Chapter 19

Dark Growlithe stirred. Earlier that day, Cream had saved his life. That experience had deepened the bond that they felt between one another. His belly was comfortably full with the meal that had also been brought back by Cream. She was currently curled up tightly next to him, still dozing after their meal. Dark Growlithe nuzzled her furry body, delighting in her smell and licked her cheek to wake her. The taste of her skin lingered on his tongue and he only snapped back to reality when she asked him what he wanted.

“There’s still most of the day left,” answered Dark Growlithe, “Let’s do some travelling. This place doesn’t feel friendly anymore.”

Cream nodded, sharing his feelings. This place would always be associated with fear and anger for the two pokémon. Dark Growlithe rose cautiously, after the fight his leg was hurting worse than before. Cream could see it but said nothing. She didn’t want Dark Growlithe to be sore but she knew he also needed to be mentally comfortable and that wouldn’t happen here.

“We’ll go slowly though,” she agreed, “It doesn’t matter if we take a while to do this. Your leg is more important.”

“Thanks,” said Dark Growlithe, “but you don’t need to worry about me. I can manage.”

“We’re going slowly,” insisted Cream. “Don’t argue about this!”

“Okay,” Dark Growlithe conceded. “We’ll do it your way.”

“It’s for your own good.”

“I know. It’s just frustrating not being able to do everything I’m used to.”

“You’ll get better,” Cream reassured him. “And the slower we go the faster you’ll recover.”

Dark Growlithe caught her with a fore paw and pulled her against his chest, playfully nuzzling the top of her head.

“Thanks.”

“It’s nothing. Let’s go.”

*****

Night had fallen and all around, except for the few nocturnal pokémon, most were fast asleep. Hidden in the forest, the pack that Ninetales had assembled to bring Dark Growlithe back as her to mate. They were all fast asleep, their slow breathing in time with the gentle rise and fall of their chests, made a calming melody that did nothing to sooth Ninetales herself. She was wide-awake, staring straight in the direction that she’d sent Puki with the threat of killing his half-sister. Behind Ninetales her nine long white tails waved irritably behind her. She was so close to having Dark Growlithe back in her clutches after his escape. Some members of her pack had been convinced Dark growlithe had died after leaping into the river but Ninetales had always known he would survive. To her, it was just more proof that he was superior to other pokémon and made her desire him even more. There were other pokémon, even in her own pack, such as houndoom, that also had both fire and dark powers but the difference was that Dark Growlithe’s mutated combination gave him the positives of both types while balancing out each other’s negatives. Any houndoom that had fallen into that river would most certainly have died because it didn’t receive the protective effects of the dark gene. Ninetales knew that pokémon like Dark Growlithe were rare, that’s why it was essential that she get a hold of him as soon as possible.

*****

“Are you okay?” asked an inquisitive eevee.

Puki sniffed and shook his head. The fur of his cheeks was matted down with tears after he’d broken down again.

“What’s wrong?” asked another eevee.

Puki had been placed in a cave with a whole bunch of eevee to keep him company.

“He’s been separated from his family,” answered a third eevee in Puki’s place.

“Oh,” came a subdued reply from the eevee that had asked the question. “I hope you find them.”

“Steam will help!” came a confident cry from an eevee. “He can do anything. That’s why he’s in charge.”

“He can’t do anything,” disagreed a second one.

“He can too!”

“Can not! My dad’s just as good as him!”

“Is so not!”

“Is!”

“Not!”

The one eevee tackled the other and they got into a fight over whether Steam was capable of anything or not.

“We can help find his family!” suggested one eevee with good intentions but slightly less common sense than is good for him.

“That’s a great idea!” agreed another, “We must help our friends. Let’s find Puki’s family!”

The idea was passed between the group of eevee and met with general agreement. They would sneak out and find Puki’s family. Everyone would be happy and they’d be heroes. Puki, of course, was against the idea of them leaving but couldn’t tell the truth and was too young to be able to change the eevee’s mind.

“We shouldn’t go alone,” he protested in desperation, “Maybe there’s a pokémon who could go with us. I’d feel better if there was a dog-type like me?”

At least then, he’d have done what he had to and his half-sister would be safe.

“No one will let us go,” answered one, shutting down the idea.

“But a dog-pokémon would be useful!” he continued, desperate to find Dark Growlithe.

“There aren’t any dogs here,” replied an eevee, “There was a funny coloured growlithe here a while ago but he left with an eevee a few days ago.”

Puki was stunned. Dark Growlithe wasn’t here! The crowd of eevee pushed him along with them as they sneaked away. What would Ninetales do? It wouldn’t be his fault that Dark Growlithe wasn’t here! He was about to start crying when he was shushed by an eevee and they filed outside and through the mountain pass after sneaking by the tired sentry vaporeon.

Ninetales could scarcely believe her eyes as a line of tiny, giggling eevee snuck into the forest completely unattended and with Puki amongst them. Silently she woke up her pack and followed the eevee. It was easy to hear their conversations in the near silence of the forest. Ninetales listened and learned that they had sneaked away to find Puki’s family. When she’d heard enough she had her pack surround the eevee.

“Out for a late-night stroll, eh?” asked Ninetales as she approached the eevee. “Puki, where’s Dark Growlithe?”

“He’s not here, answered Puki tearfully. “Please don’t kill Vulpix!”

“Not here?” snarled Ninetales. “Where is he?”

“I don’t know,” answered Puki. “It wasn’t my fault, I promise!”

“Stop crying! I’m not killing Vulpix.”

Puki was filled with joy and ran to his half-sister who greeted him with tears in her own eyes. Ninetales turned her attention back on the terrified collection of eevee.

“Where’s Dark Growlithe?” she asked coldly.

“We don’t know,” answered the bravest one, although he was trembling terribly. “He left with an eevee and we don’t know where to.”

“And how will I find out?” her anger was very obvious in her voice.

“M-maybe St-Steam knows,” stammered the eevee.

Ninetales was silent for a while, her forehead scrunched up in thought.

“You’re staying with us for the night,” she told the kits. “I want two pokémon on guard all night. No one leaves or approaches this place. I’ll deal with this problem in the morning.”

*****

Steam and Vaporeon-sensei went to wake the eevee up and talk to Puki but were shocked when they found the cavern where they’d been completely empty.

“Huh,” snorted Vaporeon-sensei, “I guess they’ve decided to play hide and seek.”

“I don’t have time to play,” complained Steam, “I’ll have the caves searched.”

“Good idea.”

*****

“Nothing,” reported the final vaporeon.

“Nothing?” echoed Steam.

“Yes, sir,” answered the vaporeon, “I looked carefully too.”

“They can’t have vanished. Could they?” asked Vaporeon-sensei.

“Something’s up and I don’t like it,” observed Steam.

“Steam!” called a vaporeon from down a stony passage, his voice echoing, allowing Steam and Vaporeon-sensei to clearly hear the urgency in his voice.

“What is it?” asked Steam, running up to the vaporeon.

“There’s a growlithe and she claims she has our cubs!” answered the vaporeon guard. “She’s at the entrance to our territory.”

“Damn it!” swore Steam. “What happened?”

“I have no idea,” answered Vaporeon-sensei, the same feeling of dread washing over both of their bodies like diving into a pool, only this did not feel at all comforting to the two water pokémon.

“Call Aquafang!” barked out Steam as he sped away to the gap in the mountains.

*****

Steam stopped as he got to the entrance to his pack’s territory. There was already a small group of concerned and worried vaporeon gathered around and standing, nervously, in the gap between the mountains was a lone female growlithe. Her fur was the usual orange and not the black fur of Dark Growlithe that Steam was used to.

“You have a message for me?” asked Steam, his tone firm but not questioning.

“I have a message from Queen Ninetales,” answered the growlithe.

She was not used to delivering messages, especially to hostile pokémon that both outnumbered her and had a type advantage.

“She has your eevee hostage and will release them in return for information.”

“What information?” demanded Steam.

“Come alone to the forest and she’ll discuss it with you.”

She then turned and forced herself to walk away normally, ignoring Steam’s demands for more information, despite the fact she was desperate to run as fast as possible to the safety of her pack.

*****

“Is it true?” asked Aquafang.

“It’s true,” answered Steam gravely, “Ninetales must have found out that we were hiding Dark Growlithe and she’s come back for him.”

“What do we do?”

“It might not be the same Ninetales,” offered Vaporeon-sensei, “This could be something totally different.”

“I doubt it,” disagreed Steam, “She’s the only Ninetales I’ve heard about around here. In any case we’ve still got to do what’s best for our cubs.”

“If you don’t come alone she’ll kill them,” stated Aquafang.

“I know. But if you sneaked behind her using those emergency paths then we would have the upper hand.”

“It’s risky,” warned Aquafang.

“It’s the only choice,” said Steam, “You will take as many fighters as you can. I’ll be counting on you.”

“Right,” acknowledged Aquafang, before leaving to brief his troops.

“What can I do?” asked Vaporeon-sensei.

“Keep a group of Vaporeon here to cover me and the eevee if we need help.”

Vaporeon-sensei nodded.

“I’ll give Aquafang a few minutes before I go. If I take too long Ninetales will get suspicious.”

*****

Steam strode nervously through the forest but determined not to reveal it. Soon he found himself before Ninetales.

“What do you want, fox?” he snarled.

“Are you upset I took your cubs? You took one of mine and I want him back.”

“He came to me of his own free will. He’s not here anyway so you’re wasting your time.”

“I’ve heard he’s not here but I haven’t heard where he is currently. Please, enlighten me.”

“Why should I?”

“Because otherwise they’ll die,” sneered Bandit, coming out from behind Ninetales.

“You!” growled Steam, taking a step forward.

“Stay back!” ordered Ninetales. “He came to me by his own free will too.”

“Just give me back my eevee.”

“Where’s Dark Growlithe?”

“I don’t know,” answered Steam.

Ninetales was staring at him intently. Would he lie with his cubs’ lives at risk? She doubted it.

“Say I believe you,” she said. “I still think you have a rough idea. Where is he?”

Bandit was standing over an eevee, grinning evilly. Steam couldn’t stall any longer and just hoped Aquafang had had enough time to get in position. Steam opened his mouth and fired a water-gun with perfect accuracy, as befits a pack leader, striking Bandit in the face, knocking him away from the eevee he would have otherwise killed.

“You’ll never learn anything! Give up! You’re surrounded!”

There was a moment of tension where Steam wondered whether he’d just made his last mistake. He wouldn’t survive against so many opponents. Just as Ninetales’ pack were about to move however Aquafang came into view, followed by a team of high-level vaporeon who spread out and encircled Ninetales and her fire pokémon.

“Get the eevee,” commanded Steam.

Aquafang walked into the midst of the enemy and led the eevee back home.

“Your bargaining chip is gone and you’re in trouble,” stated Steam, “I could kill you now if I wanted.”

Ninetales showed no sign of fear.

“Possibly,” she admitted, “but I’m pretty good in battles. How about we forget this happened? You’ve got what you want and I’ll leave you alone. You win.”

“I don’t want to fight so I’ll make you an offer.”

“Oh?” asked Ninetales.

“I’ll forget this happened and let you go,” said Steam, “If you give me Bandit.”

Bandit snorted. He didn’t think that would happen. He was high in her eyes, right?

“Deal,” answered Ninetales. “His information proved useless to me.”

“What?” demanded Bandit. “You can’t be seri-!”

Ninetales struck the eevee with her tails, sending him flying toward one of the vaporeon. Bandit hit the ground and skidded to a stop. Before he could do anything the vaporeon head butted him, hard. The air was all forced out of his lungs and he lay there gasping for breath.

“Stay away from this forest,” commanded Steam. “If I learn you’ve returned, I’ll hunt you down.”

Ninetales glared but said nothing as she led her humiliated pack back home. Dark Growlithe was no longer here and she now had no leads.

Steam watched until Ninetales had disappeared before he turned to Bandit. The eevee snarled at him and Steam smashed his face into the ground with a strong tail-whip.

“You’re coming back for judgement,” declared Steam. “And I don’t think it’s going to go well for you.”