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File Name: The Ugly Zorua

Owner: Pokégirl

File Location: www.patreon.com/SomeonesPC

File Type: Story:Adult:F/F:Zoroark x ???

Caption Text: Support us on Patreon for special art, stories, and more!

Details: While I feel bad about doing one Zoroark story right after another, the Choose Your Own Adventure team voted on both parties well in advanced soooo... yeah. Hopefully the pairing will be interesting enough to make up for that. :)

Zipping around a green pathway glowing in pulses as data traveled through it, Root tried to let the darker red, green, and blue paths not currently in use blur together so that he was looking less at the individual paths and more at a haze of colors. That way, he would be better able to pick out the hint of gray and orange that didn't belong.

Somehow, while he was working on uploading the eagerly awaited for data from the last month, the little virus had slipped off his green and gold leash of data and escaped without Root's notice. While Syntax's assurances that "Mal" was unable to reproduce and spread (as most viruses were wont to do), there was nothing to keep the grey blob from eating data and corrupting any files he got his nubby little tentacles on.

"I could just run the Anti-Virus program," the Porygon muttered to himself, letting his vision return to normal as he kept flying onward, not having spotted Mal. "It'd be easy to do."

But not easy to live with, given Syn had given Mal as a Valentine's gift two years past and would be crushed if he ever found that Root had a part in Quarantining him. Maybe not quite as much as if Root had to explain that the virus had run away but Root would be more than happy not to find out.

He considered calling out but, all things considered, he felt Mal was more likely to run away from instead of to him. If it was Syn, maybe, but something always made it feel like Mal was just waiting for the right moment to-

"Ha!" Root clamped his feet over his mouth, waiting a breath. When he didn't see the bit of gold move, he smiled to himself before silently using Conversion.

Glancing at his foot, he watched as the blue faded into a mimicry of the area surrounding him. While in the real world, this sort of camouflage wouldn't change until he used the next Conversion, there were benefits to being in cyberspace; such as giving a boost to his Conversion that would let it continue to shift while he moved.

Root darted forward, not intending to give Mal a chance to get away. Feet clamping down, Root let the Conversion drop while laughing. "Got you, you little-"

Root stopped, glancing down.

While there was gold, it was more of a pattern of streaks amidst a rather white surface. More round than even Mal, the shape looked oddly like an egg.

"Can't be," Root said, even as he held the shape up to get a better look.

While eggs could be sent to the Professors, Ranches, Safari Zones, or what have you, they couldn't be digitally transferred in the same way a Pokemon in a Pokeball could. It was why humans couldn't just digitally trade eggs without having it done in person or hatching it first. From what Root remembered reading or hearing about it was that when it had been tried, a large portion of the Pokemon hatched who'd been traded as eggs had aggression issues towards their new trainer; as if they somehow didn't recognize the one who now had them as their true trainer and, instead, felt it was the one who'd traded them and that they'd been "stolen" or some such. Some speculation had been that it had to do with the Pokeball being re-registered to the new trainer incorrectly or that the re-assigning somehow affected the egg in a way that a hatched and non-traded Pokemon didn't. Given eggs that went to the Professor, Ranches, Safari Zones, etc didn't change the owner information, that had been the leading argument, anyway.

"Regardless, you shouldn't be here," Root said, frowning at the egg who, in turn, neither moved nor provided any insight on how it was had gotten there.

While not on a closed system, Someone's PC didn't have access to the routes an egg would take to be transfered. Certainly, given the, ah, content, this was no place for an egg.

"Besides that, can an egg even hatch in cyberspace?"

Root had never had an egg, in his care or otherwise, but didn't they need other Pokemon around it to hatch? Then again, with Root being another Pokemon, did that satisfy the condition?

"We better find your home," Root said, cradling the egg as gently as he could, deciding to head back to his home in the meantime.

While he disliked the idea of leaving Mal to his own devices, he extremely disliked the idea of Mal being anywhere near the egg where the virus could harm or "accidently" delete it.

*****

Root felt mildly better when his home was in sight.

The partitioned space he'd claimed as his own was fairly sizable considering the spaces he'd grown accustomed to, one whole gigabyte compared to the 25 megabytes he'd grown up in. Still, compared to the vastness of Someone's PC, it was maybe a drop of solder in a room of computers.

For that reason and that reason only had he made the cube a matching grey color, just barely light enough to stand out against the pathways when they weren't lit.

Slipping up to it, Root bumped his side lightly against the wall. The material gave slightly under the contact before making a "click" sound and pressing back outward, a screen flipping into view as it did so.

<input type="password">

"059.478.571.132.136.263.156"

After the last digit was rattled off the screen flashed green, clicking as it not only pulled back out of sight but as other panels that made up the cube clicked and curled out of the way, allowing Root access to his home.

Floating inside, Root found himself glad that he'd not been that far out when he'd found the egg. While he normally could have opened a gateway and gotten home that way, he'd been reluctant to try traveling that way with the egg. It would be bad enough trying to find a safe way to get it back to the real world.

"Sometimes what you're looking for comes when you're not looking at all."

Startled, Root flailed, desperate to keep from dropping the egg on the digitally grown grass within his home. Closing his eyes for a moment, hiding the glare he wanted to give, he opened them when he felt calmer and saw Syn floating just above the ground, his left wing pixelated for the moment. Atop his head sat the troublesome Mal, that mischievous bit of data somehow favoring Syn even after he'd "fixed" him and gifted him to Root.

"Do I want to know how you got past the password, Syn?" he asked, once the brief flare of panic and anger subsided into curiosity. "I thought I fixed that backdoor you found last time."

"Your password is the combined numbers of the Pokemon in Someone's PC... with periods between them." Syn blinked, the pixels slowly retracting from his wing as his head cocked, almost unseating Mal. "Was I not supposed to know it?"

Root thought to ask how the Porygon Z had found that out but suspected he knew the answer. Syn's skills at hacking far exceeded Root's and, in all likelihood, the Porygon Z had gotten into the coding and simply plugged in what he'd found.

"It's fine, Syn." Root floated further in, the wall folding and closing behind him, shimmering as it resumed its image of the never ending field of grass and sky.

Giving a flap of his now normal looking wings, Syn zipped closer, drifting upward so as to peer down at the egg Root was holding, ignoring or indifferent to how Root tried to move the egg out of Mal's sight.

"Eggs, get your eggs here. Fresh and white eggs are here~!"

"Yes, but there shouldn't be an egg here," Root said, changing the coding of his home with a simple but silent command.

The data that made the ground beneath him shimmered, the grass growing upward and weaving itself together until it formed a nest just the right side for placing the egg down in.

"Make sure you keep that virus away, Syn," Root said, trying to keep his voice stern so Syn would know he was serious. Nudging a little of the grass so that it was closer, Root went on, "I want to make sure it gets back home in one piece."

"Where we love is home- home that our feet may leave but not our hearts." Syn's horn now was glitching, the pigments having a green hue amidst the pink.

"I hope you know we can't keep it," Root shook his head, gesturing his right foot so as to summon five semi-transparent windows, each working on determining where the egg had come from. "It won't hatch if we have it," Root paused a moment. "I think. Anyway, someone has to be looking for it. Maybe there was a problem with the pathway the egg was on?"

Syn watched the data, his eyes crossing before he blinked a few times, leaning forward so that his beak almost touched the screen he was observing. Mal slipped from his head down his neck and rested on Syn's back, his brow furrowing in a way that made it appear as if he was frowning (or similar, anyway, given he had no mouth).

"Do you see something, Syn?" Root asked, making sure to check from time to time that Mal got no closer than he was to the egg.

"The key to everything is patience." Syn's pixilation had moved to his neck, a fin reaching briefly as if to itch the spot. "You get the chicken by hatching the egg, not by smashing it."

"I don't know how much patience I can have when I don't know how long this egg is going to be okay for," Root said, adding another two screens since Syn seemed to be diligently helping. "And if I don't know where it came from, how can I get it back to where it goes?"

"Not all who wander are lost." Syn rolled over suddenly, spinning so rapidly in the air that Root froze, certain that Mal had fallen and hit the egg.

When Syn stopped, rightside up, the little blob remained latched where he was, though he was swaying in place.

"I don't think the egg wandered here on its own," Root said, watching Syn for a moment but the Porygon Z seemed content to look over the streams of data again. Letting himself go back to searching for any past errors or transfer of packets that may have been incorrectly routed, Root frowned to himself. "We need to return it."

"Time is flying never to return," Syn answered, blinking up at Root before going back to watching the data, the glitch sparkling just above his left eye now.

Something in the words made Root consider the possibility that they might not be able to find where the egg had come from. How much time did they really have to look, to return it? How long had it been lost? Time was fluid in cyberspace, changing from trickles to waves, bending and flowing on whatever whim it felt like. It was as easy to lose track of time here as it was to lose track of oneself.

With a flick of his foot, the screens vanished and one larger screen popped into view.

"If you can't describe what you are doing as a process, you don't know what you're doing," Syn said, a hint of annoyance in his voice from, what Root could only assume, was the abrupt disappearance of data that he'd been watching.

"Sorry," Root said, offering a small head bob in Syn's direction. The Porygon Z narrowed his eyes a moment, long enough that Root wondered if the coding for his home might be changed the following day to ice volcanoes again. "I just thought it might be a futile endeavor to find where the egg came from and, perhaps, better to see where we should send it so it'll be safe."

When Syn gave a firm bob of his head, showing he'd accepted the apology, Root's core processor hummed in relief.

"Life is futile unless it be directed towards a definite goal," Syn agreed, flapping a fin at the list of names and pictures now hovering on the screen.

"Well," Root said, peering at the first picture of some Professor named Oak. "We don't just want to drop it in the tall grass for an Ekans to find, right?" At Syn's slow nod, Root tapped the next picture on the list, a Brock fellow who appeared to be in training as a Pokemon doctor but not yet certified. "So, if we give it to a human who has experience, then they should be able to raise the egg until it hatches, right?"

"You may have a heart of gold but so does a hard-boiled egg."

Root rolled his eyes. "We can't keep it, Syn. Have you ever heard of an egg hatching here?"

"Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase," Syn answered, bobbing his head excitedly up and down.

"Syn..."

Syn pulled his head closer to his body. If he'd had a neck, it would have appeared to have disappeared from how tightly he kept his head there. His glitch had moved back to his tail, a faint trail of pixels falling from it in a way that made Root wonder, not for the first time, if the corruption was growing.

"We have Mal to take care of," Root went on, trying to soften his tones. "He's enough of a wingful, you have to admit."

"Faith is the bird that feels the light when the dawn is still dark," Syn all but mumbled, keeping his gaze to the floor.

Swatting the screen to a little way to the right, Root floated down to rest his head atop Syn's. The other Porygon type held still at the touch before giving a shudder, the tension slowly leaving his body. While Root didn't enjoy upsetting Syn like this, he couldn't see the egg hatching here. That would probably upset Syn even more, once he got past his fussing over it stage and realized whatever life it held had long departed.

"It would be best," Root said, stroking his digital beak over Syn's back, stopping short of bumping it into Mal; who seemed to be taking personal offense that Root had upset Syn, given the glare he was giving Root. "And," Root paused, regretting the words he hadn't even spoken just yet. "If you still want an egg, later, maybe you and I could program one."

Syn's head tilted against his chest, one eye looking upward at him, questioning.

Root gave a nod, hiding his grimace. He'd never inspected his own programming (it made him queasy to think of) but, between him and Syn, he felt like they stood a good chance of figuring it out.

Syn's head slowly lifted, floating upward as he closed his eyes and lifted his beak in the human equivalent of a smile.

"Pori," he said, confusing Root for a moment until he realized it was a name and not a sound.

"Pori," Root agreed, smiling as Syn floated up to take a look once more at the screen.

*****

It took a little longer than Root had anticipated to find a human that both he and Syn could agree on. For some reason, Syn had been adamant against any female professor or breeder. When Root had tried to get to the reasoning out of him, the normally chatty Porygon Z clamped his beak shut until Root would leave it and skip down to a male professor or breeder.

The two had agreed that it should be a professor or breeder, as both ought to have enough experience to help hatch the egg and see to its well being. They also agreed it shouldn't be one so old, as they wanted the Pokemon to hatch from the egg to lead a long life with their human. They also wanted someone with experience, however, which didn't always match well with a youthful candidate.

"I'm not arguing," Syn said, tapping a fin against his choice once more. "I'm explaining why I'm correct."

"He's only got three years of experience, Syn," Root countered, the two of them having eliminated other possibilities for such reasons.

Rather than speaking, Syn batted a wing at the screen and three screens more popped out. One was about an award the breeder had received, another was a college thesis that was well received by his peers about why a Nidoqueen couldn't breed (whereas a Nidoking could), and a breeding registry of Pokemon he'd successfully hatched.

Tapping his toes, Root gave a nod, having to admit that this one was far more accomplished than the other candidates of his age had been so far.

"Success doesn't just come and find you," Syn insisted, tapping his fin once more on the screen, "you have to go out and get it."

Glancing towards the still resting egg, considering the time they'd spent looking, Root finally gave a nod. They weren't likely to find a better option and he still had concerns over what the egg's stay in cyberspace could do to it.

Floating just above the egg, he tilted his head upward, a portal unfurling from the coding. The ring expanded until it was large enough for the egg, the address making it a direct port to Professor Hawthorne's PC. With another bit of coding, Root constructed a letter, programmed to remain attached to the egg until it was in safe hands.

"Ready?" he asked, knowing that it would be easier to send the egg on its way but wanting to give Syn the chance to say goodbye.

Floating forward, Syn rested his head gently against the side of the egg.

"Sometimes... you have to find the good in goodbye." Syn gave one last nuzzle before pulling back, his eyes watching Root more than the egg as the Porygon lifted it towards the portal.

Mal was fussing, wiggling and almost hopping up and down on Syn's back. The distraction was enough that Root was able to slip the egg in the portal without Syn changing his mind and stopping him.

Moments after having sent it on its way through the portal, the gate already closed, Root glanced down at his feet, unable to get rid of the strange sensation that remained; as if the egg had somehow shifted in his grasp right as he'd been putting it in.

*****

[Mom?] Asik waited a moment before giving a stronger yip. [Mom!]

Asik felt her mother's form moving under her, the Zoroark's deep red and black mane that Asik was currently nestled in so much longer than her own little tuff.

Frowning, she pressed her red paws against her mother's shoulder and gave a light push. [Mooooooooooooooom!]

With a sigh that indicated she knew she wouldn't be getting back to sleep any time soon, Kuni opened one green eye in her daughter's direction. There were a few murmurs from the rest of the skulk, the group having stopped to rest within the long since abandoned structure that some human had built.

Made of wood so old that it smelt more of dirt and webbing than the sap or fibers of the tree it had come from, humans hadn't been to this structure in some time. With a sagging frame and a roof half sunk in, the skulk wouldn't be denning here long. If not for the first two reasons, the gaps between the wood and missing pieces along the roof were such that this structure offered little protection from the elements. The only boon of such a place was the size was large enough to house all of their members, five full grown Zoroarks and four Zoruas.

[Mom?] Asik whined, bapping her little paws against Kuni's shoulder.

[Yesss?] Kuni hissed, trying to keep her voice down so as not to annoy the others of the skulk.

[I saw something!] Asik hopped down from her mane, the boards under her feet protesting at the sudden slam of weight against them. Tail wagging, Asik sprung towards the large mouth of the wooden structure, pausing to look behind at her mom.

[Asik, it's time for sleep,] Kuni said, keeping her voice firm even when she knew that her daughter wouldn't be dissuaded.

[I don't think it's that far!] Asik said. Pointing a paw forward, towards the golden grasses just before the taller ones, she twitched an ear at her mom. [Please?]

Kuni gave a slow blink, gauging just how much trouble her daughter could get in if she let her go unobserved.

With a heavy groan, raising more complaints from the skulk, Kuni rose up and stalked towards the entrance. Asik circled happily around her once before darting ahead into the golden grass, the blades swaying and parting as she cut her path through them. Curling her lip at the moon, full and bright to her still awakening eyes, Kuni followed after her daughter.

Sniffing the air, Asik could make out the aroma of warm dirt, dried grass, and something she couldn't quite identify. She thought it might have had to do with the golden light that had black and white sparkles in it and red lines within, as she'd never seen such a thing before and it made sense that something she'd never seen would have a scent she'd never smelt.

Pausing, she rose on her hind legs, trying to see over the tops of the golden grass; unsure if she'd travelled too far or not quite far enough. A sudden pressure around her side, lifting her upward, would have scared her if not for the fact that she'd scented her mother just behind her.

As Kuni placed her daughter back along the top of her head, she gave a weary grumble. [Done, kit?]

[Nooo.]

Kuni snorted softly, laughing at her daughter's fussy whine.

[Alright.] Kuni opened her maw in a wide yawn, figuring that she wouldn't be going back to sleep any time soon. [What were we looking for, then?]

[It was sparkly,] Asik muttered, moving from the shoulder she'd been perched on to the opposite one. [It was around here.]

Giving a light hum, Kuni plucked her daughter off her shoulders and crouched down low. With a heft, she spun herself upward into the air with a boost of Agility. From above, the two could see a good portion of land around them. From the decaying human building to more of the golden grasses, the scattering of trees just slowly beginning their encroach into the green, longer grasses to-

[There!] Asik's excited pointing almost made Kuni lose her grip. [Right there! See?!]

As they were descending, Kuni saw the odd indent in the grass that her daughter had pointed out. Unlike the trail that marked where she and Asik had travelled, this point had no joining paths to it.

Landing in a fluid motion, Kuni leapt forward instead of up, springing towards the spot Asik had found, curious herself.

Moving slower as they approached, Kuni placed Asik back into her mane and took to moving on all fours, enshrouding both of them in an illusion of the golden grasses. To those watching, it should seem as though there was no disturbance as they moved.

Finally, pressing her head forward, Kuni drew in a breath and tasted the air on her tongue. There was something, like the after effects of lightening hitting the ground, but weaker. The grass just ahead was pressed flat, as if wind had blown straight down and outward, shoving the grass out of its way before dispersing. At the center, a single egg.

Pulling back, a light growl serving to voice her distrust of the situation, Kuni fully intended to leave back for the skulk when she realized a familiar pressure was lacking from her body.

[Asik!] she snapped, causing the cub to pause a short step away from the egg. [Get back here. We're going.]

[But, mom,] Asik looked from her to the egg. [It's all alone.]

Curling her lip, Kuni stepped forward onto the crushed grasses, gesturing for her to fall back.

[Come now, Asik.] Scenting the air again, a wary eye to the sky, Kuni focused her attention back on her daughter and the egg. [It could be a Legendary's egg and, even if it isn't, I doubt it would have been left on its own intentionally.]

[It's alone,] Asik insisted, ignoring her mother to take another step forward.

Before Kuni could spring forward and grab her, Asik had lifted and placed her paw on the shell of the egg.

A white glow emerged, starting from Asik's paw and spreading until the entire egg was glowing. Pulling her paw back, the egg still kept shining. A soft pulse sounded twice in her ears, a darker yellow spot growing out from where Asik had initially touched, darkening to an orange as it fully enveloped the egg. A cracking sound made her ear flick just before her mother grabbed her and leapt back, a bright golden light shining up and outward from the egg until it was almost blinding. A dark shape akin to the night sky took form, white stars gleaming from the silhouetted circular form within.

Then, as quickly as it had come, the glowing vanished, leaving an oddly round, yellow Pokemon behind.

[Momma! Look!] Asik attempted to wiggle free from Kuni's grasp but the Zoroark held tightly to her child, a low growl in her throat.

The yellow Pokemon flinched at the sound, its bushy tail moving in front to hide its face.

Ceasing her growl, Kuni still kept Asik tight to her chest as she took a step closer.

[What kind of Pokemon is it?] Asik asked, tilting her head to look up at her mother.

Not having an answer, Kuni circled the unknown Pokemon, trying to gather its scent to her and match it with those that she knew. The only scent she could catch, however, was that of her species, vulpes.

When Kuni took another step closer, the odd thing gave a small stutter and spoke in a rush.

[H-henshin!]

It's form blurred before vanishing, leaving a cluster of golden grass behind.

Asik finally broke free from her mother's grip, dropping down to sniff at the grass before giving a barking laugh.

[You have to hide your tail, silly!] Asik said, crouching down to wag her own tail before pointing out the still visible tail just behind the clump of grass. [Like this!]

Brow frowning with concentration, Asik leapt into the air, spinning as an almost pink light began glowing around her. Image shifting, she began to take on an almost duplicate form to that of the grass the yellow one had adopted, the pale red light giving way to gold in the end.

Kuni huffed, giving a silent laugh at her daughter's still very visible dark tail.

[Enough, you two.] Kuni squatted between the two, giving both of their tails a gentle squeeze.

Twin gasps echoed as her daughter jumped, her own image spinning back into place, and the yellow one's illusion of grass blurred back into its own form.

Looking at the two, Kuni found it hard to believe there were any similarities between this odd, legless yellow creature and her own daughter. And yet, Kuni had to admit that the only scent she was getting was vulpine.

[Perhaps this is a pre-evolution of a Zorua,] Kuni said, finally answering her daughter's question. [A different colored one or a hybrid,] she went on, not fully satisfied with any of that but having little else in the way of explanation. [As it knows our illusion skill, it must be kin to us.]

Peeking over its tail, the yellow one spoke just loud enough to be heard. [I'm Relamon.]

[Relamon?] Asik glanced at her mom. [Is that your name?]

[It's what I am,] it answered, the whispered voice just soft enough to be feminine.

[I'm a Zorua but one day, I'm going to be a Zoroark, like my mom!] Asik waved a paw so that the Relamon could admire her mother. [My name is Asik and mom's is Kuni. What's yours?]

[I'm... just Relamon,] she replied, voice going softer as she tried to hide even further behind her tail.

Lightly reaching out to touch the top of the young one's head, Kuni let her claws stroke down to the little one's tail, repeating the motion as she looked around the surrounding area once more but still saw no signs of a mother, father, or even human who was responsible for the now hatched egg.

[Shira,] she said, turning back to look at the Relamon, resolution firm in her voice. [We will call you, Shira.]

Picking up both her daughters, Kuni set them within her mane and began a slow trot back towards the skulk; Kuni helping Shira to remain nestled in such a way that she didn't fall out, chatting with her the whole way.

*****

[No legs! No legs!]

Shira tucked her tail around herself, having thought she'd finally found an ideal hiding spot only to have been proven wrong. The thick, ropey vines that hung heavily from the trees, with their wide, heart shaped leaves, had seemed like the perfect cover for her to enjoy the night air. Like a cascading waterfall, the leafy vines had poured down between her and a thick, knotted tree but, somehow, the three had still found her and flushed her out from her hiding spot with a series of swipes that left most of the leaves torn and ripped. She knew from past experience that she couldn't outrun them and, unlike the Zoruas, Shira didn't have any other moves outside casting an illusion around herself.

[Leave me alone.] Shira tried to make her voice louder but it just came out as a pained whisper.

Kass, easy to identify not only from his larger size but also from the blue fur he sported instead of the traditional red, snickered at her.

["Leave me alone,"] he repeated back, like a nasaly Chatot, before showing off his fangs. [I don't care what Kuni says, you don't belong with us.]

Lala, the smallest of the three in all but attitude, sniffed, tilting her snout straight up into the air.

[I don't see why you bother with her,] Lala said, using her tail to swipe a patch of dirt in Shira's direction, forcing her to try and block it so it wouldn't get in her eyes. [She's just a limb above a Ditto, really.]

[Let's just go,] Theron muttered, his own tail tucked slightly between his legs while his gaze wandered from bush to bush. [You know what'll happen if Asik finds us.]

[Aww,] Kass crooned, strutting up to the smaller male. [You like legless, don't you?] He poked his paw into Theron's chest, making him gasp and back away, sputtering.

[N-no! I don't!] he snapped back, growing flustered as Lala began to giggle.

While the three were distracted, Shira whispered to herself, feeling the illusion taking form over her body. Done right, she should just look like the bark of the tree and maybe, just maybe, they would think she ran off and leave.

[I don't!] Theron insisted, stepping back before Kass could give another push, his fur bristling.

[Prove it.] Lala s, showing the tips of her fangs.

Tail tucking, Theron shook his head. [Come on, you know that Asik's going to tear our fur out for messing with her sister.]

[That thing,] Kass growled, stalking toward Theron. [Isn't her sister.]

Theron's ears drooped and his tail fully tucked under his belly as he hunched back into a semi-ball shape.

[Seriously, Theron,] Lala sighed, shaking her head before traipsing over towards Shira's hiding spot, stomping squarely on her tail in a way that made Shira squeal in pain and lose her illusion. [She can't even hide her tail, yet. We've all figured that out by now.]

Whimpering, pulling her tail as close to her body as she could while trying to hop out of the way, Kass moved to block her path.

[Look, no legs,] he said, a faint rumble to his words despite how he tried to keep it hidden through clenched teeth. [Why don't you just stay here? It's a nice little forest... mostly filled with weak little Bugs. You should at least be able to protect yourself from those.] He waved a paw towards the woods. [You could even stay in the den once we leave. I'll make sure we leave some food behind for you.] Moving forward, almost standing directly above her, his eyes were half shut but the expression in his eyes was sharp enough to cut through the vines without a special move. [What do you say?]

[That...] Shira's eyes opened into thin, green slits. [I'm going to do worse than rip your fur out!]

Kass stumbled back, his surprise at Asik's voice coming from Shira's form still not enough to save him as she leapt forward, yellow fur vanishing in a wave of red. The two Zoruas tumbled in a mix of black fur and sharp yips, rolling along the ground with little regard for the bushes or trees they collided with.

[Get in there!] Lala snapped, tail bristling while Theron only tucked his further in, making no move to join the fight.

With a growl, Lala jumped as if she'd join in but stopped short when the two Zoruas suddenly broke apart. Asik gave a pleased yip, her mouth bloody, while Kass howled, pawing at his ear.

[You bitch!] he shook his head, snarling at her. [Just wait!]

[Until what?] Asik taunted, snapping her teeth in his direction. [You wanna go tell your folks about how I kicked your ass again?]

Giving one last snarl her way, Kass took off running. Lala shot Asik a dark look before following the larger male. Theron waited a moment longer, head bowed, before he took off at a slower pace.

Spitting and making a wipe at her mouth, Asik perked her ears forward, sniffing the air before walking forward.

[Shira, it's okay,] she said, keeping her voice soft. [You can come out now.]

Just behind where Lala had "found" Asik, Shira's form blurred into view. The Relemon jumped forward, rubbing her head on Asik's forearms.

[I didn't think they'd find me!] Shira said, pressing as tight to her sister as she could.

[I know,] Asik said, freeing a paw so as to stroke it along the top of Shira's head. [You didn't do anything wrong. Those three just have mud for brains.]

[Am I going to get in trouble again?] Shira sniffled, curling her tail around her sister in a tight hug.

Asik was silent a moment, not sure. While it made sense to her that her sister wasn't to blame, the rest of the skulk had been less than pleased with Kuni's decision to bring Shira into the group. Each time Kass started his shit, they seemed to find a way to place blame with Shira. The only reason they hadn't run Shira off outright was that Kuni was one of their better fighters and the loss of her would weaken the skulk enough that they didn't chance it.

[I don't know,] Asik finally answered, pulling back her lips to give a wide, bloody grin. [No worse than me, for ripping that wealking's ear, I bet.]

Shira gave a wet giggle before falling into silence, Asik's paw still soothingly stroking her.

[I wish I had legs,] she said with a soft sigh.

Asik made a sharp tsk sound, pulling back enough that she could look Shira in the eye. [If it wasn't for a lack of legs, it'd be because you have yellow fur. If it wasn't because you have yellow fur, it'd be because you don't have ears. And, even if you looked like the best and strongest Zorua in the skulk, those marshbutts would still find some reason to point their noses up.]

Sensing her words hadn't really helped, Asik tapped the side of her sister's cheek, giving her a grin.

[S'why you got me to remind you that you're perfect the way you are.] Asik wrapped her paws around her sister, pulling her close and placing her head atop Shira's. [Don't worry. You got mom and I to protect you!]

From Shira's soft sigh, Asik wasn't sure she was convinced.

Shifting her shoulders, trying to misplace the itching sensation she felt just between them, Asik felt a warmth embracing her that had nothing to do with her sister. Starting at her core and extending along the length of her limbs, she felt a gentle but insistent pull along the whole of her body as light enveloped her form. When Shira leapt away with a startled squeak, Asik tried to reassure her but found her words distorted while the sensation extended even to her muzzle. As the brightness faded, Asik settled into an uncoordinated heap on the forest floor.

Lifting a paw up to look at it, she gave a grin while wiggling her new found claws.

[Looks like those bullies were good for something after all,] she all but chortled. [With beating them so many times, it was bound to happen eventually.]

*****

Shira peered out from Kuni's mane, the den's entrance so very close that she thought she could get there and out before anyone noticed. While the Zouras and Zoroarks were more active during the day, Shira found herself more active in the evening. If she left now, she could get a good enough head start that no one should be able to find her.

Holding her breath, she checked to make sure Asik was still snuggled up and asleep. From the soft way her chest rose and fell, Shira felt fairly certain Asik wouldn't wake. Then again, when Shira had snuck out a few nights ago, Asik and the other three had awoken, following her.

Shira allowed herself a moment to burrow deeper into Kuni's thick mane, drawing in a comforting breath of warmth and fur.

While Asik's evolution should have brought pride to the skulk, elevating her from kit to an adult vulpe, it was instead used as an arguing point for Kass' father on how much stronger Asik was and how she ought to have held back from hurting his son. Showing off the visible slices of Kass' ear, his son pathetically whimpering all the while, was enough that the skulk had demanded some retribution. Even with Kuni coming to their defense, it hadn't prevented the skulk from confining them to the den for five days, denying Asik her status elevation while Kass, Theron, and Lala practically skipped out each day, taunting them from the edge of the den. Today (or, rather, tonight) marked the last day of the confinement and Shira was more than ready to make her escape.

Giving Kuni one last glance, she slipped out of her mom's mane and darted for the cave entrance. Pausing, just long enough to throw a glance back into the cave and (holding her breath) to listen to the sounds within, she slid off along her way.

The moon, curved as a thin sliver of claw, had little light to give. It was enough, however, for Shira to glide by and avoid bumping into trees and larger bushes. Going the opposite direction of her last hiding spot, the steady chirping of the night time Bug types accompanying her on her way (too far in the distance to be a threat), Shira began to look for a new spot to hide.

She wasn't quite sure what had been wrong with the last one, how they'd found her so quickly, but she was certain that the next one would be better.

Turning her gaze upward, she frowned at the twisting, knotted branches with moss growing thicker than grass along the bark. The tree to her left probably wouldn't hold her weight, the limbs being on the thinner side, but the one on the right had a trunk three Zoroarks wide and branches that were double her size. Climbing it would be easy enough, as what she lacked in limbs she made up for with the odd ability to cling to whatever surface she needed, but the leaves weren't thick enough to hide her from from anyone.

With a shake, Shira went on, peeking up at the branches every now and then but shortly abandoning the idea. She wasn't sure if Zoruas could climb trees but, if they cloaked their shape into any flying thing, it wouldn't matter.

Disappointed, Shira almost missed the subtle scent of wet and the faint sound of moving water.

With a heavier sniff, Shira changed her direction slightly, tail wagging behind her. Closer than she'd thought, she almost stumbled right off the ledge and into the small but somewhat deeply carved creek bed.

Peeking just over the edge, she watched the water flow around rocks far larger than herself, cutting around and over the stones and continuing on its way down a short drop that, if one was gracious, they might consider a "mini waterfall." The stones, like the trees, had moss clutching to their surface, while leaves caught along their sides, not quite able to flow around as easily as the water did.

Nestling down, Shira watched and listened, forgetting, for the moment, of finding a spot to hide.

*****

When Asik would whine, trying to get Shira to explain why she was so tired in the morning, Shira would just shake her head and smile. Asik, annoyed but not angered, eventually gave in to her sister's desires not to tell and would just keep an eye on her to be sure she wouldn't fall off of Kuni's mane when they travelled.

While Shira did find herself tired through most of the day, she couldn't stop herself from slipping out each evening and going to the creek. Once or twice, she went up stream, wondering if she might find the source of the water. Three or four times, she went down stream, to see where the water went. More than that, however, she would usually stop along a particularly pretty spot -like where the Pecha tree with four cuts healing in its bark was or the flowerbed of tiny purple flowers that had no scent but was pretty to look at- and just enjoy the moment. So long as she kept moving, she reasoned, and was quiet about leaving, she doubted the Zoruas would find her.

So she was shocked and more than a little disheartened when they did.

[If you're so eager to get away every night,] Kass said, curling his lip to show his fangs while he spoke. [Why don't you just leave?]

Backing up, Shira felt her tail at the edge of the creek, dangling into the open air past the ledge. The fall probably wouldn't hurt her but the rocks she landed on might.

[Why don't you just leave me alone?] she mumbled, glancing to the right to see if she could zip along the edge before Kass might catch up to her but Lala was already there, waiting. [I'm not doing anything to you.]

Theron, with his head hung slightly, blocked the left. If Shira was forced to choose, she'd run that way and hope the Zorua was more likely than the other two to let her by.

[Look,] Kass pointed a paw her way. [Pidgeys stay with other Pidgey. You don't see a Spearow in their flock, right?] Placing his paw on the ground with a solid thump, he nodded at his own words. [Same for the other way around. You don't see Spearows hanging with a Pidgey.]

[I'm a vulpe!] Shira startled herself, having not meant to shout. Swallowing, she spoke in a softer voice. [Mom says I am.]

Kass gave a snort. [So? Pidgey and Spearow are both birds.] His grin became wider, sharper. [Spearow have even been known to kill a Pidgey a time or two.]

Shira lunged towards Theron but, either Kass had expected she'd go that way to avoid him and Lala or she hadn't hidden her intentions well enough, because the larger Zorua slammed into her. With a sharp cry, Kass sent her rolling backwards, mere inches from the edge.

[You missed,] Lala said, pout heavy in her voice.

Kass gave a barking laugh while Shira tried to get herself up. At this rate, she'd be better off jumping into the creek and trying to avoid hurting herself too much on the rocks than letting them force her in with no control on how she fell.

As Kass was taking a step towards her, a rustling sound made the three Zoras freeze and look behind them.

When nothing stirred in the bushes, Kass gave a light snort before turning back to Shira.

[Looks like your sister must not be coming this time,] he said, giving a quick wag of his tail.

[Could be something to do with that Sleep Seed we shared with her,] Lala giggled, the high, nasally sound still cutting. [She'll probably be passed out until morning.]

Tucking her tail, Shira leaned back, still precariously on the edge, while Kass took another step forward.

[H-hey, don't you think we should knock this off?] Theron said, taking his own step forward, angling more towards Kass than Shira. [I mean, you just wanted to scare her, right?]

[No,] Kass said, a low growl vibrating within his throat, his attention momentarily lifting from Shira to address Theron's behavior. [I want her gone.]

The firmness in his voice wasn't quite a shout but only by so much. Another rustle whispered in the air. Kass and Lala had their attention on Theron who was slowly moving as if to get between Shira and the two.

[Think about what you're doing,] Kass said, words quiet but as heavy as the larger rocks in the creek bed. [You'd really do this, for what? HER?]

Theron shook his head, standing a little straighter as he faced Kass and opened his mouth.

What words he might have said were lost along the racing rustle of leaves, the thunderous snapping of branches, and the sudden shaking of the ground.

Shira had thought it to be about the size of a Zoroark until its form rose, towering two to three heads taller than any Zoroark could hope to reach. Its body was hefty, limbs thick and unyielding. Five claws tipped the edges of its paws and, briefly, Shira remembered the markings on the fruit tree she'd visited before. A wide, yellow ring encompassed the front of the otherwise brown creature, though matching yellow fur covered its muzzle. Shaggy, long fur draped down its shoulders, moving only slightly as the creature breathed.

[What's the big deal?] Kass snapped, turning from Shira towards Lala, ignoring the low rumblings of the creature. [I thought you said Asik would be out until morning!]

[She was supposed to be!] Lala hissed his way, not taking her wide eyes off it.

[When did she even learn to transform into an Ursaring?] Theron hissed, tilting his head as if he might have been asking Shira.

Shira shook her head rapidly from side to side, unable to speak as she took a step back, her paw slipping off the ledge behind her and forcing her to scramble to regain her footing.

[Well, what are you going to do, Asik?] Kass growled, giving a shake to let his bristling fur give the illusion that he was even larger than he actually was. [You won't fight us.] He gave a bark of a laugh, higher in pitch than normal. [You'll get denned again, or worse!]

Drawing in a heavy breath, the Ursaring took a weighted step forward, her upper body hanging forward as she let loose with a deep throated roar that echoed in their ears and ruffled the grass near her and the fur of all four of the vulpen.

Without pausing, her body continued falling forward, her upper arms connecting with the ground as claws dug into the dirt and scrapped it up and behind it as she propelled itself forward, running on all fours towards Kass.

Kass almost took a step back before giving himself a shake. Asik wouldn't want to push the skulk, not so soon after her last transgression. Standing firm, Kass shot a proud Leer her way, intending to show her that he wouldn't be cowed by her illusion. Just as her paw lifted to swipe and connect with him, Kass faltered, however. Dodging to the side, the Ursaring let out an annoyed roar as her paw gouged the earth and flung it out of her way. Turning, following his evade, the Ursaring attempted to Slash at him once more, claws gliding through the finer hairs of his tail as he scampered out of the way.

[This isn't funny, Asik!] Lala snapped, jumping forward before skirting off to the side, not wanting to really engage in the fighting.

Theron was about to add his own comment when he realized that Shira was desperately whispering something behind him. Not turning from the fight, having more common sense than that, he flicked an ear back to listen.

[NotAsik!NOTAsik!NotAsik!]

With Shira repeating the words in an almost desperate whine, Theron was inclined to believe her. Shouting a warning to the other two, he leapt forward, nipping at the Ursaring's hind legs in an attempt to distract it.

Quicker than imagined, the larger creature turned to swipe at Theron. Just barely he was able to step back to avoid the blow, an illusion forming over him as he panicked. Looming, the dark shape that vaguely resembled a face billowed out, more fire and smoke in appearance than a solid substance. With a shriek, the scary image propelled towards the Ursaring while Theron took a moment to scramble out of the way.

Stumbling back, the Ursaring batted at the illusion. When her claws connected, the image trembled before dissipating around her claws. Warily, the Ursaring glanced from the air to her paw, before a deep growl reverberated in the air.

[Scatter!] Kass shouted, now fully convinced that this was no Asik in disguise.

The Ursaring charged at him, slower than it had been but still relatively fast. With a spinning leap into the air, five different versions of Kass fell to the forest ground. Giggling at the Ursaring's confusion as it skidded to a halt, all five took off running in different directions. Roaring at their disappearing tails, not intending to waste its time to chase them down, the Ursaring turned to those still left in its territory.

Lala, being the furthest from the fighting, had already vanished into the woods. Theron had started running only to realize that Shira wasn't beside him. While she was moving, she didn't have the speed the Zoruas with their legs had. Even at her fastest, it wasn't enough to get out of sight from the Ursaring and, while she had put an illusion around herself of grass and empty space, the bright yellow tail hastening away from the creek was a dead giveaway that all was not as it appeared.

As the Ursaring was turning, something bright having caught its attention out of the corner of her eye, Theron stopped his escape to double back. With a sharp yip, intending to catch the Ursaring's attention, he hadn't counted on it working quite so well.

Without Kass to help harass it, Theron was left trying to dodge the increasingly agitated swipes of the Ursaring while leading it away from Shira. Casting illusions here and there, ones that made it seemed like he dodged one way while he went another, it was going well enough he thought he could do one last feint and Shira should be far enough to escape. Casting one last illusion, crouching down to spring away, the paw that connected with his side knocked the wind out of him even as it flung him to the side and into the unforgiving trunk of a nearby tree.

Shuddering, Theron tried to get up and get away but the Ursaring was already on top of him, clawed paw lifted back and glowing white along the edges of its claws.

A sound split the air. Foreign to both him and the Ursaring, the coming blow was abruptly stopped while the larger creature turned its head. Following its gaze, Theron saw a brilliant shimmer of light encircling Shira; who had fled a lesser distance than he'd thought. Trying to shout for her to run produced no sound, his gasping lungs unable to spare the air to form words.

The light was a tight ring around her, both white and pink at the same time. Expanding suddenly, a chiming sound in the air, it appeared to condense itself back into a thicker beam of blue light before erupting forward like a serpent that wrapped and obscured her form from view.

Whatever was going on had the Ursaring's full attention. Abandoning the injured Zorua, she cautiously made her way to the small form the light left behind. Not unfamiliar with the sight of evolution, the Ursaring remained still before giving a scoff.

From what it could see, the change to the small yellow one was inconsequential. It had ears and legs now, hardly something as significant as her own evolution.

Giving a more subdued roar, not wasting the energy for a full throated one, the Ursaring lumbered forward in a run, the silly little thing only shouting at it and changing its shape into a stone that looked so similar to its original form that the Ursaring knew it to be just another silly vulpe trick.

When a smoke so dark a green it was almost brown began to billow out, the Ursaring was still uncaring. Even as she began to cough and her eyes watered so that she had to shake her head and rub at them to try and get to them to stop, unable to lift a paw to attack, she still was convinced it wasn't real. Only as she kept trying to breathe and couldn't seem to catch her breath, falling into a heap on the forest floor, did the Ursaring's fading conscious consider that the toxic gases were real.

*****

[This is the last of it, Kuni.] Hanif gave a low growl that echoed within the den, the presence of the skulk doing little to dim the reverberations.

[It is not my daughter's fault,] Kuni answered, her calmer voice only serving to anger the male further.

[It's never your daughters' fault,] he said, snapping the word "never" like a bone between his teeth. [And, yet, my son has a mangled ear from one and nearly died from an Ursaring attack thanks to the other.]

Kuni touched Asik's shoulder when her eldest daughter stepped forward, already opening her mouth to defend herself and her sister while her younger daughter trembled just behind Kuni's foot.

[Why, do tell,] Kuni said, her voice becoming gentler still as she peered up at Hanif through half closed eyes. [Is it that your son insists on going after Shira and you do nothing to stop it?]

Hanif curled his lip, declining to answer.

[Could it be,] Kuni said, deciding that she might as well answer for him. [That you agree with him, as wrong as it is, that my daughter should not be here?] Her voice sharpened though didn't rise in tone. [That you do not care if my daughter were to be hurt, so long as your son remains unscathed?]

Jina gave a sigh that ended in a groan.

[Come now, Kuni,] she said, tossing her head in such a quick turn that her mane snapped. [You know she doesn't belong here.]

Chest puffing out, vindicated that another agreed with him, Hanif gave a decisive nod. [She sneaks out into the night, enticing the others to follow her. It puts them all in danger.]

[As their fighting her only puts her in danger?] Kuni asked, her pleasant words taking a sharp edge. [As their following, actions of their own choosing, harass her? As none of you,] her gaze cut over the Zoroarks. [Do anything to stop them?]

[Pidgey fly with Pidgey,] Hanif said, tones soothing as he waved his paw as he spoke. [Spearow fly with Spearow.] His claws clenched into a fist. [The two do not mix.]

[I wondered where Kass picked up the Tauros' shit that he swallowed,] Asik said, tone almost bored though her eyes almost shone with suppressed rage. [Should have guessed his dad was feeding it to him.]

[You see?] Hanif said, turning to speak more to the remaining Zoroarks than Kuni and her family now. [This sort of disharmony cannot be allowed in the skulk.] With a slow, almost sad shake of his head, he pointed a claw towards Shira. [This is why that one must go.]

[Very well,] Kuni said, giving a tilt of her head before nodding, half raising a paw to silence Asik's rising protests. [All is well, daughters,] she said, smile tight along her muzzle. [If they wish us to leave, so shall we.]

[Ah, no.] Hanif raised his claws, as if to stop her. [No. That's not what we meant.]

[Isn't it?] Kuni asked, her sweet tone almost as toxic as Shira's newly discovered ability. [As my daughter is not welcome, my family is not welcome.] Rising to her full height, inclining her head in the barest of acknowledgement to the skulk, she turned to leave, ushering her daughters with her.

[Perhaps!] Hanif made a few leaps, getting in front of Kuni and raising both paws. [Perhaps having her go is a bit strong a step.] When Kuni ignored him, moving to step around him, he hastily stepped to the side, in front of her once more. [Perhaps we could work something else out instead?]

*****

[So, that accomplished nothing,] Asik said, flopping down in front of the large rock her sister had found during one of her wanderings. Rubbing her back against the surface, Asik grumbled as her mane tugged against the sensation.

[I thought things would be better when I had legs,] Shira said, looking dejectedly down at her newly developed limbs.

Not wanting to say anything that would make her sister infer that "she told her so," Asik instead gave a huff of air.

[They didn't even say anything about you saving Theron, even when he told Jina what you did for him.] Asik curled her claws, lingering anger over how the trio had slipped a crushed sleep seed into her food making her less willing to forgive him, despite how he'd tried to help her sister. [His own mom!]

Shira shuffled slightly, still looking down.

[I don't see why mom doesn't leave,] Asik grumbled, rubbing her right shoulder hard against the stone. [I know why they don't want her to leave, but they can't exactly stop her.]

At that, Shira lifted her head.

[You don't know?] she asked, moving a step closer, peering to read the truth on her sister's face.

[Know what?] Asik asked, folding her arms and giving a soft growl, not liking feeling left out.

[Kuni's got an egg on the way,] Shira said, not sure how her sister hadn't known.

[Really?!] At Shira's nod, Asik shook her head and gave a laugh. [Well... go, mom.] She curled her lips. [At least, so long as it isn't that Hanif asshole.]

[Kuni won't leave,] Shira said, pawing lightly at the ground.

Asik waited, narrowing her eyes at her sister. When Shira didn't meet her gaze, Asik leaned forward, stretching her head out towards her sister, waiting.

With a shuffle and a toss of her head, Shira said, [I think I should leave.]

Asik rose up in a fluid motion, the rejection of that idea hitting her so hard it left her feeling dizzy and forced her to reach a paw behind her to balance herself on the rock so as to keep from falling over.

[Leave?] Asik finally managed to get out, the word still half strangled due to the tightness in her throat.

Shira frowned, sensing she'd have to argue her point with her sister.

[Kuni should stay with the skulk, it's safer for her and them that way.] Flicking her tail absently, Shira glanced at her sister, still standing perfectly still by the rock. [I can protect myself, now.]

Shira thought her words sounded brave enough. Being on her own had to be better than having to deal with those in the skulk that didn't want her, even if the thought of being completely by herself made her want to tuck her tail and hide.

Removing her hand from the rock, Asik took a step forward so as to crouch in front of her sister. Reaching forward, Asik stroked her claws through the fur between her sister's newly formed ears.

[I'll be fine,] Shira insisted, placing her two smaller forelegs on Asik's knee, swallowing whatever margin of fear she felt.

[Yes,] Asik agreed, speaking almost absently as she continued her strokes. [You will be.]

*****

Kuni had been oddly accepting of Shira's desire to leave the skulk. She'd only asked once to make sure that Shira had been certain about her choice before leaving it at that. Despite being glad she hadn't had to argue her point to make Kuni see reason, Shira couldn't help the soreness she felt at the ease with which Kuni seemed ready to let her go.

Rather than telling the rest of the skulk herself, Kuni had insisted on doing it for Shira, saying she "had some words to exchange with them herself." The way she'd lifted her clawed hand, studying each digit, made Shira think perhaps there'd be more than just words.

Shira squeezed her form in on itself, closing her eyes to remember the sensation of Kuni picking her up and hugging her. The curl of her lips slowly drooping as she opened her eyes, remembering that she'd not said "goodbye" to her sister. As much as she'd wanted to, Shira had felt Asik weighted gaze on her the last few days and knew, deep down, that her sister was still reluctant to see her travelling on her own.

That was why she'd left tonight, without saying a word to Kuni or Asik.

While the encounter with the Ursaring was still vibrant in her mind, Shira still found herself making her way to the creek. Pausing along the edge of it, she looked upstream and then down, cocking her head to listen. Other than the sounds of water and the nightly chorus of nocturnal creatures, Shira didn't hear anything that would indicate which way would be best for her to travel.

Circling once, then twice, on her third spin Shira trotted forward, heading upstream. She'd never gotten far enough to have seen where the water had come from so she might as well go now.

*****

The sky had just begun to lighten and she'd yet to find the water's source. Not only that, but she'd discovered that her newly formed legs had aches and pains from the extended walking that she'd never had to experience when she was just sliding around.

The creek bed had widened the further out she'd travelled, tree roots twined around the edges as if to keep the dirt ledges from falling in. Not wanting to be too close to the creek edge, Shira moved to find shelter within hearing distance of the creek; somewhere she could rest until night fall.

An odd scattering of rocks, taller than the Ursaring had been and stacked upon each other in large, flat slabs, that were gradually cracking and scattered under the weight of time appeared to be a good place. One of the rock chunks had left a Viximon sized hole that she could juuuust back into with a wiggle or two. Casting her illusion upon herself, taking on the appearance of the moss covered stone, Shira closed her eyes with a sigh and went to sleep.

*****

A sweet scent made Shira's stomach clench, waking her and leaving her momentarily confused when she found herself wedged in the stone hole and not in Kuni's mane.

Glancing upward, the night sky greeted her through the tree branches. The moon, half full, provided light when the clouds blew free of it. From her spot, she couldn't find the source of the smell but her stomach insisted it was something edible and to hurry and find it.

Getting out took a little more effort then getting in had. Releasing as much air as she could from her body and scrambling with all four legs, she was able to tumble free. With a shake of her fur that released her illusion, she didn't have to look far to find the sweet aroma that had awoken her. On top of one of the flatter rocks, higher than the vantage of her hole, a round berry lay cracked in half with its juices seeping down into the cracks.

Stomach giving another pinch, Shira still held back from pouncing, ignoring the saliva gathering in her mouth as she drew in a deeper breath filled with the berry's fragrance.

Trees grew around the rocks but none were close enough to have dropped the berry. A Flying type could have been carrying it and dropped it but why wouldn't they have come back for it?

Ignoring the increasing temptation to nibble on the sweet fruit, Shira tried to find the scent of whomever had put it there. Circling the rock, she saw no prints along the ground and there was no one scent she would have said was out of place. Reluctantly, she hopped onto the rock, pausing long enough to make sure nothing intended to leap out at her, then bent her head down to begin eating.

The skin was tart enough she almost spat it out before the berry's sweet juices made it more palatable. Trying to avoid eating the skin, she actually found the flavor to be too sweet. It was only when she had the skin and the fruit itself together that the two flavors blended together in a way that she could enjoy.

Leaving only the pit and residual stickiness behind, Shira leapt down from the rock to head to the creek. While it was wider and had more water travelling down it, there were small slopes that marked where creatures had gone to drink from. Using one, where a tree root blocked the stronger flow of the current and let the water curve into more of a pool, she was able to sate her thirst and get most of the berry juice off her fur.

Pleased with herself, she took one last look in the water to be sure the faint traces of pink were gone and saw a shadow move in the reflection. While stiller than the rest of the creek, the little pool area wasn't smooth enough that she could make out anything more than the shape of something in the trees above her.

Trying to tell herself it was only imagined just served to make Shira's heart race faster. Taking another sip of water, lowering her head to get a better glimpse into the water, she saw the shadow shift and thoughts of a Noctowl or a Golbat instantly flashed through her mind.

In one fluid motion, Shira turned and ran for it. Behind her, she heard a rustling sound from above, roughly where the shadowed shape had been.

Picking up her pace, she raced for the stone area. With no time to leisurely turn and wiggle her way back into her hiding spot, she dove head first and scrambled in before throwing up her illusion.

Covering her mouth with her paws, she tried to listen for sounds outside of her ragged breath or the pulsing of her heart. Within the confines of the stone, however, she just couldn't make out anything useful. When nothing immediately grabbed her, Shira lowered her paws. Remaining still, she continued to wait for some sign that the shadow had passed by or was no longer a threat when something grabbed at her tail and yanked.

Fighting to get a grip on the stone under her, Shira's paws slid uselessly over the smooth surface.

Pulled free from her hole, she struggled and tried to pull herself free.

[Sesshou-!]

Shira's transformation was abruptly halted by a familiar voice.

[Hey! It's me.]

Going still, residual motion leaving her to swing midair by her tail, Shira's senses spun suddenly as her body was turned rightside up, the grip on her tail being relinquished in the process.

[Geeze,] Asik scoffed, pressing her muzzle to her sister's. [What were you trying to do? Poison gas me to death?]

[What are you doing here, Asik?]

[I told mom if you were leaving, I was going, too.] Asik gave a grin. [Why else do you think she didn't argue with you?]

Shira gave a wordless protest while Asik only laughed.

[I'm full grown now,] Asik said, warm pride coating her words as she held her sister close to her chest. [If they can't tell me what to do, you can't either.] Rubbing her cheek along the top of her sister's head, Asik gave a chuckle. [You're stuck with me, Shira.]

[I'd have been fine,] Shira grumbled, squirming enough so that Asik would put her down. [I'm not a kit, anymore.]

Obligingly, Asik did so.

[Of course,] she crooned, giving her sister's head a light pat. [But, with me here, now both of us will be.]

*****

Asik didn't seem to mind when Shira wanted to continue following the flow of water, only asking why Shira wanted to. Though her answer was simply to find the source, Asik only gave a firm nod before agreeing.

Rather than travelling on foot, as she had, Asik would place Shira in her gray mane; just as Kuni had done for her. With Asik's racing atop the trees, they made much faster time travelling, though Shira didn't fully appreciate that as a good thing. It felt like she was missing something by not taking the time to walk along the creek, the short stops they made to eat and rest hardly enough to appreciate the changes to it and the land around it.

Shira had fully expected that her sister would need to sleep during the night, at least for a portion, but Asik had surprised her. Rather than sleeping her normal cycle, Asik changed to follow Shira's. It took the Zoroark a little time to transition past the weariness as her body insisted it go back to her normal sleep pattern but it meant the two were finally awake for a full "day" together.

When they did finally stop, just before the sun would rise, Asik would leave Shira for a short period, allowing her to enjoy watching the water flow. Upon her return, Asik would bring berries, meat, and sometimes odd trinkets that the two puzzled over. Shiny cylinders that served no purpose, with a single hole in the top and bright colors and odd symbols on the sides. A ripped leaf with silver on one side and red and orange on the other, with other strange markings. Another cylinder, both shiny on the inside and out, with no top to it and thicker than the other had been. Asik gifted them to her, the shimmering treasures, allowing Shira to store them in Asik's hair while they travelled.

Wanting to do her share, Shira would offer to go for food, to seek out treasures, but Asik would merely flick her tail, tell her to wait, and give a pat to her head before darting out into the woods. With a huff, after the latest time, Shira kicked a small rock into the creek, pleased by the sploosh it made as the water swallowed it up.

[I'm evolved, too,] she muttered. [I can find berries and not get lost.]

The more she thought about it, the more determined Shira became. With a flick of her tail, she took off in the direction that Asik had headed, figuring she'd just follow her own scent back to the creek when she was done.

After a distance, Shira hadn't run into Asik but did find a berry tree that it appeared her sister had passed by. Large, pink and green berries hung temptingly in the branches with a few spoiled ones scattered along the leaves on the ground. Scampering up to the tree, Shira was just contemplating how to plant her jump so as to get up into the branches when she heard a shout and something knocked into her, sending her tumbling.

There was a series of snapping noises and a sound like something had sliced through the air. When Shira lifted her head up, rising and shaking herself, she found Asik within the confines of a set of thick branches that didn't break under Asik's weight as she flung her body against them. Crackles of light leapt from the branches, making Asik cry out before lunging again at the same place, only to have the same energy lash out at her.

Running up, Shira got ready to throw herself at the branches at the same time, Asik's shout and raised paw stopped her.

[Get away.] Asik growled, one arm wrapped around the side she'd struck against the branches. [There's no point in both of us being stuck here.]

Shira shook her head.

[I'll find you,] Asik promised, her head turning sharply as something outside of Shira's view caught her attention. [Now, run.]

[No!] Shira insisted, almost shouting her next words. [I'm not a kit any more!]

Digging her feet into the ground, Shira raced forward before leaping with a spin, trying to gain more momentum for when she struck the branches. Her head struck, the impact stunning her just until the currents of energy dug in, making her scream as they struck at her body like vicious little Ekans.

When she fell to the ground, body sore and struggling to move, not for the first time and certainly not for the last did Shira wish that her own illusions could affect reality, as the Zorua and Zoroarks could. If she could change into an Ursaring or make herself into a really strong rock, maybe then she could break the branches.

Struggling to get her feet, Shira shook her head to clear it before racing forward and leaping up, spinning into the air and against the bars again; ignoring her sister's shouts.

As Shira collapsed just outside the bars, bright red flooded Asik's vision. Calling her illusions, she coated herself in the illusions of a Kommo-o; a form her mother had shared with her upon her departure from the skulk.

Rattling the scales of her illusion tail, screaming out her rage, Asik charged forward with scales and claws tougher than her natural born ones. A "weak human trick," her mother had called the traps and cages they used, and, yet, Asik's new form did nothing break or scratch that which held her.

Letting out an even louder shriek, Asik slammed her head against the bars only to be sent backwards with a shock. Outraged, she attacked again and again, losing herself in her fury until, finally, while swiping her tail against the bars in a fluid motion, Asik stopped mid-spin when she saw Shira lying on the ground, little body bruised but still trying to get up.

Asik opened her mouth while dropping her illusion, reordering her sister to run, when a chime akin to a Chimecho rang in the air. Turning her head aside with a hiss, Asik raised her paw upward to block the bright light now surrounding her sister. With her attack temporarily halted, Asik felt the fur along her back rising, her senses telling her that something was coming.

As the light faded, Asik spared a glance at her sister's new form, intending to demand she leave again. The words dried up on her tongue, the urgency to escape temporarily forgotten.

Nearly the size and shape of a Zoroark, if not slightly taller, her sister's golden and white fur stood out far more than Asik would have liked with possible humans or their pets nearby. Twin swirls of purple were on each of her hind legs, the meaning or purpose lost on Asik, with odd jagged ones below her eyes. She lacked the proud Zoroark's mane but made up for it with a pleasing collar of white fluff around her neck and the bushy tail that trailed longer than her ankles.

A rustling in the woods brought Asik back to the moment and she hissed, waving away her sister with a paw. [Go already!]

[Not without you,] Shira replied, her tone calmer than it had been moments before as she moved to stand beside the cage instead of in front of it. [Now,] she said firmly. [Stand back.]

With a growl, Asik did so, only because she thought she could convince Shira to leave when she failed.

[Koyousetsu!]

Shira brought her paws to her chest, sharp looking lights forming mid-air around her before shooting forward with a speed that Asik couldn't follow without the lingering trail of light they left behind. The sound of slicing filled the air, followed by dull thuds as the bars collapsed to the ground.

Something in the woods made a noise, a sound of alarm followed by the unmistakable rush of something or many things rushing without a care of stealth through the brush and branches of the woods.

[Come on!] Shira said, reaching a paw through the gap in the bars.

Lifting her paw, Asik was startled at the strength Shira so easily used to pull her through. There was no time to say anything as Shira crouched down before leaping into the air and up into the trees, half carrying, half dragging Asik until her sister could move on her own. Together, they sped along the canopy, lights flaring into being behind them and more voices clamoring nonsensical sounds. They ran until the noises faded, dropping below the shelter of the leaves and stopping back by the creek.

Throwing up a hasty illusion, a duplicate of the area that surrounded them, Asik turned to face her sister, ready to scold her for leaving the area when she found Shira's muzzle inches from her own.

[I told you, I'm not a kit.] Shira had her hands placed on her hips, a scowl along her lips. [I can take care of myself!]

[You almost got yourself caught,] Asik growled back, trying to force her eyes to meet her sister's instead of letting them trace the edges of her new form.

[You did get caught,] Shira countered, pressing one of her newly formed paw pads to Asik's chest.

[Saving you,] Asik said, just barely forming words past her rumbling throat.

[And I saved you back,] Shira returned, retracting her finger with a pleased smile. [See? I'm not a-]

[Not a kit,] Asik snapped, one decibel away from shouting. [You think I didn't notice?]

Frustrated with herself, Asik pushed Shira away, leaping onto the trunk of a fallen tree, dragging her claws along the surface, scraping at the dried bark.

Stunned into silence, Shira hesitated, keeping an eye on her sister.

[Asik?] she said, finally, her unspoken question hovering in the Zoroark's name.

Asik folded her arms, remaining crouched as if she'd spring away, lowering her head while lifting her gaze.

[You are... not a kit.] Asik finally got out, moving to scratch a claw along her throat. [You are...] Her words dissolved into growls, Asik's head turning so as to no longer look at Shira.

[I am...? What, Asik?] Shira asked, moving closer.

Glancing up and away, Asik's head lowered further.

[What am I?] Shira repeated, voice steady despite the uncomfortable clenching of her belly.

[Mine!] Asik finally snapped, head lifting in a quick jerk so that her gaze locked on Shira's. [Mine, to protect.] Asik's claws opened before closing tightly. [Mine, to care for.] Turning her head aside, lowering it, Asik gave another growl that sounded awfully close to "mine."

The tightness in her stomach eased while a surprising warmth spread up along Shira's ears. Cocking her head, trying to catch her sister's gaze, Asik was steadfast in keeping her eyes turned away. With a frown, Shira crossed the distance between them. Extending a paw, she hesitated at her sister's growling, before lightly touching Asik's shoulder. Asik stiffened, her rumbles stopping abruptly.

[Asik,] Shira said, stroking her new digits along her sister's fur. [I've always appreciated your looking out for me. Besides Kuni, it seemed like you were the only one who cared.]

Asik moved a paw to grasp at Shira's, holding it in such a way that Shira wouldn't have been able to pull away even if she'd wanted to. Still, Asik avoided looking at her.

Bending down, Shira leaned her head beside her sister's. While Asik held perfectly still, Shira brushed her muzzle against her sister's, carrying the motion forward until they were cheek to cheek. With her nose just outside Asik's ear, Shira nuzzled a little heavier before softly clearing her throat and pulling back just enough that she could let her lips graze Asik's.

It was meant to be soft and fleeting, a tender gesture to show Asik that she cared. It started out that way, too, until Asik had leaned upward, reaching to grab and pull Shira forward. With her paws moving to cup Shira's face, Asik's muzzle pressed tighter to her sister's. A sound, more of a desperate whine than a growl, spilled forth eagerly while Asik deepened the initial gesture. Shira had thought it was coming from her sister until Asik's fangs came into play, gentle but insistent as they nipped at Shira's throat, causing the noise to falter with her gasp.

Asik gave a pleased groan, the sound low and deep in her throat while she licked at the spot she'd just bit, her eyes bright.

While Shira found herself breathless, her sister's paws trailed from her face to the newly formed mounds along Shira's chest. Stroking the tops of them, drifting along the sides before cupping them from the underneath, Asik gave a short, breathy laugh.

[These... look like something a Nidoqueen would have.]

Shira tried to step back but Asik's grip tightened, preventing her from doing so.

[It's not like I picked them out.] Shira curled her lip, using a paw pad to poke at the fleshy thing.

A wide grin spread along Asik's muzzle, her grip loosening only to shift and squeeze again.

[I like them,] Asik said. [They're soft.] Asik let go, patting her own flat chest. [Not like me.]

[Are you saying I'm soft?] Shira asked, pulling her lips back in a softer version of Asik's smile as she stepped back, her tail curling just in front of her legs. [Seems to me like I was the one who busted you out of the human trap.]

Asik lifted her head, not quite as high as Lala would have but enough to bring the comparison to mind.

[You can be soft and stronger than me.] Asik reached a paw out, her wide grin growing smaller and softer.

Accepting her sister's paw, Shira gave a laugh as she was pulled forward, Asik turning her in her arms.

[Some of the time,] Asik went on, sharing in her sister's mirth.

Head hovering just over Shira's shoulder, Asik's breath passed warmly into her fur, tracing down her chest. Trusting in her sister's strength, Shira leaned until her back pressed against Asik's chest. Raising her head, giving her sister as much access as she wanted, Shira lifted her paw to pull her sister's face closer towards her, delighting when she felt the sharp but contained pinch of Asik's teeth along her skin.

Asik was encouraged by the whimpers that accompanied her nibbles, her sister's body shuddering against her own. Moving her teeth along her sister's shoulder and neck, Asik slipped her paws to cup her sister's newly formed breasts. While not as large as a Nidoqueen's bounty, Asik felt certain it was better.

Carefully sinking her claws against but not into the flesh, Asik answered her sister's startled gasp with a pleased wag of her tail. Spreading her paws wider, to cup more of Shira's breasts, Asik felt an elevated bump on the left one that made her pause. Stroking the right one, Asik found a similar bump in roughly the same place.

Pulling her left paw back, Asik noticed a tender pink nipple sticking out from her sister's fur.

[You're full of surprises,] Asik murmured, thinking of how her own nipples lined her stomach as she let her left hand trace along her sister's belly, finding no other ones. [Did you know that?]

Shira gave a desperate groan, pressing her breast insistently into her sister's still paw. Chuckling, Asik gently squeezed the nub between her claws.

Shira's body jumped, a startled yip breaking past her lips.

Gentling her grip, Asik made soft sounds of apology until Shira's body gradually relaxed. Rubbing that tender bud between her claws, Asik stroked her hand soothingly around Shira's belly.

[Too hard?]

Shira shook her head.

[Too much,] she said, trembling as her sister teased her body.

Giving a quiet affirmation, Asik lightened her touches further still. Moving her paw from the temptation that tiny bump provided, she went back to massaging Shira's full breast and ran her other paw along her sister's hip.

When Shira's thighs clenched together, something Asik only noticed given the placement of her left paw, she growled a soft inquiry that Shira turned her head from.

Deepening her growl, Asik's claws began to move from the outer hip inward, Shira practically dancing within her grasp.

[I'd hold still if I were you,] Asik rumbled against her collar bone. [I can only be so gentle with my claws.]

Shira stilled, drawing in a breath and holding it.

Pulling back her head a moment, Asik gave her sister such a dry look that Shira burst out into giggles, unable to keep hold on her breath.

Snorting at Shira's antics, Asik waited for Shira to stop her laughter before butting her muzzle under her sister's chin, placing a nip just at the base of her throat. As Shira stilled at the touch of her fangs, Asik slipped a claw down between her sister's thighs. While Asik couldn't feel the wetness exactly she could feel the warmth as she brushed her claw against Shira's entrance and the coolness as the juices dripping on her claws grew chilled in the air.

Shaking her head against Asik's shoulder, Shira whimpered quietly but didn't move to escape.

[Should I stop?] Asik asked, trailing a series of three bites down her sister's neck before bending her head further to mouth at Shira's left breast.

[No,] Shira whispered.

Flicking an ear, Asik stilled, unsure what the "no" was in regards to exactly. Shira's ripening scent conflicted with the way her thighs were still pressed together.

[Would you like me to stop?] Asik asked again, pulling her head back so as to watch her sister's expressions. [You are mine, regardless,] she went on, a sudden sharp concern piercing her enjoyment, the possibility that Shira was going along with this simply to appease her entering her mind before an even worse thought formed. [Unless... you don't want to be mine?]

The words were weaker than Asik would have liked, making her ears flatten in annoyance with herself.

Shira lifted her head, her muzzle brushing along the outside of Asik's ear. Waiting for words, the sharp pinch of teeth made Asik jerk, almost getting her ear torn like Kass'.

Ear stinging, Asik gave a protesting growl until Shira's teeth slipped free.

[Don't stop,] Shira whispered.

Tightening her embrace around Shira, Asik slipped her paw back between her sister's thighs. Shira legs tightened around her sister's paw before spreading wide enough that Asik could maneuver more easily. Bending her head back down, Asik took her Shira's nipple with her mouth, keeping the pressure light as she lapped at the tiny bead with her tongue. Her claws slipped along the outside of Shira's entrance, not daring to dip any further inward.

Shira's mouth was parted, a wet pant tickling the tip of Asik's ear. Flicking it out of the way, Asik gave a low growl when Shira purposely sent a long, steady breath against her fur. Giving a harder suckle against Shira's nipple, Asik squeezed the other in unison, causing Shira to break off on her blowing with a throaty moan.

That sound broke Asik's control.

Pulling Shira back, forcing her to sit between Asik's spread legs on the log, the Zoroark then hopped around in front of her sister. Dazed from the prior sensation, Shira opened her mouth to ask something but Asik beat her to it.

[There's some things claws aren't good for,] she all but barked. [This is one of them.]

Crouching in front of Shira, Asik barely restrained herself as she placed her paws on her sister's knees and forced her thighs open. Slipping her paws within Shira's inner thighs, squeezing at the firm flesh, Asik placed her muzzle to her sister's lower lips and dragged her tongue upward.

The keening sound Shira made almost made Asik cum. The way Shira's body arched, her claws sinking into the bark as if it were sand, the trembles racked her body afterwards, all carved into Asik's mind that Shira was hers.

Pulling her tongue back into her mouth, Asik allowed Shira exactly the same amount of time to recover as it took for Asik to finish savoring her sister's flavor. Once the tart mix faded, Asik pounced. Muzzle burying back between Shira's thighs, the only thing her sister could do was to sink her paws into Asik's mane and hold on.

Slipping her tongue within her sister, the tight heat squeezing her tongue, Asik eagerly pulled Shira's flavor into her mouth. Each time she sank her tongue back in for more, Shira's hips bucked, forcing Asik's tongue deeper. The fur along her face grew wet, Shira's scent sinking so deeply into her senses that Asik couldn't even smell herself.

When a light tapping drummed insistently between her ears, Asik finally lifted her head.

Shira was breathing as if she'd been running, her breasts raising and falling heavily with each breath.

[I want-] Shira had to take another breath. [To do for you.]

Asik's tail gave a slow wag, pleased by her own ability to render Shira near speechless.

Sliding her paws back along Shira's upper thighs, Asik gently pushed herself up from the ground.

[There is something I'd wanted to try.] Asik curled her claws, not quite meeting Shira's gaze.

When Shira inclined her head, making a short sweeping motion with her paw to go on, Asik gave a light cough.

[I might have stumbled upon Kass and Lala in some very un-kit like behavior.] Asik pulled her lips back to give a sharp grin. [Not that they saw me.]

[Of course,] Shira said, laughter dancing along her words, preventing her from keeping a straight face.

[It may have given me an idea, at any rate.]

[No,] Shira drawled out. [You? Really?]

Asik tipped her head in acknowledgment, her grin growing wider. Motioning with a clawed paw, she concentrated her illusion less on her full form and more on a part of her form. While she'd not gotten the best view, Asik had enough of an idea that she could at least make something passable.

When the glow of the illusion subsided, Asik brought a paw down to touch her newly formed appendage. Sensation akin to her brushing her clit with her palm jolted through her body, making her groan as her hips jerked emptily into the air. Palming herself, Asik took a few light strokes, acustoming herself to the sensation.

[Don't need me after all, huh?] Shira teased, giving an open look of hunger at Asik's newly formed toy.

Walking over, trying to ignore the odd swaying that acted like a less controlled tail, Asik lightly bit her sister's nose.

[I'll always need you,] Asik said, tone more serious than she'd intended.

Shira touched her muzzle to the corner of Asik's mouth, licking her sister's cheek.

Ears dipping for a moment, embarrassed, Asik gave a quick lick back before nudging Shira so that she was straddling the log. Shira looked over her shoulder, watching Asik mount up behind her.

[Wouldn't it be easier on the ground?] Shira wondered, lifting her knees up to get a better grip on the log.

[Trust me,] Asik nearly purred, pressing a hand along Shira's back to lean her forward even more. [And move your tail.]

At the command, Shira shivered. Raising her tail as instructed, tipping it towards the right, Shira felt a firm warmth pressing along her entrance.

[Relax,] Asik whispered, her paws stroking along Shira's hips. [It's not all that bigger than my tongue.]

The startled laugh made Shira realize she'd been holding her breath.

When Asik began to slip in, Shira wiggled, adjusting to this different shape within her. Asik was right, in a sense. It wasn't longer than her tongue but it was wider, filling Shira in a way that Asik's tongue fell short of.

The teasing, gradual thrusts started to pick up. Asik was leaning more heavily over Shira, putting more force into it as her hips slapped against Shira's. Each rocking motion forward caused Shira's hips to sway, her clit brushing against the rough bark in a way that had her opening her mouth, her tongue hanging out of the way of her frantic pants.

Pressing her hips demandingly backwards, Asik answered Shira's silent demand by increasing the frequency of her strokes along with the power she put in them. Nonsensical sounds, half yips and growling moans, poured from Shira like water from the creek. When Asik's claws drifted from Shira's hips back to fondling and pawing at her breasts, Shira thought she heard herself begging but it could have just been in her head since Asik didn't adjust her speed.

Simultaneously, Asik squeezed both Shira's nipples, clamping down hard enough it should have been painful. Instead, the sensation, combined with Asik's next deep thrust, broke past whatever plateau Shira had reached. With a shrill howl, Shira felt the building warmth break through her. Asik groaned in her ear, a sharp breath and a whispered cry the only sign of her sister's own release.

The illusion broke, leaving Shira feeling abruptly empty. However, Asik's warm embrace as she nuzzled Shira's neck and curled beside her in front of the log was enough to make up for it.

*****

Something, a scent or a sound, woke Shira.

Careful of Asik's arm wrapped around her waist, Shira propped herself up on her forearms slowly, trusting that her sister's illusion still surrounded them but not willing to take a chance that something hadn't snuck through it or seen past it.

With the sun not quite midway in the sky, Shira squinted, staring out into her surroundings while trying to place what had woken her. With her sister so close and their activities from the other night so fresh, Shira had a hard time trying to pick out anything of use. The sound of water flowing was still ever present while the feathered ones...

Shira's ear flicked, frowning.

The feathered ones were not singing.

Reaching a paw to lightly shake Asik's shoulder, Shira became aware of a mist just outside the edges of the illusion.

[Asik!] she hissed, trying to keep her voice down as the unnaturally pink veil drifted closer.

Asik's arm tightened around Shira's waist, a soft protest leaving her lips.

[You need to get up, now.]

A fluttering sound made Shira dart her head, as Pokemon as pink as the mist and smaller than she'd ever been as Relemon landed delicately on a branch above them. Despite the appearance of a feathered one, the way it tilted its head and appeared to stare directly down at them had Shira scrambling to get up.

When the fluttering sound repeated, Shira turned, expecting that the bird had taken wing to a different branch or, better still, flown away. However, the first one was still perched, silently watching, and a second pink bird had now landed.

[Asik,] Shira said, drawing out her sister's name as she brought her paws up, clenching them into fists.

When her sister still had yet to stir and a third and forth bird fluttered, taking branches even closer than the first two, Shira had to wonder if something was keeping her sister from awakening.

[Not working?]

Half turning, careful to keep her sister directly behind her, Shira found herself facing the first feathered creature.

[Not working,] another affirmed, hopping to a slightly lower branch.

[Not working!] they chimed as one, lifting their wings in unison.

[Not working?]

The voice was similar to the tiny birds but spoken slower, with a hint of anger beneath the indigent disbelief. Half turning, Shira's lip curled as what could only be the evolution of the pink birds above her walked through where her sister's illusion should have been.

This newer pink and purple feathered fluffy one was larger than its brethren but still well under Shira's waist as a Renamon. It held a reed that ended with a cattail brown bob on the end, lightly smacking the soft end against its palm as it narrowed its eyes on Shira.

In a flurry of high pitched musical notes, it shook the reed in the air before pointing it towards Shira. Crouching, flattening her ears as much from the sounds as the aggressive body language, Shira took a step back, making sure her heel touched her sister's slumbering form.

Retracting its reed, the creature tapped it against its side.

[Why,] it struggled, searching for words in common monster tongue. [Dark one not sleep?]

Shira turned her head, showing off her fangs, not intending to answer as a floral musk tickled her nose and made her snout wrinkle. As the creature cocked its head, more puzzled than annoyed or angry, Shira realized the scent had been coming from it.

[You,] Shira barely vocalized, before her words became swallowed up in a roar.

Dashing forward, calling forth her energy with the word "Souzan!", Shira blurred her form with an illusion to allow herself to appear behind the creature. Raising her arm back, she followed forward with a quick chopping motion, aiming at the back of where she assumed its neck to be.

Her hand connected, something shimmering and deflecting most of the force she put into the blow before it reached the creature. Before Shira could find a way around the invisible barrier, a strong energy slammed into her gut and flung her back.

Spinning, she managed to get her feet underneath her, using a trunk just barely large enough to gather her energy and spring forward again. This time, calling on Shouda, she stretched her palms ahead of her body, letting the energy gather there.

Her blow would have connected, if not for the four smaller bodies that were suddenly surrounding her, their voices echoing in a mismatched harmony that rattled around inside her skull, forcing her to abort her attack so as to cover her ears.

With a twist of her tail, she managed to turn her body enough to hit her back instead of her front as she skidded along the ground. Shaking her head, even her paws weren't enough to muffle the bird's chaotic song, the melody striking her body with each note.

Glancing to her sister, Shira drew a sharp breath. While still slumbering, Asik was flinching, sleep not enough to evade the painful array of the song.

Turning her attention back to their enemies, the only boon Shira found was that the fluttering ones appeared to be suffering for their singing. Either harming themselves or their allies, the jerky way they flew indicated the cost of their echoing voices.

A glowing orb, almost luminse and three times the size of one of the pink flying ones, struck Shira as the fluttering forms of the birds hid it from view until it'd been too late to do more than try to minimize the impact.

Her side ached from the blow but, from the wide eyes of the standing one, it'd done a lot less than intended.

Throwing her arms up, Shira protected her face against the sudden onslaught of feathers, beaks, and feet that felt like less of an attack and more of a distraction. Jumping back, landing on the log that Asik had herself crouched on the night before, Shira gave herself enough room to call forth her Koyousetsu. The sharpened leaves of light sent the flock scattering. One of the four not fast enough to escape a blow that clipped its wing and sent it spiraling to the ground, uselessly flapping while it ran back to the standing one.

Another orb of glowing white light barrelled towards her but, without the distraction the four flapping ones provided, Shira was easily able to avoid it. Skidding into a low crouch, she sprang forward, intending to get a blow in on the standing one before its brethren could regroup.

Something struck Shira's shoulder from behind, the impact noticeable but not painful. It was so fleeting that she ignored it up until the point that the world around her vanished into an overbright white.

While she couldn't see anything beyond the white, Asik could sense that the wide space was an illusion much like her own. Throwing her weight forward, she slammed her fists into the lie that encased her before whirling and shouting "Kokaishu!" The flames coating her feet impacted harder than her fists had, the trappings releasing her so quickly the after image of white remained behind, causing her to miss blocking when a feathered one landed on her shoulder. The draining sensation startled Shira enough to bat it aside, the feathered on getting airborne before hitting the ground.

A new creature had gathered, the odd sounds it was making and the strange skin it wore enough to identify it as "human" in Shira's mind. From the way it was pointing, the standing pink one (which the human sounds identified as an "Aromatisse") had lost its commanding position of the fluttering ("Spritzee"). Either it had healed the injured Spritzee or it hadn't been as badly hurt as Shira had thought as there were four back in the air.

The human gestured and Shira took a step back, mindful of the item she noticed in its other hand. That must have been what struck her, the capture orb from Kuni's stories.

Distracted, Shira missed what the flock did but she felt her body growing heavier, as if the strength of her new form was leaving her as weak as she'd been as a Relemon. Fighting against the weight, she attacked with another barrage of light shards, forcing the flock to scatter as she continued forward to go after the Aromatisse.

Bringing her fist back, Shira followed up with a Touhakken, the flames burning into existence around her paws as she brought it swinging forward. Again, there was the sensation of connecting with something that wasn't there, a flicker shimmering into existence around the Aromatisse and reflecting the damage off of it. This time, however, it wasn't just Shira's fist that connected.

Pulling back her arm, she continued forward with her momentum; a sweeping motion with her right leg that had the flames striking just at head level with the Aromatisse. The barrier that protected it held but, having done the two blows in quick succession, Shira could feel it weakening.

Showing off her fangs to the Aromatisse, Shira leapt back and summoned more leaves, intending to cast them forward and shatter the protective shield once and for all. A movement near where her sister lay caused her head to jerk, the leaves barely striking and going wide of their target as Shira saw the human lob the capture orb at Asik. Shouting Asik's name, racing towards her though she had no way to make it in time, Shira watched as her sister's form glowed red then vanished, pulled into the sphere.

Stopping, eyes on the orb, Shira's eyes snapped up to the human as heat and flames surrounded her form, driving away the Spritzee who'd been about to attack.

Taking a step away from the golden Zoroark, wondering if it was some odd mix of Fire and Dark, Aromatisse drew in energy from the moon, pulling its power into an orb between her paws. Having had to abandon her stick made Aromatisse sharp tempered and she wanted to get this fight over with. Ever since her human and his friends had seen the golden one fleeing with the dark one, the group had split up to capture the two.

With her and her flock's incredible noses, sniffing out the two had been easy. After a few snacks from her human, Aromatisse was able to change her scent to one a Dark type would feel at peace and fall into slumber at. The fact that it didn't work on the golden one wasn't Aromatisse's fault and the various Fairy moves that ought to have knocked it out weren't working well either.

Grumbling, Aromatisse released its gathered energy at the spreading form of crimson flames and blinding light, intending to pierce through it as she had the illusion. Only, her orb didn't pierce anything. It sunk a portion of the way into the flames before splitting in two, continuing on either side of the fire.

Startled, Aromatisse blinked.

Aromatisse shouldn't have blinked.

*****

Asik rubbed her head with a paw, feeling much like the time she had when she'd gotten water in her ears.

[Shira?]

Opening her eyes, Asik drew in a sharp breath only to end up coughing.

Flames a deeper color than blood licked along the trees surrounding her. The muffled crackling rippled along her ears and thick smoke blinded her nose to any scents other than burning.

Getting to her feet, Asik regretted the haste as she swayed, unable to shake the feeling of her senses being dulled.

[Shira!]

She tried to call louder but the earlier coughing left her throat raw. Dropping to all fours, Asik felt steadier and found the air not quite so foul to breathe. Bits of pink lay scattered on the ground, catching fire when they drifted too close to the eager flames. Not seeing any yellow, Asik was about to run off when a weak sound stopped her.

Just behind her, a small lump of pink, red, and black gave another weak chirp, its arm outstretched to an open capture orb. If not for the beak, Asik probably wouldn't have been able to identify the creature. As it was, the most she could tell was it was some kind of bird.

[I free,] it whispered, fortunate that Asik's hearing was improving enough to catch it. [You. Save my human.]

Asik barked a laugh, not even imagining a reason where she'd save a human.

[You save,] it insisted, weakly lifting its arm to point at her until it dropped from the effort. [Save from the other fox.]

[Other fox?] Asik's ears perked forward, all humor leaving her. [Shira?]

The bird had its beak open, panting while its tongue flopped uselessly in its mouth.

[Which way?] Asik growled, dropping her head so as not to miss a word.

[Follow.] It struggled to breathe or swallow, the sound struggling from its throat enough to be either.

[Follow what?!] Asik snapped, stamping a foot down near the bird's head.

Either startled enough to speak or having just enough time to gather what energy it needed, the bird breathed out with a final sigh.

[The fire.]

Snapping her head up, Asik spun away from the bird and capture ball. Surrounded by flames, she couldn't make out which way to run so she merely picked a direction and ran until the fire went no further.

Filling her lungs with smoke free air, Asik sprang up the nearest tree that looked as if it could support her weight, breaking her way past the canopy so as to view her surroundings. Behind her, from where she'd ran, appeared to be the starting point of the flames, if the way it was spreading in a wide sphere was any indicator.

Almost dismissing the bird's words, Asik hopped to the next tree over, getting a different vantage. From there, she could see past the sphere of smoke and see the scattered funnels of it leading away from where she'd awoken.

Pushing off from her perch, Asik flew forward, allowing the illusion of a Pidgey to take over her form and grant her extra speed rather than jumping tree to tree. Pumping her wings, clumsy from a lack of use of this form, Asik closed in on the fire's trail when a roar reverberated through the air. Fire abruptly burst into existence, a curving pathway of trees suddenly crimson with flames.

Shrieking cries of Pokemon cut through the air. Those with wings took flight, forcing Asik to evade or be buffered and spun aside by their panicked escape. Climbers, like Mankey, were escaping along the tops of the trees and, as Asik pierced below the canopy, those who could neither fly nor climb were charging their way through or around what they could in an attempt to escape.

Asik continued forward, despite the certainty that this was some kind of ploy by the bird to get her to help its human. If her sister could have done something like this, Kass would have been no trouble at all.

Descending, taking care to land on a branch far enough from the fire so as not to be burned, Asik listened as she heard the frantic chirping of birds. Abruptly checking for a nest, a motion along the ground brought her attention to four Spritzee who where circling a human. She thought they were attacking him until one of them cast a Light Screen in front of the human, just in time to block a ball of red flames from striking him. The ball crashed into the screen, forcing the bird to flap in place to hold it, before the flames cascaded outward. Dried leaves, twigs, whatever the crimson touched caught fire.

There was another roar, a blue blur coming in just behind them.

Two of the Spritzee sent a pink wind towards the blur, striking it hard enough that it stopped running, though only for a moment. Asik was able to make out its shape and gave a low growl.

[Wasted my time on the wrong vulpe,] she chuffed, shaking her head as her eyes watched the nine tails lashing behind the blue fox.

Larger than she'd expected a Ninetales to be, the white mane surrounding its neck was many times thicker than her own. Flames tipped its paws and the end of its tails, though, strangely enough, those scarlet flames didn't seem to catch anything on fire. An odd vine of some kind hung around its neck and Asik wondered if the human had tried tying it up, thus infuriating it. Odd symbols marked its upper legs, a matching one on its head. While she'd not see in it before, it struck her as familiar somehow.

Feeling no obligation to save the human and not seeing her sister, Asik spread her wings to take flight again.

[Homuradama!]

Forgetting to flap, Asik fell, just barely righting herself in time to see several fireballs jump from the tails' flame. Hovering in the air, the shapes looked vaguely like Shira had when she'd first hatched.

[Shira!] Asik cried out, spiraling downward, dropping her illusion when she was close enough to the ground.

She'd misjudged the distance enough to go tumbling forward, laughing as she did so until the red eyes of the blue fox turned from the human onto her.

[Shira?] Asik lifted a paw, giving a cautious wave.

The growl made Asik's fur stand on end as the blue fox turned to stalk towards her.

[How dare you?] A voice that sounded like Shira but somehow distorted echoed out. [How dare you?!]

The flames bobbed in the air, as if nodding in agreement.

Asik didn't step back but it took more effort than she'd have liked. The heat coming off of the blue fox was enough to make her feel uncomfortable in her own fur.

[You look like my sister,] the fox went on, words dissolving into a wail. [They took my sister!]

Lifting both paws, keeping her head lowered, Asik answered truthfully. [I remember going to sleep then waking up with fire all around.]

The fox's lips curled back, showing a full set of teeth.

[Shira.] Asik kept her words soft. [I'm no illusion, if that's what you're worried about.] Sparing a glance at the approaching fox, Asik gave a grin of satisfaction much like she'd worn after ripping Kass' ear. [An illusion wouldn't know the cute noises you made last night, when I'd buried my tongue inside you.]

Some of the brilliance left the fox's eyes, the glowing red fading to a muted brown as its tails curled in front to hide its face.

[Oh no,] Asik said, her smile still pulling widely back on her face to show her teeth in a much more playful fashion than her sister had. [You don't get to hide like that...]

Moving closer, the intensity of the heat having faded, Asik put her paws between her sister's tails. Ignoring the flames, which only caressed her with a pleasant warmth, she cupped her sister's face and pulled it past her tails. Waiting until her sister met her gaze, Asik brushed her cheek against her sister's, rubbing her scent on this new form of hers.

[Mine,] Asik rumbled, continuing to stroke Shira's cheek with her own. [Regardless of what form you take. You are mine.]

Shira closed her eyes, resting the weight of her head in Asik's paws while drawing in her sister's scent. A golden light, far softer than that of the ruby flames, encased her form. Collapsing in on itself, when the light finally faded, Asik still held Shira in her hands.

[I'm back to Viximon?!] Shira wailed, wiggling her legs in displeasure before drooping her ears and whining at Asik.

With a light chuckle, Asik tucked her sister to her chest.

[I did say, whatever form,] Asik reminded her, rubbing her cheek against her sister's head.