Chapter 22

Dark Growlithe felt the warm glow of the sun land on his face and slowly opened his eyes, revealing their haunted appearance. Next to him, Cream lay dead, never to move again. Dark Growlithe felt his heart clench as he remembered what had happened the night before and gave an involuntary sniff as his eyes began to tear up and blur his vision. A short distance away stood the remaining members of Ninetales’ pack. They were disorientated by the death of their leader and the few members of the Vulpix Squad who were there were too scared of Dark Growlithe after witnessing Ninetales’ demise to do anything. Puki nuzzled his half-sister uncertainly. No one knew what to do now so they only watched as Dark Growlithe cried alone beside his dead love.

*****

When the sun had risen higher and Dark Growlithe was dry of tears he rose quietly. He looked at Cream’s body with an empty face. There was no expression that could represent the loss he now felt inside of him; the black void that filled him. He’d lost the one he loved and there was nothing he could do about it. There was no one he could turn to and there was no one to understand. He noticed Ninetales’ pack watching him from a distance, milling about with no aim. He didn’t care what they were up to. It wasn’t his problem and he didn’t care if they killed him either. To him it would be a relief; an early end to the pain that was now becoming his life. The longing in his heart that could not be filled. Almost in a trance, seeing through objects, not focusing on anything he picked Cream’s body up by her scruff. His body was quivering with emotion. Cream’s scent and taste were the same but now tainted with the smell of blood and death and her fur now devoid of warmth. He turned towards the forest and began his melancholic way back to Cream’s home. She had asked him to take her to the whirlpool at her home and it was the last thing he could do for her now.

“We mustn’t let him leave!” snarled the VS vulpix who’d lost her tooth, “He killed Ninetales! We must have revenge!”

“As if any of us are stronger than Ninetales was,” commented a female flareon, “Let him go. It’s over now.”

“It’s not over. You there! Get up! You too! And you!”

The VS vulpix barked out her commands at the pack but no one responded. A few of the males were exchanging knowing nods. VS Vulpix grew sick of waiting for a response and pulled a weak-looking houndour male up by his nape.

“That’s enough!” shouted a male flareon rising to his feet, “Ninetales is gone. You can no longer just boss everyone around like that.”

“Really?” asked VS Vulpix, “Says who?”

“I do,” stated Flareon firmly.

“Me too,” agreed another male.

“I’ll also stand with him. It’s time for the pack to move on.”

One by one the males now banded to together. Puki’s sister hadn’t agreed with Ninetales and also sided with the male rebellion, accompanied by Puki and a large amount of the other females who’d disagreed with Ninetales but kept quiet to avoid execution.

“If you won’t obey you will die!” declared VS Vulpix.

“Liberty or death,” answered Flareon, unflinching.

The VS vulpix was outnumbered but she still had some support and two fellow VS vulpix, the strongest fighters of the pack. In a sudden flurry of motion the two sides clashed. The sounds of snarling and teeth on teeth carried over the flat plains to Dark Growlithe but he didn’t turn around. He kept heading home and nothing was going to distract him.

*****

A lone murkrow circled high in the sky before pulling its wings close and shooting downward. Its wings flared, caught the air and brought it gently to rest on the body of a dead eevee that was impaled on some wooden stakes. The murkrow dug its beak into the dead flesh and tore a chunk of meat out. In the sky more murkrow began to appear. They had seen the first one descend on something and had come to join the feast.

*****

Steam was wandering aimlessly around the forest to de-stress when Dark Growlithe emerged in front of him from behind a tree. Steam was shocked at the dog pokémon’s appearance, sunken and hollow eyes, un-groomed, blood-caked fur and even more so by the fact that Cream’s lifeless body was held in his mouth.

“What happened to Cream?” he demanded, he’d seen her barely a week ago in perfect health.

“Ninetales … killed her,” Dark Growlithe managed to stammer.

Steam didn’t know what to say. His first thought now was if this was revenge for showing her up earlier and he immediately began thinking of ways to protect the eevee in his pack.

“I… killed… N-Ninetales,” Dark Growlithe stammered, “But Cream. She… she…”

“It’s alright,” Steam said softly, knowing it wasn’t but that there was nothing he or anyone else could do.

“She wanted to… to come home,” sobbed Dark Growlithe.

Steam picked up Cream from where Dark Growlithe had placed her to tell him the story and began leading Dark Growlithe back to the pack territory. Steam stayed close to Dark Growlithe’s side, hoping that just being there would be sufficient for the heartbroken puppy pokémon.

*****

Everyone was horrified as Steam and Dark Growlithe entered the pack grounds but Vaporeon-sensei quickly took the baby eevee away before they were able to see too much of the gore.

*****

The following week was a complete blur for Dark Growlithe. He could recall nothing save for random snatches of events in no particular order and with no sense of time. Steam had immediately had the funeral cave opened for Cream as her body couldn’t stay out any longer. Everyone had been caught off guard by her sudden death and all offered their condolences to Dark Growlithe, though he remembered nothing of it. After the funeral life for the pack went back to normal, a very subdued and solemn normal but everything happened as it always did. For Dark Growlithe though nothing was normal. The joy he would have normally felt knowing that Ninetales was dead was vastly overshadowed by the grief Cream’s death had left him with. His depression grew and he became too listless to even eat. All day he did nothing but lie around and cry.

*****

Flareon panted heavily, blood dripping from his muzzle. It had been a hard fight and although many had died the faction that had disagreed with Ninetales’ views had been victorious. Puki and his half-sister were both fine and happy with Flareon as the new leader of the pack. The first thing he did was leave their old territory and set up far away from the memories of evil that would have otherwise haunted them. Some of the pokémon Ninetales had sent to search for Dark Growlithe before she died managed to find them and were informed of what had happened. Some left, bitter and lost, but more stayed and embraced the new change.

*****

“You have to eat,” stated Steam.

Dark Growlithe made no sign that he’d heard and completely ignored the food beside him.

“You’re not helping anyone, including yourself, by just lying there.”

No movement.

“Do you think Cream would have wanted you to mope around for the rest of your life? Even as short as it’s going to be if you refuse to eat.”

Dark Growlithe whimpered at the mention of Cream’s name.

“Damn it! You have to pull yourself together! Alright then, this is for your own good. If you don’t get up and at least pretend to be making some progress I’m kicking you out.”

“What have I got to live for?” moaned Dark Growlithe, “She’s gone.”

“You can live for her. Just because she’s dead doesn’t mean she’s gone.”

“She’s gone. There’s nothing left.”

Steam cursed to himself before storming out. He was worried about Dark Growlithe but he couldn’t force him to eat. Unless Dark Growlithe got over his depression it would all be over soon.

*****

Steam looked up from his meal and was pleasantly surprised to see Dark Growlithe standing in the doorway of his cave. He still looked morose but at least he was getting up and about.

“It’s good to see you,” commented Steam brightly.

“I’m leaving,” said Dark Growlithe.

“You’re what?” exclaimed Steam.

“I can’t stay. I’m going.”

“B-but... w-where?”

“There’s no where to go but I can’t stay here,” replied Dark Growlithe.

Steam watched him walk out before chasing after him and trying to convince him to stay. Dark Growlithe refused, thanked Steam for everything and then left.

*****

Dark Growlithe wandered in a straight line for what felt like ages although he still couldn’t keep track of time. Eventually, he found his way blocked by the boundless ocean. He followed the coast for a few days but even this amazing new experience wasn’t capable of driving away the morbid cloud that had settled over his heart.

*****

Dark Growlithe stood on the edge of a cliff that overlooked the sea. It was a shear drop, almost a hundred metres high but even from there Dark Growlithe could feel the spray from the waves that pummelled the rocks below. He stood there for a long time, thoughts running freely through his mind. He had made up his mind to jump, to end it all and join Cream wherever she might be. He was lost, alone and could only see one ending to it. Just as he was about to leap to his death the wind changed and his sensitive ears caught a faint crying sound behind him.

It sounded eerily familiar and with his heart beating wildly he turned away from the ocean to find the source of the sound. It didn’t take long to find an abandoned eevee cub nestled under a pile of rocks a short distance away. Dark Growlithe looked around but could find no trace of the parents and concluded that something had happened to them. All he wanted was to leave it and die but he couldn’t. If he left the defenceless cub it would die and it reminded him too much of Cream. He bent down and picked the tiny cub up, barely feeling its weight, and set off to find it some food. He’d failed once but he was adamant that this eevee wouldn’t die. Deep inside of him the light of a new purpose was born and it glowed in his heart, next to the memory of his love, Cream.

The End