Living in the Shadows

PART 6: CHAPTER 1 THE JOURNEY

(Jenna)

I was already awake and watching the sunrise over the forest when Grovyle came out. "You're up already?" He asked in surprise after stretching.

I nodded. I was sitting on the tree's branches with my legs curled up to my chin and my back against the bark; without my horn touching it. "I had another vision last night and wasn't able to get back to sleep," I explained.

"What was it about?"

I tensed. "I'm sorry, but I can't answer that question."

The truth is I had another conversation with Lunala while Cresselia was keeping that other Pokemon at bay. She told me that I should let that Pokemon talk to me tomorrow night. She said, and I quote: "You must hear what she has to say" then she left. I told Cresselia Lunala's message and she said she'd be standing by to banish that Pokemon if it turned out to be a trap.

Grovyle didn't argue and everyone else woke up shortly thereafter. We had a quick breakfast and after Zorua and I were reassured that everyone back in town and the lab were alright, we climbed down from the tree and began our journey to Mystic Village.

It wasn't long before we came to one of the roads that led into Borac Town and we debated on whether or not to use the main road or go the roundabout way. Gothita's arguments were to use the main road while Zorua argued that their enemies were also using those same roads and we needed to use what she called the Greenwood Paths.

"My brother says that if you want to avoid trouble or enemies!" Zorua shouted. "You're supposed to use the Greenwood Paths!"

"If we use those paths it'll take forever to get to Mystic Village!" Gothita shouted back.

"Not if we take the right one it won't!"

I stuck my fingers in my mouth and whistled loudly. "Look!" I snapped. "Zorua and I need to keep a low profile and that means we'll be using the Greenwood Paths!" Gothita hung her head in disappointment. "Now," I continued in a calmer voice. "Does anyone have a map?"

The others looked at each other before Umbreon said that we can use his. "Mind you," he began as he got the map out of his bag. "This is just a self-made map I drew from our travels across this side of the Shadow Mountains."

The left side of the map was covered with thick and thin lines plus some fuzzy ones. There were dots on some of the lines and at the end of two of the fuzzy ones, as well as one big dot. There were also five places written on this map: Borac Town, Berry Town, Travelers Town, Mystic Village, and Mountains Bluff; after Umbreon translated for me.

Borac Town is on the far left, next to the ocean in the southwest. Berry Town and Travelers Town are next to what I assumed are the Shadow Mountains, which are in the center of the map, while Mountains Bluff and Mystic Village are north of both towns. Only, like Borac Town, Mountains Bluff is right next to the ocean while Mystic Village is a tad bit to the west and south of Mountains Bluff.

"What are those fuzzy lines?" I asked.

"Those are rivers that we know of," Umbreon answered. "The thicker lines are the main roads while the thinner ones are the Greenwood Paths that we also know."

If those fuzzy lines are rivers then the dots at the end of two of them must be lakes, I thought.

"What are those dots?" Zorua asked while pointing to the nameless dots.

"Those are smaller towns and villages," Espeon answered. "The only town names we know are written on this map. These other dots are lakes and this big one," she pointed to said big one that was between Berry Town and Mystic Village, "is the Murky Swamps."