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".
...building towers... on ruined land...
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...?
...building towers... on ruined land...
Inside a relatively large den that had been dug into the side of a steep hill, there sat a family consisting of two Charizards and two little Charmanders. They were currently having dinner, feasting upon the many tasty things the lush forest had bestowed upon them. However, there was a certain amount of tension in the air. Nobody said anything, and everyone kept turning their heads towards the den's entrance every once in a while. It had been a few days since they had had unsolicited visitors, but all the fire types knew exactly that this would change soon.
Indeed, this premonition of what was to come came true before they had finished eating.
One after another, six unusually tall Sandslash suddenly walked inside and positioned themselves at the walls, while two of them remained near the cave entrance. They did not look at any of the fire types, and they were apparently used to occupying other Pokémon's homes. The two children quickly stepped up to their mother, who embraced them, keeping her head raised and her eyes on the intruders. The male Charizard did not even seem to notice any of the six strong ground types. His gaze was fixated on the den's entrance, waiting for the one person that was still missing.
Just a moment later, another Sandslash entered the den. He was neither as tall nor as strong as the others, but the expression in his face alone looked more dangerous than all the other ground types together. He was grinning in a certain way that told everyone else that he could do whatever he wanted, and that nobody would be able to stop him from doing it. Right now, his gaze was resting on the male Charizard, as he apparently thought of him as the head of the family.
"What was your name again, my friend?" the Sandslash asked. The Charizard kept his eyes on him for a moment, then lowered his gaze.
"I am Zorak, Lord Ronrick," he spoke lowly. Ronrick nodded.
"Ah, yes," he said, "I really shouldn't have forgotten, you are one of my most loyal friends, after all." He looked at the other Sandslash for a second, who raised their claws a little and then began staring at Zorak. "That is what you are, isn't it?" Ronrick asked. The Charizard kept his head lowered.
"Yes, Lord Ronrick," he said, "that is certainly true." The Sandslash's grin became broader.
"You cannot imagine how happy I am to hear that," he stated. "Now, since we are such good friends, I suppose I will be able to count on your support when I will make my stand against Amanu and his troops and become the leader of this forest?" Zorak nodded quickly.
"Yes, Lord Ronrick," he spoke, "you can count on me, I am on your side, just like everybody else who knows what is good for the forest." Ronrick kept staring at him for a few moments, the grin still standing on his face, but the Charizard did not move.
"That is truly wonderful," he remarked, then turned his head and looked at the two young Charmanders, who immediately pushed themselves closer to their mother. "After all, my troops and I are the only ones who will be able to protect you and your family from all those terrible things that can happen out there in the woods."
"I know that, Lord Ronrick," Zorak spoke, still looking at the ground. "Thank you very much for your kindness, Lord Ronrick." The Sandslash frowned slightly, but then decided not to waste any more time.
"I just hope you won't forget about to whom your loyalty belongs, then," he said while making a quick gesture with one of his claws. All the other Sandslash started moving and walked out of the den, except for those who were standing at the entrance, who waited until Ronrick had left. They then followed him.
When all the ground types were gone, Zorak exchanged a glance with his mate, who nodded lightly and held the children closer to her. The male Charizard then looked at the entrance again, waiting for what he was sure was to happen next. He sighed inwardly as the light outside of the den seemed to fade unnaturally quickly.
There was a flash of darkness. For a second, nobody could see anything, and as the den was once again illuminated, there seemed to be Absols everywhere. Zorak looked around for a moment and counted them; there appeared to be eleven, and some of them were standing uncomfortably close to his mate and his children. However, there was nothing he could do.
All the Absols stayed where they were, not even moving the least bit, except for the one that was standing right in front of Zorak, staring up at him through haunting red eyes.
"Could it be that Ronrick was here, just a few moment ago?" he asked lowly. Zorak nodded, and then quickly lowered his gaze.
"Yes, Lord Amanu," he spoke. "He was." He could not see the Absol anymore, but the black scythe on his head now moved into his field of vision.
"It's simply terrible how he keeps trying to intimidate everyone in this forest, isn't it?" Amanu continued. "Of course, you had to act like you supported him, didn't you?" Zorak took a deep breath.
"That is correct, Lord Amanu," he replied. "I had no choice but to act like that. He threatened my family, Lord Amanu."
"Oh, did he?" the Absol spoke. "Well, I suppose you're on my side, then. After all, I would never even think of doing such a thing." Zorak closed his eyes. The Absol's presence made his head hurt. He did not know why that happened; maybe it was just something that dark types could do.
"I am on your side, Lord Amanu," his answer came. "You have my full support."
"I am very glad to hear this," Amanu said. "Well, don't worry about anything. I'll be the leader of this forest very soon, and Ronrick will not be able to harm you or your loved ones anymore." Zorak opened his eyes again and moved his head a little. He could see Amanu nod at his mate and his children. The dark type then turned around, and all of a sudden, the entire light in the den was gone again. When it returned, all the Absols had vanished.
Zorak and his family waited for a few more minutes. He then sighed in relief and heard his mate comfort the children, who were whimpering lowly.
"Don't worry, my sweeties," she spoke in a soft tone, "everything will be fine..."
A constant battle was being fought in the forest, which had some time ago split into two large areas. One of them was inhabited by those who wanted Ronrick to be their new leader, the other half was full of Pokémon who supported Amanu. Zorak's den, however, lay between those areas, which was a fate the fire types shared with quite a few other families. They had more or less grown used to the Absol and the Sandslash threatening them, and they knew they were not in any kind of real danger, as long as they did not get too involved. In the end, Zorak's family was simply not important enough to either of the two Pokémon trying to obtain power over the whole forest in order for one of them to attack them. As long as they just remained where they were and kept quiet, nobody would actually care about them.
However, whenever they went outside they could see the impact of a new skirmish. The fire types had never actually witnessed one of those fights, but every other day they came across an abandoned battlefield. Trees and bushes, which had been there before, suddenly vanished, and even the grass disappeared, leaving behind only large areas of wasteland. This meant that it kept getting harder to find food every day.
Sometimes, parts of the forest were set on fire. Whenever this happened, Zorak or his mate flew up into the air to see if they were in danger. However, the flames always stayed on either Amanu's or Ronrick's side of the forest. More trees were burned to the ground, more food sources disappeared. Zorak neither knew nor cared about which side would win in the end. With the way this battle was going, it would not matter anyway. The fighting was certainly not going to stop anytime soon. Over the course of time, large areas of the forest were completely destroyed.
After a while, Zorak and his mate reached a decision. They had feared it would come to this sooner or later; after all, it had been inevitable from the start. However, the fire types had been living in their den for many years, so they had always still hoped they would not be forced to give it up.
They left their den, together with their children. Zorak and his mate both kneeled down and let the little Charmanders climb up on their backs. They then began beating their wings and took off, looking to the left and to the right as they flew away. There were only very little amounts of green left on both sides. Big holes had been ripped into the forest, and they looked like festering wounds that would never heal. In one of those empty spaces, two large armies of Pokémon were fighting against each other.
"Don't look at them, my dear," Zorak's mate said to the Charmander on her back, "that's not a pleasant sight." The Charizards picked up their pace, now trying to get away from their former home as soon as possible.
"Amanu has fallen in battle and his troops have perished, Lord Ronrick," a Sandslash said. Ronrick blinked.
"Does that mean I have won?" he asked. The Sandslash nodded quickly.
"Yes, Lord Ronrick," he replied. "The fighting is over, and you are the winner." The usual grin on Ronrick's face became broader. He stepped out of his cave and looked at the sight that unfolded before him.
The ground was barren and scorched. There was still a bit of grass in some places, but it looked yellow and ill. Many fallen tree trunks were lying on the ground. Broken roots, branches and the remains of bushes covered parts of the ground. Not even a single leaf seemed to have survived. Everything was brown and black and yellow.
Ronrick could clearly see all the way to the horizon. There were a few small groups of different Pokémon standing around on the barren land. The Sandslash's grin turned into a pleased smile.
"The whole forest is mine," he stated with satisfaction. "Everything I can see here belongs to me."
(1841 words)Chapter End Notes:This ends the eighteenth chapter, which means that the first half of the story is finished now. So far things have been going pretty well; however, I'm not sure if I'll be able to keep updating so quickly, at least not this week, since there are a lot of things I'll have to do. Still, I'll try my best, and I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. If you'd like to comment, please write a review or send an email to [email protected], it'd be very much appreciated.
Please be free...
-- Lion vom Silberwal
Thank you.
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...building towers... on ruined land...
Inside a relatively large den that had been dug into the side of a steep hill, there sat a family consisting of two Charizards and two little Charmanders. They were currently having dinner, feasting upon the many tasty things the lush forest had bestowed upon them. However, there was a certain amount of tension in the air. Nobody said anything, and everyone kept turning their heads towards the den's entrance every once in a while. It had been a few days since they had had unsolicited visitors, but all the fire types knew exactly that this would change soon.
Indeed, this premonition of what was to come came true before they had finished eating.
One after another, six unusually tall Sandslash suddenly walked inside and positioned themselves at the walls, while two of them remained near the cave entrance. They did not look at any of the fire types, and they were apparently used to occupying other Pokémon's homes. The two children quickly stepped up to their mother, who embraced them, keeping her head raised and her eyes on the intruders. The male Charizard did not even seem to notice any of the six strong ground types. His gaze was fixated on the den's entrance, waiting for the one person that was still missing.
Just a moment later, another Sandslash entered the den. He was neither as tall nor as strong as the others, but the expression in his face alone looked more dangerous than all the other ground types together. He was grinning in a certain way that told everyone else that he could do whatever he wanted, and that nobody would be able to stop him from doing it. Right now, his gaze was resting on the male Charizard, as he apparently thought of him as the head of the family.
"What was your name again, my friend?" the Sandslash asked. The Charizard kept his eyes on him for a moment, then lowered his gaze.
"I am Zorak, Lord Ronrick," he spoke lowly. Ronrick nodded.
"Ah, yes," he said, "I really shouldn't have forgotten, you are one of my most loyal friends, after all." He looked at the other Sandslash for a second, who raised their claws a little and then began staring at Zorak. "That is what you are, isn't it?" Ronrick asked. The Charizard kept his head lowered.
"Yes, Lord Ronrick," he said, "that is certainly true." The Sandslash's grin became broader.
"You cannot imagine how happy I am to hear that," he stated. "Now, since we are such good friends, I suppose I will be able to count on your support when I will make my stand against Amanu and his troops and become the leader of this forest?" Zorak nodded quickly.
"Yes, Lord Ronrick," he spoke, "you can count on me, I am on your side, just like everybody else who knows what is good for the forest." Ronrick kept staring at him for a few moments, the grin still standing on his face, but the Charizard did not move.
"That is truly wonderful," he remarked, then turned his head and looked at the two young Charmanders, who immediately pushed themselves closer to their mother. "After all, my troops and I are the only ones who will be able to protect you and your family from all those terrible things that can happen out there in the woods."
"I know that, Lord Ronrick," Zorak spoke, still looking at the ground. "Thank you very much for your kindness, Lord Ronrick." The Sandslash frowned slightly, but then decided not to waste any more time.
"I just hope you won't forget about to whom your loyalty belongs, then," he said while making a quick gesture with one of his claws. All the other Sandslash started moving and walked out of the den, except for those who were standing at the entrance, who waited until Ronrick had left. They then followed him.
When all the ground types were gone, Zorak exchanged a glance with his mate, who nodded lightly and held the children closer to her. The male Charizard then looked at the entrance again, waiting for what he was sure was to happen next. He sighed inwardly as the light outside of the den seemed to fade unnaturally quickly.
There was a flash of darkness. For a second, nobody could see anything, and as the den was once again illuminated, there seemed to be Absols everywhere. Zorak looked around for a moment and counted them; there appeared to be eleven, and some of them were standing uncomfortably close to his mate and his children. However, there was nothing he could do.
All the Absols stayed where they were, not even moving the least bit, except for the one that was standing right in front of Zorak, staring up at him through haunting red eyes.
"Could it be that Ronrick was here, just a few moment ago?" he asked lowly. Zorak nodded, and then quickly lowered his gaze.
"Yes, Lord Amanu," he spoke. "He was." He could not see the Absol anymore, but the black scythe on his head now moved into his field of vision.
"It's simply terrible how he keeps trying to intimidate everyone in this forest, isn't it?" Amanu continued. "Of course, you had to act like you supported him, didn't you?" Zorak took a deep breath.
"That is correct, Lord Amanu," he replied. "I had no choice but to act like that. He threatened my family, Lord Amanu."
"Oh, did he?" the Absol spoke. "Well, I suppose you're on my side, then. After all, I would never even think of doing such a thing." Zorak closed his eyes. The Absol's presence made his head hurt. He did not know why that happened; maybe it was just something that dark types could do.
"I am on your side, Lord Amanu," his answer came. "You have my full support."
"I am very glad to hear this," Amanu said. "Well, don't worry about anything. I'll be the leader of this forest very soon, and Ronrick will not be able to harm you or your loved ones anymore." Zorak opened his eyes again and moved his head a little. He could see Amanu nod at his mate and his children. The dark type then turned around, and all of a sudden, the entire light in the den was gone again. When it returned, all the Absols had vanished.
Zorak and his family waited for a few more minutes. He then sighed in relief and heard his mate comfort the children, who were whimpering lowly.
"Don't worry, my sweeties," she spoke in a soft tone, "everything will be fine..."
A constant battle was being fought in the forest, which had some time ago split into two large areas. One of them was inhabited by those who wanted Ronrick to be their new leader, the other half was full of Pokémon who supported Amanu. Zorak's den, however, lay between those areas, which was a fate the fire types shared with quite a few other families. They had more or less grown used to the Absol and the Sandslash threatening them, and they knew they were not in any kind of real danger, as long as they did not get too involved. In the end, Zorak's family was simply not important enough to either of the two Pokémon trying to obtain power over the whole forest in order for one of them to attack them. As long as they just remained where they were and kept quiet, nobody would actually care about them.
However, whenever they went outside they could see the impact of a new skirmish. The fire types had never actually witnessed one of those fights, but every other day they came across an abandoned battlefield. Trees and bushes, which had been there before, suddenly vanished, and even the grass disappeared, leaving behind only large areas of wasteland. This meant that it kept getting harder to find food every day.
Sometimes, parts of the forest were set on fire. Whenever this happened, Zorak or his mate flew up into the air to see if they were in danger. However, the flames always stayed on either Amanu's or Ronrick's side of the forest. More trees were burned to the ground, more food sources disappeared. Zorak neither knew nor cared about which side would win in the end. With the way this battle was going, it would not matter anyway. The fighting was certainly not going to stop anytime soon. Over the course of time, large areas of the forest were completely destroyed.
After a while, Zorak and his mate reached a decision. They had feared it would come to this sooner or later; after all, it had been inevitable from the start. However, the fire types had been living in their den for many years, so they had always still hoped they would not be forced to give it up.
They left their den, together with their children. Zorak and his mate both kneeled down and let the little Charmanders climb up on their backs. They then began beating their wings and took off, looking to the left and to the right as they flew away. There were only very little amounts of green left on both sides. Big holes had been ripped into the forest, and they looked like festering wounds that would never heal. In one of those empty spaces, two large armies of Pokémon were fighting against each other.
"Don't look at them, my dear," Zorak's mate said to the Charmander on her back, "that's not a pleasant sight." The Charizards picked up their pace, now trying to get away from their former home as soon as possible.
"Amanu has fallen in battle and his troops have perished, Lord Ronrick," a Sandslash said. Ronrick blinked.
"Does that mean I have won?" he asked. The Sandslash nodded quickly.
"Yes, Lord Ronrick," he replied. "The fighting is over, and you are the winner." The usual grin on Ronrick's face became broader. He stepped out of his cave and looked at the sight that unfolded before him.
The ground was barren and scorched. There was still a bit of grass in some places, but it looked yellow and ill. Many fallen tree trunks were lying on the ground. Broken roots, branches and the remains of bushes covered parts of the ground. Not even a single leaf seemed to have survived. Everything was brown and black and yellow.
Ronrick could clearly see all the way to the horizon. There were a few small groups of different Pokémon standing around on the barren land. The Sandslash's grin turned into a pleased smile.
"The whole forest is mine," he stated with satisfaction. "Everything I can see here belongs to me."
(1841 words)Chapter End Notes:This ends the eighteenth chapter, which means that the first half of the story is finished now. So far things have been going pretty well; however, I'm not sure if I'll be able to keep updating so quickly, at least not this week, since there are a lot of things I'll have to do. Still, I'll try my best, and I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. If you'd like to comment, please write a review or send an email to [email protected], it'd be very much appreciated.
Please be free...
-- Lion vom Silberwal