A Pokemon Tale

First Light

Chapter 1: First Light

I glanced behind me to check that nobody was watching, I knew all too well that Mum would not like me sneaking out but being a runt had one advantage, I was small. Sometimes it seemed like no one knew I existed, but it was moments like these that made it worth it. I cast my worries aside and continued up the slope leading out of our den, if I was caught, I was caught, I knew Mum wouldn't be too hard on me for it, besides I'm her only daughter she would hate to do more than tell me off and say I can't play with the boys.

I made it to the entrance, it seemed like a white hole and was the only thing that lit the den below, on the nights of no-moon it is pitch black and we aren't to stray from Mums side but now it was bright inside and my siblings were play-fighting. I hesitated at the top, still inside the shadow, what was I going to do when I got out there? I shook my head to get rid of the thought, I'll wing it.

I stepped out of the shadows and had to squint to see after the dim light of the den the bright sunlight was near blinding. When my eyes had finally adjusted to the light I gasped, there were so many colours to take in. The leaves of the trees were bright, vibrant green made more beautiful by the orange glow of the rising sun and bore fragrant flowers of every type, my breath misted in front of me in the chilly morning air.

I walked around for a little while and took note of the things around me so I could get back. I could smell something odd in the air but I didn't recognise it, and didn't particularly care, I bounded into the undergrowth of a nearby shrub and felt the leaves in my fur and sticks prodding my soft belly. I tumbled out the other side onto a dusty, foot worn path. The sour scent was stronger hear and made me screw up my nose, whatever had caused it was long gone, the scent was old and was overlayed by the scent of humans, and other pokémon! I knew that everyone had a different scent, if only slightly, these were completely different to those of my littermates, or my mother for that fact. There must have been the scents of heaps of different pokémon on this path!

I heard something coming, a steady tap, tap, tap, tap of four paws on the ground, around the bend I saw a dark brown pokémon with light patches on its face, ears and paws and a very tiny red mane. As it approached I could tell it was young, maybe a little older than myself but as he got closer I could not smell any siblings. At his age you should still be able to smell family, but he only smelt like human. "Hello" I said experimentally.

"What? Oh hi," he skidded to a stop, "hey you smell funny, why do you smell like a horde of eevees?"

"Ok first, I'm not the one that smells weird you are, second I smell like a horde of eevees because I am one and I still live with my family and third, why can't I smell your family on you, other than that human scent of course."

"What do you mean you live with your family, how many of you are there?"

Why does he insist on asking stupid questions? "Well there's me, Mum and my four brothers."

"You have siblings!" he sounded astonished, like it was the strangest thing to ever happen.

"Why? Don't you?"

"Well no... I'm a human bred so I guess it works differently."

"So you're telling me that you've never lived in the wild!"

He nodded, "a man raised me then gave me to a boy, I've been with him ever since."

As if on cue a human child, a boy as the other pokémon said, came rushing around the corner, "there you are Littlio," the boy said panting, "oh did you make a friend?" the boy reached out to touch me but I backed away.

"Hey look, Littlio was it."

He nodded, "he hasn't given me a nickname"

I frowned, "do you mean you don't have a name?"

"Something like that."

"Yeah well I got to go back to my den, I might see you around."

I jumped back through the bush and raced away back towards my den, barely stopping to check I was going the right way. I made it to the entrance and hesitated again, what if someone had noticed. What if someone smelt the Littlio in my fur? I shook my head again time to deal with that if and when it comes.