Ciana's POV
While I was sleeping, I remembered something.
My stitches have not been removed yet.
I hope that Anshul can remove them soon, before they cause an infection.
There was something going on with Mira and Anshul yesterday.
It really peaked my interest.
Seemingly, it sorted itself out, because the two of them are now sleeping very close to each other.
However, I knew what was happening.
The two are really close to each other.
They show affection to each other as well.
Now, I really wondered what they were doing at that pond.
Perhaps...I could ask tomorrow.
I then focused on clearing my mind, and fully fell asleep.
...
*faint noises*
My ear raised, as I heard something.
It sounded like faint rustling noises.
I raised my head, and looked around the small cave.
The campfire was almost out.
My ribbon went toward some firewood.
Once my ribbon got a hold of it, I placed it on the fire.
"...you're still awake, Ciana..." Blake suddenly asked.
"yes...I heard something..." I said.
"...rustling, correct..." Blake questioned.
So, Blake heard it too.
"yes, really faint rustling." I said.
"...I'll keep an eye out...now, get some rest sis..." Blake said.
I nodded, and closed my eyes to fall asleep.
...
The next morning
My eyes slowly opened.
The small cave was quiet, and the campfire was out.
Not everymon was awake.
Anshul and Mira were still sleeping.
They looked extremely adorable together.
Mira was laying on Anshul's paws, and her head was in Anshul's mane.
Anshul had a bright smile on his face, while he was sleeping.
He kept Mira close, by having one paw around her.
His chin was on Mira's head.
Blake was not in the cave, I wondered where he was.
Then, my eyes saw both Amber and Clyde cuddling each other.
They were talking to each other too.
"aww, don't worry Amber, I'm sure Anshul would protect her no matter what." Clyde said.
"yea, but what if Mira panics, and needs me to soothe her?" Amber asked.
"then you'll be there. I'm sure that even if we get a nice place to live, Anshul won't mind us living there with him." Clyde said.
"a-are you sure?" Amber asked Clyde.
"yes, remember what he said? We are his only friends, and he loves to be around us." Clyde said.
"hmm, I wonder...how did Anshul get such a terrible scar on his right eye?" I wondered in my mind.
Clyde then hugged and nudged Amber.
"it'll all be ok, Amber. I promise you." Clyde said.
"ok...I believe you." Amber said, and gave Clyde a kiss.
This made Clyde blush.
I did as if I woke up, so they didn't freak out.
A yawn came from me, and I rubbed my eyes with my ribbons.
I slowly scanned across the small cave, and looked at both Amber and Clyde.
"good morning Ciana." Both of them said.
"good morning you two." I said.
I then looked around the cave again, and saw that Blake wasn't there.
"umm, do any of you know where Blake went?" I asked, a hint of worry in my voice.
"Blake...I think he went out to ensure everything was safe." Clyde answered.
"Oh...ok." I said, and looked at my stitches.
I wanted to scratch at them, but resisted.
"Anshul has to remove them still." Clyde said.
I nodded at him.
"well, I'm sure he'll do it today for you. Just ask, ok?" Clyde said with a smile.
A smile grew on my face, as I nodded.
"ok, I will, thank you." I said.
Clyde nodded at me.
"hey Ciana. I've been curious, what did you do before you met Blake?" Amber asked.
This made me think for a little.
"I mostly minded my own business, however I always kept watch for injured pokemons. I'd help whenever I could. Those that were innocent, and couldn't protect themselves. I'd help them...however...this didn't go unnoticed. The predators weren't so fond of me saving the innocent, so they wanted to get rid of me. They all formed a group, and like that, they wanted me dealt with. Those that I saved, warned me not to go, that they would warn the entire forest, and go to a different one. I did what they advised, but then, those predators followed me. They attacked me, and I was forced to defend myself. Later, they claimed I attacked them for no reason, and that gave me a bad face to the new forest. so I was hated, and disliked. I then stayed low, until the situation calmed down. eventually, I moved on. Then I decided to go to the village...unknown that It would be so grim. And that's when I met Blake." I told Clyde and Amber what happened.
"wow, that's brave of you, to help mons you don't know." Clyde said.
"yea, now I'm curious how many different moves you know." Amber said.
"well, I know quite a few." I said, before a yawn was heard.
I turned my head toward where the yawn came from.
A sleepy Flareon slowly raised his head.
His eye was half closed, and he looked around the cave.
Once he adjusted to the lighting, he looked at us all.
"good morning friends, how did you all sleep?" Anshul asked.
I was staring with a small grin.
Anshul tilted his head, and looked at Clyde and Amber now.
They too had a grin on their face.
"umm, why are you all looking at me like that?" Anshul asked.
"oh nothing. It's just a nice day today, even better with a fluffy cuddle buddy!" Clyde said with the same grin.
"ehh?" Anshul questioned, and looked at the mon beside him.
His eye widened, when he saw who was cuddled against him.
It was then, that his red cheeks, became a little more red.
"oh, I a-assume that she m-moved a l-little in her s-sleep." Anshul said with a blush.
"maybe, or perhaps she had cold paws." Clyde said nonchalantly.
Amber giggled a little from what Clyde said.
Anshul blushed deeper.
"I-I mean, m-maybe s-she was w-worried about s-something..." Anshul said nervously.
"yea, worried about not being close enough." Clyde said.
Anshul's blush grew deeper.
"umm, Anshul? can you remove my stitches?" I asked the slightly embarrassed Flareon.
He turned to me, and nodded.
"s-sure, but umm." Anshul hesitated, as he stared at Mira, who was still somewhat leaning against him.
"well, when she wakes up." I said, with a smile.
Anshul blushed again because of it.
Both Clyde and Amber smiled at the Flareon.
I then saw Blake behind them.
My head tilted, as to when Blake returned.
"...good morning..." Blake said, as he leaned in on both Clyde and Amber.
Clyde jumped from the sudden voice behind him.
He dashed forward, and was ready to attack.
Amber shrieked from the voice behind her.
Both turned around and saw Blake.
"...sup..." Blake said nonchalantly.
"you!? Where did you come from!?" Clyde demanded to know.
"...I was standing there for two minutes and twenty seven seconds...none noticed me at all...only Ciana did..." Blake said.
"how did you get there then!?" Clyde asked again.
"...I just simply padded behind you two...none of you noticed a thing..." Blake said.
Clyde then looked at me.
I simply shrugged with a grin.
"you know more...I know you do, Ciana." Clyde said.
"...isn't it obvious...I'm an Umbreon...stealth is my specialty..." Blake said.
"ugg fine." Clyde said.
"SHH!" Anshul suddenly called out, as a cute yawn was heard.
He signed at Amber to come to him.
Mira was waking up.
Anshul began to rub her head softly.
"shhh, just sleep a little more Mira." Anshul said, in a soothing voice.
A very cute squeak came from the Glaceon.
"come Amber, you can keep her asleep, while I remove Ciana's stitches." Anshul whispered to Amber.
"huh? Why?" Amber asked.
"so she doesn't have to see that, she might be sensitive to those things." Anshul said.
"aww, you truly care about her." Clyde then commented.
Anshul didn't respond, instead he just blushed.
Amber took Anshul's place.
Mira cuddled into her sister, and continued sleeping.
Anshul padded toward me, and he grabbed his leaf bag along the way.
Blake came closer as well, to support me.
"ok, are you ready Ciana?" Anshul asked.
I nodded at him, and wrapped a ribbon around Blake's paw.
Anshul got the right tools from his leaf bag, and got to work.
He began to work on removing the stitches.
I tightened my ribbon around Blake's paw.
Blake then rubbed my back to soothe me.
Anshul continued to remove the stitches, slowly and carefully.
I tried to stay still.
Even with Anshul's focus, it still hurt a little.
He was making progress on the stitches though.
I endured the pain, as Anshul continued to do his thing.
Blake also helped a lot.
His support helped me through it the most.
My ribbons wrapped around him.
He didn't mind at all.
I looked at Anshul, to see how he was doing with the stitches.
There were only a few left.
Anshul looked up at me, and nodded.
"almost done..." he said.
He looked down again, and continued.
Blake looked at every move Anshul did while removing the stitches.
Anshul was very focused.
Sweat was on his face, as he was as precise as possible.
Eventually, he placed the tools down, and wiped the sweat from his face.
"there. I advise you to keep the scar dry for a few days. Your fur will grow back, and make it hard to see." Anshul said, relieved that he did it.
"thank you so much, Anshul. words can't express how grateful I am." I said in a grateful tone.
Anshul nodded with a smile.
"no problem. You are a friend of mine after all." Anshul said.
"...I'm eternally grateful, Anshul...I really am..." Blake said, with a smile.
"ehh, it's nothing. I'm just glad to have you two as friends." Anshul said.
"A-Anshul...how do you know so much about healing, and medical stuff?" Amber asked.
"I...a very kind mon learned me how to..." Anshul said.
Amber thought for a little.
"I know it sounds selfish, but could you help me learn and improve my healing techniques?" Amber asked Anshul.
Anshul began to think to himself.
After some time, he smiled at Amber.
"of course I can help you learn some things I've learned over the years." Anshul said, and smiled.
I saw a bright smile appear on Amber's face.
"thank you so much, Anshul!" Amber said.
"it's no problem." Anshul said, with a nod.
Then, a loud cute yawn was heard again.
A certain blue Eeveelution began to wake up.
Amber stared at her sister, as Mira began to wake up once again.
Mira's floofy ears stood up straight.
Some time passed, as she then began to look around the cave.
She squeaked, when she saw that everymon was looking at her.
When she saw Anshul, she became a little confused.
Her curiosity now went toward the mon behind her, as she turned toward Amber.
"good morning sis." Amber greeted Mira.
Mira couldn't help but push her head into Amber's stomach.
"g-good morning s-sis." Mira greeted her sister back.
Anshul was watching with a bright smile on his face.
"want some berries, sis?" Amber asked her sister.
"y-yes..." Mira said.
Amber then used her vines to get some berries.
She passed them to her hungry sister.
Mira then began to eat the berries Amber gave her.
Clyde then spoke up.
"well, what should we do today?" Clyde asked.
"...perhaps look for a way off this part of the forest...since we're still getting hunted by those mons from the castle..." Blake said.
"that's a good idea, perhaps we should also scout a little, to get familiar with our surroundings." Clyde said.
"...I already scouted this morning...I found a small lake..." Blake said to Clyde.
"really? Oh sweet! It's been a while since I swam!" Clyde said with a smile.
Blake then looked at me.
Anshul told me that swimming would not be advised with my scar.
"...perhaps you can take a dip...while I scout the area some more...I'm already familiar with the area, so I know where I've been already..." Blake said.
"oh, ok. You sure?" Clyde asked.
"...yes...besides...I'm good at going unseen..." Blake said, and got to his paws.
"wait, perhaps scouting first is smart, so if we get spotted, we know where to go." Clyde said.
Blake nodded at Clyde.
"...sounds good..." Blake said, and padded to the entrance.
Clyde got to his paws as well, and followed Blake.
I then looked at Anshul.
He did the same.
"perhaps you should rest for a little, Ciana. Your scar can heal slightly faster that way." Anshul said.
I gave a nod, and relaxed on the leaf nest.
...
Amber's POV
I watched Ciana relax, and then looked toward Anshul.
"now would be the time to learn you some healing techniques." Anshul said.
"yes, I agree." I said.
Mira then wondered what I was talking about.
"don't worry Mira, I asked Anshul for some help with healing. I'd like to learn more." I said to my sister.
She squeaked, and nodded her head at me.
I smiled, and gave her a reassuring nudge.
Anshul got to his paws, and got all the tools he used to remove Ciana's stitches, back into his leaf bag.
When he was done, I got to my paws and stretched.
"ok, I'm ready to learn." I said.
"that's great, now, can you tell me the basics of what you know?" Anshul asked me.
"I know how to treat basic cuts, scrapes, burns, bites and bruises." I said.
"quite some variation, that's very good. Do you know any advanced healing? With berries and herbs?" Anshul asked.
I thought for a little.
"I know that sitrus berries will make wounds heal better, and faster. I know that cheri berries can cure paralysis, rawst berries help heal burn marks, pecha berries can cure poison, persim berries help with confusion. I know of a very rare berry. Lum berries can cure all diseases, and almost any wounds of any kind. They are extremely rare however." I said to Anshul.
Anshul gave me a nod.
"do you know anything about herbs?" Anshul asked.
I shook my head.
"no, sadly not." I answered.
"that's alright. They are pretty complex, and more difficult to use." Anshul said.
Anshul made me smile, as I knew what he talked about.
He tilted his head.
"hmm? What's up?" he asked.
"I've tried to use herbs before, but I gave up on them. I know what you mean, with complexity about using herbs." I said.
"oh, well what a coincidence. Herbs are more difficult to use, because they need to be cleaned properly, before they can be used for healing. The effects of healing with herbs are better than doing it with berries, but herbs are harder to find, so berries are usually used instead of herbs." Anshul said.
"wait, are you going to learn me how to use herbs?" I asked.
"if you want. It might be smart to learn you the basics of using herbs. You never know, it might come in helpful sometime." Anshul said.
I smiled at him.
"I'd appreciate that a lot." I said.
Anshul smiled, and nodded.
...
"alright, first things first. In order to correctly be able to use Herbs, you got to collect them correctly. Ripping them out the ground could ruin it all, so try to be gentle. Some herbs have their healing powers in their roots, so be sure to save the roots as well." Anshul told me.
"so, I assume that this is how you collect them?" I asked.
"indeed. Collecting them is step one. Step two, is cleaning them correctly. Washing them in water gets rid of most of the bacteria, and dirt. Once they are cleaned, you can move onto step three. Step three Is knowing which part of the herb to use. You do this by tasting a small sample of the herb. you'll know which part of the herb you want, when it taste's bitter. So if you take a small sample of the leaves, and it taste's bitter, then you want the leaves, not the roots. Step four is using it. Make sure the wound is clean, before you put the herbs on. You then grind them up a little, and put them on the wound. All that's left then, is to put some bandages or leaves around it, to keep them in place." Anshul explained every step to use herbs for healing.
All the steps made sense to me, and Anshul explained it clearly.
"do you understand? Or did I go too fast?" Anshul questioned.
"no I got it" I answered.
"ok, good. I hope this helps you with healing, Amber." Anshul said.
"I'm sure it will, Anshul. thank you so much." I thanked Anshul for helping me with my healing methods.
My ear then twitched, when I heard both Mira and Ciana talking to each other.
I couldn't help but wonder where Clyde right is now.
...
Blake's POV
"hey Blake...do you think we got away from those dark types?" Clyde asked me.
"...I don't think so...they are way too persistent for their own good..." I Answered Clyde.
He then looked at me.
"how do they even make the trip? We must be like at least one mile from that castle." Clyde then said.
"...they move back and forth a lot...they do this...when one group moves back to the castle, another group advances to us...this way, they always have mons searching for us..." I answered Clyde.
Clyde raised an eyebrow.
"you certainly know a lot about them. I guess it makes sense, since you probably observed them while you were in that castle." Clyde commented.
"...that's right...now, let's focus on exploring..." I said, as I began to look around the place we were currently padding around.
The forest we were in, was not overgrown like the previous forest.
This one seemed more peaceful as well.
Leaves would sometimes fall down.
All had the color brown.
Autumn would make it more difficult to hide from those murkrows.
Nighttime also arrives sooner, and the temperature drops more as well.
If those dark types from the castle are still hunting us, it means they have a bigger time window to search for us.
But besides all of those things, the worst one has to be the weather.
Since all leaves will fall, there will be almost no cover for rainy days.
We have to find a better place to stay.
My ear twitched.
This caused me to stop in my tracks.
Clyde did the same.
"did you hear that?" Clyde whispered to me.
"...yea...it came from our left..." I whispered back.
Clyde looked over to our left, and he got low.
I did the same, and we both slowly snuck over to the direction where we heard the noise.
There were some bushes that provided cover.
We crawled into them, making sure to make as little noise possible while doing so.
Once we could see the other side from the bushes, we saw a field.
It was empty.
"I could have sworn the noises came from over here." Clyde whispered.
"...indeed...yet...there's nothing here..." I whispered.
"whatever it was, it probably left this area." Clyde stated.
Then, all of a sudden, we heard something yell.
"aarrrgg! H-help!" an unknown voice suddenly called out.
Clyde and me both looked into the direction the voice called out from.
"let's go." Clyde whispered, and snuck into the direction.
I followed Clyde.
...
We soon arrived at the area.
As soon as we did, a loud hiss was heard.
Both me and Clyde saw what made the hissing sound.
There was a Serperior, it was attacking something.
It wasn't the only pokemon there though.
A Dragonair was also there, growling in a deep voice.
"they're attacking something." Clyde stated.
"...both of them...they're teaming up..." I stated.
"Blake, what do we do?" Clyde asked.
"...we can't leave like this...who knows what they would do to that mon...besides...if we leave them be...we could be attacked next..." I said to Clyde.
"ok, let's show them who not to mess with." Clyde said, and was about to get up.
Before he could, I grabbed his paw.
"...no Clyde...that Serperior is dangerous...it has a type advantage on you..." I said.
"so? I know ice beam, Blake. I can help you fight them off." Clyde said.
I shook my head.
"...Clyde...I need you to go get Anshul..." I said.
Clyde tilted his head in confusion.
"huh? Why?" he asked.
"...that mon they are attacking...is probably hurt...we need Anshul's healing knowledge..." I said.
Clyde sighed.
"what if they get you? What then? I'm leaving you alone with two dangerous foes!" Clyde said.
"...don't worry about me...I know what I'm doing..." I said in a confident tone.
"no. I'm not leaving." Clyde told.
I then sighed.
"...fine...you better not get hurt..." I then warned, and was ready to attack.
A very loud hiss was then heard.
The Serperior has spotted us, and lashed its tail at us.
"jump!" Clyde said, and jumped up in the air.
I did the same.
We both avoided the attack.
Clyde then used ice beam.
The Serperior avoided the attack.
I then used shadow ball on the ground near it.
Once again, the Serperior avoided the attack.
Its speed and slim body make it exceptionally good in avoiding attacks.
Ranged attacks would be very hard to land.
Serperior attack with their tail, and they try to bite as well.
"...watch its head and tail, Clyde..." I advised to Clyde.
He turned to look at me, and nodded.
We then both attacked at the same time.
Clyde used ice beam, and I used dark pulse.
As expected, the Serperior dodged both attacks.
Then, the Dragonair lunged at us.
We both jumped out of the way.
It was close by, so I used shadow claw on it.
My attack hit, and the Dragonair roared loudly.
Clyde then used icy wind on the Serperior.
Icy wind was way more tricky to dodge, and it ended up getting hit.
A loud hiss was heard, when It got hit.
Through its anger, it lashed its tail out at Clyde.
Clyde was too slow to dodge, and got slammed into a tree.
The Serperior kept its tail pressed against Clyde, pinning him to the tree.
"eyy! You overgrown Caterpie! Let me go!" Clyde called out.
The Serperior then opened its big mouth, and it's fangs glowed green.
Clyde saw this as an opportunity, and took it.
"oh hey! A weak point!" he said, and used ice beam right into the Serperior's mouth.
It hissed loudly, and slammed its head into Clyde.
Clyde groaned in pain.
Right as I wanted to get involved, the Dragonair stopped me.
It was then surrounded by blue energy.
From a long range, it lunged at me with Dragon Rush.
The attack was so fast, that I couldn't dodge it.
I was thrown back by the attack.
Once I got a grip on the ground, I charged up a focus blast.
The Dragonair covered the distance between us quickly, using its agility to do so.
I aimed at it, and fired it.
As expected, the Dragonair dodged.
However, it didn't expect I'd aim for the Serperior.
My Focus blast hit the Serperior, and it hissed very loudly.
It lost its grip on Clyde, and he used aqua jet to get away.
While Clyde used Aqua jet, he saw the Dragonair.
He aimed the attack on it, and shot toward it.
Right as the Dragonair was about to slam into me, Clyde hit it from the side with Aqua jet.
It roared, as it hit a tree.
The Serperior began to slither away.
"look! It's retreating!" Clyde said.
"...it is...and the Dragonair as well..." I stated, as the Dragonair slithered after the Serperior.
...
We catched out breath, and went to the mon they were attacking.
"what could they have possibly been attacking?" Clyde asked.
"...anything really...those mons eat meat, so anymon could get attacked by them..." I said.
"hmm." Clyde thought out loud.
We looked around the area.
Something touched my paw.
"...hmm...what's this..." I spoke out loud.
When I turned my head, I saw a white furred mon.
"did you find it, Blake?" Clyde asked, as he padded toward me.
He then saw the mon I found.
Clyde stopped in his tracks.
I looked back, at the white furred mon.
It was unconscious.
"...this is the mon they attacked...it's unconscious..." I said.
"B-Blake...we should leave...now." Clyde said, as he sounded different than usual.
"...this mon needs our help..." I said.
"Blake...you don't know what that mon is, do you?" Clyde questioned.
"...of course I do, Clyde..." I said, as I looked at the mon's iconic horn.
"Blake, that mon brings di—" Clyde began, but I cut him off.
"...disasters...yea right...I advise you to ask Anshul about it, because it doesn't bring disasters..." I said, and picked the hurt mon up.
"w-what are you doing, Blake!?" Clyde asked in shock.
"...I'm carrying it back to our camp...so we can heal it up there..." I said.
"why! how do you know it's not from the castle!?" Clyde demanded to know.
"...because...there never were any Absol's in the castle...everymon was worried It would cause an disaster..." I said, and began to pad into the direction where we came from.
"Blake...I don't know about this..." Clyde said.
"...fine...if anything happens...I hold myself responsible for it..."I said.
"that doesn't help... why are we taking a chance, when we can just leave it right here?" Clyde questioned.
"...because...it might be able to help us..." I said, and continued carrying it.
Clyde sighed deeply, and followed me.
...
We reached our camp with the hurt mon on my back.
Clyde skipped in front of me.
"Anshul! we need your help!" Clyde called out, as he padded into the small cave.
"huh? What's going on?" Anshul asked from within the cave.
"come take a look." Clyde said.
I then saw Anshul pad out the cave, and look at me.
He then saw what I had on my back.
"you two brought an Absol back?" Anshul asked.
"hey, not me, Blake wanted it as a souvenir I guess." Clyde said.
"Blake, why?" Anshul asked.
"...it got attacked by a few mons...me and Clyde saved it...leaving it there to die isn't really my style..." I answered Anshul.
"but, you are aware that it is a dark type right? It could be a part of those that are hunting us right now." Anshul said.
"...Absol were never in the village...everymon believed the rumors...so it can't be one of the dark types that are hunting us..." I explained to Anshul.
"hmm, give me a second." Anshul said.
He went into the cave, and came back out with his leaf bag.
After taking out what seemed like a journal, he began to flip through the pages.
Anshul stopped on a specific page, and began to read out loud.
"Absol, the Disaster pokemon. Absol are known to bring disasters, because one always appears before a disaster occurs. Many see them as doom-bringers, and hunt them down for it. many make this mistake. Absol are not the cause of these disasters. Absol have the ability to sense disasters, and with their senses, they try to warn others about those disasters. Sadly, the rumors have spread, and all Absol are held responsible for the disasters. Because of their false assumptions, Absol usually live in the mountains, where they don't bother anymon" Anshul read what was in what looked like a journal.
"so? Has anymon ever proved that Absol's aren't the cause?" Clyde asked Anshul.
"that isn't necessary. If Absol are truly the cause of disasters, then they would have been extinct a long time ago." Anshul said.
Clyde sighed.
"if they only live in the mountains, then what's this one doing in the forest?" Clyde questioned.
"it probably warned somemons of an incoming disaster, and was on the way back to the mountains." Anshul answered.
Clyde now grunted.
"why do we care about a random Absol? Who knows what it will do, when it wakes up? If we are unlucky, it could wake up in the night, either kill us all, or warn the other dark types of our location!" Clyde said, now getting annoyed.
"so you just want to leave it? let it die?" Anshul asked.
"tons of them die every day. What else would we do? Heal it up? Ask it to go on a picnic? Perhaps even ask it to come with us, that will be a great advertisement every time we go near a village." Clyde said sarcastically.
"or, we could ask it for direction's, ever thought about that?" Anshul said.
"oh yes, like we need directions. Perfect time to get lured Into a trap." Clyde argued.
"what other options do we have? Those dark types are still looking for us, and it will only be a matter of time, until we get ambushed again." Anshul said.
"valuable time we could use to search for an exit to this forest, instead of helping a random mon." Clyde said back.
"Clyde, why are you being so cold?" Anshul asked.
"because it's the same way it would think and talk about us! Why take a chance! It's still a dark type" Clyde argued.
"...so...not all dark types are monsters...even we have families, and others we care about..." I said.
"..." Clyde was silent.
"it's better to make friends, Clyde. If we try to find an exit without any direction, it may take longer. Its perhaps even more dangerous as well. let's just heal it up, and see what It knows." Anshul said, and allowed me to enter the cave.
...
Everymon in the cave was watching with big eyes.
Amber, Mira and Ciana.
"umm, why is there a Absol in our camp?" Amber asked.
"it may have useful information about this forest. it may give us a hint of where we can leave." Anshul said.
I placed the Absol down.
"can you help me heal it, Amber?" Anshul asked.
"s-sure." Amber said, and went to help Anshul.
"so, what do we do now?" Clyde asked.
"...there isn't a lot we can do right now...we're waiting for the Absol to heal, so we can ask it questions..." I said.
"are you sure it's safe to keep a stranger around, Blake?" Ciana asked me.
"...a regular stranger...no...this isn't a regular stranger...Absol's are always hunted down...so, when it wakes up, and sees that it's wounds are treated...it may be grateful...and thus, won't do anything funny...if it does, I'll stop it..." I answered.
"ugg, let's just hope this all won't backfire on us." Clyde said.
Mira was quiet.
I noticed this.
"...Don't worry, Mira...Anshul will protect you, if things go south...Clyde will protect Amber...and I will watch over everymon, to ensure it doesn't try anything..." I reassured Mira.
She softly nodded.
"Blake, if we are going to be healing that Absol, isn't it smart to get some berries, leaves, and wood? Just so we have a stockpile?" Ciana said.
"...that's indeed smart...come Clyde...we're going to get some supplies..." I said to Clyde, and went to the entrance.
"Blake, can you also bring some herbs? Amber wants to try and use them to heal this Absol up." Anshul said.
I nodded, and me and Clyde went out to get some supplies.
...
Timeskip
After we gathered a bunch of supplies, we returned to the cave.
"we're back." Clyde announced.
"nice, are you two ok? You didn't encounter any problems while looking for supplies right?" Anshul asked.
"...nope...nothing..." I said.
"great, did you two find any herbs?" Anshul asked.
"yes we did. I hope they will work." Clyde said, and gave the herbs to Anshul.
Anshul inspected the herbs.
"alright. Amber, can you help me with these herbs?" Anshul asked.
Amber nodded, and padded toward Anshul and the Absol.
I placed the wood I got from the forest beside the campfire.
Clyde placed the berries we got, by the other berries.
We also got some big leaves, I placed them down in the corner of the den.
Once I got everything where it was supposed to be, I padded to my sister.
"...hey sister...how are you doing..." I asked.
"I'm doing better. I've been talking a little with Mira, and she's very kind." Ciana said.
"...I'm glad you're doing good...don't worry about the Absol..." I said to my sister.
"are you sure it'll not try anything?" Ciana asked me.
"...I'm sure...and if it does try anything...I'll stop it..." I said.
"ok, brother...just please, don't let anything happen." Ciana said.
"...don't worry...I won't..." I said.
A yawn was then heard from Clyde.
"you tired, Clyde?" Anshul asked, as he was patching up the Absol.
"yes...I padded around with Blake all day...so I'm a bit tired yes..." Clyde said.
"I'll join you, when we're done with the Absol." Amber said.
"go ahead. You learned a lot today, and rest is important. I'll finish this." Anshul said to Amber, as he returned to patching up the Absol.
"I---s-sure...I guess." Amber said, and padded toward Clyde.
The two laid down beside each other.
Clyde wrapped his paws around Amber, and pulled her close.
He placed his tail over Amber's paws in a protecting way.
Mira squeaked very softly from what she saw.
I barely heard it, as I turned around to check on her.
She had her scarf covering half of her face.
I've never met any mon more shy than Mira.
Though, what Anshul said to Mira, was really kind of him.
That one morning, when both of them were acting so shy, that hasn't happened since.
Something tells me, they care a lot for each other.
"Brother? Are you ok?" Ciana suddenly said.
I snapped out of my thoughts, and turned toward Ciana.
My response was a nod.
She nodded back, and laid down.
"done...let's hope it can help us." Anshul said, as he finished patching up the Absol.
Anshul then stretched, ate some berries, and padded toward Mira.
Another soft squeak came from Mira, as Anshul padded toward her.
"can I sleep with you?" Anshul asked Mira, who was still covering her face with her scarf.
"s-s-sure." Mira said.
Anshul smiled, and laid down beside her.
Mira kept her distance, for some reason.
"...is she THAT shy...wow..." I thought in my head.
I then looked at Ciana, and I padded toward her.
"...take a good rest...I'll keep watch tonight..." I said, and gave Ciana a nudge.
Ciana gave a nudge back, and got comfortable.
I sat down on a rock, and kept watch.
This was going to be a long night.
...
I waited several hours, just to make sure nothing happened.
The sun went down about three hours ago.
Nothing happened in the time I stayed awake.
After today's events, I was tired as well.
The Absol didn't move at all.
Something told me, that the Absol was not going to do anything.
My eyes were heavy, and I needed sleep.
I then got an idea.
Through my half-closed eyes, I got up from the rock, and snuck outside.
While I was outside, I got some leaves and twigs.
I brought the leaves and twigs inside the cave with me.
When I was inside, I began to place the leaves around the sleeping Absol.
The twigs were also between the leaves.
If the Absol would move in the night, the leaves and twigs would hopefully make enough sound to wake one of us up.
For now, I padded to my leaf bed, and laid down on it.
My eyes closed, as I was looking at the Absol.
I then fell asleep after some time with having my eyes closed.
...
The next day
Blake's POV
A peaceful night is what I truly needed to recover my energy.
However, when it reached morning time, I woke up to something.
My eyes took quite some time to get used to the lighting.
I rubbed my eyes, and eventually saw what was happening.
Amber was investigating the Absol.
"good morning sir-snooze-a-lot, I hope you enjoyed your sleep..." Clyde said sarcastically.
"...what happened..." I asked, as I looked at Amber and the Absol.
"his wounds...have gotten worse." Amber answered.
"...w-what...but how..." I questioned.
"I...I don't know." Amber answered.
"...well...perhaps ask Anshul for help..." I said.
"Blake? Why did you just go to sleep? I thought you said you'd keep an eye on the Absol?" Clyde said.
"...I was...but after yesterday's events...I was also pretty tired...so I got some leaves and sticks from outside, and placed them around the Absol...if it would try anything, one of us must wake up due to the noise right..." I explained.
"well, nicely thought of, but I think it didn't work." Clyde said.
"Clyde assumes the Absol snuck off in the night, that's how it got more injuries...when we both woke up this morning, we saw the Absol injured again." Amber said.
"...can you...heal its wounds..." I asked Amber.
"I can try, but most of his injuries from last time, seem to have gotten worse." Amber told me.
"...well, maybe it's smart to ask Anshul for help...I'm sure he knows what to do..." I said, as I felt confident in Anshul.
"umm, we would, but we can't." Amber said.
Her answer made me tilt my head.
"...huh...why..." I asked.
Both Amber and Clyde then pawed into the direction of Anshul.
I then turned toward Anshul, and saw him hugging Mira from behind, while his big floofy tail was wrapped over Mira's hind paws.
Mira was leaning into Anshul's mane, and her face looked very relaxed.
"...ah...too adorable to wake up..." I said.
"yea, we'd rather not bother the two." Clyde said, as he stared at the fluffy couple.
"...so...are they a couple now..." I asked Amber and Clyde.
"they'd say no, buuut seen by my sisters face right now, I'd say yes." Amber said with a happy face.
"I mean, I'm sure Anshul doesn't mind if Mira is all cuddled up to him." Clyde said.
I looked back at the two, and chuckled softly.
As if he heard my chuckles, Anshul began to wake up.
He was slowly moving around more and more.
His ear then twitched, and raised in the air, followed by his head.
Both eyes opened, where one only had color.
A yawn came from the Flareon, as he looked around.
He rubbed his left eye, and looked around.
"oh, good morning, you're all up pretty early." Anshul said, as he was still a bit sleepy.
I then noticed both Amber and Clyde smiling at Anshul.
Anshul looked confusedly at his friends, and wondered why they were smiling like that.
He then recalled what happened yesterday.
His face turned toward the Glaceon he was hugging still.
I could see his cheeks becoming a darker shade of red.
"o-oh...I uhh..." Anshul stuttered, not knowing what to say.
Both Clyde and Amber just snickered to themselves.
"don't worry about it." both Amber and Clyde said at the same time.
Anshul just stayed silent.
"...Anshul...the Absol we've been keeping around, was injured when we woke up..." I said.
The Flareon raised an eyebrow.
"really? Did it move in its sleep?" Anshul asked me.
This caused me to blink.
"...I...fell asleep due to lack of energy...I haven't seen the Absol move...neither do I know if it moved at all during the night..." I told Anshul.
"hmm, it must have moved in the night, but what did it do to get more injured?" Anshul questioned out loud.
Mira yawned and moved her head further into Anshul's mane.
I saw Anshul open his muzzle a little, almost as if he's saying 'aww' without any sound.
They looked cute together.
"I wonder how Mira will react when she wakes up." Clyde whispered to himself.
Amber heard Clyde whisper, and she smiled at Clyde.
"me too." Amber whispered.
Mira then began to move more.
"...looks like your answer is right around the corner..." I whispered to the two.
The fluffy Glaceon opened her eyes, and looked around.
A squeak was heard when she saw Anshul literally right behind her.
Amber giggled from this.
"good morning sis!" Amber greeted Mira.
"g-good morning s-sis." Mira said back, as her paws hid her blush.
Anshul blushed a bit more, now making it more visible through his red fur.
Mira went ahead and rolled off of Anshul's mane.
Anshul had a sheepish smile on his face.
"g-good m-morning A-Anshul." Mira greeted Anshul.
"good morning M-Mira. I hope you slept well." Anshul said.
"I'm sure she did." Clyde whispered with a grin.
Amber used her vines to grab some berries, and placed them in front of Anshul and Mira.
"I assume you two are hungry, so eat up." Amber said.
"thank you Amber, I am a little hungry yea." Anshul said.
"t-thank s-sis." Mira said.
Both of them began to eat from the berries Amber placed near them.
Some berries were then placed in front of me.
I titled my head, and looked at Amber.
"you eat up too, Blake. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day." Amber said.
I nodded my head in respect, and began to eat some of the berries.
...
After eating my breakfast, I looked up at my friends to see what they were doing.
Both Anshul and Mira were done eating.
"well, let's get to work then." Anshul said, and was about to get up.
Mira looked at Anshul really quick, and tried to lean on him to keep him beside her.
It worked, as Anshul stopped getting up.
"woa, are you alright, Mira?" Anshul asked.
"y-yes...I am." She said shyly, as she tried to stall some time with Anshul.
Anshul smiled a little, and gave Mira a soft nudge.
Mira squeaked softly, and allowed Anshul to get up.
After Anshul got up, he padded toward the Absol, and Amber.
"let me see what happened." Anshul said, as Amber let Anshul do his thing.
Anshul looked at all the wounds the Absol got.
He was thinking, as he inspected all the wounds the Absol had.
After some thinking, he raised his paw.
"I've concluded...that I have no idea how it got these new wounds." Anshul said in a simple tone.
Clyde raised his paws, as if he did something, and then let them hit the ground, as if what Anshul said really didn't help.
"but...I can say, that he most probably went outside in the night." Anshul then said.
"oh did he? And he actually came back...I really wonder why it went outside then." Clyde wondered out loud.
"I don't know why it would go outside, maybe some fresh air?" Anshul said.
"yea, or some fresh backup to get us." Clyde said in annoyance.
"...if it wanted to call for backup, it would have done so when it got the chance...none of us woke up when it did, so if it does want to get us...it lost its opportunity to do so..." I said to Clyde.
"you really seem to have faith in this Absol, don't you?" Clyde said.
"...so...it saves lives for a living...its hated all around the region...give it some slack..." I said to Clyde.
Clyde just rolled his eyes.
"Anshul? do you need Amber's help?" Clyde asked.
"hmm, no the wounds Amber treated yesterday were properly treated, so she should have no problem with any of these wounds. She can go." Anshul said, as he went ahead and patch up the Absol again.
"huh, why?" Amber asked Clyde.
"it has been a while since I took a swim, and I'd really like to take a swim with you." Clyde then said.
"oh, I uhh...guess that's alright." Amber said.
Clyde smiled happily, and got to his paws.
"I know just the spot. If anymon wants to join us, that's totally alright with me." Clyde said.
"c-could I join?" Mira asked shyly.
"of course you can." Clyde said with a smile.
Mira got up, and looked at Anshul.
Amber got up as well.
"good luck, Anshul." Amber said, and began to pad toward the entrance.
"you also deserve rest, Anshul. don't overwork yourself." Clyde said, as he padded past him.
"don't worry, I won't Clyde. Thank you Amber." Anshul said to the couple.
The two then left the cave.
Mira shyly padded after them.
"Mira." Anshul then said.
She stopped padding, and shivered a little.
Anshul padded toward Mira, and stopped beside her.
He then gave her a reassuring nudge.
This caught Mira off guard, as it took a little to register what Anshul just did.
"it's ok, just stay calm, ok?" Anshul said.
"y-yes...t-thank y-you." Mira said, and then padded out the cave to follow the two.
Anshul turned back to the Absol, and began to treat its wounds again.
"...Anshul...you don't think this Absol would cause trouble...right..." I asked the Flareon.
"I'm not completely sure, but I don't think it would try to do anything to harm us." Anshul answered.
"...I took a risk when I fell asleep last night...I didn't know it woke up..." I said.
"no mon knew it would wake up. Perhaps its reassured, since everymon was asleep, and it came back. Perhaps it feels safe here." Anshul said.
"...I just hope none of this will backfire..." I told Anshul.
"what you did was good, Blake. You saved a mon's life." Anshul said.
"...yea...that's true...let's hope its grateful..." I said.
"I'm sure it is." Anshul said, before we heard a yawn.
I turned to the only leaf bed that still had a mon on it.
It was the leaf bed of my sister.
Ciana began to wake up.
She looked at both me and Anshul.
"good m-morning brother, and Anshul." Ciana said.
"good morning, Ciana...how are you feeling?" Anshul asked, as he was busy patching up the Absol.
"my side still tingles a little, but beside that, I think I'm recovering." Ciana answered Anshul.
"that's very good to hear, and a relief that the wound is healing." Anshul spoke.
"...I'll get you some berries, sis..." I said, and got Ciana a small pile of berries.
She nodded at me, and began to eat the berries I gave her.
"hey, where is the rest?" Ciana asked, as she was eating.
"...they went to take a swim in a lake close by..." I said.
Both me and Ciana haven't swam in a very long time.
Sadly, Ciana couldn't swim with her healing wound.
She was looking at me.
"...you'd like to swim too, right..." I asked.
Ciana then nodded at me, and sighed sadly.
"...well...I can bring you to the lake, and perhaps you can watch the others...I'll stay with you..." I said.
Her eyes became big, when I said that.
"really?" she asked excitedly.
"...sure...I'll bring you there, whenever you want..." I said.
Ciana then began to eat the rest of her berries, as she was excited to watch the others swim in the lake.
Once she was done eating, I got her on my back, and began to pad toward the lake me and Clyde saw yesterday.
Before I left the cave, I stopped in my tracks.
"...Anshul...are you going to be ok..." I asked, as he was the only mon left with the Absol.
"I'm sure I will be. Do remember that Ciana can't swim with her wound, ok?" Anshul said.
"...can she dip her paws into the water..." I asked.
"yes, as long as the wound doesn't get wet." Anshul said.
"...ok...thank you, and good luck..." I said to Anshul, as I carried Ciana out of the cave to head toward the lake where everymon else was.
...
Ciana's POV
Blake was carrying me on his back.
I couldn't believe he was willing to bring me to the lake.
My paws wrapped around him, and my head rested on his back.
"...I remember you loved swimming and water, right..." Blake questioned, as he carried me.
"yes I do." I said, and looked at Blake.
"...glad we can spend some time to rest up..." Blake said.
"I know...sadly that doesn't happen a lot." I said in a sad tone.
"...sis...don't worry...we'll escape those dark types soon...I promise...we'll be able to live in peace...we even have some friends as well..." Blake reassured me.
"ok, but what if they continue to follow us." I asked.
"...don't think about that...just enjoy the fun and happy moments..." Blake said.
I looked at Blake again, and smiled.
"ok, I will. Thank you, brother." I said.
Blake smiled at me, and continued to pad toward the lake.
...
Sometime later, we arrived at the lake.
Both Amber and Clyde were already swimming.
Mira however, stood on the side of the lake, and she looked rather nervous.
Blake wondered the same thing as me.
He began to pad toward her.
"...is something wrong, Mira..." Blake asked.
Mira shrieked, and jumped a bit.
She looked at Blake in fear.
Her eyes told me, that she was afraid.
I reached out one of my ribbons, and gently placed it on her shoulder.
My ribbon then send some soothing energy through Mira's body, to calm her down.
"is there something bothering you, Mira?" I asked.
"I w-want to g-go swim, b-but I d-don't want to g-get my s-scarf w-wet." Mira said, In a shaky tone.
She was very gentle with her scarf, and obviously didn't want to get it wet.
It was very important to her.
"is it ok, if I hold onto it for you?" I asked.
She looked at me with hope.
"r-really? W-would you do that f-for me?" Mira asked.
"of course I would. I'll give it back, when you're done swimming." I said, with a kind smile.
Mira nodded, and gently pawed the scarf over to me.
I carefully got it with my ribbons, and held it close.
"t-thank you, C-Ciana." Mira said, before slowly making her way to the water.
"you're welcome." I said with another smile.
Blake then got me close to the water, before setting me down close to it.
I nodded in respect, and looked at the three other eeveelutions that were swimming in the lake.
They seemed to be having fun.
It made me smile.
"...did you notice how shocked Mira was..." Blake then said.
"yes I noticed. Perhaps she's still a bit scared of Umbreon." I said.
"...no doubt that what my brother did left her scared..." Blake said.
"I could help her with that, but only if she's willing." I said back.
"...it would be great if you can help her...otherwise it doesn't feel good to stick around, if she's scared of me..." Blake said.
"I will try, but let her enjoy her free time for now." I said, and relaxed a bit.
Blake agreed with me, and laid down beside me.
I reached my paw to the water, and dipped my paw into it.
The feeling of water against my skin made me feel very relaxed.
With Blake near me, it made me feel safe as well.
This caused me to forget about everything that was worrying me.
I closed my eyes, and dozed off for a bit.
For the first time in a long time, I felt at peace.
My paw stayed in the water.
All my limbs relaxed.
I felt the pain in my side softly.
The pain has gotten less, thanks to Anshul.
His ability and knowledge to heal pokemon is really impressive.
I wonder how he knows all of those healing methods.
As I dozed off, I didn't realize anything that happened around me.
Suddenly, a black paw waved in front of me.
I snapped out of my thoughts, and turned to the mon that waved its paw in front of me.
The black paw belonged to Blake.
"...Mira is coming...should I leave you two alone..." Blake asked.
"y-yes, I'll talk to her about her fear." I said.
Blake nodded, and left.
Mira then swam to the lakeside where I was.
She got back on land, and began to shake off the water.
Once her fur was kind of dry, she padded toward me.
Her fur looked extra fluffy, thanks to her shaking off the water.
"h-hi Ciana, c-can I get m-my scarf back?" Mira asked kindly.
"of course, here you go." I said, and gave Mira her scarf.
She then put the scarf around her neck carefully.
"hey, Mira. Can I ask you something?" I then asked.
Mira looked at me, and nodded.
Then there was something in the corner of my eye.
When I turned to look at it, I saw both Amber and Clyde.
The two were resting.
Amber was staying afloat by Clyde, who was floating on top of the water, with his back.
They hugged each other, as they stayed afloat.
Their eyes were also closed, as they relaxed.
"aww." I then said, before turning back to Mira.
"sorry. I wanted to ask you this, are you scared of Umbreon?" I asked.
Mira looked a bit nervous, after I asked that.
It took some time for her to answer.
"y-y-yes..." Mira whispered to me.
"does that include my Brother?...Blake?" I asked.
Mira once again took a minute to answer.
She then nervously nodded her head.
One of my ribbons then went to her shoulder.
"it's because of what happened in the castle, isn't it?" I asked.
She whined softly, and nodded again.
"I can ensure you Mira, Blake wouldn't hurt you, even if you attacked him. He may look intimidating, but he'd never hurt any of you." I said.
"b-b-but...I-I'm t-too a-afraid to a-anger him." Mira stuttered nervously.
I then placed a paw on Mira's shoulder.
"Mira, after all these years of knowing Blake, I've never seen him lose his patience to those he holds dear to him." I said to Mira.
"s-so, d-does that mean h-he'd not b-become angry a-at us?" Mira asked shyly.
"yes, Blake sees you as a friend. He doesn't hurt friends. I know you're a sensitive mon, Mira. But you have nothing to worry about with Blake." I said.
Then suddenly, Mira looked around her, as if she was scared of something else.
"w-w-what a-about t-the k-king?" Mira asked in worry.
I shook my head at her.
"I...the king won't ever bother anymon...ever again..." I said, as my paw was on her shoulder.
Mira became silent after what I said.
She looked at me sadly.
"d-did B-Blake---" Mira wanted to ask, but was cut off.
"...no...he did it himself..." Blake then suddenly said.
Mira yipped, and looked rather nervous.
Blake sat down beside me.
"...are you still scared of me, Mira..." Blake asked.
Mira didn't answer.
My brother just waited for her to answer.
"we're working on it, Blake. Please don't rush her." I said.
Blake nodded in an understanding way, and padded off again.
Once he was gone, I looked back at Mira.
She still had big eyes.
I sent some more soothing energy through my ribbon.
"don't worry Mira. You'll get used to Blake, I promise you." I said.
Mira her ears lowered, and she didn't know what to say.
My ribbon slowly rubbed her neck.
"just try to relax, ok? He won't hurt you. Perhaps you can look at Anshul, whenever you get scared." I said.
Mira then squeaked, and hid her blush with her scarf.
I smiled at her, and patted her back reassuringly.
Eventually she calmed down.
She looked at me with a shy smile.
I then noticed Blake close by.
The sound of swimming made me look toward the river.
Both Amber and Clyde were swimming toward the lake side where we sat.
"hmm? You two done swimming?" I asked.
"yes, and no...there is a small storm coming." Clyde then said.
I titled my head.
"how do you know?" I asked.
Clyde's head fins then began to vibrate.
"that's how. Vaporeon can sense the weather...or at least we can sense when rain is about to fall." Clyde explained.
"it's better if we went toward the cave. Storms can be dangerous in autumn, pine trees provide less cover, and leaves can be blown through the air, to obstruct our vision. I advise we get back to the cave as soon as possible." Amber said.
Blake padded closer to the four of us.
He nodded his head.
"...lets go..." Blake said.
We all agreed, and got up to follow Blake.
However, I forgot that I wasn't supposed to put pressure on my side.
Right before I hit the ground, Blake caught me.
"...take it easy, Ciana...let me carry you..." Blake said, and placed me on his back.
"t-thanks." I said.
...
As we were padding back to the cave, Clyde was way more on edge than usual.
He looked around more, checked behind us as well, and stayed more alert on everything.
"Clyde, you ok?" Amber asked.
"yea...I am." Clyde answered, and stopped looking around for a second.
After some time, he began to look around again.
Amber was about to say something, but we reached the cave.
Anshul was just done patching up the Absol.
"I see you've all returned." Anshul said.
"yea, Clyde sensed a small storm, so we decided to head back." Amber said.
"ah I see, well, hey Amber, could you maybe cook something for us?" Anshul then asked.
"I would, if I had something to cook with." Amber said.
"I'd love one of your Oran berry soups right now." Clyde said with a dreamy stare on his face.
Anshul began to think.
As he was thinking, Blake placed me down gently from his back.
"can't we make something? You know, like bowls?" Anshul said.
"how would we make them?" Amber asked.
"m-maybe we c-could make them o-out of ice." Mira then said.
"uhh, I don't know how you eat soup, Mira. But I prefer mine hot." Clyde said.
"that could work, just use Tamato berries, instead of warming it up." Anshul then said.
Clyde looked at Anshul strangely.
"I prefer to not burn my maw, Anshul." Clyde said.
"that won't happen, Tamato berries can be used to make soup that you eat cold, yet become hot when eaten." Anshul said.
"I have never heard of something like that...Amber, is that possible?" Clyde then asked Amber.
"I've heard of it before...I guess I can give it a try." Amber said.
"I'll be surprised if it works." Clyde said, as he used ice beam to make a block of ice.
Anshul then used Flamethrower and Ember to melt it down to a proper size.
Clyde then used ice beam again, to stop the correct size from melting.
They repeated this, until they had six makeshift bowls, and a makeshift cauldron.
Amber then went to work with some berries.
She used razor leaf to cut the berries into proper sizes.
Clyde also used water gun to provide Amber with the water she needed.
As they did that, Anshul was melting another block of ice into the form of a ladle.
Once done, Clyde used ice beam on it to keep it from melting again.
"just make sure you add the Tamato berries last." Anshul said.
Amber did as Anshul said, and added the Tamato berries last.
Clyde kept the makeshift cauldron from melting, by using ice beam continuously.
Me and Blake just watched in silence.
Mira wondered if her idea was really going to work.
After some time, Amber managed to complete the soup.
She used the ladle to scoop some soup into the six bowls.
We then passed the bowls around.
"here we are, Oran berry soup, warmed by Tamato berries." Amber said.
"are you sure its...safe?" Clyde asked.
"only one way to find out." Anshul said, and took a sip from his bowl.
After tasting it, he spoke up.
"tasty." He said.
Clyde frowned.
"yea, you eat Tamato berries, without a sweat. Can somemon else try?" Clyde asked a bit nervously.
Blake then proceeded to take a sip.
"...its good..." Blake said honestly.
I then took a sip myself.
The taste slowly increased in heat, but stopped before becoming too hot.
It tasted like Oran berries, but with a spicy aftertaste.
"it tastes great." I said with a smile.
Clyde then tried it.
"hmm, better than I thought it would be." Clyde said.
Amber frowned, and pawed Clyde in the side.
"errr, not that I doubted you, Amber. I knew it would be good, since you made it." Clyde said, and quickly took a few more sips from his bowl.
Anshul chuckled softly, before drinking some more of the soup.
Mira was a bit more gentle about drinking the soup.
Amber drank the soup, and liked it as well.
...
We all finished Amber's soup, and decided to call it a day.
"Blake, can you stand guard tonight?" Anshul asked.
"...yes...I shall..." Blake said, and went toward the rock he was on yesterday.
"thanks. If you become too tired, just wake me up, I'll stand guard then." Anshul said.
"...no need...I slept yesterday, and I can stay awake for several nights..." Blake said.
"ok, good luck." Anshul said, and padded toward his leaf bed.
Both Amber and Clyde went to sleep together.
Once Anshul laid down, Mira slowly laid down beside Anshul.
I was in my old leaf bed from yesterday.
As I placed my head on my paws, I watched Blake on the rock.
It took some time, but my eyes slowly became heavier and heavier.
The last I saw, before falling asleep, was Blake giving me a reassuring nod.
My eyes closed, and I fell asleep.
...
(to be continued)
Hello everyone, this was chapter 24 of Shatter Me! I'm very sorry for the several month break, I promise the next chapter will come out sooner than this one. This chapter was pretty difficult to write. I hope the long wait time didn't spoil any of the excitement. If you all could leave a comment down below, with your opinions of this chapter, I'd really appreciate it! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Thanks for all the support! Have a nice day! And hopefully see you all, in the next chapter of Shatter Me! ^w^