ALL NOVEL Chapter 9: Return
Marco had no idea why his sister was so insistent on getting help from that random human and her band. She shouldn’t have needed to be convinced to wipe their memories after they were done helping, but at least she agreed to it in the end.
Sure, the human in their village was an injured child—he knew full well how much that fact tugged at his sister’s heartstrings. The strangers’ actions would help Anne out, but… she was still a human. Her days in the village were limited by how long it’d take her to recover—and they sure didn’t need another pile of human stuff to look after in the meantime.
He wasn’t opposed to being nice to her until she got better, but knew it wouldn’t matter much in the long term. Eventually, she’d be left without any memory of said kindness, and there were very few things that could’ve changed that outcome. Said number wasn’t zero, though, even despite Anne having something to do with Ember’s predicament.
That involvement confused the psychic in particular as he sprinted back to the village. Ember’s and Olive’s versions of the events were drastically different. And, if Aria was to be believed, Anne’s recollection matched the latter. They couldn’t both be true. If not for him having personally reached into that woman’s memories with his sister, he wouldn’t have given the human’s retelling even a single moment of consideration. But he did see it all, genuine and untampered.
Something wasn’t adding up.
Even if Aria’s attempt at reconciling the two versions of the events failed, that didn’t mean he couldn’t give it a stab of his own—as doomed as that idea felt with even his sister having failed at it. The real question was how would he bring the subject up. The last thing he wanted to do was to give Ember a panic attack, and there was no way Cinder would take kindly to the topic either. He’d have to be diplomatic about it, but how to go about it remained a mystery—
“Outta the way!” a shrill voice called out nearby.
Marco dashed back out of reflex, just in time to see a large, reddish blur barrel through where he had been just moments later. It was trying to brake through the means of Ori’s leg stabbing the snowy ground, and came to a stop the hard way shortly afterwards.
Namely, by falling apart.
The corroded metal parts holding the front wheel gave up and snapped, plowing the frame into the dirt. It launched the passenger on the Scizor’s shoulder head-first into a tree, leaving it shaking as the Mawile bounced off and dove into the snow Once all present had processed what just happened, and Ori had climbed off the pile of junk, Marco finally spoke up, a mix of concern and annoyance in his voice, “Mikiri, are you alright?”
“Ya, ya, ya, I’ve been through worse, this is nothing. Wonder what broke there, ugh,” Mikiri grumbled before demonstrating her perseverance by wading through the almost-as-tall-as-her snow, stepping out of the worst of it soon after. The small gash on her forehead undermined her carelessness, with a few drops of rust-colored blood soon flowing down her face. “Ah, this bit. Annoying, I think I have enough scrap to make a replacement... oh, Ori, you alright?”
“Affirmative. You should try to test the integrity of it more next time before asking me to help.”
“This was the integrity test,” the Mawile corrected.
“Didn’t Aria ask you two to not touch any of the girl’s items?” Marco asked, his tone now firmly on the side of annoyance. At their antics, at the Mawile going against what had been asked of her, and at his coworker slacking off while acting as a test dummy.
“I’m not! This one’s not hers! Hers just let me figure out how it all fits and then I made this one out of all the broken parts I scavenged!”
The Gallade sighed and shook his head as he buried it into his palm. Mikiri didn’t notice, getting right back to trying to analyze the failure mode she’d just been on the receiving end of. As her fingers felt along the freshly snapped piece of rust, Ori pointed out the obvious, “Mikiri, you’re bleeding.”
“What?” The Mawile patted her forehead, wincing slightly and groaning at seeing the rusty blood. Less so because of her injury, and mostly because it was yet another distraction from her object of interest. “I’ll be fine, I’ll be fine. Now now, could I reinforce it some more somehow... welding a thicker piece here could work. Though then I’d have to balance it somehow or the steering would get worse—”
“Mikiri.”
“Ughhhh... fine, fine, I’ll go get it checked. Can you move all this back to my workshop in the meantime?”
“Someone has to,” Ori grumbled.
“Alright, alright, see you once I’m patched up. I’ll need your input with some changes I have in mind—fine, fine, I’m going, I’m going!”
Thankfully, Ori didn’t have to speak up again for the Mawile to finally get going, the snow growing thinner as she marched towards the village. As the Scizor turned to face the destroyed two-wheel, Marco asked, “What are you doing here, anyway? Shouldn’t you be scouting?”
“I can ask you the exact same question, Marco.”
“I’m trying to figure out what’s going on with that human kid and Ember,” the Gallade excused himself.
“Are you? Because presently you seem to just be idly watching.”
Marco rolled his eyes at Ori’s callout. It wasn’t undeserved, making him grumble to himself as he resumed his trek further into the village while the Scizor picked up what remained of Mikiri’s contraption. As the Gallade withdrew into his own thoughts once more, he heard Mikiri grumble again, “Yes, yes, I know. I’m going to the clinic.”
A glance up revealed the Mawile’s words to have stopped the Wigglytuff in his tracks before he could speak up about the unnerving sight. With the tinkerer walking away, the fairy’s attention wandered towards Marco instead. He waved as he bounced towards the Gallade, “Hello Marco~. How’s your day?”
“It’s... going, Jovan.”
“Something on your mind?”
“A lot, and I like none of it,” Marco sighed.
The Wigglytuff grew a bit concerned at the unenthusiastic response, looking up at the scout with his green eyes. “Something to do with the human, I assume~?”
“Yeah.”
“I see, I see. All that mess does sound like a big ol’ pickle. Even the kiddos are starting to ask about them, hah. Holly has had some run-ins with humans in the past, so I tried to recount them and try to get some morals in. Truthfully, I’m just stringing words along for the most part. Any specific questions and I have to change the subject, heh. Bell asked me what color are humans and I just couldn’t figure out what to tell him! I was thinking you could help me answer some of it, if you don’t mind.”
“You’d have to ask Aria. She’s spent a lot more time with them,” the Gallade advised.
“But surely you have to know something yourself~?” Jovan pleaded.
“Picked up a couple things, but that’s about it. It’s nothing big.”
“Well, even if it’s little, I’d love to discuss it over a cup of something nice and warm, someplace comfy. How’s that sound, maybe later today~?”
Jovan’s point flew right over its recipient’s pointed crest. The Gallade briefly considered the idea, before shaking it off. He wouldn’t have the time for a detour this big, especially with him not knowing a lot to begin with. He answered, “I’m afraid not. Again, Aria’s the one to ask about them. I know little and truthfully, I hope that won’t change.”
Marco noticed the blip of flat dissatisfaction in the Wigglytuff’s mind, ascribing it to him not being able to get the information he wanted. Unfortunate, but nothing he could help with, making him march on without a second thought.
“I see. Well, why not~? They are just a child, from what I’ve heard.”
“A human child. And... *sigh*, I’m trying to figure out some unknowns surrounding them, many of them on the unsavory side,” Marco explained, shuddering at all the unknowns around the human’s circumstances.
“Oh dear. Unsavory...?”
“Very much so.”
Jovan didn’t need any further explanation to get Marco’s gist—or at least to guess what he might’ve been getting at. Obviously, nobody would want to talk a lot about a young ‘trainer’ that treated them all as objects. It made sense, and it made the fairy feel that bit worse for even asking. “I see. Well... I’ll be off grabbing a drink at Viv’s if you have a change of heart. Hopefully, your search proves successful~.”
“I hope so too, would be nice to finally figure something concrete out.”
“See you around, Marco,” Jovan waved.
“See you.”
As the purple Wigglytuff changed course, the green-white knight marched on. Right before turning the corner, he saw the fairy pull aside a Skuntank for a presumably similar chat. As much as Marco grumbled quietly at yet another fellow scout not being on their patrol, he was at least glad that Jovan would get his answers.
There were few people in their village better equipped to answer them than someone who had been a ‘trainer’s’ property for so much of her life.
The thought made him shudder, before he forcibly discarded it from his mind—what awaited was scary enough. He was still unsure how he’d bring the human girl up with the foxes beyond a vague outline. It’d be for the best if he could have a chat with Ember one on one, but was doubtful how much would the Braixen trust him on this. She was fond of his sister, yes, but have had very few interactions with him directly.
Being as good at sensing emotions as his sister was would’ve been very welcome here as well...
Marco didn’t let that thought get to him, mentally resetting at hearing the whizzing sounds from around the corner. It was accompanied by two mental presences, one dignified and steadfast, and the other uncertain and scared. The practice he soon walked in on broadly matched along these lines.
Cinder’s Psybeams struck true every time, bright and vivid, with enough force to chip the boulder where they hit. Ember’s, on the other hand, had a tendency to miss and fizzle out with her shaky grip. Even when they hit their target, though, they had no force to them, and didn’t look powerful enough to even bruise someone.
Much the same was true of the fireballs that followed. The Delphox’s flame roared as it soared towards its stone target, leaving it glowing dimly where it hit as the sparks it left in its wake melted the snow where they landed.
The Braixen… had a hard time executing the move at all. Her mind was too gripped by anxiety of fear, both of the obvious and of something else that Marco didn’t quite catch, to attain the necessary focus. The umpteenth attempt to calm herself down, first by deep breaths and then by trying to concentrate on the flickering flame tipping her wand once she remembered her mom was watching, accomplished little. Each time, her grip on herself inevitably fizzled when it was time to let loose, receding into more fear.
Of her very own flame, of the human in their midst.
Even Cinder had to admit this was going nowhere. She tried to quell her disappointment in both herself and the rest of the village as she walked up to her daughter. The lil’ fox shook in her shawl, pulling her mom into a hug the moment she could. “I-I’m sorry, I-I—”
“Shhhh, it’s alright sweetie, it’s okay. They’ll be gone soon, don’t worry,” the Delphox reassured. Before she could continue soothing her daughter, she narrowed her gaze at seeing the Gallade approach. Any earlier warmth evaporated from her tone as she spoke, “What is it, Marco? Shouldn’t you be out and helping to resolve this... whole human situation? Because if you scouts want to, I can help solve it quickly and very effectively.”
The veiled threat in Cinder’s words had Marco narrow his eyes as Ember clung to her mom. She felt cold, even with her typing and her shawl, and the hostility in the air didn’t help. As much as the Gallade wanted to snap back with ‘what do you think I’m doing’, he knew that it’d just make the older vixen blow up on him for implying a connection between Ember and their unwelcome guest.
Likely not even figuratively at that.
“I only want to ask Ember about a couple of things,” he explained.
“Such as?” Cinder snapped back.
The lil’ fox perked up at Marco’s words, ears lying flat. She always wanted to help others, but had no idea what someone as important as a scout would want to ask her about. All Marco could do was sigh and consider his words one last time, keeping his cards close as he tried to tease out the truth one detail at a time, “Well, I’ve been told that an old friend of yours had recently turned up in our village, and they’ve been looking for you.”
Thankfully, Cinder didn’t get the implication right away. The hostility in her expression waned as her daughter thought through that claim. Most of the friends she’d made at that bright place were still here, and others had just run off for good when they all broke out… maybe one of them ended up wandering here in the end? That’d be lovely, but didn’t sound realistic; it’s been over a year since then.
Someone else?
Was there even anyone else?
They’d have to be from before then, and…
Everything prior to the bright place was hell, but… there was—
The Delphox grew consternated at the unpleasant territory her daughter’s thoughts veered into. She held the Braixen closer as she grew upset, petting her to distract her from the horrors of her past. It could only do so much. “Shhhh, it’s okay, sweetie. As you can see, Marco, it doesn’t ring any bells for her. Mind leaving us alone now?”
Marco was about to do that before spotting the hesitation in the fox’s thoughts. He ignored her mother’s response and provided another hint in its stead, “An old friend named Anne.”
The clarification didn’t help the Braixen any, but it resulted in an immediate change on Cinder’s end. In an instant, the air surrounding her went from frosty to scalding, immediately battering Marco’s front. With it came painful, sharp prickling in his mind, the kind that could only come from a very angry psychic.
The kind his own psychics were much too weak to nullify.
“How dare you bring that thing up like that!? How DARE you claim any of those monsters as anyone’s friends, especially one of her friends!? It being let live is already injustice enough, but you DARE bring it to our doorstep, and make her suffer even more!?”
Before Marco could respond, he was telekinetically shoved backwards, splaying him onto the snow as the unrelenting Heat Wave burned his front.
“Don’t you, or any other scout, dare speak of this again. If you, your pitiable sister, or anyone else are too maddened to see what must be done with that vile thing, I will eagerly demonstrate. Begone.”
The Gallade only caught a brief glimpse of Ember’s mortified, confused expression as she was ushered back to her dwelling. She wanted to speak up, opening her mouth, before a light push cut her off. Before she knew it, she was back in her den; the door getting psychically slammed shut behind her.
Somehow, he had outdone even his worst-case scenario.
As covert as he had tried to be, Cinder saw through him, and Ember didn’t seem to have come up with anything either. He had one task, and he had fumbled it completely, the disappointing reality much more painful than even the burns on his front.
Enough to make him overlook the Delphox having recognized Anne’s name.
Once he’d picked himself up from the muddy puddle of freshly melted snow, Marco took his leave. Much as he tried to maintain his usual poise, the constant pain barraging his point made it so much harder. An attempt to Meditate the aching away only resulted in him losing his balance, and the winter cold didn’t offset the burns either.
He only had himself to blame in the end. Should’ve waited for a better moment—or just given up on that entire undertaking. Just toss the shared human delusion aside and let Ember rest while they work on moving the human trouble back to their own rotten world. Guess... a drink wouldn’t hurt right about now.
There was no point in dwelling about what he’d seen; he knew that well, but… it still stung. A lot. Especially when compared with Aria’s successes at calming the humans down and getting knowledge out of them. If there was any silver lining, it was that he doubted all this would’ve ended any better if it was his sister doing the talking. Even worse, if anything. Not much of a reprieve, really—
“Maaaarco! Areee you okay, daaarling?” a croaky voice asked, pulling the Gallade’s attention out of the dark pit it was threatening to fall into and redirecting it onto the elderly Lilligant. Only her head poked out of her hand-knit shawl, the bulb where her flower would sprout from come spring wrapped in a small beanie. “Marcooo?”
“I’m—I’m fine, Lavender. Just heading to get some tea.”
“Pleeeease let Maple look at theeeese burns, they look horribleee! I need to prepareeee more dressings soooon, oh dear…” Lavender fussed, looking over his body.
“I will, in just a bit. They don’t hurt that much. I’ll be okay.”
The Lilligant remained unconvinced, orange eyes squinting as they looked over his front. “Whoooo hurt youuuu—”
“I really need to get going, I’m sorry,” he muttered, walking away before the Grass-type could finish, feeling even worse about his injuries. Now they didn’t just hurt him, but they made others concerned for him too, something he really doubted he deserved after his failure.
The rest of his slow march towards the makeshift cafe was spent staving off any further feelings of inadequacy—mostly unsuccessfully. Thankfully, the rich, herbal aroma that spread far and wide from the building was effective at dulling the unpleasant thoughts.
Jovan perked up from his pondering the moment Marco stepped in. His obviously sorry state left the Wigglytuff immediately alarmed, making him call out, “M-Marco? What happened, a-are these burns?”
His high-pitched, alarmed words made the dragon behind the counter look over in concern as well. It was enough for them to step out of the warmth of their makeshift stove, clad in an almost full body, fluffy outfit to keep the winter frost at bay. “Oh my, Marco?”
“I’m—I’ll be fine. Yeah, j-just light burns, I think. I’m gonna be alright,” Marco reassured.
“You don’t ‘just get’ this many burns, not all over your front like that! Marco hun, what happened!?” Jovan pleaded.
As the Wigglytuff tried to get answers, the Goodra took it upon themselves to help the scout more directly. Their raised purple hand wordlessly asked for permission, before reaching over and touching up on the reddened spots along the Gallade’s body. It might’ve felt icky to the touch, but the aloe vera-like relief it brought was both inarguable and much appreciated.
The relief released much of Marco’s tension, making him relent and explain, “Just... I had a good hunch that Ember could have an idea about what’s going on, maybe recognize the human. Cinder... didn’t take it well.”
The answer startled both the fairy and the dragon before the latter resumed their help, speaking up in their soft voice, “That does sound like Cinder. I doubt that asking Ember about all this was a particularly good idea to begin with...”
“It’s more complicated than that, Vivian, but… yeah. It was doomed from the start, I think...”
The Goodra nodded uncertainly as they wrapped up the first aid. They scrambled back behind the counter to pour their guest a cup of their signature sweet tea—and a few more for themselves right after. The pot of water was immediately refilled and set over the fire once more. In a cold as bitter as this, there was never any downtime in needing a drink to warm oneself with.
“More complicated~?” Jovan asked.
The Gallade just sighed, unenthused about the idea of dredging up all the worthless ‘details’ he and his sister have gleaned so far. The Wigglytuff relented with a disappointed nod, looking down at the ground as Vivian handed the scout a cup of tea and asked, “Would you fancy something nicer to sit on than these chairs? Got a spare pillow in here and you look and sound like you could use it.”
“I... I suppose,” the Gallade relented.
“It’s really no problem, Marco.”
“I-I know, I know, just... *sigh*, thanks Viv.”
“Anytime,” the Goodra smiled.
Marco less sat down and more so collapsed on the large pillow behind the counter as he sipped on his cup in defeat. He passed Jovan a thankful nod once he’d joined him, though only interpreted it as the Wigglytuff’s near-universal friendliness. The cafe’s mellowness came back in full swing once he was done with his cup. He tried to shake everything that had happened so far off, before deciding to clear his head with a bit of Meditation. And, once he’d wrap that up, get back into his usual duties.
This place wouldn’t protect itself, after all.
As he cleared his thoughts, the purple fairy beside him dozed off and started leaning on him. In the meantime, the Goodra a few feet away from them alternated between sipping on the warm tea and knitting another layer for themselves to brave the cold with. Right as they were about to start on another cup, they saw someone peek into the cafe—and did an immediate double take before speaking up, “Ember? Are you okay, sweetie?”
The Braixen was very evidently not okay.
Her expression was somewhere between uncertain and terrified, her whole body shook—and yet, she was here. For her troubles, she was offered a cup of tea the dragon brewer hadn’t gone around to drinking yet. “I-I—did Marco c-come here earlier?”
Before Vivian could explain that the Gallade was still here, the unpleasant situation the psychic had experienced gave them a pause. Instead, they responded with their own question, not wanting to expose their friend to even more of Cinder’s wrath, “What makes you look for him, sweetie?”
Ember shook even harder at the direct question. The stick in her tail looked about ready to fall out as she huddled up, making Vivian nudge the cup of tea again. This time, their gift was accepted, even if the fearful fox spilled some of its contents in her shaking.
“He c-came over to us earlier, a-and asked about something. My mom got really angry at him, and I don’t know why, and... and I’ve been thinking. There’s something weird going on; it’s hard to explain. I wanna help him, m-maybe he can help me with that weird thing, I-I don’t want my mom to know...”
That was all the dragon needed to hear. They walked over to the other end of the counter and leaned down, shaking the Gallade out of his trance. Not without startling him, sadly, but the aura he sensed right after pulled his focus away from that. “Ember?” he asked, shocked.
The Braixen grew equal parts reassured about him being alright, and apologetic about what had happened earlier. “I-I’m really sorry, Mr. Marco, I don’t know why m-my mom—”
“It’s okay Ember, it’s okay.”
As much as Marco envied his sister’s form at all times, he would’ve really appreciated having a better grasp on the Ember’s emotions right now in particular. His emotional intelligence was enough to tell the lil’ fox was clearly sad and panicky, but not enough to have a good idea of how could he help.
Suppose that imitation was always an option.
Marco pushed on as he tried to mirror what his sister would do when Cadence got really sad. He kneeled before the Braixen and opened his arms wide for a hug—one immediately accepted. The fox’s uncertain warmth aggravated his burns through her shawl, but the comfort it brought them both more than made up for it.
For a while afterwards, both the psychic and the vixen tried to get a better grasp on their emotions. The Gallade was relieved to feel his gesture working and Ember’s anxiety waning, even if slowly. Guess even if he didn’t have the body he wanted after their parents forced him into this one to act as the family’s ‘protector’, he could still help like his sister. It was obvious, but… it still reassured him to think about. “Did you want to talk to me about something, Ember?” he asked.
“Y-yeah...” the Braixen muttered.
“Take your time. We’re not rushing.”
The Braixen nodded as she mulled through her thoughts, taking small sips of her tea here and there. Vivian watched over them both, keeping a steady supply of the soothing drink. After gathering her thoughts, she spoke, “Mhm. It’s... when you mentioned a friend with that name, I-I tried to think back and see if I remembered, and I didn’t, but... it’s like, it’s—it’s like there’s something weird, something I can’t remember in a weird way.”
Ember’s words didn’t immediately clarify anything, or even provide much of a hint toward their ongoing mystery. But they caught Marco’s attention all the same—even if he failed at his original task, he could still try to help the lil’ fox. “Do you think it could have something to do with that friend I mentioned?”
The fox was less certain on that front. Though, considering that thinking about a friend like that had set her on a path towards figuring out there was something wrong with her memory, there could have very well been a connection there.
“M-maybe, yeah...”
Marco sighed deeply. As much as he genuinely wanted to help, there was an obvious limit to how much he would be able to, considering the actual identity of that ‘friend’. He was unsure how to break the news to the fox, trying once more to gather some nice words to soften the blow—and arriving nowhere. “There’s... something you have to know first, though.”
“Oh, what is it, M-Mr. Marco?”
“That friend I mentioned, the one named Anne... that’s the human in the clinic.”
Predictably, Ember’s immediate reaction at the news was a frightful freeze. Marco was torn between not wanting her to feel entrapped by holding her closer, and wishing he could comfort her somehow. A frown broke through his mask-like expression, letting her know she wasn’t alone in her reactions to the unpleasant fact.
Just as he thought he’d only end up failing Ember again, though, she began to compose herself once more. Her thoughts were rapid, uncertain, afraid—but not panicking anymore. She held strong as she gave that fact, and her own memories, some more thought.
“I-I see...”
Ember had no recollection of ‘an old human friend named Anne’. The very idea was messed up, and her mom wasn’t that wrong in reacting to it like she did. However, besides the memories of the horrible humans that hit her, the two big ones and the several smaller ones, with all their fists and kicks and screaming, there was… something else. Something that had been driving her crazy ever since Marco first brought up the idea of an old friend. A wound in her mind that had been there all along, but which the Gallade’s words had shone a light on. Not a memory, but…
An absence of one.
So many of her older memories had an imprint left on them by someone that didn’t exist, that she didn’t recall. Someone that—to the best of her ability to tell—wasn’t evil towards her, and with whom she enjoyed interacting with. Any details about them, though, were entirely absent.
Even then, they weren’t perfectly nice, made clear by the tattered memories she could piece together. Being confined to small, dark, shaking places for long amounts of time, moved from a warm and nice place to the hell where her abuse had taken place, being—being abandoned…
Marco’s concern only grew as he listened in to the fox’s thought process. Any relief at her not freaking out even harder was offset right afterwards by the disturbing half-memories she dredged up from the depths of their mind. He had no idea what might’ve caused them, and before he could offer any guesses, the fox spoke up again, her shaky voice unusually determined, “I-I... can I s-see that human?”
There was no chance that this was it, that the nice not-person was a human, but… if just a mention of the girl at the clinic made her aware of this gash in her memory, maybe seeing her in person would clear it up further.
Who knew; maybe she was just one of the nasty small humans that tormented her and the nice person. Maybe remembering the abuse she had experienced on her hands would reveal more about the missing piece of her memory. Ember didn’t know. All she knew was that she had to try something, that she couldn’t just live with this awareness of her mind being so broken. Even if it meant seeing that human.
Ideally, without getting seen herself. “A-and make sure she won’t see me?”
The Gallade and Goodra were both too dumbfounded at her request to respond before she clarified. Marco nodded eagerly in response—he would do whatever he could to help, especially now that there was a chance of answering the mystery he’d initially tried to solve. He answered, “Absolutely. You don’t have to do this, Ember—”
“B-but I want to! I want to help, I want to know w-what—what’s wrong w-with my head...”
With one last, tighter hug, Marco got up. Vivian could only stare at them both in shock before offering them some more tea, muttering in disbelief, “That’s not something I ever expected to hear from you, Ember, that is for certain...”
Despite the stress of the situation, and the terrifying reality of having to approach that human to have her questions be answered, Ember still chuckled that tiny bit. The levity helped, even if the fear it was based on returned soon after.
“I-I know, it’s just—”
“You don’t have to explain yourself to me, sweetie. It’s okay,” Vivian reassured. The fearful fox appreciated that sentiment greatly, dashing over to give the Goodra a hug of her own. Her warmth, figurative and literal alike, was greatly appreciated.
“T-thank you...” Ember mumbled. With the hug gone, she faced the Gallade once more. Her resolve held as she walked from behind the counter and grabbed his. No matter how it would end, she was ready to get to the bottom of all this.
“L-let’s go...”
Every step closer to the clinic made the vixen shake harder and harder. The creeping reality of what she was about to do thrashed against knowing that there was no way around this, no other way of resolving the mess in her head.
But gods, did it not make any of it any less scary.
Ember clung closer to Marco as they stepped into the clinic tent. The sight of the vixen in these particular circumstances gave the onlookers a pause. It didn’t last too long, but it still made Ember even more self-conscious about what she would have to do.
“^She’s in the room over there,^” Marco said.
Gathering enough focus to respond to the telepathic comment in kind was hard. Ember only persevered after a few drawn out breaths, silent to any onlookers and especially to the object of her fearful interest. By the time they made it over to the pulled-aside flap, though, something else caught the fox’s interest. “^I-is that Holly’s voice?^”
Marco might’ve been too focused to notice that right away, but once the Braixen had brought it up, he couldn’t think of anything else. His eyebrow twitched at their cook having decided to blatantly ignore their efforts to keep the human in the dark. The last thing Aria needed was it being even harder to get rid of Anne’s memories once the time came for that.
“^Ugh, it is. She shouldn’t be there, why is she—^” he muttered, but before he could finish his sentence, the Azumarill turned towards the entrance of the human’s room—with them right behind it.
“Hey—” the Azumarill spoke, her overzealous greeting cut off with haphazard Safeguard.
“^Holly, what are you doing here!?^”
“Bringing the girl something to eat, that’s what!”
“^She’s not supposed to know any of us are here!^” Marco reminded with a grimace.
All the Azumarill could react to that with was lifting her hand and making a speaking gesture with her paw as she let out incoherent squeaks—the closest thing to a ‘blah blah blah’ she could manage. “You’re all so silly paranoid over her, she’s just a child! What’s she gonna—Ember!? What are you doing here, sweetie?”
The Braixen was at a loss for words, the entire situation too much of a mess to even try to summarize.
“^It’s complicated, Holly,^” Marco answered.
“I’ve gathered that much!”
“^Just—just leave us alone for this. We don’t have time to explain this.^”
“Fine, fine, fine! Goodness, you scouts are all the same scaredy, paranoid bunch it feels like,” Holly groaned. As much as Marco didn’t appreciate her Parting Shot, his attention was squarely on the fox beside him.
More and more fear crept into her thoughts, making him kneel beside her and pull her into a tight hug once more. “^I’m here Ember, I’m here.^”
“^M-mhm...^” she muttered in response.
“^Take your time.^”
While Ember gathered courage for these few final steps, the Gallade kept a close watch over everything going on in the other room. He grumbled to himself at sensing Blossom there, and didn’t have one iota of an idea about why Autumn was there, either—but these could wait. Suddenly, he sensed the entire group turning and focusing on something from the door—just the opportunity they needed. He spoke up, “^They’re looking at the window, this is our chance.^”
Before Marco could come up with some motivation to help the fox push through in the end, she took the first, terrified, determined step on her own. And then; another. Out of his embrace, through the door frame, the scout right behind her as they leaned into the room.
“^N-no...^” Ember whimpered.
The column of black smoke in the distance might’ve been a worrisome sight in its own right, but his attention was entirely on the fox beside him. Her mind had come to a screeching halt at the sight of the human on the bed. It wasn’t fear; it wasn’t just fear. The memories stirred by seeing them were the same half-erased ones she was so scared about earlier.
She remembered the stimuli, the sensations of seeing that human. So many individual threads in her mind had something to do with them, but all of them led nowhere. So many broken memories forcibly brought to the forefront of her mind, combining to make the hole in her recollection so much more well-defined. Its outline was shaped exactly like the human in the room; its edges so sharp it felt like she had been cut out of Ember’s mind with a scalpel.
As grimly revealing as that fact was, it didn’t provide answers by itself. The memory hole at the core of the Braixen’s being was clear to see now, but that didn’t diminish its effects. It left Ember paralyzed even as the room was shaken by a distant rumble, making Blossom chirp out in panic.
Marco couldn’t risk the human interfering, not when they were so close to cracking the mystery. He reached over with his psychics and froze Anne’s focus in place—which the girl unfortunately noticed moments later, trying to look at Autumn only to find herself unable to.
The Indeedee sensed what had happened, gasping as she looked over at her son and family friend. She had no idea why Marco was doing something like that, taken aback before he spoke, “^I’ll explain later, Autumn—I’m sorry, this is really important. It seems like Ember used to remember Anne but something happened to her memories, I’m not sure what to do—^”
“~M-Mrs. Autumn, what’s g-going on!? I-I can’t l-look away!~” Anne cried out.
“What do you mean,” Blossom tried to ask before Marco forcibly severed the mental link between her and the Indeedee.
The situation quickly grew too intense to manage for everyone involved, the fear seeping from Ember and Anne alike saturating Autumn’s senses. She pushed through regardless, trying to make heads or tails of the scene, before coming up with an idea, “^Maybe a powerful memory from Anne will help, I-I don’t know—^”
“^We have to try, mom.^” Marco responded, determined.
Autumn kept enough of a grasp on herself to act right away, speaking up towards the human girl again, somber and apologetic, “^Anne, I’m sorry for all this, b-but this is important. I need you to... think back, back to the dearest memory of Ember you have, and focus on it. C-can you do that for me?^”
The Indeedee reached into the human’s mind immediately afterwards as her son-in-law did the same with the Braixen to his side. Vivid memories were coaxed from Anne’s recollection and passed from one mental hand to the other, both adults anxious to see how Ember would react to them.
An instant later, they had their answer. The vixen’s mind got a glimpse of something it had been missing for so long, and it wanted more, needed more—
And more was provided to it.
Voluntarily at first, but it wasn’t long before the sheer burning need emanating from Ember overwhelmed the strained psyches of the other three. They were dragged along as it clawed out a torrential flood of moments, images, sounds, experiences, scenes, and thoughts—too much for anyone to handle, and yet greedily taken all the same.
Ember’s mind replayed it all to herself, every last recollection Anne had of them together, forcibly excavating the Braixen’s versions of the events from underneath the mental spell that bound them hidden.
Everything, from the beginning...
“~Annie, Annie, come here!~” the loud whisper yanked the almost-six-year-old’s attention away from her scribbles. She dropped the yellow crayon on the wood panel floor as she pulled herself up, before running out into the corridor. There, she saw her granny holding a tiny towel-wrapped bundle in her arms, more alert than ever. “~Could you grab a cup of water from the kitchen and bring it here, darling?~”
Just as quickly as the tyke had run over, she was gone again. After helping herself reach the sink with a stool, she brought the glass cup over, only spilling a little bit. What awaited her in the living room, though, made her stop on the spot.
A tiny red-yellow shape was curled on top of the towel, now laid out on her grandma’s lap. Their fur was disheveled and stained with soot, wriggling as she held them closer, gesturing to her granddaughter to hand the cup to her. The old woman concentrated on keeping her arms from shaking as she brought the cup over to the little one’s snout. Her other hand lifted their head up a bit, to help them drink.
“~Drink baby, drink. You’ve been through so much already, goodness...~” grandma whispered.
In the meantime, Anne sat down next to her gran, trying to not make a noise. She intently observed the furry bundle, watching them calm down as they drank, bit by bit, until their delirious exhaustion gave way to rest. “~Is-is that a Fennekin, grandma Lisa?~”
The old woman nodded lightly at Anne’s whispers. “~Sure is. Poor, poor thing... the entire building caught fire. Awful, awful fire...~” she shuddered at the firefighters’ description of the events as she placed the cup on the table, rocking the now-asleep fox. “~We’re gonna be looking after her for a while until she grows up some. Hoping you’ll help me out with her a bit Annie, heh.~”
Anne nodded rapidly without her gaze ever veering away from the fox. Her grandma chuckled at the sight before carefully lifting the entire bundle up and offering it to the lil’ girl. Anne’s eyes went wide as she looked up for approval, granted with a gentle nod right after. She was afraid to even breathe too hard lest she stir the little Fennekin awake as she pulled her legs up onto the couch and nestled the bundle between her knees and front. Her body rocked to the sides as she cautiously reached in, stroking the soft fur behind the fox’s large ears with a couple of fingers.
“~What’s her name?~” Anne asked.
“~Well... we don’t know, sadly. Probably will have to give her one soon,~” grandma Lisa answered, watching as her granddaughter remained transfixed by the fox in her arms, continuing her comforts. After patting the girl a few more times, the old woman stood up and got to working on a list, scribbling it down on the back of a receipt.
They’d have to take a trip to the town and grab some food for the lil’ kit. Hopefully, she was old enough for berry pulp until then. She would need to get her some bedding, bowls for chow, a few other things… and get her checked up at the vet, of course. And then ask that same vet about so many things…
Heh, just like when Annie first ended up under her care. Thankfully, with nowhere near as many bruises…
Time flew by as one child comforted the other. Anne soon sank into a peaceful rhythm, carefully petting the tiny Fennekin every once in a while. Eventually, their breaths synchronized as the fox continued her rest—rest that ended not long afterwards.
The fox’s body ached as she slowly came to. All around her, softness and warmth. They made her feel safe, even if her last memories were full of chaos and screams and crashes and fire; so much fire—
“~Oh? Are you waking up?~” a soft, hushed voice asked, one that the Fennekin didn’t recognize or understand at all. Its closeness made the aching fox turn towards it and pry her eyes open, making the voice gasp and hold her that bit firmer. She tried to focus on the human holding her, especially their wide, hazel eyes hidden behind thick glass circles, as they spoke up again, “~Hiiiii. I’m Anne.~”
The human smiled wider before she felt a pleasant touch on the back of her head, purring quietly as she wriggled her head. “W-who are you...” the Fennekin asked.
“~No no, everything is alright now. Don’t worry lil’ Fennekin, you’re safe here,~” the girl reassured at hearing what she presumed to be just whines. As the two talked past each other, the tiny fox saw the human’s expression turn to worry before she was held even closer. “~Oh no, wh-what’s wrong with your eye?~”
Was something wrong?
The lil’ fox nestled in closer at hearing approaching steps, before spotting a second, bigger human in her peripheral vision.
“~Oh, she woke up already?~” the bigger human asked.
“~Yeah. H-her eye looks really bad, though...~”
Before the Fennekin could get worried at the other human’s presence, the comforting touch on the back of her head resumed. Together with the nearby heartbeat, it put her at ease as the bigger human examined her eye, “~Oh dear, I see. Hopefully, it’s not some infection. We’ll have to make sure at the vet tomorrow.~”
More gentle, loving pets on the fox’s head, calming her in this unknown place. She purred as she pressed herself into the human’s petting hand, making them smile.
“~Poor dearie. It almost looks like a little ember. Hopefully, it’s not painful for her...~” the older human sighed.
The little human pulled her in closer before continuing her slow rocking. In no time, the exhausted fox gave into the comfort and closed her eyes as the girl had an idea, “~Ember... i-is that a nice name, grandma Lisa?~”
“~Haha. It is, Annie. Let’s hope she won’t mind its origin.~”
“~C-can she stay with us for good?~”
Lisa’s expression turned pained as she chewed through the question. All the while, the fox continued to relax under her granddaughter’s touch, under her calm heartbeat, under the room’s warmth. Her surroundings remained unknown, but…
They felt safe.
“~I’ll... I’ll think about it, sweetie. I don’t know if a hamlet like this will be the best place for a Fire-type like her. Though... *sigh*, we’ll see,~” the old woman flinched, holding back tears as she slowly petted her granddaughter. So alike her, bringing all those fears back in force. Was it right for her to take another soul under her wing at her age? With her health risks?
She didn’t know.
“~It’s an enormous commitment, Anne, looking after someone like that. Taking care of their needs, protecting them if need be...~”
“~I can do that, I promise! I-I won’t let anything happen to her!~” the girl pleaded.
“~Shhhh, I think she’s trying to sleep some more. I don’t doubt you will do your best, sweetie, but... *sigh*. Heh. She’ll be lucky to have someone like you.~”
“~I won’t let a-anything happen to you Ember, I promise...~”
I promise...
...through their greatest loss...
“~P-please pick up...~” Anne pleaded, making Ember shudder as she woke up from her nap. The fox stretched a bit before scrambling out of her cot and walking towards her best friend—
Only for the scene that awaited her to send a chill through her tiny body.
Grandma was sprawled out on the floor, face down. Unmoving. Anne shook as she held the large C-shaped end of the ringing contraption, tears flowing down her cheeks. She gasped soon after, focusing intently on the talking object in her hand; the bits of muffled speech Ember had overheard were too quiet to make anything out of. “~M-my grandma fell down a-and I’m not sure if she’s breathing, p-please help...~”
As the girl listened in and nodded long, Ember made her way over, wanting to help their grandma after the obvious accident she had. It was only after that the realization of her being unconscious finally hit her.
“~M-main Street 12, w-we live in Hilltop, near Mistralton, p-please come soon... no, I d-don’t know the postcode... It’s just her a-and me and our Fennekin, Ember...~” Anne continued. Soon after, the person on the other end of the talking device finally advised the girl what to do. The curly cord stretched as the eight-year-old kneeled down next to her unconscious grandma, free hand reaching for her neck. “~I-I don’t know if I can feel a pulse. N-no, she isn’t breathing…~”
More instructions followed right after. Anne nodded to nobody before trying to flip the old human over onto her back with shaking hands. Ember got her intent right away, helping her human as much as she could with her snout and body—anything to make it all just that bit easier.
With a loud, strained whine, they just barely pulled through. Anne tried to give the Fennekin a reassuring smile before her focus was yanked away by the instructions continuing. She tried to hold the end of the device between her cheek and shoulder; the simple procedure made that much more difficult by the horror of the situation. “~In the center of the chest, b-both hands together... shoulders a-above, okay, I-I think I have it.~”
The series of repetitive, fast-paced presses on her grandma’s front that followed didn’t feel like they were accomplishing much. Their pace grew steadily irregular as first exhaustion, and then despair sank in, tears flowing down Anne’s cheeks as she tried her hardest to do something, anything, only for it all to have no effect.
Ember could only curl up next to her human, trying to comfort her at least that much in the increasingly dire situation; the sheer impact of it all not having the time to sink for her yet.
Eventually, Anne was snapped out of her futile trance by the person on the other end saying something. It made her scramble onto her feet and almost trip over Ember as she dropped the phone and dashed out of the kitchen. The heavy lock on their front door clicked before she opened it—just in time for the distant sirens to get close, making both girls get out of the way and huddle in a corner as they listened.
Listened as the paramedics stepped in, two humans and an Indeedee. They all wore dark green outfits with yellow, shiny decals; carrying a stretcher as they briskly stepped into their home.
Listened to their alarmed words as they examined her grandma.
Listened as one of them brought a defibrillator over while the other pressed on her chest hard enough to snap her ribs.
Listened as another set of sirens approached from a distance, combining into an overwhelming cacophony that left Anne frozen and staring at the floor as more adults showed up.
Listened to their audible exertion as they lifted her up onto the stretcher before carrying her out.
Ember tried to help as much as she could, climbing onto Anne’s tummy as she’d done many times in the past. She tried nuzzling her front and cheeks to comfort her, something, anything to help her friend—most of it for naught.
Eventually, shock gave way into grief as Anne’s stunned expression broke down into pained, terrified sobs, holding Ember as tight as she could at the realization her grandma was
gone.
“I’m here Anne, I’m here, I don’t know w-what happened, but I w-want to make it b-better...” Ember woofed. Her human held her closer, but her tears only kept flowing. Flowing, until she had no more left to shed.
No matter what would happen to them now, Ember would be there for her, the only hope Anne had left...
...through their darkest hours...
“~You ate it didn’t you!? We fucking told you not to!~” the woman shouted.
“~I-I was hungry, I—~” the girl pleaded.
“~Shut up! Just fucking wait until your father hears of this!~”
“~No, no p-please don’t I—~”
The pained shriek of her human being struck made Ember whine and curl up even closer to the girl’s bed. She shook in a mix of fear, grief, and her own pain, one side hurting with her every breath after having been kicked earlier that evening.
“~If you’re gonna eat whatever the fuck’s in the kitchen like a fucking dog, then go and fucking join it!~”
“~I-I’m sorry, I d-didn’t mean to!~”
“~SHUT UP!~”
The back door of their house was flung open with a loud bang before Anne was forcibly shoved through it in nothing more than her pajamas. She tripped on the concrete stairs and fell onto the cold, October mud, her whine of pain barely audible above the sound of the door getting slammed shut again.
“~Where the FUCK is that thing...~” a gruff, masculine voice snarled. Ember panicked at hearing it, desire to comfort her friend mixed with the fear of further punishment as she leaped onto Anne’s bed and then the window sill, aching at even that slight exertion.
Thankfully, she scrambled out of the room and down the building’s exterior the moment before the door to Anne’s room was flung open with a kick. A couple of angry grunts left the man before he slammed the door closed. The voices of their tormentors mixed in from inside her house as Ember looked for her friend.
“~WHERE IS IT!?~” the man shrieked.
“~I don’t fucking know!~”
“~I FUCKING told you not to use that TONE with me, you BITCH!~”
Ember had learned to tune out the kinds of shouts and screams that followed.
Her small body soon made its way onto the patchy grass of the backyard. She just barely glimpsed Anne making her way inside the crooked shed up against the fence, limping at her every motion. Gusts of icy wind hastened her as she broke into a sprint, desperately wanting her human to feel better, to bring her some reprieve from the constant hell they’ve spent the last year in.
Anything to make up for her being too afraid of her own fire and of the two big humans to stop it.
Anne squealed in pain as Ember pushed the shed’s door open, the sound stabbing the fox’s heart. Pushing on, she scrambled in further underneath the plastic tarp Anne was using as a blanket, nuzzling the girl’s front.
“~E-Ember, no, you d-don’t have to—~” Anne whispered, her words cut off by a drawn-out whine as Ember’s unfortunate step aggravated a fresh bruise on her arm. It gave the fox even more fuel for her warmth, pushing her to help even harder, to provide whatever comfort she could. Just like she’d done so many other times in the past, all appreciated more than Ember could ever know.
Anne’s resolve to keep going burned bright while her less painful arm held the Fennekin close. She curled up around the fox as she shed bitter tears, feebly trying to maintain a semblance of composure. “~D-did they hurt you a-any more?~”
Even as she was being comforted herself, Anne’s hand reached in to stroke Ember’s back, her affection as loving as always even if much slower from all the pain. Their suffering grew that bit dimmer as they tried to be each other’s reprieve.
“Shhhhh, shhhhh... I-I’m here, I’m here, I love you Anne...” Ember purred. Her whines may not have been understood, but their intent was clear as day all the same. Anne held her friend that much closer as she tried to deepen her breathing, one painful inhale at a time.
“~You d-don’t deserve to have to suffer like this E-Ember, I’m sorry...~”
“Shhhhhhh...”
Their shared pain and grief steadily gave way to exhaustion and strained rest as the two held each other close. Anne’s worries about hiding all this in time for tomorrow’s P.E. class and from Mrs. Graham clouded her mind for a few minutes longer, before they too relented under the Fennekin’s outpouring of warm love.
Today was hell, tomorrow would also be hell, but here, now... they had each other, and that was all that mattered.
...to the very end.
*breath*
*breath*
Heavy, strained breathing mixed in with an arrhythmic scraping of limping legs against the cold gravel. They were only occasionally interrupted by a loud rumble of the passing car, their headlights blinding in the darkness shrouding the country road. Each time they did, Ember huddled up closer in Anne’s arms, the unsettling surroundings only adding to the physical pain from earlier that day. Even looking up at the girl’s usually reassuring face did no good, even when she could make her out in the dark.
Large bruises on the side of her head, left eye almost swollen shut behind the glasses. Dried bloody streaks between her nostrils and mouth, various cuts and scrapes all over. But it wasn’t these that made the lil’ Fennekin shiver as much as she did—she was sadly much too used to seeing these.
It was Anne’s expression.
Not scared, Ember had seen her scared many, many times, and been there to comfort her every time. It was something else, something much more unnerving. Detached. Hopeless.
“You’ve been walking for so long now... A-Anne, what’s going on? Why aren’t y-you going back to your room?” Ember ruffed, making her human glance at her and give her a few more pets as she pushed on.
One limping leg played catchup with the other as Anne whispered, voice entirely flat, “~I’m sorry.~”
Ember had no idea what these words meant. She’d heard the sound that underlaid them enough to associate it with Anne being apologetic, making her try to reach her friend even harder. “Are we going somewhere safe now? A-Anne, I’m scared, please... it’s so dark and cold and you’re looking so unlike yourself, please just go back to your house, Anne...”
Anne paused for a moment, staring ahead with a vacant expression for a few seconds before she shook painfully. Her posture curled up as she held her friend just that bit closer. Stinging tears formed in the corners of her eyes, making her sniffle before pushing on and whispering, “~W-we’re almost there now... Just a bit more, and then y-you’ll finally be safe, Ember...~”
“A-Anne, you’re hurting bad, I’m hurting, why are we out here in the dark like this...” Ember asked.
Her human didn’t answer.
Instead, she pushed on through the side of the barely lit road, their destination finally coming into view as they cleared the last corner. The building was unwelcoming, the dirty white walls and cold, bright lights illuminating its front facade giving it an even more intimidating appearance than it would’ve already had.
HELPING HAND POKEMON SHELTER
“~I’m sorry...~”
Anne came to a stop next to the scary building, not calming Ember down any. The kit bundled in closer as the human looked around, before stumbling towards a trash container in the corner and scanning through its contents. Soon after, she grabbed a slightly damp cardboard box off its top, holding her friend with one hurting arm.
“W-what’s that for? What are you doing, Anne?” Ember woofed.
Anne recoiled at the sound as she set the box down. She then stared at it for a few moments, keeping tears at bay before giving her fox one last hug and carefully laying her down inside the box. Ember looked at Anne in alarm as she reached into her school backpack, the leaky pen’s ink staining her hand as she wrote ‘EMBER’ on the side of the box.
If her ball hadn’t been left behind at her grandma’s place, she would’ve placed it there, too.
“Anne, I’m scared. Wh-what is this for, I wanna get out,” the kit pleaded as she tried climbing out of the slightly too tall box, back into the safety of Anne’s arms.
The human could only stare at her, painful regret slowly filling up the once blank expression. “~I-I know it’s scary, Ember, but... it has to be done. Nobody will hurt you here. Y-you—you’ll finally be safe.~”
Anne lingered for a couple more moments before standing back up and taking a step back. Away from the box, away from the light of the shelter’s lamps, making Ember’s unrest bloom into a full-blown panic attack.
“Nonononono, I-I’m sorry Anne, I’m sorry, p-please don’t leave me here, I-I’ll hide better next time, please, PLEASE!”
The human girl winced at the fear in the Fennekin’s squeaks, her own tears continuing to flow as she tried to persevere through what had to be done. “~I-I don’t want this either Ember, b-but you saw what happened earlier. I-I did everything I could a-and...~” she said, voice catching in her throat as stared down at the fox in regret.
Her injuries on the hands of the derelicts that cornered them in the schoolyard earlier today were less noticeable at a glance, but even worse than hers to a more experienced eye. Her human noticed each little wince, all of them making her heart bleed.
“~I-I couldn’t protect you. I... I never could. It’s—it’s all my fault. You deserve better Ember, you d-deserve to be safe.~”
Ember just continued to panic, trying to bite her way through the sodden cardboard, “P-please, don’t leave me here, I-I’ll do better, i-it’s so scary here, PLEASE!”
Anne crouched again and reached in, trying to calm the fox down one last time as she looked up at her with pleading, terrified eyes. She pleaded, “~Please don’t look at me like that. I-I don’t want to do this Ember... b-but if there’s a chance that you’ll finally be safe, and have a family that loves you, a-and have someone who can actually p-protect you...~” the girl wept as she stroked Ember’s head, trying to hold her plan together at the very end.
“~I-I love you Ember. I’m sorry. F-for everything.~”
“P-please pick me back up, Anne...” Ember whined.
The human didn’t respond, petting her light of hope as she composed herself one last time. “~O-one day. One day things will be better, a-and I’ll find you again, Ember, and... and then we’ll be safe. I-I promise. I promise I’ll find you again one day, I-I’ll never forget you—~”
The sudden creak of the shelter’s front door opening startled them both.
Anne froze at the noise and the words that followed, before leaping up to her feet and running away into the darkness. Ember screeched in despair at being abandoned, the paralyzing fear that gripped her persisting long after she was picked out of the box and laid down on her cot,
Safe, at last.
And then; Ember remembered everything.
Just a few seconds later, she blacked out at the overstimulation, together with all the others. Blossom was left chirping in panic at suddenly seeing four people faint all at once.
“Help!”
Ember hurt so much.
Her body ached after her sudden collapse, her mind screamed at being subjected to a lifetime of sensation in a span of moments. But her soul fought against that pain, now that she knew exactly who the human in the room was.
“Ember sweetie, what are you doing here? Come,” Esther pleaded.
Ember ignored the Blissey’s comment as she lifted herself from the cold, carpeted floor, through a reverberating migraine, and onto her feet. Neither Marco nor Autumn even registered to her mind as they laid unconscious. There was exactly one being she cared about at that moment. One that she’d been missing, knowingly or not, for the past year and change. One that had been her constant, enduring hope all her life.
And now, Anne was here, with them, safe...
The healers could only stare in shock as Ember shambled towards the bed, almost losing balance a few times. Each step made her whimper in pain as she sobbed at it all.
At what she and Anne had been through.
At her having somehow forgotten her human.
At Anne being so badly hurt.
At her almost having almost missed her only chance to be together with her again.
In that moment, though, none of that mattered. None of that could matter, could even come close to the importance of the human on the clinic bed.
With slow, painful motions, Ember climbed onto it before laying down on the only right place in the world for her to be. Beside Anne, beside her human, beside someone she loved so wholly and utterly. Her shaking arms wrapped around Anne’s front as she nuzzled in, sobbed woofs repeating one more time, “I-I’m here Anne, I’m here, I-I love you...”
And then; she held her human that much tighter at the realization that followed,
“Y-you’re safe... we’re finally safe...”
By @Sweet_Mintality!
