Sunbeam's Quest (Part 2)

I woke up the morning after the party that the clan had thrown Sunbeam to celebrate her evolution.  Well, more like the afternoon after.  Surf was crammed into my nest with me, as the two of us had been talking after the celebration.  I must have fallen asleep with him next to me.  I smiled at his paw on my shoulder.   I loved him so much.

I laid my head back down and waited for him to wake up.  I could tell when he did.  His smooth, quiet breathing turned to shallower breaths, and a small smile appeared on his face.  I nuzzled his face.  "Hello, sleepyfins."

He sighed happily without opening his eyes.  "I must still be sleeping.  There's no way something this perfect could happen while I'm awake."  Realizing that I'd have to at some point anyway, I stood up and stepped out of my nest, stretching on the floor as Surf muttered, "Noooo...  Now it's too cold..."

I smiled and nudged him.  "Come on, we'll have to get up at some point.  Sunbeam and Espeon are leaving for Bell Tower today."

"Right..." he said, finally hauling himself up and flexing his back, tail, and legs before stepping out of my nest and leaning on me slightly.  "Such a shame.  I was really enjoying snuggling with you."

He slipped into the cool pond water before I did, waiting for me quietly.  Before I went anywhere in the water, he touched his nose to mine.  I held the kiss for a few more second before we broke apart, but the magic was still there.  Surf and I swam in sync to the surface, pulling ourselves out in tandem.

Sunbeam and Espeon were standing in front of Clover, the former looking like a slightly smaller copy of the latter.  The rest of my clan was either seated near Clover or milling close to mother and daughter.  Clover herself was making two bundles of herbs for the trip.  "I've packed you Pecha Berries, Rawst Berries, Chesto Berries, any kind of berry with curative properties, especially the Sitrus...  Here are a few Revival Herbs in case you get into a bad fight...  I put a few mental herbs in, too, just in case you need the mental focus, but I don't think that'll be necessary."

Espeon smiled.  "Thank you, Clover."

Umbreon ran out from his den and towards his mate.  "Wait, Espeon!"  He stopped in front of her as she turned around.  "I know that I can't come with you, but here.  Take this with you."  He dropped one of his remaining orbs of moon dust that he hadn't used when the clan was separated after the explosion.

Espeon smiled and looked up at him, slightly confused.  "Won't you need this?"

Umbreon shook his head, leaning closer to his mate.  "No.  You need it.  That'll remind you that I'll always protect you and be there for you, even if we're miles apart."

Espeon smiled in the way that she only did when she was with Umbreon.  "Thank you, Umbreon.  I...  What do I give you to show you that I will always love, cherish, and return to you no matter how far the distance?"

Sunbeam looked at her mother thoughtfully.  "What about the promise stone?"  I smiled.  Even though Umbreon had seen through Terror's lie about the red stone that Umbreon had, the couple had taken to calling it one anyway.

Umbreon smiled warmly, still keeping his eyes on Espeon in front of him.  "Perfect."  With that, the two of them touched noses and kissed lovingly.  Bolt and Inferno found other things to look at, each for their own reasons.

Sunbeam looked at me incredulously.  "Did I say that or did my mother?"

I smiled.  "You did.  They just don't like leaving each other."

"Even for just a few days?"

"Even for just a few minutes," I corrected.

The perfect couple broke away from each other, Umbreon finding my gaze.  "Splash isn't wrong."

Inferno ruined the moment.  "Dear Arceus, just go!"

Everyone rolled their eyes at the impatient/disgusted Flareon, most with smiles.  "Fine," Espeon said.  "We'll be back before the full moon."

"Goodbye!"

"So long!"

"Good luck!"

"Be safe, both of you!"

However, it seemed that shouting goodbyes just wasn't good enough for Sunbeam's younger siblings.  All of them, including Two, charged away from where Bolt had told them to sit and tackled their evolved sister, which now required more than one of them to do.  Sunbeam laughed, half musical, like Espeon, and half the same giggle that she had before she evolved.  "Guys!  Get off!  I have to go!"

"We know!" Five chirped as all four kits gave their older sister hugs.  "Did you expect us to just say goodbye and let you leave?"

Sunbeam managed to get back to her paws, throwing Two, Four, and Five off of her, but Three remained on her back.  "I expected you two," she smiled, looking between the shiny kit on her back and the smallest Eevee on the ground, "but not them."

Two sat up and shook the dust out of her fur.  "We were coerced."  I couldn't tell if she was joking or not.

Finally, Sunbeam managed to extract herself from her siblings' embrace.  "Bye!"  She called over her shoulder.  Everyone in the clan echoed her goodbye as she and her mother exited the camp and began heading towards Bell Tower.

Sunbeam was practically bouncing on her paws witch excitement.  Her light pink paws.  She loved being an Espeon already.  I wonder what my powers will be.  Probably mind reading, right?  I have experience with that already.  But maybe I'll be like my mother and be good at telekinesis.  Or something else!  There are so many choices!

Espeon turned to glance at her daughter.  "Try to calm down, Sunbeam.  You'll need all that energy later in the day.  It will probably take us a day or so to reach the city, and then we'll climb the tower during the day."

"Sounds good, Mother!" Sunbeam chirped back, trying not to bounce as much.  She tried to think more like an Espeon.  She was acting like an Eevee.  Calm...  Dignified...  Poise...  Elegance...  The two tips of her tail still twitched excitedly, but she maintained her composure.

She wondered what she'd see.  I'm the first one of five who is going outside the camp!  Outside the forest!  I bet I'll meet lots of different Pokémon.  I know Streak and Night, but what about other Pokémon?  Umbreon said he met a Luxray really, really deep in the forest.  They can see through stone!  That's cool!  I have Psychic power, but there are so many different abilities!  I want to know about them.  I like learning things.

Her mother probably hear her drifting thoughts, but she didn't say anything.  Sunbeam looked at the forest around her.  "Mother?  Is the whole forest like this?"

"Like what?" Espeon asked without turning around.  She knew where they were going.

"Like... this.  Bright and sunny, with the trees not too close together."

Espeon shook her head.  "Not quite.  Splash picked this part of the forest to build camp for that reason.  Most of the forest is actually much darker.  The trees grow very close together."

It sounded both scary and exciting to Sunbeam at the same time.  "Will we go through there?"

Espeon nodded, looking rather neutral.  "Yes.  We'll get there soon, actually."

Sunbeam didn't like the aspect of not much sun, but she was thrilled at the prospect of adventure.

They continued walking for a few hours in relative silence, on breaking the quiet when Sunbeam asked her mother another question.  "What kind of Pokémon live in the dark forest?"  "Do they see well in the dark?"  "Are there more nice Pokémon or aggressive Pokémon?" 

Finally, they entered the dark part of the forest.  Espeon was right; the trees grew a lot closer together here.  There was the occasional patch of sunshine of shaft of light shining between the leaves, but aside from that, everything was in shadow.  Sunbeam was nervous.  She, like her mother, wasn't the biggest fan of the dark.  After a few furtive glances at the surrounding trees, Sunbeam bounded next to her mother.  "Mother?  It's dark."

Espeon glanced in her direction, showing that the gem on her forehead was glowing slightly.  "Try doing this.  Tap into your Psychic energy, and it will glow."

"What do I do?"

"Just extend your awareness around us.  You can do it."

Encouraged by her mother's soft words, Sunbeam tried to feel what was around her, in a greater area than she could see, hear, or smell.  Listen...  Cast your senses out...

After a few unsuccessful tries, she managed.  Her jewel lit up, the pleasure of which almost caused her to lose focus again.  The light of her gem flickered as they traveled on, displaying her relative lack of skill in use of Psychic abilities.  By comparison, her mother's light never wavered, not even when answering Sunbeam's question about focus.  Splash was right.  Espeon was a powerful Psychic Pokémon.

Suddenly, Espeon stopped just as Sunbeam detected something watching them.  Something rustled through the bushes, getting closer and closer to them.  Whatever it was, it was at least twice their size.  A gruff voice shouted to them.  "Back away!  Turn around unless you want to be fried by lightning!"

Sunbeam froze as Espeon tried to fix her mind on the new presence.  The mystery Pokémon continued to threaten.  "Don't even try hiding!  I can see the two of you!"

Espeon found what she was looking for, shouting to the Pokémon nearby.  "Luxray!"

Sunbeam's Quest (Part 1)

I sat by the pond and watched the three Eevees coaching the five kits, the oldest of whom wouldn't be a kit for much longer.  Bolt had taken over for Espeon in teaching the kits with Umbreon, as the mother herself was now busy training Sunbeam about being an Espeon.

Bolt was showing off his electrical abilities and teaching Two through Five about Jolteons.  Umbreon looked like he was keeping Bolt in line just as much as his kits.  "Bolt, we know that you can summon lightning," or, "Bolt, you've been glowing since this lesson started, they know you can do it," and one time, "Bolt, if you use Charge Beam on me again, I will hunt you down and trap you in the shadow dimension!"  This particular outburst elicited giggles from the assembled Eevees.

I turned to watch where Espeon was coaching One, no Sunbeam, on the ways of the Espeon.  "Now, Sunbeam.  There are very large array of Psychic abilities for an Espeon to be good at.  Usually, you excel at one, are very skilled at another, and while you can use the rest, you may not be as good."

"What are your skills, Mother?" Sunbeam asked, already acting like an adult.

"My best skill is my telekinesis, with my telepathy and teleportation also being very good.  I can manipulate emotions, or make someone see things that aren't there, but those are not my best skills." 

I thought Espeon was underselling herself.  She was a very powerful Pokémon.  Frankly, so was everyone in the Clan, in their own way.  Surf and Umbreon were strong fighters, but didn't much show just how powerful they were unless the situation demanded it.  Bolt and Inferno were both deeply connected to their element, and though they liked to show it off, that didn't mean they were all talk and no show.  They were probably some of the best fighters in the Clan.  Snow and Clover both had perfect control over ice and plants respectively, but their strength was not only their abilities and quick thinking, but strong personality and resilience.

Sensing my drifting thoughts, Espeon looked in my direction.  "You're powerful, too, Splash.  Don't forget that."

"Thank you, Espy," I said with a smile. 

Just then, Surf, Clover, and Inferno returned from their hunting patrol.  Snow was keeping watch after I had smelled a familiar Mightyena.  I had told no one, just to keep Clover and the rest of the Clan from panicking, but I asked that we resume watches.  Just to be safe.  Espeon probably knew, but if anyone could keep a secret and not panic, it was her.

As the hunting party divided up the prey, Inferno trotted up to Espeon and Sunbeam.  "Hey!  How's training?"

Sunbeam answered.  "Pretty well, Inferno."

The Flareon got straight to the point.  "Where are you going to go for your Power Quest?"

I walked closer as I asked the question that Sunbeam was clearly about to.  "What's a Power Quest?"

Inferno tilted his head at me.  "You never went on a Power Quest, Splash?  It's when, either after or when you evolve, you go somewhere that helps you get in touch with your new type.  Like, I went to a volcano!"

I thought about it.  "Well...  I sort of did.  I guess.  I went to the ocean after I evolved...  That's where I met Surf, actually.  He had been living in the ocean until he met me."

Espeon and Sunbeam smiled nearly identical smiles.  Inferno rolled his eyes at them.  "So where are you going to go, Sunbeam?"

"Umm..." the Eevee stammered.  "I don't know.  I don't know about any Psychic places."

"I do!" Clover shouted from behind and making Inferno and I jump.  The excited Leafeon dashed over and sat down next to Inferno.  "I heard someone tell a story about it.  There's this big tower called Bell Tower in a human city, but no one is allowed to go there.  It's very tall and deeply connected power of every type.  It's nine stories tall, and at the very top, Ho-Oh, the King of Legendary Pokémon, is said to perch."

Everyone was amazed by the prospect.  I was the first to ask a question.  "But what does that have to do with Psychic Pokémon?"

Clover hesitated.  "Well...  Nothing directly.  But it's said that the closer you get to the top, the more connection you feel to the world, your surrounding, and your own mind.  I thought it sounded pretty close..."

Espeon nodded thoughtfully.  "That is what one needs to truly master Psychic power..."

A hopeful smile spread across Sunbeam's face.  "Can...  Can I go to Bell Tower?"

Espeon considered it, then responded slowly.  "...I suppose...  But only if you evolve first."

Sunbeam barely gave her mother time to finish speaking before tackling her in a hug.  "Thank you, Mama!" she cried happily, slipping back into her Eevee name for Espeon in her joy.

 

The next week was spent furtively training Sunbeam to Evolve.  Mostly, Espeon did the teaching, but today, she asked me to step in and teach her more advanced battle tactics.

 

"Ok, Sunbeam.  This is probably the best way to win any battle.  The easiest way to win is not to get hit."

 

"That make sense," she said with a shrug.

 

"Now, you have an edge that few Pokémon do to help you dodge."

 

"My mind reading," she said with a smile, not even letting me finish my thought.

 

I nodded and continued.  "Right.  It's much easier to dodge a physical attack than a special attack, so we'll start with that, then move on to special attacks after."

 

"Do you know any physical moves, Splash?"

 

"...No, but let's pretend I do.  Let's say... Iron Tail."  I had been thinking of Surf and it was the first move that came to mind.

 

If Sunbeam picked up that thought, she didn't say anything.  "Ok.  Whenever you're ready, Splash!"

 

I froze on my paws, waiting to try and catch her by surprise.  Even if I did hit her, it wasn't with a move, and wouldn't do much damage, but it would still hurt.  Nevertheless, she needed more experience.  I pounced unexpectedly, or so I thought.  I swung my tail wide, but she jumped out of the way easily.  I came at her again with the same result.  "Good!" I shouted as the chase continued.  "Now try and hit me back!"

 

It took her a few tries before she landed a hit with Bite, but I was never able to touch her.  She was sharp.  After she scored a few more hits on me, I called a halt to the battle.  "Good job!  All right, we'll take a break while I try and explain dodging special attacks."  Sunbeam nodded and sat down, so I continued.  "Usually, dodging a special attack is like dodging a physical attack, except without the verbal cue.  All you'd need to do most of the time is tell when the attack is coming and move out of the way."

 

Sunbeam tilted her head, more like an Espeon than an Eevee.  "But some attacks don't work like that."

 

"Exactly," I nodded.  "Some attacks, you can't avoid, or they chase you, which is when teleportation is handy.  But other attacks just have a very wide range."

 

"Like Surf and Blizzard!" she called out, naming my moves.

 

"Right.  If that's the case, you need to find a safe zone, somewhere that you won't get damaged.  It's harder, but not impossible."

 

"Try me!" Sunbeam shouted, jumping to her paws again.

 

This time, I leapt at her without warning, using "Iron Tail" again, but she dodged just as easily as the first time.  I moved on to Stone Edge, targeting specific areas that she could jump away from.  I didn't actually want to hurt her.  After a few tries, she hit me with Tackle, so I stepped up my game and started using Surf and Blizzard.  Showing just how attentive she was, she held still until right when the large wave of snow and ice was coming at her, then used Quick Attack to avoid getting hurt, and jumped into surrounding trees to dodge Surf.

 

She caught me with a few more attacks before I finally caught her unaware.  I let her use Quick Attack on me, then used Surf immediately.  She clearly knew it was coming, but couldn't dodge fast enough.  The water carried her squealing into a nearby bush, and I stopped my attacks.  She was probably going to jump out and attack me the second I came close, but better safe than sorry.

 

I walked closer, dropping my attack stance.  "Sunbeam?  Are you ok?"  The foliage waved wildly in response, followed by a snarl that definitely did not come from and Eevee.  Suddenly, Sunbeam burst out of the foliage, running for her life and hiding behind me just as a large Mightyena exploded out of the bush after her. 

 

I squared my stance as Sunbeam quivered behind me.  "I can't read its mind."

 

"I know, it's a Dark Type, you won't be able to use Psychic abilities on them.  Just use what you know and attack!" I yelled, using Stone Edge to block the Mightyena and hit from below.  Sunbeam mustered her courage and jumped out from behind me and prepared to fight alongside me.  I couldn't read her thoughts, but she could read mine.

 

I used Surf as the Dark Type rushed Sunbeam, sweeping it off of its paws but missing Sunbeam herself.  Pairing with my attack, she darted in while her enemy was off balance and used Quick Attack, darting away before it could retaliate.  I used Stone Edge again, which Sunbeam complimented with Tackle.  We fell into a rhythm.  Hit, hit, dodge.  Hit, hit, dodge.

 

Suddenly, vines snared the Mightyena from below as it tried to attack Sunbeam.  Snow and Clover rushed in at top speed, firing attacks on their own wavelength.  With four Eevees attacking it, the Mightyena stood no chance and fainted.

 

Panting heavily, the two best friends turned towards Sunbeam and me.  Snow spoke first.  "Nice job.  We were tracking him after we caught his scent on patrol, but it looks like you handled it well enough."

 

Clover nodded in agreement.  "Yeah, you did great, Splash!  We'll tell Espeon how well you defended Sunbeam!"

 

I glanced down at the Eevee.  "Actually, she did a pretty good job defending herself!"

 

Sunbeam nodded proudly.  "Yeah!  I..."  She stopped suddenly as she started to glow bright white.

 

Clover lit up.  "Sunbeam, you're evolving!"

 

We watched in amazement as the brilliant shape of an Eevee shifted, reforming to have wider ears, a thin build, and a long split tail.  The light finally died down, revealing the new Sunbeam, complete with thin pink fur and a red jewel on her forehead, nearly a perfect mirror of her mother.

 

Sunbeam looked over her new form with a smile.  "...I'm an Espeon!"

A Beam of Sunlight (Part 3)

I laid down next to the pond, the tips of my paws touching the water’s surface.  My tail was stretched out and curved behind me as I looked up at the night sky.  The stars were especially bright tonight, even though night had just fallen.  The rest of the clan was asleep, or about to be.  I closed my eyes and smelled the forest around me, the crisp chill of autumn, the familiar scent of home.  Around me, I heard the songs of Kricketot, saw the Zubats flying overhead and hunting small Bug Types, felt the night air settle around me.  It was infinitely peaceful.

Soft pawsteps padded up behind me, halting next to me.  My visitor laid down beside me, letting his fluked tail rest on top of mine.  Both of us were silent for a few long moments before I broke the ambient night noises with a whisper.  “Surf…  I missed you.”

“I saw you all day today!” he said quietly.  I could hear the smile in his words.

I couldn’t help but smile back as I continued to look at the stars.  “I know.  One moment away from you is too long.”

Both of us fell silent again.  I never wanted the moment to end.  Surf shifted closer to me and pointed his nose at the sky.  “You see that cluster of stars, the one that looks like a rectangle with a tail?”  I followed his eyes and nodded.  “That’s one of my favorite constellations.  Ursaring.  She protects her little Teddiursa, over there.”

I broke my eyes away from the stars and looked over at my mate, whose skin was speckled by the starlight that she was looking at.  “How do you know that?”

He answered without turning away from the sky.  “Oh, I overheard Umbreon telling Espeon that.  It seemed romantic, so I thought I’d give it a try.”

I smiled and laughed.  “Well, mission successful!”

We sat in silence for a long time, with me watching the stars again.  Now that Surf had pointed it out, it did look like an Ursaring.  I almost dozed off, thinking about the mother Ursaring in the sky, protecting her baby all throughout the night.  I thought about the baby Teddiursa and how it looked it its mother for protection against all the dangers the sky had to offer.  I wondered if there were any Eevee constellations.

I looked drowsily over at Surf, with his skin gleaming with pinpricks of starlight.  He was my constellation, I thought as I drifted off.  He was bright and strong, and even though I couldn’t always see him, I knew he would always be there for me.  No matter what life threw at us.  Just as the constellations always stayed in the sky, like the stars of Ursaring would always watch over her baby, so too would Surf always be at my side.

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

I was gently roused from my sleep by a tiny paw nudging my shoulder.  “Splash?” the small voice asked.

I shifted in my nest.  “Ugh…  Five more minutes, Surf…”

The small voice and paw were insistent.  “It’s not Surf.  It’s Two.”

Swallowing a groan of annoyance at being woken up, I sat up and shook out my fins groggily.  Two hopped out of my nest as I stretched out with a yawn.  Wait, how was I in my nest?

I blinked a few times to get the sleep out of my eyes, then looked down at the shiny Eevee watching me patiently.  “…I thought I fell asleep next to the pond…” I muttered.

“You did,” Two responded.  “Surf brought you into your den.  He didn’t want to wake you up.”

I yawned again.  “Well, I’m up now.  Did you need something?  Is everyone else up?”

Two shook her head, drops still on her ears from the swim to my den.  “No, it’s still pretty early in the night.”

I stopped.  I wanted to yell “Then why did you wake me up!?”  Instead, I said it more calmly.

“I wanted to watch the moon,” Two responded simply.  When I said nothing, she continued.  “Dad said that tonight the moon would be blue.  I wanted to watch it, but he said he had to stay with the other kits.  You told us that we shouldn’t go outside on our own unless we’re with an evolved clan member, so I came to ask you to come with me.”

I sighed quietly.  At least she was responsible about it.  From what I had seen, she would have either asked someone to take her, or she would have run off and gone herself.  I was glad she chose the former.  “All right, Two, I’ll come watch the moon with you.”

A rare smile crossed her face.  “Thanks, Splash.”  She turned and walked slowly towards the water, unlike her brothers and sisters, who would have run.  Instead, she even paused at the hole, waiting for me to join her.

I slid into the water first, gently grabbing Two by the scruff as she followed.  We swam slowly to the surface, exiting the pond in the same fashion.  The only noise or sudden movements we made was when Two shook the water out of her fur.

We exited the camp in silence, just listening to the night noises as Surf and I were doing earlier.  I watched Two as she led the way, apparently knowing where she was going.  She was always so calm and quiet.  And independent.  On more than one occasion, I had heard someone else try to tell her what to do, but she would have none of it.  The quiet shell broke, and she got furious.  She yelled and refused to do as she was told, occasionally ending up in her running off and someone else having to track her down.

Eventually, Two stopped near a tree.  I paused next to her, unsure of what she was doing.  “Do you need a rest?”

“No,” she said simply.  She then crouched low and sprang up as high as she could go, catching one of the lower branched in her paws and hauling herself up onto it.  She never made a single sound, except for that of her claws and fur scraping the bark.  I watched from the ground as she continued to hop from branch to branch, working her way up until she was near the top.  She situated herself and called down.  “Can you see me from down there?”

“I can,” I answered, sitting down.  The shiny Eevee only looked away at the horizon in response, the pale blue light of the moon illuminating the blue tones in her fur, matching it almost exactly.  I smiled.  Forget a blue moon, that’s a Two Moon!

I glanced around the camp as everyone started to wake up.  I had been busy night hunting, so no one needed to do that today.  I figured that my clan could probably use a break.

Bolt, as expected, was the first one outside.  He spotted me and bounded over.  “Woah, Splash!  I never thought this day would come!”

I tilted my head.  “What day?”

“The day when you’re awake before I am!” he laughed.  I bumped his shoulder, which ended up backfiring and shocking me.  That just made him laugh more.  I settled for just looking at him disapprovingly until he calmed down, which ended up being when most of the clan was up and about.

Umbreon walked over as Bolt stopped laughing.  “Good morning, Splash.  Thanks for bringing Two back in.”

Bolt suddenly became Uncle Bolt, comedic attitude gone.  “Bringing Two back?  What happened?”

“Nothing serious,” I assured him.  “She wanted to watch the moon, but Umbreon had to stay with the rest of his kits, so she asked me if I could go with her.  We went out and she climbed a small tree, then she watched the moon until she fell asleep.  It was a bit of a pain having to climb up to her, but she woke up when I got there and climbed back down with me.  I ended up carrying her back to Umbreon half asleep."

Umbreon nodded.  “She really appreciated that, Splash.  Sorry that you lost a night of sleep because of it, though.”

I shook my head.  “It’s fine.  It was actually kind of worth it to…” I was cut off as my body betrayed me with a yawn.  I saw Bolt watching me.  “Shut up,” I said before he could comment.

Instead, he turned to Umbreon.  “Going out in the middle of the night to watch the moon?  I think someone’s taking after her daddy,” he said confidently.

Umbreon looked thoughtful.  “Well, Espy and I have been teaching the kits about the different evolution paths.  They’re about old enough to start choosing.”

Bolt lit up.  “Which means that Inferno and I will have to start grabbing stones soon!”

“Not necessarily,” said Snow’s voice as she walked silently up behind us with Clover in tow.  “They may not want to take a stone.  And for the record, I could see Two becoming a Glaceon just as easily as an Umbreon.”

“No way!” Bolt shouted.  “It’s close, but she loves the night.  Moonlight Pokémon all the way, 100%, I called it.”

I looked at the Jolteon.  “You called it?”

“Yep!  I said that Two is going to evolve into an Umbreon before any of you did.”  He looked very proud of himself.

Clover, however, looked confused.  “But... you weren’t.  Umbreon said that first.”

Umbreon just looked at Bolt quizzically.  “Besides, what would you get if you’re right?”

The Jolteon just shrugged.  “Satisfaction?  Bragging rights?”

I was about to comment that those would only work with Inferno, but One interrupted, bounding over to us with joy and excitement in her eyes.  “Daddy!  Daddy!  Daddy!” she called loudly.

Umbreon sat down and bent over a bit to look at her.  “What is it, One?”

The excited Eevee bounced up and down, reminding me greatly of Bolt when he was excited.  “I know what I’m going to evolve into!”

Shocked glances were passed around the assembled Eevees, and everyone leaned closer to her.  Umbreon played it cautious.  “Are you sure?  Once you make up your mind, you can’t unevolve.  There’s no going back.  You have to be completely sure.”

“I am completely sure!” One chirped, none of her excitement or glee lost and no trepidation obtained.  “I want to be an Espeon!  Like Mommy!”

Smiles and congratulations were heard all around.  The rest of the clan had gathered to listen, commending her for the choice and commenting on how well it suited her.  I heard Umbreon still questioning her, but he seemed to sense that she wouldn’t budge from her choice.  “Why an Espeon?” he asked with a curious smile.

One sat down in front of her father.  “Well, I really like all the things that Mommy can do with her mind.  And I love the Psychic abilities that I already have.  I don’t want to lose those.  And I love how Mommy looks.  I want to look that pretty and elegant,” she said, fixing her posture to mimic her mother’s, who was smiling happily next to her daughter.

I walked closer to the family.  “One, if you want to be an Espeon, now you have to pick out a name for yourself.  Do you know what you want it to be?”

She was quiet for a while before speaking again softly.  “Well…  I knew I wanted to be an Espeon when I had a dream last night.  I dreamt that I was walking in the forest, but the trees were farther apart.  It was so sunny and warm.  I jumped up on a rock and let the sun warm my fur…” she said, remembering the feeling with her eyes closed.  “Then a beam of sun touched my forehead, and I got a jewel there, and I became an Espeon.”

I was intrigued.  Judging from her expression, so was Espeon.  I had never heard of dreams like that.  I made a mental note to ask Espeon about that later.  “But, One, do you have a name in mind?”

Umbreon subtly gestured for everyone else to be quiet, which they did.  One had her eyes closed again, trying to feel the sunbeam on her forehead again.  “Um…” she said with her eyes still closed.  “Well, the ray of sunlight was what told me that I wanted to be an Espeon, so…  Call me…”

The rest of the clan listened closely.  “Sunbeam.  Call me Sunbeam!”

A Beam of Sunlight (Part 2)

This was going to be a big job.  Everyone, including the kits, had a job to do.  It had taken Surf, Espeon, and me ages to plan everything out.

I looked at the diagram drawn in the dirt, with everyone else watching.  "All right Eevees and Staraptors.  Everyone listen closely.  You each have an important job to do.  Night, you are going to lead the trainer to your nest as already established.  Meanwhile, One and Umbreon are going to follow the trainer secretly.  One, you'll listen to her thoughts, just to see if we need to take action."

One looked happy at being given such an important job, but Bolt looked confused.  "Why not me instead of Umbreon?"

"Two reasons," Espeon explained.  "One is for the stealth.  Umbreon is a Dark Type and very good at sneaking.  Bolt, you have a tendency to glow."

The Jolteon looked down.  "Only when I'm excited... but yeah..."

I joined back in.  "That, and he can use Phantom Force if they are detected."  Bolt seemed to accept this, so we moved on.  "If things go bad, which One and Umbreon can alert us to, then Espeon, who will be hidden nearby, will dull the trainer's reactions while three things happen.  First, Two, you have a very important job."

The shiny Eevee sat up straighter, with her ears erect and a serious expression.

I looked at her with the same level of seriousness.  "Tell me if you don't think you can do this.  We need you to use Phantom Force to get into the trainer's bag without her noticing.  Then, you are going to steal Night's Poke Ball and get out.  Clover is going to cover your escape."

Two said nothing, only nodded, showing extreme determination.

Espeon picked up where I left off.  "Now, while Night is leading the human back to the nest, Clover, we need you to make a net of vines around the nest that Streak or Night can grab, and fly away with the nest in tow.  Streak, Night, the Emergency Tree would be a good place."  The Staraptors nodded.  Espeon answered Clover's question before she asked it.  "And Clover, when Two jumps out with the Poke Ball, she'll have to be in the regular dimension.  It's your job to make sure that she is well-hidden, and her shiny brother can be seen."

Three's eyes went wide.  "Wha-  Me?  Mama, why me?"

I let Espeon explain.  "Three, we are counting on your luck.  A shiny Eevee is sure to draw the trainer's attention.  That will give Streak and Night time to escape with the nest.  We need you to run to the clearing near the stand of elm trees.  Do you know where that is?"

Three nodded, looking a bit daunted.  "And I have to lead the trainer there?"

"Right," I finished.  "Don't forget that she can't battle you if she can't catch you.  Stay close enough so that she can see you, but far enough away that she can't battle you.  We're relying on your luck."

The middle kit seemed scared, but accepted the challenge, determination written all over his face.  "I can do it."

"Great!" I said, smiling at him.  "When you see the clearing speed up and hide.  There's a hole in the ground where she won't be able to see your fur."

Inferno jumped in.  "Just check your ears and tail.  ...I learned that the hard way..."

Trying not to laugh, I went back to the plan.  "In the clearing will be Snow, Surf, Four, and Five.  Surf, you are in charge of smashing the Poke Ball.  Two is going to pass it off to Bolt, who will bring it to you, and then get to his post."

Bolt sat and barked at attention.  "Yes, ma'am!"

I flicked a fin in amusement at his antics, then continued.  "Surf, you have to smash the Poke Ball, probably using Iron Tail, then hide the pieces before the trainer arrives.  We need her to see Snow, Four, and Five, who will let Three escape and take over the wild Swanna chase, leading her to a path near the human town.  That is where Bolt and Inferno will battle her until everyone is safely hidden, after which, you two will blow up and make your escape.  I can almost guarantee that, running around the forest almost all day, she'll be too tired to keep searching, and return home."

Nods of assent were seen around the camp.  Surf spoke up.  "What about you, Splash?  It's not like you to not partake in a plan."

Streak jumped in before I could answer.  "And what if the trainer comes back later?"

"Ah, and that is where I come in," I said with a smile.  "I am going to be changing the course of the river to bend around the tree."

"Why?" Inferno asked with extreme confusion.  A few other Clan members shared his expression.

"Because, if things go wrong, she will want her Staraptor back after today, but she won't be able to find her.  She'll be looking for a tree with a river flowing around it and a nest near the top.  She will find a tree that has neither of those things."

Sounds of 'oh...' were heard around camp.  Surf smiled at me.  "Clever."

"Thank you.  Now, let's get this show on the road.  The trainer should be coming closer soon."

 

 

 

I dove into the river, getting a feel for its flow, strength, path, and speed.  While Night was flying back to her trainer, everyone who had paws and was available was helping to dig out a shallow trench that I could redirect the river to.  Surf was going to help me change the course, but I had to keep it flowing while he freed Night.

 

Finally, I resurface, my mate alongside me.  "I'm feeling pretty good about this!"

 

Bolt blasted over to the bank while everyone else kept digging.  "Hi Splash!  Hi Surf!  Clover said to tell you that we shouldn't take the river too far out of its way.  We're just looping it around Streak's and Night's tree, and then letting it flow back into its original course."

 

I nodded as Surf spoke.  "Tell her that it shouldn't make much of a difference.  With the depth of the trench and the volume of the river, Splash and I should be able to make due with half of the water flow."

 

"Just a simple fork in the river," I agreed.

 

"Roger!" Bolt shouted before tearing off to tell Clover.  I didn't realize just how much I missed that sound until he had to be suspended from Clover's ceiling.

 

Surf turned to look at me.  "Ok, we need to make this quick.  I have a long way to go, so let's get this done as soon as possible, ok?"

 

"Of course."  I peered over the bank of the river, spotting Espeon.  "Espy, how close are they?"

 

She paused for a moment to scan the area.  "Night just reached the human with Umbreon and One.  They're coming this way now."

 

I thanked her before raising my voice.  "CLEAR OUT!  WE'RE GOING TO CHANGE THE RIVER'S COURSE!"  Eevees scrambled to get out of the way as Surf and I concentrated on the water flow.  We couldn't just both use Surf and leave it; the water would return to the river.  "Surf, melt.  I'll use Surf to push the water into the trench, but you have to make it flow the rest of the way.  Make it happen, and I'll keep it going."

 

"You got it," he smiled before dissolving into the river. 

 

I waited a few seconds before beginning a countdown.  "3... 2... 1... Go!"  I used Surf in as focused of an area as I could, forcing a ton of water into the smaller river bend, hopefully with my mate at the front.  I sank back into the water and felt the current carry around the tree and reenter the river.  It didn't take much effort on my part to keep the river flowing.  All I had to do was shift some of the flow into the trench.

 

Surf reformed, jumping out of the river on the far side.  "Looks good, Splash!  Good luck!"  I didn't have time to call back to him before he spun on his tail and raced for the clearing, followed by several other members of my clan.

 

A few tense minutes later, I heard the telltale beats of Night's wings.  Dissolving into water, but still remaining in the same place, I watched as she swooped towards her nest and mate, hovering in front of them.  A few seconds later, the human trainer ran after her, a bit winded.  She watched Night curiously as the female Staraptor flew across the "river" and landed on the edge of her nest, next to Streak.

 

The trainer watched her for a few seconds.  "...Staraptor?  Is... this your nest?"

 

Night responded by stepping into the nest and sitting on her eggs.  Streak stood over her, watching the trainer closely.  He had the vines of Clover's net already around his talons, but they weren't visible from the ground.  Or the river.

 

The human watched her for a long time.  I didn't see Umbreon or One give any kind of signal.  Finally, she spoke to Night again.  "So that's what you were upset about.  I thought I could make you happy, but you have a family."  She looked away sadly.  "I don't think I could take care of two Staraptors and four eggs along with the rest of my team..."

 

I almost forgot about the water flow.  Was she about to do what I thought she was?

 

She looked back up at Night.  "Staraptor...  Do you want to stay here?  I mean...  I've always wanted a Staraptor, but I won't keep you from your family..."

 

Night looked surprised and touched.  She looked back at her mate.  The two of them seemed to have a silent conversation before Streak nodded, looking a bit sad.  Night stood back up, gently picked up one egg in her talons, and flew down to the trainer.  No words were spoken, but the meaning was clear.  For all that you did for me.

 

Her eyes went wide.  "You're...  You're giving me one?"  When Night only landed gently and placed the egg in front of her, her trainer put her hands over her mouth.  "Staraptor..."

 

She bent down and hugged Night tightly.  "Thank you.  I promise I'll take good care of it."

 

I saw Espeon move in the corner of my eye.  Night saw her, too.  "Tell her, Espeon.  Please."

 

Espeon closed her eyes, using telepathy that all of us could hear, but sounded like a whisper on the wind.  Her name will be Sora.

 

"Sora..." she murmured.  "That's beautiful.  I'll make sure she meets you, Staraptor.  Thank you."  She hugged Night again, then picked up the egg as if it would break if she touched it.  "I'll care for her like I took care of you.  She's my favorite already."

 

Night nodded.  Both looked at each other for a long time before the trainer reached into her back, removed Night's Poke Ball, opened it, and snapped it apart.  She put it back in her bag before returning her gaze to Night.  "Goodbye, Staraptor..."  With that, she slowly turned and walked back towards the tow, cradling the egg gently in her hands.