Clover's Gift (Part 1)

"Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa...?" Clover stammered as she stood up quickly.  The wings disappeared.  She looked back at herself, then turned in a few circles.  "No... no wings...  Very funny, guys...  Actually, it's not funny...  Please stop looking at me like that, Snow, please stop..."

Snow was in shock herself.  "Clover, it's not a joke.  When you stretched out, you suddenly had wings..."

Clover stuttered for a bit, trying to grasp what was happening.  "But...  Leafeons don't have wings, I'm a Leafeon, not a... Aveon or something like that!  They don't exist and neither do Leafeons with wings!"  She ended in a near-sob.

I shook my head.  "Clover, look.  Just go back into a stretch and see for yourself."

"No!" Clover shouted.

I stepped towards her.  "Please?  Look, I'll even help you."

She looked at me in what looked like fear.  Not of me, but of what she might see.  "Please don't, Splash, I really don't want to- ow..." she said in a slightly panicked manner as I put my paw on her back and helped to very slowly push her down into another stretch.  Just as before, as Clover slowly stretched her shoulders, long, feathered wings extended from just behind her shoulders.  They were actually very beautiful, with the same cream coloring as her fur on the top and a gentle fade on the undersides, from the same beige as her fur at the leading edges that slowly melted into the same green as her tail and ears on the large trailing feathers.  Each wing was about the same length as her body, counting her tail.

Clover looked back over her shoulder at her new beautiful accessories.  I took my paw off of her and backed up a step as Clover continued to stare.  "No..." she muttered.  "That's...  Not possible..."

Espeon tried sending her soothing words and emotions.  "Clover, you look beautiful."  When she didn't respond, Espeon pressed onward.  "That must be what the humans did to you.  Think about it.  It explains a lot."

I nodded.  "You said the humans said 'they would be functional.'  Not it.  They.  And it also explains why your cage was so high up when we rescued you.  The humans must have wanted you to figure out that you had wings and to fly down."

Clover slowly stood up, never taking her eyes off her wings.  As her shoulders returned to their normal positions, her wings slowly retracted, until they were perfectly folder against her sides, the tan tops blending in perfectly with Clover's fur as to be practically invisible.  "...how...?" she said in a barely audible voice.  "I didn't even know that I had..."  She seemed unable to say the word.

Bolt spoke up.  "How could you not know that you have wings!?"

Clover teared up, all of the joy from Snow Day gone.  "I don't know!" she yelled, getting more and more distressed.  She looked around at the rest of the Clan.  "Stop looking at me like that!  Leave me alone!" she squealed, racing off into the forest.

Snow leaped to her paws and sprinted after her best friend, now about the same speed as the still recovering Leafeon.  Just as she reached the camp entrance, vines sprang from the snow-covered ground and knotted around Snow's hind left paw, tripping her.  As the rest of us moved to help bring Clover back, much larger vines snared myself and the other 5 Eevees, trapping us in one spot!

Snow pulled against her snare.  "She Grass Knotted me...  That's the first time she's ever hit me..."

Surf fought his bonds with Iron Tail, with little effect.  "She doesn't even know Grass Knot!"

I pulled against my own vines.  "She was scared!  She probably didn't mean to!" I called to Snow, trying to reassure her.  "She probably didn't want anyone following her and accidentally secured us all in camp!"  An idea came to me, and a claw-bitingly close Stone Edge thrust from the snow and cut my vines.

Bolt and Inferno seemed to have the same idea at the same time, using Lava Plume and Blast Burn respectively to burn their restraints.  Bolt looked at Inferno as the flames died down.  "Remind me where you picked Blast Burn up?"

Inferno shrugged.  "The Great Entei taught it to me when we were saving Clover.  It was sort of a split-second thing..."

Bolt shook his head at his friend before going to help Surf.  Umbreon managed to wither his vines with poison from his glowing rings, then help Espeon escape, even though she was doing just fine with her claws.  I looked over at Snow, who was still lying on the ground in shock.  I trotted over to her.  "Snow, come on.  Get up."  She stayed as she was for a few seconds before using a focused Blizzard to freeze and snap the knot around her paw.

"This is my fault..." she whispered.  "I told her to stretch, I looked at her funny..."

I leaned against her comfortingly.  "This is not your fault, Snow.  Not in the slightest.  You only wanted to help when you told her to stretch.  It was good for her.  How were you supposed to know?"

"I should have known, though!" she shouted at me.  "I know her better than anyone!  Right now, she's very scared! She just wants to be normal!  It's not her fault that the ...vile humans gave her wings!  She didn't want that!  And then I looked at her as if I hardly knew her!  It is my fault, Splash!  I was her rock!  She depended on me to always be there for her, through thick and thin, never judging her!  And I DID judge her!  And now she ran away!  After she hit me!"

At this point, Snow completely broke down, crying hysterically.  This was worse than when Clover was missing.  Now, Snow thought that Clover hated her, even though she didn't.  I winced.  How could this happen?  It felt like we had just gotten her back.  As Espeon walked over silently to try and calm Snow down, I turned on Bolt angrily.  "Bolt, that was not the right thing to say back there!"

Bolt shrugged.  "It's true, though!  How could she not know she had WINGS for Arceus's sake!?  If I had wings, I'm pretty sure I would know it!"

Inferno tilted his head at his friend.  "Come on, Bolt, Splash is right.  You might have been thinking that, but you shouldn't have said it to her right then and there."

Bolt sighed regretfully.  "You're right...  Sorry..."

I sighed as well.  Snow managed to calm down and stood up.  "We need to find her.  She may hurt herself."

Bolt piped up again, eager to redeem himself.  "I can run around the forest and check her favorite spots."

Snow shook her head.  "No, just Splash and me.  A small group will make her feel more secure right now, and she trusts us more than anyone else."

Bolt seemed a little insulted, but relented.  I nodded thanks at him, then turned to Snow.  "If it's just the two of us, we should get started.  We have a lot of forest to cover."

Snow smiled.  "No need," she said, using a paw to lift the small stone off of her chest.  "I know exactly where she is."

Back to Normal? (Part 3)

WHAM!

"OW!"  I yelled as my head smashed against the roof.

I dimly heard Bolt's voice shouting down the hole that the Emergency Vine wove through.  "Wake up, Splash!  It's Snow Day!"

In my head, I thought "I'm going to kill you, Bolt!"  Out loud, I said "Thanks...  I'll be up in a second..."  Bolt had sharp ears; he'd hear me.

I growled quietly as I got out of bed, stretched a bit, and slid into the water.  Surf was waiting for me outside my den, greeting me with warm smiles and affectionate fin-rubs and nose touches.  My irritation melted away like the snow on a warm spring morning.

Surf pulled away from me with a big smile.  "Happy Snow Day, Splash."

I couldn't help but feel the Snow Day spirit.  "You too, Surf."

The two of us swam slowly next to each other, enjoying the once again ice-covered pond.  Surf spoke again.  "You know, I heard that Inferno actually jumped up and down on Bolt to wake him up this morning?"

I couldn't resist laughing.  "He would do that!  Inferno loves Snow Day!"

Surf gestured to a hole in the ice.  "Here.  The ice is barely too thin for skating, but barely thick enough not to melt."

I looked at him.  "So...  We're letting it freeze more for the skating duo."

Surf made an exaggerated nod.    "Eg-zactly."

I smiled again at him.  We surfaced from the pond to find a cluster of holly berries hanging low over the access hole.  Everyone else in the clan was sitting around the pond expectantly.  I looked at Clover.  "Yes?"

She smiled cheekily.  "What?  That wasn't me..."

Bolt rocked back and forth on his haunches.  "Two Clan members under the holly berries!  You know what that means!"

Surf shook his head at Bolt with an accusing smile.  I just shook my head at him.  "Shut up, Bolt," I said before immediately touching my nose to Surf's affectionately.  At first, he seemed a bit surprised. 

Bolt, Inferno, and Clover said "Awww!" at the same time.  I met Surf's eye while still nose-touching.  I barely twitched my fins, but he got the message. 

At the same time, we leaped away, over Bolt and Inferno.  I shoved Bolt with my tail as I landed, Surf doing the same with Inferno.  I turned around.  Now the two of them were under the holly berries.  Bolt quickly got back onto his paws.  "What was that for!?"

I sat down in amusement, curling my tail over my paws.  "Just some revenge for this morning."

Surf sat next to me, smiling this time mischievously.  "Two Clan members under the holly berries..." he said slyly.

Inferno protested.  "Come on!  You two were cute together!"

Bolt looked at his best friend.  "Oh, blah blah.  Get over here, Inferno."  With that, Bolt rather aggressively jammed his nose to Inferno's!

Inferno jumped away as the rest of the Clan burst into hysterical laughter.  "What the heck, Bolt!?"

Bolt smiled mischievously.  "Just some revenge for this morning," he said, using my words.

Before this turned into another exploding fight, I stepped in, trying to hold back the rest of my laughter.  "Come, guys!  Let's go open presents!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I looked down at the leaf-wrapped presents around my paws.  Clover had been extremely busy with supplying the perfect wrapping leaves (of various colors in some cases) and sap to hold the leaves together.  She and Snow had also made frost-covered leaves to act as labels.  Everyone had put their paw print on each label on each gift, marking who gave what.

I had seven presents.  One from each Clan member.  Others had less, but mostly because some Eevees tag-teamed on their gifts.  Clover seemed the most excited.  "Come on, Splash!  Open yours first!"

I smiled at her.  "All right.  This one is from... Inferno."  I tore the leaves off of the Flareon marked package, revealing a box of wood about the size of my tail.  The box itself was made of wood, but it was decorated with a picture of a Vaporeon on a beach.  I looked up at Inferno.  "It's beautiful, Inferno!  Where did you get it?"

Inferno smiled.  "Got it off of a Fletchling near the town.  She sold it to me for a Weedle!  Look!  It opens!"  He trotted away from his own presents and showed me how pushing on the top of the box opened it, revealing an empty space.  "You can keep stuff in it."

I smiled warmly at him.  "I love it, Inferno!"  He blushed and retreated to his gifts.  Next, I opened one from Bolt, which turned out to be a crystalline rock.

Bolt explained.  "It makes a rainbow when light hits it."

I chuckled.  "Maybe I can use it as an alarm in the morning..."  I put the rock to the side and opened a bundle of water lily seeds from Clover.

She smiled as I opened them.  "When they bloom, they'll be the same shade of blue as you are."

I smiled back.  "It's perfect, Clover!  Thanks!"  I carefully placed the seeds back in the pouch and opened Snow's.   I gasped as I pulled out a perfectly formed ice figurine of Suicune standing regally on a base of frozen waves.  "Snow, did you make this!?"

She nodded.  "I made one for everyone.  They'll never melt."

I looked fondly at the ice Suicune.  "I have a perfect spot next to my bed where I think I'll put this!" I said warmly.  Snow was such a good artist!  Next, I opened a heat absorbing flat rock and cover for my eyes from Espeon and Umbreon respectively. 

Espeon gestured towards the rock.  "It folds up for when you want to store it in your den."

Umbreon spoke after her.  "We know how much you love to bask."

I smiled at them, too.  "I am going to be using this a lot."  Finally, I opened the small package from Surf, which was a perfectly white seashell tied to a very thin vine.  I gasped as I saw it.

Surf smiled.  "It's a Shell Bell.  It only makes noise when it heals you."

I slipped it around my neck.  The shell fell perfectly on my chest.  "I love it, Surf.  I'll wear it all the time."

Surf opened his presents next.  From Clover, he got more water lily seeds; from Snow, an ice Vaporeon leaping out of the water.  Espeon and Umbreon gave him a small orb that changed color depending on what mood I was in.  Surf chuckled at that one.  "Is this so that I always know when to calm her down?" 

I rolled my eyes as Umbreon nodded with a smile.  "But it can also be used to tell when she just wants your attention."  I blushed.

Surf then opened a Water Gem from Bolt and Inferno, which I had almost given him.  He saved my present for last, carefully pulling the leaves off of the small metal thing on a string that I had found.  It was decorated with ocean patterns and smelled like the sea.  Surf looked at me as he pulled it free of the leaves.  "Was this the thing that you found by the human town that you refused to show anyone?"

I nodded.  "Do you like it?"

He looked at it for a few seconds before slipping it around his neck.  "I love it."

Bolt eagerly tore into his presents next, receiving a rock that made sparks fly when electricity was run through it from Surf and me, a mirror that glittered with electricity on the edges from Espeon and Umbreon (which I found rather funny), a magnificent ice figurine of Raikou jumping between two rocks with extended claws from Snow, and a pack of Rawst berries from Clover.  Bolt thanked us for all of it, then spent a minute or two in front of his new mirror.

He then looked at Inferno.  "I am going to save your present until you open all of your other ones.  Then we'll open ours together!"

Inferno nodded, eager to get to his gifts.  From Surf and I, he received a rock that looked like it had actual lava flowing inside of it.  Espeon and Umbreon gave him a mirror to match Bolt's that had veins of fiery light running around the frame.  (Did anyone else find their gifts to be funny?)  Snow, of course, gave him an ice sculpture of the Great Entei, standing tall and proud on an icy cliff top.  Clover got him a pack of Cheri berries.

Finally, Bolt and Inferno each had one gift left.  Inferno nodded to let Bolt go first.  The Jolteon tore the leaves off to find a charred log.  He looked up at Inferno.  "Charcoal?"  Inferno nodded, trying to resist laughter.  Bolt smiled, trying to hold back laughter himself.  "I got you a magnet!"  The two of them broke down into hysterical fits of laughter, finally falling on the floor.

Espeon rolled her eyes with a smile and began to open her presents.  As it turns out, only Snow's , Clover's, and Umbreon's were not kit toys.  Snow had made an ice figurine of Umbreon.  According to her, the rings lit up when moonlight touched it. 

Clover had made a gift for both Espeon and Umbreon, taking the time and effort to create a model of the perfect pair  touching noses made of dirt and vines.  She explained to Espeon.  "Splash' already watered it.  I've put seeds on it that, as your relationship grows, so will the flowers on here.  I've color coordinated them and everything."

Espeon and Umbreon were touched.  Espeon spoke softly.  "Thank you, Clover.  We love it."  Finally, Espeon opened Umbreon's present, which was a beautiful necklace of pearls.

Umbreon was next to open gifts.  He received a book from Bolt and Inferno titled "How to be a Daddy."  Whether it was a joke or not, no one was sure.  From Snow, he received a perfect ice sculpture of Espeon.

Snow nodded towards her work.  "The jewel on her forehead will glow if Espeon is in danger."  Umbreon almost hugged her.

He then opened the gift from Surf and I, a pouch of moon dust, which he greatly appreciated.  I nodded towards him.  "All the power-ups you'll even need.  Just touch the dust, and you're good to go."

"Thanks, Splash, Surf," he said kindly.  Finally, from Espeon, Umbreon received a thing she called a telescope. 

Espeon explained as we marveled at it.  "You can use it to look at the moon in detail at night."  Everyone was thoroughly impressed.

Clover was next, with only two presets.  The entire Clan had pitched in on one, and Snow had made the other for her separately.  Clover opened the Clan's present first, revealing a bed of Luminous Moss, which gave off a soft green glow and was super soft and comfy.  Clover squealed.  "I love it!  Thank you everyone!" she called before hopping into her new bed and opening Snow's present there. 

Snow had put in a lot of extra time with Clover's ice sculpture.  It was a perfectly formed ice figurine of Clover.  True to Snow's words a few nights ago, every notch, nick, rear, and vein was in the right place on the tail.  While the other ice figurines that Snow had made were beautiful, this one for Clover far outshined the rest.  Clover said nothing, only hugging her best friend tightly.

After finally ending the embrace, Snow opened her presents.  Surf and I had gotten her an Ice Gem,  Bolt and Inferno had somehow managed to preserve a large and beautiful snowflake that Snow could hang in her den, and Espeon and Umbreon had gotten her a tub of something called 'ice cream.' 

Finally, Snow opened Clover's present.  It looked like a pair of tiny stones attached to strings.  Clover got out of her new bed and slipped one on.  "There," she said, looking at Snow.  "Now you'll always know where I am, no matter how far away we are."

Snow teared up.  "Clover..." she said, unable to keep a happy tear from slipping down her fur.

Clover helped her put on the other stone.  "I know how broken up I was about the possibility of losing you forever.  Two nights ago, you had a nightmare and were talking in your sleep.  Something about never seeing me again.  You woke up crying.  Now, we'll never lose each other."

Snow lost all control, crying quietly into Clover's fur.  "Thank you..." she managed to say between sniffs.

All of us quietly waited for Snow to calm down, even Bolt and Inferno.  A few minutes passed before Snow was finally able to sit back down, the stone falling perfectly on her chest.  I looked at my Clan, then looked back towards the guest den.  "And now for Soursap's present."

I looked at Espeon, Umbreon, and Snow in concern.  We could not mess this up.  "You guys are sure?"

All three nodded.  Espeon spoke first.  "He has nothing but good intentions in his heart.  He cares for all Pokémon, no matter how injured or disfigured."

Umbreon followed his mate's lead.  "I can't sense anything bad about him.  Sure, he battles at times, but he's kind to the Pokémon."

Snow finished.  "And a few days ago, just as a test, I walked past him with Clover.  We were close to safety in case something happened," she added, just as I was about object.  "...but when Clover exaggerated her injuries, he just tried to help her.  No harm intended."

Surf nodded at me.  I sighed.  "All right...  But you three had better be right about this.  Soursap deserves kindness and no mistreatment."

Clover spoke up.  "Covered!  I plan to check on him every other day for the next month or so.  If something goes wrong, we can always get him out."

I nodded.  "All right, you guys have convinced me.  Snow, Clover, get Soursap.   Bolt, move into position."

"Rodger!" the Jolteon called before zipping off.

I looked at dasher's companion.  "Inferno, get ready in case something goes wrong."  The Flareon nodded and trotted into a nearby bush.  "Espeon?  Make sure the rest of us stay hidden.  Umbreon?  Get ready to signal."  The couple nodded and sat down, Espeon concentrating on masking our presence, Umbreon keeping watch.  I then looked at Surf.  "You have the best ideas. I never would have thought of this."

He smiled.  "That's why I'm here.  To think of them for you."

"Har har," I responded.  "Let's just hope nothing goes wrong."

Inferno interrupted from his bush.  "I hope not.  That would ruin Snow Day!"

A few minutes passed in tense silence.  Snowflakes just started to fall again when Snow, Clover, and Soursap arrived.  Snow was talking soothingly to Soursap.  "Can you feel the snow?"

Soursap responded testily as ever.  "Yes.  I can.  It's cold." 

The remark made Snow purse her lips and Clover shoot her a look telling her to keep her composure.  Snow took a breath and spoke again.  "Here's Splash and Surf.  They have a Snow Day present for you."

Soursap snapped back.  "I don't need a Snow Day present!"

I spoke before Snow could snap back.  "Come on, Soursap.  Just give it a chance?  I really think you'll be happy."

Soursap paused.  "...Fine."

I sighed in quiet relief.  "Thank you.  Now come with Surf and I this way."  Surf supported the decrepit Leafeon as the two of us slowly walked out of the protection of the trees and out into the open.  Towards a human den.  It made me feel uneasy.  Nonetheless, I kept walking, for Soursap.

I saw Umbreon nod to Bolt, who ran silently thanks to Espeon.  He reached the door to the den, and scratched several times before racing off.  I looked at Surf, then Soursap.  "Ok, Soursap.  Surf and I just need to get your present in the right place.  Just keep walking in this direction, ok?"

Soursap grew a bit uneasy as he realized that we were going to leave him alone for a bit.  "Ok..." he responded.  He kept walking, even when Surf and I broke away and ran back to the trees.

The door to the human den opened and a boy stepped out.  I'd guess he was just short of maturity.  He had a kind face, black cloth-furs with some white trim, including one on his head that sported a black feather.  He had a bag slung over his shoulder and a curious expression as he searched for the source of the scratching at his door. 

His eyes found Soursap as he struggled to walk in a straight line.  The brown-leafed Leafeon bumped into a tall metal pole with a light on the top.  Soursap spoke to no one in particular.  "I just hit my head."  No one responded, though Clover wanted to.  "Hello?  Clover?  Splash?  Surf?  ...Anyone?"

Umbreon then gave the second signal by making his yellow rings glow brighter for three seconds.  Seeing him, Streak and Night took off from the treetops and began swooping at Soursap.  They never did any damage, but they put on a good act to pretend they were.

I held my breath as the human boy saw the Staraptors' attack.  "Hey!" he shouted, running towards Soursap.  "Leave him alone!"  The whole Clan took a sharp breath as he took out a Poke Ball.  "Go!  Pikachu!"

Soursap was looking around in confusion.  "What's happening!?" he yelled as the Trainer's Pikachu started to charge up electricity.  Streak and Night dove at the Pikachu, but not before it used Electro Ball and almost put Streak out of commission.

Clover called to the injured Staraptor.  "Streak!  Run!"  The male Staraptor seemed reluctant to leave Night alone, but flew away regardless as the Trainer used the distraction to run behind his Pikachu and pick up Soursap, who seemed exceedingly startled  as the human grabbed him, but the boy muttered soothing words to him as he rushed back inside his den.  Seeing that Soursap was safe, Night fled as well while the Pikachu was underground and dodging her attacks.

The Trainer opened the door to his den and called his Pikachu back.  He then glanced around to make sure that the two Staraptors had not returned, and closed the door.  I sighed in relief.  "Inferno, Snow, Umbreon, Surf, head back to camp and help Streak and Night.  Espeon, get Clover, Bolt, and me over there.  I need to make sure that Soursap is ok."

Espeon nodded and teleported us into the shadow of the den, out of sight of any of the glass panes.  Without a word, Espeon levitated me up to one of the glass panes, barely enough to see what was happening.  "I'm transmitting what you're seeing and hearing to Bolt and Clover," Espeon said in my mind.

Inside the den looked rather cozy.  There was a large fluffy thing covering the floor, a table, a few chairs, most of which were also fluffy, and a large evergreen tree that was covered in lights and shiny things and other things hanging down from the branches.  I saw the Trainer carrying Soursap into the room, then gently set him down on the floor.  Soursap found his paws with a bit of difficulty and stood up, sniffing the air.  The Trainer spoke.  "Hey there, Leafeon.  I'm Chris.  I don't know what's happened to you, but I'll take care of you."

Then, a Snow Day miracle happened.  For the first time that I had seen, Soursap smiled.  "Hello, Chris.  Thank you."

I couldn't help but smile as well.  "Happy Snow Day, Soursap."

Chris looked at Soursap, then at his indoor tree, then to the snow that was gently falling outside.  "Merry Christmas, Leafeon."

Soursap followed his voice, bumped into the fluffy chair that the Trainer was sitting on, then jumped up on to it and sat next to the human boy.  "I like that phrase.  Merry Christmas to you, too."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As we got back to camp, none of us could stop smiling.  "Hey!" I called as I saw Snow giving Streak some Sitrus and Cheri Berries from Clover's stores.  "You both ok?"

Everyone looked up as we entered.  Streak answered.  "Night is fine, thank Arceus.  It's me the Pikachu hit."

Clover trotted with relative ease over to the Staraptor.  "Good job, Snow!  You look good, Streak!"

Night stepped up to her mate.  "Then we should be going soon.  How did Soursap like the Trainer?"

I smiled.  "I think he's very happy there.  We're all used to being wild at some point or another, but he was almost always with humans.  Surf thought he would never really be happy out here, so we found him a good Trainer that would never hurt him."

Night nodded.  "That's good."

Streak tested his wings.  "We should be going before the snow gets too bad.  Thank you for letting us help in this.  Happy Snow Day!"

"Happy Snow Day!" we all answered at the same time.  We watched the pair take off and fly back towards their nest, silhouettes soon blending with the night sky.

After a minute or two, Clover broke the silence.  "I'm a bit tired.  Can we go to sleep now?" 

Snow nodded.  "Sure.  Can you try stretching first?  I don't want your back cramping up."

Clover stood up.  "Sure.  I've been feeling a bit stiff anyway..."  She placed her paws in front of her and bent into a deep stretch.  And then something happened.

Everyone's eyes went wide.  A hush fell over the camp.  Clover noticed the stares.  "What?  ...Why is everyone looking at me like that?"  For a long time, no one could speak as we stared in amazement.  I finally found my voice.

"Clover... Leafy...  You have wings!"

Back to Normal? (Part 2)

WHAM!

"OW!" I yelled as my head slammed against the roof of my den, violently yanking me out of a wonderful dream.  I grunted irritably as I rubbed my head with a paw.  Someone had pulled the emergency vine.  I should go see to that.  Praying that no one was attacking the camp again and thinking of the punishment that I would give if this was a prank, I slid into the water.

I let myself float to the surface, not seeing any motion above the water.  Finally poking my head above water, I saw Snow.  She was sitting still as ice as she watched me swim over and groggily pull myself from the pond.  As I sat down, tiny snowflakes began fluttering down from the sky.  Winter was officially here.

I looked at Snow when she didn't say anything.  "...What is it, Snow?  You woke me up.  What for?"

Snow turned her attention from the change in the weather to me.  "Sorry about that, Splash, but... something's wrong."

"I'll say something's wrong.  Clover's not with you.  It's now been three weeks since this thing was over, and until now, I haven't seen you outside of three pawsteps of her."  I interrupted as she started to answer.  "You know what else is wrong?  I'm not asleep."

Snow gave me a look.  "Splash."

"Sorry..." I muttered.  "I get grumpy when I'm tired."

Snow nodded.  "I've noticed.  Listen, Splash...  Something's off about Clover."  I only tilted my head at her.  She struggled to find words.  "I mean... she's almost back to normal, but last night, she stepped on a thorn, and now she's limping again and-"

I broke her off.  "You woke me up to tell me that Clover stepped on a thorn?"

Snow shook her head, her ear flaps making the snowflakes swirl.  "No, no, that's not it at all.  I'm just... trying to find the words."  I waited as patiently as I could for her to speak.  "...Something's off about Clover."

I closed my eyes and nodded.  "Yes, we've established that."

She shook her head again.  "No, like off off.  Something's different about her.  I know her like a sister.  You know how no two Leafeons' tails look the same?  Well, I can name every notch, tear, vein, and nick in Clover's, along with where it's placed.  Something is not the same about her.  The humans did something to her!  I know it!"

"Like what?" I asked, a bit more concerned.  Snow didn't talk this much unless she was stressed.  Something was wrong.

"I don't know...  she's gained some of her weight back, but she's still a bit thin from the ordeal.  ...but that's not it...  I can't quite put my paw on it...  The only physical change I could possibly notice is that her shoulders seem... broader somehow."

I nodded thoughtfully, drowsiness slipping away and being replaced by concern.  "I caught that too, but I thought that was a result of her exercising with you."

"No, that's been there since she returned.  It feels the same, but it's not.  I don't know what they did to her, but I don't like it."

I nudged her shoulder.  "Hey.  We'll figure this out.  It's ok."

Snow nodded.  "All right...  Not a word of this to Clover.  I asked two weeks ago, and she got pretty upset."

"Understandably!"  I sympathized. 

Snow stood up, causing more snowflakes to swirl around her.  "Sorry I woke you up.  I just didn't want to disturb Clover by talking with you about her in private."

I nodded  "I understand...  Good night."  With that, I let myself fall back into the water, sank to the bottom, an them swam back to my den, where I quickly fell back to sleep.

 

                       

When I woke up, the water near my bed was dull.  Maybe it was still snowing.  Whatever the case, I stood up and stretched, relaxing as much as I could before sliding into the water. 

 

It was then I discovered why there wasn't as much sunlight reflecting into my den.  The pond had frozen over!  The snow must have kicked up last night.  I smiled at the thought of what the camp would look like, swimming into Surf's den, which was just like mine, except for being on the other side of the pond.

 

I surfaced in his den, where he was currently stretching his legs and tail.  He looked over as he heard me enter.  "Hey, Splash, you're up rather early!"

 

I smiled at him.  "I think it was the cold.  It snowed last night and the pond froze over!"

 

He shook his head.  "Dang it.  I'll see if I can get through with Iron Tail."  As the two of us dove into the chilly water, I heard him mutter behind be.  "Did you freeze it yourself with Blizzard so that we could have some time together?" he said slyly.  I slapped his flank with my tail. 

 

The pond must have frozen fairly recently, for there wasn't much snow on the ice.  I could see Espeon and Umbreon walking near the pond together, in sync, as always.  They sat down and looked at us in perfect time with each other.

 

I waved at them and shouted, "ESPY!  GET INFERNO!"

 

Her voice entered my head, filled with amusement.  I can hear you just fine, Splash.

"Shut up," I said aloud jokingly. 

She smiled, said something to Umbreon, then stood up and padded towards Bolt and Inferno's den.  Surf arrived on the scene, shattering a part of the ice near the shore with Iron Tail.  "It's pretty thin.  No ice skating yet.  Inferno will have to melt it until the weather gets a bit colder."

I smiled, recalling the events of last winter, including Bolt and Inferno skidding all over the pond like idiots until Bolt fell into Surf's and my access hole.  "A certain Jolteon and Flareon will be disappointed.  You know how much they love skating.  Or rather, falling."

Surf chuckled as I pulled myself out into the winter air, seeing the entire camp gently covered in a white blanket.  All except for Bolt and Inferno's den, which had no snow within a tail length of it, forming a near-perfect circle around the rock.  Surf followed me just as Espeon returned with a fluffed up Flareon.

"Stand back!" he called.  "Inferno comin' through!"  I rolled my eyes with a smile as he marched past.  With a big puff of his chest, he used Flamethrower, extending it out across the pond, and sweeping it back and forth until all of the ice had melted.  I put my tail in the water.  It was quite warm.

I looked back at Inferno just as Bolt zipped up at lightning speeds.  "Aww!  I missed the ice!"

I turned towards the disappointed Jolteon.  "Don't worry, it was too thin for skating anyway.  You two would have fallen in."

"Ok..." Bolt muttered before turning to Inferno.  "Let's make a snow Eevee!"  Inferno nodded in excitement for the challenge of building, and not melting, a snow Eevee.

Glancing around camp, I realized that Snow and Clover were not present.  Trotting to their den and seeing no one, I was about to ask Umbreon if he had seen them when I heard Clover's voice coming from Soursap's den.

"Soursap, please!  You have to eat something!  It's cloudy out today, and your leaves aren't strong enough to get energy in this lighting!"

I took a few steps closer to listen as Soursap responded.  "Why should I!?  I'm no use to anyone here!  I can't see, I can't grow things, I can't hunt, I can't fight!  You don't need me here!  I'm old, blind, and defenseless!  I might as well wait to die!"

Snow's voice answered.  "Soursap, don't say that!  You're the only thing that got Clover through that!  She made a special request for Suicune to save you before she passed out from pain!"

Soursap shouted again.  "You shouldn't have, Clover!  I'm no use to anyone!  And now winter's here!  You need all the food you can get!  I won't give you another mouth to feed that won't contribute!  And if my ears hear correctly, you'll soon have five of those!  You don't need another!"

Clover pleaded.  "Soursap, please stop!  Why are you so insistent on this!?"

Surf joined me in listening as Soursap practically screeched back, despite the constant rasp in his voice.  "Because I'm no use to anyone!  I never have been and I never will be!"

Ever the iceberg, Snow calmly responded.  "What do you mean by 'never have been?'"

There was silence for a moment, during which Espeon and Umbreon joined Surf and me.  Finally, Soursap's scratchy voice answered quietly.  "I had a trainer once.  I hatched with him as an Eevee.  He wasn't a nice human.  He almost never took care of me, and I was always alone.  Then he sold me to another human.  I couldn't defend myself then, either.  He was terrible.  He kicked me when I didn't behave or lost a battle, which was a lot.  He kicked me for not evolving into an Umbreon, like he wanted me to.  But I didn't want to be an Umbreon, and I didn't like him.  Finally, I ran away.  I barely made it to safety.  I had so many wounds.  I managed to evolve into a Leafeon, but I was still hurt pretty badly.  As if that weren't bad enough, I evolved just before one of the harshest winters that I can remember."

Snow spoke.  "I remember that winter.  That was when I evolved.  I wanted to be a Glaceon so badly, I almost froze to death before I evolved."

Soursap continued his story.  "I thought I was going to die.  But a human saved me, taking me to a Pokémon Center.  Later, he took me in.  He was nice to me.  He didn't like to battle much, and never made me battle.  Not once.  He just liked my company, I guess.  But then he lost a lot of money.  He couldn't pay for his home.  He had no choice but to sell me.  Even then, I was a drag.  Finally he sold me to the white coat humans where you found me, Clover.  I was there for years.  They made me blind and more useless than ever before."

No one said anything as he finished.  I felt bad for Soursap.  It explained why he was always so negative.  It was all that he had ever known.

Espeon and Umbreon stood up and walked away slowly, Espeon looking like she was about to burst any second with her kits.  Surf inclined his head towards the pond.  I nodded.  We stood up, walked across the snow, and sat down by the pond.  Surf looked at me.  "Splash?"

"Hm?"

"I get it now."

I nodded sadly.  "Me too.

Silence followed for a few more seconds as we tried to feel the last of the warmth in the water with our tails.  Finally, Surf spoke again.  "Splash?"

"Hm?"

"You know how we give each other gifts 12 days after the first snow of winter?"

"Yeah?"

Surf looked at me with an odd expression.  "This is a crazy idea, but..."  He leaned in and whispered in my ear.  He was right about it being crazy.

When he was finished pitching the idea, he pulled away and waited for my reaction.  I gave it some thought.  "...You know...  He might actually like that."

Surf smiled.  "I'll get Espeon and Umbreon."

I nodded.  "I'll get Bolt.

Back to Normal? (Part 1)

I slid into the warm water, looking fondly up at the familiar being beside me, his serious red eyes meeting with mine.  "Suicune, it's been two weeks since I last heard from you!  I thought that we were even and our connection might be severed!  Where have you been?"

The powerful water Legendary strode alongside me as I swam.  "The three of us had to take a bit to speak with Ho-Oh.  He wanted to know what we had done about the emergencies and why we took off to save you."

I rolled over while floating, getting my back wet as well.  "How did you pull that off?  You told me that it would take at least another day for you to clean that spill, maybe more!"

"Well, I did."  He paused, gathering his words.  "All I could think about was that you would probably do something that wasn't too smart, like charging in without us as your backup."

I pumped my flukes a few times, swimming quickly.  "Hey, we had a pretty solid plan there!  We just didn't anticipate so many enemies, that's all!"

Suicune put on a small burst of speed as well.  "Right.  Either way, I guess all three of us were fixated on the Clan.  Yes, even Entei," he said as I started to ask.  "Then, low and behold, Celebi appears."

"Celebi?" I asked, slowing down.

"His legends aren't as well known.  Celebi can travel in time, bringing anyone he wants with him."  Suicune waited for me to connect the dots.

"Oh, so Celebi waited for you to finish purifying the water, then he took you back in time so that you could help us?" I guessed, rolling over again.

"Close enough," he nodded.  "He did the same for Raikou and Entei.  The three of us met, caught each other up, then came to help you.

I dove underwater and swam under the Legendary, resurfacing on the other side of him.  "Lucky you came when you did."  The Aurora Pokemon said nothing, deep in thought.  He looked like he wanted to say something, but didn't.  Curiosity overpowering the voice in my head that told me not to say anything, I said something.  "What are thinking about?"

Suicune balked at the question, but he answered regardless.  "First of all, we are even, but this does not mean that our connection is gone.  You can call on me whenever you need to.  It will just be a bit harder to get us to come in the waking world."

"Thank you, but you're dodging the question."

Suicune stopped walking, instead standing on the surface of the lake.  He spoke after a while, not looking at me, but instead looking out, over the lake and towards the horizon.  He did that when he was thinking hard about something.  "Splash, Raikou told me about his rescue of Espeon.  He said that a human was holding her when he and Bolt got in.  Raikou also said that there was a broken machine that was emitting dangerous waves of strange energy.  Now, he and Bolt, being Electric Types, were immune to it, but a pregnant Espeon?"

I stopped in mid-tailstroke.  "Espeon?  But she looks fine!"

Suicune broke his gaze from the sky, looking at me.  "This is why I refrained from telling you.  See, Raikou said that, as he was carrying her out, the energy that was around her suddenly vanished, like something else absorbed it.  My best guess?  One of her kits."  I said nothing.  I was dumbstruck.  Suicune continued when I didn't speak.  "If one of the unborn Eevees took that energy away for her, that kit is probably dead...  Now, I still gave good luck for future kits, so..."

I could say nothing.  Finally, Suicune leaned down and nudged me with his nose.  "Sorry," I mumbled.  "I should go check on her, then..."

Suicune nodded in understanding.  "Go ahead.  Call if you need me.  Let me know how Clover is recovering, too."

I leaped from the pond in a graceful arc, landing perfectly on my paws.  I had a list in my head.  Better get started on scratching things off of that list.

1.  Check on Clover.

As I turned for Snow and Clover's den, Surf trotted up to me.  "You're up late, as usual."  He rubbed my fins.  Stress melted off of me.

1.  Check on Clover.  Spend some time with Surf.

I rubbed him back, sneaking in a quick touch on the nose.  He blushed profusely.  I smiled warmly at him.  "Nice to see my macho Vaporeon this fine morning," I said teasingly.  He blushed further, then butted me in the shoulder playfully.

He sat down as I touched his nose with mine again.  "You're in a good mood..." he said slowly, rubbing our fins again.  "I came to ask you if you wanted to go hunting later."

I nodded with a smile.  "Sure.  I just have some things to check on first."

"Things meaning Clover."  He knew me so well.

"Right," I finished, unable to think of a clever comeback.

He nodded happily.  "Go ahead.  I'll be waiting."  With that, he dove into the pond, swimming leisurely.  I smiled at him again before turning away.

1.  Spend some time with Surf.

Done.

2.  Check on Clover.

This time, I managed to get to the giant bush that housed the Glaceon and Leafeon.  Snow was walking slowly next to Clover, keeping her steady.  The Leafeon had been steadily recovering from the traumatic experience, but still wasn't back to her top form again.  Last week, Snow had been helping her walk on her own.  Now, they were working on running and jumping.

I admired the two of them.  Clover's paws were unsteady from whatever the humans did to her, but she was ambitious in her activities, always trying to put in as much practice as possible.  Snow was her rock, never straying from her side.  The Glaceon was forever patient, always staying less than three steps away from Clover, no matter how slowly she walked.  Snow would help her best friend through anything.  She held Clover when she was unsteady, caught her when she fell, and gave her the encouragement to keep going.

I trotted up the couple.  "Hey!  How are you two doing?"

Snow looked up as Clover was still carefully watching where she placed her paws.  "She is doing so much better every day," she said warmly while pushing Clover's chin up, making her look where she was going, instead of at her paws.  "Look where you want to go."

Clover corrected herself.  "Sorry.  Hi, Splash!  I'm going to try and run across camp today!"

I nodded happily.  "Here, run to me!"  I turned on my tail and ran to the camp entrance, which was almost directly opposite their den.  "Over here!"

Snow smiled at Clover encouragingly.  "Go on!  Run!"

Clover nodded astutely.  "Ok.  I've got this.  Run to Splash.  Not so hard."  She took another deep breath, then started up a clumsy dash towards me, her paws flailing a bit.  Snow ran alongside her, at an awkward gait that was halfway between a trot and a run.  After a few catches made by Snow, Clover finally made it to me, almost crashing into me before stopping.  "I made it!" she panted.

"Good job!" Snow and I said at the same time.  We were all smiles as we congratulated Clover.  Normally, running across the camp was no big deal, but for Clover, it was a major step in the right direction.  I looked at the two Eevees.  "I have to go check on Espeon.  Keep working, Clover  If I know you, you'll be back to normal before Espeon's kits are here!"

Clover nodded.  "I hope so!"  Both waved their tails at me as I walked off.

2.  Check on Clover.

Done.

3.  Check on Espeon.

I trotted to Espeon's den, hearing the loving voices of her and Umbreon inside.  Umbreon leaned out of the entrance.  "Splash, come in!  I was just coming to find you!  Espeon has exciting news!"

I followed him back into the log den.  "Hey, Espy!  What's this exciting news you wanted to tell me?"

Espeon smiled.  "I will be having five kits!"

I was amazed.  "Wow, FIVE!?  That's, like, unheard of!  Are you sure?"

Espeon looked up at Umbreon from the comfy nest of feathers that Streak and Night supplied.  "I'm positive.  One of them is a bit fuzzy, so I think something might be wrong with him..."

My smile faltered.  I tried to stay positive.  Suicune had said that he gave the Clan kit luck.  I had to believe that kit would be all right.  "I'm sure it'll be fine," I said with as much confidence as she could.

Umbreon nodded.  "I hope so.  I'm so happy about this!" he said warmly, lovingly touching noses with Espeon.

Deciding to leave the two of them in peace, I quietly slipped out of the den.

3.  Check on Espeon.

Done.

4. Check on Soursap.

The decrepit Leafeon was staying in a small cave created between a space between two rocks.  I was worried about him.  His leaves were still wilted and he seemed... lost.  Without hope.  He hadn't eaten much, either.  He didn't even object to anyone calling him Soursap.

Nevertheless, I trotted to his makeshift den.  As I approached, he called out in his raspy voice.  "Who's there!?"

"Relax, Soursap, it's just me, Splash," I said soothingly.

"Oh," he muttered.  "Go away.  I'm not hungry."

"I'm not here to get you to eat something," I responded a bit testily.  "I'm here to get you outside for some sunshine.  Just as good as food for you."  Secretly, I wondered if his wilted leaves could still preform photosynthesis.

"...Fine," he grunted.  As I helped him to his paws, I sympathized with Clover about the male Leafeon.  He was a Soursap.  He had been with us for two weeks, and I hadn't heard a positive remark from him once.

I guided to one of the rocks by the pond, where sunshine was casting powerful beams.  If the old Leafeon could still photosynthesize, this would be the place.  "Here you go.  Lay down here.  Don't fall in the pond!"

"I'm blind, not senseless!" he snapped back.  I rolled my eyes.

4.  Check on Soursap.

Done.

5. Go hunting with Surf.

However, as I called to my mate, I got a definite feeling that something unusual was on it's way...

The Rescue (Part 3)

A blaring noise blasted through the air that sounded something akin to an Exploud's screech of pain.  Humans started pouring out of the white den, more than we had originally thought possible.  They all rushed towards Bolt, along with a pack of about 50 Mightyenas!  Bolt cranked out the lightning as much as he could, but, no matter how much his attacks looked like it, he was not the Great Raikou.

Inferno ran to the edge of the den's roof, despite Surf's warnings.  "Bolt's being overrun!" he shouted. "His distraction is working too well!"

Seeming to realize this himself, Bolt backed up on his branch, looking for an exit as the Mightyenas tried to climb the tree to get to him.  Bolt took one look at the pack of ferocious dog Pokemon and ran, using his skill set to the max as he bounded from tree to tree with amazing agility.

A Staraptor's cry pierced the air behind us.  "LOOK OUT!" Streak screeched just before the Mandibuzz swooped in and snatched Inferno.  For the fourth time that day, however, his fluff protected him from any serious damage.  Streak lived up to his name as he and Night flew after them with astonishing speed.

"Streak!  Night!  Get back!" I yelled.  "Inferno!  GO!"

Whatever the Mandibuzz was expecting, it wasn't Discharge.

Barely managing to stay in the air (that's one tough bird Pokemon), she released Inferno, dropping him to the ground near the humans.  She then let out a raucous screech as the Flareon tried to sneak away, causing several humans to turn around and spot Inferno.

Inferno shot Flamethrower over his shoulder and ran as fast as his paws would carry him.  I couldn't tear my eyes away as Bolt zipped by in a tree parallel to his best friend... and then as a quick Gliscor that was pursuing the Jolteon cut down the tree he was in.

My paws were rooted to the spot as Bolt fell next to Inferno, both where they could be easily attacked. They took one look at each other, then blew up.  Bolt zipped away with a recharge, and Inferno turned to fight with the power-up.

Espeon's voice sounded in my head as Streak, Night, and the Mandibuzz met in mid-air, clashing a spectacular display of prowess.  Splash, we're clear!  That may not be safe for Bolt or Inferno, but Snow and I have a perfect clearance to the den!  How do you want to do this?

I though for a moment before speaking aloud so that Surf and Umbreon could hear me as well. "Listen, I know this is unsafe, but those two can hold their own.  We need to continue with the plan and save Clover."

Everyone nodded their assent.  Umbreon trotted to the edge of the roof where the metal plate was.  As Surf and I followed suit, the grate glowed blue before popping off the wall, exposing a rectangular hole that was perfectly Eevee-sized.  I looked at the two males stranding next to me.  "Umbreon, can you get in without Espeon's help?"

He nodded seriously.  "It'll definitely be more difficult, but I can manage."  With that, he leaned over the edge.  Helping out as much as I could, I grabbed the end of his tail in my teeth and braced my paws.  Umbreon mumbled thanks as he took all four paws off of the roof, trusting me to hold his weight before finding the opening with his front paws.  "Ok," grunted to me.  "I've got it.  You can let go."  Trusting that the Dark Type knew what he was doing, I released my hold on his tail, and he fell. For a heart-stopping moment, Umbreon just hung there before he pulled himself into the hole, his tail vanishing into the foreboding white den.

"Surf next," I said aloud.  Just as my mate began to protest, Espeon picked him up with telekinesis and carefully maneuvered him into the gap as well, this time, much smoother than Umbreon's entrance.

I did a final check on my clan as Espeon started to pick me up as well.  I didn't like what I saw.  Bolt was trapped between a whole group of humans and half of the Mightyena Pack, which was about 25. On the other side of my field of vision, Inferno was fighting valiantly, but was surrounded by an ever-closing circle of humans and Mightyenas, every human holding a Poke ball, or a cage, or both.

Movement caught my eye as I was lifted over the roof.  Snow was running from the safety of her hiding spot towards the treeline!  Following her line of sight, I spotted Espeon, who had her entire focus on me and not on the three humans and Mightyenas behind her!  I sent her a frantic thought as she turned me around and started moving me into the square hole.  ESPEON!  BEHIND YOU!

I couldn't see anything, as I was half in, half out of the squashed passageway, but within the next second, I dropped out of the passage as Espeon's telekinetic focus broke.  My small claws slid helplessly across the metal until I hanging out of the den by my claws.  I tried to scrabble for purchase with my hind legs, but that only succeeded in making one paw come loose!  "Surf!" I yelled, hoping that he could save me.

The smell of Mightyenas and the stink of a human hit my nose before Surf could even respond.  The human's voice was sickening.  "Well, well, well.  Look what we have here.  What trainer put you up to this?  Let's find out.  Mightyenas, get it."

His scent retreated as the Dark Types began jumping and snapping at my tail.  I could feel their breath on my flukes!  I tried to hold my tail up and away from them, but that only made one of my claws slip off!

Finally, Surf arrived.  "Splash!  I've got you!  Hang on!"  He leaned out to grab my fins in his teeth, trying not to touch my claws.  His face moved just short of mine, trying to reach my fins.  "Splash, your fins are vibrating!  I can't..."  As he tried to reach me again, I put as much effort as I could into stopping my fins from moving.  A Mightyena barely caught the corner of my fluke in his fangs.  He slipped off immediately, but it was all my claws could take.

I slipped and fell.

BOOSSSHHH!!

A massive geyser of water erupted underneath me, saving me from the ravenous dogs.  I screwed my eyes shut as the water died down, waiting for the attack.  Instead of landing on the ground, however, I had a soft landing onto what felt almost like cloud.  I opened my eyes.  A purple cloud-like mane.  I looked up to see a familiar, hexagonal, cerulean blue crest and the serious red eyes that I knew all to well.

"Thought you might need some help," he said with a ghost of a smile.

"Suicune!" I said.  I was never happier to see the Legendary of the water.  I stood up on his back.  He must have caught me by appearing in that geyser!

FWOOOOON!

CRACK!  BOOOOOOOM!

Entei and Raikou appeared by their favored Eevee as well, Entei stepping out of a massive column of fire near the human holding Inferno in a cage, and Raikou's massive thunderbolt striking the ground between Bolt and his human pursuers.  

Entei took a step towards the human carrying Inferno.  His posture said it all.  "Let... the Flareon... go.  NOW!" he roared.  The human didn't need any more encouragement.  He dropped Inferno and ran.  Entei engulfed the cage in a blast of fire that would have knocked out any other Pokemon.  When the smoke cleared, Inferno was standing in the middle of a puddle of molten metal, his fur giving off heat waves from the fire.

I dimly heard him murmur.  "Best.  Power-up.  Ever!"  With that, he jumped clear of the remnants of the cage and unleashed a powerful Flamethrower, which ended up turning into Blast Burn, scattering the Mightyenas around him!

Raikou turned his head slightly to check on Bolt.  Agile as ever, the Jolteon leaped up to his favorite perch on Raikou's back, recharging with the lightning that was angrily crackling among the thunderclouds on his back.  Bolt spoke while looking at the humans and Mightyenas in front of them. "Boy am I glad to see you!"

Raikou responded in kind.  "Friends don't let friends get captured by humans!" he rumbled before charging into the mass, both Legendary and Jolteon firing thunderbolts like crazy.

The Mightyenas surrounding Suicune and I growled uncertainly.  The Aurora Pokemon's smile at me vanished, replaced by his usual seriousness in bad situations.  He stared down the pack around us.  Then, he threw his head back and roared loudly, sending the dog Pokemon scampering like puppies.  

"Where am I going?" he growled, all business.  

"I think I saw them take Espeon inside the building!  Clover's in there, too!"

He nodded and signaled to Entei, who, grudgingly, let Inferno climb onto his back as well.  The second that Inferno was settled in, the Volcano Pokemon charged at extreme speeds, thick fur flying.  Just before he hit the wall, he lowered his head and extended his paw smashing through the wall as if it were made of sand.

Finally, the humans snapped out of their trance, and began attempting to fight back.  Many commanded Pokemon of their own, while others threw easily dodged Poke balls.  Suicune exploded into action, attacking anything that moved and wasn't an Eevee.  I could barely keep track of his attacks!  

When my mount's eyes turned to the sky and began blasting flying Pokemon with Ice Beam, I called out. "The Staraptors are with us!  That Staraptors are with us!!"

Both powerful bird Pokemon had been barely able to flap their wings, dumbstruck.  Finally, Streak managed to find his voice. "You know LEGENDARIES!?" he shrieked at me.  I could only nod before Suicune raced off at unfathomable speeds, blurring my vision as we approached the white den.

As he stopped near the gigantic hole that Entei made, completely ignoring all sense of the boundaries between spaces, a Poke ball zinged through the air.  Suicune marginally managed to stop before it hit him, but its trajectory continued towards Raikou!  Seeing this, Bolt heroically leaped off of the Thunder Pokemon's back and took the Poke ball in a bright flash of light.  It fell to the ground with Bolt inside.  "BOLT!" Raikou and I both yelled at the same time.

With another flash, Bolt reappeared.  He jumped back onto Raikou's back.  "Friends don't let friends get captured by humans!" he yelled back, throwing the Legendary's words right back at him.  Streak and Night swooped into my field of vision, now mounted by Surf and Umbreon.

Umbreon called to Suicune and me.  "Espy's this way!" he shouted, steering Night around the side of the den.

Suicune looked over his shoulder.  "Raikou!  Come on!" he called before racing after Night with Streak, Raikou, and Bolt hard on our tails.  I clung tight as Suicune ran.  I had never gone this fast before in anything!  It was almost as fun as flying, if not equal to!

A Liepard jumped through a broken window, landing silently in front of Suicune and me, causing the Legendary to skid to a stop.  "If you're here for Clover, I know where she is!" she meowed bravely. 

Suicune leaned his head to the side so that I could speak to her.  "Where is she!?  Tell me RIGHT NOW!" I snarled.

"On one condition!" she called back, bravely standing her ground despite the two powerful Pokemon that were staring her down, each more than five times her size.  "You don't hurt my trainer!"

Raikou let out a thunderous growl.  "You're in no position to make demands, Liepard!"

"Terror!" she called back.  "Clover calls me Terror!  And your Leafeon is well hidden!  You don't hurt my trainer, I'll show you where she is!"

Neither Legendary said anything.  Suicune looked at me for an answer.  "Fine!" I called back.  "As long as, when we're done here, neither you, your trainer, nor ANY of these other humans come anywhere near my Clan again!"

Terror looked back and forth between me, Raikou, and Suicune.  "With these resources you have, deal.  This way!"  With that, she turned and ran.

Umbreon stuttered.  "But... Espeon!"

I took charge of the situation.  "Bolt, Raikou, help save Espeon!  Surf, Night, you come with Suicune and me!"  Realizing that I just told two Legendaries what to do, I waited for the repercussions.  To my amazement, however, both nodded and raced in opposite directions.

I felt Streak's wingbeats on my back as he struggled to keep pace.  We easily caught up to Terror, even though she was running as fast as she could.  She glanced back at us.  "There's a door that you should be able to fit through!  This way!"  As she turned back to her path, my ears barely caught her mutter "...dear Arceus, that's terrifying."

Sure enough, two large panes of glass in metal frames laid on the floor, apparently having fallen from the ferocity of Entei's smashing.  Suicune leaped over them easily, following Terror into the den.  He growled at the Liepard as we ran.  "I swear, Liepard, if this a trap..."

"It's not!" she squeaked.  Evidence of Entei's attacks were everywhere.  I hoped Inferno was ok. Finally, Terror stopped near a pair of metal doors.  "She's right through there!"

Suicune didn't stop.  He smashed through the doors with a massive leap and a headbutt, sending the doors flying off of their hinges and across the room.  I spotted her immediately.  "CLOVER!!"

"SPLASH!" she yelled back, jumping to her paws.  She then screeched in pain and fell back onto her belly.  What was she doing all the way up there?

Pawsteps from the entrance caught my attention.  "CLOVER!" Snow cried as she raced in.  Without asking, she took a flying leap onto Suicune's back, then took another up to her best friend.  "It's ok...  It's ok, I'm here..  It's gonna be ok... We're gonna go home, ok?"  Clover could only whimper in response, pushing herself up to Snow.

I looked at Suicune.  "Get her down from there.  I don't think she can move on her own.  He nodded and pushed his snout into the open cage, past the stunned Zorua who seemed incapable on movement, and found the Leafeon.  The height wasn't much of a stretch for him.

As he carefully pulled the injured Leafeon down, she yelped again.  Snow paused on the edge.  "Do you mind...?" she carefully asked Suicune.  He nodded, though he didn't seem entirely happy about it. The Aurora Pokemon carefully draped Clover over his back as well.  I helped Snow steady her.

She panted through the pain and mumbled "Soursap's still here... get Soursap, too..."

I leaned down and asked her quietly.  "Who's Soursap?"

She barely answered before she slipped into unconsciousness.  "Brown Leafeon..."

From the doorway, Terror spoke.  "Brown Leafeon...  7a!  This way!" she meowed again before bounding off down another passage.  Being careful not to disturb his passengers, Suicune carefully ran after her, trying his very best to give a smooth ride.  After only a few strides, Suicune stopped next to Terror, looking at a row of cages.  Two Leafeons were in two cages.  One, true to Clover's words, had brown leaves.  His eyes were misted over, showing that he was blind.  Finally, as he sat up to try and figure out what was happening, his two tails moved on the floor.

It didn't take much for Suicune to pull the cage door off.  "What are you doing!?  Who are you?" he yelled in a scratchy, creaky voice.  

I leaned into his cage, helping him stand up.  "I'm Splash.  We have Clover here.  This is Snow and Suicune."

His sightless eyes narrowed.  "The Legendary?" he asked skeptically.  

Suicune dipped his head, even though Soursap couldn't see him.  "Greetings," he said in a serious voice.

I helped him onto the Legendary's back, being careful to avoid Clover.  "We're here to get you out.  Sit here, it's a bit crowded.  Now hang on."

He did as I instructed, feeling everything with his paws before placing them.  "I knew she was keeping something secret...  Leave the other Leafeon here, it's too late for him.  The humans poisoned his food."

All of us bristled and/or growled in anger.  I looked at Suicune.  "Surf and Streak are still outside.  Streak's wings can't fit through the door.  Suicune, please get us out of here.  I hate this place..."

Suicune nodded seriously.  "You and me both, Splash."  In a blur of motion, he raced out of the desolate, cruel place, back into the sunlight, back towards home.

The Rescue (Part 2)

We sat in our conference circle for the third time in the last four days.  I didn't even look at Clover's empty spot this time.  I just focused on Espeon and Umbreon on the other side of the circle.  Snow was still teary-eyed.  I clenched my eyes shut, took a deep breath, and attempted to speak in a steady voice.

"As you all know, the Legendary Trio can't come to help us.  They're being kept busy.  We have to devise our own way to rescue Clover.  Suggestions?"

Everyone was silent.  Inferno spoke without standing.  "How are we going to pull this off?  Last time, just to get in, we needed Entei's hole in the walls and Raikou as a distraction!"

Espeon stood up.  "While I have no definite plan, I can highlight our strong points.  We have the size, versatility, adaptability, and sneaking skills that the Legendaries don't have.  We can operate in stealth mode.  I've even been working on masking a Pokemon's presence."

Surf tilted his head at her.  "How?"

She turned to face him.  "Simple.  I use distraction methods.  I mask the ally's scent and sounds while focusing the foe's attention on something else."

Umbreon looked at his mate.  "Does it work on Dark Types?"

Espeon shrugged.  "I don't know.  I've never tried."

I looked at her incredulously.  "Well then, let's try it!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ten minutes later, I was hiding in a bush near Bolt and Inferno's rock den.  I peered through the leaves at Umbreon, who was sitting in the middle of camp, and then moved my gaze to my intended destination, which was his and Espeon's log den.  Espeon was sitting on top of the log, closing her eyes and focusing.  Finally, she waved her tail.  That was our signal to move.

I watched Bolt and Inferno creep out of hiding first, as they were the first group to try and beat Umbreon.  Both had unnaturally silent pawsteps as they snuck behind the Dark Type, probably the work of Espeon.  Umbreon had his ears up and eyes alert, but instead of detecting the pair of males less than two tail-lengths behind him, his attention was fixed on a tree above camp.  At one point, his gaze strayed from the tree, but soon fixed on another random piece of foliage.  Espeon was trying insanely hard to make this work.  Finally, Bolt and Inferno crept into the log den.

Next, it was Snow's, Surf's, and my turn.  Snow, who already had very quiet paws, reached the log den with perfect silence before Surf and I were halfway there.  I placed my paws lightly on the ground, worried that I would give myself away. 

"AH-HA!" Umbreon yelled, not at me, but at Surf.  "Got you!  ...which is not good news for us."

Espeon jumped down gracefully, despite her swollen belly.  "Doing three is harder.  Snow already has soft steps; maybe she can do without the sound muffling."  Snow nodded in agreement.

I sat down and looked at Espeon.  "Ok, so we can sneak around Dark Types... But that still doesn't mean that we can get in at all.  We need a way to get the humans away from the weird white den."

Bolt jumped out of the log.  "I can be the distraction!"  Everyone turned towards him.  "Not only do I know the Great Raikou's fighting style, he can hit from afar!  If I hide in a tree and cause a big lightning storm, they might think that Raikou came back!  It helps that he'd probably be the most likely to help anyway."

Umbreon led off of him.  "That'll draw their attention... Then we can sneak in.  I remember seeing a square hole in the wall with a plate of metal over it.  If Espeon can pull it off while Bolt is keeping everyone else busy, she can levitate us in before anyone notices."

I finished.  "We'll split up and go in pairs, Snow with Espeon and Umbreon.  Best to have one more fighter on their team if it comes to it, because they seem so fittingly fixated on Dark Types."

"Yeah...  Frankly, I'm disgusted with my type right now..." Umbreon muttered.

Wingbeats sounded from overhead.  We tensed and prepared for battle as the shadow of a large bird Pokemon swept over us.  Then, two forms landed on a low branch of Bolt's emergency tree. 

"Mind if we help with this?" Streak asked. 

I smiled at the two Staraptors.  We might not have the Legendaries, but we might be able to hold our own now.  "Ok everyone, rework the plan to include these two!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I tried my best to balance in the treetop, using my tail to steady myself.  How did Bolt do this so easily?  Next to me stood Surf, Umbreon, and Inferno.  Umbreon was the only one amongst us who looked marginally comfortable in the branches.  On another nearby branch sat Streak and Night, both of them analyzing the odds of Espeon and Snow on the ground.

Inferno was trembling.  "We're supposed to... jump?" he asked shakily for the 50th time.

Night answered the same way she did the last 49 times.  "Yes."

Umbreon looked at Streak and me.  "What if you were to hold him instead of Splash?  He wouldn't get hurt because of all his fluff, and he wouldn't be able to Torchic out of this."

Streak and Inferno spoke at the same time.

"Good idea."

"NO WAY!"

I rolled my eyes.  Do it, Streak.  I know him, he'll be fine.  He'll make a racket in the process, but as long as he's covered by Bolt's lightning, we should be fine."

Streak nodded as Inferno continued to protest.  "All right.  Then, we'll find that Mandibuzz."

Espeon's voice sounded melodiously in our heads.  "All clear for now.  Bolt, start your diversion when you see Streak and Night take off.  Air Strike Unit, wait at least 30 seconds before circling back.  We'll move when you drop."

I took a deep breath.  "Ready when you guys are."

"I am not!" Inferno shouted.  We ignored him.  The Staraptors turned around on their branch, putting our back to us.

I looked at Umbreon.  "Ready?"

He nodded with a small smile.  "Are you?"

Together, we jumped off of our branch, landing on the Staraptors' backs at nearly the same time, me on Streak, Umbreon on Night.  Hooking our paws over their wings as they instructed, we got settled in and prepared for flight.  Then, the two powerful birds took off, almost throwing me off before Streak's flight balanced out, giving way to the smooth freedom of the air that I had always imagined.  The wind blew over my fins, making them wave in the breeze.  I closed my eyes and breathed in the smell of the fresh, open air.

"Enjoying yourself?" Night asked as she flew up alongside Streak, matching him wingbeat for wingbeat, just as Umbreon and Espeon did with their pawsteps. 

"I wish I could do this all the time!" I called back.  I looked over at Umbreon, who seemed like he was all business, but I could tell he was secretly having fun, too.  I looked back towards the remaining Eevees in the treetops.  It almost looked like Surf was wrestling with Inferno.  "Let's go back and pick the others up!  I think Inferno is trying to escape."

With a single flap of his wings, Streak flew ahead of Night and extended his talons.  Seeing this, Surf grabbed Inferno, rolled over, and shoved him upwards just as Streak grabbed the alarmed Flareon.  In another perfectly timed maneuver, Surf got to his paws without falling and jumped, giving Night the perfect opportunity to catch him as well.  The six of us rose into the sky with two pairs of wings.

That's when the lightning started.

CRACK!!  BOOM!!  CRASH!!

Blinding bursts of electricity flashed everywhere, just as Raikou would have done it.  So far, the plan was going smoothly.  The two Staraptors made a banking turn, despite Inferno's screaming, and soared over the desolate white den.  On Espeon's silent signal, they dropped Surf and Inferno.  Espeon stopped their fall with telekinesis just before they hit the top, then released them.  Surf landed perfectly on his feet.  Inferno did not.

Streak and Night started to circle back.  "Ready?" my Staraptor asked.  I nodded seriously.  Umbreon and I counted down in our head before letting go and free falling.

For a few terrifying seconds, I just fell.  Just before I hit the smooth, hard roof, I stopped in mid-air.  Espeon had caught me.  I hovered for a full second before gravity resumed working on me, and I landed solidly on the ground.

Umbreon, who had apparently jumped after me, was still falling.  But he wasn't stopping.  Espeon's voice screeched in my head in terror.  SPLASH!!  Her telekinetic powers didn't work on the Dark Type!  Thinking quickly, I jumped into the air and gave Umbreon a solid thwack from my tail, sending him to the side and slowing him down a bit.  Ever in sync with me, Surf tackled Inferno, shoving him directly into Umbreon's path.

POOF!

"OW!!" Inferno yelled as Umbreon landed on him.  Neither seemed hurt, though Umbreon looked rather shaken, and Inferno looked extremely irritated.  The Flareon's fluff had protected both of them.  I bounded over to the pair of males.

"Are you two ok!?"

Umbreon staggered to his paws.  "I think so...  That scared me.  Quick thinking, you two."

Surf nodded thanks as Inferno whined.  "What is this, pick on Inferno day!?  Umbreon, I'm glad you're all right, but seriously, you are much heavier than you look."

Umbreon, getting his normal friendly attitude back, tilted his head at Inferno.  "Is that a compliment or an insult?"

Espeon's scared voice whispered in my head again.  ...is he ok?  Is my Umbreon ok?

I sent her a thought back.  He's fine.  Surf and I made sure he had a soft landing on Inferno's back.  They're both ok.

I heard a mental sigh of relief.  Good.  I can't believe we didn't think of that.  Thank you for being so quick on your paws, Splash.

I smiled.  No problem.  Just make sure that you and Snow are safe.

Inferno stood up and shook himself off, fluffing himself up even more.  "Anyway..." he muttered.  "Bolt can't keep going forever.  Let's get in, save Clover, and get out."

Naturally, that's where everything went horribly wrong.

Clover was in pain.  A lot of it.  Breathing hurt right now.  She didn't dare move.  That would make the pain worse.  Anyone who knew a thing about healing knew that.  Still, she had to breathe.  Still with her eyes shut, she took a quick, jagged breath through her mouth before holding her breath again.  That hurt.  A lot.  So much pain.  Clover took another quick breath.

 

What had happened?  Clover could only recall fragments.  She took another sharp breath.  The last clear memory she had was fighting Terror.  Another breath.  The metal thorn.  That had obviously done something to her, as she could remember scant details after that.  Another breath.  Lots of humans in white cloth-furs surrounding her.  Another breath.  The harsh cold of metal beneath her.  Another breath.  Unbearable pain in her back...

 

That pain was still there.  Clover couldn't stand it.  She took another breath, wishing she was unconscious again.  She realized she was lying on her belly.  Why?  Another breath.  If Snow were here, she could numb the pain.  But Snow couldn't save her.  Clover took another breath, this one edged with a sob.  She might never see Snow again.  Or Splash.  Or Bolt or Inferno or Espeon or Umbreon or Surf. 

 

The combined pain and emotional blows were too much.  Clover started to cry.  Tears leaked out of her eyes and every breath she took was laced with pain.  How did this happen?  How did everything go so wrong?

 

Clover dimly heard pawsteps.  She was too busy with hurting to care.  She just wanted it all to stop.  Another tear splashed onto the unyielding metal floor.  Something jumped up onto the platform her cage was on, shaking it.  Clover screamed in pain, more tears flowing freely.  She clenched her eyes shut and whimpered.

 

A female voice spoke.  "Oh, gosh!  I'm so sorry!"

 

Clover whimpered back, barely forming words.  "Go away, Terror.  Leave me alone..."

 

"Not Terror.  Zorua.  I'm here to help you feel better."

 

Clover still didn't move.  "Don't wanna talk.  Hurts too much..."

 

"I know, I know," Zorua mumbled soothingly.  "I know it hurts.  The humans have done this before, but with very little success.  You got lucky, really."

 

Clover took a steadying breath that was still rough, still not opening her eyes.  "Don't feel lucky..."

 

"I know...  Here.  These will make you feel better."  Clover smelled Zorua's paw near her nose, along with two things that smelled a bit like food.  "This is a cookie.  It sort of melts in your mouth."  Clover whimpered, smelling something akin to... what did humans call it... bread?  It had a starchy smell to it.  When she didn't move, Zorua stepped close to her, making sure not to touch her.  "Here.  I'll help."  She gently pushed the 'cookie' into Clover's mouth. 

 

Zorua was right, Clover thought.  The cookie did taste pretty good, and it melted in her mouth.  She was able to swallow it without much effort.  The food made her feel a bit better.  "And this," Zorua continued, "is what I call chew sap.  It's like thick tree sap, but it doesn't stick to everything.  It's super sweet and has a bunch of stuff in it that'll make you feel better."

 

"Ok," Clover managed to mumble.  Once again, Zorua put it in her mouth so that Clover didn't have to move.  It did require chewing, which hurt, but Zorua was right.  It did taste good.  It had a hint of... honey, Sitrus Berry juice, and a few things that Clover couldn't identify.  As she finished the chew sap, the pain subsided a marginal bit.  Clover was able to open her eyes now, without as much pain.

 

The first thing she noticed was that it was dark, like night.  She was in a cage all right, but one with no door.  The platform that the cage was resting on was a rather large height off the floor, but there was a larger area below, with walls to close her in, of course.  A small bunch of dry grass was in the corner, and bigger pitcher plant things with more water an icky stuff inside.  More water was good.  The best part was, there was another sand box in the opposite corner!

 

Clover yelped as she leaned a bit to see more, the pain starting to come back.  The small black fox Pokemon in front of her helped her ease back into lying down.  "Shhhh..." she murmured.  "Don't move yet.  It's ok.  You'll get better.  Just give it a few days.  You'll be up and walking in no time."

 

Clover breathed evenly now, though she was still in immense amounts of pain unlike anything she had ever encountered before.  "I don't want a few days..." she sighed, still sobbing a bit.  "I want Snow.  And my Clan.  I wanna go home."

 

Zorua sat down next to Clover.  "Listen... As much as I'd love to tell you that that's possible, I don't think it is."  When Clover didn't answer, she continued.  "On the bright side, the humans won't bother you for a bit."

 

Clover turned her head to ask why not, but the movement sent a wave of pain over her, making her scream.  Zorua, being careful not to touch the distressed Leafeon and cause further pain, instead moved closer to her.  "It's ok, it's ok.  Don't move yet...  You have a really low pain threshold, huh?"

 

"Yeah," Clover squeezed out through clenched teeth.  "I've been told...  But why won't they bother me?"

 

Zorua looked towards the door.  "I don't know, to be honest.  I think there's some kind of disturbance outside or something."

 

Despite all of her pain, Clover smiled.  The Clan was coming.