FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter Seven

When we got back to the coast town it was few days after. The sun was already starting to set and the sky getting that dark blue signifying the start of twilight. Psy took us straight to Pangoro and Axel and I had to stay out in the hallway. I could hear they speaking softly in the room, at least I could hear Pangoro reacting to what Psy was telling him. I took the backpack and helped Axel take off his, laying them next to the door.

It was a full hour before the large panda finally called us both into the room, "All right you two, come in here."

I pushed open the door slowly and stepped in, Axel trotted in behind me and I closed the door. I looked up to see Pangoro standing and leaning against a new looking desk; I remembered the last one he had smashed in anger. Psy was sitting on the sill of an open window across the door, arms and legs crossed and I wondered how he was keeping his balance a moment before Pangoro spoke up.

"I hear you saw something pretty bad huh?"

I nodded lightly, "Yeah, pretty bad...I'm not sure what to think of it all yet."

"And unfortunately we don't have time to discuss it here now either." Pangoro grumbled. He reached beside himself and pulled up a piece of paper on his desk, handing it to me.

I blinked in confusion as I took the paper, starting to read aloud as Axel came up beside me to read as well. "This is a message of summons for one by the name of Ruli, you are being called to your clan for urgent matters that cannot be discussed in this letter. Your immediate presence is required. Failure to arrive within the week may result in banishment from your clan. Regards, Elder...Xio'en?" I wasn't sure quite how to pronounce the name, saying it like Show-in.

I looked up at Pangoro, "What does this mean?"

"The Lucario clan is calling you home for something..." Pangoro frowned, "I want to know why they choose now of all times, they've allowed you to live here under our teaching so far as its where your father wanted you to stay. Well, rather it was where Ruli's had-" He cut off and rubbed his temples, "Either way, we can't let you get banished from your clan."

"Why?" I asked again, looking over to Psy, "Is being banished bad?"

It was Axel that answered though, "It's like being presumed dead by your own people." He explained lightly, "You're not allowed to return to your pack, not allowed to use their resources in doing things, and you're not allowed to have any children."

"We have a few banished pokémon here in town." Psy said.

"Really? Who?"

"Milotic for one." Pangoro said and I turned my ears in confusion, which Pangoro noticed and continued to explain, "She was banished from her clan when she used her healing powers on a land pokémon, which for her clan is forbidden. They reserve their healing for those that live in the oceans and seas."

"But she saved his life, she does not regret her decision to help. She has been trying to get her clan to see the error in such selfishness, but to no avail." Psy sighed and shook his head, and it was now that I realized he had taken off his blindfold.

"Hey Psy, where's your blindfold?" I asked then and he tilted his head and chuckled.

"I was wondering if you were going to notice." Psy teleported in front of me and Axel then. "You see, the Lucario clan is a four day trek from here. The messenger for that letter arrived not long after we had left to go to the Tower."

"So two days have already past, that leaves him five days to make it there within the week." Axel determined.

Psy nodded, "And that is why I have taken my blindfold off, I am going to teleport you both to the base of the mountain the Lucario pack lives on, but it'll be up to you to get to the top."

"You can't teleport us all the way there?" Axel asked.

"I can only teleport myself and others to places I've already been before, I have never been to the actual clan's home, I was only allowed to stay at the base."

"Wait..." Axel started and then he growled, "You could've just teleported to the top of the Tower the whole time?" I wondered if he was upset that we walked there or if he was upset that and outsider could have such easy access to the tower without the Eeveelutions knowing it.

Psy shook his head again, "No, not to the top, until a few days ago I've only been inside the Leafeon village. To teleport into the middle of their camp would've been to invite too much conflict than necessary, and I already knew it would be difficult getting your aunt to let us climb the tower. Walking was the best solution." Psy slapped his tail lightly as I saw a grin on his muzzle, "And besides, me willingly teleporting others all over would make you and other pokémon lazy. In this situation though time is of the essence."

Pangoro suddenly threw two backpacks at me and Axel, them making a soft thump on the ground, making me jump a bit as I had been listening to Psy. They were a little larger than the other two we had previously, and more rugged looking.

"There's supplies in one of the bags and a tent big enough for you both in the other." Pangoro grunted, "Psy will wait at the base of the mountain each day at sun down for an hour to bring you back once you are done with what the clan is needing."

"We're leaving now?" Axel groaned, making a very grumpy face. "I was hoping to relax a bit...we have four days after all, my feet are killing me."

"If you want to rest you can rest at the base of the mountain before climbing it tomorrow." Pangoro said back at the grumpy Eevee and I couldn't help but chuckle a bit. Axel continued to grumble as we both strapped on the new backpacks, then stood in front of Psy again.

"Both of you close your eyes. Teleporting through space is not pretty and you don't want to see it." I did as I was told and closed my eyes tight.

"I'm going to teleport you both now, you may feel the sensation that you are falling for a few seconds. Remain still and do not open your eyes though, I promise you will be fine. No matter what, do not move and do not open your eyes. Understood?" I nodded vigorously and I figured Axel did the same as Psy continued, "All right then, hold still."

I felt Psy's three fingered paw touch my forehead.

Ruli, before I send you off I have something to inform you.

I didn't answer, but sent an emotion of question that I believed he felt as he continued.

Seek out the Lucario known as Lucian. He lives in caves not far outside the clan.

I frowned and I heard his voice chuckle, It would break my duty if I told you more.

What duty? I frowned even more but then I suddenly felt that falling sensation, making me gasp out. Though I could tell my body remained still, I could feel as if I were falling through open air. Bright flashes of color filled my vision behind my own eyelids. I suddenly found that I was not able to breath, my lungs starting to burn as my passive breathing had been forced to stop mid exhale. The sensation woke the urge to flail and open my eyes, but Psy's warning was more pressing. I forced myself to ignore my instincts and remained still and held my eyes shut tight, hoping it was end soon.

And suddenly, it was over, I felt my feet touch grass under me, and a gentle breeze on my face. The smell of the forest hit my nose, as I breathed in deeply and calmed that burning in my lungs. The flashes of colors ceased. I stood for a few moments before I opened my eyes slowly and carefully.

We were in the middle of a forest, just a few hundred yards away from the beginning of a path that appeared to move its way into some cliffs. I looked up and saw the mountains, the peaks reaching up into the clouds and capped with ice. I realized these were the same mountains I could see out in the distance during the walk to the forest Tower.

"Wow..." I breathed out as I looked up and Axel started next to me.

"He said not to open your eyes!" He hissed at me and I looked at him. He was holding as still as possible, he seemed to be holding his breath as well.

"We're already here Axel." I told him.

"What?" He said in confusion, "We are?"

"Yeah, what made you think we were still teleporting?" I laughed a bit and smiled as the Eevee opened his eyes slowly and he sighed thankfully.

"I've been teleported by Espeons before many times. That's why I held my breath, I knew you can't breath while crossing through space. Guess I couldn't tell when it stopped, I must be getting used to it." He stated and he sat down in the grass, wiggling as he shrugged off his pack. "This thing weighs a ton!" He complained and threw it to the grass before laying in the grass on his side. The pack tumbled and made lots of bulky noises and I guessed that it was the pack that was full of apples.

"I wish Psy would've mentioned that as well, not being able to breath did almost make me freak out and open my eyes."

"My paws are killing me Ruli!" Axel continued to moan, spreading his legs up into the air, "Why couldn't we relax in the town until tomorrow?"

"I don't know." I chuckled again as I let my own pack fall to the ground and I laid in the grass next to him. "Aren't you use to moving around?" I asked him curiously and he grumbled a bit.

"No..." He sighed and looked up at the sky with me, "I trained and stuff sure, and occasionally would visit other clans, but the Espeons would come and teleport us for that. I had to walk from my clan all the way to the town to enroll in the school, but I rested plenty on the way and followed a well traveled path. The last few days have been the most walking, and excitement, I've had in a long time."

I nodded as I looked at the clouds drifting along the sky, staring at the points where the mountains penetrated them, the clouds parting and sliding along the rocks like puffy snakes to converge on the other end into their massive sizes again.

"It's probably going to get much more exciting too..." I said back, wondering what the Lucario pack had summoned me for.

"Hey." Axel said next to me after a few moments of silence and I looked over at him. He stared right at me, black and brown eyes bearing into mine. "No matter what, I'm gonna help you figure this all out. I..." He stopped and looked up at the sky instead then again, turning his head back up. The sky above us was now a bright orange, it had been slowly glowing more and more orange as the sun was setting.

"I kind of see a lot of similarities between us..." He finished, "I mean...you don't know where you belong in this world, just the same as I do..."

I nodded lightly, trying to imagine would it be like to be Axel in this situation. Sent on his journey to decide what one of his clans he wanted to dedicate the rest of his life to, but I already knew he wanted more out of his life. He wanted to see the world, he wanted to create something he could be himself with. He had told me he had seen himself living in the town as an Umbreon through the mirror, and so he had instantly enrolled in the school as part of his journey. Perhaps the only reason he had been allowed to enroll was because he made it part of his journey. From what I had seen so far, the Eeveelutions were very strict, and probably wouldn't have made a exception for even a prince of clan leaders to go enroll in a school that had nothing to do with what the journey was meant to do.

To think of that then, did Axel actually really care about the threat the humans seemingly posed? I instantly shook that thought away. His reactions to what the mirror showed me told me he did care deep down. The dark thought about what he would think of me should he find out I was human crawled up once more to the back of my mind.

"Axel..." I started softly and he answered, "Yeah?

"What..." I paused, trying to think of how I could word this. "I had a thought..." I turned my head to look at him, he continued staring up at the sky. I felt my heart hammering in my chest, but I felt like I had to take this plunge and trust in him, but...I needed to get a clue of how he might react.

"What...what if I'm not just a pokémon?" I finished carefully and he looked over at me.

"Huh? Sure look like one to me."

"Sure now but...what if I wasn't one to begin with?"

"Well...what else would you be then?" He actually chuckled, smiling as a breeze suddenly listed through the clearing we were laying in, strong enough to shake the trees.

Both our fur ruffled in the wind as I kept my most serious expression I could, my heart still pounding as I forced out my words. "A human."

Axel's chuckling stopped and he stared at me again, eyes peering into my own red ones. The breeze faded and both of our furs settled down. He continued staring at me for several seconds before he asked, "What makes you think that?"

I thought a moment and shook my head, "I...I don't know." Of course I did know, but I didn't actually think beyond telling him what I just said, too nerve wracked on thinking he would figure something out during that silence.

"It's just...too convenient?" I started and reached up to the sky with my arm, clenching my paw into a fist. "This body...I don't remember anything beyond a few days ago...I don't even remember what the mirror showed me. I've just been thinking, the mirrors protect this world from the world of the humans yeah?"

"That's right." Axel nodded, the tone of his voice pressing me to keep explaining.

"And suddenly, a group of pokémon have a plot to destroy the mirrors?" I kept with the lie of what what I had seen in the mirror. "Why would pokémon want to do that? The only conclusion I could think of is that they weren't really pokémon, they were humans, transformed into pokémon. If I was a part of that group, what if I actually am a human?"

Axel began to chuckle next to me and I turned to look at him, he had a large smile on his face and I blushed, feeling flustered. This was not the reaction I expected at all. I sat up as I growled "H-hey don't laugh at me, I'm trying to confide my worries here!"

"I know I know." Axel continued to laugh as he tried to speak, "It's just that I already told you the answer to this."

"Huh?" I questioned him and he took a deep breath to try and calm his fits of laughter before he grinned at me big enough to show his teeth.

"So what if you were human?" He said and I blinked in surprise, he turned his gaze away from me again and looked up at the sky, still smiling "I already told you...you don't remember being one, you don't remember anything from before the time you woke up. You don't remember being told your 'mission' was to destroy the mirrors. You've been given a new life, you can do with it as you want. Whatever you were before doesn't matter. Right now, you are a Riolu. Right now, you are here, with me."

I looked down between my legs a moment as I took in his words. A warmth filled my chest and I smiled, finding my vision blurred. I sniffled as my nose became runny and rubbed my eyes, the warmth building as I suddenly found myself crying. I laughed during it though, feeling tears dropping down onto my legs. I had never experienced a "Happy cry" as it was. I felt so relieved, so amazing. Although I knew I still lied to him, he effectively told me he still would not care if I was once human. Right now, I was just Ruli to him.

I felt a sudden prodding at my sides and looked over to see Axel standing there with his paw up in the air that he had poked me with. He looked very concerned, but he didn't say anything as he saw my smile, clearly confused on why I was crying at the same time.

I reached out suddenly and hugged him fiercely, taking him by surprise as I pulled him against me. I squeezed him tightly as I buried my face in the fur of his shoulder, the biggest smile I felt I could ever have on my muzzle as I cried in happiness. He stayed silent and held still as I did this for several minutes, until I felt in control enough that I pulled away a bit to look into his eyes again, still smiling brightly as tears streamed down my cheeks.

"Thank you Axel..." I chuckled and rubbed my eyes again to try and clear the tears as he nuzzled my cheek then as well.

"That must have been really worrying you...I'm sorry I laughed at you." He said softly and I shook his head.

"No it's okay." I chuckled and I tried nuzzling him back, but I wasn't used to such a canine action and missed my intended target, touching my nose against his.

Axel froze up in place as I did this and I paused when I felt my nose hit his. We stared into each others eyes once more again but this time I felt Axel stared slightly different than he had been before. After a few moments Axel shuffled away from the contact, eyes breaking away and he seemed slightly off put. He stared away to avoid my gaze and I noticed a deep blush on his cheeks, causing the warmth in my chest to spread to my own cheeks as I did.

"Um...let's uh...set up the tent and eat something yeah?" He said, trying to dispel the awkwardness.

I nodded and chuckled in my own awkwardness, the tears fading as now I was feeling a whole different kind of happiness. "Y-yeah, sure."

We set up our tent and ate a portion of the fresh apples that Pangoro had packed for us. We sat in relative silence though as we ate in the tent, the awkwardness of what had happened thick in the air, but I didn't think it would last. It gave me time to think and sort out these new emotions. I realized that in all of this craziness I had been caught up in, I had never bothered to think about what was now nagging at me.

We went to sleep early before the sun had even fully set, at first laying fairly far apart from each other and with our backs turned to the other. As the night came and Axel fell asleep though, he subconsciously scooted across the tent to lay beside me, our backs now touching slightly. I however, remained awake, tired but unable to sleep with these thoughts and emotions warring in my head.

Was I...falling in love? Was I gay? Did that matter at all if I was before I became a Riolu or was this just...finding a connection when I really needed one?

I thought again about what Axel had said to me, feeling that warmth grow in my chest again. I blushed, my paw clenching the fabric of the tent that I laid on. I know I had felt glad to have him as a friend prior, like when he took the hit for me from the bullies in the forest and when he cheered me up in the Tower. This though, this was a different warmth altogether. One I knew that even as a human I had never felt before.

I had been so scared to tell him. To even hint at the possibility that I was human was terrifying me. I had conjured up scenes of him running off to the nearest Eeveelutions clan to report me if I ever told him.

And instead he just said, "So what if you were human?"

My grip on the tent tightened again, my eyes closing as I tried to make sense of what I was feeling. I eventually dozed off to sleep after a few moments, too tired to keep thinking about it.

___________________________

I woke in the middle of the night to soft sniffling outside the tent. I rose slowly and rubbed my eyes awake, noticing that Axel was not beside me. I looked around and saw a shadow dancing on the covers of the tent, the moon outside bright enough tonight to cast them it seemed.

I opened the tent to see Axel sitting outside there, standing and staring up at the moon. His eyes glistened with tears as he continued sniffling quietly, obviously trying to keep from waking me. He seemed too distracted to hear me rustling the tent amount the noise of the wind and sounds of night in the forest around us. I slowly left the tent and padded up behind him, not trying to be silent but he still did not seem to notice me there.

Instead, I came up beside him and stared up at the moon as well. He jumped slightly, finally noticing me there. His gaze left the moon and I looked to my left at him. He stared at his feet now, tears falling onto them. I reached out and put my paw on his head, starting to slowly rub between his ears as he cried. He didn't speak for a long time.

"I'm sorry..." He eventually started, "I didn't know what to do when that happened. I thought you were trying to do something."

"What do you mean?"

He chuckled between his sniffling, "When we touched noses. I remembered moments into it that you don't know."

"When canines touch noses it's a sign of deep affection..." He said and I blushed and removed my paw from his head.

"Oh? I'm uh...I'm sorry."

"It's okay." He chuckled again and brought his face back up to stare at the moon again, smiling slightly. "I know you probably didn't mean it but it...made me think..."

I felt my heart pounding again and the blush I felt grew hotter as I gulped, "What about?"

"You...you confided in me your worries...I guess I should in you as well. I...I am gay."

I blinked and felt my heart skip a bit as I found my tail giving a slight wag, but I was sure he probably didn't see it. "You are?"

He nodded and chuckled, "Yeah...I realized a long time ago I didn't really feel an attraction to the females of my clans. I looked up to all the males, wanted to be like some of them. I only ever saw the females as nagging and bossy." He chuckled as he shook his head. "But you can imagine, that doesn't go over so well for someone like me. I'm a prince..."

"You're expected to carry on your bloodline..." I realized for him and he nodded, staying quiet a few moments more before speaking again.

"I lied slightly to you about what I saw in the mirror." He said softly and I tilted my head, "I did see myself living in the coast town and I was an Umbreon but I was living with someone as well."

"Did you happen to..." I paused as I couldn't think straight. "See who it was?"

Axel shook his head, "No I didn't, but the state the den was in was for two pokémon. Someone else did live there I'm sure of it." Axle looked over at me, eyes still wet from tears as he smiled and gave a light giggle, closing his eyes then as he tilted his head, ears tilting with it, "I can't help but to wonder now if that someone is you."

I blushed heavily and blinked a bit as I shuffled, though my tail was wagging like crazy behind me. I couldn't stop it as I coughed. "I...I...um."

Axel chuckled again and nuzzled up against me, making me freeze up as I found him under my arm suddenly as he looked up at me, I was just only slightly taller than him.

"Stay with me Ruli...I...really want to see if it is you..." He spoke to me almost as if he pleaded. I stared down at him, still blushing heavily. I found my arm wrapping around him and squeezing him tightly as I nodded, unable to find more to say.

We stayed silent again as we stared up at the moon together, eventually sitting and then laying down in the grass beside each other. I hugged Axel close, spooned behind him and rubbing his chest with my paws. He fell asleep quickly, breathing softly. I watched him sleeping in my arms and replayed everything that had just happened since we had been teleported here and were alone.

The warmth in my chest never did completely fade now as I held him. A light blush stayed on my cheeks the whole time and I came to the conclusion that what my thoughts led to were true.

I was falling in love with Axel. And now, thankfully, it seemed he may be with me.

__________________________

I fell asleep in the grass with Axel. Waking up as the sun shined down on us over the trees in mid noon. We packed up our tent and made our way to the base of the mountains, beginning to follow the ragged path up. I took the pack full of apples as it was indeed much heavier than the other one and as a fighting type I naturally had more physical strength than he did to carry it, which was probably what Pangoro had intended to begin with.

We helped each other up the rocky parts and tricky climbs. There was definitely a much deeper connection between the two of us now. We felt happy, we felt free, and we felt close. When I would grasp his paw in mine to hoist him up a cliff, the warmth in my chest would make me feel like I was practically glowing.

Of course, I didn't try to make this obvious, but Axel made an observation as we were walking in the evening along the rocky path.

"I don't think I've seen you wag your tail this much before." He commented from just behind me as we walked.

"What?" I looked over my shoulder and noticed that my tail was wagging rather fast and I tried to make it stop, feeling flustered.

He giggled at me as I stopped walking. He kept going with a grin, switching places with me as he now walked in front of me and I walked behind, blushing heavily as I watched him in front of me, but grinning as I noticed how his own fluffy tail would wave to and fro.

It was close to the end of the day when we finally seemed to reaching signs of a village close by. Markings on the rocks told us which way to go, and soon I saw a familiar looking pokémon in the distance. A fellow Riolu was sitting alone on the edges of a rocky outcropping, paws holding him there as he dangled his feet over the edge lazily. He appeared slightly larger than me, probably just was older.

I waved, "Hey there!" I shouted out and he looked up in surprise, started to see me. He relaxed a bit when he saw me, but when he saw Axel he remained where he was.

"H-hello!" He called back to me from the ledge. "Are you Ruli?"

I nodded, "Yeah! Is the clan near?"

"Keep following the path!" He called back, the rose, "I'll go ahead to let them know you're coming!"

"Thanks!" I shouted as he began running along the ledges, watching in a bit of amazement as he jumped between the ledges without pause, despite the sheer deadly fall.

"Why can't you do that?" Axel asked as he watched with me.

"I didn't grow up here." I answered back and I gulped, wondering what awaited me in the clan again.

__________________________

We found the village soon after just as the Riolu told us, and a pair of Lucario were waiting at the entrance to meet us. The village it seemed was a system of caves built into the mountains here, a main hub of sorts in a valley between the rocks. The Lucarios that greeted us were much taller than us and beneath their fur was obvious muscle.

One of the Lucario's bowed slightly as we approached, "Greetings, young Ruli. We have been told or your arrival."

"I'm uh...answering the summons?" I stated and rubbed my head, not sure what more to say. The other Lucario growled at me and I jumped a bit, Axel's fur bristling.

The first Lucario nodded. "My apologies. I guess I'm being a little too formal. I knew your father when we were kids..."

"Oh...I see." I said sadly and nodded, "I...never knew him I'm afraid."

"I'm aware...but rather to explain, Lucario and Riolu are rather formal when greeting each other. You grew up in the town so you are not trained in the formalities, it was your father's wish that you grew up there rather than in your clan." He waved at the other Lucario, who grunted and nodded as well, apparently knowing that he had to ignore if I broke formal codes.

"I'll take you to Elder Xio'en." He said and I was relieved that I had pronounced it right afterall.

We followed the two Lucario through the village, taking in the sights around us at the same time. I noticed many Lucario and Riolu were digging, using punches and kicks to mine through the rock. Were they mining here?

"We mine for rare minerals and stones and send them to other clans as treasures, some are used to create other tools that then create the housing for other pokémon clans." The Lucario in front of us said, then chuckled as he felt my surprise, "We can feel your emotions through your aura. You are curious."

"Aura?" I asked, "I had heard that before..."

"It is what our species uses to fight and feel our surroundings with." He explained, "Lucario are able to feel it better than young Riolu though."

We soon reached a large cave with a pair of currently unlit torches at each end. Each of the Lucario stood at either end and waved their paws into the cave.

"The Elder is expecting you Ruli, your friend is welcome to come as well..." He nodded to Axel.

I looked at Axel who nodded to me and together we both stepped into the cave.