As my vision started to stop spinning, dim voices reached my clearing ears. Human voices.
"....... job with Electrode..."
"... Got a nice haul he..."
I shook my head slightly, trying to clear it. These were obviously not good humans. I had to get out of here. Where was my clan?
I forced myself to roll onto my paws, standing up and fighting the accompanying wave of severe nausea. Trying not to let myself throw up, I ended up coughing again. My eyes and ears were clearing up, but my nose remained clogged with smoke.
Panting heavily, I glanced around. Light reflected off of something about 10 tail-lengths away. Pond. The ice must have shattered during the explosion. It was safe there. I could recover and get the clan into hiding there. First things first. I couldn't help if I was on the verge of collapsing myself, and the light from Recover might alert the humans. I had to get to the water.
I started walking as best I could, stopping when I put weight on my hind left leg. I clenched my jaw and limped towards the safety of the water. I stopped short again as I heard tiny coughs. Changing course, I dragged my tail over to heap of debris from which the delicate sounds had come. Only using one paw, I dug frantically through the wreckage. If one of Espeon's kits was there...
There! A small brown ear! Moving the wood wreck aside, I uncovered an unconscious female Eevee.
"One?" I croaked, smoke still inside my throat. She gave no response. I leaned over to her, wincing as I did so. She was still alive, but hurt very badly. I grabbed her ruff in my teeth and carefully pulled her free of the splinters of wood that littered her fur, ignoring my own pain.
I muttered soothingly to her, even though she had been knocked out by the blast. "It's ok... Splash's here... I'll keep you safe... This way..." I made my way towards the pond again, limping as fast as I could go. The humans were getting closer. As I was about three tail-lengths away, another gleam caught my eye. Shiny fur. It was Three. He had miraculously made it through the explosion completely unscathed, if not a bit dazed.
He stumbled towards me. "Splash? What's going on? What are those things?" he asked frantically, looking at the humans.
Trying not to cough with One still in my mouth, I did my best on short notice. "Dangerous humans. This way. Pond. Now."
He looked hesitant. "What happened to One?"
"Now!" I snapped, pushing him with one paw. He got the message and hurried alongside me to the edge of the water.
"Why are you walking like that?" he asked, his questions getting more desperate.
I looked at him. "Hold your breath," I grunted before pushing him into the water and jumping in after him with One.
Three flailed his paws desperately, unable to swim. I carefully pushed him along with my nose and shoulders, pumping the water gently with my tail until we got to my den. The tiny Eevee gratefully clawed his way into my den and gasped for air. I followed, placing One as far from the water as I could. Ducking my head under the water again, I coughed smoky bubbles until only water remained and I could breathe easily again. Then, I surfaced, did my best to pull myself out of the water without stressing my leg further, and curled around a shivering Three.
"Good job, Three. You were very lucky." I used Recover while attempting to lick him dry.
He was still shaking. "What happened? Where's Mommy?"
I had to use a few more Recovers as I answered. "Bad humans happened. They used an Electrode to blow up our camp. I think they're looking for us. We can't let them find us. As for your mother?" I paused. "... I don't know." With that, I dove back into the pond to see if I could find the rest of my clan.
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Espeon awoke in a daze. Where was she? Wherever it was, it was dark and smoke filled. She tried to stand up, but found that her hind legs were trapped under debris.
A question seized her mind. Where was Umbreon? She cast her mind out, seeking his presence, but not finding it. Where was he? Was he hurt? Was he alive? "Umbreon?" she called hoarsely. She'd been standing right next to him when the blast occurred. Where was he? Maybe he was just knocked out.
And what about her kits? Where were they? She searched again, this time for the presence of her kits. Close by, she found Surf and Snow, knocked out, but relatively unhurt. There! Two and Five! Both were awake, but hurt.
Two! Five! she called out in their minds.
Two was first to respond. Mama!
As she communicated with her kits, the smoke started to clear. This way! Espeon called, guiding her kits.
Five sent her thoughts. Mommy, what happened? Where are you?
Just as she was about to respond, voices reached Espeon's keen ears. "Found one!"
The smoke in front of her cleared just enough to see a tall human shape. Dread flooded through her. Five's scared voice entered her head again. Mommy? What's happening?
Espeon still couldn't respond as she watched the human reach to the ground and roughly grab Snow, who was just starting to stir, by the scruff. "A Glaceon!" he called in a harsh voice. Then, without a second thought, he took out a small container with a tiny stick on the end. It looked a bit like the things that humans kept Potions in. That is, until he jabbed the stick into Snow's flank and pushed the liquid inside into Snow! The Glaceon immediately fell deeper into unconsciousness, though she was still alive.
For one of the first times in her life, Espeon panicked. Without breaking the mental link with her kits, she arrowed her mind to Surf, desperately trying to get him to wake up. SURF!! Surf, the clan is in danger! Splash is in danger! Wake up! Humans are coming to attack you!
However, whatever she tried, it was too late. Just as the strong male Vaporeon was about to wake up, the cruel human did the same thing to him, making him fall limp again in his tight grip. Espeon summoned her psychic powers to free Surf and Snow, but just as she was about to launch a mental attack, Two's voice entered her head. Mama! I see you! We're coming!
Espeon froze. She only had a few seconds. Get Surf back, free herself, or save her kits?
The choice was obvious.
NO! GO! RUN!! RUN AS FAR AS YOU CAN AS FAST AS YOU CAN! RUN! LEAVE ME HERE! GO!!
She saw a glimmer of grey fur as Two and Five skidded to a stop. There was a brief pause before both did as she said, racing in the opposite direction. Espeon just managed to find a waking Umbreon before there was a sharp pain in her shoulder, and everything went dark.
Umbreon snapped awake with an alert sense of urgency and panic. Espy? he called out mentally, but got no response. "Patrats!" he muttered under his breath, wishing he could seek out her mind like she could.
A voice from above him called. "Help! Umbreon! I'm stuck!" Umbreon glanced up to see Clover, hanging upside down by her paws, still tied to the tree branch. "I was blown over during the explosion, but it missed me for the most part! Streak and Night got caught in the thick of it!"
"Hang on!" he called up, not meaning to make a joke. He had forgotten Shadow Claw a while ago. Maybe he could try and use it to cut Clover free? As he prepared to try, he called to the hanging Leafeon. "Can you see Espeon from up there?"
"No! Half of the camp is shrouded in smoke! I can't see anything!" Umbreon growled under his breath and used a halfway combination of Shadow Claw and Dark Pulse, but it did the job well enough, cutting Clover's hind paws free. "WHAAAA!" Clover screeched as she swung from her front paws.
"What about my kits!?" Umbreon called desperately. He couldn't protect his family! He felt helpless.
Clover narrowed her eyes, trying to see past the smoke. "...No. Sorry, Umbreon. I don't know." Umbreon drooped visibly with a sigh. He moved to cut Clover loose. "Wait! I see a glow! I think it's Four!"
"What!? Where!?" Umbreon shouted.
"I can show you! Cut me loose!" Clover shouted back. She ended up regretting saying this, as the second her sentence ended, she was falling towards the ground. Umbreon backed up as she barely managed to open her wings in time, making the fall not as catastrophic. Was that the first time she had used her wings to not crash?
Clover shook herself off and tore in one direction. "This way!" Frantic, Umbreon bolted after her, wincing slightly as he put weight on his bruised shoulder. But he would endure anything for his family's safety.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bolt's ears rang as he staggered to his paws. Thank Arceus that Inferno was between them and the explosion! Being a Flareon, he had taken the fire that would probably have killed them, as the closest to the blast. But his fluff, once again, had protected his fellow clan members, this time, from the force of the blast. Bolt looked at his best friend, who was knocked out quite heavily.
Bolt touched his node to Inferno's shoulder and emitted a jarring shock, which woke Inferno up rather easily. "Inferno! You ok?"
The still dazed Flareon nodded, glancing around. "Where are the kits?"
Bolt looked around at the smoking wreckage of camp. "No idea. They must have gotten thrown by the explosion."
Inferno puffed out his fur, throwing the dust off. "Great... The kits are missing, as is the rest of our clan, our camp is destroyed, we have nowhere to go..."
Bolt shook his head determinedly. "No. The kits are fine, Espeon and the others are fine, and we will get through this!" His voice betrayed the fear that what he was saying was not true.
Just then, two bundles of fluff, one slightly smaller than the other, careened into the worried Jolteon. Two recovered first. "Uncle Bolt!"
Bolt nuzzled the two kits comfortingly. "Two! Five! It's ok! Inferno and I will keep you safe!" For a few seconds, no one spoke as the Jolteon and Flareon comforted the scared Eevees. Eventually, Bolt broke the silence. "Five, you're shaking! What happened?"
Five started blubbering at the mention. "M-m-mommy was attacked... b-b-by humans..." she paused to sniffle and cuddle closer to Bolt. "...and she told us to run... and leave her there... and..." Five could speak no more as she completely broke down into sobs. Even Two was crying quietly. Bolt gave his nieces another hug, now worried sick about Espeon.
Inferno paused. "Wait, humans?"
Two could only nod.
Bolt burst into action. "Emergency Tree! Now! Go go go!" He grabbed Five by the ruff, urging Inferno to take Two, and raced for the base of the tree. He could already smell the stench of humans. Dropping Five at the hole at the roots, he waited for Inferno and Two to go ahead. "Inferno! Take the lead! Kits, follow him! I'll make sure nothing comes after us!"
Inferno dashed up the inside of the tree, holding his breath as not to light it on fire by accident. Bolt made sure that Two and Five were behind him and in no danger of falling before running after them, praying to Arceus that the rest of his clan would be safe.
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