FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Rain pelted down from the heavens above in a heavy torrent. The wind was fierce and the booms above even fiercer. The sky was a dark grey, only illuminated by an occasional ferocious, angry yellow and the ground below was wet and muddy. Vague features of the landscape could be discerned whenever the sky was alight. The locale was hilly, grassy, had a lake nearby, and... KPFWW!! A sharp gold beam of electricity suddenly crashed from above, incinerating the Earth below! The creature gasped alarmed, eyes widening in terror.

Trees bent hard as wind rushed and rain assaulted them, only held in place by their strong roots. No creatures were anywhere to be seen except for him. Huffing, panting, gasping for breath, paws bounding against wet, dirty earth amid the chaos. Ears flapped down against head, eyes narrowed into slits, skimming the area, searching. Another loud boom sounded, this one thankfully not as close. Deep breath, another bound forward.

A gasp. Trouble! The ground continued to shift below, but his paws didn't move! His limbs jerked back abruptly, his body becoming helplessly limp. A split second of weightlessness came before face met mud. The rest of the creature's body soon collapsed behind him and he slid. Limbs splayed out to the sides and he slowly came to a stop. The male was bombarded with thousands of droplets as he lay there. Mustering all his energy, he attempted to pick himself back up only for his limbs to fail him. He tried again... same result. The sky lit up with another golden flash, crackling malevolently. He sighed and looked off into the distance.

"Hm, hm~ Hm, h-hm~ I got sunshine and I got daisies! Hm, hm~ Hm, h-hm~ Eating berries all day gonna make me lazy! Hm, hm~ Hm, h-hm~ Little vee's got a future and it's looking bright! Hm, hm~ Hm, h-hm~ Just have fun, eat good, and sleep well at night! Good thing it rained yesterday, I was just about afraid we were all gonna get another draught and ya' can't raise kits on a draught. ...Speaking of which, where are my darlings... Rui, Naomi, Freya, Wisdom! It's time for breakfast! ...I said, it's time for breakfast!"

"Mommy, I thought you said we were going to eat berries today."

"I was going to get 'em last night, but it was absolutely pouring! Couldn't dawdle too long else I woulda' wound up like 'im. Now drink up."

"B-but..."

"You'll all be weaned soon enough, but I'm not gonna have ya' go hungry. Now where are your sisters? ...Ah! Here they are! Naomi, Freya, Wisdom... it's breakfast time."

The sound of small pawpads scampering across a hard, earthy surface echoed through the air.

"Mommy, mommy, who's the big mon? Is he a fwiend?"

"Yeah, mommy! Who is that?"

"I'll tell you all about it soon enough dears. Now drink up."

"but, mommy"

"Hush, be patient..."

Silence... then small peaceful suckling noises. The deeper, more matured voice sighed as the suckling continued and then started to hum quietly. The hum was melodic, sweet, soothing, a pleasure to the ears. It was also, in a strange way, familiar, homely. Was this...?

The creature slowly opened his eyes to a fuzzy collection of colors. The colors slowly formed into objects... rocks, dirt, a wall, a pokémon's back and neck, their tailfin, little furry brown balls nestled beside her... He looked closer at the pokémon. She was a beautiful light blue with dark blue ridges extending from the back of her neck to the middle of her back to her tail and all along it to her forked tailfin. She was a quadruped, like him, appearing to be just as large. Her head was bent downward toward the furry brown balls as she cooed affectionately and only her white, webbed mane and large ears were visible. He looked up and down at this magnificent creature, noting how shiny and clean her blue coat looked in the mid-morning sunlight.

The blue pokémon unexpectedly looked up at him, perhaps sensing him stir, and stared him right in his jet black eyes. He stared right back, her deep, dark amethyst eyes boring their way straight through him. He couldn't look away; this creature mesmerized him. His pulse quickened as he gazed on at her, not daring to look away, not daring to blink. His breathing became slow and hot and his paws beneath became slick and moist. The light blue quadruped giggled cutely, smiled at him, and winked.

Her head then curled down toward the little balls of fluff attached to her and she began cooing at them. He watched and smiled as she hummed and cooed and stroked the backs of her young as they drank from her. It reminded him of when he was little and how he used to cuddle up against his own mother for warmth and protection.

"Looks like our guest has awakened," the water type calmly observed.

The four eevees immediately detached themselves from their mother and ran up to the guest, bombarding him with questions.

"Who are you?"

"What awe you doing here?"

"What's your name?"

"What pokémon are you? Are you a flareon?"

"Of course not! He's black!"

"Why are you black? Flareons aren't supposed to be black!"

"Children, children," the mother chided, "settle down! Is this any way to treat a guest?"

"Sorry, mommy," they all said in unison, their heads hung down in shame.

"I truly am sorry for the ruckus, er..." she hesitated.

"Vi-" the pokémon interrupted himself with four or five loud coughs before continuing, "My name is Vincent."

"Don't feel like ya' need to answer any questions if talking hurts, yes?"

Vincent coughed again, "It's fine. I think I'm good now. Uh... Hello everyone, I'm Vincent."

The children looked up blankly at him, as if expecting something. The mother, however, simply smiled at him.

"I am indeed a flareon-"

"Ha! Told ya'"

"Quiet!"

"I'm a flareon with a... rare condition known as melanism. Basically, it just means I was born with completely black fur. There isn't really a reason why I have black fur, except that I inherited it, I guess."

"Do your parents have it?"

"No, no one has it that I'm aware of except for me."

"Wow that's so cool! You must be, like, really special or something!"

The black flareon smiled shyly, "haha, not exactly..."

"Why were you out in the storm last night, mister? It's not safe to play outside in a storm!"

"Uhmm..." he paused, unsure about what to say.

"Whatever the reason, we're all glad you're safe and recovering now! Isn't that right, sweethearts?"

The four little ones nodded.

"Look, I really appreciate you taking me in," Vincent began "and-"

"Oh, don't you sweat your pretty little head off! There was no way I was going to simply leave you there! Besides, you aren't a bother in the slightest, Vincent."

The flareon smiled gratefully, touched by the vaporeon's hospitality.

"Children, come. It's a wonderful day outside and it would be an awful waste to not play around and have fun."

The four little faces lit up instantly.

"Just remember the rules. Don't wander off too far from the mouth of the cave. I want to be able to see all of ya' by looking outside. Don't talk to any adults ya' don't know and if any of ya' gets hurt, talk to me immediately."

The four brown eevees zoomed out the entrance of the cave, eager to explore the outside world and enjoy themselves.

The vaporeon grinned and shook her head. "Kits these days, eh Vincent?"

The black flareon grinned back, "I wouldn't know. I don't have any myself."

The blue eeveelution giggled to herself, "That's quite alright, dear. Now, is there anything I can do for ya'?"

"You don't have to do anything for me," he responded shyly.

"Hah, nonsense," the vaporeon retorted, "First off, you're all dirty and mangly. You have mud dried up in your fur and all over your face. That won't do! Here, close your eyes and take a deep breath. Let me fix that."

Vincent did as he was told and closed his eyes. A jet of water immediately hit his face, making the black flareon flinch.

"Oh, come now," the water type chided playfully, "It's only water, nothing a big boy like you can't handle. Let's try again, but this time, stay still."

Vincent nodded, closing his eyes again and taking another deep breath. He was again blasted with a jet of water, but he didn't flinch this time. He stayed put and let the rushing water clear off all the dirt and mud from his face. The jet soon moved away from the center of his face and moved upward to his forehead, then to the tuft of fur on his head. The vaporeon directed the stream to the sides of Vincent's head and then washed all around his mane, cleaning it until it was absolutely spotless. Once she was done cleansing him, she used her claws to brush all along his mane, making it neat and tidy.

"There! Nice and clean! My my, Vincent. You certainly are handsome when you aren't covered in mud~" She said upon completion, finishing her last sentence with a smooth little flourish.

Vincent blushed "Y-you think I'm handsome?"

"Of course," she smiled, "A real treat to the eyes~"

Vincent blushed harder now, his face tinted with crimson, "Thanks, uh..."

"Oh, silly me, I must have forgot to introduce myself," she said with aplomb "My name is Luna!"

Vincent cocked his head to the side curiously "Luna?"

"Mhm~ My parents named all of us after the eeveelutions they thought we were going to become growing up."

"And your parents thought you were going to become an umbreon?"

"Yes, yes. I thought so too, a fine umbreon lady, queen of the night, ruler of darkness... but I just loved the water too much. It's so nice, so cool and refreshing. Important too! If ya' don't get enough water, ya' can't quite function properly, can ya' now?"

The black flareon nodded in agreement.

Luna giggled to herself, "funnily enough, my sister Brooke turned out to be the umbreon of the family instead."

"How ironic."

Luna giggled some more to herself and smiled at Vincent. He smiled back, a small tinge of red still coloring his face as he looked back at the would-be queen of the night.

"Why the blush, hot stuff, hm?" she asked, eyes narrowing into slits, smile curving toward her right side mischievously.

"Uh-uh I..."

She sat silently across from him, that playful grin plastered on her face. Her gaze was interrupted by the quick pitter-patter of cub paws on the earth and a small, young voice calling out for help.

"Mommy, mommy, mommy!" a small eevee yipped, galloping her way toward her mother.

"Yes, Freya?" the vaporeon asked, immediately turning her head to attend to the needs of her young.

"Rui's tail is on fire again!"

"I thought I told him to be careful playing with Iroh!" The vaporeon got up onto all fours impatiently and turned around.

"My apologies, Vincent," she said, her head turning back toward him as she walked away, "but I must take care of this."

The black flareon nodded again understandingly, and watched Luna and Freya walk together away from the cave. He turned his head downward to lick at one of his paws after a few moments, but just as he was about to do so, he saw Freya turn toward him. With her mother still walking off, the small eevee bounded excitedly toward the flareon, paws scampering wildly upon the ground. Vincent chuckled at the brown ball of fur and wondered what she was so excited about.

After Freya entered the cave, she jumped right on top of Vincent's head. "Hey, Mister! Whatcha' doin'?"

"I'm resting."

Freya moved higher up onto the black flareon's head, using her hindpaws to press down on the upper half of the flareon's face and hoist herself up, scrunching fur down toward his eyes in the process.

"Resting, huh?" Freya asked.

"Yep."

She batted at Vincent's ears and delighted in how they bent to her whims.

"So, uh," Vincent began as the kit continued swiping and pawing, "How did Rui's tail catch on fire?"

"Why were you out in the rain, mister?"

"Hey," the flareon chuckled, remembering some of the antics of his childhood, "I asked first."

"Ok, ok fine. Iroh and Rui were doing their 'secret pawshake' again where they touch tails at the end."

"Oh. Iroh's a charmander then I take it?"

"Yeah, and his dad is a charizard! He's really big! Even bigger than you!"

Vincent smiled again, "Hah, I'd imagine."

"Now it's my turn," the eevee chirped triumphantly.

"You want to know why I was out there?"

"Yes please, mister."

"Well..." Vincent responded, thinking of an appropriate way to explain his situation "has anyone ever been mean to you?"

"Yes, but mommy told him not to be mean anymore."

"I had a group of pokémon be mean to me every day where I used to live. They would pick on me, call me names, make fun of me, and yell at me. No one stood up for me or defended me and whenever I tried to tell them to stop, they would hurt me."

"That isn't good! Did they make you run out in the rain? Where are they? Iroh's daddy can teach them a lesson!"

"Not exactly. I ran to get away from them. As far away as I could."

"Why did they do it, mister? Why were they so mean to you?"

"It was because I'm different... It was because flareons don't usually look like me."

"That's dumb!" she exclaimed.

"Yeah... it is."

"Don't worry, mister,"

"You can call me Vincent."

"Mister, I won't make fun of you. I like you. No one else lets me stand on their head."

"Thank you, Freya," the flareon said, stifling a laugh, "I appreciate it."

Freya played around on top of the flareon's head until Luna arrived back at the cave with Rui following her, his head lowered in embarrassment.

"I see the two of ya' have gotten to know each other, hmm?" the vaporeon cooed spotting Freya nesting on Vincent's head.

"Yeah, I suppose you could say that," Vincent laughed.

"Well then, I'm gonna go outside again and collect some berries with Wisdom and Naomi. Do ya' think you can handle watchin' my darlings, Vincent?" she winked at the flareon as she said this.

"But mommy... You said that I could go with too," Rui whined, tugging at one of his mother's forelegs.

"That was before ya' decided to do your foolish 'pawshake' with Iroh. Now stay with Vincent," Luna responded curtly.

The eevee complained some more, but his mother was insistent. The kit relented before long though so as not to anger her. Luna left the two eevees, leaving them in the care of their new guest, but not without a hug, a kiss, some "I love you"s, and a wave goodbye.

An hour passed and the Sun started to set, leaving the three eeveelutions with a beautiful vista where reds, oranges, pinks, and purples all clashed. Vincent looked out into the distance and scanned the horizon, searching across the canvas for Luna and her other two kits. They were nowhere to be found. His eyes darted from the left to the right and back again and he frowned.

"Do either of you know when your mother will be back?"

"No," Freya chirped matter-of-factly.

Vincent paused, "...Should I be concerned?"

"No."

The flareon sighed. "Should I go look for her?"

"No. Rui did once when he got a cut on his leg and mommy didn't like that."

"You didn't need to tell him, tattletale," Rui shot back.

"Hey, calm down." Vincent returned "Don't call your sister names."

"Yeah, Rui!" Freya exclaimed, sticking her tongue out at her brother.

"Both of you be nice," Vincent said calmly, but commandingly. The two little ones fell silent, turning their heads away from one another in disgust.

"She started it, though," Rui half-whispered.

"At least I don't get my tail burned, dummy."

"Both of you, that's enough," Vincent warned, "Do I have to tell your mother that you two were misbehaving?"

"No, mister," they replied in unison.

Soon, Luna and two little eevees came back to the cave, the mother carrying a large tree branch dotted with purple berries in her mouth. She swiftly dropped it on the ground and the four eevees began to pick the berries off the branch. The berries disappeared into the mouths of the four hungry furballs as they happily devoured their dinner. Luna and Vincent were the last ones to begin eating; silently letting the younger ones pick their favorite berries first. One of the eevee kits soon asked Vincent why he was out running in the rain yesterday and Vincent provided the same response he gave Freya. Much of Vincent's company expressed sympathy for their guest, but the black flareon told them not to feel too bad for him.

The four eevees yawned and lay down once they had all had their fill. The Sun completed its journey across the sky for the day leaving the six quadrupeds with a cool blanket of darkness, some chill winds, and a bright white full moon. The four children curled up close to one another for warmth as their eyes drooped and their muscles relaxed. Soon, their eyes had closed completely and their breathing had softened.

"Pssstt... Hey, Vincent..."

The black flareon's ears twitched.

"Vincent, can ya' get up now? I want to talk some more."

The pokémon scanned the darkness and soon located the source of the voice. His body ached as he slowly rose onto all fours and he grit his teeth to avoid groaning out in pain. Once he was up, he found himself face to face with Luna, the moonlight illuminating her face wondrously. He couldn't help but gaze dumbstruck for a moment.

"Stop starin' ya' silly old thing and follow me." The vaporeon walked gingerly out of the cave, being careful not to make a sound. Vincent cocked his head to the side curiously, then followed suit. He looked around as he stepped out of the cave for the first time since the day before and took in his surroundings, the vagueness of the landscape in the absence of the Sun, the stars scattered across the sky, white dots in a great black expanse, and the moon, white, round, dominant in the sky.

Nocturnal insects cricketed quietly and Noctowls hooted peaceably as the pair arrived at a small, purewater lake. The water looked sparkly and clear, moonlight glinting perfectly off its surface. Luna tapped Vincent's shoulder with one of her paws and smiled at him. He smiled back, paying close attention to every move she made. His breathing became heavy as she maintained eye contact and dipped her front left paw in the water. The paw seemed to hit something in the water; perhaps this was the shallow end. Another paw entered the water but those deep, amethyst eyes did not relent. She purred quietly. Vincent gulped. She turned herself to the side in order to move her hinds into the water and slithered gracefully toward a deeper part of the water, never averting her gaze.

"Come on in. The water is nice and refreshing tonight, big guy~"

The black flareon lowered his head and shuffled closer to the water. He followed her gaze as she swam slowly to him. Their faces inched closer and closer until they could almost feel each other's breaths.

"Come on in, Vincent~" Luna gave the fire-type a nice, quick smooch on the lips, then immediately dove under. Vincent's face turned crimson. Did she just...?

He flopped into the lake clumsily, water splashing every which direction as his body made contact. When he resurfaced, he was met again face to face with a giggling Luna. He smirked back meekly, growing even more crimson as he was greeted by another quick smooch on the lips.

"So Vincent, my handsome flareon, how are ya' on this fine evening?"

"I'm doing... quite well."

"Don't be shy dear, swim with me."

The fire-type purred warmly as the vaporeon grabbed his paws with hers and drifted gently away from shore.

"Luna?" the flareon asked, "You said you wanted to talk to me about something?"

"Yes, yes... As ya' know, I am currently raising four kits. It's hard and it can be frustrating sometimes, but I love my little buggers to death."

"Yeah, I can tell you love them very much."

"And as a mother, I want nothin' short of the best for 'em. All that I 'aught to do for 'em, I do for 'em."

"Yes," Vincent said, showing her he was listening.

"But the one thing I haven't been able to provide for them is a father..." Her eyes drifted off into the distance before she spoke again.

"Good for nothin', twit." She took a deep breath. "Sorry, I... I'm just..."

Vincent nodded.

Another deep breath. "My 'mate' left me. He left the children... and I could never find him."

Vincent nodded again.

"I don't know if I ever will and I'm not quite sure I even want to at this point, but I do want my children to have a good father figure..."

"I understand."

"Ok..." She took a deep breath, "Do ya' want to be their new dad?"

Vincent's eyes widened in surprise, "I... that's..."

"I wouldn't expect ya' to do this without compensation, of course... after all males only care about one thing, right?" Luna stared into his eyes again, moving her face closer and closer to his, licking her lips.

Vincent tilted his head sideways, confused, "What do you mean?"

"I mean..." Luna wrapped her front paws around Vincent's head, pulling the two of them closer together. She smiled at him and looked him in the eyes before opening her mouth and moving ever and ever closer. Suddenly, Vincent realized.

"Luna, I'm not like that."

"Do ya' want a more direct approach?" She said moving her face closer to his ears and whispering sweetly into them, "That can be arranged." She swam toward his neck, placing a paw on his neck fluff, then began sensually sliding the paw across his side down to his hips.

"Luna, please stop... listen."

Luna took her paw off of him and stopped. She turned to face Vincent again.

"I'll... I'll be their new dad."

She blinked, "Then what's the matter?"

"I'm not going to take advantage of you. It... It just isn't right, Luna."

Another blink.

"It's not that I don't want to be more intimate with you... I just don't want it to be considered 'compensation' for anything."

She took a deep breath and nodded "ok".

"If you really want to, that's fine, but you should never feel like you owe anyone that."

"But then, why do ya' want to be their dad?"

"Because they deserve one... Besides, I really care about you."

She paused and tilted her head. "You... care about me?"

"Yes, I think you're compassionate, loving, selfless... You're a great mother, you're very pretty, you're fun to be around..."

The corners of Luna's lips slowly turned upward as she heard this, "Well then, Vincent, if ya' really think that and if ya' really are serious about being my kits' new dad, you're gonna need some serious shuteye for tomorrow. These rambunctious little rascals aren't gonna go easy on ya' forever, ya' know."

"Heh, I'm sure."

The vaporeon effortlessly made her exit from the lake, inviting the black flareon to come along. He followed suit, emerging from the lake after her then briskly shook the water from his fur. He reexamined his surroundings, taking a closer look at the nighttime backdrop of what would ostensibly be his new home while he ambled through the dewey grass. A chilly breeze ruffled his fur as he gazed upon the night sky, pointing out constellations to himself and grinning, remembering the times he lay out under the open sky with his own father.

As they reached the entrance of the cave, Luna faced him and whispered, "I don't know if I've said this to ya' yet, but thank you. Really, ya' don't know how much this means." Then, she pecked him on the cheek.

The two of them soon retired for the night, finding a warm place in the cave near the kits and curling up against one another. The breathing of both eeveelutions soon slowed, relaxed. Feelings of comfort, security, and belonging washed over them like the tides of a calm ocean as they closed their eyes. Before long, Luna and Vincent slipped out of consciousness together.

Vincent felt something pounding on his head, a small, recurring, throbbing pain. Then he heard giggling. "Wake up, sleepyhead!" The repeated pounding feeling on the top of his head continued along with the giggling as he slowly realized what was happening. His eyes opened to a blur of colors gradually becoming clearer and periodic distortions to his vision. He groaned quietly to himself, groggily regaining control of his senses. Then he smirked to himself. He slowly rolled over onto his side, leaving the small eevee no choice but to leap off, then closed his eyes and pretended to sleep again.

"The Sun is up, mister. No more sleepy time." Vincent felt a paw hit him on the cheek then softly pad its way across his face. He squinted his eyes, but didn't open them.

The eevee giggled and grabbed one of his ears. Leaning herself close in toward them, she asked, "Hello? Is anyone there?"

Vincent reopened his eyes to see a beaming eevee looking straight at him.

"Eeveelutions sleep at night, you silly. Wake up."

"Uggghhh..." Vincent groaned, "Hey Freya. Where's everyone else?"

"They're all outside!" she tweeted, "Rui and Wisdom are playing 'Predator vs. Prey' and Naomi is feeding."

"'Predator vs. Prey'?" Vincent murmured groggily.

"Yeah! The predator wants to eat the prey and the prey wants to run away. The predator eats the prey by touching them. Before the predator can chase them, though, the prey gets a head start and can hide. If the prey isn't eated for a long time, they win!"

"Oh! So it's like tag and hide-and-seek combined?"

The eevee tilted her head quizzically "What are those?"

The black flareon paused and then briefly explained the rules of tag and hide-and-seek.

"Huh," she responded, "Why didn't you just play 'Predator vs. Prey'?"

The flareon shrugged, "I guess I didn't know about it. Why isn't Naomi playing with them?"

"Weeeeelll," she said swaying her body from side to side, probably wanting to play outside herself, "She isn't the strongest and she's a little shy."

"Does she want to play?" he inquired.

"I don't know. Last time she played she always lost which made her cry."

"That doesn't sound good," the black flareon commented.

"It's not. Seeing her cry makes me feel sad. Anyway, I'm going to go play now! Good bye."

"Uh, ok," Vincent replied, somewhat taken aback, "Have fun, Freya!"

"Thank you, mister!" she called out as she trotted away.

With that, Vincent was left to himself. As he yawned, got up onto all fours, and stretched, he thought about what Freya said about Naomi. Though she was currently with her mother, she was missing out on play with her siblings. Maybe she wanted to play, but was too shy to ask or didn't want to lose. Maybe she was happy with her mother. The black flareon, of course, wouldn't know unless he investigated the matter further.

It didn't take long for Vincent to find Luna and Naomi after exiting the mouth of the cave. As he approached, he realized that Luna was not nursing, but instead letting Naomi snuggle into her.

"Look who's finally awake," Luna teased, lips curling up toward the right side of her face.

Vincent smiled back. "Heh, I guess I was pretty sleepy."

"I hope ya' slept well, my darling."

Vincent was touched. "I'm your darling?"

"Hmmm... Well Vincent, are ya'?" The vaporeon looked smug

"Don't answer my question with a question," the flareon replied, somewhat flustered before conceding, "But yes, I am your darling."

"Does my darling want a kiss?"

Naomi stopped snuggling and looked up curiously at her mother and then at Vincent.

"A quick peck on the cheek would be nice."

Luna then gave Vincent a short little smooch on his left cheek.

"So," Vincent began, "What have you two been up to?"

"I've been here feeding and comforting Naomi since the morn' began. She doesn't seem to want to play with the rest of the kits today."

"Hmmm," Vincent thought aloud, not entirely convinced.

"What is it?" Luna asked.

"Let me talk to her." The black flareon bent his legs so that he was lower to the ground and more level with the eevee. "Hello, Naomi."

She stared at him wordlessly.

"Do you want to play today?"

She stared. Nothing.

Vincent lowered himself even further until his belly was nearly touching the ground. "I could let you climb onto my back."

A head tilt. Was he getting somewhere?

"You could grab onto my mane while I walk around. I promise I'll be gentle."

A small smile crept across Naomi's face.

"Here," the flareon said turning himself to the side and lying on his belly so that Naomi could easily climb on.

After a few moments, the small eevee finally clambered on and gripped the flareon's mane tightly. Vincent gently rose back onto all fours, looked back at Luna and winked at her.

"Any ideas on where to go?" Vincent queried.

Luna pointed somewhere with one of her forepaws and said, "It would be a marvelous idea to stroll on over that way and give a hello to Rui, Wisdom, and Freya. Perhaps they'd want to hitch a ride as well?"

The flareon nodded and carefully padded his way to the other eevees. He began walking at a smooth, methodical pace, only increasing his speed when the eevee above loosened her grip on his mane. He soon reached a normal walking speed, then decided to walk just a tiiiiiiny bit faster than normal. When he heard the timid eevee on his back purring, he increased the pace of his walking some more, but again, only by the tiniest of bits.

He picked up the pace little by little until he was at a trot and then a canter, the eevee's laughter becoming bubblier and louder all the while. Soon, he arrived at the area where the other children were playing. Rui, Wisdom, and Freya stared at the two of them for a moment and after seeing how much fun Naomi was having, they wanted to join in too. The three of them barreled toward the black flareon, eager to see what all the fuss was about. Vincent slowed his pace and lowered himself to the ground, allowing the energetic balls of fluff to scramble up and enjoy the ride.

Vincent spent the rest of the day trotting around from place to place, taking commands from the four copilots who sat atop him. When they told him to go left he would go left and when they told him to go right he would go right. Slowing down, speeding up, moving forward and backward, even jumping all at the (sometimes conflicting) whims of his captains. As the day went on, the commands of the small, amateur handlers became more and more daring. Swaying from side to side? Done. Jumping over a log? No problem. Wading in some water? There might be some problems, but sure. As the day drew to a close, one of the commanders became so bold that he jumped off of the flareon, despite him telling him not to. Vincent teased the eevee, telling him he had to "catch" him to be able to get back on. Luna told the children to come inside for the night before the 'vee could do so, however.

After the rest of the family had fallen asleep for the night, Vincent felt something touch his face. He opened his eyes to see a small, worried eevee standing in front of him.

"Vincent," she whispered.

"Yes?"

"I've been having nightmawes..." she admitted sadly.

"Awww... That's too bad," he cooed, giving the small one a light hug, "Is there anything I can do to help you fall asleep again?"

"I twied, but I can't."

"Hmmm," the flareon thought to himself, "No lullabies your mother sings to you?"

The eevee shook her head.

"Hmmm... Oh wait, I know," the flareon silently rose onto all fours upon his epiphany.

"What is it?" the eevee whispered.

"Follow me, Wisdom. I want to tell you a story."

The eevee, confused but intrigued followed her new caregiver a few paces out of the cave. When Vincent thought they were in just the right spot, he lay down on his back and looked up at the stars, gesturing for Wisdom to do the same.

When she had lay down next to him, Vincent pointed to a star and whispered, "Do you see that star right there? That bright shining one just to the left of the moon?"

"Uh-huh"

"Do you see the three stars above that make a triangle?"

"Yeah,"

"Now look at the stars below it and the stars behind it and tell me what you see."

"I see... staws."

Vincent laughed, "Yes, but what shapes do you see?"

"Uhmmm... I see a squwah and a... a ciwco."

The flareon listened silently.

"I see a... sevipo?"

"A seviper?" The black flareon asked, "Where?"

"Wight thaya!" she exclaimed pointing at the sky, "That's the head," she said gesturing to a triangle in the sky, "and that's the body," she moved her paw from one side of the sky to the other.

"Very good. That's called a constellation."

"A constellation?" Wisdom asked, a paw hovering right above her chin.

"Yes. There are many constellations that come out at night and one of my favorites is the 'Magna Ursaring' right around here..."

The girl was quick on her paws. "I see it!" she said without Vincent having to explain further.

"You do?" he was taken aback.

"Yeah! Those awe the legs, that's the head, and that's the body."

"Very perceptive," the flareon responded, still surprised. "Now my parents used to tell me stories about that Ursaring. His name was Hamia and he was tasked with protecting pokémon, particularly children, from nightmares. He was big, strong, and fearsome, yet kind, compassionate, and caring. It was said that whenever he failed to protect a child from nightmares, he would bestow a gift to them after they woke up again."

"Did you evew get a gift fwom Hamia?"

"I did actually. I had a nightmare where I was falling and falling with no end in sight, but the next week I made a friend who helped me get over my fear of heights."

"I had a dweam that I was alone. I looked evewywhaia I could fow mommy, oh Fweya, oh Iwoh, but they wew gone. Even you wew gone. I kept sohching and sohching, but I was awe by myself and it made me vewy sad and afwaid."

"Awww, there there, Wisdom."

"Will you leave us, Vincent? Afto yo all healed up?"

"No, I would never do that to you."

"You don't wanna go somewhaia else? Some place whaia othos won't huht you?"

"Wisdom," he comforted her, "I'm not leaving. I'm staying right here."

"You awe? Fow how long?"

"Until you and your siblings grow up."

"Weally? Do you pwomise?"

Vincent looked at the eevee, staring her in the eyes to show how serious he was.

"I absolutely promise you that I will be by your side for the rest of your life, even after you've grown up. I love you, I love Rui, Freya, and Naomi, and I love your mother. There is absolutely no place I'd rather be. I will never leave you behind, Wisdom, you have my promise."

The eevee ran up to her new caretaker and wrapped her paws around his neck. The flareon beamed as he pet the young one's back, relishing the moment.

"Does this mean yoh ow daddy, now?" Wisdom asked excitedly, looking up at Vincent as her paws remained closely clasped around his neck.

"Yes, it does."

The next two months were filled with plenty of love, laughter, and learning as the black flareon seamlessly occupied his role as a new parent. As a father, he taught his children how to find food for themselves, how to climb trees, how to swim, and how to properly conduct themselves. He supervised them as they played together and with others and sometimes took them on rides, but gradually gave the four siblings more and more freedom. He watched them make new friends and strengthen bonds with existing friends like Iroh. He even made some friends himself, striking a particularly strong bond with Draco, Iroh's father. Over the course of those two months, Vincent's kids called him many names; "Mister", "Vincent", "Vincy", "Vince", and "Meanie" were among them, but as time passed "daddy" became more and more common. Good night hugs and kisses also quickly became common, eventually becoming a nightly occurrence.

One night, on a night much like any other after the kits had fallen fast asleep, Vincent heard another sweet whisper tingle through his ears.

"Vincent," the voice murmured melodically into his ears, "You've been such a good help."

"Luna," he responded groggily, waking himself up as he was just about ready to go unconscious.

"I really mean it. I don't reckon the kits have ever seen happier days."

Vincent grinned at the compliment, "I'm only half of the equation."

"The equation would look mighty different without ya'."

He laughed quietly, "I do what I must and now I must sleep." He pretended to turn back on his side and fall asleep.

"Oh no ya' don't now, big guy," she teased in whispers, shaking his body to wake him back up.

"Unnh? Sorry, I must have fallen asleep. Parenting certainly is hard work."

The vaporeon rolled her eyes and kissed him right on the lips, prompting the flareon she was facing to blush.

"Ya' want to talk about hard work now, darling?"

"Would you prefer to talk about something else?"

The vaporeon giggled, moonlight glinting off of her face magnificently, "Well, perhaps I'd like to... do something else..."

The flareon blushed, "You say you'd like to...?"

Luna rose up onto all fours and walked out of the cave, a bit of a sashay to her gait and looked back over her shoulder. "I'd like to swim around in the lake for a bit. It's been some time since I've loosened up. Feel free to come with, handsome. My... 'invitation' is certainly open for you."

Vincent licked his lips and followed the lady out of the cave, eager to see what she had in store for him and ready to begin the next chapter of their relationship.