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Post by Atticus on May 22, 2017 16:24:20 GMT -5
Winter was at odds of what to do.
She had always been frustrated by Ryu's commitment to living on his own, even if she respected it. He was solitary by nature, brought up and reared to be that way, so set in his ways that weeks of trying to convince him had budged nothing of his judgement.
However, now he was in a difficult predicament, and that predicament fell on Win's shoulders. His foreleg was heavily wounded, to the point he could just barely hobble a meter before collapsing, his ability to do so worsening with each try. The Umbreon insisted that he could treat himself through unconvincing gasps of pain, but an injured Pokémon scrounging about the forest for flowers and berries was a death sentence, and no secret to either of them. His wounds would get infected, and the already battered-up Umbreon would have to learn to function with only three legs. For a fox who so heavily relied on his nimble-footedness, Winter suspected such a hindrance would destroy whatever self-image Ryu had left of himself. He definitely wouldn't be fit to live on his own.
Then she knew. It was time for them to bite the bullet.
And so, Winter covered his den with foliage and his bloodied leg with leaves, and rushed back to the ranch, her milky blue eyes seeking her brothers like a missile. Ryu's leg needed the touch of a human, should he want to keep it. "Chance, Austin!" Winter yipped upon spotting them, urgent enough to tempt attention but quiet enough as to not attract too much of it. "I need your help," she breathed, coming to a halt in front of them. "We don't have much time!" Pleading eyes bouncing between the two 'eons, she spun on her foot and darted again through the white picket fence.
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Post by subtleAssiduities on May 22, 2017 16:35:12 GMT -5
The two eons along the side of the barn, Austin lazing about in the shade while Chance soaked up the sunlight. Their little sister's cry made them both scramble to attention. Tail twitching, Chance jumped up and followed her. He didn't think much about it; years as Tunes' training partner had gotten him used to taking orders without question and figuring out exactly what they were good for later. And he trusted Win enough to believe that she wasn't leading them into complete disaster. Austin was less reflexive about such things; perturbed by being led out of the shade, he picked himself up and galloped after them, barking questions. "What happened? Where are we going?"
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Post by Atticus on May 22, 2017 16:55:30 GMT -5
Win's jaw clenched, wishing that she could erase her brother's questions from her ears. In truth, she was scared to explain, or rather, scared of what her mother and father would think once word traveled back to them. But there was no use keeping Austin in the dark - not completely, anyway. It wasn't like explaining the gist of it was going to rouse any more suspicion than bringing a strange and wounded Pokémon right back to their beloved trainers.
"There's a Pokémon that's been badly injured." Her eyes trained on the path ahead of them, she added quietly, "My friend."
Paws thudding against the soft undergrowth, the three Eeveelutions headed deep into the woods. However the density of the trees, it did not take long for Win to locate Ryu's hidden den - too seamlessly, even, for her to convince the two 'eons traveling with her that this was not a routine of hers.
The Sylveon parted the leafy entrance with her feelers, approaching the Umbreon with purpose. Ryu was sprawled flat on his side, the blood of his injuries seeping through his makeshift bandage. Chest rising and falling rapidly, Win thought he looked so unlike the Ryu she was accustomed to. He was quiet and polite, but very solemn and not quick to show weakness. She could tell even now from his bleeding lips that he had been gritting his teeth in her absence, trying to suppress his pain even when no one was around.
His lavender glow was like that of a fading lightbulb, and Win looked to her brothers desperately. "We have to bring him to Ellie and Note," she said with authority, although her voice was starting to quiver. "I can't take care of his wounds on my own, a-and I know Note and Ellie helped mom when she got shot. Please."
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Post by subtleAssiduities on May 22, 2017 17:13:44 GMT -5
Chance and Austin's line of thinking lined up pretty quickly once they were in the woods, although they expressed it differently. Winter was doing something she shouldn't be doing; getting involved with feral Pokémon who their parents would approve of, and letting her compassion lead her into other Pokémon's business. All Austin could work up was concern: their experiences showed that Winter didn't have bad taste in friends, even the feral kind. But that wouldn't stop Mom and Dad from being pissed. Whatever she was getting them into, he hoped that it was something they could wash their paws of before they returned to the ranch.
Chance was simply irritated. He always got the impression that out of everyone, she could get away with the most, and she certainly took advantage of that. Now whatever this was leading to would reflect badly on them, if they took it home with them. Couldn't she have normal, domestic friends?
Both boys were dismayed at the sight she presented to them. The Umbreon was not only strange-looking, but definitely, badly hurt. Winter was absolutely right; he would not likely make it without some human help. But he looked absolutely wild. Who said he'd even accept their help?
"Winter, who is this guy?" Austin asked as Chance crept forward to investigate. With his psychic abilities charged by the sun, the Espeon's empathy was extremely high. He could pick up on the restraint and pain the stranger was giving off without even being near him, but that didn't tell him whether or not he was safe to be around. He examined the cut, hoping in the meantime he'd pick up a little more on his demeanor. In the meantime, Austin could keep Winter talking.
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Post by Atticus on May 22, 2017 17:23:57 GMT -5
"L-Look, I know I'm not supposed to..." she trailed off frantically, biting her lip. Taking a deep breath and attempting to regain any kind of composure, she decided to drop some information, hopefully in her favour. "His name is Ryu. He's from Mahogany Town an-and he used to live with trainers and a family but he, he... can't anymore so he's here and he needs help." She cast a glance at the Umbreon, whose dark eyes met hers. She didn't feel it within her right to give them his whole story, which he had only told her months of friendship. However, Austin and Chance needed to trust him. And her.
"He's not a feral Pokémon, not by nature. I've known him since I was a cub, and I know he's a good Pokémon," the Sylveon insisted hopefully. "He won't hurt anyone."
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Post by subtleAssiduities on May 22, 2017 17:33:48 GMT -5
Austin's ears drooped. He was touched by his sister's caring, but... since she was a cub? How many other naughty things had she been doing behind their back? "Geez, Win..."
Still, the story was genuine. If they didn't trust him, they still trusted her. "Austin, you and Winter get him back to the ranch," Chance said, backing up. "I'll run ahead and get the humans."
The Umbreon nodded and took Chance's place beside the stranger. "Sorry about this," he murmured, nosing his way under his chest. With a heave, he had him splayed across his back. It wasn't a dignified position, but it was the easiest way Austin could think of to get them moving. Thank Arceus he had his mother's broad shoulders. The lithe stranger fit along his back with ease. "Go," he told his sister. He didn't want to try any maneuvers he didn't have to, so letting her out first was the easiest way to go about this. After all, she seemed to know her way pretty well....
Meanwhile, Chance made it back to the ranch in record time. He made his around the house to the window that overlooked the family room. There he stood on his hind legs and tapped on the glass. From past experience, he knew that someone was bound to notice him.
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Post by Atticus on May 22, 2017 18:03:29 GMT -5
Ryu grunted as he was hoisted up onto Austin's back. Innate gratefulness for the Eeveelutions swelled in his chest, despite every bone in his body protesting his impending arrival to the ranch Winter spoke so fondly of. But it was exposure, and his whole life he had trained to go unseen. "No..." he gasped as the furry Umbreon apologised, his tongue lolling from the side of his mouth, "thank you..." And his consciousness slipped away.
Winter backed out of the den to allow her burly brother some wiggle room, watching as Chance's pronged tail disappeared from sight. She danced anxiously on her petite, pink paws, and as soon as her brother emerged from the den with Ryu draped over his back, she began a hasty trot up the trodden path back to the ranch.
***
Eliza was jostled from the wild universe of her reading by the sound of purposeful tapping. Looking up, she saw the lavender paw of her aunt's Espeon, Chance, and hustled over to the door excitedly.
"Hey!" she greeted the fox, swinging the door open. Not thinking anything of it, she returned to the couch to resume reading her book.
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Post by subtleAssiduities on May 22, 2017 18:36:36 GMT -5
"Kitty!" Chelle chirped, picking herself up from her spot in front of a pile of puzzle pieces. She cut Chance off in the doorway of the room and wrapped her arms around his neck. The ever-patient Espeon let her do her coddling, ears pinned back, as he looked around the room for someone he could better address. When he sensed Ellie in the next room over, he started there, leaving Chell dangling from his neck. Before he was out of the room, the little girl plopped onto her butt on the floor. Nonplussed, she followed him, this time content to watch.
Chance found Ellie in her office. He nosed her leg, and when he had her attention he backed up, bobbing his head in a beckoning gesture.
"Who'd you just let in?" Note called, coming down the stairs. He poked his head into the family room, but seeing no one inside, he turned his gaze to Eliza. Chelle could open the doors just fine, but usually she was letting herself out, not letting anything in.
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Post by Atticus on May 22, 2017 18:44:27 GMT -5
"Chance," Eliza replied to her father without looking up from her book, rolling onto her back with her feet in air. Head rested on the armrest and legs settling into a knees-up position, she lifted a hand and pointed towards her mother's office. "He went to go see Mom."
In the other room, Ellie's attention on some (boring) mandatory official Gym Leader papers was jostled when she felt a cold wet nose touch her leg. Straightening herself on her chair, and relaxing her shoulders, she turned her body to face the Espeon curiously. She was relieved for the distraction.
"What's up, Chance?" she mused, getting to her feet and grabbing the jacket from the back of her chair when the Espeon beckoned for her to follow.
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Post by subtleAssiduities on May 22, 2017 18:55:38 GMT -5
His tail went up like a flag, and he turned around and trotted out of the room. Chelle once again made a grab for him; this time she caught his tail, but it slipped out of her grip and didn't interrupt his stride. One again she trailed him as he made his way out the door.
Note watched him with a cocked brow. "What is he up to?" he asked his wife. It was pretty clear that Chance was leading her somewhere. But that was an odd behavior for him. He was genuinely pretty inconspicuous, tending to keep attention off himself when he could help it. Whatever it was he wanted to show Ellie, it must be interesting.
He scooped Chelle up and opened the door for him. She had been coming up and down the large patio stairs since she could crawl, but that didn't make it any easier for him to watch her try to maneuver them. The toddler protested with a peep and a lot of squirming, which was easy enough to ignore.
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Post by Atticus on May 22, 2017 19:09:21 GMT -5
"I'm not sure," Ellie admitted, slipping on her cardigan, and casting a muddled look at her husband. "I hope it's good news."
Eliza's full attention was finally amassed. The ten year old girl sat upright, folding the page of her book and setting it onto the couch next to her. Springing to her feet, she followed her mother out the door, slipping past her father as he lifted Chelle into the air.
"Stay here with the girls? If it's something dangerous, then- Eliza!" The woman stopped mid sentence, grabbing the little blonde child as she too tried to follow the lavender fox. "Please stay here with your dad and sister. If it's something cool, I'll come and get you, okay?"
Eliza jutted out her lower lip, but didn't struggle as her mother released her arms. "Okay."
"Thank you, doll." Eleanor kissed the girl's forehead before touching the Pokeballs on her belt reassuringly. Whirling around, she made her way back to the Espeon's heels.
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Post by subtleAssiduities on May 22, 2017 20:23:49 GMT -5
Chance waited patiently for her to rejoin him before trotting onto the ranch. His relief at the children being corralled back into the house was great; this wasn't something he wanted them chattering about, especially with how skittish he suspected this stranger must be. He kept his pace relatively slow, giving Austin and Winter a chance to get there.
When he stopped, they were making their way towards the fountain. Austin, trying to keep his gait smooth for his injured passenger, was taking his time. Upon seeing Ellie, his tail gave a habitual wiggle, despite the circumstances. It wasn't intentional, and he felt silly for doing it; he certainly didn't want it to undermine the seriousness of their mission. He turned the Umbreon's injured side toward her, making it perfectly clear why her attention was warranted.
With Chelle in one arm, and Eliza at his waist, Note craned his neck to see what was going on. Their stroll around the fountain left them in a blind spot, and he pouted, despite himself. The kids might need to be protected from whatever was going on, but he was curious as hell.
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Post by Atticus on May 22, 2017 22:55:58 GMT -5
Ellie followed the Espeon towards the fountain, not quite sure what she should be anticipating. If it was anything good, like she was hoping, Chance wasn't very good at showing it.
Whatever it was she thought it might be, it was certainly not this.
Rounding the bend, Eleanor noticed Winter and Austin headed toward her, the youngest looking both anxious and determined. The pink-and-white Eeveelution kept glancing over her shoulder and side-stepping as if she was being hunted by something. Instead, in her wake was Austin, looking somewhat pleased to see her with what looked like a corpse draped over his back.
Eleanor gasped, but was quick to jump into action. In her lifetime, an injured Umbreon was not the strangest thing to be brought to her, and so was not worth gawking over, however unexpected. She did notice that the Umbreon himself was incredibly peculiar. He was not the pitch black of a typical Umbreon, and his rings were an unusual lavender shade. In what seemed to be from an unrelated event, one of his ears was massively torn, his eye and neck were scarred, and bandages adorned all legs but his injured one, which she could guess were perhaps lost in whatever scuffle caused such wounds.
"Good boy, Austin," she breathed, ruffling the Umbreon's head and she gently scooped the other Pokémon up off of his back.
"Eli, call Dr. Pretz!"
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Post by subtleAssiduities on May 22, 2017 23:18:23 GMT -5
Austin beamed at the compliment, but he was not to be distracted. He stuck close to his sister, who he assumed would be sticking close to Ryu. His curiosity had gotten the best of him, but he justified it with a sense of duty; he had to make sure that everyone was safe, after all. Chance fell in line beside him, his long tail swishing behind him. He seemed contemplative, if not a little distracted, but he clearly intended to stay present for as long as the humans allowed it as well.
A frown pulled at Note's lips. Putting his curiosity aside, he led the girls inside, set them in the family room, and dialed the vet. As the phone rang he walked to the doorway, prepared to stay out of Ellie's way or aid her should she need him.
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Post by Atticus on May 22, 2017 23:33:10 GMT -5
Holding the strange Umbreon firmly in her arms, Ellie cast a glance over her shoulder at her husband and daughters as they retreated indoors. She would have really liked to bring the Pokémon inside and lay him somewhere clean and comfortable, but she was not keen on letting her young children catch a glimpse of this Pokémon in his bloodied state. Instead, she caught sight of the barn in her peripheral vision and decided it was the next best thing.
"Chance, can you get a towel from the house for me?" she asked, looking back at the Espeon and immediately feeling touched noticing the three Eeveelutions were in line with each other. "Austin, please wait with Note to get off the phone, and bring him to the barn when you're able. Win, come with me."
The Sylveon nodded, and accompanied her trainer towards the barn.
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