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".
...so her and me... did greet the evening...
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...?
...so her and me... did greet the evening...
The Pidgeotto was sitting on a branch, staring at the endless ocean. The tree stood directly at the edge of a cliff, which emerged from the calm water. In the orange light of the evening sun, the sea almost seemed to be made out of molten metal.
The Pidgeotto's name was Gwin. She had dug her sharp talons into the bark, which felt to her like she was strangling the tree. It was strangely satisfying. Even though her eyes were fixated on the water and the sinking sun in the distance, she was mostly focusing on her sense of hearing.
After a while she noticed the sound of timid steps coming from behind her. Gwin did not turn around as she spoke:
"Your presence is going to make this a lot harder for me, Yuka." Yuka was a Nidorina. Gwin heard her stop walking and sit down on the ground.
"That's a good thing," Yuka remarked calmly. "What you are about to do is completely ridiculous. None of us would ever want this." The Nidorina could not see it, but Gwin's stare became harder.
"None of you," she repeated lowly. "You were never good at lying, Yuka. You know very well what they all say."
"I don't care about that," Yuka replied. "Just let them talk. Let them keep spreading their rumors and lies, we know better than to listen to them." There was no answer. After a moment of silence, the Nidorina added: "...don't we?" The Pidgeotto nodded slowly.
"You are certainly an admirable person," she said. "That is why this is the only sensible thing to do."
It had been many months ago when Gwin had last flown across the ocean. She had still been a Pidgey back then. Others of her kind had often told her about the various wondrous places they had seen during their travels, and thus, Gwin had become curious. She had departed in search of an island that she had heard of, and, after a very long flight, she had managed to find it. However, as she had flown closer to further explore it, she had been attacked by a Fearow. Heavily injured, Gwin had fallen from the sky, only to hit the ground right in front of a Nidoran, whom the Fearow had instantly deemed to be a part of this day's meal, too. The Nidoran had cried out for help, and her parents had come to her aid. Not wanting to take its chances against an angry Nidoking and Nidoqueen, the Fearow had escaped.
The two huge Pokémon had nursed Gwin back to health, and she had quickly become friends with Yuka, their daughter. As it had turned out, the entire island was populated mostly by Nidoran and their evolutions, and they all belonged to one big tribe, of which Gwin's new caretakers were the leaders. The Pidgey had spent most of her time together with Yuka, and everyone had seemed to be relatively friendly at first. However, after a few weeks had gone by, Gwin had noticed that many Pokémon seemed to be talking about her behind her back. She had not understood what this meant, so she had asked Yuka's parents about it. They had told her that she should not mind all of this too much. The other Pokémon just were not used to someone who was not one of their kind living with their tribe.
However, as more time passed, things just kept getting worse.
"Has anyone ever said that they wanted you to leave?" Yuka asked. Gwin shook her head.
"Nobody needs to say it," she replied. "I can see it in their eyes, and I can hear it in the way they talk about me when they think I'm not listening. Even your parents said at one point that my presence makes the whole tribe feel uneasy." The Nidorina gasped.
"You've never told me about that!" The Pidgeotto remained silent. There came a low sigh from Yuka. "Can't you at least look at me while I'm talking to you?" Gwin's talons grasped the branch a bit more tightly.
"If I were to look at you, I couldn't leave anymore."
"Turn around, then," Yuka spoke loudly. "I don't want you to leave!" There was another moment of silence. Gwin was certain the Nidorina kept shaking her head, just like she always did when there was something she could not accept.
"This is stupid," she continued. "You don't want to leave, and I don't want you to leave. Just stay here!" The Pidgeotto kept staring at the sun.
"Have you not noticed how you've lost all your other friends?" she asked. "They didn't want to have anything to do with someone who spends all of her time with a member of a different species."
"It's a good thing they're not interested in me anymore," Yuka said quickly. "I want to be as far away as possible from Pokémon who think that way." Gwin lowered her gaze a little to look at the water. It was calm and peaceful now, but just a little bit of wind could make it angry and dangerous.
"You won't be able to find a mate," she spoke in a lower tone.
"I... I don't care," Yuka replied, now sounding a little uncertain. "I value our friendship higher than everything else."
"What kind of a friend would I be if I stayed?" Gwin asked, but before the Nidorina could answer, she continued: "You will have to take over your parents' role as the leader of this tribe one day. If things don't change, nobody will support you. Fights will start, everyone will try to make you resign, or even attack you." For a while, Yuka did not say anything.
"If I have to choose between you and the tribe, I will still choose you," she then spoke lowly. "You're the only true friend I ever had. Everyone else just knows me as the leaders' daughter, but you know who I truly am as a person, you care about me." Gwin could feel the tension building up inside of her. She knew it would be better to just fly away, or else it might be too late. The longer she talked with Yuka, the sadder she became about never being able to see the Nidorina again.
"You cannot stay alive without your tribe supporting you, and you cannot leave this island," Gwin stated. "By staying here, I would kill you."
"You're being too pessimistic," Yuka said, but it did not sound like she was convinced of her own words. "Please, just give it some more time. You're a wonderful person and you've always been nice to everyone, the tribe will sooner or later recognize..."
"The tribe is a lot more superficial than you might think it is," the Pidgeotto interrupted her. Yuka did not disagree. Gwin was certain that her friend knew the truth. The Nidorina was simply trying her best not to accept it.
The sun kept sinking. Gwin could see the dying light in the sky and its reflection on the water. Suddenly, she could also feel the water in her eyes.
"We had our day, Yuka," she spoke lowly, regretting every single word. Sometimes it was hard to speak the truth. "It was a beautiful, warm day full of sunshine and with not even the tiniest cloud in the sky. Still, the day ends and the night comes. We have reached our evening."
"How am I supposed to get through the night?" the Nidorina asked tonelessly.
"I cannot say," Gwin replied. "To leave is all I can do for you. The rest, I fear, will be up to you alone." The sun had almost been swallowed by the sea already. "No day can possibly last forever," she continued. "Life does not forgive. I never should have come to this place, then this wouldn't have happened. I am sorry for all the trouble I've caused."
"Don't apologize," Yuka said immediately. "You were right. It was a beautiful day, and I will never regret having met you. I just wish it could have lasted longer." Gwin quietly agreed. The evening had come too quickly.
After a moment, the Nidorina added: "If I could, I would jump and pin you to the ground, so that you couldn't fly away. But you're sitting up there in the tree, and I can't reach you." Gwin breathed deeply. It became increasingly difficult to focus on what she had planned to do. She should have just left, without saying goodbye. However, Yuka deserved better than to be treated in such a way.
"You have reached me," the Pidgeotto stated. So far she had managed to remain calm. "You have reached me with your words, and with the memories we share. That is what the evening is for. To rest, and remember the beauty of the day."
"Not to watch it die?" Yuka asked lowly. Gwin closed her eyes and kept quiet. Had she said anything, her voice would have shivered too much. "I suppose my words and our memories aren't strong enough to hold you," the Nidorina remarked. "The world is big, and surprisingly empty. Won't you feel lonely?" Once again, Gwin said nothing. Yuka was right, of course. She was feeling lonely already, but she swallowed those words.
"I'm sorry," Yuka mumbled after a moment. "I'm sorry for what I just said. I know you're doing this for me." The Pidgeotto took a deep breath. Very slowly, she spread her wings.
"I have these wings for a reason," she stated. "Flying types aren't supposed to stay in one place. It's been so very long since I was on a journey, and still..." Gwin shook her head. "I don't want to leave. If only I had been born as a Nidoran..." Her voice trailed off and her words were taken away by a soft wind that came from the sea. The last rays of the setting sun were caught by the water.
"I don't care what my tribe says," Yuka spoke. "I don't care what my parents say. I don't care that you're not one of my kin, and I don't care about what happens to me. Too much beauty will be lost if you leave, so please stay. I may live without you, but I cannot be happy." The Pidgeotto could feel the wind between her feathers. Her gaze went up to the sky, which had lost its color.
"The night has come," she said in a heavy tone. "Bury this day in darkness. Keep your memories where no one can see them, Yuka, and wait for the next morning." She loosened her grip around the branch and began beating her strong wings. "If anyone asks," she added, "please tell them you've chased me away, they will love you for it." Gwin felt herself grasped by the breeze, and she was lifted up into the air. It was a new journey, one that would take her across the ocean. Beyond the horizon, a new day was ready to begin.
However, it was night on the small island. Yuka stood at the cliff and stared at the dark sky, waiting for the stars to show themselves. She hoped they would help her remember the sunlight.
(1947 words)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Chapter End Notes:This ends the fifteenth chapter. I don't have very much to say about it, as I'm pretty focused on the next one already. It will be called "...with much red wine... and giddy yells..." and it will be a bit different from the others. The thing is, it is one of my favorite chapters, at least in the planning stage, so I just hope I'll be able to make it turn out just the way I want it to. In any way, I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter; as usual, if there's anything you'd like to say, please write a review or send an email to [email protected] .
Please be free...
-- Lion vom Silberwal
Thank you.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
...so her and me... did greet the evening...
The Pidgeotto was sitting on a branch, staring at the endless ocean. The tree stood directly at the edge of a cliff, which emerged from the calm water. In the orange light of the evening sun, the sea almost seemed to be made out of molten metal.
The Pidgeotto's name was Gwin. She had dug her sharp talons into the bark, which felt to her like she was strangling the tree. It was strangely satisfying. Even though her eyes were fixated on the water and the sinking sun in the distance, she was mostly focusing on her sense of hearing.
After a while she noticed the sound of timid steps coming from behind her. Gwin did not turn around as she spoke:
"Your presence is going to make this a lot harder for me, Yuka." Yuka was a Nidorina. Gwin heard her stop walking and sit down on the ground.
"That's a good thing," Yuka remarked calmly. "What you are about to do is completely ridiculous. None of us would ever want this." The Nidorina could not see it, but Gwin's stare became harder.
"None of you," she repeated lowly. "You were never good at lying, Yuka. You know very well what they all say."
"I don't care about that," Yuka replied. "Just let them talk. Let them keep spreading their rumors and lies, we know better than to listen to them." There was no answer. After a moment of silence, the Nidorina added: "...don't we?" The Pidgeotto nodded slowly.
"You are certainly an admirable person," she said. "That is why this is the only sensible thing to do."
It had been many months ago when Gwin had last flown across the ocean. She had still been a Pidgey back then. Others of her kind had often told her about the various wondrous places they had seen during their travels, and thus, Gwin had become curious. She had departed in search of an island that she had heard of, and, after a very long flight, she had managed to find it. However, as she had flown closer to further explore it, she had been attacked by a Fearow. Heavily injured, Gwin had fallen from the sky, only to hit the ground right in front of a Nidoran, whom the Fearow had instantly deemed to be a part of this day's meal, too. The Nidoran had cried out for help, and her parents had come to her aid. Not wanting to take its chances against an angry Nidoking and Nidoqueen, the Fearow had escaped.
The two huge Pokémon had nursed Gwin back to health, and she had quickly become friends with Yuka, their daughter. As it had turned out, the entire island was populated mostly by Nidoran and their evolutions, and they all belonged to one big tribe, of which Gwin's new caretakers were the leaders. The Pidgey had spent most of her time together with Yuka, and everyone had seemed to be relatively friendly at first. However, after a few weeks had gone by, Gwin had noticed that many Pokémon seemed to be talking about her behind her back. She had not understood what this meant, so she had asked Yuka's parents about it. They had told her that she should not mind all of this too much. The other Pokémon just were not used to someone who was not one of their kind living with their tribe.
However, as more time passed, things just kept getting worse.
"Has anyone ever said that they wanted you to leave?" Yuka asked. Gwin shook her head.
"Nobody needs to say it," she replied. "I can see it in their eyes, and I can hear it in the way they talk about me when they think I'm not listening. Even your parents said at one point that my presence makes the whole tribe feel uneasy." The Nidorina gasped.
"You've never told me about that!" The Pidgeotto remained silent. There came a low sigh from Yuka. "Can't you at least look at me while I'm talking to you?" Gwin's talons grasped the branch a bit more tightly.
"If I were to look at you, I couldn't leave anymore."
"Turn around, then," Yuka spoke loudly. "I don't want you to leave!" There was another moment of silence. Gwin was certain the Nidorina kept shaking her head, just like she always did when there was something she could not accept.
"This is stupid," she continued. "You don't want to leave, and I don't want you to leave. Just stay here!" The Pidgeotto kept staring at the sun.
"Have you not noticed how you've lost all your other friends?" she asked. "They didn't want to have anything to do with someone who spends all of her time with a member of a different species."
"It's a good thing they're not interested in me anymore," Yuka said quickly. "I want to be as far away as possible from Pokémon who think that way." Gwin lowered her gaze a little to look at the water. It was calm and peaceful now, but just a little bit of wind could make it angry and dangerous.
"You won't be able to find a mate," she spoke in a lower tone.
"I... I don't care," Yuka replied, now sounding a little uncertain. "I value our friendship higher than everything else."
"What kind of a friend would I be if I stayed?" Gwin asked, but before the Nidorina could answer, she continued: "You will have to take over your parents' role as the leader of this tribe one day. If things don't change, nobody will support you. Fights will start, everyone will try to make you resign, or even attack you." For a while, Yuka did not say anything.
"If I have to choose between you and the tribe, I will still choose you," she then spoke lowly. "You're the only true friend I ever had. Everyone else just knows me as the leaders' daughter, but you know who I truly am as a person, you care about me." Gwin could feel the tension building up inside of her. She knew it would be better to just fly away, or else it might be too late. The longer she talked with Yuka, the sadder she became about never being able to see the Nidorina again.
"You cannot stay alive without your tribe supporting you, and you cannot leave this island," Gwin stated. "By staying here, I would kill you."
"You're being too pessimistic," Yuka said, but it did not sound like she was convinced of her own words. "Please, just give it some more time. You're a wonderful person and you've always been nice to everyone, the tribe will sooner or later recognize..."
"The tribe is a lot more superficial than you might think it is," the Pidgeotto interrupted her. Yuka did not disagree. Gwin was certain that her friend knew the truth. The Nidorina was simply trying her best not to accept it.
The sun kept sinking. Gwin could see the dying light in the sky and its reflection on the water. Suddenly, she could also feel the water in her eyes.
"We had our day, Yuka," she spoke lowly, regretting every single word. Sometimes it was hard to speak the truth. "It was a beautiful, warm day full of sunshine and with not even the tiniest cloud in the sky. Still, the day ends and the night comes. We have reached our evening."
"How am I supposed to get through the night?" the Nidorina asked tonelessly.
"I cannot say," Gwin replied. "To leave is all I can do for you. The rest, I fear, will be up to you alone." The sun had almost been swallowed by the sea already. "No day can possibly last forever," she continued. "Life does not forgive. I never should have come to this place, then this wouldn't have happened. I am sorry for all the trouble I've caused."
"Don't apologize," Yuka said immediately. "You were right. It was a beautiful day, and I will never regret having met you. I just wish it could have lasted longer." Gwin quietly agreed. The evening had come too quickly.
After a moment, the Nidorina added: "If I could, I would jump and pin you to the ground, so that you couldn't fly away. But you're sitting up there in the tree, and I can't reach you." Gwin breathed deeply. It became increasingly difficult to focus on what she had planned to do. She should have just left, without saying goodbye. However, Yuka deserved better than to be treated in such a way.
"You have reached me," the Pidgeotto stated. So far she had managed to remain calm. "You have reached me with your words, and with the memories we share. That is what the evening is for. To rest, and remember the beauty of the day."
"Not to watch it die?" Yuka asked lowly. Gwin closed her eyes and kept quiet. Had she said anything, her voice would have shivered too much. "I suppose my words and our memories aren't strong enough to hold you," the Nidorina remarked. "The world is big, and surprisingly empty. Won't you feel lonely?" Once again, Gwin said nothing. Yuka was right, of course. She was feeling lonely already, but she swallowed those words.
"I'm sorry," Yuka mumbled after a moment. "I'm sorry for what I just said. I know you're doing this for me." The Pidgeotto took a deep breath. Very slowly, she spread her wings.
"I have these wings for a reason," she stated. "Flying types aren't supposed to stay in one place. It's been so very long since I was on a journey, and still..." Gwin shook her head. "I don't want to leave. If only I had been born as a Nidoran..." Her voice trailed off and her words were taken away by a soft wind that came from the sea. The last rays of the setting sun were caught by the water.
"I don't care what my tribe says," Yuka spoke. "I don't care what my parents say. I don't care that you're not one of my kin, and I don't care about what happens to me. Too much beauty will be lost if you leave, so please stay. I may live without you, but I cannot be happy." The Pidgeotto could feel the wind between her feathers. Her gaze went up to the sky, which had lost its color.
"The night has come," she said in a heavy tone. "Bury this day in darkness. Keep your memories where no one can see them, Yuka, and wait for the next morning." She loosened her grip around the branch and began beating her strong wings. "If anyone asks," she added, "please tell them you've chased me away, they will love you for it." Gwin felt herself grasped by the breeze, and she was lifted up into the air. It was a new journey, one that would take her across the ocean. Beyond the horizon, a new day was ready to begin.
However, it was night on the small island. Yuka stood at the cliff and stared at the dark sky, waiting for the stars to show themselves. She hoped they would help her remember the sunlight.
(1947 words)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Chapter End Notes:This ends the fifteenth chapter. I don't have very much to say about it, as I'm pretty focused on the next one already. It will be called "...with much red wine... and giddy yells..." and it will be a bit different from the others. The thing is, it is one of my favorite chapters, at least in the planning stage, so I just hope I'll be able to make it turn out just the way I want it to. In any way, I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter; as usual, if there's anything you'd like to say, please write a review or send an email to [email protected] .
Please be free...
-- Lion vom Silberwal