Ch. 5
I'd intended to post this on Mother's Day. Fun, excitement, falling!
We had begun our trek into the mountains, early in the morning, our next destination a few days away, if we moved quickly. A week, if we did what we always did. Avoiding the well beaten path in favor of just taking a look around.
It was an exhausting climb, steep, winding and rocky. I was ill prepared for it, and by the time we reached the first summit, every bone in my body screamed at me for rest. It wasn’t even noon yet and I wanted nothing more than a nap.
There were bigger mountains ahead. Below us, I could see the road, winding lazily up around the pass. It felt like a cop out to go to it, but as I looked on, I realized my folly. The lecture from the nurse coming to mind. And that was less of an ordeal.
I sat on a weather worn rock face, pouring water into the small cooking pan I carried, letting the girls take turns slaking their thirst. At the least, there was plenty to go around. We all needed it, and the rest. I was in no hurry to get started, and for a while just enjoyed the view from the top.
It was a hell of a sight, the valley below us, watching the trees sway in the wind, crisp and cool as it swept over the peaks. Claire prodded my mind gently, guiding my sight to what she saw, further in the valley, past a fork in the road, a small, sleepy looking town, and the bright, obvious pink of a pokemon center rooftop. It’d take us probably into the night to get there, but if we could get to the road, we could at least do it safely. My response was to take her paw in my hand, and kiss her. She melted into it without the slightest hesitation, and trembled at my touch.
As I began my descent, I did so with a muttered profanity. Down was, to my dismay, even harder than up. The steep hillside coupled with loose rocks made me bring the girls into the safety of their pokeballs. It was met with protest and worry, but I couldn’t keep myself safe if I had to keep hands free for them, too.
Long, sweaty hours passed as I sought purchase and passage down steep slopes, loose rock faces, and through my own rapidly growing fear of heights. My arms and back ached. Fingers and palms blistered at the abuse, and through it all a constant awareness of just how far down everything was.
I wasn’t even halfway to the valley floor, and my whole body trembled with exhaustion. It was all I could do to steady my breathing and try to scramble down the next face to a flat outcropping. Try being the operative, the last five meters passed much more rapidly than the first seven.
As I lay there on the slab of stone, wincing and catching my breath, I didn’t notice the dark opening behind me. It was all I could do to sit up and thank the stars I wasn’t much more than bruised. But the growling caught my attention.
The roar, I couldn’t have missed.
The first thing I saw was the glow of fire, on the walls of the dark cave. Then the broad face and glaring expression of anger. I didn’t need a pokedex to tell me that one very pissed off charizard was debating between barbecue and steak tartare. I didn’t even bother raising my hands, just spoke to the pokemon, as I sat on the ledge.
“I’m too tired to run. It’s too far to jump. I’ll leave, just let me catch my breath first.” I offered, wearily.
I wanted to laugh. Of all the luck. Most trainers would be beside themselves to see a charizard in the wild. Most trainers would also have the good sense to not try to free-climb down the side of a mountain with neither tools, nor experience. I was having the best adventure by being the worst kind of stupid.
The charizard stared, quizzically for a moment, and then swept the flame-tipped tail from behind, to illuminate the cave entrance, shifting back and to the side slowly, though the slate-gray eyes, flickering hues of orange and red caught in them from that fire, never left me. It would seem almost a welcoming gesture, and, in my state, one I dared not refuse.
“Thank you.” I said, quietly, as I moved closer, lowering myself against the surprisingly smooth wall of the cave, leaning back with a sense of relief at not being bodily thrown from the edge. “It’s beautiful here.” I said, looking back to the entrance. “A little lonely, but…” I paused, looking back at the charizard who shared a glance out the entrance with me. “That’s the point, I suppose.”
Despite myself, as the adrenaline and fear left me, fatigue set in, and I yawned heavily. I offered a muffled apology, as I wrapped my arms around my knees, resting my head on them, for just a moment.
When I looked up again, the amber rays of sunlight filtering through clouds close to the peaks of the opposing mountainside greeted me. As did the warm, leathery wing of the charizard. Somewhere in it all, I had been moved further back in the cave, and was stretched out half on top of the pokemon.
My hand reached up, brushing against the wing joint, and I winced, familiar pains from the day’s exertions finding me. “I’m sorry.” I said, as the charizard craned around to look at me. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep. I should get going, if I’m to make it down before dark.” I explained, internally wondering if my words meant anything to my host.
But my passage was blocked by the charizard, who nudged me back down with a huff, head coming to rest near my side. Something was said, quietly, but I didn’t understand. My hand idly brushed against Claire’s pokeball, and I hesitated. It could go horribly wrong, horribly quickly if it were misinterpreted.
There was nothing I could do about it, I’d decided. It was too big a risk, so instead, I let my hand fall to the charizard’s wing, curled beneath me, a cushion between me and the cold, stone floor.
I looked around quietly, as the charizard regarded me, seeming content by my lack of struggle. The cave was largely barren, save the spot where we lay, it was dug out, softer, a pit of sand and sharp stones.
Sharp stones… the cave was worn smooth by time and weather. My hand reached out.
Not stones. Shells. There were once eggs.
“Yours?” I asked, as I held the shard in my hands. It was a mottled gray, the wall as thick as my hand, and jagged where it had broken. “You have children?”
The charizard reached up, clawed digits taking the shard with a surprising gentleness, and settling it back in the sand. I began to have an idea of what was going on.
“You’re worried about me?” I asked, with a gentle smile.
I wish I had adequate words to explain the look I received. She, and I felt there was no mistaking that, regarded me as one might an errant child who didn’t understand why he was being scolded. It was enough to make me laugh and apologize. “Okay, okay. I’m sorry. Stupid question.”
“I must have surprised you, landing on your doorstep like that.” I said, as I looked back toward the entrance again. “I don’t regret it though. Meeting you … it’s the kind of story people like me live for.” I said, with a grin. “Though I might leave out the part where I’m an idiot.”
She sat up a little, and stared at me, a dissatisfied expression clear on her face.
“Or I might just forget it ever happened if anyone asks.”
We were beginning to understand each other. She lowered her head again, a little closer to me, and I reached out, daring to brush my hand against her cheek. “It’s a shame, but I understand. You didn’t choose this place for the company.”
“So… why did you?” I asked, gesturing to the egg shells she curled around. “Your children have moved on, right? You stayed… but you’re still so young.”
Some things cross all boundaries. A laugh among them. She craned her neck again, looking down at me, those slate gray eyes studying me for a long, quiet moment.
I stayed quiet, but let a hand follow her up, brushing against her jaw. She didn’t refuse the familiarity, and after some moments listening to her breathing, and a quiet contented rumble at my touch, began to muse mostly to myself. “You stayed for a reason… and you’re too comfortable around me to be wild.” I reasoned, as I looked into her eyes. “Is it… that you can’t go back… or is it that there’s nothing to … go… back to?”
She stared, then let out a mournful sound, lowering her head again, and closing her eyes. I might as well have dropped a boulder on a delicate topic. I felt horrible about it, realizing how insensitive it was. It was little late for a simple apology, but I owed her something. So I hugged her, arms wrapped around her neck, cheek against hers. Warm, and smooth.
The sound continued a while, I hadn’t known a charizard could sob, but she was clearly heartbroken and I found myself completely wrapped up by her. Arms and tail and neck all pinning me close to her.
I couldn’t say how long had passed, but it was dark when she relented, and let me go. She stood, and turned, her tail sweeping to the other side of the cave. A ragged, worn, and faded backpack with a cracked pokeball set atop it rested there. Next to a small pile of rocks.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to leave. She couldn’t bring herself to. Couldn’t bear to be apart, even if all that remained was a humble marker, and the ghost of a memory. “Your trainer must have meant the world to you.” I said, softly. “But I don’t think they’d have wanted you to stay here your whole life.”
The look she gave me could have melted glass. She was hurt, and angry by the statement. I didn’t need a translator to guess why. I didn’t know her trainer. Who was I to say?
“I know it’s hard to hear, but … I owe it to them to say it.” I said, reaching up to touch her, stretching when she pulled away. “They’d do the same for me. We all would.” She stopped pulling away and stared flatly at me. My time was clearly limited.
“We go where the winds take us. Maybe to gyms and tournaments. Maybe to a quiet spot in the back end of nowhere. But we go. We go because the world is a big place, and we want to see it for ourselves. But we could do that alone, if that’s all there was to it. As much as your trainer meant to you… you meant even more to them.”
“They loved you. They wanted to share this journey with you. Wherever it lead. They wanted you to see it with them. To feel the same excitement they did. To share in the world they saw. To see it through your eyes, too.“ I said, stepping closer, hands reaching down to take hers. “They loved you, and they’ll be here, waiting for you to come back and tell them the stories of where you’ve been. Of the world you’ve seen. If it had been the other way around, they’d owe you those stories, too. Because you loved them, and believed in them, too.”
Again, that low, mournful noise, but she didn’t pull away, just looked at the tattered pack, and then back at me.
I didn’t have any more words, so I just held her, let her cry. She did, for a long time, held me close, and cried. Eventually, the tears, the haunting, mournful sounds stopped, and she tried to pull away.
It was night, well into it by my reckoning, my stomach growled, and I sighed, finally letting her go. I was going to rummage through my pack, but she surprised me, one hand pushing me to sit, looking over her shoulder at me as she walked to the mouth of the cave. She spread her wings and was aloft without a noise. She knew I’d stay. I knew it too. Between the darkness, the descent, and her, I couldn’t just leave.
So I waited, dozing lightly, between moments. When she returned, it was with a fresh, whole magikarp in her hands. She took the jaw and most of the innards, hooked on her claw, and ate them without a moment’s pause, before roasting the rest with her fiery breath.
“You took care of them, didn’t you?” I asked, as she set the meal down in front of me. As hungry as I was, I didn’t care at all that I was eating off of the ground. “They were young?”
It was a shame, but her response was unmistakably affirmative, and even a little proud.
“They were lucky, to have you to call mom.” I said, between bites. “All of your children.” I said, gesturing to the tattered pack, then to the shells. “Lucky to have you.”
I wanted to take my time, but my belly wouldn’t let me, and before long, I had devoured the fish. I was satisfied though, and we sat quietly for some time before I said anything else.
“I know… those days at least, are probably behind you. But…” I paused, and she craned her head in as I reached out, meeting my touch halfway. “Even if it’s only for tonight, can I call you ‘mom’, too?”
Her wing curled around me, nose brushing my cheek, pulling me close with a contented rumble. I held her neck, and with a surprised squeak, half tumbled as her arms found my legs, lifting me up, and cradling me as she shifted and lay down in the cave, my body coming to rest cradled beside her.
It was the most comfortable place I slept in weeks. I had peaceful, dreamless sleep, warm and comfortable in the semi-dark of the cave.
When I awoke, it was still, deep night, and she was watching me, those slate gray eyes observing me, as a clawed fingertip brushed gently against my head. Despite the scrapes and bruises, I felt good, just like that, and returned the affection, my hand caressing leathery skin, looking up at her with a sleepy smile on my face.
“You missed this, didn’t you, mom?” I asked, as I nuzzled against her. She sighed, her warm breath ruffling my hair, as she curled a little closer. I shifted, propping myself up on my hand, and kissed her nose. “No need to be shy about it. I’m not so little as to not understand.”
She stared, clearly taken aback, and then nudged me back down, clawed digits taking my hand and holding it over her chest. I smiled, but gently pulled away, standing up in front of her. She seemed confused, almost worried, until I took my shoes off.
“You’re warm, mom.” I said, reaching out to brush my hand against her belly. “Warm, and soft, and a great cuddler.” I said, as I stripped down to my underwear. “Why would I want to waste that on being wrapped up in all that uncomfortable stuff?”
“And besides… I like the way you touch me.” I said, as I moved back to where I was, curled up in arm and wing. “Please don’t stop, mom…”
A moment passed, then a second, with her not moving. I worried I’d pushed my luck too far, but finally, she seemed to come to a decision, and her clawed hands gently caressed me, forehead, and shoulder, and slowly, bare chest.
“Mom….” I whispered, closing my eyes and nuzzling against her. For a while, it was just that, her touching me, my encouraging it, hands brushing over her arm, enjoying the warmth, the soft, subtle scrape of the rougher texture of her skin against mine.
She moved, somewhat suddenly, surprising me, as she rolled onto her side, wing tugging beneath me. Once resettled, her hand began to drift lower, over my stomach as she looked down at me.
“It’s okay, mom…” I said, my hand pushing hers even lower. “You need this, don’t you?” I asked, my free hand reaching up to caress her cheek. “You’ve been alone for so long now… I’m not so little that I don’t understand. I want this, too… please.”
She trembled, as she took the initiative, clumsy attempts at kissing discarded quickly with an embarrassed huff, before she hooked a clawed digit into the waistband of my underwear, severing it from me in one firm tug.
I didn’t protest at all, just watched, her eyes searching mine for approval, as she looked up at me from about my lap, her long, broad tongue circling my sensitive skin, breath abated as she tried to give me pleasure.
I arched, a soft moan escaping my lips, my hands seeking out her jawline, guiding more of me into her mouth. “Please…” I pleaded, her confidence growing, a hot breath out of her nose as she began to work her tongue over and around me in earnest.
It was beautiful, and scary, and almost too much, the texture of her tongue was rougher, different. Her mouth was hotter than anything I’d imagined, almost too much, like a hot shower on a cold day. It wasn’t meant for this at all, and yet, that just made it so much better. She was so gentle, so sweet.
And then she was on top of me, effortlessly dislodging me from her wing, onto the stone floor of the cave. I’d expected weight, discomfort. Something. But her muscular legs held her above me, and I felt the heat of a slit of flesh parting at her slow motions, using her own tail to balance herself as she began to lower her body onto mine.
There was no resistance, her channel was surprisingly soft, yielding. I expected something very different, and shuddered at the heat and gentleness, my hands reaching up to caress her, wherever I could reach.
“Mom… oh please don’t stop. I need you so much…”
I couldn’t tell if she heard me or not, she was lost in her own world, as she took her pleasure above me, rocking back and forth on my hips. Her skin felt cold compared to how hot she was inside, giving me both pleasure and pain, and I only wanted more. Even as the stone floor scraped against my shoulders, all I wanted was more.
“Come here, mom…” I coaxed, reaching up for her. She didn’t argue, as I kissed her, she was still clumsily trying to reciprocate in her own way, before I stilled her with a gentle touch, and pulled her tongue out with my fingertips, to suck and nibble on it as she claimed her prize, lowering herself harder onto my eager cock with a contented rumble.
“That’s it… show me how much you love me, mom…” I whispered, before teasing her tongue with mine. She began to understand it, what I wanted, and that, rough, thick tongue began to circle with mine, probing my lips gently, before she pulled away, panting and clawing at the wall of the cave.
“Do it, mom!” I called to her, my hands grabbing her legs, pulling myself up against her downward stroke. “Show me!”
It wouldn’t have surprised me, if the fire she exhaled was colder than the heat of her pussy as she climaxed. Her wet soft depths constricting suddenly, rippling around me as she pistoned harder, faster, almost bouncing on my lap. She trembled, flashing me an apologetic look as she realized what she’d done, I was utterly drenched in the milf’s spraying orgasm!
She stopped, and began to move off of me, but I grabbed her, held her, and pushed back up. “Mom… you can’t stop now.” I said, bucking my hips into her, while she rode out the trailing edge of her orgasm. “I want this, too. All of it.” I said, before giving her a playful nudge. “But if you’re tired, I don’t mind being on top.”
She needed no assistance pulling me on top of her as she fell back. Her tail brushed against my back, pushing me in as she held me up with her hands.
And I needed no encouragement. Dripping wet, the cave smelling of passionate, needy sex, I wanted to finish what we started... and to finish inside her.
I took her hands, rough, clawed, scarred… and pushed them back as I took her. Made show of holding her down. She could have overpowered me at any point, but she didn’t. The sounds she made grew, panting, almost moaning as I drove myself into her. I felt the heat of the flame at her tail fade as it fell limp behind me, her pleasure and mine slowly building.
My hands released hers, and moved to her neck, and her chest, partly holding myself up, partly just… taking it all in, the way she felt beneath me as she gave herself to me. I wondered how long it had been for her, if she’d considered being like this for her trainer. But those weren’t for me to know. Here, now. This is what I had, what I would take with me.
So I took her, harder. Her tail sweeping across the rocks, lashing against the wall involuntarily as I pistoned into her, drove myself as deep as I could go in that hot, slick channel. I growled, panted at the exertion, she matched in kind, craning her neck to bring her gaze to mine. Our eyes locked, and my hand took her cheek, held her there as I fucked her. I wanted to see it in her eyes when she felt me. Felt my release.
She wouldn’t have to wait, I was so close it hurt, and the way her body held mine, gripped at me, each push, each pull dragging rippling, soft flesh across me. With one last hard motion, I felt her clamp down on me, a surprised huff escaping her as I held her still, flooding her this time, my release mingling with her sopping wetness as her whole body seemed to melt, and relax, accepting the flow with a knowing, tender look.
“Mom…” I said, kissing her again, she’d gotten good at it, at what I wanted our kissing to be, her tongue eagerly dancing with mine, her tail curled against me again, holding me up. “I’m lucky to have you too.”
“I want to do this again.” I said, circling my fingertips slowly over her warm, leathery skin. “Every bit of it, even if you do make a mess of me.” I teased, before giving her a long, warm, slightly damp hug. “Promise me... “
Her embarrassment faded quickly, as she wrapped as much of herself around me as she could, with a response, an affirmative, gentle and sweet in my ear. Limbs, tail, wings, even neck and cheek all curling around to embrace me. It was the last thing I felt that night, to fall asleep in her tender touch, still inside her. Neither of us wanting it to end then.
I awoke in the morning to the smell of cooked magikarp, but she was nowhere to be found. The tattered pack, and egg shells were gone, and her presence with them. It was a brisk morning, and I savored the meal, and indulged in the simple luxury of a lover’s scent, in the confines of the rock. Finally, I saw to getting a wash, what little I could manage with a hand towel and a bottle of water before dressing once more.
My underwear from the previous night were nowhere to be found, either. A trophy, I supposed. And I realized, as I finished up my meal, she’d left me one, too.
Sitting atop my pack, was a jagged shard glittering in the light, diamond in shape, about the size of my palm. She had left me something to keep of her. She wanted me to remember her.
As if I could ever forget.