The Calm Before the Storm (Part 1)

I heard movement in the bushes.  Quietly, I signaled to Surf.  In almost complete silence, he crept around the bush, being sure to stay downwind.  We didn't need this thing detecting us.  His tail swept back and forth as he walked, hovering over the leaves and twigs on the ground that would give us away.  When he was in position, I heard a small splash.  I tensed up.

Surf used Dive right underneath my feet, spooking the Pidgey and making it take flight.  Using the momentum from Dive, I pounced as high as I could, stretching out a paw and smacking the Pidgey right out of the air.  Just as I landed, Surf used Iron Tail to finish the job.

"Nice jump," he said as I trotted back over to him.

"Well, that was mostly you."

He shrugged and picked up the Pidgey.  "Either way, I think it's safe to say that we've still got it."

I nodded once.  "Absolutely.  We are in sync."  To prove my point, we walked side by side, paw step for paw step and tail sweep for tail sweep in perfect time with each other.

As we came back into camp, Bolt zipped up to us.  "Hi guys!  Hey, nice catch!  Also, Splash, you have a customer waiting for you by the pond."

I nodded.  "Thanks, Bolt."  I then turned towards Surf, who was still holding the Pidgey.  "Can you take that to the Prey Hole?  Make sure Inferno doesn't get his paws on it before you do.  I'm going to see what our customer wants and then divide up the catches, ok?"

He nodded astutely.  "Rodger."  He and Bolt left as I turned towards the pond, making sure that I had no Pidgey feathers stuck to me anywhere.  That wouldn't make a good first impression.

Sitting by the pond were a pair of Staraptors; mates, by the look of it.  I trotted up and sat next to them.  "Hello, I'm Splash."

The large birds nodded in response.  "I'm Streak and this is my mate, Night.  We came for your assistance."  Night shook my paw as her husband continued.  "We had a little skirmish with a group of Pokemon, and in the fight, our nest fell from our tree.  We put a lot of work into that, and we don't want to have to do it over again."

Night picked up where Streak left off.  "The problem is, it kind of folded in half when it landed, and now it's pretty damaged.  We figured we could hire you to either fix or replace our nest."

I nodded thoughtfully.  "I'd have to see the damage for myself.  Let me just grab Espeon, Umbreon, Clover, and... Bolt."  They agreed to wait, and I got up to inform the appropriate Eevees.  Espeon could levitate the old next back into the tree if we could fix it, and Umbreon would not go anywhere without her, now that she was pregnant.  Clover might be able to grow a new nest, if the need arose, and Bolt was particularly good at climbing trees.

I hit Espeon and Umbreon first.  The couple was, as per usual, in their log den, talking.  "How many do you think?" I heard Umbreon's voice.  They must be talking about her kits.

"I don't know," Espeon responded.  "I definitely think either three or  four."

I ducked in and interrupted.  "Four?  That's fantastic!"  Usual Eevee litters ranged from 2-4 kits, so this was a big deal.

Espeon purred.  "Thank you, Splash."

I didn't sit down, instead standing in the entrance.  "Hey, Espy?  We have a pair of Staraptors whose nest fell from its tree.  Can you come?  You might be able to levitate it back up."

As I expected, she said yes just as Umbreon cut in.  "Not without me.  I'm coming, too."

I laughed.  "I figured you would.  Can you be ready to go in about 10 minutes?  I still need to get Clover and Bolt and figure out a price."

The perfect pair agreed, and returned to their conversation, this time discussing kit names.  I left, going towards Snow and Clover's den before realizing that they had just returned from hunting as well.  So, I spun on my tail and trotted over to them. 

Clover agreed to come, as did Bolt.  After bargaining for the price of one dollar per minute, we set off.  Bolt ran directly underneath the flying Staraptors and we followed Bolt.  It made me smile to see him so happy and integrated into Clan life once again.  He and Espeon had even become closer friends, with him often taking part in conversation with her and Umbreon.  Finally, Espeon and Umbreon named Bolt caretaker of their future kits.  It would be his job to watch them in the couple's absence.

I tripped over a branch, snapping me out of my thoughts.  The Staraptors had landed on a thick, high branch of a tall, study tree.  "This is where our nest used to be!" Streak called.  The branch I had tripped over was part of the fallen nest.  As described, it appeared to folded down the middle.  With a little shove, I opened it back up, revealing that the damage was not quite as extensive as I had thought.

Without me saying a word to her, Clover touched her nose to the damaged nest.  Soft vines and leaves started weaving their way in and around the nest, repairing and reinforcing it.  She even went so far as to add felt-like leaves all over the inside of the nest, making it something I would want to sleep in on a daily basis.  When she was finished, she pulled away and looked at her work.  "There," she stated simply.  "Those vines will make it super-sturdy.  You could drop it off a cliff now and you wouldn't lose a leaf."

I only had to glance at Bolt before he bounded up into the tree, from one branch to the next to the next to the next to the next to the next, all the way to the branch upon which the Staraptors were sitting.  "Wow," Streak commented.  "He is good at climbing trees."

Bolt nodded.  "Thank you."  He then looked down at Espeon.  "Hoist the nest up!  I'll tell you when and where to drop it!"

Espeon said nothing, only nodded and focused her mind on the cozy nest.  It started to float into the air, up, up, up onto the high branch.  Bolt nudged it with his nose, flinching a bit as the Staraptors took off to make room for the incoming nest.  "Ok..." he muttered, just loud enough for us to hear.  "A little more to the left...  A little more...  That's too much...  Perfect!  Set it down slowly!"  The nest inched towards the branch, finally resting in the elbow between the branch and the trunk. Clover made vines that wound around the tree trunk and nest, securing it in place.  Knowing Clover, that nest could withstand an earthquake and never fall.

The Staraptors coasted to the ground, landing next to each other.  "How much do we owe you?"

I cocked my head and thought for a moment.  "That took about... six minutes, so six dollars."  They nodded and dropped the human currency on the ground.  As I collected it, Bolt piped up.

"What caused your nest to fall in the first place?"

Night answered him.  "A pack of Mightyenas tried to attack us."

We all froze.