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Spring: Year of the Shaken Earth

Ephraim started to come round slowly, shifting and twisting under the covers piled atop him. Trapped in a nightmare, the previous night unfolding again in his mind; darkness, cold rain, the rumble of thunder and the beast, looming without warning over their campsite and launching an attack of flame and claws and mind.

With a start he woke, hands clinging to the comforter piled atop him, for a moment all he could do was stare at the ceiling. The sound of water washing up and down against a stony shore reached his ears from the other side of the open window. He was safe, he couldn't remember anything after the Jolteon in the woods when he'd transformed and collapsed. He must have done something wrong for it to hurt so much, it never hurt when Mother did it.

Slowly he sat up in the bed, clutching the blankets against his neck as he realized he was naked beneath them. His head was still ringing and his mouth was dry. But he appeared to be in a nice, clean, tidy bedroom, the furniture was serviceable but there were no ornaments or items on display on the dresser, so a guest room of some kind.

Pretty drapes hung on either side of the window and a lacy white net drifted in the wind, keeping bugs and dirt from blowing in from outside. With a sigh, he looked around to either side, a glass and pitcher full of water sat on the bedside table so he helped himself to a drink.

It was whilst he was drinking that the door opened and a figure walked in who made his jaw drop. It was an espeon, his fur a soft shade purple, with large pointed ears pricked up when he saw Ephraim awake in bed.

With a smile, he moved to sit on the edge of the bed and looked into the 'eevee's' blue eyes. "So you are awake little one, welcome back. You've been out of it for an entire day."

Not sure, what to say Ephraim fiddled with the glass then put it down gingerly, "Thank you... where am I?"

The espeon smiled then, his split tail dancing back and forth and Ephraim's eyes grew wide as he heard that voice echoing in his head:

You are in Vasil-Tor, the Village of the Eevee Kindred. Every type of Eevee Evolution lives here, all of us banding together to protect each other from the predators of the world.

The smile was warm the voice in his head firm and kindly, whilst Ephraim floundered for something to say in return they continued speaking. I am Jarven, I lead here, you however are not Eevee kind are you? I could feel it when I was checking you over for injuries. You are something else, something with the power to hide yourself so completely. But your mind... your power, it is untrained but it is vast. Who are you?

Opening his mouth, Ephraim just starred, trying not to break down into tears. It was not meant to be like this, mother had told him to hide and here he was, less than a day out on his own and already his secret was out. Carefully he opened his mind, joined in conversation with Jarven and shared. It was now the espeon's turn to go wide-eyed and almost fall off the bed. The image Ephraim had sent, the blue pokémon, with the pink hair and the distinctive tail, it was legend, it was myth, and it was sitting in his spare bed.

I am Ephraim. I need a place to hide.

Slowly he related the tale of how he and his mother had been fleeing from place to place. How they had been hunted and then last night, the attack and his mother's death. He broke down at that bit, hands in his paws, sobbing, shaking. Jarven held him, letting the young pokémon cry, soothing him gently with his mind. Clinging to the older psychic, he stared up. Please... please I need somewhere to hide. I... don't want to bring danger to your village. Mother... mother told me to use this form. She must have known the village was here. Please...

Jarven leaned back, looking into the young man's eyes, considering, then he stood up. "I will offer you sanctuary Ephraim. I'm not about to abandon you to the world, not with, whatever this beast is that is stalking you." He frowned, staring out of the window at the lake; the cottage was only a stone's throw from the shore. "We will keep what you really are between us for now. You are an eevee, your mother was killed in an attack on the mountain and you made it as far as the village before collapsing in pain."

Ephraim nodded his head, "Thank you." He whispered, "What... what do you want from me, In return for your kindness?"

"What I want? I want to learn more about you and your family. You will stay with me, under my care. You may be old enough to be an adult, but even I can tell your power is untrained. I will do what I can to help you, but in the end you yourself will have to walk the final paths."

The eevee in the bed nodded, touching his forehead, "Mother... left me memories, I need to learn how to work with the knowledge she has given me. I shall try to be a good student and to learn, thank you Jarven... thank you."

Jarven didn't move from the window, still staring at the lake, watching a pair of vaporeon returning from fishing. When he did turn back, it was to look the young man in the bed up and down. "We need to hide your mind. Eevee are not meant to have psychic powers, I am the only espeon in the village, but even so... something could well detect you." He stroked his chin, frowning at the creature, it was not possible, there had to be some mistake, a delusion. The body was eevee kind all the way, but that mind, it was not the mind of any eevee and yet... there had been only truth in that sending. There was a mew in his village, a greater blessing could not have fallen upon them, the protection he would offer once he controlled his power would be un-paralleled.

Opening a draw Jarven removed a pair of armbands and a circlet, carved from everstone and set with Amber. He carefully clipped the bands around Ephraim's upper arm and held out the circlet, "Wear this, we'll keep your real circlet hidden. Someone might recognize it from the legends. The Mew are well known in story after all for always wearing an amber band. This is everstone, it is worn by eevee about your age who do not want to evolve yet, some never do and others take years to decide which form they wish to assume."

Carefully he lowered the circle around Ephraim's ears and settled it into place, "With the armbands it will help suppress your powers, hide them. You'll have to take them back off to use them but I think it is for the best, at least for now. Perhaps in time when you have more control and if you decide to stay, you can assume the form of an espeon and use your powers more freely. In time, if these enemies of yours do not show up. You could even re-assume your true form."

Ephraim touched the circlet and shuddered, he could feel the power in the stone. It was like an invisible wall around his mind, his power was there but he could not manifest it. "If you think that is best Jarven." He looked up at the older tall standing pokémon, staring into those dark eyes, lost in them for a moment. He sensed a deep well of kindness, bordered by compassion and at the heart of it all an iron hard will.

"Thank you, for offering me this chance to rest, to learn," he lay back on the pillows, closing his eyes, shivering. "I don't think I can do it on my own." Jarven laid a hand on his shoulder and watched as the young pokémon fell asleep. He really was a mystery, at least now he would have a chance to study him, help him and if necessary do what needed to be done to protect the village. Turning the lilac furred creature walked back out of the bedroom, leaving the exhausted child to sleep.