Once Is Enough

Part 4

A sweet smell roused Avian from the darkness of sleep. His deep honey eyes that had resembled his father's flickered open and were soon rubbed by his blue paw. Using his arm, he pushed himself up to look around at his surroundings. No longer was he on Zoar's back, but he was laying on a nest of grass and leaves that caressed his once sleeping body. It was nighttime, and the moon was shining over the forest clearing. When Avian looked down, he noticed four berries, two of each were either a light blue with a grey stem or red and yellow with two green leaves hanging from the top. Above them was a messily scrawled message in the dirt done by a claw.

Please eat. They will make you feel better.
       -Zoar

Avian gulped. What if it's like last time...? he thought nervously. Will it taste bad again...? Am I just falling into another trap...? After taking a quick furtive glance around the area, the Riolu carefully picked up the closest berry to him. Its blue skin reflected the moonlight above him, giving it a glossy gleam. He popped the fruit into his mouth and waited for a blast of bitterness or sourness to enter his tastebuds, but it never came.

Instead, a sweet, yet slightly tangy flavor coated his mouth. It was the best thing he had ever tasted in days! He felt the energy rejuvenating his body as he ate the other. His tongue savored the delicious juices like it was last time he would ever taste them. Licking his lips, he glanced at the other two berries.

His mother had told him what those were before. Pondering for a moment, he remembered they were leppa berries, and the blue ones were oran berries. He smiled proudly, stuffing the first leppa berry into his mouth. It was a little crunchier than the oran, but still left a satisfying aftertaste.

After eagerly devouring the last berry, the pup caught sight of a sleeping Zoar in the distance. There was noticeable gap between the him and the Luxray, which made him puzzled at first. When about a few seconds passed, Avian crept up curiously near the Pokemon. He seemed so calm and harmless now, unlike before. With his sharp red and yellow eyes closed and his powerful massive limbs limp, his spiky electrifying fur rising and falling as he slept. All of the fears emitting from the Luxray seemed to have dissipated completely towards Avian, making him feel secure.

But even though this Pokemon had shown nothing but kindness, he couldn't help but feel the slightest bit wary of him, like he would attack at any minute.

Avian tried to block the memories from his head the best he could as he stood up. Why hasn't Mister Zoar eaten me yet...? I don't understand. He must be hungry too... he couldn't help but think. But... That was really nice of him to get me those berries. Has he even eaten at all? After a while of thinking, the pup stood to his reenergized legs. It's the least I can do.
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With a twitch of his ear, Zoar opened his eyes, yawning. He licked his dry lips and shook his body to help him fully snap into reality. "Hey kit, you awake?" he asked.

There was no response.

"...Ave?" He looked over to see that the nest he made was empty. A part inside of him almost jumped out of his system as sweat perspired from his skin. Hastily, the Luxray hurried over to where the Riolu was once sleeping peacefully and inspected the area. The berries he had left for him were gone; only the stems of the fruits remained. "Avian...? Avian?!" Zoar called, desperately hoping for an answer.

That was when his nose caught his scent wafting through the air. He shut his eyes and sniffed out his surroundings with all of the concentration he could muster, letting his legs guide him into the direction of Avian's fresh scent. Deep inside, he was hoping that the child would be okay and unharmed. Yet this feeling still conflicted with his instructed cold and unsympathetic manner. The pack had always taught him and all of the members to ignore all feelings of concern for their prey.