FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Zorua's quest for freedom swiftly became a far more frequent occurrence. Days turned into weeks. Weeks turned into months. The Sandslash did not get a moment of rest as Zorua's escape attempts became more elaborate and clever each time. He did not hesitate in taking out his frustrations on her, but even so she would not give up as it only seemed to reinforce her determination.

Unfortunately, determination could only take her so far and did not let her fully ignore the harsh reality thrust upon her. Without constant pampering and caretaking by her parents, her young body was no match for the unforgiving climate of the desert. Deprived of nutrition and often on the verge of a heat stroke, her movements began to wane ever so slowly until one fateful day when she could no longer run.

Her once regal fur was falling out in patches, presenting a sinewy body similar to a skeleton in appearance if not for her many colorful marks of past abuses. Unable to muster up the strength to put another plan into motion, she wasted the days away doing nothing but lying by the banks of the water. Soon she could not even walk anymore. Slowly but surely she was beginning to give up, preparing herself for the inevitable end while spending the better parts of the day moving in and out of consciousness underneath the scorching sun.

"No good. Completely dehydrated," a strange voice sounded from somewhere, "Seif, keep better tab on this one! If she dies in custody, I'm holding you responsible!"

"Wakey-wakey," a more recognizable voice sounded as Zorua felt herself being lifted by her tail. The immense and quite familiar pain had given her a rather deep loathing for the tail, and had often contemplated cutting it off had she only found something sharp enough. Feeling herself dunked in the water, she was forced back to consciousness and accidentally inhaled a hefty slug of water, coughing and sputtering as she was pulled out of the drink.

As expected, Seif was the one carrying her, but for the first time ever he was not alone. A few feet away stood a tall and lanky being, looking like nothing she had ever seen before. Eyes still hazy, she wondered if this was just a mirage when the creature suddenly spoke in a peculiar language.

"Haahh, I knew I should've checked up on you earlier..." the human spoke with a disappointed expression, "Who'd want to eat a bag of bones like that? There's plenty of stuff growing around here, force some down its throat if you have to."

Although the creature's way of speaking was completely unfamiliar, Zorua was able to distinguish a couple of words. The term "eat" echoed in her head as Seif unceremoniously dropped her down on the sand, but without the strength to make a run for it she went limp and just laid there. For someone able to criticize Seif and not get beaten bloody, she found it odd that the human looked so soft and meek. She saw that he had lengthy limbs and a height advantage, letting her eyes wander upwards to see just how far up his head really was.

How everything changed with that one glance. Having never seen a human before, Zorua did not pay much notice to the fact that his body was blue. Indeed, the tail hanging behind him was in no way unusual to her naïve mind. But passing by the human's head and directing her vision just a little higher, there was absolutely no denying that she was currently staring into the decaying face of her own mother.

"M-Mom!" Zorua exclaimed in utter shock. Seif explained how they had ripped her skin off and was using it for their own benefit, but she had never been able to fully visualize it like this. Her mother's normally gentle expression had turned solemn, frozen in a state devoid of emotion. Although the human obscured most of what she could see, something like an impossibly huge scab could be seen on the inside of what was once her mother. Momentarily forgetting about everything else in the world, Zorua felt herself overcome by anguish, rage and desire all at once.

"AAHHH! MOOOM!" she cried as her broken body exhausted the last of its resources, letting her spring to her feet and charge towards the human. He staggered backwards in surprise as she jumped up, trying to reach her mother to save her from this evil creature, or at the very last feel her soft, beautiful skin one last time.

She did not make it. Her moment of power quickly faded and weakness set in as she could only make a small hop, ramming into the stomach of the human. He lost his breath as he fell back, Zorua barely even touching the ground before someone punched the back of her head, shoving it down into the sand according to the usual routine.

"Kneel, kid," Seif muttered as he pressed down on her head. He found it strange that she was not fighting back like usual, instead just lying there and taking it. Somewhat bored by her lack of enthusiasm, he looked up to see the human rise to his full height again.

"Whew... What a scary little tyke!" the human said with concern as he brushed some dirt away from the Simipour's back, "I, uh, appreciate your eagerness, but I can't put you in my stomach just yet! You need to put things in YOUR stomach first!"

"Seems you need to be informed on the pecking order," Seif growled as he prickled the back of Zorua's neck with one of her claws, trying to elicit a response, "Human, me, you. The chain ends there, unless you can find a Sunkern out here that you want to torture."

His speech was in vain as Zorua had already fainted from exhaustion. Sighing as his master chastised him for letting her almost die, he doused her in the water once more and shoved an unpeeled cactus piece down her throat, making her wake up and cry out in pain at the same time. Although treating her this way was in no way uncommon to him, he was able to distinguish a certain glare in her eyes that was not there before. Wondering what it could mean, he ate his share and quietly went to sleep.

When he woke up, the oasis was empty. He examined the area, not seeing any footprints heading outside, concerned that his sharp hunter's senses had not picked up the small rascal making an escape.

"Kid, stop playing around," Seif muttered, wondering if Zorua was hiding in one of the bushes. A quick search told him that was not the case, and he felt a tinge of worry as he stuck his head into the water. The underwater floor was grimy, but definitively lacking of any sort of body.

"Kid... If you don't come out here right now, I'll cut you bad," Seif growled with a slightly more angry tone. He knew he was going to get into a lot of trouble if she had escaped or offed herself right after his master's earlier lecture, the human probably thinking he had done something as revenge.

Clicking his claws together in rage, he suddenly noticed a set of footprints in the sand he had not seen before. He recognized them as Zorua's and they were on a direct course for the outskirts of the oasis, but what was unusual was that they seemed to suddenly stop a few feet away. Thinking Zorua had somehow retraced her footsteps in order to confuse him, he approached the end of the footsteps.

It was then that he could hear it. A stifled, nervous breathing coming from somewhere. Looking around, he could not see anyone nearby, yet could tell that the noise was coming from where the footsteps had been made. He had no idea what was going on, but did have an idea on how to find out.

"I FOUND YOU!" the Sandslash suddenly yelled with all his might, bluffing in order to lure Zorua out of hiding. Expecting the small Dark-type to pop out of the sand somewhere, his mouth fell open as the footsteps he had been tracing suddenly continued on their way, running away from him. Not a fool in any regard, he chased after them as best he could and managed to catch up after a while. Tackling the invisible creature, he felt the familiar fuzzy sensation against his body and pressed it down as hard as he could, a tuft of black fur appearing in his hand. Not long after, Zorua's entire body appeared out of thin air, pinned down beneath him like so many times before.

"AAAHHHH!" Zorua gave off a panicked cry while struggling to get free, "LET ME GO!"

"I don't know how you did that, but I don't care," Seif growled menacingly with a minute amount of glee in his voice after his triumphant victory, "I don't care if you can turn invisible. I don't even care if you learn how to teleport. As long as I'm alive, you will never, ever escape from here."

"I'LL KILL YOU!" Zorua burst out as she fought harder, trying to bite at the claws holding her down. Securing his grip around her, Seif moved in closer to better intimidate and taunt her.

"Like that'd change anything," he whispered with a sinister scowl, "Think about who's giving the orders around here. If it were up to me, I would have kicked you out of my oasis to die ages ago."

His words fell on deaf ears, and Zorua made good use of her newfound ability to create illusions in the weeks to come. Seif was finding it very difficult to handle, the small Pokémon getting better at using it with every day. He would be chasing a fake copy of her for several seconds, or get lost on the way back as the desert spun wildly around him and the oasis in constant movement. Before long he took to beating Zorua into complete unconsciousness, at which point the mirages abruptly ceased and he could get some peace of mind before she woke up and tried something new.

A full year after Zorua's arrival at the oasis, the human came by for another visit. Seif was just returning from another wild chase, carrying a flailing Zorua in his arms. She quickly stopped as she noticed the human, staring intently at the pelt that had once been her lovely mother. The human did not notice, busy looking at the chaotic state of the area. Small craters in the sand, millions of footsteps heading out in every direction and one visibly worn out Sandslash.

The human sighed to himself as a beeping noise suddenly sounded from his waist. Reaching behind the facial area of the Simipour and sparking a hostile growl from Zorua, he pulled out a cellphone.

"Yeah, what's up? Nah, the black one almost made it off again," the human spoke as Seif dropped Zorua, feeling a bit ticked off and not really caring if she tried to attack him like before. She began planning on what to do about the unexpected visit when the human suddenly broke into a big smile.

"Elite Four challenge? Well, yeah... I suppose that's something we gotta celebrate," the human said as he looked over at Seif and his smile immediately began to fade, "But... The menu doesn't look very tasty, though. Y'know, spines and all that. Can't we...?"

Zorua dropped all her plans as she slowly began to realize what the human and his unseen friend were talking about. She looked at Seif, noticing that the Sandslash had an unusually distressed expression behind his snout. Noticing their reaction, the human hastily scuffled away and lowered his voice.

"... Huh? Nah, it's no problem. We can get another one next time we go into town," the human continued, oblivious of the two Pokémon's highly adapt skills at hearing, "Besides, this one's getting kind of old, can barely even keep up with that black one we caught. Might as well put him out of his misery before he starts embarrassing himself too much."

Seif stopped eavesdropping for a moment to shoot Zorua a vicious glare. However, the Dark-type was completely focused on every word coming from the person so casually carrying her mother around like clothing.

"I suppose... Better to dig in now before he's nothing but skin, sinew and spikes, right?" the human whispered while giving off a nervous laugh, looking over at the two Pokémon. Being met by nothing but hatred and anger, he slowly backed off before turning around and leaving the area. Zorua and Seif stared at him all the way as he became a tiny little dot at the edge of the dunes and finally disappeared.

Completely shaken up by the whole ordeal, Zorua had no idea what to say or do. For the first time in her life, she was feeling sorry for someone who wasn't herself. Overcome by this new, strange sensation, she looked over at Seif with a confused expression.

"What... What are you going to do?" Zorua blurted out. Seif looked back at her for a moment, appearing to be deep in thought. With a few unremarkable steps he made his way back to his favorite spot by the tree and sat down.

"Nothing," he answered callously before crossing his arms and closing his eyes, looking to get some shut-eye like normal.

"What!?" Zorua exclaimed in shock, "They... They're going to eat you!"

"So be it, then," Seif responded calmly, "I've let them eat many Pokémon before, why stop them now? I guess this is what one would refer to as 'karma'."

Zorua felt her breath come in short as something about the Sandslash's cool demeanor rubbed her the wrong way. Something about this whole thing seemed off, but she was not confident that she could define exactly what it is.

"... You can't...!" she shouted and shook her head, "That's not...!"

"... What's the matter?" Seif asked as he opened his eyes to look at her, "Aren't you glad I'll be gone? Now you're free to run out into the desert and die like you've always wanted."

"B-But..." Zorua stuttered. It was true, this past year she had wished for nothing more than for the horrible Sandslash to go away, preferably in a swift and painful manner. Her past self told her to back off, shut up and simply watch it all go down without intervention. However, she could not rid the feeling that something wasn't making sense, and scrounged her face up as she struggled to figure out what it was.

"Don't tell me..." Seif muttered with a sneer, "... You care about me? You've come to like me?"

"... No! I hate you! I HATE YOU!" Zorua burst out while feeling a deep loathing rise to the top of her chest, "But... Don't just go die like this! Why would you give your life for that evil human!?"

The sneer faded from Seif's face as he became completely serious in an instant, staring her down with an intensive gaze.

"Watch your tongue," he said harshly, "That 'evil human' is the only reason I exist."

Losing track of her train of thoughts, Zorua braced herself as she was sure to get a beating for accidentally pissing Seif off. But instead he just sat but the tree and looked at her angrily, not making the effort of reprimanding her.

"I was not born. I was bred," Seif explained after a moment of silence, "My mother and father did not even know each other. They were forced together for the sole purpose of creating me, all so I could help these humans. I am certain one of my brothers or sisters will be here to take over my role once I am gone."

"... That's... That's what you want?" Zorua asked in disbelief.

"Why not? The purpose of life is to spread your genes to the next generation," Seif muttered with a shrug, "My family has thrived, even though we are enslaved and eventually eaten. Because others find use for us and our lives, we will continue to exist, no matter what. Your parents saw the opposite end. Their only use was in death... And soon you will follow. No future... No offspring... No hope."

"But at least I want to live!" Zorua shouted back, not understanding much of what the Sandslash was talking about.

Her statement proved to be far more effective than she had anticipated. Although he did not show it, Seif felt something stir deep inside of him as if he had been shaken to his core. Staring down at Zorua and her defiant gaze, he wondered if she thought of him as little as he did her. The thought that she would continue roaming the oasis after he was dead made him sour, but also brought about a surge of helplessness.

"... No one wants to die, kid," Seif growled, his voice showing chiding qualities, "I don't have a choice. I have a master."

"That's not right!" Zorua continued with her tirade, suddenly realizing that the Sandslash was not cool about his impending death but had simply given up on preventing it, "They're weak, even I could hurt them! You... You're big! Strong! They can't force you to do anything!"

Zorua hesitated a little as she realized she was shouting at the very same monster that had beaten her senseless so many times and was probably very eager to keep that tradition alive. However, unlike any earlier conversation between them, Seif actually seemed to be paying attention to what she was saying.

"It's not that simple, you noisy little brat," Seif argued while raising his head, "They've got Pokéballs, the technology to hold us captive. I rebel; I get beaten down and stuffed into a PC somewhere."

"But... But... Your freedom! Your life!" Zorua said desperately, finally discovering what felt wrong about this whole situation, "Why can a master take that away from you? How can you let that happen!?"

"Life's a bitch," Seif responded calmly, "Don't feel bad, everyone eventually realizes that, kid..."

"... You're wrong!" Zoura yelled in response while shaking her head, "My life... Before all this, my life was great! I was happy, and if I'd never been caught... I'd still be!"

Memories of her mother and even her father flooded her as she felt overcome by nostalgia and a year of pent up rage. In that instant she felt as if she could run across the entire desert in pursuit of vengeance. Seif looked as if he was about to say something, but was interrupted as Zorua deftly jumped in front of him.

"No matter what..." Zorua said with a furious expression, "... I refuse to resign myself to suffering!"

The exertions of that day were starting to pile up on Zorua's back as she collapsed on sand soon after. Awaiting a reply from Seif but getting only silence, she wondered if this is what the rest of her life would be like. Spending it alone and eventually dying a meaningless death.

"... Another way..." Zorua coughed weakly with a hoarse voice, "If we... If we kill the human... He can't kill us if he's dead... Right?"

"Kid..." Seif finally responded, a cold, quiet and somewhat worried tone to his voice, "... You're talking crazy. You're going against the way of the world."

"Then screw the world!" Zorua screamed as her energy spiked once more, suddenly standing up and facing the Sandslash, "What do we have to lose!? If we can just get out of here, there's a chance... There's a chance that life will be good again! I'll do anything...!"

The next day, the human returned to the oasis. Wearing the same grotesque get-up as before, he spotted his Sandslash resting by the usual palm tree. He put on a big smile as Seif eyed him lazily through tiny slits under heavy eyelids. Contrasting the dusty area and dirty carrier, there was a shiny new spray can containing Max Repel sticking out of a bag by the human's side, showing that his expression belied his intentions.

A scornful look crossed Seif's face as the human suddenly reached into the sack. However, instead of grabbing the repel he dug down deeper and pulled out a tiny treat. Holding it in front of him, he slowly approached the Sandslash.

"Whoooo... Whoooo..." the human sang in a calming manner, "... Whooo's a hungry Sandshrew? Who's a hungry little Sandshrew?"

The human walked closer while Seif sat and watched him with a bored expression.

"You are!" the human shouted as he suddenly took one last big step towards his Pokémon. Seif did not react at all as the cheerful guy started petting and rubbing his head.

"Ahh... Not so little anymore, I guess," the human snickered while handing out the small treat, "Remember when I used to do that? Here, by this tree? You were so cute back then!"

Seif did remember. Back when he was just a Sandshrew he had been taken to this oasis and spent a lot of time playing with his master. At some point he had evolved and been given duties, but it occurred to him that he had forgotten to keep track of the passing days, and wondered just how many years the oasis had stolen from him.

"Don't worry, Seif ol' pal, you've been good to us," the human said with dismay as he reached into his bag and pulled out a few more treats, "You can have as many of these as you want before we gotta stop feeding you. Don't let that black one steal 'em all, or she'll have to answer to me!"

The human continued picking things out of the sack when it suddenly rattled. Looking down in surprise, he saw it stop for a moment before starting again, some unseen force pulling at it. Before he had time to react, the bag detached from his wrappings and fell down into the sand, carrying the canister of repel with it.

"Seif, be careful! Something's here!" the human shouted with a terrified expression as he rose to his full height. Thinking he was under attack by a psychic Pokémon, he looked around but could see no one. Bending over to pick up the repel, it suddenly began to move across the sand all on its own.

Staring at the unbelievable scene, he was given a clue as the image of the small, black Pokémon he had captured before flashed by his vision for a second. Knowing that mirages could not occur at such a short distance, he swiftly came to the conclusion that the rare creature had some mysterious powers he had not encountered before.

"The black one!? Seif, what's-" the human exclaimed as Seif got fed up with waiting and tackled him from behind, pushing him down to the ground. The human screamed in protest before Seif calmly shoved his head into the sand with one hand, starting to munch down on one of the treats with his other.

"Suppertime," Seif mumbled as he thoroughly chewed and swallowed down his meal. Zorua deactivated her illusions and stared as the human flailed and fought like she had so many times before. Around this point in time is where she would begin to pass out and he'd forcibly pull her head up for air. Such was not the case now. The human's movements began to weaken as his head remained in the sand before finally stopping altogether.

Seif sat quietly next to him and finished up his food. His face was expressionless as he looked down at the human, lying face down in the sand. The Sandslash was not certain that he was dead, but did not care either way. He walked past the stunned Zorua and emptied out the contents of the bag she had taken from him. A can of repel, a few more treats and a large bottle of water fell into the sand. Shaking the bag a little more, a second bottle of water suddenly fell out, about half as large as the previous one.

"A reserve bottle... He sure wasn't eager to die," Seif muttered while picking up the tiny bottle and holding it out towards Zorua, "Here. I'm bigger, so you can have the smaller one."

However, she was no longer standing where she had been. Instead she was lying down next to the human, violently tackling him and pulling at his lifeless body. Seif sighed, realizing this was the first time she had been given any kind of punching bag and probably had a lot of aggressions to take out on it.

"... Come on, stop that..." Seif said with apprehension, "He might not even be dead. Couldn't check his pulse, my hide's too thick."

Zorua paid his warning no mind as she continued her onslaught. Biting with her teeth, smashing with her head and rolling the human over, showing the world his final expression of frozen anguish. Not really eager to accentuate the grizzly scene, Seif moved to stop her when she suddenly got a hold of what she was looking for. Dragging with all her might, the pelt around the human finally came loose from its last restriction and left his body. Panting heavily as she laid down on the sand, she looked up at Seif with a pleading expression.

"Mom..." she worded breathily, "I wanna be with mom..."

Standing still, Seif finally came to the realization that Zorua had only been trying to free her mother. The Simipour looked worse for wear after a full year of being dead, having shriveled up and seemingly lost all of her previous moisturizing qualities. Zorua nuzzled up against the decomposing head, apparently not noticing just how much her mother had changed.

"Fine. Step back, kid," Seif muttered while keeping his denouncements to himself, bending over to pick up the rotten carcass. Zorua whined as she rolled off the pelt and stared up at him with sorrow and confusion.

"Get on," Seif muttered, holding the flattened Simipour like a hammock between his arms, "I'll carry you. This skin'll protect you from the cold of the night, and shade you from the heat of the day."

"But... What about you?" Zorua asked, wondering why he didn't wrap her around himself like the human had.

"... My spines would rip what's left of her to shreds..." Seif muttered to himself with disdain, "I think I've done enough as is."

Gathering up a small amount of food and safely placing their bottles of water in the bag, they began their long, arduous journey out of the desert. Not sure on which direction to move in, Seif decided they would follow the setting sun as to not end up walking in circles.

As the days passed, they were reminded of the harsh reality outside of their little oasis. Heat and dryness was their breakfast - Cold and wind their dinner. Seif continued stalwart, unhindered despite the extra baggage of two Pokémon. A year prior Zorua had been carried across the desert nestled within the hair of her mother, and such was now the case once more. She thought it weird that the same situation could vary so much in nature.

"Ahh... So hot..." Zorua wheezed. Her bottle of water was already half-empty, and she knew all too well what would happen should it run out before the desert did. Even so, the sands seemed to stretch on for eternity, and she could not help but worry that they were still just somewhere in the middle of it all.

"Stop whining..." Seif muttered back to her, his voice a bit hoarser than usual, "You're the one who suggested the revolution. Accept the consequences."

"R... Evolution...?" Zorua repeated the complicated word, not sure of what it meant but understanding it was something she had wanted. Seif felt torn on whether to explain it or not - So far he had not really taught the small dark-type anything of value, assuming it was a waste were she to be nothing but food in the end. Indeed, what purpose would the knowledge of a word serve should they fall prey to the scorching sun and die in the middle of nowhere? In the end he decided to prioritize, preventing a potential catastrophe from occurring should they manage to get out of this mess.

"Hey, kid... There'll be more humans where we're heading," Seif spoke up, keeping his vision ahead of him. Zorua looked up at him, and in the corner of his eyes he could see a scared expression flare up.

"... W-Will they try to eat us?" Zorua asked with a shaky voice, "We have to kill them too?"

A groan emanated from Seif. He had a feeling this is what she would associate humanity with after all she had been through.

"They won't try to eat us," Seif explained, "But I guess I'd understand if you'd want me to kill them anyway."

"No!" Zorua suddenly burst out in protest, "Why... Why kill them if they don't want to eat us?"

They shared a confused look between one another.

"Don't you hate humans?" Seif asked outright, rattling both Zorua and the Simipour to empathize. Zorua looked down at her dead mother for a moment while trying to muster up whatever bitter emotions she kept stored within. However, all she got out of it was a surge of weakness as she collapsed her head against what was left of her family.

"I-I... Just don't want to die..." she whispered exasperated, "If they don't hurt me... I won't hate them..."

"Guess that leaves out me, then..." Seif mumbled to himself, seeing that the countless cuts and bruises covering Zorua had yet to heal. As more time passed, he found his attention more and more drawn to those wounds as well as the carved up corpse in his arms. There was not a whole lot else to look at out in the desert, and before he knew it those two were the only things his eyes would take in.

Zorua was woken abruptly as she found herself thrown into the air and splayed out across the sand. Receiving a terrifying flashback from the time she had lost her parents, she looked up and felt strangely relieved to see the Sandslash fallen over.

"Stupid... Sand..." he grumbled quietly as he rose to his feet, "C'mon... Get on..."

Wiping her face clean, she jumped back onto Seif and her deceased mother. However, as she did the Sandslash suddenly buckled over for a moment as if struggling with her weight. He did not say anything and resumed his walk, but Zorua found this to be very peculiar. The implacable being that had resisted her most powerful attacks, thrown her several feet with no issue and beaten her day after day with no signs of exhaustion was not one to trip and struggle with carrying a child.

It was the next day that Zorua noticed Seif slowing down his pace. Realizing he had been walking awfully far on his own, she decided to jump off to give him a break. However, as she tried it he suddenly threw his hands out further, catching her in her descent.

"It's OK! I can walk on my own for a while!" Zorua exclaimed while looking up at the Sandslash. His features had always been ragged and weary, but things rapidly seemed to be taking a turn for the worse. His dusty skin was cracked so bad it looked like the aftermath of an earthquake.

"... Shut up..." Seif responded dryly, "Your puny little form would sink in a second..."

Frowning at her nice suggestion being shot down, she laid down as Seif suddenly reached into the bag on his back and pulled out her bottle.

"Here. Drink," he ordered flatly. Zorua stared at the bottle with horror - There was naught but half a round of water remaining. Her lifeline was steadily diminishing, and the desert showed no signs of reaching its end.

"I-I'm fine," Zorua lied, thinking she would save the last bit of water until she was closer to her deathbed, making sure she always one last shot at salvation.

"That wasn't a request," Seif growled, and before Zorua knew it she was being pressed down into the sand, Seif forcibly shoving the bottle down her throat.

"N-MMPH!" Zorua protested as she saw the last sliver of shimmering life trickle down the bottle's opening and disappearing forever into the darkness of her parched throat.

"You'll die if you don't keep yourself hydrated, you stupid bastard," Seif continued as he quietly observed the bottle, making sure every last drop had been spent, "You want to die? Right when you're on the edge of freedom?"

Coughing and sputtering, Zorua immediately regretted trying to be friendly and laid down on her mother while pouting. Silently she prayed that beyond the next dune, the green paradise she had always dreamed of would appear.

Another day went by. Then another. The sun was stronger than usual, cooking Zorua to the point of almost fainting. Longing immensely for a nice shot of cooling water, she wondered how much worse things could possibly get before her body finally caved in and died. She was unsure whether Seif had any water left, but knew he would never share it with her. Planning to steal it, she could never find the opportunity as she could never catch the brutish Sandslash sleeping. Gradually resigning herself to her fate, she took a shred of comfort in that she was able to reunite with her mother one last time.

Despite his familiarity with the desert, Seif was not doing much better. His once proud steps had become shorter, but at the same time more labored. Disoriented, his eyes had taken a lot of damage, every grain of sand another stab against the chink in his armor. His vision was beginning to fade, but no matter how blurry things got, the wounds covering Zorua were as clear as the sun.

Without warning, he suddenly stopped. Right in the middle of nowhere he quit walking, licking his lips once for good measure. Zorua's head perked up, wondering what was going on. Hope sprung up in her chest as she wondered if he could see the end of the desert from his slightly more elevated position.

"Kid... Bag..." Seif wheezed, his voice stale. Slightly crouching over, he placed Zorua and her mother on the hot sand and detached the bag from his back.

"A year since we met..." he continued before handing the bag over to Zorua and sitting down, "I got you a present..."

Her weariness melted away at the strange notion of getting a present at this time and place. Excited to see what it was, she rummaged through the bag and was surprised to find it contained only two items. The first was her bottle of water, now completely depleted with its content rapidly being replaced by sand. The second was Seif's larger bottle, the sight of which made her eyes go wide.

It was not empty. It was not half empty. It was filled to the brim with sweet, life-bringing water.

"That water... I saved it for you..." Seif muttered with a face devoid of expression. Thirsty beyond belief, Zorua removed the cap and drank a hefty gulp of water. Feeling rejuvenated, a thought suddenly hit her.

"Wait...?" Zorua whispered as she slowly looked up from the bottle, "But... Then... What have you been drinking?"

"Desert's my home... Don't need water..." Seif replied as his head subtly wobbled back and forth, "... Well... Not too much... Anyway..."

Blinking a few times to try and focus his vision, he noticed just how tired his body felt. With an inaudible grunt he laid down on the ground, resting his head against the warm sand. He looked at Zorua - She was obviously in shock, staring at him with eyes wide open.

"... Still a long way to go..." Seif explained hazily, "Can't let you ride for free all the way... It's time for you to walk on your own..."

"... No!" Zorua suddenly burst out as she realized what he meant, quickly rolling the bottle of water towards him, "Here, drink some of-"

But as soon as she came within arm's reach of the Sandslash, he lashed out and grabbed a hold of her neck. She choked with fear as his sharp claws cut slightly into her skin, immediately drawing blood.

"Wasting my precious gift... Just like that...?" Seif continued with the same emotionless tone and face as before, "I could easily snip your head off... And take that water for myself... So don't tempt me..."

A drop of blood crawled down his hand as he let go, Zorua falling back and gasping in terror. Carefully she edged forward and drew back the bottle, all while staring at the fallen Sandslash in disbelief.

"But... You wanted to live!" Zorua exclaimed in confusion, "Don't you want to meet your family?"

Seif closed his eyes to think for a moment, in order to properly formulate his motivation. Zorua misinterpreted his action, fearing he had just died like her mother and the human.

"... A piece of shit like me... Deserves no family..." Seif growled after a moment of silence, "The world... Needs less like me... And more... Like you..."

A strong wind blew past the two and caused Zorua to wince as sand came into her eyes. Rubbing them to try to get it out, Seif watched her every move with what little vision he had left.

"... You're just some stupid little girl..." he continued as his dreary eyes examined his sharp claws, "Men like me... Strong, burly men like me should be the ones to stand up for ourselves..."

The blood dripping down his wrist grabbed his attention as he watched it fall towards the sand, giving it a familiar sheen of red.

"But... But I didn't do anything!" Seif wailed and weakly clenched his fists together in anguish, "I just sat there... Did what I was told... Saw to the death of so many... So many..."

Zorua continued staring at him in surprise, completely speechless. She had never seen him like this before, her massive and powerful tormentor lying weak and defeated.

"Why...? A dumb, mangy, pathetic little girl like you..." he grumbled quietly, "... Why were you so much stronger than I was...?"

"Seif..." Zorua whispered to herself. Despite having been together for a year, their only interaction had been fighting. She hated him so for having beaten her and wanted him die, but at the same time felt bad seeing him in this pitiful state and wanted him to live. Overwhelmed by these conflicting emotions, she felt her throat turn even more parched than before as she choked up.

"... What a worthless life..." Seif muttered as he laid on his back and looked up at the sky, "But at least... I'm betting it on a better future. You've got dreams... Hope... Go out into the real world... Make a difference... Make sure a tragedy like this never happens again..."

"I-I will..." Zorua responded with a low tone and shaky voice while turning her head away. After what he had done, she did not want him to think she was in any way sorrowful of his passing. She would not give him the satisfaction of watching her shed any tears for his sake.

"Then get going..." Seif mumbled as he turned to his side, looking at the deceased Pokémon he had brought so far into the desert, "... Mommy stays here with me. You're too small to carry her."

A chill ran through Zorua as she looked at her mother, only slightly more dead in appearance compared to Seif. Indeed, she knew that if she was to make it out alive she would have to abandon her. For much too long she had been without her, and hardly a week after reuniting they would have to go separate ways again. The idea of moving ahead on her own frightened her. No matter what the world outside of the desert was like, she would be forced to face it alone. No mother. No father. No Seif.

"Damn it... Go already..." Seif groaned as he turned his head towards the heavens again, "I don't want to spend my last moments alive with a crying little girl..."

"I-I'm not crying! A-And I'm not a l-little girl!" Zorua suddenly burst out as she faced Seif, tears streaming down her chin, "J-Just w-watch! I w-won't waste the w-water on t-tears..."

Quickly placing the bottle of water inside the bag and picking it up with her mouth, she began steadily marching towards the setting sun. A few steps into her journey she stopped, remembering that she had forgotten to kiss her mother goodbye. No farewell hug, no memento to remember her by. Fearing her confidence would waver, she refused to turn around and continued walking. Before long, all that remained of her was a trace of footsteps and fallen tears.

Many hours passed. Seif repeatedly adjusted himself, unable to find a comfortable position to die in. In the end he simply crawled a bit further and found a miniature hill of sand to lean up against. He pretended that he was at his oasis like usual, sitting by his favorite tree and dreaming the day away. Dizzy from lack of water, delusions began to haunt him in his final moments, feeling and thinking things he had never experienced before. Yet throughout it all, he felt surprisingly peaceful. Looking at where he had left the dead Simipour, it seemed weird that he would soon be joining her. The way she laid there, unmoving and dried up filled him with the urge to say something.

"Sorry... I caught you and got you killed..." Seif wheezed almost inaudibly as he gazed at the skinned Water-type, "But... I just gave your daughter another chance at life... We even...?"

In the hazy turmoil that was his mind, he thought he could see the pelt smiling in return.

"Yeah... We even..." Seif whispered as he cracked a smile of his own. Lowering his head he fell into a deep sleep, slowly becoming one with the dunes of the desert.

The continued trek was unquestionably difficult for the young Zorua. The sand burned her paws and her bushy fur was definitively working in conjunction with hyperthermia against her survival. Many times she had envisioned roaming the desert after a successful escape and had sworn to never give up, but already one day into the journey she felt like she could drop at any second. There was plenty of water left, but her tiny body simply could not take any more.

Finally reaching the top of a particularly steep dune, there was something very colorful by the horizon. It was unlike anything she had ever seen before, but no matter how hard she looked her weary eyes refused to focus. Too tired to try and make sense out of things, she witnessed a couple of shapes heading towards her. In her addled state she was not sure of what was happening, but one of the shapes grabbed a hold of her before she could use any form of illusion to hide her presence. Far too exhausted to resist, she fell unconscious, a voice echoing somewhere around her.

"... Someone... Desert..." it said, "... Water... Unconscious..."

The shapes would bring her into a forest where her life began anew.

But forevermore, the trails of the desert would remain inside her.