mind or his heart, however. Tears began to well into his eyes as he was allowed such a brief glimpse into the past. "Please Lance. Say it again. I need to hear it, just one more time." Orem managed to choke out before light sobs shook his frame. Looking at the sight thoughtfully, Lance opted against it, in favor of something he hoped would help his friend even more.
"I've got a better idea. Why don't you just start at the beginning, and keep talking until the end. I'm sure it's been too long since you've had a chance to speak about it, Oren, my friend." Oren swallowed hard, and squeezed his eyes shut, damming the stream of tears that threatened to streak down his face fur. Without even trying he began to tell his story, his mouth working on auto as words he never knew he had spilled forth onto an invisible canvas, painting their image for Lances privileged eyes and ears.
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Orens beginnings were simplistic. Or perhaps they weren't. Though he remembered everything in vivid detail, he could not imagine life as an eEevee actually being life until one night so very long ago. In fact, he wasn't even Oren until then.
Eevee left his family at a young age. The day when his mane filled in was cause for great celebration with all of his siblings. There was an abundance of playing and treats, the only two pleasures any of them actually could understand at that point. But after the giggles and smiles faded, a deep foreboding realization settled over all of the young Eevees. This could very well be the last time they saw their brother. Indeed, growing a full mane for a young Eevee was a sign of maturity, and it symbolized the final day they would spend with their family before venturing off into the unknown to begin the next phase of their lives. Even as the sun set over the fatigued and well-fed children, one of them wasn't very sad. Tomorrow would be a day of discovery and wonder for him.
Sunrise came on time, casting its rays over the tears that streaked down all of their furry faces, pup and parent alike. Just like the night before, the newly matured Eevee was feeling chipper, excited, and anxious to get out on his own. The good-byes were said, though they lasted a bit too long for his tastes, and then with a quick stretch he took off, sprinting between the trees (Although, tripping on an unearthed root briefly) before finally disappearing into a large thicket nearby.
The following few days would teach Eevee that there wasn't much fun in life alone, but more than that, it would teach him an aspect of his own personality. After several days of wandering aimlessly and sleeping wherever looked most comfortable, Eevee came across a quaint looking corner of the forest. Modest, at best, it contained little more than a large fruit bearing tree, a couple of bushes with small berries, and exactly four bright yellow flowers. At first his attention was drawn to this place because of the food, but as he ate his fill, the gentle scent of the flowers crept into his canine-like nostrils, seemingly heightening every flavor that spilled across his smooth tongue. Indeed the aromatic sense drew him to what would become his new home. With a stream fairly close by the small area was ideal for a small Pokemon such as he was. He settled in quickly, marking the tree and bushes with his scent by rubbing the fur of his mane against them. As simply as he had come across this place it was now his. Newfound bliss brought on by the self satisfaction and pride he had for coming across such a gem occupied his mind for quite some time, leaving time for little else than becoming adjusted to living alone. There was playtime, but this consisted of little more than swatting playfully at bugs that came nearby, Eevee's favorite was a large kind of fly that darted about so quickly that sometimes he'd have to use two paws to catch it, or even on rare occasions, adding in his tail as well. Aside from the bugs, Eevee was alone. At night, there was no warm body to snuggle against, nor was there any friendly face to awaken to. Even splashing around in the stream during bath time was less fun alone. Slowly, Eevee began to shift his activities to things that allowed him to focus his mind more effectively, instead of looking for others to enjoy in his fun with him. By a very lucky streak of trial and error, Eevee then learned to tend to plants.
For several months, perhaps a year or so, Eevee was adrift in the enjoyable yet repetitive tasks of his day-to-day life. Awaken, eat, tend to his flowers and bushes, bathe, eat once again, then sleep. Lucid periods dotted these tasks, times where he would simply sit propped up against the largest of the roots of his tree and gaze longingly at the clouds in the sky. A few times Eevee had attempted to locate the territories of other Pokemon nearby, to make acquaintances or even friends, but his advances were met with either neutrality or hostility. He had however managed to strike up a deal of sorts with a flock of Spearow that lived nearby. In exchange for allowing part of their growing population to take shelter in his tree during heavy rains, they would allow him to eat his hearts content of a special kind of nut that grew amongst their land. The added variety of food served to spice up the daily routine just a bit, but not enough to quell the sense of solitude that gradually settled over Eevee. He was alone, truly, and though the aspect seemed nice at first, its appeal was slowly dying away.
This would all change soon, after his first year of life alone, something incredible would happen to the little Pokemon, and he would be presented with a choice. To which his decision would break the cycle of loneliness forever.
As always, Eevee awoke when the sunlight was too bright to ignore any longer. His dream had been a pleasant one, though he could not quite remember most of it. There had been a new flower somehow, amongst his normal yellow ones, and as the small Pokemon nudged it affectionately its gentle scent came to him, enticing him to pull in long deep breaths. Indeed, the sun would pull him from this world and into reality too soon, so with a grumpy sigh he let his eyes open slowly. He immediately glanced over to his small garden, not really expecting to see anything new, but hoping all the same. When nothing but the flourishing yellow petals were seen he let his eyes fall closed again. After several moments they were pried open again as logic slowly returned to his mind, forcing him to realize the importance of starting his day without procrastination, and offering him the consolation that it would be too bright to sleep now anyway.
Nothing spectacular happened to signal that today would be any different from the others. Eevee made a horrible mess of himself while tending to his flowers, even stained his fur a touch when he bit into a ripe berry too roughly and was sprayed with juice. The usual cold bath remedied this problem, and aside from swatting idly at a fish that swam by, there was absolutely nothing else to occupy his time for the rest of the day. The perfectly blue sky meant that he was denied his usual pleasure of finding pictures in the clouds. Bugs, birds, Pokemon, and indeed any form of living creature seemed to be on vacation that afternoon. Alone, energetic, and horribly bored, Eevee would spend the rest of this day with a glazed dull expression over his small face as the corners of his muzzle pulled into an uninterested frown. Though days like this were not uncommon, when they did manage to come they would be exactly as as horrible as before; there was no getting used to this.
As slow as it may have been, the day did have a close. Watching as the colors of the sky slowly shifted from their crystalline blue to a blazing orange a calm smile came to Eevees lips, brought on by the hope that tomorrow would be better, that it would be amazingly fun to offset the atrocious boredom he had endured. With the sun slowly falling behind a far off mountain range every bit of life that had been away that day seemed to teem once again. The ambient rhythms of the forest played their lullaby, coaxing Eevee's eyes closed as he rested against his fluffy tail. As reality blended with the playful yet docile realm of Eevees mind, the beginnings of what would have surely been a wonderful dream wove itself through his thoughts, dancing about and teasing just beyond the reach of his comprehension as dreams always do. He stopped then, attempting to reach out and take hold of that wonderful that thought would spiral into a full blown dream if given the chance, but snapped his eyes open, realizing instantly that he was unable to reach it tonight.
Eevee gazed upon the approaching twilight, representing itself in the growing shadows, wondering what had just happened to him. Shaking his head lightly, as if to shake off the unusual condition, he settled in once again and closed his eyes. Alas, his predicament still made itself known. He opened his eyes widely once more, a mock test to examine their level of fatigue, and was shocked to discover that for the first time in his life the setting sun didn't herald the end of his day, but that wasn't all. There was a growing sense of urgency amassing in his body, causing his calm relaxed form to straighten and tense. The change came slowly, but increased exponentially until it was becoming nearly painful. The slightest movement of his body, twitch of his tail, and even deep inhalation all felt like euphoria in comparison. Soon he found himself writing against the ground, unsheathing and re-sheating his claws as he pawed futilely at the ground, digging up several blades of grass in the process. A high pitched whine came from his now parted lips; a sound so unusual it managed to send a cold shiver through the small, confused, and now somewhat frightened Pokemon. Finally he couldn't handle it any longer and rose to his paws, shaking lightly as he did so. Without thinking he took off, sprinting quickly and darting left and right to weave through the dense trees.
Whatever pleasure Eevee could have ever known in his life paled in comparison to this invigoration. Every gust of wind, every leaf that fluttered to the ground and zipped by as he shot past, every sound his paws made against the ground, all of it was pure bliss. Though he could not understand why, he knew that whatever he was doing, it was right. He cared not where he went, how long and far he ran meant nothing. A brief thought flashed in his mind before he ducked under an arched root. This was all familiar somehow, the territory that he was running through was somewhere he had been before. Eventually Eevees muscles began to tire, but still he pressed on, even daring to close his eyes and judge his movements on memories he never knew he had. Steadily the environment began to change. The trees became less dance and the grass thinned, being replaced instead by sharp gravel and snapped twigs. Still he continued, not caring as the sharp brush stabbed against his soft paw pads. Finally he opened his eyes, widening them in shock instantly as he forced all of his paws to lock in place, attempting to skid to a stop before plowing into a very large and painful looking boulder. He trembled as he imagined himself slamming full force into it, the image all too vivid in his mind, and dug his claws deeper in the ground to slow himself further. When the microseconds that seemed to last forever finally came to a close and he had stopped mere inches from what would certainly have been very harmful, he realized that as last the strange emotion and feel in his body had stopped. He was normal again, still somewhat shaky and confused, but his body was under his control. He panted lightly as a powerful scent finally caught up to him. It was a distinctive smell that he knew too well, but had scarcely ever come across. The bottom of his paws felt slightly wet, so he picked up one and winced slightly as he saw that indeed a slight trickle of blood had begun to leak from a point where something had stabbed him deeper than the other debris had. Upon examination of all of his other paws, he saw that they were in a similar condition. Some were worse off, one managed to remain intact with just crimson bruises bubbling up beneath the flesh, but they all ached deeply, making his body feel several times heavier than it really was. Easing himself down to rest upon his fore limbs, he took a few short moments to collect himself and try to make sense of what had just happened. Insanity wasn't a concept familiar to this little Pokemon, and with his list of explanations amazingly short, it wasn't long before he had resigned himself to simply accepting the fact that he would not be able to understand it, and for the first time looked ed about at the eery environment that seemed to conjure some long lost recollection that had no meaning to him any longer.
Further down the path the trees grew slightly more dense again, the seeding of rocks and debris thinning, the volumes playing a gradual balancing act. The sun had set little since Eevee began his trek, perhaps signaling that it had taken place in the span of but a few short moments, but an errant cloud cast its gloomy shadow over the area, giving even the brightest colors a depressing gray tone. Much like the Majority of the day before, there were few signs of life, not a single chirping bird in the sky or even a small furry animal skittering up a tree. The air hung low to the ground, as if heavy and saturated with the embodiment of some deep foreboding presence, causing each breath the tiny Eevee took to burn ever so lightly in his lungs. One by one each of his senses were assaulted and filled with negativity, with the exception of taste;though Eevee wasn't foolish enough to stick around and let that come too.
He rose slowly, still a bit shaky, and turned to face the direction he came. His steps were strained as each time he planted his paws on the grass, a fresh surge of pain and discomfort pulsed through the soft flesh. Keeping his eyes trained on the ground to find spots he could stop onto that weren't laden with rocks or twigs was all he could do to soften the excursion. Though he didn't know how far he traveled, he felt that his walk home wouldn't last very long at all. Indeed, he was correct, as within moments a strange scratching sound caught his attention. Peering through the trees at his side, he caught a sight that immediately piqued his interest and made him forget his confusing troubles.
There, sitting but a leap away against a rock was a creature Eevee had never seen before. It was huge, far bigger than most of the forests inhabitants he had come across. Pinkish, as well, and strangely bald with the exception of the fur atop what Eevee assumed was its head. Its body was strangely alien looking, with long limbs and various tube like segments jutting from these limbs. It sat quietly, scratching a yellow colored stick against a flat sheet of something that was impossibly pure white. Wherever the stick traced, a light mark was left, tracing the path it took across the sheet. It wasn't long before Eevees curiosity provoked him to use more of his senses to study the new creature. It smelled strangely horrible, yet new and fresh at the same time. A light flowery scent emanated through the air, being heavily down-toned by the powerful smell of burning sulfur. Amidst the smells of leaves, bark, and grass, there was another set of more familiar scents that could be just barely detected. Taking a small step closer to the tree to get a better angle, Eevee saw a small family of the normal fury woodland animals. Squirrels, perhaps, but he dismissed it as he glanced back tot he new alien. His eyes remained glued to the stick and sheet the creature was manipulating , in an attempt to learn what it was doing, maybe even gain some insight as to what the creature itself was. A stick scratcher, sheet darkening-er, nearly-bald Sitter? Though Eevee had a fairly logical mind most of the time, the most absurd things brought themselves to query within him now. Briefly , he shook his head after seeing what he was certain could only be an illusion, and turned back tot he small family of animals, then to the alien again, making an amazing revelation. The sheet was slowly beginning to bare the resemblance of the normal furry animals! Of course, it all made sense now. The aliens eyes occasionally glanced to the animals laying just a shot distance away. It was perhaps learning or studying the furry animals, it made sense.
Now that Eevee had distinguished the aliens intention, he felt a bit relieved , though not sure why he was worried about it to begin with. He began to approach it, hoping to make a new friend or acquaintance, but stopped after but an inch or so. Seeing the alien as a peaceful creature seemed to allow him to admire it in a new sense. It has such a soft look to it, with no razor sharp claws, teeth, or horns, it looked mildly defenseless. Its strange body didn't seem to lend itself to agility either, as surely those long limbs would flail about helplessly in the air if it tried to move quickly,. Even still, it didn't seem to be worried, as frozen on its face was what seemed to be an eternal content smile over lightly ruby colored lips. The expression it wore was one of serenity, made complete by an errant strand of fur that hung just to the side of its eye. However, there were still aspects of it that Eevee considered horrid. The smell of sulfur slowly increased, making him want to cough and gag. It never ceased its rise, quickly becoming something he could not ignore any longer, even forcing him back a bit. The acrid aroma seemed to erase everything else, assassinating his senses and bringing a copious moisture to his eyes. Even with as badly as it was effecting him, it seemed to have no effect on the alien creature.
Eventually the smell seemed to reach its peak and hovered for but a few short moments. Finally there was a low rumble followed by a blinding flash of white-hot light. Within an instant the smell was gone, replaced by a wave of burnt grass, fur, and flesh. Eevee stumbled to the ground, his strength abandoning him with he shock and confusion of what was happening. It seemed he was confused about everything that was happening this evening. A gasp brought his eyes back up as he saw the alien looking on still, sitting on the rock as it was before. The only change was that it's hand had stopped and is face was frozen in a look of terror. Quickly darting his eyes back tot he squirrels he could see why. They lay there in the same place, but now were little more than smoking piles of flesh. Their fur had burned and balled against their bodies, making them look horribly bumpy and disfigured, with limp necks drooping impossibly low and eyes partly open, revealing deep crimson colored orbs where the flames had struck. Out of the shadows to the side a figure began to emerge. Big, compared to Eevee, and black with orange markings through its fur. It walked upon four limbs, with canine-like features; this creature was familiar to Eevee. He had attempted to greet Houndour once before int he past and was met with nothing but hostility and violence. Since then he had learned to avoid this particular part of the forest, and now he remembered every last detail of it. He remembered how walking through the winding path had made his paws sore for the rest of the day, and how there were surprisingly few animals living around.
Houndour strolled over to his kill, moving about casually, even taking the time to glance up at the sky and take a deep breath while admiring the oncoming dusk. Its stomach growled, urging him on towards what would ultimately become his meal, but on such a wonderful evening there would be no rushing. When at last he came upon the crumped mass of bodies he licked his muzzle briefly in a somewhat crude manner before diving down nose-first into the flesh, feasting upon the still smoking meat with no concern to the horrible burned flavor that spilled across his tongue with each bite. Eevee turned away, clinching his eyes shut as tightly as he could to try and erase what he had just seen, a vain attempt to dispel the memory even while the act was still taking place. Another sound came to his ears next, this one brief and sharp. His ears twisted to the source, beckoning his eyes to follow suit. The alien was moving it seemed, trying to scoot away from the feasting Houndour, but it had made a mistake and caused a very audible clashing of rocks. Houndour was now staring at it, his eyes narrowed dangerously as it sized up the new creature in its view. Perhaps it was just hungry and saw this creature as a bigger meal, or it felt that it was being challenged for it's meat, but Houndour abandoned his feasting to stand between the alien and the squirrels. A vicious growl came from it's snarling muzzle, leaving rows of canine teeth to glint in the dimming light and specks of blood to fall from its lips to the grass below. Unlike Eevee, Houndour knew exactly what this creature was, and he knew that humans usually meant bad things were to come. Wanting to ensure that his feasting would go untroubled, Houndour charged at the human, howling as it did so. He leapt, baring his fangs, and Eevee made his move.
Without even thinking he thrust himself forward as fast as he could, leaping from the ground with a mighty kick and propelling his light body directly into Houndours. The two forms collided in midair, their impact causing a distinctive sound of bones grinding and clashing. Momentum caused Houndours body to twist and spin away at an angle, whereas Eevee simply fell to the ground and toppled over his own paws, ending up laying on his back. He groaned in agony and twisted his neck to gaze at what he still didn't recognize as a human, surprised to see its face still twisted in fear. Houndour ambled up to its paws, quivering under the pain from being slammed in such a manner. Its eyes cast over Eevees small tan body, recognizing it immediately as his attacker. Powerful flames of anger rose in the pits of his stomach, embodying themselves as the very flames he could expel from his muzzle. He wouldn't burn this enemy however, this one he would use his own claws and teeth for. It was just another Pokemon after all. Houndour charged maliciously towards the Eevee, hoping to end his meddling quickly so that he could go back to protecting his meal.
The sound of rapid paw scrapes against the grass turned Eevees eyes to Houndour just in time to let him roll out of the way of the charge, narrowly avoiding a set of fangs clamping just where his throat would have been. Eevee climbed to his paws a bit dizzily, turning back to the Houndour as soon as he could manage to move without falling. Again, he was just in time to recognize another attack and narrowly avoid it. The process became monotonous, yet in Eevees current state, he knew it would be far too taxing to keep it up. An attack would come, he would slip[ away as quickly as he could, sometimes completely avoiding it, others ending up with a sharp claw or two raking through his flesh. This combined with the harsh movements on his already sore paws was making the pain build to an unbearable peak. At the same time, Houndour showed no sign of slowing, his condition being much better off and his energy seemingly never ending. Thinking about it as he dodged a paw swipe that would have otherwise blinded him, Eevee realized how much of a fool he had been to attack a Houndour. Being smaller and weaker, and possessing no magnificent capabilities in any respect, Eevee knew that he wouldn't stand a chance against Houndour even in a fair fight. To top it off, Houndour was a well toned hunter, while the only fighting Eevee had ever done was when he was little and play wrestled with his brothers ad sisters; which always ended the instant any of them made a yelping sound to signify that they had begun to feel pain. While yelping at Houndour wouldn't stop him, Eevee knew he had to do something or else he wouldn't be making it home to get the rest his body was now begging for.
Even as a pup Eevee was always the more tactical minded out of his siblings. He always tended to sit back quietly and analyze things rather than rush headfirst into problems Now his talents would have to be put to use, as he realized they were all he had. He began straining his mind, trying to think of some miracle answer to solve his dilemma and escape safely, but it wouldn't come. All he could think about was turning and running as fast as he could, sprinting back to the safety of his territory where he doubted Houndour would follow. However, as he twisted away from the barreling Pokemon he noticed its movements and remembered the clear and obvious sound of bones clashing and grinding when they had first collided. And therein he found his answer. An impossibly exuberant smile came to his lips as he realized how simple it was. With his smaller size, Eevee did have one advantage he had overlooked: Agility. With this, he knew he could perhaps get off one clean attack on the Houndour as it charged past just as its side was open. He knew his body was okay save for the flesh woulds, so the sound of the bones must have come from Houndour. Meaning that it had been injured somehow beneath the flesh. If he could just find out where..
Eevee shouted to the Houndour, a defiant cheer. Houndour retorted with another vicious bark and growl, inching closer briefly. The two squared off, leaving Eevee with a perfect chance to observe his every feature and execute his plan. The fatigue felt as if it listed itself willingly from his body as the final moments approached. With each bated breath a new peak of tension was reached, and each brief sound was like a gunshot to their ears. Houndour began to charge again. Almost frantically , Eevee darted his eyes over all four of Houndours limbs and shoulders, looking for something that seemed out of place. Somewhere in the back of his mind, a song bird hummed happily as Eevee found what he was looking for. Houndours stride was irregular, making it obvious that he was favoring a limb. His back-right paw, as it was. Inching lower to the ground and tensing his muscles, ready to spring into action at just the right moment, Eevee waited and hoped that he could actually pull off what sounded like a perfect plan. When Houndour had come close enough, Eevee rolled tot he side as quickly as he could and kicked off again with his paws, forcing his body to fling itself at Houndour as he slowed and tried to regain his form from having missed Eevee yet again. It went exactly as planned when Eevee sank his teeth into Houndours flank, causing it to bellow out a bone chilling scream. Immediately the taste of blood spilled across his tongue, making him want to gag, but he held it in, trying hard not to breath. As an added measure of insurance, he twisted and flailed his neck wildly while his teeth remained sunk into Houndours flank, pulling and ripping lightly at the flesh and fur. The pair tossed and rolled quickly, making Eevee dizzy once again, but in the end the painful blow made the work of defending his meal no longer worth while. Houndour climbed to its paws and shot away through the trees with his tail tucked between his legs, a light mist of blood spraying as Eevees teeth tore away. It was over, Eevee had managed to stay alive.
The taste of blood still in his mouth made Eevee want to gag again, but this time the pride of his victory suppressed the urge all on it's own. He turned then, quickly remembering the other creature. He expected another smile, a praising yip perhaps, but much to his disdain he was met with the same horror-filled eyes that Houndour was. The smile left him slowly as he watched on, eyeing the creature carefully. He had risked his life to save it, and it seemed to fear him.
"Vee?" Eevee asked, stepping forward quickly, nearly prancing towards the scared looking creature. Quickly its eyes widened as it tucked itself tightly into a ball and screamed "No! Please, no!" Sobs finally began to course through its body. Eevee stopped then, realizing that she must see him as another predator, and sat quietly watching and wondering what he should do next. His lack of understanding of this creature made him focus on what it might be, perhaps to gain insight on why it feared him and give him some options on what to do. It was then that a long forgotten lecture his mother had given him came to mind, a lecture about creatures called Humans.
Humans were a dangerous species. Not because they threatened his life (in fact, they had no real way of fighting against Pokemon without the use of tools) but because interacting with them usually meant big changes that he, as a Pokemon, would have very little control over. They captured Pokemon and kept them as pets, or trained them for battle to use against other Pokemon. This he remembered clearly, for at the time he couldn't think of any kind of creature that would do such a thing, but it all matched up with what his mother had told him long ago. Humans were furless, large, walked upon two legs, had something called hair growing atop their heads, and spoke in a strange way that used many different words to convey their opinions, ideas, and whatnot. This was no creature, nor was it an alien. It was simply a human. From what Eevee was told however, Humans were indeed very dangerous, but this one hardly seemed that way. She was just scared now, frightened for her life at the prospect of becoming somebodies next meal.
Eevee sat low to the ground, letting his ears and talil fall low in a subconscious effort to make himself seem less threatening. A bit more calmly this time, he addressed the girl. "Vee, Eevee?" he spoke gently. The girl jumped at his voice and tightened for a moment before slowly turning her shaking head up just enough to see him between the arms that covered her face. Eevee sat and watched her patiently, tilting his head to the side a bit out of curiosity. For several moments they remained in these positions, simply watching each other and waiting, before the girl managed to work up the courage to make another move. She lifted her head further slowly, revealing all of it to Eevee and stared on, still obviously frightened. "Vee." Eevee began once more, not moving still. Though he was rather uncomfortable and the soreness in his body was building from the minor, yet plentiful injuries that peppered his skin, he remained patient and let the girl warm up to him at her own pace. Finally after what could have very well been ages she let one arm fall away from her body and lifted it slightly, pointing her palm out towards Eevee. Seeing this as a sign he got up slowly and padded over to her, keeping his eyes off of hers during this time and focusing on the ground in front of him. He stopped when he was within arms reach of her and let her move her hand to his mane slowly, waiting until she touched against the fluffy for to look up and smile at her. "Vee. Eevee, vee." Eevee said, trying to assure the girl before his voice trailed off. His body felt suddenly heavy as the pressure from all of his wounds and the exertion from the nights activities became too much to handle. He lost control then and closed his eyes as he fell to the ground, falling into a sate of unconsciousness while still within reach of the girl.
Sometime between lazing in the warm morning sun and listening to the song of his friendly neighborhood flock of Spearows, Eevee noticed that something was wrong. There was a light pressure on his body, but there was nothing near him except the soft grass beneath his paws. The sun was unusually bright, but there was little warmth to it. Sometimes, if Eevee looked up to it and opened his eyes, he could see something standing there before him. Tall, and white with small splotches of red. But, his eyes were open already, weren't they? An occasional pulling or tightening of his flesh would make him wince, but there was no pain. It was a strange detached sensation, because somehow he knew it should be hurting, but he felt nothing except for those slight variances in pressure. Yet for some reason, his focus was hazy. He couldn't concentrate on this odd sensation, for every time he tried to, he'd be confronted with the tall white figure once again, only to see infinite blackness just a few short moments later, until finally his morning sun and singing bird Pokemon returned to him. Eventually, he was able to decide that one of these places was nothing more than a simple illusion, but he couldn't decide which it was.
At last Eevee awoke, still feeling so exhausted that he dared not open his eyes. The pain that he thought was supposed to be had returned in full force. He knew now that the world of perpetual morning and singing was merely a place he longed to become a part of. Ever so slowly, the events of the night before brought themselves to bare in his memory. He remembered meeting the human and thinking absurdly that she was an alien, then defending her against the hungry Houndour for reasons he still couldn't recognize. He had been injured in the fight, and when it was over, the very last waking memory he had was of letting the girl stroke the fur of his mane in hopes that this would bring her comfort and reassurance.
If it was any single thing, remembering that he was injured was the que for the aches and pains in his body to resume their insistant calls. They were different now, however. Dulled greatly and almost unnoticable if he remained perfectly still. Eevee tried to do so, even attempting to control his breathing, all in an effort to keep away the horrible feelings. Before too long, however, he realized that turning a blind eye to these symptoms in order to remain ignorant of the actual damage that was inflicted on his body would serve him no good. Carefully opening his eyes, not really expecting what to see, Eevee was brought into the first true and clear glimpse of the world he had since his battle.
At first, Eevee's eyes fell on his own scruffy and messy fur, dirty and matted with blood that was most likely his own. A single paw, then a leg, finally his flank. His eyes traveled slowly to the greater portions of his body, finding what had become of him. The first unnatural aspect he noticed was a long series of white bands that wrapped themselves around his paw, constricting his movement with intense pressure. There were spots of red underneath, where his paw pads would be, and his fur was compressed in around the edges in a rather uncomfortable fashion that made him want to gnaw at the bands just to free the imprisoned strands. After testing the strength of the bands by wiggling his paw a bit, he found that the pressure felt strangely enjoyable, almost having a medicinal effect on the scrapes he knew lay just beneath. These bands continued up his leg at points where he remembered being hit by an errant claw or fang, as well as his flank. Examining more of his body would require a greater level of motion, and as he tried he found that the majority of his body was racked with sudden throbs of pain and discomfort. After a few deep steadying breaths he resumed his examinations. Those same mysterious white bands were wrapped carefully around his body at every point he had been injured, and he could feel that the wounds had been at least tended to in some manner beneath. Though he tried to get underneath the bands, they were far too tightly wrapped for him to even fit a claw beneath.
Seeing that he could learn nothing new from his own body, Eevee resigned himself to laying and resting, finally taking the time to glance around at his environment. It was indeed unusual, far different from anything he had ever seen. He was in a giant enclosure, with nothing more than a hole in a wall that showed the sun and clouds beyond to tell him that this place was even real. The platform he had been laying on was soft, incredibly so when compared to the ground and tree roots he was accustomed to sleeping against, yet somehow it was firm enough to hold his weight without creating any odd curvature in his body. By any understanding Eevee could muster, such an object could not possibly exist, yet it was beneath him, lending it's amazingly comforting properties to his aching body. The rest of this enclosure was just as unexplainable to Eevee, filling all of his senses with new information that was slow to process in comparison to the rate in which it was discovered. In time Eevee began to broaden his senses, in search of things beyond the reach of his eyes. It was then that he learned that he wasn't alone. Perhaps a stones throw away was the sound of rushing water, as if heavy rain was falling in only one small spot. Another glance out of the window reminded him that the sun was shining in full force, and with only a few calm clouds speckled the sky, so rain wasn't a possibility. Straining his ears a bit more and closing his eyes, he could hear something else, as well. Faint scuffling was coming from where the water fell, as well as the sounds of various things being manipulated in some manner. The thought of not being alone was both a little comforting and frightening at the same time, as he knew that in his current state he was defenseless, yet being alone in as strange a place as this was left him with no way to explain any his situation.
After a while of listening to the sounds of water, a slight creaking sound brought upon a strange bout of silence. For a moment, Eevee panicked, thinking that perhaps he might come face to face with whatever was in the water, but then realized that if it meant him harm, he had been since at least the night before, so it had plenty of time to have it's way with him. However, this was no reason not to be cautious, he figured, so he pulled himself into a tight little ball and pretended to sleep once more; the same position he had been in when he awoke. For several minutes there were more sounds, going on long enough to make Eevee begin to rethink his plan of feigning sleep, but at last there were light footsteps that began to grow louder and louder, closer and closer. The moment of truth would be upon him soon and the tension in his stomach began to reach a fever pitch. It was difficult to keep himself from tensing with each step. Soon, there was a sound within the room itself, Eevee opened his eye ever so slightly just to barely see what was coming just in time to see another part of the wall open up, and a tall figure standing there. Quickly closing his eyes once again, Eevee waited for something to happen, something to let him know whether or not he would be safe. For a while there was silence, with nothing but the calm breathing of a much larger creature to tell him that the door had been opened by any living creature at all. Footsteps came once again, drawing their owner forward closer and closer, stopping slowly at his side. With little warning, a casual hand fell against his side gently, resting against the fur and petting it lightly, smoothing it back to it's usual uniform appearance. The touch of the hand was like flipping on the light of realization in his mind, and he knew whom it belonged to; it was the very same hand that had woven through the fur of his mane just a night before. It was the Girl, Eevee knew, but he was not sure why he knew it. It could belong to any human, but the gentle carress of the fingers was exactly the same as it was when she stroked his mane. Taking the chance, Eevee made his state of consciousness known by lifting his head to look into the face of the girl. She inhaled a light gasp as she realized he was indeed awake, and pulled her hand away quickly.
"I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you up." She said quickly. "Are you okay, does it hurt?" At first the tone of her voice caught Eevee off guard. He didn't expect it to be as subdued and full of life as it was. When last he heard it, she had been crying heavilly and her words shrieked at him to show compassion and let her live, when she had thought he had the intention of harming her. He instantly admitted to himself that he liked this voice much better, as it's warmth was almost infectous. A curious and eager glittering of her eyes brought his mind back to the present and prompted him to shake his head lightly in response to her question. The pain he was in seemed to melt away at that moment, right along with the worries and tension of his fate that had plagued him since he discovered himself in this new place. A perky smile betrayed the girls calm features as she saw this, and she stood up to walk away a short distance, grabbing a nearby tray and bringing it back to him. Somehow, during his examinations of the room he was in, Eevee had failed to notice both the tray and the food items that lay on top. A bowl of water as well as an assortment of various strange--yet appetizing fruits were now beneath his nose, and with their presence, Eevee finally realized that his body had been begging for sustainance all along. Without waiting for the girl to do or say much of anything, Eevee let his mouth dip lightly into the water, drinking away the painful blazing fire that had reached the depths of his mouth and throat. As he drank, tears began to well up in his eyes and seep into his face fur slowly, brought on by his bodies gratitude for the cool liquid. A light trembling began in the pit of his stomach now, as his need for water was slowly appeased and a potent hunger remained. Pulling back from the bowl, he kept his eyes downcast shyly, a bit ashamed that the sudden and deathly thirst had caused him to lose control of himself in such a manner. His hunger remained though, and he glanced towards the fruit mixture longingly.
"It's okay, go ahead." The girl said with a reassuring light pat on the tray. Another moment of hesitation was all Eevee could muster before letting his teeth close around a small bite-sized morsel. A bit more calmly this time, he began to eat, straining himself to keep a casual pace despite the roar of his stomach. Though it hadn't been long since he had last eaten, his hunger claimed that it must have been his first meal in several long days. Thinking perhaps it was because of the exertion and injuries he had sustained, Eevee mentally quieted this call and ate his fill under the watchful eyes of the girl. It didn't take long for his hunger to dissapear, however, as the constant pressure of the bands around his body limited the amount his stomach could hold. As he reached that point and pulled away from the bowl, he let his gaze wander back to the girls face, seeing the perky smile still there, but the calm features replaced by a more out going and happy expression. When she saw that he had finished eating, she pulled the tray away and moved to sit beside him.
"Is that better?" She asked, waiting for Eevee's nod. For a little while, the two sat in the silence of each others company, neither quite sure what to do. Finally, with a light sigh, the girl began speaking once again. "I never got the chance to thank you for saving me last night... Or to introduce myself. My name is Amina." She said lightly, letting her eyes wander to the various bandages that covered his body. Amina went on to explain where they were, and how Eevee ended up there. He learned that she had carried him home so that he could get help. And that a doctor, a human that was well-versed in the practice of healing Eevee assumed, had taken care of his wounds. Some of what Amina explained to him made little sense, and had trouble with one detail she gave him in particular.
"I wanted to take you to the Pokecenter, they'd be able to make you better easy, and you wouldn't still be hurt like this, but the doctor said that they couldn't do anything more than this unless you had a Pokeball. And, well, I couldn't put you in one after what you did for me..." Amina said with a hint of sadness in her voice. Though Eevee knew little of this girl, he knew the tone of sadness was caused by a basic wish to have done more to help. She had explained that the Pokecenter would be able to take away the injuries in an instant, rather than just treating the wounds. While this sounded like a much better outcome than the tightly wound bandages and tended cuts beneath, he could not wish more than having escaped his encounter alive and well as he did.
In time Eevee began to grow more bold and allowed himself to stretch out his tensed joints and muscles while Amina remained at his side, speaking with him and occassionally tossing in simple yes-or-no questions that he could answer with a simple motion of the head. Perhaps seeing him growing more comfortable showed her that he was really going to be alright, because both her tone and the words she spoke became just a step less serious, even growing to be somewhat casual and friendly. The banter could only go on for so long, however, before she had to explain to Eevee that she was home alone, as her parents had left home for a few days and therefore there were things she needed to tend to around the house. With a quick apology, she left him sitting alone again, and ran off to tend to her duties. Eevee took this time to reflect on everything she had told him, letting it all sink in to his understanding even deeper.
Amina was a young girl. A whole 13 years of age, but by human standards she was still considered a child, unlike the status of maturity Eevee gained shortly after his first full year of life. She lived with her mother and father in a small and quiet town called Arlia. Together, the three of them kept a small farm that grew exclusive, rare, and extremely potent berries that were used as both a highly nutritious food, as well as mixed with other ingredients to create important medicines that benefited both humans and Pokemon. Amina's father, Chad, had once been a trainer, with a deep-seeded love of fire Pokemon that lead him to eventually run the tough-to-overcome Volcanic Gym, located on the edge of the most trecherous desert in the world; a place his incredibly blazened Pokemon could be comfortable in. Even after he gave up the life of a trainer to live more peacefully with his wife and raise a family, he was always a bit boyish at heart. The only remnants of his days as a trainer now was a single Pokeball that stay at his waist constantly, holding his oldest and most faithful companion, a brilliantly beautiful Rapidash. The remainder of his Pokemon had been given to friends, family, or even promising new trainers. Indeed, on any given day, Chad could be seen giving new trainers a practiced speech on the vast importance of a powerful fire type Pokemon in their team. Contrary to Chad's often times overbearing personality, Amina's mother, Sharon, was a rather reserved and quiet person. Early in life, she developed a passion for helping people, and thus found herself working towards a career as a doctor. At times she could be seen as a bit cold and clinical, but her desire to help others always meant that a patient never left her side without recieving every last bit of help she could give. She had met Chad after treating a nasty burn that had torched his arm during a training accident, and the pair became quite inseperable afterwards. When they married, they decided that Arlia would be the ideal location to raise a family, and thus Amina came to be. Being a girl of simple pleasures, she usually spent her free time sketching the things she saw on her trips into the nearby forest. While she had no Pokemon of her own, she was close with her fathers Rapidash as well as many of the Pokemon that the townsmen kept. All in all, Amina lead a laid back and happy life with her family, made more enjoyable by the small town surroundings they had come to live in.
On any usual day, Amina and her father usually spent the morning hours checking over the various breeds of berries they grew, while the afternoons were her time for visiting the forest and devoting time to her one hobby; drawing. It had been different for the past few days, however, as their little berry farm had experienced an unusually high crop yield. The difference meant that the usual purchasers didn't clear out the stock entirely, so as to not waste the valuable berries, her parents transported them to a nearby town to sell. They trusted Amina enough to leave her alone, and with as peaceful as Arlia was, there was never any real need to have anyone keep an eye on her. Normally, her safety would have been unthreatened, but Amina did admit that their absence tempted her to venture deeper into the forest the night she met Eevee than she was normally allowed to. Had she remained true to the rules her parents laid out, she would have never been in any danger at all.
A more recent and pressing matter of her explanations was of what the doctor had told her about Eevees wounds. Though he would be physically fine after a while, it would depend on the consumption of a kind of medicine, some form of liquid that Eevee would ingest, as well as the continuous change of bandages to ensure that they would be kept clean. Though she hadn't said it directly, Eevee realized that he would have to stay with her for at least a few days, until the bandages were ready to come off and his body had time to heal itself. While he didn't much like the idea of imposing on his new human friend, she didn't seem to be bothered by it, in fact it sounded like she actually enjoyed that little bit of the outcome. Since it was the first time she had been left alone, it wasn't unreasonable to think that Eevee's company was comforting to her, even though the conditions of their meeting had been a bit rocky. Strictly speaking, there was another reason that Eevee would ultimately accept his temporary change of home. As it was right now, he was in no condition to defend himself, and if the Houndour he had met, or any other predatory animal, decided that it wanted to challenge him, he would have no chance to stand his ground and fight back. At least this way he would have some protection against some of the more malicious forces of the forest until he was ready to face them.
These thoughts swirled around Eevee's mind, mingling individually before compressing into one surreal comprehension, only to break up once again into a warped perception that begged to be examined once again. Individually, it was easy to accept every detail she had told him, but when he attempted to combine them and get a view into the life of a much more complicated individual than himself, his limited understanding of humans was too strained to really make clear the person that he was presented with. Long before he would be able to come to a solid understanding of his thoughts, Amina had returned. Her tasks had been finished for the day, so she spent the remainder of the time talking with Eevee and showing him various aspects of her life. Eevee found the drawings to be particularly interesting, as most of them matched things he saw in the forest in his usual day to day life. It seemed as if small moments of time were frozen in these images, and their inhabitants remained in a state of constant contentment. There was one he noticed that was kept far out of sight, however, and when Aminas attention was elsewhere, Eevee stole a glance to it, finding the unfinished image of a family of sleeping squirrels. Seeing the image was a bit saddening, but he had little time to contemplate it as Amina called to him. The day that was full of discovery had finally come to a close, and it was time to rest for what seemed to be another promising and intellectually rousing day. For the time being, Eevee would sleep at the foot of her bed, curled up in his usual fashion. Before falling asleep, Amina wished him a good night, and reminded him that in just a few days her family would be home, assuring him that they'd like him.