Warrior Eevees #2: Pearl's Shadow

18- The Summer Storm

Pearl had avoided patrolling the border with the Forest Tribe since she had fought with them, but the weather was gorgeous and she was feeling particularly daring, so she called for Silent and Geyser. It was absolutely pouring rain, the kind of hot, fresh-feeling rain that came in midsummer, sliding off their pelts and soaking into the ground beneath them, all without thunder. What other Tribes would have considered miserable the Lake Tribe relished. Rain meant fresh water in the lake and in the rivers, good hunting, and, according to Reed, rain in the middle of summer was good luck.

"But Reed believes everything is a sign from Suicune," Geyser pointed out, although he was in just as high spirits as everyone else.

"So?" Pearl chose not to think about the sign Reed had seen about her from the Legends.

She was wondering more and more whether or not it had truly been a sign. The Lake Tribe often traded stories about their earliest ancestors, and how they had often heard signs from Suicune, but those stories were many season cycles old. She thought it was possible, of course. But wasn't it far more likely that the flower had been placed there deliberately as a threat? The Mightyena had, after all, been targeting her specifically.

It was hard to voice those fears, though, even to those closest to her. She had barely begun to get used to leading and felt it would open up a whole new world of questions about it.

"Rain is always lucky inherently," Silent broke in. "Because rain is always good for the Lake Tribe. So, he's kind of right."

"I'm just saying, I heard him make a bet with Shell this morning on who would catch more fish, and Shell's a great hunter."

The loss of half of his tail had not permanently stopped Shell from hunting. It was very difficult for him to hunt fish like he used to, since his tail was uneven that trying to kick with it sent him spinning in the wrong direction, and that was where most of the power in swimming came from, but he and Floe had worked together to adapt. Floe had always fished the same way Eevee were allowed to, sitting on the shore and using her forepaws or diving for fish near the surface of the water, and Shell was certainly capable of this. But where he excelled was in shallow or muddy water, the kind of water that was best suited for ambush hunting, with slow paw-swimming. His morose attitude had melted away as it quickly became a game for him, catching more and more every day, until Peal had to tell him, regretfully, that he was really beginning to overhunt.

"That doesn't prove anything, though," Silent argued with Geyser. "Shell's part of the Lake Tribe, too. So, the rain would give him luck, too."

Pearl left them to their idle bickering, suspecting they quite enjoyed it. They had just crossed the river into the strip of land across the water where the border with the Forest Tribe rested. It was hard to believe Silent had once been so sick she had been tempted to cross that border. He was so healthy and strong now.

It was hard to believe Leap had been there. And that she would never see Leap again. Pearl hoped that wherever she was, she had found the peace and safety she was looking for. Who knew? Maybe she was with Suicune, sending rain to the Lake Tribe now.

For now, focus on the patrol. The Forest Tribe would be reaching their strongest point for the season cycle. When the forest was in full bloom, their rodents and birds ran thick and the Tribe grew strong and healthy. But on a day like this, Pearl wasn't too worried. The Forest Tribe enjoyed the plant growth the rain prompted, but their patrols always seemed to rush when it was really pouring like this.

Or so she thought, until she spotted the leaves of a nearby bush waving unnaturally. Signaling her Tribemates with her tail, she dropped into her best stealth crouch.

Pearl still hated stealth crouches. Her brightly colored pelt just felt too obvious in the foliage. But it couldn't be helped, at least for now. Instead, she nodded to Geyser, urging him forward.