Warrior Eevees #2: Pearl's Shadow

7- A Visit from the Plains Tribe

Pearl began to understand how Leap had felt in the next few days. She didn't want to talk to anyone and spent all of her time trying to distract herself fishing. Geyser went with her, trying to bolster her mood. It annoyed Pearl, but at the same time, she could remember doing the same to Leap. He was only trying to help.

Leap would never slide beneath the ice like this. She would never know what it was to chase fish through the winter lake.

It was still dead winter, but to Pearl's relief, the cold had lessened, at least a little bit. The hard freeze faded, so that Pearl's ears didn't instantly go numb the moment she poked her nose outside.

And Silent was recovering steadily. He was truly back on his paws, back to fishing with older members of the Tribe. Whenever Pearl saw him walking through the village, it made her feel a little better.

That didn't mean the Tribe was healthy, though. It was still bitterly cold, and the food was still running short. So, no one questioned Pearl's unwavering dedication to hunting, or how much time she spent beneath the ice on the frozen lake.

Geyser nodded to her when she resurfaced through one of the ice holes with two fish in her jaws.

"Good hunting?" he asked her, with a voice that was a little too jovial.

"Better than it was," Pearl found herself unable to smile at him, but she nodded to indicate that she wasn't angry with him.

Geyser returned the gesture and ducked under the ice himself. Now was the part Pearl hated, the part where she just sat and waited for him to resurface. Alone with her miserable thoughts. She tipped her muzzle to the sky. A few scattered woolen clouds dotted the horizon, and one shaped a little like her paw drifted close to the sun. If he hadn't returned by the time that cloud had passed the sun, she would go down and make sure he wasn't freezing.

The snow was softer now, more like slush at the top. Its wetness could not pierce Pearl's fur, and she welcomed this change from previous, unevolved winters. Staring at the swirls of mush that lay between her and the lake water, she tried not to recall the day she had asked Shore to hunt with her.

Shore had been so cheerful, so at peace. Pearl had asked her if she was sad about Leap. Shore had responded that she was relieved not to put up with her moping anymore. Relieved that their sister was gone! Pearl had had to return to the village early, with her pulse pounding in her ears.

Geyser wasn't long in returning, shaking his head to finish off the Finneon he had caught. Pearl stood and ruffled her coat up, preparing to take the plunge again. But before she could slide beneath the ice, an unfamiliar voice called out to her from the distance:

"EXCUSE ME!"

The intruder was not difficult to spot. He had bright yellow fur, a white mane, and long legs that hoisted his ears across above the reeds. He stood in a thick clump of them, waving one paw for attention.

"That's a Jolteon," Geyser muttered to Pearl. "From the Plains Tribe, do you think?"

The Plains Tribe lived beyond the Forest Tribe's territory. Pearl had seen their Jolteon only rarely, when they sent Pokémon to speak to Diver about possible alliances or medical berries.

They always made Pearl a little nervous. They smelled of Electric-Type energy, and had coats that could turn into long, dangerous quills. Quills that could pierce through even the thick coats of the Lake Tribe Vaporeon.

Still, it wasn't like the Jolteon, or either of the other two with him, were trying to sneak into the territory. Now Pearl could see all three of them trying to keep their balance on the lake shore. Geyser was already approaching with his frill flared. In response, the Jolteon shrank back, avoiding eye contact and slicking their pelts down as a sign of submission.