Team Pack: Scarlet the Fennekin

Chapter 1

The crackling of leaves, the scampering of prey darting under bushes, and the breeze making the trees sway in the wind. A small brown shrew sat sniffing at the ground a tail-length away from her. All she had to do was enact the methods she had been so dutifully taught and drilled on. She balanced lightly on her paws, trying to stay completely still to keep from alerting the creature to her presence.

Not a sound was heard as a small, orange and red fox-like creature stalked silently through the forest. Her red-orange eyes blazing with fire as she awaited her chance to pounce.

"I've got you now little shrew," Scarlet murmured under her breath as she prepared to spring. "My friend is sick and may die," the small Fennekin sighed softly and stared down at her paws. "I'm truly sorry, but I need to do this!"

All right, she thought. This will be easy. I just have to pounce and swipe. It's not hard. Scarlet hesitated only a moment before making the jump.

The golden-furred fox leapt forward, sailing through the thick spring air for mere moments before reaching the shrew. She lashed out with unsheathed claws, but missed by a mouse-length and found herself crashing to the ground head first, landing in an ungraceful heap on the forest floor.

Scarlet growled and quickly leaped to her feet. Deciding that there was no time to waste, she shook the leaves from her fur and stood up, turning around to find a new scent.

"Ugh! It's no use!" she growled in frustration. "I'm never going to catch anything at this rate!"

But despite her anger and shame directed at herself, the small fire-type sighed softly and shook her head back and forth. "No!" she told herself, "I can't give up! Everest needs me and I can't let her down!"

Who is Everest you might ask? Everest is Scarlet's sister. She's a shiny Fennekin with violet eyes instead of the normal red. Everest was sick and needed treatment, but since neither of them knew anything about healing, Scarlet just focused on doing what she could to help her older sister.

Scarlet spat with anger and plopped heavily down on the ground. She buried her head in her paws, frustrated with her inability to hunt. The small she-fox worried that she was missing some natural instinct that every other normal Pokémon had. Why did it have to be so hard?

When she finished mulling over her failure, Scarlet managed to catch a mouse- and an already near-dead one, at that- before sunhigh. Growling in disappointment and shame, she returned to the spot her sister told her to with her meager catch. She carried the fresh-kill sadly to the sunny grove, dropping it at her sister's dark-colored paws and hanging her head in shame.

At hearing the soft patting of paws approaching her, Everest's ears twitched and she slowly lifted her head to see her sister, Scarlet, sitting there with a small mouse clutched in her jaws.

Everest, who had waited patiently for her sister to return, purred encouragingly, "A whole mouse! That's better than last time, when you only caught the tail of one!"

Scarlet huffed at the statement. "It's not much better at all."

Despite the headache splitting through her skull like a pack of hungry Meowth, Everest managed to stand shakily to her paws and pad over to her sister's side.

Everest shifted uncomfortably. "I did see your attempts, and you were trying your best. That's all I care about. You tried your absolute best, Scar, and that's all that matters."

"You don't have to lie to me, Everest. I'm horrible at hunting!" Scarlet cried miserably. "I'll never be good at hunting."

Everest nudged her sister's cheek with her nose, sighing. "Don't worry. If you keep practicing, you'll get there eventually. Hunting isn't easy for everyone."

"It is for most, though," Scarlet muttered, pulling away from her sister's touch. "I wish I wasn't such a failure."

Everest didn't say anything, just sat there in silence, providing a listening ear for her sister.