Warrior Eevees #1: The Storm of Fire

10- After the Battle

Emmy woke before any member of the Forest Tribe. The morning dawned bright and clear, and in the sun, things were looking up. The blood had been groomed from their fur and their wounds had closed, and their burns were fading and healing from the Rawst Berry juice. Even Acorn would survive, although he was stuck in the recovery den trying to sleep off nasty burns all across his left flank, which had singed the fur off, and would leave a scar, according to Thyme.

Emmy crept through the sleeping Tribe members, not wanting to wake anyone but too restless to go back to sleep and crept through the branches of the Great Oak to sit on a broad branch near the bottom. She settled herself into a fork and let her forepaws dangle down over the forest floor. She was larger than she was used to, now, and feeling a little ungainly.

The air was full of twitches and movement. The gem on her forehead ran deep into her skull, almost to her brain, and she allowed her past research to inform her:

Espeon unleashes psychic energy through the gem on its head. The gem sits very close to the brain in this Pokémon's head, which allows it to unleash its Psychic-Type attacks more easily.

The sun felt warm on her fur, and she felt its energy leaching into her pelt. Espeon also drew some of their energy from the sun, although not in the same direct way as Leafeon photosynthesis. It was a nice day today, and, by the air currents sweeping over her pelt, would remain a nice day until midnight, when the rain would roll in. But that rain would pass quickly, she thought. The flooding would soon fade, although the Lake Tribe would keep hunting rights on the opposite bank of the river for a while.

Then, another slight disturbance in the air- someone else was emerging from the main den. It was Hollyhock, her pelt cut and burnt from the fight the previous day, working her way down to Emmy from high above.

"I thought I might find you here," she commented dryly, sitting down next to the Espeon in the branches.

"I couldn't sleep," Emmy sighed. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize that my being here was going to cause you so much trouble..."

"It's not your fault, you didn't know," Hollyhock stated crisply. "And you fought bravely. But I need to know... What now?"

Emmy tensed, suddenly unsure. She had wanted to join the Forest Tribe just twenty-four hours ago, but now she didn't know.

"What will you do now?" Hollyhock clarified.

"I don't know," Emmy answered. "I- I don't know, I'm sorry. This is- This is all very confusing."

"Well, you fight well and hunt well," Hollyhock said. "You are free to stay with the Forest Tribe as long as you are willing to help out."

"Even though I'm not a Leafeon?" Emmy asked nervously.

"Of course," Hollyhock said evenly. "Most Eevee in the Tribe choose to evolve into Leafeon because we live in the forest, and it can make life much easier. But we won't throw anyone out for choosing a different form. We are not the Sand Tribe."

"What about Rogue?" Emmy felt her tail flick nervously. "I know he's a big Flying-Type, but... He's the only thing I have from the past."

"Rogue can stay, I suppose," Hollyhock sighed. "But if he's staying with us, he'd probably better stay out of Lake Tribe territory."

"Thank you," Emmy said, humbled by the Forest Tribe's leader's kindness.

She might have had a wonderful life here, if things had been different. If she had been born an Eevee, maybe, or if Rogue had never found her again. Hunting with Sycamore, bounding through the trees. Maybe evolving into Leafeon and earning a full Forest Tribe name. But that wasn't how things were, and she suspected that there would come a time when she had to leave the Leafeon in the forest behind. Not quite yet, but someday.