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Auhtor's note: This is a rather (*cough* two months *cough*) late birthday gift for :iconSandlava: _featuring his character. Hope you like this, Six, and thanks for all the advice. ^^ _

Warning: Pokemon sexings lie ahead. If that ain't your thing, or you're too young to be permanently scarred by such things, don't read.

Pokemon is copyright of Nintendo. Six is _copyright of Six. _

Thanks to :iconGuri: for helping proof this!

The Most Elusive Game

His ears pricked at the soft noises of dead leaves, the scattered foliage crisping and crackling beneath his tread. To him, with all of his senses alert, nerves stretched taut, they seemed as loud as a battle-cry. Thankfully, his target remained oblivious to the unavoidable sounds, as unconcerned as a beautifly with a bounty of flower blossoms. She continued to pad along through the wider space between trees, where the grass lay beaten flat by many transient paws.

Were it not for the tiny crunches, each one marking the demise of another leaf, he may as well have been a misty wraith slipping between the trees, unseen and untouched by the physical world. Perhaps indeed he was. He rather liked that idea. A spectre, charcoal gray with blood-red eyes, stalking his prey with vengeance in his heart.

Of course, this hunt had nothing to do with the vengeance he sought. He bore no personal grudge with this quarry. The vulpix was simply a means to fill his woefully hollow belly, stretched thin and wan from days of dusty travel. It had been at least twelve sunsets since he had found such relatively easy prey, and he stifled the urge to lick his lips at the thought of fresh, warm, succulent meat. Berries only went so far for one accustomed to dining on more substantial fare. A soft gurgle protested from his belly, as if knowing that fulfillment lay so close, and demanding that he take it now.

Not yet. Just a bit longer. Soon.

He ghosted behind another tree, freezing as he felt his hind paw land on a dry stick lying in his path.Carefully easing his weight from the obstacle, he reaffirmed his footing. He was close, almost near enough to strike, yet announcing his presence now with a snap as loud as cracking bone would give the vulpix a chance for escape. He always made sure of his kills. His claws flexed, fangs gritting as a wintry blast of frigid anger swirled through him. Just as he would do one day for the mate-slayer he had once called friend.

No, now is not the time to think of that.

Cautiously, Six peered through the thick undergrowth, breathing deep to ensure he remained downwind. Yes... there was the vulpix's scent, cutting through the fresh, earthy, floral wisps from the surrounding foliage. It was a mildly spiced, burnt aroma, with a hint of an intangible, dusky perfume. Female, certainly. Young, but old enough to have seen several seasons. Unafraid, yet without any lingering masculine scents that might indicate the presence of a protective mate. She was also outside her territory. They had passed her farthest boundaries some time ago. Strange, perhaps a little foolish for a lone pokémon, but not unheard of, and of no relevance to him.

She paused just as he slipped behind a patch of ferns, one paw upraised in a half step, looking around as if she had sensed something was amiss. No, there is nothing wrong. Return to your journey, little morsel. She appeared wary, eyes bright and roving, like someone lost in a strange place. A feeling he knew all too well.

Suddenly, her eyes widened, her tails and limbs stiffening and ears perking. Her spine arched, haunches tensing to flee with all the speed she could at the slightest rustle. No! She could not possibly have detected him! His stealth had been perfect! He-

Six went rigid, every muscle in his body tightening, the protective, sandslash inherited plates on his back making soft snick sounds as they settled into their shielding position. He fought the urge to snarl viciously, to flare his burners and leap forward. His ears quivered with the same sound the vulpix had clearly heard. Something else stalked these woods, and this one would not know stealth if it reared up and struck it in the face! No... not just one. Many somethings, running flat out and shoving foliage noisily aside, one many-cadenced voice calling out to another in a strange language.

Damn it! How did I not notice this earlier? Simple. He had been too absorbed in his prey, in the thrill of his hunt. Stupid! Now, he would have to act fast if he were to-

It was already too late.

The vulpix had frozen too, rooted in place with the mighty claws of fright and alarm holding her still. Presently, a new sound joined the first. Melodious canine voices bayed a challenge to the surrounding forest, guiding their masters' footsteps with quivering noses, announcing that they were intoxicated with the scent of their hunt -- HIS hunt!

He knew those words all too well -- that variance of guttural and nasal tones of speech, a rising cry echoing and repeating between the voices, though these spoke a dialect he did not know. For that twinkling moment of horrible realization, a lance of indefinable fear pierced the hybrid. Humans ran in these woods. Two-legged monsters, all furless, pale gawkiness, with pitiless, watery eyes and fleshy faces, white cloth billowing around them and obscuring their lanky forms. He could smell them even now, the stench rising like a miasma from his memory to curdle in his stomach, defying the winds that blew towards his pursuers.

No! She's mine! Every particle of his being ached to strike, to claim his prey before the hunters could close and steal her away, but he firmly shoved the urge down. He would not let them take what was his, but this would require a plan, cunning, calculation. He could not simply rush in until he knew exactly what he dealt with.

His claws dug tightly into his pads, frigid rage flaring to a maelstrom inside of him, scorching the fear away. He could fight them now! He was no longer their slave, dutifully running himself ragged within the twisted maze of their unknown purpose. No more was he forced to sit up and beg for his meal at the end of the day, pleading for their charity, then being given mere subsistence! Damn them all! Humans...

Nightmare memories cascaded behind his eyes. White swathed forms, conversing in hushed, precise tones on the other side of unbreakable transparent barriers... An unchanging, sharp, scentless aroma that burned in his nose... Cold, lifeless metal, closing in around him, squeezing his life away one drop at a time... Every surface polished to a gleaming, icy sheen, unfeeling and unstained by the blood and fear-sweat that poured across its face... Countless glittering nettles, jabbing him again and again, until his throat rasped painfully from crying out, vile poisons seeping into his blood to keep him docile, and who knew what else.

Humans...

The vulpix broke free of the spell first, coiled muscles springing free to send her bounding away between the trees, her paws scrabbling frantically at the loamy ground. Behind them, excited howls pierced eerily through the foliage, closer now. Bile rose in Six's throat, his paws reaching through the foliage he crouched behind, wanting to grab one of the chasing canines and shake him roughly. To serve the tottering two-legs willingly! Disgraceful, snivelling excuses for pokémon!

He still shuddered to think of their clammy touch, blue sheathed hands poking and prodding him, taking any liberty they wished with his body. He could almost feel it, phantom contact on his neck, thighs, rump, sheathe, making his skin crawl even now. His mate had been the only one to keep him sane, her soft words seeming like the voice of an angel, coming in the blackness of night to comfort him from the imprisoning cage next door.

Now, all of that was long gone. He would not allow these specimens to have his prize, to take away the only thing that mattered to him now. No... there was more than that. He would not allow anyone to fall to their sweaty hands, not even one who he stalked as a meal. There was far more honour and dignity in falling prey to him than to a lumbering human.

His body moved without thought, branches scratching along his armoured back as he shoved his way through a curtain of vegetation, shadowing the fleeing vixen. He had no need to be quiet now, but he stayed back from the clearer trail, measuring his pace carefully as he slid fluidly between roots and underbrush, scrambling up a small outcropping. She was spooked now, and would be easy to follow, but he he couldn't fall too far behind. His moment of hesitation had been enough.

Already, he could see them dashing past through the veil of green; lanky, bipedal forms that looked on the verge of falling over themselves as they ran. Four of them, he could tell for sure, though there could be more out of his line of sight as he paced their sprint. They were flashes of tan and white amongst the greenery, with the occasional glitter of something made of vile metal. Ululating shouts rose from their lips, sounding more like the battle-song of an unfamiliar pokémon than man-speech.

He had nothing to fear, they would not notice his presence in their midst until it was far too late. Humans had quick, cruel hands, and many barbaric machines to do their bidding, but they were nose-blind and effectively deaf. The two lithe, slat-ribbed forms that galloped along in front of them did not detect him either, too drunk on the draught of the hunt to look to the side, jaws already slavering for their victim.

He recognized one as a mightyena, fur as dark as his own and plume-like tail streaming in the wind, but the other was a species he hadn't seen before. A blue and yellow furred canine, tailless, with a mountainous yellow crest adorning its head. He strained for a better look, and nearly tumbled down an embankment for his trouble, catching his balance at the last moment. In the glimpses Six caught, its coat seemed to shimmer and spark with sizzling power, making him think of storm-wind tossed nights when bars of white fire had torn across the sky.

Stop this, you're being idiotic! A tiny voice shouted from within the depths of his mind. Even a filling meal is not worth the fight you'll get for it now. He sneered at the cowardly notion, chasing it from his mind with a snarl. There was more than his belly at stake here now. These humans may not be of the same group that committed the crime of his transformation into his current state, but there would be a vicious satisfaction in denying them their prize.

He bit back a yelp as a careless step sent him slipping upon a hidden slope of scree, barrelling down and slamming to a stop against an unyielding tree-trunk. He rolled upright a bit shakily, pain flaring from a bruised shoulder, and continued running, blocking out the freshly acquired ache. He'd lost ground now, the howls and shouts gaining distance, and he wondered how the vulpix was faring, leading this merry little chase.

Run hard, little morsel, run hard. Tire yourself. Save me the trouble of tracking you again after this.

He knew the odds now. No small task, to take on two pokémon of unknown ability and four humans. Even as weak as they were, men could and would make trouble in a fight. He would need to-

A spindly limbed form loomed in front of him, just past a stand of bushes and to his right. Sandlava veered and tucked into a protective ball with a soft snick, cursing mentally, expecting a blow to rattle against his armour. They had spotted him after all!

He felt himself careening off course, his momentum rolling him like a boulder down a mountain. No attack came. Three quickened heartbeats passed, all his senses straining for an inkling to his enemy, and still nothing. Was the human so dense as to have missed him?

Following instincts sharpened by the harshness of the wilds, Six uncoiled like a striking arbok, leaping from his defensive ball to land on all fours several paces away, facing where he'd last seen the man. His chest heaved, an inferno stoking behind his lungs as his burners flared to life, hazing the air with heat-shimmer. He could scarcely believe his eyes. Or his luck.

The man hadn't spotted him at all, and was doubled over against a tree! One of his hands gripped a long pole of wood for balance, a wicked looking blade at its tip grounded in the loam. His other arm crossed his flat stomach, and his entire bony form shuddered as if shaken by the paw of a vengeful god, powerful wheezing coughs racking his frame. A gift, some small mercy of Arceus, perhaps? The first he had ever granted to a lonely hybrid pokémon?

No time to think, this opportunity would not be wait for him to reason it out. With a snarl of mixed triumph and battle-fury, Sandlava threw himself bodily at the incapacitated human, smashing into him with all the force he could muster. The revolting stench of furless, sweaty human flesh stung his nostrils as he crashed down on his victim, slamming the man hard into the tree, likely appearing as a blazing demon come to claim him for Darkrai.

The man's weapon skittered away, useless to protect its owner now as they landed heavily with Sixatop his target's chest, the air whooshing from the human with a choked noise. For a brief moment, the dazed look in the hazel eyes cleared, turning into terror at the flaming apparition that pinned him. Before the man could cry out, Six struck a swift backhand blow, the hardened digging spikes on his paw cracking solidly across the man's chin, whipping his head back. His eyes rolled back, all of the fight leaving him in an instant.

Not even pausing to examine his handiwork, Sandlava leaped away from the slumped form, landing with paws already churning. One down, five to go. These humans were indeed different than the sort he knew, their skin hued more ebon than pale. They covered themselves with far less cloth too, only a small swathe about their hips, exposing sinewy limbs and muscled chest, and no sign of the curious transparent eye coverings many of the paler humans had worn.

Still, the gag-inducing reek had been exactly the same, all putrid sweat and fear and unnatural spice. All humans were the same. None of them deserved his pity. These would not seize his prize!

Six wove between scraggly trees as he crested a small rise, his inner flame pulsing with the exertion of the chase. The delay had been short, but worth it. Perhaps if he could catch up, he might pick off more of the humans before the vulpix was run down. Were he not hunting alone, he could...

A phantom image flickered at the corner of his vision -- a graceful form pacing him stride for stride. He risked a glance, hoping in spite of himself that it would not be an illusion. Bushes, trees, tumbled boulders. He turned his eyes forward again with a snarl, barely in time to leap over a fallen log. Foolish of him to expect her to be real, to be here, now. Hunger was making him delusional. She was gone, and no amount of vengeance would change that fact. He ran on, trying without success to blot out the cascade of painful memories.

Even when things had been at their bleakest, after that terrible, Darkrai-sent day that haunted his dreams... Even when they had violated her before his horrified eyes, some hellish elixir keeping both of them limp and powerless on the frigid table like a helpless sacrifice to a dark entity, too weak to even voice protest... Even as none-too-gentle hands stole away both their dignity and his essence, to do what they would have done freely, gladly, had they been given the chance... Even then, she had remained strong, keeping him from getting himself killed in a suicidal attack, until they could form a plan.

What had become of the pup... He could never press her to tell. That pain, she had kept secret even from him. Yet, he felt that same ache to this day; the absence of something that he'd never had the chance to truly experience, but still registered as a profound loss in the very epicenter of his being.

He missed her more.

A canine howl split the air of the forest, closer than he anticipated. Six skidded to a halt, nearly tumbling into a tree as his claws dug into the mossy ground. Panting, his heart pounding in his chest, he stalked forward at a more measured pace, zeroing in on the source of the sound - a small depression in the land walled by a pair of massive boulders.

Human noises joined with the excited yipping of canines as he slid along with his back to one of the boulders, his protective plating rasping against the stone. Another noise made his ears perk; the distant burble of flowing water, perhaps a small stream on the far side of this outcrop. Cautiously, Six peered around the edge of the rock face, surveying the scene beyond and scenting the air.

The vulpix stood with her back to the boulders, futilely attempting to squeeze herself into a gap between the two that an eevee couldn't have fit into. Her pursuers ringed her, cutting off any other escape, the three humans brandishing their weapons and jabbering rapidly. The mightyena and its companion formed the ends of the half-circle, slinking forward with bared fangs, the fur of the blue pokémon sparking with electricity. The vulpix ceased her struggle, puffing out her chest and putting out a brave front, snarling at the advancing hunters. Flight was no longer an option for her.

Six did not pause to consider. In battle, swift action often took precedence over thought. Leaping forward, he tucked into a ball of whirling armour, aiming for the sparking form of the blue canine. The world transformed into a spinning ball of colour, only his instinctive sense of direction granting him a bearing. Dusty ground bounced away once, twice, rattling his teeth, before his maneuver steadied into a churning assault of rolling, armoured muscle.

A human cried out. One of the canines snarled. Six impacted onto a soft surface with bone-jarring force. A yelp of pain. Fur, sparks, and the scent of ozone in his nostrils. He uncurled and leaped back from the downed pokémon, burners already flaring. Before his prey could rise, a torrent of fire leapt from Six's maw, all of his carefully honed ability focused upon making the inferno as intense as a volcanic eruption. The canine gave a high-pitched cry, collapsing on weakened knees, its protective aura already drained from the assault.

Pathetic human server.

Something whizzed by his ear, grazing his shoulder. A line of pain seared his flesh. Six rolled, instinctively dodging any following projectiles. As he came up on all fours, he noted that the humans were facing him now, one of them missing his weapon. A quick glance showed that the mightyena was intent upon the vulpix still, menacing her and preventing her egress. The two played a game very similar to the one he did with the humans; shifting back and forth, eying the other party suspiciously as a meowth with a hoard of treasure, looking for an opening without allowing the other to have one of their own.

Decisions decisions.

Breaking eye contact with the nearest armed human, Six shot a quick burst of flame at the one trying to flank him, then darted towards the mightyena, weaving back and forth. His fiery barrage missed, unsurprisingly, but it served the purpose of backing the human off enough for Six to sprint past, ducking underneath a thrust from the man's pole-weapon.

It was difficult to tell which was more surprised. The mightyena, as he was brought to the ground by the full weight of a speeding sandlava? Or the vulpix, her desperate snarls of fear dying away as she caught sight of the new combatant. Six put the question aside, pouring his energy instead into shooting a torrent of flame at the back of the mightyena's head. The dark-furred canine howled, thrashing against the grip of paws on his shoulders. Six strained against the pokémon's frantic struggles, the heat of his attack waning away to a fizzle. Not enough. In that case-

A flash of motion, gleaming metal swishing through the air. The vulpix's hardened tails collided with the mightyena's face with an audible crunch. He went limp with a final, soft whimper. Six looked up with a surprised grunt.

"Nice shot."

"Thanks," she replied, backing away a step. "Um... Do I know you?"

"Later. We need to go." Pushing away from the fallen mightyena, Six spun towards the humans, ready to fight if needed. The one who had wounded him had retrieved his weapon, and all three were advancing cautiously, weapons extended as though they formed a wall between them and the hostile pokémon. Six took a step forward, breathing deep. Oh, how sweet it would be to repay that one for his injury...

"What are you waiting for?" hissed the vulpix. "We have an opening!" Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her break for freedom, angling away from the wary humans. One of them exclaimed in his foreign tongue, cocking back his arm to throw. Six's fireball took him in the chest, sending him stumbling back with a harsh, pained shout, dropping the weapon. Not the same one, but he'd take what he could get. He caught sight of the others turning towards their fallen comrade as he leaped away, heeling the vulpix.

Find your own prey to hunt.

A blend of fierce satisfaction and pride welled up inside of him as he dashed in the vulpix's footsteps, weaving between two trees and into the relative safety of the forest. It had almost been too easy. Had the two pokémon been wild, he would have almost felt bad for attacking such weak specimens.

Almost.

His ears pricked, attempting to discern any sound of pursuit, but he could detect nothing over the noise of their own flight, along with rush of water, which was rapidly growing closer. The distinct auburn of the vulpix's tails bobbed ahead of him, acting like a guide. He wondered idly if she thought he was her saviour now. It was true, in a sense, and she would not be on her guard against him, but...

But they had spoken to one-another now. They had exchanged words as equals, not as hunter and prey. Six felt his chest tighten. A brief interaction, yes, but that simple gesture had given a face to his quarry, and not one that he could ascribe any sort of blame to. Even with all he had been through, the veritable day-to-day hell of forging his own path in the world, there were rules to be observed. Could he discard them so carelessly? Would he sink so low as to slay an unsuspecting innocent?

He slowed slightly, almost losing sight of her as they rounded a thick stand of bushes. Prey did not have a face. Innocents did. They also had names. His belly grumbled. It would continue to growl if she had a name. He would not have a choice. Slaying a blameless victim with a face and a name was the action of a human. He would not let them take that from him as well.

Leaves rustled as he broke through their supporting screen of low-hanging branches. Rust-coloured fur filled his vision, startling a yelp of alarm from his lips as he plowed into her from behind. She yipped, flailing at him as they tumbled, a wide-eyed expression of fear on her face as his red eyes met her green. The ground fell away, open air embracing them. His empty stomach plummeted first, his head swirling with vertigo for a horrible instant as the sight below him sunk in. It was no stream he had heard. It was a river, and it was far, far down, at the bottom of a wickedly graded gorge.

Oh shit.

The drop was shorter than he expected, but it still felt like an eternity. Somersaulting together in the air, the vulpix somehow wound up above him, looking down with fear filled eyes. The ground hit first, slamming into his armoured back and forcing the air from his lungs in a pained wheeze. Then, she dropped onto his belly like a furry meteor, turning all effort to draw breath into hacking coughs.

His vision darkened into a whirl of brown, green and red, colours blurring as they rolled down the steep slope, bouncing off protruding rocks, dust and pebbles following in their wake. A sharp pain caught his hindpaw, another cracking against his skull. He faintly registered that she was screaming something, but he couldn't tell what it was through the haze.

The light dimmed. Branches whipped at his body, scraping against his face. The vulpix tried to brace herself, paws scrabbling for purchase on the ground as she straddled him. Agony slapped him with the force of a blow from heaven, a resounding thud registering in his ears. All motion stopped short. The last thing he saw as the world slipped away was the vulpix, yowling as she was catapulted from her place on top of him into the same obstacle he himself had struck.

Blackness swam up to carry him down... down... always down...

***

Voices murmuring outside his prison. The cloying, too-clean scent of unnatural surfaces. Human figures, faces bland and emotionless, observing him from behind their protective walls. Cold, so cold, and no soft place to rest his weary body inside this featureless box. Harsh light jabbed into his eyes, glinted off of every surface, robbed him of sleep. All he wanted, was sweet, dreamless sleep.

Yet, they would not let him.

No matter how he struggled, the results were the same, day after day. Bizarre enigmas placed before him, with stinging shocks from the collar around his neck if he proved too slow in solving them. Challenges of strength and endurance, pushing him to his limits, and then more pain to spur him on when he felt could go no more. If ever he made the mistake of thinking he was safe, one of those cold metal insects would sink its stinger into him, pumping its disgusting venom into his blood.

Though above all, he hated the eyes.

Every twist and turn in the mazes, unblinking eyes observed. Outside of his cell, men in white traded places in their own watching, taunting him with their nearness, though none of his attempts to attack would even scratch the wall between them. Here too, the all-seeing eyes watched, only the odd whirr and the constantly flashing red rim giving any indication of their twisted form of life. He could never escape their gaze, not even through the embrace of sleep. The eyes ensured that he did not have the smallest comfort: for even the restfulness of dreams was stolen away.

But, they could not steal his thoughts. They could not take away the one that drove him, the one that made him push on when he thought he could no longer stand the pain. They could not deprive him of her_._

There in his prison, with the walls between, she would call out to him, soothing him with her voice. In the rare moments they were allowed to spend together, she would hold him, comforting away the hurts, calming the rage inside him. She was the strong one, the one who grounded him in reality. Not even the eyes could diminish their love.

Even now, as he lay here, she was with him, embracing him, stroking his fur. He could feel her warmth, taste her kiss, smell her fragrance, hear her whispered words. Just beyond his closed eyes, she was there, lying on top of him and licking his face.

Wait... Licking his face?

***

Six came around to the sensation of a warm body on top of him, radiating a heat that could only come from one who possessed an inner fire. Wet, tickling licks trailed along his cheeks and forehead, rapidly chasing away the grasping claws of unconsciousness. He opened his eyes a crack, a groan escaping him involuntarily as the world hazed back into view. The licking stopped immediately.

"Oh, good, you're awake."

"Is that what they're calling it now?" Six squeezed his eyes tight, giving his head a shake in hopes of dispelling some of the muzziness from his thoughts. It served to rattle them around, somewhat, but he supposed that would do for the time being. Opening his eyes again, he stared up at the vulpix sitting proudly on top of him, trying to decide whether he should be grateful to her for dispelling the false hope, or to hate her for chasing away the fleeting image of his mate.

"Well, your neck isn't broken, and I haven't had any chats with Arceus or Darkrai lately, so I'm pretty sure neither of us are dead. You tell me."

Wonderful. She had a sense of humor. Just what he needed at the moment. He decided to take the middle ground, and merely not feel anything. It had served him well enough so far. He glanced up over his head, taking in the swath of broken greenery marking their little roll down into this valley.

"I do enjoy ending my day by falling off a cliff. A little warning would've been nice, you know."

"Hey, you crashed into me." Her tone was indignant, but incongruous with the way her tails were slowly wagging. "Besides, I can't complain too much. I had the softer landing." Her distinctly feminine giggle was so much like the ones of his memories, he had to stare, words shocked away. Did all females laugh like that? Or was it only the ones with faces and names?

Back to that again. If she has a name-

A playful swat across his nose broke him from his thoughts, a snarl dying in his throat as he realized it wasn't intended to injure. "Not nice to stare, and come on, don't look like you just sat on a cacnea! We're alive, silly, and we got away!" She giggled again, sounding a touch giddy, and as he met her eyes, her expression shifted, an almost tender look invading her hazel orbs.

"Thanks, by the way," she said softly, giving him another lick on the muzzle, this time slower, more measured. "I don't know where you came from, or why you helped me, but I know that if you hadn't been there, I would have been a goner. My name's Lyla, if you were wondering."

A name...

"Don't mention it. I was just passing through, and saw them chasing you down." Something inside him was stirring, that he tried half-heartedly to quench. His belly growled, but he ignored that with better success. She had a name as well as a face now. She was a person, not a meal. He could live on an empty stomach for days still.

"Well, I appreciate it, all the same. Most wouldn't stop to help when there are humans involved."

"Uh-huh. What were you doing so far out of your territory anyway?" He wriggled slightly, feeling overly warm, and a little numb on his backside besides. "And do you suppose you could get off of me?"

Her expression soured, ears going flat against her skull. "I was exploring, looking for a new place to live. The area around my old den has become... undesirable." She still hadn't budged, and instead, had begun kneading at his chest like a skitty finding a warm place to sleep. "So, what's your name, oh mysterious saviour of mine?"

He considered a moment, then decided there was no harm in giving her an honest answer. "I am called Six." He held up a paw as she opened her mouth. "Don't ask. I don't have another name. Take it or leave it. Now, about the whole, 'moving off of me' part..."

She giggled again, adopting a look of complete innocence. "Sorry, 'fraid not. You're too comfy!" She leaned her head down with a soft sigh, resting her chin on his shoulder and snuggling even closer. "I could fall asleep like this if I wanted, and would you really be so mean as to move lil' old me?" Her heated breath tickled at his ears in a way that made his heart beat faster, old, nearly forgotten instincts awakening like a slumbering beast within. Hesitant, he laid a paw on her shoulder, extremely conscious of the configuration her position placed the two of them in.

"I guess not, though this isn't really the best place to stay for the rest of the night." He could move her by force, if he really wanted. He could also walk back up that cliff and jump again, if he really wanted. "From the sounds of it, we're both leaving someplace without anywhere to leave to. You don't even have a mate waiting for you?"

"Nope. Not as such." A soft, moist touch below his ear, dragging languidly down to his neck. She inhaled, the breeze ruffling the dark, wet fur, sending an almost imperceptible shiver down his spine. "And since we seem to be playing the, 'ask blunt questions' game, what are you, exactly?" Her voice lowered to an almost purr, her tails sweeping delicately across the inside of his hind legs. "I've never seen someone so... unique."

His paw tightened on her shoulder, the beast inside him stretching long-dormant muscles, its tail twitching lazily as it began to ready itself. "You wouldn't. I'm the only one of my kind."

She gave a snort, the gentle licking turning into a playful nip. "Sure you are. All males say something like that. What are you really?" He drew in a sharp breath, his stomach tightening, a throbbing pressure beginning to build where his lower half pressed against the soft, inviting warmth of her rump. The small circle of greater heat that lay there was calling out to the beast, inviting it to awaken and roar its challenge to the world. He kept still, unprepared to give the beast its way so easily.

"I'm not joking. I'm a hybrid, created under very... unusual conditions. I'm part sandslash, part quilava. There were others, but as far as I know, I'm the only one combining those two species." His hips ached to twitch, needing only the smallest movement to gain relief from the building itch between his legs. She couldn't be oblivious to it. Not with her nether lips positioned so 'conveniently' over his bulging sheath, teasing him with the promise of velvet slickness and clenching heat.

Comfy... riiight.

"So, you're saying you're hard and hot, then?" She lifted her chin from his shoulder, meeting his gaze with an impish look. "Lucky me, right? I get saved by a one-of-a-kind gentle-mon, and he's a handsome devil to boot." Snickering, she pressed her nose to his, her breath picking up noticeably. "Heroes deserve their reward before they run off to save more females in distress, don't you think?" Her voice was growing huskier, and a new scent was wafting on the air, rife with the spicy fragrance of the vulpix, but much more sensual and potent. Her hips rolled, grinding the slick lips of her sex pointedly against his plump sheath, drawing a low growl from his lips.

"I didn't ask for this..." His other paw found her scruff, massaging as he reflexively twitched his own hips, thrilling at the feel of luxurious fur tickling at the exposed tip of his member as she slid down, wetting his sheath with her nectar. His nerves felt stretched, as though the whole world lay on a precipice, waiting for what would happen next. The beast paced, claws flexing, a growl shaking its cage.

"Shush. I'm giving it to you. We'll be safe enough here, under this tree. It certainly proved sturdy enough when we rolled into it." Her eyes sparkled with mischief, a soft gasp passing her lips as she teased him onward, her vulva parting invitingly and sliding easily across his sensitive, emerging flesh. His balls tightened, arousal spiking through his system in a rush as he slowly lowered his barriers, giving in to the primal need that had gripped both of them.

The beast was loose.

Giving a rumbling growl, he shifted his grip and tightened his hold around her middle, pulling her to him with a fierceness that surprised a squeak from the vixen. His body knew exactly what it wanted, better than he himself did, and everything else could wait. A wiggle of his hips, and the tip of his bobbing shaft slipped into place, finding the moist, furred slit as enthusiastically as if it were a warm den on a cold winter's day. He didn't wait for consent. She'd already given it without leaving the slightest room for doubt. They let out simultaneous grunts of pleasure as he took what was offered, plunging deep inside that welcoming passage in a single firm stroke.

"E-easy there, we've got all night, hot-stuff."

"Maybe, but I like to take advantage of my opportunities when they present themselves," he grunted in response. Pulling out halfway, he braced her against his chest, bucking forcefully, unable to stop his own eagerness. Her walls parted like waves of glorious silk before his thrust, their rippled contours massaging his shaft gently as he drove in to the hilt. Her eyes squeezed closed, her head tilting back to expose her neck as he filled her, gave her all that he had to give. His needy length throbbed, nerves feeling like they were on fire with pleasure, a shot of pre escaping into the hidden depths of her womanhood.

"W-wow... I can tell it's not your first time," she said, straining against his grip and reciprocating with a thrust of her own. He growled in response, nuzzling at her neck, inhaling the exotic perfume of her scent. The beast was in control, and it wanted her; as much as it had ever wanted anything in the past. He began to rock his hips; short, powerful shoves that slammed the stretched outer lips of her sex flush against his body, eliciting tiny exclamations of delight from his partner with each wet-sounding slap of flesh on flesh. Her forepaws grasped at his shoulders for leverage, the aroused female timing her own rise and fall with his rhythm, riding him with a surprising alacrity. Lyla had a beast of her own making, it seemed. Who was he to argue with such persuasion?

It's been so long...

Her tails brushed against his rear in tiny circles, matching the increasingly wild pace of their panting breath. Tingling delight coursed through him, spiking with each impact of their intimate regions, sparking his drive to claim her in truth. Snarling wordlessly, he rolled in a smooth motion, pressing deep so as not to slip away from her clenching heat as he came up on top of her, looking down into her half-lidded eyes.

"Don't hold back, my big, strong hero," she murmured, paws kneading at his shoulders. "I'm no delicate little virgin either. Take me." He felt a pressure on his rump, and glanced down to see her tails doing their best to push him in deeper. The sight brought a fierce satisfaction that he couldn't explain, and without further hesitation, he leaned over and let her experience the full fury of the beast.

His burners ignited, the flames illuminating their rutting bodies in stark definition as the sun dimmed, leaving dwindling red-gold shafts leaking through the canopy above. His shaft throbbed, aching for release as he ploughed the shuddering vixen, her breathy moans feeding his feral desires and spurring him faster, harder. He could feel her nectar leaking into the fur of his crotch, running down his sac and dripping free onto the grass. The scent of her arousal intoxicated him, his mind in a fevered state of pleasure and instinct. He needed release, or he would explode. He needed to claim her, or he would lose himself. He needed... needed...

"Oh Arceus... harder, please!" Lyla's lustful cry pierced him, and with a bestial growl, he gripped her exposed neck in his maw, feeling the pulse of blood coursing beneath his fangs. She squealed, wriggling in the throes of her ecstasy, matching his wild pace in a strange harmony - both of passionate expression and mutual pleasure. His pulse thundered in his ears, his balls drawing tight as she clamped down on his pistoning member, every inch of her velvet passage massaging his tingling flesh. His shaft twitched, straining as he tried to drive it somehow deeper, to kiss the innermost depths of her and claim them as his.

Then, with a muffled roar around his grip on her neck, the final barrier gave way, the pent-up pressure bursting out from him in a torrent of thick seed. Lyla gasped, her hips bucking wildly, the contoured inner walls of her sex spasming around him, milking him for each mighty spurt as she fell into the grips of own climax. Six felt the tension draining from him with every creamy pulse, his body slowly relaxing on top of his partner, his hold on her throat loosening. He'd allowed the beast to sate itself, and now, it could rest. He let out a sigh, closing his eyes for a moment and letting the comforting embrace of afterglow spread through him like morning sun.

Damn... better than a meal any day.

A soft giggle broke him from his stupor, along with the sensation of a tongue enthusiastically grooming his forehead.

"You know, if you're letting yourself get that pent up, I should really introduce you to some friends of mine," she said, her tails thumping slowly against his rear.

He pushed himself up, grunting, meeting her sparkling eyes. She was a pretty little thing, in her own way. No one could truly compare to his mate, but Lyla had an adorable air of charm to her that promised unique joys to be discovered.

"Sorry... I got a little carried away," he mumbled, looking down at the tiny bruises he'd left on her neck.

"Hey, you don't see me complaining, do you?" She wiggled a bit, settling herself more comfortably beneath him. "I don't think I've been filled so thoroughly since... Well, that would be rude of me to tell." She flashed him a wicked smile, her tails beating a tattoo against the ground.

"Probably for the best. Talking about past loves ruins the moment."

His softening shaft twitched, releasing another dribble of seed into her gently rippling folds. He looked down at the marks on her throat again, hiding a small wince. Had he really been so fierce? Yet, the ache in his shoulders told of claw-marks that meant she had given as good as she'd received, in the heat of the moment. A small smile tugged at his muzzle. He didn't regret a thing.

Lyla's maw stretched open in an expansive yawn, followed by a contented sigh. She leaned up, nuzzling at his chest, her inner muscles awarding his receding member another loving squeeze. "Hope you'll be up for round two later, hot-stuff, but for now, can we just rest here awhile? I'm not in the mood for moving."

Warmth stirred in Six's chest, a sudden vision of a similar scene from his past flashing behind his eyes.

"Don't you dare expect to get away without a second round, handsome. I just don't feel like getting up and hunting you down."

"Sure." He nodded, blinking the specter away. Memories like that -purely happy ones, not those mixed with grief and loss- were a rare treasure indeed.

Together, they settled into the soft grass at the base of the tree, cuddling each-other close as the day gave itself over to the night, the world preparing itself to rest and be born anew. Six stroked her back, enjoying the soft purrs she gave, even as his spent shaft at last slipped free, releasing a small flood of mixed fluids into their fur. Neither voiced a complaint, instead snuggling tighter, appreciating the sounds of the nocturnal forest together and holding their thoughts to themselves, allowing sleep to gradually steal closer. Six soon found himself drifting off, content to hold Lyla in his embrace and let her steady breathing soothe him. For this moment, the world was not a place of harsh realities and suffering. For this one night, at least, he could let all of his troubles go.

He could sleep in peace.