Burning Embers- A Pokemon Fanfiction

Chapter 4 - Mama, We All Go To Hell

 Patience is power; with time and patience, the mulberry leaf becomes silk.  

My teeth ached, my stomach churned, my paws ached... and I had killed something. More like someone. I wondered how Kawela had managed to kill so many Pokemon who were just like us. It felt wrong and cruel. I knew that we were predators, but I still hated the feeling. It was nothing short of murder. 

The Buneary began to slip out of my jaws as I tried to speed up my pace. Kawela was lagging behind me for whatever reason, he seemed a bit on edge. I tightened my grip on the corpse, and more blood sprang out of the poor rabbit. I winced as the metallic tang filled my mouth but resisted the urge to spit it out. I had eaten these things so many times before, what was different about this time? 

You have to eat, I told myself. That Buneary wouldn't have lived long anyway. 

The thought made me feel a bit better, but it did nothing to stop the heaviness in my stomach that constantly reminded me that I was the one who had ended it and sent its soul into the void. 

My thoughts dispersed like snow as I stubbed my paw on a stray pebble that stuck out of the plains, the sharp surface tearing at my pads. I glanced around and halted briefly, ignoring the extra scratch on my paw. There were no other rocks as far as I could see, just unbroken snow. Odd.

"Kawela?" I mumbled around the Buneary.

"Yeah?" my brother's voice called from behind. 

"Where did this rock come from?"

Snow crunched and groaned as my brother's large paws broke and compressed the crystals down to the frozen earth. I felt his warm brush against mine as his paws led him to my side. Kawela shoved me over gently, and I grumbled in protest. I set the Buneary carefully down in the snow and watched as Kawela pawed at the crystals.

A large, black pointed stone seemed to reveal itself as the snow fell away from its surface. The rock was rough, and small holes dotted its surface. 

"Igneous," Kawela muttered. He turned around in one smooth movement, his sharp gaze landing on the pink-tinted mountains in the distance. Thoughts seemed to flash in his amber eyes, corresponding with flares that emanated from the bell at his neck. 

I waded through the snow to find myself at his side, our breaths billowing around and intertwining like two Arbok. I followed his gaze to a particularly large mountain that stood out from the rest of the range. The surface was far more detailed, indicating that it was closer than the other mountains. The top of the mountain was rounded and broken as if something had blown off the peak. 

"What is that?" I asked timidly, glancing over my shoulder to make sure the Buneary was still there.

Kawela shook his head. "It's nothing you need to worry about," he responded calmly. But I could see all too clearly the panic that was sparking in his eyes, giving him away.

"But you're freaking out," I commented, ignorant and curious. 

"No, it's fine," Kawela hissed, whipping around and padding back towards home.

I followed suit, not wanting to question him any farther when I had already worn his temper so thin. I reached out my neck and grabbed onto the Buneary again, hardly slowing my pace. The flesh was cold and stiff now, but we could heat it up easily. 

Kawela's tail flicked in a bad-tempered fashion. I wondered if this was really my brother who was stalking in front of me, he seemed so distant and alien compared to the brother I was used to. Come to think of it, my whole family had begun to act oddly. It was probably because of Holo. I was confident they'd get used to her soon. How could they not? She was adorable!