FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

"Clair..." she tested the word on her tongue. "Some of the Pokémon that I mentioned earlier mentioned her name...partially because after losing to her is -why- they were released."

"Then... that might explain why you had such a difficult time with them. Striker... he's exceptionally strong. In fact, he told me that he's stronger than he was when he was younger. I don't know if that's due to my training methods, or because of all the Pokémon battles he's been in. That League we mentioned... in order to qualify for it, we have to basically... battle a certain set of people. By the end of it all, a Pokémon in it's first stage, would be fully evolved essentially." He waited before continuing to see if Serena was interested in learning more, as well as wanting to judge her reaction.

"Hey guys, and... gal, I'm back! Got those vines we need! The rest will be arriving shortly too as well!" Tensa called out.

Serena snickered at the addition. "Don't let my gender make more work for you Tensa." She wrinkled her nose at Kyn's explanation. "Seems a bit biased if you ask me. There ARE those that refuse to evolve--like this team of a Chikorita and a Jigglypuff, they never want to evolve." She motioned for him to stay where he was as she slid down the slight incline.

"Stay there, 'kay? we'll need someone to toss the vines up to, just need to braid them real quick, then we can continue talking if you wish." She walked over to Tensa and took some of the vines from him, knotting the tops together in sets of three before hooking them over a fork in a branch, and deftly braided them together to help make them stronger. All the while she thought of what he had said. If he was right, then she would only have to wait a day between evolutions...at least if they managed to get three evo scrolls within enough time.

Kyn waited for Serena to return, and was glad that she at least seemed to have an interest in what he had to say. "Right, of course."

Tensa greeted Serena as she descended. "Well Serena, I'm interested in where Pendragon was, and I'm sure that they'll be able to tell us when they get back. Oh, as for the matter of the Berry Garden... since Striker is coming with us, but Pendragon is staying, how would you normally deal with the issue of intruders?"

Inferno, Pendragon, and Heji made their way back to the group, and then Inferno spoke. "Of all places! Pendragon was in a tree, resting."

Pendragon cleared his throat. "This forest reminds me of my home back in Pinwheel Forest. I guess I felt so at home that I relaxed after reminiscing and fell asleep."

"The creeping forest reminds you of a pinwheel forest." the imagery in her head was hilarious, but she kept it to a slight smile. "So the Scolipede is staying here? Alright then...as for intruders...well since the berry garden is already destroyed they wouldn't go that way, there's no other area for them to get in aside from the main entrance, which means you'll either have them funneling towards you, or be backed into a corner...'mon don't exactly come out to visit, but...check to see if they're sentient...other wise either kill or subdue them. The latter would actually be better considering the amount of Pokémon that are left in the forest at the moment, it might be a good idea to breed them and set some of them out later on." she coiled the newly made braid as she knotted the other end, working to make the other two just as quick as the first.

Pendragon snorted. "Pinwheel Forest is the name the humans gave it. It has nothing to do with a pinwheel at all, really."

"I see. Well, I'll be heading back up then." Tensa said.

"Hm, this might turn into a decent exercise for me. Pendragon's ability that is." Inferno commented.

"I would never have considered the possibility that we'd encounter a place where there is the potential for such strong Pokémon. It's a bit exciting really, if you understand what we went through back home Serena, it's not often our combat abilities are tested." Heji said.

"Gotten a bit boring for you? Well if there's only two of you, I don't think that that classifies as a 'swarm' but all of us in the cave definitely did." she didn't share the sentiments of it being 'exciting'. When the other two were done she threw one of the coils up to Kyn. She was fine with Pokémon believing her to be weak, that was fine really, but she doubted that it would stay that way for long with the conversation that they were having previously. She handed one to Tensa as he passed on the way up, then clicked her tongue. " One more to toss up there, but we'll work on getting the other two back over to this side first." she commented to no one in particular. "Two 'mon to each vine, if you don't mind, and let us know when they're tied around a bird for us to pull." the former was directed at the Pokémon that were standing on the ground, and the latter at the two up on the top of the incline.

Inferno took hold of a vine, and had Heji as his partner.

"Alright, yeah, I've got some more to say after we're finished here." Kyn said, before bringing a vine down in the area and tying it to the Pidgeot. "Got the Pidgeot tied!" he called back up.

"Okay you two, pull." She said as she started climbing up the incline, then hung off the edge just beside where the bird was going to come up. "Hold tight, gotta get it over the ledge." She had no doubt that they would be able to hold the combined weight of her and the Pidgeot as she lept at it, making the vine swing backwards then up in the typical circle pattern, before jumping off as the bird would hit the top and begin to roll down hill. "Tensa, about ready with the second?" She left the first bird to the first two, surely they would be able to handle untying it and getting it ready to be cooked/eaten on their own.

Inferno was able to grip with both hands, but Heji had to use his powerful jaws to grip the vines, and at the same time, not put enough force into into it to weaken it, even though it was braided.

"Serena, I don't think you'll need vines to bring the rest of them up. Do you think you'd be able to support Tensa so that he can help me with this?" He did intend to throw them up, and it was actually quite a feat. It would also look quite humorous in some ways. The equivalent would be a human lobbing a twenty pound turkey into the air, but of course these birds were much heavier.

Inferno and the rest down below, wondered why nothing else was happening up top, and asked about it. "Hey, what's taking so long? It shouldn't be THAT difficult to simply tie a bird or two." Pendragon called out.

Serena looked a bit skeptical at the statement. Well, if he wanted to show her off, let him. "That..shouldn't be a problem." she slid back down the incline and joining the others on the ground at the base of the vine. She knew better than anyone her limits, but removed Marlow from her scarf, setting him down on the loamy soil before walking over to the others to explain.

"They're going to try something different, you shall not be required to assist with this half...Perhaps you can busy yourselves with ensuring that the birds are ready to eat soon? I'd like to be off after breakfast, and before Father reaches his highest peak in the sky." Her voice was a little mechanical, perhaps because she knew the wound was going to complain at being stretched, not that it mattered to her really, she was used to pains, but still she forced all of the muscles in her shoulders and back to relax.

"Alright. Basically, what I plan on doing Serena, is tossing the birds up there, and having Tensa catch them before they fall back down."

"Yeah yeah, be there in a second." She looked at the others with a bit of impatience. "The Pidgeot was Heji's kill after all, it's his choice on how it's prepared, I do know that ONE of them will be left raw, regardless of which one, it doesn't matter to me." She climbed back up the slope and chose his tail, since it was a better counterbalance area, her claws digging into the surface of the tail as if they might draw blood if held any firmer. She listened to Kyn, catching herself wondering what the leaves on Tensa's tail would taste like; before nodding, only to realize that with her positioned partially behind Tensa that he wouldn't be able to see her. "Shouldn't be too hard."

"One... two... three!" Kyn put his hands underneath the thigh and breast of the Swellow, bent his knees, and then threw it up into the air, not knowing exactly how hard he had throw it, but even if he did throw it too far, Tensa would be able to probably catch it on the return trip.

Tensa saw Kyn getting ready, and then readied himself. He was now leaning completely over the drop at a one hundred eighty degree angle, with his arms outstretched. "Bloody good thing I have good hand-to-eye coordination or else this wouldn't work." Tensa mumbled to Serena. As the bird soared upwards he timed it just right so that it would land in a sort of cradle made from his arms.

Serena had been expecting less of an angle, but adjusted with little more than a hiss from her uncooperative arm. Her claws dug into the rock face, and pulled once the bird was in his arms. 'Ah, damn it all to the distortion void, that hurt.' She rolled her shoulder as if to ease the burn in the muscle, but other than that didn't say anything, at least not until the bird was sent rolling down to join the other one. "Ready when you are." She said, ready to grab his tail again. "...also, a question for you, Tensa, since your nose is the one that matters...about how many days does the scent linger on Kyn after..." She didn't finish the sentence, she didn't think she needed to.

As the bird traveled upwards he saw that he had I need thrown it too hard and that it would pass by Tensa if it veered to another direction somehow. Tensa watched it carefully, not knowing how hard Kyn had thrown it either. When it appeared to be approaching him at a higher than expected rate of speed. He adjusted himself accordingly, and then answered Serena. "Depending on what we do, either hours, or days."

Serena did her job well enough, twitching as she noticed it was the one that had been cut open by Striker, and of course, the smell of blood whetting her appetite. She pulled him back up onto his feet with a shrug. "Days would be better for the trip." She muttered, half under her breath. "I'll...take that one down." she motioned to the Swellow. "It'll probably be the one we end up leaving raw...since it's been cut open, it'll dry out otherwise." She paused, how could she phrase this so that it wasn't disturbing, even in her own mind. "Don't let your scent fade from him." Was the answer she came up with. It was an order, but it wasn't an order, and it gave them time to interpret as they saw fit. It wasn't exactly like she could say 'you two, have sex, now.' and maintain her way of thinking. She waited until the bird was put in her arms, a feat for sure, since she was only a little bit taller than it, then proceeded to slide down, not caring that the bird's blood was covering the front of her scales.

After catching the bird, he grinned at Serena, even though she couldn't see it. "Well now Serena... as you know, there are several ways for my scent to find itself upon him." He then let the bird drop into Serena's arms so that it would be able to be carried by her, if she felt like it. He wouldn't directly just ask her if he would be the one to carry it the rest of the way, and would let her tell him if she wanted him to just take it.

"Actually, I don't, and I'd like to keep it that way thanks." She was mature, but she didn't even want to think about two males getting it on, it was as bad as Malt claiming to be a boy when her scent read female. The whole thing made her head hurt, and she was glad to be away from the subject--it was necessary but one of the more uncomfortable things she had to deal with. Covered in blood she started to lick her arm as she went back over to the others, who were hopefully at least preparing the Pidgeot. "How's it coming guys?"

Tensa chuckled at Serena's reaction, getting in at least a few words before he figured she'd either tend to the birds. "Oh Serena..."

"Well, all we did was pluck it. The rest I figured we'd wait for further instruction." Inferno said, not sure if they were even supposed to do anything beyond plucking it.

"He didn't tell you if he wanted you to cook it?" She looked at Heji curiously. "Well, I guess they can cook it as they cut it, so long as you don't mind being used as a quick cooker Inferno." she paused, aware that she had just held up a fully grown Pokémon, and that they knew it. It made her uneasy, and yet it was her normal to be able to do things like that. "Tensa and Kyn should be down soon...unless they get sidetracked." There was that odd topic again, how did things keep circling back to it?!

"Serena... that Swellow..." Inferno wasn't sure how to respond, and realise that he had stopped mid sentence. "Well, who knows what'll happen up there, and no, I definitely don't mind. I often volunteered my flame to be of assistance to Kyn."

"Yes, I know, the Swellow was cut in half by Striker earlier today and apparently still had some blood to drain out onto my scales, I look like a Swellow myself now...well aside from the golden headplates and the beak." she cleaned the other arm of blood before touching her scarf and drawing back in surprise, more blood that had seeped into the fabric. "I'll worry about a bath after we finish eating, I'm going to need one afterward anyway...and I really prefer not to think about it if you don't mind, I don't judge others for their choices but choosing a mate without the purpose of creating an egg seems pointless to me." It didn't help that she was a bit of a hypocrite herself; but she rather ignored anything of the sort as if they didn't exist. "I do hope that you wont mind that I don't eat with you, I'm rather...possessive of my food."

"Go ahead and be as possessive as you want Serena. It's probably hard enough to fight your instincts as it is." Heji said to her, thinking about what one might call HIS Pidgeot

"Hm, yes, as he said." Inferno agreed.

She gave them an unnerving smile, then walked back over to the Swellow, not exactly 'sitting' by it, as she was on all fours much like her final evolution would have been, her muzzle buried inside the carcass. She admitted to herself that it wasn't very ladylike, and that Shroomsworth would have been thoroughly appalled at the manner in which she ate, and even pulled out the heart first, curling up to eat it. She had set it around where she had set down Marlow's skull, and was now glad that she had, as he would have been covered in blood had she not.

The others for some reason felt like giving Serena privacy while eating. It wasn't as if they were disgusted by it or anything, just that it would have been just plain rude to stare. even Heji joined them in letting Serena eat her meal undisturbed and un-ogled at.

"Well Kyn, as it turns out, Serena says that you need to have my scent for a few days again." Tensa said in a suggestive tone.

"Tensa, surely you can't be thinking of wanting to mate HERE, can you?" Kyn figured that Serena might say something like this, but he had no idea that it would come up so soon.

Serena, in her defense, hadn't said right now, but since she couldn't on her good conscious let her instincts take over to allow her to eat, essentially trapping her intellect in a dark corner of her mind. it wasn't too long until she was pulling the liver from the torso, her claws had made quick work of the ribcage until it was clean of all meat. After having not eaten the normal amount for a few days this bird was likely going to be picked clean.

"Well, I mean... I do kinda want to mate Kyn..." Tensa almost sounded like he was begging, but at the same time not.

"Tensa, there is another way for you to get your scent on me, besides that." Kyn said, and then noticed that Tensa apparently was still thinking about it. "Jeez, relax, just because I'm going to get naked, doesn't mean anything, alright?"

It seemed like only a few minutes when Serena finally came back to her senses, sitting up and wiping her mouth as she looked at what was left of the bird, then at her arm. Feathers, it figured that she would have feathers on her mouth. Ptooie...and in her mouth apparently. Gah, this was annoying. She scratched off the feathers until her face felt clean, then rubbed her palms across her tongue to get all the feathers out of her mouth as well. Navy blue...about as dark as her treated wounds...when she wasn't covered in blood anyway. Her jaw felt a little sore, as it always did when she was done eating, it made her wonder exactly what went on when she went into a trance, but didn't dare ask.

Heji was the first go over and approach Serena. "Done?" He said simply, before looking down at what remained of the bird.

"Alright, now I want you to wear my clothes. Both normally, and inside out. That will be one way of getting you scent there." Kyn said simply, undressing.

Tensa sighed, and agree that it would get his scent on his clothes that way. "Alright..." he said, and then he wore Kyn's clothes.

Had she been anymore humanized she might have blushed at being caught this way, but being as it was, she simply nodded. "You...?" She paused, and chose her words carefully. "...Did they ever come down to eat?" her triangle ears flicked and her eyes moved to the incline that lead to the berry patch, then back to him, making no mistake as to who she was talking about. She remained sitting on the ground, leaning back rather than looking up at him. She figured she SHOULD have felt some sort of fear from being loomed over like this, but a quick check of her instincts said that she wasn't even remotely afraid. Did she trust him? Did she Like him? both were questions that she asked, and of course received the answers to, but regardless of what the answers were, she forced herself to lower her head, closing off access to her neck and the very, very submissive pose she had put herself in without thinking about it.

"They're not back down yet." He answered simply. Heji was no fool, he was paying attention carefully to her scent, although it was somewhat masked by the blood, it was still detectable as being different than normal.

Serena was perhaps, very fortunate. Since her body was still a child it was difficult, near impossible for many hormones to even begin coursing through her bloodstream. It was impossible for an egg to come to be at this age, and it was only her mind that told her body to try to form a relationship, someone she could have a bond with, even if it was only hunting, and she sighed inwardly, actively pulling off the blood soaked scarf. She'd said she was going to take a bath after eating, and she probably should. Even standing she was shorter than him, and still she felt the awkward silence.

"When they do, we'll make the rest of the preparations while they eat." She wiped the blood from her neck with her free hand. "Apparently, I'm in dire need of a bath." her nose wrinkled, the way her mind was focusing REALLY would not do, it wasn't focusing on the logic or anything she had just said prior to eating--had she not taken over completely from the hunters trance? It was the only explanation that she could come up with, but it didn't seem likely. Her tail flicked down, and again she cursed herself for being submissive, but he did deserve that respect, he had proven that HE was the alpha hunter here, at least as of yet.

"Hm, let' see..." Heji without warning, went over to Serena and licked some of the blood from where she currently just wiped herself. He didn't exactly think she would think anything off it, based on what she had said earlier. "I don't think I've tasted that specific creature before."

She flinched, not because of the contact so much as where the contact was, well, at least it confirmed that she trusted him, but not completely. "You've never had Swellow?" Her eye ridge raised suspiciously, did he think that she had meant cat bath? She wasn't sure, having known him less than a day, and while her mind went wild, she silenced it, the question had been asked, there was very little, if nothing she could do, but wait for an answer.

"Swellow are native to... uh... what's that place, Hoenn, Kyn's home region, and I am from the Sinnoh Region. The bird are definitely separated by region, with the exception of when a Trainer obviously migrates them to the area." Heji explained.

"There's no area distinction here, there are...well, all of us here, I suppose that your food chains are better defined..." now she felt bad, if she had taken the more exotic food from him...her mind shorted out for a moment. No, she had given him the better bird, the more experienced, his rightful kill...ugh, so confusing. "Sorry..." she didn't want to apologize, but the word was out of her mouth before she had time to censor it, and then she had no choice but to finish the sentence. "If...you liked the taste then I can only offer you a bit more...it would save me a trip to the pond a little ways from here anyway." Since the carcass was picked dry, there wasn't very many options, even less because she was still protective of the stupid bones.

"It is alright. Besides, if my theory is correct, hunting here, and with you of course, will be more of a delight than simply trying one little bird." Heji said, without really considering what it would sound like. At this point he was speaking to Serena, from hunter to hunter.

A rather unintelligible sound got caught in her throat at the words. "If you're sure...I'm, gonna go take that bath now." She might not have been wanting something the way that came out, but damn her mind. She hated it some times, maybe it was just the reminder of the fact that Kyn had found a mate that was wigging out her senses. She just walked away, it wasn't a run, nor a jog, and she didn't do anything that would have prevented him from following her; but the very fact that she had left Marlow's skull there would have been enough of an indication that she wasn't thinking straight.

Heji said down where Marlow's skull was an guarded it. He had no idea why Serena had left him there, when normally they were inseparable. He didn't HAVE to guard him, he just felt like, it would be better than leaving him out in the open, due to the fact that there were some predators that just scavenged for bones to add to various collections.

At the pond, Serena dunked her head under the water and just sat there, completely immersed, and determined not to come back up until her mind was working straight. She respected Heji, Heji was a good hunter. Check and check. Dragons were solitary creatures, Lions were pack hunters. Check and check. A snort blew air bubbles from her nose. Now for the difficult ones...Luxray and the Salamence tree weren't compatible for an egg...check. She was still a child and wouldn't appeal to him anyway...she left that one blank as she surfaced for air, then went back down. She found it annoying, but finally went to see her impulses, how were they faring? Eat what you kill, don't kill for sport, those who make the final blow get the...food...could that be the problem? No, she had landed the final blow on two of them, he on one of them...but he HAD shown himself as the better hunter, though complimented her. She thought...had she ever been complimented before? No, she hadn't. She surfaced again--this time clear of all blood, and took to washing her scarf.

She was a hypocrite, she knew that now, and her tail thumped, that wouldn't do. Of course, she didn't know the word Hypocrite, didn't even know what she was defining...but somehow things didn't add up as they should, she would remedy it one way or another. Wet scarf around her neck, wet, but clean, she started back with a sigh, heavy shoulders, but perhaps a lighter heart? Is that what this was? she didn't know for sure, yet another thing she had never experienced.

Heji knew that Serena would return, so he still laid there, lion-like and waiting. When next she returned she would have been fully clean and clear of blood. Though, something about Serena seemed just a bit off, but he couldn't quite place it.

She was still dripping when she returned, make no wonder, but she hadn't thought about shaking until she was just outside of the radius in which it would reach him, which WAS where she dropped to all fours and shook from her head to the tip of her tail, before continuing on, a bit solemnly. She grabbed Marlow's skull first, before sitting down before him again. The water had made her wounds itch, but her mind wasn't even focused on that. She wished, perhaps for the first time in her life, that she had known her mother or father before she was left to the rules of the wild. "Did you know your parents?" It was the first question that came to mind. Her tail curled off to her left, she knew he had heard the conversation from the night before, not that it made any major impact on what she was doing now.

"Nope. I was abandoned as an egg for some reason in the city. I knew those streets like well... you know the back of your own claws," Heji said, figuring that he had used a good analogy.

"Me either." she sighed. "I'm still...figuring things out. I said one thing earlier today and almost immediately my primal mind goes against what my civil mind says." Was this a good way of putting it? she didn't know for sure. "It won't rest until it's been either shown me that it's right, or proven that it's wrong...and it's causing the brain to short out." she felt like she was going on a rant.

"Ironically enough, it only seems to happen around you." It was strange, and Marlow didn't usually sleep this well, or this long, she took it as a good sign, and kept her voice at a whisper. Her tongue flicked out, characteristically reptile like. "I keep trying to put a reason behind why it's only around you, and..." she trailed off, now she KNEW she was ranting.

So they had somewhat similar backgrounds when it came to their early lives. Though Heji was sure that Serena had it definitely harder than he did. "I believe your feelings are in a blender, is the human term I think."

She had no idea what a blender even was, and it showed on her face. "Is there a Pokémon equivalent?" As if she did this all the time, she picked up Marlow's Skull and looked under the bandana to make sure he was really still asleep and not faking it. "Or a way to get them out of the blender? It's definitely making my head hurt."

"Well, I'm not quite sure. I could just tell you what a blender is. That might help. You could say that it is a sort of... as strange as it may sound, food pre-chewer. It has 'teeth' that spin so fast that they can't even be seen. It can turn almost any solid food into liquid. Not always exactly appetizing of course. As for getting them out of it... it doesn't always work but, the way some people and 'mon do it is just trying to attack the issue head-on." Heji made an unintentional pun about her head without realizing it.

She blinked at his description of a blender, you could see the gears working if you watched...pre-chewer...but they had teeth, why would they need something that chewed the food for them? Then she tried to focus on the second part of what he said, and she went still and quiet. "...are you sure that YOU would be willing to assist in that? Since it only happens when I'm around you it would be a case of...well..." subconsciously she looked at her tail, it was a constant reminder that she was a defect, sometimes she just wanted to let some Pokémon cut it off.

"It mostly DEPENDS on YOU, Serena. I don't completely know what the 'problem' is." Heji was being honest, and he didn't notice her looking at her tail. Even though she didn't finish he might as well have guessed what she was thinking, but didn't make any direct mention of it.

Carefully she approached the subject...he was right, he didn't know the full story, and it wasn't fair. "The original thought was about how mating was pointless if not to seek an egg, that a relationship with someone you were...incompatible with, wasn't worthwhile." she twitched almost as if she had been hit. "My logical brain says that that is right, however my primal brain says that it's wrong...that there's more to it than that...and..." she growled, "Even talking to you gets harder, at least..." she put her claws to her head, leaning forward. "This is probably why I should have never joined the guilds. I don't think I would have this problem if I was fully evolved."

"Well, I can say this, Kyn taught us all aspects and views on mating, your initial thought included. Now, as a sign of trust, and honesty, I am going to tell you something, but I hope it won't cause your your logic center to overload. In Kyn's group, I have in fact, engaged in the physical aspect of mating, with one or two of them."

She snorted, it wasn't a bad sort of snort, but it did resort to a slight chuckle. "Ah, sorry, sorry, it's not what you said it's just..." she trailed off, then picked it back up. "I suppose that if I'm...experimenting...with the same thing that I can't judge anything on face value anymore, time to pop open the Shellder to see if it smells good enough to eat...and then you've got to worry about getting your tongue caught when it tries to close."

"There ya go, that'sa gal!" Heji said in an accent, probably completely throwing Serena off guard.

"..." thrown, yes, that was one word for it. Instead of talking she just leaned forward and licked his nose. "My head doesn't hurt as bad anymore." was it really that simple? all that headache for something that...wasn't really solved.

"Now, let's go back to the group and get ready to go. Unless you'd like to stay with me for a while, and talk some more about... things..." Heji said, not exactly knowing which word to put there.

"...Moving sounds good, moving is something that my body -knows- how to do." She stood and put Marlow back under her scarf, then directed her eyes at the last place she'd seen Kyn and Tensa. "I think...I'm going to go grab the stuff from my tunnel and leave one of the 'mon who are used to being so...open...get Kyn and Tensa...and Striker, come to think of it. Inferno might be the best choice?" it was a question, but she didn't exactly stick around to hear the answer. Father sun had risen higher into the sky by now, and marked perhaps two hours before he reached his highest peak, they had wasted almost half a day with formalities and complications. She dropped to all fours and scampered, as there was no other word for it, into the cave to grab the Rawst salve that she would no doubt need, and some of her supplies for the trip. Berries and nuts slipped into the bigger bag that once held all of the gold that she had allotted to be spent, and the smaller bag went within it with the actual money. She had no sorting system, but she wrapped the salve in a fine net, tying the knot tight before putting that in the bag as well. The last thing that she had to get she had to dig for in her nesting, the map that they would be using to get there.

"Alright, now that that's done... I believe you know what to do next. I am going to lay down on my front... and you are going to rub yourself all over me. Try not to get TOO aroused doing it. I doubt that having the scent of an aroused Sceptile on me will be very beneficial. After this first part is done, then I'll lay in my back." Tensa did indeed have a hard time not getting aroused by the thought of it all. But, he did it anyway, and then afterward, Kyn got dressed again. Instead of having a member of the group go to pick them up, they went back to the group.

That stupid air vent! Her eyes had widened at the sound of the voices, it was that hole that had alerted her to the birds, but now, NOW she absolutely utterly despised it. She shoved the first bit of parchment that wasn't the map, that she could find, into the hole with a grunt. Now she was blushing, and she couldn't go outside like this! She hissed as she tried to remember what she had said previously to Heji. 'If you're going to experiment you can't hold it against them for having a working relationship.' This somewhat worked, at least enough for her to put the bag on her back, but she dumped the remainder of the water in the bowl over her head as if to wash the thoughts away; then she set it down and headed back over to the group as well. It took some doing, not looking at either Kyn, nor Tensa in the eye as she did.

"So...who all was coming again? I know PD is staying here." She had resolved that Pendragon's name was too long, and shortened it, it was the only way that she was going to remember it. "Inferno was staying with him in case his swarm ability activated, was that correct?"

"Me, Tensa, Striker, and Heji, and Lacu. It would be better if I had another Electric-type but I only have Heji." Kyn said. "By the way Serena..." he thought of the best way of saying it, that wouldn't sound awkward. "Would you say that we are adequately prepared?" He used the word we instead of I, due to the fact that Tensa was still seemingly annoyed by Kyn's lack of... activity.

Prepared? Prepared, he wanted to know if they were prepared. She bit her tongue to stop a retort that would have put them all in bad spirits. She took her time phrasing it so that it wouldn't include herself. "It seems as though you are all prepared, except for the fact that you and Tensa didn't get to eat breakfast, I suppose that means that we will likely be stopping to hunt for a light lunch, unless you wish to...pack yourself a breakfast for along the way." She gestured to the untouched Swellow, and without really thinking about it picked up some of the loose feathers from the Swellow she had eaten, testing their quality. "I would suggest that we keep Striker and Kyn in the middle, with one of us on the cardinal points so that...IF his ability activates." really she had no doubt that it wold happen again. "We're all in a position to be able to alert the others and take them out before anything can happen."

"Well, as it turns out, I'm not really hungry. Dunno about Tensa though." Kyn said honestly.

"I do believe a light lunch will be in order for me. Noon is a perfect time to eat lunch, if one does not have a particular hurry." Tensa used the human term, yet again showing how much time he had spent with Kyn.

"Almost makes it look an escort mission," Heji commented with a chuckle.

"Good hunting then," Inferno said, "I won't say luck since... well, I consider it a bad omen to do so."

"Alright. Now, if you'll excuse me, I plan on resuming my nap. I highly doubt that my ability will really activate if I am asleep." Pendragon said shaking his head.

She let her tail twitch. "Fine, eat." She took out the map and spread it over the rock, snipping the tip of the quill off at an angle with her teeth, and traced the path that they were more likely to take than others with the quill-tip. She didn't have any ink to use, but it didn't seem to matter to her. She was a little snippy, she admitted even to herself. This day was just one awkward event after another, and it was starting to wear on her. This wouldn't be the first time that her highly curious nature had put her in an awkward situation.

"Hm... Inferno... if you don't mind...." Tensa said, implying that he wanted Inferno to cook the Swellow. Inferno made his way over, and then heated the meat up for about two minutes, before stopping. Tensa then used his Leaf Blades, to cut pieces of it apart.

Serena was glad she wasn't watching, to her it was a travesty to cook such a bird, but it wasn't her meal, and so she kept quiet, at least until she had counted to ten twice and traced the path about five times, then she folded it back up and slipped it into the bag with the other things. She tried not to move her right arm, as it had been aggravated that day, but finally, since she didn't want to seem like she was avoiding Kyn.(Really she was, but she had to, or it would have been against her principles.) she looked up at him with a look that she HOPED was interest. "Soo....do you happen to remember where we were before they came back from their respective tasks?"

"Yes. I was telling you why you had such a difficult time with those birds. They were as strong or stronger than Striker. Striker happens to have told me, that after he returned to his swarm, he found that he was stronger than he ever was in his prime, now. Even if your abilities are at the Salamence stage like I've told you, those birds were... super strong compared to you. Does that make sense?"

Heji then brought up another situation, "Though, Flying types don't affect you as much. If they had been other dragons," but Heji didn't finish that thought.

"We don't have Glalie here is what Heji was probably going to say." Tensa added.

{Serena... how long has it been? I'm certain that that's the best rest I've gotten in months.}

"Had they been other dragons we would have been in the trash heap again." Serena nodded. "thankfully we were lucky." She paused, pulling Marlow out of her scarf and uncovering his eye, instead looping the scarf around his horn and under her headplates to keep him seated. "It's about mid-day..." {As you can see, we got held up by one thing after another.}

She opened her mind to let him look, but restricted the whole bit of conversation with Heji in snippets. "I think we were a bit beyond that Kyn...you had just mentioned the Pokémon League...something about having to be fully evolved to qualify, I think?" Opening herself up to Marlow made recent memories flood back across her conscious

"Oh right. Yeah, I was about to clarify. What I meant was, that practically ever Trainer there that wants to win, will have full evolved Pokémon. Stripes... is one of those who will be the exception since he is choosing to remain in the Krokorok stage via Tensa's Everstone. There have been people who have even entered with... first stage Pokémon for various reasons, one of which is being highly deceptive."

"By the time we face all eight of the Gym Leaders... we can't help but be fully evolved if we choose, is another way of looking at it Serena." Heji clarified even further.

"At one point, I was one of the strongest Infernape in the world!" Inferno said proudly, messing with his bandana.

"At least yours is a matter of choice when you feel like your body is ready." She took Inferno's statement with a grain of salt. "As I've already told Kyn...it's not like that here. Most Pokémon don't even remember how to evolve naturally. They can feel the energy when their bodies say it's time, but can't tap into it and have to go to Master Foo in Tao Village for assistance...and they can only evolve after they get his okay...To even be able to get in to see him? You need an Evolution scroll." She paused after explaining, before redirecting at Kyn. "How would someone who has proof that the Pokémon traveling with them was strong enough to beat these gyms be deceptive?"

"Because of the fact that it often takes a lot to defeat them, and well, with the exception of you, that wouldn't really be common. AS for the manner of proof that they were strong enough...." He reached into his backpack and pulled out his Unova badge case, then opened it up!

"So they're not awarded to the individual Pokémon, but to the trainer. You would think the league, who sets the rules, would have been smarter than that and would have at least used their technology for a recording system or something."

She watched Tensa eat for a moment, she still couldn't pinpoint why she was so snippy with them, because she had heard something she really hadn't intended to, nor wanted to hear? That didn't seem right at all.

"Serena, considering that some Trainers only use one to three Pokémon it is basically just doing that. In fact even more so the Gym Leaders, as they're called, for the most part only use a single type of Pokémon, so Trainers often counter with their weaknesses. Clair is known for her use of Dragons. It is very rare for them to have as many as I have, as well, actually..." He didn't want to sound completely pleased with that, as it made him feel as if he was a sort of collector, in a bad way, even though he was one in a different way.

Tensa, quickly finished eating, wanting to get underway as soon as possible. If they left around noonish, then their journey could easily be timed by the sun.

She didn't say the words that she longed to when Tensa finally, FINALLY was finished eating...but she sure as hell thought it. "Don't worry about it, I understand, I've gotten used to you not specifying, and when you do, not in the way you intended. The problem with me getting used to this? If you ever DO say what you mean, you're going to actually add the words 'no, really.' at the end of them." She actually reached up and Slipped Marlow's skull off of her head. {Go ahead, Reform, I've had a Swellow, energy has been fully replenished.} Her internal clock seemed to be off, perhaps that was because she was normally awake at night and didn't see Father Sol in the sky, but as for right now, it was fine...just for five days, and she could sleep part of the time.

{Nope. You're gonna carry me s'more.} Marlow said firmly.

"Then I guess I'm going to be blunt this time. Tensa is the strongest of this group, Heji is the second, and Inferno is the third. With the exception of Tensa, they all reached that stage in less than a year." Kyn said, quickly.

"Serena, I think you caused Kyn to show a rare jolt of emotion," Heji commented quickly.

"Maybe you should have shocked him more as a Shinx, I hear electric stimulation is good for that sort of stuff...not that I've ever tried it." She shrugged at him. {Lazy.} It was a single word, but if she was going to carry him, he wasn't going to be watching anything, and she hooked him on her scarf facing inwards so he had a good look at...darkness, and nothing else. "Keeping in mind the time distortion, that's probably before I had even begun forming in the egg...Do you mind if we start walking? "

"It definitely was. In fact, Tensa has been with me for a total of, oh an here I get to use seasons as measurement again, forty-four seasons going on forty-eight. I'm not even going to think about how long that is here right now. Anyway, yes let us go." Kyn said.

"Mmmph." the big number was a bit too much for her at this stage, but she walked along the path that she had taken the night before, assuming the point position since she had the map, and was leading. She was thankful for the food, as it restored her energy for her shadow claw too, her tail flicked behind her. "He'd still be considered a kid to a dragon, maybe adolescent, it's a good thing that he's a reptile, means he has a longer lifetime than most would...well, not if he continued to live here, days pass in your hours, so after this trip if you wait a while to come back you'll probably find that everything has changed while you were away."

"We're practically the same age. Even though I happen to be... eighty-eight seasons aged. Oh Arceus, I don't think even want to think about how old that makes me here." Kyn didn't care to do the mental calculations for how old his age would be on this side either.

"Your age doesn't change over..." She said simply. "You're still the same age here as you are there. Don't make this more complicated than it is." With Lacu, cutting through town seemed the best way to go, though they broke formation (were forced to really with how crowded the streets were.) and it was about 10 minutes later that they emerged on the other side of town. "This place is getting too big..." she muttered back to them over her shoulder.

"Well, I'm aware that I'm still twenty-two years old yes, but, this is talking in terms of... how many years passed here." Kyn commented at Serena. The rest of the trip he pretty much traveled in silence, along with the rest of the group, unless Serena addressed them. The less he spoke, the less he imagined he'd get himself into.

Serena was glad for the silence, however when she felt they needed a break--usually when they came across a stream, she let them rehydrate before they moved on again. Then came nightfall, and when Sol touched the horizon, she stopped them, knowing that they wouldn't be able to see for too much longer, and with a quick scan of the area found a low hanging willow which could easily serve as a secluded glade. She was pleasantly surprised that they hadn't had anymore...incidents, after the birds, and would have been more than happy to curl up, but her stomach, just getting back on its feet after two days of little to no food, demanded she hunt. "Ah~ Mother's eye is open tonight."

"It's a damn good thing I've spoken to Pokémon before or else I wouldn't know what the hell you were talking about. Speaking of her... I don't know if you'd be interested... in the fact that humans have been there." Kyn said. The rest of the group who hadn't heard him tell this story perked up, mainly Striker and Heji.

Serena had just finished fishing Marlow off of her scarf when he spoke. "Humans walking on mother's eye? I would think that it would make her angry and turn it red." still, she set down the skull that was Marlow, on the soft bed of grass beneath the tree, before slinking over to sit by Heji and ordering her body to wait for food, promising it that it would get the food that it wanted in a moment.

"It's a bit more complicated than that. Also, does that mean that you've... never seen a time when," he was used to 'mons referring to the Moon as such but, he decided to change back again, "the Moon is red? Or have you?" Kyn was curious now as he could possibly attempt to explain to Serena, why he loved looking up at the sky at night.

Serena raised her eyebrow ridge, head tilted. "Mother Luna is never red here, not in my time at least...perhaps it's an event that only happens in your world...but then I am only two cycles of seasons living in this world." She had sat so that she was looking at Kyn, but her side was against Heji's fur.

"Hm, it probably will happen in your lifetime. This is the same planet After all, in the same solar system. I think. I'd have to look through a telescope to see if I can find Ma---" He then realized that he was ranting off technology again. "Serena, this is going to sound strange phrased this way, but it's the only way I can think of. Would you like to see your mother up close?"

She thought about it for a long while, then shook her head. "No...thank you, but no. Getting too close to those that watch over all of us can be a rather bad thing, either by learning what we are not supposed to, or by losing them over time." her nose twitched in the green grass. "Perhaps when I can fly, I will get closer and show her just what has become of me, but not now."

"I can understand. But, that's not going to stop me from looking at the Moon. Anyway, there is an event in which the Moon turns red. I believe I can describe it to you in a way that won't sound like absolute gibberish. Picture this; This planet in a situation where it is hiding your Mother from your Father, and she is angered by that, and thus turns red. It does not happen that often, but you will live very long, and most likely will see it happen." Kyn reached into his backpack, and set up a tripod for a telescope. "As for humans on the Moon... it took us an incredible amount of power to get there."

Serena blinked at him, then snorted, almost mimicking the lion on the grass beside her, the pose anyway, one foreclaw crossed over the other, Of course her father was always chasing after Mother Luna, they were always separated, this didn't make sense, but she simply let it go as if she understood, if that was how his 'technology' saw it, she wasn't there to argue.

"Actually, y'know what. This example was usually accompanied by... visuals. I want you to be able to see it the same way I do. I'm going to need three different sized berries or object. An Oran Berry sized object, a Grepa sized object, a Watmel sized object. That is, if you're still interested. Judging by your reaction to the Moon though, I dunno."

Her green eyes closed for a moment. "Look at it this way Kyn...Some Pokémon do call them the sun and the moon, they no longer call them by their proper names, they might believe what you're telling them Kyn, but as they're the only parents I've ever known, would you want someone to attempt to sunder a memory of your parents--even if it 'was' an illusion? No, I'm not going to say you're wrong, but I'd thank you not to compare them to fruit."

"I suppose when you put it that way it makes sense. Guess I'm still just too human to think like that. Ah, well. My main concern now is whether or not I can find any of the other planets. That will tell me if I am still on the same planet."

Serena, now having heard the word enough to associate it with the ground beneath her body, rolled her eyes. "I don't believe that it is a different...planet, as you say...it would be a long shot to find another planet with Pokémon on it in another world." Still, it had ruined what mood she had for snuggling up on the cool summer night, for now at least.

"While you look, I'll hunt." She got to her feet. "All this sitting still is trying to drive me mad, not even a decently sized tree to jump off of around here."

Kyn first looked around the area of the moon, to see if he could find Jupiter, and if he could find Jupiter, then there would really be no need to look for the others. "Well, depending on the time, and season, the location could be so far below the horizon that I wouldn't even be able to see it until sunrise," he said to Tensa, and pretty much anyone else that would listen.

She stood and stretched out her limbs, sure that Heji had become entranced with the story, or at least was being polite. She dropped her pack on the ground and walked out of the tree, snapping off a few boughs to use to restrain the Pokémon. Of course she wouldn't be...hunting the big things, but several little things would do. She made a mental note to look for the Tailow and Swellow nests she knew must have been around there somewhere. She was aiming to subdue, not kill, since she hadn't grabbed Marlow, she thought it to be more...generous to leave him there to listen to the stories.

"Oh my goodness! There it is! We're on Earth still!" He was overjoyed, though some would have seen this as a bit ridiculous to get excited over something as simple as being on the same planet, but a different world altogether.

"Congratulations....?" Tensa offered slowly.