Thunder and Ice (Jolteon x Glaceon) {Pokemon}

Eye of the Hailstorm

Star: AWWW, THAT'S NO FUN!

Fang: *Howls in misery*

Me: Hey, look. *Points at the setting sun* A special cookie.

Star/Fang: WHERE?! *Races off into the sunset*

Me: Mmkay, that worked better than expected. Hope you enjoy the climax chapter, everyone! :D

Scarlet's POV

Although I tried so hard to be sneaky, despite being so small and heedful and silent, and no matter how long I held my breath as I moved stealthily... I was horrible at hide-and-seek tag. I couldn't stop being a klutz. Right whenever I found Copper and Fawn, I almost always squeaked in surprise, and the two would run off giggling and shush themselves in a better hiding spot. When I called out the unfair odds, they only continued having their fun, silently mocking me with their nimbler paws and kicking dust into my mouth when I managed to run close enough.

They eventually decided to be merciful, and-way too dramatically-they pretended to trip and fall, clutching their paws and screaming in agony. Just satisfied with the round over, I slowly dragged myself over to Fawn, limply and tiredly poking her flank. "Uh, tag," I rasped, rather unenthusiastic, and she howled at the touch like a relentless Bullet Seed pelted through her. I dully observed the comical display until Joel, our clan's qualified chieftain, promptly stomped over and berated us for such a ruckus.

He usually overreacted to our foolery, his all too serious expression very laughable. As Joel stared us down with such a stern face, I finally regained my sense of humor and laughed alongside my best buddies. "You three," the sage fennekin began, glaring, "have been unnerving the peace of the clan with your antics. I've received a dozen complaints already, and everyone is scowling at the noise!" Copper and I snickered at the exaggeration. He used that with fancy dialect when frustrated, and it made it even harder to take him seriously. Could anyone truly scowl at playing cubs? "Can't you three just settle down for once?"

"Never!" Fawn declared triumphantly, and Joel's frown deepened. She stood tall, ears shoved forward, tail held high, and her entire figure radiated with arrogance. "We have looks of fennekins, but hearts of pyroars! We're smaller than shrubs, but we reach for the stars! Our paws may be tiny... but we can leap the Treacherous Chasm, because our friendship is so powerful. Only death can separate us!" She gazed challengingly into the aged fennekin's irises, and when I expected an eye roll from him he instead returned Fawn's stare with a hardier one.

"Treacherous Chasm?" he echoed dubiously.

Fawn gasped, eyes glittering with realization and worry. She anxiously shrunk into her pelt a bit, and she halfway shielded her face with her slightly bristled tail. It made lying on the spot easier, but Joel narrowed his eyes instantly from it, knowing she would lie. "Uh, yeah, from that one bedtime story. Y-ya'know, the one with, with... the riolu, and the vulpix, and they're running away from their kingdom together. They leapt a giant gorge called Treacherous Chasm to escape an evil timburr tyrant. M-Mom told me it's a common bedtime story! I'm s-surprised you haven't heard of it... yeaaah..."

After a moment of concerning silence, he shook his head, his suspicions confirmed but patience melted away. He had too much on his mind for protecting the clan and couldn't afford to ponder and be skeptical for long. "I'll deal with your lying later. All I'm requesting for you three now is to quiet down. Many of our clanmates need rest from laboring all day, and unnecessary noise isn't welcomed too much. It makes others grumpy. How would you like it if I woke you up from a nap because I didn't care about being loud? You wouldn't like that, would you?"