Hiding in Her Shadow
Earlier that night…
At the sound of that explosion, the duo jump to their feet and hurry on the move. It sounded so far away, and they were uncertain of the cause, but they did not care. Out in the Wilds, any sort of sudden noise was bad news.
Running in front with an annoyed expression was Vurunnekin, a Vurunnekin. Behind her was her only companion who stumbled over herself trying to keep up, Hazel the Galarian Rigtretoon.
[ ID: A grayscale bust drawing of Hazel slightly angled away from the viewer towards the left. She’s looking off to the right with wide eyes, gritting her teeth in a small grimace. Hazel's appearance is as described here. End ID ]
Hazel: “V-V-Vurunne! You don’t really think that’s them, do you? We only just caught a break!”
Vurunnekin: “We’re not taking any chances, Hazel! It’d be just like them to sneak up on us!”
Hazel: “Sneak up on us? With an attack like that?!”
Vurunnekin: “They’re air-heads. Never forget that. Persistent, power hungry air-heads.”
Hazel: “But even an air-head would get sick of chasing us over that little thing, right? Or recognize how this is a complete waste of time?”
A barely audible sigh came from Vurunnekin.
[ ID: A grayscale bust drawing of Vurunnekin oriented similarly to the previous image. She looks especially exasperated. Vurunnekin’s appearance is as described here. End ID ]
Vurunnekin: “You mean the sacred treasure that’s the She-Demon’s heirloom?”
Hazel: “O-oh.”
Some moments of silence followed–other than the sounds of their feet hitting the ground, and another explosion that seemed farther away than the first.
Hazel: “Y-yeah, why did we do that? We definitely totally had to steal that, right??”
Vurunnekin: “Damn right!”
Another explosion. One that made the duo go quiet with how close it sounded.
Hazel wasn’t wrong–the two were absolutely winded. Their breathing was ragged and it clearly hurt to keep running, but they pushed on a little further, coming to a stop only when they heard no more explosions, or smelled smoke.
The two would take cover in a ditch. Vurunnekin took note of the pouch she carried on her person, scrutinizing it for any rips or tears–any sign of losing the treasure in question.
To her relief, she didn’t spot such signs.
[ ID: A grayscale drawing of Vurunnekin similar to the previous image. Her eyes are closed with a calm and focused expression. End ID ]
Vurunnekin: “She needs to be stopped. The further we can get with this, the better.”
Hazel: “Still, there’s a dozen more of those… can’t she just go get the other ones and then come back for us?”
Vurunnekin: “How would that ch–”
??: “The fat one is confused… has the runty one not made it clear~?”
The two jolt at the sound of that voice, snapping their heads in the direction it came from with looks of terror.
[ ID: A grayscale drawing depicting a Braixen hybrid directly facing forward and smiling evilly towards the viewer. The upper part of her face is in shadow, leaving her toothy grin visible. End ID ]
??: “She will do anything to get her precious item back. Even fall for such an obvious trick!”
The next day…
Fenninkou had made up her mind to visit Pikavee again after getting her chores done. So came the conclusion that the faster she did so would be the sooner she could get to see her; thus her rushing about that morning with even more zeal than Rue thought possible.
[ ID: A grayscale bust drawing of Rue slightly angled away from the viewer towards the left. She looks very shocked, maybe even fearful. Rue's appearance is as described here. End ID ]
Rue: “Y-you really need to slow down! You could run into someone like that!”
Fenninkou: “But I haven’t yet, have I? Besides, you’re still too slow!”
But upon saying this, she did.
At the same time, Hazel was here by herself, frantically going about and asking for directions.
Until Fenninkou ran right into her leg because she was looking back at Rue to reply to her, that is.
The larger Pokemon tumbled forward as she tripped over Fenninkou. Falling into some others in this crowded path, she inadvertently took them down with her.
The folks in question, who had ignored Hazel before, merely rose back up with a glare and some grumblings about ferals, using a series of nasty words to describe their perceived intelligence. Then they dispersed to go about their business, not even bothering to help her up.
[ ID: A grayscale bust drawing of Hazel oriented similarly to the previous image. She’s dazed or spacey, with cartoony swirls for eyes and her mouth gaping open. End ID ]
Hazel: “Owowow…”
Fenninkou would be the last to get back on her feet, crawling from underneath Hazel and shaking off her dizziness. She would be spitting out some fur from her mouth.
[ ID: A grayscale bust drawing of Fenninkou oriented similarly to the previous image. She’s visibly sulking, her eyes closed shut and her mouth in a pout that puckers her lips. Fenninkou's appearance is as described here. End ID ]
Fenninkou: “Ugh, you smell like smoke!”
Rue: “I told you to slow down…”
It would be just now that she reached the two, going up to Hazel as she began to sit up.
Rue: “I’m so sorry. Are you alright?”
Hazel: “Oh sure, never better. A pipsqueak just ran into me and those Fae turds over there are calling me names.”
She rose to her feet, continuing her tangent.
Hazel: “All the while my best friend and only friend is out there somewhere with a tyrannical princess. Fighting as we speak over a treasure so precious, so powerful, it could destroy us all.”
For a moment, she stood over them with an intense gaze. Rue stepped away–Fenninkou stood her ground.
Then, making a puppy-eyed face not unlike Pikavee, her entire demeanor changed.
[ ID: A grayscale bust drawing of Hazel oriented similarly to the previous image. She’s sobbing in a melodramatic manner not unlike the “sob” emoji. End ID ]
Hazel: “Basically, I’m not alright!”
Character pages unlocked for: Vurunnekin and Hazel.