Fate
Fate
By Tyler "Bloodclaw" Otukai
Throughout my life, I have met many challenges and adventures, each of which I faced head-on. These challenges are what made me what I am today.
My father was Tyler Otukai, the legendary hero. He is the one who rose up against Dark Lord Havok when he had taken over my grandfather's body. My father used the strength given to him from his friends to rip Havok's soul from grandpa's body. Havok, by then, had regained enough of his strength to resurrect his own body. In the moments before my father and Havok commenced their final battle, Tyler thought to himself, 'This is it. After all I've been through, It comes down to this: I'm facing Havok, finally, but none of my friends were able to climb the tower to it's summit. I'm in this alone...'
'No, you're not,' Midnight Kenzuka's, his sister's voice, came through his head. 'Even when we cannot be together, we will all be with you,' The voices of all his friends and companions he met on his journey to avenge his mother's death flashed through his mind. They all encouraged him to fight on, when his mother, Alyssa Otukai, who was killed by Havok's shadow warriors, spoke to him. She told him that she was proud of how much Tyler had grown; how he had grown stronger, more mature. Tyler finally had enough strength and courage to face Havok, and, in the ensuing battle, gave his life to seal Havok away forever, preventing him from ever returning to the mortal world ever again. His journey, and the tale of his adventures, came to be known as "The Journey of Hope,"
On his journey, Tyler met a wolf named Amanda, whom he fell in love with quickly. A year later, Tyler and Amanda had 2 children; a white furred wolf, and a Pikachu, the same as Tyler. Both were male. Soon after we were born, Amanda was killed. Until he could return to care for us, he entrusted us in the care of his sister, Midnight and her mate and future husband, Chaos. The pikachu, my brother, was named after Midnight's late father, Ebon, and I was named Tyler, after my father. I met my father on several occasions, but never really got to know him.
Koga Otukai, my grandfather, eventually recovered from having Havok's soul ripped from him, but not completely. His eyesight blurred severely, forcing him into glasses, and his reactions and reflexes slowed down considerably. He moved back to Kurftan, our home town, and helped Midnight and Chaos take care of me and my brother.
We all moved to Gaia soon after. Ebon and I moved out about 2 years ago, when we turned 18. I met Kali and he met a boy named Gecko, who was about Ebon's age, even if he was at least a foot shorter.
Kali was still a senior when i graduated from high school, so I waited a year and decided to reopen the pub my sister, Jewel, owned. Ebon waited a year as well, but Gecko decided to go ahead. They share an apartment nearby.
About a month after I opened the Wolf's Paw, a feral named Hogosha appeared when a fight broke out among my guests. She protected me from them and helped chase them off. Later, she explained that she was my father's guardian spirit, and that he had asked her to reveal herself to me when the time was right and protect me, just as she once protected my father. Ever since, she has helped me run the inn as well.
Today, I had spent most of the day with my family. Ebon visited as well, and we all spent the day out as a family. When I left them, I realized I was late at opening the Wolf's Paw. On my way, a thunderstorm broke out, and the rain picked up quickly. By the time I reached the in, my snow white fur had been completely soaked. I quickly unlocked the door and ran inside, flicking the lights on and turning the sign on the door to open. Hogosha walked up and greeted me with a friendly rub against my thigh.
"Welcome back, Tyler. I trust you had a good day?" She asked, letting a slight purr escape from her throat.
"Yes, I did. At least, until this rainstorm broke out," I replied. I glanced at the clock. 7:40 pm. More than 5 hours until closing. I sighed and said, "Great. Another lonely night. Doubt anyone will want to come here in this kind of weather," I walked over to the living room with Hogosha, who plopped down in front of the fireplace. As I put a log in the fire and lit it, I said, "It's bad enough there aren't any customers. Kali and Ru can't even come because they had to leave on a trip with their friends," I sat down on the carpet next to Hogosha and started scratching her head. As I did, her purring got much louder. "At least I have you," I took off my shirt and pants and hung them over the fireplace to let them dry, leaving me completely naked.
Hogosha stopped purring and said, "While you were gone, a suspicious-looking character was hanging out around the door, but he left soon. I think he was scared off when he saw a giant snow leopard roaming around inside," she purred, referring to her own, sleek figure.
Before I could reply, the bell above the front door rang, signaling someone's entrance. I walked over to greet them. I was still naked at this time, but it didn't really cross my mind. Nudity wasn't really a concern in inns and pubs. In fact, I had grown used to seeing the naked bodies of guests on busy nights. The figure in the doorway was that of a male Ninetails, but, instead of the usual red-orange fur, he had the same white fur as me. I wasn't used to seeing pokemon; this Ninetails was the only one I had seen in this city other than my Pikachu brother, Ebon.
"Welcome. How may I hel..." I stopped when I got a closer look at him. Water was dripping from every part of his body, and he was shivering really badly. I guessed that he had been out in the rain since it started.
"My gods! Please come in!" I said in shock. The figure stumbled forward, and would have fallen, if I hadn't rushed forward to catch him.
"My gods! You're freezing! Before we do anything, we need to get you warmed up before hypothermia sets in," I took his arm around my neck and lead him to the shower room. As I did, I yelled, "Hogosha! Turn on the hot water!" A few seconds later, I heard the water running through the pipes over my head. Once we reached the shower room, I helped the Ninetails strip himself of his soaked clothes and started the shower. Once he was under the warm water, I took his clothes and brought them into the living room, where I proceeded to hang them over the fireplace.
When I walked back to the shower room, I heard moans coming from the man I just helped. Before I ran in to help him, I realized that those were moans of pleasure. The door squeaked as I opened it, and the moans stopped suddenly. I stepped into the shower with him, and I could tell he was trying to hide something from me.
"You miss your girlfriend?" I asked.
"Uh, no. Girls aren't really my thing," He answered shyly. His face glowed red. "I don't really have anyone like that. I just...lost my last mate a little while ago," His ears drooped, and his tails stopped wagging against themselves.
"I'm sorry..." I tried to say, but the Ninetails threw his arms around my neck and started sobbing. His body shuddered as he gasped for breath. After a few awkward moments, I said, "Well, did he, like, die, or..."
"No. He dumped me for another, better looking guy," he replied in between sobs.
"Well, you just have to stop thinking about him. Let's go into the living room. I can make some dinner,"
*Sniff* "Thanks. That sounds nice," he said. We each grabbed a towel from the towel rack and got as much water out of our fur as we could. We then went to the living room. The Ninetails sat down on the carpet in front of the fireplace. I put another log in the fire and sat down next to him.
"By the way, I never got your name," I asked.
"Oh, sorry. My name's Pyro Farlade,"
"Thanks, Pyro. Mine's Tyler Otukai,"
"Wait, you're THE Tyler Otukai?! Dude, your father's, like, a legend!"
"Yeah, I get that a lot. But please, don't make a big deal about it. I quite like this quiet lifestyle I have,"
"You call running a bar a 'quiet' lifestyle?" Hogosha said as she walked in.
"I know you! You're Hogosha, Tyler's Guardian Spirit! You're the one who protected Tyler on his way to beat Havok, aren't you?" Pyro asked.
Hogosha giggled and replied, "Yes, I was, but now I protect his son, instead,"
"Yeah, she's a really big help," I said as I scratched Hogosha's head, who had just laid down next to me and set her head and one of her front paws on my lap.
"She seems friendly," He said through a yawn. I looked at the clock. It read 9:57. I must not have realized how much time had passed. "You know, I think I'll just skip dinner,"
Of course, you are staying here for the night," I said, more as a statement than a question. "And, I can't very well charge you for your stay, so tonight's on me," I added.
"Really? Thanks," Pyro replied.
"There's only one room that isn't trashed. A bunch of drunk bikers came yesterday, and decided to trash every room that isn't mine, so we'll have to share a bed," Pyro's face turned red at the statement. "Come on. Let's get some sleep,"
"But, what if someone else comes?" He asked.
"Trust me. They won't," I said as I walked over to the door and locked it. I flipped the sign to closed and returned to Pyro, to whom I gave a key. "My room's the first one on the left. The dresser near the window has my clothes in it. Feel free to borrow a pair until yours get washed. I'm going to clean up the kitchen before I go to bed," I explained. He thanked me and walked off down the hall. I returned to the living room and put out the fire, then went to the kitchen and started cleaning the dishes.
"You really like him, don't you?" Fenrir said as she stuck her head through a window in the kitchen. Her long, craning neck let her reach her head all the way across the kitchen so it stopped next to me. While dragons like her can't speak, they can project their thoughts into the minds of those around them to make up for that.
Fenrir had come to me when I was still a child. Ebon was jealous, at least until he befriended a wyvern of his own.
"You shouldn't be here. He already seems unstable enough. I don't think seeing a huge dragon in the middle of the night will help," I replied.
"Don't change the subject, even if you're making a completely valid point. You really like him, DON'T you?" She said, repeating her previous question.
"Well, yes, he's nice, but I already have a girlfreind,"
"Oh, please, Tyler. Don't kid yourself. I can tell You're falling in love with him," Hogosha stated as she walked in.
"Yes. We can both sense it. I can feel your emotions toward him. You can't just stand there and deny it,"
"You're only half right," I said, addressing both of them. "He is one of the cutest and nicest guys I've met, and I will admit that I do have feelings for him, but I do not love him. I can't just fall in love with someone the first time I meet them. I'm not that shallow,"
"...You're right. I misjudged the emotions I was feeling from you. I'm sorry," Fenrir dipped her head, ashamed.
"Fenrir, It's not your fault. You made a mistake. Everyone does," I said as I dried the last of the dishes and put it in the rack with the rest of them. "Good night, Fenrir. I'll see you in the morning," Fenrir dipped her head and pulled her neck out the window, closing it gently. I could hear the air her wings pushed against the ground as she took off and flew away. Hogosha followed me back to my room where we found Pyro, still naked, making the bed.
"Pyro, you don't have to do that. You are my guest, after all," I said. He jumped and stood back, his fur standing on end. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you,"
"Don't worry. I just didn't expect you to be back so soon," He said, letting his fur lay flat again.
"Besides, it's way too hot out tonight to have any sheets on the bed," I said with a laugh. I was right, too. The temp tonight was supposed to be above 70.
"O-okay," Pyro replied.
"Oh, I just remembered, I forgot to lock the back door. Be right back," I said as I left and headed to the back. I found the lock closed. I hadn't had time to do it. Hogosha must have done it. I returned to my room to thank her, but she wasn't there. Only Pyro was there. He was curled up on one side of the bed. I decided to thank Hogosha in the morning. I laid down next to Pyro (It's a small bed.) and took my glasses off, setting them down on the nightstand next to my bed.
"Tyler, are you the only one who works here, besides Hogosha?"
"No. My friends Kali and Ru come in to help when they have free time, as does my brother and his mate,"
"So, does it get lonely here, on nights like tonight?"
"Sometimes, yes,"
Pyro turned over to look at me and said, "Tyler, don't you ever wish that you had someone to stay here, with you?"
I sat up and answered, "Wh-what are you saying?"
He sat up and looked straight into my eyes. "All night, I could tell. You're not straight. You're into me, but you're not gay, either. You just want someone who will stay here, with you," He leaned forward and kissed me, which, admittedly caught me off guard. He pulled back after a second, adding, "You are the only person who has made me feel safer than Aaron did, and I don't want to have to let you go, too," He kissed me again and said, "I love you, Tyler,"
My mind didn't know what to do, but it acted anyway. I leaned forward and kissed him back, replying, "I...I love you, too. Please, stay with me,"
"Don't worry. I won't leave you," Again, we kissed, but much more passionately, this time. It wasn't as meaningful as the kisses I shared with Kali, but it didn't matter. This kiss didn't have to be that meaningful. It just had to show that we loved each other, and at that moment, that's all that mattered.
We laid back down, still embracing each other, and soon drifted back to sleep. Before we did, however, Pyro asked, "Tyler? Promise me that you'll never do what Aaron did?"
"I promise. I'd never think of doing that,"
"Thanks," He replied.
As we drifted to sleep, I thought to myself. Fate had killed my real mother and father, and had prevented me from growing up like a normal child. But, I soon thought, It had brought Pyro into my life. For once, fate had done something to bring happiness into my life, and while it does not make up for the many things it has taken from me, it has given me a new reason to live, to hope. Fate had given me Pyro.