Pokemon Fan Fiction / Pokemon Fan Fiction ❯ Charon's Pursuit ❯ In The Cave ( Chapter 2 )

Author’s note: And here is chapter 2. Be sure to let me know how I am doing…I am a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to writing (although a bit defensive) and would appreciate the constructive criticism.

The darkness of night fell upon the region. As the nocturnal creatures of the forest awakened and embarked on their routines, Charon sought shelter in an inconspicuous cave southeast from the lake. Judging by the size of the cave, the raichu worried that it may already be occupied by Ursaring, a species of bear that tended to be quite hostile towards trespassers. However, no one appeared to be inside, thus Charon made himself at home.

It was quite dark inside the cave, and the touch of the rock walls chilled the raichu’s flesh. There was a time when he’d worked endlessly to try to make a fire…but now, Charon cared nothing about it. None of the other animals knew how to start a fire; why should he be any better off? It was a comfort from times past that he believed he did not deserve.

Charon desired to fall asleep in the pitch-black of the cave; but it eluded him skillfully, for a slight, icy breeze churned in the cave whilst the noises of the nocturnal creatures seemed to grow into an even louder din than usual. He tossed and turned in futility for quite a few minutes before giving up completely.

Charon sighed, laying on his back, as he looked up into the ceiling. “I’ve never been much of a sleeper since I got here,” he muttered to himself.

Staring into the darkness, the Raichu’s thoughts wandered around memories of times long gone. Childhood…family…friends…crushes…a time of peace and ignorant bliss. But then he stopped himself. Whenever he thought about the past, stumbling upon the sour parts was inevitable…and some parts, he recalled, were especially sour…the kind of memories that can take a long time to endure.

He moved on to listening to the nighttime atmosphere. Hooting owls…chirping crickets…the rapidly approaching sound of scurrying feet…wha?

Charon shot up to his hind-legs. “Someone’s coming!” He said under his breath. “Dammit, can’t I be left alone for just one moment? I have to hide before I’m seen!”

Charon quickly scanned the premises. Since his eyes got accustomed to the pitch black of the cave, he spotted a large shard of rock that seemed to have thrust from underneath the ground. It was large enough to hide Charon from peering eyes entering the cave; as long as he stayed quiet the darkness would take care of the rest. At once the raichu took cover behind the rock and pressed tightly against it, silencing his breath, holding his long tail against his chest to keep it out of view.

The scurrying grew louder and louder until it quietly died away to the sound of slow footsteps. Voices spoke, their tones fitting the tones of a male and female…but as to what species, Charon couldn’t tell:

“Finally, we’ve found shelter at last! Fate looks kindly on us this night,” said the male voice.

“Oooh…this cave looks really big!” the female voice commented in awe.

“Yes, I’d assume an Ursaring would take residence here.”

“Eeep!”

The male laughed, “No need to worry my dear! There hasn’t been any Ursaring in these parts for quite some time. Still, you can rub up on to me all the same.”

SMACK!

“Oow! What was that for?”

“You scared me, you jerk!” The female snapped.

“No need to hit so hard, though…my cheek, it is throbbing!” The male whined.

Charon quietly sighed. The devastating bitch-slap…I’ve been on the receiving end of that before…urgh, the raichu thought.

A few moments passed. “Well…I guess we can get comfy now,” said the female.

“No, not yet,” interjected the male, “While there are no bears in this cave, there could be other creatures hiding here that would not hesitate to pounce upon us. We should make sure no one else is here.”

Charon’s heart skipped a beat. Oh, shit…

It appeared that being spotted was now inevitable. The scenarios raced through Charon’s mind. He knew that no matter what, they would instantly label him hostile and instinctively drive him out…if not attempt to kill him outright. He had no idea what kind of creatures he was dealing with, and if the situation erupted into a fight he’d be outnumbered two-to-one.

I should’ve snuck out when I had the chance, Charon thought, mentally beating himself, I didn’t want this…

“So, um…how are we going to do that?” The female asked her male companion.

“Easy, we flush them out with fire.” The male responded.

Shit!

“Ooooh! That sounds fun!” the female said joyously.

“Is it never?” The male stated confidently, “Now, on the count of three.”

What the hell did I do to deserve THIS!? Damn, damn, damn, damn, DAMN! Charon thought. The frustration fed into the charge of his electricity, which seemed to boil his very blood. Sparks began to cackle around his cheeks, and his teeth were bared by anger.

“One…”

Suddenly, Charon grabbed at his curly-qs, pulling down hard, as his jaws clamped together, pressing with an extreme force. If Charon hated anything above all else, it was losing control. He did not want to lash out, expelling the full force of his electricity. It could kill them. But if he didn’t do something, the raichu himself could end up dead.

“Two…”

But his furious energy still had to go somewhere…and thus, Charon directed it not in his cheeks, but somewhere else:

“STOOOOOP!”

Charon’s violent scream silenced the very atmosphere of the forest. Hearing the sudden gasps and scuffling from behind the rock, Charon could tell that the male and female were no less terrified.

“W-who’s there?” The male stammered, “S-s-show yourself, or else I’ll b-b-burn you to a c-c-crisp!”

Charon breathed deeply in and out, bringing his tone of voice back to normal as best as he could. “My name is Charon. I’ll come out…but only if you promise not to attack. I mean no harm,” he called to them, squelching his anger.

“Come out s-s-slowly,” ordered the male, “No s-s-sudden movements.”

Charon sighed, “Alright.”

The Raichu relaxed his muscles, no longer forcing his weight upon the rock that hid his presence. Taking slow steps, he inched his way out from his hiding spot, making sure to keep everything easy. He did not want to react the wrong way if the male and female happened to be very, very huge. Hopefully, they won’t either.

At last, when he was fully exposed to the male and female, he finally saw them in the flesh. It was no mistake about it…the male and female were none other than the forest’s other rarity: the red-furred, six-tailed, fire-breathing foxes, known to the world as Vulpix. The fluffiness of their tails, the cute curl of hair on their heads, and their small size in general (the raichu was nearly double the size of one of them) hid well the fact that the two of them could burn down the entirety of the forest with their awesome possession of the flame. Now, in the darkness of that cave, Charon stood face to face to two such powerful creatures, huddled together, both whom glared at him with their own mix of awe and terror.

“Uuuuuh….hello?” Charon said, waving his left forepaw weakly, while the other paw scratched the back of his head.

So…awkward…