Everything's Magic
A/N: I started working on this one at the same time as "Lightning Storm", it just took me longer to finish, because of the aformentioned story and because it was finals week at school. It was on my mind and I wanted to get it down before it disappeared. ~OC
_________________________________________________________________________
"From childhood's hour
I have not been
As others were -
I have not seen
As others saw."
-- "Alone", Edgar Allan Poe
"If you look hard enough, you will always find light."
-- Rachel Joy Scott
________________________________________________________________________
Darkness . . . swirling. Swirling all around. And falling . . . ever deeper into oblivion. Paws flailing, trying to grab onto something, but there was nothing. Nothing exept darkness. Terrified. Trying to scream, but no sound coming forth. Tumbling . . . tumbling . . .
>>>~*~<<<
I woke with a start, ragged breath tearing at my lungs. My head was pounding, and I felt like I had been hit with a boulder. I clenched my eyes and groaned, controlling my breathing until the pain faded a bit, then cautiously opened my eyes again.
I didn't recognize my surroundings. I was in a small cave, laying on a bed of soft dried grasses, covered by a woven blanket. A stone ceiling arched above me, worn almost completely smooth. The floor was the same. The walls had been chipped out to store food and small items. A small clay stove stood by the entrance, the chimeny piping the smoke outside.
Soft afternoon sunlight shone in through the entrance, and just looking at it set depression upon me, as it usually did. How could the sun possibly shine when someone felt like this? A solitary tear traced down my face. I reached up to wipe it away, but even the movement of my arm caused the pain to return full force.
So I lay their, eyes closed, listening the the slow whisper of the wind, waiting for it to fade. As it did, I heard pawsteps outside, heralding the approach of someone, most likely whoever lived here. I waited, and soon enough a male Espeon entered, carrying a small basket of berries, stooping slightly under the low entrance. He saw me looking, and said in a soft voice accompanied by an equally soft smile, "I was wondering when you were gonna wake up."
I tried to ask how I had gotten here, but all I could manage was a croak. My throat still hurt from my harsh breathing.
"Hold on." He said, setting the basket down against the far wall, before busying himself in the back of the cave.
He came back with a small clay cup full of water. I tried to sit up, but the sudden flash of pain forced me back down. You think I would have learned. The Espeon clucked his tounge. "Still not in any condition to move I see." He knelt down beside me, easing my head up with gentle paws and placing the cup to my lips, and I drank. The water was cold and sweet, smoothing my rough throat and pooling in my belly, providing a little relief to my physical pain. When I finished, I tried to speak again, and this time was able to manage something that was somewhat intelligable.
"How did I get here?"
The Espeon returned the cup to whence he had gotten it, saying, "I found you out in the forest yesterday, beaten up pretty badly. At first, I thought you were dead. But I saw you were still breathing, so I brought you back here. What happened anyway?"
I was silent for a moment, then said, "I don't remember to much, but I got mobbed by a Nidoking and some others. Everything else is a blank."
"Hmm. I think I know who you're talking about. They're just a bunch of bullies."
He returned and sat beside me. "I don't think I've seen you around here before. Where are you from?"
"Nowhere." I answered simply, turning my face away. The Espeon didn't push the subject.
"Have a name at least?"
I hesitated a moment, looking back at him. "Vincent."
"I'm Dante. Pleasure to meet you." he said with another soft smile. A Pokemon could fall in love with a smile like that.
We fell silent for a time. At last Dante spoke up.
"Think you could manage something to eat?"
As if in response, my stomach growled. I hadn't eaten well as of late.
Dante chuckled. It was a lovely sound, and if I hadn't been so depressed, I might have enjoyed it more.
"Just a minute."
He stood up, walking over to the shelves in the wall, and returned with a stone bowl with a few Sitrus berries and a small piece of what appeared to be smoked fish, along with more water.
I declined his offer to feed me. Fighting through the pain and stiffness, I ate. I hated fish, but ate it anyway, not complaining. When I finished, I had regained some margain of strength, and was able to move without wincing. Dante noticed this as he stored the berries he had come in with. "Feeling better now?"
"Yes."
"That's good."
A few hours went by. Dante talked a little about himself as he did small chores around the cave, filling the silence. He had inherited the cave from his parents, who had passed away a few years ago, and was on good terms with the small amount of other Pokemon that lived in the area. As time passed, I opened up slightly, and spoke some about myself.
"I don't really come from nowhere. I used to live out to the west, by the coast."
"Did you like it there?"
"Yes."
"Then why'd you leave?"
I shrugged. "Had to."
"Did something happen?"
"The Pokemon there weren't exactly friendly." In truth, I had been run out.
Dante said nothing.
"But I've been wandering ever since."
"Where have you been since then?"
Another shrug. "To the mountains in the North, forests to the South."
"Do you like traveling?" He asked.
"It's fine . . . Just lonely."
"Ah."
By then, the afternoon had given way to twilight, and the previously warm air wafting into the cave had become slightly chilled. Dante began building a fire in the small stove with a small stack of wood just outside. Soon enough the cave was filled with warmth and light. He then came over and sat against the wall next to me. All of the sudden, I was struck by Dante's physical appearence.
He had a slim body, almost feminine. His fur was darker shade of pink than other Espeons that I had encountered during my wanderings. His eyes were a vivid sapphire color, like a summer sky. The red jewel on his forehead seemed to shine with its own light.
I reflected on my own appearence. I am a Mightyena. My own fur was colored in bold black from the back of my head down to the tip of my tail, as were my paws and footpaws. The rest of my body was a dark grey. I was rather muscular, and I needed to be to protect myself while on the road. I may have been considered good-looking if my fur wasn't so scruffy and matted. My pads were worn and rough from years of hard travel, and my claws were broken and splintered. I looked rather like a vagabond, which wasn't to far off the mark.
I thought back to when I lived back on the Western coast, with my parents. Life had been better back then. I had actually been happy. But then, something happened and I had been run out of my own home. When I was younger, I discovered that I had an attraction to other males. Somehow, this was found out by some of the neigboring families. Nobody would even speak to me. Even my own parents wouldn't acknowledge me. I stuck around for a while, though I have no idea why at this point, and eventually they decided that they didn't want to have someone who lusted after other males under their roof, so they ran me out. No matter where I went afterward, nobody seemed to want anything to do with me. I began to hate myself for what I was, so I suppressed that part of me, pushing it down into the darkness.
No wonder I was depressed.
"Is something wrong?"
"What?" I said rather stupidly.
"You looked like you were about to break down and start crying." said Dante.
"Oh . . . It's nothing." I said quietly.
Dante said nothing, but was staring at me with gentle intensity. I couldn't return his gaze, and after a while, he looked away.
We fell into silence listening to the sounds of the night outside and the soft crackling of the fire, then Dante spoke again.
"I know we haven't known eachother for more than a few hours, and I'm not saying you have to tell me anything, but if you want to talk about something, I'll listen."
This time, I looked up at him, and saw the sincerity in his eyes, and I came very close to telling him everything, but I didn't, not then. This was the one Pokemon I had met in almost three years that was willing to even talk to me, and I didn't want to drive him off as well by telling him any more about myself. Instead, I nodded, not trusting my voice. He had been right, I was very close to crying.
He nodded in return, then yawned. "It's getting late." He said simply.
I agreed, then realized that I had been sleeping in his bed. I mentioned this, but he waved it away.
"Don't worry about it. You still need it more than I do."
He was right on that point. What strength I had gained from eating earlier was fading, and I was still stiff and sore. I muttered my thanks, and he smiled, getting up, and walking back to the cave again, returning with a blanket similar to the one on the bed. He took it over near the stove, where he lay down after feeding a few more sticks to it, and covered himself. I settled myself down on the bed. Dante muttered a goodnight, and I did the same. I started to mull all that had happened today over in my mind, but my still-weak body would have none of it, and I soon fell into an exhausted sleep.
>>>~*~<<<
I dreamed again that night, the same as the last one. I was falling deeper and deeper into darkness, feeling nothing except sheer terror. This time, I had the feeling that something was waiting for me even deeper down in the dark. Again, I tried to voice my fear, and again there was no sound issuing from my throat. A feeling of hoplessness washed over me, and I knew there was nothing I or anyone else could do to save me from what was waiting.
Then . . . I saw a light. A brilliant light that dispelled the darkness, blinding me. The sense of falling dissapated, and I was standing on something that I could not see. The terror left me, and I suddenly felt safe, and at home. Something good resided in this realm of light. I looked around, trying to see what it was that I felt. There, in the distance, I saw a figure. I began running toward it. I thought I heard a voice, calling my name, and I almost cryed out, this time in joy. The voice was that of someone who actually loved me, of whoever was standing there, waiting for me. A I drew closer, the figure began to resolve itself. I could see arms stretched out in offer of embrace, and their face, I could almost see who they were . . . They looked so familiar . . .
>>>~*~<<<
I woke then, and sun was streaming in through the cave door. For the first time since I had started my wandering, the darkness and pain that had plagued my soul had lifted somewhat. It was still there, deep in the bottom of my heart, but it wasn't as enveloping as it used to be.
Even my wounded body felt better. The pain had run out of my bones and muscles, leaving me feeling like I could climb mountains.
I looked around for Dante, and he was over busying himself over by the stove. I was hit by the smell of something sweet cooking. He heard my movement and looked over at me.
"You're awake."
"Yes, I am"
Dante smiled, and seeing it lifted my heart a bit more, and I returned it.
"Feeling better this morning?" He asked.
"Much better."
"That's good. Think you could manage something to eat?"
"Yes."
"Even better. I'm almost done."
A few minutes went by, and I stood up, stretching out my arms, wincing at the popping of my joints only as a reflex. I was amazed. I felt no pain at all. Dante finished what he was doing at the stove, and moved away, gingerly pulling a stone plate out from underneath it with a thick waded piece of cloth. The sweet smell intensified, and my mouth began to water. I saw that he had been baking bread studded with berry peices.
Dante quickly divided the bread between two plates, and we took them outside where we sat on the grass, relishing the warm sun on our fur as we ate. The bread was fantastic. It had absorbed the sweetness from the chunks of Mago berry that he had put in it, and I had to restrain myself from bolting it down too quickly, and enjoy it more. When it was gone, I lay down on the grass, a satisfied smile on my lips. Everything seemed better today.
When Dante finished, he took the plates inside and returned with the basket he had come in with yesterday.
"Want to come help me with chores?"
"Sure." I had to repay him for his kindness somehow.
So we walked aways to the south, where a grove of berry trees stood.
We spent perhaps a half hour harvesting the variety of berries that grew there. I recognized most of them, having seen and dined on them in the areas I had visited before.
We were interrupted, whowever, when a gruff voice behind us said, "Well, well, look who we have here."
I looked around and saw the group that had beat me down the other day.
The Nidoking appeared to be their leader, standing a little ahead of the rest, huge arms crossed over his thickly muscled chest, and a smirk plastered on his face.
Behind him stood a Charmeleon and a Gengar, all of them looking as menacing as they could.
I tensed, preparing for a fight. They had taken me by surprise the first time, but out in the open, I felt a little more confident. For the time being, they ignored me, and instead, the Nidoking addressed Dante.
"Hey Dante, what the hell are you doing hanging around with this fag?"
Dante ignored the question. "What do you want Darios?"
"Well, seeing as this queer is still alive, we were thinking of going another round with him."
I glanced over at Dante, and saw that he was relaxed, standing casually with the basket propped on his hip. He sighed. "You know as well as I do that I'm not going to stand by and let you do that." I returned my gaze to the newcomers.
The Gengar cackled. "You think the two of you could take us on?" He said in a
high-pitched voice that made me shiver.
"Feel like finding out?" he replied, setting the basket down by a nearby tree.
The group visably tensed, and I realized that they were actually scared of Dante. Not much, but a little.
Darios took an agressive stance. The other two followed suit. "Last chance Dante. Step aside or you go down, too."
One moment, Dante was standing beside me, the next, he was in the air, planting both footpaws squarely in the Nidoking's face. The kick sent Darios stumbling backward, tripping over the Gengar. The next few minutes went by in a blur, but I remember most of it.
The Charmeleon lept in, aiming claws at Dante, and I was there, driving a fist into the side of his face. Then The Nidoking was smashing a Focus Punch into my stomach. The wind was driven from my lungs. I fell to my knees, clutching my gut, Darios towering over me.
A Shadow Ball from Dante knocked him aside. I was up on my feet again, and saw Dante fighting two on one with the Charmeleon and the Gengar, and doing well. I didn't stand to watch, instead whipping around to face Darios. He threw a punch at me, but I dodged it and jumped up, catching him in the chin with my knee. His head flew up, and when I landed, I spun, kicking him in the side. He wasn't hurt, but the momentum of the blow knocked him to the side, and I punched him, driving him into a tree. He hit his head rather hard, and fell unconcious. I turned to see Dante and the Charmeleon still fighting. The Gengar lay motionless on the ground. As I watched, Dante hit the Charmeleon with a Shadow Ball, and while he was stunned, Dante felled him with a blast of Psychic.
Just like that, it was over. I was still a little winded from the blow to my stomach, but otherwise I was fine, as was Dante.
We checked the other group. All three of them were rather bruised and battered, but breathing, just unconcious. Dante picked up the basket and, without saying a word, we walked back to the cave.
When we got there, Dante set about storing our harvest. To break the silence, I said, "Do you think they'll come back?"
"Doubt it." replied Dante. "They should have known better than to pick a fight, that just served as a reminder. They won't try it again. Thanks for backing me up, by the way."
I waved it off. "It wasn't a problem."
Dante seemed preoccupied about something, and I waited to see if he would voice his thoughts.
After a while, he did. "Something Darios said bugs me."
"What?"
"What he called you. I know those three well enough to know that they wouldn't call somebody something like that without reason."
I froze. I knew what he was talking about.
"So I have to ask, are you?"
I said nothing, but instead, walked out of the cave. When Dante called my name, I started to run.
>>>~*~<<<
I went north, into the forest, and didn't stop running until I started to gasp for air and a deep stitch pierced my side. I sat down against the trunk of a tree. Tears were running down the sides of my muzzle. It had happened again. Someone had found out what I was, and I had run away.
I sat there for about an hour until I got my wind back. I was about to start off again, wiping the tears from my face when I heard a distant voice calling out my name. It was Dante.
I was amazed that he had followed me, and I couldn't imagine why. I was for some reason compelled to find out. I followed his voice to a small clearing. He stood at the center, in a patch of sunlight, shouting my name.
My mind told me that I should just run, and continue to run, never looking back at the one Pokemon that had actually cared about my well being, if only for a little while.
I had to force myself to call out to him.
He whipped around to look at me and our eyes locked. His eyes blazed with and intensity I hadn't seen before. He crossed to me, and to my utter amazement, threw his arms around me in an embrace.
"Thank the gods you're alright." He sounded close to tears. He then held me at arms length and said "Why the hell did you run?"
I said nothing, only looked at him in disbelief.
He asked again, and this time it snapped me out of my daze. In it's place came a deep weariness. I slumped to the ground, and Dante sat across from me. with my head down and eyes closed, I told him my whole story. You already know it, so I won't repeat it.
When I finished, I stayed in the same position, waiting for Dante to say something.
A few minutes passed before he did.
"Oh Vincent . . ." I could tell he was crying now, I heard it in his voice. I looked up at him.
Whatever I had expected at that moment, it wasn't the kiss that he gave me then. The weariness departed and was replaced by a swirling of emotions that I couldn't even begin to sort out. It was a chaste kiss, just his soft lips pressed gently against mine, but it was better than anything I had ever felt. This was what it felt like to be loved.
It was over to soon, however, when Dante pulled away. I was about to say something, but he cut me off.
"Vincent, will you come home with me?"
Home. I liked the sound of that, but what I knew he was truly asking me was even better. I couldn't do anything but accept.
Dante smiled and took my paw, helping me up, and together we walked home.
>>>~*~<<<
It was early afternoon when we got back, but we didn't go directly to the cave, but walked down to the stream nearby. I asked him what we were doing here.
"I was thinking we should get you cleaned up. You look like it's been a while." It wasn't said as an offence, and I didn't take it as one. After all, it was true. He lead me into the water and made me sit down, where he began scrubbing the dirt and sweat from my fur.
We both enjoyed the close contact with eachother, but I couldn't help but blush. I wasn't exactly used to being this vulnerable around anyone. Dante noticed this and whispered soft things in my ear. I calmed down somewhat.
Soon enough, he finished, and together we retreated to the bank to dry out. Dante took my paw, and I smiled at him. He returned it, kissing my cheek. I felt clean and light now, not just physically, but in my soul as well. The darkness and self-hate had been purged by Dante's kindness. The feeling reminded me of the dream I'd had last night. How could I possibly repay him for what he had done for me? I asked him this.
"I don't want anything in return except you." he replied.
It was my turn to kiss him. "I think I can do that."
>>>~*~<<<
That evening found us back in the cave, on the bed and holding eachother. Dante was slowly tracing his fingers over my chest. We were staring deep into eachothers eyes. After a time, I felt Dante's erection pressing against my thigh. His eyes spoke the silent question, and I nodded. Once again, he pressed his lips to mine, and I responded in kind. His tounge gently caressed my lips and I let him in. He maneuvered me so that I was laying on my back, with him over me, running gentle paws over my body, making me moan softly into our kiss. All this was new to me, as I had never been with another male, or anybody for that matter, but Dante's touch was reassuring. I knew he would be gentle.
He raised by hindquarters up, so that my legs were around his waist. My cock stood straight up throbbing with the beat of my heart, a small bead of precum glistening at the tip. He positioned himself at my tailhole, and asked me if I was ready. I told him I was.
With that, he slowly entered me. His girth stretched me, and sudden pain flared up, causing me to whimper. Dante paused, leaning down, placing his muzzle next to my ear, whispering to me that it was okay, that everything was going to be okay.
We waited until the pain faded, then Dante continued, pushing himself until he was fully hilted inside me. He stopped again, asking me if I was okay, and I told him I was. The pain was gone now, replaced by a strangely satisfying fullness, but when Dante began to move again, first pulling, then pushing himself back in, my mind exploded in pleasure, great bursts going off inside my skull. The world around us seemed to dissolve, leaving just us.
With my eyes closed, I was aware of our breathing, deep, slow breathes in time with his thrusts. I could hear the thudding of my heart against my ribs. I could smell Dante, his scent mixing with our musk in my nostrils. Starburts were exploding behind my clenched eyes, leaving streaks of color against the insides of my eyelids. I could feel the meshing of our fur as he continued his motions, his cock pressing firmly against my insides, sending bursts of pleasure up and down my spine, building up to a single mindblowing point.
It happened sooner than I had expected, my mind was wiped blank by an explosion of whiteness and with a cry I came, sending jets of hot semen with such force that they hit the bottom of my chin. At the same moment, Dante reached his own peak, and I felt a burning warmth spreading in my belly, and I felt like I had been set afire with the pure pleasure. He slumped over me, getting rather sticky in the process. My mind returned to a hazy sort of awarness, and I wrapped weak arms around him, holding him close.
For a while, we stayed like that, in smoldering afterglow. Dante's penis softened and slip out of me with a trickle of his fluids.
Thank you, Dante. Thank you for everything.