FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

It was just over a week later when Tavi was making his way down a steep hillside on the back side of Devant when he thought he might know where he was. It was the first place he had come across where he recognized something and it wasn't the pokemon center either. Instead It was one of Daniel's cruel jokes that left him shuddering for a moment. The Flareon at first wasn't sure if it was exactly the same place but the plaza that stood across from the center had a patterned colored squares which he thought were the same ones. He wasn't able to get close enough in the early morning to inspect it, because of a human was sweeping the ground.

Tavi sat hidden in the bushes along side the center carefully watching and waiting. As the morning light brightened he was able to see more like the strange wires that hung overhead with small lights. Also he was sure he could now pick out the darker metal spaces of drainage grates. He could vividly remember Daniel yelling to dodge as he hopped between the color patches avoiding the jets of water that would randomly spout upwards but he still ending up soaked. Just a few minutes after the human had left and Tavi thought it would be safe to cross the street and check it out water burst from everywhere.

He watched as a quick run of all the water spouts started up one side then back down another he even noticed now that he was far enough away there were several poles which shot out water that rained down over the area. Tavi growled in disgust and nearly stepped out in front of an Absol and a couple of humans as he moved to leave. Although the Absol had seen the brush move and sensed the hidden pokemon, it could do nothing about it as its humans had already crossed the street and were calling their pokemon to follow.

He was still thinking how stupid he was to believe he had a chance of dodging when he finally passed the last houses and was free of the town. He had seen a large road from the top of the hill which showed multiple vehicles racing along and he felt that was the direction to head but but he would make sure to stay a good distance away.

The flareon traveled along, passing a town every few days by either sneaking though in the night or traveling far around the outskirts to get to the other side. He kept in a direction that mainly had the sun in his eyes most of the morning, thinking back that he had often walked towards the sunset in the afternoons with his ex-trainer. He stayed hidden sleeping in the day or night as was required to continue his journey eating what ever he found or even sometimes what he dug out of trashcan when darkness and hunger required.

There hadn't been a single human who had seen him yet and hoped to keep it that way until one afternoon when he smelt a truly enticing aroma along the way. Tavi had used a small bridge early in the morning crossing over a rather wide part of a stream and had changed directions to head upstream for a bit to avoid the houses that he could see ahead.

Creeping forward he came upon a campsite that was set in a clearing just above the stream. His mouth watered and he drooled over the smell of fish cooking over the campfire. Tavi moved half way around till he could see the fire and the human who was still in the water. He was unable to resist dashing forward and grabbing two of the sticks that held the unattended fish only to see an Azumarill running across the clearing from behind the tent to block his escape.

He tried dashing sideways but the water pokemon was able to keep pace. "Friend, friend up here." the pokemon called out. Tavi dropped the fish and blew out a little fire across the ground withering and turning the bits of vegetation to ash.

"I'll burn down the tent and everything else." He threatened. The Azumarill quickly answered with a water gun that dashed the small puffs of smoke.

"Aquia what are you doing?" The human called from the water causing the mouse pokemon to look over Tavi's shoulder. He had one fish and was off like a bullet, charging into the safety of the scrub and trees on the bank side. The Flareon wasn't afraid of a water gun attack that got weaker as the distance grew and there was no way he was going to slow down.

He tore into the fish the moment he thought he was far enough away and sure that there was no pursuit. Tavi smiled please with the free meal, the human had plenty and could easily get more. Finally with a full belly he decided to stop early when he found an abandoned nest dug underneath a bramble. There was enough room for him to stretch out and with a nice soft sandy floor he figured maybe it was time to try out pleasing himself again.

###

Tavi was once again in a heavily forested area only this time pine trees dominated the slopes and gullies. He was working his way over a mountain area still excited with the fact that he had somehow jumped back onto his trail to a time that was nearly a year ago. He had been through the large train station before, remembering the tempting aroma of baked breads and fruit smells that seemed to hang in the air. From his vantage point outside of town he could see the train he and Daniel had taken. It came straight out of the mountain side and into town where it stopped in a station for a rest before it ran down the valley and off into the distance. Tavi had been in two small fights in that town while Daniel waited for the train. But he remembered excitedly that the train headed far out to the ocean. Some how he had cut through time and in weeks gone back to his trail from last year. Of course this meant he had to travel over the mountain rather than take the train through the mountain, but that wasn't going to slow him down.

It had been more than a week since he had swiped the fish and a day out of the forest when he had to start sneaking across small groups of homes. They quickly built up till he was moving through an area where houses seemed to be everywhere he looked. He spent the next two days hiding in bushes and creeping through hedges raiding garbage cans at night while trying to figure out where he was feeling more than a little lost by the seemingly endless homes that were lined up one yard after another.

It was on his third day that he found what was a small highway and on the other side was open hills and what looked like tree groves. Taking a chance the Flareon dozed the rest of the afternoon waking up in the late night to attempt a crossing. He studied the area for several minutes before deciding the best place to cross was the straight shot where he could see the other side and the middle was not blocked by shrubs or concrete. The agility boosted dash across the road lasted seconds but seemed far longer as his heart pounded out twice for every paw that hit the ground. By the time he got to the other side he was starting to wonder what he had been so scared of since he had stared when he was sure of the silence and still hadn't heard a vehicle as he moved away from the pavement.

Later that same morning he stumbled in to what seemed like a human party in the middle of nowhere. There were tables and benches and odd chairs along with humans of all ages scattered about the area doing all kinds of things including eating. The problem for Tavi was there were also several pokemon who were lounging, playing with kids and just running around excited. He was worried that any moment someone was going to spot him as he tried to sneak away. He felt so foolish, since he had blindly followed the enticing food smells when his ears had obviously picked out a great deal of noise.

The Flareon mentally tried to silence the rumble that came from his middle as he now picked a path around the noise and bustle. He had to stop twice crouching in a bush or shrub hiding when someone came close. When he was sure he had passed most of the people he came to a steep grassy slope. Tavi charged upward hoping that speed would be the best answer for any lack of cover figuring that he would be able to outdistance any human he saw anyways. He kept going even after he had crested the hill running out several yards into a new field area. The grass at the top was well trampled down in a wide area around the middle and the edge near were he stood was short and prickly just reaching his belly.

As he moved out onto the trampled area carefully sniffing he heard a young voice call out, "Thunder shock!" Tavi instinctively dodged and rolled away from the voice avoiding most of the crackling air that enveloped where he had just stood. He was off as soon as he aimed his nose across the field and away form the voice. "Get 'em Flaaffy." The human called as he heard the grass rustle closer than he thought.

"Micheal stop leave it alone." A female voice called from further off.

"Na uh I'm gonna catch my first pokemon. Thunder wave Flaaffy, shock 'em." The young male called again.

'Not on your life' Tavi thought putting out an extra burst of agility's speed eating up ground and diving toward a wood rail fence ahead. He felt the crackle of energy as his hair started to rise with a charge as another attack was unleashed. The Flareon raced on unaffected leaping between the top and bottom boards of the fence while at the same time the female's voice cried in shock and fear. "Flaaffy STOP!!" Tavi plowed into the high thick weeds dodging a bush only to break free and see the ground end ahead.

He tried to stop and turn anything to keep from going over the edge. He lost his footing landing hard on his side rolling over and sliding to a halt with his rear paws just inches from the edge. Tavi's heart was pounding and his head spun as he crawled from the edge back to the bush trying to hide. He could barely hear the humans arguing over the roar in his ears and the frantic pounding in his chest.

"If you keep this up I won't let you go on any journey or keep Flaaffy, Return!" / "But mooomm I could have caught it." the whine started.

"Micheal you might have killed that Flareon!! What do you think would happen if you drove it off the cliff. Or worse what if it used a fire attack. You would have been responsible for burning down the whole park or more. Now, Go back to the gathering we will talk about his at home. There is far more to being a trainer or coordinator than being able to throw a poke-ball."

Tavi still hadn't moved from his spot even after he could hear someone move away. He suddenly moved further back into the bush as something bounced by stopping just short of the edge. There were two more paw sized blocks that bounced against the ground before the female voice called. "I am sorry about my son. Your safe, if you want to come out." 'Fat chance' he thought back. His mind wared between staying hidden and launching an attack. He had finally calmed down enough that he was no longer panicked and decided, as long as she stayed put so would he.

Another chunk bounced across the ground this one close enough to the bush that Tavi could see it was some orange color that gave off a light berry flower scent. "It's food, you can eat it if you want. I just wanted you to know I am sorry and I'll be going now." He waited long after the footsteps disappeared before creeping forward to the closest lump. The Flareon snatched it up and two more before returning to the bush leaving the one near the edge untouched. The sun was low and night was approaching before he felt safe enough to make his way back through the fence and head off into the evening.

###

Days later he was again sneaking through a town well before dawn. The poke-center had been easy to find and the two arguing Kricketot who said they lived between the center and the daycare had told him that there was a gym on the far side of town. Well, one was sure it was a dojo the other a gym. He interrupted the argument long enough to get vague directions before backing away and trotting off down the street. He kept a fast pace instead of trying to dodge between shadows hoping to get out of the town. There didn't seem to be anyone about and he had plenty of time to hid from the two cars that drove by with blinding lights and noise.

The dojo when he found it was a little ways out of the town and it had a huge slate stone area out front that was larger than a football field. The Flareon couldn't bring himself to step out on to the smooth rock remembering the harsh pain and ridicule he had lived through on that stone. Now he had again by trusting his instincts traveled back more than a year to a place where Daniel had one of his major defeats and Tavi's first crushing defeat failing his trainer. After loosing his first match he had ever had in some sort of official setting Daniel had kicked him outside the gates and berated him on the cold stone for failing. It was later that he found out his trainer had saved him for last and expected not to use him at all knowing that the Flareon wasn't ready for such a battle.

That though didn't stop him when the other trainers outside began a verbal assault as well. He had agreed with every horrible comment: Pitiful, Helpless, Tiny, Stupid, and Worthless. Tavi had no clue which of the fighting type had kicked him first, but the others had joined in urged on from their trainers and his own. They treated him like a soccer ball until he had been booted to the edge and stumbled off the rock slate. Daniel had recalled him to the poke-ball telling him that next time he wouldn't bother with the poke-center he would just leave him behind.

Tavi found a good hiding place to try and rest for the day only to startle himself awake dodging phantom kicks and hearing echoes of taunts that seemed real. The only thing that heartened him when he finally rose was the sudden realization that he must be much closer to home than he realized. He looked out across a browned dry grassy hillside that rose in front of him feeling some of the chill from the cold wind that blew down at him. Acting on no more than some odd instinct or whim he changed directions following the base of the hill and moving along the bottom of a small dry gully. By early evening he had come across a trail that ran across the brown rolling hills in the general direction he now wanted to take. He took time considering but not smelling any humans, or pokemon for that matter, he decided the ease of a trail would be worth the risk.

It was well into the night when he smelled the remnants of a fire and five minutes later he found himself at the edge of a campsite with one large tent that was zipped tight against the cold. He listened carefully to the heavy breathing as he crept around the area hoping for something to eat. All Tavi could find though was two bowls and a pot stacked near the last dieing embers of the fire. He quickly pulled the bowls out licking them clean before nosing his way around the pot picking out the last bits of a rice mixture. It wasn't much but it left a nice taste in his mouth that was far better than many of the roots and things he had been gnawing on for his meals.

He continued wondering around going mostly towards the direction he choose although through the hilly countryside but with everything seeming the same it looked more like he was going nowhere. He still was able to avoided all contact with humans and most pokemon as well keeping to himself even if it meant hiding or walking out of his way to keep his solitude. There was finally a real encounter several days later.

The weather had changed the past two days from the seriously dry crisp cold days of early winter to the very last few warm days that came just before true winter set in. The Flareon had his front paws in a patch of mud trying to lap up one of the remaining puddles in an almost bone dry creek when he heard something. Tavi's ears twitched as he distinguished laughing coming from one of the trees of the lightly forested area. He watched as an Aipom dropped out of a tree obviously waiting for him to move out of the stream bed.

"What ya doing?" The pokemon asked still seeming to grin.

"Moving on." Tavi answered turning.

"Wait.. Wait" He was told as the Aipom scampered out in front of him. "I just have to ask. Have you started any fires lately?"

"What?" Tavi asked surprised by the question.

"You know Flame thrower, Ember, FIRE. Did you start a fire around here?" The Flareon suddenly pounced on the other pokemon driving it to the ground as the bushes nearby rustled.

"Human, your trainer." Tavi growled glaring down at the other. "Your trying to stop me so I can be caught." He had all his attention and senses concentrated on the form emerging from beside a tree that he totally missed the punch in the side by the hand like tail. Off balanced he rolled away allowing the struggling pokemon to escape.

"What did you find Handy a water pokemon?" She asked as the Aipom ran up her side to perch on her shoulder. "A Flareon.... Did he start the fire?" The human watched as Handy grunted shaking its head making his ears flop. "Well I'll check him out anyway." She said pulling a device from her side hip pocket. The Flareon stepped back growling. He wasn't sure what she was doing but he squared off against the Aipom as it jumped to the ground just in front of the human. "Capture GO!"

'What?" Tavi thought readying to dodge a poke-ball thrown by the stupidest trainer ever with out even allowing the Aipom to attack. However the white blur that spun towards him was definitely not what he was ready for. It zipped past and behind him but before he could turn he already heard it coming back on the other side.

Tavi watched as it spun faster and faster forming a white loop around him. "NO!" he barked looking over and bracing for the attack he expected now that he had been distracted. His gaze saw the human was just spinning a circle with one hand and her pokemon was still just sitting at her feet. By the time the ring recaught his attention it was inches from his fur and closed about him before he could decide how to react. He felt a tingle that spread though his body as the human spoke. "Capture complete."

"Flar flar/What NO!" He rolled on the ground and shook his body trying to figure out what she had done. He was free, he had to be free.

"Flareon." The females voice caught his attention. "Easy." She said stepping forward seeing his agitation. "Relax I need your help."

"Arrrrr" He growled lightly in response.

"Mary... Mary." a call came though the trees. He watched as the human stepped back, "Over here Mike!"

"Hey relax." The Aipom chirped coming to stand right next to him. "She wont hurt you. We need your help."

"My help?!" Tavi spoke backing up even while some feeling seemed to urge him to stay put as the two humans met and began talking. A small Snubbull rolled out of the brush irritated she shook herself off.

"Stupid trees, stupid roots. What on earth is she thinking Handy we needed water pokemon." The Snubbull asked.

As if on clue both humans turned to look at the pokemon. "What on earth are you doing we already have a fire on our hands!" The male human echoed his pokemon's thoughts.

"Flareon can you tell me if there are any water pokemon around?" With out even thinking Tavi took a step forward shaking his head in answer. "Let's see." Tavi watched closely as she pointed the device at him again. "Flame thrower, Fire spin, Agility, Bite, Slash, Fire blast, Take down, and Rage. Geez his stats are unreal. Where is your trainer Flareon?"

That comment had Tavi fighting with all he had against the feeling to comply. He dug his claws into the earth ripping out a chunk which he flung backwards while growling loudly. "Mary!" Mike said grabbing her arm and pulling her back as both pokemon rushed between the Flareon and the humans.

"Let it go and let's move. We need to get back, water pokemon or no." He actually had her stumbling back before she yanked away.

"Mike stop. Haven't you ever heard of fighting fire with fire? Flareon please we need your help." She said stepping between the Aipom and Snubbull. "There is a horrible fire burning and were having trouble stopping it. The weather is warm and everything is far to dry. We need everyone who can help. Thousands of acres have burned and were no closer to stopping or containing it."

"Apa Ape ook/ Come and help." Handy stated.

"Flaaar eeon on/ I am not helping humans. Eon eonnn/ And I'm hungry." Tavi spoke. The Aipom scampered back Mary's leg latching on to her side as he popped open her back pouch at her waist. He dug out a brown chunk tossing it at Flareon. "Apa/Food"

Tavi took a little taste test before snapping up the rest licking his lips. "Do you want more?" Mary asked. "Flare." He barked back. "Fine you help me out and I'll get you food."

"Mary this is a really bad idea." Mike said from behind.

"Snubb bble/ Are you coming?" Snubbull asked.

"Flaaar onnn/ To help humans?" The Flareon replied back.

"Snubb snob snob bulll/ No stupid the pokemon they are in danger" She told him gesturing at the two, "Snub snublll/These are rangers."

Tavi reluctantly followed the other two pokemon while they tried to explain how some humans protected the pokemon and the environment. They told him that a fire had broken out days ago and was now sweeping across the hill and soon would reach a huge forest. "All the pokemon will lose their homes and food." They told him. Tavi ran with the group wondering how the humans had set such a fast pace, one that the Snubbull had trouble keeping. But the humans seemed to run, jump, and dodge nearly as well as some pokemon.

There was a high pitched scream as a Stantler charged thought the area followed by three more and a small gang of others causing the group to scatter behind trees to get out of the way. The wind had shifted and now a light smoke scent quickly turned into a nose filling burnt smell. A few more moments and they were out of the oak shrubbed hill and into a rolling scrub brush area. The daylight was slowly being consumed by the clouds of smoke that rolled forward in front of the true fire. The rangers hadn't even slowed down moving to run along the larger game trails trying to get back towards the front lines.

"It's to close." Mike panted out. Mary only nodded as she kept the lead and pressed onwards. There was a call overhead and the group changed directions following a Spearow that swooped down ahead of them and flew off. With in minutes they had joined a group of humans.

"Come on." Handy called to Tavi climbing up into the back of a pickup and then on top of the cab. From the top he could look out over several small hills. Over the top of the first rise several rock pokemon, Rydon, Golem. And even an Onyx were slowly tearing apart the earth leaving a wide swath of dirt which several Diglets were moving through dragging scrub and large branches along. The hill beyond that Tavi could see several shadows that moved against a glowing orange backdrop on the top of the rise. "And over that way." He looked where the Aipom pointed with its tail. In the opposite direction and at a different angle he could see the start of the oak scrub hills but after that tall mountains starting with deep greens and browns covering the entire mountainside in what seemed to still be in daylight.

"The fire is spread out but this is where it is the closest." The Snubbull called from the back of the truck. Both Mike and Mary stood at the tailgate watching.

"So they want me to help?" Tavi asked. No one human or pokemon answered his question. "You have water pokemon?"

"Some." Aipom answered. Tavi instinctively knew fire. How it worked, what burned better and what would cause it to burn out. He had actually put out several small fires on his own after his ex-trainer had partied a little to hard with out caring for what was around. One memory of an exploding bottle that had been casually tossed into the campfire came to mind. He had spent hours burning out large patches and kicking dirt.

"Would they be able to put the fire out behind me?" Tavi asked jumping back into the truck stopping suddenly when he realized there were still humans at the end. He growled lightly as another human approached.

"Mary HQ has decided it is to dangerous to use fire. The back fires Arron set at the beginning only made things worse. We will use what earth and water we have and hope its enough. You should tell it to go." The new comer added after a moment.

Mary stepped away nudging the other two aside, "There is a problem with that. It is not a truly feral pokemon the capture program was only partly successful. Flareon the choice is yours." She said addressing the pokemon. "You can leave or help however you wish." Tavi lept off the truck and took off towards the fire. "Handy." she called to the Aipom "Try to help him out." With a little screech of approval the pokemon ran off in pursuit.

"Mary I will have to report this." The male stated.

"I know, but we can barely hold this side. If we can't stop it here and move on one little Flareon isn't going to matter." She replied.

Tavi raced along dodging and jumping through the scrub and stripped berry bushes. Even before he reached the pokemon ahead he realized there was far to much dried brush and ground litter. All of it was dry and stems and branches rattled like bones as the wind blew across the area driving the smoke and fire forward. He stopped just at the rise watching two humans trying to order the pokemon to douse spots where the fire was advancing. The noise and confusion only worsened as Tavi watched several of the smaller water types kept jumping away when a wave of heat rolled across the area while others kept turning trying to put out sparks which swiftly turned bushes into flaming bonfires if left unattended.

He sidestepped several small jets of water trotting right up to the fires line squinting as the heat and flames literally pushed him back. Tavi closed his eyes and dug in his claws drawing together both heat and flames for his attack. 'Fire spin' he called in his mind almost hearing an echo of his ex-trainers voice. He fought to control the attack from the moment he started. The wildfire sucked up the heat he needed to control the spin causing him to add more just to keep it going. Tavi blew out even harder and began stepping forward trying to physically force the attack to press in. As the seconds passed he gained control of the attack watching as it began ripping brush and fuel off the ground. With the last of his breath he sent the tornado on its way dragging everything along in its wake.

Tavi panted as he watched brush, bushes, and flames sucked in and destroyed. By the time it the attack had burned out just a little more than twenty yards ahead all that was left was a wide path of coals and embers laying on the ground while bits of debris and ash slowly fell or floated down.

In the back of his mind he could see himself prancing forward as he stepped out in to the area he had cleared. He turned one way taking careful aim along the advancing line and built up as much power as he could before letting out a Fire blast that ripped across the hill rise ripping apart brush and flattening flames with its power. Tavi quickly turned and did the same in the opposite direction only his second blast was miss aimed and the end of the attack tore past the fires edge and into the yet unburned area.

Several pokemon had scrambled out of the way as the only large water pokemon, a Blastoise, began a Hydro pump. It soaked the entire area starting from where Tavi's attack ended and continued straight over the Flareon and out until it's attack had little effect.

Tavi growled as he shook the water off even as the human quickly jumped forward to organize the rest of the pokemon. In less than a minute they had halted and suppressed the flames along the entire ridge.

"Wow. Ow hot hot hot." Handy called hopping back and forth a little ways off where the fires edge was.

"Send the big on that way," Tavi waved with a tail. "I'll take some and work this way." He finished walking against the burnt ground towards the fire that was slowly working its way back to the area by creeping around the edge.

The next hour was full of heat, burns, soaking, and powerful attacks. For Tavi it seemed like one of Daniel's harder training sessions compressed into a short amount of time. They had covered more than two miles containing the blaze and halting its advance upon the wooded mountains.

Tavi was pushing himself hard and even though he was tired he often had time to wait while the water pokemon to recovered, several of which had stopped entirely some where along the way. The small group had come over a sharp rise a little ways back climbing down a rocky area that needed no help since nothing was growing but it had shown a view of just how big and how destructive the fire was. Even though they had come so far he could see that this was a very small part of what was a burning monster. He hadn't even slowed when he realized what lay ahead, if anything he had found a second wind and was beginning to work harder and press forward faster. He almost wished the humans would return and get the other pokemon up and moving because now they were barely even listening to Handy.

A roar overhead and several great gusts of wind announced the arrival of a Charizard and a human who rode on its back. Tavi stepped his way off the dieing embers and over towards the human as it climbed down. Several of the other pokemon were moving forward as well wondering what was going to come next. "Alright Nova take over you know what to do." The human spoke.

With another roar the Charizard started forward, "Out of my way." She growled to the pokemon stomping past. She made a point of walking directly over Tavi saying, "Move little baby. Now it's my turn!" The Flareon was to shocked by the comment to notice the tail that swept him aside knocking him off his feet.

"Hey are you okay?" Handy asked trying to get the fire pokemon to its feet. Tavi growled lashing out and almost caught the Aipom with a slash of claws that might have ripped the ape had it not dodged out of the way. He darted forward jumping over the group of water pokemon and up into the flames running in to the fire that was about to be put out. His eyes burned in reflection of the glow around him as Tavi released waves of heat protecting himself while allowing what did burn him to grow and amplify the fire inside. He waited starting his own attack just before the Charizard to unleash an attack against the leading edge copying the same strategy Tavi had been using. No one even saw the Fire spin that had started until it ripped across the ground tearing apart everything in the way and swallowing the Charizard's attack causing it to stumble back before the vortex dissipated.

Tavi lashed his tail as he stepped out amongst the falling ash of his attack to square off against the lizard. He was barely able to control his emotions as they raged through his body. Part of him knew this was wrong, but a stronger part was begging the Charizard to attack so he could rip her apart.

"Nova BACK OFF!" he could hear the human scream. Even as Nova roared out a challenge she took several steps backwards obeying the order. Tavi screamed out in frustration seeing the one capable opponent back away. He could feel the edge of rage racing across his body leaving behind very few thoughts or options. His eyes and mind scanned for an opponent to attack finally coming up with the same thing he had been fighting for the entire afternoon.

Tavi turned and blasted his frustrations out running out behind the attacks to fire another. He quickly outpaced those who were following running into the fire and taking damage which he used to boost his own power. The only thing that he did some how keep in his rage hazed mind was that his enemy was the advancing line of fire and he was going to use everything to beat it down. He burned away its fuel, tore away its flames, and consumed the heat it used slowing its advance.

It wasn't that the Flareon put out the fire, although in several places it did burn out, instead he was forcing the wildfire to pause. Normally the flames moved forward emitting heat in waves preparing the land in front of it to burn easier. Tavi was forcing that heat back upon itself or sideways creating conflicting forces that stalled the advance. That and the conditions of the dieing winds allowed more time for the rangers and many trainers and pokemon to get in front of the fire extending the containment clear around the head of the wildfire.

It was half and hour later and another two miles away when the trainer ordered Nova to pick up the fallen Flareon and head back. They had waited overhead trying to avoid most of the smoke and heat keeping tabs on the bursts of fire that burned a line across the landscape.

###

Tavi woke later somewhat surprise to find himself again surrounded by four metal walls that radiated warmth against his body. The mat he laid on was far thicker and softer than any he remembered and his body felt much worse than he ever remembered. He struggled even just to turn from his side to his stomach trying to keep a whimper in check from the ache of every single muscle that protested. It seems his quiet noise had attracted attention though as a shadow passed over one side at the top of the box before vanishing.

He had gotten his front paws under him and was sitting half way up when he heard twin metal clicking noises. His growl sounded feeble even to him as one side of the box lowered showing Mary and her Aipom.

Tavi scrabbled out weekly with his hind paws trying to push away from the open side while she told him to relax. He waited as she moved away keeping his ears trained on her noise and movement. He struggled again finally making it up to a sitting position before she returned. Mary was carrying a bowl which she sat near the edge of the mat that caused the Flareon's nose to twitch. It took him several tries but he was able to pull himself forward towards the sudden savory aroma that wafted to him.

The Flareon was far to sore and distracted to protest as the human reached in and pulled his bottom forwards and kept a steadying hand against his side while he dove into the bowl gobbling down chunks of warm soft food. Mary allowed him to lick the entire bowl several times before she turned him back and he fell onto his side. As he closed his eyes as the box started humming again and he fell asleep.

They had several more short sessions together but Tavi never allowed the human to touch him again. He nipped her hand hard enough to draw blood the second time when she ignored his growl. As he gulped down the food Handy angrily told him off while Mary applied a band-aid. It took two full days before he had enough strength to finally crawled his way over the top of the box and out onto the counter. Handy was right there and shouted for the ranger before he had time to figure out how to get down.

Mary simply stood in the doorway allowing the Flareon to look around the room. There was dozens of units holding pokemon on the five long counters that were in the room. Including several large tanks on the far side that were filled with water pokemon who were still recuperating.

"Over here." Handy said walking to the end of the counter. There was a crate which he hopped down to before he dropped onto the floor. Tavi followed suit carefully placing his front paws on the crate before stepping down. He repeated the process only to find the human kneeling down in front of him.

"Please Flareon we need to talk." Mary spoke. "Aappa/ Please" her pokemon repeated.

Tavi sat down not quite trusting his legs to keep him up giving a small nod, beside it wasn't like he could argue much.

"Listen you had a trainer right? Quit that will you." She told him as he started growling. "Would you consider working with a ranger?" Mary gave a little sigh as he continued growling and shaking his head. "Just relax would you. I had to ask. No one here would ever force you but many would be happy to take you as a partner."

"Ape ap ppa/ It would be fun." Handy offered. Tavi only snarled in response.

"Well we want you to stay for a few more days, at least until your better. Will you please follow me." Mary stood by the door waiting for him to follow. Handy whether by order or unspoken words stayed behind the Flareon keeping its tail ready in case the other stumbled.

She led him out into a common room where there were three sets of ranger and partners, they all stopped talking to watch him pass. Mary opened a side door and walked though a small covered shed area and outside. She had led Tavi out into a large fenced area where he was able to walk out and sit on the short grass. He studied the high metal fencing that surrounded nearly an acre of land complete with several trees and bushes. There were even a few other pokemon who he simply ignored.

Feeling safe enough the Flareon laid out on his side in the weak cloudy afternoon sunlight. The rangers and pokemon left him alone carefully stepping around him through out the afternoon when they or their pokemon needed to go outside or back in.

In the early evening Mary came back out allowing Tavi to eat and showed him a blanket in the corner of the common room to lay on. She politely asked him to stay inside since it was supposed to finally start raining during the night. He kept quiet but always kept one ear perked listening to the humans talk before they slowly headed upstairs to sleep. He spent the entire night lightly dozing until the rain started unable to fall asleep again once it started.

Awake he thought about all the things he had heard the humans discuss that evening. The most important things to him was the fact that the rains would finally put out the last of the fires, that a Nurse Joy would be checking the injured pokemon in the morning, and the most important was that he had been unconscious for nearly two days and also that Mary kept telling the eight rangers that 'The Flareon' was uninterested in being a partner. In his mind Tavi had decided he needed to leave or escape after two more days. His body had a great deal less pain when he moved but he knew he couldn't walk far on his wobbly jelly like legs.

The Flareon again woke to the radiating heat with the underlying hum of the metal box. He quickly scrambled to his feet and for the first time in days shook out his mane and tail. He carefully put his front paws on the top of the box and carefully tried to peek out at the room. He got a surprising shock staring in to the face of Nurse Joy. "BOO!"

Tavi tumbled backwards in surprise landing on his back. His mind was still trying to process what was going on as he was hauled into the air and spun in a circle. "Oh you really are so cute." She said setting the small Flareon on an open blanket that was spread on a counter.

"Chan seey/Ready now." Came a call from the other side of the counter.

"On your back now." Joy told him easily flipping him over till his paws were in the air. He had quickly fallen into the inspection routine allowing each of his paws to be grasped and prodded along with his knees bent and legs moved. He only whined twice when she put to much pressure on recovering muscles.

It wasn't till she rolled him back over on to his stomach before he suddenly remember he didn't want any human touching him. He twisted and scrambled out of her grasp growling back at the nurse. "Chan can Seeey/ Hey were not done yet." He backed along the counter till he bumped into something behind him keeping all his attention on the human and pokemon.

"I remember you." Nurse Joy spoke softly. "You were really cut up. All the boys pokemon seemed pretty damaged but you were the only one he seemed to care about. I remember him telling me you fought really hard and won, and that I was to give you the best of care. It wasn't until later that I realized he didn't really care about the others and that he really only cared that you won."

Tavi continued to stare as the nurse moved to a sink coming back with several wet towels before reaching down and setting out combs, brushes, scissors, and a nail trimmer. "It is my job to care for you Flareon we can do that the easy way or the hard way." As she spoke she pulled out a syringe and popped the cap off. "Chansey close the door please." Tavi turned ready to bolt only realized the pink pokemon had already anticipated the orders slamming the door before he even had a chance to jump down.

He yelped spinning and swiping out with claws that only met air. Nurse Joy had already stuck his rear and pulled away fully expecting and anticipating all his actions. She humped and shook her head leaving him standing there as she went and looked in on other pokemon. Tavi was straining to stay alert and standing twenty minutes later, growling occasionally when he saw the Chansey come close.

He wasn't even able to offer more than a feeble protest when the nurse came back. She started by rubbing him down with damp towels speaking softly. "You know your not even half as dirty as when you came in. Full of soot and grime rasping air though your mouth." Joy continued grooming with brushes and combs. Somewhere in the middle of it all he allowed the soothing strokes of the brush and the soft rhythm of words to lull him to sleep.

It was almost evening and all the rangers were outside in the back bundled up against the cold when Tavi woke. They had just finished with a training exercise when the door slammed open allowing the Flareon out into the yard. The door had been no problem for him since it was a lever handle instead of a knob, although he had to shove it open to counter the wind that had blown against it. In less than a minute Tavi was assaulted by half a dozen pokemon all trying to be friendly and inquire how he was doing. The Flareon had slowly been backed to the wall before a human called out. "Super Sonic.. and stop."

The Golbat's attack lasted only a few seconds but had every pokemon trying to quickly cover their ears from the blast of sound. "Now everyone back away. In fact each of you go back to your partners." They all obeyed instantly scampering to stand with their humans.

Tavi took a breath before shaking his mane and tail. It had been quite a while since he felt so clean and glossy. If it wasn't for the fact he always felt foolish doing it Tavi might have even pranced forward to show off. He did step forward though out of the building shelter and stood a few feet in front of the human who had spoken. "Flareon it is nice to finally meet you. Everyone was very impressed with how hard you fought against the fire. As the head of this ranger training center I would like to thank you." The man spoke.

Tavi considered very carefully, he no longer had a trainer to accept thanks or compliments and he wanted to be able to do that himself now. The Flareon stood up on hind paws and carefully walked the few feet forward offering a paw at the human. More than a little shocked the human took the paw and carefully shook it. "My name is Lenard by the way and Thank you Flareon."

He nodded and pulled his paw away shuffling back to sit down. Still he was wary but perhaps he could call a truce with humans who were rangers. "Well I want to ask now. Flareon are you sure you wont join with the rangers. We could use a special pokemon like yourself." Tavi was already shaking his head before the man was even half way through. More might have been spoken if his stomach hadn't chose that time to gurgle.

"Ape ookaa/ I got it." Handy said jumping forward. "paa/Follow me." The Aipom lead Tavi to a large shed on the far side of the building showing him five dispensers that lined one wall. "You'll like this one." Hand said pressing both paws against a button allowing poke-chow to rain down into a cup. Tavi took a few sniffs before eating, it wasn't the soft flavorful food they had offered him before but it did taste good and crunched nicely without a hint of the stale dryness that he had always got before.

By the time he finished eating everyone had moved back inside. The door was slightly more tricky this time because he had to push down on the lever and pull at the same time. He started creeping back through the common room when the door blew shut with a bang causing everyone to stop and look at him. The Flareon was nervous with all the attention and still worried they might do something as he kept his tail and head low and nearly crawled across the floor to the blanket they had placed in the corner.

As if to answer his question or actions Mary had stood up and crossed the room squatting down a few feet away. "Nurse Joy said you healed well, she was a little worried the first two days when you didn't wake up, but she says your almost well now. One more day of rest and then you can leave. Just remember," she said after a pause, "you can come back here any time." He was sure he would never come back and as long as he saw no pokeballs he would trust them one more day.

It was again raining the next morning so the Flareon spent the time trying to learn more about what the rangers do. Each of the pokemon he talked to were excited to tell him what they did and how they helped out in the hope that he would join their group. Tavi had met several pokemon in the past who claimed their trainer was awesome and great. He had even seen some who seemed to love their trainers and the humans seem to love them back but he had always assumed it was some kind of act. What he knew was what he had seen, friendship and caring meant nothing. In battle pokemon were used, beaten up, and ripped apart till there was no more to call out. The only time a human showed much emotion was crying in defeat as they left the arena. They didn't care about their pokemon, if they did then they wouldn't keep urging them on to attack when they could barely stand up.

Tavi thought back to Slip wondering if the Butterfree wasn't more the norm for most pokemon. Eager and willing to please to the point of stupidity. "You shouldn't think that." Snubbull told him later after in the afternoon when he had gone outside to speak with her and a Turtwig named Rocky. "Most humans are friendly and don't even have pokemon." Rocky put in, "True some are mean but most are nice." he added. They spent several moments in silence in the wet grass when Handy burst out the back door calling.

"Hurry Flareon we gotta leave." The Aipom had raced across to a gate built into the fence. "No no dang they locked it." The three had moved towards Handy sensing his agitation. At the same time they could hear louder voices and people coming outside.

"..n't matter. He could be a dangerous pokemon causing a lot of trouble if we allowed you to let him go." The pokemon had picked up the conversation as two uniformed officers plus an Officer Jenny marched outside. They were followed by three rangers and a Growlithe who ran up to stand next to Jenny and Nurse Joy who came last.

"Listen you have to wait for Lenard. The ranger HQ has already made a decision." one of the rangers spoke.

"They can make all the decisions they want, this pokemon has already proven itself viscous and dangerous. We will take it in to custody."

The Growlithe chose this time to step forward. "Ooorowww Grrowwlth/You are under arrest." it barked. "Growlithe NO! Stand down." Jenny ordered. "Ooorowww Grrowwlth/You are under arrest." It barked again jumping forward wagging its tail. The officer groaned at her new pokemon, the pup was young, eager, and rarely listened.

Tavi had had enough of this, there was no way he was going to let officers or anyone else take him. He studied the gate behind him ignoring the Growlithe as it barked again. He stopped for a moment turning back hearing his name called. "Tavi." the officer spoke again watching as he twitched and stepped back. "I'd say that confirms it wouldn't you Nurse Joy. You boys go and grab the crate." She pointed to the two other officers.

Tavi had been growling lowly at the Growlithe ever since it had stepped forward again but when she said crate he lost it. With a roar he let out a Flame thrower over the head of the other canine and barely over the head of Jenny causing the hat she wore to smoke slightly and almost catch fire. The other pokemon had jumped back feeling the heat rise in waves off the Flareon as its eyes turned red with their own heat. A single look full of fury had the Growlithe whining tail tucked and dashing to hide behind officer Jenny's legs. "Tavi here run." The Aipom had called out rattling the gate behind him.

He turned and charged the gate with Take down. The metal was no obstacle as the fire pokemon plowed though bending both the top hinge and latch while snapping the bottom hinge in two. The gate hung nearly bent in on itself as the Flareon picked itself up and charged out into the open with Handy in hot pursuit.

The Aipom twice had to use agility speeding up to keep up with the Flareon as it fled. Handy finally twisted using swift throwing out energy stars that flew by the fire pokemon causing it to spin and growl. "Finally." the Aipom huffed dropping to his butt. "We have to go that way." he puffed out pointing with a paw. Tavi searched in the direction it was pointing in, it was actually going back slightly to a hill rise and a road which had trees and bush lining both sides. The Flareon only shook his head before turning back. "Wait! Mary will be there."

"A human? Never!" Tavi barked.

"Yes a human." The Aipom stood up and stepped forward yelling. "She has done everything she could to help you ever since she asked for you help. She gave you food and helped you get better. She even told me to try and get you out of the yard." Tavi sat down looking at the irate monkey. It wasn't that she was a bad human but he just couldn't decide if he could really trust one. Handy could see that Flareon was considering. "If she was a pokemon would you come?"

That was easy if a pokemon had helped him, healed him, and fed him he would of course want to thank them even say goodbye before he left. Although he really hadn't actually said goodbye to Leafeon they had parted ways well and part of him still felt bad about Leaf. "All right." he said stepping forward watching the Aipom bounce happily back and forth on its feet.

"Tavi right?" Handy asked as they started back, "You okay? I mean with those officers back there and running off."

Tavi thought back to his last pokemon match and all the other times he had seriously injured another pokemon. "Maybe they should lock me up. I am a killer." He spoke quietly.

Aipom stopped staring at the other pokemon. "You killed someone?" None of that had been mentioned in the report that he and Mary had ease dropped on. As they walked Tavi explained how his last match ended. Even to Handy's protests he kept explaining how dangerous he was and how he figured it was only a matter of time before he really did kill someone. Handy tried to explain that battles were not like real life, while Tavi told him it wouldn't matter because he could kill, he was capable of it.

The Aipom shook his head, "You stopped. Why?"

"Because I was ordered to." Tavi quickly replied.

"So then does that mean you have control or that you don't have control. Did your trainer stop you with words or did you stop because that was the order. You attacked because it was an order, you stopped because it was an order. You have control whether you realize it or not otherwise you would have already killed someone because you couldn't control yourself. It's in YOU Tavi not in your trainer or anyone else." Handy told him. He let the Flareon consider what had been said before adding. "And the police have no right to cage you unless you do something, otherwise they could lock up all the higher evolutions and legendaries. Being powerful does not mean your dangerous as long as you have control."

Tavi spent the next few minutes considering those words as the two crawled into the bushes to hide keeping hidden from the occasional passing car. He was about to ask a question when the Aipom's ears perked up hearing a louder sounding vehicle come closer. Both pokemon were quiet as breaks sounded and the gravel on the roadside crunched as wheels drove off the road. "I'll check." Handy said, he wasn't even half way out of the bush when a door slammed and a female voice called out for Handy.

Tavi cautiously peered out seeing Mary set her simian down on the hood of the pickup. "Is he here?" She asked her partner scanning the trees and bushes. The Flareon slowly emerged and saw the human squat down and the Aipom jump down next to her. "Tavi, is that your name?" "Flare." He answered nodding his head. "The police want to take you back and use you as evidence against your trainer Daniel, and they say there is proof that you are dangerous. They evidently have several theft charges against him involving you, plus some other rather disturbing ones as well." He growled and snorted at the humans words.

"Listen the rangers are already speaking with the authorities and the courts. It's not often we work for a single pokemon but we have our own proof that if your left alone you wont cause trouble. Also if you want the offer still stands, you can come back and be a partner with a ranger." Mary watched as the Flareon shook his head. It was frustrating seeing a pokemon who obviously distrusted humans which was all the fault of one horrible trainer especially one with such potential.

"Can I give you a ride? Tavi I can take you back to where the fire was." She offered. He shook his head again closing his eyes trying to call forth the feelings that had been guiding him so far. His eyes flashed open in shock as he felt a human hand on his head. So many times in the past he had been pet, cuddled, even picked up on occasion as people cooed and drooled over the pint sized Flareon. So many parts of him wanted to back away growling but there was a solid stern voice telling him to stay put and allow her this. Besides she was scratching behind his ear in just the right way as he just tilted his head a little towards the hand.

After a moment Mary finally pulled back and stood up. "This road leads to the fire. It takes about an hours drive to get close because the road winds and turns." She told him pointing with a finger. "Just remember Tavi the rangers know you now and you can bet if you need help they would be more than willing to. You do look quite handsome you know that." Mary complimented him. Tavi gave a little shake still feeling the cleanness and gloss of his coat even though he had gone tearing though the grass, brush and weeds. He stepped back and closed his eyes again sensing in a way where the fire had been off in the distance and the nearer closer voice that was guiding him.

"Aree eon/ Thank you." He told Mary as he opened his eyes. They stared for a few seconds before he turned back to the bushes. "Bye Tavi, stay safe." She called as he pushed his way back out into the open fields.

###

It took more than two months of traveling for him to get back towards an area that he knew for sure was one of the first places outside where Daniel had begun training and torturing his new Flareon. Tavi had spent almost as much time sheltering from the harsh rains and the few days of heavy snow as he did traveling just to get this far. He had no clue where the house was where he had spent time as an Eevee and certainly wasn't interesting in finding it. He tried not to remember all the pain he had felt from the attacks of Daniel's Geodude, Stone if he remembered the name right. The scorch marks of the area had long faded but the connection he felt let Tavi with no doubt where he was. Following his instincts again he headed off towards a mountain that was nothing more than a haze of a peak far on the horizon. There needed to be a forest or someplace with lots of trees he thought as he stared forward.

By the time night set in Tavi was in the lee of a rock that only half protected his body. He was thoroughly soaked by the rain clouds that had rolled in the late after noon it wasn't long before the area and the Flareon were drenched. He tried to tuck himself even closer to the rock keeping his body warm from the inside fire even though part of his body was still pelted by rain.

He finally got up in the middle of the night still tired and unrested. The rain had stopped a while back and there was just enough moonlight coming through the clouds to leave a black shadowed landscape for him to stumble through, moving forward more by action than thought. Some time before dawn Tavi had to stop. He had just tumbled down a short but steep slope which had fully woken him up from his near sleep walking movements. He could see that just a few feet from where he had landed there was a darker hole in the hillside that was more than twice his size. He stepped closer sniffing deeply but even though he could smell multiple jumbled mixed pokemon scents he was unable to pick out anything recent to to the rain that had swept away any strong odors.

"Come inside or leave. You already woke most of us up." A female voice called from inside. Although he was awake now his body still felt exhausted as he accepted the offer and stepped inside. Trusting that us meant that they wouldn't mind another body he moved to the wall just inside and laid down. Even with the strangeness of the place and the fact his body was still reeling slightly from his tumble down the hill he swiftly fell asleep with little trouble a few minutes later.

It was well past morning on a sunny bright and even somewhat warm day when the Flareon nose twitched smelling the nuts and roots that had been placed in front of his muzzle. In seconds he had eaten what was offered and had stretched out and was looking over the area around the cave before he finally saw some sign of his hosts. Two Sentret were walking back to the den along with a small Rattata and behind the three was a Furret obviously watching over the group. A side thought hit the Flareon as he realized that there seemed to be new grass and plants were growing up from under the dead weed and grass that covered the ground. He took in a deep breath finding that there was definitely the scent of growth in the air, winter was over or nearly over.

"Well you look better now." The female Furret spoke when they got close catching his attention.

"Thank you." Tavi answered back seeing the Rattata suddenly flee behind the female while she continued.

"You can stay one more night if you need to but I want you to move on like the others. I don't want you staying here and bringing the humans with you." She told him.

"Humans?" He asked puzzled. Seeing his look the female turned to he young ones. "Go along and play see if you can find the other two and come back in a bit." She told themselves

"Hey I'll race you." One of the Sentret call to the others running off with the other scout quickly on its tail. The Rattata had stayed behind hiding behind the large fluffy tail until the female moved aside and tried to shoo the mouse off. It took one look at Tavi before squealing and scurrying off after the other two.

With in moments the young ones were out of ear shot and Furret asked, "Where are you from?" as she walked by the Flareon and into the den. He followed wondering how to answer.

"I am heading home. I've been gone a long time." In the light of day Tavi was able to see the den quite well. The front area was wide and taller than he was but the ceiling quickly dropped down before it evened out creating a very small but wide space in the back that the Furret could easily squeeze into but would be hard for someone Tavi's size.

"The little ones stay there, if they no longer fit they have to leave." She stated seeing him stare. "Where are you headed then?" she continued with her questions.

He looked back outside, "To the mountains for now I am looking for a forest." He didn't see the twisting snarl of her mouth but he did hear her.

"Forget IT! You would be a fool going there." He was surprised by the vehemence of her voice and listened carefully as she explained. For over a year humans had been hunting that area and she had left soon after it all started after her mate disappeared. All over the mountain the humans drove their trucks in and captured anything that moved. Many had fled since passing though the Furret's new area she allowed them to stay for a few nights then had them leave. The only ones she let say were the smaller pokemon cubs and young ones who had somehow wandered half starved out on to the grasslands looking to find lost parents. "Very few pokemon are left, if there are any left. You should stay away there are no homes there now."

Tavi had carefully listened to her story mind discounting human problems while it latched on to the facts he chose to hear and asking a question. "You said there is a forest there? Could you tell me where exactly? Would there be an Eevee family there?" Somewhere near the middle of their talk he ad turned and sat at the entrance looking toward the direction on the mountain. He guessed it might just be a few days away maybe even less.

The female ran around the Flareon to watch him still staring off in the distance. "Get out! GO! The cubs will be back soon and I don't want you here." Tavi stood up and walked away with out a word or a look back. All he could see in his mind were flashes of his dreams and a long lost echo of belonging to a family.

###

He traveled on light feet covering long stretches of ground hardly feeling tired or hungry, when he did rest it seemed his short dreams were consumed with him traveling forward getting nearer to his destination. By the second day he could see the landscape change to small rolling hills and large oak trees that seemed ready to burst with new growth. Tavi had never before felt so alive and free than on that day. It almost felt like he flew when he charged down a hill or that he was heading into the sky as he ran up the next slope. By the time late afternoon came and the trees were finally growing together in close groups with more variation he finally had to rest and eat.

The Flareon crawled between two bushes which still sported a few dried wrinkly berries which he picked off as he rested. After an hour of listening to the wind blow through the trees and the occasional insect noise he finally felt like he had enough energy to move forward. The wind had become chilly and night was coming soon so Tavi decided to spend his time searching for a place to spend the night so he could be up early and ready in the morning.

Nearly right away he found a path leading into a bunch of dense brush and in the middle a well constructed den complete with woven sticks, leaves, and feathers cozy and nearly dark inside. He quickly backed out feeling uneasy for the first time and just a hint of worry. Before dark he had found over a dozen more sleeping places or dens, some obviously had recent owners while other could have been easily fixed into a very livable space. He had also found several caches of food or storage holes, two of them still fully stocked. That was the biggest glaring wrong for Tavi plentiful food near the end of winter. He ate some of what he found while he thought 'Could there really be no pokemon left?' The Flareon curled into a den that was dug out around the roots of a trio of pine trees. It was rather open but he wanted to be able to listen and make sure he wasn't caught unaware in case something came out in the night.

It was two days before he finally saw another pokemon, well not saw but heard. Tavi ha spent most of the morning slightly soaked from the rain that had started falling the night before. He tried staying where the trees grew closer together trapping more of the rain water that fell but there still was enough that made it through to soak the ground.

"Well I've never seen you before." A voice called out to Tavi. He looked around at the trees, "What?"

"What do you mean what your ears to drenched to hear? Well at least they can catch you and leave the rest of us alone." The voice told him.

The Flareon tried studying the trees higher up where he heard the voice come from. "Are there still pokemon here?..... Are there Eevees here?....... Hello?" Tavi tried for several minutes before he gave up and moved on. Obviously who ever it was wanted to stay hidden and was not going to give out any information. He continued searching now in the deeper woods that had steeper slopes that were the start of the mountain base. He did hear the occasional swish of brush or scuffle in the undergrowth, creatures that stayed hidden at all costs from any life form.

Tavi was saddened still finding empty nests and dens in a place which should be readying itself for the new spring. On top of it all his dreams at night were becoming more real in his mind pushing his body forward in the daytime to inspect every place he could see often backtracking to make sure he didn't somehow miss the home that filled his nights.

He awoke the next morning with a decision and new determination. Tavi knew what he was looking for, an overgrown cliff with a tree that formed a den at the base. There would be a nice little clearing in front with high berry bush and brambles encircling it. With out a doubt he knew it was here somewhere all he needed was someone to help him find it. It didn't matter who he found but he was going to find someone and get some help or answers.

"Oh good your still here." The same voice called out from the trees just as Tavi started out. "It's warm and the humans have been gone for several days. Why don't you do us all a favor and get caught."

"No human will ever catch me again." He called back. "Any who try will be sorry."

"We'll see." The voice said. Tavi kept his ears swiveling if the creature had moved off he couldn't tell where it went and if it hadn't left it was far to still and quiet for the Flareon to pinpoint.

Tavi began his wandering again this time paying extra attention to the possible noises of another pokemon. When he did hear something he crouched down and slowly crept forward. He could hear part of a quiet conversation ahead and a great deal of rustling and thumping as he got closer.

"And THAT... and that.... You too." Each phrase was accompanied by a soft thump. He was able to sneak forward far enough to see a movement of brown as it bounced off a tree trunk ahead of him.

Tavi's first thought when he realized it was an Eevee was to rush out and confront it. Instead though he watched it practice as he stayed hidden worried that it might run off frightened. He watched for several minutes as it pounced on a small log before it ran over bouncing off the tree by ramming a shoulder against its trunk, but not very hard. After a bit more running around and pouncing the Eevee collapsed stumbling onto its side. "See big sis. I can too take care of myself!" He called out.

Tavi spun half around searching the area for another pokemon. "Sis?" he heard the Eevee call again. By the time Tavi had turned back the Eevee was already leaving the small area. Carefully he tracked it realizing that the Eevee must be full grown since it seemed to be nearly as big as he was. He stayed back as far as he dared and stayed as quiet as he could while following the other. A quick glance ahead and Tavi realized the Eevee had disappeared. He crept slowly forward nose near the ground sniffing out ahead of him. There was a small break in the bush line ahead and he could hear a slight movement inside.

Tavi waited several minutes but if the Eevee was hiding it was doing a miserable job. He could hear scrabbling noises along with an occasional growl or grunt. The Flareon was beginning to wonder if the Eevee wasn't doing some different kind of practice inside the bushes. Being careful and cautious he moved forward till he was at the opening to the bushes where he bent down and peeked inside. He waited seeing nothing at first even while his ears now picked out a sucking sound. There couldn't be another pokemon inside was there Tavi thought while taking a deep slow sniff trying to pick up other scents. Just then a he heard a slurping pop and a brown fluffy tail and rear dropped in to view.

The Flareon was far to curious to stop himself from crouching down and entering the bush. Inside was a area just large enough for three pokemon his size to lay down together. Besides the two bushes he had squeezed through there was a mass of leaves and sticks that formed a nest that was oblong in shape and open to the canopy above. Tavi looked over to the Eevee, it definitely was no cub but a full grown male in every way as it laid panting on its back. The Flareon couldn't help but give a little chuckle as he realized what sort of practice was actually happening here.

"SIS!!" The Eevee flopped over hiding himself from the entrance only to stare shocked seeing that was not who had walked in on him. The flareon sat down smiling, it had been weeks since he had last enjoyed himself in a small hollow that had been hidden by snow. He felt a rush of anticipation as his own member responded to the site before him and his own memories. The Eevee lowered its ears and face trying to scoot further away while still keeping its hind legs locked together.

Tavi's mind was racing with possibilities, not of mating but instead he wondered what other things he might learn and if the other was willing to show and teach him. He dropped to his side spreading his legs showing his sheath that had just a bit more than a peaking tip. The Eevee watched stunned as Tavi leaned in placing gentle licks working his way down the fur on his sheath, lapping gently on his nuts before finally stopping exposing his half arousal to the other pokemon.

"You can't... It's.. you." The Eevee tried speaking quietly before his nose twitched a few times trying to pick out the light male musk that came with the few beads of pre that leaked out of Tavi. He figured to return the favor leaning forward to almost touch the Eevee while breathing in the smell that had already started saturating the area.

"Can I see?" He asked quietly. The Eevee still seemed a little too stunned to truly respond even when Tavi stood up and moved above the other. Remembering everything Leafeon taught him along with the few things he had figured out on his own the Flareon placed one paw over the Eevee and gently started licking down its chest and nosing between its back legs. He got the legs to separate but not much, at least not until he placed the first few soft caresses with his tongue against the still semi firm member. By the time Tavi finally drew the first few inches into his muzzle the other had rolled onto its back and spread out its legs.

He kept at it drawing in nearly the whole thing before backing off allowing the now re-firmed shaft to slip from his muzzle. Although he had gotten used to the taste of his own seed the other male definitely left a much different taste in his mouth. "You taste good." He said trying to compliment the Eevee in the hopes that the other would be willing to return the favor. The Flareon turned so that he could now stare at the Eevee below him. As the two simply look at each other Tavi finally broke the silence and asked, "Is is okay if I continue?" He wanted to be sure he wasn't forcing the Eevee in some way. Tavi closed his eyes suddenly trying to block out all the times Daniel had forced him along with the shameful feelings and in doing so totally missed the energetic nod from the Eevee.

It wasn't until the paw touched his cheek that the Flareon opened its eyes staring into the face of the Eevee. He could see the excitement and the nod that begged him to continue. Tavi grinned himself realizing exactly what Leafeon meant when she told him it was different when someone wanted/offered to do this. He moved so he fully stood over the brown pokemon before he began attacking the small shaft with lick. Knowing inside that he would be able to give such good pleasurable feeling to someone else had Tavi excited in a whole new way as he began drawing in the shaft again swirling the tongue against the tip that was just inside his mouth.

While Tavi drew in all the way to the sheath he used his paw and mouth to try and press it back even further to allow the small bulb that would grow into a knot to come free. Just when he was about to pull in the last bit he felt the Eevee shift pushing his hips forward against his muzzle. A few seconds later he felt a moist wetness suddenly start against his own throbbing member. The Flareon had to let go and look back as he realized the Eevee was bending to it could both reach his member and push its own forward for easier reach.

Before Tavi even had a thought of going back the other suddenly squeezed with its mouth with just a hint of teeth. Shocked he stood still while the Eevee began suckling and squeezing the shaft in its mouth slowly drawing in more and squeezing harder but still only gently grazing with its teeth. The Flareon couldn't help the strong hump that caused his shaft to be thrust free of the Eevees mouth. Tavi pulled away panting and looking back at the Eevee who seemed to be grinning with a smirk of understanding.

With out a word the Flareon laid down and the two scooted together as close as possible each with a head between the hind legs of the other. When they started again Tavi worked hard using both his paws and mouth to stimulate while the Eevee went back to its special sucking/chewing motion. Realizing he could offer more he sucked hard till his inside cheeks were pressed to the shaft and turned his head back and forth as best he could. The motion had stalled the Eevee who moaned out around the shaft in its mouth with the new treatment. Tavi tried gasping as the vibration of the moan sent a shiver of pleasure though his cock and up his spine.

From then on it was a small battle each trying to out do the other while not stopping by what ever treatment was offered. The Flareon retaliated with pulling off and rubbing hard with a paw before sucking down. The Eevee next with a gentle knot massage, Tavi with a tickle to the Eevees ball sac which caused it to cry out and thrust hard into the Flareon.

"What.. oh I can't... I .... I..." The Eevee was humping recklessly and Tavi couldn't keep the member in its mouth. The Flareon quickly spun around almost laying on top of the Eevee as he reached down to finish off his partner while thrusting against the Eevees leg keeping his own near peak close. He heard the Eevee cry in pleasure as he felt a glob of something land on his nose. Panting he reached his own knot and squeezed hard and with the next thrust groaned out as he seed shot out over the Eevee.

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Tavi started licking up the mess on his nose as he cuddled close with the Eevee even as his member still shot out short jets of seed across the others stomach. He could still feel the Eevees hindquarters jerk sporadically and a occasional feeling of warmth wetness that landed on his leg or face. The two sat panting riding out their orgasm and wondered what was going to come next. By the time Eevee could speak again he was splattered with stuff and was trying to figure out why the Flareon was licking him.

"What, what happened?" He asked the fire pokemon.

"You don't know?" Tavi asked surprised. "Haven't you done this before?"

"Never like that." The Eevee responded. "I usually stop, or sis shows up." Sudden realization prompted the next question. "We can do That AGAIN?"

Tavi laughed as he began truly cleaning up the other rather than just randomly licking. He explained all he could about what had happened and more importantly why. He touched on mating but didn't go into any detail as he allowed the Eevee to clean up the mess on his own body. By the time the two laid down next to each other again Eevee was exhausted and fell asleep cuddling next to the fire pokemon. Tavi wondered who this pokemon was. It was obviously not one of his siblings they would be far older now and he thought that maybe they had evolved by now. That is if they were still here, he took one moment to consider that fact before pushing it away, he couldn't have come all this way for nothing they had to be here somewhere. At least when the Eevee woke up he would be able to get more information on who was still around and if there were any more Eevees or evolutions about whom he could talk with.

Tavi felt hungry and wiggled away from the sleeping Eevee. He would find something to eat and come back later, even if the other pokemon left he was sure he could probably track it. With both his own smell and the Eevee's strong smell he should be able to find the other again if it decided to leave.