The World Without Them || Original Pokémon Fanfiction ✓

Chapter Sixteen: The Tanna Society

Frost could hardly stand the growing sense of dread that caused his stomach to flip and eyes to constantly study the dark forest. The surrounding woods had only just turned black, making uneasy shivers run down the boy's spine at the thought of what creatures could be lurking in the gloom. Both of the humans' hoods were raised over their heads to make themselves harder to identify, but it did nothing to put Frost at ease.

Mana was situated in his backpack at Sage's request. She had mentioned that they were too close to Valcoast and risked her being seen if she was out in the open. The Pokémon whimpered every now and then from the small space and lack of food. Frost's own belly grumbled in distress. They had run dangerously low on supplies -- the fruit had turned bad and all non-perishable goods had been munched on. If it was one thing the outcast was looking forward to, it was the restock Sage had promised.

"We've been walking a lot longer than a couple hours. Do you even know where we're going?" Frost quietly asked, not bothering to hide the irritation in his voice.

Sage looked over her shoulder at him dubiously. "Of course I know where we're going. I grew up around here, remember?"

"Then why aren't we there yet?"

"Look, I misjudged the time it would take us a little because I forgot to take your speed into consideration. If I were travelling on my own, then I'd be at the meeting point by now."

Frost let out an annoyed mutter that made Mana stir restlessly. He gave her a comforting word to get her to relax. He wanted nothing more than to provide the being with something to keep herself occupied with, but he had emptied everything from his pack into Sage's to make room for the Pokémon in the first place.

"We should be there in a few minutes tops. Once we get to my house you can let Mana out," the girl commented, seeing the conflicted expression on his face.

"Alright."

The adolescents fell silent after that. Frost continued to eye the shadows that danced just beyond the foliage. He had the eerie feeling that they were being watched, the sensation causing the hairs on the back of his neck to stand on end. After being on the run for days, even the slightest inkling of danger made the male want to hunker down and hide. He mentally cursed his thinking.

I hate paranoia.

It was only a couple moments after that he spotted a clearing up ahead. Even though the trio appeared to still be deep in the forest, it was easier to see the light of the moon from the area in which he had set his sights. Words couldn't describe the relief that Frost felt to see a break in the never-ending trees. He quickly passed Sage and moved towards it.

"Since we're obviously not as close to the meeting point or Valcoast as you said we were, then we might as well take a short break," the boy stated, more than a little fed-up with feeling like he was being led astray.

Sage immediately tried to grab his sleeve, only for him to yank it out of her grip and jog into the clearing, leaving her to call out to him from behind.

"Frost, wait a second! I'm pretty sure this is right where-"

Just as the Silverkeep native came to a halt and prepared to remove the backpack containing Mana from his shoulders, he heard branches rustle from somewhere off to his left. At first, Frost dismissed it as Sage making her way to him, but one look the way he had came made him determine otherwise since the girl wasn't there. He slowly turned around in an attempt to locate the source of the noise but, seconds later, he was knocked on his back.

Frost gasped in surprise, barely able to process Mana's muffled yelp at the impact. He squeezed his eyes shut as the force of the blow made him slide across the dirt. In his stunned state, he felt someone pin him to the ground by his arms and legs, followed by the rough pulling off of his hood. Frost opened his eyes just in time to see a gun get pressed to his temple, the cool metal making him shiver. The sight of the weapon made his blood run cold. Images of the armed patrol he, Mana, and Sage had run into earlier that day crossed through his mind as he turned his head just enough to stare at the perpetrator.