Story Notes:
The chapters in this story are in no way connected to each other, except for the fact that they are all inspired by song lyrics from "There's a river in the valley made of melting snow", by Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band, formerly The Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra and Tra-La-La Band, formerly A Silver Mt. Zion (ASMZ) and, at one point, The Silver Mountain Reveries. There will be 36 chapters, with none of them having more than 2000 words. Each will have its own topic, according to the individual titles. Each will have different characters and a different setting, in order to show just how many topics this song deals with. Speaking of which, in case you'd like to listen to it, you can find it on YouTube. I recommend this song; I've been listening to it for about three years now, and it just never gets old. There are so many things that come to my mind when listening to it, so now I'm trying to write them all down. Since the chapters are going to be really short, I think I'll be able to put a new one online every two days or so, depending on how much time I have. I know there are other projects I should be working on, but now I suddenly had this idea and I'd really like to see how it turns out. It's a bit hard to write stories that are so very short and still meaningful, but luckily they don't have to stand on their own, as they are mostly ways to interprete the song they are based on. Well, I hope I'll be able to update as often and as quickly as I am planning to, and I hope you'll enjoy reading and listening to "There's a river in the valley made of melting snow".
...at the sight of your nervous hands...
PLEASE NOTE: I do not own Pokémon, and I have to say that I'm kind of proud of it, because the idea of capturing animal-like creatures to make them fight each other is pretty sick, actually. Be this as it may, every species of Pokémon referred to in the following text and everything else that is a part of the Pokémon franchise is the property of their rightful owner, however, the actual story belongs to me. The title belongs to Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band/ The Silver Mountain Reveries. No copyright infringement is intended.
Thank you.
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Have you never heard that there's a river in the valley made of melting snow...?
...at the sight of your nervous hands...
It was not a beautiful day. Of course, the sun was shining, the grass was green and the air was filled with the joyful chirping of various flying types. However, none of this mattered. Olik's gaze was fixated on the Azumarill in front of him. Her eyes were closed, and she lay unmoving. The soft wind seemed to be caressing her, making her fur shiver a little. Olik could feel the breeze, too. His curved ears twitched slightly; he could hear the river flowing right in front of them. Very slowly, he stepped forwards and kneeled down in front of the Azumarill.
The day before, while they had been gathering food, they had been attacked. Trying to protect their children, the water type had been knocked into a tree. Olik had been able to chase the assailants away, but it had been too late for his mate. She had stopped breathing.
"Daddy...?" Olik winced slightly at hearing this voice. Zumi sounded a lot like her mother, just... younger... "What are you going to do with mommy?" The tall Raichu closed his eyes and carefully picked up the water type. He could feel her soft fur on his skin, and it reminded him of too many things that would never return to him. All the beautiful moments belonged to the past.
He held the female close to him and sighed.
"I am going to give her body to the river," he replied lowly. "It's what she would have wanted." Olik's ears shivered, as he knew that this was not the truth. The Azumarill had wanted different things. She had wanted to stay with him forever, she had wanted to watch their children grow up and lead happy lives, free of sorrow.
He opened his eyes and shook his head. His hind legs were threatening to stop supporting the rest of his body, and he had to try his best just to remain standing. Tears stood in his eyes, but he knew this was not the time to cry. His daughters were standing behind him, and they needed him to be strong.
Olik walked a few steps until he had reached the riverbank. He knew this was the last time he could feel his mate, so he kept holding her tightly to him. The Raichu's gaze went up to the treetops. Just for a moment, there was silence. He did not hear anything, he just felt the Azumarill's fur, which was terribly cold. It seemed to him like it had been an eternity ago that he had last felt his mate's warm touch.
He released the water type from his grasp and heard the splash as her body entered the river.
"Mommy!"
"Zumi, don't!" Irin was older than her sister, and she had understood what was happening. Without seeing it, Olik knew that she was holding back Zumi, who wanted to follow her mother into the water. The next thing he heard was the sound of his younger daughter sobbing in the deepest kind of pain one could feel.
"Zumi... Zumi... it's alright, I'm here for you..." The Raichu knew that Irin could not comfort her sister, as she was beginning to cry, too. His body felt numb, and for a moment he just wanted to jump after his mate and leave all the pain behind. However, he quickly erased this thought from his mind and shook his head. Olik blinked away his tears and took a deep breath. He then finally turned around to face his two daughters. As he had expected, the small Marill was hiding her face in the Pikachu's chest fur, her whole body shaking with each of her forceful sobs. Irin was holding her sister embraced. She looked up at Olik, and he could see the tears on her cheeks.
He kneeled down next to his daughters and carefully took Zumi from Irin. She immediately pressed herself against his chest as he stood up again and held her to him with his left paw.
"It'll be alright..." was all he could say. He gave the Marill a soft kiss on her forehead and then offered his right front paw to Irin. She quickly grasped it with hers, and they went home.
Their den was inside of a big, hollow tree trunk, that lay on the grassy ground. Of course it had a big hole at each side, but those could be covered with twigs and leaves. When he was in the den, Olik always had to walk with a stoop, but it was a very comfortable place to sleep at.
When they arrived, the Raichu carefully gave Zumi back to Irin. The Marill had stopped crying now, but she kept her eyes closed and sometimes mumbled something inaudible. The two children went inside the log. Olik checked his surroundings with a quick gaze and then followed them, making sure to cover the entrance from inside, so that no one could see there was someone living in that trunk.
The Raichu sat down and made a gesture at Irin with his front paws. The Pikachu understood, and carefully placed the small water type in her father's lap. Olik gave Irin a gentle pat on her head, then nudged his younger daughter's cheek. She looked up at him and blinked. Her eyes told him that she could start crying again any moment.
"You should try to sleep a little, my sweetie," he said lowly. Zumi stared at him, as if she had not heard what he had said. She opened her mouth to speak; her words were just barely above a whisper.
"Why... Why did mommy have to...?" Olik sighed inwardly. This was a terribly question, as there simply did not exist a good answer.
"These things happen sometimes, my dear," he replied, now softly caressing her ears with one of his front paws. "Sometimes... sometimes bad things happen, you see... but that doesn't mean we'd have to be sad forever..." Zumi kept staring up at him. She did not talk, but he could see an unspoken question in her eyes. He shook his head and tried his very best to smile.
"I won't leave," he whispered. "I'll stay with you." He wrapped his front paws around his daughter and gently rubbed her back a little, feeling her pressing herself against him more tightly. She was crying again, and her tail was thrashing from side to side. Olik thought he should say something, but his mind seemed to be unusually blank, so he simply kept holding his daughter silently.
After a while, she fell asleep.
Olik looked up. Irin was standing in front of Zumi and him, but she was facing the other way. The Raichu could see her wiping her eyes with one of her front paws every once in a while.
"Irin?" She winced slightly, took a deep breath and then turned around.
"Yes?" she asked. "What is it?" It was clear to Olik that she was trying her best to keep her voice steady and appear like nothing could hurt her. He shook his head.
"Please come here," he said. The Pikachu slowly stepped closer towards her father. He carefully moved one of his front paws away from Zumi's back and gently pulled Irin close to his side. He watched her taking deep breaths and after a moment she turned her head away.
"Why are you trying not to cry?" he asked lowly. The Pikachu did not look up at him.
"Crying is what little children and weaklings do," she mumbled. Olik lowered his head and gave his daughter a kiss on one of her long ears.
"That's not true," he whispered. "Cry, Irin. You'll feel better afterwards." Irin turned her head towards him. For a moment, she just stared up at her father, but then she threw herself against him and began sobbing uncontrollably. Olik kept holding her to his side, feeling his heart break anew with every tear his daughter shed.
She, too, fell asleep after a while.
Olik remained awake. It had already gotten dark, and he could not see a thing anymore. An immense amount of pain had been building up inside of him, and he just wanted to scream. However, this would have woken his daughters, so all he could do was cry silently until he would fall asleep as well.
The Raichu was still sleeping, long after his daughters had woken up. Zumi had remained sitting in his lap, but Irin was standing a short distance away from him, as she did not want to appear like she needed to hold on to her father in front of her younger sister.
"Are you alright?" she asked after a while. Zumi turned her head towards her. She then looked to the ground. Instead of answering her sister's question, she asked:
"What's wrong with daddy? He's never slept for such a long time before..." Irin looked up at the Raichu. She could see that he was having an uneasy sleep.
"He suffers," she spoke lowly. The Marill looked up at her father as well.
"Really...?" Irin nodded.
"He suffers a lot," she said. Then she took a deep breath. "He needs us to be there for him now, Zumi. With our mother gone, he... he doesn't have anyone else." It was hard for her to say these words. Her sister sniffed lowly, but then said:
"You're right. He needs us."
Olik awoke about an hour later. The first thing he did was ask his daughters how they were feeling, to which they replied that they were sure things would be alright soon. The Raichu nodded slowly, then noticed that he was still tightly holding Zumi embraced.
"You have to be hungry, my sweetie," he said. There was still a bit of food left inside of the tree trunk; it was scattered all over the ground, but it was still edible. Olik reached for a sweet berry that he wanted to give to his daughter.
"Your paw is shaking, daddy," the Marill remarked. Olik slowly stopped his movements and swallowed.
"That... That's because..." he began, but Irin interrupted him.
"How are you feeling?" she asked lowly. The Raichu blinked. He knew exactly how he was feeling, but he thought it would be better not to tell his daughters. His gaze went back and forth between Irin and Zumi, his expression a bit desperate.
The Pikachu stepped up to his side.
"It's alright," she said, "you don't have to answer." Then she hugged him, and tightly pressed her body against his. Olik looked down, and saw his younger daughter do the same.
"We're here, daddy," Zumi said. "Don't worry. You're not alone."
The Raichu closed his eyes. It was true. His daughters were right.
He knew he needed them, just as much as they needed him.
(1846 words)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Chapter End Notes:This ends the twelfth chapter, which means that one third of the whole story is finished now. Thank you very much for reading so far; I hope you'll stay with me until the end. As usual, if you'd like to comment, please write a review or send an email to [email protected] . The next chapter will probably be up tomorrow, it will be called "and oh my love... so gently breathing..." Until then, fare you well.
Please be free...
-- Lion vom Silberwal
Thank you.
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...at the sight of your nervous hands...
It was not a beautiful day. Of course, the sun was shining, the grass was green and the air was filled with the joyful chirping of various flying types. However, none of this mattered. Olik's gaze was fixated on the Azumarill in front of him. Her eyes were closed, and she lay unmoving. The soft wind seemed to be caressing her, making her fur shiver a little. Olik could feel the breeze, too. His curved ears twitched slightly; he could hear the river flowing right in front of them. Very slowly, he stepped forwards and kneeled down in front of the Azumarill.
The day before, while they had been gathering food, they had been attacked. Trying to protect their children, the water type had been knocked into a tree. Olik had been able to chase the assailants away, but it had been too late for his mate. She had stopped breathing.
"Daddy...?" Olik winced slightly at hearing this voice. Zumi sounded a lot like her mother, just... younger... "What are you going to do with mommy?" The tall Raichu closed his eyes and carefully picked up the water type. He could feel her soft fur on his skin, and it reminded him of too many things that would never return to him. All the beautiful moments belonged to the past.
He held the female close to him and sighed.
"I am going to give her body to the river," he replied lowly. "It's what she would have wanted." Olik's ears shivered, as he knew that this was not the truth. The Azumarill had wanted different things. She had wanted to stay with him forever, she had wanted to watch their children grow up and lead happy lives, free of sorrow.
He opened his eyes and shook his head. His hind legs were threatening to stop supporting the rest of his body, and he had to try his best just to remain standing. Tears stood in his eyes, but he knew this was not the time to cry. His daughters were standing behind him, and they needed him to be strong.
Olik walked a few steps until he had reached the riverbank. He knew this was the last time he could feel his mate, so he kept holding her tightly to him. The Raichu's gaze went up to the treetops. Just for a moment, there was silence. He did not hear anything, he just felt the Azumarill's fur, which was terribly cold. It seemed to him like it had been an eternity ago that he had last felt his mate's warm touch.
He released the water type from his grasp and heard the splash as her body entered the river.
"Mommy!"
"Zumi, don't!" Irin was older than her sister, and she had understood what was happening. Without seeing it, Olik knew that she was holding back Zumi, who wanted to follow her mother into the water. The next thing he heard was the sound of his younger daughter sobbing in the deepest kind of pain one could feel.
"Zumi... Zumi... it's alright, I'm here for you..." The Raichu knew that Irin could not comfort her sister, as she was beginning to cry, too. His body felt numb, and for a moment he just wanted to jump after his mate and leave all the pain behind. However, he quickly erased this thought from his mind and shook his head. Olik blinked away his tears and took a deep breath. He then finally turned around to face his two daughters. As he had expected, the small Marill was hiding her face in the Pikachu's chest fur, her whole body shaking with each of her forceful sobs. Irin was holding her sister embraced. She looked up at Olik, and he could see the tears on her cheeks.
He kneeled down next to his daughters and carefully took Zumi from Irin. She immediately pressed herself against his chest as he stood up again and held her to him with his left paw.
"It'll be alright..." was all he could say. He gave the Marill a soft kiss on her forehead and then offered his right front paw to Irin. She quickly grasped it with hers, and they went home.
Their den was inside of a big, hollow tree trunk, that lay on the grassy ground. Of course it had a big hole at each side, but those could be covered with twigs and leaves. When he was in the den, Olik always had to walk with a stoop, but it was a very comfortable place to sleep at.
When they arrived, the Raichu carefully gave Zumi back to Irin. The Marill had stopped crying now, but she kept her eyes closed and sometimes mumbled something inaudible. The two children went inside the log. Olik checked his surroundings with a quick gaze and then followed them, making sure to cover the entrance from inside, so that no one could see there was someone living in that trunk.
The Raichu sat down and made a gesture at Irin with his front paws. The Pikachu understood, and carefully placed the small water type in her father's lap. Olik gave Irin a gentle pat on her head, then nudged his younger daughter's cheek. She looked up at him and blinked. Her eyes told him that she could start crying again any moment.
"You should try to sleep a little, my sweetie," he said lowly. Zumi stared at him, as if she had not heard what he had said. She opened her mouth to speak; her words were just barely above a whisper.
"Why... Why did mommy have to...?" Olik sighed inwardly. This was a terribly question, as there simply did not exist a good answer.
"These things happen sometimes, my dear," he replied, now softly caressing her ears with one of his front paws. "Sometimes... sometimes bad things happen, you see... but that doesn't mean we'd have to be sad forever..." Zumi kept staring up at him. She did not talk, but he could see an unspoken question in her eyes. He shook his head and tried his very best to smile.
"I won't leave," he whispered. "I'll stay with you." He wrapped his front paws around his daughter and gently rubbed her back a little, feeling her pressing herself against him more tightly. She was crying again, and her tail was thrashing from side to side. Olik thought he should say something, but his mind seemed to be unusually blank, so he simply kept holding his daughter silently.
After a while, she fell asleep.
Olik looked up. Irin was standing in front of Zumi and him, but she was facing the other way. The Raichu could see her wiping her eyes with one of her front paws every once in a while.
"Irin?" She winced slightly, took a deep breath and then turned around.
"Yes?" she asked. "What is it?" It was clear to Olik that she was trying her best to keep her voice steady and appear like nothing could hurt her. He shook his head.
"Please come here," he said. The Pikachu slowly stepped closer towards her father. He carefully moved one of his front paws away from Zumi's back and gently pulled Irin close to his side. He watched her taking deep breaths and after a moment she turned her head away.
"Why are you trying not to cry?" he asked lowly. The Pikachu did not look up at him.
"Crying is what little children and weaklings do," she mumbled. Olik lowered his head and gave his daughter a kiss on one of her long ears.
"That's not true," he whispered. "Cry, Irin. You'll feel better afterwards." Irin turned her head towards him. For a moment, she just stared up at her father, but then she threw herself against him and began sobbing uncontrollably. Olik kept holding her to his side, feeling his heart break anew with every tear his daughter shed.
She, too, fell asleep after a while.
Olik remained awake. It had already gotten dark, and he could not see a thing anymore. An immense amount of pain had been building up inside of him, and he just wanted to scream. However, this would have woken his daughters, so all he could do was cry silently until he would fall asleep as well.
The Raichu was still sleeping, long after his daughters had woken up. Zumi had remained sitting in his lap, but Irin was standing a short distance away from him, as she did not want to appear like she needed to hold on to her father in front of her younger sister.
"Are you alright?" she asked after a while. Zumi turned her head towards her. She then looked to the ground. Instead of answering her sister's question, she asked:
"What's wrong with daddy? He's never slept for such a long time before..." Irin looked up at the Raichu. She could see that he was having an uneasy sleep.
"He suffers," she spoke lowly. The Marill looked up at her father as well.
"Really...?" Irin nodded.
"He suffers a lot," she said. Then she took a deep breath. "He needs us to be there for him now, Zumi. With our mother gone, he... he doesn't have anyone else." It was hard for her to say these words. Her sister sniffed lowly, but then said:
"You're right. He needs us."
Olik awoke about an hour later. The first thing he did was ask his daughters how they were feeling, to which they replied that they were sure things would be alright soon. The Raichu nodded slowly, then noticed that he was still tightly holding Zumi embraced.
"You have to be hungry, my sweetie," he said. There was still a bit of food left inside of the tree trunk; it was scattered all over the ground, but it was still edible. Olik reached for a sweet berry that he wanted to give to his daughter.
"Your paw is shaking, daddy," the Marill remarked. Olik slowly stopped his movements and swallowed.
"That... That's because..." he began, but Irin interrupted him.
"How are you feeling?" she asked lowly. The Raichu blinked. He knew exactly how he was feeling, but he thought it would be better not to tell his daughters. His gaze went back and forth between Irin and Zumi, his expression a bit desperate.
The Pikachu stepped up to his side.
"It's alright," she said, "you don't have to answer." Then she hugged him, and tightly pressed her body against his. Olik looked down, and saw his younger daughter do the same.
"We're here, daddy," Zumi said. "Don't worry. You're not alone."
The Raichu closed his eyes. It was true. His daughters were right.
He knew he needed them, just as much as they needed him.
(1846 words)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Chapter End Notes:This ends the twelfth chapter, which means that one third of the whole story is finished now. Thank you very much for reading so far; I hope you'll stay with me until the end. As usual, if you'd like to comment, please write a review or send an email to [email protected] . The next chapter will probably be up tomorrow, it will be called "and oh my love... so gently breathing..." Until then, fare you well.
Please be free...
-- Lion vom Silberwal