Unexpected Visitors
Hello again. Hope you have time, I have quite a bit to tell about the next day...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I woke the next morning next to the comatose Vulpix. I watched as her body rose and fell with each breath she took. I shivered a bit and noticed that the fire had gone out overnight, leaving just a pile of ash. I stretched then sat up, still a bit sleepy. I yawned heavily and blinked, still in the process of waking when I heard a yawn that wasn't my own. I turned to see the young, red fox starting to awaken. I continued to watch her as she began to wriggle around in the coat she was resting within. She opened one of her bright green eyes slowly, then blinked and opened both of them. The Vulpix searched her surroundings, completely confused by the scenery. Her eyes fell upon me sitting next to her. She stared for a moment before the situation settled...
"AAAAHHHHHH!!!!" she screamed shrilly. I immediately dropped my head to the bricks of the hearth and covered my ears with my forepaws to block out the sound. I looked up after a few seconds, noticing that she was watching me. I lifted my head back up from the hearth. I opened my mouth to speak, but I never got to do so.
"WHO ARE YOU!?" she shouted, frightened by the unpleasant surprise of waking up in someone else's home. "WHERE AM I!?"
"Shhh, calm down, I'm not going to do anything to you," I tried to explain in a gentle voice. "My name's Gamma and this is where I live."
"WHAT AM I DOING HERE!?" she hollered, not even trying to control herself.
"Please, calm down. You were found passed out in the snow outside. Jenny brought you here to take care of you until you recover."
She appeared to be calming, either that or her throat began to hurt from the screaming.
"Who's Jenny?" she asked.
"Jenny's a human, I live here with her," I explained.
"HUMAN!?" So much for her calming down. The door to the guest bedroom swung open, and I turned to see Nurse Joy's head poking out through it.
"What on earth is going on out here?" she asked sleepily, though I could definitely detect some irritation in her voice. "What's with all the screaming, Gam..." she stopped. She stepped back into the bedroom, returning shortly after and she walked to the table where she'd lain her tools the night before.
"How long has she been awake, Gamma?" she asked as she approached the hearth. She knelt down next to the Vulpix, pulling out a thin rod from her assortment of supplies.
"Not very long, Nurse Joy," I answered. "She's a bit freaked out about being here."
"STAY AWAY FROM ME HUMAN!" the fox yelled.
"Relax, honey, I'm not going to hurt you," Joy said. "I just need to take your temperature."
"TAKE MY WHAT!?"
"Your temperature, dear. I need to measure your body temperature."
The fox opened her mouth to say something in return, but stopped, looking very confused. She stared curiously at Joy for a moment before speaking again.
"Can...can you understand me?" she asked uncertainly.
"Yes I can," Joy replied. "Now please, let me take your temperature."
The young fox continued to stare at Joy. I watched as her gaze shifted slowly towards the metallic rod in Nurse Joy's hand.
"What is that thing?" the Vulpix asked.
"This? It's a thermometer. It's a tool used to measure the temperature of something, and in this case, you," Joy explained. "Now, could you please open your mouth so I can do this?"
"Why should I?"
"Honey, please. You're sick and you need to be taken care of, but in order to do that effectively, I need to examine you. I'm only trying to help you."
"What do you mean, I'm sick? I feel fin..." The young fox was interrupted by a sudden fit of coughing. It soon passed, but she was shaken up by it. "Okay, I'll cooperate."
She slowly opened her mouth to allow Joy to begin her examination. The nurse carefully placed the end of the thermometer into her open jaws.
"Thank you, sweetie. Now close."
The young vixen complied, still clearly a bit nervous about Nurse Joy. She laid helplessly within Joy's parka, seemingly lost in thought. She bore a blank expression, though that could have been because she wanted to hide her fear. A minute or so passed before Joy removed the thermometer from the fox's mouth.
"Hmmm..." she said, looking down at the rod. "407. Well, that's better than last night, but it's still dangerously low."
(Minimum Healthy Vulpix Body Temperature: 465 Fahrenheit)
"Is she going to be alright?" I asked, worried about the poor fox. I looked down at her and saw her gazing at me.
"Not sure, Gamma," she answered. "I'm going to have to give her a more thorough examination."
I turned and looked back down at the Vulpix.
"What's your name?" I asked her.
"Sa..." she began to cough again. "Sorry, it's Sarah."
A loud bang sounded from the front door. I nearly jumped out of my fur at the noise. Once I calmed down, I crept towards the door and carefully opened the mail flap with my nose, resting it on top of my head, a skill I'd learned when waiting for Jenny to return home on earlier days, and peered through the slot. I saw a small family of Vulpix standing on the low, stone porch. There were two younger foxes that were shivering and huddled together for warmth, both were male, one that looked about my age and the other a little older than Sarah, and near them stood who I assume were their parents, the father appearing rather infuriated. He walked up to the door, not noticing my eyes looking out through the brass slot. He turned on the spot and kicked the door hard with his hind legs. Another bang rang out, and I staggered back from the door, letting the flap chink back onto the slot. I fell onto my backside, bringing a paw to my forehead to try to ease the pain from the impact. I heard footsteps from behind me and slowly turned my head to face them. Jenny stood in the hallway, looking as though she'd not slept at all the night before. She was barely dressed, simply wearing a loose shirt and clutching a pair of pants near her waist.
"What's going on out here?" she asked.
"Oh, good morning Jenny," Joy said. "Well, our little guest has finally awaken."
"Really?" Jenny asked excitedly. "Is she going to be okay?"
"Too soon to tell, but there is one other thing."
"What's that?"
BANG!
"That."
I stood up again and approached the door, opening the flap and looking back outside. The Vulpix family appeared just as I had left them, except that the oldest male was looking even more ferocious.
"Hello," I said to them. Almost immediately, I saw a pair of angry brown eyes in the slot.
"GIVE US BACK OUR DAUGHTER, YOU LITTLE MONGREL!" he hollered. Once again, I backed away from the door, this time in fear. Jenny walked up behind me and bent down to pick me up.
"You okay, Gamma?" she asked me. I nodded to her in response, turning towards the door.
"What's going on out there?" Joy asked.
"There's a family of Vulpix out there, Nurse Joy. They want their daughter," I informed her.
"Must be her family, should we let them in?"
"Let who in?" Jenny asked curiously.
"The Vulpix family that's waiting outside."
"How do you know there's a Vulpix family out there?"
"Gamma just told me."
"Gamma? All I heard was him speaking in his language," Jenny asked, clearly confused.
"I can understand Pokemon, Jenny," Joy explained.
"You can?"
"Yes, but now's not the time to discuss that. What about those Vulpix outside?"
Jenny didn't answer, but instead walked up to the door and slowly turned the knob. She opened the door, revealing the four fire foxes. The two older ones were bickering while the younger pair was still huddled together, trying to keep warm. The only female in the group looked towards the door, cutting off her argument with her mate. She walked through the door slowly and looked around. I escaped Jenny's grasp and dropped to the floor, slowly approaching the Vulpix. As I did so, the male that had yelled at me earlier dove at me, tackled me to the floor, pinned me down on my back, and firmly pressed a paw onto my throat. I laid helplessly beneath his weight as I was slowly suffocating.
"WHERE IS SHE!?" he screamed at me. I struggled futilely underneath him.
My sight began to blur when I saw a red flash run across my vision. The weight of the fox was removed from my body and I instinctively rolled over, coughing and trying to breathe.
"WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU DOING, JOSHUA!?" a feminine voice reprimanded. "HE'S ONLY A KIT!"
"What, you want me to go easy on a kidnapper?" an unpleasantly familiar voice retorted.
"There's no proof that she was kidnapped."
I felt a paw set upon my back as I laid, still coughing and drawing sharp breaths. I was surprised by the gentle touch. The paw began to rub my back, easing my coughing a bit. I turned my head and saw the female Vulpix from the group that had entered moments before. She gave me a warm smile, then walked around in front of me.
"Where is our daughter, dear?" she asked me in a surprisingly light voice. I turned my head and nodded towards the small bundle on the hearth. "Thank you."
Jenny approached me as the fox left to be with her daughter and she picked me up.
"Are you okay, Gamma?" she asked me, quite distraught. I coughed once more and nodded to her.
"Here, let me take a look at him," Joy said, requesting that Jenny hand me over to her. Jenny carefully placed me into Nurse Joy's arms. She tipped my chin up and gently rubbed my throat. "How's that feel, Gamma?" Her action soothed the pain.
"Much better, thank you," I replied hoarsely.
"Eevee," I heard from below. I turned my head around to face the one who'd said it, seeing that vicious Vulpix once again. "I swear, if you've done ANYTHING to her, you will know true pain."
"Who do you think you are?" Joy said indignantly. "How dare you talk to him like that! He's done nothing wrong and you come in here and assault him, and now you're making threats!"
"Who are you to talk to me that way?" the fox replied, quite infuriated by Nurse Joy's response. "You three take my daughter from me and now you're talking to me as an inferior! You humans are all alike, and YOU," he stopped, looking me in the eyes. "You are no better than them, mongrel."
"JOSHUA!" his mate's voice rang out through the room. "They have done nothing wrong, what is your problem!?"
"How can you trust them!?" he yelled back. "They're humans, or did you forget what humans did to you!?"
She ran up to him and smacked him with the backside of her paw.
"You've spoken enough slander for one day, Joshua," she said furiously. "They've done nothing wrong, but you only focus on your prejudice. What happened to me back then has nothing to do with these three!"
I felt Joy tense up a bit after hearing that last bit. I looked up and she had a look of shock on her face, staring down at the two Vulpix. I looked around, and noticed that the female had a similar expression and staring back at Nurse Joy.
"You look so familiar, but I can't quite put a paw on it..." she said, trailing off at the end.
"Do you mind me asking what happened to you?" Joy asked the fox.
"Not at..." the fox began, stopping for a moment. "You can understand us, can't you?"
"Yes, I can, but go on."
"Well, about two years ago, I was wande..." she began.
"This is none of their business, Mary," her mate interrupted. She gave him a fierce look.
"It is true that it's none of their business, it's my business, and I'm making it my business to tell them."
He tried to protest, but she gave him another hard stare and he stopped. She turned back to Joy and restarted.
"Anyways, I was wandering through this town, having stumbled upon it while taking a walk. I came across a few humans and tried to hide from them, not sure what they'd do if they saw me. Problem is, it's kind of hard for something red to hide when surrounded by gray. Needless to say, they saw me, and one approached me as if he'd never seen a Pokemon. I tried to get away from them, but the three chased me into a dead end and I had nowhere to go. The one from before came closer, still looking like he had no idea what I was. He reached out towards me and I backed into the wall, then he grabbed me and picked me up off the ground. Before I even knew what was going on, he smacked me into one of the walls, which knocked me out and broke my leg. Next thing I knew, I was in a white room, lying on a...um..."
"Bed?" Joy suggested.
"Yes, that's it. I forgot what you humans called those. And then there was a human that came into the room and..."
"Told you she wouldn't hurt you like the other humans did," Nurse Joy interrupted. Everyone in the room looked at her.
"Why, yes. How do you know that?" Mary asked.
"Because, that was me. When you said you'd been slammed into a building, I knew it. The police officer that brought you to me told me about what he'd seen. I remember that day, it was one of the few abuses I had dealt with at the time," Joy explained. "How's your leg by the way?"
"It's fine. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have ever come back to this town after that."
"WHAT!?" Joshua shouted in surprise. Mary turned towards him.
"Look, Joshua, I didn't tell you because I knew how you'd react. You've hated humans ever since I told you that story. You never even let me finish it and tell you about the humans that have been kind to me like her. That's why I never told you that I come back here from time to time. That's why I trust them, Joshua, I've known most humans to be kind rather than the three that assaulted me, and before you even ask," she added, seeing him about to argue. "Those three were the ONLY humans that have ever even tried to hurt me."
Joshua simply stared at her, stunned by her words. An audible, hacking cough broke the silence, drawing both Mary's and Joy's attention to Sarah. Joy gently set me back on the floor and walked to the fireplace. She knelt down and began the examination that she had attempted earlier. I turned to look at the two younger foxes sitting near the door. The younger of the two was staring at his father with a look of shock frozen on his face, while the older one was watching me curiously. He said something I couldn't hear to his brother, who appeared to ignore him, still having that look on his face. The older fox stood up and walked towards me slowly as if he thought I'd attack if he moved too quickly. As he drew near, I sat up, turning towards him. He stopped in his tracks as I moved, still staring at me. He continued a bit quicker, though still painfully slow. He sat down when he finally reached me.
"Hi," he said. "I'm Mark, what's your name?"
"Gamma," I answered quietly, my throat still a bit sore from his father's assault. "It's nice to meet you, Mark. What's his name?" I asked, pointing my paw towards his younger brother.
"That's my little brother, Alex. I don't know what's wrong with him, he's just been staring at Dad since we got here. I guess he just doesn't know what Dad can do when he's mad. Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine, my throat just hurts a bit. Will he be alright?"
"I'm sure he'll be fine. Do you have any family here or are you alone with the humans?" he asked curiously.
"Well, I'm the only member of my family living here. My brother's off with another human traveling around the world."
"What about your parents?"
I hesitated before answering, both because of my feelings on the topic and that I didn't quite expect that question. "They're...they're dead."
"Oh," he said, hanging his head. "Sorry."
"It's alright, you didn't know," I said reassuringly.
"What about your brother?" he said, trying to avoid talking about my parents.
"Well, the two of us are twins, his name's Delta. We've been separated since we were just a couple weeks old, but we did meet each other again about a week later, only to be split apart again."
"That sucks," he said in response. His eyes scanned my body, resting on my neck. "What's that around your neck?" he asked.
"This?" I said, touching the little tag attached to my collar. "It's a collar, and the little thing that's hanging on it is a license. I need to have that if I leave the house alone."
"How come?" he asked, his eyes still fixed on it.
"It's a rule humans have. It's for two things. It shows that I'm registered with the town, and it also has my name and address on it so if I get lost or in trouble, someone can see where I live and bring me back here," I explained to the best of my knowledge.
"Does it hurt to have it around your neck?"
"Not really. I kind of like it. It's pretty comfortable and I think it looks good."
Nurse Joy stood up from the fireplace and I turned my attention to her.
"Is she alright?" I asked.
"She should be fine if she warms up. She's got a very mild case of PokeFlu, but it's nothing to worry about since I have some medicine for that with me," she informed us.
"Medicine?" Mark asked me.
"It's something humans use to cure diseases," I answered.
"Really? Humans can cure disease?" he asked in disbelief.
"Yeah, but I'm sure that there's some that they can't."
I looked around the room, seeing Alex still frozen in fear at what his father did to me. Mary sat next to Sarah, gently stroking her back with a paw. Joshua sat alone in a corner, staring at his mate. Jenny sat on the couch near Mark and me, watching the two of us, and Nurse Joy walked into the guest bedroom, returning with a small bottle and a needle. She knelt down next to Sarah and filled the needle with the fluid within the bottle. She placed a hand onto Sarah's back.
"Sweetie, this is going to hurt a bit, but it'll be over in a second and it'll help you feel better, okay?" she said, warning Sarah about what she was about to do. I saw the young fox tense up, readying herself for what was about to come. Joy quickly stuck the tip of the needle into her shoulder, injected her with the medicine, then pulled it back, holding a small wad of white cloth against the spot she'd pierced for a moment.
I saw Joshua come into view and I focused on him as he walked towards Mary and their daughter. He sat next to Mary and said something to her in a low voice. She stared at him, looking as though she was going to attack him again, but she restrained herself, taking a deep breath and said something back to him. The two of them looked at me before continuing their conversation. Eventually, Joshua approached me and sat down next to his son.
"Mark, could you leave us for a moment?" he requested.
"Yeah, okay, Dad," Mark said before returning to his brother's side.
"Eevee, I guess I should apologize for what I did to you earlier, I was just in a rage at finding my daughter in a human's home, but that doesn't excuse what I did. Got a name, kid?" he asked suddenly.
"Gamma," I answered nervously. I still felt uncomfortable around him, despite the fact that he was trying to make amends for his actions.
"Gamma? Kind of a strange name, but whatever. Anyways, I'm sorry about attacking you, I hope I didn't hurt you too badly."
"I'm fine," I said. "I think you should talk to Alex, though."
"Alex? Why?"
"He's been staring at you since you choked me and he looks really freaked out. I'm kinda worried about him."
He turned and looked at his younger son, noticing his terrified expression before Alex quickly turned away, realizing that his father was watching him. Joshua stood up and walked towards him, sending Mark back to me.
"What was that about?" he asked me.
"He wanted to apologize for attacking me earlier," I explained.
"What about Alex?"
"I told him about how Alex was freaked out about the attack and that he should probably talk to him."
"Oh."
The two of us were silent for a little while before Jenny stood up behind me. She bent down and picked me up and held me.
"How's your throat, Gamma?" she asked. I nodded to her, restraining the urge to tell her instead. "You hungry?" Once again I nodded to her, not caring about food until she mentioned it. Jenny carried me over to Nurse Joy.
"Could you ask them if they want anything to eat, since I know you can understand them now?" she requested.
"Yeah, sure, I'm just going to finish up what I'm doing first."
"Okay, thanks."
Jenny walked into the kitchen and set me down on the counter near the fruit basket I'd raided the day before.
"What did you want to eat?" she asked me. I stared at the basket, searching for the fruit I ate the day before, wanting another taste of it. I noticed the top of one poking out, the pale green skin on it standing out from within the pile. I stood up and tried to pick it out, grabbing the stem with my teeth. I pulled, but it wouldn't budge. I pulled back as hard as I could, trying to step back as I did to get more power, but my paws kept slipping on the smooth counter top. I continued trying to remove it from the pile, eventually prying it loose, along with half of the fruit above it. I found myself partially buried with apples by the time I got it out of the basket. I could hear Jenny laughing through the shell of fruit around my head. I pulled myself out of the pile, still holding the fruit I'd sought. Jenny, still quite amused by the act, began to clean off the fruits and put them back into the basket as I began to tear into the one I'd picked, loving the sweet taste of its flesh and juice. Joy walked into the kitchen shortly after I began eating.
"Jenny, do you have any tea?" she asked.
"Tea? Yeah, I have some bags in the cabinet above Gamma," Jenny answered. Nurse Joy reached over me and opened the wooden door, pulling out a tiny box before closing it. "Why do you need tea?"
"Mary asked for it."
"Mary?"
"Sarah's mother."
"Sarah...? OH! Why would she want tea?"
"I asked her the same thing. She said one of the humans she met gave her some and told her what it was and she seems to have liked it."
"I see...well, I'll get some water heated up then." Jenny bent down, opening another cabinet and retrieved a metal pot, filled it with water and placed it on the stove. Nurse Joy turned to me and scratched behind my left ear as I finished eating. I tilted my head into her hand, greatly enjoying the sensation that it brought. She pulled back far too soon for my liking, gathering a few food items and returning to the living room. I finished my fruit, dropping its core into the trash bin near the counter, then dropped down onto the dining room floor. I walked into the living room and jumped up onto the couch to lay down, feeling a bit drowsy with a full stomach. I idly watched the fox family as they ate, noticing that Alex, who was eating some Cheri berries, seemed to not be enjoying his meal. He would eat a berry, then a moment later, look as though he was totally disgusted by it. It didn't make sense to me why he'd ask for them if he didn't like them, nor did it make sense for Nurse Joy to give him something that so obviously assaulted his sense of taste. I looked over at her as she was sitting next to Sarah, keeping an eye on the young vixen, and every so often, I noticed her look up towards Alex, seeming to be as confused as I was. I eventually closed my eyes and took a short nap.
I opened my eyes a few hours later, yawning, and looked around the room as I awoke. I noticed a small bowl near Sarah that was releasing steam. I paid it no attention, instead focusing on Mark and Alex, who were lying in the corner by the door, both fast asleep. I felt a hand stroke the fur on my back and turned to see who it was. Jenny was sitting next to me, idly running her fingers through my fur, bringing a pleasurable sensation that ran through my spine, causing me to moan quietly.
"Hey, Gamma," she greeted me. "Sleep okay?" I nodded to her in response, shaking my head lightly to help me fully awaken. I stretched out, then took a better look around the room. Mary and Joshua were silently conversing near Tom's chair, which was occupied by Nurse Joy.
A short time passed before the front door swung open, revealing a very weary Tom. He staggered through the door, barely noticing the two sleeping Vulpix he nearly trampled. He walked past, swaying a bit as he moved, not even watching where he was going as he crossed the room.
"Tom?" Jenny asked, concerned about his movements. "Are you alright?" He simply grunted, continuing down the hall and into his bedroom, closing the door behind him. I was curious as to what happened to him, but thought better of investigating it. Jenny stood up, however, and walked after him.
"Who was that?" Mary asked.
"That was Jenny's older brother, Tom," Nurse Joy explained. "He seems to be disappearing a lot lately."
That last bit was true. Jenny and I hadn't seen Tom in over a week, and before then, he was usually gone for entire days at a time. The times he'd gone missing simply added to my mistrust of him. I found it incredibly strange that he would simply abandon Jenny without notice. Of course, at that age, I had no means of finding out just what he was up to during those periods of absence.
I noticed some motion near the door and turned to see what it was. Mark was sitting up, yawning silently and rubbing his eyes with a paw. He looked down at his little brother, seeing that he was still asleep, before standing up and walking towards the couch where I was perched. He stopped, looking at me.
"Is it alright if I come up there?" he asked.
"Yeah, come on," I answered, beckoning him. He sprang up onto it and sat down next to me.
"You sure the humans won't mind this?"
"Yeah, I don't see why Jenny would have a problem with it."
"Can I ask you something?"
"What is it?"
"What's it like living with humans?"
"Well, I don't really have much to compare it to, I've been living with Jenny most of my life. I'd say it's alright, I have no complaints. Why do you ask?"
"I'm just curious. Dad told me that humans are evil, conniving and destructive creatures, but Mom told me that most are nothing like that, so I thought I'd get a third opinion from someone who would know humans."
"Well, I hardly know humans, only Jenny, Nurse Joy, and Tom, so I don't think that should count."
"Mark, honey, could you come here please?" Mary called, disrupting our conversation. Mark turned and jumped down from the couch and approached his mother. She whispered something into his ear before he walked back to the couch.
"What was that about?" I asked as he settled back in next to me. He looked back at his mother then turned back to me.
"Mom wanted me to try not to get too close to you," he answered. "She said that Dad might not like it too much."
I sat, staring blankly at Joshua, who was staring out the window near the front door, and thought about what Mark had just told me. His mother didn't want us to be friends because of what his father might think. That seemed a bit strange considering what I'd seen occur between them. When they arrived, she seemed to be the dominant force between them, keeping him in check, but now she was stopping Mark and me from being friends just because he might not like the idea. I stood up and dropped from the couch. I wanted to find out for sure what the reason was. I walked up to Mary.
"Yes?" she asked as I approached.
"Why don't you want me and Mark to be together?" I asked, determined to get an answer. She eyed me for a moment before answering.
"Well, I don't think it would be a good idea right now for the two of you to be close. Joshua is probably still trying to adjust to what's been happening today, and I don't think he needs to have anything else added to his list of issues right now, and the two of you being together might not go well with him," she informed me. I looked back at Joshua, who was still staring out the window. I started to approach him when I felt something grab my tail. I winced, but it didn't hurt that much. I turned and saw the appendage being held firmly, yet gently, in Mary's jaws. She released it and gave me a short warning.
"Leave him alone, I don't want any more violence out of him and I don't want to see you get hurt."
Should have listened. I ignored her warning, and she once again bit down on my tail, this time hard enough to send a jolt of pain through my body. I yelped quietly at the shock.
"Leave him alone," she repeated sternly. "I don't want any more violence from him and I don't know how he'll react."
"Let him go," Joshua said calmly, still gazing out the window. "I want to talk to him."
Mary looked at him for a moment before allowing me to go. I cautiously approached Joshua.
"Gamma was it?" he asked in that same, eerily calm voice.
"Yes," I responded nervously.
"Don't be afraid, I'm not going to hurt you, I just want to ask you something."
"What is it?"
"Well, it's a few things actually. First, you're a bit younger than Mark, certainly not old enough to be on your own, where are your parents?"
"Um..." I hesitated. I didn't feel like talking about my deceased parents, especially to someone who assaulted me just hours beforehand.
"Is something wrong?" he asked.
"Well...they're...they're dead," I slowly answered. He finally turned away from the window, instead gazing down at me. Unlike before, his expression was that of concern instead of anger.
"Dead? What happened?" If his previous question was uncomfortable, his second was even worse. I felt a tear run through the fur on my face, and fought against any further ones.
"My mom died saving my brother from a pack of Growlithe, but not before getting him to safety. I was hurt badly and she probably didn't think I'd survive, so she took him and left me behind," I explained, thinking it better to just say it and get it out of my system. "My dad, well, I never knew my dad. He died before me and my brother were born. My mom said that he was killed by a human hunter."
"A human?" he asked, and I could hear an angry tone in his voice. "If you knew he was killed by a human, how can you possibly trust them?"
"Because, Jenny found me alone and dying the day after we were attacked by those Growlithe and she, along with Nurse Joy, saved my life and have taken care of me ever since."
He gazed at me after I finished, which made me even more uncomfortable. His expression softened slightly after hearing my words.
"You had other questions?" I said, breaking the silence and trying to change the topic.
"Oh, right," he replied distractedly. "Have you done anything to Sarah?"
"What? No, all we've done to her is bring her in from the cold and try to take care of her."
"Okay, just had to ask that. One last thing, what are humans like? Mary did bring up the fact that I know very little about them and that it's probably why I have no trust for them."
"Well, like I told Mark, I'm no expert on humans, but the ones I do know, Jenny, Tom, and Nurse Joy, have been mostly good to be around, and living here isn't bad. I get everything I need."
He continued to look at me intently as if he was expecting more of an explanation. When I didn't give one, he turned and looked out the window once again.
"Go be with Mark, he needs a friend, heck, they all do. There aren't any other children where we live. That's why they're always together."
"Th...thank you," I said before turning to return to the couch where Mark was waiting. I leapt up and sat down next to him.
"What was that about?" Mark asked me as I settled into my former location.
"He wanted us to be friends," I explained. He looked at me as though he didn't even understand what I'd said. He simply gazed at me, stunned.
"Really?" he asked disbelievingly.
"Yeah, he said there aren't any young Pokemon where you live and that you, Alex, and Sarah need a friend."
The fox continued to stare at me for a moment, which began to make me a bit uneasy.
"He really said that?" He still wasn't convinced.
"If you don't believe me, go ask him yourself," I said, jerking my head towards his father. He followed my direction and dropped down from the couch to speak with Joshua. While he was speaking with his father, I turned my attention to his siblings. His brother was still fast asleep, while Sarah was lapping at the steaming bowl that lay before her. It was good to see she seemed to be getting better.
I didn't get much time to think about her before I was forcefully knocked onto my side. I turned and saw Mark standing over me, smiling and his twin tails wagging. I rolled over and stood up, seeing that he was in a playful mood, and jumped at him, sending both of us tumbling off the couch. It had been a long time since I had someone my size to play with. We wrestled for a while before he pinned me down, standing on top of me with a paw on each of my legs. I was too worn out to knock him off and surrendered. He stepped off, allowing me to rise to my paws. I jumped back onto the couch to rest and looked around the room, noticing that Sarah had emptied the bowl of hot water she was given and that Alex had awaken and was watching Mark and me. He cautiously approached his elder brother, making sure not to make eye contact with me. I watched him curiously as he whispered something to Mark.
"Alex, dad doesn't mind us being with him," Mark said happily. "He wants us to be friends with Gamma."
The young fox stared into his brother's violet eyes for a moment.
"Really?" he said, unenthusiastically. Mark simply nodded to his younger sibling, who seemed rather indifferent to his reaction. Alex padded away from where Mark and I were, returning to his former location by the front door and sat down, examining the room.
"Is something wrong with him?" I asked Mark, worried about Alex's lack of energy.
"I don't know, I thought he'd be happy about this," Mark replied. He stood up and walked to his brother's side, but upon arrival, Alex simply stood up and walked away. Mark followed him, but once again, Alex retreated to where his mother sat. Mark, disappointed, glumly walked back to the couch.
"Why don't you let me talk to him?" I offered, curious to know what was bothering Alex. Mark didn't respond, he just sat there, staring at his younger brother. I stood up and hopped down from the couch and walked to Alex. He gazed at me as I approached, before standing and making to leave once again. I jumped in front of him, blocking his path.
"Alex," I addressed him. "What's wrong? Mark and I are worried about you."
"Why would you be worried about me?" he asked defiantly.
"I just am. Please, tell me what's wrong?" He glared at me, obviously not wanting to talk. "Alex, I'm just trying to help."
I felt a paw on my shoulder and nearly jumped out of my fur for a second time that day. I turned to see Joshua standing behind me. He was looking at Alex sternly.
"Alex, why don't you trust Gamma?" he asked his son.
"You've always told us humans and their Pokemon were scum that we shouldn't be involved with," Alex said timidly. Joshua sighed at his response.
"Alex, you need to understand, I was wrong. The humans here have proven that they are trustworthy, and so has he." He finished by placing his paw atop my head. "I want you to at least give him a chance."
Alex looked down from his father to look at me. I felt the paw on my head be taken off of it. I looked around and saw Joshua walking back to the window he'd been looking through earlier.
"Gamma?" I heard Alex say, and focused my attention back on him.
"Yeah?" I answered.
"I'm sorry, I thought you were trying to tear our family apart."
"Why would I tear your family apart?" I asked, confused about why he would say such a thing.
"I don't know, but I didn't like you being with Mark."
"Why?"
"I guess I was just jealous of you spending so much time with him. I know that sounds silly, but I'm just not used to being around other Pokemon."
"Hmmm...Oh!" I said, remembering something. "I wanted to ask you something."
"What is it?"
"Earlier, when you were eating, why were you eating those Cheri berries when it looked like you didn't like them?"
"Oh, that. Well, I like Cheri berries, I just don't like the taste when I first bite into them."
"Oh, alright. I thought maybe they had gone bad or something."
"No, they were fine."
He seemed to be more friendly now that he was willing to talk, regardless how trivial the conversation was. We spoke for a long time, learning as much as we could about each other. He was so attached to his older brother because he saw Mark as a mentor. Mark had taught him a lot of skills he'd need to survive in the future, which he learned from his father, and he and Alex became very close. Alex was also particularly nervous about anything or anyone new, which explained why he was so unwilling to move away from the door or even speak for the majority of the day. He was also a bit afraid of his father, which wasn't helped by his actions earlier that day, but he had a deep respect for him. His relationship with his mother was another story. From what he'd said, it sounded like she babied him ever since birth and that he wanted her to leave him alone. He also didn't seem to be on good terms with his little sister either. With his mother giving him so much more attention, Sarah became jealous of him, despite his dislike for it, and they constantly fought with each other. He was concerned about her though, even though they seemed to be bitter enemies.
Night fell before we knew it. We talked well into the night. It didn't take Alex long to fall asleep after our conversation though. He curled up next to Mark's sleeping form and closed his eyes. I yawned sleepily, then made my way towards Jenny's room, finding her door slightly ajar. I pushed it open slowly and entered. I noticed she was already asleep and didn't want to wake her, so I crawled beneath her bed and laid down to sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well, I made my first local Pokemon friends that day. Wow, look at the time! I'm going to stop here and get some sleep, it's late. Hope to see you again soon. Bye.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I woke the next morning next to the comatose Vulpix. I watched as her body rose and fell with each breath she took. I shivered a bit and noticed that the fire had gone out overnight, leaving just a pile of ash. I stretched then sat up, still a bit sleepy. I yawned heavily and blinked, still in the process of waking when I heard a yawn that wasn't my own. I turned to see the young, red fox starting to awaken. I continued to watch her as she began to wriggle around in the coat she was resting within. She opened one of her bright green eyes slowly, then blinked and opened both of them. The Vulpix searched her surroundings, completely confused by the scenery. Her eyes fell upon me sitting next to her. She stared for a moment before the situation settled...
"AAAAHHHHHH!!!!" she screamed shrilly. I immediately dropped my head to the bricks of the hearth and covered my ears with my forepaws to block out the sound. I looked up after a few seconds, noticing that she was watching me. I lifted my head back up from the hearth. I opened my mouth to speak, but I never got to do so.
"WHO ARE YOU!?" she shouted, frightened by the unpleasant surprise of waking up in someone else's home. "WHERE AM I!?"
"Shhh, calm down, I'm not going to do anything to you," I tried to explain in a gentle voice. "My name's Gamma and this is where I live."
"WHAT AM I DOING HERE!?" she hollered, not even trying to control herself.
"Please, calm down. You were found passed out in the snow outside. Jenny brought you here to take care of you until you recover."
She appeared to be calming, either that or her throat began to hurt from the screaming.
"Who's Jenny?" she asked.
"Jenny's a human, I live here with her," I explained.
"HUMAN!?" So much for her calming down. The door to the guest bedroom swung open, and I turned to see Nurse Joy's head poking out through it.
"What on earth is going on out here?" she asked sleepily, though I could definitely detect some irritation in her voice. "What's with all the screaming, Gam..." she stopped. She stepped back into the bedroom, returning shortly after and she walked to the table where she'd lain her tools the night before.
"How long has she been awake, Gamma?" she asked as she approached the hearth. She knelt down next to the Vulpix, pulling out a thin rod from her assortment of supplies.
"Not very long, Nurse Joy," I answered. "She's a bit freaked out about being here."
"STAY AWAY FROM ME HUMAN!" the fox yelled.
"Relax, honey, I'm not going to hurt you," Joy said. "I just need to take your temperature."
"TAKE MY WHAT!?"
"Your temperature, dear. I need to measure your body temperature."
The fox opened her mouth to say something in return, but stopped, looking very confused. She stared curiously at Joy for a moment before speaking again.
"Can...can you understand me?" she asked uncertainly.
"Yes I can," Joy replied. "Now please, let me take your temperature."
The young fox continued to stare at Joy. I watched as her gaze shifted slowly towards the metallic rod in Nurse Joy's hand.
"What is that thing?" the Vulpix asked.
"This? It's a thermometer. It's a tool used to measure the temperature of something, and in this case, you," Joy explained. "Now, could you please open your mouth so I can do this?"
"Why should I?"
"Honey, please. You're sick and you need to be taken care of, but in order to do that effectively, I need to examine you. I'm only trying to help you."
"What do you mean, I'm sick? I feel fin..." The young fox was interrupted by a sudden fit of coughing. It soon passed, but she was shaken up by it. "Okay, I'll cooperate."
She slowly opened her mouth to allow Joy to begin her examination. The nurse carefully placed the end of the thermometer into her open jaws.
"Thank you, sweetie. Now close."
The young vixen complied, still clearly a bit nervous about Nurse Joy. She laid helplessly within Joy's parka, seemingly lost in thought. She bore a blank expression, though that could have been because she wanted to hide her fear. A minute or so passed before Joy removed the thermometer from the fox's mouth.
"Hmmm..." she said, looking down at the rod. "407. Well, that's better than last night, but it's still dangerously low."
(Minimum Healthy Vulpix Body Temperature: 465 Fahrenheit)
"Is she going to be alright?" I asked, worried about the poor fox. I looked down at her and saw her gazing at me.
"Not sure, Gamma," she answered. "I'm going to have to give her a more thorough examination."
I turned and looked back down at the Vulpix.
"What's your name?" I asked her.
"Sa..." she began to cough again. "Sorry, it's Sarah."
A loud bang sounded from the front door. I nearly jumped out of my fur at the noise. Once I calmed down, I crept towards the door and carefully opened the mail flap with my nose, resting it on top of my head, a skill I'd learned when waiting for Jenny to return home on earlier days, and peered through the slot. I saw a small family of Vulpix standing on the low, stone porch. There were two younger foxes that were shivering and huddled together for warmth, both were male, one that looked about my age and the other a little older than Sarah, and near them stood who I assume were their parents, the father appearing rather infuriated. He walked up to the door, not noticing my eyes looking out through the brass slot. He turned on the spot and kicked the door hard with his hind legs. Another bang rang out, and I staggered back from the door, letting the flap chink back onto the slot. I fell onto my backside, bringing a paw to my forehead to try to ease the pain from the impact. I heard footsteps from behind me and slowly turned my head to face them. Jenny stood in the hallway, looking as though she'd not slept at all the night before. She was barely dressed, simply wearing a loose shirt and clutching a pair of pants near her waist.
"What's going on out here?" she asked.
"Oh, good morning Jenny," Joy said. "Well, our little guest has finally awaken."
"Really?" Jenny asked excitedly. "Is she going to be okay?"
"Too soon to tell, but there is one other thing."
"What's that?"
BANG!
"That."
I stood up again and approached the door, opening the flap and looking back outside. The Vulpix family appeared just as I had left them, except that the oldest male was looking even more ferocious.
"Hello," I said to them. Almost immediately, I saw a pair of angry brown eyes in the slot.
"GIVE US BACK OUR DAUGHTER, YOU LITTLE MONGREL!" he hollered. Once again, I backed away from the door, this time in fear. Jenny walked up behind me and bent down to pick me up.
"You okay, Gamma?" she asked me. I nodded to her in response, turning towards the door.
"What's going on out there?" Joy asked.
"There's a family of Vulpix out there, Nurse Joy. They want their daughter," I informed her.
"Must be her family, should we let them in?"
"Let who in?" Jenny asked curiously.
"The Vulpix family that's waiting outside."
"How do you know there's a Vulpix family out there?"
"Gamma just told me."
"Gamma? All I heard was him speaking in his language," Jenny asked, clearly confused.
"I can understand Pokemon, Jenny," Joy explained.
"You can?"
"Yes, but now's not the time to discuss that. What about those Vulpix outside?"
Jenny didn't answer, but instead walked up to the door and slowly turned the knob. She opened the door, revealing the four fire foxes. The two older ones were bickering while the younger pair was still huddled together, trying to keep warm. The only female in the group looked towards the door, cutting off her argument with her mate. She walked through the door slowly and looked around. I escaped Jenny's grasp and dropped to the floor, slowly approaching the Vulpix. As I did so, the male that had yelled at me earlier dove at me, tackled me to the floor, pinned me down on my back, and firmly pressed a paw onto my throat. I laid helplessly beneath his weight as I was slowly suffocating.
"WHERE IS SHE!?" he screamed at me. I struggled futilely underneath him.
My sight began to blur when I saw a red flash run across my vision. The weight of the fox was removed from my body and I instinctively rolled over, coughing and trying to breathe.
"WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU DOING, JOSHUA!?" a feminine voice reprimanded. "HE'S ONLY A KIT!"
"What, you want me to go easy on a kidnapper?" an unpleasantly familiar voice retorted.
"There's no proof that she was kidnapped."
I felt a paw set upon my back as I laid, still coughing and drawing sharp breaths. I was surprised by the gentle touch. The paw began to rub my back, easing my coughing a bit. I turned my head and saw the female Vulpix from the group that had entered moments before. She gave me a warm smile, then walked around in front of me.
"Where is our daughter, dear?" she asked me in a surprisingly light voice. I turned my head and nodded towards the small bundle on the hearth. "Thank you."
Jenny approached me as the fox left to be with her daughter and she picked me up.
"Are you okay, Gamma?" she asked me, quite distraught. I coughed once more and nodded to her.
"Here, let me take a look at him," Joy said, requesting that Jenny hand me over to her. Jenny carefully placed me into Nurse Joy's arms. She tipped my chin up and gently rubbed my throat. "How's that feel, Gamma?" Her action soothed the pain.
"Much better, thank you," I replied hoarsely.
"Eevee," I heard from below. I turned my head around to face the one who'd said it, seeing that vicious Vulpix once again. "I swear, if you've done ANYTHING to her, you will know true pain."
"Who do you think you are?" Joy said indignantly. "How dare you talk to him like that! He's done nothing wrong and you come in here and assault him, and now you're making threats!"
"Who are you to talk to me that way?" the fox replied, quite infuriated by Nurse Joy's response. "You three take my daughter from me and now you're talking to me as an inferior! You humans are all alike, and YOU," he stopped, looking me in the eyes. "You are no better than them, mongrel."
"JOSHUA!" his mate's voice rang out through the room. "They have done nothing wrong, what is your problem!?"
"How can you trust them!?" he yelled back. "They're humans, or did you forget what humans did to you!?"
She ran up to him and smacked him with the backside of her paw.
"You've spoken enough slander for one day, Joshua," she said furiously. "They've done nothing wrong, but you only focus on your prejudice. What happened to me back then has nothing to do with these three!"
I felt Joy tense up a bit after hearing that last bit. I looked up and she had a look of shock on her face, staring down at the two Vulpix. I looked around, and noticed that the female had a similar expression and staring back at Nurse Joy.
"You look so familiar, but I can't quite put a paw on it..." she said, trailing off at the end.
"Do you mind me asking what happened to you?" Joy asked the fox.
"Not at..." the fox began, stopping for a moment. "You can understand us, can't you?"
"Yes, I can, but go on."
"Well, about two years ago, I was wande..." she began.
"This is none of their business, Mary," her mate interrupted. She gave him a fierce look.
"It is true that it's none of their business, it's my business, and I'm making it my business to tell them."
He tried to protest, but she gave him another hard stare and he stopped. She turned back to Joy and restarted.
"Anyways, I was wandering through this town, having stumbled upon it while taking a walk. I came across a few humans and tried to hide from them, not sure what they'd do if they saw me. Problem is, it's kind of hard for something red to hide when surrounded by gray. Needless to say, they saw me, and one approached me as if he'd never seen a Pokemon. I tried to get away from them, but the three chased me into a dead end and I had nowhere to go. The one from before came closer, still looking like he had no idea what I was. He reached out towards me and I backed into the wall, then he grabbed me and picked me up off the ground. Before I even knew what was going on, he smacked me into one of the walls, which knocked me out and broke my leg. Next thing I knew, I was in a white room, lying on a...um..."
"Bed?" Joy suggested.
"Yes, that's it. I forgot what you humans called those. And then there was a human that came into the room and..."
"Told you she wouldn't hurt you like the other humans did," Nurse Joy interrupted. Everyone in the room looked at her.
"Why, yes. How do you know that?" Mary asked.
"Because, that was me. When you said you'd been slammed into a building, I knew it. The police officer that brought you to me told me about what he'd seen. I remember that day, it was one of the few abuses I had dealt with at the time," Joy explained. "How's your leg by the way?"
"It's fine. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have ever come back to this town after that."
"WHAT!?" Joshua shouted in surprise. Mary turned towards him.
"Look, Joshua, I didn't tell you because I knew how you'd react. You've hated humans ever since I told you that story. You never even let me finish it and tell you about the humans that have been kind to me like her. That's why I never told you that I come back here from time to time. That's why I trust them, Joshua, I've known most humans to be kind rather than the three that assaulted me, and before you even ask," she added, seeing him about to argue. "Those three were the ONLY humans that have ever even tried to hurt me."
Joshua simply stared at her, stunned by her words. An audible, hacking cough broke the silence, drawing both Mary's and Joy's attention to Sarah. Joy gently set me back on the floor and walked to the fireplace. She knelt down and began the examination that she had attempted earlier. I turned to look at the two younger foxes sitting near the door. The younger of the two was staring at his father with a look of shock frozen on his face, while the older one was watching me curiously. He said something I couldn't hear to his brother, who appeared to ignore him, still having that look on his face. The older fox stood up and walked towards me slowly as if he thought I'd attack if he moved too quickly. As he drew near, I sat up, turning towards him. He stopped in his tracks as I moved, still staring at me. He continued a bit quicker, though still painfully slow. He sat down when he finally reached me.
"Hi," he said. "I'm Mark, what's your name?"
"Gamma," I answered quietly, my throat still a bit sore from his father's assault. "It's nice to meet you, Mark. What's his name?" I asked, pointing my paw towards his younger brother.
"That's my little brother, Alex. I don't know what's wrong with him, he's just been staring at Dad since we got here. I guess he just doesn't know what Dad can do when he's mad. Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine, my throat just hurts a bit. Will he be alright?"
"I'm sure he'll be fine. Do you have any family here or are you alone with the humans?" he asked curiously.
"Well, I'm the only member of my family living here. My brother's off with another human traveling around the world."
"What about your parents?"
I hesitated before answering, both because of my feelings on the topic and that I didn't quite expect that question. "They're...they're dead."
"Oh," he said, hanging his head. "Sorry."
"It's alright, you didn't know," I said reassuringly.
"What about your brother?" he said, trying to avoid talking about my parents.
"Well, the two of us are twins, his name's Delta. We've been separated since we were just a couple weeks old, but we did meet each other again about a week later, only to be split apart again."
"That sucks," he said in response. His eyes scanned my body, resting on my neck. "What's that around your neck?" he asked.
"This?" I said, touching the little tag attached to my collar. "It's a collar, and the little thing that's hanging on it is a license. I need to have that if I leave the house alone."
"How come?" he asked, his eyes still fixed on it.
"It's a rule humans have. It's for two things. It shows that I'm registered with the town, and it also has my name and address on it so if I get lost or in trouble, someone can see where I live and bring me back here," I explained to the best of my knowledge.
"Does it hurt to have it around your neck?"
"Not really. I kind of like it. It's pretty comfortable and I think it looks good."
Nurse Joy stood up from the fireplace and I turned my attention to her.
"Is she alright?" I asked.
"She should be fine if she warms up. She's got a very mild case of PokeFlu, but it's nothing to worry about since I have some medicine for that with me," she informed us.
"Medicine?" Mark asked me.
"It's something humans use to cure diseases," I answered.
"Really? Humans can cure disease?" he asked in disbelief.
"Yeah, but I'm sure that there's some that they can't."
I looked around the room, seeing Alex still frozen in fear at what his father did to me. Mary sat next to Sarah, gently stroking her back with a paw. Joshua sat alone in a corner, staring at his mate. Jenny sat on the couch near Mark and me, watching the two of us, and Nurse Joy walked into the guest bedroom, returning with a small bottle and a needle. She knelt down next to Sarah and filled the needle with the fluid within the bottle. She placed a hand onto Sarah's back.
"Sweetie, this is going to hurt a bit, but it'll be over in a second and it'll help you feel better, okay?" she said, warning Sarah about what she was about to do. I saw the young fox tense up, readying herself for what was about to come. Joy quickly stuck the tip of the needle into her shoulder, injected her with the medicine, then pulled it back, holding a small wad of white cloth against the spot she'd pierced for a moment.
I saw Joshua come into view and I focused on him as he walked towards Mary and their daughter. He sat next to Mary and said something to her in a low voice. She stared at him, looking as though she was going to attack him again, but she restrained herself, taking a deep breath and said something back to him. The two of them looked at me before continuing their conversation. Eventually, Joshua approached me and sat down next to his son.
"Mark, could you leave us for a moment?" he requested.
"Yeah, okay, Dad," Mark said before returning to his brother's side.
"Eevee, I guess I should apologize for what I did to you earlier, I was just in a rage at finding my daughter in a human's home, but that doesn't excuse what I did. Got a name, kid?" he asked suddenly.
"Gamma," I answered nervously. I still felt uncomfortable around him, despite the fact that he was trying to make amends for his actions.
"Gamma? Kind of a strange name, but whatever. Anyways, I'm sorry about attacking you, I hope I didn't hurt you too badly."
"I'm fine," I said. "I think you should talk to Alex, though."
"Alex? Why?"
"He's been staring at you since you choked me and he looks really freaked out. I'm kinda worried about him."
He turned and looked at his younger son, noticing his terrified expression before Alex quickly turned away, realizing that his father was watching him. Joshua stood up and walked towards him, sending Mark back to me.
"What was that about?" he asked me.
"He wanted to apologize for attacking me earlier," I explained.
"What about Alex?"
"I told him about how Alex was freaked out about the attack and that he should probably talk to him."
"Oh."
The two of us were silent for a little while before Jenny stood up behind me. She bent down and picked me up and held me.
"How's your throat, Gamma?" she asked. I nodded to her, restraining the urge to tell her instead. "You hungry?" Once again I nodded to her, not caring about food until she mentioned it. Jenny carried me over to Nurse Joy.
"Could you ask them if they want anything to eat, since I know you can understand them now?" she requested.
"Yeah, sure, I'm just going to finish up what I'm doing first."
"Okay, thanks."
Jenny walked into the kitchen and set me down on the counter near the fruit basket I'd raided the day before.
"What did you want to eat?" she asked me. I stared at the basket, searching for the fruit I ate the day before, wanting another taste of it. I noticed the top of one poking out, the pale green skin on it standing out from within the pile. I stood up and tried to pick it out, grabbing the stem with my teeth. I pulled, but it wouldn't budge. I pulled back as hard as I could, trying to step back as I did to get more power, but my paws kept slipping on the smooth counter top. I continued trying to remove it from the pile, eventually prying it loose, along with half of the fruit above it. I found myself partially buried with apples by the time I got it out of the basket. I could hear Jenny laughing through the shell of fruit around my head. I pulled myself out of the pile, still holding the fruit I'd sought. Jenny, still quite amused by the act, began to clean off the fruits and put them back into the basket as I began to tear into the one I'd picked, loving the sweet taste of its flesh and juice. Joy walked into the kitchen shortly after I began eating.
"Jenny, do you have any tea?" she asked.
"Tea? Yeah, I have some bags in the cabinet above Gamma," Jenny answered. Nurse Joy reached over me and opened the wooden door, pulling out a tiny box before closing it. "Why do you need tea?"
"Mary asked for it."
"Mary?"
"Sarah's mother."
"Sarah...? OH! Why would she want tea?"
"I asked her the same thing. She said one of the humans she met gave her some and told her what it was and she seems to have liked it."
"I see...well, I'll get some water heated up then." Jenny bent down, opening another cabinet and retrieved a metal pot, filled it with water and placed it on the stove. Nurse Joy turned to me and scratched behind my left ear as I finished eating. I tilted my head into her hand, greatly enjoying the sensation that it brought. She pulled back far too soon for my liking, gathering a few food items and returning to the living room. I finished my fruit, dropping its core into the trash bin near the counter, then dropped down onto the dining room floor. I walked into the living room and jumped up onto the couch to lay down, feeling a bit drowsy with a full stomach. I idly watched the fox family as they ate, noticing that Alex, who was eating some Cheri berries, seemed to not be enjoying his meal. He would eat a berry, then a moment later, look as though he was totally disgusted by it. It didn't make sense to me why he'd ask for them if he didn't like them, nor did it make sense for Nurse Joy to give him something that so obviously assaulted his sense of taste. I looked over at her as she was sitting next to Sarah, keeping an eye on the young vixen, and every so often, I noticed her look up towards Alex, seeming to be as confused as I was. I eventually closed my eyes and took a short nap.
I opened my eyes a few hours later, yawning, and looked around the room as I awoke. I noticed a small bowl near Sarah that was releasing steam. I paid it no attention, instead focusing on Mark and Alex, who were lying in the corner by the door, both fast asleep. I felt a hand stroke the fur on my back and turned to see who it was. Jenny was sitting next to me, idly running her fingers through my fur, bringing a pleasurable sensation that ran through my spine, causing me to moan quietly.
"Hey, Gamma," she greeted me. "Sleep okay?" I nodded to her in response, shaking my head lightly to help me fully awaken. I stretched out, then took a better look around the room. Mary and Joshua were silently conversing near Tom's chair, which was occupied by Nurse Joy.
A short time passed before the front door swung open, revealing a very weary Tom. He staggered through the door, barely noticing the two sleeping Vulpix he nearly trampled. He walked past, swaying a bit as he moved, not even watching where he was going as he crossed the room.
"Tom?" Jenny asked, concerned about his movements. "Are you alright?" He simply grunted, continuing down the hall and into his bedroom, closing the door behind him. I was curious as to what happened to him, but thought better of investigating it. Jenny stood up, however, and walked after him.
"Who was that?" Mary asked.
"That was Jenny's older brother, Tom," Nurse Joy explained. "He seems to be disappearing a lot lately."
That last bit was true. Jenny and I hadn't seen Tom in over a week, and before then, he was usually gone for entire days at a time. The times he'd gone missing simply added to my mistrust of him. I found it incredibly strange that he would simply abandon Jenny without notice. Of course, at that age, I had no means of finding out just what he was up to during those periods of absence.
I noticed some motion near the door and turned to see what it was. Mark was sitting up, yawning silently and rubbing his eyes with a paw. He looked down at his little brother, seeing that he was still asleep, before standing up and walking towards the couch where I was perched. He stopped, looking at me.
"Is it alright if I come up there?" he asked.
"Yeah, come on," I answered, beckoning him. He sprang up onto it and sat down next to me.
"You sure the humans won't mind this?"
"Yeah, I don't see why Jenny would have a problem with it."
"Can I ask you something?"
"What is it?"
"What's it like living with humans?"
"Well, I don't really have much to compare it to, I've been living with Jenny most of my life. I'd say it's alright, I have no complaints. Why do you ask?"
"I'm just curious. Dad told me that humans are evil, conniving and destructive creatures, but Mom told me that most are nothing like that, so I thought I'd get a third opinion from someone who would know humans."
"Well, I hardly know humans, only Jenny, Nurse Joy, and Tom, so I don't think that should count."
"Mark, honey, could you come here please?" Mary called, disrupting our conversation. Mark turned and jumped down from the couch and approached his mother. She whispered something into his ear before he walked back to the couch.
"What was that about?" I asked as he settled back in next to me. He looked back at his mother then turned back to me.
"Mom wanted me to try not to get too close to you," he answered. "She said that Dad might not like it too much."
I sat, staring blankly at Joshua, who was staring out the window near the front door, and thought about what Mark had just told me. His mother didn't want us to be friends because of what his father might think. That seemed a bit strange considering what I'd seen occur between them. When they arrived, she seemed to be the dominant force between them, keeping him in check, but now she was stopping Mark and me from being friends just because he might not like the idea. I stood up and dropped from the couch. I wanted to find out for sure what the reason was. I walked up to Mary.
"Yes?" she asked as I approached.
"Why don't you want me and Mark to be together?" I asked, determined to get an answer. She eyed me for a moment before answering.
"Well, I don't think it would be a good idea right now for the two of you to be close. Joshua is probably still trying to adjust to what's been happening today, and I don't think he needs to have anything else added to his list of issues right now, and the two of you being together might not go well with him," she informed me. I looked back at Joshua, who was still staring out the window. I started to approach him when I felt something grab my tail. I winced, but it didn't hurt that much. I turned and saw the appendage being held firmly, yet gently, in Mary's jaws. She released it and gave me a short warning.
"Leave him alone, I don't want any more violence out of him and I don't want to see you get hurt."
Should have listened. I ignored her warning, and she once again bit down on my tail, this time hard enough to send a jolt of pain through my body. I yelped quietly at the shock.
"Leave him alone," she repeated sternly. "I don't want any more violence from him and I don't know how he'll react."
"Let him go," Joshua said calmly, still gazing out the window. "I want to talk to him."
Mary looked at him for a moment before allowing me to go. I cautiously approached Joshua.
"Gamma was it?" he asked in that same, eerily calm voice.
"Yes," I responded nervously.
"Don't be afraid, I'm not going to hurt you, I just want to ask you something."
"What is it?"
"Well, it's a few things actually. First, you're a bit younger than Mark, certainly not old enough to be on your own, where are your parents?"
"Um..." I hesitated. I didn't feel like talking about my deceased parents, especially to someone who assaulted me just hours beforehand.
"Is something wrong?" he asked.
"Well...they're...they're dead," I slowly answered. He finally turned away from the window, instead gazing down at me. Unlike before, his expression was that of concern instead of anger.
"Dead? What happened?" If his previous question was uncomfortable, his second was even worse. I felt a tear run through the fur on my face, and fought against any further ones.
"My mom died saving my brother from a pack of Growlithe, but not before getting him to safety. I was hurt badly and she probably didn't think I'd survive, so she took him and left me behind," I explained, thinking it better to just say it and get it out of my system. "My dad, well, I never knew my dad. He died before me and my brother were born. My mom said that he was killed by a human hunter."
"A human?" he asked, and I could hear an angry tone in his voice. "If you knew he was killed by a human, how can you possibly trust them?"
"Because, Jenny found me alone and dying the day after we were attacked by those Growlithe and she, along with Nurse Joy, saved my life and have taken care of me ever since."
He gazed at me after I finished, which made me even more uncomfortable. His expression softened slightly after hearing my words.
"You had other questions?" I said, breaking the silence and trying to change the topic.
"Oh, right," he replied distractedly. "Have you done anything to Sarah?"
"What? No, all we've done to her is bring her in from the cold and try to take care of her."
"Okay, just had to ask that. One last thing, what are humans like? Mary did bring up the fact that I know very little about them and that it's probably why I have no trust for them."
"Well, like I told Mark, I'm no expert on humans, but the ones I do know, Jenny, Tom, and Nurse Joy, have been mostly good to be around, and living here isn't bad. I get everything I need."
He continued to look at me intently as if he was expecting more of an explanation. When I didn't give one, he turned and looked out the window once again.
"Go be with Mark, he needs a friend, heck, they all do. There aren't any other children where we live. That's why they're always together."
"Th...thank you," I said before turning to return to the couch where Mark was waiting. I leapt up and sat down next to him.
"What was that about?" Mark asked me as I settled into my former location.
"He wanted us to be friends," I explained. He looked at me as though he didn't even understand what I'd said. He simply gazed at me, stunned.
"Really?" he asked disbelievingly.
"Yeah, he said there aren't any young Pokemon where you live and that you, Alex, and Sarah need a friend."
The fox continued to stare at me for a moment, which began to make me a bit uneasy.
"He really said that?" He still wasn't convinced.
"If you don't believe me, go ask him yourself," I said, jerking my head towards his father. He followed my direction and dropped down from the couch to speak with Joshua. While he was speaking with his father, I turned my attention to his siblings. His brother was still fast asleep, while Sarah was lapping at the steaming bowl that lay before her. It was good to see she seemed to be getting better.
I didn't get much time to think about her before I was forcefully knocked onto my side. I turned and saw Mark standing over me, smiling and his twin tails wagging. I rolled over and stood up, seeing that he was in a playful mood, and jumped at him, sending both of us tumbling off the couch. It had been a long time since I had someone my size to play with. We wrestled for a while before he pinned me down, standing on top of me with a paw on each of my legs. I was too worn out to knock him off and surrendered. He stepped off, allowing me to rise to my paws. I jumped back onto the couch to rest and looked around the room, noticing that Sarah had emptied the bowl of hot water she was given and that Alex had awaken and was watching Mark and me. He cautiously approached his elder brother, making sure not to make eye contact with me. I watched him curiously as he whispered something to Mark.
"Alex, dad doesn't mind us being with him," Mark said happily. "He wants us to be friends with Gamma."
The young fox stared into his brother's violet eyes for a moment.
"Really?" he said, unenthusiastically. Mark simply nodded to his younger sibling, who seemed rather indifferent to his reaction. Alex padded away from where Mark and I were, returning to his former location by the front door and sat down, examining the room.
"Is something wrong with him?" I asked Mark, worried about Alex's lack of energy.
"I don't know, I thought he'd be happy about this," Mark replied. He stood up and walked to his brother's side, but upon arrival, Alex simply stood up and walked away. Mark followed him, but once again, Alex retreated to where his mother sat. Mark, disappointed, glumly walked back to the couch.
"Why don't you let me talk to him?" I offered, curious to know what was bothering Alex. Mark didn't respond, he just sat there, staring at his younger brother. I stood up and hopped down from the couch and walked to Alex. He gazed at me as I approached, before standing and making to leave once again. I jumped in front of him, blocking his path.
"Alex," I addressed him. "What's wrong? Mark and I are worried about you."
"Why would you be worried about me?" he asked defiantly.
"I just am. Please, tell me what's wrong?" He glared at me, obviously not wanting to talk. "Alex, I'm just trying to help."
I felt a paw on my shoulder and nearly jumped out of my fur for a second time that day. I turned to see Joshua standing behind me. He was looking at Alex sternly.
"Alex, why don't you trust Gamma?" he asked his son.
"You've always told us humans and their Pokemon were scum that we shouldn't be involved with," Alex said timidly. Joshua sighed at his response.
"Alex, you need to understand, I was wrong. The humans here have proven that they are trustworthy, and so has he." He finished by placing his paw atop my head. "I want you to at least give him a chance."
Alex looked down from his father to look at me. I felt the paw on my head be taken off of it. I looked around and saw Joshua walking back to the window he'd been looking through earlier.
"Gamma?" I heard Alex say, and focused my attention back on him.
"Yeah?" I answered.
"I'm sorry, I thought you were trying to tear our family apart."
"Why would I tear your family apart?" I asked, confused about why he would say such a thing.
"I don't know, but I didn't like you being with Mark."
"Why?"
"I guess I was just jealous of you spending so much time with him. I know that sounds silly, but I'm just not used to being around other Pokemon."
"Hmmm...Oh!" I said, remembering something. "I wanted to ask you something."
"What is it?"
"Earlier, when you were eating, why were you eating those Cheri berries when it looked like you didn't like them?"
"Oh, that. Well, I like Cheri berries, I just don't like the taste when I first bite into them."
"Oh, alright. I thought maybe they had gone bad or something."
"No, they were fine."
He seemed to be more friendly now that he was willing to talk, regardless how trivial the conversation was. We spoke for a long time, learning as much as we could about each other. He was so attached to his older brother because he saw Mark as a mentor. Mark had taught him a lot of skills he'd need to survive in the future, which he learned from his father, and he and Alex became very close. Alex was also particularly nervous about anything or anyone new, which explained why he was so unwilling to move away from the door or even speak for the majority of the day. He was also a bit afraid of his father, which wasn't helped by his actions earlier that day, but he had a deep respect for him. His relationship with his mother was another story. From what he'd said, it sounded like she babied him ever since birth and that he wanted her to leave him alone. He also didn't seem to be on good terms with his little sister either. With his mother giving him so much more attention, Sarah became jealous of him, despite his dislike for it, and they constantly fought with each other. He was concerned about her though, even though they seemed to be bitter enemies.
Night fell before we knew it. We talked well into the night. It didn't take Alex long to fall asleep after our conversation though. He curled up next to Mark's sleeping form and closed his eyes. I yawned sleepily, then made my way towards Jenny's room, finding her door slightly ajar. I pushed it open slowly and entered. I noticed she was already asleep and didn't want to wake her, so I crawled beneath her bed and laid down to sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well, I made my first local Pokemon friends that day. Wow, look at the time! I'm going to stop here and get some sleep, it's late. Hope to see you again soon. Bye.