Wolf-Bound

     The little girl turned her head to the side and curiously looked around. She felt tiny little feet scampering up her sides (or at least attempting to) and looked down to see a group of pichu just itching to play with her. She raised her arm in a slope so they could climb up to her head faster before they started playing with her tail too. They enjoyed it when she lifted it up, but then her ears started to get itchy. She twitched them up and scratched, making a few pichu fall onto her shoulder or in her hands.

   Soon, Slash felt strong enough to sit up. Struggling to his feet, he placed his backside unceremoniously onto the cold stone floor. Sighing, he was collecting his thoughts when he heard the happy shriek of a pichu.

   Raising his head, Slash's ears pricked, looking over towards the main body of the refugees. In the middle of the group a large clear circle held three pichu and a strange human child, whom the rest of the pokemon were staying well away from. Slash inhaled sharply and stood up, dashing to the center of the group. Letting out a spark, he grabbed one of the pichu and shoved it behind him. Shocking the other pichu, Slash let them know to get down. The pikachu growled warily. "Watch out, we don't know who she is, or why she's here."

     Suddenly the girl felt the pichu fall off of her. Her ears twitched down to Slash, hearing his voice resounding through the clearing. She shivered-he sure sounded strong.

 "I-I'm sorry," She said. "I dunno how I got here... I was on the road at first and then poof! I was here by the time I blinked. I-I-I'm really sorry..."
 She shrunk back, putting her hands behind her back and bending her ears back. Her tail kind of drooped as well.

   Slash's nose twitched. "Ya, you'd better be. We're on an important rescue mission o-" His growl choked in his thoat, his mouth suddenly dropping open. He backed up a few inches in surprise. "Wait- you.... You can talk!! I.... I- I mean..."

     The little mew girl stared at the pikachu intently, turning her head to the side curiously.

 "I can!" She repeated. "I unno when, but I just can. I can make bubbles too~ Wanna see?"

 She jumped up happily and concentrated. It took a few minutes, but eventually a large bubble formed underneath her and sustained her weight as she jumped on it. "Ta-da~!"

   Slash took a startled leap back as a huge pink bubble suddenly appeared out of nowhere in front of him. As he watched it rapidly expanded, growing larger with every passing second. Slash stood as the bubble encased his face, pushing his rubbery cheeks against his eyelids. "Pika.... Pi.."

   When the pink mass had just about encased his being, the young girl bounced on the bubble, propelling his body across the cave. Hitting the ground, Slash lay stunned on the stone floor, wondering what in the known world had just happened to him.

   The three pichu, enchanted by the sudden appearance of the bouncy play-thing, clapped and jumped up and down enthusiastically. Jumping up, they grabbed onto the bubble and rubbed their faces on its soft pink surface. Seeing their enthusiasm, the other little pokemon followed suit, jumping onto the bubble and bouncing on top of it, giggling giddily. The other pokemon stood staring at the thing, gawking at its sudden appearance into their midst.

 U-um.... they're outside............................ ;;

     The little girl bounced on the bubble and played with the small pokemon around her until she heard a small wailing sound that seemed a bit muffled. She looked around, her ears pricked for any oncoming sounds, but she could not find where the original sound came from. Just then, she heard it again, but this time it was accompanied by a vibrating bubble and a THUD. Only then was it that she looked down to see the poor little dratini stuck inside the bubble!

 "Ahhhhh!!!" The little girl cried out, jumping on the bubble once before sliding off of it and popping it with her nail. The dratini slithered out of the bubbly mess and into the girl's arms, shivering and snake-like tongue jutting out every so often.

 "Oops..." The little mew girl stated, giving the dratini a little hug. "I'm sorry! I haven't really... mastered, per say, these silly power's of mine."

 Tracie just stared at the little girl, gawking at every move she made. She had heard of human transformations like this, but she never assumed it was real! She walked up to the girl and held her head high.

 "Are you... Hikaru?" She asked. "Kamina's little sister?"

 She fell silent. She looked innocently upon them, as if she had no clue what she had just said.

 "I don't... understand... your question." She replied.

   Slash curled his feet and sat up, rubbing his back with his iron tail as he bent over. Rolling onto his four feet, he shook himself vigorously, his ears hitting him in the face. His tail fell over his head and he lifted it up with his ear, looking over at the pink bubble. His tail moved just in time for him to witness the pink girl freeing Dratini, before the bubble exploded, sending pink goo spraying straight onto Slash's face, covering his torso in the sticky web-like substance.

   "Chaaaaaaa!!!" Slash whimpered in disappointment. His eyes and nose were gummed shut by the pink glue coating his fur. Sitting up, he started wiping his face pitifully with his paws, making his cheeks bounce across his face.

      Tracie looked past her shoulder to Slash and shook her head dismally. Then she started to pad towards the girl, meaning to ask some questions.

 "Hey, um... Well, what I mean is this: Our trainer-meaning me and Saya over there-and his sister went missing almost two years ago. We don't know what happened to them, but... You seem awefully familiar... By any chance, do you remember what your name is? Or what kind of pokemon you've caught?" She asked.

 The little girl opened her mouth to speak, but she was interrupted by a large pink bubble that slowly engulfed her body and made it impossible to hear her. She grimaced, and suddenly the bubble disappeared! Out of sight! Gone! ...What the hell just happened.

   Slash was busy liking off his coat and scratching pieces of bubble off of his good eye when all of a sudden the girl's voice was cut off, or rather muffled by something. Struggling furiously against his sticky coating, Slash finally managed to see through his eye as The bubble disappeared.

   Slash opened his eyes to find that a pink bubble had encased the girl inside of it, muffling her speech. When she attempted to be heard over the slick shell of the bubble, it started to disappear. For one instant before the bubble popped into oblivion, Slash saw a little blue form curled in the bottom of the bubble. Dratini looked back at him worriedly and the bubble winked out of existance.

   Slash stood for just a second longer before dashing over to where the bubble had disappeared, leaving his helpers behind, who had been removing the layers of pink from his soft fur. Slash's fur bristled. "Wha- Where the HELL DID THEY GO?!!!!"

   The pichu and other young pokemon lay scattered across the ground. When the bubble had popped they had all fallen from its filmy surface onto the hard, cold stone. Now, they all began to cry.

   "... Damn it!" Slash struck the ground with his iron tail. Drooping his tail low, he slumped to the ground. "I was supposed to protect everyone. Now we've lost so many, and more are still to come! Dratini....."

   Slash's growl rumbled low in his throat, hurt passion rising from his chest.

   "I hate humans..."

     The glaceon wanted to talk to the girl some more, but the bubble was already gone! She looked around wildly, hoping she would see the girl somewhere again in this general area, but she was nowhere to be found. Sighing in frustration, Tracie pulled her attention away from the suddenly gone girl and to the little pokemon at hand. She helped Slash calm them down while Saya looked like a dope before she mumbled something under her breath.

 "That must have been her, I know it was..." She muttered, head hanging low as a budew climbed onto her back in delight.

   Slash was busy washing himself off while the others were soothing the young pokemon. His yellow fur was still matted with hardening pink goo, which pulled on his pelt when he moved. Yelping as he turned, he bit furiously at his side, chewing on a wad of sticky fur pasted above his hind leg.

   Growling, Slash was getting close to ripping his own skin off when he heard a whisper next to his ear.

   "That must have been her, I know it was.."

   Slash turned to his right to find Tracie calming a bonsly. The young pokemon had cheered up quickly, and was now clamboring over the Glaceon's back. Tracie on the other hand didn't appear as joyous. Slash picked himself up and padded over to her. "Hey, what's the matter? Who were you talking about?"

I thought they were at the end of the cave Like, the exit.

     Tracie's ears perked up and so she jolted her head upright to face Slash.

 "Um, well..." She hesitated. "You know Saya and I aren't wild pokemon like you all. We have partners. Well.... erm... I think that was our partner's sister. I'm not sure, but the facial features and those gorgeous blue eyes are still the same...... I don't know what those strange men did to the poor girl............." She mumbled off to herself.

   Slash stood looking as Tracie turned away from him, flabberghasted. Never having been caught by a human, he had never bonded with one, except in the testing facility. The first day he arrived at the facility, he was seperated from the other pokemon and thrust into a special experimental lab. During the next few weeks that he was in the facility, he lost his eye. Between Slash and his scientists there immedeatly formed a deep, unbreakable bond.

   A bond, of hate.

   Slash tried his best to look sympathetic. Mumbling his apologies, he headed off back to the rest of the group, who were congregating at the exit of the cave, poking their noses into the ebbing sunlight. Arriving at the head of the group, Slash signalled with his tail to head out.

   Quilava leapt over to where Tracie was and dipped his head. "Allow me to take him off your hands for you." Grabbing up the bonsly gently in his jaws, he scuttled out of the cave after the main group.

     Tracie was sucked deep into her thoughts until quilava came by and removed the bonsly from her back. She tensed up, but then relaxed and nodded to the quilava.

 "Thank you." She uttered. She saw the blaziken approach her out of the corner of her eye and join her in thinking.

 "Do you really think...?" He asked.

 "Yes." She replied, licking her paws and wiping it around her face like a cat. "It's a long shot, but I think we should look for that strange girl. Maybe we can get some answers."

   The fridgid mountain air nipped at the rocks strewn across the face of the mountain. The white stone of the granite reflected the light of the setting sun down on Black city, striking the buildings and making the windows shine like new stars in the wake of the fading smoke. The ruins of the laboratory remained smoking in the distance, the fires of the lugia boy's fury still burning amidst the rubble.

   Shadow limped up the rocks, heading further across the rocks. His pitch black coat stood out amoungst the rocky terrain, a dark pit against the gray of the stones. The umbreon's movements were laborous and uneven, as if straining from a strenuous wound.

   His back leg lifted gingerly off the ground, Shadow pressed across the rocks, stumbling over the small ridges under his feet. Reaching a patch of flat stone, he stopped to rest. Shadow wondered how the rest of the pokemon were fairing. Hopefully alot better than he was now. If it hadn't been for Doc, he probably wouldn't be alive right now.

   Doc...

   A tear fell down his cheek, soaking into his fur before it could trickle onto the rocks below. Shadow had lain in his hole for hours, neither concious nor in faint. Unfeeling, he lay numb from the pain which wracked his limbs from the explosion. After three days he finally had the strength to move, and when he did, he emerged the only sign of life within miles, as all of the others had either gone or been extinguished. Blundering out of his rocky tomb, Shadow had immedeatly begun to search for his only human companion. As soon as he saw the blood coated rock, that should have been enough, but he still held tightly, desperately, to one last shred of hope. It was in vain.

   Shadow shook his head, trying desperately to shake the memories of contorted limbs from his mind. As he cursed himself for a fool, a stone rolled down the hill behind him. Shadow's hackles rose, and he sprang from his rocky bed. Sniffing the air, he couldn't smell anything amiss, and his eyes saw no better, but his sixth sense told him that something was wrong. He was being followed.

   Shadow scoffed. He hadn't been blind; rather he'd had an itching at the base of his spine ever since he left the ruined lab, and hadn't been able to get rid of the feeling that someone, or something, was watching him. He stretched, grunting reluctantly.

   Well, nothing to do about it now. Shadow looked up at the moon, fuller than it had seemed in countless months behind the windows of his prison. Spreading his legs before him, he took off at a hard pace, scraping his raw pads against the rough terrain. Despite the pain, he smiled, confident that any pursuer he may have gained would have a difficult time matching his pace on the steep slope.

   Unbenounced to Shadow, intent upon his climb, a shape detached itself from the white hillside, trekking after the umbreon as easily as an ursaring traverses its own den. Red eyes flashed and sleek silver fur bounded up the slope, pausing every few yards from the umbreon's unwavering gait.

     "Hex, do you even KNOW where the hell we're going?" A young vulpix asked. She was a bright, golden color with amber eyes that stood out against the rocks like a sore thumb. The shiny amulet on her ear didn't help much either-but she liked to keep the souvenir with her all the time. It helped comfort her in times she was in trouble.

 "I know where we're going!" The espeon barked, ears perking up before lowering again. "At least... I hope I do."

 These two pokemon had been travelling partners for a while-like Saya and Rikka, they too were separated from their trainers. Whether or not they know where the rest of their companions are is a mystery. One can only assume they do not, considering their ungrateful disposition in the mountains.

     Traveling for days on end was finally starting to get to them. The vulpix was complaining about her aching feet, and the espeon was getting tired of not having enough to eat. They were always the last to get to any food source at mealtimes-every bush they went to grab a few berries had been overrun by pokemon, and in the cities nothing was good to eat unless you bought it from the humans. Humans... Some of those creatures had no souls. Hex was beginning to question why they followed him around all the time anyway-but then she would look down at the pendant hanging from her neck. It was a beautiful and shiny night crystal adorned with silver rings around it to hold it to the chain around her neck. It was a gift from her trainer when times had gotten really rough. The necklace always gave her comfort in life; so did Mina-the vulpix.

 Finally, they came to an exhausting stopping point on the mountain. The rugged terrain left them scathed a little bit, but it wasn't anything too serious.

"We shoud rest here for the night," Hex said, finding a nice patch of soft dirt and lying upon it. "We can continue in the morning."

 "I can tell you're irritated as ever." Mina said steadily, shaking her humid fur before settling down next to her companion. The espeon shot her a tired glare before her sensitive ears perked to the sound of rolling stones.

 "Shh!" She hushed the little vulpix."I hear something."

 They were silent for a time, then Hex slowly inched away towards the sound. Mina sat where she was, scared as ever of whatever lurked beyond the rocks. Hex climbed upon the rocks and stared over the ledge with her deep red eyes boring into the darkness of the mountain. She was just a silhouette with hostile-looking eyes that approached the umbreon that settled in the darkness.

   Shadow continued to feel the burning gaze on his pelt, two sharp red eyes that penetrated his skin and made his fur crawl. His scruff bristled out and he climbed faster, unease adding to the adreneline which fueled his pace.

  Abruptly, as suddenly as the feeling came, it was gone. Shadow felt his follower vanish, disappearing into the confines of the night. Instead he now felt a very different gaze, curious, standing upon the rocks above him. Looking up, he saw a pair of red eyes outlined against a shadow against the moon.

   Being accustomed to all types and species of pokemon, Shadow immedeatly knew his new admirer to be an espeon, one of his many kin. He did not give any recognition to this fact however, instead raising his injured leg to look up warily at his latest visitor, taking in every action.

   "Who are you?"

     "Shouldn't I be the one asking that?" She asked, jumping down nimbly from the ledge. "I am a simple espeon, stranger. I am most likely of equal match to you."

 She cautiously got closer to the umbreon with her head lowered between raised haunches, as if she were stalking prey like a cat. When she finally got close enough, her ears pricked and she raised her head before immediately going around in circles to sniff him. She stopped in front of him and brushed his injured leg with her tail.

 "My name is Hex. You're welcome to join me and my friend if you wish." She said, turning around and brushing his face with her tail as she started to walk away. "You don't look so hot with that leg of yours as it is. I suggest you take my advice and join us before you hurt yourself any further."

 She climbed back over the rock and jumped down the ledge to their hiding spot. Her vulpix companion greeted her with a face rub before sitting back down and using a bit of her flamethrower to light a small fire.

   Any other pokemon in Shadow's position may have been unerved by this display of..... inquisitive friendliness. Nevertheless, the umbreon had encountered countless varieties of different pokemon over the course of his unique lifestyle, and was used to dealing with many different personalities. As it was, Shadow flinched as the female's purple fur ran across his coat, her tail running up his leg, and underneath his soft chin. His nerves tingled down his spine as he felt her muscles flex under her pelt, moving against his body. His fur stood up where she sniffed him, her nose blowing air over the delicate hairs of his coat.

   Shadow's fur began to pulse, the light of his coat naturally intended to illuminate the night in a soft yellow glow. As his fur began to shine though, the rings settled into a dull, dark purple pulsing light, as close a shade to black as a light could become. Shadow's heart sunk. The most prized possession of an umbreon is their yellow rings, and the loss of Shadow's coat was heartbreaking for him.

   Shadow nodded glumly at the espeon's suggestion. Head low, Shadow climbed the embankment up to where the espeon and vulpix were starting a fire. Sitting down on the rock near the edge, he sat facing away from the fire farthest from the warm glow, staring out across the hills towards the lights of Black City.

Farther down the mountain, a pure white pelt stood out in stark contrast amoung the blackening night. Absol turned his head and started back across the slope to look for a suitable resting place during the night. The umbreon was now in the hands of other helpful pokemon, so his work was done for now. Hearding complete, he settled down to sleep on a smooth rock just above the lights of Black City.

Kiyou's Key Facts:

An umbreon's rings on his coat are meant to provide a wide variety of uses suited specifically to its natural environment. These uses include but are not limited to providing a better view of its surroundings, and alerting others to danger. Umbreon are known to be nocturnal by nature, and as such their interesting coats also provide illusions by appearing as many eyes shining in the darkness, or as a flash of light used to blind opponents. A spectacular display of illumination is also used during its mating cycle.The umbreon with the most variety and brightest display normally gets the first choice of a suitable partner.

Hey, don't be like that! I'm a Pokemon Ranger, and it's my job to know things like this! An umbroen was my partner so I would obviously need to know everything about them. If you don't want to know, don't ask. It's not my problem you're so darn curious.