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".
i have grown tired... of the struggle...
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...?
i have grown tired... of the struggle...
A Luxray was padding through the dark forest. Her fur was messy and dirty and she kept her head hung low. The Luxray had trouble keeping her eyes open. Eventually she tripped over a root and fell to the ground. It took her some time to stand up again, as it felt like the single most difficult thing imaginable. All her muscles were aching, and it was terribly hard for her to not just fall asleep right where she was. Quietly cursing the entire world and everyone living in it, she kept walking, doing her very best to focus on putting one paw in front of the other. The Luxray's tail was dragging across the ground. Its bright, star-shaped tip became dirtier by the second, but the Luxray did not care. She just wanted to get home and sleep.
Even though she just kept staring at the ground, she managed to reach the small cave. Without looking up, she went inside, then turned to the left and lay down on a bed made out of some old leaves, which were all but soft. Before she could close her eyes and fall asleep, however, she heard a voice.
"Welcome home, Andra." Andra blinked and raised her head a little. Just a few steps away from her there was sitting another Luxray; it was Selky, her sister. Selky was a bit taller than Andra, her fur always looked perfect and there was something about her that told everyone who looked at her that she was a very good fighter. In front of the taller Luxray there lay a bone, which still had a bit of meat on it. Andra looked at it for a moment, but then raised her gaze again to focus on Selky.
"Let me sleep," she said. Selky smiled at her. Andra did not know why it was that way, but it always made everything at least ten times worse when Selky smiled.
"How are you feeling tonight?" the taller Luxray asked. Andra gritted her teeth.
"I'm feeling awful," she mumbled. "I always feel awful. Let me sleep." It did not look like Selky was going to listen to her.
"I hope you were able to catch something to eat?" she asked. Andra nodded slightly.
"I was, but it took me some time." She waited for a moment, then decided to add: "Let me sleep." Selky slowly raised one of her front paws and began licking it, trying to get the blood stains out of her fur. Andra frowned and watched her for a short moment. When it seemed like the taller Luxray was not going to keep bothering her, she rested her head on her front paws, sighed deeply and closed her eyes. She knew it would only take her a few seconds to fall asleep.
"I'm your sister," Selky spoke, which made Andra groan lowly. "You can tell me if there's anything bothering you." At first Andra thought she could just ignore her, but Selky soon continued: "I mean, if there's anything I can help you with, you can count on me, of course..."
"I've told you often enough, you just don't understand me!" Andra had raised her head again and was now showing her teeth, as her sister had made her quite angry. However, as Selky stopped cleaning her paw and looked at her with her piercing red eyes, Andra felt a bit intimidated and decided to stay calm.
"Of course I understand you," Selky stated in a slightly menacing tone. "Now tell me why you're not feeling alright." Andra looked up at her sister and swallowed. She knew exactly that every single word would be a complete waste, but still she spoke:
"Well... what bothers me is the fact that I get up in the morning, go outside and spend hours just looking for something to eat, or rather, someone. Then, when I've found a small Pokémon, they either manage to get away or call someone who's stronger than me to help them. Now, eating plants is completely out of the question, since this whole forest is grossly overpopulated, and everyone has to fight for their food. Nobody can find anything to eat just by walking around and looking for it. So it's usually late in the afternoon when I finally manage to catch some prey, and before I get the chance to take even one bite, someone tries to steal it from me, so I have to keep fighting. Sometimes I win, sometimes I lose, but no matter how things turn out, I never get to eat anything before it's evening, and by then I always feel weak and exhausted, so I have to go into hiding, just in case anyone else might attack me. I wait for the sun to set and then come back here. Then I go to sleep, wake up the next day, and I have to do it all over again." Andra took a deep breath. She had spoken very quickly. Selky was now licking her other front paw. "I have to do it every single day," Andra mumbled, "just to keep myself alive. So I have to wonder why I even want to keep myself alive. Being alive means having to do this all day, every day... I'd much rather just sleep..." She shook her head. Selky did not look the least bit interested in what she was saying. "Will you just let me sleep now?" The taller Luxray blinked. Then she sighed.
"You know, that's your problem," she spoke in a slightly annoyed tone, "you just keep complaining. Instead of feeling sorry for yourself, you should try to get stronger. That would make everything a lot easier for you."
"I am trying as hard as I can," Andra growled through clenched teeth. "It's not my fault that father trained you so well and completely ignored me! It's no surprise you're more powerful than I could ever be!" The smile reappeared on Selky's face, as her expression became a bit dreamy. She took a long lick across her paw and moaned slightly.
"Mmhhmmmm... yes, daddy loved me very much..." she said lowly. Andra's eyes tightened.
"That's correct," she remarked. "He loved you almost every night, if I remember correctly. Let me sleep now! I'm tired!" Selky stopped her motions, and suddenly looked rather dangerous again.
"I understand you very well," she spoke calmly. "You're an immature little weakling, who just keeps whining about everything. You know, this is my cave. I don't have to let you live here, so if you'd rather be alone..." Selky did not finish the sentence, and she did not need to, either. Andra lowered her gaze. She knew there was nothing she could do or say to make things any better.
"Please just let me sleep," she mumbled. There came a low grunt from Selky. It sounded somewhat affirmative, so Andra placed her head on her front paws again and closed her eyes. She fell asleep almost immediately.
The Luxray awoke in the morning and knew this day was going to be terrible. She did not want to stand up, but she had to. Very slowly, she rose to her paws, trying to ignore the fact that her entire body still hurt. Selky had already left to go hunting. Andra walked towards the cave entrance and looked outside for a moment. Everything about the world disgusted her. She figured that things were probably not this terrible everywhere, but she could not leave the forest. Big, strong Pokémon lived in these woods, and they would certainly be happy to find a weak little Luxray like her, so she would not get very far. Of course, Selky did not have such problems. Andra's sister just needed to snarl at anyone who wanted to attack her, and they would instantly run away.
Andra slowly turned around again and walked back to her bed of leaves, where she lay down. She just did not have it in her anymore to go out, risk her life, kill, and protect her prey until she had eaten it all. She just wanted to sleep.
Selky returned in the afternoon. She was very surprised to see her sister in the cave.
"You're back already?" Andra blinked and looked up.
"Let me sleep," she said and lowered her head again.
"Did you even eat anything?" Andra raised her front paws and covered her ears. After a short moment, she had fallen asleep again.
The next day, the exact same thing happened. Andra was surprised that she did not even feel hungry. The thought of going outside and trying to find something to eat was so entirely disgusting that her body had apparently decided that it did not need food anymore.
"You really need to eat something," Selky said as she returned to the cave. She was actually sounding a bit worried. "Here, I've caught enough for..." Andra did not hear the rest, as she had covered her ears again.
No matter how much she slept, she still felt exhausted. Andra was certain that this was not because of the fact that she had not eaten in days. Of course, this made it increasingly hard to move at all, but what her body felt did not matter so much. Andra knew that it was the exhaustion of her mind that had put her in such a condition. Her eyelids felt heavier every day. She wanted to never wake up again.
She just had enough. As far as she was concerned, her life had been going on for much too long already.
Selky kept trying to feed her, but Andra did not respond in any way. She simply kept lying on the ground and slept, feeling too tired to do anything else.
After a while, her wish finally came true. The morning came, but Andra did not wake up. She had stopped dreaming, she had stopped thinking. She had stopped breathing.
In the end, her body had been taken over by the same exhaustion that her mind had already succumbed to years ago.
(1719 words)Chapter End Notes:This chapter was a little bit shorter again; in this case, I just got the impression that it simply did not need to be longer. Well, even though it's quite depressing, I hope you enjoyed reading it, and I hope I'll be able to get the next chapter out tomorrow; it will be called "...and i've grown tired... of making plans...". As usual, if you'd like to comment, please write a review or send an email to [email protected] .
Please be free...
-- Lion vom Silberwal
Thank you.
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i have grown tired... of the struggle...
A Luxray was padding through the dark forest. Her fur was messy and dirty and she kept her head hung low. The Luxray had trouble keeping her eyes open. Eventually she tripped over a root and fell to the ground. It took her some time to stand up again, as it felt like the single most difficult thing imaginable. All her muscles were aching, and it was terribly hard for her to not just fall asleep right where she was. Quietly cursing the entire world and everyone living in it, she kept walking, doing her very best to focus on putting one paw in front of the other. The Luxray's tail was dragging across the ground. Its bright, star-shaped tip became dirtier by the second, but the Luxray did not care. She just wanted to get home and sleep.
Even though she just kept staring at the ground, she managed to reach the small cave. Without looking up, she went inside, then turned to the left and lay down on a bed made out of some old leaves, which were all but soft. Before she could close her eyes and fall asleep, however, she heard a voice.
"Welcome home, Andra." Andra blinked and raised her head a little. Just a few steps away from her there was sitting another Luxray; it was Selky, her sister. Selky was a bit taller than Andra, her fur always looked perfect and there was something about her that told everyone who looked at her that she was a very good fighter. In front of the taller Luxray there lay a bone, which still had a bit of meat on it. Andra looked at it for a moment, but then raised her gaze again to focus on Selky.
"Let me sleep," she said. Selky smiled at her. Andra did not know why it was that way, but it always made everything at least ten times worse when Selky smiled.
"How are you feeling tonight?" the taller Luxray asked. Andra gritted her teeth.
"I'm feeling awful," she mumbled. "I always feel awful. Let me sleep." It did not look like Selky was going to listen to her.
"I hope you were able to catch something to eat?" she asked. Andra nodded slightly.
"I was, but it took me some time." She waited for a moment, then decided to add: "Let me sleep." Selky slowly raised one of her front paws and began licking it, trying to get the blood stains out of her fur. Andra frowned and watched her for a short moment. When it seemed like the taller Luxray was not going to keep bothering her, she rested her head on her front paws, sighed deeply and closed her eyes. She knew it would only take her a few seconds to fall asleep.
"I'm your sister," Selky spoke, which made Andra groan lowly. "You can tell me if there's anything bothering you." At first Andra thought she could just ignore her, but Selky soon continued: "I mean, if there's anything I can help you with, you can count on me, of course..."
"I've told you often enough, you just don't understand me!" Andra had raised her head again and was now showing her teeth, as her sister had made her quite angry. However, as Selky stopped cleaning her paw and looked at her with her piercing red eyes, Andra felt a bit intimidated and decided to stay calm.
"Of course I understand you," Selky stated in a slightly menacing tone. "Now tell me why you're not feeling alright." Andra looked up at her sister and swallowed. She knew exactly that every single word would be a complete waste, but still she spoke:
"Well... what bothers me is the fact that I get up in the morning, go outside and spend hours just looking for something to eat, or rather, someone. Then, when I've found a small Pokémon, they either manage to get away or call someone who's stronger than me to help them. Now, eating plants is completely out of the question, since this whole forest is grossly overpopulated, and everyone has to fight for their food. Nobody can find anything to eat just by walking around and looking for it. So it's usually late in the afternoon when I finally manage to catch some prey, and before I get the chance to take even one bite, someone tries to steal it from me, so I have to keep fighting. Sometimes I win, sometimes I lose, but no matter how things turn out, I never get to eat anything before it's evening, and by then I always feel weak and exhausted, so I have to go into hiding, just in case anyone else might attack me. I wait for the sun to set and then come back here. Then I go to sleep, wake up the next day, and I have to do it all over again." Andra took a deep breath. She had spoken very quickly. Selky was now licking her other front paw. "I have to do it every single day," Andra mumbled, "just to keep myself alive. So I have to wonder why I even want to keep myself alive. Being alive means having to do this all day, every day... I'd much rather just sleep..." She shook her head. Selky did not look the least bit interested in what she was saying. "Will you just let me sleep now?" The taller Luxray blinked. Then she sighed.
"You know, that's your problem," she spoke in a slightly annoyed tone, "you just keep complaining. Instead of feeling sorry for yourself, you should try to get stronger. That would make everything a lot easier for you."
"I am trying as hard as I can," Andra growled through clenched teeth. "It's not my fault that father trained you so well and completely ignored me! It's no surprise you're more powerful than I could ever be!" The smile reappeared on Selky's face, as her expression became a bit dreamy. She took a long lick across her paw and moaned slightly.
"Mmhhmmmm... yes, daddy loved me very much..." she said lowly. Andra's eyes tightened.
"That's correct," she remarked. "He loved you almost every night, if I remember correctly. Let me sleep now! I'm tired!" Selky stopped her motions, and suddenly looked rather dangerous again.
"I understand you very well," she spoke calmly. "You're an immature little weakling, who just keeps whining about everything. You know, this is my cave. I don't have to let you live here, so if you'd rather be alone..." Selky did not finish the sentence, and she did not need to, either. Andra lowered her gaze. She knew there was nothing she could do or say to make things any better.
"Please just let me sleep," she mumbled. There came a low grunt from Selky. It sounded somewhat affirmative, so Andra placed her head on her front paws again and closed her eyes. She fell asleep almost immediately.
The Luxray awoke in the morning and knew this day was going to be terrible. She did not want to stand up, but she had to. Very slowly, she rose to her paws, trying to ignore the fact that her entire body still hurt. Selky had already left to go hunting. Andra walked towards the cave entrance and looked outside for a moment. Everything about the world disgusted her. She figured that things were probably not this terrible everywhere, but she could not leave the forest. Big, strong Pokémon lived in these woods, and they would certainly be happy to find a weak little Luxray like her, so she would not get very far. Of course, Selky did not have such problems. Andra's sister just needed to snarl at anyone who wanted to attack her, and they would instantly run away.
Andra slowly turned around again and walked back to her bed of leaves, where she lay down. She just did not have it in her anymore to go out, risk her life, kill, and protect her prey until she had eaten it all. She just wanted to sleep.
Selky returned in the afternoon. She was very surprised to see her sister in the cave.
"You're back already?" Andra blinked and looked up.
"Let me sleep," she said and lowered her head again.
"Did you even eat anything?" Andra raised her front paws and covered her ears. After a short moment, she had fallen asleep again.
The next day, the exact same thing happened. Andra was surprised that she did not even feel hungry. The thought of going outside and trying to find something to eat was so entirely disgusting that her body had apparently decided that it did not need food anymore.
"You really need to eat something," Selky said as she returned to the cave. She was actually sounding a bit worried. "Here, I've caught enough for..." Andra did not hear the rest, as she had covered her ears again.
No matter how much she slept, she still felt exhausted. Andra was certain that this was not because of the fact that she had not eaten in days. Of course, this made it increasingly hard to move at all, but what her body felt did not matter so much. Andra knew that it was the exhaustion of her mind that had put her in such a condition. Her eyelids felt heavier every day. She wanted to never wake up again.
She just had enough. As far as she was concerned, her life had been going on for much too long already.
Selky kept trying to feed her, but Andra did not respond in any way. She simply kept lying on the ground and slept, feeling too tired to do anything else.
After a while, her wish finally came true. The morning came, but Andra did not wake up. She had stopped dreaming, she had stopped thinking. She had stopped breathing.
In the end, her body had been taken over by the same exhaustion that her mind had already succumbed to years ago.
(1719 words)Chapter End Notes:This chapter was a little bit shorter again; in this case, I just got the impression that it simply did not need to be longer. Well, even though it's quite depressing, I hope you enjoyed reading it, and I hope I'll be able to get the next chapter out tomorrow; it will be called "...and i've grown tired... of making plans...". As usual, if you'd like to comment, please write a review or send an email to [email protected] .
Please be free...
-- Lion vom Silberwal