Another Kind of Empathy - Prologue
#1 of Another Kind of Empathy
So! Finally got myself together to write at least a beginning. This is my first submission, so I'd like brutal honesty. I feel like length is an issue, as well as description. But I do know that people have told me I'm way too hard on my own work, so I can't trust my own criticism. I'm incredibly paranoid about what others will think of anything I write, which is part of where this stems from.
A little disclaimer, this will mostly be a clean story until the entire first part is dealt with. There may be some adult thoughts and themes, but there won't really be any smut until the story is well established. That being said, I hope the three of you that are left enjoy the story ;P
Another Kind of Empathy
Prologue
He could barely breathe. Each inhale was a struggle; the oxygen in the air was being consumed too fast to breathe it. The pitch black smoke burned his lungs, forcing him into a coughing fit. He fell to his knees, his body shuddering as it screamed in protest.
In front of him, his companion turned, rushing back to his side. He couldn't help but notice that she was bearing almost no ill effects to the heat and smoke other than streaks of black soot through her mostly white fur. He ignored her attentions, getting back to his feet of his own strength of will.
His companion let out a brief whine of concern before once more taking the lead, and he took hold of one of her many tails as she guided him. As a fire type, she could easily navigate the burning halls with little risk to herself -- he was the one who was in danger.
He found himself wishing he had paid better attention to the building's layout. As it was he had no idea how to get out, and the longer he took to find the exit, the harder it would be to keep himself moving, and the more likely he wouldn't make it there. With the speed the fire was spreading, there would be nothing left in a matter of minutes.
Suddenly, his ninetales stopped in her tracks, glancing around in every direction, seemingly lost.
"What... what is it?" he asked her, his voice coming through hoarse and ragged, sparking another coughing fit from him.
"Niiine..." she replied in a tone barely above a whisper.
He was suddenly very afraid. "You... you got us into this!" he accused. "Get us out! Get me out!"
"Nine!" she yelled back to him, before dropping to the floor, her head laying against her paws.
Anger bubbled to the surface. How dare she stop! was his first thought, and it was this thought that swirled around his mind as he took a heavy step forward.
"You useless... get up!" he shouted, and took another step forward. His ninetales gave a low whine, but little indication otherwise of a response. Panic set in, spurring him further. "I said get up!"
CRACK!
Before he could react, the floor began to give way, causing him to lose his balance, crashing down into the already weak floor. He vaguely registered a loud cry from his ninetales as they both fell through the floor, the flames much stronger below them.
As he hit the ground below, a sharp pain engulfed his senses, causing him to cry out. Accompanying this was an intense heat -- he could see nothing but flames all around. He struggled to get back to his feet, but as soon as he attempted to push himself upward he collapsed again, a horrible pain shooting up his right leg.
His ninetales seemed in no better shape than he was. There was a gash across the side of her head, which he could see was freely leaking blood onto the ground. "Niiine..." he could barely hear her muttering over the sound of burning debris falling from the hole above them, fueling the existing blaze to move steadily closer to their not-so-safe haven.
I'm going to die, was his only thought as he began to lose consciousness, his body's last gift to dull the pain. The last thing he saw was the raging inferno, and a short glimpse of what seemed to be a pale, green light.
* * * * *
Her first memory was of a cold, piercing rain, and of utter lonliness. The ground beneath her paws was soaked, as was the fur covering her body. Her six rusty tails dripped rainwater, soaking the ground below them even further, causing her rear paws to rest in a pool of thick mud. She was lost, and that was about all she knew. She did the only thing she could under the circumstances: she cried her sorrow and lonliness to the night.
She didn't know how long it was, but soon she heard movement nearby. Fear once again set in as the vulpix wondered who could possibly be wandering at this time of night, close enough to respond to her cries. "Who's there?" she called out, instantly regretting it as she heard the movement make its way closer to her, before eventually a large figure appears from the nearby brush, the night too dark for her to discern its shape. Suddenly afraid, she began to back away from the figure as it walked closer to her.
"It's okay, little one, I won't hurt you," the figure said in a soft voice, causing the young vulpix to pause in her retreat. "Don't be afraid."
She let out a soft whine as the figure stood above her, leaning in close as she received a few soft licks across her fur, the warmth it gave her causing her to shiver in contrast to the cold.
"You're freezing..." the figure said quietly. "Come on, let's get you warm."
The vulpix felt herself get lifted up by the fur at the back of her neck. It was effortless, her small form no burden at all for the larger pokemon as it carried her. The rain couldn't reach her where she was, and the large body above her was radiating warmth, removing the chill she felt deep in her bones.
It didn't take long until they entered a shallow cave in the base of a rock ledge. There was a fire burning inside, making it light and warm. The larger pokemon put her down, and she got her first good look at it. It was a bright reddish-orange over most of its body, with its tail and mane being a cream color. She had little time to register this, as almost immediately afterward she was engulfed by the large body as it curled around her.
"Mama?" she heard a small voice say somewhere beyond the huge wall of fur. "You're back! What's that?"
"It's someone who was left out in the cold," she heard the larger pokemon reply. "She needs a place to stay and get warm."
Suddenly she spotted something peeking over the top of the large fluffy tail. First it was small brown paws, followed by tall brown ears and a small brown head as the curious pokemon peered over her mother to see what she had brought home.
After peering at her for a long time, the little brown pokemon asked, "What is she mama?"
The larger pokemon gave a soft laugh. "She's a vulpix dear, a fire type."
"Oh," the smaller pokemon replied, before pushing herself up and over the tail, landing next to the vulpix with a thump. "My name's Kya. What's yours?"
The vulpix remained quiet for a moment before replying, "I... I don't have one..."
"We can't have that, can we?" the larger one said. "How about... Rhy?"
"I like it mama!" Kya shouted excitedly. "It's a nice name!"
Rhy thought about her new name, and smiled. It really was a nice name.
"I think she likes it too," the larger pokemon said. "You can call me Eri, little one."
"Mama, can she stay with us?" Kya asked, sounding hopeful.
"That depends," Eri replied, her voice taking on a much more serious tone. "Rhy, where are your parents? Do you know where your mother and father are?"
Rhy tried her hardest to remember something, anything. She remembered being with her mother earlier that day, and being told to stay put for only a moment while she went somewhere, but she had never come back.
"I... I don't know," Rhy said quietly, suddenly close to tears. "She never came back..."
Eri gave the young vulpix a frown before giving her a loving and gentle lick. "It's okay. You can stay with us."
"Really mama? She can stay?" the little eevee asked, barely able to control her own glee.
"Of course Kya. I wouldn't have it any other way," Eri responded, smiling at her pup's enthusiasm.
Rhy smiled, happy that she wasn't alone anymore. She yawned, the warmth and happiness invading her senses. Without another word, she curled up next to Kya and closed her eyes, while Eri watched her fall asleep.
Lots of mysteries, for sure. I have pretty much the entire first part of the series planned (And by first part, I don't mean first chapter. More like first ten chapters.) at least to some extent. "Who is that trainer and his Ninetales?" you might be asking. Well you'll find out... it's actually quite strongly tied to the rest of the story.
Don't forget that constructive criticism!
(So nervous... sitting here for 5 minutes hovering over the button... Okay, deep breaths. 3... 2... 1... save!)