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".
your hands like birds in the trees...
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...?
your hands like birds in the trees...
There was a storm brewing. Farin could tell it was coming closer, even though he was trying his best to cover his large ears with his paws. His eyes were clenched shut and he was shivering a little, but the thought of the approaching storm managed to calm him down a bit. It would certainly be loud enough to drown out all the other eerie noises that the night brought into his cave. Every once in a while he could hear some Pokémon walking through the grass or the rustling of leaves being moved either by the wind, or by... someone. He tried to ignore these sounds, but it did not work very well. Farin had just evolved into a Clefable, he was still relatively small and weak, and he knew he was easy prey.
It was his first night in his own cave. He was alone and frightened. If only Tauri were here...
...
...what's your name?"
"It's Tauri", the Charmander replied. He was smiling at the little Clefairy in front of him, who had never before seen such a friendly face. "What's yours?"
"I... I'm Farin," the Clefairy said a little reluctantly. His gaze was firmly locked on the Charmander, who was hardly any taller than him, but appeared to be much stronger. There was simply something about his posture that seemed to tell anyone who was thinking about picking a fight with him that this would be a bad idea.
"I've never seen you before, Farin," Tauri remarked. "Do you live nearby?" Farin turned around to look in the direction of his parents' cave. Of course, all he could see right now were trees, but it was almost like he could hear his parents' angry voices. He sighed deeply.
"Not really," he mumbled. "I just took a very long walk, because... my parents..." He lowered his gaze and fell silent. Tauri stepped towards him and carefully placed one of his paws on top of his head.
"What's with your parents?" His voice sounded concerned, caring and trustworthy. Farin looked up. He had just met this Charmander and he knew he was not good at making friends, but Tauri suddenly seemed very familiar to him. Farin felt like he could talk openly, and he was sure he would not regret it.
"They argue a lot," he replied, keeping his voice low. "And they always get angry at me, and I don't even know why." The Charmander nodded. His face showed an understanding expression.
"That has to be very hard for you," he spoke. Farin simply nodded in response. Then, Tauri smiled. "Cheer up," he said in a reassuring tone. "I'm sure things will get better soon." The Clefairy simply could not help but smile back. Tauri appeared to be very good when it came to encouraging others.
"Will... Will you be my friend?" The words had left Farin's mouth before he had had any chance to think about them. He instantly became worried about what might happen next, but Tauri's smile just became broader.
"Yes, sure," he said. The Charmander looked around for a moment and then added: "This seems to be a rather quiet place, we should meet here again..." He walked over to a tree with a thick trunk and used his claws to carve a small "x" in its bark. "There... It's our place now." Farin nodded quickly. He felt very excited; all of a sudden he had a friend, and somewhere he could go to when his parents were arguing. However, his excitement was dampened a little as he noticed that the sky was slowly turning a little orange.
"Oh... I... I have to go home now, it's going to get dark soon..." He was fiddling around with his paws, not knowing how his new friend would react. Tauri turned towards him and nodded.
"Do you think we can meet here tomorrow, in the early afternoon, maybe?" Farin breathed deeply.
"Yes... yes, that would be great...
...
Farin awoke. He knew he had only slept for a few minutes. He could hear the rain outside of his cave, and deep, roaring claps of thunder every now and then. The Clefable had hoped that the storm would make him feel better, but the opposite seemed to be true; now that he could not hear anything anymore, it would be even easier for someone to sneak up on him. It was possible that a predator had entered his cave and that he would be dead in a moment.
However, nothing happened. All that Farin noticed was that the night had gotten even colder and that he was feeling awfully tired. Once again, his thoughts drifted off to the only friend he had ever had...
...
...it must be great to be a fire Pokémon, I'm sure you never feel cold." Tauri chuckled. He had bent his tail, so that the flame was flickering right in front of him. Farin was sitting as close to it as he could, trying to warm up.
"That's true," the Charmander spoke, "but there are disadvantages, too. Water is always a bit of a problem, for example." Farin nodded, then looked up at the sky.
"It seems like the days are not only getting colder, but shorter, too." He was holding his front paws right above the small flame, as they had gotten a little numb. Tauri frowned slightly.
"Did your parents tell you to get back before dark again?" he asked. The Clefairy looked up at him and remained quiet for a moment. He then spoke:
"My parents don't know I'm here. I don't think they care much." Farin lowered his gaze again, now staring into the Charmander's flame. "They might not even notice if I didn't come back at all." There was silence for a while, until Tauri shook his head.
"Then why do you always have to go back before the night comes?" Farin's answer was not more than a low whisper.
"I... I'm afraid of the dark..."
The Charmander blinked. He was surprised.
"There's nothing to be afraid of," he spoke. The Clefairy looked up at him and smiled sadly.
"Really? I'm afraid of everything." There was a questioning expression on Tauri's face, so he went on: "I'm weak. I don't know how to fight, and I know there are a lot of dangerous Pokémon out there." The Charmander nodded slowly.
"Well... I'm strong," he replied, smiling reassuringly. "I can protect you from everything that you're afraid of." At first, Farin did not know what to say. Then, once again, he spoke without even truly realizing what he was saying.
"Will you be my friend forever, Tauri?" Tauri nodded immediately, and said:
"...
...
Farin remembered exactly what the Charmander had said back then, but it hurt him to think about it. He was not sure whether or not he had been asleep, but once again he could tell that not much time had passed. It was still night, and the thunderstorm was raging. He was too scared to open his eyes. His ears hurt, as he had been squeezing them with his front paws, trying his best not to let the noise inside. There was just him, the storm outside and the cold ground beneath him. He wanted to sleep, but as soon as he dozed off a bit, he immediately seemed to remember everything...
...
...I'm so glad you're finally here!" Farin had gotten worried, because Tauri was very late today. The sun was already starting to set, but he was not going to go home yet. He knew that everything would be alright, as long as his friend, who had recently evolved into a Charmeleon, was with him. "Is something wrong?" he asked in a worried tone. "You seem to be out of breath..."
"That's just... because I ran all the way here..." Tauri panted. "I'm really sorry I... took so long, but I just... couldn't make it any sooner." Farin nodded slowly.
"Well..." he spoke and touched the Charmeleon's shoulder with one of his paws, "you should sit down and rest, then..." They both seated themselves on the ground. Farin was a little confused. He had never seen his friend so excited before. "What happened?" he asked. Tauri took a deep breath and then grinned at him.
"Well... you see, I met this Growlithe... Her name is Morita..."
The Charmeleon proceeded to tell his friend about his new acquaintance. Apparently, he was quite fond of her. When it got darker, Tauri seemed to remember something.
"Oh, right!" he shouted all of a sudden, which made Farin wince slightly. "I promised Morita I'd come see her again tonight!" He jumped to his hind paws and waved at the Clefairy. "I'm sorry, Farin, I really have to go now. I'll see you tomorrow, alright?" Without even waiting for an answer he dashed off. Farin quickly stood up.
"Wait!" he shouted after him. "Please, I... I'm afraid of the dark..."
It was night. Tauri had apparently not heard him, as he did not come back.
...
Farin had never complained in front of the Charmeleon, but his greatest wish was that things could go back to the way they had been before Tauri had met Morita. However, the Clefable knew this was a purely selfish desire. If Tauri was happy with her, he should not wish for anything to destroy this happiness, no matter how he was feeling. That was simply something a good friend should never do...
...
"...it seems like a pretty nice place," Tauri said, "but there are so many rocks scattered around here, you'll probably have to clean it up first before moving in." The freshly evolved Clefable nodded.
"That's why I asked you to help me," he replied. "Some of these stones are really big, I doubt I could move them all by myself." The Charmeleon chuckled a little.
"Alright, I'll help you," he spoke, "but I only have about an hour. I really have to get back to Morita, you understand?" Farin swallowed.
"I understand," he replied tonelessly.
They worked as quickly as they could. It did not take them very long to clean out the small cave.
"Well, that's the last of them," Tauri remarked while carrying a rather large rock out of the cave and into the forest, where he dropped it. "I guess I'll go home, then. Morita is probably already waiting for me."
"Tauri?" The Charmeleon turned around. Farin was standing right behind him. There was a desperate expression in his eyes. "Can't you please stay for a bit longer?" Tauri blinked and shook his head.
"I'm really sorry, but I have to go," he said. He then smiled and gave the Clefable a pat on his head. "You'll be alright, don't worry. We'll see each other again some time." Tauri turned around and walked away. Farin was looking after him. He had stopped believing most of the Charmeleon's words some time ago.
"I... I'm scared, Tauri..." he whispered before sitting down on the ground. "...why don't you want to protect me anymore...?"
...
Farin awoke the next day and found himself being greeted by the morning sun. However, this hardly made any difference, as he was still afraid of the darkness inside of him.
For some time, there had been a flame that had kept it away, but those days had passed.
(1968 words)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------Chapter End Notes:I've had a lot of problems keeping this chapter below 2000 words, and I don't know if things have really worked out. It might be that some parts of it seem too rushed, but I'm not sure, maybe it's not that big a problem. If you have an opinion regarding this matter that you'd like to share, please write a review or send an email to [email protected], it'll be very much appreciated. The next chapter will be called "...if the trees themselves were all on fire...". I'll do my best to upload it tomorrow.
Please be free...
-- Lion vom Silberwal
Thank you.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
your hands like birds in the trees...
There was a storm brewing. Farin could tell it was coming closer, even though he was trying his best to cover his large ears with his paws. His eyes were clenched shut and he was shivering a little, but the thought of the approaching storm managed to calm him down a bit. It would certainly be loud enough to drown out all the other eerie noises that the night brought into his cave. Every once in a while he could hear some Pokémon walking through the grass or the rustling of leaves being moved either by the wind, or by... someone. He tried to ignore these sounds, but it did not work very well. Farin had just evolved into a Clefable, he was still relatively small and weak, and he knew he was easy prey.
It was his first night in his own cave. He was alone and frightened. If only Tauri were here...
...
...what's your name?"
"It's Tauri", the Charmander replied. He was smiling at the little Clefairy in front of him, who had never before seen such a friendly face. "What's yours?"
"I... I'm Farin," the Clefairy said a little reluctantly. His gaze was firmly locked on the Charmander, who was hardly any taller than him, but appeared to be much stronger. There was simply something about his posture that seemed to tell anyone who was thinking about picking a fight with him that this would be a bad idea.
"I've never seen you before, Farin," Tauri remarked. "Do you live nearby?" Farin turned around to look in the direction of his parents' cave. Of course, all he could see right now were trees, but it was almost like he could hear his parents' angry voices. He sighed deeply.
"Not really," he mumbled. "I just took a very long walk, because... my parents..." He lowered his gaze and fell silent. Tauri stepped towards him and carefully placed one of his paws on top of his head.
"What's with your parents?" His voice sounded concerned, caring and trustworthy. Farin looked up. He had just met this Charmander and he knew he was not good at making friends, but Tauri suddenly seemed very familiar to him. Farin felt like he could talk openly, and he was sure he would not regret it.
"They argue a lot," he replied, keeping his voice low. "And they always get angry at me, and I don't even know why." The Charmander nodded. His face showed an understanding expression.
"That has to be very hard for you," he spoke. Farin simply nodded in response. Then, Tauri smiled. "Cheer up," he said in a reassuring tone. "I'm sure things will get better soon." The Clefairy simply could not help but smile back. Tauri appeared to be very good when it came to encouraging others.
"Will... Will you be my friend?" The words had left Farin's mouth before he had had any chance to think about them. He instantly became worried about what might happen next, but Tauri's smile just became broader.
"Yes, sure," he said. The Charmander looked around for a moment and then added: "This seems to be a rather quiet place, we should meet here again..." He walked over to a tree with a thick trunk and used his claws to carve a small "x" in its bark. "There... It's our place now." Farin nodded quickly. He felt very excited; all of a sudden he had a friend, and somewhere he could go to when his parents were arguing. However, his excitement was dampened a little as he noticed that the sky was slowly turning a little orange.
"Oh... I... I have to go home now, it's going to get dark soon..." He was fiddling around with his paws, not knowing how his new friend would react. Tauri turned towards him and nodded.
"Do you think we can meet here tomorrow, in the early afternoon, maybe?" Farin breathed deeply.
"Yes... yes, that would be great...
...
Farin awoke. He knew he had only slept for a few minutes. He could hear the rain outside of his cave, and deep, roaring claps of thunder every now and then. The Clefable had hoped that the storm would make him feel better, but the opposite seemed to be true; now that he could not hear anything anymore, it would be even easier for someone to sneak up on him. It was possible that a predator had entered his cave and that he would be dead in a moment.
However, nothing happened. All that Farin noticed was that the night had gotten even colder and that he was feeling awfully tired. Once again, his thoughts drifted off to the only friend he had ever had...
...
...it must be great to be a fire Pokémon, I'm sure you never feel cold." Tauri chuckled. He had bent his tail, so that the flame was flickering right in front of him. Farin was sitting as close to it as he could, trying to warm up.
"That's true," the Charmander spoke, "but there are disadvantages, too. Water is always a bit of a problem, for example." Farin nodded, then looked up at the sky.
"It seems like the days are not only getting colder, but shorter, too." He was holding his front paws right above the small flame, as they had gotten a little numb. Tauri frowned slightly.
"Did your parents tell you to get back before dark again?" he asked. The Clefairy looked up at him and remained quiet for a moment. He then spoke:
"My parents don't know I'm here. I don't think they care much." Farin lowered his gaze again, now staring into the Charmander's flame. "They might not even notice if I didn't come back at all." There was silence for a while, until Tauri shook his head.
"Then why do you always have to go back before the night comes?" Farin's answer was not more than a low whisper.
"I... I'm afraid of the dark..."
The Charmander blinked. He was surprised.
"There's nothing to be afraid of," he spoke. The Clefairy looked up at him and smiled sadly.
"Really? I'm afraid of everything." There was a questioning expression on Tauri's face, so he went on: "I'm weak. I don't know how to fight, and I know there are a lot of dangerous Pokémon out there." The Charmander nodded slowly.
"Well... I'm strong," he replied, smiling reassuringly. "I can protect you from everything that you're afraid of." At first, Farin did not know what to say. Then, once again, he spoke without even truly realizing what he was saying.
"Will you be my friend forever, Tauri?" Tauri nodded immediately, and said:
"...
...
Farin remembered exactly what the Charmander had said back then, but it hurt him to think about it. He was not sure whether or not he had been asleep, but once again he could tell that not much time had passed. It was still night, and the thunderstorm was raging. He was too scared to open his eyes. His ears hurt, as he had been squeezing them with his front paws, trying his best not to let the noise inside. There was just him, the storm outside and the cold ground beneath him. He wanted to sleep, but as soon as he dozed off a bit, he immediately seemed to remember everything...
...
...I'm so glad you're finally here!" Farin had gotten worried, because Tauri was very late today. The sun was already starting to set, but he was not going to go home yet. He knew that everything would be alright, as long as his friend, who had recently evolved into a Charmeleon, was with him. "Is something wrong?" he asked in a worried tone. "You seem to be out of breath..."
"That's just... because I ran all the way here..." Tauri panted. "I'm really sorry I... took so long, but I just... couldn't make it any sooner." Farin nodded slowly.
"Well..." he spoke and touched the Charmeleon's shoulder with one of his paws, "you should sit down and rest, then..." They both seated themselves on the ground. Farin was a little confused. He had never seen his friend so excited before. "What happened?" he asked. Tauri took a deep breath and then grinned at him.
"Well... you see, I met this Growlithe... Her name is Morita..."
The Charmeleon proceeded to tell his friend about his new acquaintance. Apparently, he was quite fond of her. When it got darker, Tauri seemed to remember something.
"Oh, right!" he shouted all of a sudden, which made Farin wince slightly. "I promised Morita I'd come see her again tonight!" He jumped to his hind paws and waved at the Clefairy. "I'm sorry, Farin, I really have to go now. I'll see you tomorrow, alright?" Without even waiting for an answer he dashed off. Farin quickly stood up.
"Wait!" he shouted after him. "Please, I... I'm afraid of the dark..."
It was night. Tauri had apparently not heard him, as he did not come back.
...
Farin had never complained in front of the Charmeleon, but his greatest wish was that things could go back to the way they had been before Tauri had met Morita. However, the Clefable knew this was a purely selfish desire. If Tauri was happy with her, he should not wish for anything to destroy this happiness, no matter how he was feeling. That was simply something a good friend should never do...
...
"...it seems like a pretty nice place," Tauri said, "but there are so many rocks scattered around here, you'll probably have to clean it up first before moving in." The freshly evolved Clefable nodded.
"That's why I asked you to help me," he replied. "Some of these stones are really big, I doubt I could move them all by myself." The Charmeleon chuckled a little.
"Alright, I'll help you," he spoke, "but I only have about an hour. I really have to get back to Morita, you understand?" Farin swallowed.
"I understand," he replied tonelessly.
They worked as quickly as they could. It did not take them very long to clean out the small cave.
"Well, that's the last of them," Tauri remarked while carrying a rather large rock out of the cave and into the forest, where he dropped it. "I guess I'll go home, then. Morita is probably already waiting for me."
"Tauri?" The Charmeleon turned around. Farin was standing right behind him. There was a desperate expression in his eyes. "Can't you please stay for a bit longer?" Tauri blinked and shook his head.
"I'm really sorry, but I have to go," he said. He then smiled and gave the Clefable a pat on his head. "You'll be alright, don't worry. We'll see each other again some time." Tauri turned around and walked away. Farin was looking after him. He had stopped believing most of the Charmeleon's words some time ago.
"I... I'm scared, Tauri..." he whispered before sitting down on the ground. "...why don't you want to protect me anymore...?"
...
Farin awoke the next day and found himself being greeted by the morning sun. However, this hardly made any difference, as he was still afraid of the darkness inside of him.
For some time, there had been a flame that had kept it away, but those days had passed.
(1968 words)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------Chapter End Notes:I've had a lot of problems keeping this chapter below 2000 words, and I don't know if things have really worked out. It might be that some parts of it seem too rushed, but I'm not sure, maybe it's not that big a problem. If you have an opinion regarding this matter that you'd like to share, please write a review or send an email to [email protected], it'll be very much appreciated. The next chapter will be called "...if the trees themselves were all on fire...". I'll do my best to upload it tomorrow.
Please be free...
-- Lion vom Silberwal